Sand Riders

Various tribes muster at least forty to fifty riders to be fast and flexible when on the move.

Armor: Many riders wear light armor, such as carapace and leather, when they are in close-quarters combat, and some even wear masks for protection from the sun or weapon strikes.   Sand Cloaks: Robes that allow the rider to remain cool in the desert heat and provide camouflage within

Scimitar: Curved swords make an excellent choice on mounts, as they can easily cut through flesh and light armor without losing momentum while riding.   Recurved Bows: Short bows made of bone, horns, and chitin that add more force and range for mounted archers to deal more damage without losing mobility.   Spears: A standard weapon used by most riders to take down opponents while riding or just wounding them while passing by.   Javelin: Small spear that can easily be thrown to harass and disrupt formations to make them easier to deal with.   Whips: An unorthodox weapon used to grab hold of enemies from a distance to capture or pull them off mounts or out of formations.   Fire Jars: Small jars made of flammable material used to set alight enemies and buildings, to spread panic amongst them.

Horses: A standard mount of the desert, known for their speed and maneuverability, allows them to outpace most opponents so long as they have a competent rider.   Camels: Naturally born in the desert, camels are more suited to withstand the harsh environment more easily for long journeys and can endure high speeds at a much longer pace.   Teoro Lizards: A carnivorous lizard that is difficult to train, but once tamed, they make for fast and aggressive mounts that can devour enemies with frightening efficiency.

Elashan: A seasoned warrior who leads the riders into battle while guiding them through the desert.

Raids: May it be day or night, Sand Riders will swiftly attack caravans, camps, and settlements to grab as many resources as they can before leaving with as much as they can carry.   Hit and Run: The most common tactic used by sand riders is often used to scare away predators, intruders, and invaders or weaken them until they deliver the final blow.   Feigned Retreats: In the heat of battle, they will often pretend to retreat from an enemy so lure them away from a main engagement to weaken their formations and surround them.   Storm Camouflage: Move with the high winds, they use dust clouds and sand storms to cover their approach from enemy detection.   Ambushes: Sand Riders can hide in plain sight just about anywhere they want, from appearing behind dunes to attacking during sand storms to completely catch their enemies off guard.   Scouting: Many Sand Riders make excellent scouts who can spot any signs of trouble near them and avoid being detected to return to report what they have seen.

Desert Riding: Each Sand Rider must be skilled to ride in any condition that they may come across in the desert, with any difficulty, while traveling. This enables them to easily adapt to any terrain while in combat, while their opponents struggle to keep up with them.

Sand riders are mainly recruited from the Maruk Desert tribes, consisting of young men and, on some occasions, women who have mastered the art of riding through the desert. Their skill and speed on their mounts and their understanding of the desert have allowed them to travel and maneuver through it much more easily than any other light cavalry in the land.

Warriors of The Wind

  Sand Riders have long since been a part of the Maruk Desert Tribes since the beginning of the desert. The harsh conditions they often endure have made them excellent riders who can easily adapt to whatever the desert can throw at them, able to ride on the most unstable ground and travel across it for several days if necessary. Most Sand Rider duties involve them to scout ahead while their tribe is on the move and hunting local game in the area to feed their people. They can do this easily as they are known for their remarkable feats of speed, and they can achieve on their mounts in short amounts of time. Often described as riding with the wind itself, given the amount of ground they can cover, most other riders would have to make half of that distance.

Sand Riders are mainly loyal to the tribes from which they are born, rarely abandoning them for much larger armies unless they are part of a unified tribal force.