Valkheri
Women are weak. They have no place in battle.
Khunral? I could best him in combat without breaking a sweat.
The Valkheri is often a surprising part of Vulborim for outsiders, as they are a battle squad made entirely up of women. The Vulborish culture doesn't put women very high, and they are prohibited to handle weapons as per Vulborish law.
The Valkheri don't care, and anyone who want to take away their weapons can certainly try to do so.
Composition
Manpower
As it is hard for women to even think of the possibility to train their combat skills, and almost impossible to get the opportunity to actually train, the total number of Valkheris at any moment is low. The highest number they've ever been is twelve, but usually there are less than ten Valkheris at the same time.
Equipment
As is the norm in Vulborish fighting, the Valkheri don't use armor or shield. Defensive clothing and shields are seen as cowardly, and the Valkheri have to look as brave and fierce as they can to not be instantly attacked by other fighters who disagree that women should be allowed near weapons, Valkheri or not.
You guys - you have it easy. You can fight with armor and shield if you want, and only get a small dent in your reputation. And yes, I know that's a horrible fate and all, but imagine if we do the same. It won't be our reputation that will shatter, it will be our lives.
A Valkheri usually travels light, and will only carry gear other than her weapon when travelling far. Usually she'll only have light equipment to care for her weapon and some needle, thread and cloth to tend wounds that needs tending.
Weaponry
Although it's illegal for women to handle weapons in Vulborim, the Valkheri can somehow get hand of enough weapons to arm the whole squad a couple times around with a good assortment of weapons. How they do this is unknown, but it is suspected that since the Chieftain of Vulborim hasn't done anything to dismantle the squad he's likely the one arming them as well.
Each Valkheri usually has her own signature weapon which she uses most of the time, but she is also expected to be able to handle most other weapons in case her specialty weapon is unavailable, as well as being highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat in case she gets unarmed during a fight or need to fight in the extremely few times her weapon is out of reach.
Structure
The Valkheri have no ranks. Every member is equal. I only serve as their founder.
In theory, the Valkheri has no leader or internal ranks. Women in Vulborim in general are at the bottom of the social rank, and this was a reason why they decided early on that the squad should not put anyone above another. This was additionally used as a way to slowly erase the ingrained low self-esteem and submissiveness that women in Vulborim are taught from birth among the recruits and members of the Valkheri. Still, in practice, Rota works as a spokesperson and organisator.
Tactics
The Valkheri, as most fighters from Vulborim, hit fast and hard and keep beating the enemy until the enemy is slain. This makes the battles quick yet brutal. It's more important to disable the enemy than killing them, yet killing them isn't a bad way to disable them. There are a lot of intimidating roars and shouts, and together with the seemingly reckless charge straight into the enemy lines can be terrifying enough to decrease moral among even the most hardened troops.
Training
The Valkheri always need to be in their best shape, both physically and by skill. If they seem weak there will be at least one other fighter that will try to take advantage of this, trying to kill the Valkheri. In fact, they will most likely need to be better trained than the men to even have a chance of surviving.
Before being officially included in the Valkheri, a recruit must have gained enough skill to be able to survive. This is the hard part. A woman training to fight will most likely be killed on sight if seen, so it's extremely hard for a recruit to even get close to the skill level needed. There are rumors that the Valkheri will steal away potential and willing recruits to a secret training camp somewhere in or around Kabaduz, but such a camp has never been found. Still, there are occasionally new members of the Valkheri, often enough to keep the squad alive.
Logistics
Recruitment
There is much mystery where the Valkheri find their recruits. Rumors say that the Valkheri is constantly on the look for girls who have natural skill in combat, approach these naturals and offer a life of glory and relative respect as an intimidating and weaponized force of nature. Several lost daughters are suspected to be whisked away in this manner, although the truth is that most of these are killed off for some other reason.
There are only three requirements to become a Valkheri: One must be female, one must be willing to be a part of the squad, and one must possess a formidable skill in combat. Due to the required skill level to join, the recruits must train their combat skills for a long time before becoming an official member. The training is hard and ruthless, yet necessary to weed out the ones who aren't tough enough to handle the Valkheri life. It's better to be weeded out now than be killed the second they come back out into the real world.
There isn't any grand ceremony when a new Valkheri is recruited. The whole squad will, however, toast for the newcomer - but making sure they don't become too drunk, since that might be dangerous.
Cultural Info
The People of Vulborim are a tough people surviving and somewhat thriving in the dry, harsh environment of the Drylands. Their cultural heritage, especially their view on women, is often criticized by the other nations. The Nation of Enarion has taken their criticism to another level completely, and the two nations would be at open war if the Wasteland wasn't blocking the area between the two national territories.
History of the Valkheri
According to Rota, the most senior member of the squad, the Valkheri was established when she felt confident she could best most men in combat herself, and come out as a female fighter without getting instantly killed. She says she has bullied her brothers through the years to teach her what they learned about weapons and battle as they got instructed in the art, and developed her skills from there.
As a daughter of Kalsad himself, Rota has Elder blood, and blessed with a much longer lifespan than ordinary humans. Only Kalsad himself knows how old she really is, though even the oldest people of ordinary human descent can't remember her not being around during their lifetime. Chances are that she is at least one century old. Considering that the Valkheri was established almost a century ago she is probably a fair bit older, considering her skill when she established the squad.
Even Rota is surprised that Kalsad would let her live after showing her skills since being a woman made her existence illegal by Vulborish law, punishable by execution. Some people more skilled in the art of human insight have pointed out privately the odd look of pride in Kalsad's eyes when he looks at Rota, but no one is brave enough to state this officially.
After a couple of years after the beginning the Valkheri had two members, then three - until they had grown to a total of seven members of intimidating women. People became wary, and the concern that the women of Vulborim would use this as an excuse to rebel against the highly patriarchal culture was brought to the Vulborish council. Kalsad himself waved away their concerns.
Let them live. They amuse me.
After seeing how few members the squad has had through their existence, the public slowly became less concerned, and instead the Valkheri gained some respect among the men - although never publicly. Still, with this reluctant respect it's a dangerous life being a Valkheri, and being killed by an angry group of people is a real threat, especially when one Valkheri is alone without the rest of them close by.
Comments
Author's Notes
Although it might look like it, this is not intended as a criticism of any real-world culture or politics. I am not interested in political discussion in this comments section.