Rider is one of the kingdom's ordinary folk, put on a horse and drilled to fight from the saddle. Recruiting riders costs geld and draws on the kingdom's people, and the Barracks organise the work. Like every drilled soldier, a Rider is Plain and carries no affinity.
Riders strike hand to hand, but they arrive first. How hard they hit and how fast they come is shown on the card. The folk who face them learn to set a Spearman in the front rank.
The Sealborn who remember the Age of the Given Word tell a harder story. When Flint D. Rook broke his given word, he struck at the thin places of Ysme of Lumen, where her wards had been starved. Those Sealborn say his riders led that strike, because only riders could reach the wards before she knew the word was broken.
Upkeep is paid in geld, and unpaid soldiers desert. A Rider can be sent home like any ordinary recruit.
Player-visible facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack | 180 |
| Counter attack (defensive strike) | 30 |
| Hit points | 120 |
| Recruitment cost per unit | 70 geld, 0 mana, 1 population |
| Ordinary upkeep per unit per spent turn | 1.44 geld, 0 mana, 0 population |
| Can be dismissed | Yes |
These are base unit values. Battle reports show effective attack and hit points after current effects. Defence uses resistance; no single defence score is exposed.