Rhadeim

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Skorne.png Rhadeim Skorne.png

Tyrant of House Bashek

Rhadeim.jpg

Race Skorne
Gender Male
Weapons Lance of Bashek
Birth Unknown
Tyrant Rhadeim is the current head of House Bashek, one of the most influential houses subordinate to Archdomina Makeda's House Balaash. He leads the Praetorian ferox of the Army of the Western Reaches. The manoeuvres he executes have left enemy commands bewildered and disordered as ferox and riders flow through their battle lines leaving scattered corpses before they disengage to strike elsewhere.

History

Rhadeim was raised as the heir to House Bashek, a rightfully proud and ancient lineage that has long been associated with mastering the difficult ferox. According to their ancestral legends, the Bashek were among the first skorne on the Plains of Sortaan to subjugate the great cats and turn them into half-wild and reluctant steeds. Breeding and riding them is a rite of passage in the house. The Bashek rely relatively little on paingiver beast handlers to tame their ferox, considering it vital that these beasts retain their wild ferocity so long as they learn to obey their riders.[1]

Rhadeim took to the ferox from a very young age, proving his blood ran true. He fearlessly walked among them as if daring the cats to take a swipe at him. He began to train as a Praetorian ferox rider as soon as he was old enough to sit in the saddle.[1]

Rhadeim served alongside Makeda during the Second Unification, where he proved the merits of his unconventional tactics to Makeda, gathering the house cavalry and organising them into several smaller cohorts. In time he earned the Lance of Bashek, a relic of his ancestors. It contains a shard of the sacral stone of the founder of their house, and in a long-held tradition the extollers confirmed that the ancestral spirit within the lance approved of its next bearer.[1]

Rhadeim joins the Army of the Western Reaches when Supreme Archdominar Vinter Raelthorne IV launches the second invasion of western Immoren, where Makeda put him to work on an even larger contingent of Praetorian ferox.[1]

When Makeda launches an invasion of Ios, Rhadeim is assigned to the main army, which will thrust at the Twilight Gate, the sole entrance to Ios through its southern mountains. Though the skorne suffer considerable casualties, the Twilight Gate eventually falls after its outer wall is breached and the warcaster in charge killed. After the fall of the Twilight Gate, Makeda orders Rhadeim to lead a strike force and pursue the retreating Iosans through the inner gate.[2]

Rhadeim soon returns to the main skorne army stationed in the Mistbough and reveals to Makeda what he and his Praetorian ferox observed during their reconnaissance: the Iosans have been alerted sooner than they anticipated and are already mustering a sizable army from Iryss. Makeda listens to his observations closely, and decides to fortify their position.[3]

Personality

Rhadeim's fame is largely attributed to his ability to adapt to any combat circumstance with apparent disregard for his standing orders or personal safety. He brings an element of unpredictability to the regimented and disciplined Army of the Western Reaches which is otherwise sorely lacking. While some dominars and tyrants bristle at his disregard of protocol, Makeda came to rely on his ability to adapt to any situation. Too many other tyrants let singular opportunities slip by with the excuse that they had not received orders.[1]

Other cavalry officers admire Rhadeim and are willing to follow him to any lengths since they know he will lead them to glory. Those same officers, however, are quick to instruct their subordinates not to follow his example too closely. A well disciplined army can only handle a few warriors such as he.[1]

References