Founded six hundred years ago by the son of the mortal god Parem'Zel after the end of the great calamity and defeat of the dreaded Lich King. The seven kingdoms (originally nine), who unified were merged into a single nation overnight under the dominion of Overna City. The old kings swore fealty to the divine bloodline of Parem'Zel, becoming dukes of lesser states bound to the new high king and the Zel family. Because of this the Unified Kingdom is a hot bed of different cultures, dialects and traditions. It's citizens primarily human, but over time other races were slowly integrated into their society. For six centuries Overna became the only true super power throughout the known world. An imperialist country of different beliefs and interests that was bound to breed division and rebellion in the future. However in the past few decades its decline has only hastened the ascendance of its rivals.
Prince/Princess -Heirs To The Royal Throne. Duke/Duchess -High Governors of The Kingdom. Count/Countess - Lesser Governors Under The Dukes. Baron/Baroness - Mayors Ruling Over Single Cities/Towns.
Viceroy/Viceress - Administrators of Districts In Large Cities. Knights - Generals And Commanders of Armies.
HOUSE ULFHEIDIN - A proud and ancient house having dominion over the everything from greywood and the boreal mountains, all the way to the far north of the glacian tundra. Taking a white wolf upon a frozen shield as their sigil. The people of the north are known to be stubborn, strong willed, respectful of tradition and mildly superstitious. While their population numbers less then half a million, the northerners are resilient, survivors to the bitter end. While the mortal god six centuries ago had united House Ulfheidin with the southern houses under one banner, the people today are openly rebellious, suspicious of outsiders and will fight to defend the freedom of their way of life.HOUSE FLOELE - Ruling over everything from the broken isles to the river of magnus and the river of rotheim. The noble house of Floele are a fierce sea faring group of islanders. Taking the great kraken upon a blue shield as their sigil. Their lands corrupt and infested with all manner of smugglers, pirates and thieves. Raids along the roads by roaming gangs having become common place.HOUSE ZEPHEY - Utterly loyal to the throne, the noble house of Zephey has taken on a horned skull upon a blood red shield as their sigil. Signifying the terror they inflict upon traitors and enemies of the crown. Ruling everything from the scarlet isles to the western spire mountains and the sea of storms to the south. Warriors to the core, house Zephey contributes much of their forces to the imperial army and while they can certainly seem pompous, proud and stuck up, they are ruthless on the battlefield and show no mercy for law breakers and criminals in their lands.HOUSE MASTRIK - While loyal to the king, the noble house of Mastrik fails to show the same zeal as their neighbors the Zephey. By far the most populous region. Ruling over the heartland from the eastern spire mountains to the sea of scars and western copper mountains. Taking two crossed axes upon a bronze shield as their sigil. Known to be one of the most developed regions of the kingdoms along side house Ethiyis to the south. House Mastrik having a strong relationship with the royal family and often supporting the crown without question or delay on many occasions.HOUSE GLOSTEIN - A young house, having been granted dominion over the north eastern lands barely a century ago. A failed rebellion resulting in the destruction of the previous lords of the region and house Glostein being established as loyalists to the crown. Ruling everything from the emerald isles to the southern coast of the sea of frost and the eastern copper mountains. Taking a violet star upon a silver shield as their sigil. Those the noble house of Glostein may be loyal to the crown, its people are not. The memory of their failed rebellion only a hundred years ago still fresh in their minds.HOUSE SKUEN - Ruling over everything from the felune isles to the southern copper mountains and the river of lake nos. House Skuen is known for training some of the finest rangers, hunters and archers in the kingdom. With access to the largest forest in the land allowing them to be one of the sole suppliers of lumber across the continent of Oathia. Taking a black raven upon a green shield as their sigil, signifying House Skuen's woodland ancestry and heritage.HOUSE ETHIYIS - One of the most heavily population regions of the kingdom next to the heartland ruled by House Mastrik. By far one of the most diverse regions of the land, having territory spread out across Oathia, Furiya and Primar. Taking a golden scorpian upon a yellow shield as their sigil. Often considered the borderlands of the realm. Ruling over everything from the southern tip of greenwood to the bay of drayke and the eastern crimson mountains of furiya to the duran mountains of primar.
