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The Thyllanorian military refers to the standing forces that make up the military representation of the Realm of Thyllanor, which includes the Thyllanorian Navy and the Thyllanorian Army, with both having their respective sub-groups, all of which are included in the Thyllanorian military as a whole.
Facing major reformation following the Dragomyr invasion of Andoras, Thyllanorian military ranks were loosely defined before then, but have since been outlined and established, and most have remained unchanged since the invasion.
The footmen and recruit ranks for the Army and the Navy, respectively, are not considered 'true' members of the military, and are typically only raised to fight in times of war or in the face of mounting rebellion. Regardless, they make up the bulk of both sections of the military when raised, often making up half of the standing forces alone. Altogether, if all forces are raised for all branches of the military, the military can effectively reach near 300,000 men; about 4% of Thyllanor's population. As of now, 1.5% of Thyllanor's population serves in the military, at 118,000 total personnel. In times of total peace, Thyllanor has known to hit as low as 5,000 total men. Bear in mind that the military also serves as guardsmen and a police force besides fighting battles; this means that not everyone is always fighting on the same battleground at once.
Thyllanorian Army
The Thyllanorian Army consists of all footmen, knights, and infantry within Thyllanor. While this number varies, it can range anywhere from 10,000 men in times of peace to short periods of a standing army of over 200,000 men in a just war, such as the 346 AC rebellion. Currently, the army sits at roughly 94,000 men, with the fallout of the Civil War still being felt and the War of Embers currently ongoing with the Realm of Thunder's Shore.
Thyllanorian Army ranks
| Title | Insignia | # in Army | Extra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footman | NONE (or unmarked Thyllanorian red lapel) | c. 47,000 | Typically receive little training, are not truly considered members of the military unless they get promoted to Conscript |
| Conscript | c. 21,000 | Conscripts are popular choices for city guards or garrison troops when not serving on the front | |
| Officer | c. 10,300 | ||
| Corporal | c. 7,120 | Must receive commendation to move beyond this point | |
| Sergeant | c. 3,200 | ||
| Lieutenant Inferior | c. 2,800 | ||
| Lieutenant Superior | c. 1,300 | ||
| Lieutenant Major | c. 1,180 | ||
| Captain | 1,203 | Must be officially promoted by a general | |
| Major Captain | 708 | Must be knighted to move beyond this point | |
| General Inferior | 18 | Must be hand-picked by the Highlord (applies to all further ranks) | |
| General Superior | 7 | ||
| Auxiliary General | 3 | ||
| Commander of the Army | 1 | The Commander has always been the Highlord | |
| Total | N/A | c.94,000 |
The Thyllanorian Army is divided into 8 armies of 25,000 men each at optimal capacity, however, as of late, there have been 5 armies of 20,000, to further divide the roughly 100,000 currently in service more efficiently. These 4 armies are further divided into 8 regiments each, and per each regiment, 5 battalions. As of current situations, this means that in a typical 40,000 man army, it will have 8 regiments of 5,000 men each. Each of those 8 regiments will have 5 battalions of 1,000 men each, meaning in a full standing army, there are 40 battalions. Sometimes, if a greater chain of command is needed, battalions will be further broken down into 10 companies, of 100 men each. This is often done in battle when superior commanders get separated from some of their forces, but only those ranked Lieutenant Inferior and higher can issue a company order for such a division to be made.
When referred to as a singular entity, regiments and battalions always take on their own numeral. The 41st Battalion, for example, would be the title of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Army, and the 9th Regiment would be the first of the 2nd Army as well. As per the divisions, the Regiments are made up of five Battalions; the 3rd Regiment would consist of the 15th through 20th Battalions, for example.
Conscription in the army is mandatory for certain groups of people; those exempt from it are nobles (i.e. members of a House), owners of a business, landed lords, and government officials. For everyone else, serving in the military is chosen at random; the names of people from ages 15-40 are regionally put into a ballot, and blindly selected. When at least half of the population is chosen, they are further directed to a local barracks, where they will undergo training under a mid-ranking member of the military, usually a Sergeant or a Corporal. If they do not pass a first-day physical examination to deem them fit to serve in the army, they will be sent back home with a writ of early discharge. If they pass, then they begin service as a Footman and are dispatched to various regiments that require reinforcement. In times of war, the conscription becomes more strict, with the examination being more lenient. During this time, nobles receive a special conscript pamphlet, in which they are required to enlist if their House does not meet certain prerequisites, or if they hold no land of their own.
