Protectorans

Founded in 520PE by Peter I, the Protectorans were the five major military branches of the mighty Aurian Empire. They were known by their colours:

* Red Protectoran
* Green Protectoran
* Yellow Protectoran
* Black Protectoran
* Blue Protectoran

Each covered its own area of the Empire and had its own leader. At full strength, though none of them have yet achieved this, each would have consisted of 200 legions with 1000 men in each.

They were a highly trained military organisation. Their principle academy was based in Tor Kalash the military headquarters of the Empire. However each Protectoran has its own specialised academies in cities within its own jurisdiction. Typically a recruit will have a year in Tor Kalash and then be assigned to a Protectoran.

**Ranks and Units**

The generic break down of units with each officer rank was as follows.

* Hilt or Haft, Head of a Mark, which consisted of 10 men
* Captain, Head of a Cohort, which consisted of 10 Marks (100 men)
* Commander, Head of a Battalion, which consisted of 5 Cohorts (500 men)
* Blademark, Head of a Legion, which consisted of 2 Cohorts (1000 men) BASE UNIT
* General, Head of a group of Legions, which consisted of 2-50 legions
* Lexion, Head of a group of Legions, Over 50+ legions. (2-3 in a Protectoran)
* Marix, Head of an entire Protectoran.

These rank titles varied in the different Protectorans. Protectoran Rank Chart.

### History

Pre 120BE: The Aurian Military was based originally on little more than the hunters and men of the nation who mobilised when their leaders, Kings in ancient times, would call on them to do so. Each man took his own weapon and stood with his neighbours to fight on behalf of the collective Auria. Tactics were rudimentary and the idea of officers unknown.

120BE: Auria assisted the Kanlan warlord Hamma to drive the elves from Golden Lake. This exposure to Kanlan military philosophy caused a change in Aurian military thinking. The idea of organisation and full time soldiers was begun in this conflict.

55BE: By now Auria had developed significantly in all areas, but especially politically and financially. Using its organisational superiority and financial power it created financial and political alliances with its neighbours. These alliances made it the strongest military power in the region even over Torash or Kanlan. From each ally Auria learned something and absorbed it into its strategies. For example, it used its alliance with the River Folk to train rangers to work as skirmishers within its fighting units.

7-4BE: The First Commerce Wars. Kanalan was defeated and added to the Empire. Crucially as part of their repatriation Kanlan warriors were given postions of prestige in the Aurian Military. The Military was then reorganised into legions for the first time.

0BE: The Aurian Monetary Union became the Aurian Empire. With the inclusion of Tor Celer and Tor Armakan the new Empire's military power was far greater than any of its local rivals. Jomark designated each of these cities with specific responsibilities. Tor Kalash was chosen as the centre for the Aurian Legions.

12-14PE: The Northern Campaign against Wrennost led by Grant Boldant resecured his position and allowed him to further mold the Aurian Military into a more rigid organisation. Importantly this was the first time whole up to the size of Battalion were designated as skirmishers or 'Rangers'. Gant was also responsible for designating most of the unit sizes though they were not as clearly defined as they would be later. The terms Hilt, Mark and Battalion come into use in this conflict.

22PE: The Mountain Campaign defined the role of wizards in the military. Specifically that Sarrifs would not have to directly obey orders or serve in specific units under non-wizard officers. However the wizards were not able to use the power on the field of battle without clearing with the appropriate military officer. The core of these policies was called the Cullstone Policy. This stopped any hope of the wizards being made a section of the military and cemented (some argue began) the wizard/military rivalry in the Empire.

34PE: End of the War of Thorns

43-48PE: The Second Commerce Wars under Lorn Hunter went very well. First use of large amounts of clerics in a military campaign. The military becomes the balance between Tor Armakan and Tor Celer. Creating caveated officers was common in these wars and was officially named and a rules laid down for it use in the field.The ranks of Blademark and Lancemark were created, as was Lexion.

Lorn Hunter specifically changed the military doctrine of the Aurian Legions. He used several examples of providing quarter, offering bribes and winning the hearts and minds of his enemies and neutrals to create stable gains when conquering. He also openly eschewed front line command in order to better lead the overall force and through his success removed the stigma of such a command style. Also by his rebuilding and reorganisation efforts in Middleholm he was the genesis for military command points outside of Tor Kalash. This would later pave the way for the military academies system.

50PE: The defeats of the Forked Offensive stop Aurian expansionism and turns military thought inward. This then starts a period of reflection and improvement. The Logistics Corps are founded for long distance campaigns.

