>That was the bullet-point I was fishing for, thank you. (And roughly
>the answer I expected, at least if a cavalry company is roughly the
>size I roughly expect it to be in this instance.)
Company - between 80 - 120 men depending on the type of unit. Note that company could actually be called anything, century, Hundredth, Hunash, Great File etc but effectively it's a small maneuver unit comprising around one eight to one tenth of a regiment.
>For extra credit, what sort of intra-regimental command strcuture do they
have >that facilitates this? (No points for 'they have company and
half-company
>commanders', though.)
It depends on the unit. For the Char-un, we can expect an irregular company strength, given that the units are based on clans from back home. Mostly, the unit is made up of warbanders swearing to a specific individual, who is paid by the state for his force. He has command and pays the men out of his pay. These men are usually very aggressive, competitive and tough and thus the regiment has to have a very tough Khan leading them. Each regiment is considered an honourary tribe while formed and the regimental commander is the Khan of that tribe, whatever his station elsewhere, which leads to the interesting possibility of a social superior from Eiriga being placed under the command of an inferior, who is now superior. Oops.
Hence, the Char-un regiment is rather a lose group. The HQ will include the Tarnils liaison element, its priests of Kargzant and Panishi etc.
Compare this to a Phalanx, and things are wildly different. The phalanx has each file and file member recorded, their place and all who have held their place throughout the centuries of unit history, written down in the annals of the unit. The sub units are of fixed size and named for heroic members of the unit from times past. Each solider venerates every heroic member of the regiment who has stood in his place, each sub-unit commander does the same etc. Ties of authority or binding ritually and are part of their religion. It is their religion, not just their duty to obey and follow the regimental ways. Anyone who does not, risks leaving the regiment terminally weakened in battle and themselves food for defeat.
Imagine a phalanx in battle against the Orlanthi and as the phalanx announces itself, the enemy thanes hurl taunts that the heroic commander of the third TenTenth, did not behave correctly with the women of the last village the phalanx had marched through! By proving such behaviour (in HW, through an extended contest), the Orlanthi could literally demolish the magics of the phalanx, built as they are on each man doing what has always been done.
Martin Laurie
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