OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: Further flesh out the Eldorai renegades. Expand on a group Kaida encountered in a thread.
Image Credit: Here. Here.
Role: Strike force, raiders, cavalry.
Permission: Can use Firemane stuff because I own the company.
Links: Qadiri, Shahbânu Semiramis III, I'm Breaking You Down To Build You Up, Yazgid, Tygara.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Unit Name: Kazal's Dune Raiders. Official name is Raiders of the Dune Seas.
Affiliation: Kaida Taldir, Shadow Knights (lore submission), Jahira Jai Kazal, Court of the Shadows, Shadow Knights.
Classification: Infantry, Cavalry.
Description: The Dune Raiders are a fast attack unit composed solely of Qadiri. The group has its roots in a roving band of Qadiri nomads who made their home in the vast deserts of Tygara. It is led by Jahira Jai Kazal, who gave them their name. Jahira is the bastard daughter of a Qadiri nobleman and, ironically, one of the last survivors of her house. Her father ran afoul of Byzantine intrigues at the court of Shahbânu Semiramis, falling prey to the game of thrones after having been a prominent player for so long. Hunted by her family's enemies, Jahira sought refuge among the bandits. Over time she gained their respect, became their leader and got her revenge on her foes.
The modern-day Dune Raiders have reluctantly replaced their Yazgid lizard mounts with speeders. However, they have found these vehicles to be very useful for ambushes, picketing, sniping, scouting and raiding. They still make use of their lizard mounts in certain tactical situations though. Being light infantry, they are very mobile. This makes them well-suited for scouting, surprise attacks and sniping. They can also fight as dismounted cavalry. They are excellent at blending into cover and opening fire in such a way as to pin down and stall an enemy. Their background also makes them good scouts and trackers. Because ammunition is precious and they never had a lot of it in the desert, their training emphasises aimed fire over blazing away.
They are a force of cunning raiders who use force, guile and surprise to get what they want. They have learned to make the best out of scarce resources and are skilled scavengers. Given their backgrounds, they are very good at surviving in harsh environments and excel at desert warfare. Qadiri have inherent navigational talents, which is very useful in averse weather conditions, as the members of the race seem to have an internal compass. It also boosts their piloting. Unsurprisingly, the Dune Raiders have a penchant for looting. This can create disciplinary issues, as they have rather 'liberal' views on what constitutes private property. In their eyes, if someone cannot defend what is theirs, they have forfeited it. For the same reason they will not respect or follow a leader who backs down from a challenge. However, they are not mindless, backstabbing savages. They value loyalty highly and consider guestright sacrosanct. The Dune Raiders work with the Court of the Reaver, the Shadow Knight organisation that supervises irregulars, raiders and the like.
Aside from combat prowess, members of the group learn secondary skills such as medicine, maintaining their attack craft and scouting. Some of the Dune Raiders are Force-Sensitive. Formal training programmes are a bit difficult to organise for a group of raiders, but they are taught how to use their powers to support their group. Their trainers tend to be the group's tribal mystics. Elemental air abilities are quite common, which is in keeping with their desert origins. The same applies to using Force enhanced accuracy with a rifle. However, Force-Users are a small minority in the group. The Raiders have a ceremony to welcome each new vehicle. Each new vehicle gets a red stripe painted on it to 'blood' it. This is derived from the old practice of welcoming each new Yazgid lizard to the pack with some bloody meat. The Yazgid tend to be the more communal flames, so it is a good way for all the lizards to bond.
Jahira runs her group through a mixture of respect, personal charisma, daring, force of personality, skill and toughness. She had to prove herself several times before and after she attained leadership of the Raiders, as they did not respect a city-dweller at first and were initially inclined to sell her into slavery. It is her credo never to back down from a challenge, be it mental or physical. She has a combative personality, but also leads by example. She is extremely headstrong and formidable towards anybody who dares cross her, as well as possessing a sharp, cynical, and sarcastic sense of humor. Because of her sharpness, Jahira can come across as aggressive towards people she does not like or who try to put her in her place. However, a certain degree of personal toughness is needed to keep a rather rowdy group of killers and raiders in line. Someone who is soft and dainty would not be respected by them.
Harah Jai Imana was the wise woman of the tribe, and a sorceress. She continues to play this role in the stars. When Jahira was captured by the nomads, Harah interrogated her about her origins ans subjected her to a trial by ordeal to determine the truthfulness of her words. Jahira passed this test. Harah is an illusionist, a shaman and sometimes a judge during disputes. Despite the pain she put her through, Jahira treats her with a lot of respect. Harah seems to enjoy annoying Kaida. Whenever the taciturn Eldorai is there, Harah plays up the cryptic mystic angle.
