Sarveki Military

The Imperial Army is formed of soldiers from each of the Noble Houses. While each House is free to train and outfit its men as it sees fit, there is a standard Imperial uniform that must be worn. The dominating color of the uniform can be the primary color of the soldier’s House, but the actual design of the uniform and basic equipment of the uniform cannot be altered. The rank system and basic unit structure is also universal among the Houses, but they are free to designate the composition of their units to suit their local needs.

The military training schools have standardized weapon training for every weapon employed by the Sarveki military, from the bare hand to the catapult. Each weapon has seven levels of skill. A man’s rank is determined by his skill with weaponry. A man trained at the first level with a sword would be a Swordsman, First-class. The rank is called “class” until the sixth level, which is called “Master.” Seventh level is “Grandmaster.” A man may be trained with many weapons. Anyone who is first-class in three or more weapons is called a “Man-at-Arms.” He maintains each individual rank in each of his weapons, but his official rank as a man-at-arms only increases when all of his weapon skills are at the sought rank. A man with first-class training in five or more weapons is called a “Man-at-War.”

Individual House uniforms may bear any sort of rank insignia or decorations; however, while in the Imperial forces, standardized patches are worn for each weapon. Each consists of a black silhouette of the weapon, with one stripe for each class achieved, sown underneath the weapon. Masters have only a silver silhouette of the weapon. Grandmasters have a gold silhouette. Men-at-arms receive a black three-pronged star on their right shoulder, which may also have stripes, be silver, or gold. Men-at-war wear a five-pronged star. These patches are sown onto the left breast of the tunic and are only worn in parades, on city garrison duty in peacetime, or at court. In times of war, they are not worn at all to prevent the enemy any opportunity of assessing the force’s capabilities.

When asked to identify himself, a soldier will include his highest weapon rank in his reply, unless he is a man-at-arms or man-at-war, in which case he only states his overall rank.

The basic unit of the infantry is called a line. A line consists of four men and a line leader, called a frontman. A line cannot be of mixed primary weaponry, meaning all four men will use the same weapons and will be outfitted with the same gear. The frontman is the man with the highest class of training in the line’s weapon, or the man with the most time in service in the event that all members are equally trained. In most cases, the frontman is at least one class ahead of his men.

Two lines combined with an extra man to lead them are called a wedge. The leader of the Wedge is called a pointman. A pointman must be at least one class ahead of both of his frontmen and must have previously spent at least six months as a frontman. A wedge may be made from two lines that use different weaponry, but this is rarely done. If it is, the pointman still must have a higher class in both weapons than each of his frontmen and must have been a frontman for six months in a line that used each weapon. If the pointman is killed or too badly wounded to perform his duty, the senior frontman assumes command of the wedge. Note that two wedges are required to operate a battering ram, one wedge is required to man a catapult or trebuchet, but a single line can man most ballista.

Four wedges combined with a man to lead them make one wave. The leader of a wave is called a proctor. A proctor must be at least a third class man-at arms. One of his weapons must be a ranged weapon, usually the longbow or crossbow. Additionally, a proctor must have served as a pointman in a wedge that used each of his trained weapons for at least six months in each wedge. The weapons actually used by each wedge under his command may vary from his chosen weapons, but effort is made to ensure the wedges are trained to use the same weapons as the proctor. The four wedges may use any mix of weaponry deemed appropriate by the head of the House, but generally, there is a wedge of archers in leather or chain armor, a wedge of swordsman and a wedge of macemen in chain or light plate with shields, and a wedge in heavy armor using polearms or two handed heavy weapons such as the greatsword or battle maul. The only thing that is not mixed in a wave is footmen and cavalry. A wave will be entirely mounted on horses or entirely on foot.

Four to five waves combine with a lieutenant commander to form a column. A lieutenant commander is most often a cousin or uncle of the House Father. In theory, any man with the proper training can become a lieutenant commander, but House Nobles most often occupy these positions because they are usually the only ones with the time and access to facilities to attain the required level of weapons training. Even so, many lieutenant commanders were once sons of farmers or masons before being called to service. A lieutenant commander must be at least a fourth class man-at-war. His weapons must cover light, medium, and heavy melee weapons, a ranged weapon, and a siege weapon such as a catapult. He must have served at least a year as a proctor of a wave of cavalry, a year as a proctor of a wave of infantry, and a year as a proctor of a wave of siege engines.

Four to five columns form under a major commander to form a regiment. Many Houses have fewer troops than a full regiment, but more than three columns. In these cases, the force is still called a regiment, and the House Father is the major commander. In houses that have more than one true regiment, the major commanders are appointed directly by the House Father. Brothers and sons, or life long friends of the House Father are the usual choices, and there are no set training or leadership requirements, although it is very common for them to be fifth class men-at-war and a grandmaster of at least one weapon. Most are seasoned veterans with years of leadership experience.

In times of Imperial warfare, the House Fathers answer to the Hand of the Emperor, the overall commander of the entire combined military force. The Hand of The Emperor must be a House Father, but the size and overall strength of his House is not directly an issue. The House Father with the most powerful house may not be the most qualified military leader among the House Fathers.

Every Noble House must send soldiers from their personal forces to serve in the Imperial army and navy. In theory, these troops are neutral in regards to house politics. Troops from House Gershon could be commanded by a proctor from House Lenmark. Men from House Clarion could serve side by side with men from House Keirnan, despite their Houses’ long rivalry.

In practice, this is rarely done, because most men aren’t disciplined enough to rise above their differences. House allegiances and rivalries are ingrained deep within their minds, and cannot be easily overcome.

While it varies from House to House, due to the size and composition of a House’s forces, a soldier can expect to serve every third year in the Imperial forces, and might be stationed anywhere in the Empire during that year.