Icemark Alliance Profile

*I own noting shown in this profile. Rights to the Icemark Chronicles belongs to Stewart Hill and Chicken House publishing. Also thanks to the many great artists on deviantart for all the wonderful pieces of Icemark fanart.

Note: This profile stills needs some reformatting and updating     

Icemark Alliance    

“Blood, Blast, and Fire!”

-Battle Cry of the Icemark

Located in the frozen north, the tiny nation of the Icemark is surrounded by enemies. As such, they are a fiercely independent and warlike people, renowned for their skill in battle. And no wonder, they have defeated not only the massive Polypontian Empire twice, but also the Hordes of Basilea Erinor, two armies that were previously undefeated in battle. But despite skill as warriors they did not do this alone. No, while the Icemark makes up the core of this alliance, it is a multicultural and even multispecies group, with alliances stretching all corners of the globe, ranging from the proud yet fierce Snow Leopards of the Hub of the World, to the once great Desert Kingdom, who hold on to what remains of their once great empire amid the scorching sands. Even former enemies have found a place within this alliance; the Land-of-the Ghosts, the supernatural haven that is is the Icemark's northernmost neighbor and their former oldest enemy, was forced to ally with the Icemark during the first Polypontian invasion. Even the aforementioned Polypontians themselves have recently joined the Icemark Alliance in an attempt to preserve their dying nation.

While many enemies viewing this alliance for the first time may initially think (and not wrongly so) that it would be extremely disorganized and disunified, that would be a fatal mistake. The Icemark and their allies have grown to understand the importance of not only forming new alliances, but making amends with old enemies. The Icemark Alliance is built around the idea that, in the words of Qui-Gon Jinn, “There’s always a bigger fish.” Today’s enemy may be tomorrow’s friend, and key in fighting off a new foe sometime down the line.                    

PRIMARY UNITS     

The Fyrd

Training/Experience: 4 (Received elite housecarl training, but for a far shorter period of time than the housecarls themselves)

Mobility: 4

Max Range: Melee

Preferred Range: Melee

The citizen militia of the Icemark, the Fyrd is called upon from the commoners of the Icemark in times of military emergency. Although made up mostly of merchants and shopkeepers, they should not be considered simply untrained rabble, and the succession of wars their country has faced over the years has forced them to become a battle trained fighting force that can be called upon when necessary.

=LOADOUT=

Due to the War Tax issued by Thirrin’s father, King Redrought, every soldier of the fyrd has been issued a sword and spear.

Sword: Given that the Icemark is modeled after many Northern European countries of the Middle Ages, it’s likely their swords share the same design. They were typically 24-36 inches long, with a 1.5-2.3 in wide blade and weighed 2-4 lbs. Blades had a slight taper, which helped bring the center of balance closer to the grip. At the end of the blade was a pommel to provide a counterbalance to the sword, as well as guards to protect the user's hands.

Spear: Your basic stabbing spear. A wooden shaft with a razor sharp iron head fastened on the top. Despite being a relatively cheap and simple weapon, the reach and speed a spear could give a trained warrior were extremely advantageous on the battlefield.

     

Defenses: Round Shields, Steel Helmets

Round Shield: Round Shields were typically made from linden wood and covered in dried rawhide, and rimmed with iron. An iron boss in the center provided an offensive weapon. They were typically 30-36 inches wide, and an inch thick.

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Well Trained: As compared to most citizen militia, the fyrd is surprisingly well trained, having their training period extended to four months just before the first Polypontian invasion. Thirrin would later add to this by instructing the Fyrd in the same manner as her elite housecarls. They would undergo basic weapons training, war games, forced marches, and other endurance tests, and by the end of their training could stand against the housecarls in a shield wall. However no amount of training can make up for a…

Lack of Experience: Despite the fyrd’s increased training, they are still very inexperienced compared to the professional housecarls. They were easily lured out of formation by Bellorum, and had to rely on the Hypolitan horse archers to save them.

Shield Wall: The shield wall is a military tactic in which soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder, overlapping their shields. Each man benefits from the protection of his neighbor’s shield, usually the man to his right, as well as his own. It is the primary infantry formation used by the Icemark's housecarls and the fyrd.

Testudo: A Roman battle formation, testudo means “tortoise” in Latin. Soldiers cramp together, with those in the front and side rows raising and interlocking their shields to protect the front and flanks, while those in back raise their shields overhead, overlapping them to protect their comrades’ heads. It’s effective at stopping missile fire, but isn’t very mobile.

Bare-Sark: On very rare occasions, warriors of the Icemark will find themselves possessed by the Spirits of Battle, entering the state known as Bare-Sark. Warriors in this state are said to be as strong as ten men, and as fierce as a wild boar. They don’t appear to feel any pain, and get a temporary superhuman boost to their stamina. The last known person to enter this state was Thirrin’s father, King Redrought, who during the final battle of The Ghost Wars ripped out the werewolf king Guthmok’s throat with his BARE HANDS. Entering this state is still very rare though, and is more likely to happen to the veteran fighters, such as the cavalry troopers and housecarls, rather than the fyrd.                       

Longbowmen

Training/Experience: 4

Mobility: 4

Max Range: Bow Range

Preferred Range: Bow Range

The Icemark is often criticized by its Polypontian neighbors for relying on “primitive” weapons such as the bow and arrow, when they themselves bring gunpowder to the field. Well just because it’s primitive doesn’t mean it sucks. That is certainly true for the number of archers that the Icemark brings to the field, armed with one of the most feared long ranged weapons in history, the longbow. The Polypontians would quickly learn that they underestimated the Icemark's longbows at their own peril; they could outshoot the Polypontian musketeers with twice the range and six times the rate of fire, and could devastate their Imperial opponents without ever having to even come into their firing range. Any faction that goes up against the Icemark is going to have to fight through swarms of their devastating arrows if they ever want to reach their infantry lines     

=LOADOUT=

Offensive:

Longbow-

Range-1,148 feet (Maximum)

492-550 feet (Effective)

Longbow: The weapon that resulted in a series of crushing English victories during the Hundred Years War, medieval longbows were typically constructed from a single piece of yew wood, and then shaped and seasoned by an expert bowyer. Longbows could vary from 66 to 78 inches in length, and were tailored to the height of each bowman. The yew wood formed the two most important components of the bow (yew wood actually being made up of two kinds of wood bonded in the same tree); the heartwood, with its natural ability to resist compression forming the belly of the bow and giving it its power, and the tension resistant sapwood forming the spine and preventing the bow from breaking. Being able to handle the massive draw weight of the longbow and fire it quickly and accurately required years of training and practice, but paid off in the long run. Fired at ranges of 200 meters, a longbow can punch through an inch of solid oak, more than enough to get past most light armor. Heavier armor such as plate, requires even closer distances (roughly 100 meters) to even dent, and ranges of roughly 20 meters to lethally pierce.  

Swords: See the fyrd. Although Icemark longbowmen are armed with swords, these are strictly last resort weapons; only used when the archers have run out of arrows, or they need to support their fellow infantry.

Defensive: None

Additional Factors: Bodkin Arrows: Arrows featuring a narrow metal spike at its head, the shape of the bodkin arrow is designed to deliver a stronger “punch” against more heavily armored enemies. The head was square-sectioned, generally 11.5 cm long and 1 cm thick. These arrows are not the most commonly used type for the Icemark’s longbowmen, but are deployed when facing tough or heavily armored foes, like the Rock Trolls of the Land-of-the-Ghosts.

Firing Rate: Icemark longbowmen can shoot six arrows a minute.

Bare-Sark: See Fyrd

Housecarls

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 4

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

While the fyrd may make up the core of the Icemark’s armies when defending the homeland, they are not the true backbone of the Icemark’s military. That title belongs to the housecarls, the Icemark’s professional fighting force. They are as tough and dependable as they land they come from, serving to both smash the enemy with axe and sword, as well as holding the line in a shield wall.

=LOADOUT= 

Offensive:  See Hypolitan Infantry and Fyrd respectively.

Defense: Round Shields, Chainmail Hauberk, Steel Helmets

Round Shield: See Fyrd

Chainmail Hauberk: See Cavalry Troopers

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Shield Wall: See Fyrd. The Icemark’s housecarls are known for being able to take an enemy beating on their shield wall for hours.

Testudo: See Fyrd.

Bare-Sark: See Fyrd.

Mixed Regiments: See Werewolves.

          

Polypontian Pikemen

Training/Experience: 4-6 (The Polypontian army currently consists of an odd mix of new recruits and veterans, although largely new recruits)

Mobility: 3 (Are encumbered by those massive pikes)

Max Range: Pike Range

Preferred Range: Pike Range


The backbone of the Polypontian war machine are their masses of pikes. Fighting in tightly grouped phalanx formation, they present a formidable threat. Rank upon rank of their signature eighteen foot long spears that stand ready to impale any enemy that stands in their way.    

=LOADOUT=

Offensive-

Pikes:  Polypontian pikes are eighteen feet long. Although too cumbersome to be used by an individual warrior, when massed together in a phalanx, they can form a nearly impenetrable barrier of wood and steel to enemy infantry or cavalry. Although primarily thought of as a weapon for holding a defensive formation, a pike can be just as deadly on the offense. When a pike end strikes a solid target and does not immediately slide off armor, the pike shaft will instead flex somewhat. The pike will only bow so much though before it springs forward, releasing the built up energy in the form of forward momentum and giving the pike greater penetration against armor and flesh.

Cutlasses: If the enemy somehow manages to make it past the wall of pikes, the pikemen need a backup weapon. When using a pike becomes too awkward in close-quarters combat, they rely on their cutlasses. A short, broad saber, cutlasses are a no frills cut-and-thrust weapon. They’re prized for both their simplicity of use, and their short blade, which allows them to be easily used in cramped situations

Defensive: Steel Breastplates and Helmets

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Phalanx: As mentioned above, Polypontian pikemen fight in a phalanx formation. A military formation popularized by the Ancient Greeks, the phalanx is a massed group of spearmen arrayed in a rectangular formation. The phalanx’s strength is that it’s nearly unbeatable from the front, where the mass of pikes is presented. However it suffers from the weakness of being inflexible due to the cumbersome pikes that each man wields. It can’t turn well, and is vulnerable to attacks from the side and rear. It is also a difficult formation to maintain on rough terrain.

Polypontian Morale: The Polypontian Empire currently sits on the brink of collapse. Its territories, which once stretched over multiple continents, now stands whittled down to a few cities. The soldiers of the Polypontus are not only fighting for their lives, but for the lives of their families and the very fate of their country itself. A chance for victory in this tournament would certainly guarantee a future for their empire, and they’re going to fight their hardest to ensure that comes to pass.

The Polypontian Military: Even with the decline of their empire, The soldiers of the Polypontus are still some of the best in the known world. Their martial skill and discipline is legendary. Expect most of the veterans to have 20+ years of experience in the field, and to have campaigned across multiple terrains.                                   

Polypontian Musketeers

Training/Experience: 4-6

Mobility: 4

Max Range: Musket Range

Preferred Range: Musket Range

Before the general collapse of the Polypontus industry, gunpowder was their primary weapon of war, with the Empire priding itself on its masses of muskets and cannon. But with the Empire now in shambles, their gunpowder supply is very limited. Even so, what remains of the Empire’s musketeers defend the right to wield their signature weapons fiercely, viewing them as symbols of their nation’s former glory. Although unlikely to impact battles the way they once did, even a few muskets in the right place can make all the difference.      

=LOADOUT=

Offensive

Matchlock Muskets

Range: 164-328 feet

One of the earliest forms of firearms developed, the matchlock musket uses the matchlock firing system. The gun is fired using a mechanism that holds a slow burning cord, the "match" in place until the trigger is pulled, at which point the mechanism moves the match downward into the firing pan, igniting the powder in the pan as well as the main charge. There are quite a few disadvantages to this weapon however; it’s a smoothbore weapon, meaning that outside if its relatively short effective range, its going to be very inaccurate. Even in its effective range, the muskets are going to need to be deployed in mass formation to have much of an effect. The match must also be kept constantly lit as it is the primary firing mechanism of the gun, and damp weather can effectively turn the gun into a fancy club, although the matches were often soaked in potassium nitrate to keep the match burning for extended periods of time. Due to the Empire’s current lack of gunpowder, each musketeer only has enough powder for three shots.     

