Officer of the 42nd Zuen-Tep, Great Lotus Army, OE 463

The Great Court of the Lotus, or the Zhowentec, is a young state ruling over an old nation. Forged in the fires of rebellion against the domination of the Wild Hunt of Tsal, the Court is defiantly republican, though it's old academic aristocracy continues to steer the ship of state, and this ideological zeal has bought it both friends and enemies alike.

The Fae Princes still run free in their ancestral homelands on the Western Steppe, ravaging the Court's frontiers, while relations with the Most Serene Kingdom of Senuk-Riyva to the north have deteriorated sharply since the first deployment of Lotus troops to prop up the fledgling Iomasacese Republics in the 450s. Meanwhile, the Court seeks to expand it's power further, looking towards the arid, magic-rich lands of the newly risen God Kartok and it's Dustborn children.

Such concerns have contributed to the vast expansion of the Great Lotus Army in the subsequent decades, and it's eventual status as Isico's greatest terrestial force by sheer size, enabled by the Court's blooming industrial economy. Although not as advanced in fields such as artillery and tincasted battle constructs, the Lotus troops have come to be known for the excellent quality of their infantry corps, which boast the largest concentration of modern firearms anywhere in the world. The simplicity and reliability of the Lotus arquebus continues to elude their rivals, though this great tactical advantage has come with a greater logistical cost.

The 42nd Zuen-Tep is an infantry regiment of the Red Standard Army, one of the GLA's five main regional divisions (the others being White, Black, Yellow and Blue), stationed on the western border with the Tsal territories. It's soldiers bear a distinctive blue uniform, featuring patterned robes based on textiles from the eponymous city, and officers (as seen above) wear plumed helmets and cloaks to denote their rank.