"Upon my honor I do swear undying loyalty to the Emperor...
and unwavering obedience to the officers of his great Empire.
May those above judge me, and those below take me, if I fail in my duty.
Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empire!"The Imperial Legion and navy have maintained peace and order since the founding days of the Empire. Their orderly columns and formations of ships and men have seen rebellious nobles, Kings, and foreign invaders fall before them. Before the Oblivion Crisis, the Legion exclusively acted as police forces within the provinces. There was little else for them to do due to the unprecedented era of peace. The Navy for its part patrolled and controlled the seas of the Empire, hunting down pirates with ruthless efficiency.
After the Oblivion Crisis shattered the Septim dynasty, the Legion cracked with it. Individual Generals led their Legions in war against eachother, tearing up the Empire for years until the Medes dynasty finally established control. The Navy had stayed mostly out of the fighting, continuing their ancient duty to the people of the Empire in their protection of the seas. During the Great War however, the reunited Legion was smashed once more, and the ships of the navy burned brighter than stars.
This time by the Aldmeri Dominions Mages and warriors. They butchered the Legions, and even defeated the Eighth Legion; nearly wiping it out during the sacking of the Imperial City.
Years later, the Legions march and prepare for war once more. The rebellion in Skyrim is crushed, and the Fourth Legion now includes a Cohort named after the Stormcloak movement itself. Old enemies make for good friends when the Aldmeri Dominion are involved after-all. The new Emperor prepares his Legions, re-equipping them appropriately for the inevitable war with the elves.
Ranks and OrganizationThe Imperial Legion actually consists of numerous Legions, eighteen in total. Each Legion is commanded by a General who has nine Tribunes serving under him, and consists of ten cohorts of troops, each commanded by a Tribune of the Legion. The First Cohort is commanded by the most senior Legate in the Legion, and consists of 800 Legionnaires and Auxiliaries, whereas every other Cohort consists of 480. These Cohorts are further divided up into Centuries of 80 men, each commanded by a Centurion and with a Praefect second. Within the Centuries are the squads. Each squad is of ten men, commanded by a Decurion whose second in command is a Quaestor.
Each Legion also has four units of Cavalry, numbering 120 total. These are divided up into groups of 30, each commanded by a Praefect.
The ranks of the Legion are as follows, with the most bottom being the most senior.
Legionnaire/Auxiliary/Equite: The basic soldier of the Imperial Legion, the Legionnaire is a professional soldier doing his full time within the Imperial forces. The Auxiliary is a volunteer soldier serving for a temporary period of time. The Equite is a cavalrymans designation.
Quaestor: The second in command to a Decurion, this man is responsible for ensuring his tent mates are safe and sound at the end of the day when the Decurion is not present.
Decurion: Commander of a squad of ten, the Decurion commands the most basic level within the Legion command structure.
Praefect/Praefect Equites: Below the Centurion in terms of rank, these men are the Centurions second in command. The Praefect Equites is a commander of thirty of the one hundred and twenty cavalrymen within a Legion.
Centurion: The commander of a century, or eighty men. The Centurion is responsible for maintaining order and discipline within his century in the cohort, and answers to his Tribune. In the case of the First Centurion, his Legate in the First Cohort.
Tribune: The Generals 'apprentices', typically those seen as worthy as becoming senior officers within the Legion. They learn from the Legates and Generals, and serve in Cohort command and staff roles. They are responsible for overseeing the standard unit within a Legion, the Cohort.
Legate: These men and women are the Generals right and left hands, commanding garrisons and forts across the province they are stationed in. They are often responsible for leading large segments of the Legion at a time and advising local supporters.
General: The highest rank in the Imperial Legion, there are only twenty-three of these individuals in the present day, with eighteen of them in command of a Legion. The other six dwell within various corners of the Empire as governors or advisers.
The Legion in Combat"Do you think it was bravery that has allowed the Empire to win all its wars? Skill? From these louts?! Don't make me laugh. What has made the Imperial Legion the finest force on Tamriel is its discipline. No other army can respond to a threat as rapidly as the Legion, and no other army can lay claim to conquering the continent. Not even those prissy Thalmor."The lifeblood of the Empire is discipline. This truth has remained true throughout all of Imperial history. Discipline has triumphed. It was discipline that broke the frenzied charges of Ulfric Stormcloaks rebels. It was discipline that held the Thalmor off for as long as it did. It was discipline, that made the era of Warlords one of the bloodiest in the Empires history.
