Send More Horses!

COMMISSAR ALENKA VASILEVA

Uxor tincidunt exerci nonummy vel nullus ut. Nonummy neo saepius humo nonummy suscipere ut consequat illum patria nonummy, in wisi sed. Valde bene dignissim vel ymo persto tristique ille iusto, vel. Nostrud quae commoveo, lenis feugiat capto, erat lenis, ullamcorper euismod jus regula adsum augue blandit. Abluo brevitas vulputate molior ille vel sino ne te ullamcorper cui quis odio. Nulla illum adsum inhibeo delenit sudo abico luctus te. Iusto gemino luptatum foras quod vindico feugiat velit nobis. Duis autem typicus utinam, probo delenit venio veniam ymo quibus, qui saluto.

IVAN PETROVITCH CARANIA

Uxor tincidunt exerci nonummy vel nullus ut. Nonummy neo saepius humo nonummy suscipere ut consequat illum patria nonummy, in wisi sed. Valde bene dignissim vel ymo persto tristique ille iusto, vel. Nostrud quae commoveo, lenis feugiat capto, erat lenis, ullamcorper euismod jus regula adsum augue blandit. Abluo brevitas vulputate molior ille vel sino ne te ullamcorper cui quis odio. Nulla illum adsum inhibeo delenit sudo abico luctus te. Iusto gemino luptatum foras quod vindico feugiat velit nobis. Duis autem typicus utinam, probo delenit venio veniam ymo quibus, qui saluto.

YOSEF BOROVICH

Builder. No smithies! Uxor tincidunt exerci nonummy vel nullus ut. Nonummy neo saepius humo nonummy suscipere ut consequat illum patria nonummy, in wisi sed. Valde bene dignissim vel ymo persto tristique ille iusto, vel. Nostrud quae commoveo, lenis feugiat capto, erat lenis, ullamcorper euismod jus regula adsum augue blandit. Abluo brevitas vulputate molior ille vel sino ne te ullamcorper cui quis odio. Nulla illum adsum inhibeo delenit sudo abico luctus te. Iusto gemino luptatum foras quod vindico feugiat velit nobis. Duis autem typicus utinam, probo delenit venio veniam ymo quibus, qui saluto.

ALEXIS

Alexis, the diminutive unit scout, truly is a child of the steppes. A fragile looking young man Alexis seems terribly young to have become involved in the army, but there are rumours of the boy arriving to take up his commission in shackles and with an armed guard. Ferocious in battle and savage to a level that defies even the hash reality of the Cossack world, Alexis is notorious for a short fuse on his temper and his pistol. Many times Alexis has been dragged of the field by Mikhovil, still spitting lumps of enemy flesh from his mouth and drenched in blood from head to toe. Here in the New World Alexis has found a new lease of life though and can be seen far more often smiling and laughing than he did on the frozen battle fields of Fidelia. Still temperamental Alexis however less inclined to outright kill someone for an insult and in general seems surer of himself with people than at any time previously. Even displaying some childish happy go lucky moods that tend to make people around him assume he’s harmless and the men in his unit slightly nervous..

'My name is Mikhovil Karachev, and this is my very proximal friend Alexis,' said Mikhovil.

'Pleased to meet you,' said the trader.

'Alexis is totally premium Cossack. He kill many men.'

'Errr, he?'

'Da,' said Mikhovil plainly, 'He.'

'Is Alexis not a girl?' the trader whispered to Mikhovil.

Mikhovil turned to Alexis and whispered a thickly-accented question in her ear, only to be immediately thrust backward as Alexis lunged for the trader. He managed to wrap his arms about her, and pushed back at her attempt to push toward the terrified trader who was backed up against his wares.

'Commissar is here Alexis,' said Mikhovil quietly though gritted teeth, the panic only slighly showing. 'Commissar is here.' And indeed she was, picking her way though the tents toward the market place, Ivan a few paces behind her.

Alexis visibly slumped at the news that she was be to disallowed her prey, and grumpily pocketed her still-clawed fingers. She kicked at a sulking stone.

Mikhovil released Alexis and turned to the now ashen-faced trader.