    

Swords: Polypontian musketeers were grudgingly trained in how to use a sword due to their lack of ammunition, but they much prefer to use their muskets.

Defensive: Steel helmets and breastplates

Additional Factors:

Polypontian Morale: See Pikemen

The Polypontian Military: See Pikemen

Hypolitan Infantry

Training/Experience: 5

Mobility: 4

Max Range: Javelin Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

The Hypolitan once lived in the mountainous region of the Southern Continent known as Artemesion. Always a fierce people, they developed a reputation as tough fighters and this allowed them to live in relative prosperity for hundreds of years. Eventually migration of new people from the east (implied to be the early Polypontian Empire), pushed them from their homes, forcing them to march north, where they eventually settled in the Icemark. The Icemark didn’t take kindly to them, and war broke out between the two peoples. However neither side was able to gain an advantage, and eventually they both sued for peace. The Icemark would allow them to stay in their new lands if they agreed to become their vessel state. The Hypolitan have been loyal allies since then.

They are a matriarchal society, as mentioned above, with men generally considered to be inferior to women, although they’re still treated MUCH better than the Southern Hypolitan (see past opponents) treat their men. Given the nature of Hypolitan society, half of their army is made up of women, usually fighting alongside men in mixed regiments, and or in companies alongside the all-male divisions. Although the warrior women of the Hypolitan would never admit it, they complement each other’s fighting styles well.

 =LOADOUT=  

Offensive-

Javelins: Simple throwing spears. The Hypolitan are deadly accurate with them

Axes: Heavy, two headed, battle axes, identical to the ones used by the elite housecarls. Despite their weight Hypolitan warriors can apparently wield them with one hand, seeing as their other hand is occupied by a shield. Axes from around this time were used as both cutting as hacking weapons, as the smaller axe head could direct a greater amount of force over an area than a sword blade could, allowing for them to piece armor in many cases. These weapons are used by both Hypolitan men and women.

Defensive: Hypolitan women carry crescent shaped shields of strengthened wicker. Men carry round shields, like the warriors of the Icemark. Other than that, they wear their traditional heavily embroidered light jackets, and scarlet caps.

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS= 

Bare-Sark: See Fyrd. As shown by Saphia, it’s possible for a warrior of the Hypolitan to enter this state, but it’s even rarer, then for a warrior of the Icemark.

Phalanx: See pikemen

Minor Units

Soldiers of the Holly and Oak Kings

Residing deep within the boundaries of the woods surrounding the Icemark capital of Frostmarris, lie the kingdoms of the Holly and Oak Kings, the ancient rulers of the Icemark's Great Forest. Generally reclusive, most humans will be lucky to ever see one of the kingdom's citizens, and the people of the Icemark generally regard them as myths. The threat of war with the Polypontians drew them out though, and they even protected Thirrin from a small army of Polypontian cavalry, ensuring a military alliance between the two groups. Their common footsoliders vary between which lord they serve: both are taller than the average human, with the soldiers of the Holly King having mottled green-gray skin and brilliant red eyes, while soldiers of the Oak King have skin the color of bark and deep green eyes. Both wield long spears and swords made out of what appear to be giant masses of razor sharp thorns. They also employ the Green Men and Women of the forest, wild and ferocious fighters who charge into battle naked. Finally they can call upon all of the fighting creatures of the forest, bear, boars, wolves etc. to fight alongside them. They’re brilliant forest fighters, able to seemingly appear and disappear into the woods around them.They do not typically leave their native forest however, and will only fight alongside the IA in the defense of their home.

Woodland Guerillas

Should the need for guerilla warfare arise, the Icemark has been known to pull members of the fyrd and housecarls with hunting or foresting experience into small small of guerilla soldiers to strike out at the enemy. They are armored and equipped lightly, carrying longbows, throwing axes, and short, broad bladed stabbing swords.

LINE BREAKERS                

Werewolves

Role: Heavy Infantry

Training/Experience: 5

Mobility: 6

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Hailing from the Wolfrock Mountains that form the border between the Icemark and the Land-of-the Ghosts, the Wolf-folk were banished from the Icemark following the end of the Ghost Wars, and were ironically the first group that Thirrin brought into her alliance. Long viewed by the people of the Icemark as savage brutes, the Wolf-folk proved to be surprisingly intelligent, and crucial to the Icemark’s war effort. They bring with them their excellent scouting abilities (the werewolf relay) and their own ferocious combat skills. A werewolf force is all about raw power, roughly managing to equal the infamously strong Rock Trolls in brute force and durability, while also combining this with incredible speed and a surprising cunning that make them all-around excellent soldiers.

=LOADOUT=

Offensive: Werewolves rely on their powerful jaws, teeth and razor sharp claws as their primary weapons, in addition to their superhuman strength. They are as strong as three humans, and shown to be capable of causally ripping a man’s head off. This combination allows them overcome even superhumanly durable opponents, as werewolves can even tear through the thick skin and muscle of Rock Trolls with their teeth and claws.

    

Defensive: Werewolves wear no armor, but make up for it with their superhuman endurance. They’re tough enough to tank musket fire to a degree. In one particularly impressive feat, the werewolf King Ashmok survived being hit with four arrows and still has the endurance to chase the archer who shot him half a mile while the archer was on horseback.       

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Werewolf Physiology: In addition to the superhuman strength mentioned above, werewolves stand roughly seven feet tall, and can keep pace with horses over short distances. They have superhuman senses, able to smell the change in the air that heralded an oncoming snowstorm three hours before it hit.This makes them excellent scouts as mentioned above, and difficult to sneak up on. Unlike most werewolves in fiction, Icemark werewolves never revert to a human form and do not spread lycanthropy through their bites.  

Mixed Regiments: Werewolves often fight alongside the Icemark’s housecarls in their shield wall, and some may even fight in mixed regiments like Eodred and Howler’s Regiment of the Red Eye.

Zombies

Training/Experience: 3

Mobility: 3

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Rotting corpses on two legs, zombies serve as fairly common infantry in the armies of the Vampire King and Queen. Clumsy and slow, a single zombie is no threat. But their numbers, combined with their relentlessness and ability to push on despite whatever wounds they’re suffering is what makes them so dangerous. They will simply keep on coming after the enemy until they’ve either been dismembered, or their enemy is ripped to shreds. Understandably, the prospect of fighting the living dead is not very appealing to most soldiers, and even the disciplined armies of the Polypontus have been known to rout in the face of an attack of zombies 

 

=LOADOUT=

Offensive: Zombies’ primary weapon is simply crude clubs which they can swing hard enough to even break the bones behind upraised shields. Besides that they have their own bodies at their disposal, and are strong enough to rip an ordinary human apart with their bare hands.

Defensive: Zombies don’t wear any armor, but then again it’s not like they actually need it. Being already dead, they cannot be killed. They can withstand any number of injuries ranging from sword thrusts to musket balls, and will just keep on coming. Unlike most zombies in fiction, not even decapitation will stop the rest of the body, as zombies will simply tuck their severed head under their arm and continue on the attack.

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS= 

Zombie Physiology: Extremely durable, as mentioned above. Zombies are also superhumanly strong. Zombies lack of a “pain reflex” means that they can use their muscles’ strength to a greater extent than a regular human could, making them as roughly strong as three regular humans. Icemark zombies don’t seem to spread any kind of infection through their bite.

Weaknesses: Zombies can be stopped through complete dismemberment or burning them alive. They’re also slow, clumsy, and not particularly bright.

Somewhat Intelligent: As opposed to most zombie hordes in fiction, Icemark zombies aren’t completely mindless. They can use weapons with some skill, and can speak English somewhat. They’re still no geniuses by any stretch of imagination though.

Vampires

Training/Experience: 8 (Entirely possible for many of them to be hundreds of years old, the oldest known vampires in existence are well over 1,000)

Mobility: 5 in their human forms, 7 in their bat forms

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Undead, blood soaked fiends, vampires are alongside the werewolves, the most common force in the armies of The-Land-of-the-Ghosts. Their role on the battlefield is an odd mix of infantry and air force, often beginning assaults from the skies in their giant bat forms, before switching to their human states to tear through enemies with their blades and fangs. Although they lack the raw power of their werewolf allies, this combination allows them to engage their enemies in a variety of different ways, making them a versatile fighting force.

=LOADOUT=

Offensive: When fighting in their human forms, Vampires rely on longswords, but unlike the swords wielded by their human counterparts, these have a serrated blades that allows them to cause even more damage as they tear into their enemies. They are master sword fighters, moving with the grace and speed of dancers. As a secondary weapon, they also have their natural fangs, which they rely on both during combat, to catch their enemies off guard and tear out their throats, and after the fighting is over to sate their bloodlust on the freshly dead bodies of their enemies.

Defensive: Although they wear armor, vampires prefer to rely on their speed during battle, dancing around their opponents with such speed and elegance, that they often leave their enemies confused. Due to their undead nature and healing factors, vampires are extremely hard to kill through normal means. The ghost of the Vampire King for example, noted that the only reason being riddled with musket shot killed him was because the Polypontians used wooden bullets.   

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Vampire Physiology: Vampires possess quicker speed and reflexes than regular humans, with the Vampire King able to tear out the throats of three Polypontian soldiers in just seconds. They can take the forms of giant, humanoid bats (think of the Batman villain Man-Bat), and often open battles in these forms before reverting back to their human state to drop behind enemy lines and disrupt their formations. They also have minor healing factors. The vampires fighting in the IA are immune to the normally poisonous effects that sunlight has on their kind, being of the subgenus Vampiris articus, who have developed a high tolerance for the sun due to the long periods of sunlight during the summer months in their native lands.

Like this but human sized Weaknesses: With the exception of sunlight, Icemark vampires have your standard Vampire weaknesses. Staking them through the heart, beheading, or burning them alive are the most efficient ways of killing them.

Air Force: The vampires are the closest thing the Icemark has to an air force, due to their giant bat
forms. They are actually highly effective as such, and were the sole reason the Icemark wasn’t wiped out in just a few days by the Polypontian airships.

Snowy Owls: One of the odder denizens of the The-Land-Of-The-Ghosts, the thousands of giant snowy owls that live there often accompany their vampire masters in fighting airborne opponents, tearing through enimies with their razor sharp beaks and talons.

Icemark Cavalry Troopers

Training/Experience: 5

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

The premier cavalry force of the Icemark, cavalry troopers can be described as the hammer to the housecarl and fyrd’s anvil. Thier heavy equipment and large horses are well suited to their purpose as shock cavalry, designed to smash through their enemies ranks through steel and sheer brute force. Typically commanded by a member of the House of Lindenshield, the Icemark’s cavalry is a tenacious and well trained force, and even when outnumbered they managed to break through the ranks of their superiorly equipped Polypontian counterparts during the first Polypontian invasion, as well as shatter hosts of superhuman werewolves and Rock Trolls during the Ghost Wars. 

=LOADOUT=

Offensive-

Lances: A standard long cavalry spear, longer and sturdier than ones used by the infantry. Cavalry troopers use their lances in a couched style, tucking them under their arm. Couching a lance allowes the cavalry trooper to deliver a stronger and more solid blow to their target.They carry multiple lances in scabbards on their saddles.

Cavalry Sabers: Your standard heavy cavalry sabers. Curved, and designed for wide sweeping cuts from horseback.

Defensive-

Chainmail Hauberk

A coat of riveted chainmail, typically covering the wearer from neck to knees. It was composed of thousands of individual rings, which helped distribute the kinetic force from blows. Good quality mail is nigh impervious to slashing attacks, and is even effective against stabbing and trusting weapons.

Round Shield: See Fyrd.

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Mounts: Icemark chargers are massive beasts, relying on their sheer size and strength to charge through an enemy formation. They are also trained to attack any enemy that threatens their rider, lashing out with their steel shod hooves.        

Mixed Cavalry: After incorporating the Snow Leopards into their army, Thirrin imposed a system of mixed cavalry, with each line including both leopards and horse in alternating order.

