Turn 1: January-April 2275
By order of Caesar, the annals of the Legion were silent on the origins of the Lanius, covering him in a shroud of obfuscation. It is known now he was like Graham a member of New Canaan and a follower of Moroni. He had studied and talked with the Followers of Apocalypse when they reached the tribes of the Grand Canyon and learned much of medicine and the secrets of the Old World. It is unclear why he followed Caesar in the building of the Legion but then the same question can be asked of Graham. The faith they adopted did not see ancient Rome with favor, especially what Caesar wished to take from it. Perhaps something had broken in him long ago as he was fed with zealous fervor. Or perhaps he cast eyes since the beginning on the throne of the Dominus, content to let Caesar build the empire he would inherit and consecrate. What was true is he was a student of the blade wise in its wielding, a terror of battlefields who helped put Arizona to the torch.
Now he was in Castra Sol Rubium, half of the City of Red Sun given to him by Caesar. Even he knew his capital had been made to hobble him. Beyond the bridges was the territory of the Legion and its arsenal and its garrisons. If he decided to betray the Imperator, armies would march directly into the heart of his power. It was the custom of the Legion, at least for those not born in it. Lanius the Butcher did not care. He would put New Mexico in chains, brining back wonders and slaves before being unleashed again. Or at least it was what seemed even as he gave order and occupied himself with grisly amusements.
You can assign Lanius to three (3) actions
Recruitment
Frumentarius: Frumentarii are the eyes of the Legion and its hidden hands. They are the masters of shadows and the scream in the night. The Butcher does not keep with some of their ways for they are masters of betrayal. Yet reconnaissance, terrifying the enemy, negotiating with those who would join the Legion. A Frumentarius can do so and more. Agility/Charisma
Flamen Mars : No god stands above mighty Mars, lord of war and slaughter and father of Caesar. His red-robed priests are warriors but this is not their main role. They are those who manage the morale of the Legion, who encourage its atrocities, who ensure the decrees of the Dominus are kept. They are bloody-handed champions on the battlefield and the diviners of the gods' decrees outside of it. Strength/Charisma
Flamen Vulcan : The iron-adorned priests of Vulcan the lame, god of the forge, are in charge of the forges and the smithies. They are those who judge the technology preceding the sundering of the world, seeing what may be kept by the Legion and what must cast back into the fire. They maintain the rare sophisticated artifacts of the Legion and manage its logistic train. Unlike the priests of Mars chosen among the troops, the brotherhood of Vulcan recruits in secret and even among slaves. Intelligence/Perception
Skinwalker: The Navajo are an exception to all tribes met by the Legion. So fierce was their resistance and so enduring their culture Caesar knew them as allies, perhaps the only true allies of the Legion. They live in peace as first among the Socii and keep their councils and their laws. They still provide a tithe of auxiliaries and most renowned are their Skinwalkers who so terrorized the Legion in the days of war. Each is a survival specialist, a tamer of beasts and a covert operative specializing in raids. Endurance/Agility
Castra Sol Rubium
Reopen the Markets: The tastes of Lanius are of war but he is no ignorant beast despite his moniker. The mission of the Legion is to bring order to the chaotic wasteland. It's time to reform Castra Sol Rubium to attract its own population of Socii and the associated slaves. Then it will be possible to begin to rely on the local economy and production to outfit the eastern troops.
Widen the Bridges: Caesar insists the Lanius brings blood to Dog City alone. Yet he is no fool. The arsenals of the Legion are still open to the Legate provided he pays. Negotiating with the merchants on the other side of the river will be the first step. Then in exchange of slaves and treasures the Lanius will have the armaments of his campaign.
Scouring the Land: The cohort has seized the territory of the Lambda and other tribes near Castra Sol Rubium, establishing their own citadels. An organized sweep of the land to ascertain Pre-War sites is a good idea. These are generally left alone by superstitious tribals and whatever their manifold sins, the people of the Old World built to last with their weapons still useable centuries later. In the worst case, these ruins can be inhabited by raiders bands who need to be impressed in the Legion or crucified.
The Legion
Venatores: The Legion is not composed of men alone, from the tribes it devoured, it learned the arts of taming beasts of war. While true houndmasters must wait the end of Dog City, packs are still reared in the kennels of the castrum. The pen masters tend to be eccentric as they have several ideas for the beasts who range the wasteland from Molerats to Geckos passing through monstrous snakes and the Deathclaws. This is a dangerous path but the rewards at the end seem sumptuous.
Aqua Ignis: While the Legion rightly shun the energy weapons of yore, considering their making to be beyond them and thus their use except as vanity equipment small, explosives have no reason to be rejected. Many tribes absorbed into the ranks had their recipes of flaming mixtures for makeshift grenades. Creating true demolition squads could be devastating, especially if these mixtures can be added to pre-war flamethrowers.
Sagitarii: Even if true combat must be close, so that the target may see their killer's eyes, suppression fire is still a good tactics. Remaking the "storm-drums" of yesteryear will be difficult even if reserves of the weapons are plentiful. They should help keep the foe in place while the other units position themselves for the charge.
Gladii: The Blades are an idea of the Lanius, inspired by his own combat skill. One would think except the most primitive of tribals, melee combat would have died of. Those thinking that underestimate the effect of a band of zealots in reasonably good armor for the wastes, charging without fear with machetes or even bladed fists. The question on how to bring them in range is a good one but once they do, they will be able to wreck quite a slaughter.
Military Actions
Neighbors: The Archdiocese of Santa Fe: To the north, in the ruins of forgotten Santa Fe, the remnants of the Church Catholic have survived. They have organized the land under a theocracy, providing the communities with order and restarting the tradition of monastic militant orders to fight against the raider bands of the region. Their monasteries are reputedly full of pre-War books for the monks have taken anew the traditions of copying what they managed to conserve from the Old World. The Legion made contact with them but the society Caesar has made is inimical to their form of Christianity, not helped by the fact Graham and the Lanius considers the Church as heretical.
Neighbors: The Blue Rose Society: To the south the camps of the Blue Rose Society look fearfully to the heavens. They are a cult of Hubologists having unified the land near Roswell under the remnants of the military. They have redeveloped the astronomical sciences and managed to secure a small reserve of top-of the line military equipment. They are very hostile to the Legion as they seek technological development to fight against a foe they say coming from the stars. Rumors abound about their mathematicians-priests and the strange artifacts their leadership used to disintegrate the Raider Prince Tom of the Bleeding Eye. Some years ago the Frumentarii managed to infiltrate their ranks and murder their director, yet was discovered by the current head of state and promptly executed. His reports were apparently disquieting even to Vulpes.
