The Tenacus
Four Milities Linari and one Milities Primus form a Tenacus (plural tenaci). It is the smallest unit of soldiers in the republican army. The name, tenacus, comes from the ancient Corani word for a five-man tent. Indeed, even today, a Tenacus sleeps in the same shelter together.
Two Tenaci and their commanding officer, a Manus, form a Maniple. There are two types of Tenacus units:
- The reservists (also called veterans) serve 9 ten-days each calendar year.
- The regulars serve at least four full consecutive years before they may opt to become reservists.
Naming the Tenacus
The legion names each tenacus according to its rank within the legion. Grouped in twos beneath a Manus, the older regulars are refereed to as unit I and the younger are II. Only the first two Tenacus in a cohort are regulars. The rest are reservists.
A tenacus is listed as [Legion Name #]:[Manus]: [Tenacus] For example:
- Fobin I:I:I - these would be the oldest (and thus most experienced) Tenaci in the Fobin legion, first cohort.
- Fobin I:I:II - these would be the youngest - they would be serving their first four years of duty.
- Fobin I:II:I, Fobin I:III:I - these would be the older, more experienced reservists.
- Fobin I:II:II, Fobin I:III:II - these would be the younger reservists. They are used to fill in any gaps in the older reservists ranks.
CRIME & PUNISHMENT
Should a member of a tenacus commit a crime while on duty, chances are an investigation will rule that all of the tenacus is responsible. For they are not involved in the crime itself, they should have been aware of what their fellow member was doing and stopped it before the Legion had to get involved. The Legion assumes each tenacus will look after their own - providing care, assistance and even policing itself against transgressions. While this does provide more opportunity for even more transgressions, so long as the appearance is one of propriety, the Legion takes no immediate action. Since the tenacus is responsible to its members, and the Manus is responsible for his two tenacus, and so on and so forth - keeping illegal actions quiet can be very costly and difficult. This alone tends to limit the transgressions to minor actions.
Troublemakers, cowards and Morgathian Milities have much to worry about. While there is always an investigation, if the tenacus bands together - it is fairly easy to kill a member and claim it was an accident, or even an encounter with a brigand. If the tenacus is caught they will be tried and may be hung for murder; but the legion has a reputation for having its tenacus take care of their own problems.
Organization
The tenacus organizes around its leader, the Milities Primus. The tenacus works as a group of equals, with the Milities Primus having final say. Each member of the tenacus should be able to voice opinions to each other (including the Milities Primus) regardless of the situation. Such freedom is never a breach of protocol or discipline. However, the tenacus is expected to always obey orders given by the Milities Primus without discussion. This seeming contradiction allows the tenacus to work by consensus in all things, while surviving combat. To add to the complexity, the Milities Fabrica is the master of repairs, road building and camp set-up. He replaces the Milities Primus in such duties as leader of the tenacus, in that it is his orders that are to be obeyed. Otherwise he is treated as just another member of the tenacus. His word counts as one vote towards any decision.
The leader is the one who has to take the group's decisions to the Manus, the commanding officer of the Maniple. Such decisions are always taken "under advisement", but a good Manus relies heavily on his tenacus for advice. Still, most units try to provide a unified front to their Manus, even if they do not all agree. It is considered unseemly to be seen arguing about the question after the decision's been passed along. Tenacus who cannot reach decisions amicably are often disbanded and their members are placed in with other tenaci. The rare Milities that cannot get along with his fellow Milities tends to lead a very short life.
History
Historians cite the ancient corani tribal custom of using warriors in groups of five, but more recent scholars claim it is actually an imported Azeryani-custom. According to the "Ars Res Militaris et Imperatoria" (the Arts of Tactics and Strategy), five is the smallest number of milities that can scout and patrol in safety. Any less than five and they become a target for brigands. Any more than five and they attract too much attention. Practice, however, has shown that four milities or six work just as well as five.
The Tenacus, as it now exists, was formed in 622TR, one year after the founding of the Coranan Republic. It was officially named the Familias Tenacus - but the name has been shortened over time. The idea was originally to form tenacus from family units - so that the father, or oldest, would be the Milities Primus, and his (or her) sons, cousins, etc. would be the other Milities. Surprisingly the legion found that strangers worked better than family members as functional tenacus.
The legion trained its tenacus with short sword and spear originally, but opted for the cheaper javelins in 648TR. The javelin's ability to foul opponents shields made it most popular in a line-to-line fight; although many Milities still carry spears just in case. The towershield became popular during the early days of the Thardic League (circa 634TR) when battling Arlun's horsemen. The towershield provided more cover and helped the legionnaires better position themselves for attacks and defense.