Bare-Sark: See Fyrd

Snow Leopards

Role: Heavy Cavalry

Training/Experience: 7

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Ruling their many Leopard-Holts at the Hub of the World, the Snow Leopards were once considered mere legends by humans, just as humans themselves were considered legends by them. They hunt polar bears and walruses for food, and rule from great palaces of natural ice and rock. The Snow Leopards were first introduced to humanity when Queen Thirrin journeyed to their homeland to recruit them in her alliance against the Polypontian Empire. The two races would soon discover they shared many things (including the same warrior spirit, and a love of beer), and now the Cavalry of the Icesheets fights proudly alongside their human allies. As fierce as a snowstorm and as powerful as an avalanche, they are noble warriors, ready to rend any foe that threatens their homeland, or that of their allies with tooth and claw.

=LOADOUT=

Offensive: Snow Leopards don’t use any weapons, their bodies are their weapons. Their teeth (even the smallest of which is much larger than a human finger), and claws, combined with their massive strength, is enough to smash through most enemies that would stand in their way.

Defensive: Although they don’t wear any armor, Snow Leopards compensate through their thick fur and skulls, which are tough enough to turn aside pistol shot. Their sheer size also allows them to take a far greater amount of damage than a regular human can, with Tharaman able to tank arrows multiple arrows before going down.

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Snow Leopard Physiology: Snow Leopards stand as tall as the Icemark’s warhorses at the shoulder and when rearing up on their hind legs, can reach the top of a Rock Troll’s head. They are able to run fast enough to keep pace with the rest of the Icemark’s cavalry, but can also move stealthily enough to pass through a snow covered   field without leaving any paw prints. Their senses are as sharp as any wild cat, particularly their sense of smell, with Tharaman able to smell tree sap when he was still hours away from any trees. Their strength is also enormous, with Tharadan able to split a Rock Troll’s skull open with a single swing of his paws.

Mixed Calvary: See Cavalry Troopers

RAPID RELIEF

Polypontian Cavalry Troopers

Role: Heavy Cavalry

Training/Experience: 4-6

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Carbine Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Prior to the general degradation of the Polypontian Empire, the cavalry of the Polypontus was designed as any heavy cavalry force was designed to do, simply charge at the enemy and smash through their formations. The current sad state of the Polypontian military has forced them to change their tactics however. No longer able to simply smash through the enemy due to their depleted numbers and lack of supplies, they have now resorted to more guerrilla like strategies. They strike out at the enemy with hit and run warfare, content simply to be able to wear them down and slow their advance.

=LOADOUT=

Offensive-

Matchlock Carbine: Essentially a shortened version of the matchlock musket, carbine’s smaller size was to allow them to be properly utilized on horseback, but at the cost of both range and power. Your average carbine was no longer than a sheathed cavalry saber, and allowed the rider some agility when engaging in melee fights without having to worry about an overly long weapon getting in the way. It employs the same matchlock firing system as the musket, with the same weaknesses.

Matchlock Pistol: Polypontian cavalry pistols are long barreled giving them greater accuracy and power. Cavalrymen typically carry two of them.

*Note*: Expect the amount of shots that each cavalryman has to be very limited, given the collapse of the Empire’s gunpowder industry

Cavalry Sabers: See Cavalry Troopers

Protection: Polypontian cavalrymen wear steel breastplates and steel helmets with a cage-like face guard. Their horses are also armored in heavy plate.

Additional Factors: Polypontian Morale: See Pikemen

The Polypontian Military: See Pikemen

Hit and Run Warfare: Given their limited amount of both troops and supplies, the Polypontian cavalry have become skilled in hit and run tactics and foraging for supplies.   

Lusu Cavalry

Now put these guys on horseback.

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Javelin Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Hailing from the lush hot climate of Lusuland, the Lusu are fearsome warriors and superb cavalry fighters. They remain one of the few peoples to be able to hold off the cavalry of their Desert Kingdom neighbors. Similarly to the conflict between the Icemark and the Hypolitan, the Desert Kingdom attempted to subjugate the Lusu, but their fierce warriors forced them into a stalemate that would eventually grow into grow into respect and later an alliance between the two peoples. Like their historical counterparts, the Zulu, they fight in regiments based on numerical value, with the largest grouping of an impi, being made up of 10,000 soldiers.

=LOADOUT=

Offensive-

Assegai Throwing Spears:

Length: 5.9 feet

Range: 60-70 feet (maximum), 30 feet (effective)

Before Shaka Zulu revolutionized Zulu warfare, the traditional weapon of South African warfare was the assegai, a man sized throwing spear that was perfect for the low risk style warfare that the tribes participated in. Thankfully, the Lusu don’t share the distaste that the Zulu had for this weapon. The length of the spear means that it’s going to straight up impale unarmored or lightly armored troops, but is unlikely to have an as devastating effect on more heavily armored soldiers.

Maces: Adorned with metal studs or “teeth”. Maces were used historically due to being relatively cheap and simple to produce, and for the incredible amount of blunt force a user could inflict on a target. Due to the nature of the weapon maces could ignore armor to a degree, directly crushing the bones beneath it.

-A longsword, which Charlemagne notes is the equivalent of a Lusu cavalry saber

The isisila

Battle Axes: Historically the Zulus used two kinds of battle axes, the isizenze and the isisila. The isizenze was known as the “commoners axe”. It was thirty inches tall and featured a wide, curved blade on the front and a short penetrating spike on the back. The rarer counterpart to the isisila, the isizene was the axe they gave to Shaka on Deadliest Warrior. It featured an angular swallow tail blade. It could be used just as well for slashing and impaling as it was for hacking. Both of these axes could also be used to hook onto an enemies' shield, and pull it away or knock their foe off balance

The Isizenze

Defensive: The Lusu wear no body armor, but they do carry kite shield made of animal hides, strengthened by a metal rim and a central boss.

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Mount: Zebras

The Lusu ride Zebras into battle. Zebras are roughly 6-8.5 feet long, four feet tall (12.2 to 13 hand in horse terms), and . A creature this size would make for a strangely small warhorse, although there is a species of zebra, Grévy's zebra, that can reach significantly larger sizes, roughly 8-9 feet long, over 5 feet tall (16 hands) and weighing in at 770-990 lbs. They generally run slower than horses, reaching top speeds of around 39 miles per hour. They make up for this by having good stamina, which allows them to outdistance many of their natural predators on the African savanna. Historically they have proven to be difficult to train due to their easily panicked nature. However, this does not seem to apply to the zebras that the Lusu use, who showed no hesitation into charging into the ranks of the Polypontian soldiers.

Warlike Culture: The Lusu are an intensely warlike culture, with their warriors joyfully singing as the ride into battle. They have fought countless skirmishes and even the occasional small war against their Desert Kingdom neighbors, and love the chance to test their impis against enemies they deem worthy. It’s important to note that the reason they agreed to fight the Polypontians in the first place was they were bored of peace and just wanted a good fight.

Highly mobile: Even when burdened by extra gear and a large supply train, the superb command structure of the Lusu cavalry ensures they can set or pack up a camp and be ready to march again with excellent speed.

         

Desert Kingdom Cavalry

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

The cavalry of the Desert Kingdom has an impressive history. At the height of its power, the Desert Kingdom lay claim to an empire that stretched over most of the known world, the sound of their cavalry’s hooves the death knell for many kingdoms and empires. However their strength was shattered by an invasion by the Polypontian Empire, which reduced their once mighty kingdom to their capital and one harbor town. In the form of these cavalrymen however, a portion of their strength lives on. The royal bodyguard to the prince of the Desert Kingdom, these cavalrymen are the elite of the elite. Riding the finest horses and equipped with the best weapons and armor their kingdom can afford, they have only one task, protect the heir to the throne.

=LOADOUT=

Ofensive- 

Scimitars:

A type of blade known for its distinct curve at the end, the scimitar was primarily a cavalry weapon designed to deliver sweeping cuts or slices from horseback. It could vary from 1-3 feet in length, and was an excellent cavalry weapon, as it allowed the user to swing the blade into an enemy, and then remove it without the blade becoming stuck in the body. This would allow the cavalryman to quickly charge from target to target without being slowed down.

Defensive: See Cavalry Troopers for chainmail hauberks. The Desert Kingdom cavalry also sports a surcoat of fine white linen to prevent their armor from getting too hot and unbearable to wear in the harsh heat of their native lands. They also come equipped with steel helmets with a spike on the top and a round cavalrymen’s’ shield for extra defense.

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Mount: The mounts of the Desert Kingdom are quite unlike those of the Icemark and the Polypontians. While those other nations rely on the size and strength of their cavalry, the cavalry of the Desert Kingdom are smaller and light boned, relying on speed and agility.

Royal Bodyguards: As already mentioned, these cavalrymen serve as the bodyguard to Prince Mekhmet. They will fight all the harder when he’s alongside them, but will also suffer from a drop in morale if he is injured or killed. This is shown during their fight with Octavius Bellorum’s cavalry, where they were on the verge of routing after Mekhmet was seemingly killed.

Climate of the Desert Kingdom: As would be expected, they’ll do very well in any hot, desert like climate, where they know how to properly fight and survive. In environments they’ve never fought in though, they can have some trouble adapting. Most of them had never seen rain or snow before they fought in the Icemark, and it took them some time to get used to the freezing temperatures.    

Sacred Regiment

“Very commendable Commander Aurelius. So what exactly finally drove them from the field?”

“Er…They seemed to run out of arrows, sir.”

-Exchange between General Scipio Bellorum and Commander Aurelius  

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Bow Range

Preferred Range: Bow Range

The very best of the Hypolitan army, these horse archers are an all women regiment, dedicated to serving their Goddess on the field of battle. They are considered the pinnacle of the Hypolitan’s female dominated warrior culture, and ride into battle with their Basilea, stoic in the face of the enemy, any army that faces them will quickly learn to fear the accuracy and power of their composite bows.

=LOADOUT=

Offensive-

Composite Bows:

Composite bows are constructed typically from, horn, wood, and sinew lamented together. When the bow is drawn, the sinew (stretched on the outside) and horn (compressed on the inside) store more energy than wood for the same length of bow. Most well-known for its use by various Asiatic peoples such as the Persians and Mongols, the main advantages of the composite bow is the previously mentioned power its material and recurve design give the bow, despite its small size. Hypolitan archers carry four quivers of arrows on them, two on each side of their horse.

Defensive: They Sacred Regiment doesn’t wear any real armor. They practice maneuverability and staying out of reach of their enemies’ weapons rather than overwhelming defense.

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS= 

Best of the Hypolitan: The Hypolitan are a society focused on war, and the Sacred Regiment is simply the best of them. During their opening skirmish with The Polypontian army, they managed to inflict 3,000 casualties on the advancing army while suffering none of their own. Their shooting rate and marksmanship is legendary.

Bodkin Arrows: See Longbowmen

Few in Number: Being such an elite regiment, they are very few in number, numbering only around 300 soldiers.

Bare-Sark: See Fyrd.                          

SHOCK AND AWE

Rock Trolls

Training/Experience: 3

Mobility: 3

Max Range Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Infamously strong, but equally unpredictable and stupid, the brutish Rock Trolls hail from The-Land-of-the-Ghosts. They were used by the Vampiric Majesties as a form of (very) heavy infantry during the Ghost Wars in place of the werewolves after Redrought shattered the werewolf forces. They’re  viewed as uncontrollable by their Vampire overlords, but are nonetheless regarded as being highly effective when properly led, and nearly unstoppable when they begin to charge.

=LOADOUT=

Offensive: Rock Trolls wield massive war clubs and hammers, which combined with their superhuman strength can easily smash through any human enemy.

Defensive: The Rock Trolls wear no armor aside from steel caps to protect their heads. This is due to the fact that their skin itself acts as an armor, stated to be as tough as hardened leather. The Hypolitan Sacred Regiment had to resort to using Bodkin arrows to properly pierce their hides. They may occasionally, use slabs of stone as crude shields, and even once formed a testudo to protect against arrow fire. Though both of those cases were when they were under the command of General Romanoff, and are too stupid to have done so otherwise.

