Legion of Paupers

Introduction

In Stygia, all legions are defined by the way that they died with the exception of one, the Legion of Paupers. Theirs is the legion that is not defined by the manner of their deaths, but by mystery surrounding it. Their original purpose was to help their members accept the unknown. Sometimes learning comes with it, but just as often it doesn’t. Theirs is an existence of seeking answers. They are the wraiths who died without knowing or understanding, sometimes missing the why or the how, sometimes both.

Mystery is, of course, a matter of perspective. The mystery of the Paupers is a mystery to the individual. To be assigned to this legion, the wraith must have no understanding of either how or why they died. Their deathmarks are often non-existent or confusing. Their members have no memory of the moment of their death or the situation that led up to it.

However, not all Paupers died by mystery (though that makes up the bulk of their members). They also take in those cast off by other legions, or the ones that do not fit easily into another category. If a starving man kills himself, is that death by famine or suicide? If a woman catches a disease that causes her body to age at an accelerated pace, did she die of old age or disease? These are the exceptional cases that the Paupers also accept.

Lastly, there are the castoffs. The Paupers are the second smallest legion, after the Fates. To bolster their numbers, they have long accepted the wraiths that other legions don’t want. The dregs, the freaks, the outcasts, these are all welcomed into the Paupers with open arms.

Current Goals and Mission Statement of the Legion

The Paupers are driven by two factors: Mystery and Individuality

Most of the members are driven to know how they died. They begin by wanting to understand their deaths. Was there a point? How did it happen? They seek to understand and unravel the mystery that put them there. During the process, their reapers will often teach them investigative skills to help them find answers. Later on, some Paupers end up working alongside the Mnemoi, making use of those same skills of investigation.

The rest are individuals. They are in Paupers not because they don’t know, but because they don’t fit in anywhere else. And the Legion of Paupers encourages that. They are the legion most accepting of the uniqueness that each wraith brings with him into the afterlife.

These two things can often lead to some social strangeness. Paupers are often viewed as tactless or needlessly cruel. Immersed in mystery, they often show a blase attitude towards the mysteries of others, and easily become wrapped up in strange goings on. Their sense of humor tends towards bitterness, defended as an attempt to wring some humor from an uncaring world.

Leadership of the Legion

The Legion of Paupers is led by the Beggar Lord, and the name is an apt one. His legion is small, and so he is regularly known for begging wraiths from other Deathlords. He is also (though this is a secret of the innermost members of the legion and not otherwise widely known) quite mad, his personality shifting from flippant to painfully formal.

In truth his legion is not nearly so small as he would have others believe. He plays up their size, always begging new wraiths off of other Deathlords and seeming tiny. This appearance is then further maintained by sending a constant stream of wraiths to be forged, afterwards stockpiling weapons and armor. While his legion may in truth be smaller than most, it is arguably the most well armed in Stygia.

Military of the Legion

Paupers’ military is, in truth, often filled by wraiths with a great deal of courage and capability. Yet their tendency to pick up misfits and leftovers has gained them the stereotype of mediocrity. This is something their soldiers constantly fight against, going above and beyond to show their capability.

Civilian of the Legion

The sorts of mysteries that make up the Legion of Paupers is more common in areas with greater populations, so they are most often found in or around larger cities. The Beggar Lord encourages them to take up bureaucratic roles, especially those involving the assignments of wraiths to legions. He’ll take any chance or excuse he can to sneak a few more wraiths into his legion.

Sub-Legions

Legion of August

This melancholy legion is made up of wraiths who are greatly troubled by their shadows. They are especially zealous in their dislike of specters, and are usually assigned to patrol areas where specter populations are high or especially entrenched. There they have time to root out the enemies while simultaneously facing their own demons.

Once they have proven themselves, they are allowed to petition the Beggar Lord for personal time. If approved, they are given one year of freedom to investigate their deaths. After the year is up, whether or not they have found what they’re seeking, they return to the Paupers and are assigned to another group within the larger legion.

Legion of the Onyx Tear

These are the Beggar Lord’s most trusted advisors, lieutenants and bodyguards. Their group is small, never totaling more than 25 at a time. They are known for wearing black masks with stylized weeping eyes and laughing mouths. As the personal attendants of the Beggar Lord, they rarely are seen outside of Stygia.

Legion of Revelations

These are the secret hands of the Legion of the Onyx Tear. They patrol Stygia at the Onyx Tear’s instructions, performing clandestine tasks for the Beggar Lord and his minions. Few wraiths know of their existence, and even fewer know who commands them.

Skinlands

In general, most Paupers were unhappy with their lives. They focus on having the best afterlife that they can have, and as such tend to distance themselves from the Skinlands. This only extends so far as to things unrelated to their deaths, however. In answering the mysteries of how they died, they can be relentless.

Other resources

More information can be found in the Book of the Legions.