The armour has improved over the past 50 years, allowing for more versatility and better coverage. The tenacus is becoming more and more armoured over time. Originally they were armoured in leathers, often with chests bare. Now it seems most Milities feel dangerously unarmoured if skin can be seen.
Equipment
The equipment carried by a Tenacus breaks into two types: the group ported and the Personal equipment.
Group Ported Equipment
The ported equipment is carried on the Tenacus's mule. If the mule is not present or able to follow, the ported equipment must either be left behind, or divided among the Tenaci.
Each legionnaire is responsible for his own equipment as well as his share of the group-ported equipment. If, by chance, he is able to bribe the wagon master to carry some of his goods and the wagon is attacked and the goods stolen, he must personally repay the legion for their replacement. If the item becomes broken or damaged (including javelins) he must pay for its replacement or repair. Should a piece of equipment fail inspection, the soldier will be fined for being "Out of Uniform" and has until the next inspection to both pay off his fine and have the equipment repaired.
Personal Equipment
A Milities purchases all his goods either directly from the legion, or from a legion-certified craftsman. If the equipment is not up to the qualifications specified in the Rex Equipmenta, the legionnaire must find a replacement at his own expense.
Legion "Donated" Equipment
A Milities Linari's is expected to have the following equipment:
Items marked with a price of 00d are given by the legion to the legionnaire. All other items must be purchased from the legion, or from another crafts master who abides by the legion standard. Refer to See Other Equipment.in the Tenacus article for more equipment that a Milities Linari should carry.
Each man carries his own waterskin. One liter of water weighs 2.5 lbs. Each Legionnaire caries one liter and is expected to have half available at the end of the day for cooking supper.
Other Equipment
The following equipment is not provided by the legion, but should be carried by the Tenacus none the less.
- Rope, 25-50' hemp or flax.
- Candles or lanterns or torches.
- Sacks or backpacks.
- Tinderbox.
- Oil Flasks (for lanterns).
- soap and grooming equipment.
- Weapon and armor oils.
- Wax (for waterproofing cloth cloaks),
- Eating Implements.
- Food.
- Tea or other drinks.
- Additional Water flasks (for the ale, sib, or other liquids).
- Extra sets of underclothes.
Standard Arms
These are the weapons every Milities Linari either brings to the legion, or purchases from them. They include:
- The Short Sword (wt: 2lbs, value: 90d): Designed with a narrow hilt, this short sword is best for thrusting, rather than slashing. Soldiers are taught to wield the sword in their right hand (regardless of handedness).
- Dagger (wt: 1lb, value: 24d): Every legionnaire has at least one dagger. While not a preferred combat weapon, Milities Linari learn how to throw the dagger with accuracy as well as to use it as an off-handed attack, if necessary.
- Light Javelins (wt: 3lbs ea. value: 48d ea.): These are the missile weapons of the Milities Linari. They usually carry at least two with them at all times. They are designed to penetrate enemy shield and partially break on impact to create a deterrent to mobility.
- Tower Shield (wt: 8lbs. value:96d): Carried by a strap on their left arm, the shield provides a hand grip just inside its rim. The front is decorated with maniple and cohort colors as well as the legion's design. Boss gores are not standard to the kit. Soldiers are taught to use the Tower Shield in their left hand (regardless of handiness).
Armor
The Milities Linari are the heavy foot of the Legion. Being footmen, they cannot wear plate. To deal with the total amount of armor worn, and the fatigue generated - the legionnaires regularly practice in their full kit and armor. The following four samples are considered heavy examples. Common modifications to these suits include:
- Removing the Quilt Gambeson and replacing it with bits of Kurbol or Leather.
- Adding leather gauntlets. (Coverage: Hands, WT: 0.8lbs, PR: 16)
- Adding a collar to the Brynie or Haulberk (Coverage: Neck, WT: 2.2lbs, PR: 115)
- Adding bits of Kurbol to cover the Elbows and forearms, knees and calves.
- Changing the Skull Cap to a Nasal helm. (Coverage: Skull, Nose, WT:3.6lbs, PR: 111)
- Wearing a leather
skirt (coverage: Hips, Groin, Thighs, WT: 3.6lbs, PR:) or Breaks
(coverage: Hips, Groin, Thighs and Knees, WT: 4.1lbs, PR:). - Removing the Ring or Mail Brynie/Haulberk and replacing it with bits of Kurbol or Leather.
Ring is more common than mail, mostly because of its price. Reservists tend to wear ring while regular units wear mail when they can. Because of the regular danger they face, only the poorest of Milities Linari replace their ring or mail with bits of kurbol and/or leather. Most Milities Linari prefer to add layers rather than remove them.