Leconia

A Leconia is consistent of Two Soldiers; bonded together through the military hierarchy, often from completely separate parts of The Empire.   Almost all independent Leconia have a Supply Donkey to carry the heaviest and bulkiest of their supplies.
This "Cilus" (Pronounced: Key-Loose) is considered a fellow soldier that merely lacks rank and is expected to be treated as one.
When incorporated into larger forces this Cilus is normally tended to by the military kensaria overseeing the larger unit.
However, by themselves, a Leconia is expected to tend to their Cilus and keep track of it at all times with the same due respect and attention they would give each other.

Ta Leconia Cens (The Leconis' Kit/Inventory) is a long modified and built upon set of equipment that all Leconia hate starting out with and prize just a few years into their career as Imperial Soldiers.   EVERY Leconis has the following items, which he usually carries in, on or hanging from a stout backpack that he is given by the military along with the rest of his armor and weapons.
These items are not his personal belongings but rather the Empire's equipment and he may use them freely as well as request new equipment if his own is broken, lost or otherwise compromised in some way.
While it used to be that there were serious penalties for the loss of this equipment, punishment for misplaced imperial gear now might as well be a slap on the hand whereas the simple loss of any item in battle or on the march is often not even considered; replaced summarily by the Leconia's resident Kensaria.   Every Individual Leconis MUST Carry:
-A Full Sized Shovel
-A Pick Or Mattock (One of each to the pair)
-A Hand Spade
-A Full Set Of Eating Gear (Including Spoon, Plate, Mug, etc; Often Made of Wood)
-Two Wooden Poles For The Construction Of Camp
-A Red Cloak of Heavy Fabric
-A "Shield Catch" Which carries two shield blanks and one pre-made shield
-100 Feet Of Rope
-A Measuring Rod and Measuring Twine
-Two Waterskins and A Clay Pitcher For Emergency Water Collection
-One Bag Of Pure White Salt Rocks Encased In A Waterproof Skin As Currency With Darobia Or The Lowest Of Kandia Civilians
-Three Days Personal Rations (And Whatever You Can Scrounge Up In Your Scant Off Time)
-Three Blank Rods For The Reproduction Of Palia In The Field
-One Bone Comb
-One Boar Bristle Brush
-Two Metal Tooth Scrapers
-One Metal Ear Spoon
-One Chewstick From Ta Fanusia Hyanus (For Freshening Your Breath And Whitening Your Teeth)
-One Pair of Metal Tweezers
-One Stitching Kit With 50 Feet Of Fine Thread (To Also Be Used For Stitching Wounds)
-Two Whetstones
-One Jar Metal Polish (Often Refilled Every Week)
-One Smooth Blade Cloth (To Be Recovered And Replaced By The Censaria Every Three Uses, Typically Three Or Four Times A Week)
-One Silver Hand Mirror (For Both Personal Hygiene And Looking Around Corners)
-Two Extra Changes Of Military Uniform
-One Bedroll
-One Cold Weather Blanket (Though It Is Recommended That A Leconis Collect More Of Such Things!)
-Three Slings And One Bag Of Lead Or Clay Bullets
-One Tinder Kit   The personal Leconis Kit grows every year and is often supplemented with specific items suited to the location the army has traveled to.
For example; Many soldiers stationed at Ta Fanusia Hyanus have a special substance that keeps their helmets from getting too hot whilst those in the Northern Territories often receive packets of leaves that, when boiled into a concoction, energizes and warms the body considerably.   Every PAIR Of Leconia must also carry designated equipment.
Like the individual equipment, this will be replaced whenever it is asked for and is mandated by the military structure but such items are deemed sufficient to only require one to every pair of soldiers.   EVERY Leconia MUST Possess:
-One Pack Animal, Normally A Donkey Which Must Be Cared For To The Utmost And Treated As A Fellow Soldier, To Carry What They Do Not Or Cannot (As Mentioned Above)
-One Large Ladle For Cooking
-One Grinding Wheel/Hand Mill To Grind Grain Rations
-One Military Standard That They Have Made Together to Represent Their Connection As A Leconia. (Often An Animal, Plant Or Crossing Of Weapons. Not Usually Very Complex)
-One "Care Tent," Which Is Generally Used As A Pop-Up Outhouse
-One "Care Bench," Which Is Generally Placed In The "Care Tent."
-One Carrier Sling To Be Suspended Between Them When Carrying A Central Pack
-One (Roughly) 3 Gallon Water Jug Filled Every Morning For Drinking Water
-One Bolt Of Cloth Several Yards Large To Create An Emergency Tent If Separated From Their Fimatis
-One "Curdling Bag" Where Milk Might Be Turned To Cheese On The Road, Which The Leconia May Enjoy Together.
-One Large Net For Fishing (May Be Cast By One But Best Cast By Two)

