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#Post#: 275--------------------------------------------------
Caesar's Legion
By: Victoreno Date: October 23, 2012, 2:07 pm
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Caesar's Legion is an autocratic, ultra-reactionary, utilitarian
slaver society, founded in 2247 by Edward Sallow (also known as
Caesar) and Joshua Graham and based off the ancient Roman
Empire. Its legionaries are a well organized, culturally insular
fighting force that mainly operate east of the Colorado River
and the Grand Canyon, in the former state of Arizona. Their
capital is the city of Flagstaff. Caesar's Legion is comprised
mostly of reconditioned tribes and their descendants. The
Legion's symbol is a golden bull on a red field, which is
derived from Julius Caesar's standard for the Tenth Twin Legion.
In the year 2266, the Followers of the Apocalypse sent a group
of nine members to the Arizona wastelands to study the region’s
tribal languages. The group included Follower Edward Sallow, who
met with the New Canaanite missionary Joshua Graham, a
specialist in tribal dialects. Not long into their travels, the
group was captured by the Blackfoot tribe and held for ransom.
At the time, the tribe warred against seven other tribes, and
suffered from a lack of skill in warfare. Against his
companion’s wishes, Sallow aided the Blackfoots to save him and
his companions from their captor’s enemies, giving them
knowledge in gun maintenance, small unit tactics, explosive
improvisation, and military strategy. The tribals admired Sallow
so much that they made him their leader. With that, Sallow took
the name Caesar, and began reorganizing the tribals he commanded
into the Legion.
Caesar established warfare policies in the Legion based on the
concepts of divide and conquer and total war. The Legion
defeated the region’s seven tribes from weakest to strongest,
and completely dominated each faction’s land and people. The
people conquered in campaigns were conscripted, enslaved, or
killed. Caesar saw the tribes “playing at war,” and tribals
viewed his tactics as foreign, as their warfare consisted of
skirmishes that never escalated into major conflicts.
With the combined leadership of Caesar and Graham, declared the
“Malpais Legate”, the Legion led campaigns against more tribes,
forming a fanatically loyal army with their captives. Eighty-six
tribes had been conquered by the year 2271, and the territory
Caesar led formed the most powerful society east of the Colorado
River. The Legion expanded west into the Mojave, and established
Fortification Hill on the Colorado River in 2277. The advancing
forces eventually made contact with the NCR near New Vegas, and
began a campaign to take the region.
By 2281, Caesar's Legion has re-established its power in the
west, rebuilt its army, and has slowly encroached on the city of
New Vegas. They continue to contest NCR over all of the region,
destroying several NCR bases such as Ranger Station Charlie and
Camp Searchlight, overrunning the NCR town of Nelson, and
creating unease and terror across the region. Sometime before
the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, the Caesar's Legion has
conquered a new tribe under the command of centurion Gaius
Magnus, bringing the number to 87.
The Legion is first and foremost a slave army, the sole owner of
which is Caesar. As Caesar conquers the peoples of the
wasteland, he strips them of their tribal identities and merges
them into his forces. There is no other tribe than the Legion
itself.
As a slave army, the Legion maintains a very strict hierarchy or
division of roles. All able-bodied males become slave soldiers
with a singular purpose: to fight for Caesar until they fall in
battle. This reason for being is imprinted into each legionary
during his reconditioning or, if one was born into the Legion,
upbringing and training. Legionaries become unconditionally
devoted to their leader, living to fight. Contrary to
expectations, experience and veterancy has no bearing on one's
position in the Legion. While some may receive better equipment
and more dangerous tasks to fulfill, at the end of the day, all
soldiers remain slaves, disposable human tools that are
discarded the moment they stop fulfilling their purpose.
Women are given the role of, essentially, support corps. Caesar
specifically forbids women from fighting, instead using them as
caretakers, healers, midwives, and breeders to support the
Legion's continuous campaign of expansion. Some members of the
Legion express condescending and downright misogynistic opinions
of women and their non-combat roles. While the portrayal of
female slaves in Fallout: New Vegas follows standard
stereotypes, it is important to reiterate that both females and
males in the Legion are fully subjugated by Caesar. The Legion
is structured after the army of the Roman Empire. The largest
unit of organization in Caesar's Legion is the "Cohort",
numbering about 480 infantrymen. Cohorts are further divided
into "Centuriae", which, contrary to their name, number about 80
men. Each Centuriae is divided into ten "tent groups"
("Contubernia"), making this the squad level of organization.
