Legion (WTO)

For Stygian Wraiths, the Hierarchy is society and the eight Legions are the Hierarchy. Upon death, every Wraith is inducted into one of seven Legions based on the circumstances of their deaths. Each Legion has a headquarters (its Seat) and is overseen by one Deathlord. These legions are:


 * The Iron Legion, headquarted at the Seat of Shadows and overseen by the Ashen Lady. The Iron Legion is comprised of the victims of Age.
 * The Skeletal Legion, claiming those taken by Disease, headquarted on the Seat of Dust and overseen by the Skeletal Lord.
 * The Grim Legion, claiming the victims of Violence, and overseen by the Smiling Lord at the Seat of Burning Waters.
 * The Penitent Legion, claiming the victims of Madness, overseen by the Laughing Lady and quartered at the Seat of Succor.
 * The Emerald Legion, for victims of Happenstance, maintained at the Seat of Thorns by the Emerald Lord.
 * The Quiet Legion is overseen by the Silent Lord, and oversees the victims of Despair from the Seat of Silence.
 * The Legion of Paupers, quartered at the Seat of Golden Tears, administered by the Beggar Lord and comprising victims of Myster and whoever the Beggar Lord can get away with.

And...
 * The Legion of Fate, consisting of those chosen by Fate, and administered by the Ladies of Fate at the Isle of Eurydice

Legion Composition
With the exception of those wraiths who precede it, every Stygian wraith is a member of one of the legions. They are, in many cases, reaped by their legions and inducted into that culture fairly quickly. In cases where the situation is not clear (A wraith who dies of cancer at an advanced age, for example), the decision is generally made by the local Anacreon and will likely be biased toward that Anacreon's legion.

Every legion fields a military and civilian force, using an interchangeable rank structure. The size of the military to civilian forces varies by the legion, and the civilian roles filled by that legion tend to be a function of its deathlord's personal interests. The Iron Legion, for example, fields an awful lot of Stygia's infrastructure - including Maelstrom preparedness.

The majority of wraiths belong to one of three Legions: the Iron, Skeletal or Grim. These three Legions are also largely at loggerheads since their Deathlords are the natural choices to take over Stygia, so much so that they spend most of their efforts in doublecrossing each other. The next largest legions are the Emerald and the Legion of Paupers (although, in the latter case, very few wraiths are aware of that). In comparison to these five legions, the remaining three are tiny and are largely unable to (and uninterested in) changing that - they are largely focused on the goals that define their membership in the first place.