Plan to serve the Kingdom as a solider? Honorable choice, albeit you'll soon realize that your great sacrifice was a rather stupid one as well. The Overnan Military boasts a diverse standing professional army that seems to find a way to hurt you in the hardest way possible while building your crumpled form back up. Recruitment isn't as simple as being physically fit and able, though that is favorable and even if you're not, they can fix that.
Your background will come into play greatly in your training, as you will be asked if you grew up in a city, or town, or countryside, your former professions, and so on and so forth. They will group you in from others alike you to train. Certain favorable backgrounds are those that lived on the countryside, as they would likely already know some more of the harshness of the world such as lacking food and unbearable weather. Their training would be somewhat cut down in comparison to those that came from the cities, who the army would have trained further to withstand such ordeals.
Certain traits and skills were obviously favored, such as already being broad and strong, have good eyesight, skill as a seaman, or an experienced combatant from a mercenary background. Height, too, was extremely favorable, as anyone over 173 cm would find themselves more likely to be offered certain jobs that benefit from it. However, arguably the most useful skill is literacy. You could find yourself in a leadership position very quickly by knowing how to read.
During the training itself, the soldiers would be under regular and moderated consumption of Vonta Firmeda, a potion from the arrays of Soldado Solus, to make their training more fruitful. Generally, their initial training is primarily marching, formations and physical conditioning to improve both physical prowess and discipline, during which there are minor tests and exams to determine what possible specialization the recruit could take, with certain exercises being changed depending on the background of the group being trained. This training exemplifies the Overnan way of war, unit cohesion being the back bone upon which it lies upon. They are expected to able to quickly take complex formations and maneuvers (such as forming defensive orbs, wedges, or even just thickening the rows or columns they march in) without tripping on each other and maintaining adequate distance from one another upon command and march for over 5 hours, expected to cover at least 50 km while each carrying roughly 60-100 lbs of weight, without showing signs of tiring, which would be an impossibility to expect from a normal army but Vonta Firmeda makes this the bare minimum. All recruits, also, were expected to able to swim.
After this point, they are given a choice of what their exact place will be in the military. Of course, they would have had to met the requirements for joining them in the first place. The biggest choice would be having to choose to serve under the Legions under the High General and the Crusadrem Order, the Navy under the High Admiral, or the Gendarmarie under the High Inquisitor, as each are radically different from one another.
THE LEGION Most would choose the Four Legions, serving under their respective Guardian. They will be called Legionnaires, and advance towards becoming a Knight of the Crusadrem Order, a Legion Immortal. Their training up to now has catered to them joining the Legions, so the skills they had learned will match greatly.
Training for the Legion would not be so different, though certainly the specializations would prove another twist. There would be those that are put into specialist positions that function in smaller units which stresses the most out of personal skill over cohesion, though cohesion is still important. Others would still find their place marching alongside the thousands of other soldiers in rhythm, and some would find themselves riding on horses beside them, or brandishing bows, crossbows, and arrows behind them.
The general armor for the common legionnaire infantry would be red dyed brigandine with some pieces of segmented plate riveted over certain areas of it, particularly, the arms chest, hips, shins, and leather kneepads with hobnail rivets, and a metal helmet that also covered the back and sides of the head and even down to the nape at certain angles, providing high levels of protection from slashing, piercing, and blunt trauma though requiring a lot of endurance to be able to fight in, which the Legionnaire would have in spades, capable of outlasting almost every other force in combat even while wearing it. Underneath would be gambeson and around their waist would be cloth to prevent their tight belts from harming them, and also served as pockets. Their footwear composed either of a belted leather boots or strapped sandals sometimes with socks, depending on what terrain their legion is in, though both had hobnails riveted underneath to better grip the ground. Their scarves signified their rank and positon.
For archers, their armor tended to be lighter around the shoulders to allow them to draw their warbows and were otherwise the same. The normal cavalry would be quite similar as well, though likely lighter around the bottom half since they would be trained to quickly and acrobatically mount and dismount their horses and the armor below hampered that, though with the introduction of Cataphracts (extremely heavily armored cavalry wherein the horse would be practically covered in metal along with the rider) certain tactics have changed quite a bit.
