Post by Horsie on Jan 3, 2015 20:32:24 GMT
The Galdrasai were always a race of warriors, strong and proud of their strength of arms. What truly led them to the near military supremacy in Xalkara came with the great reordering of their military and the creation of the Gendarme.
The various king's and princes, each ruling their own smaller kingdom, had always struggled with their organising the feudal forces under their command. Lords wished to return to their castles and peasants to their farms, and large bands of mercenaries soon turned into dangerous gangs of bandits when the war was over and the coffers to pay them had run empty. Such ad hoc organisation meant their full strength could not be brought to bare. As the Galdrasai kingdoms attempted to unify these problems only worsened, as their was no uniformity in the levy systems each kingdom employed.
Finally a new system was devised. A standing army of professional knights, known as the Gendarmes was created. These warriors would be kept employed on a permanent basis, with set organisation and hierarchy. The Gendarmes were merit based in their organisation, unlike the old feudal hierarchies, with the best rising through their ranks regardless of background. Their equipment was uniform and provided by the state to exacting standards. These warriors became the figureheads of the new, unified nation, the Galdrasai Protectorate.
They proved devastatingly effective against the still relatively amateurish armies of their enemies, and won remarkable victories against the armies of the Rotetra and inflicted unprecedented defeats on the Immortals of the Ishmus. In time, they became so powerful, and so beloved by the people, that the Gendarme would seize power. The power of the state was now entirely based around their military power.
The Gendarme were supported in battle by men-at-arms, part-time soldiers who filled roles such as archers and running their camps, as well as providing large numbers of standard infantry. The Gendarme themselves served as heavy cavalry and heavy infantry, clad in plate armour and using weapons that they infused with fire magic to superheat them to deal terrible wounds to their enemies.
The best of the Gendarme were promoted into the Young Guard, men considered exceptional even by the Gendarme's high standards. From these, the very best would be promoted into the Old Guard, the elite of the elite. The Old Guard were widely believed to be the most effective military force in all of Harkovast and very few warriors could go toe to toe with them on the battlefield.
From the Old Guard, a noble few might be chosen to join the ruling council of the Galdrasai. Members were not allowed to elect a relative of a current member, so as to avoid the organisation being weakened by the feudal ideas and nepotism that had held them back in the past.
Though the Levengroust considered them a race of mindless, unthinking thugs, the Galdrasai were actually quite a sophisticated people. They studied tactics and strategy very carefully and their armies were invariably well led, but they also achieved a great deal in peacetime. As their civilisation reached its height they built great universities and libraries, and made huge advances in science, maths, art, and literature.
Their later leaders were keen to be seen as a noble force in the world, just and righteous, with great power tempered by reason. It was their hope that, once their primacy over Xalkara was established, they would act in a patriarchal role over the other nations, resolving conflicts and bringing about peace through strength.
Unfortunately, the Protectorate came into conflict with the Levengroust Reich, a people very different from the proud Galdrasai, but just as ambitious.
The Levengroust thought that their time was at hand, and would not accept Galdrasai interference or attempts to limit their expansion.
As the Lukov Empire and the Ishmus Kingdom declined, both the Galdrasai and Levengroust aimed to fill the void, making conflict inevitable.
The Galdrasai found the Levengroust a frustrating enemy, inferior in direct combat but supported with all manner of cowardly weapons produced with their technomancy and quick to retreat to their fortresses and strongholds when the Galdrasai gained the advantage in the field. The Levengroust lack of honour (as the Galdrasai defined it) left the Galdrasai ever more convinced of the rightness of their cause, but did also force some small changes to their war effort. As the conflict continued, they made use of light, skirmishing troops known as Voltigeur to counter the skirmishers the Levengroust used so effectively.
Had their conflict been allowed to run its course, it is difficult to predict which of these proud peoples would have gained the upper hand, but which ever had would have surely become the greatest power in Xalkara.
The various king's and princes, each ruling their own smaller kingdom, had always struggled with their organising the feudal forces under their command. Lords wished to return to their castles and peasants to their farms, and large bands of mercenaries soon turned into dangerous gangs of bandits when the war was over and the coffers to pay them had run empty. Such ad hoc organisation meant their full strength could not be brought to bare. As the Galdrasai kingdoms attempted to unify these problems only worsened, as their was no uniformity in the levy systems each kingdom employed.
Finally a new system was devised. A standing army of professional knights, known as the Gendarmes was created. These warriors would be kept employed on a permanent basis, with set organisation and hierarchy. The Gendarmes were merit based in their organisation, unlike the old feudal hierarchies, with the best rising through their ranks regardless of background. Their equipment was uniform and provided by the state to exacting standards. These warriors became the figureheads of the new, unified nation, the Galdrasai Protectorate.
They proved devastatingly effective against the still relatively amateurish armies of their enemies, and won remarkable victories against the armies of the Rotetra and inflicted unprecedented defeats on the Immortals of the Ishmus. In time, they became so powerful, and so beloved by the people, that the Gendarme would seize power. The power of the state was now entirely based around their military power.
The Gendarme were supported in battle by men-at-arms, part-time soldiers who filled roles such as archers and running their camps, as well as providing large numbers of standard infantry. The Gendarme themselves served as heavy cavalry and heavy infantry, clad in plate armour and using weapons that they infused with fire magic to superheat them to deal terrible wounds to their enemies.
The best of the Gendarme were promoted into the Young Guard, men considered exceptional even by the Gendarme's high standards. From these, the very best would be promoted into the Old Guard, the elite of the elite. The Old Guard were widely believed to be the most effective military force in all of Harkovast and very few warriors could go toe to toe with them on the battlefield.
From the Old Guard, a noble few might be chosen to join the ruling council of the Galdrasai. Members were not allowed to elect a relative of a current member, so as to avoid the organisation being weakened by the feudal ideas and nepotism that had held them back in the past.
Though the Levengroust considered them a race of mindless, unthinking thugs, the Galdrasai were actually quite a sophisticated people. They studied tactics and strategy very carefully and their armies were invariably well led, but they also achieved a great deal in peacetime. As their civilisation reached its height they built great universities and libraries, and made huge advances in science, maths, art, and literature.
Their later leaders were keen to be seen as a noble force in the world, just and righteous, with great power tempered by reason. It was their hope that, once their primacy over Xalkara was established, they would act in a patriarchal role over the other nations, resolving conflicts and bringing about peace through strength.
Unfortunately, the Protectorate came into conflict with the Levengroust Reich, a people very different from the proud Galdrasai, but just as ambitious.
The Levengroust thought that their time was at hand, and would not accept Galdrasai interference or attempts to limit their expansion.
As the Lukov Empire and the Ishmus Kingdom declined, both the Galdrasai and Levengroust aimed to fill the void, making conflict inevitable.
The Galdrasai found the Levengroust a frustrating enemy, inferior in direct combat but supported with all manner of cowardly weapons produced with their technomancy and quick to retreat to their fortresses and strongholds when the Galdrasai gained the advantage in the field. The Levengroust lack of honour (as the Galdrasai defined it) left the Galdrasai ever more convinced of the rightness of their cause, but did also force some small changes to their war effort. As the conflict continued, they made use of light, skirmishing troops known as Voltigeur to counter the skirmishers the Levengroust used so effectively.
Had their conflict been allowed to run its course, it is difficult to predict which of these proud peoples would have gained the upper hand, but which ever had would have surely become the greatest power in Xalkara.