City States: Companion Cavalry

The Companion Cavalry is an exception within the forces of the City-States, mainly because they are not, strictly speaking, part of the citizen army of most armies. Instead, the Companions form a volunteer force, recruited from the wealthy families of oligarchs and nobles in the City-States. Armed and equipped with the best weapons money can buy, these impetuous heirs are trained by retired Polemarchs and Aristarchs in the private gymnasiums of the wealthy, while their equestrian skills are honed at the vast racecourses that tend to dominate the horizons of every City-State. Despite their eclectic training and impetuous nature, these riders are such a valuable tool that the City-States have deviated from their orthodox military organisation to include them.

The long-range precision tool par excellence for every City-State commander, Companion cavalry shine when operating deep behind enemy lines. They threaten enemy light regiments and operate like fast shock cavalry, charging, withdrawing and then charging again!