Difference between revisions of "Alethkar"

=== BordersTerritories and TerritoriesFeatures ===

ItAt hasthe tail end of the [[Era of Solitude]], Alethkar is the largest state on Roshar, covering an area around 7,134,000 km².{{17s ref|blog|634-roshar-physical-characteristics-and-areas|text=Roshar Physical Characteristics And Areas|date=2018-08-30|name=RosharAreas}}

==== InteriorGeographic Features ====

At the tail end of the [[Era of Solitude]], Alethkar is the largest state on Roshar, covering around seven million square kilometers of land.{{ref|name=RosharAreas}} Despite the fact that it is far more exposed to the [[highstorm]]s than any country further West, large swathes of it are lush with animals and vegetation.{{book ref|sa3|5}} It has numerous rivers crossing it, the two major ones being [[Windrunner River|Windrunner]] and [[Deathbend River|Deathbend]]. The Windrunner River runs East to West, from the Unclaimed Hills to the Bay of Elibath, and has numerous tributaries across the northern half of the country. The Deathbend River likewise starts in the Unclaimed Hills, though it turns South, ultimately ending in the Mevan Bay, with one of its major tributaries being an enormous lake called the [[Sea of Spears]]. The North and South of Alethkar are divided by a long, cross-shaped masiff called the [[Sunmaker Mountains]].{{map ref|Alethkar}}

Wealthy lighteyes tend to have their bodies soulcast into stone or metal statues.{{book ref|sa1|41}}{{book ref|sa2|2}}{{book ref|sa3|29}}{{book ref|sa4|114}} They are positioned by mortuary sculptors before being soulcast into stone, leaving them suitable for display.{{book ref|sa3|105}}

The Alethi military is complex and contains many ranks. The figure to the right shows some of the ranks and gives some information about them. Besides these, there are a few extra ranks or duties. One such rank is highmarshal. It is unknown what the position of highmarshal entails, but it is a high rank, and most highmarshals command a large force of soldiers practically by themselves.{{book ref|sa1|47}} Some officers are responsible for a branch of the army, such as the infantry or cavalry, these officers are referred to by their duties, along with the suffix -lord (e.g. cavalrylord, infantrylord).{{book ref|sa1|26}} Besides these ranks, some officers gain command of certain parts of the army (e.g. the rearguard). These officers are referred to as ‘commander of the … (part of the army)’ (e.g. commander of the rearguard).{{book ref|sa1|68}} It is not known whether this is a rank or a duty. It is extremely rare for a darkeyed soldier to rise higher than the rank of squadleader.{{book ref|sa1|47}}

Although uniforms differ between princedoms and even armies, most Alethi wear something very similar. Uniforms are usually coloured with the colours of their wearer’s highprince.{{book ref|sa1|46}}{{book ref|sa1|58}}{{book ref|sa3|116}}

Uniforms are generally comprised of stiff trousers, a jacket, which often comes down to the waist and sometimes buttons closed beneath the belt, a shirt and boots.{{book ref|sa2|2}}{{book ref|sa3|59}} Some traditional generals still outfit their soldiers with [[takama]]s instead of trousers.{{book ref|sa2|52}} Uniforms, both the ones owned common soldiers and the ones owned by high ranking lighteyed officers, always have a patch to indicate the duty and unit of the wearer.{{book ref|sa2|2}} Uniforms also always have their Highprince’s glyphpair displayed prominently, both on the back and the breast.{{book ref|sa1|18}} Some men choose to further personalize their uniforms by adding embrodiery or colourful scarfs.{{book ref|sa2|44}} 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}}

An officer’s uniform is usually comprised of a waistcoat and a double breasted longcoat, sometimes decorated with precious metals, although never with embroidery. These longcoats, called officer’s coats, are approximately waistlength and are supposed to hang unbuttoned.{{book ref|sa1|22}}{{book ref|sa2|2}} Recruits wear a patch, appropriately called a recruit’s patch, to signify their rank.{{book ref|sa2|24}} Army surgeons wear white clothing.{{book ref|sa1|47}} 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, and likely messenger boys as well, also wear something called a runner’s sash.{{book ref|sa2|81}}