To earn a promotion, a man in the Thyllanorian army must usually prove his worth in battle or his expertise to follow, and eventually dispatch orders to his fellow soldiers. If a footman is recognized by one of his superiors as capable, then he has the choice to increase his earnings, or join the Army proper as a Conscript; if he chooses the former, he will receive an increased payout at the end of his service, and will not be required to serve the military. If he chooses the latter, however, he is now a proper member of the military, and is eligible for higher base wages, promotions, and more control of the ranks beneath him. He can reach the maximum rank of Corporal before it is required to receive an official commendation from the Thyllanorian government, and from thereon he can command his own company. His promotions then depend on his performance not only on the battlefield, but reports from the men that are under his command. If they are positive, and he is deemed worthy, he can continue rising up the ranks; at the rank of Lieutenant Inferior, he can command his own battalion.
Furthermore, at the rank of Captain, he can command a regiment. However, at the rank of Captain, he can no longer move beyond this rank normally, unless he is officially promoted by a general and given his blessing. Now a Major Captain, he can command 2 or more regiments if deemed necessary, rather than be limited to one. This is where a major bottleneck in the ranking is seen; of the 150,000 men in service of the Thyllanorian army, only 28 of them are a General of any rank. For a Major Captain to become a General Inferior, he must be seen as an undoubtedly good candidate, who has proven his valor and strength time and time again in the face of adversity, and saved the lives of his own men by using his superior sense of tactics and strategy.
He must also be knighted; while Thyllanor does not require noblehood to become a knight, it is highly seen as a prerequisite, and there are some accounts of peasants who never became a General because they were not seen to be fit for knighthood. If a man fits these two requirements, and is given permission from the Highlord himself, he can become a General Inferior and command his own full-sized army. Now, it only becomes even more difficult for promotions, and the only typical time for generals to rise in rank is in times of war. Generals Superior can command 2 armies, but are typically regulated to commanding one, with Generals Inferior being his direct link in the chain of command. Finally, the Auxillary Generals, of which there are only 3 at any given moment, are given permission to command and direct all standing armies in the Thyllanorian Army. They must only answer to the Commander of the Armies himself, who has always been the Highlord of Thyllanor, and by extension, a member of House Karthmere.
Last but not least, it is considered uncouth and impolite to refer to a high-ranking man in the Army without his full rank name preceding his own, even if he is dead. He is also to be called by the correct rank; while civilians are somewhat lax about this, anyone in the military takes his highly seriously. Respect for the chain of command is to be observed at all times, even if the difference in rank is generally minuscule. Despite being nearly equal, Conscripts have a say over Footmen when in the line of fire and no other commanding officer can be found; in Thyllanor, ranks are chosen especially for certain men, not only to promote them to higher standing but to give them a taste of the administrative duties required higher up the chain of command.
Branches of the Thyllanorian Army
Crimson Knights
In the Army, the most favorite unit is typically the battalion when referring to a certain group; the Crimson Lions, for example, are officially known as the 89th Battalion, and are part of the Crimson Knights, otherwise known as the 17th Regiment. However, the Crimson Knights operate mostly separated from the affairs of the greater army and have different ranks internally.
