Legio I "Domini"

Legio I Domini maintains a standing strength of 6,500 legionaries, organised into the traditional ten-cohort structure inherited from Old Rome. This full complement is kept at peak readiness due to the legion’s critical role in defending the Imperial Capital and patrolling the surrounding heartlands.

Unlike field legions, Legio I Domini does not deploy auxiliary troops; every soldier within its ranks is a fully trained legionary of the Imperium. To offset the absence of auxiliaries, the legion possesses an unusually robust headquarters staff, including engineers, logisticians, medici, and a tightly regulated Arcanii specialist contingent.

In times of heightened threat, additional personnel from the capital’s urban cohorts or the Collegium Arcanum may be temporarily attached, but the core strength of Legio I Domini remains a purely Imperial force — disciplined, homogeneous, and meticulously maintained.

Legio I Domini is equipped to the highest standard within the Legiones Imperiales, reflecting both its ceremonial duties and its role as the primary defensive force of the Imperial Capital. While their gear remains entirely mundane — devoid of arcane enchantment — it is crafted with exceptional precision by the finest armourers of Novaium.

Legionary Armour:
Soldiers wear reinforced lorica with polished bronze or steel trim, designed to present a flawless appearance during ceremonies while remaining fully battle-ready. Armour is inspected daily, and legionaries are expected to maintain a pristine sheen.

Shields:
Their scuta are unique among all legions, emblazoned with the emblem of the Capital — a radiant-domed motif rising behind the Imperial Aquila. This design is reserved exclusively for Legio I Domini and is instantly recognisable across the Imperium.

Weapons:
Standard equipment includes the pilum, gladius, and pugio, all forged from high-grade steel refined in the capital’s forges. Officers may carry decorated spathae, though these too remain purely functional.

Support Gear:
The legion’s baggage train includes spare arms and armour, maintenance tools, carpentry kits for defensive works, mobile forges, water storage, and all standard impedimenta. Medici carry advanced but non-magical surgical kits, while the Arcanii detachment maintains their own arcane instruments under strict regulation.

Despite their ceremonial refinement, every piece of equipment in Legio I Domini is field-tested, routinely inspected, and ready for immediate deployment. The legion’s reputation for immaculate appearance is matched only by the reliability of its gear on campaign.

Legio I Domini employs the traditional armament of the Legiones Imperiales, honed over centuries and manufactured to the highest standard within the capital. Their weaponry is designed for reliability, disciplined formation fighting, and the quick, decisive strikes for which Imperial infantry is renowned.

Pilum:
Each legionary carries two pila — a heavy pilum for armour-piercing volleys and a lighter variant for extended engagements. These weapons follow the classical design but are forged from superior steels, ensuring consistency and durability during repeated throws.

Gladius:
The short sword remains the legion’s primary close-quarters weapon. Legio I Domini favours a slightly tapered blade, optimised for thrusting within tight formations. Blades are kept to strict dimensional standards to maintain rhythm and cohesion in line combat.

Pugio:
A standard sidearm and tool, used for last-resort combat, field tasks, and ceremonial dress. Officers often carry decorated pugiones, though still combat-ready.

Spear Variants (Hastati-style):
Select frontline centuries train additionally with long thrusting spears for defensive urban fighting and holding narrow approaches within the capital. These are not standard-issue but are deployed when city defence protocols require them.

Siege and Support Weapons:
Though Legio I Domini does not maintain auxiliary forces, it does field its own cohort of trained operators for scorpiones and torsion engines. These weapons are rarely used outside high-threat situations but ensure the capital’s defences remain fully manned at all times.

Arcanii Oversight:
While the legion’s weapons are entirely mundane, the Arcanii detachment maintains arcane detection rods and warding tools to counter magical threats. These instruments are not weapons in the traditional sense but are essential to the capital’s layered defence system.

