The Crusades (DoN)
From Storing Don
The Crusades are the offensive arm of Ainori military operations. It has been around almost since the beginning of Ainor itself, having been created by King Meinhard I in the summer of year 37. Since that time, they have fought in numerous wars against Illyria, Caread, Artal, and the Thanes, ever and always seeking to increase Ainor's size and the dominion of Aodeyn.
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[edit] Crusader Military Strength
- 2,500 Knights
- 2,500 Soldiers
- 4,000 Generals
- 10,000 Cavaliers
- 10,000 Hussars
- 5,000 Dragoons
- 6,000 Paladins
- 2,000 Grail Knights
- 5,000 Banner Knights
- 5,000 Mages
- 15,000 Monks
- 2,000 Mage Knights
- 5,000 Missionaries
- 6,000 Valkyries
- 80,000 total
[edit] Crusader Soldiers
Crusaders focus on speed and power, with physical hardiness and defenses coming second. Most Crusader campaigns are noted for the speed of the assault, and it is this speed that makes them so dangerous and unpredictable. Even the heavy infantry focus more on speed and power than others of the same class. The Crusaders believe that even on the defensive, one should be attacking, as it makes the enemy react to you, not the other way around.
[edit] The Crusader's Creed
I, _____, Crusader and Soldier of Aodeyn, pledge to do all of the following for the rest of my days:
To follow the scriptures of Aodeyn in all walks of life, military and civilian.
To show mercy and compassion to the enemy, regardless of what I would receive were I in their place.
To grant the heretic, the blasphemer, and the pagan a quick and merciful death.
To strive always to enhance Aodeyn's realm on Maris, and the realm of his chosen people, the Ainori.
To follow orders that follow Aodeyn to the letter, and to disobey those that pervert or go against his word.
I am pledged to Aodeyn and Ainor, and there is no rest, no peace, unless it is the rest of victory or the peace of Aodeyn.
[edit] Crusader Ranks
Except for the Master of the Crusades, all Crusader ranks carry three degrees. The degrees affect only the rank that they are a part of, and show seniority or skill, and determine which man should defer to the other.
- Master of the Crusades - The ultimate lord and controller of the Crusaders, the Master of the Crusades answers only to the King of Ainor and the High Priest of Aodeyn. The Master of the Crusades bears a signet ring with a horse on top of a star, signifying the devotion to Ainor and Aodeyn. The Master's final badge of office is a stout, two inch thick baton engraved with a golden horse. A star tops both flat ends.
- Lord-Crusader - Lord-Crusaders are the generals of the Crusades, and the direct seconds of the Master. There are only 2 Lord-Crusaders currently, although in the past, it had gotten up to 5.
- Crusader-Captain - Crusader-Captains are the usual combat commanders of Crusader engagements, usually commanding upwards of 10,000 men.
- Crusader-Lieutenant - Crusader-Lieutenants are the base rank of officer, and the number of Lieutenants vary by the size of the unit under a Crusader-Captain's control, as well as if its infantry or cavalry. Cavalry units have more Lieutenants, as they are always larger.
- Crusader-Sergeant - Crusader-Sergeants are the leaders of their rank or file (infantry or cavalry) and act as a communicator between the officers and the basic Crusaders. Sergeants are always veterans.
- Crusader - The basic rank.
[edit] The Crusade's Armory
Cavalry Swords
The Crusader's cavalry blade is about four feet long, with the blade taking up three and a half of that. The guard is usually a straight crossguard, unadorned. The blade gently tapers to a point, making it wider at the base than at the tip. The center of percussion is located about 3/4 of the way down the blade, and is almost uniform in the weapons, so a Crusader could pick up his comrade's sword and be able to use it the same way that he was using his own. The Broadsword, used by more skilled Crusaders, is about an inch broader than the typical blade, and to help mitigate that weight, bears a second fuller. The Knight's Blade is made of mithril and more expensive, and for all of the Knight's Blades, the center of percussion is the same, allowing some Knights to pick up a fallen comrades and use two swords. This tactic is rarely used, even by Banner Knights, except in the most dire of circumstances.
