Veracia and Her Allies

Veracia owed her rise to her military might, and as such the Veracian army held a special place in society. It consisted of four main elements: the Regular Army, the Militia, the Myrmidons and Allied contingents of both infantry and cavalry.

The Regular Army

A battle-hardened formation, tested in endless battles against the barbarians on the northern frontier, the Regular Army retained its tradition of professionalism even in the final campaigns of the empire. Veracian infantry was organised in self-contained companies of between 100 and 300 men, each company possessing its own individual name and identity: The Company of the Red Kite, for example, gained a reputation for being unsteady after it broke at the Battle of Batun.  In contrast to this individualism, Veracian infantry were all equipped alike from royal armouries: a chain-mail shirt, a helmet and a large shield for defence. They were trained in the use of the long sword which was effective in open combat, but less so if combat degenerated into a mass of struggling men.

The Militia

A combination of town guards, discharged infantrymen and half-trained levies, the Veracian militia was a last-ditch organisation used only in emergencies. Armed with whatever weapons were available, usually spears and large round shields, they could hold a line in battle or defend a wall but do little else.

The Myrmidons

A warrior elite fighting behind the golden standard of an eagle, the Myrmidons were the spearhead of the Veracian army. Armed and equipped with custom-made weapons and armour, they fought using a series of specific moves, the learning of which took at least six months. To the Myrmidons, a fifty-mile forced march followed by a battle against overwhelming odds was a frequent occurrence: they regarded it as their duty, and fought impassively and calmly.

The Allies

Veracia held in its sway several other nations, who supplied allied contingents to fight Veracia's wars. Most of these troops were spear-armed warbands from barbarian kingdoms, fighting without armour; however, some were specialist troops who allowed Veracia to deploy a better-rounded range of infantry. Light infantry contingents, including slingers, javelin-throwers and the occasional archer, were often put to good use by Veracian generals. However, extreme specialists such as those Ubii warriors who fought armed with the two-handed curved slashing tool known as the falx were of little military value.

Cavalry

For various reasons, the Veracians initally failed to develop an effective heavy cavalry force; their horsemen scouted, rather than charging home. Armed with lances, they guarded flanks and harassed the enemy, using mobility rather than the weight of a charge.

When the Veracians encountered the Cheruscii tribe, however, they found a nation whose primary weapon was the head-on death-or-glory charge, using armoured cavalry to terrify the enemy into submission. Impressed by the display, King Tancred II ordered the formation of several units of heavy cavalry, as well as offering an alliance to the Cheruscii. Soon Veracia was deploying heavy horsemen against barbarian warbands to devastating effect.