Royal Army of Athinor

The Royal Army of Athinor comprises the armed infantry forces of the Kingdom of Athinor and is managed by the Chancery of War. At its head is the General of the Royal Army of Athinor, who directs the Royal Army as decided by the executive decisions and policies of the King and his War Council. The General is a military rank with a level of prestige similar to a Duke (who are often appointed to this position). The Royal Army is divided into a national administrative arm and separate regional infantry corps. Effectively, the Royal Army is comprised of infantry commanded by the leaders assigned by dukes from the various duchies, who are then headed and organised by the national administration lead by the General in battle.

National Administration
The administration of the Royal Army is commanded by the General. He is responsible for appointing administrators and secretarial staff, who are accorded with military ranks. These administrators operate from the base of operations of the Chancery of War in Ascendera, although the General seldom takes an active role in these tasks. The General's main office is only in Ascendera if he is accorded no other noble title; otherwise, he functions from the estate of his own land, having the administrative staff report their results to him periodically. The national administrative arm is not a separate entity, but merely the administration responsible for running the Royal Army of Athinor. Effectively, they are responsible for making the forces of Athinor as one cohesive army rather than a group of separate corps.

 The primary function of the national administration is to ensure that each Duke's regional corps are properly complying with the requirements set by the Chancery of War. This involves a process of inspection and auditing. It is done to create uniformity amongst the various regional corps, giving greater organisation to the Royal Army. Any identified and reported anomalies are brought to the direct notice of the Duke, who is required to rectify the issue. Refusal to comply is a direct insult to the King and punishable by imprisonment and the stripping of office and title.

During wartime deployment, the General and his administration are responsible for gathering and coordinating the regional corps into a cohesive Royal Army, which is then directed on the battlefield by the General. The General is a required to execute the battlefield commands issued by the King (or the King's military regent) and his Council. He commands the Lieutenant Generals, which are commissioned by the Dukes as the leaders of their regional infantry corps. The administration is also responsible for the strategic-scale logistics, such as distributing the armaments and rations amongst the soldiers.

It is important to note that during actual deployment, the national administration acts together with the regional corps, forming one combined entity that executes land-based battlefield operations, as opposed to a role in strictly overseeing the administrative matters. Therefore, it is correct to say that the national administrative arm only exists in times of peace, whereas it is otherwise an aspect of a single entity together with the soldiers themselves.

Regional Corps The main body of the Royal Army of Athinor is comprised of smaller infantry corps gathered in each region, who are gathered up in times of war to comprise the Royal Army itself. Each duchy is required to maintain its own fighting force, as per the requirements of the Chancery of War. Depending on the size and amount of a region's infantry corps, the Duke is required to assign Lieutenant Generals, one for each corps. He is eligible to keep the title himself or delegate it to a subordinate. Each Lieutenant General is directly answerable to the General, who oversees the management of the army as a whole, as well as the Duke who assigned him the role. The Duke is considered responsible for the personnel he appoints in the case of gross misconduct. In essence, a duke has the option, but is not mandated to serve in the Royal Army.

The structure within each corp is similar to that of the Royal Army as a whole, scaled down proportionally. Whereas the national administrative arm deals with the management of the various regional corps, the Lieutenant General of each corps is also required to staff his own administration. This administrative staff then governs the divisions within each corps, much like the national administration governs the corps within the army. This structure cascades down until the lowest level. The main difference is that the assignment of power that is accorded to the noble rank of Duke is not transferred by entitlement; the Lieutenant Generals beneath the Duke are responsible for the assignment of divisional Colonels, not the Marquis or Earls, despite the fact that these roles tend to coincide. Thus it is important to be clear that noble titles are a right of land and governance, not military authority.

During peacetime, the regional corps are required to be self-sufficient in upholding state policy. Their duties typically include defence of the region, training and further recruitment.

Recruitment
Other than the appointed officers, the majority of the army consists of soldiers. These are comprised of professional warriors that serve the King as well as commoners conscripted in times of need. The Royal Army formerly consisted only of men, but since the reign of the first Queen, women also joined their ranks. However, female soldiers can only voluntarily join as professional warriors, not conscripted against their will.

Each duchy is required by policy to have a standing army of a certain size, which is entirely consisted of drafted professionals. They are trained and maintained even during peacetime. Although varying between duchies, the professional soldiers are generally paid well, making it a lucrative position both in terms of financial wealth and social prestige. Service in the standing forces is thus considered a highly desirable position for those willing to suffer the risk. If the quota of soldiers cannot be met during peacetime, the compensation is sometimes increased to entice more applicants. Otherwise, in the event such a course of action is not practical, the recruitment office may be forced to conscript soldiers into mandatory service, although they are still given the full benefits of the position.

When the Royal Army is to be deployed by royal decree, each corps must fill a certain wartime quota that is based on the population of the state. This is achieved by the conscription of commoners into the army, although unlike the professional soldiers, the conscripted militia is not paid for their time. Any adult male is eligible for conscription, although since the eligible pool is typically larger than the required, the most fit candidates are selected through draft by the relevant authorities.

Equipment
The standard issue for the Royal Army are swords, lances and bows, depending on the type of division they are in. They are also given chain vests and other basic defensive armor and clothing. These are uniform across all soldiers, although they are free to use their own personal implements if preferred. Wealthier soldiers and officers tend to have their own weapons and armor crafted. Ranked officers are given decorated swords to show their standing.