Berra — Dismounting Infantry
????, Sea Season
Context
Probably late in Sea Season, maybe Fire Season, 1626. [[[s01:session-33|Session 33]]]
Events
If Berra doesn’t know the trick of using a horse’s strength to add speed to her feet, Finarvi will gladly teach her sometime.
Berra is of the opinion that it’s easier to scout on foot, for the sort of scouting she used to do, and well, Road gets her to places. What more does she need?
“Sometimes it is useful to get places fast and arrive not too winded?”
“Still useful to arrive and leave without being seen or heard…”
“It can be useful if they hear one horse and rider, and were not expecting there to be a Humakti afoot too.”
“Well, yes. But now we are talking light cavalry skirmish tactics. We should find a game board and set up Rider or Queen-taker. Or some ground to draw out pincers. I should not be the one on the horse, though. That’s never going to end well.”
“You do not have to be. I can show you how to keep up with a mounted rider on foot, over distance. My Madryn’s well-trained, she’ll not trample you if you stumble.”
“With me holding on? I’d like to practice that, yes. I thought you meant as a unit of two.”
“Yes! It’s quite easy to learn. Mostly it is about trusting the horse and keeping your feet under you.”
“Can I trust the rider instead? If you say the horse is good, that’s fine, but I don’t know how to trust horses.”
“That works too, I suppose. Though there’s only so much a good rider can do with a bad mount. Just ask my mule.”
“Would I understand the answer?”
“She prefers to demonstrate.” ((With the emphasis on Demon. Finarvi doesn’t call her ‘the Redoubtable Mule’ for nothing.))
Berra nods wisely. “Yes. Teach me that. I know the herders on the Tula hold onto manes sometimes.”
“I admit, when I saw the Fyrd’s ponies I thought that was how you would use them. ” Finarvi gestures vaguely with both hands, searching for words in Trade talk. “As…running mates? Rather than mounts.”
“Food, warmth, milk, and haulage. Hides.” Berra ticks things off in their hand. “They can pull carts, although they need to be the one-wheeled sort for the trails we have. It’s rare they are big enough for men to ride, and the women like to run anyhow.”
That gets a happy smile from Finarvi. “Easy to make a simple loop harness for a runner to hold onto. And yes, very useful for the terrain of the Tula.”
“Well, better than cutting my fingers on hair. Do you … you probably don’t know any cross-field signals for taking orders. We should teach you the basics that I use. Well, I should teach you the basics that I use. My task.”
“We should train together, definitely. I need to be prepared.”
