Worldbuilding: Rontak Empire Military
Melee Infantry
The backbone of a Rontak army is their heavy infantry, which bear some resemblance to Roman legionaries. Each soldier is armored with a helmet, chain mail, and plate armor in important areas, like the chest and legs. They carry a scutum shield, a six foot spear, and a gladius style short sword sheathed on their belt. Their equipment may vary slightly depending on each specific unit and its role. They are highly trained, disciplined and flexible in battle.
Conscripted Infantry
Occasionally, the Rontak Empire will conscript local villagers into their armies to bolster their numbers. The conscripts are given minimal training and are usually used to tire out the enemy or serve as a diversion.
Ranged Infantry
Rontak ranged infantry are lightly armored, but trained to use a variety of long range weapons. Each soldier is proficient with a javelin, sling, and bow. They don't carry all three with them into battle, but can use whatever type of weapon is available or most advantageous in a given situation. Bows are typically used against wyverns performing strafing runs. Arrows are not much threat to a wyvern's life, but they can puncture its wings and cause considerable pain, reducing its ability to fly.
Cavalry
Cavalry plays an important part in any military and the Rontak Empire is no exception. They use a mix of light, medium, and heavy cavalry based on the tactical situation and what is available to the general. Cavalry equipment has considerable variation throughout different armies.
Minotaurs
Enslaved minotaurs are the Rontak Empire's heaviest shock troops. They are hard hitting offensive units, with equipment to match. They have similar armor as regular infantry but with weapons scaled appropriately for their larger size. Less disciplined than regular infantry, minotaurs' main role in combat is to break enemy lines and morale with their thunderous charge. Minotaurs are incredibly effective in close melee against weaker opponents.
Centaur Cavalry
Cavalry is devastating in combat, and with an extra pair of arms, centaur cavalry is even more effective. The centaurs have full plate armor on their front to offer more protection during a full frontal charge and leather or chainmail armor on their bodies. Riders are paired with centaurs based on their dominant hands, when possible; left handed centaurs are paired with right handed riders and vice versa. This allows each side of the cavalry to attack the enemy and be protected by a shield during melee. Unlike regular cavalry, centaurs can charge directly into solid blocks of enemy troops, offering new tactical options for the general.
Mages
Although not very magically adept, the Rontak Empire maintains a small number of battle mages. These mages are trained in both large scale battle magic and individual magic. They are sometimes sent on scouting or sabotage missions against the enemy before the main battle takes place.
Attached to an army in battle, battle mages can create magic shields completely encompassing a group of soldiers, protecting them from enemy wyverns, mages, and ranged weapons. They can also unleash an assortment of casting magic on the enemy. Rontak battle mages primarily use fireballs to attack the enemy as pseudo artillery; it's simple, easy to learn, and mana efficient. A few battle mages are adept enough to employ more unique magical attacks such as: ensnaring vines, summoning golems, illusions, elemental attacks, and some can even manipulate the terrain to be more advantageous. The Rontak Empire may not have the best battle mages, but they make excellent tactical use of what magic they have.
Wyverns
Wyvern knights are the most prestigious military role in the Rontak Empire. Only the best are allowed to ride the expensive and maintenance intensive wyverns. The Rontak Empire controls several wyvern breeding grounds across the Kraffnia continent. In addition to breeding their own, they tame wild wyverns to maintain a significant population. The Empire takes great pride in its air superiority.
Rontak wyvern knights primarily use two main weapons: wyvern fireballs and flechettes. Wyverns can shoot explosive fireballs from their mouths to decimate infantry formations. The fireballs lose destructive power the farther they have to travel, though. Wyvern knights have to perform close range bombing runs on the enemy in order for the fireballs to be effective, bringing them into range of enemy missile infantry.
Flechettes, on the other hand, are dropped from a great height, far outside the range of enemy projectiles. Each one is about 15 cm long; every wyvern carries hundreds of them in satchels placed around the knight. Despite their small size, their comparatively heavy weight gives them a high impact speed when dropped from a high enough altitude. Most armor is useless against them. If the enemy has land dragons, wyvern knights will bring larger and heavier flechettes into battle.