In all cases, Legio I Domini’s armament reflects the legion’s core values: discipline, uniformity, and readiness to defend the Emperor and his capital with precision and resolve.

Legio I Domini relies on a well-maintained and highly efficient logistical fleet designed for defensive readiness, rapid regional deployment, and ceremonial function within the capital. As a legion without auxiliaries, its vehicle complement is unusually self-contained, allowing it to mobilise swiftly without external support.

Officer Mounts:
Senior officers, including the Legatus Legionis and his tribunes, are assigned finely bred horses from the Imperial stables. These mounts are selected for temperament and endurance, suitable for inspection tours, rapid communication, and command visibility during ceremonial processions.

Scout and Messenger Mounts:
A small cadre of mounted riders maintains constant readiness for dispatch duties across the Imperial heartlands. Their horses prioritise speed over endurance, enabling rapid transmission of orders and intelligence to and from Novaium.

Baggage Wagons:
The legion’s impedimenta consists of heavy ox-drawn wagons transporting tents, rations, spare equipment, siege components, water stores, and medical supplies. These vehicles form the backbone of the legion’s operational endurance and are maintained by specialist support crews embedded within the legion.

Mobile Forges and Workshops:
Several specially reinforced wagons house portable forges operated by the legion’s armourers. These units allow continuous repair of weapons, armour, shields, and even elements of the capital’s defensive infrastructure during emergencies.

Torsion Engine Carts:
Though not equipped with a full siege train, Legio I Domini maintains a limited number of scorpiones and lightweight torsion engines mounted on sturdy carts. These are positioned at key defensive locations around Novaium and can be redeployed to vulnerable sectors with relative speed.

Arcanii Conveyance:
The legion’s Arcanii contingent utilises shielded carts for the secure transport of sensitive arcane instruments, encoded tablets, warding standards, and scrying mirrors. These vehicles are kept under constant guard and are never deployed beyond the capital without explicit imperial order.

While Legio I Domini does not require the vast engineering vehicles or beast contingents of frontier legions, its fleet is optimised for mobility within the Imperial heartlands and rapid reinforcement of the capital’s layered defences, ensuring that the Emperor’s Legion is always prepared to answer the call.

The command philosophy of Legio I Domini rests upon the belief that the stability of the Imperium begins at its centre. As the Emperor’s Legion, their leadership structure emphasises absolute clarity of authority, unbroken discipline, and the seamless execution of orders across every rank. In this formation, command is not a matter of personal glory but of preserving continuity—the smooth and dependable functioning of the military arm that safeguards the heart of the Empire.

At the top, the Legatus Legionis sets the tone through measured decision-making and steady temperament. Orders are expected to flow outward like ripples on still water: calm, precise, and fully understood before action begins. Panic, improvisation, or theatrics have no place within this legion. Each officer is trained to exercise authority without noise or spectacle, and every centurion is expected to embody restraint, reliability, and unwavering professionalism. The legion believes that soldiers mirror their leaders; thus, officers cultivate poise in all circumstances, whether delivering a parade command or responding to a sudden breach in the city walls.

Because Legio I Domini must be ready to deploy anywhere within the capital at a moment’s notice, its leadership encourages a unique balance between rigid discipline and controlled flexibility. Centurions are empowered to make rapid, situational decisions—choosing the correct formation for a narrow street, redirecting patrols, or coordinating with the Arcanii—without waiting for formal approval. Yet they do so within a framework of shared doctrine, ensuring that every action aligns with the broader defensive strategy of Novaium. Decisions may be swift, but they are never disorderly.

The presence of the Arcanii contingent shapes the legion’s command philosophy as well. Close coordination between martial and arcane officers requires patience, mutual respect, and an understanding of boundaries. Leaders in Legio I Domini are trained to treat magical intelligence as part of their tactical picture while preserving the primacy of the legion’s physical formations. Magic informs decisions; it does not dictate them.

