Ghratean Military Practices (Aurora)

The Ghratos Union does not have a single unified fighting force. The largest units of soldiers are the armies of the Duchies, raised and maintained by the dukes and duchesses, who are called to arms in times of need.

Xhaasan Style

The Xhaasan style of military combat is known for heavy reliance on armor, cavalry, and ranged fire. In general, infantry is considered defensive, cavalry is considered offensive, and archers can be either depending on context. The Xhaasan style developed due to the necessities of travel and battle throughout the desert- very few people were rich enough to afford armor that would allow them desert heat, and the wide, open areas led to less-experienced or more loosely organized armies would be destroyed easily by greater mass or cavalry formations. The Xhaasan states therefore created a sort of "elite guard" of more experienced units that could be equipped to travel and fight in the desert.

Recruitment

Xhaasa has a unique practice called the "Organized Guard." Xhaasan counties organize a "Town Guard" which is essentially the police force of the town they reside. Some members, at suggestion by their Count or Countess, are elected to the "Elite Guard" of the Duchy, patrolling trade routes to ensure safe passage of caravans and travelers, as well as rooting out outlaws and highwaymen. Only those in the Elite Guard are elected to the Duke's formal army. These soldiers generally reside at the capital, under direct command of the duke, but more experienced armies are known to be able to reside away from the direct control of the duke.

Armor manufacturing

Xhaasan equipment is generally too expensive for the average soldier to buy. When a soldier is elected to the Duchy's military, a blacksmith or multiple are commissioned to create all of that soldier's equipment, including weapons and for archers a starting amount of arrows. Equipment is considered a part of a soldier's wage, and a soldier is generally not allowed to quit until they have paid off the cost of their armor.

Quintaxes and Cohas

The Quintax is the fundamental unit of every Xhaasan army. It is a simple unit comprised of 50 soldiers of the same specialization. These units can act on their own to fill in the gaps of embattled units and in some cases can even seperate to fight in a slightly looser formation. The leader of a Quintax A Coha is a combination of 5 Quintaxes- this is the medium unit of a formation and serves to offer greater coordination between the cohorts. A Coha contains 250 soldiers. There are generally 80 Cohas per formation, working out to ~10,000 soldiers in a single army.

Marax, Ejax, and Idarax

The Marax, Ejax, and Idarax, are the three principle formations of Xhaasa. These units are comprised of different units for different purposes, and even though their structure is mostly rigid, the tactics they use vary from general to general. The nature of these formations is both practical and traditional, as Xhaasans have honed their tactics under hundreds of years.

The Marax, also known as the "Crab Formation," is comprised of 27 infantry Cohas, 12 cavalry Cohas, 26 Archer Cohas, and 20 Sun-spear Cohas. The Marax is the most common form of army in Xhaasa. The primary focus of the Marax is the Infantry: the Infantry, heavily armored, pins down the enemy, with archers behind and on the flanks threatening to eradicate them if they flee. The Cavalry, then, would crash into enemy lines, destroying the enemy if they were disorganized, or severely damaging their cohesion. The cavalry are trained to operate hit and run attacks, allowing them to quickly disengage from the enemy. The Sun-spears act as both a defense and a reserve, defending against any attack against the archers, and serving a role of creating chaos in enemy lines with their spears, launching flames that can catch even metal on fire, spreading throughout enemy lines.