Post by Dandin on Aug 23, 2010 22:36:36 GMT -8
Rac's Steel is organized into eight different legions, they are listed and described here. Each is commanded by a general. Each of those generals takes on the name of the legion which they command.
Lionn's Legion - North Pass
This legion is named after one of the most famous general to ever live in Rodush. His is a tale of bravery that inspires songs to this day. This legion is composed of the most elite soldiers, as they guard the largest of the passes into Rodush. They man a fort which blocks the northern road leading into their home, and they have never once lost a battle.
To say someone has the heart of Lionn is one of the greatest compliments the people of Rodush can offer anyone. Only masters of their craft are accepted into the Lionn's ranks. Competitions are held yearly, and the winner of each competition is offered the chance to serve within it's ranks. None ever refuse that opportunity. Others are accepted for great feats of heroism.
It is rumored that once a part of the Thedoras army was ordered to assault the northern pass that the Lionn's guard. Two hundred thousand men. According to the rumor, all two hundred thousand men refused the order, and deserted the army. Also according to the rumor, all two hundred thousand were rounded up and executed.
Vorad's Legion - NortheastPass
The Northeastern pass into Rodush is defended by this legion. It is the smallest pass into their homeland, and so is not often attacked. Rookies are usually sent to Vorad, to introduce them to how life is while on duty with a legion. There are, of course, a number of experienced men here as well, just in case there ever is a major assault on the location. It wouldn't be good if only rookies held the way.
Traditionally, only the most skilled general commands this legion, and the current general is widely regarded as the most skilled blade master alive today. He spends most of his time training his men while he is on duty. Once he deems them ready, he will recommend his men for other legions, so as to make room for more new recruits.
Because they are almost constantly under attack, there is also a near constant need for replacement soldiers. General Vorad insures there is no lack of replacements.
Taxun's Legion - West Pass
This legion is named after a man who redeemed himself. After being the cause of a monument failure, Taxun rescued the King, back when there was still a king, from an assassination attempt. By himself, he managed to fight off fifty of the attackers, even after he suffered many wounds, both large and small. By the rime reinforcements arrived, all the assassins lay slain, and Taxun stood alone amongst the carnage.
After that, his rank of General was restored, and he went on to defend the second largest pass into Rodush, the western pass. Today, the legion is second only to the Lionn's, and even then it is a close thing.
During the yearly competitions, there is always a fierce rivalry between the champion of Taxun, and the champion of Lionn.
Ildic's Legion - East Pass
Ildic was the general who, in the past, devised the most lethal tactics for striking from limited cover. The eastern pass into Rodush is small, but there is no fort or wall there to bar the way. Ildic's Legion suffers the most losses of all the legions because of this. They have nothing but a meager forest along the pass, and the rocks of the mountain to hide them. This does not impede their effectiveness, though.
They strike most often from cover, with highly trained archers that focus first their attack on the commanding officers. They also make brief charges into the enemy columns and camps when least expected, and always in different locations. Always they inflict far more damage then they take. Usually, they harry the enemy for about half the length of the pass before they decide to turn back. And they harry them all the way back out as well.
Despite the fact that there is no fortified position guarding this pass, it is not often attacked because of how thin it is. It is only wide enough for thirty men to walk abreast. The forest on either side is filled with members of Ildic's Legion. Because of this, it is next to impossible to make it past the middle of the pass. When it is attacked, though, Ildic takes the heaviest casualties of all the Legions.
Calad's Legion - Northwest Pass
The northwestern pass is watched over by these men. A large fort and wall blocks the way, and they man it with more than enough men to defend the way. Countless numbers of the enemy have been slain in front of it's dark wall over the centuries. Their bodies are always left to rot, and their bones left to turn to dust. If any of the enemy attempts to take back their dead, they are killed as well. No mercy is ever shown to the armies of Thedoras.
This is the pass furthest from home, and so members of Calad rarely rotate back to their homeland, because it would take too long, and too many resources would be used to accomplish the movement. Some regard them as the hardest men alive. They have lived long with only the cold wind of the western pass, and the screams of their enemies and friends.
It is rumored that the men of Calad go out after a battle, and take trophies from the men they have slain. Some take a finger, some an ear, some the scalp. Whether or not this is true is unknown, as they do not show any such things to anyone from the outside. They do not confirm or deny the rumor when confronted with it, usually telling people to believe what they will.
This next is the sole offensive aspect to Rac's Steel.