Above all, the command ethos of Legio I Domini is grounded in quiet authority. They do not shout their loyalty, nor do they boast of their skill. Their strength lies in their composure, in the confidence that comes from eight centuries of unbroken service. In the field, in the capital, and in the Emperor’s gaze, they lead with the same ideal: that the Imperium is best defended not by rage or ambition, but by disciplined minds, steady hands, and the calm certainty that order will prevail.

The tactical doctrine of Legio I Domini is defined by order, precision, and the ability to respond swiftly to threats both within the capital and across the surrounding heartlands. Unlike frontier legions that adapt to unpredictable wilderness or foreign warfare, the Lord’s Legion has perfected the art of fighting within the structured, densely built, and symbolically vital environment of Novaium. Their tactics balance classical Roman formations with procedures tailored to urban defence, rapid deployment, and coordination with the city’s arcane wards.

When defending the capital, the legion operates as an integral part of Novaium’s multi-layered fortifications. Cohorts deploy to key towers, redoubts, and gatehouses, where their disciplined pilum volleys and shield-line formations hold choke points with mechanical precision. In the event of unrest or magical disturbance within the city, specialised response centuries descend upon narrow streets and plazas, forming spear-thrusting ranks and rotating shield lines designed specifically for urban terrain. These tactics allow Legio I Domini to reassert order quickly without excessive violence or collateral damage.

Beyond the walls, their approach to patrolling the heartlands is equally structured. The legion maintains a constant, visible presence on the major roads and in the prosperous settlements surrounding Novaium. Their patrols are arranged to maximise coverage while ensuring that reinforcements can arrive at any point in the region within a short period. Scouts and mounted messengers provide intelligence that allows the legion to deploy entire centuries with impressive speed, preserving stability throughout the Imperial heartlands.

In field engagements, Legio I Domini remains faithful to the time-tested methods of legionary warfare. The triplex acies, adapted for the modern cohort system, forms the backbone of their strategy, with each line maintaining an exacting rhythm of advance, rotation, and relief. Their pila are cast in perfectly timed volleys, followed by a controlled advance behind interlocked shields. Even without the hardening of frontier combat, their formation discipline is so refined that their lines move as a single entity, giving them a formidable presence in structured battles.

A defining feature of their tactical identity is the integration of their Arcanii contingent. These specialists do not hurl spells from the front lines but instead support the legion through intelligence, counter-magic, and ward maintenance. Their role allows the legion to operate confidently even when magical interference threatens communications or distorts terrain. The Arcanii detect illusions, reinforce wards along defensive walls, and advise commanders on arcane anomalies, ensuring that the legion is never caught unprepared by the supernatural forces that occasionally disturb the capital.

Ceremonial drill, often mistaken for mere pageantry, further strengthens the legion’s tactical capability. The precision required for imperial salutes, coordinated shield displays, and massed manoeuvres fosters an internal discipline that translates seamlessly into combat cohesion. The same synchronisation that impresses foreign dignitaries allows centuries to pivot, reform, and brace against enemy charges with impeccable timing.

Above all, Legio I Domini excels where discipline matters more than ferocity and where speed of response outweighs the endurance of a long campaign. Their tactics reflect their role: the steadfast guardians of the Emperor, the orderly heart of the Imperium, and the unbroken shield standing watch over Novaium.

Training within Legio I Domini is shaped by the legion’s dual identity as both the Emperor’s shield and the most visible symbol of Imperial discipline. While every legionary in the Imperium undergoes rigorous preparation, those who serve in the Lord’s Legion are subjected to an even more exacting regime, reflecting the honour and responsibility of guarding Novaium. Recruits who enter the legion find that physical strength alone does not guarantee success; the training demands impeccability of mind, posture, and conduct as much as mastery of arms.