The Weapons and Armor that a Leconis brings to war mirror the weapons and armor of any other standard Leconis on campaign.
Because of this the Average Leconis appears nearly identical to the next one in line.
When properly executed a Kandia Formation looks like a single, uniform item moving forward and the intense sameness of every Leconis standing against the enemy is often very intimidating to less trained forces.   All Kandia Leconia Who Have Finished Their Training Receive:
-A Short Sword Called A Gradus: Typically With A Small Crossguard And A 20 Inch Blade
-Two 6 Foot Spears Called Hastia (Singular: Hasta)
-Three 5 Foot Javelins Called Palia (Singular: Pala)
-Three Slings Of Differing Length (Soldiers Are Only Given One Bag Of Manufactured Bullets And Often Gather Stones On Their Own)
-A Stylish Personal Service Dagger Called A Paga
-A Gently Curved Rectangle Shield That Covers Most Of The Body Called A Gutama (3.5 Feet Tall By 2.5 Feet Wide)
-Two Ceramic "Blast Tokens"
-Two Ceramic "Flash Tokens"   Any soldier is, of course, allowed to carry whatever other weapons they like but it is a serious offense to be caught without one's mandated weaponry and most Leconia prefer to stick to the standard kit for the sake of simplicity.
It is not unusual, however, for a man to carry an extra sword at his hip just in case his state supplied sword gets lost in the thick of combat and both of his Hastia break. (This Must Be Bought Out Of Pocket!)   Outfitting Granted To Every Leconis Includes:
-A Uniform Composed Of A Red Shirt, (Called A Tanuc) Padded Undergarments And Various Lengths Of Loose Cloth For Repairs (Normally Tied Around The Handles Of One's Backpack Or Around Free Limbs)
-For Northerly Campaigns Leg Coverings Called Tibavesia (Singular: Tibavesa) Are Often Provided But Are Not Otherwise Mandatory
-Two Pairs of Leather, Open-Toe Shoes With Hobnails In The Soles Called Caligia (Singular: Caliga)
-Three Pairs Of Heavy Socks To Wear Under The Caligia Called Pislenia (Singular: Pislena)   The Armor Layers Are As Follows: Outward From Clothing
-A Heavy, Quilted Cloth Coat Of Imperial Red Called A Kavedona (Usually Consistent Of 8-12 Layers Of Tightly Woven Linen. Capable Of Providing Some Protection By Itself!)
-A Thin, Resilient Leather Jacket Called A Coruna (To Protect The Cloth From The Metal And To Add A Little Extra Protection)
-A Fitted, Knee Length Chain Shirt With Forearm Length Sleeves Called A Himana
-Atop Everything Is A Kit Of Interlocking Steel Plate Armor Called A Semintana (This Typically Includes Bracers, Leg Protection, Etc.)
-Every Leconis Who Has Survived His First Battle Is Awarded A 6 Inch By 6 Inch Steel Plate Called A Cor Tabus (To Be Placed Over His Heart For Protection)
-A Sturdy, Standardized Helmet Called A Golana Sized To The Leconis' Head With A Minimalistic, Hinged Face Grate, A Metal Flap Covering The Spine and Reinforced, Hinged Cheek Plates. (When Marching The Helmet May Be Removed And Unclasped In Numerous Places So As To Be Lain Across The Chest For Ease Of Transport) (Reassembly Takes Mere Seconds)   All Armor Is Made To The Specific Soldier's Measurements And No Small Amount Of Capital Is Spent Each Year Arming And Armoring Every New Leconis.
While all of this technically belongs to the Empire, most Leconia keep their weapons and armor after their retirement as an extension of their payment, as the armor would need to be completely deconstructed for recycling otherwise.
This encourages loyalty after a Leconis retires from service, reminds him of his allegiance to The Kandar, allows him to more easily protect his land and ensures that he is prepared for any emergency conscription if the Empire comes under attack by a greater than average enemy.

