A Heavy Rifle Team picking off enemy targets at long range
The houseguard Heavy Rifle Teams announce their presence with thunderous blasts followed by steel shattering. The heavy rounds of their rifles even penetrate warjack armor and destroy internal mechanisms. Operating far behind the front line, the team works in tandem to choose and dispatch each target. The pair’s spotter carefully takes sight with specialized instruments and aids the gunner in the constant calibration of his weapon’s complex sighting apparatus. From the secure hold of the cannon’s bipod, the gunner can be certain that his aim is steady and nearly flawless. No sooner has he pulled the trigger than the spotter reloads the gun, already sighting their next target.[1]
Because their typical targets are warjacks and other armored foes able to respond with extreme force, it is critical that the rifle team’s every shot counts.Thus these teams are often veteran houseguard rifleman who have displayed a remarkable calm under fire. The primary task of the rifle teams is to provide heavy but mobile support for other houseguard elements, but in recent months the Retribution has tasked them with accompanying mage hunter strike forces as well. The rifle teams cripple heavy armor as mage hunters close on enemy warcasters, and together they swiftly neutralize the might of the enemy.[1]
The concentrated fire of houseguard riflemen becomes even more dangerous when their target has already been badly damaged by a heavy rifle round. The weapon itself is a marvel of Iosan gun ballistics and arcanika, employing a heavy nonexplosive shot forged of tempered steel intended not to blast an enemy apart but to pierce through armor, leaving a gaping hole. Utilizing an integral force generator this shot is accelerated to a frightening velocity, far beyond that achieved by ordinary rifles.[1]