Martially, they fight greatly as a unit with either spears or swords for the infantry, stabbing at the enemy behind their large shields that could cover their entire body at certain positions, an attack that doesn't require much stamina to do. In a formation, this was almost impenetrable to the enemy, and while they aren't incentivized to fight in single combat on the battlefield, they are certainly still very formidable. The archers often have a blunted sidearm and a dagger for melee, and the cavalry have large weapons such as spears, greatswords, or axes to punch through plate while riding by. During their training, their weapons, armors, and shields are often twice the weight of the actual equipment, in a very effective attempt to boost their strength, endurance and speed in an actual fight.
At a range, each and every legionnaire has an option. All of them are trained to use slings with sharp rocks and the infantry are equipped with such. However, before a charge, pilums were often thrown instead. The archers, well, they used their warbows, longbows or crossbows along with some of the cavalry, though some of the latter preferred pilums and slings. The pilums, during training, like their other equipment, are twice the weight of the real weapon.
Those with commanding positions such as Legion Immortals can easily be seen by either their colored scarf, personalized gear, or by the fact that they are usually taller than the rest of them (one of the reasons why they favored height). They will often have thicker, stronger armor, especially around the chest now that the advent of firearms is upon us.
These, however, are mostly generalities. Each Legion is different from one another, like the Furiyan Legion in the South favoring somewhat lighter armor due to the heat, or the Primarian Legion having to accommodate for the humidity.
Immunes Da Legion was a status given to a soldier that exempted them from physical manual labor such as hauling equipment or digging trenches because they had other skills to offer. The Immunes Da Legion consisted of Military Doctors and Healers, Engineers, Translators, Armorers, Rangers and more.
THE GENDARMARIE The Gendarmarie, or the Internal Troops, serve under the High Inquisitor, working as peacekeepers rather than dogs of war. They maintain order around the Kingdom, solving internal problems such as crimes or civilian unrest. Those in the Gendarmarie are called Gendarmes, and they work their way up the ladder to either becoming a Division Captain or an Inspettorre, otherwise known as an Inquisitor, Knights work with highly classified information that could cause great civil conflicts within the Kingdom if not handled properly, such as crimes of great aristocracy. Or they could undergo more training to become a Guardabosque of the Overnan Rangers who enforce law in the wildlands of the Kingdom to rural settlements.
Training for the Gendarmarie requires less cohesion than the Legion, though still very much ingrained in their training. Since they are law enforcement, a flexible, patient, perceptive and insightful mind is what they prefer to be able to handle the stress of dealing with civilians or solving criminal conspiracies. Their martial training involves working in smaller teams and they rely much more on personal combat skill. However, they are trained in defending the towns, cities, or villages from large sieges or raids, working in tandem with the hundreds of other Gendarmes and the Trained Militia to repel attacks.
Gendarmarie are expected to be able to persuade, diffuse or even intimidate a theat before it bursts. When there is civil unrest, they are expected to be not resort to lethal force unless necessary, focusing on disarming, disabling and/or restraining, which is another reason why personal combat skill is so much more emphasized in the Gendarmarie.
A Gendarme's weapons depend on their position. Those that guard the walls of a city are often armed with shields and spears with a smaller side arm or siege crossbows. Those that work inside the cities or towns carry dueling blades likerapiers or longswords, weapons made for dueling as they are more likely to face unarmored opponents, along with blunt weapons such as baton or even knuckledusters, and for ranged, longbows or composite bows, though there are those that preferred heavier weapons and armor, taking poleaxes and their ilk instead..
Their armor is also primarily brigandine and gambeson, though they have are distinguished by their medallions, and their armor is noticeably lighter and less obtrusive for daily life, along with generally being a lot less shiny and noisy to move around in. They do not wear colored scarves to determine rank and position, relying mostly on simply knowing who is who for the most part, though their medallions do carry the information.
The Guardabosque is a unique case. The Overnan Rangers are expected to carry everything they need on them and be entirely self-sufficient. They are regarded as elites for a reason, living in the wilds, maintaining their armor, weapons and tools on their own, while also working with only a limited network and a large, very large domain to keep track of.
