Faloran Republic

The Faloran Republic is the reaction against the Holy Dominion of Archanicus.

Originally, the First Faloran Imperium, or Empire, was ruled by an emperor and catered to humanity, before the time of spirits. When the spirits came, they meddled in human affairs and the Archons rose to a position of power. They replaced the emperor's authority and eventually turned the Empire into the Dominion.

Under the Dominion, the Old Capital was abandoned, and a new one built instead; the Holy City. After Varantium lost its importance in the grand scheme of the Dominion, the Falorans, proud and outraged at their fall from grace, began to entertain nationalist tendecies. Mismanagement from the Radiant Lord only encouraged the revolution to come.

With the suppression of Faloran gunpowder technology, a revolution began, leading to the Battle of Shatterbridge and the foundation of the Faloran Republic.

Society

The Republic is headed by a Senate. The Senate is chosen via a system of direct democracy from across the Republic, and the Senate then votes on a Consul.

The Consul has far-reaching powers over legislation, and his approval is needed for any law to pass. He is also able to force through legislation as long as he has support from at least one-third of the Senate. A Consul's term lasts for 8 years, and he can be re-elected once.

Falorans in the time of the first empire were citizens who lived luxurious lives, and employed slaves. Though the Malvernian Imperium has kept this tradition, the Republic has never taken up slavery again, considering humans to have been like slaves to the spirits. 

As a people, Falorans are great patrons of music and the arts, and are forward-looking, as evidenced by their technology.

Military of the Republic

The Faloran army is split into two seperate divisions at the moment. The Army and the Navy.

Faloran Army

The Faloran army is currently focused entirely on defense on their homeland. It consists mainly of formations of musket armed musketeers backed by field artillery pieces. 

The basic formation at the moment is a formation of 40 musketeers, called a Squad. They march in line 20 wide and 2 deep. Led by a Sergeant. Four squads together form a Company, led by a Captain.

Four Companies together form a Platoon. A platoon is led by a Colonel. Four Platoons form an Army, led by a General.

Attached to support an Army is usually some light calavry and a battery of field artillery. Mobile on horse drawn carriages, the Faloran army fields twenty 12 pound cannons in a battery. It takes 5 men to run each cannon and 2 horses to pull the wagon around as needed.

Specialist units include squads of sharpshooters outfitted with the expensive rifles. They ususally skirmish on the flanks of the battle, taking out targets of opportunity. 

The Army of the Republic consists of 4 armies organized together under the High General (Insert Name here). Meant for the focused repulsion of a large Dominion invasion attempt, it is also the central reserve for the smaller deployments of troops around the boarders.

Rank Structure is as follows within the Army:

• Musketeer, basic soldier armed with a bayonted musket.
• Sergeant, in charge of a Squad of 40 Musketeers.
• Captain, in charge of a Company of four Squads of Musketeers.
• Colonel, in charge of a Platoon of four Companies of Musketeers.
• General, in charge of a Army of four Platoons of Musketeers.
• High General, in charge of the Entire Faloran Army. He decides on deployment and tactics.

Faloran Navy

The Navy currently can't field enough ships to take complete control of the ocean away from the Dominion. There is no formal organization at the moment, each Captain operates his ship somewhat independently. Though when squadrons are needed, time in rank determines the Senior Captain who will take command.

The Faloran Navy consists mostly of fast sailing ships with a single deck of guns. The largest and latest built ships carry twenty eight 9 pound cannons aboard, with a broadside of 12 guns on each side. Commonly called Frigates, they are quite fast and capable of sailing in deeper ocean waters compared to the oar powered Galleys and Tiremes of the Dominion. They carry a crew of 200 men aboard, a mix of sailors and marines. 

Faloran currently only has 20 of the newer Frigates completed and sailing the ocean. Their primary goal is suppression of Dominion trading over the waves and early warning of any invasion attempts over the ocean.

Currently all Captains report to the Admiral of the Fleet, (Insert Name Here). He gives general orders only at the moment, areas of operation and deployment of new ships as needed.

Within each ship is a section of Marines. Intended for boarding actions or to repel boarders, they are trained soldiers, usually the best of the best taken from the Army and deployed on ships. Though they still report to the Captain, they are outside of the normal rank structure of the ship. During battle, they assist with damage control, trimming lines and other tasks. Every marine must be a skilled fighter and a sailor.

Rumors persist of a Naval buildup happening within Faloran of a new generation of bigger and tougher ships, intended to dominate the ocean entirely.

Rank Structure is as follows for Sailors within the Navy:

• Sailor, the common crewman on a ship.
• Chief, in charge of a gun crew of sailors manning a cannon or a section of Sailors manning the rigging.
• Ensign, lowest officer rank, in charge of organization of the gun crews and general behavior.
• Leftenant, middle officer rank. Keeps order and the Ensigns report him.
• Commander, second in command of the ship and executive assistant to the Captain.
• Captain, in charge of the Ship he is stationed on.
• Commodore, courtesy promotion given to a Captain in charge of a Squadron of ships operating together.
• Admiral of the Fleet, in charge of all ships within the Faloran Navy.

Rank Structure for Marines within the Navy:

• Lanceman, the basic marine. Seperate from the Sailors of the ship.
• Lancer, in charge of a Lance of 8 Marines.
• Major, in charge of a Division of 4 Lances.
• Brigadier, the ranking Marine officer on a ship. The biggest frigates carry 2 or sometimes even 3 Divisions of Marines.

Faloran Military Doctrine

Current doctrine of the Military is entirely focused on defense on the homeland. All offensive strategies are so far entirely theoretical as no offensive action can currently be taken. 

The Faloran Army is drilled for defensive fights and investing terrain to contain enemies. The Navy meanwhile is focused on first destroying invading fleets and if that isn't possible, cutting off all resupply for any landed force. 

Promotion in the Military is entirely based on merit. Anyone who got his rank due to patronage or wealth is intensely looked down upon so it rarely happens. At the same, it still happens occasionally. 

On the ground, drill and discipline are the focus. Troops are trained to march in step, reload and prime their mukets in sync. Massed musket fire relies on everyone working in coordination. Though few battles have been fought, the ones so far has shown the great potential of the new musket fire doctrine. Massed fire can slow even the mightest of charges as men simply fall down and die alongside their fellows.

On the water, the Faloran Navy is nearly the same. Gun crews drill every day on the procedure to fire their guns, regardless of the conditions. This focused drill has made the crews capable of priming and firing their weapons even during a storm. The sailors of the fleet take great pride in being the first line of defense for their nation. Little mercy is shown on invaders who attempt to set foot on Faloran soil.

The Invictus Protocol

This procedure is one the Navy takes great pride in, though the need for it has only happened rarely so far. The protocol is quite simple: "No Ship of the Faloran Navy shall ever be captured intact by the enemy. If the ship will be taken or captured, the ships powder magazines will be ignited instead. Destroying the ship and its enemies."

So named for the actions of the first Faloran Ship named Invictus. Which during one of the first major battles with the Dominion navy was rammed and boarded by no less than 4 Dominion Tiremes. Her decks overrun and the battle nearly lost, someone on board took a torch to the ship's powder magazines. The resulting explosion ripped Invictus apart, sank the 4 Tiremes and set another 4 on fire from the debris. The devastation stunned the remaining Dominion ships, allowing a Faloran victory.

Since then, it is the greatest honor in the Faloran Navy to serve on the latest vessel named Invictus.