Nyss Flagelados Legionários e Espadachins
GUTS AND GEARS — THE BEASTS AND MACHINES OF THE IRON KINGDOMS
The Nyss are a shattered people, their culture fractured and their society forever changed in the wake of Everblight’s corruption. Despite this cataclysmic upheaval, some aspects of Nyss culture survived, not only among the groups of refugees that fled south but among those twisted to serve the dragon as well. In some cases these remnants of past traditions are only a hollow facsimile of once-vital traditions, but they still bring meaning to the lives of the blighted Nyss.
Everblight has little use for that which does not serve his goals both immediate and far-reaching, but it is beneath him to meddle in the social structure of his blighted minions. His Nyss have retained some of their warrior traditions and these serve a valuable purpose within the legion, giving purpose and structure to its soldiers. The most prominent traditions are those of the ryssovass, called legionnaires among the blighted.
Blighted Nyss Legionnaires
From The Lost People: Wisdom and Warfare of the Nyss (a transcription of accounts from refugees of the Shard Spires)
Our ways are dying. The duty of the ryssovass has been perverted, twisted into something that resembles the old ways yet harbors a cancer within it. The blighted ones who wield our blades, wear our armor, and recite our words are imposters, their honor and blood sworn to an abomination.
For thirty years I stood with my brothers, guarding the passes into our homeland. I turned from my home and my shard to keep my people safe. The sacrifice was worth the knowledge that we would endure, that my blade would ensure security and peace. From the ashes of what was I see the great blades of the ryssovass rise again. I see them stained with the blood of a thousand innocents and a thousand more to come.
We few ryssovass untouched by the dragon remain, drifting through a world that has little use for us. Sell sword, mercenary, refugee — these are the names we now bear. We are guardians with nothing to protect, a sword with no sheath, a people with no purpose except vengeance.
— Kyryss Aeryn, ryssovass of the Synaer Aeryn Shard
Before the Blight
The blighted Nyss warriors known as legionnaires were once a small but revered order of skilled warriors charged with guarding the winding passes leading into the Nyss homeland in the Shard Spires. Their order, called the ryssovass, required extreme dedication as its members left their homes and travelled far from their shards in order to perform their duties — a difficult proposition for the tribal-minded Nyss. Isolated from their families, the ryssovass became an incredibly tight-knit order, and each Nyss considered his brothers in arms to be part of a new family with bonds closer than that of either shard and tribe. This connection influenced ryssovass culture heavily and was an important part of their deadly fighting style. The ryssovass was also one of the few groups whereby Nyss of disparate tribes united for a higher cause, and tribal elders saw its existence as a unifying influence. Regardless of petty rivalries and clashes between neighboring shards, the ryssovass could be trusted to guard the passes.
Only the most promising young warriors were accepted into their numbers. In addition, a certain level of detachment was valued in potential recruits, as the isolated and spare life of the ryssovass was not one to which all Nyss could easily adapt. Upon joining, a recruit underwent a grueling two-year instruction period, learning the intricate fighting style required of the order. Until his training was completed, a new ryssovass served his brothers in menial roles, hunting, cooking, cleaning, and caring for armor and weapons. Only when his training ended and the order’s captain pronounced him ready and capable was he allowed to stand beside his brothers in battle.
The Coming of the Dragon
When Thagrosh brought the blight of Everblight among the Nyss, the ryssovass were some of the first to be affected. It seems likely this was instigated based on intelligence brought to Thagrosh by the traitor Vayl Hallyr, who saw the order as a significant obstacle to the dragon’s plans if allowed to organize and coordinate the mutual defense. It is possible Everblight also apprehended that once they were blighted their singular devotion would transform into equally fanatical loyalty and their formidable skill would allow them to better protect the dragon’s prophet. They now serve the mighty Thagrosh as his personal guard, a role they fulfill ably.
The ryssovass who became blighted Nyss legionnaires are as unified as they were before the blight, bound together in an unbreakable bond of loyalty to each other and to their cause. But where as once their efforts were directed to the protection of the Nyss homelands, now they serve Everblight by protecting Thagrosh and the other warlocks bearing the dragon’s athanc. During battle they feel no sense of self and fight together as a singular entity bent on one task: the slaughter of those who would threaten the aims of the dragon and his prophet. This is not to say legionnaires lack individuality or the ability to make decisions; instead, their unity is a product of deeply ingrained discipline augmented by the blight so that every mind is focused on the same task.
