Imperial Legion

"I am the Protector of Light, the Shield against Darkness. I vow to protect the Citizens of the Imperium and serve the God-Emperor without hesitation. I pledge my life to this service."  The Legionary's Oath 

The Legion has always been the core of the Imperium's armed forces, the sight of these soldiers in their black adamantine armor struck fear in all but the mightiest foes.

During the Century of Conquest
After Marius the Great formed the Imperium he used his most veteran troops to create the first of the Imperial Legions. As the Imperium expanded and conquered the adamantine foundries of the dwarven kingdom of Dorahl, the Legion adopted their recognizable black adamantine armor.

During this time the bulk of the Imperium's armed forces were members of the Crimson Tide, slaves forcefully recruited to be thrown at the Emperor's enemies. Meanwhile the Imperial Legion were elite troops whose loyalty and dedication to the Emperor was beyond question. Their fighting prowess was also legendary, independent accounts have verified that the Legion easily defeated enemies even if outnumbered 3:1. Except for one notable occasion, the Legion had never met true defeat in battle (against conventional forces).

At its height the Imperium fielded 8 elite legions, numbering over 60000 soldiers as well as 200000 souls serving in the Crimson Tide.

During the Age of Imperium
With the Unification of Aegeron and the ascension of the God-Emperor the Imperium had to transition from a realm of conquerors to a more peaceful empire. Soon the Crimson Tide was disbanded and the ranks of the Imperial Legion were opened up to ordinary folk. The Legion was slowly transformed from conquerors to peacekeepers. Although the Legion was no more an exclusively elite fighting force, it retained its high quality equipment (thanks to the tireless work of the dwarven craftsmen of Dorahl and Btharmaz).

After the Fall of the Imperium
After the fall of the Imperium in A.I. 400 the leadership of the Imperial Legion split. Most generals took advantage of the chaos and the large fighting force under their command to carve out kingdoms of their own. Meanwhile, the others stuck to their oaths and led their soldiers to the Imperial City in a desperate attempt to force the demon hordes back to the Abyss. Without the heroic sacrifices of these generals and their soldiers the demon horde would have overrun Aegeron within months.

After the Brass Concordat was struck and the demons were driven back to the Imperial City the Demonfence was constructed. Once it was completed most legionaries discharged their service and left for their homelands. But the Demonfence needed soldiers to defend it, so (as part of the Treaty of Ylsalon) the Younger Realms agreed to provide soldiers and material support for the remnants of the Imperial Legion whose only task will be to "protect all the citizens of Aegeron from the demon threat".

Current State
While most consider service to the Imperial Legion to be of the highest sacrifice anyone can make, very few join the Legion willingly (for some reason fighting demons for years for little-to-no pay is not popular). To make up for the lack of volunteers the Younger Realms decided to exile many of their criminals to the Demonfence where they can protect Aegeron as penance for their crimes.

The retirement of veterans, the lack of volunteers and the influx of criminals have greatly changed the face of the Legion, very few of them live up to the ideals set down by the old Imperium.

The Legion is tasked with defending the Demonfence, which they do jointly with the armies of the devils. Since the end of the Succession Wars the devils have greatly expanded their influence within the leadership of the Legion, some scholars fear that they might have already taken control of it (see the story of Vistra).

The last remaining fortresses of the Imperial Legion are located on the outer rim of the Demonfence. They are named after the 9 virtues each legionary has to uphold:
 * Honor (Integritas)
 * Humilty (Humilitas)
 * Kindness (Humanitas)
 * Temperance (Temperantia)
 * Patience (Patentia)
 * Might (Potentia)
 * Diligence (Industria)
 * Charity (Caritas)
 * Piety (Sanctitas)