Regular spearmen wear special knee-length skirts, which are appropriately named spearmen skirts.{{book ref|sa1|1}} It is forbidden for spearmen, even squadleaders, to wear trousers, although this rule isn’t taken very serious; respected soldiers won’t get into trouble for breaking it.{{book ref|sa1|47}} TheyRegular alsospearmen wear leathersteel capsbreastplates, which have emblems on them, and leather jerkins, they also don’t seem to wear any arm or leg guards.{{book ref|sa1|1}} Besides these armor pieces they also wear steel, or sometimes leather, caps.{{book ref|sa1|1}}{{book ref|sa4|108}} Wealthier soldiers, or those in professional armies, may also wear proper steel breastplates, steel caps and chainmail.{{book ref|sa2|2}} Archers generally wear leather vests,{{book ref|sa1|57}} while heavy infantry wears thick steel armour.{{book ref|sa1|4}}

Wealthy lighteyes often wear steel plate armour. At least some lighteyes decorate their plate armour to resemble Shardplate. Some lighteyes prefer helms with open visors to helms with closed visors.{{book ref|sa3|3}} Some lighteyed soldiers also decorate their helmets with bird plumes.{{book ref|sa3|11}} Many lighteyes wear breakaway, so that if an enemy grips the garment it breaks away from the armour, cloaks or capes, which are often emblazoned with their house’s glyphpair.{{book ref|sa2|56}}{{book ref|sa3|3}} High ranking Brightlords may sometimes have a shieldbearer with them.{{book ref|sa1|24}} The Alethi also have access to a number of sets of [[Shardplate]]. While the natural color of dead Shardplate is slate-grey,{{book ref|sa1|12}} it is extremely common among the Alethi to change the appearance of one's Shardplate by painting it or adorning it with decorative details or even gemstones.{{book ref|sa1|12}}

Most of the Alethi soldiers are equipped with spears, both longspears and sometimes shortspears,{{book ref|sa2|81}} and shields.{{book ref|sa1|47}} The Alethi also use maces,{{book ref|sa2|6}} polearms, pikes and halberds.{{book ref|sa3|11}}{{book ref|sa3|73}}{{book ref|sa4|77}} PikesSpears are oftengenerally used alongside large round shields, which have a metal plate set into the wood.{{book ref|sa1|1}} Instead of round shields, pikes are used alongside large rectangular shields.{{book ref|sa3|73}} The round shields used by spearmen are designed to hang from someone’s back, shields are also painted to indicate one’s loyalty, this allows the soldiers to distinguish between friends and foes. Some soldiers strap knife sheaths to the haft of their spear.{{book ref|sa1|1}} The Alethi also use truncheons when they don’t want to kill.{{book ref|sa3|73}} The Alethi are skilled in the use of bows, of which most are shortbows. Despite this, longbows are also used.{{book ref|sa3|3}} Most soldiers can’t choose what weapons to wield themselves; their weapons depend on their position in the army (e.g. spears for spearmen and bows for archers). Some higher ranking soldiers however, like squadleaders, are allowed to choose weapons.{{book ref|sa1|47}}

Only lighteyes wield swords, although almost never as primary weapons, because according to Vorin traditions the sword is a lighteyed's weapon.{{book ref|sa1|prologue}} These swords include both longswords and shortswords.{{book ref|sa4|35}} One handed swords are often wielded with small round shields.{{book ref|sa3|73}} Alethi heavy infantry, which always consists of lighteyed men, carries heavy and impact based weapons such as maces, they also often carry square steel shields.{{book ref|sa1|6}} Due to Vorin cultural ideas women can’t be armed, even scouts are only allowed to wear knives.{{book ref|sa3|70}} The Alethi also have a number of [[Shardblade]]s, around twenty, these blades are used effectively in combat.{{book ref|sa1|56}}

