Difference between revisions of "Necia"

Revision as of 07:13, 2 October 2007

Government

The Necian League is a Democratic Republic, comprised of sixty city-states of seafaring Men and Glauca, who have come together to work the seas in mutual cooperation. Each city-state is run with limited autonomy by a tribe who draws lots in their town forum every year to determine who will be their leader, or Satrap. The Satrap is a city-state's leader, but he also represents his tribe's interests when all of the Satrapy gathers in the Beacon City of Demos, capital of the Necian League. Though usually lacking a strong central power, the Satraps of the League may cast lots in times of duress to appoint one Satrap with powers of Dictator, enabling quick decisions needed to defeat grave enemies.

Landmarks

• The Oratorium
• The Gatekeepers of the East
• The Beacon of Demos

Military

The Necian League is defended by a professional army and navy, scouted for ability at young ages and apprenticed to war heroes and veterans. The Men of Necia comprise the army, and the Glauca comprise the navy. It is common to have war expeditions in which the Navy escorts the Army to wage war on Necia's enemies. There is a saying that if you sway where you stand, a Glaucan's word is law, but if you stand on solid earth, you obey a Man. This synergy of force has made the military a brutally effective projector of Necia's power. While not particuarly savage nor bloodthirsty, Necia wages war with regional parties on a consistent basis, to keep the nation enriched with resources, spoils, and slaves. They also maintain the complex network of allied factions around Necian borders, and are fully ready to bring war if their interests are threatened.

The Officer's Corps

The vast majority of Necia's military is general enlistment. Most Men become foot soldiers, and most Glauca become seamen. There is an officer's corps in both the army and navy, consisting of two types of officers: Pontifects and Militates.

• Pontifect: Officer which is talented in the affinity arts. The title reflects the demi-religious nature of the post, which loosely translates to "War Priest". Pontifects begin their career in a long period of training and apprenticeship, and their first posting is usually to command a Trireme in the Navy, or to command a Maniple in the Army. In addition to being well-educated and trained in the war arts, they are valued for the often-decisive effects of their affinity magics in direct use on the battlefield. In addition, they administer many of the religious rites to the subordinates under their command, and are responsible for ritual, sacrifice, and ceremony.

• Militate: Officer which is usually drawn from an experienced veteran pool of non-affinity users. A Militate usually begins their career as an entry-level foot soldier or a seaman, and after many campaigns and citations for good service, are given a letter of commission into the officer's corps. These men make up for their lack of magic in a deep reserve of experience and a healthy respect of the commoners. Militates generally begin their commission as seconds, adjuctants, or staff to a Pontifect, though it is quite possible for a Militate to command a senior position or even lead an entire war expeditionary.

There are many grades of rank within the officer's corps, available for both Pontifects and Militates to be enrolled. Militates have more posts simply because they often start their commission lower than a Pontifect, though once they ascend to the title of Impellor (position of rank for both Trireme and Maniple command) the availabilities are the same.

The Army

The term "Army" has a dual meaning, in that it describes the whole of Necian conventional land-based foot soldier warfare, as well as individual fighting divisions within that. Per tradition, the Army is drawn from the race of Men, unless under extreme exception. There are thirty "Armies" within the Army, each with a unique name to describe something related to the history of the unit, or some detail to distinguish itself. For instance, the Seventh Army is named Pellantia Victa for its famous involvement in the annihilation of the Pellantic Nomads in eastern Asga. Esprit de Corps is not only widespread within such armies, but it's also demi-religious and state-sanctioned. Rivalries and competition between armies is encouraged within reason. Each individual Army marches under a golden idol of the Necian state totem - an Aquila. Per convention, the Army only consists of armored foot soldiers. Additional land units are fielded under the Kompanata, or companion forces.

Common Army titles include:

• Soldier: basic foot soldier. Standard combat unit of the Army.
• Signifier: hoists standards, revered crests, and other communications totems. Responsible for battle communications and assists a Pontifect in religious ritual.
• Ambulo: Adjuctant to an Impellor, charged with keeping the soldiers' pace in a maniple and administering beatings with a stick to any who attempt to flee formation in pitched combat.
• First Sword: direct subordinate to the Impellor. Directs combat on the opposite wing of the maniple from his superior.
• Second Sword: calls marching cadence, stands adjacent to Impellor and directly defends him.
• Impellor: Commander of an Army Maniple (200 soldiers), the most basic tactical commander of a field army.
• Captain: Commander of an Army Talon (four Maniples, 800 soldiers), the smallest independent fighting unit in a field army.
• Martial Praefect: Commander of an Army Wing (five Talons, 4,000 soldiers).
• General: Commander of an Army (two Wings, 8,000 soldiers).
• Imperator: Appointed title granted by the Satrapy enabling broad powers which they set according to need. This isn't so much of a rank as it is a special distinction, but it carries with it the full endorsement of Necian legal and martial power until such a time in which the Satrapy revokes it. An Imperator represents the League directly in such matters as consular duty, special assignment, or command of a massive expeditionary force (Arma Maxima). Any citizen appointed by the Satrapy (Man, Glaucan, military, non-military) can attain this post.