Ardik's Legion
According to the legend, Ardik was once a member of the Lionn's Legion. His wife, the woman he loved more than life was slain by the enemy while she was pregnant with his child. A stray arrow, it is said, made it over the wall. By the worst possible luck, it struck and killed her. In a fit of grief and rage, Ardik demanded that the gates be opened for him as the enemy retreated.
His comrades understood his pain, and so opened the gates for him. He left by himself, and chased the enemy into the woods as they fled. Like an avenging ghost, he slew almost three hundred men by himself. He moved throughout that forest like a shadow, bringing swift death with his blade. He returned two weeks later, to the surprise of his comrades, who had thought him dead by now.
Because he had failed to slay all the men from that army, he could not be sure he had avenged his wife. He vowed that he would wander the various passes, killing any of the enemy he found before they made it to the fortified places, or kill them as they retreated. The generals saw that this could be of much use tactically, and so asked for volunteers. A thousand men eagerly signed on for the chance at a glorious death.
Today, no one knows where they are. They often attack the enemy columns well before they make it to the mountain passes. Their key objectives are to sabotage and otherwise impeded the enemy's ability to wage war. Generally, they focus their attack on wagons, supply trains, and cavalry horses. They poison both food and drink, or disguise themselves as the enemy and assassinate commanding officers. They are also the only Legion that uses horses at all. Their cavalry charges are known throughout Narden as the most deadly ever seen.
Once accepted into the ranks of Ardik, you never return to the homeland. Death is your only release, as it was for Ardik himself.
The two generals on the home front do not command a legion, but oversee the policing forces which maintain order within Rodush. This is a relatively easy job, as most of the people are very highly disciplined. Of course, there are still those who need to be set right, or people who need to be imprisoned. They see to these things.
The Watch is what the policing force is known by. Even in the smallest of the villages, there is at least one member of the watch. They take swift action on any infraction of the law, as is their orders. Anyone who breaks the law will likely not do so again. Often they receive a thorough beating upon arrest, before they receive the harsher punishments for breaking the law.
The Watch is organized the same as the rest of Rac's Steel. Only instead of fighting the enemy, they defend themselves from within, maintaining order and ever watchful for anyone who would betray information to their enemies. Or for spies of the enemy. Their job is no less important than those soldiers clashing directly with the enemy.
Lionn's Legion - North Pass
This legion is named after one of the most famous general to ever live in Rodush. His is a tale of bravery that inspires songs to this day. This legion is composed of the most elite soldiers, as they guard the largest of the passes into Rodush. They man a fort which blocks the northern road leading into their home, and they have never once lost a battle.
To say someone has the heart of Lionn is one of the greatest compliments the people of Rodush can offer anyone. Only masters of their craft are accepted into the Lionn's ranks. Competitions are held yearly, and the winner of each competition is offered the chance to serve within it's ranks. None ever refuse that opportunity. Others are accepted for great feats of heroism.
It is rumored that once a part of the Thedoras army was ordered to assault the northern pass that the Lionn's guard. Two hundred thousand men. According to the rumor, all two hundred thousand men refused the order, and deserted the army. Also according to the rumor, all two hundred thousand were rounded up and executed.
Vorad's Legion - NortheastPass
The Northeastern pass into Rodush is defended by this legion. It is the smallest pass into their homeland, and so is not often attacked. Rookies are usually sent to Vorad, to introduce them to how life is while on duty with a legion. There are, of course, a number of experienced men here as well, just in case there ever is a major assault on the location. It wouldn't be good if only rookies held the way.
Traditionally, only the most skilled general commands this legion, and the current general is widely regarded as the most skilled blade master alive today. He spends most of his time training his men while he is on duty. Once he deems them ready, he will recommend his men for other legions, so as to make room for more new recruits.
Because they are almost constantly under attack, there is also a near constant need for replacement soldiers. General Vorad insures there is no lack of replacements.
Taxun's Legion - West Pass
This legion is named after a man who redeemed himself. After being the cause of a monument failure, Taxun rescued the King, back when there was still a king, from an assassination attempt. By himself, he managed to fight off fifty of the attackers, even after he suffered many wounds, both large and small. By the rime reinforcements arrived, all the assassins lay slain, and Taxun stood alone amongst the carnage.
After that, his rank of General was restored, and he went on to defend the second largest pass into Rodush, the western pass. Today, the legion is second only to the Lionn's, and even then it is a close thing.
