Angelic Legions

Lucifer (overall master of Fallen Legions)

Seraphim (masters of individual legions)

The Angelic Legions were once the mightiest military power ever seen, having brought nearly all Creation to heel during the Angelic Conquest. Their warriors are the Ynochim, who were all once mortals. Each Ynochim is elevated to potent divine status by the essence of the Seraphim, the sons of the Ynoch, who divised the method of their creation. Each Seraphim holds command over one of the fifteen legions, their soul-scions. Eight of those legions rose in rebellion against Ynoch, resulting in a civil war which forever shattered the Dream that they had fought so long to build together.

## Operational Practices

### Salvation Protocol

One of the most essential aspects of the legions' doctrine was the protection of mortals, with the primary motivation for the Conquest being their liberation from the tyranny of the False Gods. As such, one of the original universal practices of the legions was the Salvation Protocol, which dictated that before engaging in battle for a realm, all noncombatant mortals be removed from combat areas via Apportation, and given sanctuary aboard Ynochim ships.

Given the destruction even a single god could wreak over a world, the Salvation Protocol was of paramount importance during the early Conquest, universally practiced across the legions. As the pantheons became aware of the Ynochim's concern for mortal life, however, many gods began making efforts to halt the legions from removing the mortals from danger, either keeping them in place or relocating them to points of strategic importance. Though such tactics were viewed as cowardly and vile by the Ynochim, it nonetheless proved effective, causing many campaigns to slow to a crawl as legionaries struggled to take objectives without massive loss of life.

Later during the conquest, several legions began to eschew the use of the Salvation Protocol, in order to prosecute campaigns more effectively, and thereby bring a swifter end to the tyranny of the False Gods and usher in the Age of Wonders. First among the legions to do so were the Seventh and Twelfth, which lead to their trial at the Conclave of Shangri La. After they were acquitted, several legions followed their example and abandoned use of the Salvation Protocol.

## Legion Organization

The Angelic Legions are each led by one of the Seraphim, a son of Ynoch whose essence is used to populate the Legion. Beneath them exist numerous ranks and formations of Lesser Ynochim. While there is a generally prevailing structure common throughout the legions, each legion's organization contains subtle (sometimes not so subtle) differences. Such things include differing names for ranks or formations, as well as specialty units or distinctions within the legion, all of which resulted from the experiences of the legions and their commanding Seraphim during their service.

### Legion High Command

Each of the Angelic Legions was lead by a Seraph, the divine essence of whom flowed through the veins of every legionary. The Seraph's power over their legion was absolute, and they could organize and direct their forces however they pleased.

That said, they were attended by a number of other subordinates within their legion, such as personal bodyguards, attendants, and high officers. Together with their Seraph, this group was known as the Legion's High Command.

The legion's High Officers referred to high ranking members of the legion who lead its most prominent formations. Depending on the legion in question, High Officers might include Lord Commanders, Lieutenant-Commanders, or Captains, or whatever other equivalent the legion possessed.

Legion High Command also includes the Seraph's Praetorians, their personal squad of bodyguards. Praetorian formation numbers varied, from as small as three to up to a dozen.

Also included among the high command were a Seraph's personal Equerries, who typical served their soul-sire as attendants in a non-military capacity. Such roles as they filled included the role of personal banner bearer, scribe, herald, or advisor.

### The Standard Legion Design

The Standard Legion Design was devised by the Seraph Metatron, and provided a simple order of battle to accommodate legions numbering a hundred thousand warriors or more. The neat, standardized guidelines he set down were promptly ignored by the vast majority of his brothers when they took command of their respective legions, which were instead organized to fit the individual preferences of their Seraphim.

The Standard Legion Design began with the basic legionary.

They would be organized into ten men Squads, lead by a Sergeant.

Ten squads, in turn, would together form a Company, the hundred members of which were lead by a Captain. The Captain's personal Squad was unique from the other nine, and was known as the Company Command Squad. One member of the Company Command Squad was the Lieutenant, the Company's second in command.

Ten Companies then would be joined into a Battalion, which numbered one thousand strong and was lead by a Lieutenant Commander. Like Captains, Lieutenant-Commanders possessed Command Squads, only in this case, for a Battalion. The Lieutenant Commander's personal Company was known as the First Company, and was composed of the Battalion's veteran warriors.

Next, ten Battalions were united under a Lord Commander, in a form known as a Division. Lord Commanders were aided by their Divisional Command Squad, while their personal Battalion was known as the First Battalion.

And finally, the Seraph was to stand at the top of the legion hierarchy, commanding the First Division.