The Guardabosque are equipped with practically everything they would need, dropping anything they could quickly craft or replcae with a different tool. They often carry machetes for melee weapons as it can be used to cut through underbrush and almost all of them have a composite or longbow. They are expected to craft, hunt, and maintain all of their needs, from fletching arrows to turning a stick into a spear if their machete doesn't favor them for a fight.
Most of the elites in the Gendarmarie are equipped with Diabolist Rings to shield them from magic and dispel it, along with Warning Sigils, only one supplied but many invest in having more Warning Sigils of different kinds.
THE NAVY The Overnan Navy, consisting of roughly a hundred warships and a few dozen dirgibles as Skyships, is rather small compared to the land forces. The Navymen report to the High Admiral who overseas ships both on sea and sky. They maintain peace on the traderoutes in the sea, and fight the Kingdom's battles on the water and in the air. They start out as Navymen, and working up the ship's ranks, to captain then Admiral, and perhaps High Admiral. Notably, there are also the Overnan Marines.
Training in the Overnan Navy is heavy on morale. You're stuck on a boat with only stretches of water for miles around. Discipline and teamwork in the navy surpasses that of the Legions, some say. Everyone on the ship works until they don't, which is when they're either asleep, dead, off on land, or the captain shot him and threw his body in the waters because he was siphoning off from the storages while everyone was asleep.
Their work involves maintaining and running the ship. As long as the ship lives, they live is what they say. Canons, ballistae and/or for Skyships, rocks and bombs to drop on units below. When engaging in melee combat, it is rarely ever unitary but ganging up on one guy isn't very complicated if they're isolated on a ship.
In terms of armor, they're often more reliant on ship defenses rather than their own as the ship acts as their armor. Most ships have some kind of cover shield that they can prop up quickly during a sea fight for their own personal defense. However, when it comes to blows, they do wear light brigandine similar to that of the Gendarmarie that doesn't impede their ability to climb or swim.
In terms of personal weapons, spears and sabers would be most utilized, mostly based on thrusting to accommodate for fights below deck where there isn't a lot of space to swing, though axes are also common to break through ship barricades. Spears, both throwing and melee, are used before boarding or preventing boarding. Of course, there are also designated archers who work as anti-personnel, though they're slowly being phased out as cannon fire develops with research on anti-personnel ammunition for cannons such as grapeshot.
THE ARISTOCRATIC RETINUE Of course, being an aristocrat in the military has its benefits. Most aristocrats who have interest in the military would have plenty of time to devote to the craft in comparison to newly trained soldiers similarly to professional soldiers in terms, along with a lot of money to buy gear and higher qualities of Soldado Solus to better maintain and develop their physical prowess. With a quick inspection of their skills, they may be allowed to skip over most of the basic training.
Of course, while they would already be learned in the theoretics of war and certainly trained in the application of personal combat skill, they would still have to go through the proper disciplinary acts and experience practical applications of those theoretic strategies they've read about in books. This is why most young aristocrats who wish to join the military often squire under Knights such as the Legion Immortal or Inspettore though they'd still be running as Menorres in the former, or serve as a Junior Officer underneath a Captain for the Navy.
MILITIA AND FREEMEN The commonfolk are expected to bare arms appropriate to their social class. They won't be seeing action as often nor will they be regularly subjected to training and usage of any formula of the Soldado Solus, so they aren't highly prized, though still crucial when it comes to local defenses.
Tournaments, regularly held melees, archery competitions/archery clubs and the inclusion of combat training and physical conditioning in their education are primarily what keeps what skills they have sharp. Due to having banned gambling, more people have taken up vocations in combat as a hobby. Once in a while, there will often be voluntary drills held by the local Gendarmarie to train them for any attacks on the town or city.
The usual weapon for the militia is axes, staves, and for the richer ones, dueling blades such as rapiers. Their armor is little to nothing except hand-me-downs and whatever the local blacksmith and the Gendarmarie can spare during times of duress. Shields are fairly common. There is actually a fairly large amount of amateur to professional level archers among the commonfolk, though the majority still use slings over bow and arrow.
