The Four Arms

The old ways of war can no longer continue. Vardania has need of a new type of army. One that is prepared for every eventuality and will crush any foe it encounters.

— Maria the Red

The formation, alternatively known as the Severan Army, Imperial Legion or Four Arms, was a military system established during the early days of the Fourth Tarquinnian Hegemony that would greatly influence the realm's development and eventually dominate imperial politics for nigh on two hundred years.

Severan Reformation

When Maria Severa took the throne of the Hegemony in 2937 DA, she did so on the back of her army. An army which was in dire need of reform and reorganisation, as the prior war had shown. While reasonably effective, the old Severan Army had grown slow and cumbersome, relying heavily on long supply trains and massed formations.
The highly centralised army command was unable to keep up with the ever-expanding borders of the Hegemony and could not be expected to react to invasion or rebellion with any sort of speed. Extensive reorganisation saw it split up, forming smaller and more mobile units with a bigger emphasis on cavalry and independent action.
Command was split as well, with each main front of the Hegemony being put under the watch of a different general staff. Said staff had free reign over every aspect from recruitment to equipment and garrison duties of their respective army, funding being the only aspect to remain in the government's hands.

Four Arms of the Realm

In theory, this would allow the armies to focus on one front at a time and react more effectively to any emerging threat. It also relieved the government of a massive burden, allowing it to concentrate on other matters. Paradoxically, the split resulted in the Imperial Army swelling in number, partially due to the Hegemony's expansion, which increased both its man power pool and border length. Additionally, Imperial Generals began to use their growing armies to leverage more funds and privileges from the government in Tarquinnia.

Independence

The system, while decently effective, possessed two fatal flaws, however. For one, the individual army commands no longer needed to rely on the government for most of their duties. Officer recruitment was fully in the hands of the Legates, and most important positions quickly fell into the hands of wealthy clans and families, the famous of these, the Amares Family, turning the Western Command into its personal army. Worse was that the boundaries of what an army could and could not do would expand in the face of increasingly impotent Emperors. Eventually, this included the ability to start wars without consent from the Imperial Government.

Justification

A prospect that became increasingly attractive, mainly due to the way that funding of the Four Arms worked. The amount of money an army received was tied to need. The greater the potential for conflict, the greater the amount of funding that was allocated. While sensible, in theory, it caused the Four Arms to actively seek out potential threats in order to fill their coffers. At first, this was confined to military representatives exaggerating the threats faced by their respective commands. Soon, however, it escalated into constant border raids, diplomatic provocations and even attempts to destabilise neighbouring countries to fabricate an excuse for war.

By 2980 DA, the Hegemony had effectively lost control of its army, its Emperors dominated by successive military cliques. Their influence would grow even further, eventually enabling them to raise and depose Emperors at will. With the ruling Severan Dynasty losing most of its authority, usurpation, the ancient bane of every royal, reared its ugly head again.
At their height, the Four Arms tore the Hegemony apart, and for a period of over 120 years, there was not a single Emperor not hailing from the Military High Command. The constant battle for dominance would weaken the Arms, and the Breaking of the March would cripple them to the point that the emerging Artanid Dynasty was able to disband them in 3159 DA.

You have done your service and, for better or worse, have shaped this Empire over the ages. Now, it is time for the Arms to rest.

— Gordian VII. disbanding the Arms

2940 - 3159

Type

Military, Army

Alternative Names

Severan Army
Legia Magna Imperialis

Leader Title

Legatus Imperii

Parent Organization

Fourth Tarquinnian Hegemony

The Four Arms:
Legia Eanis - Hammer of the East

• Nominal Strength: ~ 215,000

• Headquarter: Vitra

• Specialization: Anti-Cavalry Warfare

• Established: 2938 DA

Legia Adara - Shield of the North

• Nominal Strength: ~ 165,000

• Headquarter: Lavran

• Specialization: Strategic Defense

• Established: 2939 DA

Legia Venara - Shield of the West

• Nominal Strength: ~ 185,000

• Headquarter: Nicomeia

• Specialization: Mobile Warfare

• Established: 2953 DA

Legia Astara - Sword of the South

• Nominal Strength: ~ 235,000

• Headquarter: Saena

• Specialization: Maritime Operations

• Established: 2947 DA

by Pawel Kurowski