An artillery Kapitan directing Mortar fire
Prior to the invasion of Llael, the Khadoran High Kommand adopted a number of measures proposed by Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk. The implementation of these measures not only provided Irusk with swift victories in the Llaelese War but also heralded a renaissance for the Khadoran war machine. Among Irusk’s innovations was the creation of swift-moving artillery batteries that could navigate a battlefield alongside soldiers and warjacks under the dedicated eye of artillerists knwon as Artillery Kapitans trained to direct concentrated firepower into the enemy lines. Irusk’s skillful use of such artillery had a withering effect on the Llaelese defenders who faced his forces in battle and proved to be a decisive factor in the war’s outcome.[1]
The true strength of Khador’s artillery lies in the simplicity of its design. Because the weapons are easy to produce, operate, and maintain, the Motherland’s armies can field them in great numbers. When commanded in batteries by skilled artillery kapitans, they prove to be a powerful battlefield asset in support of mass troop movements. One particularly effective tactic is commonly referred to as “close fire.” Using precise calculations of altitude, wind direction, and powder, artillerists lay down fire directly ahead of advancing troops. These barrages are intended to decimate enemy lines while creating a chaotic environment that Khadoran forces can turn to their advantage. The deafening roar of artillery, the choking smoke, and the dirt thrown aloft by a multitude of nearly simultaneous impacts confound the senses of enemy troops, who are then quickly put down with axe or blasting pike. Because brave Khadoran soldiers are sometimes caught in these blasts, giving the close fire order takes a rare steely resolve, but a good artillery kapitan knows such losses are a necessary price of victory.[1]