Element

The backbone of the army

Elements should always be the smallest unit of your militia. No soldier should go alone: always, when war looms, soldiers patrol in pairs.

— Nora, addressing militia leaders

The two-bird element is almost certainly the most important unit in nearly any military formation. As a fighting element, the formation consists of an offensive leader and a defensive escort. Paired with three to five other elements, it makes a Flight. The element is theorized to have developed from the natural husband-wife pairing that the Brown Halora makes.

Composition

Equipment

Below is a table of basic supplies of the element on the offensive and defensive.

Offensive	Defensive
Weaponry: Flaming torches or flechettes Possibly bronze talons.	Weaponry: Possibly bronze talons, usually none. In rare cases, flechettes
Armor: Possibly hardwood armor, usually none	Armor: Sometimes hardwood armor, sometimes none.
Supplies: Usually none. Sometimes, on long-range raids, maps are brought in the escort's talons.	Supplies: Usually none. In some cases, the escort has a torch that he or she drops when an attack is sighted.

Tactics

Burn and turn, it goes. Drop the flaming torches, and then get out. Are my orders clear?

— Commander Darian

Elements, being so small, are generally only used as a portion of a flight on offense. In the rare cases where a single offensive element is used, the element focuses on a rapid, brief strike, evading enemy sentries. The main use of the solo element is defensive.
On the defense, an element can scan an area over ten miles in radius for attackers, serving as an early-warning system for an attack. When an attack comes, the element can circle above and make quick, raking passes through the attacking birds. If the attacking birds are also an element (which is often the case), they can overwhelm the escort and bring down the leader.

History

There are only two Halora in this unit. But who needs more?

— Hausi chieftain

In general, during the early tribal era, Halorin had no organized military, instead, everyone was expected to help out with the hunts. However, entering the city-state era, and in light of the meteoric expansion of the Pestrib and Salt Range states, neighboring city-states were forced to adapt.
A link has been drawn between this militarization and the 7.5 kiloyear event, a sudden downturn in global temperature. Resources grew scarcer, forcing competition between tribes of the Halora. At first, the tribes established trained families of protectors, who would help the tribe with its protection issues. These became the first elements.

Type

Air Force

Overall training Level

Trained

Assumed Veterancy

Trained

Parent Formation

Flight

Used by

• Baiqiang Union
• United Gates Under Heaven

Ranks & Titles

• Element Commander

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Logistical support
None
Manpower
One Element Leader
One Element Escort
Wages and Compensation
Variable. Generally food is provided, and barracks are provided near the administrative heart of the city-state. Warriors are generally of a higher class than farmers and merchants.