Further Corsair depradations along the coastline have sharpened the need for an end to naval gazing. Earlier this week, an Imperial Navy xebec spotted a Corsair ship and gave chase, but had to let it ecape as the ship was fulled to the gunwales with vicious looking villains.
Admiral Periplos and Commander Villaineuse are of one voice "We Need a Regiment of Marines, then we don't have to ask the Army every time we want to put men on board".
Vizier Ekonomikos is against the idea, and the Basileos knows that he will have a deputation of Harrumphing Generals if he agrees. But then Periplos pulls his mastercard....
"They could have Dark Blue uniforms, Sire, like you have always wanted!"
"With a hint of Purple?"
"Oh, more than a hint, Sire"
"Think of the cost, Sire - Purple dye is not cheap"
"My own Marine Regiment - that would look splendid"
"Let's start with a Battalion, Sire"
"Oh alright, just a hint of purple then, and One Battalion of Marines to be recruited. - Sign the order Ekonomikos - Lord knows there are enough harbour-rats at the docks who could be recruited."
Doffing their hats, Periplos and Villaineuse retired backwards in as dignified a way as possible from the Imperial Presence (as it reached for its crayons to start designing a uniform), and the scowling visage of the Vizier. Once the Varangian Guard has swung the audience chamber doors shut, they high-fived each other and raced back to The Admiralty (a small tavern, not too far from The Admiralty building), proclamation in hand..
Would not aqua (cyan: [Safe 16 SVG Hex3] html code #00FFFF) be the most adequate facing color for Marines?
ReplyDeleteThen, on a purple coat...
You are of course correct, but His Excellency still wants a Dark Blue uniform like the Prussians have (with a bit of Purple) and the harrumphing Generals have refused so far to give him an infantry unit with one in.
ReplyDeletePS every regiment in New Byzantine service has to be fielded in the Corps du Vin as well....
ReplyDeleteMore than a bit of purple to tend toward burgundy?
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of aqua as a facing color -cuffs; or perhaps for 'smallclothes' (waistcoat, breeches: [an historical precedent with sea green]). But of course aqua is not very 'wine-like'.
And since the unit is to moonlight in the Corps du Vin, a sturmtruppe of wild female volunteers to spearhead the boarding parties is excluded? As would, of course, an Amazon Guard...
Ah no, Byzantiumss Marine uniform will match the "Wine-Dark Sea"
ReplyDeletehttp://www.indepthinfo.com/articles/wine-dark-sea.shtml
And one can certainly imagine a female Privateer or two with the Charter.... but bearing in mind the Empress's past, one can imagine the Basileos won't get far with an Amazon Guard.
A very intringuing description -and a venarable part of Greek heritage. Looking forward to discover how you translate it in coat color.
ReplyDeleteA satiny cloth changing color with the angle of view (what we call 'pigeon throat') would combine purple and dark blue: such cloths already existed, the Flag of Royal Artillerie was of 'fire' satin appearing either red or yellow.
Two interesting explanations of Homer's intriguing formula "I have often seen the sea 'wine dark', particularly as the 'rosy fingered dawn' of the sunrise appears." and "Pour red wine into a dark cup and the red colour pretty much disappears. What you see is most obviously a dark liquid - dark but still transparent - that might actually be quite close to the colour of a sea in failing light."
I was looking at the 'present day' army, and it occured to me that the Legion Etrangere might equally well be called the Ethnikoi or perhaps the Xenoi. Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Ion