Nyconian Vigilant By Imperator-Zor Watch

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Founded in 1337 BIA, the Protectorate was founded by a surviving Imperial Legion based out of Fort Nycon which defeated an upstart kingdom. It's legate had zero regard for the notion of hereditary offices and so organized a society similar to that of the fallen Imperium, but more marshal in nature. Few human cultures are as militarized as the Protectorate of Nycon. It's motto was Duty, Discipline, Vigilance and service to the state is held in the highest esteem. It has a two tiered standing army recruited from the general citizenry. While there is the elite volunteer Nyconian Legions every able bodied male citizen is required to own weapons and armor (which are provided for free of charge by the state in most cases) and his seventeenth birthday report for three years of active military service and remain in reserve until age 50. These soldiers are known as Vigilants.



While many cultures made use of conscription or mandate that all free men own and know how to use arms, the Vigilants are generally reckoned to be a cut above. While many of those other cultures have populaces who largely deem said laws to be a chore in times of peace and an unpleasant necessity in war in the Vigilant forces is considered to be the main divider between boyhood and manhood. Each vigilant has a uniform consisting of a red single breasted buttoned tunic with white trimming and a pair of hobnailed shoes. The armor issued is a simple apron with steel plates sewn in and a helmet, though soldiers are free to bring their own armor if it is of the same or higher quality. A few forgo armor if their job. Their are militias with comparable or higher average qualities of gear but what truly sets apart the Vigilant is that they are well drilled, remarkably professional, well disciplined and organized. Vigilants are generally trained by legionaries and led by Legionary NCOs. The average Vigilant is not a super soldier by any means and is generally seen as inferior to a full time volunteer soldier (such as those of the Torionese Royal Army or the Oestian Principalic Army) but he is a cut above feudal levies.



Traditionally the majority of the vigilant forces were halberdiers and crossbowmen with a few composite bow armed skirmishers thrown in. In recent centuries crossbows were supplemented with handgonnes, superseded by matchlocks and ultimately (along with halberds) replaced by Rifles. In recent years their armament is caplock screw breechloaders, most of which are either bought from Valnothron or Infrastructure. The native Nyconian firearms industry is reasonably well established but remains comparatively primitive and it costs nearly twice as much to make such a rifle locally as it does to import it.



As a general rule, the Protectorate of Nycon has 60,000 Vigilants and 20,000 Legionaries in service in peace time. However the true strength of the Vigilant forces is the fact that they can be rapidly expanded if pressed. In times of war the number of active Vigilants can easily be doubled by activating reservists and sometimes is further expanded, especially when on the defensive. Doing so for prolonged periods of time is very costly to the protectorate due to the costs of feeding all these troops and the opportunity cost of taking so many young men out of the workforce. Moreover doing so means that the ratio of experienced NCOs and officers to conscripts is further skewed which undermines the effectiveness of the army in general terms. Never the less the ability to muster such an army of generally competent infantry from such a comparatively small nation has been a critical factor in how such a comparatively small state has resisted Torionese expansion. The comparison between the Vigilants and the soldiers of the Infrastructural Army has not been lost.

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