Pikes of the Purest (innovation)
To hear the lords of Opakhasia tell it, the Illustrious Sun-Crowned Brotherhood of the Pikes of the Purest are an ancient and deadly institution dating back to the days before Aversaria overtook the Mountain-Sun Temple. They claim that these men are the mightiest soldiers in the Aautokrata, whose impenetrable golden armor bears the blessing of the Purest himself.
These are, of course, pretenses. The gold is a thin layer of gilding over mundane iron, and their pristine white uniforms the product of excessive bleaching. The Aironoi snicker that the Opakhasians have even had to start recruiting barbarian mercenaries to fill the ranks. Regardless of these indignities, the Opakhasians do still benefit from an indisputably effective military tradition of pike warfare going back a millennia, and the often overlooked morale benefits of good uniform design. Despite being a prohibitive expense that modern Opakhasia can barely afford to field, they can still win battles.