Dominion Era/Tretallë (Military)
This page discusses a part of the lore of the Dominion Era Tretallë. If you are interested in seeing the Tabletop RPG stats associated with this race, visit: Tretallë (Stats).
| Dominion Era Tretallë | |
|---|---|
| Bone Elves | |
| Istfet, The Strangers, Invaders, Deathriders | |
 Imperial Standard of the Tretalleri Dominion | |
| Land of Origin | |
 | |
| Continent of Origin | Termalttë |
| Homeland | Teýrivellë |
| Capital | Ifatallë Cselvë |
| Racial Lore | |
| Language | Tretalleri |
| Characteristics | Tretallë (Characteristics) |
| Culture | Tretallë (Culture) |
| History | Dominion Era |
| Government | Tretallë (Government) |
| Military | Tretallë (Military) |
| Stats | Tretallë (Stats) |
| Racial Relations | |
| Allies | None |
| Enemies | Elledynnë |
| Neutrals | None |
The military discipline of the Tretallë is unmatched in the world of Sekhar. The indisputable masters of cavalry warfare, facing the Tretallë in open combat is a fool's errand, one certain to end in massacre. Though the resplendent reputation of the Tretalleri cavalry often overshadow its militia, the Tretallë are arguably just as deadly on foot as they are mounted.
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Favoured Weaponry
Because they are a people so viciously opposed to all things arcane, the weaponry of nearly all high-ranking officials of the Tretalleri military are crafted from a special metal called Elledtrillë, known in the Common Tongue as Star-steel. This metal is renowned the world over for its ability to dampen and nearly-nullify and magical effects that it comes into contact with. The customary full armour of the Pale Imperator is forged entirely of Elledtrillë, effectively rendering him immune to arcane magic. In addition to this, most if not all Tretallë possess some minor trinket or piece of armour made of this special metal, heightening their resistance to the arcane.
In therms of actual weaponry, the Tretallë foot-militia prefer to wield spears and shields. The cavalry, in contrast, prefer their wickedly sharp crescent-bladed swords made of ordinary steel alloyed with Elledtrillë along with their ordinary steel lances that are used and discarded after the first charge. Due, however, to the military expertise of the race, pikes and swords are not unheard of among the foot-soldiers.
As a result of the corrosive hatred that the Tretallë have for the High Elves, and no other races, High Elfin Tallbows are an object of loathing, especially if they possess silver trim. Tretalleri archers use longbows, but prefer crossbows, leaving long-range warfare in the hands of the more-than-capable siege weaponry that always accompany the Tretalleri legions.
Military Hierarchy
At the head of the Tretalleri military is none other than the Pale Imperator, though more often than not, his is simply the face of the military, with the Prince of Lances taking on the actual duties that are necessary for the command of the Tretalleri Military. Directly below the Prince of Lances, who rarely, if ever, rides into battle himself, is the Council of the Lords General, a council of high nobility military leaders who are distinguished from the rest of the force by their bone-tipped Elledtrillë spears with ivory hafts that generally serve the function of displaying rank rather than any practical purpose. The Lords General are also possessed of helmets adorned with seven raven feathers and the regnal symbol of the Pale Imperator if he is incumbent.
The Tretalleri military is divided into two, the bulk of the army which is known only as the Legion, the Darrassi, as well as the portion of the military dedicated to conquest, the Fleet of Bones, the Erelitallë. These two branches of the Tretalleri military might are led by the Grand Lancers and the Grand Admirals respectively.
From this, the military hierarchy of the Tretallë returns to uniformity, with the next lowest officer to the Grand Lancers and Grand Admirals being the Trevessi, the commanders. These commanders head the Myriads, groups of five or more Charges. These Charges are led by Sergeants, Trevissi wand are comprised of 5-10 Flags which are in turn under the command of Flag-Lieutenants. These flags are the smallest unit of the Tretalleri military, comprised of 20-50 men at most.
While the commands of the highest ranking officer on the battlefield are mostly binding, any ranking official of the military may, during the heat of battle, especially in crises situations, decide to take a drastically different plan of action based upon the legal doctrine of Necessary Insubordination. Whether or not this ranking official takes is penalized is dependent on the consequences of the Necessary Insubordination. That is, so long as it does not prove to be destructive to the original plan, and so long as it does not cause any unreasonable loss of life, the ranking official that is to blame for the Necessary Insubordination shall not face a year of punishment with only necessary respite for every man in the officer's charge that paid the ultimate price.
Separate from the ranks of subordinates to the Prince of Lances are the Irrë and the Orrë, the eyes and ears of the Prince of Lances and the Council of the Lords General. They are a network of informants that are in charge for providing intelligence about the state of affairs in the many war camps that the Dominion has strewn about its purview. In addition, they are charged with informing the higher officials of any unrest or disciplinary infractions that occur within the ranks. They are trained meticulously for the work that they do and often perform their duties so fast that any offence is very promptly handled.
The Deathriders
The Deathriders are the pride and joy of the Tretalleri military. Though they are vastly intimidating on foot, their name hails from their ancient roots as an elite cavalry unit from a time when the Tretallë were yet to be united under the banner of the Dominion and the sovereignty of the Pale Imperator. It was during these days that the elite cavalry of the Kingship of the Bone Trees were given the name of "Deathriders" by the neighbouring city-states, and since then, the name has stuck.
The Deathriders are armed not only with their terrifying, screaming blades forged with Elledtrillë edges but also their unflinching steeds. Their vicious training enables not only them, but also their horses, to shrug off most non-lethal blows. They are beasts upon the battlefield, unmatched by none of the existing mounted forces during the reign of the Dominion. In fact, they are capapble of running down entire armies with their wicked weapons.
The training to become a part of the Deathrider elite, however, is no easy task. It is no secret that not just anyone can be a part of this proud unit as the training required runs long and often bloody. Only the most dedicated of existing cavalrymen are even offered the chance to take part in the requisite training to become a Deathrider. This training is without doubt brutal and unfortunately, lethal, at times.
The Dragon-blooded
Called {{#ipa-tre:Khirilacrë|/xɪ.ɾɪ.ˈlæs.ɾɛ/}} in Tretalleri, and the Dragon-blooded in the Common Tongue, they are the pinnacle of achievement in Deathrider training. Their warhorses are replaced, in rather brutal fashion, with the most docile and most vicious of Drakes that can be bred from the Grand Drakes captured from the Shrouded Peaks.
Some of the Deathrider elite would consider becoming Khirilacrë an abominable and cursed things, but it is often these that are denied the chance to ascend to begin with. Because the bond between warhorse and rider is ingrained so deeply in the Deathriders, the act of butchering one's horse to feed to the hatchling one is given to become Khirilacrë is, to many, a violation of this most sacred pact between beast and man.
Conquest
The Tretallë are indisputably the masters of conquest and the mightiest empire that the world of Sekhar has ever seen in its recorded history. Though their martial prowess is nigh impossible to surpass, due to the fact that they are driven by what they take to be a divine imperative to spread the Dominion across the land, as opposed to bloodthirsty conquest, the Tretallë are also blessed with wisdom uncommon to most imperial races: that is, that the only reason that conquered peoples would remain within the purview of an empire and not revolt against it would be that they found being within the empire more advantageous than being without whilst still maintaining some modicum of control over their lives and their governance.
