Jinifarian Cataphracts
The cataphracts of Jinifar were the legendary mounted combatants leveraged by the Jinifarian Kingdom to defend its interests. They were well-known for their use of heavy armour and magically-enhanced horses.
Purpose & Function #
Like most cavalry, the cataphracts were exceptional at running down enemy infantry. However, they were also exceptional as soldiers once dismounted.
With the Jinifarian Kingdom being so spread out in its prime, the mounted mobility of the cataphracts was an integral element that allowed them to be quickly repositioned across the Kaktis Desert.
Equipment #
Heavy Armour #
The cataphracts were some of the most heavily armoured soldiers in all of Legere by volume. During its clashes with Jinifar, Phovezila would begin to call the cataphracts the steel men, a moniker earned by the excessive amounts of metal that clad the cataphracts' bodies. Rumours accompanied the name, with many believing that cataphracts were actually enchanted suits of armour.
Kalhebra Steeds #
The magnificent kalhebra were horses that were enhanced through the arcane. Jinifarian poets said that a kalhebra was fifty percent of a single cataphract's might. The enhancements that a kalhebra underwent enabled them to be strong enough to not only carry the cataphract and their heavy armour, but also a heavy layer of armour that protected the horse itself. A kalhebra was as unstoppable as its rider.
Leadership #
The cataphracts were not directly loyal to the sultan of Jinifar, instead following their leaders--the caliphs. There were two main cataphract caliphates that vied for power and influence within Jinifar. As the sultan of Jinifar changed over time, so to would the caliphate that was favoured.
In some ways, the cataphracts could be seen as mercenaries, although their loyalties lay exclusively with Jinifar and couldn't be hired by rival nations. That being said, occasional skirmishes between the controlling caliphates were known to happen during periods of elevated bitterness between the caliphs.
![[Jinifarian Caliphates]]
Extinction #
The ways of the Jinifarian cataphracts were lost to time after The Pharaoh launched his wide-scale assault on Siman. Although the cataphracts desperately tried to defeat the Pharaoh and his undead armies, they were utterly destroyed. After Siman fell, the Pharaoh had the caliphates hunted down, destroying their records and secrets to their ways--such as the creation of the cataphracts' legendary kalhebra mounts.