Imperial Forces

The Imperial Forces
Active:	1598 – 1671 AN 1679 –
Motto:	TBC
In use by:	Ministry of State
Allegiance:	Shireroth (Imperial Regency)
Type:	Unified armed forces
Service Branches	Palatini Corps (PC) Imperial Navy Imperial Shirerithian Air Forces (ISAF) Auxiliary Forces (AuxF)
Size:	291,604
Nickname:	The Forlorn Guard
Current Commander:	Commissioner, the Lady Aethonius
Allies:	Raspur Pact Benacia Command Apollonia Command
Opponents:
Conflicts & Deployments	Many civil wars and local conflicts Sxiro-Jingdaoese Confrontation War of Jingdaoese Immolation War of Lost Brothers Hammish Civil War Kalirion Fracture

Recent History

The Raspur Pact Training Mission-Shireroth (RPTM-S) was established in 1679 at the initiative of Benacia Command. The aim of RPTM-S was to assist in the development of Imperial Forces training structures and institutions so that Shireroth could build an effective and sustainable capability that addressed the needs of the Imperial Republic, that would defend its remaining territories against secessionists and which would be able to resist any further efforts at capitulation by the regency in Shirekeep. RPTM-S was not a combat mission but was a distinct mission, under the political control of the Raspur Pact's Joint Military Council. Its operational emphasis was on training and mentoring. The activities of the mission were coordinated with the Shirerithian Ministry of State, whose minister was the de-facto commander of the Imperial Forces, and the Imperial Advisory Council.

In 1694 Benacia Command authorised the return of a significant quantity of surplus small arms, rejected by the UDF for use in the Second Elwynnese Civil War, to the arsenals of the Imperial Republic. These comprising primarily of:

• 243,838x – M1591 7.62 mm rifles
• 110,750x – M1656 9 mm sub-machine gun
• 80,000x – M1525 9 mm pistols
• 79,188x – M1508 Martini-Rossi 11.56 mm rifles

The weapons would be transferred from the depots of the Black Legions in the Unified Governorates to designated arsenals in Brookshire and the Duchy of the Guttuli via a series of road convoys that would travel across the UGB, Tellia, Sanama, and Drak-Modan in order to reach their intended destinations.

Organization

The Imperial Forces have a distributed structure that relies predominantly on ground combat as a consequence of the Kalirion Fracture and the loss of advanced military hardware and the trained personnel to operate them. At its low point, the Palatini Corps was the only armed force under Imperial authority.

• Palatini Corps: ground, air, and riverine combat command headquartered in Shirekeep. Founded in 1637 AN, made independent in 1664 AN.
  • The Sentinel Guards: ground combat formation
  • The Secret Guards: ground combat formation
  • The Palace Guards: ground combat formation
  • The Kampioen Guards: ground combat formation
  • The Apollonian Guards: ground combat formation
  • The Veteran Guards: ground combat formation
  • The Kalirion Guards: ground combat formation
  • The Sathrati Guards: ground combat formation
  • The Flying Guards: aerial combat formation

• Ducal Army of Brookshire: ground combat command headquartered in Maltenstein. Organized in 1683 AN as Her Imperial Highness's Brookshirian Auxiliary Service and regional militia, reorganized in 1695 AN.
  • Dolorous Association: ground combat formation
  • Isenbury Association: ground combat formation
  • Woodshire Association: ground combat formation
• Ducal Army of the Guttuli: ground and maritime combat command headquartered in Lachlan. Organized in 1694 AN from preexisting local peacekeeping forces.
  • Lockenhasp Association: ground combat formation
  • Lowbrook Association: ground combat formation

• Imperial Navy of Shireroth
  • The River Guards: riverine combat formation (administered by the Palatini Corps)
  • Sea Corps of the Guttuli: maritime combat formation, headquartered in Lichport, organized in 1690 AN (administered by the Ducal Army of the Guttuli)

Personnel

Personnel in the Imperial Forces by Service

Name	Personnel
Palatini Corps (PC)	57,600
Imperial Navy (IN)	197,824
Imperial Shirerithian Air Forces (ISAF)	36,180
Auxiliary Forces (AuxF)	TBC

Ranks

As directed by the Ministry of State's Commission for Defence, regular Imperial Forces now operate within a single system of ranks, uniforms, and equipment, in order to sustain interoperability.

On paper, each regional army maintains its own general staff under the authority of its own Master of Soldiers, who creates field formations, called Associations, over whom he designates a Standard. In actuality, the regional armies have been reduced to a merely administrative role, with each general staff tasked with maintaining supply and training. Associations are created under the direction of, under the authority of an appointee of, and receive strategic direction from the Commissioner for Defence. Associations are composed of units freely shuffled between Associations as necessary to meet Imperial strategic goals with the shortest logistical lines. This arrangement is a systematized form of the previous ad-hoc Banners placed under the appointed authority of a Nypḥyk'u (RL. "Standard Bearer"), whose subordinate units were a free mixture of militia, professional, and irregular troops as resources allowed it.

These changes are reflected in the changes to the rank structure, which no longer distinguishes between 'Spear' and 'Specialist' units, which has condensed the general officer ranks considerably, which has placed significantly larger responsibility upon the Field Officer ranks, and which has seen an expansion of Company-Grade and senior-NCO ranks.

		Rank				Ground Force	Air Force	Maritime Force
General Officer	OF-8	Master of Soldiers / Frainan Streïakeï				Army, CO
	OF-7	Standard / Staggus				Association, CO
Field Officer	OF-5	Tribune (Broad Grade) / Ahmst (Bræþ Griþ)				Battle Command, CO		Squadron, CO
	OF-4	Tribune (Mid Grade) / Ahmst (Mi Griþ)				Cohort, CO	Wing, CO	Frigate, CO
	OF-3	Tribune (Narrow Grade) / Ahmst (Mair Griþ)				Cohort, 2i/c	Group, CO	Corvette/Submarine, CO
Company Officer	OF-2	Captain / Fiþnan	Ordinate / Opratzan	OR-9	Principal	Maniple, OC	Chain, CO
		Undercaptain / Niþnfiþnan				Maniple, 2i/c
	OF(D)	Overwatchmaster-Squire / Uvnahtaldan-Silbir	Overwatchmaster / Uvnahtaldan	OR-7		Watch, OC
		Watchmaster-Squire / Ahtaldan-Silbir	Watchmaster / Ahtaldan	OR-6
		Underwatchmaster / Niþnahtaldan		OR-5		Watch, 2i/c
		Prime / Frum		OR-4	Soldier	File, OC
		Chosen / Usczosoþ		OR-3		File, 2i/c
		Experienced / Usfaroþ		OR-2
		New / Nuï		OR-1