Laran's Legions {Imse Echwmshish} (Im-Se Ek-Wum-Shish)
Also known as Legionnaires, Laran's Heavy Infantry are their most recognizable military unit. While conscripts from each Lati's holdings varry wildly, the Legionnaires are consistent throughout most of Laran's core holdings. While accoutrement can vary depending on cultural background, equipment, training, and role in a Larani army remain fairly consistent.
Composition
Manpower
The building block of a Legion is the Cohort, made up of ten squads, each squad containing 16 soldiers (16 from the Makassi habit of using one hand's finger bones to count). A Legion comprises at least one Cohort and has no official limit for how many can be combined under one command structure. The largest Legion ever recorded was 24 Cohorts, albeit at a reduced size. Each squad has one aid for each soldier assigned to it, to help tend equipment, forage and cook food, and coordinate with other squads. That is assuming a Legion is fully staffed and supplied. Most Legions in the field make do with one aid per squad at the best of times. The Legionnaires are trained to do all the tasks an aid would do by themselves, an aid just increases Legion efficiency. Each squad is also assigned two mules in the supply chain.
Equipment
A Legion will make use of pack animals and carts to transport supplies. They are the only Larani army formation to regularly and effectively make use of a supply chain. The supply chain houses an army's cooks, as well as the aids for each squad. Whetstones and other tools used to maintain armour, as well as blacksmiths and the most portable versions of their tools are a staple of a Legion's supply chain. The last notable bit of Legio equipment are shovels and wood stakes. These are used to construct the armoured camp. When a Legion needs a semi-permanent base, usually when they plan not to change location for a week or more, they will construct a small fortress, complete with wooden walls and watchtowers, and a staked outer moat and trenchline.
Weaponry
Weaponry and armour is where legions vary the most based on where they originated from. A legionnaire from the Desert of the Saviour will be armoured with steel lamellar armour over their torso and arms, overtop thick cloth padding. The Lamellar descends into a sort of skirt that covers the soldier's legs down to the knees. A steel nasal helmet (Varangian style) with a mail coif will also be used. The soldier is armed with either a scimitar or khopesh, depending on whether or not their Legion is sponsored (and equipped) by a Lati with access to enchanters. If so, an enchanted khopesh will be used, usually reinforcing the weapon and giving it extra cutting power. The soldier will also have a backup dagger, usually in the style of a gladius. Every soldier is also armed with a round shield of wood reinforced by steel, usually a meter in diameter.
Legions from the Dead Ones Mesa will have similar armour, but exchange the helmet for a Great Helm and mail coif. They would also be armed with kite shields, slashing daggers, and a Kukri (45-50 cm long).
Legions from the Everlasting Jungle will be armoured in chainmail coats, reinforced by plate over the ribcage, forearms, and shoulders. This was usually worn over heavy cloth padding. The soldier would have an African shield made of enchanted wood if the Lati could afford it, steel if not. They would be armed with a Nimcha sword if the Legion was comprised of or sponsored by Coatl Lati, or an Akrafena sword if not, in addition to a Mambele. There is an alternate formation, where soldiers will replace their swords with a mambele axe. This formation sees use during conflicts in the jungle itself, especially as the mambele prove useful in cutting through the foliage. Formations using the mambele will rarely be more than one Cohort strong.
No matter their origins, Legions will usually display their heraldry on their shields and on tabards worn over their armour. In addition, the Legions from the Mesa and Desert will often cover as much of the metal as they can in silks and other cloth, to prevent overheating in the sun.
Legions from the Dead Ones Mesa will have similar armour, but exchange the helmet for a Great Helm and mail coif. They would also be armed with kite shields, slashing daggers, and a Kukri (45-50 cm long).
Legions from the Everlasting Jungle will be armoured in chainmail coats, reinforced by plate over the ribcage, forearms, and shoulders. This was usually worn over heavy cloth padding. The soldier would have an African shield made of enchanted wood if the Lati could afford it, steel if not. They would be armed with a Nimcha sword if the Legion was comprised of or sponsored by Coatl Lati, or an Akrafena sword if not, in addition to a Mambele. There is an alternate formation, where soldiers will replace their swords with a mambele axe. This formation sees use during conflicts in the jungle itself, especially as the mambele prove useful in cutting through the foliage. Formations using the mambele will rarely be more than one Cohort strong.
No matter their origins, Legions will usually display their heraldry on their shields and on tabards worn over their armour. In addition, the Legions from the Mesa and Desert will often cover as much of the metal as they can in silks and other cloth, to prevent overheating in the sun.
