The Army of Albion

"The Army is the strong right arm of the Empire."

— Lord-Marshal Julia Quince

The Army of Albion is one of the largest and most powerful fighting forces in the world. During the Dragon Wars, it faced the forces of the Cult of the Leviathan and held its own against their strange and eldritch monsters. Today, it is spread across the Empire, maintaining order in the colonies and ensuring the flow of goods that make Albion wealthy and strong. Under the command of Empress Charlotte I and the watchful eye of Lord-Marshal Julia Quince, the Army continues to defend and expand the Empire.

History

Before 1698, the Empire of Albion had no standing, professional army. In wartime, it depended on a patchwork of levies, noble regiments, and mercenary companies, which were assembled to address a particular conflict and then disbanded when the war ended. But when the Church instigated a crusade against the Empire of Albion in response to the publication of the Principia Arcana, this ad-hoc system proved inadequate to the task. Emperor Henry III, in conjunction with Parliament, chose to establish a permanent professional army to defend the Empire and advance its goals. With the support of the recently established Bank of Albion, they were able to fund this new entity, and in 1698, the new army was officially formed.

Throughout its history, the Army of Albion has embraced magical warfare. When it was founded, Universal Magic was barely known outside the Empire. While the principles had been laid out in the Principia Arcana over a decade before, the text had been banned in all nations aligned with the Old Church, and was poorly understood even where it was permitted. But the Army had access to the University of Carbury, where many of the finest experts on magical theory lived and worked, including Sir Edwin Harlowe, the author of the Principia. While the Army was outnumbered by the crusaders attacking them, they were able to use these experts to rapidly advance the art of magical warfare, and ultimately drove the crusaders back to the continent in disgrace.

In the centuries since, the Army has continued to expand its use of Magic. During the Dragon Wars, they adopted the widespread use of constructs, including Taloi, Aether-steeds, and Dreadnoughts. Alongside human soldiers wielding powerful talismans and Fae-derived artifacts, these constructs were able to face the thaumaturgically enhanced soldiers of the Cult of the Leviathan and prevail. In the years since the war, constructs have remained a mainstay of the Army's forces, and millions of constructs stand ready to carry out the will of Empress Charlotte I at a moment's notice.

Structure

The Army is divided into six sections, each devoted to a particular aspect of its function.

Weapons and Constructs

During the Dragon Wars, the Army began to rely on the use of constructs on the battlefield and in support operations. These arcane creations have bodies made of wood, metal, or other materials, which are then animated by an elemental spirit. The most common construct in use is a Taloi - bronze foot soldiers animated by fire elementals. Other common constructs include the Aether-steeds - wood and leather horses animated by wind spirits - and the Dreadnoughts, huge iron constructs animated by earth elementals and used in siege warfare. Constructs are not particularly intelligent and require human directions to operate - but they never tire, require no food, and very rarely disobey orders.

Human soldiers are typically equipped with military wands - talismans designed to fire a bolt of arcane energy that can strike targets a hundred yards away with lethal force. These wands are mass-produced by specialists of Section Three, and then distributed to each soldier. Learning to use a wand is fairly simple, although soldiers must learn not to overuse them - they are powered by the magical energy of the wielder's soul, which can be damaged or destroyed if drained too far. There are also a variety of specialty talismans that may be distributed for specific operations, but it is more common for a Section Three battlemage to handle these as needed.