Unlike many Daqan soldiers, who come from farmsteads and small towns across the baronies, most Heavy Crossbowmen companies are filled by inhabitants of the Free Cities or baronial castle towns. While city life does not require one to learn archery to hunt for food, the exposure to modern conveniences makes these youths take quickly to the crossbow, as many are familiar with the cranks and winches that keep their city gates closed and their mills turning, or power other engines of war. What began as a mechanical wonder is now a vital instrument in the battle against Waiqar the Undying as his army of the reanimates.
Many consider the modern crossbow a mechanical wonder, but its inclusion in the Citadel’s forces is a relatively new occurrence. Deviating from tradition, the Heavy Crossbowmen represent one of the greatest defensive forces in Terrinoth. Their bulwark shields were designed to provide the protection an archer would have shooting from a tower’s fortifications, while still allowing mobility on the field.
Only the largest and most physically imposing men and women have the great strength and stamina required to reload the crossbows and wield the thick wood and iron shields that complete these warrior’s arsenal. Assembled in some of the greatest keeps and fortresses in Terrinoth, heavy crossbowmen spend months training in defensive and combined-arms techniques.
References
- Runewars Miniatures Game: Heavy Crossbowmen Unit Expansion