From the outset, new recruits are immersed in a culture of precision. They are drilled relentlessly in formation movement, shield alignment, coordinated pilum casting, and the complex manoeuvres required for both field battle and ceremonial display. Their instructors—usually hardened veterans of the First Cohort—expect absolute uniformity in every step, turn, and strike. Even the routine march through the capital’s streets becomes a lesson in presence and poise, for the eyes of Novaium’s citizens are as sharp as those of the centurions who command them.

The legion’s training extends beyond the parade grounds and into the structural heart of the capital. Soldiers practise deployment to the city walls, navigating the defensive passageways, and securing the gates and redoubts that form Novaium’s layered protection. Urban warfare exercises are a regular part of their regimen, requiring the legion to adapt its classical formations to narrow streets, market squares, and public plazas. While frontier legions fight against orcish hordes and wilderness threats, Legio I Domini trains for the challenges of combat in the very heart of civilisation, where precision matters as much as strength.

Because the capital is the nexus of arcane activity in the Imperium, every legionary receives instruction in recognising magical disturbances, maintaining formation integrity under illusion or enchantment, and responding to the directives of the Arcanii detachment. Though they wield no magic themselves, their awareness of its effects allows them to operate calmly even when faced with supernatural threats that might disorient less experienced formations. The relationship between the legion and its Arcanii is built on mutual respect, with training sessions dedicated to understanding the boundaries of each discipline.

Ceremony holds a unique place in the legion’s training philosophy. Far from being dismissed as empty grandeur, ceremonial drill is considered an essential proving ground for discipline. Legionaries learn to present arms with flawless synchronisation, to execute complex parade manoeuvres without a single misstep, and to maintain an immaculate appearance even after hours of exertion. This commitment to precision reinforces the mental strength required of soldiers whose every public action reflects directly upon the Emperor.

Training within Legio I Domini never truly ends. Soldiers are evaluated constantly through inspections, readiness tests, and citywide mobilisation drills that simulate emergencies ranging from arcane breaches to civic unrest. The ethos of the legion holds that perfection is not a destination but a discipline—a continuous pursuit that ensures the capital remains secure and the Emperor’s prestige unchallenged. In this way, the legion preserves its reputation as the most immaculately prepared force in the Imperium, a formation whose readiness reflects the stability of the Empire itself.

Legio I Domini enjoys one of the most robust and dependable logistical frameworks in the entire Imperium, a reflection of both its proximity to the capital and its sacred duty as the Emperor’s Legion. Unlike frontier formations, which rely on long and occasionally fragile supply chains, the Lord’s Legion is sustained directly from the vast administrative and material wealth of Novaium. Weapons, armour components, rations, and essential stores flow with remarkable steadiness from the city’s state-managed armouries and granaries, ensuring the legion remains in a perpetual state of readiness.

Despite this advantageous position, Legio I Domini maintains a fully mobile impedimenta capable of supporting rapid deployment beyond the city walls. Baggage trains drawn by oxen carry tents, rations, spare equipment, medical supplies, and even portable forges operated by the legion’s armourers. These mobile workshops allow the legion to repair shields, weapons, and essential tools without leaving the field or compromising defensive integrity within the capital. Medical stations and supply wagons are kept in a constant state of preparedness, able to be positioned swiftly wherever the tactical situation demands.

Because their responsibilities include the defence of the capital itself, the legion is tightly woven into Novaium’s physical and administrative infrastructure. Hidden passageways connect their barracks to key defensive emplacements, allowing units to move unseen and unimpeded during emergencies. Signal towers and messenger relays, normally reserved for state functionaries, are fully integrated into legion operations, enabling rapid command communication across the city’s expanse. The engineers of Novaium work in concert with the legion’s Praefectus Castrorum to maintain walls, gates, and redoubts at a level of readiness impossible in provinces far from the capital.

The legion’s Arcanii detachment employs its own specialised logistical channels, maintaining secure vaults for arcane instruments, dedicated transport carts for sensitive equipment, and immediate access to encoded communication networks operated by the Collegium Arcanum. Their supplies are carefully regulated and rarely drawn upon, but their presence allows Legio I Domini to respond to magical threats as efficiently as physical ones.

