Devestator Squad
Kinilan's Devestator Squads are a specialist unit developed during the Great War. Made up of Junior Magi, the least trained members of the Magicorps and an escort from the Support Legion, they hold back behind the normal lines until an opportune moment, before striking hard, exhausting their capacity to cast magic for the day, and then withdrawing quickly to safety.
Composition
Manpower
A Devestator Squad is made up of 6 to 8 Junior Magi and an escort of 12 to 20 soldiers from the Support Legion.
For the Junior Magi, this quickly became something of a rite of passage, as most graduating apprentices in the Magicorps are first assigned to one of these squads before finding a more permanent (and less risky) position elsewhere. This was their first test in actual combat, and it was considered wiser to risk the newest Magi rather than those who had further developed their magical skills.
The Support Legionnaires, conversely, were professional soldiers, each of whom were trained in defensive tactics in order to maximize the survival rate of Magi used in these units.
Structure
Each squad was led by a captain from the Support Legion, who would decide the opportune moment to strike. He would be supported by a Lieutenant from the Support Legion who oversaw deployment of the rank and file soldiers. The Junior Magi, like all members of the Magicorps, were also given the rank of Lieutenant, though this was more of an honourary position. The Captain and Lieutenant would probably be a Sergeant and Corporal in a similarly sized unit elsewhere in the Kinilan Army, but the commander of the unit had to be a higher rank than the Magi according to military protocol.
Entry for WorldEmber 2020
In response to the prompt Describe a military unit in your world that is famous for its unique ranged weapon.
I like the image of them coming forward, releasing a devastating magical attack, and then retreating. Kind of like an all-out offence for the squad. I can see why the newer magi would have that job over the more experienced ones. Sounds risky!
Indeed - they're basically filling the role artillery support does in a modern army, but they lack both range and the ability to sustain fire over long periods of time. So yeah, they're definitely putting themselves at risk. Presumably the other side would eventually learn to recognize these attacks and deploy some sort of suitable countermeasure, though I haven't worked on Chelestran tactics at all yet.