The Legion

The eagle. Bold and mighty, of the skies, he cares not for the petty squabbles that lie far below him. He needs not a host of other eagles to surround him, he is a proud beast who can care for himself, yet he will not allow his kin to suffer needlessly. He does not choose a path of mindless aggression, striking carelessly, but rather he chooses to exercise great wisdom and keen patience. He waits and he watches with great care and strikes only when, and if, the time is right. Not a glimmer of frailty or weakness appears across his majestic brow, even when under great threat. This is the eagle.

The Legion, bold and mighty, was birthed from necessity into a world full of potential aggression, anger and hate. Yet, like the eagle, The Legion learned to soar. In a world filled with powerful alliances, The Legion appeared and made its mark. Endorsing peace, it looked not for war with its brothers, but unity. However, as the eagle defends its kin, so did the Legion vow to defend its members.

And thus, the Charter of The Legion was formed.

Preamble
We, being the members of the Legion, agree to come together in a spirit of co-operation, friendship and togetherness to draft this Charter of our alliance. Through this document we establish our rights, provide for the general welfare of the alliance and its members, assist nations in domestic growth, establish an alliance-wide defence, and together reap the blessings of the strength that flows from our common unity.

One: Admission

 * A: Admission shall be granted to applying nations by a Verifier, who can be overruled by the Imperator.
 * B: All potential members must take the Admission Test on the Legion's forums in order to be admitted. The specific requirements beyond this will be clearly set by the Imperator, and can be changed at any time by him/her.

Two: Membership

 * A: Member nations are encouraged, but not required, to join the Purple Team, as the bulk of The Legion's nations are situated on that colour. This is to help the growth of The Legion and Purple alike.
 * B: Membership of other alliances is prohibited.
 * C: Members of The Legion agree to be bound by this Charter and the Code of Ethics. Any member found in violation of the Charter and/or Code of Ethics may be subject to disciplinary action.
 * D: All Legionnaires are entitled to freedom of speech, within the boundaries set by the Charter and Code of Ethics.

One: The Imperator

 * A: The Imperator serves as the Chief Executive of the Legion. The Imperator controls all aspects of the alliance aside from anything specified within the Charter. Once the Imperator is selected, the Imperator will stay in power until he/she resigns or is removed.
 * B: The first Imperator will be elected. He/she reserves the right to resign at any time and if the Imperator is resigning, the outgoing Imperator must determine his/her replacement.
 * C: In the event that the Imperator-elect does not wish to undertake the position, that person has the right to abdicate, in which case an election will take place. In the event that the Imperator is forcibly removed by a Vote of No Confidence, an election to determine their replacement will occur.
 * D: The Imperator will face a Confirmation Vote every four months. In this vote, the membership will choose whether to keep the Imperator or remove him/her out of office. The Imperator must pass with a majority to remain in office. If the Imperator fails this Confirmation Vote, the Proconsul will assume power as the new Imperator, subject to an immediate Confirmation Vote. If the Proconsul fails this, an election will be held.
 * E: The Imperator reserves the right to appoint and remove the Proconsul and any Consul at any time.

Two: The Proconsul

 * A: The Proconsul is appointed by the Imperator, and is the second-in-command. The Proconsul will act as Imperator whenever the Imperator is away. Whilst a Proconsul, he/she has no Executive Power, assists the Imperator, oversees the Consuls and is the Chief Advisor to the Imperator.
 * B: In the event that the Proconsul resigns, the Imperator must select a replacement.

Three: The Consulate

 * A: The Consulate consists of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defense and the Minister of Economics. The Consulate control their Ministries under the guidance of the Imperator. The four Consuls have equal power. At the time of this Charter's effect, the current MoIA, MoFA, MoD and MoE will retain their positions.
 * B: If there is a vacancy within the Consulate, the Imperator must select a replacement. Consulate members must appoint a substitute for their role when they are temporarily absent. For unexpected absences, the other Consuls will appoint a substitute.
 * C: The Consulate has the power to overturn an Imperial Decision by at least a 3/4 vote. The vote must be set up no longer than 24 hours after the decision is made.