Arezu Jal Kani is one of Jahira's lieutenants. Unlike the chieftain, he was born into the life of a nomad, and was already a respected reaver when she joined. It was Arezu who gave the 'pampered city-dweller' a particularly aggressive, temperamental Yazgid to tame. She won some respect from him when she succeede, and so he schooled her in survival in the desert and helped her plan her revenge. Though a skilled raider, Arezu had been sidelined and so he supported her bid for power. She has repaid him by giving him an important role in her council. The relationship has been strictly mentor-mentee, though he would not mind her marrying one of his sons.
Golzar Jai Tabatea is a cousin of the chieftain Jahira toppled after issuing a formal challenge. She has accepted Jahira is the new leader of the tribe, but is resentful of her family being overthrown. While a pragmatist who is no stranger to bloodletting, Jahira has qualms about using the same methods as the nobles who destroyed her family. Whereas Jahira is blunt and headstrong, Golzar is patient and fairly deceptive.
For someone whose formal education has some gaps and who has only recently become aware of the outside Galaxy, Jahira has acquired a good idea of how things work in the stars. She enjoys the thrill of combat, but has also displayed a knack for business. Jahira is religiously observant. She still worships the old Qadiri gods and goddesses. One of the deities she prays to is Myrkash, the goddess of healing. Some find this bizarre or hypocritical since Myrkash is a deity known for compassion. Jahira counters with the argument that it is good business since she gets into fights a lot.
Her world view is polytheistic, meaning she accepts the existence of many deities instead of just those she happens to pray to. It would not be out of character for her to make offerings to a foreign deity who is worshipped by the natives of a planet she happens to be visiting. Jahira is a Non-Force-User, which means she has to rely on her wits and skill rather than supernatural powers. This may have helped her keep up with the times rather than grow stagnant.
COMBAT INFORMATION:
Unit Size: Medium
Unit Availability: Unique
Unit Experience: Elite.
Equipment:
Armour
Rifles:
- Magnetic Repeater
- T-21 Light Repeating Blaster
- Outland Rifle (with scope)
- Lightbow
- DXR-6 Disruptor Rifle
- DC-19 Stealth Carbine
- Verpine Shatter Rifle
- MkI Bolter
- GLX Firelance
- Bolt-Thrower
- Nightstinger Sporting Blaster Rifle
Sidearms:
- Verpine Shatter Gun
- Magnetic Revolver
- Sonic Disruptor
- Holdout Bolter
- FWG-5 Flechette Smart Pistol
- A280-CFE Blaster
- Enforcer Pistol
- MSD-32 Disruptor Pistol
- Sonic Stunner
Attached Weapons:
Misc:
- Sonic Imploders, Thermal Imploders, ABC Scramblers, Grenades.
- APE Boltgun Ammunition.
- A couple DRK-1 Probe Droids
- Neural Band (for Non-Force-Users).
- Bladesinger Combat Speeders. BARC Speeders, Ultra-Light Assault Vehicles, A-A5 Speeder Trucks (armed variant is used).
- LAAT Transports
Combat Function: The Dune Raiders are an idea fast attack unit. The unit is fully motorised, utilising speeders. They can be considered a modernised form of cavalry, which reflects their origins. Their training and equipment makes them ideal for rapid strikes, sniping, picketing, scouting and harassing enemies. They can also screen advancing allied forces and run down enemy scouts. Qadiri have a natural talent for navigation, which makes the Raiders good vehicle pilots, even in hazardous weather conditions. Their vehicles can also act as mobile assault platforms, as they come equipped with firepower that makes them good infantry shredders, This applies to the Bladesingers in particular. One of their preferred tactics is to stage a surprise assault on an enemy force, then retreat in order to draw the enemy in. The speed and agility of their craft can allow them to evade the heavy fire of hostile enemy. This can allow them to ambush enemy artillery forces that are not adequately protected.
However, they are ill-suited for pitched combat, taking on heavy armour or launching direct assaults on entrenched enemy forces. While their vehicles give them a high degree of mobility, they are also rather vulnerable to heavy weapons because they trade protection for speed and agility. They could use guerilla tactics to engage armoured units in the manner the Rebel Alliance did during the Battle of Hoth centuries ago, but this is extremely variable and, as the high Rebel casualties in that engagement show, risk-intensive. If dismounted, the Dune Raiders can fight as light infantry.
