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The military is an important element of any kingdom. Whether it be used for the expansion of the nation or for the protection of its borders. Either way it is a significantly important force to be utilised by a kingdom's rulers. From the bottom up, the military is essential to those wishing to make political or authoritative growth to their own reputations, families and names.
It is important to note that Judea believes all of these elements of life and ambition can be achieved through out means and that war only begets harm. As such, they are a peaceful kingdom with no active military. Bedoan tribes are so small in comparison to whole kingdoms that they have warriors and fighters for their protection, but they also do not have a uniform militia. When a people have no land there is nothing to defend or gain; so there is no need for armed forces. The rest of this page, therefore, is in reference solely to the armies of Egypt.
Army Structure
Unlike in other lands where nobles own land the men of that land fight for them if they are a part of the military, Egypt's system of battle works a little differently. A man who has climbed the ranks within his own military unit to the point of Deputy General might take over from their superior upon his death or have the choice to create their own military unit. The men of a military unit travel, train and live together in encampments where the unit is currently based. As the units are in no way tied to particular areas or lands, the men that choose to go into the military, choose which General they wish to serve under, based on reputation and results. A man will obviously want to serve until a General with many victories to his name as such a record would indicate the chance of living longer on the battlefield. Once enlisted in a particular unit, a man must dedicate his life and loyalty to his General and will not be permitted to move units without good reason and the permission of his commander.
Becoming Noble
The Pharaoh rewards his military leaders for their victories and conquests in many different ways, and however he sees fit. They might be given bonuses to their salary (all military officers are paid a salary while the soldiers are paid in bed and board, not coin), they might give them exclusive rights over a province (thereby giving their military unit a permanent place of residence when they are not fighting), they might give the man their daughter in marriage. Whatever the Pharaoh considers to be a fair and appropriate reward for the victory in question (if it is a large enough one) will be granted. This can, however, also be a method for insult or asserting authority; if the Pharaoh "determines" that a significant victory is actually only "worth" a small prize.
Armed Forces Structure
Ranks and Roles
General
The highest point of authority in a military unit. There are as many Generals in Egypt as men choose there to be but a man cannot simply declare himself as one if he hopes for men to follow him. To be recorded as a General with the Council, a man must have achieved Deputy-General status in another unit and be able to provide a signed proclamation of one hundred men willing to serve in his new unit. All Generals have a seat on the Council and it is their responsibility to volunteer for assignment regarding any war efforts desired by the Pharaoh.
Deputy-General
A Deputy-General is the next step down from a General. It is their responsible to ensure that the unit follows the commands of the General. The General is the mind and the Deputy-General his right hand.
Captain
A Captain is in charge of a single group of men within a military unit. Each unit operates as a small army and is separated by skillset; archers, infantry etc. A Captain is in charge of one of these: i.e. the Archery Captain. Depending on the skillsets of the men available in the unit, a unit might not have every skillset available (i.e. they might be specialised).
Deputy-Captain
In the same way a Deputy-General is the extended hand of the General, the Deputy Captain is the same to their Captain. A Deputy-Captain works to ensure all of a Captains orders are carried out by the men and is held responsible if any soldier steps out of line.
The Egyptian military's roles are boiled down to three very specific skillsets in which they are often highly competent. Diversity in a soldier is not encouraged and Egyptians prefer to see a man highly skilled in a particular element of combat over a being a universal warrior or fighter.
Archers
Archers are use in two ways. One, singularly as archers, on foot and shooting from a distance. And secondly as the second riders on the backs of chariots, shooting at enemies while their partners' drive.
Charioteers
Egyptians rely heavily on their chariot forces. With miles upon miles of level ground and savannah on which to train, the chariots are the main attack force of an Egyptian military unit. Designed to hold two fighters - a driver and either an infantry man with a spear or an archer - as the cart cannot hold the weight of more than two, chariots are a deadly force of strength and run down their enemies either with arrows and spear or beneath the hooves of the horses.
Infantry
The men on the ground fight simply and effectively, following the direction of the General, often in order to line their enemies up within range of the archers or into the path of the chariots.
Nobility vs. Meritocracy
Egypt has a meritocratic military. This means that any man of any breeding can advance up the ranks, as high as he wishes to go. The only hindrance is that he is required to impress his superiors before they will consider promoting him. As all Egyptians believe in the meritocratic system, this is not a problem. But those who are related to the noble families and the high ranking officers will have an advantage in gaining their attention.
Politics and Judiciary
A General has full control, political decision and military action over all of his soldiers. They do not need the permission of the Pharaoh to enact either judgement or sentencing. What happens in a General's unit is entirely his to decide. This is another element that might sway a soldier's decision in whose unit they join; combat victories are not the only element that form a General's reputation.
