Riders

Riders, so named for their mastery of horseback riding, is a people descended from the Dara Happan nobles of the lost city of Nivorah. They are also called Hyalorings because they are followers of the ways of Hyalor, who, in mortal life, was the one that taught their ancestors the secrets of horse-riding. When Hyalor chose to go into exile rather than remain under the Ice Dome, the Riders followed him. This is in contrast to their cousin people, the Wheels, who chose to leave only at the last moment.

Their chief deities are Elmal, the God of the Sun, and Nyalda, the Goddess of the Earth. They also worship Hyalor and Gamari, the Horse Goddess. They also associate with shamans, whose magic allows them to call upon the aid of spirits. Because Hyalor emphasized the importance of changing when necessary, the Riders hold less strictly to Nivoran custom than their Wheel cousins. In addition to their adoption of shamanic magic, they are also notably more egalitarian than their ancestors: though they still have nobles and commoners, all elders hold authority, and men and women are roughly equal.

Each Rider clan is divided into seven families, each of which consists of nobles, commoners, and elders who arbitrate disputes. Married women join their husbands' families. Ideally, each family holds one seat on the clan circle. Rider law is based largely around property rights. If a dispute can't be resolved by three elders from uninvolved families, it's up to the circle to resolve it.

Most Rider clans raise horses, cows, and goats, and farm barley. A few clans follow “Pure Horse” practices and refuse to raise animals other than horses, forcing them to rely on slaves to tend their crops. Apart from Pure Horse clans, no Rider clan practices slavery, but some are willing to sell captives taken in war to cultures that do.

Ever since the Ram People's god, Orlanth, slew the old chief god of the Riders' ancestors, Emperor Yelm, and their sacking of the Dara Happan city of Elempur, the Riders have had poor relations with the Rams, to different degrees. Riders are strictly forbidden from marriage or intercourse with Rams under any circumstances. This law ultimately stems from a belief that all children of a Ram and a Rider are destined to become evil sorcerers.

Ride Like the Wind[]

Riders are one of the three major cultures in Ride Like The Wind, alongside the Rams and the Wheels. Your player-clan will always be one of the ten Rider clans sharing the Black Eel Valley at the start of the game.

Lore[]

The clan circle has the following to say about their own people:

"In the Golden City we were nobles, fighting the empire's enemies from horseback. When the emperor wanted us to live under a dome, we said no."
"We could not take all our gods with us from the Golden City, but at least we had some time to prepare."
"Our ancestors became wanderers after leaving the Golden City."
"We have horses because Hyalor healed the wounded Hippogriff, allowing her to become Gamari."
"Gamari gave us, and us alone, the gift of riding. The Wheels stole and perverted it; the Rams shall never have it."

Lights Going Out[]

Unlike in Ride Like the Wind, in Lights Going Out your player clan, though descendants of your original Rider clan, has since become Rams. Thus, Riders have become closely related foreigners.

Still, Riders is one of the possible targets of Brolarulf's Great Raid in the Lights Going Out prologue, setting up a special enmity between them and the player clan for the rest of the game

Lore[]

Your clan ring has the following to say about Riders:

"Once we were Riders, but many of them still haven't forgiven us for joining with the storm people."
"Riders say there never should be kings."
"Riders found spirits on their flight from the Frozen City."

Events[]

Riders appear in the following events:

In Battle[]

In war, the Riders field an exclusively cavalry force. Ordinary warriors, called Bows, fight as light cavalry, armed only with bows and spears. Elite warriors, called Swords, fight as heavy cavalry, armed with bronze weapons and armor.

When not at war, a Rider clan may attempt to intimidate another by whooping at them - sending a troop of cavalry to gallop around the other clan’s settlement shouting war cries. The traditional response is for the targeted clan to attempt to show their strength by stoically ignoring the whoops.

The player clan has access to three (sometimes four) combat rituals: Battle Glow, Firehoof, Strongbow, and (only against Rams, and only if they are your ancestral foe) Fight in Formation. Against you, fellow Riders will use only Firehoof and Strongbow.

Riders field more auxiliaries (women who urge on the combatants and heal the wounded) than other human cultures.

A variety of Heroic Combat situations can occur when you fight fellow Riders. See Heroic Combat: Riders and Heroic Combat: General for details.