Ch9.1: Intel Handbook V1
Below is info regarding the Gate World. All info present is taken from operatives behind enemy lines, intelligence collected in the field, and interrogations from prisoners/high-ranking individuals. Subject to changes and updates.
General: Basic knowledge of the world beyond the Gate
Region X: The colloquial term for the world that lies beyond the Gate. Presence of multiple continents are confirmed but the exact number is currently unknown as they're irrelevant to the current campaign.
Time system: Similar to Earth's own, with 25 hours in a day, 8 days in a week, 13 months and 396 days in a year. Days of the week are Pokius, Fo, Vicius, Frotius, Ats, Syhr, Striht, & Gri in that order. Months are Flytuns, Bledelst, Flakius, Quorst, Flumod, Pupicus, Vlaterk, Jafuht, Rapun, Veimm, Crilo, Vleil, Prask
Estran: The main continent of focus for the campaign. An east-west lying continent similarly sized to Eurasia, and oriented similar to Europe, measuring a longitudinal length of 11,000km and latitudinal length of 7000km.
Valerian Empire: Also simply known as the Empire, they're the faction responsible for the Central Square Massacre and the main faction we're at war with. As the Imperium dominatus, they've ruled unopposed for over a thousand years, constantly expanding through conquest. The so-called "Valerian Dream" is to rule over the entire of continent of Estran, & they're close to achieving that goal. With 9000km of the continent already under their control they're well on their way toward total domination. They have a saying: "Every man a legionary;" we can assume this means that every male citizen has at least some degree of training. They also have direct control over 30 vassal kingdoms, who provide tribute, supplies, and army conscripts.
Valerian Flag: A purple background bordered in gold with a red cross in the center, as well as a golden dragon in the center. Four golden dragon wings radiate diagonally from the center-point
Individuals: Those deemed vital to the inner workings of the Empire
Titus Maximus Augustus: The Emperor of the Valerian Empire, and the individual directly responsible for ordering the attack on Central Square. Cruel, ambitious, and paranoid, he'll do anything to stay in power… Essentially a dictator with the ruthlessness & efficiency of Joseph Stalin and the zealous fanaticism of Adolf Hitler.
Caecius Atius del Ceasar: The eldest son of Gallio's first wife and the Crown Prince. Hedonistic, narcissistic, ruthless, naïve, impulsive, prone to rash outbursts of violence, an incompetent tactician and constantly thirsty for glory and adoration. Owns a number of sex slaves. In combat, favors brute force over subtly. Naively thinks of himself as a master of deception & an expert manipulator.
Quintus Suedius del Ceaser: Titus' second son, and potential replacement for Caecius. Pragmatics and calculating like his father. Has a tendency to overthink things to the point of paranoia.
Paulus del Romulus: Titus' third son, and third in line for the throne. Very little is known at this time.
Laelia vi Hasidia: The daughter of Titus' favorite concubine, she's her father's tenth child and tenth in line for the throne. Headstrong, independent, but naïve, she believes the Empire will never fall, but can tell when an opponent is too strong, and is willing to bid her time to learn more about her opponent. She also commands her own order of knights, the Order of the Lily, comprised mainly of daughters from noble families, but are mainly regarded as color/honor guards by the Emperor and most of the command staff due to being comprised mainly of women
Kaeso Ti Salvius: Imperial Prime Minister and personal advisor to the Emperor. Augustus's closest friend and one of the very few people he actually trusts, he also acts as an informant in the Senate who keeps tabs on the current political situation.
Amulius el Paetinus: Leader of the Dove faction within the Imperial Senate. Calm-tempered and not one for needless violence, he tends to negotiate and resolve issues through peaceful means.
Cicero del Verus: Leader of the Hawk faction within the Imperial Senate. Tends to take a hard stance on negotiations, and prefers to bargain with military sterength.