Against other wyverns they use fireballs, the wyverns themselves, and the knight carries a naginata type weapon (spear tipped with a long curved blade). This weapon is ideal for slicing or puncturing a wyvern's comparatively fragile wings. Wyvern wings require flexibility in order to fly, so they can't wear cumbersome armor over them. If the wings are injured, the wyvern cannot fly properly and won't be a threat anymore. Aerial battles between opposing wyverns are a vicious and chaotic affair, usually with high casualties.
Land Dragons
Land dragons are biological tanks. They are about the same size as regular dragons, slightly larger than an elephant, but much heavier and without wings. Covered head to tail with thick leathery skin and boney armor, they are nearly invincible to ordinary weapons. Their powerful legs allow them to reach surprising speeds during a charge, but they do not have enough endurance to keep pace with cavalry. A beast handler and team of riders sit on top of the land dragon and direct it in battle. Out of reach of enemy melee weapons, they harass nearby enemies with javelins while the land dragon wreaks havoc.
Land dragons can use elemental fire and earth magic. Like wyverns, they can shoot proportionally scaled fireballs from their mouths. They can also breathe a continuous stream of fire at close range. Using earth magic they can shake the ground as they walk, intimidating the enemy. They can also use it to attack the enemy or to create earthen barriers in front of them, offering protection from heavy pike formations.
This image is not my own, full credit goes to the original artist.
Organization
The smallest force in the Rontak Empire's military are the individual garrisons maintained by Viscounts or Barons in their cities; known locally as the city guard. Above the city guard, but still comparatively local, is a Count's small army. These armies are usually less than 10,000 soldiers in total and they are rarely concentrated in a single location. They mostly serve a defensive and enforcement role while also being reserve troops for larger armies to call upon.
Imperial armies are much larger and typically have around 30,000 soldiers. Most Imperial armies have a wyvern division and at least 1,000 minotaurs. They are mostly offensive in nature and are sent on missions of conquest across the Kraffnia continent. Major Imperial armies are larger, having nearly 50,000 soldiers and containing most types of military assets. These armies are sent to major conflicts and usually turn the tide in the Rontak Empire's favor. Even larger armies are occasionally mustered for specific purposes, like the Portal Conquest Army.
Chapter 10: The Americans
July 1st, 2053
Duremar Plains, Miretan, 6:00 AM
Daniel found himself running through the streets of Miretan. The city was deserted, except for himself. He ran past the empty windows and buildings as he was pursued by the creature. Every dark alley he passed seemed to growl at him.
Suddenly, everything around him crumbled. The buildings all turned to rubble. Climbing over a pile of debris in front of him was the same creature from his dream yesterday. He realized that this was another dream. Like before, his weapons were gone and he had no way to defend himself.
The creature's wide mouth opened to show its sharp teeth while its purple eyes gave off faint purple particles; just like the way particles swirled around Elmot when he performed magic. Daniel braced himself for the creature to attack him, but it never did. Instead, the purple particles seemed to intensify and grow in number.
A sense of calmness and ease washed over Daniel. He felt so silly thinking the creature was going to hurt him. It was just trying to say hello; all it wanted was friendship. He relaxed and began walking towards the creature with his arm outstretched to pet it. It was cute, he realized. The closer he got to the creature, the more friendly it looked. Almost like a housecat.
Daniel felt someone grasp his shoulders, but no one was there. He was alone with the creature. The ground began to shake and he closed his eyes.
When Daniel opened his eyes, he was standing on the road outside of the inn. Benny was standing in front of him, shaking his shoulders. There were several droids and a few marines standing around him.
"Damn, you're finally awake," Benny said as he let go of Daniel. "We were getting a bit worried there for a sec."
Daniel looked around, confused and dazed. He asked, "What the hell happened? Why am I outside?"
"You were sleepwalking, man," Benny replied.
"What?" Daniel said, still confused. "I've never sleep walked before."
"Well you have now," Benny said. "The droids couldn't snap you out of it, so they sounded the alarm."
Daniel looked around; all eyes were on him. Feeling embarrassed, he said, "Alright, show's over."
The marines dispersed back inside the inn. Eldryn was among them, but he remained outside with Daniel and Benny. Approaching them, he asked, "Tell me Daniel, in your dream was there an animal with a wide mouth and purple eyes?"
Daniel looked at Eldryn with a look of shock. "How the hell could you possibly know that?"
