The Power of Conformity

Department of HumanitiesPsychology/Sociology Section

For: Chief EngineerSubject: Molding of the military mind.

I have been pressed into several military organizations here in Acheron. I find that they all follow the same model for curbing individualism and promoting conformity. Below outlines the basic techniques used by each group. Note that not all of the militaries work this way, some have better honed practices to these skills, and others have yet to learn the finer points of mastering the mind.

1. Destroy the soldier's will to be free.

2. Strengthen the communal mind.

3. Instill belonging and security within the communal mind.

4. Break up the communal mind and escort each fresh component to the next phase of their training: specified vocations.

5. Instruct new components on their new vocations.

6. Enhance their ability to flexibly join a new communal mind if their parent unit is decimated.

7. Place within a new unit.

8. Train with new unit.

9. Show them their flexibility by creating shock platoons for special missions.

This is the basic outline of Acheronian precision. They follow three guidelines: break the soul, build the communal mind, fight. This is IAW (in accordance with) the Rule-of-Threes. There is a Unity-of-Rings structure as well, but it is insofar as I've witnessed this place, deeply hidden. As I become more entrenched here in Acheron, I shall undoubtedly uncover this truth. This process of soldier creation is effective in the highest degree; I've survived with my mind intact by using special techniques developed by my Section specifically with this mission in mind.

The forces here are very competent most of the time, but as I've said, whole armies have been crushed between two the cubes because they were inherently foolish enough to remain on the collision face just to attempt to gain more ground that was slowly headed for a new facelift. If their highest-ranking officers would've had the intellect of a small child, they could've withdrawn to another face of the cube, or even gone to ground somewhere else leaving a very small contingent to trick their rivals and have the cubes do their job for them. To illustrate how resolutely the communal mind is, very few, if any single deserters from a routed military can be found leaving a battle. Everything is precisely timed and executed by the squad, including retreats and they are almost always a single motion like quicksilver.

The most ingenious of commanders create shock platoons. A shock platoon's squads are specifically designed around multiple vocations working in coordination as a team. These are highly effective ways to break the standard unit's resolve and their lines. Imagine the effectiveness of two fully armed warriors teamed up with a fleet-footed thief or two, at least one wizard, a cleric for medical care, and on average two artillerists armed with massive amounts of arrows to provide a protective cover fire to suppress the lines. Devastating, no? Well, I've seen such small units in action. The fleet-footed are the ones who flank the opposing force, causing them to be suddenly attacked on three fronts.

The dehumanization of the training comes into play here. Since an average being would break and run if attacked on more than two fronts, this says something about their conditioning. They are trained to have no souls during battle. To do so would undermine the effectiveness of their combat skill. Instead, these units fight on until at minimum one-third their number lay dead or wounded or strike forces divide them. They then fall back in a tactical retreat until support elements to their rear can be brought to bear against the smaller strike elements. The battle planning behind this is absolutely amazing.

Have you ever watched a legion of troops march in perfect step to the sound of ringing boots on steel in your ear? It is a sight to behold. More breathtaking and awe-inspiring are the musterings of whole brigades and even divisions of troops for the larger armies. From all areas of the cubes, they filter in, from the smallest shock units to the massive phalanxes. Columns of foot soldiers air squadrons and even great cavalry units. Did you know that there are armies that control several cubes? They are the central focal point for fledging militias and other growing units to contest their strength and break their military machine with their smaller forces. It is a constant struggle, but one worthy of great study and interest.

As for the plane itself, I believe Acheron harbors a love for the great militaries. They have largely become known as great military houses. The central cubes from which these houses are run are connected to several other cubes, which have fewer portals than the cube the house itself sits on. The great military houses fear something that is yet unseen by the currently fighting armies. I'm currently tracking down rumors of a floating empire hidden in the void between the cubes. Rumors abound about this, the greatest of all the military houses having conquered the cubes and built structural supports to keep them from drifting away or together. And intertwined in all of this are pathways and bridges to the other faces. If such a place exists, it surly must be at the fringe of Avalas. I will keep searching for these places and shall make my next message soon.

Now that I've touched on the surface of the rigors of indoctrination for training, I will now dig deeper through the examination of various tactical maneuvers. However, I have compiled a log of conversations during my indoctrination sessions. I will attempt to compile them for you as quickly as I am able. For now, I am being told that we are going out on patrol. More to follow.

Calix Arvandus, Shaper 2.