Evendarr Royal Marines

The Royal Marines were originally founded as a special force in 210 by General Deneb Warwyck of Rotaria during the campaign in the lands that would eventually bear his name (The Barony of Warwyck in the Duchy of Rotaria). They were so successful that in 212 they were made permanent units attached to the Crown itself, and their training center was relocated to an expanded facility at Braughm-Raor in then-County Blackstone. Since there was no Royal Navy at the time, the Marines would be detached to temporary duty at the request of the coastal Duchies, who were only too happy to bear the additional levies in exchange for the Marines' superior capabilities against pirates and the monsters of the ocean.

When the Royal Navy was founded in 503 by Queen Lorelei, many of the facilities at Braughm-Raor became jointly administered by the Royal Navy and the Royal Army; nevertheless, the Marines remain part of the Royal Army.

The Royal Marines are made up of 5 regiments of 4 battalions each, totaling approximately 3000 personnel per Duchy. They are assigned duty stations within the Duchies of Evendarr as needed. The Royal Navy, now a professional force, began with converted merchant hulls and a few small warships belonging to the coastal Duchies. The Evendarr Royal Navy is now made up of purpose-built warships, the last of the merchant hulls having been retired in 551.

Organization

Command

In 601, the Army created a new position specifically for the Royal Marines. A General was selected and assigned to be “Commandant of the Royal Marines.” The Commandant acts as commander and liaison between the Royal Army and Royal Navy.

Only Knights of the King, the Duke/Duchess (or equivalent) or Ducal Knights (or equivalent) under orders of the King's vassal have authority to order the Royal Marines. These orders can be issued at times of war or local attack so long as they are not contradictory to the laws of the land or the Royal Army. Any Evendarr Noble that takes control of any Royal Marine shall be solely responsible for all actions of said troops.

One term of enlistment is 12 months. 3 months on duty, 3 months off duty, 3 on, 3 off for a total of 12 months. When off duty all Marines can be called up to active service in times of war or need as determined by the Duke. It is the responsibility of the squad leader to keep a squad fully operational. They may offer whatever incentives are necessary.

Each coastal Duchy is the center of one Marine Regiment. Each Regiment is commanded by a Brigadier. The regiments are (north to South):

• Ravenholt, 7th Regiment
• Rotaria, 3rd Regiment
• Evendarr, none (Crown Squadron)
• Blackstone, 9th Regiment
• Therendry, 5th Regiment
• Tyrangel, none
• Sutherlands, none
• Blackwell, none

(Tyrangel and Sutherland’s Regiments are disbanded due to poor discipline and desertions. As of this time, there are no plans for new regiments to be organized. Blackwell is still a new territory.)

Rank

Royal Marines use the Royal Army ranking system.

Duty Positions

The basic fighting unit of the Evendarr Royal Marines is the Squad. It is capable of direct action against an enemy or position, routine patrol of coastal areas, scouting enemy movements and positions, and charting coastal or inland waters.

Banner Composition

While the Squad is the keystone of the Royal Marines, the Banner is the normal fighting unit in the field for any operation. A Cog, the most rudimentary ship in the Royal Navy, is capable of carrying a small Banner of Royal Marines.

A Banner is capable of short-term and limited-support operations. At full strength, a Banner is composed of 3 regular squads and one support squad. The support squad is composed of full-time craftsmen: Swordsmiths, Armorsmiths, Alchemists, Potion/Scroll Makers, and Formal Casters. Often, squads will operate apart from their Banner for long periods of time, especially when deployed in the field.

While underway, the Captain of the Royal Navy Ship command’s the daily lives of the Royal Marines aboard his or her ship. The Royal Navy is commanded by the nobility of the Kingdom, so there is usually not much disparity between the mission of the Royal Navy and Marines. If direct orders are issued, couriers are dispatched or formal magic spells are used. The Ship's Captain will issue commands to the Lieutenant in command of the Banner, who in turn will issue orders to the squad to fulfill the mission. Officers higher than a Lieutenant are only seen in the field during full-scale war-time operations or highly sensitive diplomatic missions.

Divisions

• Squad, 8 to 10 soldiers, commanded by a Sergeant
• Banner, 4 squads, 32 to 40 soldiers, commanded by a Lieutenant
• Company, 4 banners, 128 to 160 soldiers, commanded by a Captain
• Battalion, 4 companies, 512 to 640 soldiers, commanded by a Major
• Regiment, 4 battalions, 2048 to 2560 soldiers, commanded by a Brigadier

The Fleet

Several classes of ship exist within the Royal Navy of Evendarr. The small cog is the smallest and most common. These ships have a displacement of approximately 350 tons. This varies from ship to ship, owing to builders' eccentricities and variances in the requirements when the individual ships were constructed. These ships have small catapults in the fore- and aft-castles, and seldom fire anything but normal shot. They are single-mast, square-rigged ships with a crew of 85, plus approximately 25 Marines.

Currently, most Squadron Flagships are large cogs, of approximately 570 tons. These vessels mount larger catapults, and occasionally fire flaming or magically enhanced shot. They are two-masted vessels with a square mainsail and a lateen mizzen. In addition to a crew of 120, they carry a full Banner of 50 Marines.

New construction is making its way to Squadron level, with new Flagships being of the small carrack type. These vessels are of approximately 620 tons size, with a crew of 210, plus two Banners of Marines. Bearing the same sails as the large cog, these vessels will also carry additional weaponry, in the form of modified catapults. Designed to drop javelins and caltrops down onto the deck of an enemy ship, they are most often referred to by their crews as Hedgehogs.

Recently built, and as yet reserved for Fleet Flagships, is the large carrack. At 1000 tons burden, these three-masted ships are the largest ever to serve in the Navy. The fore- and mainsails are square, while the mizzen remains lateen as in the smaller vessels. Armament is at the pleasure of the Fleet Admiral, although the fore- and aft-castles are large enough to accommodate several smaller catapults or a single trebuchet. Other weapons can be placed as desired. The crew of 350 is supplemented by a reinforced Company (about 200) of Marines.

As additional equipment, all Flagships carry a full complement of signal flags.

A chart of sizes is shown below. A typical merchant ship is provided for comparison. Galleys and Junks are not in use by the Kingdom but are shown for reference.

Ship Illustrations

Galley		Galleys are large seagoing vessels propelled primarily by oars in battle and equipped with sails for cruising. Paraphrased from Historical Sailing Ships
Kiel		The kiel is a sailing ships with an uninterrupted deck, high sterns and prows and one mast. Adapted from The History of Medieval European Sailing Ships
Junk		The junk is a small, open nautical vessel propelled by sail, oar, pole, or paddle. It is larger than sampan -- a wide, flat-bottomed skiff, often having a mat-covered cabin with living quarters.
Cog		Sturdy one-masted merchant ship with a flat bottom and deep draft that gives it a considerable cargo-carrying capacity. Adapted from The Cog
Caravel		The caravel is a small 3-masted, two-decked sailing ship which is slower than a galley, but designed to sail into the wind. It offers more space for cargo, and more spacious living quarters. Adapted from Historical Sailing Ships
Carrack		Carracks are the first large square-rigged ships and are valued because of their large capacity for carrying troops or cargo. They are built to resist to enemy boarding parties -- the aft and forecastles are built up as towering fortresses bristling with archery slits. Adapted from Tall Ships