Preparing an army [private]

Eyvind Redbeard · December 8, 2007, 10:52 AM

26th Brightening of the Second Cycle of the Month of Cryxatum in the season of Summer; Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum.

The outskirts of Taralon by dawn.

A red haired man walked in a large plain area followed by some other Legionnaires. This place was perfect. A large plain area with a huge rock in the middle. Eyvind "Redbeard" Avornmagor turned to the men following him and nodded. Orders were given and some runners sent.

When the Suns' light was starting to show up over the trees of a small wood near the chosen area and the air started to warmth a little more trumpets were sounded and a huge black standard with a white wolf’s head in the middle appeared. Drums were heard and heavy steps sounded, the First Centuri of the Second Daos was coming. Lead by Cyrus Maximus Marius the finest men of the Manjet Legion were coming. Galdoran carrying the mighty standard, Ulgar hitting the drums with his Ragrhnd strength, Erik Hammerhand towering over all were just some of them, too many to be named. They marched with conviction, victory would be theirs. These hundred men were Eyvind’s greatest hope in the coming war; every soldier had been handpicked for their qualities. Had he ten times their number and Ire would have been burnt to the ground long ago. As the Centuri advanced the Daekin could feel nothing but pride, they looked impressive. Their shields, painted in black, their cloaks in the same color gave them the looks of the armies of old. The Black Shields they would be called, the Manjet’s elite.

Marching they came and marching they formed up. The five Domanus facing him, the first Domanus in the centre with Cyrus Maximus Marius being sided by both the Centuri’s banner and the Centuri’s drummer, and the others forming to both sides of the First. The red haired Vagaran nodded to his comrade.

Behind the Centuri came some servants of the city government with wagons containing weapons and other military equipment. Finally behind them came the reason for all these preparations. One thousands recruits for the new Sherian Provincial Army hailing from the many cities of the Province. There were some fishermen from Hiems, huntsmen from Aestas, woodsmen from Capers, mountaineers from Redhollow and farmers from Jorqui and Millshire. All ill prepared. This mob was what he had been given to train; they would be the beginning of a new army. Eyvind pierced them with his blue eyes, trying to find worthy soldiers among them. Most had joined due to their hate for the greenskins, others for the thrill of the kill and all them would be broken in this very plain and build as many times as necessary until they had become soldiers.

Climbing up the huge rock in the middle of the field, and after having the recruits positioned in the opposite side of the Black Shields, Eyvind looked to both sides. To his left he had his men, battle hardened soldiers, organized and skilled. To his right he had a mob of half starving peasants. Even though each Legionnaire would have to fight ten peasants Eyvind was sure of the outcome of a battle between the two groups, even if the recruits were equipped with weapons.

“I am Daekin Eyvind “Redbeard” Avornmagor and I have been charged with the duty of turning you into soldiers of the new Provincial Army.”

He presented himself with a powerful voice so all could listen to him.

“For the next five cycles, if not more, you will present yourself to me or whoever I leave incharge of this training every single Brightening at dawn. I don’t want excuses, you are in the army now and by the Gods I will make a soldier out of each and every one of you.

You have joined this army to fight the Orcish threat. That is to be praised; you have been brave enough to sign a piece of paper. Now I will make you brave enough to fight the Horde!

The Legionnaires you see here will be training along with you, they are veteran soldiers of many campaigns, some even fought the Orcs and hate them as much or even more as you do. They are the best soldiers you will ever find and whatever I ask them to do I will also ask you to do. You will train with the best to become the best and I don’t want see a single man giving up. You have made an oath, if not you will do it this Brightening. You are soldiers now, and soldiers don’t run away from duty.”

He paused for a moment and had his eyes piercing the men. He knew they were terrified with the idea of fighting the Horde, something to work out. He also had the impression that they feared him too. And who wouldn’t? A seven feet tall man wearing a complete armor in command of a hundred black cloaked and armed Legionnaires was something to have fear of.

“Men of Sheria! The Horde will fail where you will prevail! Give me your sweat now and your blood in the battlefield and I will make sure your families and homes will be safe, fail me and all will be lost. It is not for me you are fighting for, but for your families and loved one. You are fighting for survival; if this war is lost all that those left behind can expect is a crude Orcish blade in their throats or slavery. Do you want that?! Men of Sheria I am opening a door for you, fight now! And live forever!”

He unsheathed his sword and raised it high above his head. The Sherianites shouted and raised their arms as well. Morale was high; it was time to take advantage of that. A quick wink to Cyrus to thank him for the idea of exalting the men.

Returning his blade to its sheath he returned to the ground and turning to Teig , Argyles and the Drill Instructors, who had come along with him, clapped his hands.

“Let’s get them moving.”

Shield Daekin Dogg grinned and climbed the rock.

“All those who have ever used a bow or any other kind of ranged weapon follow Shield Daekin Eklin.”

After being counted one hundred and fifty men followed Elkin.

“All those who ever used any kind of sword or slashing weapon follow Spear Daekin Teig and Shield Daekin Jard'en.”

After being counted they numbered one hundred men.