Military Life
Tasks are assigned moving down the chain of command, branching out from General to Deputy, from Captain to Deputy, to Soldier. The tasks below are specified jobs for each rank and then general tasks to be completed by a unit as a whole. It would be up to the General how they organise the distribution of such required tasks - or if they are done at all. A General does not answer to anyone but himself if his unit falls apart.
Responsibilities and Duties
General
— Oversees all battle plans and future progress of the unit. — Keeps in regular communication with the Deputy General. — Assigns his unit to war campaigns voluntarily in the Council.
Deputy-General
— Is the facilitator for the General's command, ensuring that their word and instruction is obeyed to the letter. — Formulates regular reports to the General. — Keeps in close communication with the three Captains in the unit. — Handles recruitment and the training of new soldiers.
Captain
— Is the facilitator of the Deputy-General's command, ensuring that their word and instruction is obeyed to the letter. — Closely monitors their skill group's men, supplies, daily tasks and general effectiveness. — Arranges their skill group's training sessions and expeditions. — Is responsible for keeping their skill group entirely battle worthy, even in times of peace, so that they can be called on at any moment. — Assigns groups of daily tasks to Deputy-Captains, for them to assign to the men. — Formulates regular reports that go to the Deputy-General.
Deputy-Captain
— Ensures all supplies are as required. — Ensures that the soldiers make roll call, obey military law and are carrying out their duties to the best of their abilities. — Assigns daily tasks to the men. — Formulates regular reports to the Captain.
Other / Daily Tasks
— Cleaning and Maintaining Weaponry. Soldiers are expected to maintain their own equipment, ensuring it's clean and in good repair. Any broken equipment is fixed by the unit's blacksmith or leather worker but it is the soldier's responsibility to notice when such attention is needed.
— Sharpening Swords and Weapons The sharpening of blades is not considered a repair but a task of general maintenance and is completed by a soldier themselves. Several wet stones are provided around military camps for this purpose.
— Looking After the Horses Charioteers are expected to look after their own animals and the chariots they draw or the equipment they use. Again, any issues or problems were reported to the appropriate expert but it's the soldiers that use the animals that are required to give routine maintenance - grooming, feeding and general check ups. Horse hands would look after the horses of officers, in their place.
— Cooking Large war campaigns will often take a group of cooks or culinary staff with them in order to produce food of large numbers of soldiers in one go. But, when smaller military units travel to war the soldiers themselves take turns playing chef.
— Camp Maintenance When a military unit travels they build camps wherever they rest. Soldiers are assigned duties to check on the camp and monitor certain elements - both in building it and taking it down. This includes fence and barricade building, tent repairs, building paddocks for the animals, watching over any livestock (kept for food purposes) and digging the pits used by soldiers for their bodily functions.
— Sentry Duty A camp is only as strong as its watch. Sentry duty is a constant at wartime - day or night. This includes as the camp is being built, during supply runs and during the time the camp is being demolished in order to be moved. It is also important to maintain watch on the perimeter of a camp during a battle - not all soldiers go to fight immediately. Some are required to protect the home base, assets and rear.
OTHER / DAILY TASKS
Other tasks around the camp or on military campaigns were completed by specific experts in those areas, unless the unit is so small that they can't afford the additional pay of a non-militant soldier. As such, general soldiers might be required to either complete the following tasks, or seek experts in local towns or settlements, if they don't have a professional within the unit itself...
Repairing Equipment
Metal and leather workers are required when fixing damage to weaponry, horse tack or other such equipment.
Message Running
This might sound like a simple task but messengers in the army were important. They have to be fast runners (very fast runners, in order to deliver orders or instructions at crucial moments) have exceptional memories as much information is normally given at one time and be entirely trustworthy.
Bathing and Barbering
Soldiers have to look after themselves physically. There are soldiers dedicated to the health and hygiene of the unit, practiced in barbering/shaving.
Dental Work and Surgery
Tooth extraction and surgeries are never pretty on a battlefield but sometimes they are necessary. This is one of the few roles that is highly unlikely to be completed by an average soldier and actually would have an in-house specialist to perform such tasks - even in a small unit. In large war efforts there are several physicians and a team of assistants to perform nursing tasks within an infirmary. In a tight pinch, where a physician is killed or unavailable, military units will occasionally throw the urgent medical tasks at a local veterinarian (someone they seek out if their horses need treating or euthanizing) or even the chef (he's good with a knife).
Mixing Medicines
On large war campaigns, units take physicians whose sole expertise was focused on medicine making and apothecary work. In smaller military units, men use herbal remedies they are taught in their youth or seek out medicine from local settlements and towns.