During the yearly competitions, there is always a fierce rivalry between the champion of Taxun, and the champion of Lionn.
Ildic's Legion - East Pass
Ildic was the general who, in the past, devised the most lethal tactics for striking from limited cover. The eastern pass into Rodush is small, but there is no fort or wall there to bar the way. Ildic's Legion suffers the most losses of all the legions because of this. They have nothing but a meager forest along the pass, and the rocks of the mountain to hide them. This does not impede their effectiveness, though.
They strike most often from cover, with highly trained archers that focus first their attack on the commanding officers. They also make brief charges into the enemy columns and camps when least expected, and always in different locations. Always they inflict far more damage then they take. Usually, they harry the enemy for about half the length of the pass before they decide to turn back. And they harry them all the way back out as well.
Despite the fact that there is no fortified position guarding this pass, it is not often attacked because of how thin it is. It is only wide enough for thirty men to walk abreast. The forest on either side is filled with members of Ildic's Legion. Because of this, it is next to impossible to make it past the middle of the pass. When it is attacked, though, Ildic takes the heaviest casualties of all the Legions.
Calad's Legion - Northwest Pass
The northwestern pass is watched over by these men. A large fort and wall blocks the way, and they man it with more than enough men to defend the way. Countless numbers of the enemy have been slain in front of it's dark wall over the centuries. Their bodies are always left to rot, and their bones left to turn to dust. If any of the enemy attempts to take back their dead, they are killed as well. No mercy is ever shown to the armies of Thedoras.
This is the pass furthest from home, and so members of Calad rarely rotate back to their homeland, because it would take too long, and too many resources would be used to accomplish the movement. Some regard them as the hardest men alive. They have lived long with only the cold wind of the western pass, and the screams of their enemies and friends.
It is rumored that the men of Calad go out after a battle, and take trophies from the men they have slain. Some take a finger, some an ear, some the scalp. Whether or not this is true is unknown, as they do not show any such things to anyone from the outside. They do not confirm or deny the rumor when confronted with it, usually telling people to believe what they will.
This next is the sole offensive aspect to Rac's Steel.
Ardik's Legion
According to the legend, Ardik was once a member of the Lionn's Legion. His wife, the woman he loved more than life was slain by the enemy while she was pregnant with his child. A stray arrow, it is said, made it over the wall. By the worst possible luck, it struck and killed her. In a fit of grief and rage, Ardik demanded that the gates be opened for him as the enemy retreated.
His comrades understood his pain, and so opened the gates for him. He left by himself, and chased the enemy into the woods as they fled. Like an avenging ghost, he slew almost three hundred men by himself. He moved throughout that forest like a shadow, bringing swift death with his blade. He returned two weeks later, to the surprise of his comrades, who had thought him dead by now.
Because he had failed to slay all the men from that army, he could not be sure he had avenged his wife. He vowed that he would wander the various passes, killing any of the enemy he found before they made it to the fortified places, or kill them as they retreated. The generals saw that this could be of much use tactically, and so asked for volunteers. A thousand men eagerly signed on for the chance at a glorious death.
Today, no one knows where they are. They often attack the enemy columns well before they make it to the mountain passes. Their key objectives are to sabotage and otherwise impeded the enemy's ability to wage war. Generally, they focus their attack on wagons, supply trains, and cavalry horses. They poison both food and drink, or disguise themselves as the enemy and assassinate commanding officers. They are also the only Legion that uses horses at all. Their cavalry charges are known throughout Narden as the most deadly ever seen.
Once accepted into the ranks of Ardik, you never return to the homeland. Death is your only release, as it was for Ardik himself.
The two generals on the home front do not command a legion, but oversee the policing forces which maintain order within Rodush. This is a relatively easy job, as most of the people are very highly disciplined. Of course, there are still those who need to be set right, or people who need to be imprisoned. They see to these things.
The Watch is what the policing force is known by. Even in the smallest of the villages, there is at least one member of the watch. They take swift action on any infraction of the law, as is their orders. Anyone who breaks the law will likely not do so again. Often they receive a thorough beating upon arrest, before they receive the harsher punishments for breaking the law.
The Watch is organized the same as the rest of Rac's Steel. Only instead of fighting the enemy, they defend themselves from within, maintaining order and ever watchful for anyone who would betray information to their enemies. Or for spies of the enemy. Their job is no less important than those soldiers clashing directly with the enemy.