Eldryn explained what was really happening. Daniel was being targeted by a wraith. They are animals that use psionic magic to subdue their prey. They mentally stalk their prey for a few days before launching a full psionic attack. If successful, the wraith will overpower its victim's mind and lure them to its lair, where they are devoured without struggle.
Eldryn was familiar with wraiths. One of them had terrorized his village a few years back. They eventually killed it by attentively watching for its next victim, a young child, and stealthily following her back to the wraith. Unfortunately, the child was killed by the wraith before the villagers managed to kill it.
Daniel was first attacked by the wraith before they even arrived at Miretan, so there was no telling where or how far away it was. There was no immediate hope of finding and killing it. Elmot put a basic psionic protection charm over Daniel, but it was weak; psionic magic was not his strong suit. Daniel informed Emily that if he was compromised by the wraith, she would have to take command. As a precaution, Daniel assigned a droid to stay by his side 24/7 until the situation was resolved.
Later that morning, the last of the mithril was loaded onto the logistic trucks and the 4th Deep Recon Team was ready to head back to Fort Roanoke. As they were preparing to depart, Master Gervo approached them. He would be going back with them to discuss an agreement between the United States and Miretan. He brought two other guild members with him.
Daniel divided the marines, civilians and representatives of Miretan among the vehicles and they left the city. Shortly after departing, they detected something on radar.
"Sir, about 50 contacts just appeared on radar. Their profiles match those of the enemy's wyverns," Marcus said.
"How close are they?" Daniel asked.
"Several kilometers north of us. If I had to guess, I'd say they just took off from somewhere in those hills," Marcus replied, pointing to the hills in the distance on the recon drone footage.
"Are they heading towards us?" Daniel inquired. 50 wyverns wouldn't be a problem for the vehicles' .50 caliber machine guns, but it would still be better to avoid a confrontation.
"I don't think so, sir," Marcus replied as he projected the wyverns' heading. "They'll pass pretty close, but they could be heading to Miretan."
"Alright," Daniel said. "Tell the other vehicles to be on alert. If they come within weapons range, don't fire unless they make an aggressive move first."
"Yes sir!" Marcus replied, as he relayed Daniel's orders to the other vehicles.
They continued driving north without being harassed by the wyverns.
July 1st, 2053
South Duremar Plains, 12:00 PM
Princess Maribelle watched as the American war beasts below traveled north, back towards their fortress. The reports were not exaggerations; their creatures really could move like light cavalry, even with all that armor and cargo. It was both impressive and intimidating at the same time. Luckily, they didn't seem to be concerned about her wyverns, if they noticed them at all. Not long after they saw the Americans, the Order of the Dragon arrived at Miretan.
With her, she had 50 knights; a significant part of the Order and the majority of those gathered at Rontak's Reach. Before they left, Princess Maribelle had been informed of key people of interest in Miretan by General Rallek, who was more familiar with the region. The traitors on the Mining Guild Council, Baron Pelondo, Captain Harlon, etc. She knew the situation as it had been described over the mana comm by the Baron.
The 50 knights of the Order of the Dragon landed their wyverns. They menacingly marched towards the gate in formation with Princess Maribelle and Commander Palok at the front. The gate opened as they approached and they were greeted by Baron Pelondo. He was a short, round man dressed well above his position.
"Thank goodness you've arrived Princess! The city's Mining Guild has betrayed us. They cowardly handed over our entire stock of mithril to the enemy, including mithril weapons."
Princess Maribelle said in a cold and flat tone, "Take me to them."
Baron Pelondo, seeing the Princess was not in the mood to chat, silently led her and her knights to the Mining Guild keep and up to the Council chamber. Maribelle, Palok, Baron Pelondo and four knights entered the chamber while the rest of the knights remained outside.
Four of the five council members were present, but one was absent. Maribelle wondered where the fifth was. Not being distracted by it for more than a moment, she approached the council members and said in an authoritative and forceful tone, "Explain yourselves, now."
It was short and simple, but perfectly conveyed the reason for her visit. This would be the Council's only chance to defend their actions. But since they were not in open rebellion against the Rontak Empire, Princess Maribelle figured there had to be more going on here.
The entire council could tell by the Princess's demeanor that she meant business. One of the Council members, presumably Grand Master Ubralok, said, "Very well Princess. You shall have your explanation."
