Difference between revisions of "User:Nightstar The Bright"

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Hello everyone, I am Nightstar The Bright. I really enjoy reading Brandon Sanderson’s books, sometime after I read them all I began editing the Coppermind.
Hello everyone, I am Nightstar The Bright. I really enjoy reading Brandon Sanderson’s books, sometime after I read them all I began editing the Coppermind.


Notable pages I created or heavily edited.
Notable pages I reworked
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* [[Court of Gods]]
* [[Court of Gods]]
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! The following text is a collection of the information about the Alethi military !
! The following text is a collection of the information about Alethkar!


Every city has a little huddle of buildings for caravaneers and the likes. Also large stormbunkers to house armies or multiple caravans.{{book ref|sa3|45}} many small villages have a central cistern to catch rain water and filter out the crem. Alethi is used widely throughout the eastern world to make the underscript of a book. Also, lots of Alethi epics, which are famous even outside Alethkar.{{book ref|sa3|i|2}}
== Military ==
{| class="infobox side" style="width: 22em; float:right; font-size: 88%;"
!colspan='3' style="text-align:center; background:#cce" |'''Chain of command'''
|-
! Unit
! Soldiers
! Typical Commander
|-
| subsquad
| 6–8
| sergeant
|-
| squad
| ~25
| squadleader
|-
| platoon
| ~50
| captain/captainlord
|-
| company
| ~100
| companylord
|-
| battalion
| ~1000
| battalionlord
|-
| division
| ~2000
| general
|-
| army
| —
| highprince
|-
|colspan='3' | <small>In companies made solely of lighteyes, the rank "lieutenant" is used as the equivalent of sergeant.</small>
|}


The modern Alethi military is one of the strongest armed forces on Roshar with well over 100,000 troops{{book ref|sa1|6}} and over thirty [[Shardbearer]]s.{{book ref|sa2|5}} The army employs most of its troops as spearmen and archers, as well as a very small amount of cavalry due to the rarity of horses on Roshar;{{book ref|sa1|6}} only the officers wield swords because, according to Vorin traditions, the sword is regarded as a lighteyed's weapon.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} Soldiers are usually trained in one or two additional Skills, i.e. horse grooms.{{book ref|twok|28}} Under most circumstances, military service is voluntary, though the leaders of the army has the right of conscription for darkeyes that do not provide an essential function to a community (e.g. a town's only surgeon) when they feel there is need for additional troops.{{book ref|sa1|44}} It is extremely rare for a darkeyed soldier to rise higher than the rank of squadleader.{{book ref|sa1|47}} Lighteyed officers that have the command of a branch of the army are usually referred by their duties (e.g. cavalrylord, infantrylord).{{book ref|sa1|26}}


- Slavery -
Despite Alethkar being a monarchy, the king has very little actual say in how the military is run and does not directly command any force other than the 250-strong King's Guard. The troops are sworn to and led by their individual highprinces.{{book ref|sa2|5}} In that sense, Alethkar army is not truly a unified army, but a loose coalition between ten smaller armies. Indeed, even in wartime, there is constant in-fighting between the highprinces' armies,{{book ref|sa1|47}} and cooperation between the highprinces themselves is seen as a weakness;{{book ref|sa1|54}} this is bolstered by the tenets of Vorinism that say the purpose of life is to prepare in order to join the Heralds in the fight to regain the [[Tranquiline Halls]] and Alethi belief that everything is a competition in life.{{book ref|sa1|15}}
A slaver must provide the reason someone was sold into slavery when he sells the slave, it is illegal to lie.{{book ref|sa1|4}}


Because of the immense size of the army and the difficulty of travel, compounded by the poor supply line infrastructure of Alethkar,{{wob ref|3824}} [[Soulcasting]] plays a vital role in supplying the army with wood, metal, food, and many other necessities, as well as being used in building fortifications. The king controls most of the Soulcaster ardents; in fact, manipulating the highprinces with his Soulcasters is one of the ways that the king maintains a control over them.{{book ref|sa1|15}}


Recently, in an effort to truly unify the kingdom, [[Dalinar Kholin]] has been appointed as the [[Highprince of War]] by the king. This title was used in Alethkar before being fragmented into ten princedoms when each highprince was given the ultimate authority over one aspect of the governing of the kingdom. On paper, this gives Kholin authority over all war-related activities.{{book ref|sa1|69}}


