Weapons
Caindosian troops are known for the claymore, which is often referred to as the “slaughter sword.” They also wield assorted pole arms like the lochabar axe, sparth axe (bardiche), halberds, gisarmes, glaive, and voulge. Dirk (dagger) and short bows are common too.
Unusual Character
Caindos is a cultural outlier in Aorlis, because they have limited cavalry and few archers. They make up for this in their soldier’s individual ferocity, high mobility, talent for taunting enemies, and unpredictable night marches. In recent times, they have taken up to forming pike schiltrons, attesting admirably to their formation tactics. Besides the aforementioned taunting skills, they excel in guerrilla tactics, and digging hidden, spiked ditches, and littering the ground with caltrops in their wake. One of their favorite tactics is silently decamping on the eve of a battle and in the middle of the night, and moving away or repositioning. These are cagy fighters, and taking them for granted has cost many their lives.
Armor
In terms of armor, Caindosians rarely wear armor, or at most padded gambesons. They usually wield spiked bucklers for shields, and no helmet. High status soldiers such as gallowglasses, knights, and nobles are more likely to wear gambesons under maille, to bear heater shields, and barrel helms.
Command Structure
While Caindos has an earl marshal for the country, individual units are divided by clan and each commanded by a clan chieftain or appointed warlord. In terms of morale, Caindosians are fierce, stubborn, and likely to hold generational grudges.
Army
Candos can field an army of 13,000 to 18,000 troops, and its infantry is 40% light pike, and 20% light guisarme; 25% are shock troops (light claymore wielders and its cavalry is 5% heavy lancers (the nobility and their serjeants and 10% light horse skirmishers. Many of the soldiers bring short bows and slings to help feed themselves on the march, but these arms are rarely used on the battlefield.
Specialists
While not technically land-bound, abutting the Fern Maer Sea as it does, Caindos does not have a navy. Caindos siege capabilities are undeveloped and at most limited to crude scaling ladders and battering rams. They keep no pioneers or siege engineers on hand, but they have +5% scouts. In terms of mercenary specialists, Caindos usually has +10% Gallowglasses at hand.
Garron
This highland pony is unlauded but well-adapted animal. It is 13-14 hands tall, making it biggest pony in Aorlis, and it is quite brawny, and well suited to carrying heavy loads. They climb steep hills with great agility, can live on course fair, and have good stamina. They have a range of colors, including duns, mouse, yellow, grey, cream. More rarely, they can be grey, brown, black, bay and even liver chestnut with silver manes and tails. These ponies are shaggy and primeval, with dorsal eel stripes, and/or striped legs, or other primitive markings. These quiet-natured equines can jump up to 4’, do not require horseshoes, and are multipurpose animals.
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