=ADDITIONAL FACTORS=

Rock Troll Physiology: Rocks Trolls stand twice as tall and wide as the largest human, and have the strength of five men. They also have the previously mentioned armor-like hide.

Uncontrollable: Due to their limited intellect and bestial nature, the Rock Trolls have been long considered uncontrollable by Their Vampiric Majesties, who are reluctant to use them in war. It takes a skilled general to actually lead them properly and turn them into an effective fighting force.

Tri-Horns

Training/Experience: Tri-Horns themselves are just wild animals. Their riders are at least 5 or higher

Mobility: 5

Max Range: Various

Preferred Range: Melee Range

The “cavalry” of the Hordes of Basilea Erinor, the Tri-Horns are essentially weaponized Triceratops. Standing taller than a house, they are evil tempered beasts, kept under control by the heated goads of their masters. Their tempers aside, they are prized for their massive strength and durability, which allows them to smash not only through fortifications, but any enemy soldiers that dares stand in their path. The Icemark learned to fear these beasts during their war with Erinor, and after defeating her, captured what remained of them for their own use.

Ranged Weapons: Erinor had archers and other missile throwers positioned on top of these beasts, riding in the traditional fighting platform of the howdah. Although the Icemark didn’t seem to do this when they led the Tri-Horns to fight Cronus, the possibility for it is still there.

Melee Weapons: Whatever the rider is carrying on them. Given the nature of these animals, expect them to be ridden only by veteran housecarls, cavalry troopers, or one of the heroes. The Tri-Horns themselves are armed with their own bodies; capable of impaling enemies with their horns, or crushing them underfoot.

Protection: Tri-Horn skin is naturally thick and tough, and they are often covered in surcoats of leather and canvas, in addition to chainmail and plate for added defense. They also have a natural bony six foot wide plate, called a “ruff” (or frill for a real life Triceratops), that helps protect their head and necks.

Additional Factors: Savage Temperament: The Tri-Horns are vicious beasts, possessing no loyalty to their riders, and would just as soon kill them as their enemies. Only good training and the threat of death keeps these monsters from running wild and even then, enough pain can drive them into this state.

Living Siege Weapons: As mentioned above, Tri-Horns are so large that they can batter down fortifications, including reinforced wooden gates and even stone walls. No surprise, as real life triceratops were 10 feet tall, could reach lengths of 29 feet, and weighed in at 6 tons.

Weak Spot: The Tri-Horns weak spot is directly on top of it’s neck, and a strong blow there will sever the spine and bring the creature down. Of course to do this, you have to scale the creature and kill its riders, no easy task. It should also be noted that this strategy was only effective due to the commander of the Tri-horns at the time choosing not to fully armor them. Against a fully armored Tri-horn, a warrior would need a weapon capable of piercing five different layers of armor (plate, chainmail, leather, canvas, and finally the creatures own incredibly tough skin and ruff) to do any serious damage.    

Slow: Tri-Horn are built for power, not speed. Triceratops themselves could only go about 15mph

Rare: There’s only about 500 of them.

Ballistas

Role: Artillery

Training: 4

Mobility: 1

Max Range: Artillery Range

Preferred Range: Artillery Range

Although the Icemark has long used ballistas in warfare, it wasn’t until the second Polypontian invasion that they began to redesign them in order to counter the enemy. The Polypontian’s airships could hover hundreds of feet in the air, far out of range of the standard ballista bolts. To counter this, the Icemark’s new ballistas were massive, approximately four times larger than usual. The platforms these ballista were mounted on were also designed to turn, dip, and rise, allowing them to be fired from nearly any angle. The ballista operates with two two torsion springs mounted in a frame and wound in opposite directions each retracted by a resilient throwing arm. A rope, analogous to a bow string, connected the two throwing arms, and this rope was mechanically retracted into firing position.The ballistas fire several foot long darts, often as tall as a man and weighing in at ten pounds, with great force. They're able to pin several soldiers together in one shot as demonstrated during the first Polypontian invasion.

Trebuchets

Role: Artillery/Siege Weapons

Training/Experience: 4

Mobility: 1

Max Range: Artillery Range

Preferred Range: Artillery Range

Trebuchets are massive catapults, relying on a series of counterweights to lob a projectile (usually a very large chunk of rock) over great distances. A long beam is attached to an axle. At the short end of the beam is attached the counter weight. The long end of the beam is pulled down, raising the counterweight. A sling, which has a pouch containing the projectile, is attached to the long end of the beam. Upon releasing the trigger, the sling and the beam swing upward, pivoting on the axle toward the vertical position, whereupon one end of the sling releases, opening the pouch and allowing the projectile to fly towards the target. The stored energy of the counterweight is transferred efficiently to the projectile. Trebuchets can hurl projectiles up to 400 pounds in weight several hundred yards away.

SPECIALIST SUPPORT

Upick Guard

Role: Bodyguards/Heavy Infantry

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 6

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Werewolves that inhabit the same frozen land of the Snow Leopards, the Upick tribes are noted for their white pelts and their far greater size and strength then your common werewolf. Thirrin first encountered the Upick tribes when they escorted her and Oskan to the Hub of the World to establish diplomatic relations with the Snow Leopards. The Upicks impressed her with their loyalty and survival abilities, and the best of these werewolves were chosen to serve in Thirrin’s personal bodyguard. The Upicks are loyal to Thirrin until death, and fight alongside her whenever she takes to the battlefield.

Melee Weapons: See Werewolves

Armor: See Werewolves

Additional Factor: Werewolf physiology: See Werewolves. Upicks are even larger and stronger than their brethren; said to be as strong as a Rock Troll (or five times as strong as a regular human) and are capable of ripping one limb from limb.

Devoted to Thirrin: The Upick’s are utterly devoted to Thirrin, viewing her as one of their own. They are willing to sacrifice their lives just to protect hers, and have done so on at least on occasion.

White Witches

Role: Healers/Minor Magical Support

Training/Experience: 5

Mobility: 4 typically, 10 through their teleportation spell

Generally aloof and reclusive, the White Witches repay the kindness of letting them reside in the Icemark, by serving as healers and midwives. They can reverse a blight on crops, and serve as the go-betweens of the physical and spiritual world. They also have more…potent magical abilities they can call upon when necessary.

Spells: Glamour, Light Spell, Teleportation

Glamour: Not exactly an invisibility spell, “Glamour” instead takes the colors and textures of the land an army is marching through, and places theses over them, making them nearly undetectable. Only those with brilliant eyesight and who know where and when to look have a chance at detecting them. This spell requires a group of at least ten witches to perform, and can be spread over a small sized army or group of soldiers

Light Spells: Blasts of white light that are quite effective at repelling creatures of darkness, or users of black magic.       

Teleportation

"Then suddenly, a strange blackness seemed to bleed across the day, consuming the army and filling  every eye and every ear with a deep and endless nothing...They could hear and see no one and nothing...But then, abruptly, light, sound, scent, and every other sensation returned in screaming clarity as the army emerged onto the Plain of Desolation. But they were only there for a matter of seconds, as Oskan and the witches once again opened a portal, and then they were all plunged once more into the nothingness between realms." 

Last Battle of the Icemark. 446

A spell that requires the effort of all the witches to perform; together they can gather enough psychic energy to transport an entire army through the Plain of Desolation, using the magical plane as a conduit for travel. The only time they used this was to transport the entire army of the Icemark from outside the city of Romula, to the Plains of Frostmarris (so several hundred miles at least). The effort to do this is enormous, but the spell itself only takes a minute or so to perform, allowing the entire army to get the jump on an enemy quickly.

Weapons: None

Protection: None

Additional Factors: Skilled Healers: Despite the witches' magical skills, their primary role is healers. They have a keen knowledge of herbs of drugs, and are even skilled treating their non-human allies such as the werewolves and snow leopards.

HEROES AND LEADERSHIP

Thirrin Lindenshield

Role: Queen of the Icemark

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Melee

Preferred Range: Melee

Command Designation: Chief Commander

When Thirrin Lindenshield (or as her incredibly long full title reads: Thirrin Freer Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield, Wildcat of the North, Taker of the Hand of Bellorum) was just 14 years old, she was forced to take command of a crumbling country that was being invaded by the most feared military power in the world. Her father and just been killed, and the only place she could turn to for help was two unreliable races of monsters that had been at war with her country for hundreds of years. Through a combination of determination, natural skill, and a little bit of luck, she not only ensured her countries survival, she defeated the Polypontian Empire and its seemingly invincible general, Scipio Bellorum. She did this all through her surprisingly effective diplomatic skills, which allowed her to forage several alliances that would create lasting friendships between her and the various other leaders within the alliance. It’s this kind of diplomatic skill that makes Thirrin and her kingdom the heart and soul of the Icemark Alliance. She is neither the most experienced commander in the alliance, nor is she even the most tactically skilled, but she is the glue that binds it all together.

Command Designation: Chief Commander of the forces of the Icemark and the entire Icemark Alliance as a whole.

As the figure who brought the various other rulers and countries that make up the IA together, Thirrin is viewed as the commander of the entire alliance. While this typically seems unofficial, in some of the Icemark’s larger campaigns (such as their war against Erinor) she was officially named the chief commander of the entirety of the IA’s forces, with Cressida acting as her second in command. Technically though, the various rulers within the IA have the final say in what they want their soldiers to do, and could disobey Thirrin’s orders if they really wanted to do so. However, they have an immense amount of respect for Thirrin, and she would have to give downright suicidal orders before any of them considered disobeying her. Thirrin is not a totalitarian style commander though, and frequently holds strategic meetings between the various rulers within the IA in order to reach a general consensus on strategies and tactics. For more information on Thirrin’s strengths and weaknesses as a commander, see below.    

Weapons: See Housecarls and Calvary Troopers. Essentially whatever she wants. Thirrin is a very skilled fighter, managing to survive a sword duel with Scipio Bellorum when she was just fourteen. She later effortlessly kills Basilea Erinor in their (very short) duel in the third book.

Protection: See Cavalry Troopers

Mount: Thirrin rides a particularly massive Icemark charger named Havoc.

The Good: Thirrin is a fiery and passionate commander. Her troops adore her, and as mentioned above, many would give their lives to protect hers. In traditional Icemark fashion, she commands her troops from the front lines in order to inspire them to greater feats of courage.

As mentioned above though, Thirrin’s best qualities revolve around her ability to make and keep alliances. The Wolf-folk and vampires had been at war with the Icemark for hundreds of years prior to their alliance, and the Polypontians had been at war with them just two years before theirs. Such is the strength of these bonds, that despite seeming like a perfect recipe for a shaky alliance fraught with mistrust and disunity, the Icemark Alliance is very cohesive. They are able to utilize the various skills of their different units very well through combined arms tactics. Many of these, such as pairing the cavalry troopers with the snow leopards, were Thirrin’s own innovations. Her sheer force of character is sometimes all that she needs to hold her troops together; as seen in the third book when she manages to stop the squabbling between the Icemark and Polypontian troops with a single speech.

The Bad: Thirrin has never quite shed the impetuous nature of her youth, and her hotheadedness can sometimes cause her to make rash decisions. Her habit of commanding from the front also puts her at risk from a lucky sword blow or arrow, and any competent commander will focus their attack on her position. This ties into her final weakness, compared to many of the other leaders here, Thirrin is very much a “squishy human”. While other commanders may be from races of already superhuman or supernaturally powerful creatures, or simply have inhumanly good fighting skills, Thirrin is just a regular human. This is definitely going to hurt her against factions that make heavy use of assassins, like the Skaven           

LEADER X-FACTORS

Adaptive Creativity:61/100 Thirrin is generally creative when it comes to combining the various factions of the IA together to play off their strengths, such as combining the cavalry troopers and Snow Leopards, housecarls and werewolves, and the "moving fortress" defense that is discussed below.

Tactics: 64/100 Thirrin's primary tactical innovations are largely knowing how to combine the various factions that make up the IA together to form a cohesive whole. While I would not consider her a tactical genius per say, her tactical record is still very good, managing to win against forces that were superior to her own in almost every single way.

