The camp was halfway built and they were about to be attacked. The Centar Commander didn't hesitate: "Protect the builders so they can protect us."
Marching Camps
Barik's army has always been well organized, but since Barik and Eurik separated 300 years ago, military strategies have evolved differently from one another.
The Centars have become the strongest Barik's armies and one of the most valuable assets for the territory. Even though they are ruthless in battle, they have developed a unique strategy: marching camps.
Every evening, after a long day of traveling, Centars build a temporary camp for the night where fresh water, forage and wood are available.
The position of "The Heart" is the first thing that is placed. It's a pyre used to make offerings in a ceremony to bring good luck and stability to the camp. Then the direction of both perpendicular streets are marked trying to use the configuration of the terrain.
Every soldier knows exactly what to do. They dig a ditch around the perimeter that they can finish in 1-2 hours. All that dirt is used to build a rampart that will be used as the foundation for the palisade. After that they keep working on the inside of the camp, preparing the kitchen, all the tents, the stables, etc. They have perfected the technique over the decades and a full fortified camp can be built from start to finish in less than 6 hours.
A marching camp can be used as a pivot point to retreat if a battle is coming soon or just to pass the night, but if there is no more use for it, on the next morning they will destroy it, only leaving a stamp on the land, specially if in enemy territory.
Centars
Most Centars don't even go to war in their years of service. To them there is no less honor in digging a ditch than actually going to battle. They really understand how important it is to build a place of safety in which they can rest for the night. While traveling, Centars carry some of the stakes for the barricade, the tents, the food, the weapons, and everything they need to survive, so in a way they always carry a home with them. That respect for the work is what makes Centars great.
Camp size varies depending on how big the army is and how many equipment and animals they have to accommodate. A strategy that have bring victory a couple of times already is to make the camp much smaller than it should be, this way the enemy can be tricked into thinking that it's a smaller army, not knowing that they will be crushed by a ten times bigger than expected army.
Each camp marks the progress of the Centars through the land, emphasizing their unstoppable advance and demoralizing the enemy even before any fight happens. Centar marching camps are a symbol of love to their home as well as a display of military power that boosts soldiers morale.
Settlements
As stated before, some of these camps were not only used once, some remained useful, specially while traveling their own land. These became busy settlements and safe areas for travelers and merchants that then became cities with better infrastructures, connected with roads and replaced all structures with more durable materials.
"Dana gives us tools for the work."
"Rem gives us weapons to protect our home."
This map is inspired by old Roman Legions and their ability to build a fortified camp every day in their military campaigns. Every detail is historically accurate to the best of our knowledge and research, but in some cases it has been simplified or exagerated to fit the fantasy setting.