Blakfort Royal Army
The Blakfort Royal Army is a well-trained, professional, standing army that is under the direct command of the Blakfort rulers. Its members are well-paid, well-trained professional soldiers with a standardized equipment. In war-time they form formidable pikewalls, but in peace time they are often deployed as an elite city guard in places where security is more important than usual.
The Patrons are the rank-and-file soldiers of the army and serve as the main fighting force of the Blakfort Kingdom. They are decently equipped for a crown-funded military and have a reputation for being disciplined and hard to beat in open battle.
Quite a few mages serve in the Blakfort Royal Army as well, their numbers are negligible compared to regular Patrons, so the military hierarchy doesn't categorize them separately, but they have their own name, Couselns. That being said, every has a handful of them, with their numbers and magical abilities varying greatly from one Ericius to the other.
120 Patrons and all accompanying Suppliers make up the smallest military unit within the army called an Ericius. Each Ericius is commanded by a Stovigin. Stovigins are responsible for the drilling, commanding and supplying of their troops. In battle, they are often found at the front of their unit, but they often carry a standard to battle, so they rarely fight themselves.
5 Stovigins and their troops form a battalion and are led by a Capitan. Capitans are excellent logisticians who served their time as Stovigins and were promoted based on merit. Whilst their equipment is much better than that of a Patron's, they rarely fight their opponents directly as they are occupied with strategizing.
In times of war, the Marshall appoints a number of Generals to lead smaller portions of the army. Generals are often members of the nobility, but it is not uncommon to see a Capitan elevated into this position. Most often there are 3 Generals and they each command 4 Capitans, but these numbers can change depending on the situation.
All members of the Blakfort Royal Army answer and are subordinate to the Blakfort King as well as the Marshall. The Marshall is a member of nobility, often a close relative of the Blakfort King. They are the King's advisor in military matters and the commander of the army if the King does not command it himself.
At these locations, the Patrons train and spend their time rehearsing combat tactics. When sent to a city, the Patrons often serve as city guards and peacekeepers in addition to any guards that the city might have already. Some cities, such as Austium only have Patrons as city guards as it is too important to be protected by volunteers.
Organization
The Blakfort Royal Army is divided into smaller parts, called Battalions. Each Battalion is commanded by a Capitan and form a self-sufficient military unit. One Battalion has around 600 Patrons, 5 Stovigins, 5-15 Couselns and 300-500 Suppliers. In addition, each battalion has around the same number of beasts of burden, such as mules, horses and oxen. The logistics and management of a Battalion is handled by its Capitan with the help of his Stovigins. While officially the Stovigins are equal in terms of authority, it is customary to grant the eldest more power as they are often the most experienced. Each Battalion is further divided into 5 Ericia (singular Ericius), each led by a Stovigin. An Ericius has 120 Patrons in it, with 80 of them wielding pikes and 40 wielding bows. Complementing an Ericius are 1-3 Couselns who provide magical help and firepower for the Ericius. In addition, each Ericius has a number of Suppliers who fill non-combat roles and their numbers vary based on availability and need. Every Ericius is further divided into Tents. Each Tent has 8 Patrons in them, all pikemen or all bowmen. A Tent lives together, fight together and often have a strong sense of comradery between them. Tents usually have no individual purpose in battles, but for things such as patrolling, Tents are usually sent together. Given their high value, Couselns usually belong to the Stovigin's Tent. The Noble Guard is divided similarly to an Ericius. Every Noble Guard Capitan commands 20 Noble Guards, forming a Skupin. Every Skupin consists of Noble Guards only with a few beasts of burden to help carry their equipment. A Skupin consists of 3 Tents, each having 7 members. The Tent of the Noble Guard Capitan is usually protected by magic against unwanted intruders.Ranks
Regular Army
At the bottom are the Suppliers and Patrons. The logistical needs of the army are served by the Suppliers, who are usually the most numerous after Patrons. These men and women are the cooks, smiths, cobblers and other artisans that accompany the army when it is on a campaign. Most of the Suppliers are ordinary citizens drafted when the need arises and are not part of the army in peace time.The Patrons are the rank-and-file soldiers of the army and serve as the main fighting force of the Blakfort Kingdom. They are decently equipped for a crown-funded military and have a reputation for being disciplined and hard to beat in open battle.
Quite a few mages serve in the Blakfort Royal Army as well, their numbers are negligible compared to regular Patrons, so the military hierarchy doesn't categorize them separately, but they have their own name, Couselns. That being said, every has a handful of them, with their numbers and magical abilities varying greatly from one Ericius to the other.
