Holy Legion
The Holy Knight Legions of The Gold Empire are its greatest armies, consisting of tens of thousands of dwarves, humans, elves and other peoples blessed directly by Aurathear Darastrix and The Gold Emperor. They are the Empire's greatest weapon, its shield against the darkness and sword against the wicked. They have fought in every war since the age of the Great Conquests and their relentless divine wrath has become synonymous with imperial domination in much of the known world.
The Knights are loyal, zealous and trained to the point of perfection to ensure the Empire's ascendancy over lesser blasphemous realms. Transformed by the gifts of the Gold Emperor, the Knights are holy creatures whose only purpose is the destruction of the enemies of the Gold Empire.
The Knights are loyal, zealous and trained to the point of perfection to ensure the Empire's ascendancy over lesser blasphemous realms. Transformed by the gifts of the Gold Emperor, the Knights are holy creatures whose only purpose is the destruction of the enemies of the Gold Empire.
Structure
Legions
The Holy Legions consists of several smaller legions which have different purposes within the grand tapestry of imperial warfare and are each led by a different marshal. These legions are:
The most junior members of the Holy Legions are the candidates. These are young humanoids, often recruited between 8 and 10 years of age, who train for the honor of potentially accepting knighthood. Candidates are under the protection of the Devotion Legion, which is charged with recruiting and training the next generation of knights. Between 14 and 16 years of age, a candidate may go through their ritual of Sveargith, where they receive their first blessing: the darastrix kovaah.
Only the candidates who are pure of soul and strong of will can accept the darastrix kovaah, those who lack these qualities will be rejected by the blessing. After receing the darastrix kovaah, candidates become squires. As squires, they travel alongside veteran knights and often hunt monsters, sometimes serving as scouts or rearguard on the field of battle. As squires, they are not yet full-fledged nights, but the darastrix kovaah gives them access to some of the magic and power they will wield as true knights. Much of a squire's education focuses on teaching them how to use their new-found magic.
When their superior deems the squire ready, they may finally undergo the aurix kovaah, transforming them from a mortal squire into a holy knight of the Gold Emperor. In these golden fires are they remade from their former flesh into a true paragon of virtue, joining their fellow knights on the battlefield.
The supreme commander of the legions is the High Marshal, who commands the respect of the entire empire and is the Gold Emperor's right-hand-man. The High Marshal can muster any legionaries they may wish and is known to lead the charge for the truly most important battles. The Gold Emperor chooses the High Marshal he desires at any given time, and while the position is nominally for life, it is common for the High Marshal to be changed as the needs of the Gold Empire evolve.
Each of the legions are led by a Marshal, a commander of supreme skill and loyalty to the Gold Emperor. The marshals are in charge of organizing their legions and are known to lead armies of conquest on occasion.
Beneath the marshals are the Knight-Commanders of the Legions. Knight-Commanders are chosen from the most experienced and talented members of the legions, and are responsible for commanding a given host of knight legionaries, such as an army or a monastery. When several legion elements combine to face a common enemy, a Supreme Commander will be chosen from among the Knight-Commanders. The Supreme Commander will then have the final say in matters of strategy.
Knight-Commanders command retinues of knight legionaries, who are led by Knight-Sergeants. A Knight-Sergeant is often the person who makes the moment-to-moment tactical decisions for a retinue of knights.
Lowest of the official knights are the Knight Legionaries, who are the fighting folk of the Legions.
Orders
The individual legions are subdivided into different orders, which diverge in their sizes, geographical location, tactical expertize and duty. Only the Gold Emperor can approve the formation of a new order, a power he reserves from both the Aurathean Church and the nobility. The leader of an order is called a Lord-Commander, and often leads several Knight-Commanders.
The Holy Legions consists of several smaller legions which have different purposes within the grand tapestry of imperial warfare and are each led by a different marshal. These legions are:
- Devotion Legion, charged the protection of the common folk of the empire, fighting its enemies and occupying conquered territories. This is the largest legion with the most monasteries spread around the empire.
- Conquest Legion, charged with the conquest of territories and subjugation of the Empire's enemies. This legion is specialized in offensive tactics and is often put in charge of armies involving elements from different parts of the empire.
- Crown Legion, charged with ensuring that the noble families rule in accordance to imperial law and that their rule is maintained in spite of rebellion or sedition. They serve as something between judges of and allies to the nobility, as they can serve as effective agents to protect the kings and queens that rule the provinces of the Empire, but they would depose corrupt nobles should honour demand it.
- Peace Legion, charged with maintaining official foreign relations with the free cities, states and peoples within the empire and undertaking diplomatic missions outside its borders. They are often in charge of the Gold Empire's embassies with its vassals and are often the highest ranking imperial officers in a territory, which makes them ideal handlers of crises.
