Stormwind Infantry Handbook: Preface

This chapter of the Stormwind Infantry Handbook serves as an introduction to the text.

Acknowledgements

Lord Maxen Montclair Duke of Westridge

Sir Antegas Lemartes Knight of Stormwind

Combat
Combat To fight or contend against; oppose vigorously.

Soldier A person who serves in an army; a person engaged in military service.

Combat is the core function of any standing Army. As such, every soldier of the Stormwind Army is expected to be able to handle his or herself under the pressure of war.

You are a soldier. You know your task and your responsibilities. But do you know how to live through the fires?

Arathorian Legacy
Since the founding of the Imperial Legion in the ages of the Arathorian Empire, the men and women of Azeroth have donned arms and armor as a profession in this ever-changing world. Legionaires wore light armor and fought together in formation with spears and shields, with cavalry support.

Roughly 1,200 years ago, the Imperial Legionaires that accompanied the lords of Arathor into Stormwind formed the basis for what was to become the Stormwind Army. Many of the Legion's tactics are used to this day.

Weapon Terminology
Every soldier should know the basic terminology of his weaponry.

'''Cross-guard
 * Metal cross-piece between the hand and blade of a longsword.

'''Grip
 * Handle of a sword.

'''Fuller
 * Shallow central groove or channel on a blade which lightens and strengthens it.

'''Scabbard
 * Sheath for a sword or dagger.

'''Hilt
 * Lower portion of a sword consisting of a cross-guard, handle, and pommel.

'''Pommel
 * Large knob that counter-balances the sword, at the end of the hilt. May also be used as a weapon.

'''Point
 * The tip of the arrow that pierces the target.

'''Quiver
 * Any device designed to hold arrows not being shot.

'''Bolt Rest
 * Device mounted on the crossbow on which the bolt rests during draw, hold and release.

'''Fletching
 * The stabilizing feathers attached to a bolt before the knock.

'''Nock
 * Device on the end of a bolt opposite the point, made with a groove for holding the bolt to the bowstring.

'''Nocking Point
 * The position on the crossbow string where the bolt is placed.

'''Shaft
 * The body of the arrow upon which the nock, fletching, and point are mounted.

'''Tackle
 * Equipment used by an archer.

'''Cheek
 * Flat sides of an axe or hatchet head.

'''Haft
 * Wooden or metal rod of a spear, axe or warhammer that one grips. May also be used as a weapon.

'''Handle
 * A shorter wooden or metal rod of a hatchet or mace that one grips. May also be used as a weapon.

'''Head
 * The top part of a mace or hammer that holds the weapon's bulk.

Weapon Tactics
Each weapon, while deadly in the hands of a trained soldier, is nothing without support. A force of Longswords cannot hold back a crowd like a spear, or breach a well-dug in shield-wall like a claymore.

The support weapons your comrades use must compliment eachother. Each weapon must have a counterpart that can balance it's weaknesses so as to form an adequate and singular force, much like well disciplined soldiers work together as one effective unit.

Look around you - Are there high cliffs that can be used as vantage points for archers? Is there enemy cavalry requiring a spear wall to stop? Are the enemy heavily defensive, requiring the use of Claymores to break through?

As soldiers, it is your duty to spot and consider these threats before they get you or your allies killed. Once you can recognize the dangers around you, and how best to combat them, you will be without fear or doubt.

Uniformity
The key to flawless execution of a soldier's tasks lies in uniformity. In causing the soldier and his comrades to look and act identically, they begin to operate as a single coherent entity. They are always aware of their surroundings. They see what many civilians would not. They are able to work together to achieve the impossible.

In the Stormwind Army, several roles must be filled in order for any tactical action to occur. These military occupations will be outlined in the following pages.