“All others stay here, you are mine!”

He grinned and jumped off to rock. In the meanwhile the city government personnel and their wagons were split and followed the different groups. Longbows were handed to the first, swords and shields and some two-handed swords were given to the second. The third received pikes and halberds. Well, weapons were nice but a true soldier is a soldier with its entire body. The first thing they would all receive would be their conditioning training. Yes they would be broken down many times before they became soldiers.

Teig O'Maolain · December 10, 2007, 02:11 PM

Teig and Jard'en both turned and saluted Eyvind, and Teig clasped the man's shoulder briefly, offered him a sly grin, and a wink.

Sir! Permission to take the recruits on the first of their.... exercises... Sir!

after permission was granted, Teig would signal to Jard'en and Bark an order to move out.

He would take up the rear of his men, leaving Burkid at the front. They knew where they were going, and Teig's Cadence song could be heard for the next quarter candlemark as he led them to their training ground, which he and Jard'en had scouted out.

Cyrus Marius · December 12, 2007, 03:52 AM

The legionnaire's black cloak stirred in the summer breeze as he marched, his own armored footsteps drowned out by the sound of a hundred men's feet striking the earth in unison. The discipline of the Legion shone forth brighter than the sunlight off the steel that covered them, and each man among the hundred looked strong and able, and proud to serve their great Empire. Leading the centuri to where Eyvind waited, flanked on either side by the hundred soldiers, strode Cyrus Marius. He wore his gleaming steel hoplite-style plate armor over a black knee-length cotton tunic, and his Corinthian-style helmet with it's stiff crest of black horsehair covered the soldier's head. His black enamled shield hung comfortably from his left arm, and at his left hip rested the young legionnaire's own blade; Karvaaka.

Cyrus' lone sapphire eye roamed across the ranks of the new provincial army as the masses soon began to form across the field before him. His countence was hidden in the shadows of his helmet, however the soldier's bright cobalt eye was alight with what it beheld. Though he saw little in the way of combat expertise, for he himself could probably cut a wide, bloody swath through the lot of them right now, he also saw the potential that they had to become a true Legion. Potential that could be shaped and molded like steel in a forge, until it was a spear ready to thrust through the heart of the enemy.

The young soldier nodded in return to Eyvind as the red-haired Daekin acknowledged his presence, and Cyrus remained still and silent as the towering Vagaran gave his motivational speech to the assembled soldiers-to-be. Eyvind looked impressive, standing as he was at the fore of so many shining steel sentinels, and as he lifted his powerful voice and raised his longsword in the air, the men of the province lifted their arms as well, shouting along with the red-haired soldier. The hundred men of the Second Daos stood disciplined and firm, black cloaks billowing in the wind, and at their heart stood Cyrus, staring fixedly with his azure gaze at the men that would soon be killing and dying for their Empire, staining the Sherian countryside with the blood of man and Orc alike.

They would be prepared for what was to come, however. Men like Eyvind, Teig, and the skilled instructors from Prime's Jade Legion, they would turn the gathering of citizens into an army that could stand against the might of the Horde. Cyrus however, he was different in many ways; he was unique.

They would soon learn what it meant to be taught warfare by the hands of Cyrus Marius.

Eyvind Redbeard · December 12, 2007, 01:26 PM

The Vagaran watched the new recruits dividing in three groups. The dirty looking peasants and woodsmen he had been given would become the last defense line against the green tide but would they, even with the training given by the Legion's elite be able to have a chance in battle? The Daekin hoped they could. Nodding to some Legionnaires who had started to take their cloaks from their back and dropping their weapon he pointed to a wagon full of shovels. They'd know what to do, no need for him or any other Officer to tell the recruits what they had to do. Their fellow soldiers, the veteran Black Shields would explain and instruct them. It was a good way to increase the affinity of the soldiers towards the task at hand and while working together they would start to form bounds. The man to your right defends you while you must defend the man to your left. One of the first things he would have to teach the recruits who would be armed with pikes and shields.

The Legionnaires, most of them now without their armors and some with their bare chests reflecting the light of the rising suns headed to the recruits and divided them in workgroups of ten or more. Handing them shovels and axes some were sent to dig holes while others were sent to the nearby woods to cut down some trees. Soon enough a training course would be ready for the men to use. Some more recruits were sent with backpacks on their hands in search of rocks. The good old and traditional backpack and rocks combination.

The Commander of the Black Shields turned to face Teig and Jar'den saluting back. Eyvind smiled at Teig's grin and wink, the man's humor would always be a spark of light in the darkness that was war.

"Permission granted! Take your one hundred rats and turn them into men! Then make them soldiers!"

Eyvind said as if it was something of another world and making sure everyone nearby, including Teig's recruits, would listen.

"Take ten men with you. One candlemark run and two candlemark march. Have them back before lunch time. No one is left behind rule."

With a nod and a smile he dismissed the Spear Daekin and the future Provincial Assault Troops. As for Shield Daekin Eklin it seemed he had already taken his group and his Manus as well. A wagon followed behind with sheaths containing longbows and arrows and some targets. These simple huntsmen wouldn't be turned into accurate archers with so little time for practice but they could be taught how to perfom volley fire and mass shooting, after all the Orcs' ways of waging war would be their greatest doom when facing the new Provincial Army. The green tide would be halted with steel and it would bleed the darkest of bloods.