"Explanation?" Cried Baron Pelondo. "You surrendered all of the city's mithril to the enemy without a fight! You gave them weapons to be turned against the Rontak Empire! You are all traitors! If so many in the City Guard weren't loyal to you, I would have already had you all executed!"
Maribelle temporarily ignored the implication that the Baron had lost control of his city and gazed harshly at the Council.
Seeing the Princess's mood darken with the Baron's accusations, Grand master Ubralok quickly defended himself, "We did not surrender our mithril to them, they bought it. At a price much higher than anyone would reasonably pay for the quantity of mithril we supplied."
"Selling weapons to an enemy of the Empire is still treason," said Palok.
"Yes, but I am not finished yet," said Grand Master Ubralok. Princess Maribelle nodded for him to continue.
"We were initially suspicious of the Americans, but they gifted us with a great quantity of food and water. Our farmland is poor and our mines have been slowed by floods of toxic black water. We have been struggling to feed our people for some time now. We could not simply turn away the Americans without hearing them out."
"None of that matters!" Whined Baron Pelondo. "You chose to hand over weapons to the enemy rather than let the peasants starve. You are all traitors to the Empire!"
Maribelle turned to the Baron and snapped, "I will let you know when I wish to hear your sniveling voice." Turning back to Grand Master Ubralok, she said, "Perhaps you had good cause to trade with the Americans. The message I received neglected to mention those important details, but you still-"
Maribelle was about to continue, but she was boldly interrupted by the Grand Master. "There are more important details you may wish to hear, Princess."
She nodded for him to continue, more impressed at his courage than irritated at being cut off. Her pride would always take a backseat when it came to information about the Americans.
"We were cautious about doing business with enemies of the Empire. They never mislead us on that account. But their reason for wanting our mithril was noble. They assured us that our mithril would only be used to hunt demons."
That was quite a surprise. Princess Maribelle asked, "Why would people of their magical prowess come all the way here to get mithril, just to slay demons?"
"Actually, Princess," said another council member, "The Americans claimed to have no magic whatsoever. They said that magic does not even exist in their world. While they were here, I saw many strange things. Horseless metal carriages and golems of steel are but two of them. Whenever we asked about these things, the Americans were adamant that they were not magic."
"If they truly have no magic," said a third council member, "It would explain why they came all the way here just for mithril."
Registering the implications of not having magic, Maribelle said, "Because if they have no magic at all, even a single demon could slaughter their entire army..."
It was a good explanation as to why the Americans would be so interested in mithril and pay such a high price for it. But how could they have possibly destroyed the Portal Conquest Army without magic? Maribelle wasn't a mage, but she was fairly certain that magic played an important role in magi cannons, like the ones the Americans were using. If they were truly magically inept, Maribelle knew even less about the enemy than she thought.
Returning her attention to the Mining Guild Council, she said, "You have committed treason against the Rontak Empire... However, if you share with me everything you learned about the Americans while they were here, I would be willing to turn a blind eye."
"Princess, you can't be serious!" Cried Baron Pelondo. "They have betrayed us all! You can't let them go unpunished!"
Baron Pelondo crossed a line. Maribelle was furious with him. First at his neglectful mana comm message, then at his inability to control his city, and not to mention his overall spoiled incompetence.
"How dare you tell me what I can and cannot do, Baron. Your own garrison is more loyal to the Mining Guild than they are to you. You're incompetent to such an extent that you barely know what's happening in your own city. "
Baron Pelondo fell to his knees and bowed his head low, "Forgive me Princess, I meant no disrespect."
Baron Pelondo's poor performance and utter incompetence gave Maribelle an idea...
"Baron Pelondo, by my authority as Princess of the Rontak Empire, I hereby revoke your title and give governance of the city of Miretan over to the Mining Guild Council."
From what Maribelle could see, they were already running the city anyway. The Baron's face became filled with shock and desperation as he groveled beneath the Princess.
"Princess, please! Give me another chance! I won't fail you again!"
Maribelle did not give him another chance. She jerked her head towards the door and two of her knights promptly carried the former Baron out of the council chamber.
