Hakkapeliitta

Hakkapeliittas are light cavalry troops of Finland which act as the first line of defence against the Heretic menace of the Northern Hellgate. Their name is derived from their warcry “Hakkaa päälle!” (roughly translated as ”Strike at them!”) and it has echoed across many battlefields since the formation of the units in the 1600s to counter the opening of the Northern Hellgate.

Motor vehicles are an expensive rarity here, far from the main power centres of the Faithful: instead the protectors of the North rely on their trusty cold-blooded finnhorses, smaller in size than many of their counterparts, but strong, hardy and well-suited to the freezing temperatures of the harsh Finnish winter.

Hakkapeliittas are armed with rapid-fire rifles and pistols they like to shoot at close distance, though some are expert marksmen and dismount to act as deadly snipers when they detect the enemy. In melee they use cavalry swords as well as lances tipped with explosives. Their tactics involve rushing at the enemy and firing a rapid volley with their pistols, then charging in with their swords. If they encounter heavily-armoured enemies, the explosive lances are brought to bear. The armour worn by both the soldiers and their horses is lighter than that of their counterparts in other Faithful nations, reflecting the rarity of the precious orichalcum steel in the far north.

Lacking manufacturing plants of their own, Finnish soldiers are experts at using the weapons, munitions and equipment taken from their fallen enemies. Most faithful armies refuse to even touch such armaments, fearing the corrupting influence of Hell, but the warriors of the North can afford no such luxury, and can be seen handling rifles and blades taken as war-prizes from fallen Heretics.

Few roads cross the trackless forest of Finland, that stretches for hundreds of miles. The roads themselves act as ideal places to ambush the Heretics, and terrain outside the roads is even more dangerous: within the impenetrable woodlands deadly swamps and bogs await the unwary during the summer, while during the dark of winter a deathly pall of snow descends upon the land. The cold brings quick death to any would-be invader who would cross this unforgiving land unprepared and ill-equipped. The Finnish forces use their knowledge of the lay of the land to even the odds: they are too few in numbers to match their enemies in open battles.

During major invasions the Hakkapeliittas act as recon and skirmish forces, delaying the enemy as the Faithful muster their armies to counter them. In recent years, the Death Factories of Hell have begun to produce more and more tanks and other armoured vehicles. The Hakkapeliittas have adapted their tactics in response, carrying anti-vehicle mines, Molotov Cocktails and other weapons capable of dealing with enemy armour, as well as their traditional weapons, which lack the power to pierce the metals crafted in the iron city of Dis.

These Finnish border reavers know the importance of their role: the populations of the North are too small and the border area too vast and inhospitable for permanent defensive lines. Instead, the Hakkapeliittas must determine when they are facing clever feints or small raider warbands and when the forces of Hell are mustering for major invasions. Many in the past have penetrated deep into Faithful lands, with the most recent one driving far into the south when a full-scale invasion by the followers of Ziminiar struck deep into the south in 1908.

The invaders were only stopped in the cataclysmic battle of Vilnius where the combined forces of the Kalmar Union, Free State of Prussia, Czardom of Novgorod, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Principality of Kyiv stopped them at the very gates of the ancient city.

To avoid another disaster from such an invasion, the patrols of the North must keep an eternal vigilance over these forbidding, vast lands. The Hakkapeliitta shown here, Johannes “Falk” Koskela, is one of them: a veteran warrior who patrols the Northern frontier, intercepting small Heretic warbands and watching the North for any signs of major invasions and intercepting enemy infiltrators and raiding parties.

Johannes served for seven years in New Antioch before returning to his northern homeland hardened by war. Haunted by his experiences, he enlisted with the border forces and joined many others like him, who understand why return to civilian life is near-impossible. He is known for his near-suicidal bravery in long-distance patrols that have taken him ever-nearer to the Hellmouth itself.

His faithful steed, Hela, shows the terrible signs of corruption that plague all animals that stray too close to the Infernal gate. As with many steeds, Hela is festooned with holy symbols, as these are believed to keep evil at bay. The bond between the steed and the rider is often strong, and the Hakkapeliittas spend much of their meagre pay on holy icons and crucifixes, hoping to protect their loyal mounts from the influence of evil, as well as from the dreaded marbendill of the Path of the Beast, which stalk the forgotten grottos and swamps in the lands that have been claimed by the Heretic lords of the North.