While Every Pair Of Leconia Tends To Have A Supply Donkey, The Nature Of Their Position Is One Of Marching On Foot.   Therefore, it is extremely rare to see Leconia having their own vehicles; though a select few on mission from their higher ups may be granted a cart for their Cilus to pull.   Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES is a Leconis to ride on this cart unless completely incapacitated by his duties!

While the Leconia fit into a grander, higher role in the military as a whole, the point of the Leconis System is that there is a steady, democratic ideology being cultivated on the individual level as well as ensuring that there is always a second pair of eyes, ears and a second brain on any problem.
Two heads are better than one and while one head is asleep the other may stay awake.
To work properly, they must be in perfect agreement; perfect unison.   On the scope of the military at large, however, Leconia normally listen to their immediate commanders, (Fimataria) who are generally elected democratically by fellow Leconia.
The popularity based promotion structure of the lower half of the Leconis System tends to ensure that the greenest soldiers strongly respect their direct superiors even if they don't necessarily like them, as commanders at the lowest levels are chosen by their own merit and ability to interact with their fellow soldiers rather than their original station or fiscal position.
A Leconis, at least at the lowest levels of command, is promoted by their fellows and only when it comes to promotion to the highest ranks does one have to worry about pleasing their superiors.

While all Leconia are trained for field combat and to fit into a larger formation, when it is just the pair they can to rely on heavy back to back combat utilizing their large shields to provide near complete protection with a sword arm on each side.   Special codewords taught to them in training allow them to quickly call back and forth to each other to crouch, sidestep in either direction, turn, advance or fall back in whatever direction is called for.   While the ability to maintain proper formations is functionally impossible as just a pair, every Leconia understands how to use their environment to their advantage and an experienced Leconia can turn back dozens of enemies in a pinch by utilizing choke points, environmental weaknesses and limited countercharges in tight quarters.   When disengaged from the hustle and bustle of active, close quarters combat, a Leconia might take up any number of roles; be it short range scouting or basic resource acquisition, battlefield engineering or even ranged skirmishers and assault troops through the utilization of their slings and Palia.
What they do in any given situation, at least isolated from the rest of their overarching unit, entirely depends on resources at hand, the mission they've been given and other hypothetical variables that could inform their actions.
In general, with this very ideal in mind, Leconia try to stay as flexible as possible in their tactics whenever they are separated from the higher command structure of Ta Miloti Do Kanda.

All male Kandia citizens are held to the responsibility of service once they become men at the age of 16, though a two year allowance is granted so that these boys can be given time to properly grow into men before they must face combat.
Upon their eighteenth birthday, however, every young man MUST present himself to a local recruitment center to be weighed and measured.
Roughly 50% of all Kandia men will be invariably filtered into some other form of service due to matters of talent, education, station or skill; Mysteria, Scurilia, Censaria, Naval Assets, Domestic Specialists, Enthiria, Scouts, Dedicated Diplomats and so forth.
After that a certain number are able to afford their own horse for service and so are assigned to be Ecinaria.
Those who remain are destined to become Leconia!   Leconia to-be are thereafter sent off to one of many training camps around the Empire, where they are put through a grueling regiment roughly 25 weeks long.
The first ten weeks are consistent of individual training, where military instructors absolutely break the young man; mind, body and spirit.
Thereafter he is built back up again into a capable and disciplined member of Ta Miloti Do Kanda!
After that he experiences seven and a half horrifying weeks of working alongside his fellow Leconia in small group combat.
And, finally, learns combined arms tactics and large formation training in the last seven and a half weeks of basic.
More information on this process can be gleaned from the Military Section of the Empire Of Kanda Profile.   After all formal training has been done, Leconia are still encouraged to train with each other; each pair of soldiers practicing their skills against each other whenever they have the time and are not actively fighting an enemy.   Naturally, Training Never Does End!
When Leconia Are Not Marching Or Setting Up Camp They Are Working With Each Other To Improve And/Or Survive.

