Antioch Burns (13 page)

Aegytpus
 — Roman name for Egypt, once land of the Pharaohs

Alae
 — a cavalry unit numbering roughly 500 men. Cataphract Alae tended to be under strength, due to the intense training needs, whereas scouting, or Light Cavalry Alae tended to be over strength, due to the high number of scouts and messengers needed.

Bucerelli
 — 
a personal body guard of men – generally only well-off merchants or local nobles could afford them. Armament and skill sets may vary.

Cataphractii
 — Heavily armored cavalry of the Roman Legions, also called cataphracts. Both rider and horse were heavily armored, and riders had to be proficient in archery, lance, and sword, to be considered as applicants. Cataphracts were the Empire’s answer to the horde like armies from the east that continually assailed the borderlands of the eastern provinces.

Cohort
 — A company of Roman Legionnaires. Cohorts from different legions tended to vary in size, with newly formed legions having the most consistent cohort size. In each legion there could be as many as thirty cohorts, with the 1
^st
, or Prime, cohort being the most veteran, most talented, and also containing the most dangerous fighters in the entire Legion. In a newly formed legion, a cohort would number roughly 100 men.

Decanus
 — 
a non-commissioned underofficer. May be a junior or senior decanus based on position and size of the force. A Senior Decanus was generally the highest non-commissioned officer in a unit, and was often the soldier with the most experience.

Demi-Cohort
 — A partial cohort, generally half to a quarter of a standard size cohort.

Doux
 — a duke, technically a rank given only to those descendants of the original noble settlers of the eastern provinces. Now the term has lost most of the original meaning, as few families can consistently trace their bloodlines back so far without intentional changes.

Excurbitors
 — a bodyguard, similar in style to the praetorian guards, assigned to defend each Roman governor. A signfier excurbitor leads the small squad, and is usually considered an exceptionally high honor.

Galea
 — A Type L Imperial Italic Roman steel helmet with side cheek pieces, banded forehead piece, neck protector, and chinstrap. Generally mass-produced, it is rugged and can withstand several years of hard campaigning with minimum upkeep. It has been continuously updated since the early Imperial era, and additional technology, such as the high altitude goggles, has been added as necessary to match new technologies.

Morindoo
 — A Mongolian Battle Cry – roughly translated “death”

Plumbata
 — a Roman throwing dart with a weighted metal tip. The average soldier carried several of them in the hollow of his shield. Some were tipped with an explosive warhead instead, creating more of a grenade-esque weapon.

Repeaters
 — A crossbow capable of firing up to six to eight shots, depending on the ammunition. Each bolt must be cocked individually. Heavy repeaters serve as fast, mobile, artillery for the Roman legions.

Scuta
 — A Roman shield with central metal boss and rounded rectangular shape. The shield was slightly concave to better protect the bearer from missiles and blows. In recent years, more advanced, deployable
scuta
have been developed for cavalry and air fleet deployed forces. These shields are rotated out from a central boss by a hand crank strapped to the arm.

Skimmers
 — Lightweight contraptions of wood, metal, and high strength wire, these scout vessels are piloted by children aged 14-18. Of all the branches of the Roman Imperial military, skimmer pilots are the only place females could be found in combat roles. While not equipped with weapons, during the Siege of Antioch, hasty modifications allowed for skimmers to transfer to an assault orientation. Further review of these modifications is pending.

Spatha
 — The next advancement of the original
gladius
sword adapted from the Iberian tribes. Similar in design, but with an extra two feet of reach, the spatha provides greater reach and heavier hitting power for modern-day legionnaires.