Military History of Naja

Naja as a region has shifted in area over the centuries just as the Nara tribes and species have worked against and with each other. Originally the Nara developed their own native form of combat, along with weapons and armour. After the Chū-Kata invasion and subsequent takeover, Nara combat took in certain elements and focused more on internal, guerilla style fighting due to operating in small cells and fighting in alleys and buildings rather than in wide open plains like the pitched battles of antiquity. Modern Nara tactics are more concerned with defending the border and trying to push the border North to regain lands originally controlled by the Nara.

Antiquity
Nara combat varied in its weaponry and tactics before standing armies became common. Conflict between species and subsequently tribes was standard with different tactics being adopted based on the opponents. Spears were used by Neh against each other and by Neis against them but Neh would not use spears against Neis, instead opting for swords and polearms along with bows and arrows. Small shields were used at this time for their defence but also for providing quick and agile movement before large scale combat had developed between centrally organised and better equipped armies.

Military Technology
Due to being cold-blooded, Nara tend to not wear armour and focus instead on the use of shields. When standing armies became more common, the small shields of antiquity gave ways to tower shields became favoured for their use in line formations. Some non-shielded phallanx units did exist, usually wearing cuirasses of boiled leather or metals if the combatant was more affluent with iron giving way to steel over time. Slings and blowdarts were the most common ranged weapons with short swords and daggers being commonplace melee weapons. Spears were used occasionally but were not as ubiquitous as with humans due to Neis being capable of avoiding them with more ease though against Neh they proved as useful against them as humans.

Fortifications
Nara settlements usually always began development around oases and as such, defence was of huge importance leading to traps and other defensive structures being a necessity against incoming armies attempting to siege cities.