Talk:National Army Land Forces (Faneria)

Pre-national Forces
The typical Fhainnin soldier for the first few thousand years of recorded history (known as a Ceiternin) was armed with a sword (deamhbah), javelins (gah), and various daggers. They generally favored no armor or padded cloth, as tribal tactics focused on skirmishes and ambush over pitched fighting. These troops were organized into rough units collectively referred to as Ceiternn, or warbands, which numbered anywhere from thirty to four hundred men depending on the size of the populations from which they were raised. The leader of each warband was either elected or lead by charisma and was referred to as a Ceiternna, and responded directly to the commanding noble or official, assuming they themselves were not operating autonomously. Many local bands fought against invading forces both foreign and native without a call to arms, often boiling the distinction between soldiery and highwaymen down to a matter of loyalties.

The constant combative nature of the area made proper settlement and annexation by anything other than dedicated armies incredibly difficult, as while early Holy Levantine forces and opportunistic raiders had free reign of the land when organized, attempts to remove or subjugate the native populations of the Ninerivers typically resulted in settlements being sacked at any opportunity.

As Christianity took hold within the country from those foreign settlements which had been established peaceably or lasted in small holds along the coastline, local nobility began to employ professional soldiers in addition to militias. These Ardceiterninn continued to use javelins and swords, but additionally took up shortbows along with rounded wooden shields and metal armor (most commonly mail coats or lamellar designs copied from Latin and Coscivian designs). Most also trained to fight on horseback as their Ceiterninn auxiliaries did, largely replacing the mounted skirmishers and relegating peasant troops to foot combat by the tenth century. While not approaching the social prestige or full plate of Latin knights, these soldiers typically fought with similar discipline and pride, earning a reputation as competent bodyguards and cavalry mercenaries throughout Levantia.

Rethysian Army System
The first Kings of the Fhainn fought with essentially the same troops as their ancestors and opponents had for innumerable generations before, and did so successfully. However, the inherent disorganization and decentralization of feudal forces made mobilizing to fight large wars increasingly difficult, and by the fourteenth century, firearms and cannons made organized formations increasingly important.

In response to this need for a large army loyal directly to the Throne, King (Rih) Bronlan Màrtainn reorganized his personal army into more standardized units of four hundred men, arming them with weapons produced in batches and mixing soldiers from various locales and former polities to head off unit-wide insurrection from the largely independent Vicars ruling in his name. This idea was originally attributed to his father, Rethys Màrtainn, but in modern times this is thought to be an apocryphal tale spread by Bronlan himself to deflect criticism as he did with many of his reforms.

Aside from introducing a degree of standardization, Bronlan created a larger officer system, with Captains (almost invariably minor nobles) replacing Ceiternnas and introducing Sergeant-Generals to lead units of two thousand men, themselves responding a General leading as many troops as were appointed to his command. While still inefficient and lacking in long campaigning ability and contemporary command and control, this system at least allowed for a functional army to be fielded against other states with relative coordination and modern equipment (and, more importantly, without cajoling the Vicars to field soldiers on the behalf of the King).

The Rethysian System formally separated Fhainnin soldiers into distinct infantry and cavalry types, with the Ardceirerninn being transformed into more traditional lancer cavalry, while the levy troops were given arquebuses to replace their earlier ranged weapons. Swords were kept by both branches, with confiscation of the weapons being unrealistic given the proliferation of weapons within the budding country. Foot Ardceirerninn and the few remaining cavalry Ceirerninn specialized as longbowmen and skirmish cavalry respectively, with the former fading into obscurity and the latter taking up varying roles as early dragoons or reconnaissance units for the main armies. Static cannon were also introduced and attached as needed to the infantry for support in sieges.

Combined Royal Army
- army reorganized into conscription system with nobles as officers - later, nobles lose rights due to a coup by the monarch solidifying central power

Great War Era
- republican army organized along more foreign lines,

Equipment and Assets
Numbers listed do not include systems employed by nonstandard units, which vary greatly and in some cases are classified.