Editing Kingdoms of Ind (section)

==WAP Presents: Kingdoms of Ind==
Naturally, given it's made of fans, the [[Warhammer Army Project]] decided that if [[Games Workshop]] wasn't going to get off their overpaid arses and do something with the Kingdoms of Ind, then ''they'' would!

Whilst human-based armies in Warhammer traditionally tend towards the [[Low Fantasy]] end of the scale due to its historical wargaming roots, and WAP normally follows that tradition, the WAP version of the Kingdoms of Ind army book is a lot more fantastical than you might expect. Whether this is because Indian mythology has a lot more crazy fantasy shit to draw inspiration from (and not as many specific ideas for human troops), or because the meagre canon lore for Ind mentions Indans fighting alongside [[beastfolk|non-evil man-beasts]], or simply because Total War inspired them with its ''very'' [[High Fantasy]] interpretation of [[Cathay]], well, who can say?

The leaders of the armies of Ind are, of course, the '''Maharajahs''' and their subordinate '''Rajahs''', the many nobles and warlords of the fractured kingdoms. In battle, a Maharajah may be borne atop a throne carried by elite warriors called, simply, '''Throne Bearers'''.

'''Gurus''' are the spiritual leaders of Ind; wisemen who convey the wills of the many gods and perform the sacred rituals. In times of battle, they reveal their powers; they are the [[wizard]]s of Ind, using the Lores of [[Aqshy|Fire]], [[Azyr|Heavens]], [[Hysh|Light]], [[Ghyran|Life]], or the Indan-unique spells of the Lore of the Devas.

The core of the Indan forces are, of course, [[human]] troopers in various designation. The backbone of their infantry are the '''Rajputs''', a warrior caste who serve as the primary infantry of the army. These are bolstered by '''Maratha Archers''', '''Urumi Swordsmen''' (who devote themselves to the dangerously flexible "whip-sword" of Ind), '''Pindari Cavalry''', '''Camel Gunners''' from the northern deserts, '''Zamindar Horsemen''' and finally the long-suffering '''Peasant Levies''', who technically have it better than [[Skaven]] [[slave]]s... ''technically''.

Above these are the still-human but more elite (or at least irregular) troopers. '''Thugees''' are "holy murderers", religious devotees of the death goddess Kali-ma who use the cover of battle to claim their tally of souls and loot from the enemy. The '''Maiden Guard''' are [[Amazon|warrior-women]] who serve as elite bodyguards to the royal princes of Ind. The simply titled '''Holy Warriors''' are Indan [[paladin]]s devoted to war and the Devas in that order. '''Royal Chariots''' are, of course, a step above "mere" horsemen.

Which brings us to the topic of battle-beasts. Indan '''Beastmasters''' train tigers and panthers as beasts of war in the way their Old World counterparts train war dogs; the biggest of these great cats, the dreaded [[Dire Animal|dire tigers]], are even used as steeds by an elite order of cavalrymen known as the '''Bengal Riders'''. '''War Elephants''' (and their bigger counterparts, the colossal '''Royal Elephants''') are some of the most famous steeds of the Indan forces. Finally, whilst well-paid fakirs may use their music to lead poisonous '''Snake Swarms''' into battle, true beastmasters instead attempt to tame the incredibly deadly and unpredictable '''[[Basilisk]]'''.

But wait, there's more! Now we need to talk about the more fantastical members of the army!

'''[[Vishkanya]]''' (clearly inspired by the [[Pathfinder]] race, which was admittedly inspired by Indian mythology) are a mysterious race of [[Amazon|warrior-women]] who are [[serpentfolk|half-women and half-serpent]]. Not as overtly as the [[Naga]]s (we'll get to them in a moment), but they have gold-colored eyes, a serpent's forked tongue in their mouth, small finely meshed scales for skin, and lethally poisonous spittle and blood. They often hire themselves out as [[assassin]]s and are believed to be the last remnants of a now-lost race that ruled Ind before the coming of mankind.

There are also two other "[[demihuman]]" races. [[Vanara]]s are a benevolent and friendly race of [[beastfolk|humanoid monkeys]], deeply curious about the world around them and renowned for their cleverness, love of pranks, and their '''deep''' loyalty to kith and kin. Despite the frequent attacks on their villages by Indan [[ogre]]s, they are a far remove from the monstrous [[beastmen]] of the Old World, and often fight alongside Indan forces. '''[[Rakshasa]]s''', a race of [[catfolk|humanoid tigers]], are much less benevolent; though still not inherently evil, they are selfish and fickle, combining many of the worst traits of man and tiger. Still, they often march to war to protect their human neighbors... if only to ensure a steady supply of offerings of meat and rice.

Finally, there are the '''Devas'''; the most mystical aspect of the Indan armies, for they are living embodiments of the various and demigods of Indan mythology. Basically, they're non-evil [[daemon]]s, though beware the wrath of any Indan who hears you make such a comparison! The greatest of all the devas are the Avatars of the Trimurti Deva; living embodiments (Greater Daemons) of '''Brahmir the Creator''', '''Vaishna the Preserver''' and '''Shaivi the Destroyer'''. Lesser devas include the '''Kalaratri''' ([[Daemonette|four-armed, three-eyed, near-naked warrior-women]]), '''[[Marut]]s''' ([[Golem|human-shaped statues of animate onyx clad in golden armor]]), '''Garudas''' (benevolent, brightly colored humanoid birds renown for their warrior skills), '''Ganeshans''' (huge but gentle four-armed elephant-men) and '''[[Naga]]s''' (four-armed human warriors with the lower bodies of giant snakes).

Finally, no army would be complete without special characters:
* [[Darahma]]
* [[Karishna]]
* [[Urjana]]
* [[Mhogli]]
* [[Parashuruma]]