Athdusian Reforms

The Athdusian Reforms were a series of military reforms that Emperor Athdus III implemented before setting out on his various conquests.

## Cavalry

The Athdusian Cavalry were a highly effective cavalry force that remained almost unchanged (except for improvements in armour and weaponry) until 1510, when they were replaced by the Avemirian Cavalry. The Athdusian Cavalry used the new developments of the stirrup and cantled saddle to become a devastating shock cavalry force, which unlike the earlier Faltassian Cavalry was able to deliver charges with couched lances, making them able to destroy enemy formations even with a frontal attack. As well as a lance, the Athdusians were armed with a sword (typically a traditional arming sword, but sometimes a sabre, and many opted for a mace instead), and a small minority were known to carry bows.

The horses were also standardised, with new stables set up to breed the specific type of horse necessary for the job - aggressive, with good stamina, and brave enough to not shy away from a solid wall of soldiers. They were essentially the best horses available in the country, but did lack sheer speed compared to the horses of the Estemorians.

As well as the new equipment and mounts, Athdus expanded upon the training of the cavalry that had been largely unchanged since the time of King Faltas II, swapping the wedge formation for the diamond - which could turn more easily - and rigorously, strictly drilling them to ensure that their formations were absolutely perfect.

## Battle Doctrine

Much like the earlier armies, Athdus had the army organised around a core of elite Warriors (although, importantly, renamed the Nesarian Warriors and not the Ascarian Warriors) with various auxiliary units supporting them. However, Athdus introduced a great deal more standardisation, integrating the auxiliaries as regular parts of the army. The Warriors were moved from the centre of the battle-line to the flanks (much to their dismay), and instead at the centre stood pikemen, typically of Eshérian and southern descent, whose task was to hold the enemy in place while the Warriors and cavalry worked together against the enemy's flanks.

Of course, this doctrine was changed as the situation demanded, and particularly in the War for the World the pikemen took the primary role in battle and expanded to become the vast majority of the army, as they were more effective against the Cosmovore swarm, with their longer reach and wall of bristling pikes that kept the creatures at bay. The ratio of Warriors declined not merely for this reason, but also because they were costly and time-consuming to train, and therefore not easily replaced - and when many of them began to die against the Cosmovores, they were largely not replaced.

## Maps

Athdus introduced a new Cartographer's Brigade, made up of skilled geographers and artists, whose task it was to map out the land both from personal observation and from studying local maps. Athdus believed it was key to know as much as possible about the land, and this greatly helped him negate the home advantage of his enemies and the huge disadvantage of marching into unknown lands.

Incidentally this reform also changed how maps functioned to Nesarians (and eventually, all Imperial people) as Athdus demanded a new form of map that was realistic and to scale rather than abstract, with emphasis on precise geography rather than the vague location of towns. Truly accurate maps would not be available in the new regions of the Empire for many years, but by compiling all the maps that had come before and sending out teams of surveyors he managed to create maps of Nesaria and Estemoria that were so accurate they were used until the 17th century.

## Rations

Athdus re-worked how rations were dealt with in the Imperial Army. Previously, commanders got whatever rations they deemed suitable for the forces under their command, and had to pay for at least half the cost of the rations themselves. This resulted in a great many problems where soldiers did not get enough food or did not get proper nutrition. Athdus standardised rations and transferred the cost from the commanders to the state (which also meant that men from poorer backgrounds had easier access to generalship), with soldiers paying for 3/4 of the cost of their rations and the state for the other 1/4. Soldiers with higher ranks got higher quality food, as their wages could pay for it. Athdus studied nutrition at length to devise meal plans that would ensure the soldiers got everything they needed.

A basic soldier was supplied with the following rations (on a weekly basis):

* Grain, in the form of wheat, which by weight was approximately 60-70% of the ration
* Meat (varied by region, e.g. pork, beef, mutton)
* Vegetables (also varied by region, e.g. beans, peas, carrots)
* Fruit (usually not much, and highly varied by region, e.g. apples, berries, strawberries)
* Cheese (usually made from cow's milk, but in the western deserts where cows do not live, goat's milk was used instead)
* Wine and/or beer (which one a soldier got depended on the region, the strength of these drinks was low to avoid intoxication, doubly important for the Elvetans who perceive indulgence in drugs as a sin)
* Salt
* Spices (where available - only came into effect after the conquest of spice-producing regions)

Commanders were expected to throw feasts for their soldiers after victory in a hard battle or campaign, but this was not obligatory. For these, the commander beared the full brunt of the costs and the soldiers did not pay anything.

Sausages were introduced and became one of the most common forms of meat during the Nesarian-Osdarthian War, when Athdus observed the Orcs consuming them. This is also when sausages exploded in popularity and were no longer perceived as a barbarian Orcish food. In the 4th century, pâté also became a feature of a soldier's rations, however this semi-luxury item was expensive and therefore was infrequently included.

## Punishment

Prior to Athdus, punishment for military crimes was generally at the discretion of the commander, with only rape and the murder of a fellow soldier having mandatory death sentences. Athdus standardised punishment throughout the Imperial Army and introduced the following penalties for military crimes:

* Disobeying an order: 20 lashes and 1/2 pay for a month
* Assaulting an officer: 20 lashes and 1/2 pay for a month
* Assaulting a superior officer: 30 lashes and 1/2 pay for 2 months
* Malingering: 40 lashes and 1/2 pay for a month
* Sleeping while on guard duty: 75 lashes and 1/2 pay for 2 months
* Being unfit for service through drink or drugs: 75 lashes and 1/2 pay for 2 months
* Failing to apprehend deserters or mutineers: 100 lashes and 1/3 pay for 2 months
* Looting without permission: 100 lashes, no pay for a month and 1/4 pay for a further 2 months
* Disobeying an order that led to the avoidable deaths of others: 100 lashes, no pay for 2 months and 1/4 pay for a further 2 months
* Disobeying an order that led to defeat in battle: Death
* Assisting the enemy: Death
* Rape: Death
* Desertion: Death
* Mutiny: Death
* Murdering a fellow soldier: Death
* Murdering civilians: Death

Punishments got steadily worse for each repeat offence, with the amount of lashes being increased by 50% for each repeat offence. If soldiers resisted arrest, their lashes were also doubled. However, if a soldier repeated the offence of looting without permission or disobeying an order that led to the avoidable deaths of others, they were executed. Executions were done in full view of the other soldiers and were done by hanging if they were a basic soldier and beheading if they were an officer.

For offences that had a punishment of 100 lashes or death, a court was set up to ensure that they did not punish an innocent man. Courts regarding the issue of disobeying orders were especially scrutinous, as the judges had to determine whether or not their actions had caused avoidable deaths or defeat in battle. A soldier who could justify their actions (for example if they had disobeyed an order to commit unlawful or immoral acts, or carry out an action that would have caused avoidable deaths) was not punished. If an officer ordered a soldier to commit military crimes, the officer was punished for the crime they ordered.

Minor offences not included on the list were still at the discretion of the commander, but a death sentence could not be issued unless Athdus himself approved it.

This set the foundation for Nesarian military law, and modern punishments for military crimes are still based off this system.