Legion Vexillarius

Legion vexillarii are Caesar's Legion members living in the Mojave Wasteland

Background
Vexilliarii are the standard bearers of the Legion. They are the modern counterparts of their Roman predecessors. They are described as being rarely seen in battle, but that their presence inspires the men to fight harder in battle. The vexilliarii carry a banner depicting the Legion Bull on their shoulders, similar to how their Roman equivalents (Signifer) carried the standards of the Legion's Centuries/Cohorts and the Legion's Eagle.

In Ancient Rome, the Eagle represented the Soul of a Legion; its loss in battle was a catastrophic blow to both the morale of the Legion and the Army as a whole. There is believed to be some evidence of Legions being disbanded and the soldiers being assigned to other Legions at the loss of an Eagle.

The presence of the Eagle would inspire the Legionaries to fight to the death rather than suffer the disgrace of losing an Eagle. Julius Caesar's Invasion of Britain was supposedly begun when the Standard Bearer of one of the 10th Legion jumped over the railing of one of the Invasion Craft and advanced towards the Defending Britons, after the Legionaries failed to advance due to the Briton's attacks from the shallows and the distance to shore.

The Roman vexillarius was a special Signifier that carried the standard of the cavalry instead of the standard of the foot soldiers. Carrying the Vexillum; the battle standard that carried the Legion's Number and Emblem. Another way that the Vexillum was used by the original Caesar, besides as the standard of the cavalry, was as a way to signify to the legion to attack the enemy; any red Vexillum on the tent of the Imperator, "important general" namely Caesar at that time, was a signal that the battle was to begin.

In-game, the vexillarii are described as having the same effect. However, they seem rarer than their ancient counterparts; possibly they represent the Eagle Bearers (Aquilifer) rather than the standard-bearers. Like Praetorian guards and Legionary assassins, the vexillarii are elite units with very high health and combat skill. Like Praetorians, they have 10% Damage Resistance.

Locations

 * One vexillarius can be found at The Fort, near Siri's slave merchant stands.
 * Another one will spawn with the Legion raid party during I Forgot to Remember to Forget.
 * They will often spawn alongside Legionary assassins in Legion hit squads.

Appearances
Legion vexillarii appear only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes
Vexillarius is the Latin word for "standard bearer."