Recording and Scribing
Scribes are incredibly important to any war effort. They record all supplies, orders, actions, plans, maps, events and reports... everything is made a note of. This task is completed by an individual (or team of individuals) in a large war campaign but, in a small unit, is normally appointed to a general soldier (if they find one who is literate).
Annual Leave
If is up to the General how and when he gives time off to his soldiers. The most usual practice is that the soldiers operate on a cycle, a very small portion of the men always away on leave, so that all are permitted some time on an annual basis. As all war efforts are taken up on voluntary basis, a General might also put his entire unit on leave temporarily if there are no campaigns to be carried out.
Families and Children
Soldiers with families and children are given no specialist treatment with regards to expectations. Egyptians live for the moment and do not put as strong stock and connection in the bond between father and child. Once sired, a child is the responsibility of the mother and therefore there is no logical need for a man to return to his family more than any other soldier requires time off.
Equipment and Weaponry
Armour
Egyptian soldiers don't wear armour. To be a part of the Egyptian military is to accept in the almost certainty of death. Egyptians believe (fairly accurately) that the armour available to them in this time has limited protection against most weapons and that said protection is out flanked by the addition issues heavy and hot armour cause in the Egypt climate. Instead, soldiers wear simple loincloth undergarments and a knee length skirt that wrapped across the front, allowing easy movement of the legs. On their heads, they wear a simple white headdress. If a Deputy Captain or higher in rank, this headdress has a rim of gold where it sits on the forehead to match golden bands that are worn around an offer's upper arms. A Captain wears the same attire as his deputy with an additional cobra piece at the front centre of his headdress. A Deputy General and above also wear a chest mantel of gold - the Deputy's is plain and the General's is decorated with design.
Weaponry
Spear
A wooden weapon of roughly six to seven foot in length with a sharpened point dipped in bronze and soldered hard. They are used by the attacker on the back of chariot or by foot soldiers.
Kopesh
A kopesh is an Egyptian scythe sword. The blade extends straight form the handle before curving into a crescent shape. These are rarely used in battle and more by public enforcers and royal guards. They are too long to be useful in close quarter combat and are not designed to be used long range. Therefore, their application in an actual battle is limited. Instead they are used more effectively as threats and tools against civilians or unarmed insurgents.
Axe
An Egyptian axe is very different to the kind that medieval soldiers would use in centuries forward. The handle is approximately two foot long, designed to be wielded with one hand, not two, and the blade piece extends from the side of the shaft. The blade itself us roughly the size of a grown man's palm and is attached short-side to the wood. The opposite end is sharpened to an edge but in general the metal is very thick. The weapon ends up looking more like a flattened hammer than it does the classic "axe" aesthetic and is used more like a mace.
Composite Bow
The Egyptians have used longbows for many centuries but have just introduced the composite bow to their army. While this form of bow - with additional curves to the wood, making it both smaller and more powerful - has proved to extend the range of an attack by several hundred yards, it has yet to be used by the Egyptian forces in a battle environment.
JD
Staff Team
JD
Staff Team
This post was created by our staff team.
Please contact us with your queries and questions.
The military is an important element of any kingdom. Whether it be used for the expansion of the nation or for the protection of its borders. Either way it is a significantly important force to be utilised by a kingdom's rulers. From the bottom up, the military is essential to those wishing to make political or authoritative growth to their own reputations, families and names.
It is important to note that Judea believes all of these elements of life and ambition can be achieved through out means and that war only begets harm. As such, they are a peaceful kingdom with no active military. Bedoan tribes are so small in comparison to whole kingdoms that they have warriors and fighters for their protection, but they also do not have a uniform militia. When a people have no land there is nothing to defend or gain; so there is no need for armed forces. The rest of this page, therefore, is in reference solely to the armies of Egypt.
Army Structure
Unlike in other lands where nobles own land the men of that land fight for them if they are a part of the military, Egypt's system of battle works a little differently. A man who has climbed the ranks within his own military unit to the point of Deputy General might take over from their superior upon his death or have the choice to create their own military unit. The men of a military unit travel, train and live together in encampments where the unit is currently based. As the units are in no way tied to particular areas or lands, the men that choose to go into the military, choose which General they wish to serve under, based on reputation and results. A man will obviously want to serve until a General with many victories to his name as such a record would indicate the chance of living longer on the battlefield. Once enlisted in a particular unit, a man must dedicate his life and loyalty to his General and will not be permitted to move units without good reason and the permission of his commander.
