Wave Riders
The Wave Riders of Absalom are a hippocampus-mounted light cavalry unit that protects the harbor of the City at the Center of the World, as well as the entire coastline of the Isle of Kortos.12
Tactics and resources
While excellent scouts, the Wave Riders are also trained to harass ships by attacking their hulls and throwing combustibles into the rigging. They also target enemy naval officers and attack summoned or trained enemy aquatic creatures.1 Wave Riders can quickly approach small vessels and attack its occupants before they can mount a serious defense.3
Most Wave Rider cavalry units operate only within sight of land, as their air-breathing riders cannot sleep underwater even if their steeds can. To overcome this obstacle, special "wave tender" barges were built in the port town of Escadar that resemble giant, floating doughnuts. Their inner pool allows the hippocampi to access the sea while the riders rest on the ships. These cavalry personnel are equipped with a uniform of magically buoyant leather breastplates with sea-green capes, and are generally armed with crossbows and spears.14
Training
Members of the Wave Riders receive their hippocampus training from the azarketis of Escadar on the Isle of Erran. Azarketis only occasionally join the cavalry company; they are still viewed with some suspicion by the general populace despite their obvious superiority in aquatic environments.3
References
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “People” in Guide to Absalom, 51. Paizo Inc., 2008 .
- ↑ “The City Walls” in Heroes of the Streets, 10–11. Paizo Inc., 2015 .
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 “NPCs” in Inner Sea NPC Codex, 3. Paizo Inc., 2013 .
- ↑ Lord of Penance, 1. Paizo Inc., 2011 .