Wyvernier
A Wyvernier is a kind of mounted warrior who rides a Wyvern. They are particularly prominent in cultures with a long tradition of taming wyverns, and most commonly associated with the Qartagonian people.
In Qartagonian culture, wyverniers are regarded as holy knights and some even swear paladin's oaths. However, there are technically two kinds of Qartagonian wyvern riders—the wyverniers and the free riders.
The wyverniers, sometimes called the Order of the Air or the Wingbacks, are the Qartagonian Emirates most venerated military order. Raised from birth for wyverniering, Wingbacks are neutered in order to ensure that their duty is to the Emirates and the Emirates alone, as well as to focus their attention on the training and care of the wyvern for which they are responsible.
Free riders, on the other hand, are have little qualifications and are not regulated by the Qartagonian Emirates. They are used mainly as messengers and freelance mercenaries by the elite of the Emirates and do not necessarily have any kind of combat training.
Career
Qualifications
True wyverniers are often orphans or children captured and taken in by the state to be trained to ride wyverns. All potential wyverniers are dragonborn, though taming and riding a wyvern does not necessarily require one to be a dragonborn—it is considered a cultural taboo to allow a "unscaled to ride a dragon."
Immediately upon induction, all of the wyvernier apprentices are neutered to keep them focused on the task of wyvern riding and to prevent them from forming bonds outside of their unit. Up until they are thirteen years old, they are given basic combat regiments and education befitting the most venerated warriors in all of the Emirates. At thirteen, they are introduced to their wyvern eggs, which they are tasked with. The children raise the eggs until they hatch, when the wyvern then imprints upon the child and a rider-bond is formed. Those who these early trials are sent to monasteries or released back into orphanages for unscaled Qartagonians.
Career Progression
After bonding with their wyverns, wyverniers spend the rest of their days drilling in aerial combat, close-quarters melee, and the many duties required to raise and keep a wyvern. Because they are sponsored by the state, the financial burden of wyverniering is far less than that of a landed knight, however, it also means that failure to live up to the standards of the wyvernier corps means expulsion and complete social ostracization. Upon maturity of the wyvern itself, about 5-6 years of age, the wyverniers are essentially "sold" to the various Emirs of the Emirates to act as their personal air corps. At this point, they no longer hold any allegiance to their former masters except in times of a united war, against those that would threaten the Confederacy as a whole.
Payment & Reimbursement
A stipend is paid to the wyverniers from the collective coffers of the Confederacy, and a larger settlement is given to the wyverniers based on their performance from their Emir. The Emirs that employ the wyverniers are expected to house and board both the wyvernier and their mount and take on basic financial responsibility for the corps. If an Emir cannot pay, the wyverniers are recalled to the capital to await reassignment and to help train the next generation of wyverniers for battle.
Other Benefits
Qartagonian wyverniers are given a great deal of social influence within Qartagonian culture. They are considered the romantic protectors of the Emirates, giving up all that they have to defend the people against outside threats. However, because of the insular nature of the wyvernry subculture, few wyverniers end up as actual celebrities except in apocryphal myth and legend.
Perception
Purpose
Wyverniers are the elite air corps of the Qartagonian Emirates and a cultural tradition that emphasizes the duty and honor of those who ride wyverns into battle for the Qartagonian community.
History
Qartagonian wyvernry is believed to have begun as an organized profession after the Sundering Arcana. Prior to that, wyvernry was something only used by hillfolk and escaped dragonborn slaves living on the edges of the Palladian Empire. However, upon the Sundering Arcana, the first company of wyverniers participated in the rebellions that saw the Empire's destruction and the rise of the Qartagonian Emirates. It is highly likely that the kind of wyvernry we see today originated long before the Palladian Era as several myths tell of heroes riding wyverns into battle during the Mithril and even the Dawn Eras. Many fortresses established by the Emirates include wyvernries where wyverns can be housed and trained as well as defenses such as scorpion bolt throwers and covered castle walls to protect against enemy wyverniers.
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