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The Cygnaran military is one of the most technologically advanced in the world as well as the largest army in the Iron Kingdoms.  In recent years it has been forced to be defensive; since the outbreak of war in 605 AR, simultaneous attacks on all its borders - from Cryx, Khador, the Protectorate and the Skorne, as well as a growing trollkin insurrection internally have drained Cygnar's war readiness.

Army[]

Cygnar Hierarchy

Hierarchy of the Cygnaran Government and Military as well as the elite Storm Division under Lord General Coleman Stryker

Cygnar is a large nation in the unfortunate position of being surrounded by hostile powers. Each of the kingdom’s four corners is isolated from the others as much by imposing geography as by distance, and many dedicated military personnel are required to defend the nation against immediate threats. In recognition of this fact, the Cygnaran Army is divided into four smaller armies, each tasked with defending a specific region. Warmaster General Ebonhart is supreme commander of the entire Cygnaran Army. He coordinates shared actions among the forces and determines their current priorities, reassigning manpower and key personnel as needed.[1]

The First Army (“Northern Army”)[]

The First Army is the largest army and has traditionally shouldered the difficult responsibility of defending Cygnar’s northernmost border against Khador. However the recent escalation of fighting in this region has forced them to become familiar with the tactics of both Cryx and the Protectorate.Since its establishment, this army has seen more combat than the other three armies combined. [1]

Lord General Duggan leads the First Army from Northguard, but its official headquarters is in Point Bourne. Other commanders serving in this army include Generals Galt Langworth, Kierlan Krismoor, Dargus Mathern, Shay Terswell, Joseph Worley, and Sebastian Nemo—when the latter’s duties as artificer general do not require him elsewhere.[1]

The Second Army (“Army of the Black River”)[]

The Second Army defends the eastern border, maintaining a large garrison at the capital and smaller forces at Fort Falk and Eastwall. It has traditionally defended Corvis as well. Because the Cygnaran Armory operates out of Caspia , the Second Army also boasts substantial warjack support and often serves as the testing ground for new chassis and weapon designs. Providing repair and resupply to these forces is considerably faster and easier than to Cygnar’s other armies, thanks to the commercial and industrial might of the capital.[1]

At present, Lord General Evelyn Turpin leads the Second Army from its headquarters in Caspia. Granddaughter of decorated former Warmaster General Olsen Turpin, who fought under King Leto, Lord General Turpin is the youngest individual to achieve this rank other than Coleman Stryker of the Storm Division.The 8th Division, which protects Caspia against their Protectorate counterparts in Sul, is led by General Artoris Halstead. General Alain Runewood commands the 7th Division out of Eastwall, and his troops guard a sizable portion of the eastern border. The northern patrols of this border report to General Elizabeth Dutton, who commands the 12th Division from Fort Falk.[1]

The Third Army (“Army of the Wyrmwall”)[]

Based out of Highgate, the Third Army is responsible for protecting the southern shores, primarily from Cryxian attack. The third army includes a sizable complement of Morrowan priests and Precursor Knights to assist in battling these horrors.Third is unique from the other armies of Cygnar due to its close cooperation with the Cygnaran Navy.In fact, army and navy personnel here are tightly integrated and accustomed to joint operations. The admirals of the Southern Fleet stationed at Highgate answer to both Lord General Vincent Gollan and their lord admiral—an unusual but effective partnership. At times, vessels from both the Northern and Eastern Fleets join in these assignments, and they have also shared operations with squadrons and soldiers from Ord.[1]

Lord General Vincent Gollan, earl of Shieldpoint and senior knight of the Prophet, has led the Third Army for over thirty years. Though he is well past his prime, Gollan is a living legend among the Third, respected as both a servant of Morrow and a determined enemy of Cryx. From Highgate, Lord General Gollan supervises the army’s complex engagements both at sea and on land. Ancillary garrisons exist at numerous forts along the western and southern coast. General Bors Gately commands the large 9th Division out of Highgate itself, while Commander Harriet Pike leads the 13th Division from Westwatch, the army’s northernmost outpost. Since Evelyn Turpin was promoted to lead the Second Army, the 14th Division is now led by Commander Matthias Roper. While headquartered in Mercir, Commander Roper’s garrison includes both the reserves and the battle-ready patrols that scour the Wyrmwall Mountains for threats to the realm.[1]

