Author: Brendan Moyle
Under Discussion
Proposal:
Modify the Cuman nobles to:
Cuman nobles as irr Cv(O) @ 7 ap 0-12
Regrade Cuman nobles with lances as irr Cv(S) @ 9 ap 0-half
Justification:
The absence of Cuman Cv(S) is a puzzle, as these are available to contemperous Central Asian (Ghuzz) and Eurasian (Pecheneg) peoples.
The Chronicle of Morea describes the Cuman contingent that helped defeat Boniface (1207 AD) as having some of the mounted with lances. These were separate to those armed with short spears (jerid / djerid / jereed). As only some were armed with lances, I assume that these formed a minority (nobles) of the army- and even then, these were not universally armed with lances. The later attack on Baldwin only describes the Cumans closing with clubs and maces (salives).
Reference:
Lurier, H.E. (trans).Crusaders as Conquerors: The Chronicle of Morea. Columbia University Press, New York and London, 1964, p97-100.