- "It is its rider what makes a horse appear nobler than it is. Take the noblest, fastest, strongest, sternest, smartest and most durable of horses and mount them with slaves; the difference will be obvious."
- —Adyghan honour code "Khabze".
Emblem of the Adyghan Riders, resembling an Adyghan Horse and an ancient rider, silver on the green field.
Adyghan Riders or Adyghan Rough Riders or Adyghe Shywukher are one of the most formidable Rough Riders throughout the Imperium. All Adygh are highly skilled horsemen; however, the skill of these Rough Riders are beyond anything usual, in addition to the complex cavalry tactics they utilise on the battlefield.
When the Adygh departed from Terra, they also took most of their horses with them, which they adored and treated almost equal to humans. Claiming to be the oldest horse breeders, they bred their horses to be even faster, stronger, more durable and smarter. Upon their arrival, due to technical incapabilities, they weren't efficiently able to produce vessels to get around, so their horses made even more of use than they have thought they would. Even after industrialisation, use of horses did not cease. , nearly half of the population embraced a pastoral way of life, very similar to their ancestors' lifestyle, during M2, and cavalry regiments have been formed in the military, resulting in the birth of Adyghan Riders.
Adyghan Horse
Rural Adygh man taming an Adyghan stallion.
The Adyghan Horse, or Shaghdiy, an animal that is truly sacred for Adygh, almost considered to be equal to a human, as the word for "brother" is the same word for the "horse". Stern, durable, fast, loyal, considerably smart and compatible with both rough and clean terrain; these breed of horses are kind of the ones which any Imperial Guard regiment would want to have in their possession. Though in order to keep the legend of Adyghan horse breed, Khase banned their exportation, and strictly regulates the trade and custom security, to avoid the smuggling of genetic materials of Adyghan horse.
It may seem like the secret only lies within the genes of Adyghan Horse, but this is not entirely true. Adygh has specialised taming methods unique to their culture, which bonds the rider and the horse, establishing a strong communication and allows them to act as one; even when they are separated. They are seen carrying a whip, but it is the words and signals of the rider which commands the horse, they use the whip rarely, and they simply touch the horse with the tip of it when they do, which is enough to do. There are eyewitnesses about a rider letting the bridles go and telling the horse which course to take instead, then using his both hands to perform a complex task while on horseback, during an assault.
Adyghan Rider Gear
The connection between the horse and its rider is vital for the completion of their tasks. Thus, the gear of the rider and the horse has been evolved into its most optimised form, to keep both the rider and the horse healthy and comfortable throughout their life and tireless throughout their mission.
Adygh Saddle
Adygh Saddle is a kind of saddle unique only to the Adyghan Prime. It is obvious even at the first glance that this saddle is not of the ordinary. What makes it special is its structure and usefulness. Differing from other types of saddles, this particular type does not make direct contact to the horse's spine, there is a notable gap in between, it rather transfers the weight of its rider to the sides, thus increasing both healthy life expectancy and performance. It is designed in such a w
ay, that there are no unnecessary or flawed parts that would sacrifice the usefulness to improve good looks, meanwhile, it allows the rider to perform any kind of acrobatic actions that is possible to do on horseback, or while hanging on any spot of the horse.
There is the work of four different craftsmen in the process of production of each Adygh Saddle: The carpenter, the leather master, the jeweller and the pillow maker. First, the carpenter carves out the wooden skeleton of the saddle, then the skeleton is covered with leather by the leather master, the jeweller embellishes the saddle with silver ornaments and symbols, then the pillow sits atop. The pillow's exterior is made out of leather and filled with gazelle fur to prevent it from matting. it resembles the shape of an accordion, allowing it to fold up easily when the rider sits atop. and finally, it is fixed to its place with a leather band. The pillow is for the rider's comfort, it triples the time of the ability of a rider to stay on horseback, reducing the time of coverage of distances in long term.
Adyghan Riders galloping.
Rider's Gear
What follows is a list of the most common items of war gear issued to the members of the Attilan Rough Rider regiments:
- Mazet'u Pattern Cavalry Lasgun - Precise, easy to handle, simple to use, and stable, the Mazet'u Pattern Cavalry Lasgun is the ultimate ranged weapon of the Adyghan Riders. Its overall design is based on the carbines of Adygh riders of the ancient Terra.
- Mazet'u Pattern Laspistol
- 4 Charge Packs - Charge Packs are powerful capacitor batteries used almost exclusively by Imperial laser weapons. The Charge Pack's size and make varies depending on the class of the weapon. In all cases, it provides shots equal to the weapon's full clip value and can be recharged when emptied.
- Sashkho - The Sashkho, is a traditional, 90-centimeter, extremely sharp, single-edged, slightly curved Adygh sword, used by almost all Adyghan Guard troops. Its flexibility and speed of use are superior to many Imperial Guard swords. Its lack of sword guard may seem like it gets the hand into danger but provides relatively high mobility. Its hilt resembles the shape of a joint for the human palm, allowing the wielder to use the sword as it an extension of the body.
- Qama - The Qama, a 45-centimetre, one-handed melee implement, is the ubiquitous backup weapon for warriors of Adyghan solar system. It is shaped very similarly to Roman gladius, but has a rectangular handle, to make the grip more precise.
- 4 Frag Grenades - Frag Grenades use a combustible charge and special fillers of shrapnel fragments which make them potent anti-personnel weapons. Imperial Frag Grenades are roughly the size of a clenched fist and covered with a heavily notched shell, both to increase the shrapnel produced and provide a more secure grip for throwing.
- 2 Photon Flash Grenades - Photon Flash Grenades detonate like a small star, blinding anyone nearby and bright enough to overload primitive vision protection systems. Anyone within 15 metres of a photon flash grenade when it detonates will be temporarily blinded.
- 2 Smoke Grenades - Smoke grenades release a dense smoke which only obscures basic eyesight and optical based systems. They do not block detection systems that use heat or other spectral bands outside of normal human eyesight but are much more widely available and easier to construct.
- Vox-caster - A Vox-caster is a standard and reliable radio wave communication device used to transmit over long distances, including to and from orbiting vessels. This allows communications with other Imperial personnel who possess Vox-casters. A Vox-caster's standard range is 100 kilometres, though better-crafted variants exist that have longer ranges
- Micro-bead - A Micro-bead or Comm-bead is a short-range radio wave communication device worn in the ear, good for communication out to about one kilometre (depending on weather conditions and intervening terrain). Each fits discretely in the ear, with higher craftsmanship models nearly undetectable in a casual inspection.
- Chest equipment - These equipments vary on the choice of the troop, can be either medicine, supplement, food, morphine, or additional cartridges, stored inside cylindric pockets.
- Rebreather
- Poor Weather Gear
- Rucksack
- Mess Kit
- Water Canteen
- Blanket and Sleep Bag
- Rechargeable Lamp–Pack - Sturdy and reliable, glow-globes illuminate many an Imperial paveway and cathedral. Most portable ones are roughly the size of a clenched fist and can shine strong, yellowish light a dozen or so metres in width, lasting roughly five hours before their power pack needs recharging or replacing.
- Grooming Kit
- Dog Tags
- 4 Weeks' Rations
- Adyghan Horse
- Adygh Saddle
- 2 Saddlebags
- 1 Set of Riding Tack - This consists of reins, harness, etc. that is necessary for maintaining the mount.
- Horse Rebreather - In cases of radioactive fallout or toxic environments, it is no excuse for the Adyghan Riders to suspend their tasks. Thus, they have issued with another rebreather for their horses