Field Artillery

Ranged Warfare of the Royal Dwarven Military

The front line, those who engage combatants first, are some of the most important on the battlefield, setting the stage for all that will happen going forward. Still, those at the front are far from alone, aided by all manner of support battalions and firepower that assists from the rear, staying out of danger while providing everything those on the ground need. Infantry walks the earth, fights the good fight, engaging others with handheld weapons, but it's the Field Artillery that aids from distance, hurling projectiles and removing targets from hidden lines. Those in hiding with long-range weapons fulfill so many things, sieging, removing air cover, all that one cannot simply do from the ground. These are the people of mathematics and logistics, calculating risks so that everyone else may succeed.
Field Artillery is one of the Combat Arms divisions of the Hammerfalls, specializing in long-range combat with mobile, distance weapons. The men and women who choose to attend the Golden Anvil and eventually join Field Artillery are those who find joy, or at least interest, in the calculations, strategy, and logistics necessary to launch a heavy projectile from one location and hit something at a distance or that may be moving. In many ways, the education of these people is the most strenuous of those in the Hammerfalls, as any miscalculation can lead to the destruction of their own Soldiers and assets. Specializing in all ranged weapons, these people make up what is considered the most mentally intensive division of the Royal Dwarven Military.
Alongside the Infantry, Field Artillery was the first division of the Hammerfalls to form, creating the core of the Combat Arms in a single decision. These would be the people who aided the Infantry with cover fire, launching projectiles at aerial combatants, sieging buildings, and causing havoc on the battlefield from a distance. Eventually, other divisions would follow, all created to support the mission of Field Artillery and the Infantry, supplying them with weapons, armor, food, and goods that would allow the two divisions to siege and hold their positions for as long as necessary, until the safety of the Dwarven Kingdom was secured.

Structure

In contrast to the Infantry, Field Artillery is a much more complex division of the Royal Dwarven Military. Combat Arms is relatively straightforward, as these men and women are in direct combat with enemy combatants, whether on the ground with the Infantry or from a distance with Field Artillery. Their time at the Golden Anvil is spent learning the intricacies of war, including trajectories for their projectiles, and specializing in various long-range weapons, from large trebuchets and anti-aircraft weapons to standard bows and ballistas. Field Artillery is considered the second-oldest established part of the Royal Dwarven Military, but its structure has evolved over the years as new types of artillery have been developed.
Those who wish to join these divisions will have to announce their intention to enter a Combat Arms specialty early on in their schooling at the Golden Anvil. Pathways are established at the Golden Anvil to help people specialize in a specific type of artillery, whether it be small long-range weapons that will join the Infantry or larger weapons that will stand behind the overall force. This is one of the only corps that will choose their division at the beginning and stick with it through their entire education, unless it is decided that someone's abilities may be better suited for a different artillery piece.

Siege Artillery

Siege Artillery by Crest via Armoria, created by RiverFang

Siege Artillery

Siege Artillery is those who specialize in artillery pieces that are meant to siege buildings or areas, to include trebuchets and magical bommards. Artillery pieces that can move large rocks and other projectiles are most common, and these pieces are considered stationary and take a great deal of time to set up for use. Siege Artillery enters the battle once the Royal Dwarven Military reaches a point where a wall or other structure must be held or destroyed, keeping the enemy at bay or locked within their fortresses for a length of time. Commonly, these people wait near the very rear of the military until they are moved forward by Transportation.
Those in Siege Artillery may need to find a profession outside of the military during peacetime, but these people are often called to ply their specialty as anti-siege artillery near larger cities in the Dwarven Kingdom. This does not account for the entire force, but a handful of these men and women will continue their specialties during peacetime. Otherwise, these people tend to serve as Master Dwarves in various trades that are not needed in the Royal Dwarven Military, and only choose this specialty due to their interest in the specialized mathematics used or the artillery pieces themselves.

Anti-Air Artillery

Anti-Air Artillery is those who specialize in artillery pieces that are meant to take down any air assets that enemy combatants may have, including Sorcerer Carpets, other flying magical flying machines, and even animals. Bows, crossbows, bommards, and other smaller artillery pieces that can be utilized from the ground or other advantageous high positions are common, with most Soldiers in this division utilizing longbows or other stationary ballistas. Anti-Air Artillery is used mostly in open-air combat, outside of the Great Furnaces, but these men and women also serve on battlements in larger Dwarven cities that are housed in rather larger caverns. During most battles, these artillerymen are not used, but are always ready to be deployed.
Those in Anti-Air Artillery easily turn their wartime professions into peacetime careers. Many of these men and women serve as castle guards for the Dwarven King, providing cover on the battlements, while others find jobs as Crossbowmen and Bow Knights, professions that rely heavily on their aptitude with their long-range weapons. This allows them to hone their skills, with some of these Soldiers becoming known for their trick shot abilities.

Anti-Air Artillery

Anti-Air Artillery by Crest via Armoria, created by RiverFang

Mobile Artillery

Mobile Artillery by Crest via Armoria, created by RiverFang

Mobile Artillery

Mobile Artillery is those who specialize in artillery pieces that are meant to be moved continuously throughout a battle, resetting in various locations as necessary to aid with continued fighting. This division most frequently works with catapults on wheeled bases, but a small number of other mobile artillery pieces are also used in specific circumstances. Soldiers in this division are often closer to the front lines, working more in tandem with the Infantry as they move their artillery pieces and quickly set up for the next launch. Because of this, their training is slightly different and does require these men and women to have a background in weapons as well, in case they need to protect themselves and their artillery.
Those in Mobile Artillery split their time between working with their chosen artillery pieces and other professions during times of peace. Because of the nature of their duties, these men and women are required to dedicate a set amount of time every month to work with Forward Observation and train their abilities. This is much more important for this division as their artillery pieces move more frequently and they must be able to set up their weapon and fire quickly if necessary.

