The Spear Host does not rely on horses alone. The Border Marches are too broken, too wet, too unstable for fragile mounts. Daurades Hardsand instead forged his armies around beasts that endure, adapt, and kill without hesitation.
(Vault Beasts of the Spear Host)
Role: Heavy shock mount, rapid assault, terrain dominance
Riders: Darkhan only
The Darkhan Kangaroo is not a curiosity — it is a weapon.
Standing taller than a warhorse at full extension, these massive marsupials are bred from the deep desert ranges where predators leap, not chase. Their power lies not in speed alone, but in vertical violence.
Height: 9–11 feet upright
Build: Thick, corded hindquarters; narrow but armored torso
Hide: Short, dense fur over scar-scarred skin resistant to sand abrasion
Tail: Thick, muscular, used as a stabilizer during landing and sudden turns
Eyes: Forward-set, dark, unnervingly calm even in battle
Bounding Charge: Kangaroos cross broken ground, trenches, and marsh channels in massive leaps, ignoring obstacles that would break cavalry.
Impact Strikes: Darkhan lances are driven downward mid-leap, turning gravity into a killing force.
Crush Kicks: Trained to strike with hind legs upon landing, capable of shattering shields and ribs.
Mount Recovery: If unseated, the beast is trained to retreat or circle back, never panicking.
Reinforced chest plates and shoulder guards of blackened bronze
Leather-and-chain harness designed not to restrict jump motion
Spear-lock braces mounted at the rider’s thigh for mid-air strikes
Each Darkhan names their mount only after its first confirmed kill.
A Darkhan without a mount is still feared — but a Darkhan mounted is inevitable.
(March-Breakers and Siege Beasts)
Role: Heavy transport, shock disruption, endurance warfare
Riders: Spear-Captains, Lancers, supply commanders
Where horses fail, camels endure.
The Spear Host’s war camels are massive, ill-tempered beasts bred for weeks-long campaigns without rest. They carry soldiers, armor, water, and death across ground no army should cross.
Height: Towering, long-necked, broad-backed
Hide: Calloused, scarred, resistant to heat and biting insects
Temperament: Aggressive when armored; trained to bite and trample
Formation Disruption: Enemy mounts panic at camel scent and noise.
Sustained Charges: Not fast, but unstoppable — camels do not break.
Mobile Bastions: Mounted spear walls form around camel trains during sieges.
Psychological Warfare: Their silhouettes at dusk are often mistaken for giants.
Layered leather barding with bronze throat plates
Water barrels and spear racks mounted directly to the saddle frame
Some camels fitted with side-shields forming moving cover for infantry
A camel is not withdrawn unless slain.
A fallen camel is stripped, its bones used for field tools or weapons.
(Border Marsh War Dogs)
Role: Tracking, skirmish disruption, night harassment
Handlers: Iron-Guides, scouts, Darkhan outriders
Mud Hounds are desert malamutes bred for swamp, marsh, and flooded terrain — massive, broad-chested beasts capable of swimming silently through reeds and dragging armored men into water.
Size: As large as a grown man’s chest at the shoulder
Fur: Dense, oily, water-shedding; mottled brown and gray
Jaws: Wide, crushing bite trained for limbs, not throats
Eyes: Pale or amber, reflective in low light
Silent Water Advance: Can submerge fully, leaving only nostrils exposed.
Drag & Drown: Targets are pulled into mud or water, armor becoming a liability.
Night Raids: Released in packs to harass camps, kill sentries, and vanish.
Morale Breakers: Their howls echo through fog and reeds, inducing panic.
Never trained to kill outright unless commanded.
Default behavior is cripple, drag, and hold.
Respond to hand signals and low whistles only.
Minimal — hardened leather collars with bronze throat studs
Weighted to prevent enemies from lifting or throwing them
“The Ground Is Not Neutral”
The Spear Host fights as if the land itself is a weapon:
Kangaroos dominate vertical space
Camels control endurance and presence
Mud Hounds rule darkness and water
Enemies find themselves attacked from above, below, and within the terrain itself — never knowing which beast will strike first.
“If you hear hooves, it’s the Legion.
If you hear nothing, it’s Hardsand.”