Ultimately, the logistical strength of Legio I Domini lies in its dual capability. It is a formation sustained effortlessly by the heart of imperial civilisation, yet fully equipped to operate independently in the field should crisis demand it. Whether reinforcing a distant town in the heartlands or rushing to seal a breach in Novaium’s walls, the Emperor’s Legion is never more than moments away from complete operational readiness.

Legio I Domini is unique among the Legiones Imperiales in that it fields no auxiliary contingents whatsoever. This absence is not a limitation but a deliberate reflection of the legion’s identity as the Emperor’s personal army and the purest expression of Imperial military tradition. Where other legions rely on dwarrow sappers, elven scouts, or provincial skirmishers, Legio I Domini stands apart: every soldier in its ranks is a fully trained legionary, sworn directly to the Emperor and shaped by the disciplined culture of the capital.

This purity of composition reinforces the legion’s symbolic role within the Imperium. It presents an image of order unclouded by regional custom or foreign influence, a living statement that the heart of the Empire is defended only by its own. The absence of auxilia also reflects the stability of the imperial heartlands, where the infrastructure and population density eliminate the need for the diverse skills that frontier legions often require.

However, the legion does not operate in isolation. When circumstances demand specialised expertise—magical, engineering, diplomatic, or otherwise—the legion draws upon the institutions of the capital rather than external auxiliary groups. The Collegium Arcanum provides arcane support through the legion’s unusually strong Arcanii detachment, offering scrying, counter-magic, and ward maintenance. In matters of engineering or structural reinforcement, the legion coordinates with the city’s civil engineers, who maintain the walls, gates, towers, and defensive terraces of Novaium. These partnerships do not compromise the legion’s identity; instead, they ensure that Legio I Domini has access to every capability required for the defence of the capital without altering its composition.

In rare instances of major crisis, temporary attachments from other legions or civic cohorts may be assigned to support Legio I Domini, but such reinforcements are understood to be external assistance rather than integrated components of the legion itself. Once the emergency has passed, these formations return to their parent commands, leaving the Emperor’s Legion intact and whole.

Thus, while Legio I Domini stands without auxiliaries in the traditional sense, it is far from unsupported. Instead, it draws strength from the very heart of the Imperium, relying on the resources, institutions, and arcane custodianship of Novaium—a testament to the central role it plays in the safety and authority of the Empire.

Maintaining Legio I Domini is one of the most resource-intensive commitments of the Imperium, not because the legion is unusually large, but because its standards, responsibilities, and symbolic importance demand a level of expenditure unmatched by any other formation. As the Emperor’s Legion, its upkeep is considered an investment in the stability of the realm itself.

The legion’s barracks, armouries, and training fields form a vast military district within Novaium, requiring continuous provisioning of food, equipment, medical supplies, and replacement materials. Armour and weapons are forged to exceptional standards, and the legion’s equipment undergoes constant inspection; this level of refinement requires a steady flow of high-quality metals, leather, and textiles sourced from across the Imperium. Even mundane items—such as cloaks, sandals, tents, and maintenance tools—are produced with ceremonial uniformity in mind, which further increases cost.

The logistical advantage of being based in the capital reduces transport expenses but increases administrative overhead. Pay for the legion’s soldiers, particularly its senior centurions and officers, reflects the prestigious nature of their post. Additionally, the legion must maintain ready stockpiles for rapid mobilization, requiring redundant reserves of food, water, medical kits, and siege components stored strategically around the city.

A significant portion of the legion’s budget is earmarked for its Arcanii detachment, whose arcane instruments, warding components, and scrying equipment require specialised handling and periodic recalibration by licensed mages of the Collegium Arcanum. Though the legion itself uses no enchanted weaponry, the upkeep of the capital’s magical defenses—wards, sigils, detection networks—depends heavily on resources allocated to the legion’s arcane specialists.

