The structure of the Cedonian Army is in essence that of the Roman Legions from the Early Imperial Period. The smallest unit is the eight-man squad(Roman: contubernium). The men of a squad share a single tent on the march and mess together. They have a pack mule for carrying their tent and for carrying the grindstones used to mill their grain ration. The legionary with the longest time in service in the squad is called the ancient, and is roughly equivalent to a corporal or sergeant. Ten squads form a century of 80 men, commanded by a centurion. There are four junior officers under each centurion: the signifer, who carries the century's standard in the field, and handles the century's paperwork in camp; the optio, who commands the century in the absence of the centurion and is inline to be promoted to ceunturion rank as soon as an opening is available; the tesserarius, who is responsible for posting camp guards and distributes the daily passwords; and the armorer, who maintains the century's weapons and armor. Centurions are something like a modern captain combined with a sergeant-major. Six centuries form a normal cohort. The First Cohort of each Legion, however, consists of five double centuries of twenty squads each. The First Cohort has five centurions; all other cohorts have six centurions. Ten cohorts form a legion of 5,120 men. The senior centurion of the First Cohort has the title of First Spear and commands the First Cohort in battle. The nextmost-senior centurion, the princeps, is in charge of both his century, and the legion's HQ staff. In the other nine cohorts, the senior centurion is titled Second Spear and has the overall command of the cohort. First Spears generally only serve as such for one year, after which they may either take retirement or transfer to another legion that needs experienced centurions. Another possibility is promotion to the rank of prefect. The prefect of a legion is roughly equivalent to a colonel or a brigadier. He commands the legion in battle and in camp and is in charge of arranging for the legion's supplies. Prefects are considered to be centurions, so a legion has a total of sixty centurions. Legions also have an attached squadron of 120 cavalry for scouting and carrying dispatches. The squadron rarely operates as a whole; instead, detachments of cavalry are attached to the centuries in the vanguard. Centurions are long-service officers, almost always serving twenty-five years before retirement. They are promoted up through the ranks, and do not attend the Imperial Military Academy. The only academic requirement for promotion to the centurionate is literacy. Things are different for officers above the rank of prefect. Formations of multiple legions and auxilia are commanded by legates, who are supported by a staff of tribunes. These officers are usually of noble blood, and have usually attended the Imperial Military Academy. A typical career path for an Academy graduate is command of an auxiliary cohort, service as a tribune, service as an officer attached to the Guards cohorts in Thalcedon, ending with promotion to legate and a civil service job upon retirement. Officers above the rank of centurion must purchase their posts from the prior occupant. Legionaries are armed with two javelins and a short stabbing sword which is about 16 inches long for legionaries, and about two feet long for centurions and above. Legionaries carry their swords high on the right side, but officers carry their swords low-slung on the left side. All ranks wear steel lorica segmentata body armor and 'backwards-jockey-cap' helmets made of bronze with an iron liner, and all ranks carry plywood shields bound at the edges with wrought iron or bronze. All ranks have a heavy leather apron to protect the groin, and all ranks wear hobnailed boots. Each cohort of a legion has a heavy siege catapult, or onager, attached to it. A typical onager can hurl a 55-pound rock over an eighth of a mile. Every century of a legion is equipped with a cart-mounted ballista capable of projecting a foot-long bolt over a fifth of a mile. A legion thus has ten siege catapults and 59 ballistae. Currently, Cedonia has five standing legions: one stationed in and around Thalcedon, two at the northern border, one in the Kasovian Mts., and one on the southern border. There are also roughly 5,000 Selarian auxiliaries in service, mostly on the northern border, but with a few squadrons in the south. There is also a small navy whose primary duty is piracy and smuggling suppression in the Gulf of Gomel. The standing Cedonian armed forces have an establishment strength of about 35,000, but are currently somewhat understrength and are trying to rebuild. Andrew ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
