Exterminators

Cleaning house

I'll build an army like this planet has never seen. And the Nocterns will be extinct within a year.
Berrion Bellion, Charian general, 1201 AoE

he Exterminators were the first standing army in the history of Charia. They were organized by General Berrion Bellion, under the authority of the country's second monarch - King Helinand - specifically to fight the Nomadic Wars against the Nocterns. Nearly the entire force was annihilated in a single attack by the Dawn Reaver's rangers after the signing of Bellion's Treaty in 1207 AoE.

Composition

Manpower

roop strength fluctuated drastically throughout the five years of the Exterminators' existence. They were instantiated with 500 men that repeatedly fanned out into 5 separate legions before mustering back at a central location. In less than three months, Bellion started constantly messaging Helinand, telling him that more troops were needed. For the most part, Helinand acceded to these demands. Early in the conflict, Helinand pretty much committed himself to a chronic cycle of borrowing - pulling in whatever funds were needed to escalate-and-win the war, at whatever cost, and on whatever terms were dictated by his creditors.

Casualties & Desertions

There is no definitive way to measure the Exterminators' troop strength at any given point in time. Within months of their instantiation, the army had already absorbed numerous casualties as a result of Noctern ambushes. This was exacerbated by a continual trickle (and at times, a flood) of desertions, inspired by the army's grueling marches, their demoralizing defeats, and the constant struggle against the climatic catastrophe of the 5th Trial. These repeated losses were offset by a continued effort to recruit new troops. Not only were the Charian youths implored to enlist, but eager conscripts were imported from neighboring countries as well. Bellion often boasted that his combined forces numbered well over 5,000, but Cognoscenti archives indicate that the Exterminators never had more than 3,000 men across all their legions. At the time of their utter defeat immediately following Bellion's Treaty in 1207 AoE, the combined force numbered somewhere near 2,300 troops.

Weaponry

original enlistees were outfitted with ebny battle axes - as the battle axe was the favored weapon of Bellion. However, as the haphazard nature of the Nomadic Wars dragged onward, the weaponry of the troops reflected the general scavenging (and looting) that they eventually became known for as they roamed throughout the countryside, randomly hunting for their elusive enemies. By the time of their catastrophic destruction, it was not uncommon to see Exterminators marching with bloodwood spears, ebny swords, clubs (of many materials), and even the occasional steel sword (for those who were lucky enough to have discovered one in the homes of the citizens whom they periodically ransacked).

Suboptimal

In the early days of the conflict, Bellion's brigades were outfitted with small complements of archers. And some men still carried their bows and their quivers to the very end. But the archers' greatest value was in the hunting of game to help feed the troops - because it was rare that the Exterminators actually saw their opponents, and thus, it was even rarer that the archers felt they had anything to shoot at.

Vehicles

I no longer have any desire to see heaven. For I fear that, when my times comes, Bellion will force me to march there.
Dyclan Harmison, Exterminator conscript, 1203 AoE

he Exterminators gave new meaning to the term "foot soldiers". Bellion had little interest in beasts of burden. The quartermasters often had to carry great loads, on their backs, over many kilometers. Bellion viewed this as a glorious fitness regime. The legions would, occasionally, have a few sickly animals to which they could strap their wares or hitch a cart. But such accommodations were a rare luxury. The 5th Trial was wreaking havoc upon the landscape. Livestock was starving - or had long ago been butchered. Carts and other basic instruments of carriage were no longer being maintained. So even when the Exterminators managed to loot such a vehicle from one of the desolate villages that dotted the countryside, that vehicle rarely made it more than a day or two before it completely fell apart.

Structure

or the entire life of the Exterminators, they were led by General Berrion Bellion. He was solely responsible for assembling the army and he was incredibly proud of it. While in the field, the force typically broke into legions - each roughly 100-strong. Those legions would then scour the countryside, all of them having the same, simple mission - find as many Nocterns as you can, and kill them. When the legions went their separate ways, each had its own captain. But since communication systems were extremely inefficient at this time, and since Bellion preferred to lead in a direct fashion whenever possible, all of the legions would coalesce back to a central meeting point every 60-90 days. During those times when the force was combined into one massive encampment, the captains still had authority and prestige, but Bellion was the undisputed commander, with little being delegated to his direct reports.

Easy Target

This tendency of the legions to spread out but then, eventually, contract back into a single unit, ultimately led to the entire army's annihilation. Bellion orchestrated the signing of the Noctern peace treaty to coincide with the aggregation of his force. He actually saw this as a means of flaunting his strength and ensuring that the Nocterns would agree to the best possible terms (from the Charians' perspective). However, the Dawn Reaver looked at this another way - as an opportunity to launch a devastating attack where he could wipe out the entire army with one blow.

