Rarei's Protection

Composition

Manpower

During his command as Marshall of the Tuhran Defense, Hut Rarei never kept track of the numbers or inventory of his Protection. His later memoirs provide quite variant statistics, placing those of his Protection anywhere from twenty to three hundred. While Rarei's Protection might have waxed and waned over the course of the campaign, there isn't enough evidence to place certain numbers at certain times. What is documented about the unit is Hut's letters to each of Tuhra's Gra'estar asking them for "the best select soldiers [they] could spare, save those for the defense of [their] settlement." Whether the Gra'estar responded with a hundred or with two is anyone's guess, but the assumption is that they were grizzled veterans from previous wars.

Equipment

Hut Rarei specified no requisites with regards to arms, armor, or training, so each Gra'estar treated each individual sent like a champion rather than as a mere soldier. Weapon layouts were almost individually unique among the Protection, and soldiers inside the Protection honed their skills and proved their strength by sparring with each other in informal tournaments.

Hut Rarei didn't discourage disunity; rather, he watched the tussles with great interest. He notes in his journal:

"To take my mind off logistics, I watched a two-on-two battle amongst my Protection. Two healthy swords from Welkwu had challenged a spear from Weluka and an axe from the mountain regions; I forget where. The swords fell on the defenders, but the spear held them at bay. From behind the spear, the axe leapt forward and struck one sword with its flat. The assailed was knocked unconscious instantly, and the other surrendered.

"I had seen first-hand why the picks and pikes of our enemies were feared by our people so. I knew also that I had too many swords in my ranks to make changes, and too few experienced men to adapt. For a moment, I felt great dismay. Truly, that was the first time that I knew I would lose the war."

Type

Infantry

Overall training Level

Semi-professional

Assumed Veterancy

Veteran

Ranks & Titles

• Gerai'aru: Garrison Command