Kain's Empire
The Dumahim
History
Centuries past the time of the Pillars falling, Centuries
past the Defeat of the Hylden Seraphan lord and Centuries before an Angel with
Bat wings Fell from grace, Kain Sired his Dark sons.
Dumah, the third of Kain's Lieutenants to be 'born', was undoubtedly the largest
of his brethren, standing head and shoulders over even Raziel. He also inherited
an overdose of Kain's arrogance, believing himself to be the most powerful
Lieutenant. And this was to a degree passed on to his Clan, the Dumahim, who
alongside the Turelim marched north. His intended target: the North-kingdom that
once belonged to King William the Just.
Taking his entire Clan with him, Dumah first sacked the town of Uschtenheim and
continued on his path to the Plain of Blood, where the North-kingdom's army had
chosen to make their stand, their crimson armour and banners flowing proudly in
the winds. This display of course did not impress their enemy, who immediately
launched into the attack. Though they fought valiantly, the Northmen were
defeated and forced back to their capital, known as the Bastion of Light to the
Humans.
Surrounding the Bastion, Dumah set up his forces for a siege. With the old Human
alliances seemingly dead, the North-kingdom knew no help was forthcoming, and
put their faith in the large iron gates that had never been penetrated in the
Bastion's long history. The Battle of the Bastion was a bloody and brutal
conflict, where no quarter was asked or given. Try as they might, the Dumahim
could not penetrate the large gates, and it seemed as though Dumah would have to
call off his attack. Dumah had other ideas.
Striding at the head of his elite bodyguard, Dumah stood before the gates and
regarded them for a moment. Then, he brought his axe Havoc up and smashed it
into the door, and shortly after followed up by striking the gate with the axe
Malice. This he did six times in quick succession, with speed beguiling his
large size. Against the strength of the Lieutenant, the gate gave way,
crashing open. The Dumahim poured into the Bastion and thus ended the battle,
and the once glorious history of the North-kingdom.
Building his capital on the ruins of the Bastion, Dumah renamed it the Dark
Stronghold, and all of the North-kingdom's territory as his own. In the valley
leading up to his capital, he built the three large gates, the Gates of Sorrow,
Vengeance and Despair. These gates would successfully repel any assault the
"foolish Humans" wished to attempt. It would not be long before a Human would
attempt such an assault, for King Frederick of Willendorf had assembled a large
army comprised of many nations to reclaim the north from Dumah. A month prior
Dumah had been ordered by Kain to begin the preliminary assault on the Sarafan
Stronghold, leaving him unable to lead his Clan against Frederick.
Despite this, Dumah felt no apprehension or worry for his home. His Clan were
strongest of all, and the Humans stood no chance of penetrating even the first
gate. Whether this was truth or just boasting no one will ever know, for Raziel
led his legion east, intercepting and defeating Frederick's army at Stahlberg
and ensuring nobody even fired a shot at the Gate. This act ensured Raziel Kan's
favor and the enmity of Dumah for denying his Clan such a great victory.
Doctrine
Unlike the Turelim Clan, the Dumahim are more practical; they keep what is needed and nothing else. If it has no use to a Dumahim, he will have nothing to do with it. As such, A Dumahim army is very barren in appearance and style, but no less lethal. Even in battle, they care little for master strikes or fancy battle plans - hence it is hard to form a unified battle plan when you have some Dumahim in the legion, as Kain has learned on several occasions. The only notable exception to this is in their stronghold, where there are scant decorations around the citadel. These however, serve a purpose still - to instill pride in every Dumahim, and fear into every mortal... when it comes to combat style, the Dumahim legions prefer a more offensive role, exploiting their supernatural abilities as shock troops. They are often first to charge, and hack and slash at their foes mercilessly in wide arcs.
Weapons and Armour
The Dumahim prefer weapons that draw upon their great strength. Dumahim weapons are nearly all double-handed in order to increase the impact of the blow inflicted. In addition to single- and double-handed axes, the Dumahim carry war-hammers, maces, flails and great tridents with them into battle. The axe is double-headed and very broad, making for a very dangerous weapon. The maces used by the Dumahim often features spikes attached to them, as do the flails. The crossbow is the principle ranged weapon used by the Dumahim due to its incredible punch. The Dumahim prefer mostly to not use shields, as this interferes with the use of their weapons, instead opting to trust their well-designed armour.
Dumahim armour is fashioned with the intent to intimidate the enemy on sight of the warrior. Beneath all is worn a mail hauberk that extends to the knees and elbows. Over this is worn a suit of full plate armour: vambraces which are fully enclosed protect the whole of the forearm, while metal gauntlets - spiked along the knuckles - protected the hands. The torso is protected by a back- and breastplate, while large steel pauldrons are attached to protect the shoulders, with fully enclosed rerebraces around the upper arm and couters to protect the elbows. As with the vambraces and rerebraces, the greaves, cuisses, poleyns, and tassets provided full plate armour coverage for the legs of the warrior. The helmet is fully enclosed, leaving only the mouth open, and contains a long thin visor slit to allow the warrior see out. Adorning all the suits of Dumahim armour are spikes and horns, protruding from the shoulders, elbows, and helmet of the warrior's suit.
Supernatural Abilities
So strong are the Dumahim that, when summoning their supernatural strength, even fledglings can cause significant damage to a brick wall or similar barrier with their bare hands. Whilst fledglings may merely crack the wall in one blow, a fullblood could punch right through, creating a small hole due to the shockwaves of the impact. An Ancient Dumahim can. therefore, punch his way right through the wall. The larger and higher up the Dumahim, the bigger the hole in the wall - though doing this drains a Dumahim of much of his energy. The Dumahim are stronger than their brethren in other Clans, but are slower in speed and agility.
The Kin of the Dumahim