120 Patrons and all accompanying Suppliers make up the smallest military unit within the army called an Ericius. Each Ericius is commanded by a Stovigin. Stovigins are responsible for the drilling, commanding and supplying of their troops. In battle, they are often found at the front of their unit, but they often carry a standard to battle, so they rarely fight themselves.
5 Stovigins and their troops form a battalion and are led by a Capitan. Capitans are excellent logisticians who served their time as Stovigins and were promoted based on merit. Whilst their equipment is much better than that of a Patron's, they rarely fight their opponents directly as they are occupied with strategizing.
In times of war, the Marshall appoints a number of Generals to lead smaller portions of the army. Generals are often members of the nobility, but it is not uncommon to see a Capitan elevated into this position. Most often there are 3 Generals and they each command 4 Capitans, but these numbers can change depending on the situation.
All members of the Blakfort Royal Army answer and are subordinate to the Blakfort King as well as the Marshall. The Marshall is a member of nobility, often a close relative of the Blakfort King. They are the King's advisor in military matters and the commander of the army if the King does not command it himself.
Noble Guard
Most nobles in the Blakfort Kingdom has some kind of guard for themselves, but the few nobles that are very important for the Blakfort King are protected by an additional group, the Noble Guard. Members of this unit are often veterans of the regular army and are tasked with and trained to protect their target. Each noble has 20 Noble Guards and a Noble Guard Capitan by their side when they leave protected areas such as castles or their homes. Each Noble Guard Capitan answers directly to the Marshall, but Generals have authority over them too.Battle Tactics
The Blakfort Royal Army's smallest unit is the Ericius. Each Ericius is a self-contained unit, commanded by its Stovigin. 80 Patrons equipped with pikes and other polearms form a frontline with 20 rows, 4 men deep each. Each Patron has a weapon 8 meters in length, allowing each 4 men to attack an oncoming enemy. 10 steps behind the frontline are the archers, spread out. The Stovigin and the Couselns stand behind the pikemen when engaged with the enemy, but move to the front row when not in danger. 5 Ericia make up a Battalion. During a battle, an Ericius is mostly independent of the rest of the Battalion, but a change in tactics can be relayed by runners or by magical communication between the Couselns of different Ericia. Usually, a battle plan is devised prior to the battle by the Capitan and the Stovigins and then the plan is executed without changes.Cooperation
While the Blakfort Royal Army is a formidable force on its own, it rarely fights without the aid of other military groups. Most often these are the Pilgrimite Legion, the Knights and Levies of the Blakfort Kingdom. Depending on their allied forces' composition, an Ericius can adapt to better suit the strategic needs of a battle. The 80-40 ratio of pikemen and archers can be altered in either way. For example, when fighting alongside the Pilgrimite Legion, who are also wielding polearms, more archers are fielded to provide support for them. In contrast, when the Blakfort Royal Army is supported by levied men, the number of pikemen are often increased as most conscripted peasants are better utilized as archers instead of frontline troops.During Peace
As a professional standing army, the Blakfort Royal Army is not disbanded when a war ends, but sent back home into garrisons across the realm. While waiting for a new conflict, the army is distributed in key locations and cities around the Blakfort Kingdom. Most often entire Battalions are sent to a location, but it is common to see Ericia operating further from the rest of its Battalion.At these locations, the Patrons train and spend their time rehearsing combat tactics. When sent to a city, the Patrons often serve as city guards and peacekeepers in addition to any guards that the city might have already. Some cities, such as Austium only have Patrons as city guards as it is too important to be protected by volunteers.
Primal Guard
The Prime Church of the Blakfort Kingdom has its own branch of military guards whose purpose is to protect the Primas and other important religious personnel. Members of this guard often come from the Blakfort Royal Army and dedicate their lives to the protection of these individuals. Their equipment is mostly the same as that of a Patron and they are called that as well, but they are organized more like the Noble Guard. The most prominent visual difference between regular Patrons and members of the Primal Guard are that the latter wear white clothes instead of yellow.Garrisons
- Austium - 3 Battalions
- Orilum - 2 Battalions
- Kirkwall - 3 Battalions
- Striflucas - 1 Battalion
- Kingshill - 2 Battalions
- Azmarin - 1 Battalion
Founding Date
1068
Type
Military, Army
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Trained
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Related Species
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