Military units and formations

The following military units and formations are mentioned in Monster Blood Tattoo and used by the armies of the Half-Continent. They are ordered by size from smallest to largest.

Piquet

A piquet is a small group of soldiers and auxiliaries which is sent to spy on or scout an objective and return unnoticed. It typically consists of those who are skilled at moving swiftly in stealth and are known for being sharp-eyed, such as ambuscadiers, leers, and lurksmen. It is named after the picket, troops placed on a line forward of a position to warn against an enemy advance.

Quarto

Main article: Quarto

Also known as a quarter, a quarto is the smallest tactical unit and typically made up of ten men.

Platoon

A platoon is composed of three quartos or 30 men, around the same as a real world platoon. The prentices at Winstermill in total made up a platoon.

Company

A company has 100 or men and is composed of three to four platoons, similar to the real world company.

Battalion

A battalion is composed of three to six companies or 300-500 men, similar to the real world battalion.

Landsaire

A landsaire or landtseir is a lesquin formation of battalion strength or larger, which may also include legion or legio in its name after the practice of the ancient Tutin armies. This naming convention is a reference to the historical Roman legions. The term may be derived from landser, a colloquial term for landsknecht.

Regiment

Also known as a million, a regiment has 1,000 to 3,000 men and is composed of three to six battalions, commanded by a colonel. It can be larger than the historical regiment of the 17th and 18th centuries. The Black Straps is a famous lesquin regiment based in Brandenbrass.

Tercion

A tercion, also known as a brigade, is composed of three to four regiments or 3,000-12,000 men. Its size is similar to a real world brigade depending on the country. It appears to be named after the tercio, a military unit of the Spanish Empire.

Legion

A legion has 10,000-40,000 men or three to four tercions. It is equivalent to the real world division or corps and is named after the Roman legions.

Division

A division can be about the same size as a "large" legion or two or more smaller ones, numbering 30,000-40,000 men. This would make it equivalent in size to the real world corps despite being named after the real world division.

Army

Main article: Army

An army or marshalsy numbers two or more divisions or 60,000 or more men and is commanded by a marshal. It is smaller than a contemporary field army but closer in size to armies that were fielded in the 18th and early 19th centuries.