Drakun Militia / The Civil Forces
The glorification of war and soldiers is perhaps the only thing more entrenched in Drakun than the great strongholds of old, however without a war many soldiers and enthusiasts were pressured back into the work force. Despite this a large portion of the population still seek to capture the nationalistic spirit and have such turned to local watch groups and reserves which can now be found in most every town. While not an official division of the military and invading forces or local opposition will find quite the surprise hiding in the civilians of Drakun. However this lack of officiality is rather double edged as equipment and training is governed on a local level, often proving improvised. Only 2/5 soldiers carry modern breech-loading muskets, though these are of various, often dubious quality. The other 3/5 of the militia making due with outdated equipment ranging from near-modern muzzle-loaded muskets to crossbows which had once seemed advanced. The last republic consensus puts the number of militiamen at roughly 400,000 strong with the largest regional group numbering at 25,000. Reserve resistance fighters are estimated to stand around roughly 1.27 million strong but the act of calling them in would do irreparable harm to the economy.
The Arch-chancellors Lordly Infantry
Taken from the original knights of the Drakun empire this modern fighting force is considered one of the best in the world, sporting a rich history of generals, tacticians, heroes and so forth. Nationalistically enthralled, men have forced themselves through the intensive training requirements and into this army for the express purpose of becoming legends in the eyes of their country men. These high requirements have left the Lordly Infantry smaller than the average army, only fielding about 60,000 at any given time, but despite their size this force has been known for its over-whelming strength. Of course this is also in part because of the sheer amount of equipment the average infantryman is issued including a sappers kit, spare weapon mechanisms and often a surplus wheel-lock pistol in addition to their backloading musket.
The Mares of Deliverance
Since the advent of firearms, Drakun has largely neglected its cavalry divisions, allowing standards to become far more lax than the Lordly Infantry and reducing funding significantly. However, never eager to discard soldiers outright the lancers, hussars, and other such battalions were reshuffled and retrofitted into a force of modern Dragoons. This force was soon refunded and became the second largest branch of the military, just managing to surpass the Arch-chancellors Lordly Infantry at 63,000 cavalrymen. Effectively used as mounted infantry The Mares of Deliverance became infamous with charging across the with and breadth of Drakun, showing up to battles just in time to turn the tide, hence the name. Each equipped with a short barreled backloading carbine musket, a brace of muzzle-loading flintlock pistols and the traditional cavalry saber these soldiers rely more on maneuverability and massed fire then exceptional training.
Thunder-Men
The Drakun strongholds of old may never have fallen without field artillery becoming as industrialized as it had. Proven as the mightiest weapons of the age the Thunder-Men has always received priority among military divisions, even going so far as to become the largest at over 78,000. Thunder-Men primarily work with cannons and mortars but with so many recruits being poured into the division their duties were expanded into entrenchment, engineering, a secondary general infantry, and various trade crafts. If something needs done then its the Thunder-Men who are first mobilized, each man equipped with a large caliber, but shorter barreled muzzle-loaded musket.
The Sons of Drakun Not satisfied with the already elite training of the Lordly Infantry a fifth military division was christened with the goal of achieving the maximal human ability. Strictly speaking this project is considered a failure as training proved either to long or intense to field a viable fighting force. Unable to fulfill such outlandish ambitions as creating super-soldiers The Sons of Drakun instead turned to mastering subterfuge and skirmish. Effectively spies with the highest level of military training this small band is used as council guards in states of emergency or as a disestablishing agent against enemies of the republic. As of today there are only 26 remaining soldiers who have completed training. All equipment is mission specific, ranging from musketoons for close range devastation to modern attempts of lightweight armor.