Article III: Inspector General

 * A: The Inspector General is an Elected Official who serves six month terms. Vacancies in this position are filled by bi-election. A member of the Government may not be the Inspector General at the same time.
 * B: The Inspector General is the Membership's eye on the Government and reports to them the affairs of the Consulate, Proconsul and of the Imperator.
 * C: The Inspector General shall have observer status in all venues of Government decision-making, but have no right to participate in proceedings unless their advice is requested. The Inspector General must also not intervene with any Legionnaire-made Votes of No Confidence, disapproved by them.

One: Votes of No Confidence (VoNC)

 * A: Any Legionnaire may request a VoNC of any Government member, to the Inspector General in confidence. When the request is received, the Inspector General is to measure the validity of the argument posed to them. If the VoNC is deemed worthy, the Inspector General will open up a topic in a designated area for a vote on the matter.
 * B: A majority vote is needed for a successful Vote of No Confidence upheld by the Inspector General. If the VoNC request is blocked by the Inspector General, any Legionnaire may set up their own vote, marked clearly in the designated area. A Legionnaire made VoNC needs a 2/3 majority to pass.

Two: Treaties
Any Government Member, Ambassador or Envoy may officially propose a treaty with another alliance. Treaty signings and their cancellations occur after a 3/5 majority vote between the Imperator and Consulate.

Three: Legislation and Charter Amendments

 * A: Any Government Member may propose Legislation. Any Legion member who is not under or awaiting trial, may discuss Legislation and suggest Legislation to the Government.
 * B: A piece of Legislation must pass a vote by at least a 3/5 majority to pass. Legislation that passes this vote immediately becomes Law. Any Legionnaire not currently under trial, may at any time propose a repeal of any piece of Legislation, excluding the Charter. In order to be repealed, at least a 2/3 majority in a vote in favor of the removal of said Law must occur.
 * C: Any Government member may propose an amendment to the Charter at any time. In order for the Charter to be Amended, it must receive a 2/3 majority vote.

Four: Votes
All votes, with time limits not previously specified, are to take place over the duration of seventy-two hours with all Legionnaires voting, unless specifically mentioned. All vote fractions or percentages are also based on the number of voters. Members will be informed of upcoming votes.

Five: War

 * A: According to the principles of Pax Legio, The Legion endorses peace between its members and other nations of the world. All unprovoked attacks against any nation or alliance are strictly prohibited.
 * B: Should a member nation be the victim of an unprovoked attack, all members pledge to rally their full military and economic prowess in defense of the attacked nation and aiding reconstruction and war efforts to the best of their abilities under guidance from officials.
 * C: Development of nuclear weapons is encouraged.
 * D: The Imperator has the ability to declare war, or obtain peace, based on the Legion's current active treaties. Only in the most dire of situations, with the most convicting evidence against another alliance, may the Imperator declare an aggressive war.
 * E: The Consulate are the deciding body on the definition of a "dire or warranted" situation. A vote can be called by any Consul asking for evidence that warrants war, or an explanation as to why war was called. A 3/4 majority vote will determine whether war is warranted or not.

Article V: Court System

 * A: The Inspector General, with the help of the Membership functions as the Court of the Legion. Anyone accused of a crime will be temporarily relieved of power until the end of a trial.
 * B: During a trial, the Inspector General determines punishments as well as moderates over them. The Membership acts as a Jury and decide guilt or innocence only, they do not participate or interfere with proceedings.
 * C: If the Inspector General is unavailable or under trial, the Imperator will moderate. If both are unavailable, the Proconsul and then the Consulate (if the three formers are unable) will moderate over the trial.
 * D: Should a member be accused of a crime serious enough to cause an International Incident, up to and including provoking war with another alliance, the Imperator may invoke his reserve powers to expel/punish the member. The expelled or punished member may appeal this decision to the Court, but the expulsion will remain in effect unless the decision is overturned by the Court.