The Navy

The Navy is a dual-purpose force of ships capable of both war as well as trade upon the high seas. By state tradition, the Navy employs only able Glaucans, though there are rare exceptions to this. The vast majority of vessels in the Navy are light, fast warships known as Triremes. These vessels take advantage of Glaucan water affinity to give them uncanny speed, with or without a wind in sail. The Navy also employs trade galleons of a vaguely similar design to facilitate activities not directly relating to war-making. The best of Necian warships is the Leviathan, though these are few and quite expensive. There are ten fleets of vessels within the Navy, each named of important Gods and Goddesses of the Water Realm. For instance, the Second Fleet is called Ersuipa Servi or servants to the Goddess of the Tides. The flag of each fleet has a well-decorated visage of their representative deity on the prow of the vessel.

Common Navy titles include:

• Seaman: Standard naval crew member. Responsible for the oars, rigging, and other basic duties.
• Helmsman: Charged with piloting of a trireme.
• Navigator: Second on a Captain's staff. Reader of maps, compass, sextant, and weather anomalies.
• Ordinator: Maintains weapons stock and deployment. Administrator of floggings, scourgings, and other such punishments.
• Dextus: First on a Captain's staff. Maintains food and water provisions. Adjudicates disciplinary infractions. Manages communications with the fleet.
• Captain: Chief executive of a Trireme (160 Crew). Other ships are also capable of command, but far rarer.
• Mare Praefect: Commander of a Squadron (Ten triremes, 1,600 Crew).
• Commodorus: Commander of a Flotilla (Five squadrons, 8,000 Crew).
• Mare Dominus: Commander of a Fleet (Four Flotillas, 32,000 Crew).
• Imperator: See the army description.

The Kompanata

The Kompanata is a pool of specialist combat units derived from skilled classes and even non-citizen foreign allies loyal to the League. The purpose of the Kompanata is to provide special units that are generally not within the specific service of army or navy battle groups. The paper strength units of Kompanata are comparatively small when compared to either the Army or Navy, but they serve very defined purposes that their sister groups cannot provide themselves.

Common unit classes in the Kompanata:

• Cataphracti Orienta: These are armored cavalry units, generally on smaller, faster horses. The riders specialize in archery, and are adept at skirmishing against light ground units and harassing enemy cavalry.
• Cataphracti Occidenta: Heavy armored cavalry. These either mount the large breeds of Dalriadan horse, or some other trainable war beast. They wear heavy armor, and carry a thrusting spear as well as a longsword. Cataphracti Occidenta are best used to attack from the flank or rearguard, as well as annihilating dispersed and routed infantry.
• Machinati Parabella: Combat engineers. These are project supervisors charged with the design and higher implementation of siege weapons, artillery, defensive works, and other special build projects. They draw a pool of manual labor from the Army when time permits them to work. The Machinati Parabella also keep station on larger Naval ships such as Leviathans.
• Peltastos Auxilia: These are a lightly armed and armored band of skirmishers, often assigned to complement Army units on the field. They also serve purposes in scouting.
• Pontifecti Magni Affinito: This is the Mage's guild. They are a senior band of magically-attuned Pontifects that offer higher forms of magic than is common in the standard forces. Such Mages are especially effective in the Navy, where they are used to deliver a fleet safely through stormy weather.

Affinity War

Relying less on the awesome power of magical affinity mages and more on conventional warfare augmented with limited affinity magic, both the Army and the Navy have created numerous war weapons to take advantage of the occasional gifted affinity soldier:

• Trireme: A fast, light attack warship of the Necian Navy. It is powered either by oar or by sail, and is ideal for fast pursuit, especially at the hands of the Glauca's water affinity magic. It has a light hull of timbers, but a prow that is cunningly designed to function as a ram, able to absorb an impact when colliding with an enemy ship's broadside with ease. Glaucan steel supports the prow and keel, further giving rigidity and armor piercing ability.

• Leviathan: A true partnership of Men and Glauca, this is the heaviest warship in the League. Slow and conspicuous, it is a great ironclad husk, powered by a steam paddle which is fueled by a fire mage and a furnace, giving the ship a great and terrible plume of black smoke in its wake. Several kill ports dot the metal skin of the beast, which can be drawn tight by iron shutters. From inside, Men and Glauca alike can unleash hell on the open sea at their enemy, with little fear of counterattack.

• Scytus: An affinity soldier's weapon, this is a heavy war spear with a double diamond tip, open and hollow on the inside of the spearhead, leaving a crevace. This space is filled with pitch, Necian Ether, or some other foul ignitable, and the spear is hurled with great force. With its heavy steel point, it is an excellent armor piercing missile, and when it's fuel is ignited, it is even deadlier to whatever has the misfortune of being pierced. In addition, a soldier with affinity in metal can "compress" the scytus's shaft for space-saving, thus allowing the most elite Soldiers to be able to carry bandoliers of the deadly spears.

• Gonne: At once thought a curio and plaything of a mischevious fire affinity adept, the pipe-shaped gonne ended up finding a special niche as a siege weapon. Heavy and utterly cumbersome, it takes days to transport and to aim, but this weapon can hurl boulders far beyond the range of a catapult or trebuchet, demolishing entire castle ramparts in one shot. The secret to the Gonne's power is a strange grainy substance, the secret of which is held by the inner circle of Fire mages, on pain of horrible horrible death.

• Necian Ether: The strange and unnatural result of synergy between Fire and Water alchemists, the actual composition of the Ether is known only to a handful of mages. When contained in a jar, it appears to be a viscous clear liquid, just noticably thicker than water. But when exposed to air, the ether burns with a stubborn flame that only water affinity magic can douse. The Navy has used the Ether to great success on the open sea, but it is a risky weapon, nearly as dangerous to the wielder as the target themselves.