————————————
The Alethi military is currently one of the major military forces fighting against the Fused Invasion, most notably during the [[Battle of Thaylen Field]] and the Emuli Campaign.{{book ref|sa3|115}}{{book ref|sa4|19}}{{book ref|sa4|112}} Although many more battles and skirmishes were fought between the two armies between {{rosharan date|1173}} and {{rosharan date|1175}}.{{cite}} They also led the Evacuation of Hearthstone in early {{rosharan date|1175}}.{{book ref|sa4|1}} They are currently centered around and stationed in Urithiru.{{book ref|sa4|116}}
This part is about Scadrian airships


=== Uniforms ===
Higher ranking officers are distinguished by knots on a cord across the epaulette, with the amount of knots and their colour signifying their military rank, and their rank in the Alethi caste system.{{book ref|sa1|1}}{{book ref|sa1|6}}{{book ref|sa1|17}}{{book ref|sa1|26}}{{book ref|sa1|46}}{{book ref|sa1|47}}{{book ref|sa1|58}}{{book ref|sa1|67}} White knots indicate a citizen officer, that is a sergeant or squadleader;{{book ref|sa1|1}}{{book ref|sa1|6}}{{book ref|sa1|46}} red knots indicate an officer of seventh dahn;{{book ref|sa1|46}} and gold knots indicate second or third dahn;{{book ref|sa1|26}}{{book ref|sa1|46}} It can also distinguish between low captain,{{book ref|sa1|67}} captain,{{book ref|sa2|25}}{{book ref|sa3|83}}{{book ref|sa3|117}} captainlord,{{book ref|sa3|63}} lieutenant,{{book ref|sa3|i|14}} sergeant,{{book ref|sa3|6}} and battalionlord.{{book ref|sa4|40}} Soldiers without authority bear no knots.{{book ref|sa1|17}}{{book ref|sa1|46}}{{book ref|sa1|67}}{{book ref|sa4|23}}


Even low altitude much higher then a coinshot can reach.
Exact uniform varies between armies, usually coloured to signify the banner they fight under.{{book ref|sa1|46}}{{book ref|sa1|58}}{{book ref|sa3|116}} Some men choose to further personalize their uniforms with embrodiery or colourful scarfs.{{book ref|sa2|44}} Uniforms are always worn with an undershirt alongside the uniform itself.{{book ref|sa3|59}}

=== Armaments ===
Darkeyed soldiers are primarily trained in spears and axes,{{book ref|sa1|26}} with swords being used only by higher-ranking lighteyes.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} Axes, however, are a nonstandard weapon usually only given to squadleaders and above.{{book ref|sa1|47}} Some soldiers use halberds, although how common they are is unclear.{{book ref|sa4|77}}

Foot soldiers were typically armored with steel breastplates, while archers were clothed with leather vests.{{book ref|sa1|27}} Ordinary foot soldiers have minimal armor, typically not wearing arm or leg guards.{{book ref|sa1|27}} Darkeyes in the armies of Brightlords tend to be dressed in leather armor.{{book ref|sa4|108}} Wealthier lighteyed soldiers wear far finer suits of armor, indicative of their status.{{book ref|sa1|27}} Armor is often marked with a rank insignia that indicated the dahn and military position that a person is a part of.{{book ref|sa1|27}}

The Kholinar Wall Guard wears steel breastplates and helms.{{book ref|sa3|82}}

=== Wages ===
Wages are based upon ones military rank and caste.{{book ref|sa3|2}} The average darkeyed soldier is payed five clearmarks a day.{{book ref|sa1|27}} Military slaves are paid less than half that of a darkeyed soldier, around one clearmark a day.{{book ref|sa1|27}}{{book ref|sa1|4}}

=== Shards ===
According to official records, Alethkar possesses more [[Shardblade]]s than any other nation on Roshar, with only [[Jah Keved]] coming anywhere close.{{book ref|sa1|23}} These Shards are used effectively in combat to overwhelm non-Shardbearer armies.{{book ref|sa1|26}}

During the War of Reckoning, their Shardblades were used in order to cut through chasmfiend chrysalises in order to harvest gemhearts.{{book ref|sa1|12}}

