Flechettes are heavy metallic ammunitions forged in several forms and shapes. They must be light so that doujin can lift more, but heavy enough to have effect when impacting. To maximise effectiveness, they are long and have a pointy, heavier end so that they always fall with the point down. The tip focuses the energy on a smaller surface, thus making them more destructive.
Larger wyvern can load more ammunition with them but are more expensive to maintain, especially in terms of food. For general uses, smaller specimens are more common, but for specific tasks, for example, to break through more resistant defensive structures, being able to rely upon more ammunition can be critical.
Even without purposedly made ammunitions, stones and other heavy objects are just as fine. However, flechettes are cheap to produce and many can be recollected at the end of the fight, often intact, so that it is rare to run out of pieces before the battle is over.
Recently, the kingdom has began importing explosives from
Cajena. Impact grenades, toxic and smoke bombs make for great weapons to use in this context. Unfortunately, they are expensive and handling them is tricky, each one requires a padded container for being transported without exploding, and as a consequence, only a few can be carried on a Douji. They work wonderfully to generate panic and to blast specific large targets.
Riders themselves are essentially unarmed and unarmored. Any additional weight they carry on the douji means they will have fewer flechettes. Since raining ammunition on enemies is their task, they strive to be as light as possible. To be able to defend themself in case of a rough landing too close to enemies, riders carry a sword and a shield, more rarely a crossbow, if they think they will land in a safe position within shot range when running low on flechettes.
Apart from ranged combat, isquidouji are still doujin. They are reptiles at least as big as horses, with hard stone-like skin and powerful muscles. They can engage soldiers in close combat and trample them to death.
This is a really interesting military unit! Douji sound like awesome animals, do the riders have their own Douji or does everyone kinda swap around? Either ways, I don't think I'd like to be on the receiving end of these flechettes.
Hi! Riders have their own douji and do not swap it with others. I would not like it either, though driving them off during an assault could be something to brag about for roleplaying characters!