cantus Centuria

In the first conflicts against the orcish tribes dwarven bands fought on even footing, but as orc shaman rose through the ranks it soon became paramount for the dwarven army to counter these mystical foes. Clan Palosydan, with their strict adherence to doctrine, where the first to find the solution. Their ritual singers, known as canti, became the basis for the newly formed cantus Centauri.

Composition

Manpower

At total of 75 dwarves make up every Cantus Centuria. The main troop consists of 64 dwarves divided into 8 groups of 8, each lead by one Maestro. At the head of the formation the Diligato reigns supreme with his honour guard of 2 dwarves.

Equipment

Dwarven heavy armour and a mixture of different metal instruments, mainly drums and trumpets with the occasional bagpipe. For emergency each dwarf is equiped with an axe.

Vehicles

Each troop has one wagon that is pulled by two large Bighorn goats. The wagon is used to carry additional equiptment for the Centuria, especially special dwarven ale given to the soldiers before the battle to boost their moral and resiliance.

Structure

The centuria consists of eight contubernium, each lead by a maestro. These maestro report direclty to the diligato, the head of the formation. The Diligato reports only to the Legatis, the leader of a legion. It is very rare that a Legatis will give the Diligato of his legion direct commands, as they understand that they have little knowledge of how their opponent will use magic, which the Cantus Centuria must directly counter.

Tactics

The Cantuc Centuria will split at the beginning of battle. Each troop will follow their Maestro and distribute their ale to the troops the diligato deems either most valuable or most vulnerable to opposing magics. They then reconvene with their diligato who will remain in constant contact with the other diligato and the legatis through the use of special instruments wielded by the honour guard that are only audible to the well trained ears of the diligato.
Depending on the needs the different contubernium will split and, with their chanting and music, generate anti-magical fields to protect the formations. The contubernium must constantly stay in motion, both to make sure that they are not targeted by the artillery and the archers of the opposing forces, as well as to constantly guard against the mobile mages.

Training

The position in a cantus centauri is an immensely prestigious one, and as such is reserved for veterans. Beyond this all applicants are required to prove their proficiency with at least two musical instruments as well as an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the tenants of the dwarven holds.
Next the applicants must prove their resilience by remaining standfast under the influence of powerful magic. If they withstand the onslaught they are inducted as a candidate. In the next leg of their training they are given constant drill and rigorous musical instruction as they learn to project their resilience around themselves. Candidates that do not learn this skill within ten years are sent back to their original unit as they are not true believers of the dwarven tenants. About half of the candidates fail the onslaught test, and another three quarters of the remaining dwarves fail to learn to project their resilience.

Logistics

Logistical Support

The cantus legion is the only formation in the dwarven legions that do not have a logistical support detachment. This is because they are such a rare unit that they must be extremely mobile, sometimes remaining in a legion for less than a month before being transferred. This is rarely an issue for them as they keep all they need in their logistics wagon transported by the two bighorn goats, and whatever they may need can be requisitioned from the legion they are detached to. The dwarves of the legion are even more than glad to accommodate even the strangest requests by a cantus centuria,

Type

Support

Overall training Level

Trained

Assumed Veterancy

Experienced