The Vitrian Dragoons are an Imperial Guard regiment from the world of Vitria. The Dragoons stem from a martial culture formed entirely around the Vitrian Honour Code, the Byhata, an ancient treatise on warfare. Every Vitrian Trooper carries his own copy of the Byhata on his person at all times, even into combat. Tradition states that the Byhata should be carried in a special pocket under the trooper's armour, directly over his heart. Every copy of the Byhata is fitted with a lock that is gene-coded to the owner, so that only he may open the book. In the Vitrian culture, it is a capital offense for anyone other than a Vitrian to gain access to or read the Byhata.
The Dragoons are a heavy infantry regiment and have a Stormtrooper mentality, constantly firing their las weapons on the highest setting, as it states in the Byhata that one should always strive to make the first hit the last one. While this means that each shot is more likely to pentrate armour and inflict greater tissue damage on the target, it also means they deplete their las-clips far more quickly than other regiments with a more measured approach. Vitrian Dragoons wear specially fitted armor formed from the metallic glass that their homeworld is famous for. This glass armour gives the Vitrian Dragoons extraordinary protection, especially against energy weapons. At the flip of a switch on the waist, the glass pieces of the armour will rotate in place to present the much darker underside, providing the Vitrians with effective nighttime camoflauge.
Regiments of Vitrian Dragoons have fought in many warzones across the Imperium, including several regiments fighting in the ongoing Sabbat Worlds Crusade. The regiment led by Colonel Zoren has fought alongside the Tanith First and Only on several occasions, and Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt considers Zoren to be a close friend. At the current time of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, this particular regiment of Vitrians has been on garrison rotation for several years, much to the envy of their Tanith friends...
Sources
- The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Background Book)
- Gaunt's Ghosts Novel Seres by Dan Abnett