Tactics

ellion's beloved army was thoroughly (and perilously) committed to the tactics of open field combat. It mattered little that the Nocterns would never engage them in such a battle unless they somehow had no choice. Bellion was adamant that his forces would be supremely prepared for a grand conflict on a vast, open battlefield. To this end, he was also fond of marching his troops - everywhere - under Charia's sprawling forests. They had few pack animals and no specimens that could be used to mount a cavalry. Bellion scoffed at the prospect of bronz horuses, believing them to be a coward's tool. And he relished the thought of driving his troops on a long day's march, believing it strengthened their resolve and tightened their discipline for those times when they would march into battle. And ultimately, those times never came.

Training

iven their brief history and tragic legacy, the Exterminators were surprisingly well-trained. But it's questionable whether they were trained in anything that was actually useful in defeating their opponent or keeping themselves alive. For most of their tenure, the supposedly-elite force had little to do but train, because they rarely came in contact with the Nocterns and, when they did, the "battle" was often little more than a brief ambush from an unseen guerrilla force who would quickly flee if faced with the prospect of direct combat. Since the Exterminators spent so much time searching for the Nocterns and so little time actually fighting them, they often found themselves with long stretches of downtime (when they weren't aimlessly marching from one Noctern-free location to another).

Useless Skills

Bellion was imminently proud of his force and he was keen to keep them ready for combat. They drilled constantly on battle formations and, by all accounts, they were highly proficient at forming and maneuvering while in these formations. They were skilled in close-range, boot-to-boot combat. They understood well how to hold and maintain strong defensive formations on an open field of battle. Unfortunately, few of these talents had any value in the Nomadic Wars.

Logistics

Logistical Support

t the outset of the Nomadic Wars, the Exterminators were well funded and they were reasonably well supported with rations and supplies. The rudimentary infrastructure of the fledgling nation made it a challenge to keep the troops fed and equipped. But the continued willingness of King Helinand to spend as needed (and thus, to borrow as needed) to keep his army on the move ensured that they always received at least the basic accommodations required to sustain a fighting effort.

I had two choices. I could stay at home and starve in the village. Or I could join the Exterminators and take what I needed to survive from the people who were starving in the villages.
Spenzor Warson, Exterminator conscript, 1205 AoE

Looters

In 1203 AoE, the 5th Trial took hold. With its arrival, the meager-yet-sufficient supplies began to dry up. Within half a year of the Trial's onset, the Exterminators were trying to make due on less than half of their normal rations. By 1205 AoE, Exterminator legions began to acquire a reputation for looting the same Charian citizens that they were supposedly protecting from the Nocterns. Although there's no evidence that Bellion sanctioned such behavior, or engaged in it himself, the historical record is clear that many small villages were ransacked by their own army. This happened frequently enough that it's implausible to believe that Bellion was completely unaware of the practice.

Upkeep

he cost of maintaining this sprawling military force is now seen as one of the primary contributors to King Helinand's demise. In the first year of the war, he borrowed heavily to recruit, train, and equip Bellion's new brigade. Once the 5th Trial spread across Excilior, Helinand's creditors grew wary of his profligate - and seemingly frivolous - spending. But they still considered Charia, as a whole, to be a reasonable credit risk and they continued to fund his endeavors to the extent that the Exterminators still managed to grow in troop strength over several years. However, by 1206 AoE, Helinand's financiers had had enough. The loss of sustaining funds, the devastating droughts, and the continual stream of military losses ultimately led Helinand to seek a peace treaty with the Nocterns in 1207 AoE. And that failed treaty ultimately led to the demise of the Exterminators.

History

he Exterminators' legacy is that of a failed military unit, although that failure can hardly be laid at the feet of its soldiers. Bellion is widely acknowledged to have stubbornly clung to tactics of open-field battle - when his opponents had no intention of ever engaging in such a battle. The confluence of the Nomadic Wars with the 5th Trial of Syrus also severely impacted any chance the Exterminators might have had to accomplish their mission. Even amongst modern Charians, the name Exterminators conjures images of an evil force preying upon its own people. In all fairness to the soldiers themselves, they were starving, just like the rest of the population. But unlike the rest of the population, the Exterminators had the physical means to take what they needed to survive, while still ostensibly chasing the Nocterns.

Historical loyalties

hey were loyal to keeping their bellies full, to General Berrion Bellion, to King Helinand, and to the country of Charia - in that order.

Pronunciation

ex-TURR-min-ay-terz

Type

Infantry

Founding

1202

Dissolution

1207

Overall training Level

Semi-trained

Assumed Veterancy

Recruit

Used by

Charia