Becoming Noble
The Pharaoh rewards his military leaders for their victories and conquests in many different ways, and however he sees fit. They might be given bonuses to their salary (all military officers are paid a salary while the soldiers are paid in bed and board, not coin), they might give them exclusive rights over a province (thereby giving their military unit a permanent place of residence when they are not fighting), they might give the man their daughter in marriage. Whatever the Pharaoh considers to be a fair and appropriate reward for the victory in question (if it is a large enough one) will be granted. This can, however, also be a method for insult or asserting authority; if the Pharaoh "determines" that a significant victory is actually only "worth" a small prize.
Armed Forces Structure
Ranks and Roles
General
The highest point of authority in a military unit. There are as many Generals in Egypt as men choose there to be but a man cannot simply declare himself as one if he hopes for men to follow him. To be recorded as a General with the Council, a man must have achieved Deputy-General status in another unit and be able to provide a signed proclamation of one hundred men willing to serve in his new unit. All Generals have a seat on the Council and it is their responsibility to volunteer for assignment regarding any war efforts desired by the Pharaoh.
Deputy-General
A Deputy-General is the next step down from a General. It is their responsible to ensure that the unit follows the commands of the General. The General is the mind and the Deputy-General his right hand.
Captain
A Captain is in charge of a single group of men within a military unit. Each unit operates as a small army and is separated by skillset; archers, infantry etc. A Captain is in charge of one of these: i.e. the Archery Captain. Depending on the skillsets of the men available in the unit, a unit might not have every skillset available (i.e. they might be specialised).
Deputy-Captain
In the same way a Deputy-General is the extended hand of the General, the Deputy Captain is the same to their Captain. A Deputy-Captain works to ensure all of a Captains orders are carried out by the men and is held responsible if any soldier steps out of line.
The Egyptian military's roles are boiled down to three very specific skillsets in which they are often highly competent. Diversity in a soldier is not encouraged and Egyptians prefer to see a man highly skilled in a particular element of combat over a being a universal warrior or fighter.
Archers
Archers are use in two ways. One, singularly as archers, on foot and shooting from a distance. And secondly as the second riders on the backs of chariots, shooting at enemies while their partners' drive.
Charioteers
Egyptians rely heavily on their chariot forces. With miles upon miles of level ground and savannah on which to train, the chariots are the main attack force of an Egyptian military unit. Designed to hold two fighters - a driver and either an infantry man with a spear or an archer - as the cart cannot hold the weight of more than two, chariots are a deadly force of strength and run down their enemies either with arrows and spear or beneath the hooves of the horses.
Infantry
The men on the ground fight simply and effectively, following the direction of the General, often in order to line their enemies up within range of the archers or into the path of the chariots.
Nobility vs. Meritocracy
Egypt has a meritocratic military. This means that any man of any breeding can advance up the ranks, as high as he wishes to go. The only hindrance is that he is required to impress his superiors before they will consider promoting him. As all Egyptians believe in the meritocratic system, this is not a problem. But those who are related to the noble families and the high ranking officers will have an advantage in gaining their attention.
Politics and Judiciary
A General has full control, political decision and military action over all of his soldiers. They do not need the permission of the Pharaoh to enact either judgement or sentencing. What happens in a General's unit is entirely his to decide. This is another element that might sway a soldier's decision in whose unit they join; combat victories are not the only element that form a General's reputation.
Military Life
Tasks are assigned moving down the chain of command, branching out from General to Deputy, from Captain to Deputy, to Soldier. The tasks below are specified jobs for each rank and then general tasks to be completed by a unit as a whole. It would be up to the General how they organise the distribution of such required tasks - or if they are done at all. A General does not answer to anyone but himself if his unit falls apart.
Responsibilities and Duties
General
— Oversees all battle plans and future progress of the unit. — Keeps in regular communication with the Deputy General. — Assigns his unit to war campaigns voluntarily in the Council.
Deputy-General
— Is the facilitator for the General's command, ensuring that their word and instruction is obeyed to the letter. — Formulates regular reports to the General. — Keeps in close communication with the three Captains in the unit. — Handles recruitment and the training of new soldiers.
Captain
— Is the facilitator of the Deputy-General's command, ensuring that their word and instruction is obeyed to the letter. — Closely monitors their skill group's men, supplies, daily tasks and general effectiveness. — Arranges their skill group's training sessions and expeditions. — Is responsible for keeping their skill group entirely battle worthy, even in times of peace, so that they can be called on at any moment. — Assigns groups of daily tasks to Deputy-Captains, for them to assign to the men. — Formulates regular reports that go to the Deputy-General.
Deputy-Captain
— Ensures all supplies are as required. — Ensures that the soldiers make roll call, obey military law and are carrying out their duties to the best of their abilities. — Assigns daily tasks to the men. — Formulates regular reports to the Captain.
