Emerald Legion

Introduction

The Emerald legion claims the victims of happenstance. As every human, from the peasant to the king, is subject to Chance, this makes the Emerald Legion perhaps the most diverse in its composition. Though the Legion is small, its members are energetic. Having little or no time to prepare for death connects them strongly to their Fetters, and many died in the prime of their lives, still carrying powerful emotions.

History

Appropriately for the Legion of Happenstance, the Emerald has had little involvement in the major events of Stygian history. Their greatest contribution tends to be merely to continue to function. There are some exceptions; the most notable is the Guardians of the Labyrinth. This elite military order is selected from among the Emerald Legion, and was placed into service by Charon himself to guard the Veinous Stair.

Leadership

The Emerald Lord is relatively inconspicuous among the Deathlords, standing among such exotic personas as the Lady of Fate and the Smiling Lord. His public image is merely of a man who values pragmatism and efficiency. If he has any political ambitions whatsoever, they have yet to surface.

Purpose

Like all the Legions of Stygia, the Emerald's overarching mission is to guide souls to Transcendence. Unfortunately, this is particularly difficult for the victims of Chance. Coming to terms with death is harder for those who died from sheer bad luck; they have neither the inevitability of age, nor the certainty of fate, nor the prospect of revenge to soothe them. Thus, a great deal of the Legion's resources, and its overall mindset, are devoted to resolving this conflict. The prime example is the Emerald Palace in Stygia. Within its maze, a wraith confronts reflections of its life, and the manner of its death – and Pardoners are stationed at many points to deal with wraiths who are thrown into Catharsis by the experience.

Outside of the pursuit of Transcendence, the Emerald Lord's pragmatic approach defines the Legion's doctrine and approach. Emphasis is placed on results rather than methods, and wraiths are encouraged in particular to increase their odds of success in all their endeavors. Those who fell to Chance tend to understand it better than others, and they are frequently determined not to let Chance get the better of them.

Military

The pragmatic Emerald approach manifests in its military as an emphasis on the effectiveness of a tactic or strategy, rather than its adherence to a particular ideal. On the one hand, this means new approaches are judged with some suspicion until they have proven themselves on the field; on the other hand, once success is demonstrated, those new approaches are adopted readily. Thus, the Emerald military tends to keep rapid pace with military developments among the Quick, avoiding the trap of relying on the wisdom of centuries-dead generals.

Civilians of the Legion:

The Emerald legion always needs resources. It is small, so there is little to spare and none to waste. As a result, much of the non-military hierarchy is devoted to acquiring resources. Everything has a use, but a particular premium is placed on manpower. Thus, this Legion tends to avoid soulforging, and promotes recruitment.

Opinions

Humans

Emeralds have a strong connection with their former lives, and thus tend to maintain strong emotional ties to individuals among the Quick. They have a disproportionately high number of Monitors and Proctors, and a noted tendency toward human Fetters. It is impossible by definition for the Emerald legion to actively recruit, or to tell if a given human is on the path to becoming an Emerald, so they display some amount of curiosity as well. It is not unheard of for betting pools to form about whether a particular individual is destined for the Legion.

Other Legions

The Pauper legion has such a close overlap that they are often considered a brother legion; Emeralds frequently assist Paupers and vice versa, without any need for commands from their superiors to do so. Most other legions are viewed with a faint tint of condescension, as the Emeralds find their own perspective naturally superior. However, the Legion of Fate is often viewed with resentment - those who fell victim to Chance are bitter toward those who knew perfectly well of their deaths, and had a chance to prepare for it.

Other Supernaturals

Need to be considered when performing risk calculations. Otherwise irrelevant.