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A Gazetteer of Ochalea - Ochalean Defense Forces

by Giampaolo Agosta

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Subsections


Ochalean Defense Forces

The army of Ochalea is a defensive force, mostly maintained by the Thyatian Imperial government using Ochalean funds. The core of the army is composed by a standard Imperial Legion, maintained at half strength. This legion is supposed to recruit and train local warriors to fill the ranks in wartime. In addition to the land army, the Empire has also stationed a defense fleet, composed of three battle squadrons, one scouting squadron, and six transport squadrons.

The native forces, on the other hand, are built around a core of Shar-Pei halberdiers and human cavalrymen. The first group is larger and, with the addition of lupin archers, scouts, and wizards composes a powerful combat force, the Lupin Home Guard. The Lupin Home Guard is deployed in units called ``duibai'' (centuries) to help keep the peace in the major towns, especially those with a large lupin population. The Duke's Guard is the core of the native humans troops, which are also deployed as police force in the major towns.

Local governors, especially in dangerous areas, sometimes keep provincial armies, or, more often, rely on mercenary Shar-Pei Lupins, personal retainers, or monks to support the army.

Overall, the Ochalean armed forces amount to circa 1.5% of the population.


Table 3: Allocation of Military Forces to the Ochalean Provinces
Province Population Military Units stationed  
Bohan 45.000 1000 XXV Legio, Cohortes VII-VIII 400
      Fleet: Battle Group 3, Transport Group 5 600
Chi 34.000 300 Lupin Home Guard 300
Daisun 38.000 300 Daisun Regiment 300
Shun 57.000 500 Shun Regiment 300
      Lupin Home Guard 200
Chung 34.000 300 Chung Regiment 300
Cao 42.000 500 Cao Regiment 300
      Lupin Home Guard 200
Celestial Territories 14.000 100 Lupin Home Guard 100
Kiang 92.500 1.000 Kiang Regiment 300
      XXV Legio, Cohortes IX-X 400
      Lupin Home Guard 300
Yuen 89.000 1.000 XXV Legio, Cohortes V-VI 400
      Fleet: Battle Group 2, Transport Group 4 600
Ta'ang 49.500 800 Ta'ang Regiment 300
      Lupin Home Guard 200
      Fleet: Trasport Group 1-3 300
Sung 58.000 700 Lupin Home Guard 400
      Sung Regiment 300
Wang 14.000 200 Lupin Home Guard 100
      Wang & Shou Regiment 100
Shou 21.000 300 Lupin Home Guard 100
      Wang & Shou Regiment 200
Celestial 92.000 3.000 Duke's Guard 400
Domain     Beitung Garrison 400
      XXV Legio, Cohortes I-IV 800
      Lupin Home Guard 300
      Fleet: Battle Group 1, Scouting Group, Transport Group 6 1100
TOTAL 680.000 10.000   10.000

Army Roster

Unit 1 - Ochalean Defense Fleet

Personnel: 1000 Marines, plus 1600 Sailors and Rowers; most of them are Thyatian humans. The fleet is deployed in three battle groups (each led by a war galley or large galley, with two small galleys as support force), plus a scouting group of four small galleys, and six transport groups (each composed by a single troop transport or one large and two small ships).

Overall, the Ochalean Fleet can field the following units:
Ship class # Units
Small Galleys 10
Large Galleys 2
War Galleys 1
Sailing Ships 8
Large Ships 4
Troop Transports 2

Marines, sailors and rowers in the fleet are armed and equipped according to the Imperial standards.

These ships are only part of the fleet usually stationed at Beitung and other Ochalean ports. Larger imperial fleets also help in patrolling the seas around Ochalea, especially the Strait of Furmenglaive.

Unit 2 - Lupin Home Guard (Quanren Weibing)

Personnel: 2200 Ochalean Lupins, mostly infantry and archers. The Lupin Home Guard can field the following troops:
Shar-Pei Halberdiers 1200
Chow-Chow Hunters 600
Houndling Archers 200
Crested and Houndling Wizards 50
Auxiliaries 150

Lupin armed forces keep to their traditional weaponry - lamellar armor (metal for the halberdiers, leather for archers and scouts), complemented by broadswords (dao), plus composite short bows or crossbows for archers and hunters, and broad-bladed halberds (pudao) for the Shar-Pei.

Unit 3 - XXV Imperial Legion

Personnel (half-strength): 2000 Thyatian humans and Lupins. The XXV Imperial Legion can field the following troops:
Legionnaries, Heavy Infantry 1000
Legionnaries, Light Infantry 500
Equites, Medium Cavalry 150
Sagittarii 100
Artillerists 80
Wizards and Priests 50
Auxiliaries 120

This unit is equipped according to the Imperial standards - it is basically a Thyatian legion funded by the Ochalean Archduke.

