Army of Cathay.

[elflord9d]

I have always wanted to see and asian themed army and where better to make one than Cathay? i was wondering if anyone would like to help me with this.

i was thinking about useing a lot of asian mythological creatures such as the Fu dogs, and Oni(ogre/demon) and of course the dragon. im not very good at making stats anf rules so i was wondering if some people would like to help.

[Arguleon Veq]

Sure i'l help but it will be a lot of work.

It might be a while before i can coem up with much for it though.

I'd check out the existing fluff on cathay first as there is already quite a bit so you can get official ideas for units then. Things that you actually know exist inteh fantasy world.

[elflord9d]

well there have been rumors of ninja (and even the ninja of cathay teaching the skaven the ninja and assasain skills. but thats the only unti i have heard about them.

[Wargamer]

I've been wondering about this too... and I see Samurai in their future! ;D

[elflord9d]

thats was the same thing i was thinking.
i was also thinking that we could make up our own race for it. i have a few ideas. we could have fox-people dont know the name yet probably the japanese name for fox. hold on lets me see what it is.

ok the name is kitsune. (kit-sue-nay)

[Archangel Tirus]

Just do Japanese theme. Call it something better. And we will make the play of the army first, then the rules governing this idea of play then the stats.

Just do it on the board.

[Arguleon Veq]

Cathay does really has very little linking it to japan.

Nippon is the warhammer realm influenced by Japan.

Cathay is influenced by China.

The Grand Army of Cathay:

Id probably have a lot of spearmen as these are mentioned in the fluff quite alot.

There is also mention of an elite guard although i cant quite remember the name of them. Also the dragon monks would provide an interesting unit.

[Arguleon Veq]

Ok im not sure of the original source of all this stuff as it was in some old word documents that i forgot i had:

'Imperial Cathay is the largest cohesive nation in the World, with the longest continuous history of any human nation.

Nonhumans: There are not a lot of non-humans living in Cathay and the Emperor is content to see things stay that way. Sea-elves live in some carefully controlled AND ostracized islands. Contact with them is strictly forbid except for trade. The situation was not always that way, but since the last Edict of Foreign Tributaries was refused by the elves a large deployment of Imperial bannermen has maintained the seperation.
Dwarves are known, especially from the mountains of Kitsevara. However, they are regarded as strange and exotic. Halflings are entirely unknown and would probably be regarded as freaks, or worse mistaken for a ‘niang’ (daemon child).

Elephants are found in the south. Rarely they are also brought north to the capital-more often they are known for their ivory which brings a high price in most cities.
Only rarely will elephants be used by the military- only one mercenary unit in Cathay is known to do so- Hsiung’s Confident Tusks Society.

Dragons Unlike the Old World, where they are relatively rare and almost
legendary, Cathay has a preponderance of dragons of many types. Rather than attempt to describe each type of dragon individually here, let it be said that almost any
color/size/shape or dragon exists somewhere in Cathay.Like all dragon-kind they aren’t given to much interaction with lesser beings, instead they usually act as protectors and guardians of certain areas. In some cases, dragons have a special divine relationship with the 9 Sages, whom they act for or with. Additionally, they also have a kind of Elemental nature which might account for the variety'

[Arguleon Veq]

Elementals For information on the varieties and nature of Elementals see Ken Rolston’s Realms of Sorcery. Because of the relative popularity of Elemental magic in Cathay the lesser elementals such as nodes, sprites, and servants are not uncommon. However, this should not be taken to mean that these creatures are to be seen everywhere! They will generally be tied to a certain place in some way (as the Ren-Shen spirit) and usually only take action if there is some disturbance or danger.

Phoenix (Feng Huang) Unlike the Western phoenix, which is a mythical flaming bird, the Cathanese phoenix is a divine winged creature of rainbow hue. Very rare, like the dragon in the Old World, these creatures are believed to symbolize good fortune and heavenly will. They are the servants of the 9 Sages and are employed to provide aid and advice to those favoured by the gods. Killing these creatures is extremely bad luck.