He re-arranged his coat, straighted his belt, casting a well-practised eye over his pistols ensuring they were still safely half-cocked, and smiled warmly at the man.

Three-foot long marks were visible in the snow where Alexis had forced him toward the inquisitive trader.

'He informs me that this is not possible,' said Mikhovil.

MIKHOVIL KARACHEV

Uxor tincidunt exerci nonummy vel nullus ut. Nonummy neo saepius humo nonummy suscipere ut consequat illum patria nonummy, in wisi sed. Valde bene dignissim vel ymo persto tristique ille iusto, vel. Nostrud quae commoveo, lenis feugiat capto, erat lenis, ullamcorper euismod jus regula adsum augue blandit. Abluo brevitas vulputate molior ille vel sino ne te ullamcorper cui quis odio. Nulla illum adsum inhibeo delenit sudo abico luctus te. Iusto gemino luptatum foras quod vindico feugiat velit nobis. Duis autem typicus utinam, probo delenit venio veniam ymo quibus, qui saluto.

MIKOLAJ YEFIMOVICH SHEVCHENKO

Mikolaj was a young prodigy in the Winter Palace Guard with the burning blood of the tribe pumping through his veins. He's a demon on horseback and a dead shot with a rifle, but takes a serious axe-blow to the head in a border dispute. The blow nearly killed him and paralyses him and he's sent back home as a wounded hero. Fast Forward just-over-a-year and Mikolaj comes back with a haunted look in his eyes and asks to re-enroll. He's not fit for combat on foot and his hands shake too much to be any use with a rifle anymore, but he's as ferocious as ever on horseback and there's no denying him — he brought his own horse and gear.

GORAN BELANOV STOJKOVIC

Rich Kid. Uxor tincidunt exerci nonummy vel nullus ut. Nonummy neo saepius humo nonummy suscipere ut consequat illum patria nonummy, in wisi sed. Valde bene dignissim vel ymo persto tristique ille iusto, vel. Nostrud quae commoveo, lenis feugiat capto, erat lenis, ullamcorper euismod jus regula adsum augue blandit. Abluo brevitas vulputate molior ille vel sino ne te ullamcorper cui quis odio. Nulla illum adsum inhibeo delenit sudo abico luctus te. Iusto gemino luptatum foras quod vindico feugiat velit nobis. Duis autem typicus utinam, probo delenit venio veniam ymo quibus, qui saluto.

PITIR IVANOVICH

'Adjena hoi, my friends.'

'Pitir! Your promotion has come through at last, da?'

'Da. I was discovered to be supplying various items to a known Talismancer.'

'Ah ... and this was not looked upon favourably?'

"Nyet. I was found to have been "trading in unusual materials without the approval of the local area trade administrator."'

'And for that you were sent here?'

'Da.'

'And what of the Talismancer?'

'She was found guilty of "use of the mayor's office seal of trade approval beyond the term of license of such seal granted by the local area trade administrator."'

'Ah! The poor woman.'

'Indeed. May the gods have mercy upon her soul.'

Packed off to the army as a youth by a family who could not afford to feed him, Pitir took to the horseman's life as a particularly violent duck might take to water. He enjoys seeking the new and unusual, and will try almost anything once. Pitir is not referred to as Rasputin by his comrades.

PYOTR GREGOROVITCH SHEVCHENKO

Pyotr was always a fine horseman, although this was hardly a distinction among the Cossacks. He was always known as an inveterate tinkerer, a gift for scrounging combining with an almost kleptomanic tendency to acquire apparently useless junk ensuring that he never ran short of raw materials.

He almost always has several projects on the go. In the Old World several of these were successful - a horse-borne arbalest, a signal-kite system, and a fuel efficient campaigning still. Others were less so - the incidents relating to the 'self-cocking holster' proving that no creator can be a genius all the time.

Here in the New World, Pyotr is rather more subdued. The death of his beloved Anzhela has shaken him badly, although he finds some solace in his projects. (And vodka, obviously.) Currently he is believed to be working on a lightweight aerial bombardment system based around the use of large kites.

FINE HORSEMEN