A bit of introduction to the army of Laumakis, more comming. And thanks for the link Knightfall, been a bit away, but I looked over the maps and they're actually really, really good. Still have all my maps in normal paper format, want to get them done digitally, but will take ages to learn CC2.
Laumakis - Army
More than a dusin men were gathered around the immense, wooden table. Small stone figurines were spread out across the map on the table, representing the Laumakian divisions as well as allied and enemy barbarian formations. To the far north on the map was the border line and even further north lay Laumakis itself. The three enormous fortifications located along the border were plotted in as big, black squares. It was clear from the map that both the divisions of the Laumakian army as well as their barbarian foes were in the deep south of the Barbarian Plains.
Outside the command tent lay the enormous camp of the army, surrounded by wooden palisades. While the majority of the tents were meticulously erected in neat rows inside the palisade, a small cluster of tent at the outskirts of the camp lacked the uniformity and organization of the rest of the camp. Here, the barbarian auxiliaries were camped, a vital part of the military machine of the Laumakian army. Excellent scouts and skirmishers, the army had never waged a war in the Barbarian Plains without a brigade of these locals. A small section of the camp also held a park of light siege engines, mainly ballistas. Campaigns in the far south were often conducted without heavy siege engines as they had proven too cumbersome to transport around in the rough terrain. A small unit of engineers and sappers were often brought along to manufacture heavier siege engines should the army need them. In total, an entire corps had been sent to the Barbarian Plains, meaning that the total number of Laumakian troops in the area numbered just short of a quarter of a million. While this was a considerable military presence, the army was still outnumbered by their barbarian foes.
Even though the corps was outnumbered by its foes, this didn't seem to affect the men inside the command tent. At the end of the table, Field Commander Marcus Lanlier was surveying the map in front of him. Around him stood all the advisors and military officers responsible for devising the strategies of the army. The Herald-Bishop Reginald was there, representing not only the war-heralds that accompanied the army but the Thakulion church itself.
"So, if I understand you gentlemen correctly, it appears as if though this is our biggest and most immediate problem"
Marcus pointed to a small figurine located to the north of the Laumakian divisions. The Intelligence Officer, Elrik, coughed and nodded.
"Yes sir, it seems as if though they are taking advantage of the stalemate to circumvent us, they probably intend to disrupt our supply convoys. It is a typical tactic of the Kuntz tribe, an attempt to make us to spread our forces thin"
The other advisors nodded in agreement with Elrik. Reginald leaned over and pointed to a black circle on the map.
"The city of Kelm, sir. This is where the majority of the barbarians to the north are from. It is located in our vicinity, perhaps a day and a half away. If we send a division there, we could force the barbarians to the north to rally to its defence. It would open up the passage to the north again. I heard that.. the venerable brother Espen has a plan that might become viable if we are able to operate freely in the north"
Reginald was obviously uneasy about the cloaked figure answering to the name of Espen. While the army always brought along a representative from the Brothers of Herexia on major campaigns, the sinister order was still feared amongst the regular forces and the war-heralds. Only the highest ranking members of the church and army even knew about the order and no one had any interest in asking questions about their methods. To most, the Brothers of Herexia were a necessary evil. With a demeanor of endless patience, Espen pointed to a northern part of the map.
"Here.. here is the border to the Gries desert. If my brothers can move north we can infiltrate the settlements around the wells under barbarian control. We have ways to make the wells.. unusable, at least for a year or two. The barbarians in the northern settlements will be forced to either head south where we will be waiting in force, or north into the Gries desert. Some of my brothers are already at work inside the oasis camps in the desert, spreading the rumor that the barbarians have plans to invade the southern part of the Gries desert. If we are able to cut of the water supply of the barbarian settlements, we could be able to force them to head into the desert to find water. With the desert people on the warpath, it would lead to inevitable conflict, seriously reducing our need to spend troops protecting our logistics regiments to the north"
Marcus Lanlier had been silent while brother Espen explained his plan. As with most of the officers in the army, Marcus had no desire to know the exact details of how the Brothers of Herexia operated. Apparently, the geological officer had worked in unison with Espen on the plan, making estimates about the capacity of the wells to the north. Rainfall had been limited this year and it had created water scarcity problems in the entire region.
"Very well" noted Marcus.
