Tactica Harmonia

[*Biohazard89]

Tactica Harmonia – The Harmonium Infantryman's Field Primer.


A sound mind seeks council whenever and wherever the oppertunity presents itself

The monumental task of bringing harmony to the multiverse means that we cannot always go about it peacefully, thus we need to prepare for the worst...War.
Forget all the stories you might have heard about war cutter, war is brutal, dirty, and will bring the worst out in those you think you know.
But in truth you never know someone completely until you have stared death in the eyes together and lived to tell the tale.

This Primer will hopefully make the burden a bit easier to bear.

Chapter 1: Morale

As a soldier you are expected to follow orders to the letter, this is pretty much a universal truth for any army. But to bring things in perspective you are just a part of a larger machine, and doing your part is not always enough.

You must look after your comrades aswell, it is both you duty as a soldier and as a comrade to ensure your fellow soldiers are fit and at ease, the worst thing that can happen in any army is when individual soldiers within your ranks snap because they cannot handle the pressure. This minute almost trivial looking thing can be the difference between a victory and a defeat.

Your superiors will ofcourse be vigilant for such signs of faltering morale, but they cannot be everywhere at once, you as a soldier on the ground see things that your superiors does not.

Things you can do to alleviate stress from your comrades:

Be Present:
As cliché as it sounds it does infact help your comrades to know that there is someone who cares or at least pretends to care. Your fellow soldiers will thank you in the long run and remember. The more of you that are alive the bigger your chance remain at surviving future battles.

Communicate:
It is important that everyone understands what each other are saying and meaning so there is no incidents on account of miscommunication, as those often lead to internal conflict and endanger the unity of the entire battallion you serve in. This goes both for the soldiers and the officers...ESPECIALLY the officers.

Relax and Recreate:
Whenever you have the chance, involve your fellow soldiers in activities that takes their minds from the coming battles, remember you are not machines no matter how much your superiors want you to be. You need rest and entertainment and distraction whenever you get the chance.

Chapter 2: Field Survival

Surviving is ofcourse one of your most important tasks, because what use are you if you are dead? There are many ways in which you can survive in the field for extended periods of time, and the enviroments you will be stationed in can vary a great deal.
From swamps to frozen tundras to humid jungles to baking hot deserts.

So here is a few pieces of advice on how to survive in different conditions.

Cold Weather Survival:

1: Stay WARM!: This cannot be stated enough. When sleeping bundle together and share body heat,dont sleep on bare ground, a simple cloak between you and the ground will do wonders to keep you warm.

2: Stay DRY!: The worst thing that can happen right after being cold is being wet and cold. Wet cloths and equipment will act as a conduit for the heat to dissapate from your body.

3: Remember to Eat: Your body works alot hard in cold weather and so you need to eat more then usual. Your superiors will most likely be aware of this but your rations will not always be enough. Even if its extra weight pack some more food if you can.

4: REST!: Just like it was stated above your body works alot more so you will get tired faster then usual. Remember to rest more often then you normally would.

Desert Survival:

1: Stay COOL!: Contrary to cold weather stay in the shade as much as possible. Overheating is dangerous as you in the end will start to hallucinate, and thus you become a danger to yourself and your comrades. So stay COOL!

2: Remember to Drink: Remember to drink more often then you normally would. If you feel thirsty its already too late and you need to rest. But keep in mind you can only carry so much water so keep an eye on how you have at all times.

3: Deserts are cold at Night: Contrary to what you might expect deserts are freezing cold during night, so follow the same advice as in the Cold weather Survival section.

4: Plants in the Desert: Some plants in a desert are good sources of water if you are running out. Cacti are one of them, they are these spiked tall plants that usually grow in solitude.

Wetlands Survival:

1: Stay DRY: Staying dry in a wetlands enviroment is very important, Dry your boots every night. Keep extra socks in your pack and change them often. You can dry your spare socks in your armpits beneath your uniform. The last thing you want is trench foot.

2: Boil your water: If you run out of rationed water in a wetlands area, and you need to refill your supplies...remember to boil the water before drinking it, as it will get rid of most diseases that might be in the water.

3: Watch out for Wildlife: In a Wetlands area you can be certain that the wildlife is in some way poisonous, so DO NOT approach them. Chase off the critters if they come near you, and for heavens sake DO NOT try to eat them, no matter how hungry you are.

Jungles apply under the same rules as Wetlands.

Chapter 3: Ranks of the Harmonium.

As you know there are ranks within an military organization such as ours, and with very good reason, because without a hierarchy everything would fall apart, the order and harmony we strive to achieve would be impossible because we would be in disarray.

Namers: While this is the bottom of the rank ladder, namers hold a very important task within our glorious crusade for multiversal harmony. Namers the hands, feet, weapons and the very extensions of a skilled notary and measure. Namers are in short the blood of the Harmonium.

Notaries: If namers are the blood of the Harmonium, notaries are the backbone. Veterans and sergeants who have done their time as namers and earned their promotion, these men and women are often very experienced in the tasks that they normally attend. Be it anything from leading by example from the front, to drilling the next batch of namers, to providing elite troops en a tight spot.
If you earn your notaries respect you are well on your way to becoming one of them yourself.

Measures: Measures are the leaders of platoons, the mid-level officers who oversee whole platoons or have been assigned to administrative duties and a myriad of other command related tasks. These are rarly seen directly on the frontlines but make no mistake, they are seasoned veterans who climbed the notary ladder before landing themselves a measure position.

Movers: These are the higher up the top level commanders. They are the ones with the grand overview and are everything from battallion captains to generals leading entire armies.
Very few ever reach this high in the Harmonium as it requires the very best of the best to achieve this level of command.