Eyvind approached Cyrus and with a nod of greeting spoke.

"I need thirty men to prepare the field for the exercises. Can you take the remaining fifty and give the recruits some backpacks?"

He grinned.

"Give them a hard time and remember to teach them the rule: no one is left behind. Start slow and then start speeding up, if they protest give them more rocks, the time we have isn't enough to train them properly and to start their weapon training soon I need them strong. I'll make them hoplites, my friend. I think it is the easiest way of making them effective on the field with so little training. A one candlemark run with a two candlemarks march should be enough for a start.”

Eyvind scratched his head.

“We will have them on morning runs like this every Brightening and start working their fighting skills after a good lunch.”

The Vagaran patted Cyrus’ shoulder and kept on moving. With some nods and quick talks regarding how to deal with the new recruits he continued among the Black Shields. Then he walked through the ranks of recruits. Some came thanking him for giving them the chance of fighting the Orcs as if he had something to do with it, dismissing them all he reached for a border of the plain area where everyone was gathered and watched the men moving around. With a smile he waited for the representatives of the Sherian to come.

Secrets :

Cyrus Marius · December 15, 2007, 02:03 PM

Cyrus' cobalt eye was fixed on the soldiers given into his care, his attention so raptly occupied that he gave only the barest ghost of a nod in response to Eyvind's statements, and he spared not even a glance as the red-haired Vagaran turned to depart. When he looked at the men, he tried to see them in their entirety, as citizens that had families and friends, that worked the land and looked forward to a long and full life as part of the Empire. The young legionnaire knew that he held the lives of these men in his hands, and it was his responsibility to prepare them for what they would face at the hands of the Horde. Some would die, this was inevitable, however they would face their end with a strength and courage that they may have not posessed before, and they would have the pride of fighting for their homeland.

The blonde soldier moved to stand before the remaining number of men, striding upon the small rise that Eyvind had stood upon moments before. He set his Black Shield down at his feet and reached up and removed his helmet with a quick, practiced motion, and his thick blonde hair cascaded out from within it's confines, framing his visage with golden ringlets and locks. The legionnaire's black leather eye-patch could be easily seen against the bronzed alabaster of his skin, and his remaining bright azure eye looked out into the sea of faces that were up-turned to look upon him. Cyrus breathed deeply for a moment, then spoke in his deep and smooth voice, projecting it out so that the last man among the hundreds could hear his words.

"Form up!" There was no doubting the authority or the strength of the young soldier's character, and the men rushed to obey.

Cyrus watched as the recruits bumped and jostled each other into position, his countence stoic and unreadable all the while. The silent stare seemed somehow more unnerving than the insults and the screaming of the other instructors, and the young legionnaire could feel the anxiety and the uncertainty palpably in the air. It was good; the men would face such demons on the eve of battle, and it was better that they mastered it now rather then in the face of an Orcish battle-axe.

When the men had created their centuri lines and looked back to Cyrus to continue, the young soldier rested his left hand upon Karvaaka's smooth pommel and spoke again.

"Tommorow you will assemble faster, or you will answer to me." Cyrus paused a moment to let his command sink in, then he continued. "Citizens of Sheria; I and the other soldiers from Prime have been instructed to mold you into the army that will defend your province. It will be your blades and your blood that defends your homeland, and crushes the power of the Orcs now and forever. Never again will the lands of the Empire be taken at the cost of our people's lives, for it will be you that prevents it."

The young soldier glanced off to the side, where men were already set to work digging holes and loading backpacks with rocks. Cyrus' expression remained stoic, but inwardly he disapproved of the expense of time and energy. These men were to be trained to become soldiers, to kill and to die, not to become beasts of labor and burden. They would become strong in training and drill, as well as learn how to face an aggressive opponent trying to defeat you in actual combat. Turning to the remaining fifty Black Shields at his command, Cyrus pointed towards the wagons full of equipment and barked out his instructions again.

"Legionnaires; Two column formation!" The precision and discipline of the trained soldiers was amazing to behold, and many among the masses of raw recruits exhaled in wonder at the sight. "Column One; Get backpacks for the recruits and watch as they fill them with stones at double time. One legionnaire per thirty recruits. Move!" The column on Cyrus' left immediately fell out, each soldier rushing towards the backpacks and then towards the recruits who began following one legionnaire after the other to collect rocks for conditioning. The young legionnaire's cobalt stare then fell on the remaining twenty-five men who stared at him and awaited his orders.

"Column Two; Collect a training sword and spear for all recruits, and assemble them in two ranks of four centuri, at double time. Move!"

The men instantly moved to respond to the order, moving with the purpose and collaberation that would soon be instilled into the recruits. A small, almost impercivable smirk crossed Cyrus' angular visage as he watched the beginnings of the provincial army running about, and the young soldier prepared to give the men their next command when they had completed their tasks.