Other / Daily Tasks
— Cleaning and Maintaining Weaponry. Soldiers are expected to maintain their own equipment, ensuring it's clean and in good repair. Any broken equipment is fixed by the unit's blacksmith or leather worker but it is the soldier's responsibility to notice when such attention is needed.
— Sharpening Swords and Weapons The sharpening of blades is not considered a repair but a task of general maintenance and is completed by a soldier themselves. Several wet stones are provided around military camps for this purpose.
— Looking After the Horses Charioteers are expected to look after their own animals and the chariots they draw or the equipment they use. Again, any issues or problems were reported to the appropriate expert but it's the soldiers that use the animals that are required to give routine maintenance - grooming, feeding and general check ups. Horse hands would look after the horses of officers, in their place.
— Cooking Large war campaigns will often take a group of cooks or culinary staff with them in order to produce food of large numbers of soldiers in one go. But, when smaller military units travel to war the soldiers themselves take turns playing chef.
— Camp Maintenance When a military unit travels they build camps wherever they rest. Soldiers are assigned duties to check on the camp and monitor certain elements - both in building it and taking it down. This includes fence and barricade building, tent repairs, building paddocks for the animals, watching over any livestock (kept for food purposes) and digging the pits used by soldiers for their bodily functions.
— Sentry Duty A camp is only as strong as its watch. Sentry duty is a constant at wartime - day or night. This includes as the camp is being built, during supply runs and during the time the camp is being demolished in order to be moved. It is also important to maintain watch on the perimeter of a camp during a battle - not all soldiers go to fight immediately. Some are required to protect the home base, assets and rear.
OTHER / DAILY TASKS
Other tasks around the camp or on military campaigns were completed by specific experts in those areas, unless the unit is so small that they can't afford the additional pay of a non-militant soldier. As such, general soldiers might be required to either complete the following tasks, or seek experts in local towns or settlements, if they don't have a professional within the unit itself...
Repairing Equipment
Metal and leather workers are required when fixing damage to weaponry, horse tack or other such equipment.
Message Running
This might sound like a simple task but messengers in the army were important. They have to be fast runners (very fast runners, in order to deliver orders or instructions at crucial moments) have exceptional memories as much information is normally given at one time and be entirely trustworthy.
Bathing and Barbering
Soldiers have to look after themselves physically. There are soldiers dedicated to the health and hygiene of the unit, practiced in barbering/shaving.
Dental Work and Surgery
Tooth extraction and surgeries are never pretty on a battlefield but sometimes they are necessary. This is one of the few roles that is highly unlikely to be completed by an average soldier and actually would have an in-house specialist to perform such tasks - even in a small unit. In large war efforts there are several physicians and a team of assistants to perform nursing tasks within an infirmary. In a tight pinch, where a physician is killed or unavailable, military units will occasionally throw the urgent medical tasks at a local veterinarian (someone they seek out if their horses need treating or euthanizing) or even the chef (he's good with a knife).
Mixing Medicines
On large war campaigns, units take physicians whose sole expertise was focused on medicine making and apothecary work. In smaller military units, men use herbal remedies they are taught in their youth or seek out medicine from local settlements and towns.
Recording and Scribing
Scribes are incredibly important to any war effort. They record all supplies, orders, actions, plans, maps, events and reports... everything is made a note of. This task is completed by an individual (or team of individuals) in a large war campaign but, in a small unit, is normally appointed to a general soldier (if they find one who is literate).
Annual Leave
If is up to the General how and when he gives time off to his soldiers. The most usual practice is that the soldiers operate on a cycle, a very small portion of the men always away on leave, so that all are permitted some time on an annual basis. As all war efforts are taken up on voluntary basis, a General might also put his entire unit on leave temporarily if there are no campaigns to be carried out.
Families and Children
Soldiers with families and children are given no specialist treatment with regards to expectations. Egyptians live for the moment and do not put as strong stock and connection in the bond between father and child. Once sired, a child is the responsibility of the mother and therefore there is no logical need for a man to return to his family more than any other soldier requires time off.
Equipment and Weaponry
Armour
Egyptian soldiers don't wear armour. To be a part of the Egyptian military is to accept in the almost certainty of death. Egyptians believe (fairly accurately) that the armour available to them in this time has limited protection against most weapons and that said protection is out flanked by the addition issues heavy and hot armour cause in the Egypt climate. Instead, soldiers wear simple loincloth undergarments and a knee length skirt that wrapped across the front, allowing easy movement of the legs. On their heads, they wear a simple white headdress. If a Deputy Captain or higher in rank, this headdress has a rim of gold where it sits on the forehead to match golden bands that are worn around an offer's upper arms. A Captain wears the same attire as his deputy with an additional cobra piece at the front centre of his headdress. A Deputy General and above also wear a chest mantel of gold - the Deputy's is plain and the General's is decorated with design.
