Casteviedan Logisticarius

 

“I march every day for Casteviedo, knowing that for each step I take - I am one foot closer to reclaiming our fallen glory.”   -A marching Logisticarius

  Logisticarius are at the core ordinary men and women. Workers that either have nowhere to call home or opportunists who seek to create something new in their own image. Unified in purpose by the legacy of a war which rendered the Casteviedan people without their fatherland.   They are armed civilians made into a furious militia. Serving behind the frontlines of the Casteviedo III Revenant Legion, as settlers, supply runners and technicians that help the legion to fortify and civilize their conquered territories.   Humble and poorly armed, these warriors are kept out of battle where possible. Yet they are the lifeblood of a force which knows no limits in what distances they can pass and to what frontiers they can reach. Nor will they go down lightly.     Within the Auric Legions of the Golden Empire, there is no unit that serves as short a term as the Logisticarius. Technically labeled civil militia, they can not be criminally charged for desertion - as they are not officially recognized legionaries.   They are however legally obliged to support the Revenant Legion in any way they realistically can, as affiliated civilians.   This freedom of choice allows the Logisticarius to not only help with the foundations of military outposts, but also expand them. The forward base camps usually consist of trenches and barricades for defence, tent camps for the soldiers and supplies, radio and aviatory stations for communications and mortar placements for fire support to the ground troops.   When the combat zones are so far removed from the old outposts that they become obsolete as fallback positions, the legion does not just abandon them. Many Logisticarius will leave to expand on what has already been built. Effectively establishing already well defended villages that contribute to the economy of the Revenant Legion and the Palmlands region to which they mainly operate.     This axe and shovel hybrid tool is considered the most important item within a Logisticarius fieldkit. They allow them to swiftly dig out trenches at, while the sharpened sides can be used for cutting down branches or even smaller trees. In combat, it also works as a nasty melee weapon which holds up surprisingly well against blade wielding opponents.     One side hammer, the other side pickaxe. This tool is light enough for a Logisticarius to carry on the march and versatile enough to be a standard for their kit. When joining up with the Revenant Legion, the Logisticarius is granted a pickhammer along with their entrenching tool - as it is vital for hammering together fortifications and smashing up rocks and hardened dirt for the trenches.     Fielding an army is not cheap. Logisticarius are exempt from standard weapons as they are too expensive to throw into civilian hands. They can sometimes be handed old decommissioned firearms or scavenged weapons where possible, such as muskets, rusty revolvers and sometimes even bows or crossbows. As they are meant to fortify and eventually settle the forward bases, it is more important that they carry the tools immediately necessary for the job.   Ironically, this leaves some Logisticarius equipped with superior firepower compared to the average legionary - as they can bring their own guns to the fray. While better firearms do not make up for training nor experience, there are rare occurrences where a trained Logisticarius has gone rogue and wreaked such absurd amounts of havoc upon the enemies of Casteviedo - that the combat active officers mistake them for one of the legendary Skirmishers.       It might seem redundant and costly to clothe every Logisticarius in a medium armour uniform, but this one is far easier to mass produce compared to the light and heavy versions.   Consisting of a woolen gambeson above civilian clothes, with a steel scale cuirass accompanied by shoulderblades. The sleeves remain naked due to breathability in warmer climates, but mass produced steel bracers protect their arms from wrist to elbow.   While the gambeson runs down to the knees to protect the vitals on the Logisticarius legs, many of them only wear shorts and marching boots to save materials and avoid overheating.