Editing Soukos (section)

==Military:==

A Soukan force is one of great class and prowess, much like the rest of their glorious nation. In fact their constant boasting and singing irks possible allies. However this pride is made up for by the rigorous training and concoction a warrior receives to become a master of his chosen craft on the battlefield. Alongside this the siege engines and whimsical creatures brought along to battle are all great assets to even the playing field between the great firepower modern nations possess. Said siege engines are often brought to shrines of the Soukan pantheon to be blessed with unique properties and it is so that if an artillery piece survives long enough it can get a name of it's own with it's awesome power.

Soukan forces primarily consist of well trained and potion enchanted warriors and many are equipped with a 2-3 meter long spear known as a doru. They are drilled in several formations to fight in and are unparalleled by other nations standard infantry in single combat. Long ago that had been enough to win them the seas, however times have changed and with gunpowder weapons on the rise the Soukans have reluctantly adapted to using these so called “barbaric, ungraceful tools”. Through heavily modifying several of their earlier siege engines such as ballistae and rigorously blessing them at shrines to their gods they have developed weapons such as modified mortars that can fire off a swift and deadly bolt alongside flame spewing devices that release Soukan fire, a deadly alchemical weapon. They are backed up by the many fantastical creatures in the area such as minotaurs and Pegasi who have all been fitted and adapted into this army. However their primary flaw is their lack of desire to constantly train new recruits due to no pressing war concerns leading to a thinly an often spread army across the region.

As war is considered merely another art for the Soukans to perfect, it is therefore inevitable that strategy and fighting techniques are passed down from generation to generation alongside the constant addition of new warmachines to the army. Hoplites have and still remain the basic foot soldier of the city-states host and through battlefield experience each soldier chooses a specialized path to embark upon where their talents will shine brightest. This method of training has produced exemplary results however commonly results in infighting as rivals battle for the highest positions of power in their regiment. Some of these specialized troops include the Flamespitter Sarissas, Gladius Sailor Guard, Fonias-Pattern Repeater Crossbowmen and the Drakehead Ashtongues. 

Released into the battle as well is a myriad of the exotic creatures populating the region, originally mutated from the aetheric radiation of the gods residing in the region such as bonded cyclopses taken from their home island of Sicilia, satyr skirmishers, centaur reavers, warsphinxes, manticores, battle hydras, Soukan harpies, possible the originators of the entire harpy race should the myths written centuries ago be true as they were made far before any other documentation of the harpy race and chimeras, the revolting results of procreation between these beasts. Alongside the rank and file are siege engines such as the trusty ballista, an ancient artillery piece commonly modified with magitech addons and the support of battle mages and oracles, a strange subclass of mage who are supreme advisors to the army due to their inherent gifts of foresight.

With the art of gunpowder being much more easy to learn than that of the blade and of magic, a few commoners have begun to take up arms as well, known as the Armatoloi. This levy is quite notorious for deviating greatly from the Soukan military tradition, with them preferring sneak attacks rather than direct combat. Their appearance reflects their fighting style, with them being armed to teeth with multiple guns and a sword, which is used only as a last resort. Despite them being looked down on by more established groups, the unorthodox and pragmatic methods of the Armatoloi brings undeniable results.

[[File:Haag Carl - Greek Warrior - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|right|An Armatolos]]

Among the Armatoloi levy there exists elite bands of veterans known as the Evzones. These warriors are either wealthy enough to purchase higher quality weapons than the flintlocks, sabers and axes used by most Armatoloi or are veteran Armatoloi who have earned such weapons. These senior warriors commonly use gear like enchanted repeating rifles for their baseline weaponry and have perfected the Armatoloi doctrine of stealth based combat and guerilla warfare. Alongside their rifles they additionally wear khaki uniforms spun with silk from an Arachne (a giant spider monster with feminine traits native to Soukos) giving them great durability and marking them apart from others as they either lead a regiment of Armatoloi or serve in a regiment fully comprised of other Evzones. They carry with them cutting edge weaponry a step further than their levied comrades such as magitech mountain guns, weapons lacking the sheer damage in a single round a dragon killer ballista has but with a far quicker firing speed making it ideal for wiping out charging regiments and for moving around quickly. Due to their far higher quality equipment and training than the other Armalotoi many hoplites have ended up somewhat admiring the Evzones, and their track record as efficient warriors are one of the reasons the Armatoloi are still respected by the Soukans.

===Navy:===

Navywise, the Soukans have kept mostly to their original ship designs with the neo-trireme serving as their transport across the sea. With reliance on rowers removed for automated engines allowing for more consistent sailing it has become possible to vastly increase the size of these ships and shove the former rowing ports chock-full of cannons and other such weaponry. Lastly use of small airships and planes have been seeing widespread use as troop carriers, with Soukan Skyslicers being useful in bombing raids and to observe the surrounding terrain. Alongside this the exerevnitis, or explorer in Common Nantic as they call their airships has served as an extremely useful transport dropping a regiment of troopers directly onto the combat zone or wherever they are needed granting a powerful level of maneuverability to the Soukans. As mentioned several times, neo-triremes are the primary vessel of the Soukan Navy with the automated portion of the battleship/trade ships replacing the many holes for rows to stick out in the lower decks with a cannon in each. This has led to an extremely devastating broadside belowdecks as the amount of cannons crammed into the boat is staggering. Abovedecks however dragonkiller ballistae are employed as rotating turrets to fire and destroy the hulls of ships or do substantial damage to the armored portion of enemy ships. Alongside this, Skyslicers and Exerevnitis airships fly ahead of the main force performing quick attacks before fleeing.