Fox Spirits (Hu li jin) These are not animal spirits like the turtle and carp, rather they are a variety of lycanthrope. Usually the fox spirit will take the form of a young and desirable maiden. The male fox spirits, rare as they are, appear either as erudite and handsome men or a wise sage. Fox spirit can be discovered by their tails. Some of them have not quite mastered the human form. While their body looks human enough, the tail remains. They solve the problem by tucking their tail inside their pants or under their skirt. The ones who have mastered the human form can be enticed to show their true form by getting them drunk. Their other form is that of a fox-headed humanoid. They will only take this form during the full moon or during a lunar eclipse. If they are killed, they revert to this original form.
Usually it is the female fox spirits which are the most dangerous. They usually seek to copulate with human males. They use the sexual act itself to absorb their partner's chi (energy) in order to add to their own powers. Such relationships, if prolonged, result in sickness and eventually death for the man.

[Arguleon Veq]

Beastmen Like elsewhere in the Warhammer world, these foul creatures are common in deep woods (Song Jiang especially) and all across the Chaos wastes to the north of Cathay.

Mutants Mutation is also a problem in Cathay, as it is in the Old World. Usually these unfortunates are killed immediately. However, a few have banded together into groups and are known to live in the wastelands of the west. Around the Watchtower of Leng, mutations are frequent and the few human settlements in that area are filled with them.

Skaven The skaven have few underground lairs in the lands of Cathay. Clan Eshin does have warrens in the major coastal cities such as Hai Kang but this is largely for communication purposes with their larger warrens in Nippon. In the western mountains in the province of Wanbao, Clan Moulder maintains a medium sized warren for the purposes of tracking down warpstone in the area.

Chaos Warbands In past dynasties these have never been much of a serious threat, as the gods of Chaos seemed to turn most of their attention to the Old World nations. However, within the present dynasty they have becoming more and more frequent- terrorizing the border provinces to the north and the south. The two large enclaves are situated at the Red Mansion (Khorne) and the Tower of Leng (Tzeentch). Those bands dedicated to the Blood God are generally heavily armoured behemoths as they are elsewhere. Those dedicated to Tzeentch however are usually mutated psychopaths proficient in the use of both magick and martial arts.

Undead are relatively common throughout Cathay. Tales of wandering spirits, disembodied corpses, hungry vampires and mindless zombies fill the legends told over a warm cup in the taverns and teashops. In the last dynasty many of the tales, both true and false, were collected by the scholar Li Jian in the work known as “Stories from the Lohai Studio”

The Cathanese vampire is slightly different than the Old World variety. For one, their appearance is more beastly- with long extended fangs and long steely claws. As well, the Cathanese vampire is usually a skilled wizard or necromancer with a retinue of skeletons, zombies, or ghouls.
They are known to fear certain symbols of warding and are harmed by daylight but have no aversion to garlic or natural ability to assume a bat form. Destroying a Cathanese vampire is possible only through beheading, burning, AND scattering the remains to the four winds. Any failure to complete the process will result in the foul creature reforming in a few days or weeks, usually with a nasty grudge!

[Arguleon Veq]

The Empire of Cathay is unique in that it is a nation founded on the principles of
the Gods of Law. Its highly complex , and at times, baroque bureaucracy is a direct result of the belief in an orderly, systematic approach to government. The Ruler of the Earth (the Emperor) is spiritually chosen by Solkan, himself at the head of the Heavenly Bureaucracy.
On a more practical level, the empire is made up of a strong Imperial central core (the various Ministries in the capital and the Emperor), a widespread and fairly well educated middle bureaucracy, relatively self-governing provinces with a huge, by Old World standards, local peasantry.

Hobgoblins

This is a loose confederation of petty warlord clans west/southwest of Cathay.
Apart from periodic thrusts east, the Hegemony primarily interests itself with the taxing trade routes while guarding them from smaller bandits. Most of the clans are semi-nomadic, moving between args (hill caves, cliffs, passes) according to the season. Warbands make seasonal raids on neighbors.
At various times the Hegemony has shrunk to as small as 2 or 3 clans or
expanded to as many as 8. Since the rise of the Chaos dwarves further west, the hobgoblins have seen their territory shrinking considerably, and have some of the more restless clans have migrated northwest as far as Kislev (see Something Rotten in Kislev). Lately, rumour has it that the Emperor has been sending supplies to the Hobgoblins in their war with the Chaos dwarves in return for safe passage of the trade caravans.

Nippon
Much of what the Cathanese know about their island neighbors is tainted
by the continued bad relations between the two. Most Cathanese believe them to be pirates and bandits living in a land of little culture. In earlier times, the Nipponese ambassodors to Cathay brought some small tribute in exchange for learning and culture. Additionally, the priests of Vimto are known to have contact with their brothers, and occasionally a Nipponese wizard is known to visit Cathay.

