Kain's Empire
The Razielim
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.
When Kain created the Lieutenants, he created Raziel first, earning him a large portion of Kain's gift. When his 'son'
matured, Kain ordered him to raise an army worthy of the new empire. And so the
Razielim Clan was born. Taking in Human recruits as well as creating more
Vampires, Raziel trained his Clan hard, drilling the will of Kain into all of
them. Soon the Razielim were ready for war - ready to fight and die for their
Master Kain.
While the other Clans gathered their forces in preparation to march out from the
Pillars, the Razielim had already sallied forth, marching northwards first and
assaulting the city of Coorhagen. Though valiant, the defenders were too few and
too poorly equipped and trained, and the city of Kain's birth fell in short
order. Leaving behind a large enough force, Raziel then turned his attention
towards the Western Territories.
Rich in ore and natural resources, the Western Territories Raziel figured would
make a fine addition to Kain's empire, and in this assumption the firstborn
Lieutenant was correct. Leaving Turel and Dumah to conquer the northern lands,
Raziel took the bulk of his legions into the mountainous west, protracting a
decade long campaign to seize the lands from the Human barbarians - even by
their own kind's standards. The campaign came to an end on the battlefield of
Kanterik, where Raziel faced off against the last of the Human armies and
defeated them, slaying their leader in the process.
With the Western Territories now part of the empire, Raziel commenced work
building the citadel which would serve as his base of operations, situation it
upon the ruins near Kanterik, which would lead up to the great gates of the new
stronghold. Word reached Raziel soon enough of the campaign's plight to
the north, where Dumah's forces were under threat of being completely destroyed
by a large allied force under the command of King Frederick of Willendorf.
Dumah himself was engaged at the Sarafan Stronghold, and thus was unable to
return north. With no leader to match Frederick, things looked grim for
the Vampires.
In a selfless and ingenious act, Raziel marshaled his own forces and - leaving lands to the west unconquered - marched through the underground tunnel network that linked all the Clans' cities together, his warriors enduring a forced march that saw them there twice as fast as would normally be anticipated. Emerging in the newly christened Dark Stronghold, Raziel marched south, and blockaded Frederick's advance north. The king chose to garrison the town of Stahlberg and then goaded the firstborn into attacking, sending the Vampire letters directly insulting him, his brethren, and even Kain. What he said has yet to be told, but Raziel did not let this injustice go unanswered: the Razielim army marched out and assaulted the town of Stahlberg, despite the prospect of high casualties.
The Battle of Stahlberg lasted for three days, but the end result surprised many, Raziel most of all. The Razielim had defeated the allied army, routing them and sending them home to tell their kind of the defeat. Frederick himself was slain at Raziel's own hands. However, it was not the Vampire victory that was most surprising than the fact that due to his tactics and strategy, Raziel had ensured his forces suffered fewer casualties than anyone, even himself and Kain, had expected. Returning to the Sanctuary hours ahead of Turel, who had defeated the renegade Vampires, Kain applauded his firstborn son on his victory. Though Raziel was disheartened to learn that the lands ripe for his Clan to take had now fallen to the Melchahim, this was a small price to pay to earn the greatest reward a Lieutenant could fathom - Kain's favor, and a place as his right hand. This set him out from his brethren, but also began a feud between his Clan and that of his brother Turel.
Doctrine
The Razielim are the senior Clan, favored of Kain Himself. As such, they provide
more troops than any other Clan for Kain's personal legion, and in other
multi-Clan legions often make up the commanders, as they are blessed with an
astounding tactical intuition - for the most part. Their armies are a sight to
behold: large muddy red banners depicting their Clan emblem held aloft over
ranks of well-trained, disciplined warriors. Though not as meticulous as the
Turelim, they believe in a good plan of attack, but when they strike it is hard
and fast, and usually unpredictable. A favoured tactic of the Razielim is to
apply pressure on all fronts, forcing their enemy to stretch out their resources
while another force of Razielim is assembled out of sight and once ready strikes
hard at one point along the enemy line.
Weapons and Armour
The primary weapon of the Razielim legions is the spear. The spear is made of oak or ash and stands about nine feet high, the last two feet of which is the steel blade sharpened on both sides and curving to a point. Fixed into the base of the blade was a bronze effigy of the symbol of the Razielim. Underneath the blade is attached a small triangular shaped banner, mud red in color and depicting the emblem of their Clan. For ranged combat, the longbow is the preferred choice. A Razielim shield is long and broad, and made of a number of different layers of wood which is edged in metal. The wood is stained a crimson, almost black color and the surface bears the Razielim Clan insignia in white. The shields are curved to help the warrior more easily deflect the blows of his enemy, and the bottom edge comes to a point.
The Razielim are armoured in a combination of plate and mail armour. Beneath all is a long-sleeved under-tunic and hose that is white in color. Over this goes a hauberk of heavy mail that extends to the elbows and waist. Leather gloves and tall boots are worn, and between the gloves and sleeve of the hauberk is worn steel vambraces on either forearm, strapped together with leathers, and likewise between boots and knees is worn steel greaves, which are similarly attached. Over the hauberk is worn a steel cuirass consisting of a breastplate and backplate strapped together with leathers. Over the cuirass a tabard of heavy mud-red color decorated in leather with the Razielim Clan symbol was added. The helmet is of simple design, a plain open-faced helmet made of steel to which was welded a plate that extended down to protect the neck. Captains add to this ensemble a long cloak, the color varying between officers.
Supernatural Abilities
Like their Lieutenant and liege lord, the Razielim are possessed with an ability to leap farther than any other vampire, and can even glide to allow them a more softer landing. If they concentrate enough, and expend enough of their energy, a Razielim can leap distances that would seem impossible for any being to make. Also, some of the more senior fullbloods have shown an ability to enter into the Spectral Realm, though for only a short period of time lest they be trapped in that shadowy realm forever - this however is extremely rare. Other than these abilities, the Razielim are practically the same as the archetypical Vampire - they have no added strengths or weaknesses.
The Kin of the Razielim
