Armies of the Kaltstaat
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The legacy of the Kaltreich’s army reaches far back into history. It has seen many triumphs, and few losses in the field. The army traces its origins back to the Empire of Turia, and ambitions for an empire of man. There, the first Kaiser waged civil war against Arthorius the Lich and the seed of the Anhalder Empire was planted.
Some of the remnants of those older days can still be found in its modern incarnation.
There will always be some presence at sea, but the Kaltreich’s forces amass on land first, and little emphasis is placed on flagships and vast armadas.
Favoring crossbows over alternatives.
Brutal pragmatism is the rule of the day. A man can become trained with a crossbow in a matter of days, and with a few years experience become nigh as good a shot as someone who has trained their entire lives with a longbow. The Kaltic army cannot sustain the same volume of fire, but a single bolt from a powerful crossbow packs enough of a punch to kill a knight.
The tradition of armored knights.
While every army has some amount of cavalry, none field so many, nor so bold, nor as heavily armored, as Kaltic knights. This culture is reinforced by the state, which subsidizes even ignoble lancers to ensure that they have the finest armor and mightiest destriers.
Favoring the elite.
There is no tradition of serfdom in the Kaltreich, and so little basis for conscription. Always it is the nobility who are expected to defend the land, and the wealthiest of those nobility will often finance their own personal retinues.
The ranks in the army do not necessarily denote equipment, as what they use will be dictated by the noble whose army they make up.
Soldat
Soldat, plural soldaten, is the lowest rank of the army. How well they are equipped depends on the wealth and generosity of their noble overlord, and their duties vary just as much. They carry out menial work at the direction of higher officers, and make up the bulk of shield walls or archery emplacements. More rarely, they are given horses to ride and serve perhaps as forward scouts or the closest thing the army has to light cavalry. When garrisoned in cities, they are often known as Wächter, watchmen.
Serjeant
Serjeants aren’t that much different from soldaten, except with more experience on campaign and usually better equipment. If they are not already trained in riding a horse, it is expected that serjeants be taught how, and also how to fight on horseback. They are occasionally given lesser soldiers to lead and direct as an officer would, and after having experience on horseback and as an officer, only the whims of their lords keeps them from advancing rank further.
Kapitän
Not every kapitän is a knight, but all knights are automatically kapitäne. I don’t have a keyboard with accented keys and I don’t want to keep using alt-codes, so I’m going to use the english “captain” henceforth. Captains are explicitly officers, but new officers - especially those who earn the title by being a knight with little experience leading others into battle - may be seen fighting in formation under a more senior officer. Rarely are they expected to lead on foot, and they are often given armored destriers by the state if they cannot afford them themselves. Captains and serjeants make up the bulk of cavalry formations, thundering across the plains, but those are only ever led by…
Rittmeister
“Knight captain” as it would be known in common, a Rittmeister is the most elite soldier of the army. Only they and members of the Hochversammlung appointed by the Marshal are permitted to lead the cavalry when in battle, for if even a small contingent of armored knights were lost, it would be a terrible blow to the state. They are expected to be career soldiers even in peace, plying their trade as enforcers of noble will. Many Rittmeister have served or are currently serving as Executors.
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