​Battlefield Role: Heavy Cavalry
Steed: Windcliff Warhorses. (The colour depends on the Clan)
Weapons: A Longsword/axe and a long cavalry shield.
Outfit: Nasal helmet and partial plate armour over steel scale mail. The colour of their uniforms vary from clan to clan.
Skill level: Born to the saddle. Proficiency in horseback fighting.
Affiliation: All the Clans of Windcliff.
Doctrine: Nephele's Way of the Rider
Strengths: Those riders are nomad amazons who know their horses better them themselves, charging through the steppes like a thundering storm of trampling hooves.
Weaknesses: They don't fight so well when dismounted.
Windcliff Riders
The cold and inhospitable steppes of Windcliff are a hell of harsh place for anyone to call home. Storms, blizzards and strong winds make sure this already rocky and barren land grows nothing but the thoughest wild grass, making the local inhabitants also very though, forced to rely a lot on keeping themselves and their herds always on the move in order to survive.
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From grassland to grassland, the Windcliff Riders struggle in a constant fight against the environment itself, enduring not only the volatile local weather, but also the dire predators that prey upon their cattle, sheep and equines. Their semi-nomadic life is not easy, but what doesn't kill you always makes you stronger.
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Either affiliated to one of the major Clans of Windcliff or alone and all by themselves with their small families, those riders actually endure the harshness of the steppes with a smile on their faces. They slay wolves and hunt down wild buffalos just to cull down the wild animals numbers, making their own subsistence out of a diet of meat and dairies produced by their own livestock. But whenever war comes upon them, they gladdly saddle up their most praised Windcliff Wild Steeds and ride to battle alongside the rest of their kin, facing any human foe just like they'd face the already dire challenges of their daily survival.
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As such, the Windcliff Riders are a rather heterogeneous amazon fighting force, being mostly trained by their own small families out in the vastness of the endless steppes, but becoming rather proficient in equitation nonetheless. They ride wild horses that are born and raised free alongside their chidren, building an everlasting bond in between horse and rider, which makes them highly skilled cavalry units for anyone who ever faces them.
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At times, there might be war amongst the Clans themselves, making those riders fight against their own kin, which means they have a lot of experience in taking down enemy cavalry. However, they mostly assemble in defense of their lands, not to attack each others.
They are bound to, and will, follow the Grand Chieftess of Windcliff to war if any outsider force threatens the well-being of the Clans, uniting under a single unstoppable fighting force and stomping anything standing on the way of their horses. Because as much as the rivalry amongst the clans can be strong, kin is kin!
Steeds: Windcliff Warhorses
With all this taken into account, anyone can say that the amazons of Windcliff are a rather simple and humble folk, living their relatively calm and quiet lives upon their fabled wild stallions. Some amazons from other regions do even stretch the truth to say that the Confederation of the United Clans of WIndcliff is nothing but a bunch of barbaric tribes full of underdeveloped clanswomen who worship a heretic minor Goddess of Horses as their main deity, but that is a hell of a hoax!
Truth be told, no one can ever say that the amazons of Windcliff are either underdeveloped or barbaric, because their hearts are pure and always full of warmth and good intentions, while their lifestyle is just different, not undeveloped per say. They do indeed worship a minor goddess of horses named Nephele above all the actual major Arandolian Goddesses like Hera and Athena, but Nephele is a kind and benevolent goddess too, who inspires her worshipers to be generous and friendly to people and animals alike.
Moreover, the shepherds of Windcliff have an unparalleled empirical knowledge about animal husbandry and veterinary biology, breeding animals that are far healthier, stronger and more productive than even the best farms of the warm and rich South of Arandolia. The small permanent settlements of Windcliff are also relatively enlightened centers of culture and manufactury, producing some of the best cheese, jerky and leatherwork of the entire amazon nation.
Saddly enough, due to both the strong self-sustainable local way of life and to the enormous geographical isolation of Windcliff, very few of the fine wares and of the rich culture of the diverse Clans of Windcliff leaves the regional borders to reach the other corners of Arandolia. For the rest of the amazons, Windcliff is up to this day seen as a barbaric land set back in time, while for the amazons of Windcliff, the rest of Arandolia never concerned them too much to begin with...