Code of Ethics
Legionnaires are expected to maintain the following code of ethics:

Legionnaires will always follow the orders of higher ranks unless they violate international codes of conduct. Legionnaires will never attack their neighbors unprovoked. Legionnaires will never access the private forums of other alliances without permission or act in malice to the Legion and its allies. Failure to follow these strictures will result in punishment in accordance with the Judicial system.

History of The Legion
Our founding occurred on January 31st 2006 by GreatBrtiain under the name of “'FCS Foreign Legion”. Cybernations was in its infancy and experimentation of alliances was beginning across the entire cyberverse many of which were cross-over alliances. The Foreign Legion was a cross-over from Nationstates with other Founding members consisting of those that frequented the CPFC BBS, a forum for Crystal Palace fans (an English football team if you are one of our American chums). The original legionnaires got together on merely a message board in the spirit of co-operation, defensive protection and unity however the foundations for The Legion had been laid.

The Legion quickly evolved and the change in name was made from “The FCS Foreign Legion” to “The Legion” and the name that we recognize today. Forums were quickly set up and The Legion adopted purple team to be its home. The Legion quickly coordinated an effort to take the purple team senate and in game applications for membership on the cybernations big boards soon began. The Legion had shown itself to the world.

The Legion’s democracy was in its infancy however a provisional cabinet was formed and a charter written. The original cabinet consisted of six government level positions which were, Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Home Minister, Minister of Defense, Foreign Minister and Director of Intelligence. The Director of Intelligence position lasted two terms and then was reassigned as a director level position and the famous five position cabinet was formed which would serve The Legion well for nearly two years.

The early sanctioned alliance status was introduced and The Legion quickly found itself among the top ten alliances. The Legion had formed strong bonds with fellow alliances such as GATO and an unlikely MDP with the NPO. The Legion would eventually form strong ties with the NAAC and the ODN.

As with any game with a war function conflict soon began and the bonds and metal of an alliance tested. This came in the form of the Warp Storm Alliance or more commonly know as the WSA. A fellow purple team alliance, however far smaller than The Legion, they launched nuclear attacks on The Legion top nations. Many top GATO nations were victim to nuclear warfare as well during this period and the dislike for nuclear weapons was adopted by many alliances as they became an unacceptable weapon of combat. The WSA was quickly destroyed by the Legion and NPO. They would try to reform many months later however this would gather no momentum. The Legion would later become a chief campaigning for non nuclear first strikes.

The world had gotten a taste of war and conflicts such as the Citrus Wars would become well know, however no war can match a Great War and The Legion was soon to be apart of one. The war has many interpretations and all accounts should be considered interesting however no one accounts will divulge all the facts. There are common held beliefs about the war and how it started. The war started due to OOC issues, when LUE Co-Leader Yaridovich committed "account suicide" by breaking numerous forum rules. LUE had been causing confliction for some time with screen shots from members insulting other alliances and even inappropriate jokes being used. So when NPO and NpO declared war on LUE and the mass bandwagon-effect caused the Great War. The propaganda and war machines got to work and each side began to look for allies. The NPO turned straight away to their treated partners for assistance however pressure was soon to build. The Legion cabinet did not feel that the MDP had been triggered because it was believed NPO made an offensive move. The NPO felt cheated by The Legion’s lack of motivation to help their allies however The Legion was not obliged to help according to the MDP as it was an offensive war. The plot was yet to thicken and during the war an IRC conversation was leaked by a member of 'the coven' which showed leading NPO members stating they wanted to destroy The Legion after the war had finished. The Legion felt rightly threatened and whilst many NPOers will dispute the authenticity and merit of the IRC logs The Legion’s concern was very real and the evidence of the logs was undeniable. The Legion felt they had little choice and they declared war on the Orders. The Legion emerged victorious however relations with the NPO were damaged forever. The NPO rebuilt and in present day have rebuilt to the position of being the number one alliance.