The Soldado Solus, though certain variants being illegal for the commonfolk, are available to them if they have the money. These are often taken by people who have jobs that are physically demanding to help their endurance and stamina, as while it does take a small amount out of their purses, it will help them keep in the job even when coming to advances ages. As such, there will be quite a few men and women in incredible shape comparable to that of Elite Legionnaires, composing a substantial part of the militia. However, this has lead to Solus Addiction if not moderated.
If they were to be officially trained in preparation of being deployed as conscripts, they would be very similar to that of a new recruit, fresh from Legion Training in terms of equipment, skill, and effectiveness. You could even call them semi-professionals as the unique thing about Legion strategies is the endurance of their armies, which often leads to many commonfolk becoming veterans over the course of intense and long campaigns. Due to this, many civilians end up becoming veterans and highly skilled warriors themselves even after returning from the life of the army.
Mercenaries are hired often though their arrangement is very carefully laid out so that they don't disturb the complex strategies of the soldiers and hopefully instead compliment them. Mercenaries are professional soldiers so they're certainly more skilled than a new recruit, but they often lack the discipline or matching training to work in complete harmony with the legions, navy, or gendarmarie.
Mercenaries, as such, often march separately from the legions as most can't keep up with the marching pace of the legions, nor have the discipline or training to march in line, or in centuries, cohorts or legions. Often, they were grouped with the cavalry instead, if they had cavalry of their own.
Last Edit: Sept 27, 2021 13:20:19 GMT by Lyrian Zel: Changing stuff for a future post for signature weapons for the Overnan Military and also generally more detail.
The Soldado Solus is an array of potions crafted by Imperial Alchemist for the military, with the one most recognized being the Vonta Firmeda which is a section given to Professional Soldiers in training. The Soldado Solus is generally speaking, a mixture of healing, fortitude, and strength potions, albeit all very strained to focus on longevity rather than potency. Their purpose is to maximize the effectiveness of the training that the military receives.
The Vonta Firmeda is the weakest, cheapest and most common of the potions, produced in mass for consumption during their early training. The Vonta Firmeda allows them to heal from the strain caused by training faster and better with better results. The training is still certainly rough, still instilling discipline to keep with training even after graduating, so few actually drop in efficiency in their actual career after using it. However, there is a level of permanence in the mixture which is its primary goal: expanding recruitment. Soldiers need to be strong and hardy, capable of withstanding long bouts of unfavorable situations such as blistering cold or burning hot weather, or hunger and recurring pains, for a life in the military but not everyone is born equal in that regard. With the Vonta Firmeda and their training, the physically inept can still become an a great soldier with proper training and dedication as the strength and fortitude isn't completely from the potion so it doesn't fade entirely, therefore permanently altering their body in a way.
Overall, the Vonta Firmeda allows the army to pick much more liberally in recruitment as even a scrawny man can become strong enough to march alongside the others, allowing them to muster regain and expand military forces frighteningly quick. Other variants are much more potent but are more costly as well a detriment to the discipline of the soldiers, along with certain side-effects due to the increased potency, such as being addictive if not used in moderation. Those variants are often taken after their initial training, if the soldier can afford it, if they wish to further their prowess, and is often a requirement for certain higher ranking or specialist positions. These potions could result in incredible, inhuman physical prowess if correctly used.
It is through the Soldado Solus that the Overnan Army is not only so effective, but so large. The potions provide a consistent baseline quality which allows them to churn out highly effective soldiers, capable of traversing through any terrain, marching through the harshest of weather and still be able to overpower or outlast enemies, contributing as one of the factors for the Overnan Army's legendary endurance.
Dezari - A Dezari is the lowest grouping of soldiers in a Legion, counting only ten soldiers. Around two to four of them will be Menorre Legionnaires. No more than two will be Maiorres Legionnaires, with one being designated as the Dezari Capitarrã/Capitarro, leader of the Dezari in charge of the other members and relaying messages to each of them. A Dezari, during their career in the Legion before Knighthood to the Crusadrem Order, will be eating together, working together, living together, fighting together and so on and so forth, building personal camaraderie among them.
Cavali - A Cavali consists of both Light and Heavy Cavalry. They are often sent as scouts and while the Legion marches, they will often be doing drills to keep the connection between horseman and horse sharp. A Cavali often consist of around 10 Riders, and not every Centari has them. There are also an elite sub-type of Cavali called Aral-Cavali, aerial cavalry with Pegasi and are often only seen in the notably strong Corteri.