- Blade - Keen Steel Long Sword – D
- Broadsword – Broadblade Double-Fuller Keen Steel Long Sword – C
- Knight’s Blade – Broadblade Double-Fuller Keen Mithril Perfectly Balanced Long Sword - B
Infantry Swords
Ainori are famous for their uses of two handed swords, and this is because of the Crusaders. The two different weapons are designed for either breaking into serried pikes or destroying as much of a rank as possible. The Pikesmasher sword, as the type is known, is heavier and requires less skill than the rank-breaking swords, although many warriors carry both. The blade is stout and long, about five feet in total length. The Pikebreaker and Pikedestroyer, more expensive versions of the Pikesmasher, are used by more skilled infantry swordsman. The Ranksmasher design is much more expensive than even the Pikedestroyer, but are more commonly used. Every single one is enchanted with Wind spell that activates whenever they strike, and slices up nearby enemies - the closer to the original strike, the more damaging.
- Pikesmasher – Reversing Iron Great Sword - D
- Pikebreaker - Keen Reversing Steel Great Sword – C
- Pikedestroyer - Keen Reversing Mithril Perfectly Balanced Great Sword - B
- Ranksmasher – Double-Fuller Enchanted (Area of Effect [Small Burst] Close-Ranged Strong Wind) Flamberge Keen Steel Great Sword – C
- Rankbreaker – Double-Fuller Enchanted (Area of Effect [Small Burst] Close-Ranged Strong Wind) Flamberge Keen Mithril Perfectly Balanced Great Sword – B
Axes
Crusaders rarely use axes as a main weapon, because of the inaccuracy and slow nature of the weapon. Those who do use them, though, are at the front lines, smashing through pikes or armor with the ease only an axe can give. Crusader axe weapons are split into the axe and the flail category, with the axes having wedge-shaped blades for smashing through armor, and the flails for smashing unarmored skulls. The Crusader Battleaxe is the easiest weapon to use, and appears like any other axe - an eight inch blade is attached to a wooden haft by a socket in the head. The haft is usually three feet long. The Armorsmasher and Armorbreaker designs are reserved for more skilled Crusaders, and are useful in any fight, but are especially dangerous against armored foes. The axe heads have very small blades, usually about six inches, which are shaped like wedges, perfect for punching through armor. The Armorsmasher has a back spike on it and is made of steel, compared to the double-headed Armorbreaker, which is also made of mithril. The Crusader Flail is usually given to the axe-wielding cavalrymen that will be fighting relatively unarmored soldiers, as the Crusader flails are made to crack skulls, not helmets. A small ball, about three inches in diameter, is uniformly studded with stout spikes, is attached to a wooden haft by a six inch chain. The Holy Water Sprinkler is different from the Flail in that it is made out of mithril and the head's diameter is larger, about four inches, as well as having longer spikes.
- Crusader Battleaxe - Keen Steel Axe – D
- Armorsmasher- Armorslayer Backspike Keen Steel Axe – C
- Armorbreaker- Armorslayer Double-Edge Keen Mithril Axe – B
- Crusader Flail – Back-spike Chain-linked Keen Steel Mace - C
- Crusader Holy Water Sprinkler – Back-spike Chain-linked Killer Mithril Mace - B
Lances
The lances used by Crusaders are divided into two groups - the Hammer, and the Thunderbolt. The Hammer is the melee lance of Crusaders, a stout, seven foot shaft tipped by a nasty foot long metal tip. The Hammer is used against any opponent in melee, and its long, tapered tip is designed to punch through ribs and find vital organs, which it seems to do quite often. The Knight's Hammer is blessed by priests of Aodeyn, and it is created out of mithril, making it more dangerous to mundane foes, and especially dangerous against the unclean and the evil. The Thunderbolt is shorter and a bit stouter, giving it a more stable flight path as well as doing enough damage to make it worth throwing. However, the Thunderbolt splits at the highest skill rank, into the Hussar's Thunderbolt and the Knight's. The Hussar's is more dangerous against the mundane foes that Hussars fight, as the tip is thinner and longer, more needle-like than the broader, blessed head of the Knight's Thunderbolt.
