Additional Lore Information - Nations of Ishgar

Army Recruits & Infantry: Infantry is the backbone of the Imperial Army of Pergrande, innumerable soldiers forming the basis of Pergrande's overwhelming military might. Still, while there are many positions one can hold within the strictly stratified and disciplined fighting forces, being a recruit is one of the lowest positions one can hold, if not the lowest. Whether the men and women of Pergrande were conscripted or volunteered for the Imperial Army does not matter, as the outcome is the same in the end: One starts out at the bottom. Despite this, however, recruits are not weak, even by the standards of the magical world that Pergrande rejects, any lack of training being compensated by specialized equipment and dangerous weapons. Every soldier carries gear that is adapted to terrain and temperatures, advanced headgear, and body armor further protecting against blinding flashes, poisonous gases, and impacts. Their headgear also allows for the use of night vision and infra-red vision respectively. Further, every Soldier is equipped with firearms that differ depending on their role, though every Soldier in the Imperial Army carries an automatic pistol sidearm as well as a blade of some kind, the recruits carrying a combat knife that doubles as a bayonet. Recruits are equipped with advanced personal defense weapons that are specialized to combat at relatively close quarters, lacking penetrating power at range, but possessing a very high fire rate, and a group of these troops can quickly dish out enough firepower to easily overwhelm even stronger mages.

Army Officers: Lower-ranking officers are guaranteed to be competent Soldiers, Pergrande's military recruitment system placing emphasis on qualities such as leadership skills, tactical understanding, as well as technical and practical knowledge, with ideological purity being a secondary concern. While this means that officers are often somewhat more open-minded and free-thinking than the average Pergrandean, measures are taken to ensure they don't dissent too much from state doctrine. Still, this means that those promoted in this system of merit have earned their place as the leaders of squads, platoons, and even companies. After completing their training in one of Pergrande's many military academies and schools they have been shaped into the perfect fit for their role as leaders and combatants, and even though they lack the ability to utilize any magic in combat, they can be fearsome opponents. This fact is based on their skill as well as advanced and high-tech equipment, which is specialized and of better quality than that of regular Soldiers. Not only are the alpine troops used in the border regions equipped with a uniform and helmet that is easily distinguishable from that of other Soldiers, but their gear is also more optimized than that of lower-ranking military personnel. Including all the functions of the headgear recruits wear, the helmet Imperial Army Officers are provided with also includes a combat HUD that allows them to contact and direct every Soldier under their command as well as advanced targeting systems, improving their accuracy, and auxiliary computers that assist in the collection and processing of relevant combat information. As opposed to recruits, they are also equipped with better body armor and a standard-issue Assault Rifle most troops from Pergrande carry.

Pergrande's Imperial Guard Troops: Guard troops are part of formations known as guard units, this title being awarded to military units of the Pergrandean Empire after distinguishing themselves in battle as a way to decorate and honor them. Considered to be the elite among the fighting forces of the Empire, they undergo especially tough physical training procedures as well as an unknown form of psychological training with the goal of obtaining abilities which, among the citizens of the Empire of Pergrande, have gained an almost mythological status. In the Empire's quest to bridge the gap between the power of magic, which is, of course, outlawed and prosecuted in Pergrande, and that of their own forces, other supernatural powers were focussed on in their stead in addition to the nation's technological developments, powers that do not nearly receive the same attention in the magical world. Among these powers is psychokinesis, the power to use one's mind to exert physical pressure, induce movement in an object, to influence the physical world without direct physical interaction, which is heavily favored by Pergrande as a means to rival magical abilities. Anyone, with the right training, can learn psychokinesis, though it requires time and considerable effort to learn and immense concentration to utilize effectively, especially in combat situations.

Further, to exceed a certain limiting threshold on one's psychic abilities, one must be born with a talent for the use of such abilities. Still, Guards belong to the small percentage of people within the Empire that can utilize this power, albeit within limits, augmenting their physical strength and speed as well as general fighting style through its use.

Additionally, Guard units are also equipped with some of the best equipment Pergrande has to offer, namely receiving not only a full suite of combat armor, but also a weapon to match. Their armor and sword are coated in a very thin layer of a metal known as Oblivium, an element only found in the rough, cold mountains of Pergrande's far north. Oblivium is a substance not only known for its nearly unfathomable toughness, but is also known to instantly destroy any magical energy or similar supernatural abilities, such as curses, blessings, etc., that come into contact with it, making it, while admittedly hard to handle, not only extremely rare in Earthland, but also extremely valuable, especially for Pergrande, the Empire readily exploiting the limited quantities of Oblivium they can obtain. These factors, combined with the combat prowess of Imperial Guards, make them opponents that are easily able to defeat mages en masse, specializing in combat against magic users and the arcane.

