The King of Pontos and his kin ride to war with the finest horsemen in the realm as retainers, handpicked for their bravery, equestrian skills and social standing.

Elite
Disciplined
Hardy

The King of Pontos and his kin ride to war with the finest horsemen in the realm as retainers, handpicked for their bravery, equestrian skills and social standing. Only the richest men in the kingdom can afford the expensive weapons and armor, or set out on campaign with the finest warhorses gold can buy. The cavalrymen themselves are drawn from the Hellenic nobility in the poleis under Pontic rule or from hellenized subjects, like Kappadokians, Galatians or Anatolians. The bodyguards are modeled after the famed Hetairoi or Companions of Megas Alexandros himself, whom the Pontic Kings wish to emulate. The riders themselves are armed with the lances & swords and wear Hellenic heavy armor, while their mounts are fully covered in armor, showing a clear influence from Armenian or Hellenic cataphracts.

Historically, cavalry like these evolved when Pontos became a large kingdom and had a large wealthy nobility to draw troops from. The Pontic Kings took great care to portray themselves as true Philhellenes and statues in Rhodes & Delos were erected of them. Mithridates VI Eupator emulated Alexander the Great in many ways and it is very likely that his predominantly Hellenic cavalry retainers wore armor comparable to that of both Alexandrian and contemporary Companion cavalry.