- Hammer - Keen Steel Lance – D
- Lancer’s Hammer – Keen Killer Steel Lance – C
- Knight’s Hammer – Enchanted (Purifying Close-Ranged Strong Light) Keen Killer Mithril Lance – B
- Thunderbolt – Keen Steel Spear – D
- Lancer’s Thunderbolt – Keen Killer Steel Spear – C
- Hussar’s Thunderbolt – Killer Thin-tipped Mithril Spear – B
- Knight’s Thunderbolt - Enchanted (Purifying Close-Ranged Strong Light) Keen Killer Mithril Spear – B
Bows
- Horsebow – Recurve Composite Heavy Shortbow – C
- Hussar’s Horsebow – Recurve Composite Shortbow – B
- Broadheads – Keen Steel
- Bodkin – Armorslayer Steel
- Barbed – Beastslayer Steel
Light Magic
Staves
Anima
- Alsae – High Powered Fire Spell – C – Alsae is the standard spell of Crusader Anima casters. A small ray of light, pencil thin, shoots out of the caster’s finger, and when it strikes the target, expands into a full-fledged fire (large enough only to damage one person).
- Czapkis – Area of Effect (Wide Burst) Strong Water Spell – C – A pressurized burst of water from the middle of the air, Czapkis is an effective crowd control spell due to the wide area the arrow-like water droplets strike.
- Hunal – Area of Effect (Burst) Strong Unstable Earth Spell – C –The Crusade’s basic siege spell, Hunal rips open the ground, creating a deep crevice that launches shards of razor sharp rock into the air. Those caught directly over the crevice when the rocks are thrown up are usually ripped to shreds, but the falling shards can damage anyone within the radius. The deep crevice usually disrupts enemy fortifications, and the rock shards deal extra damage to the foundation. The crevice closes up after the rocks are thrown into the air.
- Schaln – Area of Effect (Chain) Armorslayer Strong Lightning Spell – C – A bolt of lightning bursts from the caster’s hands, lancing towards the target and chaining off to strike many. Schaln is extremely effective against heavily armored soldiers.
- Gregan - Area of Effect (Burst) Artillery Amalgamation (Water) Heavy Wind Spell - C - Borrowed from Army casters, Gregan is used by Crusaders as a long-range, anti-infantry spell. It creates a small burst of frigid wind, that is so cold it seems almost solid.
- Lorane – Heavy High Powered Permanent Fire Spell – B – Lorane is a more powerful version of Alsae, because even though it does the same amount of damage, the beam lasts for several seconds and can be swept by moving the pointed finger, therefore striking many people.
- Purgio - Aftereffect High Powered Fire Spell - B - Purgio is another spell borrowed from the Army, although this time, it was modified. Purgio is usually used by casters to damage fortifications or heavy infantry like Generals or Harquebusiers, as the powerful burst of flame ignites the victim to deal more damage.
- Bretan – Artillery Heavy High Powered Water Spell – B - Bretan is the Crusader sniper spell, in that it doesn’t show where the caster is, and that its very long ranged and powerful. Bretan solidifies the moisture in the air, or creates it when it isn’t there, and slams it into the target. After the damage is dealt, the moisture returns to the air.
- Normin - Area of Effect (Wide Full AoE) Artillery Extremely Heavy Inaccurate Strong Water Spell - B - Normin is the final Anima spell borrowed and modified from Army casters. Normin takes a long time to cast, and is more inaccurate than the Army's Noah spell, but it is more powerful. Normin creates a powerful wave that radiates out from the center and crashes through enemy ranks.
