Interlude

Before we make our way into the next section of this compilation, I must forewarn that Tacitus is about to speak with a lot of Exetian military jargon that for this time was a given, but for our time may be lost to commonfolk. Thus, I would heavily recommend, unless you are already familiar, to have a quick read-through of the concepts below, so that reading the next few letters may not be confusing.

- E.Celestina

Military Divisions:

Legion: The name of the largest division in the Exetian military. A single Legion had an estimated 50,000 personnel, including both enlisted and officers. There were 5 active Legions in the Exetian military titled Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. The 5th Legion is entitled Lambda, which was their Navy. There were 2 extra reserve Legions for the land army, and 1 extra half-Legion for the Navy, making the total imperial army ~375,000 personnel at any given moment. Legions could be directly commanded by the Princeps, or could be delegated to their Tribunes.

Cohort: the subdivision just below Legion, of which there were 10 per Legion, for an estimated 5,000 personnel per cohort. Junior Tribunes oversaw cohorts, and directly reported to the Tribune and/or Princeps of the Legion.

Battalion: the subdivision below Cohort, of which there were 5 per Cohort, for an estimated 1,000 personnel per battalion. Battalions were overseen by Praetors, the lowest ranks of officers, who worked directly with Centurions and reported to the Junior Tribunes.

Century: the subdivision below Battalion, of which there were 10 per battalion, for exactly 100 personnel per Century. They were overseen by the Centurion and the Optio, who led from the front and behind, respectively.

Military Ranks:

Princeps: While also the highest bureaucratic position, it is also the de-facto commander of all Exetian Legions. You know her as Julia Augusta Alexandria. She has the power to override any senior officers’ command.

Tribune: The highest commissioned officer position in the Exetian military, capable of commanding Legions.

Junior Tribune: the second-highest position, capable of commanding Cohorts.

Praetor: not to be confused with High Praetors, which is a bureaucratic position, Praetors are the lowest rank of Exetian officers, and were themselves ranked by the width of their insignia on their arm. Praetors generally commanded Battalions.

Centurion: the highest rank of enlisted personnel, in charge of an entire Century, and typically also the most skilled warrior in the Century.

Optio: the second-in-command of the Century, who led from behind and kept the Century united.