This Quar's War - Crusader Ailthean Tractor
The Ailthean Light Armored Tractor first rolled into service in 1750. With scouting and pursuit duties along the rugged Tok-Kryst frontier becoming the norm, the Tokish Tractor Corps needed a vehicle that could actually keep up. Unlike its predecessors, the Ailthean was a clean-slate design, built from the treads up. It boasted thicker armor, an enclosed hull, a vastly improved suspension, and twice the cadier-power of the previous designs. But this performance came at a cost: the fighting compartment is tight, hot, and deafening. During long marches, it’s common to see the commander and gunner perched atop the hull for a breath of air and elbow room, while the poor driver clanks along below, sweating and cursing every rut in the trail.
Designed as a rhyfler support tractor, the Ailthean is usually attached directly to infantry units, where it scouts ahead, screens advancing units, and lends its 78mm gun to the line when things get loud. The main gun, while intended for high-explosive and smoke shells, can double as an effective anti-tractor weapon against lighter foes. Like most Tok designs, it favors protection over speed, with a combined hull-and-turret structure. Unfortunately, that turret must be rotated using the vehicle’s own transmission—disengaging the tracks to turn the gun. It’s a fine trade… until the target moves.