Weaponry
Spear
A wooden weapon of roughly six to seven foot in length with a sharpened point dipped in bronze and soldered hard. They are used by the attacker on the back of chariot or by foot soldiers.
Kopesh
A kopesh is an Egyptian scythe sword. The blade extends straight form the handle before curving into a crescent shape. These are rarely used in battle and more by public enforcers and royal guards. They are too long to be useful in close quarter combat and are not designed to be used long range. Therefore, their application in an actual battle is limited. Instead they are used more effectively as threats and tools against civilians or unarmed insurgents.
Axe
An Egyptian axe is very different to the kind that medieval soldiers would use in centuries forward. The handle is approximately two foot long, designed to be wielded with one hand, not two, and the blade piece extends from the side of the shaft. The blade itself us roughly the size of a grown man's palm and is attached short-side to the wood. The opposite end is sharpened to an edge but in general the metal is very thick. The weapon ends up looking more like a flattened hammer than it does the classic "axe" aesthetic and is used more like a mace.
Composite Bow
The Egyptians have used longbows for many centuries but have just introduced the composite bow to their army. While this form of bow - with additional curves to the wood, making it both smaller and more powerful - has proved to extend the range of an attack by several hundred yards, it has yet to be used by the Egyptian forces in a battle environment.
The Military
The military is an important element of any kingdom. Whether it be used for the expansion of the nation or for the protection of its borders. Either way it is a significantly important force to be utilised by a kingdom's rulers. From the bottom up, the military is essential to those wishing to make political or authoritative growth to their own reputations, families and names.
It is important to note that Judea believes all of these elements of life and ambition can be achieved through out means and that war only begets harm. As such, they are a peaceful kingdom with no active military. Bedoan tribes are so small in comparison to whole kingdoms that they have warriors and fighters for their protection, but they also do not have a uniform militia. When a people have no land there is nothing to defend or gain; so there is no need for armed forces. The rest of this page, therefore, is in reference solely to the armies of Egypt.
Army Structure
Unlike in other lands where nobles own land the men of that land fight for them if they are a part of the military, Egypt's system of battle works a little differently. A man who has climbed the ranks within his own military unit to the point of Deputy General might take over from their superior upon his death or have the choice to create their own military unit. The men of a military unit travel, train and live together in encampments where the unit is currently based. As the units are in no way tied to particular areas or lands, the men that choose to go into the military, choose which General they wish to serve under, based on reputation and results. A man will obviously want to serve until a General with many victories to his name as such a record would indicate the chance of living longer on the battlefield. Once enlisted in a particular unit, a man must dedicate his life and loyalty to his General and will not be permitted to move units without good reason and the permission of his commander.
Becoming Noble
The Pharaoh rewards his military leaders for their victories and conquests in many different ways, and however he sees fit. They might be given bonuses to their salary (all military officers are paid a salary while the soldiers are paid in bed and board, not coin), they might give them exclusive rights over a province (thereby giving their military unit a permanent place of residence when they are not fighting), they might give the man their daughter in marriage. Whatever the Pharaoh considers to be a fair and appropriate reward for the victory in question (if it is a large enough one) will be granted. This can, however, also be a method for insult or asserting authority; if the Pharaoh "determines" that a significant victory is actually only "worth" a small prize.
Armed Forces Structure
Ranks and Roles
General
The highest point of authority in a military unit. There are as many Generals in Egypt as men choose there to be but a man cannot simply declare himself as one if he hopes for men to follow him. To be recorded as a General with the Council, a man must have achieved Deputy-General status in another unit and be able to provide a signed proclamation of one hundred men willing to serve in his new unit. All Generals have a seat on the Council and it is their responsibility to volunteer for assignment regarding any war efforts desired by the Pharaoh.
Deputy-General
A Deputy-General is the next step down from a General. It is their responsible to ensure that the unit follows the commands of the General. The General is the mind and the Deputy-General his right hand.
Captain
A Captain is in charge of a single group of men within a military unit. Each unit operates as a small army and is separated by skillset; archers, infantry etc. A Captain is in charge of one of these: i.e. the Archery Captain. Depending on the skillsets of the men available in the unit, a unit might not have every skillset available (i.e. they might be specialised).
Deputy-Captain
In the same way a Deputy-General is the extended hand of the General, the Deputy Captain is the same to their Captain. A Deputy-Captain works to ensure all of a Captains orders are carried out by the men and is held responsible if any soldier steps out of line.
