Infantry
Front Line of the Royal Dwarven Military
After information is gathered from the front lines and relayed to the right people, men and women in polished armor and battle-ready weapons prepare for the next steps: their entrance into the fray, the beginning of why they are here. Their lives will be placed on the line first, along with their expertise, their perseverance, and their fears hidden behind the ways of their people. Eventually, everyone else will fall in behind, taking their places on the battlefield as war and destruction begin, but someone always must take the first step. In this instance, it is these Warriors, ones who have distinguished themselves among the Hammerfalls as people of courage.
The Infantry is one of the Combat Arms divisions of the Hammerfalls, specializing in forward combat with weapons and armor. The men and women who choose to attend the Golden Anvil and eventually join the Infantry are those who find joy, or at least interest, in the fight, the movements and strategies that bring someone out ahead. In many ways, the education of these people is the most important, as their failure on the battlefield causes everything to fall apart. Warriors and Soldiers specializing in all weapons and armor types make up what is considered the bravest division of the Royal Dwarven Military.
Alongside Field Artillery, the Infantry was the first division of the Hammerfalls to form, creating the core of Combat Arms in a single decision. These would be the people who fought on the front lines, who charged enemies and followed into hostile territory if the need arose. Eventually, other divisions would follow, all created to support the mission of Infantry and Field Artillery, supplying them with weapons, armor, food, and goods that would allow, especially the Infantry, to siege and hold a location for as long as necessary, until the safety of the Dwarven Kingdom was secured.
Structure
In many ways, the Infantry is seen as the most simple of the divisions in the Royal Dwarven Military. Combat Arms is relatively straightforward, as these men and women are those who serve on the battlefield in frontline and extremely dangerous positions. Their time at the Golden Anvil is spent learning the intricacies of the art of war and specializing in various weaponry and armor that complement a specific fighting style. The Infantry is considered the oldest established part of the Royal Dwarven Military, but its structure has changed over the years as the military gained more structure.
Those who wish to join these divisions will have to announce their intention to join a Combat Arms specialty early on in their schooling at the Golden Anvil. Pathways are established at the Golden Anvil to help people specialize in a specific fighting style, which is often defined by a weapon type and an armor type. This is one of the only corps that will choose their division at the beginning and stick with it through their entire education, unless it is decided that someone's stature, fighting style, or other criteria would make them better suited for a different weapon, armor, or overall area.
Heavy Infantry
Heavy Infantry is defined by the armor these men and women wear and the weapons that complement a fighting style that may be a bit slower due to this armor. Plate armor is the most common type of armor utilized by this division and is often worn with pikes, polearms, longswords, and great axes. Tower shields and round shields are worn by those using long weapons and aid in forming shield walls to protect members of the Scriptwroughts and Stoneshapers as they fulfill their duties. Those in the Infantry, especially Heavy Infantry, may need to find professions outside of the military during peacetime, but these people are often called to be city guards, mercenaries who protect caravans, and other man-at-arms wherever they are needed. It is also common for these people to serve as Master Dwarves in various trades that are not needed in the Royal Dwarven Military, and only choose this specialty as a way to learn the path of a specific weapon. This is also a commonly chosen division of younger Dwarves.Light Infantry
Light Infantry is defined by light-weight armor and mostly quick, long-range weapons that can easily move in and out of a situation. Leather armor or gambeson is commonly used and paired with a variety of bows, javelins, throwing knives and axes, and other small projectile-based weapons. These people rarely, if ever, use shields, but are commonly found spaced between the Heavy Infantry in shield walls to provide cover fire while the line holds. Much like the Heavy Infantry, Light Infantry Soldiers often find professions outside the military during peacetime. Bow wielders may serve as Hunters or guides in the Timbers of the Furnace or the tunnels of the Great Furnaces. Javelin users may join Heavy Infantry Soldiers as guards and mercenaries. Some of these men and women may serve as teachers at local schools or even as professors in the three major academies in the Dwarven Kingdom. Because of the limitations of Light Infantry, many find professions far removed from the military in peacetime.
Military Education
While the youngest of the academies in the Dwarven Kingdom, the Golden Anvil is by far the most diversified in its curriculum. While the School of Mines and the First Furnace specialize in engineering and magic, respectively, the Golden Anvil became the catch-all academy for everything military-related. In its early days, the academy strictly specialized in the art of war, weaponry, and strategy, but as times changed and the Royal Dwarven Military grew, it became necessary to expand the offerings so that all necessary parts of the military could be covered under this education. Specialized paths are built into the curriculum at the Golden Anvil to give all students a robust knowledge of everything about war and the military, but also allow them to specialize in a given area that would prepare them for joining one of the many divisions of the Hammerfalls. Early on, students will choose the path of Combat Arms, Combat Support, or Combat Services. After a couple of decades of overall education in a given area, the students will specialize in one of the seven divisions. Those who will eventually end up in the Infantry after choosing Combat Arms as a specialty will receive a varied education focused solely on weapons and the art of war. While eventually picking a singular weapon, these students train in many weapons and armor types while also learning positioning and tactics that will serve them as frontline Soldiers. This division is at the heart of the war effort, deploying to battlefields and seeing combat long before anyone else.Leadership
For such a large military, leadership is paramount to success on and off the battlefield. This is equally true for the Hammerfalls, which is the largest corps of the Royal Dwarven Military and is structured into the largest number of divisions. Overall, the Hammerfalls are led by a battle-tested General who has served many centuries in the Royal Dwarven Military. A handful of other ranked officers serve beneath this General and run the daily operations of the Hammerfalls, including things like recruitment, pay, and other over-arching issues. Beneath this, each of the divisions has its own leadership structure. A General leads the various divisions and then a series of ranked officers as the division breaks into smaller and smaller units, each with a similar command structure and duty. At the smallest scale, a unit will consist of twenty Soldiers led by a lower-ranked officer specializing in one specific thing within their division.
Type
Military Order
Training Level
Professional
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Ruling Organization
Parent Organization
Location
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Much braver men and women than me! Another great military article. :)
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