Strategy:78/100 Thirrin's ability to form cohesive and long lasting alliances is what really boosts her score here. She was able to keep the IA together through all three wars they fought in together, and generally conducted this conflicts brilliantly.     

Intuition:42/100 Thirrin’s hotheadedness  gets in the way here, and she has been lured into traps quite often from this; failing to anticipate that Erinor’s troops would attempt to suicide bomb her, as well as ordering her Aunt Elemnstra into an obvious trap.

Audacity:77/100 Very high. Thirrin as mentioned above, commands from the front in almost all her battles, and will often be the one to lead a cavalry charge into an enemy position. Even when she was still a teen Thirrin proved incredibly audacious; leading a diplomatic missions to befriend both the vampires and snow leopards (both who were just as likely to kill her as accept her alliance), and even accepting Scipio Bellorum’s duel, despite the general having at least 30 years more combat experience than her.

Psychological Warfare:48/100 Knows just how terrifying a large portion of her army is, and how to exploit that. Thirrin doesn’t really make use of psychological warfare outside of that though.

Experience:65/100 Thirrin has been the Queen of the Icemark for 19 years by the time of the third book. She’s led her country and the alliance through three major wars, each time against forces that were not only incredibly skilled at warfare, but also outnumbered her own forces several times over.

Discipline:59/100 As mentioned above, Thirrin’s hotheaded and reckless, although this has been somewhat tempered by experience.

Inspiration:75/100 Commands the utter loyalty and respect of her troops, many of which would die to protect her. This does not just apply to the soldiers of the Icemark, but to those of the entire alliance as well. Even the vampires (a race that had been at war with Thirrin's country for almost a thousand years) were willing to go out of willing to go out of their way to defend the Icemark in her absence when she was campaigning against Erinor.

Corruption:34/100 Once had one hundred members of the fyrd brutally flogged for abandoning their positions. That’s the only act she’s committed that I would consider cruel. Operates by a code of honor that will typically keep any civilian non-combatants and prisoners of war safe from unnecessary cruelties.

Oskan Witchfather

Role: Healer/ Magical WMD

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 10

Max Range: Several Miles

Preferred Range: Several Dozen Feet

Command Designation: Adviser/Inspirational Commander   

The most powerful magic user in the Icemark, Oskan Witchfather is the leader of the Icemark’s witches and Thirrin’s husband. The son of one of the Icemark’s white witches and Cronus, an immensely old and powerful magical being (and the Icemark’s version of Lucifer), Oskan, like all that can trace their lineage back to Cronus’ race, has constantly been torn between following in his father’s footsteps and using his abilities for selfish and destructive purposes, or going by his mother’s example and controlling his darker urges. Although he occasionally gives in to these urges, the love he has for his family and country always brings him back to the light.

Command Designation: Consort to Queen Thirrin. Leader of the witches within the Icemark.

As Thirrin’s consort, Oskan is present at all strategic meetings. While not a commander per say, Oskan is a skilled adviser, and one of the few people that can show Thirrin reason if he feels that she’s being particularly pig-headed. He also is the leader of the White Witches in the Icemark, and can call them together when necessary.

Magical Abilities:

Shapeshifting: Has the ability to morph in a variety of different forms, ranging from a giant eagle to a living fireball.

Soul Manipulation: Oskan can directly attack a targets soul, useful in the case of enemies who no longer have a physical body. With a simple squeeze of his fist he was able to inflict enough damage on Meda’s soul that she screamed in pain. He can also remove other beings magical abilities through this method.

Matter Manipulation: Oskan can directly manipulate the very matter that makes up the universe, ranging from minor displays (forming a living mouse from a pile of dust), to the more fantastic (reforming a demolished fortress in seconds with a casual wave of his hand).

Dimension Travel: Oskan can open portals and travel between the various seven magical realms that exist within the Icemark universe.

Flight: Oskan can fly, or more accurately, hover through the air.

Energy Manipulation: Oskan can manipulate various forms of energy, most typically magical based ones, as seen when he redirected many of Meda’s and Cronus’ energy attacks back at them. This included magically summoned bolts of lightning and blasts of magical plasma.

Weather Manipulation: Although not as skilled in weather manipulation as his daughter Meda, Oskan is still more than competent. He was able to mostly reverse Meda’s de-thawing of the Icemark’s northern passages, as well as summon lightning from the sky and act as a conduit for it, directing it to strike out at enemy soldiers. Although the first time he did this it nearly killed him, it should be noted that he was still a teenager, and still learning how to fully control his abilities.

Possession: Oskan’s shown the ability to possess people over great distances; taking control of the body of a werewolf messenger in the Land-of-the-Ghosts while he was still in Frostmarris.

The Sight: Oskan is one of the few magic users in the Icemark with the ability to see into the future. His body becomes wracked with seizure like spasms, his eyes roll back in his head, and he spouts out a prophecy for things to come. Oskan cannot control when these visions occur however, and the prophecies themselves are often cryptic. He can also use his Sight to “see” the world around him to a limited degree, although the clarity and range of this (extending only a few miles at best) is not particularly good.

Telepathy: Oskan possesses the ability to both read minds, as well as project thoughts into the minds of others. Although the first he has no problem with the first, the second is typically against his moral code, and something he will only do in extreme circumstances. In one instance he projected thoughts of “unending despair and limitless fear” into the mind of one man, leaving him a screaming wreck.

Weapons: None

Protection: Although Oskan does not wear any physical armor, his magical defenses are top notch. His standard magical shielding is strong enough to withstand an explosion that leveled Meda’s Bone Fortress, and his mental shields are capable of keeping out his father, Cronus, who previously mindraped a thousand strong garrison of troops.

Additional Factors: Embracing the Dark

“How strange my beloved daughter that you see succumbing to the temptation of evil as an act of courage rather than the weak-minded selfish stupidity that it is. Do you not think that resisting its call takes all of my strength, every second, every hour, every day of my life?...And what, my dear daughter should I do with my Power?...With this I could blast Bellorum and his hideous sons from the Plain of Frostmarris forever...Bellorum would die and his army would destroyed, undoubtedly. But the land would be destroyed in the process. What then, my beloved daughter? Should we rule a kingdom of ashes and death? Oh my Gifted child, you disappoint me; you have forced me to learn that huge magical potential, even in a human being who has been loved and nurtured with unflagging care, can be housed in the brain of a fool and a murderer."

Blade of Fire. 555-556

On the rare occasion that Oskan does choose to tap into the full power of his bloodline, he experiences a massive upgrade in his abilities, to the point where he claimed he could wipe out the entire Polypontian army on his own. During his final confrontation with Meda and Cronus, Oskan easily dominated them when he entered this state, forcing them to combine their minds to overwhelm him. He even managed to tear a hole in reality itself, creating a magical black hole designed to serve as a prison for his father and daughter (and could theoretically be used as a prison for any other powerful magic users he should face in this tournament) that was described as: “...a place of nothingness: a void that contains neither light nor dark, sound nor silence”. It should be noted however that entering this state is going to be extremely rare, and I only see it happening against another extremely powerful magic user. Also continued use of this power will eventually drive Oskan insane and corrupt his soul.

Blessed by the Goddess: Oskan is under the protection of the Goddess (essentially the “Big G” god of the Icemark universe). She has brought him back from near death conditions on at least two occasions.

Skilled Healer: See White Witches            

Cressida Lindenshield

Role: Crown Princess of the Icemark

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 4 (7 if mounted)

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Command Designation: Tactical/Strategic Commander

Thirrin and Oskan’s oldest child, Cressida Lindenshield is the Crown Princess of the Icemark and one of most skilled warriors in the northern world. Cressida shares her mother’s famously fierce temper and enthusiasm for war, while having none of Thirrin’s experience in diplomacy and compromise to dampen it. As such, she can come off as abrasive and rude to others, but nonetheless has a keen mind for warfare, and is an experienced commander, having fought in both the second Polypontian war, and the Icemark’s war with Erinor.

Command Designation: Crown Princess of the Icemark -As the Crown Princess, Cressida has full command of all of the Icemark’s forces, only falling behind her mother in the chain of command. Cressida is a businesslike and no-nonsense commander, and has a ruthless streak that her mother lacks. She was willing to force Thirrin to abdicate the throne if Thirrin wasn’t willing to corporate with their Polypontian allies, and even threatened to have her own brother executed for not participating fully in the war effort. She is nonetheless a skilled commander and tactician, managing to save the Icemark from utter defeat in the first battle of the second Polypontian war.                   

Weapons: See Housecarls and Calvary Troopers. Essentially whatever she wants. Cressida is probably the best fighter of the the Lindensheild children.

Cressida’ sword flashed and darted like a striking snake, felling every Imperial trooper who came against her. “Bellorum! Bellorum!” she screamed above the din of battle. “Show yourself! Fight me now and lose more than your hand!”

Sulla heard her cry and forced his horse forward, his long cavalry saber slicing throat and skewering chest as he surged towards her. With a final heave he was through, and Cressida stood before him.

“Here Lindenshield!” he yelled. The Crown Princess swung around and glared at him. “I called for the jackal, not its pitiful whelp!” Without retort Sulla’s horse leaped forward. Cressida stepped aside, and with an almost contemptuous flick of her wrist she drove her sword deep into Sulla’s stomach as he stormed past. He fell screaming, and with a following sweep of her blade she smashed open his helmet and head.”

Blade of Fire. 562   

Protection: See Calvary Trooper

Additional Factors:

But before she could move her sister sent a blast lightning roaring and crackling across the Bone Fortress’s Great Hall and it struck her with a huge explosion. Meda let out a great shriek of laughter; she had no doubts or qualms about killing Cressida She’d always hated her sister, just as she’d hated the rest of her family. But Meda’s laughter abruptly stopped in mid-peal as she suddenly realized that Cressida was still standing, completely unscathed.

“NO!” she raged and sent bolt after bolt against her hated sister, but still Cressida stood, unaffected and smiling gently…“Why aren’t you dead?” Meda raged, ignoring her sister’s words entirely. “Why aren’t you incinerated?”

Cressida smiled. “Oh that; Dad tells me I’m immune to magic, so that means you can’t do anything to me, apart from fight me physically that is. I tell you what, I’ll take you on with one hand behind my back and I’ll let you choose weapons.”

Last Battle of the Icemark. 215

Magic Immunity: Although Cressida didn’t inherit her father’s full magical abilities, she did inherit a powerful passive one; she is completely immune to magic. Even the most powerful magic users in the Icemark universe cannot hurt her through magical means. This includes both direct magical spells, such as Meda’s lightning as demonstrated above, as well as mental manipulation through magical means. Cressida was the only one of the IA’s commanders not affected by Meda manipulating the leadership into foolishly attacking the Polypontian army head on.

Their Vampiric Majesties

Role: Vampire Overlords

Mobility: 5 in their human forms, 7 in their bat forms

Training/Experience: 8

Max Range: In terms of fighting abilities, melee range, but their anti-magic shields can cover the entire battlefield

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Command Designations: Delegates  

Preening, arrogant, and giving off an aura of sophistication, the Vampire King and Queen are your classic Stoker-style vampires. Of course there’s the fact that behind this sophistication they’re both bloodthirsty monsters. The Vampire King and Queen are perhaps the oldest vampires in the Icemark universe, both of them being 1,200 years old, and having ruled over the Land-of-the-Ghosts for a millennia. They’re so old that they don’t even remember their original names, preferring to be known by their titles instead. They’ve spent a large majority of their thousand year rule as bitter enemies of the Icemark, only begrudgingly making an alliance with them when convinced that the invading Polypontian army was more of a threat to their kingdom than their old enemies ever were.

The vampires initially proved to be difficult allies, constantly putting off committing their full forces to the Icemark. It wasn’t until the second Polypontian war that they slowly began to respect their human allies, even managing to develop something bordering on a friendship with Thirrin. The Vampire King even admitted to Charlemagne “For a mortal she was, and is, truly great, and had the greatness of spirit to offer friendship even above the demands of treaty and alliance”.

Command Designation: Co-Commanders of their forces, Delegates within the Alliance as a whole.