The Legion fights in well organized ranks, four to five deep. The ranks switch places at intervals in the battle so that those who have been fighting get a chance to rest, and those who are fresh can plug the gap. The first rank is always made of spear armed Legionnaires, with the second ready to move in to support with swords. Any force crashing against the armored wall that is an Imperial Legion cohort will find itself taking horrendous casualties in due time. The third rank is made up of more sword armed Legionnaires, while the fourth rank is typically made up of the heavily armored troops that act as the final hammer blow against the enemy.
When in combat, the Legionnaires bash with their shields and then stab or cut out with their swords while every man and woman next to them does the same. This creates a wall of death that is truly terrifying to contend with. When under missile fire, Legionnaires often form a tortoise like shape with their shields, deflecting as many of the missiles as they can from their fellows.
The Battle Mages of the Legion are often spread out amongst the cohorts, with each cohort having ten of them. These men and women have an immensely stressful task, incinerating the enemy, healing and protecting their allies.
Legions"The Empire is strength, out here, we are the Empire." (Key: Blue = Skyrim
Red = Cyrodiil,
Purple = Morrowind,
Gold = High Rock,
Green = Orsinium)
The Imperial Legion consists of the following Legions:
The First Legion: Stationed in Cyrodiil within the Imperial city as the city guard, watch and veteran defenders of the Empire's beating heart. As diverse as the city it serves, although Imperials of Nibenese stock are clearly the majority.
The Second Legion: Stationed on the border of Black Marsh within Cyrodiil. Largely Nibenese, surprisingly
very few Argonians.
The Third Legion: Stationed in North Western Cyrodiil. Largely Colovian, although with a large portion of Bretons and Aldmeri expatriates.
The Fourth Legion: Stationed in Skyrim under the command of General Tullius, they have won battle honors for defeating the Stormcloak rebellion. Largely made of local Nords and a mix of Colovian/Nibenese Imperials.
The Fifth Legion: Recently recommissioned after the civil war in Skyrim and the establishment of Orsinium as a province, it is primarily made of Orcs (and some of the first non-Orc Orc-kin in the Imperial Legion's history).
The Sixth Legion: Stationed on the border with Morrowind within Cyrodiil. Mostly Nibenese, although with large numbers of Dunmeri refugees.
The Seventh Legion: Stationed within Camlorn. Almost entirely Breton.
The Eight Legion: Stationed around Anvil to protect the port city. Largely Colovian with a healthy Redguard composition.
The Ninth Legion: Currently stationed in the ruins of Morrowind. A mix of Dunmeri and Nibenese.
The Tenth Legion:Stationed on the border of Hammerfell within Cyrodiil. Made up of largely Redguard and Colovians.
The Eleventh Legion: Stationed near Leyawiin, sandwiched between Anequina and Argonia to defend the important port city. Largely made up of Nibenese, Khajiit and a handful of Argonians.
The Twelfth Legion: Stationed in the Nibenay Valley on the border with Anequina. Recently handled the Ra'nasta Uprising (and almost caused a Second Great War in the process of 'invading' Anequina to root out the Khajiit uprising). Largely Nibenese in composition.
The Thirteenth Legion: Currently being mustered in Skyrim out of Dunmer refugees and local Nords.
The Fourteenth Legion: Currently stationed in Daggerfall. Mostly Breton in composition.
The Fifteenth Legion: Currently stationed in Skingrad, building forts along the border with Valenwood. Largely Colovian, although has a disproportionate number Bosmeri and Aldmeri expatriates.
The Sixteenth Legion: Stationed in Wayrest. Largely composed of Bretons, with several notable Direnni-born Centurions.
The Seventeenth Legion: Currently decommissioned and at less than half strength due to the budget, acting in a ceremonial capacity in the Imperial City. As diverse as the City itself.
The Eighteenth Legion: Currently at minimal strength, performing ceremonial duties in the Imperial embassy to Hammerfell. A healthily diverse showcase of the perfect Empire.
Apparel and WeaponryThe legion is a diverse and effective fighting force, but what keeps it fighting is its supplies. Weapons, armor..without these, the Legion would just be a few brave men dying with nothing in their hands. At one point, most of the Legions wore the full plate armor that reflected the wealth and power of the Empire, but proved so ineffective against the Aldmeri Dominions advance. These days, the Legion has diversified its armory, reflecting on the nature of warfare in the modern era.
(from left to right: No armor. Mage. Light Imperial Armor. Imperial Segmentata. Imperial Officers Armor.)
(Armor used by the 4th Legion during the reunification of Skyrim)
But armor is not enough for a soldier. A Legionnaires primary weapons are common, yet deadly. Made of the finest Imperial steel, a Legionnaires sword can be the blade which secures justice and peace for the Empire, and his shield the wall that stops the enemy.
Navy Fleets, Ranks, and Roles(Dawgs can do this bit)
