Sidereal Legion

The Sidereal Legion is an expansionist military empire based in the fringes of the Sanguine Tower region. Formerly a galaxy-spanning technological and cultural superpower, the Legion has been reduced to a shadow of its glory, and now fights to redeem itself as an empire of 'honorable warriors.'

Structure

The Legion is nominally led by an Emperor or Empress appointed by the Imperial Senate, itself made up of Senators elected by the various worlds across its holdings. The office is largely ceremonial; the head of state proposes new avenues of conquest or expansion, and the Senate determines whether or not to proceed, or to countermand them entirely.

Culture

The Legion is, unsurprisingly, a martial culture that values victory in combat above all else - though prowess, skill, and courage are highly respected regardless of one's vocation. Their cultural aesthetic is best described as 'neo-classical' - columns & statuary, clothing that is mostly a single sheet draped/tied creatively, etc. The average citizen is not themselves a warrior, but is still given basic training, and expected to spend at least a few years in a civil service role.

History

Thousands of years ago, the Sidereal Legion ruled the entire Scutum-Centaurus Arm, and was nearly victorious in a generations-long war against the various cultures of the Perseus Arm. They were an unparalleled technological and military power - but they were also corrupt, decadent, and institutionally dependent on slavery. The actual events of their downfall are lost to myth, but citizens generally accept that their ancestors' pursuit of technological supremacy brought them "too close to the sun," and they were rightly struck down for their hubris.

Demography and Population

Verans are the primary and founding species of the Legion, but it welcomes warriors of any background.

Territories

Originally an outlying colony of the greater empire, the Legion's core territory is now a secluded (but populous) corner of the Sanguine Tower. Unsurprisingly, this brings them into regular conflict with the Federation.

Military

The Legion's navy is made up of the home fleet, under the command of a Legate, and several smaller fleets levied by individual worlds or systems for self-defense. The vast majority of imperial ground forces are well-trained but under-equipped Legionnaires; above them are the elite Centurions, so named for (at least anecdotally) being the martial and tactical equivalent of one hundred lesser troops. Legionnaires are often commanded in the field by detachments of Centurions, while Centurions themselves answer to a Tribunate.