Caesar's Legion

"My Legion obeys me, even unto death. Why? Because they live to serve the greater good, and they know of no alternatives."

- Caesar

Caesar's Legion is an autocratic, ultra-reactionary, utilitarian society, based on that of the old Roman Empire, co-founded and led by Caesar. Its Legionaries are a well-organized, culturally insular fighting force that, as of 2281, mainly operate east of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon, in the former state of Arizona. Their capital is the city of Flagstaff. The Legion is comprised mostly of reconditioned tribals 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.

History
Edward Sallow and fellow Follower of the Apocalypse Bill Calhoun were sent east to study tribal languages. Along the way, they met a Mormon missionary named Joshua Graham, who was a specialist in tribal dialects. However, not long after meeting up with Graham, all three were captured by the Blackfoot tribe and held for ransom. At the time, the tribe was at war with seven other tribes, a war they were inevitably going to lose.

Unwilling to be destroyed along with them, and against the wishes of his companions, Sallow chose to use his knowledge to train the Blackfoot tribe in the art of warfare after witnessing their lack of knowledge firsthand. He showed them how to clean and maintain guns, operate with small unit tactics, create their own explosives, and strike at their weakest enemies first, using the strategy of divide et impera - divide and conquer. He quickly impressed them enough that he was made their leader and took the name "Caesar".

He also introduced the concept of total war to the tribes around them. They defeated the weakest of their enemies first, the Ridgers. Once they had been conquered, Caesar ordered the able-bodied male survivors be conscripted to fight for him and the rest, including women and children, put to death. When they confronted the next tribe, the Kaibabs, they brought an emissary back to view the carnage. Caesar knew that though the tribes had always fought each other via occasional skirmishes, he considered them to only be "playing at war". The concept of total war was an entirely new, and terrifying, facet to his strategy that they had never confronted before and would form the core of the Legion's tactics and outlook. Eventually, all seven tribes were either destroyed or incorporated in what became known as the Legion.

Caesar and Joshua Graham, now known as "the Malpais Legate", used the power base they established to attack and press more tribes into the Legion. For decades, they fought and absorbed lesser tribes, erasing tribal identities and shaping them into a massive, fanatically loyal army that, in Caesar's eyes, embodied the concept of perfect post-nuclear society. By 2271, the Legion had conquered 86 tribes and become by far the largest and most dangerous organization east of the Colorado. They clashed with the Desert Rangers in Arizona and nearly crushed them before the Desert Rangers were integrated into the NCR. In 2277, as a sign of their growing power, the Legion advanced westward toward New Vegas and created what would become their main base in the Mojave Wasteland: Fortification Hill. It is in the Mojave that they made first contact with the New California Republic.

The Republic would have the dubious distinction of being recognized by Caesar as a worthy opponent. Under the command of the Malpais Legate, Legion forces marched against the NCR garrison at Hoover Dam, in an attempt to take the strategic asset and river crossing. In what became known as the First Battle of Hoover Dam, the Malpais Legate initially had the upper hand. The Legate was able to push the NCR defenders back and lead his forces over the dam. Lead elements of the NCR, including members of the 1st Recon Battalion and NCR Rangers, executed a tactical retreat west across the dam and into Boulder City, all the while using their marksmanship prowess to kill the Legion officers (primarily centurions, and decanii). The Legate, unable to adapt his strategies in combat or see the deception unfolding him front of him, chose to order his legionaries to push the rangers, not knowing the NCR had booby-trapped Boulder City, packing C4 along their line of retreat and within the city itself, and drawing the Legion into a trap. When the Legion forces entered the city, the NCR detonated the explosives and inflicted severe casualties among the Legion forces, crippling their offensive. The NCR forces then counter-attacked, pushing back and eventually routing the Legion forces who fled east back over the dam. Caesar, angered at the failure of his Legate, made an example of him. The Praetorian Guard covered the Legate in pitch, set him on fire, and cast him into the depths of the Grand Canyon. Caesar forbade mention of his name, and now he is spoken of only in hushed whispers by the lowest Legionaries and slaves; they call him the Burned Man.

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.

Society
This horde of cruel, yet highly disciplined slavers has spread across the southwest like an all-consuming flame. Founded by a fallen member of the Followers of the Apocalypse, Caesar's Legion is effectively an enormous, conscripted slave army. As Caesar conquers the peoples of the wasteland, he strips them of their tribal identities and turns their young men into ruthless legionaries and women into breeding stock. They are well organized, moving and attacking in large packs, and deliberately commit atrocities to terrorize those who might dare oppose them.

Nearly all physically capable, compliant males are compelled to serve in its armed forces. The primary value of pre-menopausal females is to serve as breeding stock (with Caesar or a legate governing how they are assigned to males), though they, like older females and less physically-capable men, are also used to perform a variety of other tasks. 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 numbers about 80 men, and each Centuriae is divided into ten "tent groups" ("Contubernia"), making this the squad level of organization. Raiding parties are of this size (about eight men) and will be led by a Decanus (squad leader).

Language
Most members of the Legion pronounce Caesar's name /ˈkaisar/. Wastelanders and members of NCR, as well as older Legion members use the Anglicized pronunciation /ˈsiːzər/. Legion members are fastidious about classical Latin pronunciations, such as pronouncing the traditional Roman greeting "ave" (hail) [ˈaweː]. Soldiers are called "legionaries" (not legionnaires, which is a modern phrase and applied to the Légion étrangère). Those who are liked by the Legion will be called "amicus", Latin for comrade/friend.