They are very capable in that area, as they make good skirmishers and snipers. But it will also make them vulnerable to the usual banes of infantry, namely air strikes, long range bombardment and so on. The Raiders have some gear that is effective against Force-users, such as bolters, sonic disruptors and shatterguns. A small minority of the Raiders are Force-Users. They focus on physical enhancement, illusions and elemental air or earth abilities. Not only can aeromancy be used in combat, manipulating the wind can also confuse the enemy or obfuscate the approach of allies. Their Sense abilities enable them to anticipate dangers and use the Force to enhance their aim, which is particularly useful for sniping distant opponents. Some have healing abilities with varying degrees of proficiency. However, the majority of the Raiders are Non-Force-Users and thus have to rely on skill, training and tech rather than preternatural powers. This also applies to their leader Jahira.
They also use their speeders as mobile assault platforms. Power lances are utilised for mounted combat aboard speeder bikes and are effective against infantry and thick vehicle armour. However, their speeders are vulnerable to heavy weapons, the cannon of a tank or walker. They are also ill-suited for direct attacks on heavy fortifications. They have replaced their archaic musquets and bolt action rifles with modern blasters and slugthrowers. Shatterguns are particularly popular, as they combine high penetration power with precision. The Raiders also maintain the Qadiri's proud tradition of archery. Before First Contact, a bow was the greatest weapon for an individual Qadiri soldier. The Raiders were pleased when they discovered that the outsiders had built advanced bows, such as energy bows.
Unsurprisingly, the Dune Raiders have no qualms about using weapons such as disruptors, since they do not care about 'arbitrary laws'. The Raiders also receive extensive training in the use of melee weapons. However, they only have a few heavy weapons, which makes them ill-suited at taking out platoons of heavy armour. The Dune Raiders are well-adjusted to operating in desert environments or otherwise under conditions of extreme heat. This also makes them less effective in extreme cold. A typical way for them to deploy on on a planet is to have the troops on board the transport, which drop the grav hooked Bladesingers and speeders off. The Dune Raiders have access to a few Gunships. These tend to be quite old by now. However, they still work and the Qadiri are good pilots.
While the Raiders have mostly embraced modern technology, they still use Yazgid in situations where it is advantageous. The lizard mounts are ferocious, fast predators with tough scaly skin, though there is a steep learning curve involved. Yazgid cavalry is fast and mobile and can go almost anywhere, crossing terrain impassable for vehicles. They do not need fuel or spare parts, can carry out reconnaissance, hunt in the countryside...and clean up a battlefield by eating the bodies. The Raiders are good shots even when riding their mounts at full gallop.
The obvious weakness is that Yazgid riders cannot carry heavy firepower. Attacking tanks, other armoured fighting vehicles or entrenched fortifications is a terrible idea. The Dune Raiders only attempt mounted attacks when the conditions are favourable, meaning when the enemy is weak or disorganised. They use them to attack outposts, terrorise the enemy rear and gather information. They may also pursue defeated and retreating enemies.
Strengths:
- Strike force. They are very skilled, mobile and excel at rapid strikes, sniping and hit and fade attacks. For a group focused on mobility, they pack a strong punch.
- Mix of Force-Users and Non-Force-Users allows combined arms tactics.
- Speeders are lightly armoured and thus vulnerable to anti-armour weapons such as anti-tank missile launchers, and so on. Their armour cannot stand up to a tank's main weapon.
- They suffer in protracted combat or direct assaults on heavy armour and entrenched fortifications. Much like any conventional cavalry force, they rely on mobility - pin this group down in one place or order them to defend a fixed position for a longer period, and it will be in trouble.
The warlike Qadiri are almost as fond of Byzantine intrigue as their Eldorai cousins. Perhaps it is more apparent because they are a deeply fractured race. Throughout their history, there has been no central authority that could force all Qadiri to fall in line and obey. The Dune Raiders are a prduct of this. They are named after Jahira Jai Kazal. Unlike the majority of her minions, Jahira was not born an outcast, nomad or bandit. Instead she was the bastard daughter of a Qadiri nobleman, who had acquired a well-justified reputation for philandering and prodigious breeding. In addition to his trueborn children, he sired eight bastards. Being illegimate, they were denied the family name and could not inherit. But their father Ashkan claimed them as his, considering them useful agents that could serve his interests, without ever becoming a threat to him. He may have also felt some genuine affection for them.
