The Arm Militum
In early generations, Yithiral's army was known as the Ivorian Militia. Designed with Ethelynda's help, comprised of five ranks and with no specialization, it acted with complete impugnity, turning soldiers into judges and with very little direct oversight of the superior ranks. Despite this, they created the Yithiral that we know today, designing the then-Militia Headquarters at the head of the city and designing the long, winding streets in the beginnings of Yithiral to fortify the city against intruders. This system remained in place until the first assassination attempt of Ethelynda, which saw much of the city descend into chaos after Ethelynda was left in grave danger and many of the senior commanders of the Ivorian Militia were killed by the attackers as they protected their beloved Immortal.
Patriam Ersalm, a private investigator of common background and no fame, took it upon himself to discover how the previous commander was killed and how the entirety of the Militia could collapse so easily at the hands of a small task force of invaders. He discovered that the assassins had been aided in their attack by human soldiers recruited from Ethelanum, and they had distracted the guards of the gates and mislead nearby patrols into believing the attack was happening in other parts of the city.
At first, Patriam's revelations induced shock and outrage, with many claiming his accusations were based on a deep-seated hatred of humans, and that he was the one responsible for the murder and now sought to pass the blame onto someone else. However, as time passed, more and more lower-rank soldiers involved in the defense stepped forward to reveal that Patriam's evidence was sound. Letters and secret notes were found stashed away inside the houses of senior officers. One of the accused officers attempted to pack all of his belongings and flee Yithiral to take refuge in one of the other cities, but was caught by a patrol and brought back, where he ultimately confessed for his crime against Ethelynda and revealed the names and crimes of all other members of the plot in exchange for his life. While this unfortunately sparked a wave of distrust, not only to Ethelanum but to all non-Ithecal species that would last a hundred arcs, it also elevated Patriam to a position of public influence through which he could design a new system that would ensure an attack like this would never happen again.
In a decisive move, he not only wrenched all form of command from a vast majority of soldiers and put it solely in the hands of a small minority, to ensure that only those who could be trusted with command over their soldiers would be given it, but he also wrenched most of the freedom from the commanding soldiers by placing them under the constant scrutiny of military investigators, who held no soldiers of their own but could launch their own probes if they suspected a commander was acting in a way that put the city in danger. This, of course, once again shocked the nation and enraged both the common soldiers who no longer enjoyed a position of superiority, and the senior commanders who could not enjoy their position of seniority while placed on a social pedestal and endlessly dissected by investigators they believed were no more than Patriam's own hired goons.
The Militia was ready to turn its back on Patriam, but it was the public who rose up to defend his proposals, announcing that it was a necessary change for the good of the city, even if it cost their superiors. Overwhelmed by the revolt of the lower class, with farmers setting fire to their own crops and mass disobedience leading to numerous crises across Yithiral, the Arm Militant was reluctantly formed. Patriam turned down the opportunity to take the leading position as Imperiatim, instead taking the rank of Euralcal in the Inquiritum and remaining there for the rest of his career.
Even after Patriam himself moved on from the development of the Arm Militum, and even after his death, his influence lingered on the city. The general population had successfully over-riden their own military's best interests and, in doing so, they had uncovered the deep-seated rift that sat between the denizens of Yithiral and the guards that protected it. In order to rectify this, the Arm Militum expanded and changed, recruiting more and more citizens into its ranks under new, more diverse positions. The Arm Scholar and the Erudite were developed, with teachers and students both picked from the Arm Militum only, attracting more applicants. The public rose once again, demanding a government filled with more than just soldiers with little understanding of the finer political arts, and this time their demands were met without hesitation; the Arm Government and the Senate were both made, with new councils and judges. Finally, Ethelynda returned from her hiding, and the Arm Faith was made by her champions and followers, along with the Doctrine.
What had once been a handful of city guards and nothing more was now known as the Arm Superior, incorporating all religious, educational, governmental and military-related affairs of the city. Thanks to its massive spread and influence, nearly every citizen became a reservist or a supportive role, and the chasm between civilian and military opinions faded as the two groups merged into one.
Patriam Ersalm, a private investigator of common background and no fame, took it upon himself to discover how the previous commander was killed and how the entirety of the Militia could collapse so easily at the hands of a small task force of invaders. He discovered that the assassins had been aided in their attack by human soldiers recruited from Ethelanum, and they had distracted the guards of the gates and mislead nearby patrols into believing the attack was happening in other parts of the city.
At first, Patriam's revelations induced shock and outrage, with many claiming his accusations were based on a deep-seated hatred of humans, and that he was the one responsible for the murder and now sought to pass the blame onto someone else. However, as time passed, more and more lower-rank soldiers involved in the defense stepped forward to reveal that Patriam's evidence was sound. Letters and secret notes were found stashed away inside the houses of senior officers. One of the accused officers attempted to pack all of his belongings and flee Yithiral to take refuge in one of the other cities, but was caught by a patrol and brought back, where he ultimately confessed for his crime against Ethelynda and revealed the names and crimes of all other members of the plot in exchange for his life. While this unfortunately sparked a wave of distrust, not only to Ethelanum but to all non-Ithecal species that would last a hundred arcs, it also elevated Patriam to a position of public influence through which he could design a new system that would ensure an attack like this would never happen again.
In a decisive move, he not only wrenched all form of command from a vast majority of soldiers and put it solely in the hands of a small minority, to ensure that only those who could be trusted with command over their soldiers would be given it, but he also wrenched most of the freedom from the commanding soldiers by placing them under the constant scrutiny of military investigators, who held no soldiers of their own but could launch their own probes if they suspected a commander was acting in a way that put the city in danger. This, of course, once again shocked the nation and enraged both the common soldiers who no longer enjoyed a position of superiority, and the senior commanders who could not enjoy their position of seniority while placed on a social pedestal and endlessly dissected by investigators they believed were no more than Patriam's own hired goons.
The Militia was ready to turn its back on Patriam, but it was the public who rose up to defend his proposals, announcing that it was a necessary change for the good of the city, even if it cost their superiors. Overwhelmed by the revolt of the lower class, with farmers setting fire to their own crops and mass disobedience leading to numerous crises across Yithiral, the Arm Militant was reluctantly formed. Patriam turned down the opportunity to take the leading position as Imperiatim, instead taking the rank of Euralcal in the Inquiritum and remaining there for the rest of his career.
Even after Patriam himself moved on from the development of the Arm Militum, and even after his death, his influence lingered on the city. The general population had successfully over-riden their own military's best interests and, in doing so, they had uncovered the deep-seated rift that sat between the denizens of Yithiral and the guards that protected it. In order to rectify this, the Arm Militum expanded and changed, recruiting more and more citizens into its ranks under new, more diverse positions. The Arm Scholar and the Erudite were developed, with teachers and students both picked from the Arm Militum only, attracting more applicants. The public rose once again, demanding a government filled with more than just soldiers with little understanding of the finer political arts, and this time their demands were met without hesitation; the Arm Government and the Senate were both made, with new councils and judges. Finally, Ethelynda returned from her hiding, and the Arm Faith was made by her champions and followers, along with the Doctrine.
What had once been a handful of city guards and nothing more was now known as the Arm Superior, incorporating all religious, educational, governmental and military-related affairs of the city. Thanks to its massive spread and influence, nearly every citizen became a reservist or a supportive role, and the chasm between civilian and military opinions faded as the two groups merged into one.