The Fourth Army (“Army of the Dragon’s Tongue”)[]

Cygnar’s Fourth Army is the smallest of Cygnar’s armies, having historically been a reserve force numbering only about 28,000 soldiers. Because Cygnar’s kings have considered it important to watch all borders, the Fourth Army is charged with patrolling the land shared with Ord, a relatively friendly nation. Historically used as a dumping ground for undesirable and insubordinate soldiers branded as troublesome but not incompetent enough to be booted from service. Its less vital mission turned the Fourth into more of a rarely deployed reserve force than an active army and left it vulnerable to corruption. This led to the Fourth joining the conspiracy to reinstate Vinter Raelthorne IV during the Second Cygnaran Civil.The army’s involvement prompted an investigation into the conduct of the Fourth’s officer corps, and many officers were unceremoniously discharged. Most who were willing to bend the knee to Cygnar’s new king were pardoned, thereby escaping execution for their crimes.[1]

The Fourth Army is in a period of rebuilding. Loyal officers from other armies, most notably the First, have been transferred to the Fourth to ensure its future loyalty, and the Inner Council is working on incentives to lure fresh recruits to the ranks. Leadership of the Fourth Army has been given to Commander Miller Gant, a reliable veteran of Stryker’s Storm Division. To assist in restructuring the army, Cygnar opened its coffers to hire mercenary warcaster General Ossrum Dhurg as a consultant and tasked him with assisting Gant in bringing the Fourth up to the highest standards of discipline. Dhurg draws on decades of experience organizing warriors from disparate Rhulic clans into a professional fighting force. For all its checkered past, the Fourth Army is a reflection of Cygnar itself—after surviving a period of conflict and uncertainty, it is being rebuilt into something greater.[1]

Cygnar Military Soldier

Recently a fifth branch has been added under the command of Lord General Colman Stryker.  Formerly refered to as the Storm Division due to a focus on Storm Chamber technology, it remains to be seen whether that designation will change now that its commander has been promoted to Lord General.

Service Branches[]

Reflecting its combined-arms approach to warfare, the Cygnaran Army is composed of a diverse array of service branches including,

Navy[]

Cygnar boasts the longest stretch of continuous shoreline of any nation in the Iron Kingdoms and shares the Broken Coast with Cryx. The responsibility for patrolling these waters falls to the Cygnaran Navy, currently commanded by Navarch Galten Sparholm III, who took over after the retirement of Govan Trent in 609 AR. Cygnar boasts the most modern naval force to sail the Meredius. Its small but growing fleet of ironhull warships, heavily armored and driven purely by steam, signals a move away from sail and hybrid power, though many captains still prefer the latter. The navy maintains officer training facilities separate from the army, supervised from the Sentinel Point Naval Fortress south of Caspia.[1]

The Cygnaran Navy is divided into three distinct fleets,

  1. Northern Fleet, based in Ceryl and assigned to guard Cygnar’s northern waters against all threats, including the Khadoran Navy
  2. Eastern Fleet (or “Caspian Fleet”), based in Caspia and charged with patrolling the Gulf of Cygnar
  3. Southern Fleet, based in Highgate and entrusted with defending the southern peninsula most directly threatened by Cryx.

