Brother Godfrey on the Rocarian Army.

 In discussing the Rocarian army, we must first look at the reasons which drive the men of Rocaria to the fields of honor. They are not an overly bellicose people, yet they seem to be at odds with one another constantly over land, politics, or wealth, as there is an abundance of sin in the kingdom which draws mens' souls toward the worst and most reprehensible sorts of wickedness like flies to dung. However, there have been just wars fought in the name of religion by the warrior-monks known as the Knights of Saint Talonia of Metz, and may these brave men save our souls through the eradication of sin.

The noblemen of Rocaria are required to provide a fighting force for the King for up to forty days out of the year in exchange for his highness' protection, and the wealthier ones will undoubtedly equip their warriors in better fashion than their poorer counterparts. Since the blacksmiths of Rocaria are possessed of such talent as the world has never seen, they can create many weapons of great quality. Quite a variety of these will you find amongst the warriors. The knights will be equipped in the most lavish fashion, wearing coats of mail and helmets, often covering themselves from head to toe in metal rings. Most will wear some sort of helmet which covers the full face, though some still wear the older style of helmet with no covering for the face. In either case, they will always take the field with a lance or longspear, and with swords, maces, axes, or javelins. The latter are especially popular with the knights of the Grand Duchy of Rhosmawr, who often throw them before charging.

In reference to the infantry, they are armored in a somewhat haphazard manner, some with a jacket of chain mail and a large helmet, others with leather jackets and brigantines, but most with little more than the clothes on their backs. Their weapons are as varied as their armor, being a combination of swords, spears, and axes of varying styles. The common thing with all Rocarian men-at-arms is the shield, for this is crucial to their manner of warfare, as we shall see. The bow is a popular weapon among the poorer men, and crossbows are becoming increasingly common due to their ease of use and decreasing cost. At this point, the style is for Westerners to be better armored and wear conical helmets, also to carry tear-drop-shaped shields. The Men of the Grand Duchy, on the other hand, are lighter armored and carry slightly smaller, round shields, as befits their history of fighting in mobile fashion in the hilly terrain of their homeland.

As to the manner of battle, the infantry is the crucial arm. They draw up shoulder-to-shoulder in a thin and wide line, and lock their shields together in a nigh-unstoppable "wall". The archers tend to cluster behind their braver counterparts and lob arrows over the shieldwall. Once the men of the shieldwall are in place, they do not like to move at all, preferring sturdiness to maneuverability. Once the shieldwall is broken or outmaneuvered, they tend to be picked apart by cavalry, as by those of King Cunobelinos of the River Clans at the battle of Bluemoors(532); or by more organized foes, as by the dismounted knights of Grensmark at the battle of Kaltenheim(599).

The knights and nobles fight mounted, unless it is wholly impractical to do so. They form up in a single rank and charge at a gallop, wildly and impetuously riding down their foes. There are stories of Rocarian knights crashing into trees in their enthusiasm when they are taken with the joy of battle, though I doubt such foolishness. Some, like those of Rhosmawr, will throw javelins and spears before they charge. They use their lances couched underarm or over their heads, but the impact of their charge is the same regardless. They like to be first to fight, as befits their status, and this often leads to hot-headedness, charging ahead of the infantry regardless of tactical considerations. In these cases, their unquenchable bravery is their greatest weapon, as the infantry are usually too far behind to provide any meaningful support if passion gets the better of their common sense!

When the men of Rocaria go to battle, they divide all their warriors into wings or lines: A left, right, and center; or a vanguard, main, and rearguard. Sometimes a small group will be kept as a reserve or guard for the army's supplies. Each is led by a lord or great knight. In any case, the wings will be drawn up with the cavalry in the front or on one flank.

It should be noted that the Brethren of the Ordo Talonius mentioned above fight in the same manner as their secular counterparts, only they are fanatically brave, and the brethren have taken vows to fight to the last man, regardless of the odds stacked against them.

A Map of the Kingdom of Rocaria

The Otterbach Map.

This is a copy of the map from Hieronymus Otterbach's later edition of A History Of The Rocarian People, published some five centuries after the original was written by Brother Godfrey. It is not as complete as it could be, featuring only the major political and religious centers, but as Otterbach was a military historian, I felt it was the most appropriate for our purposes. It depicts the Kingdom during the reign of King Bohemund IV.

Off to a Smashing Start...

It seems that things are off to a great start for the Kingdom of Rocaria and its neighbors, my pseudo-medieval imagi-nation. All of the players are here: Knights in mail, cataphracts, horse archers, germanic "barbarians" (Not that I'd ever say it to their faces), religious orders and a fanatic church, wealth, power politics, duplicitous dealings, and even the odd old man in robes, prophesying doom and gloom while secretly working to avoid it...

The Gents and I played a test game on 23 April, using a Feudal Rocarian Army and a sort of conglomerate cavalry-heavy force loosely representing one of its neighbors, the Inusian Empire. We used unpainted miniatures, as that's all I've got right now, which were based in the standard 4-3-2 scheme for those other rules, and we played a modified version of Father Aelred Glidden's Ancients Rules, thoughtfully provided by the Jackson Gamers (See their blog and website. Seriously. Jay Stribling's Battle Reports are properly entertaining, make no mistake!). It was a narrow Rocarian victory...