Lady Lacinia Viribus: The wife of the head of Household Viribus, a Household that prefers a softer approach in the political realm & one of the Golden Twelve, a group of twelve main family clans within the Empire that supplies noble knights, money, and individuals for political power. Her husband Desius Fabius Viribus and eldest son Drusus Fabius Viribus were killed during their capture following the Central Square Massacre, making her the new House head. A quiet individual who negotiates with a commanding mother-like aura, relying on talking through her opponents rather than getting heated up conversationally. Currently held at a CIA black site, designated Prisoner #13, along with her 15- year old daughter Lartia Viribus, designated Prisoner #13-A, and 13-year old son Paulus Fabius Viribus, designated Prisoner #13-B
Lady Tanicia Invicta: The head of Household Invicta, a clan that prefers to enforce their top political strength among the Twelve through military strength and intimidation. Like her Household's namesake, she prefers to drive a hard bargain and make her political opponents bend the knee in negotiations. Her husband Hostus el Invicta and eldest son Kaeso del Invicta were killed during their capture in Central Square. Currently held at a CIA black site, designated Prisoner #17, along with her two remaining sons Plucus Invicta, designated Prisoner #17-A, and Causa el Invicta, designated Prisoner #17-B.
Military: All you need to know about the different types of enemies & war machines encountered
The Imperial army: While is appearance & structure is very Roman-like, much of their weapons, armor, & equipment is actually late-Medieval. Exact size is unknown, but given the total size of their conquests, it's safe to assume the total number, including citizen soldiers, numbers up to several million. Consists of the Army Corps, Wyverns Corps, & Imperial Navy
The Legion: The main unit of the Imperial Army, composed of around 20,000 troops at full strength, and various siege engines. Can be augmented with Auxiliary units ranging from and 200-5,000
Imperial Army Organization: Five legions comprise one Corp; it's currently unknown how many corps there are, but we know that there are at least 50 corps. Several Corps, anywhere from 2-5, form on Army Group headed by an Imperial Legate. Each legion is divided into 10 cohorts. The first cohort numbers 2900 divided into 5 centuries, while the other nine compose 1900 divided into 10 centuries. While the legion is comprised mainly of heavy infantry, it isn't solely compromised of infantry force and instead employs more of a combined-arms approach. Each legion also utilizes units of spearmen, pikemen, longbow-men, crossbow men, heavy/light cavalry, various siege weapons as needed, and auxiliary units when needed, but exact ratios of heavy infantry to other units is currently unknown.
Legionary: The standard Imperial soldier. Highly motivated and deadly in large numbers, but discouraged from taking the initiative, their confidence relies entirely on the centurions. Equipped with a medium-sized sword, a scutum smaller than its Roman counterpart, and Brigandine/coat of plates for armor.
Optio: The centurion's second-in-command.
Aquilifer (standard bearer): Carries the dragon standard with the Valerian flag, as well as the legion's flag. Eliminating this target will cause great demoralization among the entire legion.
Signifer: Carries each century's standard, which identifies the legion, cohort, & century number, as well as a spear head with various attachments. The standard serves as a rallying point for the century. Eliminate this target to cause confusion.
Cornicen (horn blower): Works hand-in-hand with the signifer, issues auditory commands from the centurion. Elimination of this target will hinder communication within the ranks.
Centurion: Commands a century; these officers instill confidence, discipline & fear within the ranks. Identified as having a read plume on their helmets. Eliminating them will effectively take the entire century out of the fight.
Primus pilus: Commands the 1st century, 1st cohort, and is the most senior centurion in the legion. Designated as priority target of elimination.
Pilus prior: Command the ten 1st centuries in the legion, are the senior centurions in their respective cohorts, and command the entire cohort in battle. Designated as priority targets for elimination.
Legatus legionis (Legion Legate): Commands one legion; usually guarded by 10-20 Praetorian Gaurds.
Legatus vexillatius (Corps Legate): Commands one corps; usually guarded by 50+ Pretorians.
Camp prefect: The quartermaster and commander in charge of camps & fortresses; responsible for the daily routines of forts.
Men-at-arms: Usually protected by plate armor and employs a variety of weapons.
