Revolutionary Army

The Revolutionary Army is a specific kind of military made up of the oppressed and exploited to fight their oppressors. This structure is based on multiple successful revolutions and shared between revolutionaries around the world.

Structure

Most in the force are soldiers (or equivalent sailors, etc.). Soldiers are divided into units of six soldiers, with a sergeant and corporal. Four units make up a platoon, commanded by a lieutenant. Four platoons make up a battery, commanded by a captain. Four batteries make up a company, commanded by a major. Four companies make up a battalion, commanded by a lt. colonel. Four battalions make up a division, commanded by a general. All divisions make up the Army, commanded by a marshall.

Officers and Soldiers

Almost all officers are elected by the rank-and-file. Soldiers go through a form of basic training, which includes political education, called initiation. During this, they have a training sergeant (and corporal) in charge of them. These are usually semi-retired combat sergeants (and corporals). At the end of initiation, the training sergeant assigns a temporary sergeant and corporal.

After six weeks post-training, the unit then elects their own sergeant and corporal. This is almost always the temporaries, but sometimes not. If they don't elect the temporaries, most often it is because they decided they did not want the rank. Sergeants have a lot of tasks and responsibilities, aided by the corporal, and often those who are sergeants stick with the role. Corporals sometimes move on to sergeant. If a sergeant is incapacitated, the corporal becomes a temporary sergeant and assigns someone as temporary corporal, and if possible, a vote is held at the next opportune moment (i.e., when not in combat).

After their initial six weeks post-initiation, a period called orientation, the unit joins up with their platoon. Platoons are led by lieutenants, who are elected every year. Usually, sergeants and corporals prefer to remain in their ranks. A lieutenant has different responsibilities and tasks, so it's a different skill set. If the unit is joined with an existing platoon, there will already be an elected lieutenant, and the unit will vote in the next election. If the unit is part of a newly made platoon, there is a three-week period (also called orientation) during which candidates for lieutenant come forward and get to know their platoon before the vote. Campaigning is illegal, but there's a certain amount of leeway there. Lieutenants assign a second lieutenant who will take over if they are incapacitated. If this happens, the second lieutenant becomes a temporary lieutenant until validated in a vote, which will occur as soon as it is safe and possible to hold one.

A lieutenant with at least a year's experience is eligible for election to captain of a battery, and so on up the chain. The structure of a temporary being assigned by elected officers is held all the way up to the rank of colonel. Re-election is extremely common unless someone is voted to a higher rank, but neither re-election nor promotion is ever assumed, even by someone serving as a temporary. At the level of general or marshall, they do not assign a temporary, but a committee of elected representatives can assign one in times of danger. The committee, called the Command Committee, is rank-and-file representatives who are in charge of military policy. No one above the rank of lieutenant is allowed on the committee, and it is almost always made up of rank-and-file.

Because higher ranking officers don't always have opportunity to meet everyone under their command, especially during times of combat, elections can be postponed up to three times for a two-week period. After that, an election will be held with all available.

Recall

The rank-and-file can demand a recall of any officer with a majority vote. Once a recall is held, a period of investigation by the Command Committee is held. At the end of a two-week period, the Committee gives a report to the relevant rank-and-file, who will then take three days to consider, then another vote is held. During the time between the initial vote and final vote, the officer in question retains their rank but no ttheir command. Instead, their temporary is in command. If a recall vote goes through (majority vote on the final vote), the officer becomes a soldier again. A vote is then held to replace them, if possible. If not, their temporary holds command until a vote is possible. The main exception to this is if the Command Committee investigates and finds evidence of offenses worthy of dismissal from the military entirely or, worse, of imprisonment. In this case, no second recall vote is held. The officer in question is put on trial by a jury of their peers and a judge from the civilian population, usually a member of the Revolutionary Party. If a recall fails, any reprisals from the officer would be met with instant dismissal. If a recall passes, the former officer has the right to request transfer to a different unit.

Specialist Corps

Sometimes, a rank is associated with specific skills that cannot be done by someone without training. For example, there is a medical platoon with every battery. A non-medical captain will not necessarily have the expertise to effectively command them. In this case, they have a special officer from within their own ranks who consults with their non-medical officer. The specialized units that exist most commonly are medical, esotericist, engineers (mostly demolitions), recon, logistics, training, ranged combat, and support (people who cook, clean, etc.).

Medical Corps

Medic units are a mix of mundane and esoteric healers (incl. healers, vitalists, chymosians, enneads, herbalists). Triage during battle is split between minor, moderate, mortal, and miracle wounds. Minor wounds are normal wounds, in terms of game mechanics, and moderate are special. Mortal is for anyone on the verge of death. And miracle is for people needing esoteric healing for injuries impossible to address with mundane methods (people cut in half, for instance). The medical corps elects their own officers up to major from the rank-and-file, with their captains and majors serving as advisers to broader command. After the rank of major, medical corps officers are limited to those retired from combat medicine (because leaving a good combat medic out of combat is not good for the Revolution). Many medical corps soldiers are assigned to platoons individually for first aid purposes on many missions.