Blighted Nyss Legionnaire Arms & Equipment
Blighted Nyss legionnaires make use of the same ancestral weapons and equipment the ryssovass have used for centuries. This includes the Nyss great sword and stylized suit of ornate plate mail. The Nyss performed only limited mining, making iron scarce in the Shard Spires. Therefore each suit of armor created for a ryssovass required metal that could be used for forging the swords vital to every Nyss warrior. As such, ryssovass armor was highly prized and treated reverently. Everblight’s legionnaires have less trouble attaining the metal necessary to repair their armor or create new suits, as they scavenge the armor and weapons of their foes and melt them down for the raw materials. Nevertheless, blighted Nyss hold the same reverence for their armor and weapons as their unblighted kin.
Legionnaire armor is cunningly constructed of smooth interlocking plates to turn aside an enemy’s blade. Additionally, it is far lighter than an equivalent suit of most human- or Rhulic-crafted armor, as it uses thinner metal, relying on deflection rather than the brute stopping power of heavy steel. Traditional ryssovass armor was sometimes inscribed by priests of Nyssor with runic prayers to the god of winter. Blighted Nyss legionnaire armor may be similarly decorated but includes praises to Everblight and his warlocks.
The great swords of the ryssovass resemble the Nyss claymore, but have greater reach, a useful trait for warriors fighting in small units. Although massive, this two-handed blade carries an elegant curve and is surprisingly nimble for its size. Its cutting power is legendary, a trait due in part to the construction of the blade and in part to ancient Nyss fighting techniques that emphasize devastating slashing attacks.
Blighted Nyss Legionnaire Techniques & Tactics
The ryssovass were renowned for their deadly fighting style that focused on small unit tactics and an inexorable advance, even in the face of overwhelming odds. Their weapons, armor, and techniques were designed to function best when small lines of ryssovass stood together, shoulder to shoulder, their great blades forming a dense forest of steel. They were also trained to strike in almost perfect unison, cutting down even the most heavily armored foe with a dozen quick, brutal slashes falling simultaneously from all directions.
The blighted Nyss legionnaires have not abandoned the traditional training of the ryssovass, and in many ways the unnatural focus brought by their blighted state only increases their efficacy with this ancient fighting style. Legionnaires advance toward an enemy in perfect rhythm, blades held high, fearless and unyielding. Many enemies with superior numbers have fallen to smaller numbers of legionnaires, lulled into the erroneous expectation that the blighted Nyss would scatter and flee after taking heavy casualties. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the legionnaires seem emboldened by the deaths of their brothers, more determined to bring ruin to all who oppose Everblight and his prophet.
Blighted Nyss Swardsmen
From The Lost People: Wisdom and Warfare of the Nyss (a transcription of accounts from refugees of the Shard Spires)
We must cling to what is left of our culture, nurture it, kindle its flame with vengeance, and let it grow into a conflagration fit to consume the dread corruption that has claimed so many of our people. Many of us who fled south have scattered, becoming lost in the swarming multitudes of humanity. Our pride has turned to naked need and we sell our ancient skills to the highest bidder or sink to petty thievery. What an ignoble state for a once noble people.
There is an answer, however. There is a path back from the shattered exile we now endure. It is not an easy path; following it will require entering into arrangements with beings nearly as dark as the evil that has taken root in the north. At its heart, this path leads through the sword, the soul of all Nyss warriors. The claymore is one of the few links to our old lives that remain to us, but it is more than a symbol; it is a tool, the scalpel that will cut away the rot and reveal the living flesh beneath.
Each day, when I draw my sword in service to another, when I take part in the petty wars of humans, I remind myself it is a necessary means to an end. Our blades are practiced, they are sharp, and they have won us allies. It will not be long before claymores held by true Nyss are raised in the north once more. One day our swords shall be turned on the one that brought us to ruin, claiming our vengeance at last.
— Cylena of the Raefyll tribe
Before the Blight
The sword was a central part of Nyss culture before the blight and remains so even among the minions of the dragon. The sword most associated with the Nyss is the claymore, a weapon of unsurpassed grace and lethality crafted to exacting standards.
Dedicated swordsmen were somewhat rare among the Nyss before the blight outside of specialized orders like the ryssovass. Martial training in Nyss communities focused on the skills that could also be applied to more pragmatic endeavors such as hunting. As such, the claymore, although certainly given a reverential place among a warrior’s armaments, often served a secondary role to the more immediately useful and pragmatic bow — a weapon useful in war and in times of peace.