- Vengeance Legion, a specialized legion charged with keeping the prisoners of the Gold Empire trapped within the Wasteland and avenging fallen legionaries whose killers have evaded justice. Some orders also serve as secret police or extrajudicial killers, though these are not publicly known.
- Dragon Legion, the Gold Emperor's personal legion, serving as his bodyguards and private army. These are the most disciplined, dangerous and powerful of the legions, and only veterans of the other legions could ever hope to be selected for the task of guarding the Gold Emperor.
The most junior members of the Holy Legions are the candidates. These are young humanoids, often recruited between 8 and 10 years of age, who train for the honor of potentially accepting knighthood. Candidates are under the protection of the Devotion Legion, which is charged with recruiting and training the next generation of knights. Between 14 and 16 years of age, a candidate may go through their ritual of Sveargith, where they receive their first blessing: the darastrix kovaah.
Only the candidates who are pure of soul and strong of will can accept the darastrix kovaah, those who lack these qualities will be rejected by the blessing. After receing the darastrix kovaah, candidates become squires. As squires, they travel alongside veteran knights and often hunt monsters, sometimes serving as scouts or rearguard on the field of battle. As squires, they are not yet full-fledged nights, but the darastrix kovaah gives them access to some of the magic and power they will wield as true knights. Much of a squire's education focuses on teaching them how to use their new-found magic.
When their superior deems the squire ready, they may finally undergo the aurix kovaah, transforming them from a mortal squire into a holy knight of the Gold Emperor. In these golden fires are they remade from their former flesh into a true paragon of virtue, joining their fellow knights on the battlefield.
The supreme commander of the legions is the High Marshal, who commands the respect of the entire empire and is the Gold Emperor's right-hand-man. The High Marshal can muster any legionaries they may wish and is known to lead the charge for the truly most important battles. The Gold Emperor chooses the High Marshal he desires at any given time, and while the position is nominally for life, it is common for the High Marshal to be changed as the needs of the Gold Empire evolve.
Each of the legions are led by a Marshal, a commander of supreme skill and loyalty to the Gold Emperor. The marshals are in charge of organizing their legions and are known to lead armies of conquest on occasion.
Beneath the marshals are the Knight-Commanders of the Legions. Knight-Commanders are chosen from the most experienced and talented members of the legions, and are responsible for commanding a given host of knight legionaries, such as an army or a monastery. When several legion elements combine to face a common enemy, a Supreme Commander will be chosen from among the Knight-Commanders. The Supreme Commander will then have the final say in matters of strategy.
Knight-Commanders command retinues of knight legionaries, who are led by Knight-Sergeants. A Knight-Sergeant is often the person who makes the moment-to-moment tactical decisions for a retinue of knights.
Lowest of the official knights are the Knight Legionaries, who are the fighting folk of the Legions.
Orders
The individual legions are subdivided into different orders, which diverge in their sizes, geographical location, tactical expertize and duty. Only the Gold Emperor can approve the formation of a new order, a power he reserves from both the Aurathean Church and the nobility. The leader of an order is called a Lord-Commander, and often leads several Knight-Commanders.
Culture
The Knight Legions are first and foremost renown for their absolute loyalty to the Gold Empire, the Gold Emperor and Aurathear Darastrix. They see themselves as the greatest vessel for divine change in the world, though there are great differences between the individual legions themselves in their warrior culture. There are a few recurring themes however.
Immortal Warriors
Knight Legionaries are set apart from common mortals due to their great statures, phenomenal physical strength, unshakeable faith and inviolate loyalty. They see themselves as radically different from ordinary mortals, though what form this difference takes varies between legions. A common thought is that, as they are greater warriors than most could ever hope to be, it is on them to protect the weak and innocent from the enemies of the Empire.
Loyal to a fault
The Knight Legionaries are incredibly loyal to the cause, and it is said that no knight has ever surrendered or turned side in the long history of the Empire.
Immortal Warriors
Knight Legionaries are set apart from common mortals due to their great statures, phenomenal physical strength, unshakeable faith and inviolate loyalty. They see themselves as radically different from ordinary mortals, though what form this difference takes varies between legions. A common thought is that, as they are greater warriors than most could ever hope to be, it is on them to protect the weak and innocent from the enemies of the Empire.
Loyal to a fault
The Knight Legionaries are incredibly loyal to the cause, and it is said that no knight has ever surrendered or turned side in the long history of the Empire.
History
Founding
Hobgoblin Rebellion
Modern Day
Hobgoblin Rebellion
Modern Day
For God, Emperor and Empire
Type
Military Order
Alternative Names
Holy Legions of the Dragon God
Training Level
Elite
Demonym
Legionaries
Leader Title
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Comments