55PE: Lorn Hunter publishes his book on military command called Baton not Blade. This is used as a core military text for the Aurian military for centuries afterwards.

92PE: Nicholas-Mark II founds the chivalric order of the Knights of the Empire. Many officers are knights from this date onward. Indeed in the Protectorans later especially the Black and the Red achieving a rank of Blademark or higher without being a Knight was very difficult.

317-18PE: The Yewdon Conquest during the reign of Garath the Warrior. This developed the separate identity of Ranger Legions to regular legions.

328-333PE: In 328PE Garath begins what is named by the Aurian Legions commander the Oakland Fortification. Supposedly Emperor Garath was concerned about the danger to any Aurian settlement in the Oakland Forest posed by the Quinkol. This conflict was bloody and produced extremely hardened veteran legions who were renamed the Oakland Legions to differentiate them from the others. These Legions considered all the other legions to be 'non-blooded' legions and saw them in many ways as rookies. This split is an early precursor of the Green Protectoran.

Garath paved the way for the Blue, Green and Black Protectorans. His Yewdon building corps and the focusing of his naval commanders there led them to believe themselves distinct from the other legions. This move is the obvious precursor to a separate navy in the style of the Blue Protectoran. His extensive woodland campaigns and victories against the elves led to the legions involved calling themselves the Oakland Legions to differentiate themselves from the other (non-blooded) legions these were the precursor to the Green Protectoran. Finally, his defeats by the Alkar led him to assign large units consisting completely of cavalry, which were the precursor to the Black Protectoran.

347PE: Garath died and it was rumoured that it was at the hands of the Knight Stalkers or their predecessors. Technically an order of Knights, the Knight Stalkers operate from within Tor Kalash and have some connection to the Aurian Military.

438-450PE: Third Commerce Wars have mainly the effect of establsishing the use of conquered enemies in Aurian Legions and to further establish a difference between legions that considered themselves navy rather than army.

493-512PE: Reign of Aluap the organiser. During this time the Trading Areas are organised and the military are organised around them. This assignment of all legions geographically transformed the relationship between the cities and the military. It made the military part of the normal Empire not just Tor Kalash. Without this and the new relationship between the Military the reorganised wizards and the reorganised Senate, for Protectorans could never have been founded.

520PE:Peter I founds the five **Protectorans** based on the Area Legions organised under his father Aluap. THe central headquarters for which were of course the training areas in Tor Kalash, but also allowed for formally recognised academies spread across the Empire. They also created the rank of Marix above that of Lexion or General. It was designated that the primary Marix would be the Marshal of the Empire. The other Marix would be identified by similar specific titles: Commander in Chief, First Lance, High Ranger and Grand Admiral.

Black - Mounted Legions, the Riders, stationed over the Gilgan Trading Area and the Protectorates. Academy and headquarters in Middleholm.
Blue - Naval Legions covering the west coat the Kolaran and Gan Tarak Trading Areas. Academy and headquarters in Gan Tarak.
Green - Forester Legions, the Rangers, covering the Oakland Trading Area. Academy and headquarters in Oakhome.
Red - Capital Legions, the Elite, covering the Tor Honarik Trading Area. Academy and headquarters in Tor Kalash.
Yellow - Border Legions, the Regulars, covering the Rak Danning Trading Area and Tor Zeric Trading Area. Academy and headquarters in Rak Danning.

650PE: In response to the First Protectoran Mutiny the Knight Stalkers are officially recognised for the first time. They were used to literally decapitate the leadership of the mutiny and from this point on the Knight Stalkers are used to keep control of the military as well as the wizards, the church and the Senate in a less official role.

668PE: The Lakeside Accords formalised the relationship between the Church of Celer, the Sapphire Wizards' Guild the Senate and the Protectorans.

775PE: As a respose to the aftermath of the Conclave Dispute, the Vormach was created. This allowed the Church to have its own indepedent army outside of the Protectorans and Imperial control. These units were called the Cellan Guard and work with the Golden Knights the Templar warriors of the order. Many are allowed to leave the Protectorans in order to join the Guard. They recruit heavily from the Red Protectoran in particular.

1188-1189PE: The Blue Protecroan Mutiny, shakes confidence in the Protectorans.

1512-1514PE: The First Dragon Army Invasion the continent is saved by the Protectorans. The first use of the Imperial Levy to force recruitment, drafting on a national level introduced.