The Alethi Military has a lot of soldiers, approximately a hundred fifty thousand troops.{{book ref|sa1|22}} Most of these troops are darkeyed spearmen, with a smaller percentage of lighteyed heavy infantry and archers.{{book ref|sa1|6}}{{book ref|sa3|26}} At the tail end of the Era of Solitude Alethi warfare started to include more and more cavalry,{{book ref|sa3|73}} an army in the year 1145 would have about fifty horsemen,{{book ref|sa3|26}} if not less, while an army in 1173 would have several hundred horsemen.{{book ref|sa3|6}} The Alethi armies aren’t entirely made up of Alethi, they also contain people from different nations, such as Herdaz,{{book ref|sa2|22}} and Jah Keved.{{book ref|sa1|1}} The Alethi also employ many army surgeons, their apprentices are almost all men who have some incapacitation, preventing them from fighting.{{book ref|sa1|47}} Following the start of the True Desolation, the Alethi armies began employing [[Surge|surgebinders]] to aid in their war efforts.{{book ref|sa4|64}} Foremost among these surgebinders are those of the [[Order of Windrunners]]. Besides the Windrunners the Alethi employ a large number of [[Order of Edgedancers|Edgedancers]], with a smaller number of [[Order of Lightweavers|Lightweavers]].{{book ref|sa4|3}}{{book ref|sa4|20}}

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 or company.{{book ref|sa1|47}} Soldiers are also trained to assemble and function in pike blocks to counter heavy cavalry.{{book ref|sa3|73}} Another, unnamed, formation has the men spread out, the first line holds their spears low while the second line holds their spears higher in an overhand grip.{{book ref|sa3|29}}

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}} ThereSquads are trained to fight in a V formation, they also learn a number of marching formations, one of these formations is the hefty rearguard formation, which focuses on the rearguard to prevent enemies from sneaking up on the troops.{{book ref|sa1|1}}{{book ref|sa3|29}} There are also a number of formations that aren’t used on the battlefield. One such formation is used during an inspection, the men will stand in lines while the officer(s) check(s) their gear.{{book ref|sa3|78}}

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 high ranking brightlords 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}} A red banner, which is usually attached to a spear or pole, serves as a call to the runners to carry the wounded off the field.{{book ref|sa1|1}} There is a symbol, which every Alethi recognises, to indicate a truce.{{book ref|sa3|76}}

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}} Alethi warcamps are generally circular, with the camp followers in a ring on the outside, the mercenaries, if there are any, in a ring next to them, the citizen soldiers in the middle and the lighteyes in the very center.{{book ref|sa1|4}} Inside these rings the barracks, which are placed in rows, are arranged into circular patterns, with a meeting ground and a mess hall at the center of each battalion.{{book ref|sa1|26}} Barracks are often painted with the symbols of the platoons using them.{{book ref|sa2|2}} Some warcamps Janehave wooden scouting towers, these towers are designed to be portable and mobile.{{book ref|sa3|26}} Many warcamps have a market, which is located in the camp followers' part of the camp. Most warcamps also have a number of barracks that allow for families, or married soldiers can rent a place in the market.{{book ref|sa2|46}}

The way soldiers are trained depends on the Princedomprincedom they’re from. In at least some princedoms it is seen as the squadleader’s or sergeant’s task to train new recruits.{{book ref|sa2|52}}In Thethe Alethi[[Sadeas doprincedom]], makesquadleaders useare ofgiven asix number of drillsweeks to practicetrain largea scalenew formationscohort and movementsof howeverrecruits.{{book ref|sa1|49}} The Alethi are excellent soldiers, each individual is far better at single combat then any given Azish or Veden soldier. Besides their skill in combat, soldiers are usually trained in one or two additional skills, e.g. horse grooms.{{book ref|twok|28}} Soldiers are also trained to give a proper salute, which includes moving a hand to your breast.{{Book ref|sa2|75}}

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}}

* Alethi farmers sell their grain to merchants for unfairly cheap, who then bring it to cities at an immense markup. (SA1-27) [Probably in the economy section]