Sind/Indhya
Very little is known of this land south of Cathay, across the Kamalayan Mts. Some
travellers have managed to make the journey and return to Cathay but there is no constant trade between the two. Rumored to be a land of dark-skinned warrior-priests.

[Arguleon Veq]

Military Organization
The armies of Imperial Cathay are based on the banner, or regiment. Each
regiment is commanded by a general. Below the banner is a variable number of companies led by Commanders. The smallest unit is the squadron of between 30 and 50 men, each with their own Subcommander. Also attached to the army is a variety of skirmishers, cavalry, artillery, scout units, and wizards trained in battle magic depending upon the resources available. There is also a navy, which is broken into several fleets each with an Admiral.
The primary troop type in Cathay is the foot soldier, usually armed with a spear
or polearm of some kind. Armor is generally limited to padded cloth jerkins and possibly a leather cap or wicker hat. Cavalry is reserved for the nobility, responsible for their own gear and upkeep. They are usually armed with halberds, sword, and clad in scale or banded leather.
The Cathanese artillery is perhaps the most feared in the Warhammer world.
They are equipped with a wide variety of cannons, bombards, rockets, bombs, ballistae, and other siege weapons. Attached to the artillery units are the sappers, engineers, and any wizards or elementalists.
Strategy is considered a philosophical as well as a martial pursuit in Cathay.
For this reason, many of the most famous scholars have written or commented on strategic treatises such as the “Art of Combat”.

Mercenaries

The Emperor and the local nobility both employ a wide range of mercenaries and
hired troops for their campaigns. The most famous of these are the ogres of the west, who often come east for the better “victuals” than those found in their native desert and hill country.
Human mercenaries are also quite common, including the northern barbarians such as the Ungol, who are highly skilled as light cavalry, the Tialanese, deadly practitioners of guerilla and jungle warfare, footmen from Han Kuo, and the occasional Nipponese freebooters.

Unlike the Old World however, the use of heavy plate and chain mail armors is
rare. The warriors of Cathay prefer speed and dexterity to the complete protection sought by the Old World knights. Shields are known, but rarely used.

Gunpowder & Explosives

The Cathanese were the first civilized nation in the Old World to develop and use
explosives. Even today, their use of various kinds of rockets, fireworks, bombs, and cannons rivals that of the Old World nations. Only in the use of personal firearms does Cathay lag behind that of the West.

Martial Arts Styles
There is one general field of Martial Arts, which instructs the student in the arts of self defense. The student, when first an Initiate or Apprentice Martial Artist, is trained in the use. Many in Imperial Cathay and Nippon are trained in this rudimentary style, from Imperial Cathanese Bureaucrats, to Skaven Assassins, to Nipponese Samurai. Those who choose to study Martial Arts as Monastic Initiates will progress in both knowledge and skill as they are instructed in the secrets of their Monastic Order. The Orders have their own unique styles, employed by the order, and it is in the orders’ advanced style that the Martial Artist will be trained to an incredible degree.

The Imperial Dragon Style
The Emperor, also known as the Imperial Dragon, had a number of master’s gathered who created this art as an expression of Imperial Will. Amongst the most beautiful and fluid, it is also one of the most aggressive. Flying leaps, kicks, spins and flurries.
The Imperial Dragon Order was organized by Emperor Cao Tzu of the Yon Dynasty, who organized this monastery to head off the popularity of other cults. Supported by the Emperor, it is the largest order, with a score of monasteries and numerous pupils, spread all about the Central States of Imperial Cathay.
Many of it’s pupils end up with commissions in the Imperial Army. The most fanatical and loyal followers will become body guards to the Emperor. Others are used to fill Imperial posts. Many of the members of this Order are the sons of bureaucrats and other Imperial officials.

One secretive branch of the order known as the Order of the Puissant Flame is rumored to be based in the capital. They are dedicated to Law and the war against Chaos. They are the closest to an official Inquisition in Imperial Cathay.'

As i am unsure as to who the original author is (im sure the site i got it off mentioned that it was official fantasy RP stuff but i cant remember) i cant really attribute it to them. But here it is anyway.

[Utsujin]

Actually about 4 years ago i created my own cathay list. and recently i started to buy figures that were in somewhat scale to warhammer. so far im 2-0 with them. they are very fun to use. even though my naming is probably way off the only fluff i actually have is from the BRB.

[elflord9d]

wow where'd you get all that fluff!?!?!?!?