Jahira was the daughter of a peasant girl. She was taken from her mother when she was very young. From an early age she displayed an aptitude for martial pursuits. The relations between her and the lady of the manor were poor, for Ashkan's wife understandably considered her husband's bastard spawn a threat to the inheritance of their legitimate children. The family were vassals of the Amikarese Empire, the largest Qadiri state on Tygara, and thus owed their allegiance to its ruler. However, Ashkan was an ambitious man, and this inevitably created resentment and jealousy.
When Semiramis became Shahbânu of the Amikarese Empire, the family found itself in an awkward position due to having supported her rival for the throne. The new ruler's ascent to the throne had been preceded by a brief civil war between her and her cousin Jaamini. Semiramis had been able to muster her allies and defeat the usurper, who was murdered by her surviving supporters. Disgusted by the betrayal, Semiramis had the murderers executed and gave her cousin a proper burial.
Ashkan had backed Jaamini, but realised the way the wind was blowing and bent the knee to the new ruler. However, one of Semiramis' ministers had been slighted by Ashkan, who had turned down an engagement between two of their children because he did not trust him and thought poorly of the character of his prospective son-in-law. Instead he arranged a union with a different house his family had long been allied with. So the minister convinced Semiramis that the unreliable vassal was plotting treason. It helped that the land Ashkan governed was rather rich and the Crown found itself in need of more gold. Though brief, the civil war had been costly. Moreover, the minister conspired with one of Jahira's siblings, promising her that she would be legitimised. He also received the support of House Safaval, a noble house that believed Ashkan had assassinated the head of their family as part of a vendetta for their murder of his beloved sister. The minister used them as a proxy, wisely obfuscating his participation in the conspiracy.
The trap was sprung. It was a brutal massacre. Most of the house was wiped out. Jahira, however, managed to escape, having noticed suspicious goings just before the bloodletting began. Injured and with only a few supporters, she escaped into the desert. Believed to be dead, she was actually found by nomads. At first, the outcasts wanted to sell their prize into slavery. But eventually she joined their ranks, proving her mettle when she took up arms during an unexpected ambush by a rival tribe . She had been taught to regard the outcasts as barbarians, but they shared common foes and her warrior spirit won her their respect. Eventually she became their leader, after passing several trials.
The Dune Raiders lived a nomadic existence, sustaining themselves through raids. They rode upon Yazgid, ferocious lizard mounts, and wielded spears, scimitars and primitive rifles. Jahira adapted well to their warrior culture, with its honour codes, superstitious beliefs and ruthlessness. However, they were not merely warriors, but also traders. Trade routes for gold, silver, spices and other goods ran through the desert they called home. To control them, they staged raids on other caravans and groups of herders. Honest trade and protection fees supplemented revenue gained from plundering. Some of their raids took them far into the heartland of the Amikarese Empire.
Having grown cocky, she made an early attempt to ambush her family's killers and bring them to justice. However, the attack went poorly for her. Overwhelmed, the nomads she had bribed to help her were outmatched. They were obviously not willing to lay down their lives for a lost cause and so they retreated. Jahira was captured by Safaval soldiers. Luckily for her, she managed to escape her confinement. But the failed attempt left her with scars that never went away and taught her that she had to be patient. It also forced her to realise that it would take more than bravery and martial prowess to enforce justice. She had to be cunning and learn about something she disdained: politics!
It took many years until she was in a position to enact her revenge. Direct assault was out of the question. So she resorted to subterfuge, as much as she hated playing the Game. Thus she set her sights on House Khorramal, a cadet branch of House Safaval. The Khorramals were envious of their relatives. A bastard born to a disgraced noble house, who had thrown in her lot with barbarians and raiders, could obviously not approach highborn directly. Taking refuge in audacity, Jahira kidnapped a minor member of the family, Delara Jai Khorramal. The raid served two purposes: Firstly, it proved her competence to both the Khorramals and the nomads she had joined. Secondly, the ransom negotiations provided a good cover for plotting, without causing suspicion. The Khorramals wanted to advance their interests, she wanted revenge on the Safavals. They would help provide her with the tools. She did not care about her family inheritance, so what happend to it afterwards was not her concern.
She was able to win support among the nomads by proving herself on raids and promising them booty. It helped that many of them bore a grudge against the city-dwellers in general and highborn in particular. They harassed the Safavals through raids on their caravans and settlements beholden that paid tribute to them. Seeing a useful proxy, the Khorramals provided them with some discrete funding. Finally, Jahira snuck into the stronghold of the Safavals, impersonating a diplomat. By now she bore little resemblance to the angry little girl who had foolishly thrown herself at the soldiers of the noble house.
