Military Introduction
The Telarion military is broken down into three separate sections of management that runs separate until the need arise's for them to coordinate together. While each seat is an expert and shown that they can more then handle the military branch they are put in charge. They are heavily encouraged to always expand their learning and knowledge to have at least the very basic understanding of how the other branches work.
Defense and Town Guards.
The Seat of the Shield over seas the management of all defenses of the realm be it castle's, walls, port defenses or the towns guard. This allows the rest of the council to deal with their other duties without having to worry.
Defense's:
The defenses of the realm are built with care and devotion a priest of Silas is present during every construction, offering his knowledge to the architects and to double check any plans that are laid forth.
Castles and strong holds are built in stone brick, with a large entrance gate that is flanked by two square defensive towers. The gates are made out of wood reinforced with Iron banding and studs to help strengthen them. A inner courtyard is present with stables located to one side, blacksmith to maintain the troops daily armor and repair needs, and a store house for water and grain.
Around this lies a moat that runs around the entity of the castle itself the sides are shored up with brick to protect against erosion and to help protect against efforts of tunneling. The moats are a standard minimum of ten feet deep by thirty feet wide to ensure that no man can easily walk across the bottoms. A single wooden bridge connects the castle or fortification to the land around it, kept in good repair but two large ceramic jars of tar are kept near it. For the even of a siege the tar can be broken and the bridge burned.
Around this moat is a space of fifty feet and the outer wall, no buildings are allowed in this radius, to offer substantial lines of open area for archers to fire upon without obstruction. A outer wall is at this point built to the specifications as the castles own walls with a similar moat and bridge system.
This is all built around a central keep that over looks everything and where the local commander or lord resides with his family. As well as a barracks, kitchen, privy, dining and meeting halls. are located here the stairwells here only offer room for one man at a time to come up them.
Port Defenses:
Port cities commonly have the main castle and citadel at the heart of them, and smaller defensive castles located at the port itself. Usually a main castle defensive structure right at the heart of the entrance to the port itself. With two more located on either side of it it offering a triangular defensive look. Walls are constructed between the defensive forts with towers dotting every twenty feet. Man built land is shored up on either side of the port where two large defensive towers are built. These pair of towers offer a dual purpose of defense and also act as light house's to guide ships in bad weather. A sea chain links the two towers to be raised up to block ships from entering in the case of siege.
The city guards in all city or towns wear a unified uniform wearing a purple cotton coat with green pants. The sigil of the god Rahas is sown onto their right arms, they live by the motto
"For the People". They take oaths against corruption and misdeed living to help out the common people and make sure the laws are enforced.
They commonly wear a steel chest piece over their coat, and carry a short sword at their hip and a Halberd with a common poultice kit on their belt. They tend to travel on patrol around the city in groups of four. Two of the men are outfitted with longbows and arrows while the other two carry the common gear.
Each city guard is run by a commander who reports directly to the Seat of the Shield and makes sure that his guard keeps the peace. In the event of disaster or rioting he can request other guardsmen for the other cities from the council, and military support if needed.
The seat of the Crimson Wave: This seat upon the council manages the Armed Naval ships and and personnel. He over seas the order of new construction of ships, their building supply and maintenance. As well he coordinates with the Seat of the Golden Coin to produce and build the trade fleet, and to ensure the routes he selects are properly secured.
Ship's
The ships of the Telarion navy is navy is split into two separate style of ships the Galleon and Schooner.The galleons form the fist of the naval power dueling rival ships for their immense power in combat when met. The Schooner's act as scout ships and raiders being the eyes and ears of the galleons.
Galleons:
The ships built under this class are generally three decks tall with a forecastle, with elaborate decoration and enameling in the wood for decoration. each deck tends to have ten guns each resulting in thirty per side to sixty over all, with four swivel cannons, two fore and two aft.
Schooner:
Acting as the eyes an ears of the fleet being able to go into shallower bodies of water. The design of these ships are rather basic made to be shallow and fast. They tend to carry a compliment of six guns on each side of the ship and two swivels to the aft. Offering landing troops closer support fire and ability to get closer to shore before having to row,servin as well as the main merchant vessels of the Telarions.
Sailors/tactics
Sailors of the navy wear white cotton short sleeves, with regular breeches cloaks are provided for use during heavy storm weather. Heavily disciplined and drilled relentlessly to perfection these sailors work like well oiled machine. When out at sea ships tend to run with four galleons and two schooners as support. Communicating via ship signals during the day and lanterns by night.
When engaging a enemy fleet they schooner's keep distance and secure the flanks of the fleet to prevent the enemy ships from slipping behind their slower moving brethren. The galleons form up in a line to preform rolling broadsides to pummel the enemies into submission.
The seat of Sword overseas the Land Military making sure that all the militias are properly trained and prepared. That the active military force is ready for service well equipped and payed for. Making sure the troops participate in yearly battle drilling and mock sieges so that troops get practice in their craft.