Structure
Each squad has a sergeant, known as a Qoa, who will often employ a second from within the squad. This is common practice, but the second is not officially part of the chain of command. Each Qoa will fall under the command of a Centurion, a Qoa who also commands the entire Cohort. Centurion is a rank held while being a Qoa, to ensure the Cohort is commanded by a familiar face. When a Legion is not operating alone, the Centurion will report to the army general, or whatever delegate the general sent to manage the Cohorts
Tactics
Legions are used as a corp of professionals to act as a backbone of an army, mixed with the conscripts and trained soldiers. A Legion will usually contain the best trained and ost experienced soldiers in that particular army. They are used as heavy infantry, mainly line holders. Their heavy armour protects them from a great deal, and due to their value, they will usually have at least one Lati accompanying them to aid with magical attacks if the Qoa arent mages themselves.
Legions equipped with heavier shields than normal can also form effective shield walls and defenses, creating a moving battle line that enemies can not break. They are near exclusively melee fighters, relying on mages such as Lati or subservient Wych cults for range.
Legions equipped with heavier shields than normal can also form effective shield walls and defenses, creating a moving battle line that enemies can not break. They are near exclusively melee fighters, relying on mages such as Lati or subservient Wych cults for range.
Training
Legionnaires are trained in melee combat with the weapons of choice of their native legions. Selection practices vary depending on the Legion and Cohort, with some of the better-funded training members from adolescence, while others recruit from wherever and whoever they see fit. The former tend to be better trained, while the latter Cohorts are often more flexible. No matter what recruiting method they use, Legionnaires are trained in anti-cavalry and anti0infantry warfare, melee fighting, and intimidation tactics.
The native environments of the Cohort and Legion will also add to their training, creating Cohorts specialized in certain types of warfare. Cohorts from the Desert of the Saviour tend to be more mobile than their counterparts, and have more experience fighting cavalry, horse archers, and light infantry. Cohorts from the Mesa are adept at formation fighting in enclosed spaces, making the most out of many soldiers in cramped environments. They are also trained in the use of climbing ropes, fighting while climbing, and cliff diving in full armour. Cohorts from the Ever-Jungle have trained their soldiers to fight more as individuals than as squads and full Cohorts, due to the cramped and labyrinthine nature of the land. In addition, they are far better at cutting through foliage and using the environment to their advantage during a melee than many other cohorts.
Fear is beaten out of them before they pick up a sword. After that, they learn to inflict fear in turn.
The native environments of the Cohort and Legion will also add to their training, creating Cohorts specialized in certain types of warfare. Cohorts from the Desert of the Saviour tend to be more mobile than their counterparts, and have more experience fighting cavalry, horse archers, and light infantry. Cohorts from the Mesa are adept at formation fighting in enclosed spaces, making the most out of many soldiers in cramped environments. They are also trained in the use of climbing ropes, fighting while climbing, and cliff diving in full armour. Cohorts from the Ever-Jungle have trained their soldiers to fight more as individuals than as squads and full Cohorts, due to the cramped and labyrinthine nature of the land. In addition, they are far better at cutting through foliage and using the environment to their advantage during a melee than many other cohorts.
Logistics
Logistical Support
A Legion requires an extensive and well-managed supply chain to remain functional, complete with cooks, blacksmiths, and other tradesmen that help maintain their equipment.
Auxilia
Legions are rarely seen operating alone, in proper military actions at least. During times of peace, a Lati who can afford to raise a Cohort will often use them as a local police force rather than pay for them and a local militia. On the battlefield, Cohorts will often be interspaced with less experienced troops to help widen a battle line, with squads occasionally detached from the Cohort, instead of accompanying conscripts. This is to keep them in line and keep their morale up, as having veterans paired with new recruits has generally proven to prevent routs.
Archers and other dedicated ranged units are, while not uncommon, not mainstays of armies either, Most make use of long-range fighters as secondaries. Most range fighting is covered by Lati or Wych Cults, the latter of which are sometimes tied to a specific Legion or Cohort. Cavalry, however, especially heavy cavalry such as Cataphracts, are almost always paired with Legions, to create a hammer and anvil effect on the battlefield.
Archers and other dedicated ranged units are, while not uncommon, not mainstays of armies either, Most make use of long-range fighters as secondaries. Most range fighting is covered by Lati or Wych Cults, the latter of which are sometimes tied to a specific Legion or Cohort. Cavalry, however, especially heavy cavalry such as Cataphracts, are almost always paired with Legions, to create a hammer and anvil effect on the battlefield.
Upkeep
A Lati who raises a Cohort will have to pay for each individual soldier's armour, weapons, food, equipment, and everything else. That is the main economic difference between Legions and other Larani army formations. While a Lati will pay their recruits wages regardless, them creating and providing all the upkeep for their Cohort makes the Cohort extremely loyal to them. Cohorts rarely change allegiances, making their otherwise prohibitive cost an easy decision, if a Lati can afford it.