The Egyptian military's roles are boiled down to three very specific skillsets in which they are often highly competent. Diversity in a soldier is not encouraged and Egyptians prefer to see a man highly skilled in a particular element of combat over a being a universal warrior or fighter.
Archers
Archers are use in two ways. One, singularly as archers, on foot and shooting from a distance. And secondly as the second riders on the backs of chariots, shooting at enemies while their partners' drive.
Charioteers
Egyptians rely heavily on their chariot forces. With miles upon miles of level ground and savannah on which to train, the chariots are the main attack force of an Egyptian military unit. Designed to hold two fighters - a driver and either an infantry man with a spear or an archer - as the cart cannot hold the weight of more than two, chariots are a deadly force of strength and run down their enemies either with arrows and spear or beneath the hooves of the horses.
Infantry
The men on the ground fight simply and effectively, following the direction of the General, often in order to line their enemies up within range of the archers or into the path of the chariots.
Nobility vs. Meritocracy
Egypt has a meritocratic military. This means that any man of any breeding can advance up the ranks, as high as he wishes to go. The only hindrance is that he is required to impress his superiors before they will consider promoting him. As all Egyptians believe in the meritocratic system, this is not a problem. But those who are related to the noble families and the high ranking officers will have an advantage in gaining their attention.
Politics and Judiciary
A General has full control, political decision and military action over all of his soldiers. They do not need the permission of the Pharaoh to enact either judgement or sentencing. What happens in a General's unit is entirely his to decide. This is another element that might sway a soldier's decision in whose unit they join; combat victories are not the only element that form a General's reputation.
Military Life
Tasks are assigned moving down the chain of command, branching out from General to Deputy, from Captain to Deputy, to Soldier. The tasks below are specified jobs for each rank and then general tasks to be completed by a unit as a whole. It would be up to the General how they organise the distribution of such required tasks - or if they are done at all. A General does not answer to anyone but himself if his unit falls apart.
Responsibilities and Duties
General
— Oversees all battle plans and future progress of the unit. — Keeps in regular communication with the Deputy General. — Assigns his unit to war campaigns voluntarily in the Council.
Deputy-General
— Is the facilitator for the General's command, ensuring that their word and instruction is obeyed to the letter. — Formulates regular reports to the General. — Keeps in close communication with the three Captains in the unit. — Handles recruitment and the training of new soldiers.
Captain
— Is the facilitator of the Deputy-General's command, ensuring that their word and instruction is obeyed to the letter. — Closely monitors their skill group's men, supplies, daily tasks and general effectiveness. — Arranges their skill group's training sessions and expeditions. — Is responsible for keeping their skill group entirely battle worthy, even in times of peace, so that they can be called on at any moment. — Assigns groups of daily tasks to Deputy-Captains, for them to assign to the men. — Formulates regular reports that go to the Deputy-General.
Deputy-Captain
— Ensures all supplies are as required. — Ensures that the soldiers make roll call, obey military law and are carrying out their duties to the best of their abilities. — Assigns daily tasks to the men. — Formulates regular reports to the Captain.
Other / Daily Tasks
— Cleaning and Maintaining Weaponry. Soldiers are expected to maintain their own equipment, ensuring it's clean and in good repair. Any broken equipment is fixed by the unit's blacksmith or leather worker but it is the soldier's responsibility to notice when such attention is needed.
— Sharpening Swords and Weapons The sharpening of blades is not considered a repair but a task of general maintenance and is completed by a soldier themselves. Several wet stones are provided around military camps for this purpose.
— Looking After the Horses Charioteers are expected to look after their own animals and the chariots they draw or the equipment they use. Again, any issues or problems were reported to the appropriate expert but it's the soldiers that use the animals that are required to give routine maintenance - grooming, feeding and general check ups. Horse hands would look after the horses of officers, in their place.
— Cooking Large war campaigns will often take a group of cooks or culinary staff with them in order to produce food of large numbers of soldiers in one go. But, when smaller military units travel to war the soldiers themselves take turns playing chef.
— Camp Maintenance When a military unit travels they build camps wherever they rest. Soldiers are assigned duties to check on the camp and monitor certain elements - both in building it and taking it down. This includes fence and barricade building, tent repairs, building paddocks for the animals, watching over any livestock (kept for food purposes) and digging the pits used by soldiers for their bodily functions.
— Sentry Duty A camp is only as strong as its watch. Sentry duty is a constant at wartime - day or night. This includes as the camp is being built, during supply runs and during the time the camp is being demolished in order to be moved. It is also important to maintain watch on the perimeter of a camp during a battle - not all soldiers go to fight immediately. Some are required to protect the home base, assets and rear.
