Artifacts/JadeLegion

The Five Legions of Jade

• back to Telgar

In the First Age, the Solar Deliberative used Dragon-Blooded and their own Half-Caste children for most purposes that today the Realm uses humans. Officers in the Legions, unit commanders, special forces. However five Legions were maintained that were entirely mortal. The best trained mortal warriors fought in these Legions, given the best weapons for humanity to defend itself. Each Legion was based in the capital of the Elemental Province that it served. Meru, Hollow, Chiaroscuro, Crystal and Luthe all had one of the bases of the Jade Legions.
The White Jade Legion is now under the control of the Realm, used to arm various elite mortal squads in service to the Imperial Throne. The Legion of Silence gained most of the White Jade suits and gear when the Empress ascended to the throne.
The Green and Red Jade Legions were disbanded and their supplies sold off to the highest bidder. As a result, many mercenary companies in the South and East boast remnants of the Legions. The Guild has gathered nearly 200 suits of Red and Green over the past few centuries.
In the North, the Blue Jade Legion was lost holding Crystal against assailants that emerged from the under ways of the city. Since then the remainders of the Blue Legion have been mostly lost, cropping up in the militaries of the Haslanti and other city-states.
Only the Black Jade Legion remains totally intact. The water-logged corpses of the Legion still wear their armor, bear their polished weapons and guard their gear stocked in sunken store rooms. In Luthe, the army remains. Unlooted and known only to Leviathan and those he tells of it.

The Equipment of the Jade Legions

Each member of the Jade Legions was given a sword and a suit of armor that lasted his entire life. These two items were Artifacts made by the Exalted. Exactly 6,000 suits were made, 1,500 for each Province. This number was maintained at all times, a single suit being made to replace each one destroyed by demons or rogue Exalted. The other bits of war gear made for the Legion was of the highest mortal quality. Officers were often issued the lesser Beast Armors, designed for mortal use. For siege efforts and great battles, each Legion had 100 Warstriders designed to be used by mortals. Gunshoza armor was also issued, but the Legionnaires often preferred their signature suits of Jade.

Each suit offers, in addition to the standard powers described below, complete immunity to environmental damage stemming from the element of the Jade the suits are made from. The entire outfit of a Jade Legionnaire (armor, sword and gear) counts as a level 3 Artifact.

Armor of the Jade Legions - Level 2 Artifact

Constructed from feathersteel and Jade, the armor of the Jade Legion is articulated or heavy plate with special issues of lighter armor, reinforced breastplates or light plate mail for skirmishers or scouts. Regardless of construction, due to the higher or lower concentration of Jade in the alloy, the armor gives the same statistics.

Soak (8L/10B) | Fatigue 2 | Mobility 2

Sword of the Jade Legions - Level 1 Artifact

With a varying design based on the Province from which it comes, the swords of the Jade Legions are all enchanted to offer an additional 1 die damage, accuracy, defense and speed when fighting mortal opponents. The White Jade Legion favored straight swords, while the Green Legion preferred its cutting sabers. The Fire Legion’s troops kept their traditional scimitars and the Black Jade carried wavy blades that drank blood like fresh water. The Blue Jade Legion used double-edged slashing swords. All the swords offered the stat block below.

Accuracy +3 | Damage +5L | Defense +3 | Speed +2 | Rate 3

Gear of the Jade Legion

Each Legionnaire carried with him the equipment required to maintain his health and his arms at all times. Survival gear such as Five-Star Compasses, Thermal Ware blankets and Sun Spots were standard issue. Each warrior was also given one year’s worth of imperishable food. The food that survives, even that in Luthe, is still perfectly good after hundreds or thousands of years. It by itself is worth Resources 1 for half a year. All the gear put together is worth a single Resources 5 purchase.