=== Knights Radiant ===
Following the start of the True Desolation, a notably large amount of their army is made up of [[Knights Radiant]], primarily those of the [[Order of Windrunners]] and the [[Order of Edgedancers]], with a smaller but still notable number in the [[Order of Lightweavers]].{{book ref|sa4|3}}{{book ref|sa4|20}} They are used effectively as a means of transport and combat against the Fused and [[Regal]]s.{{book ref|sa4|9}}{{cite}}
{{image|Sadeas bridges.jpg|side=right|width=300px}}

=== Bridge Crews ===
{{for|Bridge crew}}

Bridge Crews were a very important part of the army during the War of Reckoning, serving as an expendable workforce that carried bridges to help soldiers cross over the large chasms between plateaus. They also acted as canon fodder for Parshendi bowmen, as to direct attention away from more trained and valued soldiers.{{book ref|sa1|32}} Due to this, bridgemen had a very high mortality rate, with around half a crew dying per run.{{book ref|sa1|9}}

Each Bridge Crew was made up of 35-40 men, which were lead by a Bridge sergeant, who reports directly to the Brightlord in charge of the crews.{{book ref|sa1|6}}{{book ref|sa1|17}} Each crew has an internal leader elected amongst themselves known as the bridge leader, who has no official authority outside of that which his crewmembers choose to give him.{{book ref|sa1|14}} Members of bridge crews were typically payed five clearmarks a week, given on the third day of every week.{{book ref|sa1|11}}{{book ref|sa1|14}}{{book ref|sa1|27}}

The bridges used by Torol Sadeas's army are typically eight feet wide and two feet thick, with supports on both sides extending its width to sixteen feet. They are also thirty feet long, and allowed one to set up 8 men per column and 5 men per row.{{file ref|Sadeas_bridges.jpg|Bridge Run Interior Art}}

While not on bridge runs, they are typically used as cheap manpower to perform undesirable duties at war camps, such as chasm or latrine duty.{{book ref|sa1|27}}

Not all highprinces made use of bridge crews, with Dalinar notably refusing to make direct use of them. He instead makes use of bridges on wheels, pulled by chulls. Due to being heavier and pulled by chulls instead of people, movement is significantly slower, but Dalinar makes use of it regardless as it results in a major reduction of casualties during plateau runs.{{book ref|sa1|26}}

Eventually, Sadeas' Bridge Crews were bought off of him by Dalinar for his Shardblade, who granted them freedom from slavery and promoted them to a battalion.{{book ref|sa1|69}}

For the Alethi, being a leader is essentially the same as being a general. Officers wear something called an officer’s coat, which is long and meant to be unbuttoned.{{book ref|sa4|27}} During the True Desolation, warfare began to change. There are far fewer large scale formations, those are far to easy to disrupt. Instead men spend their time in protected warcamps, occasionally making a sudden surge to claim ground and shove away the enemy. During this time battles changed from decisive engagements to several month long fights.{{book ref|sa4|43}} The Alethi quickly adapted to warfare against the [[Fused]] and [[Regal]]s. When there is an abundance of Shanay-Im the humans lock their shields together into a canopy, protecting from lances and spears, aside from that the humans have learned to use water to render the stormforms power unusable.{{book ref|sa4|42}} Kings guard: blue and gold. Also from the Kholin army. The old campaign conundrums: did one choose the best position to weather storms, or did one seize the high ground. Most men choose the former. Alethi uniforms are traditionally made up of a long, approximately waistlength,{{book ref|sa1|22}} coat with buttons up the side.{{book ref|sa1|18}} The Alethi military is over a hundred fifty thousand troops strong.{{book ref|sa1|22}} High ranking Brightlords may also have a shieldbearer.{{book ref|sa1|24}}

{{sidequote|All wars are games. The greatest kind, with the pieces lost real lives, the prizes captured making for real wealth! This is the life for which men exist. To fight, to kill, to win.|The [[Sadees|Sunmaker]], who shaped modern Alethi militarism{{book ref|sa1|24}}|side=right|size =300px}}