What followed was an unmitigated success! We determined what we liked about he rules, what needed to be changed, and how to change it. The Morale Rules needed an overhaul, as well as adding rules to cover weapon types, formations(Line, Column, Wedge, Shieldwall, etc.), and troop grading (Better, more experienced warriors vs. Those who are less so). I, for one, feel the rules are the best we've come across yet, and they can only get better from here.

Now it's time for me to paint a Ton of figures and grab a few odds and sods to finish out an army or two. The next post should be a full battle report with pictures of nicely-painted chappies and Brother Godfrey's learned (-sounding) narrative...

To Battle!
Nate

The Roll Of Arms Of The Rocarian Empire(A work in progress)

I found this bit of moldy parchment, written in the hand of Brother Godfrey himself. Here is the first part thereof. I will add to this record as I discover more rolls of arms.

I have endeavored to record the heraldry of the sovereign Kings and Crown Princes of the Vermandois Dynasty, from the first, unto the current monarch, His Highness King Bohemund IV. in order that memories of their past and present glories will inspire those who succeed them.

Duke Roger de Vermandois.
 The most powerful of the family. He asserted his primacy after the last Bouregaise King, Guillaume II, died without issue. Duke Roger defeated the rival claimant, Georg von Valkenburg, at the battle of the Green River in early March 594, and marched to Paulinopolis, where his holiness, High Patriarch Uriens, crowned him King.

Per Pale Gules et Vert.

King Roger V.
After his victory at the Green River, the newly crowned King Roger added three crowns to his coat-of-arms, symbolizing his new reign over the three Rocarian peoples, which lasted until his death at the ripe age of fifty-one, in the year 611.



Per Pale Gules et Vert, Three Crowns in Chief Or.

Prince Tancred de Vermandois.
The first son of King Roger V, the Crown Prince was handsome, intelligent, and ambitious. He was also brooding and paranoid. However, it was not his father's enemies, the Valkenburgs, who laid him low, but the tusks of a wild boar. He died in 601 at twenty-one, before his arranged marriage to Alys, daughter of Lord Bedwyr of Selkirk, could take place.

Per Pale Gules et Vert, A Crown in Chief Argent.

Prince Lancelin de Vermandois.
The second son of King Roger V. After his brother's untimely death, he became Crown Prince, a responsibility the artistically and romantically-inclined fifteen-year-old did not want. The Dragon was added to his father's arms in reference to the comet which flashed across the sky on the chilly November night his rebellious middle child was born.

Per Pale Gules et Vert, A Dragon Rampant Sinister Or.

King Lancelin I.
Upon his coronation in 611 at age twenty-five, His highness added a single crown to his arms, to symbolize his desire for all the duchies to be united in peace. This rankled some of his father's followers, chief among them Duke Robert of Marechal, who still clung to the elitist attitudes of  the Western Rocarians. His Highness' dream did not come true, as he perished in battle while putting down an uprising by Duke Otto of Grensmark, a mere fourteen years after his coronation.

Per Pale Gules et Vert, A Dragon Rampant Sinister Or, a Crown in Chief Or.

Prince Roger de Vermandois.
Upon his coronation, His Highness King Lancelin held a great hunt, and a celebratory feast. The Prince, it is said, was conceived the night after the hunting trip. Given the tendency of the Rocarian Kings to flaunt their virility, It was only appropriate for His Highness to add a fur to his first son's arms, in celebration of the hunt.


Per Pale Gules et Vert, A Chief Ermine.


King Roger VI.
Thrust into the throne as a minor, His Highness King Roger VI ruled by regency of his Uncle, Parzifal Goldpalm, Lord of Tramsberg Castle. Both the new king and his uncle were subject to numerous assassination attempts during the four years of his minority. His Highness added the Sword and Crown upon his coronation in 629, to symbolize his incredible survival.

Per Pale Gules et Vert, A Chief Ermine, Sinister A Sword Or, Dexter A Crown Or.




Prince Roger de Vermandois.
The Prince vehemently objected to the marriage of his sister Regina to The Prince's childhood rival, Lord Llewelyn of Mandrogar, son of Grand Duke Gawain Bentback of Rhosmawr. His Highness made the mistake of informing his royal father of this. After the violent argument, he promptly changed his arms to include black fur, in reference to the black fur that Regina had worn the day she was given to her Husband.

Per Pale Gules et Vert, A Chief Ermines.


King Roger VII("The Short").
 His Royal Father having journeyed to the afterlife in 652, Roger "The Younger" took the throne and began his rather brutal reign. His Highness was killed in battle after the (inevitable) Baronial Uprising of July 667, leaving his Infant Son, Prince Bohemund, with the Throne.


Per Pale Gules et Vert, A Chief Ermines, Two crowns in Fess Or.