Raiding parties also form in this size (about eight men) and are
led by a Decanus (squad leader).
The weakened state of humankind following the atomic blasts
offers an opportunity to unite the world under one flag. By
using brutal and militaristic tactics, the Legion seeks to take
advantage of that weakness and create one society united under
Caesar. Caesar claims that the atomic bombs were sent by the God
of War, Mars, for just this purpose.
The ultimate goal of the Legion is to unite humanity. They see
democratic societies as tools that the rich and powerful used to
keep the majority of humanity in a state of constant
irresponsibility. By keeping the people addicted to consumerism,
they could effectively drain citizens of their wealth whilst
rendering them ineffective. This not only partially explains the
Legion's disdain of alcohol and chemical stimulants, as well as
pointless luxuries, it also explains why they see the majority
of people as "animals", and are so quick to use violence against
them. To them, "animals" are any creatures that live only to
survive. Humanity, in their eyes, is defined instead by the
ability to override the fear of death and the base instinct to
survive. Those who are able to face death head-on can more
easily sacrifice themselves in pursuit of a greater societal
goal.
Caesar greatly dislikes democratic societies, especially the
NCR, because of their glorification of the wealthy over the
worthy. In addition, Caesar greatly dislikes sectionalism and
consumerism, because he believes they turn humans into
"animals", or simple beings that live only for the sake of
surviving. Caesar believes that it is his opportunity and
destiny to unite all humankind under one banner, ushering in an
age where each human is judged by their merit, and given power
accordingly. This way of thinking exemplifies the differences
between the NCR and Caesar's Legion. The NCR believe that basic
mercantilism will eventually bring peace to the wastes. While
the greedy may rule now, when peace and stability come, the
populace eventually will gain more power through reform. Caesar,
however, sees that as a curse, not a blessing. In his mind, it
will allow humans/"animals" to be preyed upon by the greedy.
While the NCR uses their great wealth to fund research to
improve the average life expectancy of citizens, the Legion
believes that longer lives come at the cost of humanity and
purpose; people who blindly try to extend their lives should
instead attempt to live without the fear of death hanging over
them. This is why the Legion refuses to use medical sciences,
except in rare cases. Given how little common ground exists
between the ideologies of the NCR and the Legion, these factions
will undoubtedly contest each other until one is defeated.
Caesar's Legion uses two old forms of currency which were also
used in Roman times. They are minted by the Legion in the form
of silver and gold coins, each coin bearing the profile of
Caesar. Despite Caesar's poor relations with the other factions
in New Vegas, Legion currency is still accepted as payment in
the Mojave Wasteland, owing to the high level of trade with the
Legion and the safety of its territory for caravans. The
exchange rate is 4 bottle caps to 1 Denarius, and 100 bottle
caps to 1 Aureus.
The Denarius (silver), which bears an image of a younger Caesar
on the obverse and Caesar, Joshua Graham and Calhoun on the
reverse. The inscriptions are in Latin, "Caesar Dictator"
meaning "Dictator Caesar" or "Absolute Ruler Caesar" on the
front and "Magnum Chasma" meaning "Great Abyss" or "Great
Fissure" on the back, referring to the Grand Canyon. The
symbolism is simple - the denarius commemorates young Caesar's
journey to the Canyon and his first victories as a dictator of
the tribes.
The Aureus (gold), which bears the portrait of the older Caesar
on one side and the symbol of the 10th Legion (the bull) on the
other. The inscriptions are in Latin, "Aeternit Imperi" meaning
"For the eternity of the empire" on the front and "Pax Per
Bellum" meaning "Peace through War" on the back.
The Legion follows the Cult of Mars, created by Caesar in 2250
after claiming he was the Son of Mars. Members of the Legion
believe that the war god cleansed the Earth with fire so that
Caesar could conquer the Earth and save it from chaos. Most
members of the Legion are oblivious to their society's basis in
Ancient Roman culture, and believe that their customs were
dictated to Caesar by Mars himself.
