Arcane Legions

Every Greek soldier knows the story of Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans. A Greek infantryman is raised on the lore of Thermopylae, and knows in his heart that the greatest honor a Greek soldier can hope for is to equal the ferocity and prowess of the Spartans. Iron discipline and blade-sharp skills set the Greek infantryman apart from the conscript soldiers of other armies, and they routinely fight well out of proportion to their numbers. Eschewing armor for speed and agility, a Greek soldier’s defense is his skill with sword and shield and spear.

In the armies of Antony and the Egyptians the Greeks are an insular component. Greeks do not mix well with Egyptians. Their beliefs about the afterlife and the nature of the world are too divergent, and the obvious truths of the Egyptian school (as evidenced by the legions of undead warriors) make for a ready conflict of philosophy (and sometimes sword). Greek cohorts give impressive striking power to Egyptian legions, where they are used to assault difficult positions. Many Greek infantrymen are upset at the primacy given the undead legions in Egypt’s armies, and fight particularly ferociously to prove themselves good warriors.

When paired with Egyptian conscript infantry, the Greek infantryman is a haughty, dismissive companion. Greeks field some of the finest infantry in the world, after all, and the usual Egyptian conscript is a peasant given a sword and armor and told to fight the Empire’s enemies.