The XXV Legion is kept at half strength in peacetime - it is actually just the core of a full legion. In wartime, local warriors are recruited to fill the ranks of the legionnaries, as well as to increase size of the cavalry and archer units. At full strength, this legion would include 3.000 infantrymen, plus 500 cavalry and 500 archers.

Unit 4 - Duke's Guard (Dawang Weibing)

Personnel: 400 Ochalean humans. The Duke's Guard can field the following troops:
Medium Cavalry 300
Priests 60
Auxiliaries 40

The house guard of the Archduke of Ochalea is a unit of medium cavalry, supported by a number of priests. These élite guardsmen wear metal lamellar armor and carry shields, broadswords and long spears (shuo).

Unit 5 - Beitung Garrison (Beitung Jingwei)

Personnel: 400 Ochalean and Thyatian humans. The Beitung Garrison can field the following troops:
Artillerists 160
Shortbowmen 50
Wizards and Priests 40
Light Infantry 100
Auxiliaries 50

The Beitung Garrison is a mix of militarized police force and garrison unit. Its main task is to man the catapults and ballistae in the naval fortress and city walls of Beitung, but it also helps keep the peace in the city itself - in this duty, it is also helped by the Duke's Guard and by three Lupin centuries.

The artillerists, archers and wizards in this units are mostly Thyatians, and are equipped more or less in the Thyatian style (though Ochalean broadswords are more commonly issued than Thyatian gladii). The light infantry, on the other hand, is equipped in the Ochalean style, with leather lamellar armor, broadswords and spears (quiang).

Unit 6-13 - Ochalean Regiments (Difangbing)

Personnel 2400 (300 $\times$ 8) Ochalean humans. Each Ochalean Regiment can field the following troops:
Light Infantry 175
Shortbowmen 75
Artillerists 20
Auxiliaries 30

These are the most common native Ochalean units, mostly deployed in the provinces to help the local governors. They are composed almost exclusively of Ochalean natives, and are armed with with leather lamellar armor, broadswords and spears or short bows. Small artillery teams are available to man the defenses of the provincial capitols.

Wartime Army

In wartime, the Archduke tries to keep his commitment minimal - he does not agree with the Emperor's agressive politics. However, Ochalea must usually respond to the Imperial requests, and must also replace Thyatian troops that are withdrawn from the island when required elsewhere as a response to emergencies.

In those cases, the Archduke can quickly levy some militia from the provincial capitols and the surrounding countryside, as well as contract the Shar-Pei mercenary clans, effectively doubling the size of the army (i.e., 1.5% of the population is levied). Militia units are armed with spears, bows, shields and light armor (padded, leather or leather lamellar), while Shar-Pei mercenaries are armed as the Shar-Pei Halberdiers of the Lupin Home Guard.

If Ochalea was attacked, the Fighting Monks and temple Defenders of the four major orders would be called upon for defense, adding 10.000 more skilled fighters.


Table 4: Summary of Ochalean Priests by Class
Philosophers 8% 2.800
$\phantom{00}$ Law 5% 1.500
$\phantom{00}$ Neutrality 3% 1.050
$\phantom{00}$ Chaos 1% 350
Fighting Monks 25% 8.750
Shamans 20% 7.000
Specialist Priests 30% 10.500
$\phantom{00}$ Koryis 18% 6.300
$\phantom{00}$ Chardastes 3% 1.050
$\phantom{00}$ Entropics 3% 1.050
$\phantom{00}$ Druids 1% 350
Pantheists 15% 3.850
Total 100% 35.000


Table 5: Summar of Ochalean Temples and Faiths
Faith Priests Alignments Diffusion
Church of Thyatis 2.350 Any non-evil Beitung, Bohan, all provincial capitols
Order of the Shadow Court 2.000 Any non-good Jungle of the Tiger Men, all towns
Mystic Way of Order 3.500 LN Celestial Territories, Chung, Kiang, Cao provinces
Jade Temple of Ochalea 11.700 LG, NG, LN Beitung, common everywhere
Benevolent Order of Chang Dangsu 3.300 NG, LG, CG Shun, Chi, Bohan and Daisun provinces
Mystic Way of the Eight Immortals 4.500 TN, NG, CN, LN, NE Sung, Ta'ang, Yuen and Celestial Domains
Circle of Heaven and Earth 550 TN, LN, CN Forested areas and mountains
Independent and Wandering Priests 6.700 Any Common everywhere

Next: Temples of Ochalea Up: A Gazetteer of Ochalea Previous: Geography   Contents