These fleets are respectively led by Lord Admirals Tucker Luptine, Blythe Wassal, and Horace Nelson, each with several subordinate admirals serving them. The Southern Fleet is the largest and sees the most action, working closely with Cygnar’s Third Army to protect the kingdom from Cryx with support from the other two fleets. The Southern Fleet also plays a role in protecting the shipping lanes between southern Cygnar and Zu as well as other Cygnaran colonies abroad, though their ability to do so is limited. The privately owned Mercarian League has its own warships to escort its trading vessels, and League officers coordinate and cooperate with their counterparts in the navy.[1]

Warships are classified according to a system of ratings. First-rate ships of the line are the largest naval vessels in all of western Immoren and typically serve as flagships to fleet admirals. Second and third-rate ships are somewhat smaller, but their maneuverability and considerable firepower make them masters of naval combat, even a “lightly armed” third-rate ship of the line has three gun decks of more than 50 guns each on its port and starboard. With ratings all the way down to sixth, smaller ships like schooners, frigates, and corvettes comprise the reconnaissance and supply ships of the Cygnaran Navy. Almost all naval ships, no matter their age or class, are equipped with both sails and steam engines.[2]

The most formidable Cygnar hybrid is flagship of the Broken Coast Fleet is Indomitable Storm launched in 540 AR. Four gigantic steam engines and full, square-rigged sails allow her to make surprising speed despite her thick wooden hull, which has been partially reinforced with iron. Two sets of side-wheels sit athwart her port and starboard. Six massive smokestacks line her aft deck, angled back to keep some of her enormous smoke output behind the ship. The Indomitable Storm is more than 220’ long and bears four gun decks, each armed with 32 guns, divided evenly between the ship’s port and starboard, fore and aft. Her deck bristles with cannonades and the five massive gun turrets that comprise her main armament. Each turret carries three huge bored guns capable of firing at distant targets on sea or land. More than 200 sailors make their homes aboard the Storm, and they are accompanied by a dedicated contingent of long gunners and trenchers who have adapted their gear for marine combat.The Cygnaran Navy has even commissioned several highly advanced vessels, including a number of experimental submersibles. Cygnar first built Ironhull ships after Ordic Sprightly the first ironhulled ship was launched by Ord 594 AR, while the Cygnaran Glory of Morrow and the Merciful Boon were smaller than the Ordic they were just the beginning.The Alacrity was launched from the Sentinel Point Naval Fortress late in 606 AR. While smaller than its predecessors, the Alacrity is the first steam vessel not to employ paddlewheels. At the behest of the Cygnaran Royal Navy, master shipwright and naval engineer Pascal Galientra produced an experimental design for a totally submerged propeller. Driven by the ship’s single but powerful steam engine, the corkscrew-like propeller is much more difficult to target or damage. While only 160’ long and with a draft of 14’, the Alacrity is the fastest ironhull afloat in any sea, with a maximum speed in excess of 12 knots. Assigned to the Southern Fleet in the Gulf of Cygnar, the Alacrity has seen considerable action in her short time in service and plays a key role in Cygnar’s suppression of the Protectorate’s fleet. Built with a single gun deck, the Alacrity is armed with four huge port and starboard guns each, along with two rotating gun turrets mounted fore and aft. Despite carrying significantly fewer guns than other warships, the Alacrity boasts powerful batteries. Her relatively shallow draft has also allowed her to take part in river fighting against both the Protectorate and Khadoran forces much farther up the Black River. Intruder, Cygnar’s first submersible, has been moderately successful in the Gulf of Cygnar. After it sank two Protectorate frigates, the Cygnaran Royal Navy commissioned a sister vessel, the Reliant. However their inability to operate in the deep sees has limited its use against Cryxian pirates off the Broken Coast. [2]

The Cygnaran Royal Navy also possesses a smaller fourth fleet for patrolling rivers and harbors. These ships are primarily side-wheeled steamboats, but attrition has forced replacements to be outfitted with stern-wheels. This design allows ships to nose up to shores where troops can disembark—an amphibious warfare tactic that Cygnar’s enemies are learning to fear and respect. Most of these ships are converted merchant boats armed with swivel and chain guns. Some of the larger ships carry a few cannonades and more rarely a pair of full-sized guns. [2]

Forces of Cygnar[]

*Unique Characters and warjacks are bolded.

Major Warcasters[]

Warjacks[]

Light Warjacks[]

Heavy Warjacks[]

Colossals[]

Battle Engines[]

Troops[]

References[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar Command MK3
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 No Quarter #25
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