Longbow men: Utilize longbows; have quivers on their backs and left legs. Has a buckler shield, short sword, and dagger as backup.
Crossbow men: Equipped with the single-shot or repeating crossbows. Intact repeating crossbows found after the Central Square Massacre are found to be made of steel and feature a sliding rack which draws back a string allowing multiple shots. Arrows are feed from a gravity-fed magazine that can hold up to 20 bolts; max range is 380 yards. They also carry a pavise shield to provide mobile cover, as well as a short sword.
Archer E_: A murmur mentioning something about archers. Unknown at this time.
Cavalry: Armed and armored like the heavy late medieval knights. Use full plate armor with heater shields, lances, and longswords.
Wyvern Corps: Used primarily as scouts, messengers, and are the enemy's primary air asset. Total numbers and organization is unknown, but are estimated to be in the hundreds. Riders use a 20-foot steel lance to allow impaling of victims using predictable, straightforward hit-and-run tactics.
Wyverns: Typically 50-foot long with a 45-foot wingspan, and feature four legs and a pair of wings, strong jaws, and scales resistant to .50 cal rounds. Color scheme of scales is usually a dull purple hue. Recommend eliminating the rider first to cause loss of control, or use anti-tank/anti-material/high caliber/anti-air weapons to deal with them directly.
Mages/Wizards/Warlocks: Whatever you call them, they're the magic users of the Imperial Army. Full extent of abilities are unknown, but have been observed using magic barriers/bubbles to block small arms fire, lighting, fireballs, smoke screens, and manipulating surrounding light to create darkness for concealment. Expect anything; eliminating them immediately is a top priority
Orcs/ogres: Just like what's expected in fantasy lore. Purplish, grey, or green skinned, with a pig/ape face their hides are resistant to bullets. Can wear armor and capable of lifting massive clubs/hammers. Recommend
War beasts: Numbers and types at this time, but some mentions suggest some creatures exhibit similarities to elephants and rhinos.
Ballista: Sizes and sizes vary greatly; four-wheeled carroballista can be pulled by horses, the largest is the one talent ballista capable of hurling a 26kg projectile. Max range is beyond 1200yds. There are medium-sized siege variants, having a slanted, shielded front which must be pushed and can be licked to form ad-how barrier
Polybolos: A repeating ballista of varying size. The smallest is usually meant for anti-personal measures and can be mounted on small carts for mobility. Medium-sized versions fire bolts large enough bolts to take down horses
Trebuchet: No explanation needed. Sizes vary
Unknown artillery: Several engines were spotted in surveillance footage. They had a swinging arm with two handles on either end, and were powered by a turn wheel powered by either man or beast. Included a long tray for circular rocks. Based on video footage, as long as there's a steady supply of ammo, a steady rate of fire can be maintained.
Armored/siege wagons: Sizes & styles vary; can be armored to carry troops, configured to mount various weapons such as ballista & polybolos, or combined to form a sort of IFV.
Imperial Navy: Exact size and organization is unknown, but it's estimated that the Imperial Navy has hundreds to thousands of ships total at its disposal. Style of ships is predicted to be similar to the khelandion, but larger. Other types of ships unknown. No other information exists at this time
Miscellaneous
Vassal Kingdoms: There are thirty in total, but currently we only know about five: Eshagia, Dreven, Kreoles, Gaedeca, and the Principality of Araya. No other information currently exists.
Races: Exact number and types unknown, but there are confirmed orcs/ogres, goblins, elves, fairies, elves, sirens, mermaids, and the Ceacvian, Khirsin, and Elleorus. Information is very limited at this time
Religion: Unknown, but there is a pantheon of gods and goddess with Apostles – mortals chosen to be agents and representatives in the physical realm. Unknown at this time, but we know only of Miva Iana, the Apostle of Rhomir. What Rhomir represents is unknown at this time.
Misc. creatures: Elder Dragons, specifically the Elder Flame Dragon. A monster that's been terrorizing the continent for centuries. Nothing else is known at this time