The Legion society is largely hierarchical. Anyone outside its
ranks is considered to be Dissolute (lacking in morals), while
those that are both outside of it and hostile (usually the NCR
and its subjects) are called Profligates (slightly more
dissolute). Freshly caught humans are called Captures and are
considered the lowest of the low. Their only right is to be
tested as a slave. If they do not meet the requirements, they
are killed.
Slaves are one step above Captures and consist of captured
humans unfit for combat duty as a Legionary. They are expected
to adhere to the virtues of a slave (Honestas, Industria,
Prudentia - honesty, industry, and prudence) and follow their
master's orders without questions. They are given a new name and
wear rags with a light red X painted over the chest. During the
Capture stage, slaves seem to be forced to wear slave collars.
Later, when they have been "broken in" and transported deeper
into Legion territory, the collars are removed as seen with the
slaves at Fortification Hill. Children of slaves are taken from
their parents after birth and placed in the care of priestesses,
who raise them in keeping with Caesar's doctrine. Physically fit
males are chosen to serve as Legionaries.
Legionaries are the main fighting force of the Legion and form
the bulk of its society. Composed of capable men conscripted
into service, Legionaries are expected to demonstrate the height
of Roman values.
The entire Legion military army is led by a Legate, who answers
only to the Caesar. In addition to this, the Legion's forces
have two special branches, the Frumentarii, who are tasked with
infiltration and subterfuge, and the Praetorians, whose sole
role is safeguarding the Caesar. A few are also assigned to
protect the Legate.
Unlike the NCR Army, Legionaries are not organized by rank but
by direct combat experience. The most inexperienced of them,
recruits, wear the simplest of garments and are usually marched
in the front line. Survivors of multiple skirmishes can expect
to be recognized as prime legionaries and considered for Decanus
status, or may simply be marched in the middle of the ranks
(equivalent to the pre-Marian Principes).
The most experienced of Legionaries, veterans (equivalent to
pre-Marian Triarii), make up the rear guard and join battle only
if recruits and prime legionaries fail to meet their objectives.
This practice is not a matter of rewarding elite soldiers for
their service. Instead allowing the Legion to hold the best
warriors in reserve, the practice forces an enemy weakened by
previous waves to engage the fiercest Legionaries.
The main commanders, centurions and the Legate, are also the
deadliest members of the Legion. Unlike their counterparts in
the NCR or any other organization, each has reached their rank
through their battlefield accomplishments, and their armor
reflects that fact - it is made up of trophies taken from
defeated enemies. However, they rarely enter the battlefield, as
they are few in number and possess valuable leadership skills.
The loss of a centurion will likely result in a dramatic loss of
unit cohesion.
The discipline of legionaries is absolute. In combat, they obey
every order without question and if needed, will gladly
sacrifice their lives. The reason for this is simple: punishment
for failure is severe. Legionaries that fail will be lucky if
they escape with their lives. Those that fail will often be
crucified or hacked to pieces by Praetorians in front of Caesar.
It is also possible that the Legate will invoke decimation,
where every tenth legionary will be beaten to death by his
comrades as punishment. Life expectancy in the Legion army is
low - any Legionary who can survive extended service is a
formidable opponent.
While this disciplined style of warfare is extremely effective,
it does create a few very exploitable weaknesses. Soldiers in
the legion are trained to obey their superiors in all
situations; this often makes the Legion troops, especially
recruits, slow to adapt to changing battlefield situations. If
the officers and veterans are eliminated, the chain of command
will be in severe danger of collapsing. With recruits unable to
control the situation, the leaderless army will become
disoriented and confused, ultimately rendering it easily routed
or wiped out. Under the command of Chief Hanlon, the NCR
demonstrated and exploited these weaknesses to great effect
during The First Battle of Hoover Dam.