While most Leconia are part of larger units, they are noted for their ability to maintain themselves independent of any superior force.
Generally consistent of only two men and a donkey, a Leconia is a flexible and self sufficient unit that can easily hunt and forage when separated from their fellows!   Some stories claim at least one Leconia that survived apart from the rest of their unit for five years in the Former Salvin Territories without any assistance from the wider Empire!   That being said, within the boundaries of the overarching supply train, a Leconia can count on repair and resupply whenever they are within the walls of a Castan.

A Leconia That Holds Sway Over An Entire Fimatis (10 Men) Is Usually Allowed To Request A Personal Camp Slave (Or Freed Military Assistant) To Maintain Their Effects On Campaign So Long As They Retain The Title Of Fimataria.
The Most Gracious Of Commanding Leconia Will Use Their Slave To Assist The Rest Of The Fimatis!   Typically any unit on the Kinatis Level or higher (100 Men) might also have no less than ten CHILDREN that follow and learn from them, adopted into Ta Milotia Criatosia (The Military's Children) for such a purpose.
These children tend to have a single caretaker and, at higher levels and larger populations, tutors and trainers who prepare them for adulthood in the Empire and protect them from the predations of those that historically sought to take advantage of vulnerable youths.
Though they do not fight, The Military's Children are often seen by the Leconia as a pivotal part of the unit and are treated by the soldiers as their own progeny.
No child of Ta Miloti Do Kanda has EVER been lost in the line of duty and none captured in the line of duty have ever gone without rescue, so loyal are the Leconia to their safety and protection.

The Average Leconis Eats At Least Two Pounds Of Cereal Grain Per Day (Usually Wheat Or Oats) On Top Of Small Amounts Of Meat, Vegetables, Lard, Wine, Etc.
In Modern Terms, This Tends Toward Roughly 3000 Calories A Day But In Good Times A Leconis Might Enjoy Up To 50% More In Any Given Period! (Leconia Enjoying These Overfull Circumstances Often Appreciate A Large Portion Of Meat With Every Meal!)
As A General Rule, Every Letanis (5000 Men) Has At Least One Kensar And That Kensar A Team Of Assistants To Maintain Proper Stocks And Ration Distribution.
Furthermore, every Kinatis has no less than two Prosernia to maintain the quality and storage of those stocks and rations.     That being said, a Leconis requires far more than mere food to properly campaign!
Instead, The Average Leconis is equipped and supported by countless small items, armor, weapons and so forth.
While all of these supplies may be viewed in their weapons and equipment, it's important to remember that each and every article is paid for and provided by Kanda's Government and the overall economy of the Empire at large.
Any Unit of Weialis Size Or Larger (1,000 Men) must have at least one Kensar and that Kensar a team of assistants to service the armor, weapons and miscellaneous gear of the Leconia under their purview.   While all of this upkeep tends to take place on a higher level, suffice to say that every pair of Leconia owe their lives to this vast and deeply complex system of logistics and upkeep.

Upon turning 16 every Kandia male has exactly 2 years to register for military service to the Empire, which must endure for no less than ten years with only very certain exceptions.
Generally the young man goes to a recruiting center, where he signs his name and gives all necessary information for the recruiters (Generally a Kensar or Scurilos) to record for processing by higher level administrative officials.   After receiving a "Notice Of Determinaton," that lists him as a future Leconis, the young man has exactly three months to report to a training camp, of which there are many around the Empire, where he will be given twenty-five weeks of standard training, properly outfitted and afterward begin his (Minimum!) ten year military career as a footsoldier in Ta Miloti Do Kanda.