Warriors trained in claymore and longbow defended each shard and tribe, willing to intercept outsiders in order to protect vital resources and its more defenseless citizens. Among the shards living on the outer fringes of the Shard Spires, hostile contact with outsiders was a periodic danger, and the Nyss warriors would often participate in preemptory or retaliatory strikes against their violent neighbors. Fighting alongside the mounted raptors, these warriors conducted bloody raids against Rhulfolk, Skirov and Kossite mountain folk, and the trollkin and human barbarians of the Rimeshaws.
It was not uncommon for Nyss shards to come into conflict with each other, and here the claymore came to the fore. The Nyss attached much cultural significance to fighting with the claymore, viewing it as a higher form of warfare, one reserved for foes worthy of special consideration, such as fellow Nyss. In these internecine conflicts, use of the bow was strictly forbidden, and Nyss warriors would meet each other with only claymore in hand.
True sword masters did arise among the various shards and tribes before the blight, particularly among those esteemed elders who had earned an exemption to hunting for the shard. These solitary warriors worked toward perfection of the most prominent claymore styles, of which there are roughly half a dozen. The most ancient of these masters were the most revered, as some had perfected their every motion across three or even four centuries, making up in finesse what their withered bodies lacked in strength. The greatest of these sword masters stood guard at the fane of Nyssor, perfecting their martial prowess in the proximity of their frozen god.
The Coming of the Dragon
Before the coming of Everblight, the martial traditions of the Nyss emphasized generalized prowess. With the exception of the ryssovass and the raptors, who performed more specialized roles, all Nyss warriors were trained in both sword and bow. Everblight’s corruption, however, focused and segregated the Nyss, creating distinct castes were none existed before. Such is the case with blighted Nyss swordsmen.
In appearance, blighted Nyss swordsmen are gaunt, almost skeletal, with barbs and nodules on shoulders, backs, and elbows. Beyond these physical changes, it is the transformation that took place within their minds and souls that truly marks them. Much of their former identity was erased, transplanted by a fierce devotion to Everblight and a bizarre reverential worship of the sword itself. Each blighted Nyss swordsman holds his claymore as the one link to his past, to the Nyss he once was. This should not be mistaken as a desire to turn aside from Everblight, it is simply a magnification of former devotion twisted to serve the dragon.
Although little of an individual blighted Nyss swordsman’s personality remains after the blight, the training he received with the claymore is left intact. The most skilled masters who succumbed to the blight are now the abbots of the Legion of Everblight and maintain some leadership and influence over their blighted brethren. Additionally, the dragon’s blight has engendered a strange and terrible philosophy in these great sword masters. Focusing on the hollowness of their existence, they embrace a state of emptiness, believing an inner void holds the key to true martial perfection.
Blighted Nyss swordsmen seem to live for nothing but the perfection of slaughter. They practice constantly with their claymores, tirelessly performing strike after strike until some unknown limit is achieved. Everything else in a swordsman’s life is perfunctory; they rarely speak, and then usually only to one another. Most often a swordsman simple sits silently starting at his drawn blade, as if searching for some part of his lost soul within its mirror-like finish.
Blighted Nyss Swordsmen Arms & Equipment
The blighted Nyss swordsmen wield only the Nyss claymore, the chosen weapon of their people before and after the blight. The claymore is crafted to more exacting standards than the great sword, and its cutting power is comparable despite its smaller blade. The secret of crafting Nyss claymores is all but lost outside of Everblight’s legion, and those few Nyss who escaped the blight and travelled south with the knowledge guard it jealously.
Blighted Nyss swordsmen eschew armor, as their blight-hardened bodies are often durable enough to turn aside an enemy’s blade. In addition, heightened reflexes allow them to nimbly avoid opponents’ blows.
Blighted Nyss Swordsmen Techniques & Tactics
The blighted Nyss swordsmen rely primarily on their superlative blade skills to carry them through battle. In addition, they are utterly fearless, unconcerned with the potential for grave injury or death, and completely devoted to furthering Everblight’s aims at the edge of their claymores. In battle, they tend to fight as individuals, forcing duel-like confrontations with enemy soldiers and usually getting the better of their opponents. This is not to say they cannot use more complicated stratagems, and blighted Nyss swordsmen will make use of hit-and-run tactics, or move in behind more heavily armored troops to better weather enemy ranged attacks.
Blighted Nyss swordsmen are pushed to further heights of martial skill and brutality by the presence of a sword abbot, the closest thing these blighted creatures have to champions or heroes. When a sword abbot is among a group of blighted Nyss swordsmen, their claymores gain terrible speed and cutting power, and they become utterly relentless in pursuit of the enemy.
