Legions
Contents |
Introduction
It is within these borders that you now stand that greatness ruled the world of Aegis. Here people have stood for the right, the wrong, the money and the glory; within these halls, ruins and plains great men have stood and died for the honor of one Kingdom and two Empires. Now you all walk among the memory of the lost, damned and righteous as you too take upon your shoulders the weight of our way of life.
I cannot count myself among the great that have fought and died here, only with hope can I look for my words do justice to their accomplishments and past. Please, gather round, for the tale of the Legionnaires to be told.
The Legions (Part 1)
I was not there for its creation, in fact there are few who still breathe that were, but I can tell you things this land has seen and witnessed as if through my very eyes. I was not there when our Emperor gave the order for this land to break away to form a new way of life, one which took us on a path away from diplomacy and politics. For these our warriors had grown tired of, the waiting on orders from men far removed from the way of violence and death. They spoke with their pretty words and over grown hair as if they alone held the key to an Empires victory, no, we are much more than a key; we are the backbone of the empire, we are the foundation to which all above was built. To this few gave homage.
Swords Legions, the land you now stand, or sit, upon as you listen to this tale, stood alone for a while, under the watchful eye of old friends long ago moved. The people within built themselves up, they readied their bodies for the way of life we now are set upon, they prepared their minds for the life of a mercenary. Soon the contracts were signed and our swords drawn to the light as our target’s lands and armies stood opposite us, wondering if our swords were really as deadly as the tales of old told. How they now wished they had listened to them tales of warriors, bravery and camaraderie around the fires as children; for their lands soon perished before our feet and blades.
Contractual Agreements (Part 2)
Men of higher stature than I deal with our agreements; yet it is me, and each of you, who complete these agreements. We do not care for their complaining, we do not care for their protections or wit, for what matters to us is the result, the end; in which the enemy has been burned and their cities lost to our destruction. Do not grovel to our mercy, for these things are lost upon us, we complete our agreement and we return home victorious; those are the ways of our lives.
These lands have seen many lost, many young soldiers who had seen the great respect that came from fighting for our way of life; these men are but a few who have perished, farmers and wives have also died in our enemies attempt to disrupt our forces, but nothing can stop the sea of red once it has begun. We stand as one and we die as one; such is the life of brothers and it is as such we have stood against our contracts, non-fearing and unwavering as their shouts and screams of war echo above our heads, but our heads of calm and prepared do not hear these screams of theirs, just as we do not hear their screams as they die.
It has not always been this way, for we too have seen hardship, when fields would not yield their crop and soldiers loose sight of what is right and glorious in this life. For these things happen, when a fighting unit become the best, there is little room for improvement, only disappointment.
The Slain (Part 3)
There are others, though few achieve it, which have attained a sense of war; they too become engrossed by its honourable demeanour and grace. These few we have come to slay, just as our contractors have come to expect. Within this chapter of our history there is nothing one can say that can express more than the numbers and names of those we have slain of our pride and expertise.
Do not become arrogant, with arrogance comes mistakes, so we have slain those we have been hired to kill, so they surrendered but that does not mean the next will simply lay down their arms. Each victory required work, commitment and brotherhood. Those who claim to be the best fail, they fall just as their words fail to beseech for the truth.
Iron and Blood,
Truth,
Federation of Allied Kingdoms,
Lotus Empire,
Vendetta,
Are but a few empires lost to our swords. Battered and bruised we fought, through night and rain as their forces gathered around us, but not even greater numbers can equal our fighting superiority. We are legionnaires; those are the only words you’ll need for those are the only words that speak the truth.
The Shadow of our day (Part 4)
One could mistake my words, believe we are the best simply because we say we are; there is more than that to our lives. We may be the best, but even we face dark days. When soldiers forget their places and fire falls from the sky, the rage of God’s has been cast against us and this rage we have subdued, through the heartache of many.
For we too suffer from the same indiscretions as other empires, activity, loyalty and hope all fail under the greater dark. There have been times in which our lands have been barren due to the exodus of some of our favourable warriors, those who had lost faith within our way of life; their weak nature left our empire weak. A chair requires four legs, not two; just as the legions require many men to keep its status as the best.
For each of you that now stand before you, each that wait to hear how our tale ends, it does not; not yet. For our tales enters a new chapter, one in which each of you create the path for the legions. You are the new blood, the new sacrifice for the God’s of war. With our knowledge, your dedication, and the title of legionnaire you can become the best, just as we have been. Continue our honour, swear to be true, follow your orders and, until death, fight.
The Future (Part 5)
Life travels in circles, the babe is born, it learns to read, to write and eventually to fight. It joins in marriage, it creates life before dying honourably in battle leaving his child to continue the circle. This is essential to life, this is essential to the Legions. You are our new recruits, you and your inexperience will grow and learn with us before we fall and pass on our legacy.
I was not there for the creation of the legions, I was not there when our Emperor decided upon a new way of life; and I shall not be there when the legions fail and crumble for I am the present, you are the future. May our swords be drenched in blood, may our targets fear the word “legionnaire” and may you understand this world as you understand your life; the pure things, the death of the enemy, the brotherhood of your kingdom, the knowledge of swordsmanship. I am a legionnaire, you are a legionnaire together we are the legions.
Do not fear out threats, fear our swords!
-- ADST