- Toris – Area of Effect (Full) Heavy Permanent Strong Water Spell – B – Toris is a Crusader’s defensive spell, and is used mostly by the casters with the infantry. Toris creates a small bubble of water, which acts as an additional shield against ranged mundane attacks and any magical strikes.
- Ausnon – Area of Effect (Full) High Powered Unstable Earth Spell – B – A more advanced version of Hunal, Ausnon sends spikes of rock shooting out of the ground over the entire area, making it useful against fortifications and enemy troops. The spikes of rock disintegrate a few seconds after shooting up.
- Olivier – Area of Effect (Wide Full) Strong Lightning Spell – B – Ainor’s Anima crowd control spell, Olivier creates an intense, localized thunderstorm that throws so many thunderbolts anyone and everyone in the radius is damaged.
[edit] Crusader Weapon Ranks
Hussars
- 75% B in Bows, C in Lances, D in Swords – Hussar’s Bow, Lancer's Thunderbolt, Blade
- 25% B in Lances, C in Bows, D in Swords – Hussar’s Thunderbolt, Horsebow, Blade
Dragoons
- 100% B in Lances - Knight’s Hammer, Hussar’s Thunderbolt
Paladins
- 50% B in Lances, C in Swords – Knight’s Thunderbolt, Knight’s Hammer, Broadsword
- 50% B in Swords, C in Lances – Knight’s Blade, Lancer’s Thunderbolt, Lancer’s Hammer
Banner Knights
- 50% B in Swords, C in Lances, D in Axes – Knight’s Blade, Crusader Battleaxe, Lancer’s Hammer
- 25% B in Lances, C in Axes, D in Swords – Knight’s Hammer, Armorsmasher, Crusader Flail, Blade
- 25% B in Axes, C in Lances, D in Swords – Armorbreaker, Crusader Holy Water Sprinkler, Lancer’s Hammer, Blade
Great Knights
- 50% B in Axes, C in Lances, D in Swords – Armorbreaker, Crusader Holy Water Sprinkler, Lancer’s Hammer, Blade
- 50% B in Lances, C in Swords, D in Axes – Knight’s Hammer, Broadsword, Crusader Battleaxe
Grail Knights
- 25% B in Light, C in Swords, D in Lances – Broadsword, Hammer
- 25% B in Light, C in Lances, D in Swords – Lancer’s Hammer, Blade
- 25% B in Swords, C in Light, D in Lances – Knight’s Blade, Hammer
- 25% B in Lances, C in Light, D in Swords – Knight’s Hammer, Blade
Cavaliers
- 50% - C in Lances, D in Swords – Lancer’s Hammer, Lancer’s Thunderbolt, Blade
- 50% - C in Swords, D in Lances – Broadsword, Hammer, Thunderbolt
Generals
- 50% B in Lances, C in Swords, D in Axes – Knight’s Thunderbolt, Knight’s Hammer, Ranksmasher, Crusader Battleaxe
- 25% B in Swords, C in Lances, D in Axes – Rankbreaker, Lancer’s Hammer, Crusader Battleaxe
- 25% B in Axes, C in Lances, D in Swords – Armorbreaker, Lancer’s Hammer, Blade, Pikesmasher
Knights
- 100% C in Lances - Lancer’s Hammer, Lancer’s Thunderbolt
Soldiers
- 100% C in Lances – Lancer’s Hammer, Lancer’s Thunderbolt
Mages
- 100% C in Anima - Alsae, Czapkis, Hunal, Schaln
Mage Knights
- 25% B in Anima, C in Staves
- 75% B in Staves, C in Anima
Monks
- 100% C in Light
Missionaries
- 75% B in Light, C in Staves
- 25% B in Staves, C in Light
Valkyries
- 50% B in Light, C in Staves
- 50% B in Staves, C in Light