Paladin Privates: Imperial Paladins from Pergrande are an organization that possesses a matchless reputation within the Empire, and even outside of it they are both feared and respected. Separate from the Imperial Army, they are almost akin to an army of their own, possessing their own structure, hierarchy, facilities, supplies, and all other necessities for a large and organized fighting force. Serving as the Empire's secret police, this organization is tasked with exterminating any trace of magic, mages, and the arcane in general within the Empire's borders, and now, with conflict once more being guaranteed, outside of the borders of Pergrande as well. Highly trained and highly specialized, Paladins are recruited and conscripted from among those deemed to have supernatural abilities such as psychic powers and more, and as opposed to Guard troops, which are part of Pergrande's army formations, their training is adapted to the individual. Almost all Paladins are raised from childhood to be instruments to be used by their nation, combat machines that are without equal and in both strength and loyalty. Still, even among the ranks of the Paladins, differences exist, and once one completes their basic training, they are inducted into the Paladins of Pergrande as an official member, holding the rank of Private, while also being bestowed the badge of the Paladins.

Though Privates are new members, they are immensely powerful when compared to regular human beings, their movement speed rivaling that of high-tier mages. Their fighting style is based on the use of agility, martial arts, and unarmed combat to overwhelm opponents, and with their bodies enhanced by supernatural abilities, punches and kicks easily possess the power of impacting cannonballs. Further, the Paladins are an organization supported by and in support of their Empire, being granted the resources to equip their members with uniforms that are made from both heavy plates of Oblivium and threads of metallic nature, while heavy, granting them extreme durability, though the weight is offset by the Paladin's strength or psychic abilities. Through the enhancement of psychic abilities, most of these men and women are also highly intelligent and capable of processing information at an exceptional rate, making them rather capable tacticians and combatants alike.

Council Mage: Mages of all sort are the core of Bellum's armed forces, standardization, in this aspect, being unheard of. The vast majority of people in Bellum are capable of using magic, and while not everyone is capable of utilizing the stronger spells or unlocking higher-tiered abilities, almost every one of these mages is at least somewhat useful in combat, and one decidedly advantageous fact about Bellum is that all of these mages, men and women alike, are willing to die for their country and their god. Mages enlisting into the Army of the Holy Council of Bellum can cast a few spells, but apart from their magical prowess do not possess much fighting strength. Some of them may carry weapons like shortswords or staffs that can be used in melee combat, but their proficiency with these types of weapons is limited at best, relying on their superiority in arcane matters to deal with mundane foes.

Crusaders: Crusader Knights are more experienced combatants, known for their devout faith in the god of magic, Arcanos, as well as their fighting ability in bringing this faith to any heathens that dare to insult him. The Crusaders of Arcanos are an organization of men and women that have devoted their lives entirely to the service of Arcanos, and his worldly representation, of course, fighting for the Holy Council of Bellum with great fervor. Trained in both physical combat and holy magic, often light magic or fire magic, they are quite fearsome opponents to the average magus and experienced fighter alike. Their strong, full-plate armors and hand-picked weaponry are enchanted with a plethora of lower-tier magical effects that, when combined, can spell trouble for most fighters and even mages.

Cleric of Arcanos: Clerics in service of the Holy Council of Bellum are warriors who are known as the elite fighters of the Theocracy. Years of training in both divine as well as elemental magic, combined with a relentless martial drill, transformed the men and women undergoing this process into some of the best soldiers devoted to the god of magic, Arcanos, and the Council that, according to their own words, represents him in worldly affairs. Clerics of Arcanos are picked by the church, selected from the strongest of Crusaders in order to serve as guard troops, the strongest of the ordinary ranks among Bellum's forces. Their skill with their swords is unmatched among their peers, making even their swordplay equivalent to the effects of some high-tier magic, the fact that they are equipped with enchanted heavy armor and shields forged from Mythril, as well as various magic items, forming the basis of their sheer combat ability. The clerics of Bellum are foes best not to be underestimated, for the only thing greater than their sheer prowess in the field of battle is their zealous fervor for their god and their undying loyalty to their homeland.

Archpriest of Arcanos: Archpriests are known as some of the strongest mages in Bellum, considered as something comparable to nobility in other nations where such hierarchical structures exist. Archpriests are individuals occupying high positions in Bellum's society, acting as town or city governors, landholders, army commanders, and other such things. Hand-picked by the Cardinals that form the Holy Council of Bellum, all individuals holding the position of Archpriest are not only unwaveringly loyal to their god, their council, and their country, but also the most gifted casters Bellum's magical academies and private institutions can produce. It is only natural for Archpriests to focus on the development of their magical abilities over their physical ones, and while they are usually wearing ornamental uniforms befitting of their station, their equipment, apart from any magical items or enchantments, does not provide much in the way of protection, nor are they proficient in hand-to-hand combat. Still, they are, even by the standards of the Magic Council of Fiore, very high-ranking mages that can easily overpower groups of weaker foes and even stronger opponents, their bodies altered by the influx of their own powerful magic. They possess a reputation on the battlefield for their excellent prowess in the arcane arts, both in theory and in practice.