Esotericist Corps

Esoteric units are split between different kinds of esoterica. Common corps include

• Combat Magic: war mages, khutchteiers, wabenos, and various others who use their esoterica for combat.
• Defense Magic: defenders, dyvars, shieldmaidens, kamatuurans, and various others who use their esoterica for defense.
• Craft Magic: aedificarians, shimisi, bitols, and various others who use their esoterica to make things or build things.
• Intel Magic: arcanists, euopticians, metapols, psionicists, and various others who use their esoterica to gather information.
• Foraging Magic: pilferers, vadasz, gatherers, and various others who use their esoterica to gather resources.
• Elemental Magic: any kind of aetherialists.
• Radiant Magic: prismatic mages, harmonists, standard-bearers, tagapagpalayas, and other radiant esotericists who serve as support forces, empowering other soldiers.
• Enforcement Magic: marshals, judges, and various others who use their esoterica to enforce Revolutionary Law within the ranks.
• Research Magic: hyperscientists, alchemists, and various others who use their esoterica to develop new magicks or technology for the Revolution.
• Lore Magic: wyrders, matrons, and witches and those who invoke the Tradition.
• Transport Magic: wayfinders, positional mages, and various others who use their esoterica to move people and things.
• General Magic: mages, wizards, numerologers, symbologers, sorcerers, cerulean mages, alterors, imagers, mercators, and various others who don't have a special purpose for their magic but still contribute to the Revolution. Most of these will be found under "various others" in other units, but those who aren't stick with the general magic corps.

Most units have unifiers and tagapagpalaya amongst them simply out of the fact that what a Revolutionary Army does invokes those powers. Esoteric brewers usually find their way into the support corps, if they keep their projects within reason. Pax riders cannot be part of the Revolutionary Army and still be pax riders, but they often follow units in order to repair communities afterward. Wisins are often in the training corps.

Absolutely no use of infernal energies is allowed.

Every magic corps elects officers up to major from their own ranks, and then above that to general, they elect from the broader esoteric corps. Usually, an esoteric general will be someone who uses multiple forms of magic (marchand, archmage, kaleidon, servants, azo atos, etc.).

Most magical corps serve as supplements to mundane versions of their ranks (i.e., intel magic and spies).

Engineering Corps

The engineering corps is a mix of demolitionists, builders, siege engineers, researchers, and artillerists. Each specialization has their own platoons, which are then combined to complement each other, with one of each group except researchers (who often find themselves paired with the research magic corps). They elect their own officers up to major, then defer to and advise the main command chain.

Recon and Intel Corps

Recon and intel is split into different corps: deep intel (spies), reconnoitering, data analysis, observation, and internal. Deep intel inlude but are not limited to deep cover agents, information networks, sympathizers, assassins, and so on. True spies. The intel magic corps works with them mostly. Recon teams go behind enemy lines as scouts, pathfinders, etc. to learn more about troop positions and other intel. Intel and foraging magic corps support them, as well as transport magic corps sometimes. Observation includes many euopticians and farseers, but also uses aerial observation and general observation posts. Internal is paired with the enforcement magic corps and serves as enforcement for Revolutionary Law. And data analysis sometimes works with research magic corps and analyzes all information brought in, scans all reports they can reasonably access, and report assessments to relevant officers.

Within the recon corps, deep intel, internal, and data analysis officers are elected all the way up to colonel from their own ranks. Above that, they answer to the Command Committee instead of main command, except in times of battle or crisis. Recon and observation officers are elected from their own ranks up to captain, and above that they merge with the main command.

Logistics Corps

The logistics corps are quartermasters, sanitation specialists, administrators, shipping planners, and so on. They are the ones who make sure the food gets to the troops and the weapons get repaired and the paperwork is done and so on. They elect their own up to the rank of lt. colonel, then merge with the main command, but their officers also file reports to the Command Committee and the data analysis corps.

Training Corps

The training corps trains new troops and is mostly made up of semi-retired former sergeants and corporals. No one of rank under corporal is in this corps. They elect officers up to the rank of captain, then merge to the main command. However, they usually stay on base and often make decisions above their rank when other officers are unavailable.

Ranged Combat

Archers, artillerists, snipers, and so on. Usually, there will be soldiers who do this within regular units, but specialized units are created during times of need. They elect their own officers up to the rank of captain and then merge into the main command.

Support Corps

The support corps are said to carry out what the logistics corp decides, though this is misleading. In truth, they elect their own officers up to the rank of major, then merge with the main command. This corps is mostly semi-retired soldiers who can't fight in combat or keep up in the field as well, but still contribute as cooks, cleaners, laundry, repairs, barbers, tailors, and other roles that are needed to keep an army running. Craftsfolk are often in this corps.

Cavalry Corps

The mounted units are have specialists to care for the mounts, often support recon, and can move faster than regular infantry. They elect their own officers up to captain then merge with the main command.

Special Forces

Special forces do dirty, difficult, and dangerous work. They elect their own officers up to the rank of major then merge with main command, but also reporting to the Command Committee. Any kind of soldier can be in this, if the mission calls for it.

Individual Specialists

There are some soldiers who do not belong to a special corps, but have a specialist role in the unit.

Mechanics

Most platoons have at least one mechanic, usually of corporal rank, who keeps their devices, transport, etc. running well.

Communications

Most platoons have up to three communications officers, with one being a corporal and the other two being rank-and-file. These make sure reports are filed, maintain any communications equipment (mundane or magical, sometimes including pigeons), and keep contact between themselves and other parts of their battery. They are sometimes jokingly called the gossip corps.

Crafts Folk

Blacksmiths and other crafts folk are common within the ranks. There is almost always at least one blacksmith per company, often more. Carpenters, masons, builders, hostlers, leather-workers, and so on are not uncommon.