When The Father Of War arrived in what would become Kanda he found not only an untamed land full of savages and beasts but a disparate group of foreign clans barely clinging onto life, having run from a horrific clash of nations to the west just decades before.
They, like most of the savages living there at the time, were unlearned and uncivilized, without unity or common purpose... but they had the good sense to ask for help from The Gods so The Father Of War gathered all adult men and divided them into sets of two.   At least at first, they would just watch each other's backs whilst he went and committed to the destruction of those beasts and savages that would kill the Kandia in their sleep.
He left them instruction on how to go about protecting each other and, upon his return, he took the closest pairs and used them as examples for all future soldiers to follow.   One head is weak and can only see one side of things but back to back two heads can see all potential dangers and cover all potential weaknesses.
A Wakeful Partner could let his tired brother sleep and once that brother was rested, the first could close his eyes for a brief respite as well.
Nobody could be assassinated or hexed or FOOLED unless their brother was also taken in by such manipulations.
Whilst perhaps not an invincible defense, it was something that brought great stability to the early Kandia Military.   The foundation of Kandia Military Doctrine was thereafter based on order and teamwork, on the production of great things through stern cooperation and camaraderie.
The Father Of War would stay for several generations longer to expand on this system and institute what would come to be Kanda's formal military structure, but it all began with an essential buddy system that allowed the Kandia to protect each other in a strange land, surrounded by enemies.   To better allow these men to protect each other, The Father Of War designed a kit for them that would maintain them in the worst of times, away from the comfort of the Castan.
However, in time Ta Leconia Cens evolved into the system it is today.   Slowly, over one and a half thousand years, the Leconis System incrementally became a military doctrine of partnership and mutual coordination.
And, at least to date, there seem to be no signs of weakness in THIS part of Kanda's ancestral system.

All Leconia are trained to be loyal to Kanda.
They are loyal to what they are taught to see as the foundation of civilization and progress across the entire world.
While it is common enough that one Leconis or another has an internal loyalty to their home region, Leconia are also moved around all the time and paired up with other Leconia from thousands of miles away.
They are marched across the entirety of the empire and made to meet and talk to many different types of people.   The very process by which they are pressed into this professional military structure is about representing Kanda as a whole and taking from the populace at large to protect the nation as a single entity.
Every square foot of land lost to any enemy at any time is land that no Kandia Citizen will ever be able to farm and raise a family upon.
Any attack on even the smallest amount of Kandia Territory is an affront to ALL Kandia rather than just the individuals personally stricken by the assault.   Because of this, the average Leconis tends to be a well traveled, cosmopolitan individual with an understanding of faraway lands; not just because of brief visits passing through these places to uphold order but because they are very likely to have partners, brothers even, from all over the empire.
This allows them to think of Kanda as a nation that they belong to and protect rather than some strange, nebulous concept that they can't quite fathom and instead keep their loyalties to smaller, potentially upstart lords.   Kanda is not, after all, an absolute hegemony beholden to only one man!
Even the grandest of men, the Kandar Himself, is merely the highest commander of the Kandia Military rather than some divinely ordained monarch with total control of the goings on of his lands and people.
And because of that, the Leconia see him as one of their own.
Just as they are loyal to Kanda as a whole, they are loyal to the man that sends the orders directly from the top.
Though they only reserve this loyalty for him because he is their leader rather than their ruler...   Before ALL of that, however, every Leconis is loyal to their fellows!
The experience of battle produces the strongest of bonds and that means that every Leconis is most loyal to his battle brothers, first and foremost!
Without his fellows, the average Leconis would just be a well armed and armored man, probably not even five and a half feet tall.
Alongside his fellows, however, any Leconis is part of a well oiled machine of war that the rest of the world, in over 1600 years, has not managed to break despite all of the abuse it has tried to place upon that finely tuned construct.
And, of course, that machine cannot run properly if the cogs are not tightly fit together in carefully selected sets of two.   So, in order, the average Leconis' most general loyalties fall in descending order:
His Leconis
Fellow Leconia, Auxilia And Logistics Members In The Same Over-Unit
The Military Of Kanda At Large
The Kandar
The Empire Of Kanda As A Whole
Everyone Else...