Military of the Eidolorn Empire Pt. I

The Chain of Command

The Eidolorn Emperor, currently Freth Borth (human male), holds the ultimate sway over the high up military decisions like outright declarations of war, peace agreements, assignment of regents and other governing figures throughout the seven provinces of the Empire, and the promotion of Eidolorn officers to the esteemed rank of general. While he (or she) does not often dally in the day to day affairs of each individual province outside of Carbadi, he is also granted authority to overturn the decisions of lesser lawmakers.

Regents are essentially veteran officers of the military, heroes or other authoritarian figures of note who are granted 'lease' to reign over one of the Second through Seventh provinces of the Empire (excluding Carbadi), until such a time as they decide to step down from service or are removed at the behest of the Emperor. If a regent has been drawn from the ranks of the military, and willing to shoulder responsibility for commanding both his/her soldiers and the day to day governance of domestic and trade laws, then he/she holds the rank of regent-general (or regent-admiral). At present, the following individuals hold this rank:

Floivin Province: Regent-General Gurd Gnarlbottom (dwarf male)
Melethesz: Regent-General Shann-hai Riggings (gnome female)
Nobbish: Regent Krispin Bowyerson (human male)
Rothe: Regent-Admiral Harriet Rhys, 'The Witch of the Waves' (human female)
Toul Tabor: Regent Dharmark 'Spellhammer' (human male)
Wintersbreath: Regent Brisby Balewhyte (glacier dwarf male)

Generals are officers of esteem that are bestowed the highest rank in the Eidolorn military proper, whether through sheer years of honorable service or success in various campaigns of note which have furthered Imperial causes. In the case of Rothe's navy, the title is admiral. A general (or admiral) is served directly by a staff of commanders, non-combatant advisors and in general, attaches from the local clergy of Eleste and local mages' guild, if applicable, since both institutions can provide critical support to military personnel. Generals are in charge of rallying their troops for Imperial offenses, or coordinating the defense of their particular province. In times of heavy conflict, multiple generals will often take the field in unison, and travel beyond their assigned borders. Generals possess 3-5 golden stars on their uniforms. At present, the following officers hold the rank:

Carbadi: General Anglard Castac (human male) of the First Eidolorn
Floivin: Regent-General Gurd Gnarlbottom (dwarf male) of the Last Eidolorn
Melethesz: Regent-General Shann-hai Riggings (gnome female) of the Sixth Eidolorn
Nobbish: General Tolyn Wyr (human male) of the Third Eidolorn
Rothe: Regent-Admiral Harriet Rhys, 'Witch of the Waves' (human female) of the Second Eidolorn
Toul Tabor: General Sophosyne (minotaur male) of the Fourth Eidolorn
Wintersbreath: General Bree Bristow (human female) of the Fifth Eidolorn

Commanders are officers of high rank who are generally assigned the control of the Eidolorn soldiers in a particularly large population area. Smaller towns and villages are often given over to the command of a captain or even lieutenant, but each city of the Empire is the domain of a particular commander who oversees its direct defense and hands down orders to lower ranked officers in the general vicinity. Most generals are primed from commander rank candidates, though a few are heroic outsiders. Commanders have 1 or 2 golden stars on their uniforms. At present, the following officers hold this rank:

First Eidolorn, Carbadi: Cmd. Barras Helthul (human male) of Inverfar; Cmd. Unyr Fyrf (half elf male) of Lammorth; Cmd. Caryal 'The Crimson Bride' (human female) of Lochba
Second Eidolorn, Rothe: Cmd. Zagali Yaz (hadozee male) of Grand Mooring
Third Eidolorn, Nobbish: Cmd. Coros Kell (human male) of Durmoral; Cmd. Durto Gamson (halfling male) of Scourie
Fourth Eidolorn, Toul Tabor: Cmd. Semar 'Lionpaw' Strayts (human male) of Delvesh; Cmd. Brygmog 'The Gutter' (half ogre female) of Faenak; Cmd. Asmalix (human male) of Olgest; Cmd. Vhelok (human male) of Tarair
Fifth Eidolorn, Wintersbreath: Cmd. Armon Estelbard (hunan male) of Vettlar
Sixth Eidolorn, Melethesz: Cmd. Ishas Ultar (human male) of Gargoun; Cmd. Vlodis 'Firefingers' (gnome male) of Haldur; Cmd. Qik Selosh (human male) of Tesleb
Last Eidolorn, Floivin: Cmd. Scott Morrow (human male) of Floivin Keep; Cmd. Madolan Roodeye (elf male), current status unknown.