The Legion excels at melee combat, as evidenced by their choice
of weaponry - primarily, the machete, which cripples limbs. They
are not averse, tactically speaking, to using firearms, but will
not provide them to the lower ranked troops. They usually have
to scavenge firearms, and the ones used by the Recruits are
rather low quality and include .357 magnum revolvers, varmint
rifles, and single shotguns. A ranked Decanus is most often
armed with a submachine gun of some sort. On a whole, Prime and
Veteran Legionaries prefer slower, more reliable firearms, like
cowboy repeaters, .44 magnum revolvers, and hunting rifles. The
most high tech Legion soldiers are the Centurions, who use
anti-materiel rifles and marksman carbines. Legion soldiers on
average have more health than NCR troopers, but are less durable
due to having much worse armor. The superiority of NCR armor and
firearms means that Legionaries are usually outmatched in a
straight up fight. To get around this, the Legion makes
extensive use of hit and run tactics. Legion raids typically
involve sending an overwhelming force to suddenly attack a town,
killing everyone (sometimes taking slaves) and leaving before
the enemy can respond. As Lanius states, their forces are much
better suited at taking positions than holding them due to their
up close style of fighting and bad logistical situation. While
Legion raids are often very successful, it is worth noting that
the number of positions the Legion actually controls over a
period of time in the Mojave is very small compared to the NCR,
and that the Legion have never fared very well in a straight up
battle against the NCR.
As a single-minded, monolithic empire, the Legion's aim is to
dominate the known world and unite it under its banner. In 2281,
it is locked in conflict with the New California Republic at the
Colorado River. Tribes that weren't pressed into it are also
openly hostile to the Legion, fearing that they too will become
victims of its campaign of conquest, as even with guarantees of
safety and independence, Caesar has gone against his word and
assimilated tribes he previously promised he'd leave alone. This
causes even ruthless organizations like the Van Graffs to oppose
the Legion in addition to organizations like the Desert Rangers.
However while many civilized groups dislike the Legion's ways,
they have great success in assimilating tribal groups. Tribals
and their general respect for power over anything else typically
side with the Legion over the NCR. The White Legs are firm
allies of the Legion, and are used as proxies for the Legion in
the War for Zion.
In 2281, after suffering a an incredibly devastating defeat at
Hoover Dam, the Legion has resorted to finding ways to gain the
allegiance of local factions so that they can sow the seeds of
their enemy's demise closer to home. They have allied with the
Great Khans, Omertas, and Fiends, and plan to use them to aid
their plans in the Mojave before assimilating or exterminating
them.
Caesar firmly believes that reliance on technology weakens
humans, and was responsible for the Great War. As such, his
Legion is mostly a low-tech organization, relying on numbers,
physical fitness and discipline to achieve their objectives. A
typical legionary will wear armor mimicking the Roman lorica
hamata or lorica segmentata, usually created from pre-War sports
gear (mostly if not exclusively football gear) armored with
metal plates, including the helmet, worn over a tunic. In
combat, they use either simple firearms (typically revolvers or
lever-action rifles), power fists, or melee weapons in the form
of machetes and throwing spears, crafted from scavenged
materials that mimic the ancient Roman short sword (gladius) and
javelin (pilum).
However, it is incorrect to treat their technology as primitive.
As simple as regular combat gear is, the Legion is capable of
erecting large fortifications out of scrap (e.g. Fortification
Hill encampment) and mass producing standardized weapons and
armor for its footmen. In fact, the armor and weapons of higher
ranking soldiers compares favorably to the NCR. In major
battles, centurions will use rather advanced weaponry such as
anti-materiel rifles, Marksman carbines, and super sledges. The
personal guards of Caesar themselves are equipped with high tech
ballistic fists to complement their martial prowess.
The only mentioned opposition to military technology is combat
robots. Caesar dislikes the thought of having robots win a war
fought by men. Because of this he tells the Courier to destroy
Mr. House's Securitron army, even if the Courier offers to use
the technology to destroy the NCR. He has no problem with Lucius
trying to repair a howitzer, for the purposes of suppressing 1st
Recon and Veteran Ranger snipers. They occupy the HELIOS One
station if the player decides to activate Archimedes I,
Fantastic joins the Legion as the overseer of the power plant
with the comment "Hey man, when in Rome.". The Legion appears to
use radios as shown at Cottonwood Cove HQ but overall opts for
devices that use no power. The Legion does not need or truly
desire power sources like the NCR, but at no point oppose its
usage as they do with chems, alcohol and combat robots. The
Legion is overall a very Neo-Luddite organization hoping to
return to the days of the Roman Empire and this idea conflicts
with using "old world" technology. While the Legion uses
technology when appropriate, there is no interest in the pursuit
of technology in any aspect like there is with most other major
factions in the wasteland.
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