Legion

> "You asked for strength, and I have given you strength. You asked for immortality, and I have given you that as well. I have given you a kingdom forged in blood, and all I ask in return is that you stand beside me as I tear Archon from his false throne."
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> - Balthasar the Hellbreaker
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Created for the express purpose of waging war against Archon's Kingdom, legion celestials serve as a dark mirror to their ascended counterparts. They were once mortals, drawn to partake in a life-altering ritual with the promise of great power.

When these individuals emerged from their corrupted Covenant Pools, they retained their memories and sense of self, but felt an indescribable emptiness. Their newfound power came at a price: They hungered for the blood of their former race, and were burned by the light of the stars. They were now a member of Balthasar's cursed legion.

## Physicality

Legion celestials are cold, pale, and are possessed of red eyes and sharpened canines. They are a terrifying shadow of the ascended, having some of the same strange beauty but none of the warmth which normally accompanies it. They are ageless, abnormally strong and quick, and intimidating, but pay for these strengths in a variety of strange maladies. Direct starlight is painful to them, and they have an insatiable thirst for the blood of their former kin. Legion fashion has adapted to compensate, favoring black and red fabrics, glovers, parasols, high-collared coats and gowns, as well as wide-brimmed hats and veils.

## Personality

Those of the legion tend to be cunning, persuasive, and controlled. They are largely concerned with personal preservation over charity, and are known to utilize their frightful appearance and reputation to achieve their goals. Moreso than any other race, these celestials are obsessed with propriety and maintaining a courtly appearance It doesn't take much to offend the refined tastes of the legion, as they have hundreds of obscure rules to be broken concerning social interactions. Even a conscientious guest can easily become entangled in a storm of faux pas when visiting one of the legion's many dark citadels or manor houses.

## Religion

There is no religion particular to the legion, though they acknowledge the existence of Archon. Indeed, their forebears literally waged war against the god; to deny his existence would be impossible. Some legion celestials have converted to the worship of Arvam, though these individuals are largely met with derision by their prideful brethren.

## Other Races

Those of the legion get along best with others of their kind. Other races are viewed as weak or otherwise inferior. Most legion celestials view mortals as little more than livestock and have no love for their ascended cousins. Despite the perception that the legion is demonic in nature (held mostly by Northern Archonists), they have naught but disdain for chattel.

## Roleplaying Legion

* **Ability Score Increase:** Charisma +2, Strength +1, Dexterity +1
* **Age:** Legion mature at the same rate as munen, but are effectively ageless. No legion celestial has died of old age since their introduction to the realm.
* **Alignment:** Due to the strict and unforgiving nature of legion society, most of its participants are lawful in nature. It is not uncommon for their predatory urges to drive them toward evil, or at best neutrality.
* **Size:** Legion are taller than the average human, generally standing about six feet tall regardless of gender and weighing between 170 and 220 pounds. Your size is Medium.
* **Speed:** Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
* **Darkvision:** The legion are creatures of the night, preferring to rest throughout the day and prowl lantern-lit streets during their waking hours.You can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light up to 60 feet away. You can’t discern colors in darkness, only shades of gray.
* **Born of Terror:** You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill.
* **Bloodfeast:** You can drain blood from a willing creature, or one grappled by you, restrained, or incapacitated. Make a melee attack against the target. If you hit, deal 1 piercing and 1d6 necrotic damage. The target’s hit points are reduced by the necrotic damage they take, and you regain that many hit points. The reduction lasts until the target takes a long rest. The target dies if their hit points are reduced to 0.Drinking bloodwine does not recover hit points for a Legion celestial. It sates their hunger, but does little tosatisfy the drinker otherwise.
* **Blood Dependency:** If you fail to successfully use your Bloodfeast ability on another sapient target or drink a serving of bloodwine at least once per day, you suffer one level of exhaustion at the end of that day. You can only recover from this exhaustion by successfully using your Bloodfeast ability or by drinking at least one serving of bloodwine. (A standard bottle of bloodwine contains roughly seven servings, or a week’s worth.)
* **Scorn of the Daystars:** You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct daylight.
* **Languages:** You can speak, read, and write Common and Celestial. The legion have their own looming dialect in the language of the Divines which is featured in many of their most famous songs and theatrical endeavors. Some mortal bards seek to imitate this intonation to lend their works a sense of otherworldly dread.