Majors are important 'hands on' officers in that they will often be given charge directly over a particular unit of soldiers primed for battle. As such, the rank is awarded to offers who have shown great martial or strategic prowess on the field, since majors are without exception expected to head their troops into battle situations. Most belong to either a cavalry or infantry specialization, though some few are experts in archery or siege weaponry. There are generally 2-3 majors for each commander, but their exact population fluctuates relative to the size of the actual muster of their respective provinces. Majors have 5 silver stars stars on their uniforms or emblems.

Captains are officers who are given a specific assignment to a smaller population center like a town or village, though several will also be found in the larger cities. Generally they are soldiers who have proven themselves in the role of lieutenant and thus afforded more responsibility. They coordinate troops to defend their local areas, and often serve as chief constables and court justices for criminal acts committed under their jurisdiction. Like majors, the amount of captains found in any specific area of the Empire is relative to the size of population (both civilian and military). Floivin Province might have only a half dozen or so at any given time, but Toul Tabor and Melethesz might have two or three score active. Captains have 3-4 silver stars on their uniforms. It is important not to confuse a ship's captain with an Eidolorn captain. Sure, they might hold both positions on occasion (generally in the Rothe or Carbadi navies), but in general the former might be a civilian sailor granted some authority.

The rank of lieutenant is the most common among Eidolorn officers, for it is the easiest to attain. Soldiers and conscripts with particular skills or a propensity for leadership are very often drafted into this role, sometimes after as little as one important engagement. Their pay grade is substantially higher than that of private, and they are usually assigned to groups of 5-10 fellow troops on duty rosters. Some smaller communities throughout the Empire might have an officer of this rank in charge. Lesser populated provinces might have a score or so lieutenants active. Provinces like Carbadi and Toul Tabor have hundreds. Officers of this rank exchange any silver pips for a single silver star on their uniform, but can eventually earn a second.

Sergeant is a specialized rank assigned to certain individuals who show particular propensity for various skills or combat capabilities, but little leadership quality. It's often considered a means by which to filter out the more competent but unruly soldiers of private rank from the normal cycle of officer advancement. It could be that they had a criminal background, committed lewd or offensive acts that were not incredibly illegal while out in the field, or simply 'disliked' by their superior officers. Perhaps they smelled bad, or suffered from some pox they received from an excessive bout of whoring. Perhaps they are drunks or pipeweed addicts. Their pay is decent, but they are only rarely afforded any opportunity to advance beyond this rank. They often hold various specified titles. For example, drill sergeants oversee combat training; while staff sergeants are usually delegated towards cooking for the troops, stocking the local arsenals. Others often prove excellent heralds or couriers. Sergeants begin with four silver pips on their uniforms, but might be advanced to five.

The private is the standard, professional soldier of lowest rank in the Eidolorn Guard of any province. Once recruited, you are awarded this rank and possess the capacity to advance into either the sergeant (i.e. 'dead end') or lieutenant ranks. The private represents the bulk of the Eidolorn guard: the grunts who are fighting all the wars, guarding the streets and borders, or called in for emergency relief in a time of natural disaster. Some are cavalry, some archers, some infantry, some placed in specialist groups like cannonneers, scouts, and such. There are three pay grades for a private, commensurate with years of service, and rewarded with one silver pip each on their uniforms. Many soldiers never actually advance beyond this rank, and some are released back to civilians or conscript roles depending if they've fulfilled their local contract (amount of service varies by province).

Conscripts are essentially militiamen that have trained with the local military and are called in conditionally to support the Eidolorn Guard in times of need, or serve as local police and guards if there is a low population of official soldiers in the area. But they are effectively civilians. They hold no rank, usually assigned to a particular local officers or soldiers, and receive slightly less pay than the average private, and only for the time served. In addition, they are very often left to arm themselves with whatever is on hand. Farming tools, cheap weapons, clubs, anything readily available. If resources allow, the Eidolorn might grant them leather armor, wooden shields or other forms of protection, but in general they are on their own. There are some cases where a province has held a longstanding unit of conscripts like the Farmers Army of Nobbish that serve extended hours, some year round.

Please note that these fantasy ranks DO NOT NECESSARILY CORRESPOND with normal rank orders in the U.S. or any other real world military.

Military of the Eidolorn Empire Pt. II will focus in on the musters of each Province and the armaments used by varying troop types and soldiers.