Karlionne Military

Force Projection

Karlionne troops often are identifiable by their outrageous crests and the riotous color of their kits. They posses a standard military training regime, as well as the Karlionne Jousting martial art with its focus on accuracy.

Weapons

Karlionne troops prefer the lance, but they also wield flanged maces, two-handed great maces, arming swords, quillon daggers and misericordes, among the other more common medieval weapons.

Armor

For armor, standard Karlionne troops (the levy) wear padded gambesons and iron kettle helmets, but they rarely use shields. High status warriors, by contrast, wear surcoats, over coats of plates, maille, and padded gambesons. Karlionne armor usually is covered with cloth emblazoned in armorial hues. Karlionne men-at-arms use heater shields, and wear great helms with ostentatious crests and plumage, over salets, maille, and padded coifs. Knights sometimes will list their ransoms inside their helmets to help insure their safety if captured.

Feudal Levy

Karlionne military is still fully based on the traditional system of feudal levies and their lords, and there is no scutage fee to pay to avoid martial obligations to the Grand Duke.

Commanders

Karlionne commanders have a reputation for being hidebound, inflexible, and always late to the field. Imagination is not among their key qualities. They almost always are ready to trust their enemies’ adherence to chivalry and the “rules of war.” They have the standard military hierarchy with an earl marshal for the country; a marshal for each army; a captain for each unit; and assorted lieutenants for internal divisions.

Discipline

Karlionne discipline is low by outside standards, for its troops even are liable to loot their own holdings. Their morale, however, is very high, because most Karlionne knights consider themselves invincible. Coordination among different units is primative and commanders with their blood up often ignore their orders in pursuit of glory on the field.

Military

Karlionne can field an army of 20,000 to 24,000 troops, and its infantry is 20% light spear and 20% heavy, great mace; its cavalry is 20% heavy lancers and 20% light lancers; and its ballistics are 20% light short bowmen.

Specialists

Karlionne has no navy, nor even a contingent of ships to patrol her rivers. It is, however, fully equipped for extended siege warfare, with +10% pioneers, +10% siege engineers, and +10% scouts. Karlionne does not employ mercenaries, and actively mistrusts them.

Chevache

For the open battlefield, Karlionne is firmly entrenched in the chevache and its thunderous charge of heavy lancers. Infantry and archers rarely are used to full advantage, and heavily armored knights happily mow down their perceived lessers to grab glory for themselves.

Knights

While it might seem odd that Karlionne, a center for chivalric literature, has no native knightly orders, that is because every knight is an order unto himself. Each knight is themed (flowers, a bridge, a gate, etc.) and invested with a lifelong personal quest. Only the Grand Duke or his specially appointed surrogates can grant the accolade here.

Karlionne Great Horse

Classical destriers, these powerful beasts stand 15-16 hands tall. Most often they are black, bay, gray or brown. Sometimes they are chestnut, and these horses often have white facial and leg markings. The Great Horse has a strong, wide jaw, and good width between the eyes. Their overriding characteristic is their substantial girth, weight and musculature, making them ideal warhorses. Their strength lets them coil and spring to a stop, spin, turn or sprint forward quickly, allowing them to maneuverable enviably in battle. Surprisingly, perhaps, is that the Great Horse is “cold-blooded,” with a docile, calm, and patient personality, though not noted for its intelligence. Its uneven gait will grind most riders into submission.

Karlionne Courser

Called the “Royal Horse of Aorlis,” these proud and inspirational beasts stand at 15-16 hands in height. Mythology claims their sire was Eldorach Fire-Hoof, King Gwythern’s magik horse. These elegant beasts are the most expensive horses in the Empire. These equines are colored bay or gray, though some black, dun, chestnut and palomino have been recorded. More rarely, they may be found in buckskin or cremello. These equines are lean, graceful, and extremely fast. They are sensitive, as well as intelligent and quick to learn, making them easy to train, as well as remarkably adaptable. Their gate is silky and their endurance admirable.