Heavy Calvary:
The Taleron heavy Calvary is one of immense pride to the Taleron people horses and knights wear the finest and most ornate plate that can be made yet still retain function. Carrying lances for their charges, and short sword for close range engagements. Often nobility fulfill these roles, being the only ones able to afford the costly armor.
Foot Soldier:
The common foot soldier wears a unifying uniform of green and red cotton cloth. A simple steel chest plate and helm. The soldiers are broken down into four groups pike men,swordsmen,long bowmen, and crossbowmen and then artillery. Each support eachother on the battlefield working by alternating depending on what they are up against.
The normal draw of the battle line flows like the following, Long Bow men stand in the front ranks having laid down caltrops, and stakes into the ground to help break up calvary charges. Behind them stand cross bowmen these units do not fire their bolts, saving them to volley in mass to help break up any potential charge.
Finally located right behind them are the pike men standing ready to step forward as the the archers and crossbow's retreat behind these lines. Located behind them are swordsmen with shields ready to engage any infantry in close quarters combat.
Located behind all these lines sit the cannons firing from afar to soften up enemy armies before the primary engagment. Prefering to hold stationary ground and pound their enemies into submission. The heavy calvary sits on the flanks of the army itself to protect it from any form of calvary attacks or to flank the enemy army when it proves advantagious.
Pikemen: The pike men carry ten foot long pikes tipped with iron tip that had serrated or what is called cheeks upon it. They carried a steel chest plate and concave helm as well as a dagger on their waist.
Swordsmen: Swordsemn carry the same armor compliment as the pikemen the change in their outfit is. The carrying of short swords and steel unlike their pikemen brethren these soldiers do not fight as a unit but singular once the battle is joined, wearing daggers on thier hips as well.
Longbowmen: The Longbowmen use a english style longbow the length of these bows varry upon the man themselves. As the bows tend to be as tall as the man wielding it, as well they carry atleast at a minimium fourteen arrows. Allowing a commander atleast fourteen vollies, though their men may carry more if they wish or commanders may add to the count. They also carry two wooden stakes three feet in length and a pouch of caltrops.
Their armor is relativly simple as they wear leather bracers to protect thier wrists from the bows string. They wear leather aprons over a lightl chainmail armor and cotton shirts and breeches. They wear steel capped helmets, and have daggers on their hips.
Crossbowmen: Crossbowmen wear the same uniform as their longbow breathren, the only change to this is of course the crossbow itself and the reloader.
Battle field set up:
The set up upon the field of battle is prefered to open plains where they can make effective use of combing their artiller and archers to hold an enemy in place. While their heavy calvary close in upon the flanks to smash the enemy over and over like a smith striking a forge. Extremly patient and not over brash they will wait for moments to strike.
Archers set up their stakes poundings their stakes into triangular lines that alternate to creat wedges, making sure to pound the stake in firmly atleast a foot. A gap of two feet follow behind the stakes before laying down their caltrops six feet deep evenly spread. This allows a gap so that any horses falling over steaks do not waist any of the caltrops, any horses makign it over or threw will still have to maunever the clatrops themselves.
The Longbow men then set up four feet from behind the caltrops themselves creating a gap from the archer line to the stakes of twelve feet, that the enemy has to negotiate to make it to them. Archers put their arrows head first into the ground beside thier feet for easy reach standing in a even line.
Standing behind the longbowmen by a distnace of one foot is the Crossbow men loaded and ready. These men and woman wait patiently for the enemy to commit themselves, once the enemy has breached the stake line the archers step back as the crossbowmen kneel and take aim. Once the enemy is half way threw the caltrops they open fire in mass unison to help break up the charge.
Behind the crossbowmen stand the pikemen who stand two men breath apart in distance, creating shallow lines that the longbowmen and crossbowmen can retreat into. As they retreat the mand from the closest edge to the gap, and the third step forward to close it. The first row of pikemen drop their spears strairt out front, as the second rank then drop their pikes up at a angel between the right shoulder of the man ifnront of the and the left should of the man on their right, creating a porcipine effect.
At this point the swords men hang back and wait for any gaps that might fill into the pikemens formation and fill in the breaches, to fight them off supported by the crossbowmen and archers firing into anyone they can find as targets that open up.
Behind all of this stands the artillery peices of cannon, they stand in groups of four seperated by ten feet alternating from the left flank cannons, moving five feet forward and back.To ensure that the peices are offset as well and not set as a striaght line making it more difficult for enemy artillery to take all cannosn out having constantly adjust range to do so. Theses pieces fire from left to right following thier naval counterparts creating something akin to a rolling broadside.
When close combat is engaged the cannons continue to fire on the rear of the enemy to help stem the flow of reinfrocements to the front bringing their fire inwards as the heavy calvary, hems in the sides of the enemy to creat a goblet effect.
