Warfare

War is something that has existed in one form or another, to one degree or another, for nearly twenty centuries on Wyrlde.

The Military acts as security and insurance, both against the greed and aspiration of other realms, and the persistent and ongoing danger of disaster, lemurian invasion, Dread raids, and more. All the major realms have standing armies, though this does exclude the less civilized Hyborian and Kahokian peoples, and the Sea Realms tend towards naval efforts and not so much terrestrial military.

The convocation has left many of these resembling each other, as while the Nobility would meet, the generals and admirals and such would as well, comparing notes, developing out and into a kind of set pattern that is common among all the existing forces.

This makes it easier for the Emperor to summon up troops and demand allegiance, something expected for him to do in times of high conflict or disaster or invasion.

Military Organization

The military of Wyrlde can be roughly divided up into five kinds of service: Infantry, Cavalry, Naval, Air, and Logistics. While not every realm has an established or standing military force, an agreement was forged at the Convocation about twelve years ago among all of them to standardize the ranks and units (except for the number of people in a squad or the nature of those serving). This has proven useful on many occasions and helped ease some of the potential conflicts, especially with the presence of the assorted policing forces.

Unit structures

The Military unit sizes of the Imperial World are as follows.

The base unit is the Squad. The Squad may or may not be broken down into two or more sub-groups, but it is the base unit that the realms deal with. A Squad is the same across all the types of military force – it is the smallest complement on a ship, and the core team for a logistical group. The name for a squad leader can vary greatly, but the most common leaders of a squad are Sergeants and within a squad are Corporals. Five Squads form a Platoon.

Five Platoons form a Company. A Captain always leads a Company. A Company is usually what mans a warship and is the standard infantry formation.

Five Companies form a Cohort. A Commander leads a Cohort. For many realms, a Cohort is the unit that oversees patrols and security. The logistical Cohorts always have a wizard or similar spellcaster attached to them.

Five Cohorts for a Brigade. A Brigade is led by a Major.

Five Brigades form a Legion. For most realms, this is the largest group that can be assembled at once. Legions will usually have a Cohort of Logistics, Infantry, and Cavalry assigned together. Naval Legions are sometimes called a battlegroup and include several ships (one per company plus a Flagship) and will always include coordination, as will air groups. Legions are led by a Coronel.

Five Legions form an Army. An Army is a ground-based group, an Armada is a sea-based group, and a Flight is an air-based group. Armies are overseen by Generals. Armies are seen mostly during the later winter as they march off to war, typically two to five Armies heading for the Crusades. Presently, Only Sibola and Aztlan have Flights, but most have at least one Armada, with Sibola having three and Aztlan having four.

Support & Specialty Units

All large forces require support and specialty units. There are a few very common ones, found both within the Lemurian and Sibolan militaries. Lemuria, for example, has the Redcaps.

Hese special units follow the same general chain of command above the Company level but may have different internal structures within the Company and lower. These units are grouped into

Counting support and specialized personnel, the average size of an Army is 125,000 men, women, and enbies.

Camp Followers are forcefully discouraged by some commanders, encouraged by others, and the followers themselves are rarely bothered by either. Of late, they are most often found among units in Durango and Lyonese, as the Goblin raids are more frequent, and the Red Gap is a known route taken by Lemurian armies.

Militia

Militia are the common folk, called up in service to the Liege to defend their homes. Militia are composed of every able-bodied person over the age of 21 and younger than 75. Militia who have children will send their children to the local refuge or leave them in the care of those over 75.

The Battlecraft of Wyrlde

Battlecraft come in three rough categories, each with three different kinds. These are used in warfare, which is slowly becoming more common on Wyrlde.

Siege Engines

These are usually divided into Sappers, Towers, and Rams. These are primarily designed for defense of the soldiers within them as they approach the walls or ram the gates or dig the tunnels to bring down the walls. All are wheeled craft, capable of being drawn by large teams, armored with stone or clay plating over a metal layer bound to wood. Siege engines are all set up to be rapidly deployed using a standard module system that also allows them to be stored in one or two Containers for movement.

Field Engines

Field Engines are grouped into Artillery, Carriages, and Emplacements. These are weapons that are used to attack and destroy opponents. Emplacements are easily disassembled large weapons – catapults and related items – that are hauled in on wagon trains usually ten to fifteen wagons long. They are very rarely used, and thus far only Sibola seems to have any.

Artillery is usually large-scale scorpions and ballistae, set on wheeled platforms that have complex systems of movement for fine tuning the positioning vertically or horizontally while also ensuring level. The typical one can hurl a 45-pound shot or spear a good four hundred yards and with enough force to penetrate stone less than six inches thick or metal less than three. Two to four of these can usually be loaded into a Container.

Carriages are solidly built wagons that have a large protective housing for the team of four that pulls them, a protective encasement around the wagon proper which houses four to six ballistae, and enough space for the team of six to twelve that operates it. They are large vehicles, built on the same mold as the Container, and they use a peculiar axle system that allows each wheel to move independently. The wheels are spiked, and the teams must be specially trained – a typical carriage will have three teams per day for the operation of one over a six to ten-hour day.

Logistical craft

Carriers, Support, and Medical wagons comprise the rest here. When battle is certain or the area is thought to be under attack, the Carriers will come into play. Each carrier is a large wagon drawn by a team of six to eight that can carry up to twenty soldiers and their gear.

Support craft include the field kitchen and flag corps, as well as the Camp Team. Usually six wheeled, these are just larger than usual wagons with special designs to enable the work to be done quickly, or to haul the Containers.

Medical wagons are always marked by a large white triangle with a large red circle in it. They house healers, barbers, and surgeons, as well as their equipment.

One thing common to all Logistical craft is that they are built in the same fashion as Containers (see Sails of Wyrlde) and can be moved wholesale by any of the major transport systems.