Centari - A Centari composes of ten Dezari and up to two Cavali, lead by a Legion Immortal and his second-in-command, the Vozarres Paladin alongside the Sentarres and the Ligarres. A Centari is the primary division of in the Legion, often experiencing the most singular and specific orders and task to branch off from the main Legion Body, as a single Centari is sufficient to go on singular raids or other such missions.
Corteri - The Corteri usually composes of five Centari and are numbered 1st-10th in the Legion. The 1st Corteri has Centari with double the strength as well as boasting the elite among the Legionnaires. Each Corteri is lead by an Incendarre Immortals or just Incendarre, the most renowned of the Legion Immortals leading the Centaris. The each of the Legion Immortals in the 1st Corteri are known as Estrefogolarre Immortals or just the Estrefogolarres, and the Incendarre of the 1st Cohort is known as the Primarre Immortal.
Corteri Oustroleri - A Corteri composed of Oustroleri Troops, Auxiliaries. These are mercenaries or camp followers, and all that are yet to be considered part of the Kingdom are considered Oustroleri and work in their Oustroleri. This is where you'll see a Mercenary Companies, thousands strong with specialized troops to pick up where the Legion is lacking, though primarily you'll be seeing lots and lots of Green Orc Berserkers, fighting for citizenship in the Kingdom. They are lead by the Oustroleri Preifotorre/Preifotorra Immortal.
Legion - A Legion consists of 10 Corteri, all lead by the Preifetorre/Preifatorre Immortal who managed the daily movement of the Legion, managing camp and orders down to the lesser ranked Immortals. They report directly to one of the four Guardians.
Common Ranks
Oustroleri - Others; auxiliaries. These are people that aren't officially part of the Legion but have either been hired or render service to it. Mercenaries, Camp Followers, and a vast collection of Orcs.
Menorre Legionnaire - Menores are the lowest ranked of the Legionnaires, fresh out of training. Few of them have wet their blade, and near to none of them have been given the status of Immunes, most of those few are Squires underneath the Immortals.
Moderro Legionnaire - Moderros is your average Legionnaire, having experienced the tides of battle quite a few times. Some of them have attained the status of Immunes, gifting them alleviation from physical labor like digging trenches, night-guarding, or graves for the dead. They don't receive a different salary compared to the Menorres but their experience still often gifts them the ability to reave bonuses and rewards.
Maiorre Legionnaire - Maiorres are Veteran Legionnaires and are often put in leadership positions over the other lesser Legionnaire, often put in the position of Dezari Capitarrã/Capitarro in Dezeris.
Premiorre Legionnaire - Premiorres are Elite Legionnaires often as consultants of the Legion Immortal leading the Centari.
Crusadrem Ranks
Ligarres Immortal - The Ligarres Immortal, the one of two lowest ranking Knights of the Crusadrem, is in charge of bearing the flag of the Centari and using an array of flags raised upon their pole to communicate. They also use two horns, one deep and one higher pitched, and several discs on their flag, alchemically altered to create unique sounds at loud volumes which they can hit in different orders to make far more complex messages.
Sentarris Immortal - The Sentarris Immortal is the second of the two lowest ranking Knights of the Crusadrem and is in charge of scouting, local information, guard patrols, and work for the Non-Immunes troops.
Legion Immortal - The Legion Immortal is the head of the Centari, leading a hundred men into battle and governing their resources. The Legion Immortal is expected to be sound and strong of mind, charisma and body, a well-rounded soldier. They are the representation of what a Legionnaire should aspire to be. Incendarre Immortals, Estrefogolarre Immortals and the Primarre Immortal are all still Legion Immortals, though recognized as progressively more elite than the last.
Priefotorre/Preifattore Immortal - The Priefotorre (Masculine)/ Priefatorre (Feminine) leads the Legion and commands the Legion Immortals. The Oustroleri Priefotorre/Priefatorre Immortal is lesser than the Legion Priefotorres/Priefatorres, commanding over the Oustroleri and acting as second-in-command to the Legion total. The Priefatorre/Priefotorre reports directly to one of the Four Crusadrem Guardians.