The Vampire King and Queen are with the exception of the Holly and Oak Kings the most independent of the various rulers within the alliance. They rarely come to the various strategy meetings that are held within the Icemark, and prefer to keep their troops directly under their own command. Even so, they are willing to occasionally allow their troops to be placed under the command of others, with the Vampire Queen sending several of her squadrons under Thirrin’s command during their war against Erinor’s hordes.

Their Vampiric Majesties are capable commanders and cunning diplomats. They will often try to squeeze every possible advantage they can out of treaties, exploiting ridiculous loopholes in order to give them a diplomatic advantage. They are willing to use underhanded tactics as well, such as ambushing an army they had previously offered safe passage to. Despite this, they still suffer from extreme arrogance, viewing most other races as being below them. Even though they employ underhanded tactics, they still suffer from a code of honor that can be used against them is some cases. This was shown in the duel between the Vampire King and Scipio Bellorum, in which the King refused to use bat form against Bellorum, noting that it would be dishonorable to use a move that his opponent couldn’t. Unfortunately for him, Bellorum’s idea of a fair fight was “have several dozen musketeers shoot the hell out of the other guy”

  

Weapons: See Vampires. The Vampire King and Queen were both master swordfighters, capable of dueling Thirrin’s father Redrought, and the Vampire King dominating Scipio Bellorum in a swordfight, only losing due to Bellorum’s treachery.

Protection: See Vampires

Spells: The Vampire King and Queen are described as being skilled magic users, the equal of any experienced witch or warlock. The only person in the series they fear magically is Oskan. Although they don’t use their magic very often it is quite potent, with the Vampire Queen able to project an “anti-magic” field around both her and her troops, rendering them to both direct magic assault and psychic influence. These defenses do not extend however, to the physical abilities of magical creatures or objects.

Additional Factors: See Vampires

Over a 1,000 Years of Experience: With the possible exception of the Holly and Oak Kings, Their Vampiric Majesties are the most experienced commanders in the alliance.       

Tharaman Thar and Krisafitsa Tharina

Role: Rulers of the Snow Leopards

Training/Experience: 7

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Melee

Preferred Range: Melee

Command Designations: Delegates

Tharaman Thar and his consort Krisafitsa Tharina are the lords of the Snow Leopards. First meeting Thirrin when she visited his kingdom to recruit his help against the Polypontian Empire, Tharaman initially found the northern princess arrogant, but quickly warmed to her fiery spirit. Tharaman was disappointed to tell Thirrin that he would be unable to commit his full forces in aiding the Icemark, as he had to keep a majority of his army in the Icesheets to defend them against the Snow Leopards ancient enemies, the Ice Trolls. However, in a move that surprised Tharaman and would mark the start of the strongest bond in the Icemark Alliance, Thirrin agreed to pledge her forces to protect Tharaman’s lands if he would help Thirrin protect hers’. Tharman and his people have been close allies to the Icemark ever since, providing the IA with the extremely powerful cavalry of the Icesheets, as well as their wise council as fellow commanders.

Command Designation: Co-Commanders to the Snow Leopard forces. Delegates within the alliance as whole.

Tharaman and Krisafitsa and both experienced leaders, with Tharaman becoming Thar of the Snow Leopards shortly before the beginning of the Ghost Wars. He quickly proved to be a bold commander, attacking and destroying host of Upick werewolves that were moving through his lands. The fact that the Leopard holts survived for 20+ before Thirrin’s alliance with him alone is impressive, as every year they had to fight off attacks from the Ice Trolls.            

Weapons: See Snow Leopards. Tharaman in particular is very strong for a snow leopard, capable of wrestling a Tri-horn to the ground and snapping its neck.

Protection: See Snow Leopards

Additional Factors: See Snow Leopards

Grishmak Blood-drinker

Role: King of the Werewolves

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 6

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

The first fellow monarch in the alliance that Thirrin met; the young queen of the Icemark’s first encounter with Grishmak nearly ended with the werewolf king killing her. In typical Thirrin fashion though she put up enough of a fight to impress the werewolf king, and he spared her life. She would later return the favor when he was captured by her father’s soldiers, and the Wolf-folk would go on to become the Icemark’s first allies.

Command Designation: Chief Commander of the Werewolf forces. Delegate within the Alliance as a whole.

Grishmak is after the Hypolitan and the Snow Leopards, the closest allied monarch to the Icemark within the alliance. He has been at Thirrin’s side from nearly the beginning of her rule, and is a personal friend as well as a fellow leader. The deep bond between the two leaders and their peoples is show in many aspects of the alliance’s military, such as how often the werewolves are seem fighting alongside the Icemark’s housecarls.

As a commander, Grishmak is quite experienced, becoming King of the Wolf-folk sometime following the Ghost Wars. He is a straightforward leader, whose tactical style can best be summed up as: “hit ‘em hard, and keep hitting ‘em hard until they bugger off!”. Despite this, Grishmak does occasionally display some tactical cunning; ordering his troops to jump over the enemies’ lines in order to disrupt their formation, as well as keeping a reserve force of cavalry on hand to rescue the rest of the Icemark’s forces when they were in danger of being overwhelmed.

It should also be noted that if Grismak dies then the werewolf forces must take time away from the fighting to elect a new leader, which can take several weeks.                           

Weapons: See Werewolves

Protection: See Werewolves

Additional Factors: Werewolf Physiology: See Werewolves. Grishmak is considerably larger and stronger than your average werewolf.

Charlemagne Lindenshield and Prince Mekhmet

Role: Desert Kingdom Cavalry Commanders

Training/Experience: 5

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Melee Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Command Designations: Charlemagne is a tactical commander, Mekhmet is a delegate

The youngest child of Thirrin and Oskan, Charlemagne went through most of his early life with the greatest curse that a member of a royal line of warriors can bear, he couldn’t fight. Born during a period of plague in the Icemark, Charlemagne survived the disease thanks to his father, but his body was permanently ravaged; leaving him with a withered leg and neither the strength nor coordination to either stand in a shield wall or ride one of the Icemark’s massive war horses. Prior to the beginning of the second Polypontian invasion, Charlemagne was tasked with leading the Icemark’s civilian population, who were evacuated from the country in the case it should fall to the Empire. While leading his fellow refugees, Charlemagne’s travels lead him to the derelict Desert Kingdom. It was there he met the kingdom’s prince, Mekhmet. At first, Mekhmet was unsure of what to think about this prince from the supposedly barbaric north, but the two eventually became fast friends. While staying in the kingdom, Charlemagne discovered that while he could never train as a cavalryman in the Icemark, the Desert Kingdom’s style of cavalry warfare suited him. The small, agile horses of the kingdom would not be beyond his ability to ride, and over the following weeks he trained in both strengthening his leg, and his skills on a horse. His friendship with the prince allowed him to convince the Sultan to lend his cavalry to the Icemark’s cause, as well as the former rivals of the Desert Kingdom, the fierce Lusus.

With his new found allies Charlemagne returned to the Icemark, and proved crucial to the final battle, he and Mekhmet’s cavalry performing a devastating attack on the Polypontian flank that drove them from the field.

Command Designations: Charlemagne-Prince of the Icemark, also serves as an ambassador from the Icemark to the Desert Kingdom. Prince Mekhmet-Chief commander of the Desert Kingdom cavalry, also serves as a delegate within the alliance as a whole.

As a Prince of the Icemark, Charlemagne is third in line for the throne after Cressida and Eodred, and can command all Icemark troops that are below him. As an ambassador to the Desert Kingdom, he can also command the Desert Kingdom cavalry should Mekhmet fall in battle.

Mekhmet is the chief commander of the Desert Kingdom troops, with Charlemagne typically serving as his second in command. As one of the many figures of command in the alliance, he is present at all the strategic meetings.                        

Weapons: See Desert Kingdom Cavalry. Charlemagne in particular is a skilled duelist, managing to kill Octavius Bellorum in single combat.

Protection: See Desert Kingdom Cavalry

Mounts: See Desert Kingdom Cavalry. Charlemagne and Mekhemt both ride particularly top of the line horses, named Suleiman and Jaspat respectively     

Eodred Lindenshield and Howler

Role: Housecarl Commanders

Training/Experience: 5

Mobility: 4 for Eodred, 7 for Howler

Max Range: Melee

Preferred Range: Melee

Command Designation: Regimental Commanders  

The spitting image of his grandfather Redrought, Eodred shares the former king of the Icemark’s infectious enthusiasm and booming voice. His enthusiasm was nearly crushed though in the second Polypontian war when his twin brother Cedric was killed in battle. Eodred fell into a long period of despair, only lifted when he discovered a new kind of brotherhood with King Grishmak’s young whelp, who finding his werewolf name impractically long for yelling commands in the midst of battle , nicknamed him “Howler”. Together they were put under the joint command of the Regiment of the Red Eye, one of the many mixed regiments of housecarls and werewolves in the Icemark.

Command Designation: Co-Commanders of the Regiment of the Red Eye- Eodred and Howler have shared command of their mixed housecarl-werewolf regiment. Eodred is also second in line to the throne of the Icemark after Cressida, just as Howler is in line for the throne of the Wolf-folk. It should be noted though that Grishmak mentions that he has many “whelps”, Howler is just the only one ever seen; so it’s unknown what his place in line to the throne is.       

Ranged Weapons: None

Melee Weapons: See Housecarls and Werewolves

Armor: See Housecarls and Werewolves

Basilea Olympia and Olememnon

Role: Leaders of the Hypoltian

Training/Experience: 6

Mobility: 7 for Olympia, 4 for Olememnon

Max Range: Bow Range for Olympia, Javelin Range for Olememnon

Preferred Range: Bow Range for Olympia, Melee Range for Olememnon

Command Designation: Vassals

Despite being the Queen of the Icemark, Thirrin can also trace her bloodline back to the fierce warrior women of the Hypolitan through her mother. As such, she has always had a close relationship with the Hypolitan rulers ever since the First Polypontian War. Despite being a man in a matriarchal society, her uncle Olememnon has managed to secure a fairly secure position with the Hypolitan despite the death of his first wife Elemnstra during the first Icemark-Polypontian war, and seems to be one of the few Hypolitan men to marry for love rather than political status, becoming the consort of the new Hypolitan Basilea, Olympia, during the second Polypontian invasion.

Command Designations: Vassals to the Icemark- Although Hypolitan society is in many ways independent from that of the Icemark, Olympia and Olememnon are still technically Thirrin’s subjects and are completely subject to her orders, giving them less tactical freedom than some of the other commanders here. They are both fairly experienced and capable commanders, with Olememnon having commanded portions of the Hypolitan infantry in all three of the IA's major conflicts. Olympia commands the Hypolitan Sacred Regiment as traditional for a Basilea.     

Weapons: See Sacred Regiment for Olympia. Hypolitan Infantry for Olememnon.

Protection: See Sacred Regiment for Olympia. Hypolitan Infantry for Olememnon.

Additional Factors: See Sacred Regiment for Olympia. Hypolitan Infantry for Olememnon.       

Queen Ketshaka

Role Queen of the Lusus

Experience/Training: 6

Mobility: 7

Command Designation: Delegate

The exuberant, ferocious, queen of the Lusu people, Ketshaka certainly matches the love of warfare that her people feel and then some. Coming to the aid of the Icemark at the behest of Princes Charlemagne and Mekhmet, who asked for her impis in order to push out the Polypontian invaders. Much to their surprise she agreed, eager to test her cavalry against the greatest soldiers in the world.

Command Designation: Chief Commander of the Lusu forces. Delegate within the alliance as a whole. Ketshaka is an energetic and fierce commander, sharing her peoples love for combat. Although its unknown how much tactical skill she truly has, her bravery and commitment to a fight can not be questioned.     

Weapons: See Lusu Cavalry

Protection: See Lusu Cavalry

Additional Factors: See Lusu Cavalry

General Andronicus

Role: Polypontian General

Mobility: 4 (7 if mounted)

Experience: 6

Max Range: Melee

Preferred Range: Not in combat, although he has fought beside his men before

Command Designation: Strategic Commander

Prior to the collapse of the Polypontian military, General Andronicus was known as being the second best general in the empire, second only to Scipio Bellorum in tactical skill. While every other Polypontian army that faced off against Erinor was utterly defeated, he was the only one who managed to keep his army intact despite suffering losses. He proved invaluable to the IA’s war effort , bringing his “Free Imperial Army” into the fold, as well as providing his tactical experience in dealing with Erinor and her hordes to the alliance.