Factol: This rank is attained only by direct promotion from the former factol. If said factol is unable to promote on his own. Then a council of the Highest Movers will select one of their number to be the next Factol.

Chapter 4: Formations.

An army works best in formation, as silly as you might think it seems it WILL save your life and the life of those around you, and it will make the enemy lose theirs if you and your comrades do it properly.

Phalanx: A Phalanx is a combining two different infantry types into one unit. Heavily armored Sword and shield infantry form a pointed shield wall, Right behind the Shield bearer will be a Pike man, able to use the length of his weapon to strike over the shield bearer, thus presenting an almost impenentrable wall of spearpoints supported by a solid defense from the shield bearers. The Downside of this formation is that it is Slow, it requires extensive training and utmost disciplin to perform in a functional manner.

Shield Wall: Like the phalanx except without Pikemen, the Shield Wall formation is used only as a defensive measure, seeing as it is slow and not very good on the offensive. It is formed by each soldier locking their shields together side by side, and bracing for an oncoming charge.

Tortoise: The Tortoise Formation is the ultimate Defensive Formation, Utterly slow and supremely difficult to master, requiring both great stamina from the troops and excellent coordination and disciplin. Spear and shield infantry form a box formation. Then the Outer most troops lock their shields togehter forming a wall, this is done all around the box, Then the troops behind the outerwall put their shields over their heads, thus completely preventing damage from oncoming ranged weapons like Bolts and arrows. This formation is mainly used when assaulting fortified positions.

Screen: This formation is primarily used by skirmishers and light infantry, who's quick on their feet. It comprises that the unit is spaced out with at least five feet between each trooper, this makes it difficult to hit the unit with mass arrow volleys. Leaving it only minimally damaged if at all, however it is not meant for close combat and will almost instantly collapse should the unit in screen formation come under attack in close quarters.

Pincer: The Pincer Formation is one of the most difficult to master. Not because of its Shape but because it requires to correct timing to work. It is a Responsive Formation that your commander initiates when an enemy charge is heading towards you. Mere moments before the Charge would hit home, the troops will fan out to each side while the hindmost troops will pull back, Thus incircling the enemy unit. Once the enemy is sufficiently within the grasp of the Pincer formation, the call for a two pronged attack will be called, leaving the enemy surrounded and in disarray.

These formations are but a few but also the most common, there are many more that are specialized for more unique situations but your commanders will give you the instructions should the need for such arise.

Chapter 5: Factions.

The following Chapter will give you a give quick overview of the various factions in the cage, and what to expect from them.

Mercykillers: The Mercykillers are our allies and thus you should expect them to be helpful and cooperative. We are likewise expected to help them should their request be lawful and within your Jurisdiction.

Guvners: The Fraternity of Order or Guvners are like the Mercykillers our allies. These people are the ones handling all the legislative matters, aswell as ruling over court proceedures and acting as judges in most criminal cases. If they ask us to look into a matter make sure the paperworks in order. If its not then its most likely not a Guvner and the person should be arrested.

Society of Sensation: These people are a wildcard, but not neccessarily inclined to break the law. They mostly consist of pleasure seekers and daredevils looking for the next extreme experience. Except low possibility of Conflicts with these people.

Doomguards: The Sinkers are our direct opposition here in the cage and should be treated with suspicion at best. Expect a high probability of conflict with these people.

Signers: The Signers are a very special case. They firmly believe the multiverse is a figment of their imagination, and something they can just manipulate at a whim. They are usually not hostile but are utterly erratic and should be treated with suspicion.

Ciphers: The Ciphers are the least meddlesom of the factions truth be told, usually they are Monks or martial artists, striving to achieve perfection of mind and body. They are have a low Conflict possibility.

The Fated: The Takers are mostly unpleasent, but not hostile. They perform the distasteful function as city treasureres and taxmen. We enjoy a cold if cordial relationship with them so keep it civil.

The Bleak Cabal: The Bleakers are an odd bunch. Permanently depressed it would seem but rather harmless. They function as caretakers for the poor and destitute aswell as therapists for those too barmy to function properly.

The Free League: The indeps are not an actual Faction according to themselves. They are a troublemakers and conflict seekers, trying to stand up to the authorities. Like spoiled bratty children they complain and get in the way.

Dustmen: The Dustmen are morbid death fixated people devoid of passion and other lifelike qualities. They function as the undertakers of Cage and pose no serious problems for us. We usually leave them be.

Anarchists: The Anarchists are the bane of everything in Sigil. If someone is suspected of being an anarchist it is your duty to apprehend them and figure out if its true or not. Anarchists are to be Arrested on the sport if found out.


This concludes the field primer. May it be of use to you on the field soldier.

And as always remember that Harmony must be achieved...At any cost.


Written and Composed by Vale Reynolt

[*b00seven]

((dm's might want to sticky this somewhere?))

[*Selebius]

When this document makes its way on Hograth's desk he will make sure it is copied and added to the material used to indoctrinate and train new recruits.

Also he sends a small note:

To: Vale Reynolt, Notary 5 ((correct me if I got this wrong, Hograth would know))
From; Hograth Thorn, Mover 1

Notary,

good work on this primer. It is always good to the share experiences we had in the field and to let recruits learn from them so they can avoid some mistakes we made.

Your primer will be added to the educational materials used to prepare namers for their duty in Sigil and beyond.

Keep up the good work then I hope to greet you as a Measure soon.

Hograth Thorn, Mover I

<A seal looking like a dragon's claw and an arcane mark showing something similar>