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Military of the Morsian Empire (From 20,000 BBY onwards) |
Structural history |
Rutilarian reforms · Farranaxian reforms · Reforms of 3,920 · Cracian reforms · Unit types and ranks · Equipment · Legions (Canon · Legends) · Navy (Canon · Legends) |
Campaign history |
Wars and battles (Canon · Legends) · Civil Wars and rebellions (Canon · Legends) |
Strategy and tactics |
Infantry tactics |
Borders and fortifications |
Castellum · Castra · Escensio · Finibus Galacticus (Finibus Septemtrionis Galacticus (Finibus Otega ad Qiilura · Finibus Thanium ad Ashicus · Finibus Meram ad Quelii · Finibus Kanz ad Raioballo) Finibus Coruscanticus · Finibus Teraab ad Trax · Finibus Meridionali Galacticus (Finibus Chommell ad Brema · Finibus Arkanis ad Cadavine · Finibus Lambda ad Bothanicus)) |
Under different political systems |
Royal Morsian Army · Morsian army of the Dictatorship Morsian army of the First Republic · Imperial Morsian Army (Canon · Legends) |
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Morsian infantry equipment was all of the equipment used by the Morsian Army over its lifetime. Since its inception in around 16,700 BBY, the Morsian Army had undergone many different changes with armor, weapons, and equipment when doctrines changed, ranks created and classes being phased in and out. In its early life, the equipment was supplied by the individual who formed the militia or ad-hoc swordsmen units of the proto-army. With the inception of the legion system of the Royal Morsian Army, equipment, armor, and weapons were provided for the troops out of a monthly cut of their pay until it was paid off.
Initially, the equipment and weapons used by the early army was designed and developed to counter their main adversary and its army. When a tactic was found to be effective, or a particular piece of armor or equipment gained a respect among the troops of the army, these would be trialled in the army before widespread adoption. The equipment of the Royal Morsian Army and the army of the Dictatorship was largely designed to counter the Morsians biggest enemy the Sicc'orax Republic. After the Sicc'orax were defeated, public enemy number one shifted to being the Kingdiomi Di Sparti, and some of the equipment and tactics used by the Sicc'orax were integrated into the Morsian Army. This trend continued all the way until the Imperial Morsian Army where, upon becoming a galactic faring force, it stopped changing its tactics and armor and mostly focused on adopting new blasters and weapons which fitted the doctrine and tactics of the army. Weapons used may have varied over time and even between legions, however they were never on an individual soldier basis.
Melee weapons[]
Gladius regius[]
The gladius regius was the longsword used by the swordsmen who formed the precursor to the Royal Morsian Army. The name translated to "royal sword" in Galactic Basic Standard as it was created for the king for the army. It was a one handed longsword that was relatively similar to the one used by the Sicc'orax in their army, which was not a surprise as it was essentially a copy of that sword for the Morsians to use. The weapons of the militia varied in size, shape, and quality so the king decided to create an official sword that would be used by the army.
Gladius[]

The Morsian gladius was a short sword which exchanged length for stabbing power. The gladius was the oldest weapon to be employed by the army after it became the Royal Morsian Army. The length of sword varied slightly throughout its history, though generally it was around the 60cm length for the blade, with a sturdy handle and rounded pommel. The sword was primarily designed for thrusting and stabbing, giving it a thinner width and sharper point, though it was capable of dealing damage via slashing and other means.
Gladius pulsum/Gladius publicae[]

The gladius publicae, as it was more commonly known, started life known as the gladius pulsum which literally translated to "vibrating sword" in Galactic Basic. It was a vibroblade version of the gladius employed with the army at that time. The guard of the sword was hollowed out to accommodate the power pack, and a coil was cut into the base of the blade to give it the vibration which was characteristic of vibroblade weapons. The design came about after the Morsian Empire was discovered by the rest of the galaxy and it realized that the army was woefully below the technological par. After vibroblade weapons were discovered by them and various examples purchased for study, the gladius was modified to become a vibroblade sword. When the lightsaber became standard for the Morsians, the gladius pulsum was no longer required, and so it was passed to the Publicae Auxiliam who were the police force of the Morsian Empire and it became their standard weapon.
Lightsaber[]