Arcane Artillery

Arcane Artillery is those who specialize in channeling arcane energy through various artillery pieces. While this division may seem more in line with the Scriptwroughts, Arcane Artillery is an extremely specialized division that combines both spellcasting and the mathematics and logistics needed to fire takes a great amount of schooling to accomplish. Those who join this division will train at both the Golden Anvil and the First Furnace, making sure all of their skills are honed to an exceptional level.
Those in Arcane Artillery often take positions as Scholars and spellcasters in times of peace. While their wartime profession is specialized, their knowledge of magic and its applications can be used elsewhere, often meaning that these men and women serve in magical professions for the Dwarven Kingdom or as professors in the First Furnace or the Golden Anvil, depending on their arcane specialization. If they do not wish to enter a fully magical profession, a handful of those in Arcane Artillery will choose to become Master Dwarves in unrelated crafts.

Arcane Artillery

Arcane Artillery by Crest via Armoria, created by RiverFang

Forward Observation

Forward Observation by Crest via Armoria, created by RiverFang

Forward Observation

Forward Observation is the one division of Field Artillery that does not deal with specific artillery pieces. The duty of this division is to work with specific groups of Special Forces to provide reconnaissance of an area, as well as to scope out useful targets for the rest of the Field Artillery divisions. Forward Observation helps with a large majority of the trajectory estimations early in a battle, as well as confirming hits and altering trajectories as a battle continues. This division is extremely important for both Siege Artillery and Mobile Artillery, as the projectiles utilized by these artillery pieces can easily take out allied equipment if calculations are not done correctly.
During times of peace, most men and women in the Forward Observation division may serve as mathematicians and other Scholars at one of the three Dwarven academies. They are required to invest a set amount of time per month into training with the other Field Artillery divisions to hone their craft, but for the most part, these people have professions that are far removed from their wartime duties. Many well-known Scholars serve the Royal Dwarven Military in either this division or the Stoneshapers.

Assets

Dwarven Law dictates that items must be stockpiled at the various academies throughout the Dwarven Kingdom for use by the corps of the Royal Dwarven Military. Still, these goods are under the purview of the Combat Services divisions, including Ordnance, Quartermaster, and Transportation. Specific units of each division are designated to the academies to inventory, care for, and distribute the various items that are kept in stores across the Kingdom.

Type

Military Order

Ruling Organization

Golden Anvil

Parent Organization

Hammerfalls

Location

Great Furnaces

Related Species

• Iron Dwarves

Related Ethnicities

• Iron Dwarf Culture

Iconography

The symbol of the Hammerfalls is an axe with wooden posts banded about the haft. This weapon was chosen as it symbolizes the role that the Hammerfalls fulfill in the Royal Dwarven Military and in the Dwarven Kingdom. The axe is meant to be the military as a whole or the Dwarven King. At the same time, the posts symbolize the different divisions of the Hammerfalls that have joined together in order to provide a wall of safety for the other corps of the military or for the king. Each division receives a set of different-colored posts and bands to mark them as distinct yet still part of the whole.
Field Artillery bears a symbol of orange posts and black bands. The orange of the posts represents the explosiveness of their artillery pieces and the central point of all they do. The black bands that hold the posts are meant to denote the darkness of war and the responsibilities that Field Artillery has to the other corps, protecting them from afar.

Military Education

While the youngest of the academies in the Dwarven Kingdom, the Golden Anvil is by far the most diversified in its curriculum. While the School of Mines and the First Furnace specialize in engineering and magic, respectively, the Golden Anvil became the catch-all academy for everything military-related. In its early days, the academy strictly specialized in the art of war, weaponry, and strategy, but as times changed and the Royal Dwarven Military grew, it became necessary to expand the offerings so that all necessary parts of the military could be covered under this education.
Specialized paths are built into the curriculum at the Golden Anvil to give all students a robust knowledge of everything about war and the military, but also allow them to specialize in a given area that would prepare them for joining one of the many divisions of the Hammerfalls. Early on, students will choose the path of Combat Arms, Combat Support, or Combat Services. After a couple of decades of overall education in a given area, the students will specialize in one of the seven divisions.
Those who will eventually end up in Field Artillery after choosing Combat Arms as a specialty will receive a varied education, not only in the weapons they will be using, but also in the mathematics and logistics necessary to utilize their weapons safely. Much of their time will be spent in classrooms and on training fields well away from others so that they may practice their craft without the chance of grave injury.

Leadership

For such a large military, leadership is paramount to success on and off the battlefield. This is equally true for the Hammerfalls, which is the largest corps of the Royal Dwarven Military and is structured into the largest number of divisions.
Overall, the Hammerfalls are led by a battle-tested General who has served many centuries in the Royal Dwarven Military. A handful of other ranked officers serve beneath this General and run the daily operations of the Hammerfalls, including things like recruitment, pay, and other over-arching issues. Beneath this, each of the divisions has its own leadership structure.
A General leads the various divisions and then a series of ranked officers as the division breaks into smaller and smaller units, each with a similar command structure and duty. At the smallest scale, a unit will consist of twenty Soldiers led by a lower-ranked officer specializing in one specific thing within their division.