The Magnatate Army
While maintaining a small standing military, Rusager is still reliant on its allies and fee companies, that being said the employment of fee companies has changed over the centuries.
The Officer’s Regiments
The Officer’s Regiments make up the Rusagan standing army. This comprises of five regiments, these being the Silvillud Garrison , the Casterian Guard, and three Border Guard Regiment.
Starting with the Border Guard, these regiments consist of three light infantry companies, two heavy infantry companies, and one cavalry company. The impetus behind these regiments is to be a fast warning system in the event of an incoming threat. The heavy infantry company is aimed to be a stumbling block for any invading force and with the equipment afforded to these troops, that is hardly a challenge, while the light infantry and cavalry companies make their way to the cities to preparer their defences.
The Casterian Guard are stationed in the main cities of Rusager, Recester, Atcaster, and Dester. It consists of six companies of heavy infantry, two for each city. Drilled and trained in defensive warfare, the aim of these companies is to dig in and whether the sieges that may befall any of the Rusager key cities. With agricultural produce not in abundance, this tactic is very useful for the Rusagan military, as in theory, they have enough provisions to survive for a very long time in the event of a siege.
Finally there is the Silvillud Garrison, a mix of four light and four heavy infantry companies. These are the elites of the Rusagan army, trained and drilled by their old allies in Palingvyre and arguably the regiment most likely to face open combat. As front-line infantry the tactics for this regiment is simple, hold and inflict as much damage on the enemy as possible. With the best equipment and training, and also the biggest coin purse at the end of each month, to be assigned to a command position within the Silvillud Garrison is an honour few achieve, and even fewer truly excel in.
Fee Companies
The main core of the Rusagan military might are the fee companies, mercenary soldiers who are held on retainer by the state to be called upon in times of war. These tend to be mixed groups of fighters, with varying levels of professionalism. Some of the larger companies are notorious for lax discipline, being widely seen as little more than militia.
Following the Leodamite-Quillian war the attitude toward the utilisation of fee companies and the regulations prescribing their use where adjusted. It is widely accepted that had the companies stationed in Silvillud not been fee companies, the Rusagan loses would have been far lessor, a comparison not unfairly drawn when considering the loses of the Palish forces in the same battles. Worse still was the embarrassment of failing to muster adequate reinforcements, as many of the companies called upon refused to mobilise, citing contractual clauses, and not wishing to fight alongside the undead. It was a shambles.
The overhaul of fee company operations, at least those in the employ of the state was swift. Conditions where put in place, first targeting the loyalty and obedience of the companies. A company employed by the state would have to be made up of a majority of Rusagan citizens and exclusively lead by them, (although Palish citizens where included in this later too), and must have operated in the country for at least three years with good standing. Each company was appointed with an observer, who would report back to the government to ensure the company was up to standard, with requirements for the quality of equipment, general fitness, and marching speed all introduced. Payments where also adjusted, such that retainers would only be paid at the end of a calendar year in a lump sum, the idea being to incentivise obedience at the risk of pay being withheld. The exception to this where the compensation packages which where still paid on death, although the amounts being paid where revised to account on an individual basis, whereas before they had been company wide.