OTHER / DAILY TASKS
Other tasks around the camp or on military campaigns were completed by specific experts in those areas, unless the unit is so small that they can't afford the additional pay of a non-militant soldier. As such, general soldiers might be required to either complete the following tasks, or seek experts in local towns or settlements, if they don't have a professional within the unit itself...
Repairing Equipment
Metal and leather workers are required when fixing damage to weaponry, horse tack or other such equipment.
Message Running
This might sound like a simple task but messengers in the army were important. They have to be fast runners (very fast runners, in order to deliver orders or instructions at crucial moments) have exceptional memories as much information is normally given at one time and be entirely trustworthy.
Bathing and Barbering
Soldiers have to look after themselves physically. There are soldiers dedicated to the health and hygiene of the unit, practiced in barbering/shaving.
Dental Work and Surgery
Tooth extraction and surgeries are never pretty on a battlefield but sometimes they are necessary. This is one of the few roles that is highly unlikely to be completed by an average soldier and actually would have an in-house specialist to perform such tasks - even in a small unit. In large war efforts there are several physicians and a team of assistants to perform nursing tasks within an infirmary. In a tight pinch, where a physician is killed or unavailable, military units will occasionally throw the urgent medical tasks at a local veterinarian (someone they seek out if their horses need treating or euthanizing) or even the chef (he's good with a knife).
Mixing Medicines
On large war campaigns, units take physicians whose sole expertise was focused on medicine making and apothecary work. In smaller military units, men use herbal remedies they are taught in their youth or seek out medicine from local settlements and towns.
Recording and Scribing
Scribes are incredibly important to any war effort. They record all supplies, orders, actions, plans, maps, events and reports... everything is made a note of. This task is completed by an individual (or team of individuals) in a large war campaign but, in a small unit, is normally appointed to a general soldier (if they find one who is literate).
Annual Leave
If is up to the General how and when he gives time off to his soldiers. The most usual practice is that the soldiers operate on a cycle, a very small portion of the men always away on leave, so that all are permitted some time on an annual basis. As all war efforts are taken up on voluntary basis, a General might also put his entire unit on leave temporarily if there are no campaigns to be carried out.
Families and Children
Soldiers with families and children are given no specialist treatment with regards to expectations. Egyptians live for the moment and do not put as strong stock and connection in the bond between father and child. Once sired, a child is the responsibility of the mother and therefore there is no logical need for a man to return to his family more than any other soldier requires time off.
Equipment and Weaponry
Armour
Egyptian soldiers don't wear armour. To be a part of the Egyptian military is to accept in the almost certainty of death. Egyptians believe (fairly accurately) that the armour available to them in this time has limited protection against most weapons and that said protection is out flanked by the addition issues heavy and hot armour cause in the Egypt climate. Instead, soldiers wear simple loincloth undergarments and a knee length skirt that wrapped across the front, allowing easy movement of the legs. On their heads, they wear a simple white headdress. If a Deputy Captain or higher in rank, this headdress has a rim of gold where it sits on the forehead to match golden bands that are worn around an offer's upper arms. A Captain wears the same attire as his deputy with an additional cobra piece at the front centre of his headdress. A Deputy General and above also wear a chest mantel of gold - the Deputy's is plain and the General's is decorated with design.
Weaponry
Spear
A wooden weapon of roughly six to seven foot in length with a sharpened point dipped in bronze and soldered hard. They are used by the attacker on the back of chariot or by foot soldiers.
Kopesh
A kopesh is an Egyptian scythe sword. The blade extends straight form the handle before curving into a crescent shape. These are rarely used in battle and more by public enforcers and royal guards. They are too long to be useful in close quarter combat and are not designed to be used long range. Therefore, their application in an actual battle is limited. Instead they are used more effectively as threats and tools against civilians or unarmed insurgents.
Axe
An Egyptian axe is very different to the kind that medieval soldiers would use in centuries forward. The handle is approximately two foot long, designed to be wielded with one hand, not two, and the blade piece extends from the side of the shaft. The blade itself us roughly the size of a grown man's palm and is attached short-side to the wood. The opposite end is sharpened to an edge but in general the metal is very thick. The weapon ends up looking more like a flattened hammer than it does the classic "axe" aesthetic and is used more like a mace.
Composite Bow
The Egyptians have used longbows for many centuries but have just introduced the composite bow to their army. While this form of bow - with additional curves to the wood, making it both smaller and more powerful - has proved to extend the range of an attack by several hundred yards, it has yet to be used by the Egyptian forces in a battle environment.