Crimson Knights ranks
| Title | Insignia |
# in Army |
Prerequisites/Extra (Optional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Footman | NONE | c. 2,000 | |
| Conscript | 1,233 | Must serve in an official battle to receive this rank. | |
| Newblood | 649 | Equal to the rank Officer. | |
| Prelate | 343 | Equal to the rank Corporal. | |
| Knight | 322 | Considered a full-bodied 'member' of the Crimson Knights. Equal to the rank Sergeant. | |
| Veteran | 328 | Equal to the rank Lieutenant Major. | |
| Elite | 96 | Equal to the rank Captain. | |
| Lionlord | 11 | The Lionlords have their own council, the Lower House, which convene with the Higher House on matters of war and defense. Equal to the rank Major Captain. | |
| Master | 8 | There can only be enough Masters at one time to complete a 10-man council (called the Higher House) with the Headmaster(s) and the Grandmaster. Equal to the rank General Inferior. | |
| Headmaster | 1 | Often considered the administrative leader of the Knights. Equal to the rank General Superior. | |
| Grandmaster | 1 | Often considered the military and diplomatic leader of the Knights. Equal to the rank Auxiliary General. |
Due to the Crimson Knight's nature and their recent creation, an Auxiliary General is typically given direct command over them, as the Knights have far more autonomy than most regiments. Their current Grandmaster, Gothaen Synthor, is also an Auxiliary General in Thyllanor, which he shares with Albrod Calnus and Adrian Karthmere.
The Thyllanorian Navy consists of all vessels within the extant fleets of Thyllanor, including frigates, ships-of-the-line, corvettes, galleys, and more. Civilian-owned vessels are typically not considered part of the navy, such as fishing boats and merchant ships, but can be repossessed by the Navy if need-be. As a result of Thunder's Shore's heavy naval influence, Thyllanor's naval ranks are almost directly taken from their own.
| Title | Insignia |
# in Navy |
Prerequisites/Extra (Optional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruit | NONE | c. 5,000 | Not considered a true member of the military. |
| Sailor, Junior Class | c. 6,360 | ||
| Sailor, Senior Class | c. 4,800 | ||
| Sailor, Ensign Class | c. 3,380 | ||
| Ensign | c. 2,100 | Must serve at least 3 years to move beyond this point | |
| Ensign Lieutenant | c. 1,050 | Must serve at least 5 years to move beyond this point
Must be commendated to move beyond this point | |
| Shiphead | 595 | Must commandeer your own vessel to move beyond this point
Must serve at least 8 years to move beyond this point | |
| Commander, 2nd Class | 323 | Must serve at least 12 years to move beyond this point
Must receive a writ of confirmation from an admiral to move beyond this point | |
| Commander, 1st Class | 189 | Must serve at least 15 years to move beyond this point | |
| Captain | 103 | Must serve at least 18 years to move beyond this point | |
| Rear Admiral | 17 | Must be personally approved and overseen by the Commandant
Must serve at least 20 years to reach this point | |
| Vice Admiral | 9 | ||
| Admiral | 3 | ||
| Supreme Commandant | 1 | Must serve at least 30 years to reach this point
Must receive personal blessing and approval from the Highlord of Thyllanor to reach this point Must commandeer your own fleet to reach this point Must be knighted to reach this point | |
| Total | c. 24,000 |
Unlike the Army, the Navy has certain guidelines dictating exactly how and when someone can be promoted. Of the two branches, the Army is certainly larger; of the 89,000 men serving on ground, only about 29,000 men serve in the navy.
The Navy, like the Army, is split up in a similar way. Of the approximate 1,350 ships in the Thyllanorian navy, each ship, on average, receives 5-15 recruits each reinforcement. The other ranks are distributed where deemed necessary by the Admirals and the Commandant.
As for conscription, the Navy is almost entirely voluntary on its own. When the Army has an influx of troops and does not require any new footmen, they are sent as an overflow to the Navy. The majority of men who serve in the navy do so out of the unique culture that the Thyllanorian Navy breeds, and for the (relative) ease of promotion, as time contributes to most ranks being reached.
At the rank of Shiphead, a man is allowed to commandeer his own vessel. Commanders 2nd Class can officially then commandeer a fleet, but are usually overlooked in exchange for fleetless Commanders 1st Class and Admirals. By the definition of "fleet" in the Thyllanorian Navy, a fleet is anywhere from 3 to 12 ships, with the primary ship always being a frigate or vessel of higher rank. Fleets can be much larger than this, and unlike the army divisions, they vary widely; typically, however, admirals can commandeer fleets of up to 30 vessels, while the Supreme Commandant can command the entire Navy at once if there was a need for it.