Imperial Legions
The Legions of the Calradic Empire of old were an unstoppable force, who in exchange for a promise of wealth and land in retirement, fought and trained for their whole lives. They came from all across the continent, and this took advantage of the many fighting styles, tactics, and temperaments of it's many peoples. This variety and training meant they could overcome any obstacle, and any rebel force would tremble at the sound of their horns on the march.
Today, things are much different. In the later years of the empire before the civil war, the financial weight of the legions, reduced as they had been over time, had still become too much. The emperor then decreed that the archons would raise and pay for their own armies, still called legions, but now are more so a mixed volunteer and conscripted local force. Each legion is therefore very regional, and varies widely in training, skill, and equipment. In addition, now the archons led the armies, the armies were much more loyal to their own archon than to the idea of fighting for the empire as a whole. Legions will still march across the empire to fight, but on behalf of their own leaders, with the emperor only nominally in command of them all. the loyalty and dependability of these armies is therefore heavily influenced by the loyalty of the archons to their emperor.
Composition
Manpower
An Imperial Legion is usually comprised of about 18,000 soldiers, with additional personnel hired and/or pressed into service for logistical support and other tertiary duties.
Structure
The approximately 18,000 soldiers of an Imperial legion were divided into 10 "cohorts" of 1,800 soldiers, who were themselves divided into 18 "centuries" of 100 soldiers.
A legion itself is commanded simply by a General appointed by the Emperor, who themselves appoints a Legate to command each of the 10 cohorts, and each Legate will appoint 18 Centurions to command 100 soldier "centuries" of Legionnaires.
Tactics
Despite their rocky history,do not underestimate these forces. Centuries of learned strategy and tactics, as well as the most skilled engineers and wizards of the realms make these forces mighty when they are eventually brought to bear. They rely on strict discipline to maintain orderly ranks of soldiers which, when working in unison, can crush the forces of the less orderly nations. They are masters of combined arms warfare as well. Rather than having separate forces of cavalry, infantry, magicians, etc, each legion has approx. 10 "Cohorts", each with it's own infantry, cavalry, and magic support. This means that imperial legions and their cohorts are extremely flexible, and bring with them all the tools to complete any task from front line fighting, constructing fortifications, or patrolling borders/walls.
Legions also steal concepts from other armies to strengthen their own, fielding forces of cataphracts inspired by the Aserai, Two-Handed swordsmen inspired by the Battanians, and pike-wall formations inspired by the Vaegirs. Through this, they carry on the imperial tradition of utilizing the skills of the whole continent to create success. Their generals are also some of the most studied, with many nobles dedicating their entire lives to studying warfare, making them expert strategists, able to overcome their individual soldiers' inadequacies with tactics and strategy.
Training
Current day Imperial Legions vary widely in their level of training, as this depends upon the faction of the Empire they are in, the Archon that raises the troops, and the cultures that they are drawn from. For example, The Eastern Calradian empire has a lower population than it's Western counterpart, and so generally takes much more effort in training the soldiers they do have, to ensure that they can hold their own in battle against more numerous foes.
Type
Infantry
Overall training Level
Semi-professional
Assumed Veterancy
Trained
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