Leukahippoi
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| The Southern Band | |
|---|---|
| |
 Leukahippoi 'First Line' cavalry engage Hafvassid (?) scouts, c. xxxx | |
| Allegiance | Mercenary |
| Type | Mixed Cavalry |
| Role |
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| Size | up to 7,500 (1233 AD) |
The Leukahippoi Company, also known as White Riders or The Southern Band, were a mercenary Gaelic force primarily from Faneria and Caergwynn which served in Sarpedon from the late Seventh Century AD to the early 1400s. Their primary name, an Istroyan word, is derived both for their preferred use of white warhorses and their white shields, the latter of which were adopted from the Leukaspides, a short-lived mercenary pike unit itself named for a type of ancient Istroyan phalanx. The Leukahippoi were originally a single large mercenary company until 1286, after which they split into several companies of the same name, with many of their number being Istroyans or Latins rather than ethnic Gaels. By 1350, the breakaway groups had either renamed or been destroyed or assimilated into native armies, with the original Leukahippoi Company being reduced to a strength of about a thousand men, only two hundred of which were Gaelic.
Leukahippoi preferred long-endurance warhorses capable of evading heavier armored knights, and were armed with bows, short spears which could be used as javelins, and swords. They commonly adopted the crossbow in the 1200s, with armament becoming less standard over time, including sabers and lances depending on individual preference. Armor was typically light, with helmets, breastplates and possibly lamellar plates over the thighs being the norm, though the 'first line' of the company was equipped with full plate and sabers to repel light cavalry or to allow for the lighter Leukahippoi to disengage from knights is needed. This template was returned through triumphant and rich veterans to modern Faneria, further developing the idea of the Ardceiternn, a class of professional, versatile cavalry. The original concept was created after Fhainnin mercenaries, already skilled in archery and serving under Mithrandates of Teleftapolis, accepted payment for a campaign in the form of a number of warhorses, after which they adopted hit-and-run tactics they themselves had been battered by fighting against Islamic forces at the Battle of ______. Initially, their adoption of such tactics was lackluster, with a veteran core of survivors later proving themselves against other Istroyan forces and integrating heavier armor and professional men-at-arms into their numbers, creating a mixed force.
Origins in Levantia
Migration to Sarpedon
The Band was enticed to travel to Sarpedon in 898 by King Mithrandates the Weak of Teleftapolis (Istroyan: τελευταίπόλη), who offered a number of warhorses in exchange for service in a losing conflict against Islamic invaders. While numerous other companies had turned down the offer, the Southern Band had been out of work for some time after minor rebellions in the formerly Gothic northeastern Vandarch, and considered the opportunity to procure horses and sell them back home extremely valuable given the dearth of warhorses in modern Faneria. Their service at this time is unclear, but the Band travelled to Sarpedon, received their payment, and Mithrandates the Weak survived the war only to drive his kingdom into utter ruin and annexation by the Hafvassid Emirate a decade later. However, the Band was unable to secure travel back to western Faneria and from there to the Vandarch Basin due to Islamic raids, particularly as they were noted as enemies of the Ummah by the Caliph in 904.
The Band was severely reduced in number, and quickly adopted the practice of using horses themselves, finding they could match the range of Audonian-style cavalry archers but could not control the pace or flow of engagement, leading to later speculation that the settled peace with the Hafvassids had been pyrrhic for the mercenaries. They fought for roughly a decade as skirmishers before being reinforced with Istroyan volunteers and new adventurers from Levantia, being paid to alleviate the port city of Kressos from siege by the same Hafvassid troops they had previously fought. This time, they proved more capable of fighting in a skirmish role, burning camps and destroying a cavalry contingent before participating on the right flank of a pitched battle between city levies, other mercenaries, and the Hafvassid infantry. After the successful rout, the Band absorbed the survivors of a mercenary pike company called the Leukaspides, who were themselves nearly totally wiped out in the battle due to a last-ditch gamble by the opposing general. It was this point at which the Band first was referred to as the Leukahippoi, taking up the white sun iconography of the Leukaspides and later generally using plain white on their shields and white ribbons on their persons, in addition to altering their banner to a white bow on a black field, intentionally closely mimicking the crescent symbols used by Muslim armies.