The Freeguild Cavaliers are the knights and nobles of the Cities of Sigmar, their cantering stallions a sure source of envy for those forced to march on foot. But beneath their filigreed armour and ostentatious helms are men and women whose skill in battle has earned them the right to ride out on mighty steeds – the vengeful sword to the Steelhelms’ shield.
The status of Freeguild Cavalier cannot be bought or inherited, but must be earned in blood or tragedy. It is not uncommon for their ranks to be bolstered by lonely survivors riding out from slaughtered settlements, having salvaged the finest weapons and armour they can find and with nothing but vengeance on their mind.
As heavy cavalry they are linebreakers through and through, charging headlong into the enemy ranks before wheeling around and getting stuck into the long, arduous task of fighting the enemies of the God-king.
Their Devastating Charge is bolstered by their heavy barding, shattering bones and shields alike as they plough through defensive lines, allowing the riders to strike their foes with hammers, axes and swords, all of which have their Damage and Rend characteristic by increased by 1 on the charge.
Timely use of orders enable the brow-beaten warriors of the Cities of Sigmar to punch up in battle against the most fantastical foes of the Mortal Realms, and commanders that can keep up with thundering Cavaliers to issue these vital orders are a necessity.
The Freeguld Cavalier-Marshal is just the person for the job, their lofty station unencumbered by the burden of command. Despite this immense weight, when using the “Their Finest Hour” Heroic Action, these unflappable heroes will bellow a cry of For Sigmar, Charge! to light a fire in the bellies of their allies, adding a full 3” further on the charge for anyone within earshot.
While the Castelite formation is the stock-in-trade of most Cities of Sigmar expeditionary forces, it isn’t uncommon for a full complement of mounted warriors to take to the field in order to rout the most formidable foes. With this in mind, the Warhammer Studio have made the Freeguild Cavalier kit one of the most flexible in the range, with an eye-watering number of combinations that defy cataloguing.*
The sprue contains five upper body constructions that combine horse and rider, and these can be mounted on any of the five lower body sub-assemblies. Five tails, pieces of saddle furniture and head armour polish off the mount, and unlock huge variations of steeds.
On top of that, each rider can be equipped with one of five weapons and shields, one of five unhelmeted heads, or five helmeted heads with a choice of visor up, or down. Not content with this, the team also packed in options for the Arch-Knight Champion, and a Cavalier Herald, creating a dream of a kit for fans of armoured cavalry.**
Rest assured that more insights from the Warhammer Studio will be coming next week as interviews about the process of creating the Cities of Sigmar thunder over the horizon.
* After shuffling some skulls around on the old abacus, this apparently means over 1,000,000 combinations.
** They exist, and they spent a lot of time asking for pointy aelves on horses a few years ago.