Ceremonial responsibilities add further cost. The immaculate uniforms, polished armour, parade standards, and maintenance of the Aquila all require craftsmanship of the highest order. Public ceremonies, imperial anniversaries, triumphal parades, and state funerals involve considerable logistical preparation led by the legion, often funded directly from the imperial treasury.

Despite these expenses, the upkeep of Legio I Domini is regarded as sacrosanct. It is the price of safeguarding the capital, preserving the Emperor’s dignity, and projecting the authority of the Imperium. Few citizens question this expenditure; for many, the gleam of the legion’s armour during a festival procession is as essential to imperial identity as the walls of Novaium itself.

Recruitment into Legio I Domini is among the most selective and prestigious processes in the Imperium. While all citizens owe military service at the age of eighteen, only a small fraction earn placement within the Emperor’s Legion. The process filters candidates not only by physical ability, but by discipline, loyalty, comportment, and the ability to uphold the immaculate standard expected of soldiers stationed within the capital.

The initial recruitment pool is drawn from across the Imperial heartlands, with candidates recommended by local officers or selected following exemplary performance during basic training. These individuals undergo a second round of evaluation upon arrival in Novaium, where they are assessed by senior centurions and officers for attributes such as steadiness under pressure, aptitude for formation drill, clarity of communication, and emotional restraint. Candidates who demonstrate arrogance, impulsiveness, or political leanings are quietly redirected to other legions.

Those accepted into Legio I Domini enter a probationary period during which they live and train alongside the full legionaries. During this time, instructors closely observe not only their martial performance but their ability to maintain discipline, cleanliness, punctuality, and adherence to ceremonial protocols. Many recruits find the expectations of perfection more challenging than the physical training itself. Those who fail to meet the legion’s exacting standards are reassigned before they can formally take the oath.

The oath-taking ceremony, held within the shadow of the Imperial Palace, is a solemn and deeply symbolic ritual. Each new legionary places a hand upon the scutum bearing the emblem of the capital and swears fidelity to the Emperor, to Novaium, and to the legion’s unbroken line. It is said that the First Cohort’s veterans watch this ceremony with particular scrutiny, for the honour of the legion depends on the integrity of its newest members.

Because Legio I Domini does not employ auxiliaries, its recruitment remains entirely within the citizen body. No dwarves, elves, or foreign-born fighters serve in its ranks. The legion’s identity is rooted in its purity of composition—an unbroken wall of Imperial citizens defending the throne and heart of the realm. In times of crisis, additional recruits may be drawn from the capital’s civic cohorts, but such integrations are temporary and never alter the legion’s core makeup.

Recruits who complete their probation and swear the oath join a formation renowned for its prestige, stability, and opportunity. Many continue into long military careers, earning postings within the capital’s administrative structures after retirement. For citizens of the Imperium, entry into Legio I Domini is not merely a duty fulfilled—it is a mark of honour shared by only a chosen few.

Legio I Domini traces its origins to 10 NE, the year in which the Senate and the people of the newly formed Imperium Novum acclaimed Gaius Marcellus Aurelius as the first Emperor. With the throne established and the city of Novaium taking shape around the Rift-borne provincial capital, the Emperor decreed that a new legion must be raised—one not carried across worlds by accident, like Legio XIII, but forged deliberately for the defence and dignity of the Empire. Thus was born Legio I Domini, the Lord’s Legion, the first military formation founded on Exilum Novum itself.

In its earliest years, the legion’s duties focused on establishing order within the Imperial heartlands and securing the growing capital. Roads were still being laid, walls still rising, and the political landscape remained unstable as various Rift-displaced communities adjusted to Imperial authority. Legio I Domini patrolled the nascent heartland provinces, quelled unrest in newly integrated settlements, and escorted envoys sent to negotiate early treaties with the elves and dwarrow. Though their campaigns were local, their presence was vital; they became the embodiment of the Empire’s new permanence.