{{sidequote|There hasn’t been peace since the Tranquiline Halls, Man’s life on Roshar is conflict.|a quotation from [[The Arguments]]{{book ref|sa1|24}}|side=right|size =300px}}
The Alethi army adapted to the [[listener]] strategies by increasing the flexibility of their armies, making them able to respond quickly to the uncanny way the listeners fought. Low ranking men in the armies are often susceptible to bribes. Soldiers can pay their brightlord’s scribes to send a message via spanreed, although this is considered extremely expensive, with even a terse note costing roughly a week’s wages for a common spearman, which translates to about forty clearmarks. Army surgeons wear white, and the apprentices are almost all men who have some incapacitation, preventing them from fighting. Most common spearmen in the Alethi military wear specifically designed skirts, and don’t wear trousers. They also wear the colors of their highprince. Stealing from the dead is strictly prohibited, although this doesn’t stop some soldiers from doing it. If regular soldiers killed a noteworthy target, usually an important brightlord, they can send for their captainlord, who will confirm the kill, to earn a reward.{{book ref|sa1|47}} Soldierx wear breastplates, steel caps and chainmail.{{book ref|sa2|2}} A shardbearer will almost never give up his shards, the only time he might is when he is to weak to use them.{{book ref|sa1|52}} The soldiers in more professional and organised armies wear steel armour, such as breastplates and helmets.{{book ref|sa1|55}}{{book ref|sa1|57}} In these armies archers generally wear leather vests, while foot soldiers wear steel breastplates.{{book ref|sa1|57}} Officers in the Kholin army wear uniforms that are coloured a darker shade of blue.{{book ref|sa1|68}} Generally, a man in the personal guard of a lighteyes earns thrice as much as the wage of a standard spearman, so about 15 clearmarks each day.{{book ref|sa1|73}} Kholin officer uniforms are comprised of a blue waistcoat and a double breasted blue longcoat, with a white lining and silver buttons. These are supposed to hang open. Uniforms generally have a patch to indicate the duty and unit of the wearer.{{book ref|sa2|2}} A proper salute is moving a hand to your breast.{{Book ref|sa2|75}}



== Military ==
=== Enlistment ===
Any man, lighteyed or darkeyed, can volunteer to join the military. Most of the volunteers are boys, their head full of ideas about glory and Shards. When needed, conscription can also used to gain more men.{{book ref|sa1|44}}

It is seen as a citylord’s duty to handpick men to conscript into the army. There are limitations to this system however, a citylord isn’t allowed to conscript someone who provides an essential service to the community, such as a surgeon. Recruits may bring two changes of clothing and three stoneweights of other possessions with them.{{book ref|sa1|44}}

Each enlistment lasts four years, after which a soldier can choose to enlist for another four years. Upon completion of his time in the army, he will receive a war bonus, equal to one tenth of his total wages. If a darkeyed soldier manages to distinguish himself and rise to a high rank, he could also rise in nahn.{{book ref|sa1|44}}

=== Command structure ===
==== Ranks ====
==== Squads ====

=== Equipment ===
==== Armor ====


==== Uniforms ====
When it rains soldiers may choose to wear a stormcoat over their uniform, and there are often umbrellas ready for officers.{{book ref|sa2|81}}

Messenger women often wear travelling dresses of a particular fashion. These dresses have the front and back slit open, all the way to the waist, to allow for greater mobility.{{book ref|sa2|76}} They also wear something called a runner’s sash.{{book ref|sa2|81}}
==== Weaponry ====

Shortspears and longspears.{{book ref|sa2|81}}
=== Tactics ===
The Alethi have a wide range of tactics.

Each highprince has his own martial philosophy, and their army has it’s own strength, with the [[Kholin Princedom|Kholin]] army having the best heavy infantry, the [[Roion Princedom|Roion]] army the best archers and the [[Sadeas Princedom|Sadeas]] army the fastest bridges.{{book ref|sa1|24}}

The Weeping is a common time for military campaigns.{{book ref|sa2|79}}

==== Formations ====
The Alethi make use of a wide variety of formations. They generally fight in a shield wall.{{book ref|sa1|65}} However, they also have many other formations. One such formation is called ‘pincer pattern’. This formation looks, as the name suggests, like a pincer, the formation is meant to distract and then destroy an enemy target. The troops at the side generally distract the target while the troops in the middle go for the kill. Pincer pattern is meant to be used by a large number of men, like a full squad.{{book ref|sa1|47}}

Another formation is called the trident formation, this is a small-squad battlefield formation used by spearmen. The men, or man, in the middle hold(s) the target’s attention while those on the outside attack from the flanks.{{book ref|sa2|32}}
==== Shardbearer tactics ====

==== Communication on the battlefield ====
On the battlefield, runners are used to give orders.{{book ref|sa1|65}} Many leaders give speeches to their troops, these speeches are then recorded by a number of scribes, who are always women, and repeated to the rest of the army.{{book ref|sa2|81}} When it is dark stormlight may also be used to give certain signals, such as the signal to attack.{{book ref|sa2|81}}