From the inside she could sow discord and gather information. She revealed herself to the head of the house when the trap was sprung, after opening the gates to her supporters. Jahira took her time with killing the matriarch. Khorramal soldiers had joined her raiders in disguise, wearing the attire of nomads. It was a bloody massacre. Jahira had enough ethics left to spare the little children and the servants, but other than that House Safaval was ripped out, root and stem. A few survivors of the bloodletting were spared so that they could be sold into slavery. However, as she examined some confidential papers, Jahira realised that the conspiracy reached deeper than she had anticipated.
Farhad Jal Khansari, a minister of Shahbânu Semiramis, had been the instigator of the plot against her family. He had used the Khorramals to do his dirty work for him by exploiting the grudge they held against her father, but kept his own hands clean. Her revenge was incomplete while he yet lived. However, a minister of the Amikarese Empire was in a league of his own. In the aftermath of the fighting, the Khorramals did their best to seize the Safavals' resources. They were obviously not interested in confronting a minister of their feudal overlord. Jahira rewarded the nomads who had stood by her by giving them a generous share of the loot, and returned to the desert. Her experiences had taught her the value of patience, as much as her hot-blooded nature compelled her to unleash instant violence.
She became leader of her own group of raiders after challenging and defeating the chieftain in single combat. She made a name for herself as a fearless reaver. It is said that she brought her Dune Raiders to the lands of Khawjar, a distant Qadiri realm, abducted a local princess and valuable gems. She also claims to have visited the Great Pyramid, though this may be embellishment since those who set foot inside it tend to go insane. However, Tygara's long isolation was coming to an end.
Semiramis was canny enough to make an alliance with Firemane when the sky people discovered Tygara. She was a despot, but one who could guarantee order and who was open-minded about disposing with slavery. Thus the Amikarese soldiers were equipped with weapons that were advanced by Tygaran standards. A daring raid on a convoy turned into a rout when the Dune Raiders were faced by the Shahbânu's new model army, forcing them to retreat. Subsequent anti-banditry operations diminished their ranks, though the royalist soldiers could not pursue them far into the desert.
The Dune Raiders tried to make a deal with a gang of foreign pirates, but were betrayed. Several of their comrades were taken captive. Seeking refuge in an oasis so that they could regroup and free their comrades, the nomads ran into two Angelii. As chance would have it, Kaida Taldir and her student Elincia Alanis had been training in the desert. An awkward standoff ensued. Kaida, icy as ever and disillusioned with the Eldorai Matriarchy, eventually agreed to help the nomads rescue their comrades, as the foreigners had been a nuisance for the Eldorai as well. Furthermore, she shared the desert rats' disdain for royals. The assault ended in success and the foreigners were butchered.
Having acquired modern weapons themselves, many of the Dune Raiders wanted to return to the old ways. However, Jahira was more cautious, realising that change had come to Tygara. She was proven right by the Great Exodus. However, the exodus was a tumultuous period for the fractious Qadiri, who warred amongst themselves. Jahira used the chaos to get revenge for the deaths in her family. She made Semiramis' minister suffer before ending him. The Dune Raiders were also reunited with Kaida, who by now had joined the Shadow Knights, a coalition of Eldorai rebels. Though Eldorai-centric, the group also welcomed Tygaran natives, considering them fellow Asurans.
Jahira and Kaida sniped at each other as much as before. But the Qadiri nomad leader was looking for a way to move into the stars, while the Angelii needed help with 'requisitioning' resources the departing aristos no longer needed. Thus the Dune Raiders got the chance to see the stars. The experience was quite shocking for them. Finding themselves adrift in an unfamiliar Galaxy they knew little of, they chose to join the Shadow Knights, whose nomadic life style and independent spirit suited them. Needless to say it took them time to adjust to this new reality. They also had to deal with racism, for though the Knights of Shadow regard themselves as progressive, many Eldorai still look down on their cousins.
Their history as criminal elements also caused some issues, although the Shadow Knights acquire many of their resources through raids and their share of privateers in their ranks. Some Raiders left, seeking their fortunes elsewhere, but the hard core led by Jahira remained. They showed their skills during several raids, even rescuing a unit of Eldorai whose commander had disdained them at one point. Of course, Jahira did not pass up the chance to rub this into the space elf's face, especially when she got a medal. The Dune Raiders' leader is ambitious and is using her connections to the Shadow Knights and other groups to acquire resources and contacts. She may emerge as a warlord among her people.
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