SAFELSTRANS For starters I would have the Seshnegi clothing scheme imposed on the Safelstrans as a deliberate attempt to civilize them. Anybody wearing the older autarchy fashions is liable for severe punishment. Some Safelstrans could evade the laws by dressing up as an Orlanthi fuzzie-wuzzie instead.
The ancient Autarchy fashion was I feel based on the Dari Alliance which was a confederation of horsemen lording it over sedentary populations. To make the Galanini as different from the Grazers and the Selerans, I base the Dari Alliance on the Manchu (with the big difference that the Galanini are dominating Malkioni and other peoples rather than Chinese). When Arkat takes over, he transforms the Galanini hordes into Arkati armies.
So when the Seshnegi take over, one of the first things they do is to outlaw all Safelstran horsemen. They'll rely on their own horsepower for cavalry needs and for native infantry, they'll ensure their loyalty by having a seshnegi or an exotic squad fighting alongside every two native squads.
So what type of weapons would the native Safelstrans fight with? We could look at the cult of Yelorna which is supposedly an offshoot from the Galanini there. They have two types of foot troops there - the shield maidens and the wanderers. There's also the Labrys which the Yelornans don't use.
Shieldmen - equipped with spears and large shields. Rather than prescribe a particular type of spear and shield combat, I have the shieldmen being a variety of types based on the number of people they have fought against. They will range from the ancient Hypaspists to the Pelorian Phalanxes and Orlanthi Shieldwalls.
Wanderers - are skirmishers or, as the Seshnegi might call them, bandits.
Labryades - wielders of the Labrys. These shocktroopers worship some aldryami death cult and go into battle tanked up on the gloranthan equivalent of nescafe and LSD. Many of them are likely to be Basmoli.
Arkati - no longer allowed to have horses, the Arkat will rely on secrecy and attack with little more than a sharp dagger. They will prefer hooded robes and for anonymity and to spread terror, they might wear easily donned (and discarded) krjalki masks with the faces of Uz, Dragonewts and Broos.
SESHNEGI The Seshnegi infantry will be basically clad in iron and wield iron weapons (both produced from the Iron Mountains). The iron protects them against enemy spells which means that every contest is basically one of numbers. Since Iron is the death metal and you were casting around for a stormtrooper analogy, you could call them deathtroopers. Their armour won't be completely iron - it could just be as simple as a leather coat with iron discs sown on. There won't be anything as fancy as a suit of mail as it would use too much iron and use too much labour to produce for little extra benefit. The average deathtrooper would have just enough iron to make him immune to spells and if he wants additional armour then he's likely to consider bronze addons.
The Seshnegi cavalry can't wear iron armour as their horses aren't big enough to carry the extra weight needed to give them decent magical protection. Royal troops will be equipped with flaming sabres and lances while troops from other aristocratic houses will have their own version of magic (ie the d'Estau forces will have sinister draconic weaponry or dragonbone armour).
JRUSTELI The Jrusteli are even wealthier, healthier and larger versions of the Seshnegi. One difference between them and the Seshnegi is the comparative lack of iron among the Jrusteli. The Jrusteli are even more outlandish in the use of magic than the Seshnegi. A type of trooper among them is the grenadier, either brave or foolhardy souls who specialize in throwing burning water from the Sea of Flame. They will also have beetlers, shepherds of tamed timinits and fliers (think Brazil-type flying wings). Their cavalry will be heroic in appearance rather than fight as a disciplined formation.
UMATHELANS The Umathelans are somewhat haunted by the fate of the Vadeli who settled Umathela in the Storm Age and became evil. They range from rigid puritans to the "gone natives" or even the "heart of darkness" types. They don't have much in the way of cavalry and use Fonritan shoveltuskers instead as their beasts of war, even to the extent of mounting magical siege engines on them. They will also have spirit warriors, special warriors who keep Umathela free of unclean spirits. They fight with magical swords that can trap spirits whether free-floating or the souls of those they've killed. Supposedly they are supposed to return the filled magical swords for safe disposal but practically all of them know how to tap the trapped spirits for magical powers.
GOD LEARNERS: By God Learners, I assume you mean specific God Learner magicians (ie worshippers of Malkoneran) rather than citizens of the God Learner Empire). The God Learners have spent their time going into the Hero Planes time and again and so it marks them. I'm inclined to suggest the following scheme to denote the power of the God Learners depending on how much they have been heroquesting
Green - what everybody has. They are not aware of the insights conferred by Malkoneran so are blind to the power of the hero planes.
Golden - the beginning god learner. Moderately powerful. Does everything by the book and is extremely put out by unexpected responses.
Storm - the mature God Learner. Very powerful. As internalized the insight of Malkoneran and is adept and clever in what he does. However chafes at the rules of society and is likely to be a constant source of trouble for people on his own side.
Darkness - the advanced God Learner. Extremely powerful. The insights of Malkoneran are consuming him causing his body to turn against himself. Horrendous magical effects can occur in his presence. Only deathtroopers can bear to be in his presence. Eventually he'll die of what other God Learners describe as "natural causes"
--Peter Metcalfe
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