King Bohemund IV("Ironheart").
When his Highness was but an infant, his Uncle, Sir Gerard Greenshanks, rescued him from an attempt to kidnap him by his Uncle Hugh de Vermandois, in the power struggle following the uprising of 667. He added the black band to his father's arms upon his coronation.


Per Pale Gules et Vert, A Chief Ermines, A Fess Sable Two Crowns Or.

Prince Guy de Vermandois.
His Highness King Bohemund did not want his Son's arms to bear the marks of past sorrows, so he added a simple star to the arms of the first Vermandois King. His son's reign, His Highness vowed, would be the dawn of peace after generations of war. This, history has yet to see.


Per Pale Gules et Vert, An Estoile in Chief Argent.

 Bishop Gerard of Othinar, Grand Master of The Ordo Talonius.
Upon His Highness' rescue from the clutches of his grasping and treacherous cousins, King Bohemund's Uncle, Sir Gerard was rewarded by elevation to the status of Grand Master of The Knights of Saint Talonia of Metz, The Church of Vengar's Knights. The post had recently been left vacant upon the death of Grand Master Adolf in 668. Gerard is a fiery and devoted man, and gives his entire life to the service of Church and Realm.

Champagne Argent et Sable, A Cross Maltese in Chief Sanguine.

A History of the Rocarian People, Part I: The Empire. (With Apologies to Galfridus Monemutensis)

In publishing these accounts, I certainly will not attempt to recreate the work of the great Rocarian Chronicler of the time, a mysterious monk known only as Brother Godfrey of Metz, whose stunning narrative and even-handed approach to history easily surpasses all of his contemporaries. However, I will attempt to provide, in these posts, a glimpse into the Rocarian world, and the lives of the great men--and great women--who made it what it once was. I shall endeavour to make use of what new source materials come to me through my continued research, and I certainly hope, dear reader, that you will enjoy this account of the Rocarian Empire at its zenith.

Here follows my translation of the work of said monk. I only pray I have done it justice.

I, Brother Godfrey of Metz, scribe to Bishop Gerard of Othinar, shall now describe to you the empire in which we live. This is done at the behest of His sovereign majesty King Bohemund, the fourth so named, but by the decision of the holy bishop. It is to His Majesty that I dedicate this and the larger work into which it shall be included.

The Rocarian Empire, as it stands in this day, stretches for five hundred miles in length from the Vetland Sea in the North to the Southern range of The Llandos Mountains in the South, and for two thousand miles in breadth from the Llandos Mountains in the East to the Endless Ocean to the West. It is rich in all things which are necessary for men to thrive. Its plains and grasslands are full of tillable land and fertile soil, perfect for growing and grazing alike. Its majestic mountains and windswept foothills yield minerals and ore--not in plenty, but sufficient to provide for the needs of men. Its rivers are full of fish. Its dark forests, while full of wolves, bandits, and Vengar alone knows what else, are full of deer and other game, and yield fantastic amounts of timber, and even the odd bit of fruit.

The Rocarian Empire is peopled by three groups: The High Rocarians who populate the area from the Endless Ocean to the Green River, the Low Rocarians who inhabit the lands from the Green to the (name), and the distinctly different East Rocarians, whose kingdom, Rhosmawr, was added to the Empire by virtue of its strength in arms and justness of cause (So much for "even-handedness!"). Each of these peoples possesses their own dialect of Rocarian. The High Rocarians speak the dialect known as Othinarian, and the Low Rocarians speak a dialect known as Badens. The Easterners, on the other hand, speak a barbaric, yet strikingly musical, bastard dialect of Low Rocarian and their own ancient tongue.

The peoples are mostly united in religion, as most follow the one true faith of Vengar the Cosmic Blacksmith. There is a great community of monasteries scattered around the Kingdom. The Brethren are in charge of spreading the faith to the rest of the people, and overseeing the burgeoning wealth of the church. However, some places in East Rocaria are still taken to backsliding into their ancient tribal forms of worship, so the Brothers have quite a task ahead of them, keeping the souls of the heathens out of jeopardy.

It should be mentioned early on that the Eastern Rocarians, the men who inhabit the Grand Duchy of Rhosmawr, despite the seemingly disparaging nature of my words, are not altogether backward. They are fanatically brave when roused to action, forthright in their dealings, and productive, given to mining well the tin and copper which exists in abundance in the southern reaches of their hilly homeland. Furthermore, though it was not without great bloodshed and sorrow that they finally submitted to rule by the Rocarian crown, they have done so with all of the grace of a proud people.

 In the past, the Kings of Rocaria were not actually kings, but a confederation of tribal rulers, who warred with each other for centuries until raising themselves from their backwardness. They did so by crowning the first Rocarian King. He was a -

(fragment of unknown size missing)

- crown is the same one worn by the kings of Rocaria today, generations later. He and his successors turned the tribal lands into the duchies we know today. They were named for the eight clans who ruled them - I will translate them from the ancient tongues: Othinar, Valtimon, Argote, Beaumonte, Marechal, Valkenburg, Baden, and Grensmark. It is these, and the realm to the East, which we will discuss in the next chapter.