History
The first use of a Cohort formation was during the first wars between the early Makassi city-states, fighting for The Red One. After the city it originated in was razed to the ground, a similar army formation wouldn't be seen until the late Makassi colonial period, where a version similar to the Cohorts of the Dead Ones Mesa would be seen fighting in the Sotteran. They became popular in Laran during the rise of Bia, who demanded every one of her vassals provide at least one Cohort to her armies, in addition to levies. This decree cemented the Cohort as the corp of Larani armies. The formation has evolved somewhat, increasing from five squads power Cohort to ten, and embedding the command structure into the Cohort itself, creating the formation known today.
Heraldry
Each Cohort has its own heraldry, usually the heraldry of the Lati they're loyal to, the Lati's house, or the holding they were raised from. Often this is modified somewhat, as flags with the Cohort's banner will be used for communication in battles, so it has to be identifiable from a distance. A Legion will also have its own banners, mottos, and iconography. Legions, being made up of different Cohorts at different times, generally take two approaches to their heraldry. The first is to combine the heraldry of the Cohorts within the Legion, using elements from each to create a Legion banner, and naming itself after the commander, or combining elements of the important Cohort's names. The second is generally reserved for distinguished Legions. Often, a Legion that uses the first practice will make a name for itself, so when it dissolves, the banner and name are kept for future use. The next time the Legion is made, even if it is just one Cohort (though usually, the Cohort will simply use its own iconography), its old heraldry will be used, regardless of whether the same Cohorts make up the Legion or not. This creates a path where one can trace the activity of a Legion through the centuries and millennia, even if different periods of activity will involve functionally different Legions. Some Lati Houses have become very possessive of Legion titles, accumulating many the same way a Lati accumulates anything else, and using them only when they see glory on the horizon.Notable Legions
Heralds of Lica Lwr: Hailing from Eridu, sponsored by the Lati House of the Jackal's Feast, the Heralds of the Dead City (Lica Lwr in Uurdu Ladi) have become infamous for their ability to fight in the sandstorms that ravage the tops of the Dead Ones Mesa. their equipment is largely the same as the other Cohorts from the Dead One's Mesa, however their helmets are enchanted to allow them to see and breathe in the storms unmolested. It is an extremely expensive procedure, hence why the Legion never grows beyond three cohorts. However, it is essential to the survival of the House and Eridu itself. Eridu, as the last center for worship of The Headless One, is attacked constantly by both the Senpadida Siobkun and Imperial Cult. It's the ability of the city's armies to ignore the hostile environment that protects it. Without that advantage, it loses any hope of keeping its fate or staying standing. The Heralds' banner is the black silhouette of a jackal facing right, over a red field. The Legion motto is No Storm Kills Me, with variations of the chant and the banner used by each Cohort. While the Legion is sponsored by the House of the Jackal's F3east, every major house contributed a Cohort. It is one fo their few points of cooperation, and the Legion is reserved for the city's defense, excepting rare circumstances. It has operated continuously for three millennia.Black Vine: The Black Vine is a Legion made up of eight cohorts, all raised from Jungle temples near the capital of Boqek. The Legion "rights", so to speak, have changed hands several times, but they see the most action during major conflicts between the Siobkun and the Imperialis. They are responsible for the destruction of the Koriz Temple, the flooding of the Lwir Oasis, and several other atrocities. Most of their worst actions are conducted on Larani soil, earning them a black reputation. Their last major action was during the third Veran War, where a direct order from the Okosovai of Internal Diplomacy ordered them to quell a separatist movement that wished to rejoin the Larani-controlled territory to the kingdom of Veran. As of 997 YS, they are still trying to stamp out dissent. The Legion banner is of a vertical black vine atop a green diamond, on a white field. The Cohorts that make up the Legion change often, with no real consistency. One line of Larani generals has commanded the Legion for the last eight centuries, the Legion's loyalties switching with theirs. They have no recorded battle cry.
Chained: The Chained are infamous for their use of Wyches in battle. They have a consistent core of five Cohorts, each with two bound Wych cults, and every other Cohort incorporated for a specific campaign needs at least one more. In addition, each Qoa needs to have some magical proficiency, and all of the core Cohorts have at least two squads completely comprised of mages. The Legion and its five main Cohorts hail from an archipelago West of the Dead Ones Mesa, so it is speculated that many mages settled their when Xixuegui started persecuting them. This gave them a large recruitment pool of mages, as many of those who fled across the sea settled in the first place they could. The principal issue with the magic used is that it tends to be uncoordinated. The Wych cults are disciplined, but in a twist of fate, it is the Cohorts who have difficulty controlling the wildly different ways each soldier manifests or uses magic. The Legion banner is a blue fireball on a black field, and their warcry is Winds of Magic, Victory is our Fate. Each Cohort uses the banner of the specific island or island chain it hails from. The legion has seen on and off use, mainly to counter Star Cultists during the Long War.
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