Shifting her attention back to the Mining Guild Council, whom she had just handed control of the city to, Maribelle said, "If the Americans ever return, you will continue doing business with them. Sell them whatever they wish to buy, and if possible, buy anything they are willing to sell. You are to find out as much as you can about them. I want to know everything there is to know about them. Do we have an understanding?"
The sudden shift of power and events left the Council astounded. Not only would they not be punished, as they expected when the Princess arrived, but they were formally given control of the city and explicitly told to continue trading with an enemy of the Empire.
"Of course Princess. We will do as you have instructed," replied Grand Master Ubralok.
"Good," Maribelle replied. "Now tell me about these metal carriages and steel golems you mentioned."
The Council shared everything they learned about the Americans. Princess Maribelle learned that the 'war beasts' were actually metal carriages that moved on their own, rather than living creatures. It would explain how they could move so far and so fast with such heavy armor. But their inner workings remained a mystery. How do they move? Are they truly not powered by magic?
The steel golems were an even greater contradiction. The council described them as being extremely sophisticated. They helped load and unload supplies from the metal carriages and were not dispelled the entire time the Americans were there. The claim that they were not summoned by magic was hard to believe.
While Princess Maribelle and Commander Palok talked with the Council, the rest of the knights dispersed throughout the city and questioned anyone who interacted with the Americans. What they uncovered matched closely with the Council's description. A few magi blacksmiths told them that a couple of the Americans were particularly curious about mithril and its magic properties. The questions they asked seemed to support the claim that they had no magic, but how could that be possible?
They spent the rest of the day compiling and analyzing the information they gathered throughout the city. Princess Maribelle planned to leave a squad of her knights in Miretan in case the Americans ever returned to buy more mithril. She did not completely trust the Mining Guild to act fully on its own. Her knights would serve as a reminder of her authority. Even if the Mining Guild did turn out to be full blown traitors, at least her knights would be able to provide a first hand account of future American visits.
Later that night, the Council was alone and having a hushed discussion amongst themselves.
"What will we do, Ubralok? Sign a deal with the Americans? Or work with the Princess?" Master Horab asked.
"Until Gervo returns with an assessment of the Americans, we will not commit ourselves either way. Until we have a better idea of which side will emerge dominant in Duremar, we will continue to work with them both."
Master Yerspid said, "I hope our humble city does not get trampled by giants as they battle one another."
July 1st, 2053
Duremar Plains, Somewhere Near Fort Roanoke 11:00 PM
Ralva was commanding a team of four other knights on a scouting mission to the enemy base. They were at the top of a small hill near the enemy fortress. They had a good vantage point to gather information on the enemy. It was nighttime, so the enemy wouldn't be able to see them. The enemy's base, on the other hand, was lit up by a great many strange firea. They were not like any flames Ralva had ever seen before. They were unusually bright and didn't flicker at all.
"They must be some sort of magical lighting," one of her knights speculated.
Whatever they were, the enemy was unusually visible; almost the entire encampment was lit up. It was unlike any army camp Ralva had ever seen. There were no tents for soldiers to sleep in and few discernable fortifications. Instead of tents and hastily built wooden walls and buildings, everything looked to be constructed of stone. The buildings even had proper glass windows.
"It's only been a few weeks since they first came through the portal," another knight said. "How did they build those pristine buildings so quickly?"
"Apparently their magic extends beyond just weapons of destruction," Ralva replied.
"What's that long patch of cobblestone?" One of the knights asked, pointing to the northwestern part of the camp.
There was a great long rectangular area of flat cobblestone with a few buildings with round roofs near it. It looked like some sort of massive courtyard or town square, except that it was completely empty. There were no people, no fountains, and no horses along its entire length.
"Why would they waste so much stone on an empty stretch of land? It makes no sense," commented one of the knights.
"Maybe they're not finished with it yet," speculated one of the knights. "Maybe that's what the ground looks like underneath all their buildings."
"Do you see their walls? They're so short and thin," said one of the knights.
"If that's all they have between us and them, they don't look so tough!" Proclaimed another knight.
"If their weapons can reach our armies from so far away and with such destructive power, their forts must not need strong walls," countered Ralva.
"Look at their war beasts," said another knight. "They're standing in neat rows, perfectly still, all while wearing their armor."
"What about their weapons?" Asked one of the knights. "If they have those so called 'magi cannons', then where are they?"