The Morsian army lightsaber was the latest melee weapon issued to troops of the Morsian Army to replace the gladius pulsum which had been introduced into service after the Morsians had been introduced to the rest of the galaxy. A Morsian Jedi had returned to Mors and allowed the Morsian scientists and engineers to study their lightsaber for a very short period of time before they returned to the Jedi Temple. Alongside blueprints which the Morsian Jedi later sent, the army managed to create a variant of the lightsaber after several disastrous attempts that would suffice as a replacement to the gladius in service. The weapon was slow to be pick up on by the legionaries who initially struggled with the comparative weightlessness of the weapon and blade compared to the gladius, however after extensive conversion and training with the weapon, it began to replace the gladius in front line service. The power of the lightsaber made it far superior to the gladius as it could easily slice through solid objects, shields, armor, or other obstacles while retaining the piercing thrust that the Morsian formations relied upon.
Hasta Sicc'oraxii[]
The hasta Sicc'oraxii, or "Sicc'oraxian spear" was a short spear that came into use during the Second Morsian-Sicc'orax War, where legates wanted a long range melee option to counter the spearmen of the Sicc'orax. The first spears were quite literally just Sicc'oraxian spears taken and given to legionaries to use against their former owners, however after the war and after peace had returned to Morsian lands, developments of these spears resulted in a shorter variant issued to the reformed legions. At between two and two-and-a-half meters in length and gripped towards the middle or middle-rear of the main spear shaft, the weapon was designed for thrusting or jabbing, with throwing being a last resort. A solid metal tip could pierce through armor and was used as such during the Second Morsian-Sparti War, though other heads could be manufactured that would better deal with light or unarmored opponents.
Hasta Sparti[]
The hasta Sparti or "Sparti spear" was a far longer spear that mimicked the longer spear used by the Hoplitas of the Kingdiomi Di Sparti. Issued to the Hoplitas of the First Morsian Republic during the Second Morsian-Sparti War with the reforms of 3,920, the weapon saw more limited use where the Morsians returned to fighting more lightly or unarmored opponents during their subsequent conquest of Virconis. It was around fifty percent longer than the hasta Sicc'oraxii at around three-and-a-half meters or longer and not designed for throwing mostly down to its length and handling. The spear exceeded in an anti-mounted unit role where the extreme length meant any mounted rider would be skewered far before they could near the Morsian formation and a long wall of spears often deterred any mounted charge. However the length also left the user in danger of being effectively unarmed if an enemy infantryman was able to get within the spear range, where its extreme length would become a severe handicap to how the soldier could defend himself. By the turbulent times of the Second Morsian Republic, the hasta Sparti had fallen out of favor due to a lack of suitable enemy to warrant its continued use in the army.
Ranged weapons[]
The Morsian Army often used missile weapons to bombard the enemy before a battle both as a method of causing casualties but also damaging the enemy morale prior to combat. Ranged support from auxiliary infantry could also help reinforce or rebuild morale damage to Morsian troops during a tough battle. Heavy infantry or melee infantry that the Morsians fielded usually had little in the way of ranged offensive firepower prior to blasters coming into widespread use, however dedicated ranged auxiliary infantry would often accompany a legion on campaign to give support during a battle. This changed when blasters became the standard for legionaries and carbine blasters would be carried by legionaries to be used during battles, with melee fighting becoming somewhat secondary.
Pre-blasters[]
Bow[]
The bow was one of the earliest weapons in use with the Morsian Army, finding usage during the time of the militia formations before the Morsian Army was established. Primarily, bowmen of the militia were formed from hunters who volunteered their services for the militia when needed, and provided ranged fire support for melee infantry. Following the formation of the Royal Morsian Army, bowmen did not have a place in the structure of the legions, and so continued to only be seen in allied militia or irregulars, where the hunting bow was used by the ranged militiamen. With the advent of auxiliary units during the Farranaxian reforms that would supplement the legions, bowmen named the auxilia saggitaria were issued with military bows to support the legions with longer range fire. Bows continued to be the weapon of auxiliary troops as the main legions were never issued bowmen, however often auxilia saggitaria were near permanently attached to the legions. As technology advanced and superior ranged weapons were developed and adopted, the bow fell out of use.
Pilum[]
The pilum, or pila, was the primary throwing weapon for a considerable chunk of the life of the Morsian Army. The pila was of similar length to the hasta Sicc'oraxii except with superior weight spreading which made it a lot easier to use in an overhand grip. It also featured a softer metal tip which was also far longer, designed to pierce through shields and bend when hitting and piercing any moderately hard object. This feature meant that the enemy could not pick up the weapon and throw it back on its creators, and if the pila had stuck into a shield it would be difficult to remove, requiring the enemy to discard the shield and advance unprotect as the spear-stuck shield would be too cumbersome to use. When advanced ranged weapons were developed, and specifically blasters came into use following 10,000 BBY, the pila found itself quickly relegated to rusting in stockpiles inside of Castellums. However, much like other old military weapons, the pila found a new home with the Publicae Auxiliam where it became standard issue for the soldiers patrolling the streets both as a defensive and also ranged weapon to capture criminals.
Carbines[]
E-3 morsianum[]
The E-3 morsianum, more often shortened to just the E-3, was a heavily modified blaster carbine that saw service in the Morsian Army from the time of the Old Republic until near the start of the Clone Wars. A derivative of the E-313 heavy repeating disruptor, the weapon was highly modified to become shorter and include sling mounting points among other changes to make it suitable for Morsian battle tactics. It wasn't the most popular of blaster rifles issued to the legions and so saw limited manufacture and use throughout its service in the legions. The blaster carbine was comparable to other carbines in use with the legions at the time but was not ideal due to its beginning as a longer rifle, and with the introduction of the DC-15M and E-11M into use with the Morsian Army, production of the E-3 was halted and weapons still in service were recalled.
X-22M[]
The X-22M with the M standing for morsianum, or "Morsian" in Basic, was a derivative of the X-22 blaster rifle that came into use with the Morsian Army in around 3,900 BBY. The actual date was not agreed upon, however the weapon was not in circulation in the legions until many years after the Siege of Mors and was in use by the start of the Great Galactic War in 3,681 BBY. The blaster had a compact form which suited the legionaries and a sling attachment point at the rear of the weapon which allowed it to comfortably hang against the thigh of the soldier. It proved popular in service and was often the blaster that legionaries asked for when requesting replacements for either damaged or destroyed equipment. Even after the introduction of more advanced blaster variants to the army millennia after the X-22 had been removed from sale in the rest of the galaxy, such as the DC-15M, the X-22M remained alongside its modern counterparts. This was most prominent when legions equipped with the E-11M fought alongside those equipped with the X-22M, as the blasters had a very similar outward appearance.
DC-15M[]

