A militaristic multitude, enlisted or conscripted, for the execution of a common aim; notably foreign legions: an international brigade of volunteers fighting for an agreed purpose or to uphold a common standard, generally ideology bound, rather than national or societal.
The basic unit of the Ancient Roman military, consisting of 3,000-6,000 men.
A vast host, multitude, or number of people or things.
12/1/23
From The Castra All of politics is power. To understand the very heart of political dynasties and why one system of rule governs the world in any one particular era, one must understand the politics is the careful regulation of power. The distribution, balancing, use and misuse, power is a fluid element that flows through the channels of interaction and is vital for everything. Some use power in excess which creates caution for one camp and vainglory for the other, while others administer it in careful moderation which may be seen as clemency in some cases and incapacity in others.
In Legiondom, three pillars of power uphold the entirety of civilization and understanding them is key to the Legionary worldview. These powers are in order: Imperium, Auctoritas, and Potestas.
Imperium
Imperium is the highest of all powers. All three descend from ancient Roman philosophy and have been written on at length but for Legionary purposes its definition is as such. Imperium is the power conducted by emperors and kings, absolute authority, in the modern sense it is conveyed through presidents. Imperium is human power exerted in force upon the world and its elements. This can be done through imperial decree, but also through military force. We can see how the Taliban in Afghanistan, after years of battling US imperium, managed to develop their own imperium grassroots from a dispersed irregular military force. But most generally, imperium is commonly seen in the grand acts of congress, the executive orders of presidents and stateheads, and in military operations. Imperium is a vital currency in life as all humans possess innately a will to seize it. All people benevolent or malevolent are driven by imperium and the need to satisfy their lack thereof. In its most minute manifestation, imperium is control over destiny, including even the self-betterment or self-interest of the individual. It can be said that an individual is in and of themselves a nation: their will and passions, their government; their mind and spirit, their citizenry; and their physical body, their military. Imperium is the element which translates their will to physical action. Entelechy, that is the will to self-actualization, the completion of thought and drive to produce physical manifestation, is the reification of imperium. Legiondom is founded on entelechy, legency liberates it and returns it to the hands of mankind via the restitution of violence.
Auctoritas
Auctoritas is the secondary manifestation which is rightfully the next most seminal for civilization’s existence. In Roman definition, it is socially recognized knowledge possessed by the holder of a position of authority. In Legionary definition, it is the birthplace of discipline. That is because it is neither the mightfulness of imperium nor the amicability of potestas, it is notoriously unfavorable become it does not depend on carnality or personality but from duty and holding of title. As power from position, it is held by the one who occupies the office, be it by any means. The obedience to absolute power, the ability and the position to command and be heeded. It is the ability to obey the auspice of auctoritas that defines belongingment within institutionality. The holder of auctoritas must adhere to the duties of their power, for by perview alone they attain responsibility over their jurisdiction and may only occupy their power-position as long as they faithfully execute the duties and functions thereof. If they cease, auctoritas ceases. It is the knowledge authority and deferral to it which constitutes hierarchy. In the military Legionate system, hierarchy is the structure of society, founded on the structure of deferment to authority. This aspect of auctoritas allows for the moving mass of the whole consisting of various individuations partaking in a multitude of chains of command, all acting within microcosms, to act succinctly in unison.
Potestas
Potestas is the final and most basic unit of humanly accessible power in the trinity. In the Roman definition, potestas is socially recognized power, as opposed to the socially recognized knowledge of auctoritas. Imperium is the highest form of potestas acting upon the whole. Potestas is manifested interpersonally, it is what makes an individual influential within their community. Potestas is the power to inspire, to motivate, to organize, to effect love and respect and to carry honor. Potestas is the seed of society, that rudimentary possession of the animal that sets it apart from the others. All living things partake in the struggle of potestas to gain imperium, the wielding of potestas is the survival of life itself. For if something is completely devoid of potestas, it is abandoned utterly and left to die. For Legiondom, potestas is the base fundament upon which the system takes shape, the creative use of potestas propels keep the system vital, prevents tyranny, and purifies the aggregation of malfeasance from the system. It is important to note that power even in the Legionate system can not be misused, just as with violence, power is not good or bad, it simply is. Potestas can be drummed up to commit passionate atrocity, or it can bring benevolent grace, but regardless of product, potestas has yielded it through and through.
