The Imperial Military[]
The Ivellean military is a large and rigid structure. While the political structure and sheer size of Chandeum was largely averted when the grand empire fell, Ivellea still maintains, for the most part, the military structure. As several historians and scholars have noted on the topic, Chandeum's inefficient leadership and difficult government was more than made up for by its formidable (for the time) armies. No less than three hundred military regiments were kept up while Chandeum was at its peak, all formed by professional soldiers. While the entirety of the Chandeum military history can be found elsewhere, some elaboration upon it will still be required, and these will be provided in each entry below.
Every Ivellean regiment is kept at a strength of roughly 1000 battle-ready men, artillery not included. The regiment's structure is divided to maintain a good command structure and coherency in battle, and the structure is described below.
Command[]
General
Advisors, two or three
Emperor's Voice, a highly trusted officer ensuring compliance with imperial wishes
Archwizards, from 5 to 20, serving as mobile artillery, magical defence and directing orders around to the various units
General's bodyguard, 40 skilled and heavily armoured warriors who protect the command at all times
Common troops[]
Common troops in Ivellean armies are very varied, and oftend depends on its home region. The northern regions around Damthern rely on mobility, for instance, due to the large regions they protect. These soldiers are given round wooden shields reinforced with hide, heavy leather armour, and spears, allowing them to bring two ranks worth of pointy death upon the enemy. Further south, where it is colder and the land is not as open, the soldiers more often are equipped with heavier chainmail armour and large, square wooden shields, forming effective shield walls and allowing for surprisingly quick crossing of rivers and in some cases even lakes. They also carry long pikes, effective for both intimidating potential attackers, and for actually stopping them. It must also be noted that in addition to the pikemen formations, where the more experienced soldiers fight, there are also support troops drawn from not yet fully trained soldiers, armed with bows. This is perhaps the one similarity between Ivellean and Adrilan armies. It must be noted that the archers do not count towards the company strength, as the different regions of Ivellea offers a very varying number of recruits per year.
Infantry company[]
Captain
2 Lieutenants
1 Standard Bearer
5 Sergeants
5 Wizards
100 Pikemen
Between 30 and 70 Archers, led by a select few veterans
Specialist troops[]
Ivellean armies have several specialist troops available in each garrison; these soldiers, having earnt or bribed their way to a promotion, are not employed as peacekeepers and local police like the common soldiery. There are several different specialist troops, all armed and equipped differently.
Some are mounted shock troops, used to smash and scatter enemy forces at their weak points in formations, and given heavy armour to aid them in this task. They carry lances and shields, and are the only units in the Ivellean armies that can hope to win a fight against Adrilan Knights unsupported. However, thanks to Fallathia's terrain, it is unlikely to ever see an open conflict between Adrila and Ivellea. Some of Ivellea's heavy cavalry ARE in fact Adrilan knights, often recognised by the eagerness on the eve of battle.
Heavy Cavalry 1 Captain 1 Warmage 50 Cavalrymen
One of the other significant specialists are the infiltrators; these are specialists at scouting ahead of the main force, either through camouflage or disguise. They are skillful assassins, as well, adept at mixing poison and at silent attacks in the dark alike, but they operate in small teams, often working out the best possible strategy for eliminating their target.
Infiltrators 1 Coordinator 4 Infiltrators
Lastly, their bolt throwers are worth mentioning. In order to rapidly and efficiently deliver a load of punishment to the enemy, the Ivelleans have developed a bolt thrower that's both powerful and light. Three men man it; one man aims and fires, while two reload it rapidly thanks to two levers, one on each side. It is quickly disassembled, with only a few strong pins keeping its mount and lever mechanism connected to the bolt thrower itself. In shape, it resembles a crossbow, but its recoil could knock a man unconscious. It is only used during the latter half of siege engagements, when the walls have been taken and the crew can make their way up unhindered, delivering the final blows to the defenders' morale. In other battles, it is considered too fragile and slow to use, as the Ivellean rapid advance will leave it behind quickly. Some advocate using wizards to teleport these, too, around, but with Ivellean companies being as lightly armoured as they are, there are rarely enough battle wizards around to provide that luxury.
Bolt Thrower 1 Bolt Thrower 3 Crewmen
Tactical doctrines The Ivellean tactical doctrines are considered the most effective in the Old World. Adrilan mounted companies can certainly present a lot of mobility and devastating charges, and the Tyrikan warriors in the east have built fortresses that can even hold ogres and occasional dragons out, but the Ivellean armies remain the deadliest in the world and for good reason. It is said that for every wizard in Ivellea there's magic for a hundred, and the truth of the matter is that there is. Each Ivellean company has five wizards assigned to it, and each of these wizards are graduates from the military academy in Damthern. Here, they are taught the magics required for Ivellean tactics, including mass teleportation, manipulating their surroundings to provide cover, and biological magic to keep wounded soldiers on their feet. Once they graduate, the Ivellean wizards are assigned to a unit of twenty soldiers, including their sergeant. While the sergeant maintains command of the group, the wizard acts as a counter to enemy magic, an advisor, and a powerful tactical asset. With the mass teleportation spell available to them, Ivelleans need no ladders or siege towers to take a wall from the enemy; they have on many occasions teleported directly inside fortresses and brought it down from within whilst their comrades keep the enemy on their toes. As a result, siege towers are commonly used for distraction purposes alone, and can be hastily disassembled and carried onward to the next battlefield when the siege is won.
The wizards' key role in Ivellean warfare reflects the Ivellean stance on magic quite well. Where most Adrilans think of magic as a coward's tool of staying out of the thick of fighting, considering wizards weaklings who'll rather kill their enemies with ease and from afar, Ivelleans use their wizards on a tactical level, rather than a personal one. They are not trained to kill their enemies, they are trained to support their allies. This is what makes each Ivellean unit so deadly, for without their wizards, Ivelleans can't hope to match the might of other nations in battle. But many a battle line has been broken by half the enemy force suddenly appearing behind it, crushing the enemy between the long fangs of Ivellean pikes.
Nonetheless, Ivellean commanders are very versatile, and some accounts speak of Ivellean units whose wizards were assassinated still defeating their enemies. In a game of tactics and strategy, Ivelleans are among the best in the world. They rarely use siege weaponry for this very reason; blood is easy to wash away, where a broken wall costs time and resources to rebuild. They have constructed only one siege device; the Ivellean Bolt Thrower, a deadly machine that nonetheless is very portable, and manned by a three-man crew.
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