Currency




Religion
In 2250, Caesar declared himself the Son of Mars, ordered by the god to conquer all of Earth, and the cult of Mars, as well as Caesar himself is the religion followed by the Legion. Members of the Legion believe that in order to prepare the way for Caesar, Mars cleansed the Earth with fire and it is his son's duty to save the Wasteland from barbarism and chaos. It is not known whether any of the other Roman gods are revered as well. Most members of the Legion, excluding some of the most trusted ones, are oblivious to the fact that the Legion's culture is based on books about ancient Rome - they believe that all of the customs enforced by Caesar were dictated to him by Mars himself.

Structure
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 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. Advancement in ranks is purely merit based - if a Legionary proves himself in combat, he will be promoted. If he doesn't, he'll be lucky to escape with his life.

Military

 * See also: Caesar's Legion military hierarchy

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 (equivalent to pre-Marian Hastati or post-Marian auxiliary skirmishers), 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; by 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.

A special post in the Legion military is the Vexillarius (standard-bearer). The standard-bearers carry the sign of the Legion into battle and act as rally points for Legionaries. 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 evinced by their choice of weaponry - primarily, the machete, which cripples limbs. They are not adverse, tactically speaking, to using firearms - scouts carry hunting rifles, while ranked Decanus may use a Cowboy Repeater. Ultimately, this leads to extremely effective Legion raids and surprise assaults. Legionaries are more versatile than the NCR troopers in that they are skilled with both firearms and melee weapons, as well as having been trained to fight aggressively under any and all conditions, whether armed or not. Legion soldiers have nearly double the hit points of NCR troopers, and fair favorably against them in battle, especially at close range. Legion raids typically involve suddenly attacking, killing everyone (sometimes taking slaves) and leaving quickly. As Lanius states, their forces are much better suited at taking positions than holding them due to their up close style of fighting. 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.

Relations with the outside
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. The weakness of the Legion is its inability to gain true allies like the NCR does. They make enemies fast due to their brutal, merciless battle style and drive neutral factions to side with the NCR out of fear.

Dale Barton often prefers to trade in Legion territories, saying that he finds it cheaper as he rarely has to hire protection or pay extortionate taxes, due to the effectiveness of Legion suppression of raiders. Even Rose of Sharon Cassidy has admitted to admiring Legion-controlled areas, as they attract traders, Merchants, and Wastelander communities in general to their high level of safety, especially when compared to NCR territories and uncontrolled regions.

Technology
Caesar firmly believes that reliance on technology weakens humans 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 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. While no Legion member wields energy weapons, they show interest in purchasing them from the Van Graffs. The Legion is also never shown using power armor, though pieces of what appears to be T-45d power armor are used in Centurion armor. Oddly enough, the Legion has huge amounts of Stealth Boys. While they themselves never use them in the game (Caesar calling them "old world stealth devices") they will hand them out to the player if they have high reputation with them.

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. They occupy the HELIOS One station if the player decides to activate ARICHIMEDES II but state "they don't need" it, they only occupy it to scare the NCR. The Legion, should they hold Hoover Dam, would only describe it as a "path to the West" making it only a symbol of their triumph over the NCR, thus holding little to no technological value to Caesar. 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 Llegion 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.

Development
The Caesar's Legion concept was created by Chris Avellone during pre-production for Black Isle's canceled Fallout 3. J.E. Sawyer then elaborated on the concept: "One of the few big things I did on Van Buren was taking an organization Chris invented and changing it (perhaps mangling it in the process) into a neo-Roman slavers' legion with all the weird titles, makeshift costumes, and traditions of that group."

According to Chris Avellone's test pen-and-paper campaign, the first fringe unit of Caesar’s Legion was planned to appear as a hostile enemy in the Circle Junction Train Yards. Furthermore, the Daughters of Hecate and Caesar’s Legion was thought as the female and male polar opposites, which was supposed to allow the player, depending on gender, to rule either one and use them to build an army, Postman style.

Sharptooth, a member of Hangdog tribe, was planned to be a spy for Caesar's Legion, reporting to their agents in Denver, only because Caesar holds Sharptooth's sister as a slave. If this became known, the other Hangdogs would demand to banish him and his family to the wasteland. Bares-His-Teeth would have no qualms about doing this. Before being merged by designers with Blackfoot tribe, Hangdog's tribe could be planned to live in northeastern Colorado, near Denver.

Appearances
Caesar's Legion appears only in Fallout: New Vegas. They were also to appear in Black Isle Studios' canceled Fallout 3, as well as Black Isle's never-realized Fallout 4. Caesar's Legion was also to play in a minor role in the canceled Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2.

Behind the scenes
"Breeding issues are pretty huge in cultures that took a big step back from infant mortality progress made in the last 100-200 years. Prior to the last few centuries, infant mortality was often around 50%-ish. Child mortality (prior to age 12) was about 60%. Those are pretty awful odds of reaching adulthood.

Remember that Caesar's Legion is basically a roving army that continually breaks down and absorbs tribes that it conquers. That can only go on for so long, and Legionaries who are indoctrinated from birth are even more loyal than adolescents who are integrated. Breeding new generations of Legionaries is vital for the Legion's continued existence.

Even though breeding is incredibly important in the Legion, there isn't any concept of family outside of the Legion's structure. All of the places where the player encounters the Legion are forward camps where direct military service is given the most weight and is of the most immediate importance. Because only males are involved in that service, they look down upon females even though it's incredibly short-sighted."

- J.E. Sawyer