The DC-15M with the M standing for morsianum, or "Morsian" in Basic, was a derivative of the DC-15S blaster carbine that came into use with the Morsian Army toward the end of the Clone Wars. The actual date was not agreed upon, however it was definitely in service with some legions by the end of the war in 19 BBY. The DC-15S blaster carbine had been recovered from battlefields during the Morsian Clone Wars interventions which primarily aimed at recovering both Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems technology and weapons for the Morsians to reverse-engineer. Combined with blueprints, plans, and fresh examples of the weapon obtained by spies of the Morsian Imperial Intelligence Bureau (IIB), the blaster rifle was swiftly completely understood and reverse-engineered by Morsian engineers and scientists. Firing trials as well as training trials using the weapon saw good results for the Morsian Army and soon a modified version was introduced to the legionary arsenal, designated the DC-15M. The collapsible stock of the original carbine had been removed, along with a redesigned iron sight and miscellaneous other changes which included dedicated sling attachment points to ensure the weapon fitted the combat style of the legions. The weapon proved popular and phased out several other blasters that had been in use with the legions up until that point.
E-11M[]
The E-11M with the M standing for morsianum, or "Morsian" in Basic, was a derivative of the E-11 medium blaster rifle that came into use with the Morsian Army during the Morsian-Imperial Proxy War. The actual date was not agreed upon, however it was definitely in service with some legions by 10 BBY. Morsian awareness of the blaster, and subsequent acquisition of both blueprints and factory models, was largely attributed to the IIB during the intense period of spying and covert operations conducted between the Morsian and Galactic Empire. Imperial development of the E-11 was discovered and subsequently stolen by IIB spies who passed images and blueprints of the weapon over to the Morsians for study. After being asked to recover a production model, several were smuggled into the Morsian Empire to be swiftly tested and reverse engineered. After successful trials with the army, a modified version named the E-11M began to be produced and issued to the legions which was welcomed by the troops using it. It was marginally more powerful than the recently introduced DC-15M and was visually similar to the longstanding X-22M already in service, which helped its integration into the army.
Rifles[]
H-411M[]
The H-411M with the M standing for morsianum, or "Morsian" in Basic, was a derivative of the H-411 Battle Saboteur blaster rifle that came into use with the Morsian Army during the 3,900 BBYs. The date of its introduction was disputed, however it was certainly in use by the time of the Great Galactic War. Following the Siege of Mors, the Morsians had continued to observe and follow blaster developments, with the H-411 catching their eye for its design and power. Following purchasing of a number of blasters for study, the H-411 was tweaked before production of the modified H-411M commenced for issuing to auxiliary units. Its power, and willingness to be equipped with a dedicated high powered scope, resulted in its infamy throughout the army as a sniper rifle. Legionary snipers often requested an H-411M as their weapon of choice, while sentries for tank and artillery auxiliary units also valued the weapon for its accuracy and power.
DC-15 morsianum[]
Like the DC-15S, the Morsians saw the DC-15A blaster rifle being used by the Grand Army of the Republic and were impressed when their interventions brought back a large supply to reverse engineer and study. Work began on adapting it to better suit the Morsians, and the first DC-15 morsianums were put into service around the same time as the DC-15M in 19 BBY. Like previous rifles, the DC-15 morsianum was designated for auxiliary infantry and those units on garrison duty, along with stockpiles placed in the stores of military bases.
Shields[]
Scutum legionarii[]

