Knights

Of all the Medieval traditions of fighting--archers, polearms, naval warfare, America was most unfamiliar with heavy cavalry. When the world re-medievalized, Europe and Asia could look to heirlooms and local reenactors to bring back their knights and samurai, whle it was in many ways, square one. Their inspiration was, rarely, the conquistador model, and also attempts to reverse engineer modern armor, everything from riot gear to sports equipment. In fact, the pads and helmets used by athletes were not only easier to obtain than kevlar, but they were designed for melee combat, not gunfire. Early on it was frequent for warriors to bear frankensuits of armor--baseball cachters for the chest, hockey goalies for the knees and shoulders, with football and even lacross helmet providing head and face protection.

The legacy of the Industrial Age also lives on as many suits of armor are very modular in deisgn, being open to customization and replacement of individual parts. Eli Whitney’s knights. Brigandine and lamellar are the order of they day, though chestplates are very common for warriors with the best foundries. The diverse of climate of America matters as well. The Ohio Valley’s access to grain, wide open terrain, and minierals allow for the most heavily armored knights, but as the Feudal Core shifts into the prairie, metal is rarer and protection has to be balanced with heaviness. In the humid and swampy Deep South, where ironically the romance of chivalry holds the most appeal, the Warlords have to done themselves in more breatheable material. Lamellar, even quilted gambesons are preferable.

The sheer variety ultimately means the sidearm defaults to the saber, a blade valued for its versatility as much as its symbolic value. Some sworrds also impliment the design of the machete or bowie knife, innovations that smiths didn’t need factories or chemical compositions to recreate.

Though the Lancers largely correlate with America’s Heartland, it’s not always one on one. In the steep and rugged Appalachians, pike warfare dominates. Likewise, the in desert empires of the West, wealthier empires like California and Deseret field heavy cavalry, usually clad in mail and bronze helms. The United States, despite being a thassalocracy, also sees it mainland guarded by Paladins, the Pentagon holding barracks and stables to hold back the warlords of the south.