Command Designation: Chief Commander of the Polypontian Army, Tactical/Strategic Commander to the Alliance as a whole.

Andronicus as a commander is in many ways the polar opposite to his former rival Scipio Bellorum. While Bellorum was a cruel man, who commanded through his troops fear and would probably startle Darth Vader with his propensity for executing subordinate officers that failed him, Andronicus is a much for “father to his men” style commander. He is among the IA, one of the most skilled tacticians, managing to figure out how to counter Erinor’s Tri-horns through clever use of his pikemen. While Bellorum was fond of commanding from the front, even in his older years, Andronicus seems to prefer commanding a safe distance from the battlefield. This is not due to any cowardice on his part, but rather due to his age and being out of shape. If he needs to, he will not hesitate to fight alongside his men, doing so in the defense of Romula, as well as during the IA’s final battle with Erinor.         

Weapons: Andronicus does use a sword from time to time, but doesn’t often find himself in the thick of the fighting.

Protection: Steel Breastplate

Additional Factors: See Pikemen

Commander Leonidas

Role: Polypontian Cavalry Commander

Training/Experience: 5

Mobility: 7

Max Range: Carbine Range

Preferred Range: Melee Range

Command Designation: Tactical/Strategic Commander

Andronicus’ son, Leonidas is the commander of the cavalry of the Polypontus, and whose sole command had been the only thing keeping Erinor’s hordes from sacking Romula long before the IA arrived to fight them off. Naturally at home on the battlefield, Leonidas is rather painfully awkward when off it, but thankfully the constant state of war that his country has been in for the past two years of his life, not to mention now fighting in the tournament has ensured that he stays in his element. During the war, he grew close to Cressida, and the two agreed to get married following the defeat of both Erinor’s and Cronus’ armies, further strengthening the alliance between the Polypontians and the Icemark.  

Command Designation: Tactical Commander 

Leonidas has full command of the cavalry of the Polypontus, and has over the course of Erinor’s invasions proven to be a resourceful and capable commander, holding the Polypontian cavalry together despite a complete lack of supplies and reinforcements. He is also the one who began the strategy of hit and run attacks on Erinor’s forces. Leonidas is known for his bravery and daring while in command, and won’t hesitate to lead his forces into battle personally.         

Weapons: See Polypontian Cavalry

Protection: See Polypontian Cavalry

Additional Factors: See Polypontian Cavalry

Minor Heroes

The Holly and Oak Kings

The primordial rulers of the forest, the Holly and Oak kings guard the woods around the Icemark from both invaders, and those who disrespect their kingdom. Quite possibly the oldest beings in the Icemark (they’re described as being as old as the forest itself, so likely many thousands of years old), they prefer to distance themselves from humanity, but have proven invaluable to the Icemark’s war effort. They ride into battle on massive stags and carry huge maces as weapons.

Maggiore Totus

Thirrin’s former tutor, and currently her lead adviser. Although not a warrior, Maggie is highly intelligent, and brilliant politician.

Archimedo Archimedes

A brilliant but arrogant engineer from the Southern Continent; Archimedo is responsible for the Icemark’s superior ballista batteries, as well as many other innovations that helped Frostmarris survive attacks from the Polypontian sky navy.

Tharadan

The second in command of the Snow Leopards.

Grinelda Blood-tooth

The leader of the Upick werewolves and the captain of Thirrin’s personal bodyguard.

ARMY X-FACTORS

Morale:78/100 The soldiers of the Icemark know what it’s like to fight with their backs up against the wall. Their freedom and very way of life depended on their victory in the Polypontian Wars, and they have been shown to fight with iron wills, especially when backed into a corner.

Army Intimidation:70/100

“His voice faltered as he watched a huge werewolf grab the jaw of his centurion and almost causally rip off his head. For a moment, the corpse of the soldier stood upright as blood fountained from its torn arteries, then it fell. Severus screamed. He’d fought against any number of barbarian armies and never once felt anything but a vague contempt for their puny efforts. But this was different. He was being asked to fight creatures that belonged in his nightmares and nowhere else… The werewolf lapped at the blood of the fallen centurion, then turned his attention to the enemy officer and grinned.Severus felt fear to a degree he’d never believed possible, and in in blind terror he dropped his sword and ran. For a moment, the Imperial troops fought on, but the realization that their commander had left them gathered pace through their ranks and, like a swiftly ebbing tide, the entire vanguard broke and ran. If their commander couldn’t face it, neither could they.”

Blade of Fire. 133-134  

While the human soldiers of the alliance are not overly intimidating outside of in universe reputation, the many monsters and odder creatures within it are. If fighting an army that contains vampires, werewolves, and zombies doesn’t make you the least bit worried, then congratulations, you have balls of steel.

Discipline:59/100 Most up the troops that make up the Alliance are trained professionals; The Icemark, Polypontians, Snow Leopards, Wolf-folk, Lusu, and Hypolitans all hailing from militaristic societies. Some of the lesser disciplined elements, such as the fyrd and the rock trolls do bring this down though.

Cohesion:71/100 See strengths and weaknesses.

Espionage:50/100 Various forces within the alliance have used espionage in the past (the Icemark launched night raids on Polypontian camps, and the vampires have been known to use assassination attacks), but not very often

Logistics:57/100 Some of the more inhuman portions of the alliance help their logistics (the vampires, werewolves, and zombies can sustain themselves on their enemies’ dead), but for the most part a large majority of the alliance is human, and requires the same resources that humans do.

Blockade:53/100 The vampires are actually quite good at this, seeing how difficult it is to stop soldiers that can simply fly over your fortifications and troops to attack your supplies. In the second war with the Polypontians they managed to destroy most of the Empire’s supply train of gunpowder with a brilliant aerial raid. The Icemark also possesses a formidable navy that can be used to halt both supplies and reinforcements from the sea.

ADDITIONAL FACTORS

Strengths: Excellent Cohesion-While this has been mentioned above, I feel it also bears noting again. Having fought together in three major wars has turned the Icemark Alliance into a well drilled machine, capable of fielding at least 9 different sub-factions together with minimal fuss. This was best demonstrated in the IA’s war against the Southern Hypolitan. Where the Icemark’s housecarls and cavalry troopers fought effectively alongside their Polypontian counterparts, despite having been at war with them just two years prior. The various leaders within the IA are for the most part friends, and are able to coordinate strategy and tactics efficiently. This has increased even more by the end of the third book, with Thirrin’s daughter married to the son of the Polypontian’s top general, as well as Thirrin taking the eight year old emperor of the Polypontus, Titus, under her protection.

Skilled Against Swarms- While perhaps not a true “swarm” on the level of others in this tournament (such as the Orks or Skaven of Warhammer) the Polypontian Empire at its height was very fond of using swarm like tactics, often exhausting opposing armies with wave after wave of soldiers. Judging from the final book Erinor’s hordes are capable of doing this as well, given that they overran the Polypontus (so they essentially swarmed a swarm). The Icemark managed to defeat both of these forces and developed tactics around combating them. During the second to last big battle in the third book, the IA began to use a tactic referred to as the “moving fortress”. The housecarls and werewolves form a strong circular core around which the Polypontian pikemen revolve, like the teeth of a cog. This allows them to hold out against superior numbers through forcing swarms to batter themselves to exhaustion against the nearly unbreakable defense of the housecarls + werewolves + pikemen, while giving their cavalry a “fortress” to fall back on after executing hit and run strikes on the enemy forces.   

Weaknesses: Polypontian Cohesion Issues- While MOST of the factions in the IA get along well, there are two notable exceptions. The Polypontians and the vampires, and the Polypontians and the Desert Kingdom. The first is due to the Polypontians killing the Vampire King during their second invasion of the Icemark, and through a very treacherous way as well. Even when the Polypontians allied with the rest of the IA during the third book, the Vampire Queen refused to send her entire army to save the crumbling empire, allowing only a small volunteer force to go in their place. The Desert Kingdom is going to have issues fighting alongside the Polypontians due to Polypontians being the ones who brought down their own empire, as well as keeping them in a state of technological stagnation. Unlike the vampires, the Desert Kingdom doesn’t even have the experience of fighting alongside the Polypontians to help even this out, and will probably suffer from more cohesion issues of the two. Thankfully the Desert Kingdom force that fights alongside the Icemark is only 10,000 strong, so they’re not exactly a massive part of the army.

Little Offensive Magic- Essentially all of the Icemark’s offensive magic is through Oskan, with the rest of the magic users (the Vampire King and Queen, the white witches), providing essentially “buffer magic”. They can turn the army invisible, teleport it across vast distances, and even make it immune to other magic, but they can’t really injure the enemy soldiers through direct magical means.

Reinforcement Rate: Moderately Low- The Icemark and its allies have never relied on numbers to achieve their victories, and they have actually been severely outnumbered in essentially every war they have fought in together. However, the nature of this tournament means they have all their allies in one place from the very start. This is a first for them, as typically their alliance starts out separated before coming together by the end of the book. This means that they have greater numbers than they could have ever called upon in any of their previous conflicts.   

Past Opponents: The-Land-of-the-Ghosts

Threat Level: Moderate (commanded a fairly large and diverse army of monsters, but suffered from both incompetence and disorganization at the command level).

Notable Wars: Prior to the first book the Land-of-the-Ghosts had been at various stages of conflict with the Icemark for almost 1,000 years. The main conflict that anyone in the Icemark actually has a chance of remembering though is the Ghost Wars.

Status: Now an ally.

Overview of the War: The Ghost Wars occurred roughly 20 years before the first book. Despite being in a constant state of defense against invasion from their northern neighbors, the Vampire King and Queen and their ally, the Werewolf King Ashmok, managed to slip their armies around the Icemark’s defenses. Thirrin’s uncle, the then king of the Icemark, Edward, lead his army out to meet them. What followed next was an absolute slaughter, with the vampire and werewolf armies massacring their human enemies and killing Edward. Only a few hundred soldiers and the king’s teenage brother, Redrought, managed to escape the carnage.

However the crushing victory made the vampires arrogant. Against the advice of their primary commander, General Romanoff, they decided to split their armies’ efforts, sending Ashmok and his werewolves to capture the Icemark’s capital of Frostmarris, while their vampiric forces focused on defeating the Icemark’s vassals, the Hypolitan.

The vampires had not counted though on the quick recovery of Redrought, who while not yet an experienced warrior, was very enthusiastic and bold regarding the defense of his kingdom. He quickly began reforming the Iceamark’s army from the survivors of the previous one, as well as recruiting what soldiers he could find. Although still greatly outnumbered by the approaching werewolf army, Redrought organized a surprise attack on the werewolves in the woods surrounding Frostmarris, and began a series of hit and run strikes against their army. Reduced in number and confused from having to fight on unfamiliar terrain, the werewolves finally clashed with the reformed army of the Icemark. The humans held their lines, and in the heat of battle Redrought managed to kill King Ashmok, causing the werewolves to rout, with the human soldiers slaughtering what remained of their army as they ran.

Following the victory, Redrought immediately set out with army to break the siege of the Hypolitan capital, Bendis. Although lacking the heavy infantry that the werewolves would have normally supplied them, the Vampire King and Queen had managed to recruit the powerful yet unreliable rock trolls to their cause, and while the Hypolitan were holding out, it would only be a matter of time before they were overrun. Thankfully Redrought’s army arrived with the necessary reinforcements, breaking the siege, and sending what remained of the vampire army fleeing back to the Land-of the-Ghosts.

Deciding to take the offensive against the vampires before they could strike again, Redrought planned an attack into the Land-of-the-Ghosts directly, having his main army march directly against that of the vampires, while the Hypolitan, cloaked under a glamour spell courtesy of the Icemark’s witches, attacked them from the flank. The strategy was successful, and what remained of the vampire army was defeated. Redrought begrudgingly spared Vampire King and Queen under advisement from his witches.

