Palisade Battalions
Palisade Battlalions are a type of Jhoutigari division. Palisade guards are dedicated to maintaining the border and walls of a city. They are expected to defend the wall from any and all threats. If there are no active threats, then the duties involve cleaning, inspecting, and repairing the walls of the city.
Serving on the Palisade Batallion of a well-established city is a much different affair than serving on one of the Pact's far-reaching colonies. However, both roles command similar respect from the citizenry
Lethal, unwavering, revered.
The final line between propserity and Damination.
- Palisade Battalion Motto
Battalion Mantra
The primary role of the Palisade Guard is to ensure the security of their assigned post. They patrol, inspect, and observe when the walls are quiet. When there is a threat, the walls come alive with rapid deployment of defense equipment.
The Palisade Guard are expected to be rigorously informed and vetted against the native threats of the region. They know their enemy and they know how to kill it. Whether or not they are equipped to, that depends on the budget of the battalion.
In Warfare
When a city is involved in seige or immediate threat, the Palisade Battallion will fall under the common military structure like any other unit.
Palisade Guard can use their Meissner mortars to tremendous affect against a sieging army.
You can not fight what you do not know.
Your brain must stay as sharp as your blade.
Jhoutai and its colonies throws many threats towards the people who call it home. Not all of them have teeth. Diseases, invasive Corralum, deadly fungal spores, and countless other untold horrors. Keeping the wall clean of contaminations and free from natural erosion is just as important as raising a sword to defend it.
Mental fortitude is a critical attribute to become a Palisade Guard. They are expected to maintain good relationships with the citizenry, and consistently demonstrate unyielding courage and discipline at all time.
In modern times
Wall maintenance has been well-automated. Palisade Guards back the drones and sensors, providing living input where needed.
Palisade Guards will ride wall-fastened Meissner carts to travel all over the surface of the wall to do whatever task is needed.
The deadliest mistakes are born from complacency.
Keep as many friendly eyes behind you as possible.
Echelons of the Battalion
The ranking system of the Palisade Battallion is measured by Echelons and Cuts. Echelons are the rank themselves, of which their are six within the Battallion. The shape and embellishings on a guards rank denotes their echelon.
Within the rank, six wedges are left open in gold. Each represents a cut, and these cuts will be filled as a guard performs their duty with excellence. Cuts are used to denote a subrank within each Echelon.
The Rank and File of the Palisade Battallion. Tigari do the majority of the physical labor and front line fighting of the Battallion. They are also the newest and least experienced. Tigari earn their Cuts by maintaining a good service record or by going above and beyond their station.
After a Tigari has earned seventh bar, they will be promoted to the Khen role. Khens are expected to be able to handle multiple roles as well as lead small squads during patrols and missions. Khen earn their Cuts over the course of dozens of successful assignments or for heroic actions.
They are expected to lead in the absence of a Kuwata which can be the case in dire or colonial situations.
The Kuwata are the leaders of the Battallion. They are expected to keep the Battallion organized, lead their shift, and provide guidance. They will fight on the front line just as any Tigari and Khen would. A Kuwata must earn their rank by demonstrating exceptional performance over a storied history.
Kuwata must be very capable fighters as well as extrodinary leaders. Earning Cuts at this rank requires years of dedicated service or overcoming impossible odds.
Pictured above - A Meissner Mortar, the bread and butter of the Strike
Those who have earned the Strike certification must have first earned Khen. The Khen can then test and train to become experts at the use of Meissner Mortars. This process comes over the course of a year of service, while also shadowing additional fire missions on mortar teams.
Certification allows the user to wield mortars in combat in defense of the wall. Stringent practice is required, as a badly trained mortar team can do more harm than good.
To become a specialist, one must serve a unique purpose to the Battallion. This role can be given to civilians who are without rank but serve the Battallion. Common uses are for Hollow individuals, or people specialized in countering specific situations.
Becoming a specialist is an organic procedure, but in most cases requires study into specific threats and dangers that the Palisade Battallion might face.
There is always one Marshall in charge of a Palisade Battallion. They are expected to live on the wall, and be available at a moments notice. They are the final say on the battallions. Usually this role is reserved for the most senior member of the Battallion, but there are exceptions.
Even the Marshall is expected to chip in, if the rifles and mortars are being brought up to defend.
Within the Armory
Palisade Guards are often equipped with indirect fire weaponry such as Meissner Artillery. Rifles, Kinetic slings, shields, and more are often in use by these guards.
Most of the time, weaponry is stored beneath the wall in easy to access but well secured armories. Tampering with Palisade Arsenals is seen as serious a crime as treason and subterfuge.
Two hundreds combat rifles, 20 crates of slugs, one hundred kinetic-slings, twenty two anti-material rifles, three hundred fungicide grenades, three tanks of liquid fire, four anti-Meta fields, a dozen meissner tubes, and enough payload to level the valley.
As you can see General, we have enough equipment to last about four months out here.
The Rifle of the Watch
The primary rifle of the Palisade Battalion is known as the "K'khrisDe'at." Over the centuries, the build of the rifle has not changed from it's flowing stock and the curved blade that runs along the bottom. The internals of the rifle have undergone many iterations. From, the earliest of blackpowder to modern banner age propellants.
The combat doctrine for the rifle, has been tweaked and evolved since the first standarization push by Senior Kuwata Tor'ra. The blade of the weapon is used to protect the body from attacks over the wall and can be wielded like a two-handed sword. The rifle portion is built upon a large-bore breech-loading design. A trained Palisade Guard can fire off rapid fire volleys either by hand or with an assisted wrist mounted loader.
The design is made to be durable, accurate, and devestating against the armored shells of Rutas and invaders alike.
In order to keep walls and barriers well maintained, Palisade guards can be equipped from everything from drones to applicators, to brushes and buckets. All are stored and maintained just as througoughly as the weapons.
Often times, cleaning duties will be relegated to newer members to test their ability to understand instruction and maintain discipline. Palisade Guards are also expected to defend and protect the wall from natural disasters such as Glow Rain. With applicators and chemical compounds such as Slog, they will immunize a wall from invasive growths.
As we Adventines prepared to leave in the morning, we were invited onto the walls of the surface portion of the city.
Guards in heavy-looking armor patrolled the walls; wielding rifles that looked both regal and intimidating, and with a barrel wide enough to fit my thumb into.
So many of the Sazashi here were the more intimidating sort. Parisan, Shejlt-Rajh, Ral-Mi all stood at the ready. As we walked down the length of the wall, the guards never let themselves get distracted by the touring aliens.
"Are they always this serious?" I asked when I got the chance. Two guards passed us, carrying what looked to be a two-handed flamethrower.
"There's a Rutas Surge warning, so they are preparing."
It unsettled my stomach to realize that even a big city like this needed such well-armed protection.
Oooo, the difference between the two roles is stark. Just the four of them? Yikes. Love both bits of prose and the accompanying imagery. <3
Thank you Emy! This article was so much fun to do! I started with that prose, helped me get the mojo on the article.