As the knights began to look for the enemy's magi cannons, they heard a strange buzzing coming from the distance.
"Maybe they're... Wait, what's that noise?" asked one of the knights.
"I hear it too," said Ralva. She looked around the night sky for the source of the sound, but to no avail; the darkness was obscuring whatever the noise was coming from. The strange buzzing sound was getting louder. It sounded like a swarm of angry insects.
"We'd better get out of here and back to the horses," Ralva decided. Night and the desire for stealth dictated that they came on horseback from a nearby village rather than wyverns.
The group of knights began to retreat down the gentle slope of the hill, but it was difficult to move quickly through the darkness. Before they could get very far, beams of light came down from the sky and lit up the ground around them. Some of the knights let out screams of fear and pain as their eyes, used to the darkness, were assaulted by the bright light.
Ralva held her hand up to her eyes as she desperately searched the sky for the source of the illumination. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she found three creatures hovering in the air above them. They were the source of the light and the buzzing sound, which was now much louder.
Before she could rally her knights, a deafening voice came from one of the creatures, "This is the United States military. Stay where you are and do not move!"
Ralva couldn't see anyone riding on top of the creatures, but what was more terrifying was the voice itself. It was impossibly loud and spoke with such forceful conviction and authority that she was frozen in place by fear and astonishment. Which, coincidentally, was exactly what the voice commanded them to do.
As the voice spoke, the flying creatures each lowered something from their underbellies into a vertical position. Ralva could only see their silhouettes through the bright lights, but they looked like... people? What kind of fool would ride such a creature by hanging on underneath it?
Before Ralva could speculate further, the men underneath abruptly fell from the creatures. If all six of them did not all fall in perfect sync with each other, Ralva would have thought they had accidentally fallen. The creatures were still far too high for anyone to dismount without falling to their death.
Despite falling from such a great height, all of the men landed with a thud, kneeling down on one knee. There were now three pairs of enemy soldiers surrounding them, as the creatures calmly buzzed around above them. As the men stood up and looked towards them, again in perfect unison, the voice continued.
"You will be taken into custody."
All of this happened in the span of a few seconds. Ralva barely had any time to take it all in, not to mention come up with a plan. She and her knights all had swords, but wore little armor and weren't carrying shields. They never intended to come face to face with the enemy.
The six men were all about 10 meters away, and slowly approaching. They all carried something that Ralva couldn't identify, but it looked like some sort of two handed magic wand. It was likely a weapon.
As the enemy slowly came closer, one of her more impulsive knights drew his sword and charged at two of them with a savage cry.
"For the Rontak Empire!"
"No, wait! Stop!" Ralva cried, but it was too late.
BANG
Before her knight could even get up to full speed, a loud bang echoed across the empty landscape. The knight was knocked off his feet and fell to the ground, blood pouring out of a wound in his chest. The wound was small, but blood was gushing out of it. Even if the knight survived the wound and blood loss, the infection to come would surely kill him.
After seeing how easily the enemy could kill tehm, Ralva did the only sensible thing she could think of. She tossed aside her sword and commanded her knights to do the same, "Lay down your weapons."
"Commander, we can't just-"
"I said drop your swords!" Ralva barked harshly. "Or you can let it fall from your lifeless hands after they kill you!"
Ralva's remaining three knights did as they were told and dropped their swords. As the six men came out of the shadows and into the light, Ralva saw that they were not men at all; they were some sort of golems. She could tell by their generic metallic faces that they were not natural beings.
Looking back towards the enemy base, she saw two of the enemy's war beasts leave the camp and turn towards them. The voice had said that they would be taken prisoner. It would seem that she and her knights were about to find out much more about the Americans than they bargained for.
Ralva silently apologized to Princess Maribelle for her failure to remain safe. All she could do now was mentally prepare for the torture she would surely suffer at the hands of the enemy.
Ralva and her knights were taken into custody by the United States.
Author's Note: Until now, I've been unable to add images to my story on Royal Road. Today I have fixed that. If you're reading on Royal Road, you no longer have to go over to Wattpad to see the maps and pictures.
I have also put together a website for my story that has all the images so far. It's a bit rudimentary at the moment, but it works. I'll also eventually add each world building section as well.
https://pietrooperv.wixsite.com/americangate