Arcane Legions

When the Night of Mists gave way to dawn, a large portion of the Yamato clan in Japan had been transformed into taller, more angular, more graceful men. Each of them became tenuously linked to magic in the realm, and Himiko’s mastery of that magic has made her their master. The Yamato elite, or shoyosei, are superb warriors, and Himiko chose to make them even more fearsome by altering their traditional armor.

The armor of a shoyosei heavy cavalryman is unique, specially forged and imbued with magical protections. The warriors’ mounts are enhanced as well, taller and stronger than even the Han cavalry mounts, and fully encased in armor of their own, making them some of the heaviest cavalry in the world. The warriors wield specialized two-bladed swords, ideally fashioned for making slashing attacks from horseback. The shoyosei warriors are just as deadly on foot as on horseback, an ability they demonstrate in nearly every engagement.

These warriors form the core of Himiko’s strength, and fully half of them travel with her and the Grand Army of the Crusade, acting as her personal bodyguard and enforcer unit. They guard the lady night and day, both from the mundane dangers of the march and campaigning and from the more esoteric dangers of magical attacks and even assassination attempts by the Grand Army’s enemies—and, some say, from the assassins of the Emperor, who may fear Himiko’s gathering power.