"We will commence with your plan brother Espen and send a division to Kelm. We only have a month, two at the most, before our auxiliaries will be returning home to attend the harvest. I want to see the Kuntz tribe severely reduced by that time, to ensure that we will have peace from their raids on our southern lands as well as our allies amongst the Saloes-Kasai tribe. I will only march this army back through the gates of Courier Castle when my task has been completed"
Introduction
The Laumakian army is not the largest army of northern Balmortis, but it is the most feared and respected. In the six hundred years that have passed since the crusaders of the Thakulion church conquered the majority of the Laumakis peninsula, the army has been in constant development. Initially, the crusaders relied solely on their rigid formations of heavy infantry to defeat their enemies with little support from neither archers nor siege engines. While their tactics and formations were capable of driving back the goblin tribes that inhabited Laumakis, the army proved to be less successful against other foes such as the more flexible and mobile forces of the Barbarian Plains. The current army of Laumakis is a prime example the power of combined arms and a resourceful use of intelligence and counter-intelligence.
Unit Types
The armed forces of Laumakis have adopted a number of specialized troops types that are typically fielded in regiment-sized units consisting of 2000 soldiers.
Heavy Infantry: Heavy infantry form the bulk of the Laumakian forces. Clad in banded mail and armed with a large shield and a warhammer, the heavy infantry is considered the most effective force in pitched battle than any army in northern Balmortis can field. The heavy infantry have a long and honorable tradition of discipline and devotion to the cause, making their morale virtually unrivalled by any of the foes they face. The heavy infantry consists solely of volunteers who are trained for three years at one of the two training camps in Laumakis, Ebescere Castle and Tousee Castle. The training focuses on building up unit cohesion as well as the martial skills of the volunteers. The ability to hold a line even during intense fighting is considered the biggest advantage of the infantry and a large part of their training consists of learning the many commands, tactics and formations used by the regiment. The regiments are considered fixed from the first day of training until they are decommissioned. From time to time, special reinforcement regiments are formed during training. These regiments are only together during training, after which they are broken up to reinforce other regiments in service that have suffered casualties. The common formation of a heavy infantry regiment during battle is a simple line 400 men wide and 5 men deep.
Archers: Archers are the most common type of support units for the heavy infantry and a typical army will usually consist of one archer for every two heavy infantrymen. Armed with a longbow and clad in simple leather armor, the archers are seldomly equipped with a melee weapon. Quite a considerable amount of the archers in the Laumakian army purchase a melee weapon with their own money to provide some protection in case they get involved in a skirmish, usually a dagger, a club or a short sword. While it is possible to volunteer to join the archers, a considerable amount of the men are people who settle their debt to either the throne or the church by serving as soldiers for a fixed amount of time. The archers only train for one year at Lanlier Castle before they are sent to the field. Unlike the heavy infantry, who serve until they reach an age of sixty, the archers typically serve for a much shorter time. It is a rare thing to see archers at an age above fourty. As with the heavy infantry, the archers are formed into regiments. Unlike the heavy infantry, these regiments see a lot of replacement during their service. A typical archer formation is a 100 men wide and 20 men deep box that commonly moves right behind the heavy infantry.
Heavy Cavalry: The heavy cavalry is a very small part of the Laumakian army, yet the fulfill an important role of protecting the flanks of the heavy infantry in battle, armed with a heavy lance, a longsword and clad in full plate armor. When the Thakulion crusaders first invaded Laumakis, they relied solely on heavy infantry and archers to provide the bulk of their forces and the tactic worked against the goblin tribes who also lacked mounted troops. When Laumakis became embroiled in wars against the Desert People of the Witlow desert, the barbarian tribes of the south and the minor invasion from Sayomore island, they learnt that the heavy infantry could not prevail on its own. More mobile foes were able to circumvent the heavy infantry regiments to attack them from the side or the rear, causing confusion amongst the heavy infantry and enabling the enemy to attack the more vulnerable archers in the back. As a counter-measure, the nobility from Montelival suggested that the army form a number of cavalry squadrons that would operate on flanks of the heavy infantry to engage any troops that would attempt to circumvent the main battle lines. The heavy cavalry consists solely of volunteers, just as the heavy infantry. Many of the volunteers come from the lower nobility, as a career in the cavalry is a proven way to rise in social status. The cavalry has one training camp near Ebescere Castle where they train in unison with the infantry. As with the heavy infantry, the cavalry train for three years before they are fielded and their training is considered to be even more intense than that of the infantry. The heavy cavalry are still a minority in the army, the forces of Laumakis usually field only one cavalryman for every twenty heavy infantrymen. A typical cavalry squadron consists of 100 cavalrymen who usually ride in a line only two men deep.