The scutum legionarii, more commonly known just as a scutum, was the primary shield used by the legions for most of its life. A rectangular shield with a highly convex front to deflect arrows, the shield offered protection for most of the body of a legionary when standing, usually leaving just the feet and head exposed. Crouching could mitigate this, offering near complete protection to the user from the front. It could also be used in an offensive capability, being used to punch forward and into an enemy, causing them to lose their footing rather than suffer any major damage beyond some bruising or loss of breath.
Scutum auxilia[]

The scutum auxilia was an ovular shield design of the same height and width as the scutum legionarii, however it was far less convex. The shield first came into usage when auxiliary infantry were created during the Second Morsian-Sicc'orax War, and a different shield made them easily distinguishable from legionaries from a distance. Compared to the scutum legionarii, the auxilia gave less surrounding protection in exchange for superior handling and lighter weight. The scutum auxilia was a more defensive type shield compared to the legionarii, though in an emergency it could be used to bash or punch with.
Scutum circum[]

Translating literally to "circular shield", the scutum circum was a relatively small circular shield which was used primarily on mounted units or for ranks who remained in the rear lines of battle, such as the buccinator or sometimes the signifer. One of the smallest types of shields used by the Morsian Army during its history, the shield gave the least amount of protection in exchange for extreme lightness. allowing the soldier to perform their duties mostly unhassled by a heavy shield but still having something to protect them in case they were attacked.
Scutum Sparti[]
Not to be confused with the scutum circum, the scutum Sparti was a larger slightly convex round shield used by Morsian hopliarii. It had multiple different names, being recorded as the scutum Sparti, scutum hopliarii and as the scutum hoplitas. The difference with this shield to the scutum circum was its far larger diameter, capable of covering the entire torso, much of the legs and most of the arms which is something the scutum circum was unable to achieve. As the name suggests, the shield was used primarily by the hopliarii and was a near direct copy of the shield used by Sparti hoplitas. It was a mostly defensive shield designed to keep the spearman safe while using their extremely long spear to kill from a distance.
Scutum publicae[]

The scutum publicae was the shield issued to the Publicae Auxiliam following their inception as an evolution of town watch. The scutum publicae was identical to the scutum auxilia in both shape and size due to the publicae being auxiliary soldiers. Until the Morsians were discovered by the rest of the galaxy in 10,000 BBY, the shield appeared identical to the scutum auxilia with its markings except some identifying features that would show it to be belonging to the publicae. However, as the Morsians caught up to galactic technological par, the appearance of the shield changed. It gained a blue outer facing with white markings and the word "publicae" emblazoned across the upper half of the shield. Later development of the shield saw it coated in a blaster-resistant outer coat to give the publicae some protection against blaster fire. Concentrated fire at the shield would eventually remove the coating and allow blaster bolts to pass through the shield, however against criminals or sole blaster users, the coating was sufficient.
Scutum imperatoris[]

The first of the energy shield developments for the army, the scutum imperatoris translated to "imperial shield" or "emperor shield" as a way to attempt to carry favor with the emperor. After shield technology was discovered from the galaxy, the Morsians saw great potential in revolutionizing the army with shields which were not only stronger but also lighter and took up less space. A team was quickly set to work on developing a replacement to the currently serving shield with the requirements of it being an energy shield. After many years of development, the scutum imperatoris was developed which mostly ticked both boxes and named such to flatter the emperor. The shield was created via a central emitter hidden in the boss while a metal external frame kept the projection in a rectangular formation. The shield was certainly far lighter than a traditional shield, however the framework made it no smaller than the existing shields in service. After more was learnt about galactic technology, further development of the shield occurred to remove the external framework.
Scutum personalis[]

The last in Morsian infantry shield development, the scutum personalis translated directly to "personal shield" due to being a deployable energy shield which a legionary could deploy and put away at will. After the development of the scutum imperatoris, the Morsians were still not happy about the external frame to keep the shape of the shield, so a team was once again set to create a replacement. The requirement was that it had to still be a deployable energy shield but without the surrounding frame, so that legionaries could hold the generator on their belt when not in use. Development was slow until a Morsian Jedi showed them how to build a lightsaber, something which would later become standard issue to the legions. Shortly after understanding how the lightsaber functioned, development of the shield resumed with an aim to apply the lightsaber principles to the shield. Eventually a breakthrough was made and the scutum personalis was created. After trials and issues were sorted out, the new shield replaced the scutum imperatoris in service.
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