War banners are used to mark divisions, battalions and companies. This makes a battlefield easily surveyable for someone who understands the system.{{book ref|sa4|27}} Most highranking brightlord have their own personal glyphpair, which, like the name suggests, is usually made up of two glyphs.{{book ref|sa1|28}} These glyphpairs are often painted on war banners, which ensures that particular brightlords are easy to find on a battlefield.{{book ref|sa1|67}}

When the sound of battle is loud enough, a squadleader may decide to give his commands by banging his spear against his shield in a certain rhythm, with particular rhythms meaning particular commands.{{book ref|sa1|47}} Some troops, like a lighteyes’ personal guard, are trained to recognise certain arm gestures, which mean certain commands, such as to retreat.{{book ref|sa1|13}}{{book ref|sa1|28}}

==== Warcamps ====
How a warcamp is organised and run depends greatly on the highprince. Some camps are organised and patrolled while others are chaotic and almost lawless.{{book ref|sa2|5}} Proper Alethi warcamps are arranged neatly, with the barracks, which are placed in rows, arranged into radials, with a meeting ground and a mess hall at the center of each battalion.{{book ref|sa1|26}}

=== Training ===
The way soldiers are trained depends on the Princedom they’re from. In some princedoms it is seen as the squadleader’s or sergeant’s task to train new recruits.{{book ref|sa2|52}} The Alethi do make use of a number of drills to practice large scale warfare however.

==== Drills ====
The Alethi have a large number of drills to practice certain formations, movements and fighting in general.{{book ref|sa1|28}}

The ‘close order’ drill is a an essential exercise to an army’s performance, although few outside the military appreciate its importance. There is also a drill called the ‘extended order’ drill, sometimes called the ‘extended combat’ drill, this drill focuses on practicing formations and movements used on the battlefield.{{book ref|sa1|28}}

==== Punishments ====
The Alethi military also has a large number of punishments. Regular punishments, usually given by a squadleader, include menial duties and corporal punishment.{{book ref|sa3|91}}{{book ref|sa1|62}} A highprince can also choose to execute someone, or even leave them to the stormfather’s judgment, which includes tying them up and leaving them outside during a highstorm.{{book ref|sa1|34}}

==== Shardbearer training ====
The Alethi military also relies on trained [[Shardwielding|Shardbearers]] to aid their regular soldiers. Due to their militaristic society, and the large amount of Shards they have, the Alethi have become excellent at training Shardbearers.

In most cases, lighteyed boys of appropriate rank around the age of ten are chosen by an ardent swordmaster for training.{{book ref|sa2|16}} These boys typically already have at least some training with the sword. The swordmaster teaches them the ten [[Stances|Shardblade Stances]] and familiarity with their plate.{{book ref|sa2|44}} They train with Blades in two ways. If the trainee has no Blade of his own, they can make use of wooden practice swords that approximate the balance and weight of a real Blade. They may also borrow one of the King's Blades.{{book ref|sa2|16}} This tradition is one of the reasons the Alethi have the best trained Shardbearers on Roshar. Whenever a Shardbearer is killed or dies, there is always someone prepared to bond their Blade and use it right away. A swordmaster also coaches their student on how to control the Blade with their mind, commanding it to remain in place so it can be loaned to others.{{book ref|sa2|35}}

=== Codes ===

Latest revision as of 11:47, 26 May 2024

Hello everyone, I am Nightstar The Bright. I really enjoy reading Brandon Sanderson’s books, sometime after I read them all I began editing the Coppermind.

Notable pages I reworked

! The following text is a collection of the information about Alethkar!

Every city has a little huddle of buildings for caravaneers and the likes. Also large stormbunkers to house armies or multiple caravans.[1] many small villages have a central cistern to catch rain water and filter out the crem. Alethi is used widely throughout the eastern world to make the underscript of a book. Also, lots of Alethi epics, which are famous even outside Alethkar.[2]


- Slavery - A slaver must provide the reason someone was sold into slavery when he sells the slave, it is illegal to lie.[3]


———————————— This part is about Scadrian airships


Even low altitude much higher then a coinshot can reach.

  1. ↑ Oathbringer chapter 45#
  2. ↑ Oathbringer interlude I-2#
  3. ↑ The Way of Kings chapter 4#
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