During the Century of Consolidation, the legion was responsible for coordinating the construction and protection of Novaium’s expanding defensive rings. Their engineers—still centuries before dwarrow partnerships became standard—oversaw the raising of the city’s first outer walls, drilled militia cohorts, and enacted security measures that transformed the capital from a transplanted provincial hub into the political and military heart of the Imperium Novum.

As the Imperium stabilised, Legio I Domini’s role evolved into one of constant vigilance rather than conquest. The Western Tribal Empire mounted several incursions in the early centuries, but none threatened the capital directly. Legio I Domini instead guaranteed internal stability by maintaining secure roads, safeguarding supply routes to frontier legions, and intercepting raiders who pushed too deep into Imperial territory. Their consistent presence throughout the heartlands fostered loyalty among civilians and ensured that Novaium remained the safest and most orderly region in the realm.

The legion’s most significant structural change occurred with the formal establishment of the Collegium Arcanum, after which Legio I Domini became the first formation assigned a dedicated Arcanii contingent. This partnership grew out of necessity: as magical activity fluctuated following successive Rift events, the capital required specialists who could identify, contain, or counter arcane disturbances. Over time, this integration developed into one of the legion’s defining characteristics and remains a symbol of its strategic sophistication.

Throughout its long history, Legio I Domini has never campaigned far from the capital, nor has it been tested by catastrophic invasions or rebellions. Instead, its reputation rests upon unbroken service, impeccable discipline, and the quiet, enduring guardianship of the Empire’s centre. It is a legion that wins its victories not through sweeping conquest but through the steady preservation of Imperial order—ensuring that Novaium remains untouched, unthreatened, and unwavering in its authority.

Today, Legio I Domini stands as the longest-serving formation raised on Exilum Novum, a constant presence since the very founding of the Imperium. Its soldiers march the same parade fields walked by their predecessors eight centuries earlier, honouring a legacy defined not by glory, but by the steadfast defence of the Emperor and his capital.

From its founding in 10 NE, Legio I Domini has maintained a loyalty both clear in principle and profound in symbolism. As the first legion deliberately created for the Imperium Novum—rather than carried across the Rift—it was conceived as the living arm of Imperial authority, a formation whose fidelity could never be in question.

Its primary loyalty has always rested with the Emperor, whose title Dominus gives the legion its name. The legionaries swear their oath directly beneath the walls of the Imperial Palace, vowing to defend the person of the Emperor and the stability of his rule. While other legions may have long histories of provincial affiliation, frontier hardship, or regional identity, Legio I Domini’s allegiance has remained unwaveringly central and symbolic.

Yet the legion’s loyalty is not blind. In the classical Imperial tradition, its oath extends also to the Senate, acknowledging their constitutional role in governance and their stewardship over law, treasury, and civic order. Through hundreds of years of political tension, shifting alliances, and the occasional conflict of wills between throne and senate, Legio I Domini has strictly upheld its stance as impartial guardian rather than political instrument. Its leaders are trained to respect senatorial authority even as they serve at the Emperor’s command.

Ultimately, however, the deepest loyalty of Legio I Domini lies with the citizens of Novaium. As the defenders of the Imperial Capital, the legion understands its role as the city’s shield. Whether patrolling the heartlands, securing the walls during a Rift disturbance, or standing in polished ranks during public ceremonies, the legion sees itself as protector not only of the Empire’s institutions but also of its people. Their presence is a reassurance to merchants, artisans, scholars, and travellers that the heart of the Empire beats in safety.

Over eight centuries of service, Legio I Domini has never wavered in these loyalties, and its constancy has become part of its identity. To serve in the Lord’s Legion is to uphold the Emperor, the Senate, and the people of the capital in equal measure—an unbroken triad of duty that defines both the legion and the stability of the Imperium itself.