Stryzheim's vast wealth funds a well-equipped and well-trained Royal Army centered in the northern capitol of Reichshelm. The only true members of the Royal Army are directly sworn to the King himself, following under a chain of command which leads up to generals stationed within the capitol to avoid the regional loyalty seen in traditional feudal societies. Despite this, even the unofficiated civilian appointees employed by local lords for general peacekeeping are funded by the crown, given proper equipment to ensure the safety of the roads and cities without allowing for a great enough stockpile of arms that they could pose any true threat to the royal forces in the event of rebellion.
The Royal Army itself is stocked entirely with professional soldiers divided into legions under the command of trusted military commanders (
Großgeneräle des Königreichs) in mild emulation of the structure seen in the Second-Era Gitaean Empire in eastern Eletheros. In times of war, these groups are sub-divided into multiple cohorts each comprised of a variety of troops to assure preparedness for a variety of situations—fully-armored men-at-arms equipped with shield, spear, and sword make up the majority and are most often supplemented by heavy mounted cavalry and lightly armored crossbowmen. Specialized units, such as gunpowder troops, are rarer additions to the more vital forces.
In times of peace, legions usually remain sub-divided into their cohorts and are either sent to larger population centers to serve as temporary lawmen or left to patrol roads and docks important to trade.
Die Kanoniere
The Kanoniere (
artillerymen or
cannoneers) are a division of gunmen within the higher ranks of the imperial army. Outfitted with blunderbusses, dragon-guns, wheellock hand-mortars, blackpowder longrifles, greatfalchions, and suits of heavy steel plate, the Kanoniere formed the backbone of Strytzheim's military defences during the border war with Doldecht in 1457.
The odd and distinctive appearance of their protective helmets – made for guarding against backfired wheellock mechanisms and stray blackpowder explosions just as much as enemy spears and arrows – and oversized suits of armor has lead to their nickname of "Schildkröten" (
tortoises), though the childish moniker does little to dissuade the stories of their effectiveness on the battlefield.
Der Reichsknechte
A position which is more ceremonial than directly related to the military hierarchy, the Reichsknechte (
knights of the realm, literally
kingdom-knights) are elite soldiers which, despite their training, rarely see combat outside times of desperation—of which there have been relatively few over the past half-century. Unlike traditional feudal organization, these knights are not sourced from the nobility but instead selected from among commonfolk civilians who show prowess and obedience when fighting in the Royal Army cohorts.
Outfitted with
Kriegsmesseren and full sets of the finest armor the wealth of the crown can afford, Reichsknechte comprise the fighting force of a legion's first cohort when traveling for war. At other times, Reichsknechte keep the peace in the kingdom's capitol city and guard the royal palace, the king, and his council.
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