Implication: Given that two parties that make up the IA took part in this war, both the Icemark and the Land-of-the-Ghosts have gained some experience from it. The Icemark is not going to be surprised to face armies of terrifying supernatural monsters, just as the forces of the vampires and werewolves will not be strangers to facing armies of disciplined human soldiers.   

The Polypontian Empire:

Threat Level: High (Controlled an empire that stretched across several continents and could field a million soldiers)

Notable Wars: First Icemark-Polypontian War, Second Icemark-Polypontian War

Status: Now an ally

Overview of the Wars: More than 20 years after the end of the Ghost Wars, King Redrought began hearing rumblings of a Polypontian invasion of the Icemark. While the Polypontians had strangely left the Icemark alone while simultaneously conquering many of the territories surrounding the Icemark, that was about to change. The Polypontians sent their best general, the undefeated Scipio Bellorum, to conquer the tiny northern kingdom. Although unable to send his entire 600k army over the Icemark’s border before the coming of winter, Bellorum sent a 100k strong expedition force under one of his commanders to launch a preemptive strike against the kingdom. Redrought, realizing that he needed to buy time for his daughter to raise and train the rest of Icemark’s forces, and that Bellorum would be unable to fully invade until the spring, Redrought led what troops he could muster under such short notice  against the invading army. Despite being massively outnumbered by the enemy, Redrought proved to be a far superior commander to his Polypontian counterpart. Nevertheless, the Polypontian’s numbers and discipline proved to be the equal of the Icemark king’s tactical skill, and the two armies annihilated each other to the last man.

Despite this, Redrought managed to accomplish his goal; giving Thirrin enough time to raise up the Icemark’s full force, as well as recruit her allies. The Icemark and their new allies proved their worth, stalemating the Polypontians in their first battle. Bellorum eventually decided to play on Thirrin’s sense of honor and pride, challenging her to a duel in front of the two armies. Having no choice but to accept, or look like a coward in front of her soldiers and allies; Thirrin and Bellorum clashed, with the vastly more skilled and experienced Polypontian general easily getting the upper hand. Bellorum’s arrogance got the better of him though, and seeing an opportunity after Bellorum overextended his swing, Thirrin cut off his sword hand. Only saved from death by the intervention of his army, Bellorum retreated.

Growing impatient with the Icemark’s continued resistance, Bellorum summoned his reserves, the elite Polypontian “Black Army” to finally crush what remained of the Icemark’s forces. However did not anticipate the arrival of the armies of the Vampiric Majesties and King Grishmak, who had dragged their feet into fully participating in the war effort, but figured it best to finally intervene before their allies were wiped out. Already demoralized from the unexpectedly long campaign, and now forced to fight monsters beyond their comprehension, the Polypontians finally broke. Bellorum managed to escape along with the remainder of his army.

His desire to conquer the Icemark slowly becoming a burning obsession over the years that passed; Bellorum would return to the frozen kingdom 20 years later with his two equally brilliant yet psychotic sons, Sulla and Octavius. With them came an army even larger army than before, as well as the Polypontian’s fearsome new “Sky Navy”. Bellorum unknowingly had an ally in the form of Thirrin and Oskan’s youngest daughter Meda, who unknown to her parents, had a deep hatred for her family. Manipulating the minds of the IA’s leaders through her magical abilities, she convinced Thirrin to lead a frontal attack on the Polypontian army. Although initially driven back by the ferocity of the Icemark’s cavalry and werewolves, a second Polypontian army led by Sulla surrounded the Icemark’s forces. Only a surprise attack by reinforcements led by Cressida and Grishmak saved the Icemark from being utterly crushed in the very first battle of the war.

The Icemark and their allies withdrew back to Frostmarris, the Polypontian army began burning and pillaging their way across the country. Eventually, the Polypontian’s unleashed their newest creations on the Icemark, the Sky Navy. Although initially unable to even attack these terrifying new warmachines, the Icemark managed to convince the Vampire King and Queen to lend their forces; their vampire soldiers and giant snowy owl auxiliaries acting as an air force to counter the sky navy. Seeking to remove the vampires from the playing field, Bellorum managed to lure the Vampire King into a duel, but before the king could finish off the Polypontian general, Bellorum ordered several dozen hidden musketeers to fire upon him, mortally wounding him and allowing Bellorum to finish him off with a stake through the heart. The Vampire Queen took her forces and retreated back to the Land-of-the-Ghosts in her grief.

With the Polypontians now having free reign over the skies, Bellorum prepared for the final assault on Frostmarris. However unbeknownst to Bellorum, Charlemagne Lindenshield, who had been sent into exile for his own safety at the start of the war returned, and with the armies of the Desert Kingdom and Lusu in tow. Launching an attack on the Polypontian flank with his forces, the Polypontians found themselves surrounded as the rejuvenated soldiers of the Icemark attacked them from the front, and the Vampire Queen and her forces returned to attack the sky navy. In the confusion, both of Bellorum’s sons were killed, and the Polypontians began to rout. Bellorum once again tried to flee, but was captured by the vampires. Brought before Thirrin, Bellorum, believing that he was too valuable a prisoner to execute, decided to pursue the genius strategy of mocking the Icemark for their losses, telling them the complete extermination of their people meant nothing to him. Thirrin reacted to such kind words by personally executing Bellorum on the spot and feeding his body to the vampires.

Implication: Like the Ghost Wars, both the Icemark and their allies, and the Polypontians gained experience in these two wars. The Icemark gained experience fighting a massive, well disciplined, and brilliantly led army. Bellorum consistently managed to keep the IA on its toes, and proved to be a ruthless and tenacious enemy. The Polypontians gained experience in facing off against a variety of supernatural creatures, a shock for them, as they grew up in a society that prized science and rationality above all else.                           

The Southern Hypolitan:

Threat Level: Moderately High (Overran a weakened Polypontian Empire, has giant monsters for their basic cavalry)

Status: With Erinor’s death and the destruction of her army, they are currently a non-threat

Overview of the War: Following Bellorum’s death, the Polypontian empire found itself beset by a series of rebellions far more fierce than they had ever seen before. The most devastating of these rebellions though was led by Erinor, Basilea of the Southern Hypolitan. The members of Hypolitan society that had decided to remain behind in Artemesion when the rest decided to flee to the Icemark, the Southern Hypolitan were so feared by the Polypontians that not even Bellorum dared try to conquer them. They instead built a massive wall around Artemesion in hopes of keeping them out (because that always works), and prayed that the Southern Hypolitan’s constant inter-tribal warfare would prevent them from ever becoming a serious threat.

The Polypontian’s greatest fears came to pass when Basilea Erinor managed to unite the various warring tribes, broke out from behind the Polypontian’s wall and proceeded to curbstomp every Polypontian army that stood in their way. The only remaining Polypontian general left in the field, Andronicus, found himself turning to the Icemark for help. Although initially reluctant to aid the country that brought so much suffering to the Icemark, Thirrin finally relented after realizing that her hatred for the Polypontians rested solely with Bellorum and his sons. Erinor had also declared the Icemark’s Northern Hypolitan traitors for abandoning their fellow countrymen centuries ago, and Thirrin a traitor as well due to her Hypolitan heritage; her lands being forfeit to Erinor’s control. Combining their two forces they marched to the Polypontian capital of Romula, clashing with Erinor’s forces and her hundreds of Tri-horns in the city streets. However Erinor had chosen not to personally command this battle, giving command to her second, Ariadne, instead. Ariadne in her arrogance had decided not to fully armor her Tri-horns, leaving them vulnerable to attack once the Icemark’s housecarls discovered their weak point. The Tri-horns quickly falling, Ariadne was killed in the midst of battle, and the Erinor’s hordes retreated.

Seeking to strike out at Erinor’s forces before they could regroup, the IA marched out against her, not knowing that Erinor had already called for reinforcements from Artemesion. Despite being ridiculously outnumbered by Erinor’s reformed army, the IA’s “moving fortress” strategy allowed them to slowly grind down Erinor’s forces Unbeknownst to them, Erinor had prepared a trap for Thirrin; a massive gunpowder bomb that she detonated as the Icemark’s queen fought her way to Erinor. Only saved due to her werewolf bodyguards protecting her from the blast with their own bodies, Thirrin was knocked unconscious. Erinor made her way to finish the Queen off, but was stopped by Tharman who killed Erinor’s Tri-horn in single combat before being brought down by a flurry of arrows courtesy of the Basilea.

Thirrin regained consciousness just as Erinor prepared to kill her, sending Erinor into a rage. Attacking Thirrin, Erinor was easily cut down by the Queen of the Icemark. Now leaderless, her armies still put up a hellish struggle, but were overcome.

Implication: Like the Polypontian’s before them, the Southern Hypolitan were vast in numbers, and while not quite as well disciplined as the Polypontians, were fanatically relentless in their cause. Their primary strengths lay in their massive amounts of cannon fodder, highly mobile chariot archers, and their Tri-horns (see above). Armies that employ lots of cannon fodder and giant monsters will be nothing new to the Icemark.            

The Army of Cronus:

Threat Level: Very High (Cronus predicted that his army could conquer the entire world within a year, planned to launch a war against heaven after that)

Status: With the deaths of Cronus and Meda and the destruction of their army, they are currently a non-threat.

Overview of the War: While Erinor and her hordes rampaged across the remainder of the Polypontian Empire, the true threat to the Icemark lay elsewhere. After thousands of years of imprisonment in the realm of the Darkness, Oskan's father Cronus plotted his return and his conquest of the Physical Realms. Using his immense magical abilities to influence Erinor's rise to power and insure her string of victories, he planned to use her and the threat of her armies to lure the IA out of the Icemark, leaving it open to invasion. Gathering with him a massive army of the bestial Ice Demons that inhabited the Darkness, as well as Thirrin and Oskan's corrupted daughter Meda, whom Oskan had banished to the Darkness at the end of the second Polypontian Invasion, Cronus and his army invaded the now largely defenseless Icemark, planning to use it as a starting point for their eventual world conquest. The initial invasion went smoothly, with Cronus telepathically forcing the defending garrison of housecarls and werewolves to commit suicide by throwing themselves over the walls of Frostmarris. Cronus had not counted on the Vampire Queen and her forces however, who had been tasked by Thirrin to defend the Icemark in her absence. Shielded by the Vampire Queen's powerful magical defenses, her squadrons managed to stall Cronus until word of his invasion reached Thirrin. Fresh off of defeating Erinor and her hordes, the IA was transported to the Field of Frostmarris by Oskan and the witches. While the IA's forces engaged Cronus' Ice Demons using the creatures’ natural weakness to talismanic metals (arrowheads tipped with silver and swords made of pure iron) against them, Oskan confronted Cronus and Meda. Realizing that he wasn't strong enough to beat their combined power, Oskan allowed them to fatally wound him, knowingly triggering a curse that the Goddess had placed on Cronus' kind: any magic user who kills a member of their family, will themselves be killed in turn. Having done his part to stop Cronus, Oskan said his final goodbyes Thirrin and Cressida, content in that his actions had managed to save the Icemark and his family one last time.

Implication: Cronus and his forces gave the IA experience fighting against a supernatural force more powerful than anything they had ever fought before. Cronus and Meda individually possessed powers that rivaled Oskan's with none of his morals holding them back, and could easily destroy small armies on their own as Cronus so aptly demonstrated during their initial invasion of the Icemark. Their armies of Ice Demons also made for formidable opponents, with one even capable of easily overpowering a werewolf and killing it.

VICTORY GAINS

Auxiliaries: Unless the faction they’re fighting is downright evil and/or unwilling to make alliances, expect the Icemark to try and reach some kind of peace agreement with the enemy. The Hypolitan managed to retain their general autonomy, culture, and even their army after settling their differences with the Icemark and agreeing to become their province. If everything goes well, expect the Icemark to have what remains of the opposing army incorporated into their own.

Tech Gains: Moderately Low. Although the Icemark is not entirely opposed to incorporating new technology into their army, as shown by their ballistas, they primary have a “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude. The Polypontians boost them a little due to their love of science and building new war machines, but their industry currently lies in shambles and must be rebuilt first.