The Legion of Fate

Only two individuals stand at the heart of Stygia’s history: Charon, its founder and (despite his absence) supreme leader, and the Lady of Fate, who called Charon to serve as Stygia’s ruler and confirmed him in that role. Chosen to guard, protect and serve the Lady — or Ladies — of Fate, the members of the Legion of Fate enjoy the status of an elite army. The smallest and least homogeneous of the Legions, the Fated boast the strongest and most stable organization of them all. Those souls who bear the mark of Fate have little in common save one thing: Their deaths somehow mattered. Members of Fate’s Legion died for a reason, most often one known to them — and sometimes only by them. In life, many seemed to possess a preternatural knowledge of the time, place, and/or manner of their deaths. The Fated include the commercial pilot who lands his damaged plane so that he saves his passengers at the cost of his own life, the mother who tosses her child out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to find herself in its path, or the nuclear power plant worker who stays behind to seal a damaged core, preventing catastrophe at the cost of their own life. Martyrs for their faiths, like Joan of Arc, or political martyrs, such as Lincoln, usually find prominent places among the Fated, unless they bypass the Underworld altogether. And a very few may not know why Fate chose them, arriving in the Shadowlands confused and bewildered; their reasons for being among the Fated only become apparent once they have joined the Restless Dead. Unlike the Deathlords of the other Legions, the Lady of Fate, along with her council of Ladies, do not make their home in Stygia. Instead, they claim residence on the Isle of Eurydice, off the Stygian coast. Granted to the Lady by a grateful Charon in return for her counsel, this mysterious island affords the Legion of Fate a certain independence from Stygian rule and sets them apart from most of the political machinations on the Isle of Sorrows.
For convenience’s sake, the Legion of Fate maintains a “townhouse” in Stygia, though usually only minor officers take up brief residence there. Located on one of the few open spaces on the island, this building resembles a classic Roman villa. The estate itself presents an aura of serenity amid the bleak complexity of Stygia. Its landscaped grounds hold trees plucked from among those that grow along the banks of the River Styx. A thick, black stone wall surrounds the estate, and the whole houses the garrison sent as the Legion’s contribution to the defense of Stygia. Here also reside the recent arrivals who await transport to the Isle of Eurydice for orientation and training. Because of their unique physical position as part of Stygia while remaining outside the empire itself, the Lady of Fate and her Legionnaires maintain a sense of their own separateness. They do not fall into simple categories, as do members of other Legions. Their paucity in number also requires that members of the Legion of Fate take on numerous roles, whether they are members of the civilian branch or the military one.