Peace reined in the cyberverse and The Legion began to build in strength, reputation and community. The life of an alliance’s government is never easy and events to small to list happened on a daily basis as all major alliances experience. The world watched as two super blocs were formed that of “The League” made primarily of the alliances GATO, GOLD, NAAC, LUE and many more. The second was the Initiative a group of nations bound by the “World Unity Treaty” the major alliances in this bloc were the NPO, NpO, GOONs, FAN, TOP, GGA and many more. The two superpowers looked each other in the eyes and The Legion observed both. Although The Legion was not a member of The League it had many treaties with alliances who were members. Conflict was in the air and both sides were itching for control.

Each side wanted war, barring The Legion Prime Minister (VL), an excuse was being looked for constantly and war was simply a matter of time. However, The Legion would not have entered unless 'The League side' was on the defensive side and treaty obligations bound The Legion to fight. The conflict erupted and war on a scale never seen before happened and The League were shattered in defeat. The alliances would recover however The League was badly beaten and The Initiative’s power had strengthened. The Legion was now a superpower and stared directly at The NPO’s spot as the number one alliance.

Many cursed The Legion for not fighting, many praised them. Many thought their power would have been decisive in changing the war’s outcome however The Legion were having none of it, as it simply wasn’t their war to fight.

The Cyberverse entered a quiet period for a few weeks and The Legion’s strength rapidly grew. The Legion reached 10,000,000 total nation strength and 1,500 members an alliance membership count that has never been matched since. Depending on how you measured alliance power The Legion was a very close second or a very close first but, The Legion’s power was undisputed. The world was to however once again be thrown into conflict and this time it would have more casualties than just soldiers.

Plots and resentment on both sides of the super blocs were well known and once again the smell of war enriched the air however no-one expected what was to happen next. An NPO mass email saying that GATO would be blitzed at update was sent to a Legionnaire and The Cabinet kicked in to overdrive working out if it was authentic. It was confirmed as authentic and GATO were altered and The Legion war machine was started up.

GATO were attacked and The Legion was now in a tricky position. The NPO played the card that the old MDP was in effect, The Legion would not intervene as their reason for war was just. The Legion made no comment for six days whilst preparations were made. The Legion rallied The Aegis and they began preparing its nations for combat both economically and militaristically. The Legion had considered its position with GATO for some time and attempts were made to downgrade the MDP to a PIAT however this was not done in time and The Legion were bound to act. The Legion made a statement honoring its allies and declared war on all enemies of GATO. The forces of old united ODN, GATO, NAAC, LUE, GOLD and dozens of smaller alliances and the WUT forces united up. Each side boosted 30,000,000 strength and 2,000-3,000 members and an almighty war broke out.

The Legion’s tactical belief was that TOP and the GGA were being kept back to counter attack The Legion so a pre emptive strike was made. The Legion engaged TOP, GGA and FAN. NAAC helped engage FAN with the other alliances shared out. The Legion was overstretched however due to the alliances power it was a burden it must bare. The war battled on and eventually all was lost. Never had a war been so large and it had many casualties. The NAAC and LUE disbanded old alliances with old friendships. We hoped for help from IRON, the GUARD power bloc and the GPA and at times we had hope; however they never gave the call to arms. Their power would no doubt have been decisive and The Legion learned the feeling of Great War II. The Legion kept its word, proved its honor and gave almost its life to defend its beliefs and principles and this can not be taken way by any war.

The Legion was given harsh surrender terms including $800,000,000 in reparations and disarmament. However The Legion survived when so many alliances didn’t and only its strength of community kept it together. The Legion thought itself invincible however its war machine was outdated and not prepared for war. However much can be taken from GWIII. We honored our allies and the support gained on The Legion side is testament to love felt for The Legion from the international public and the fact we survived is a great strength. We had to say goodbye to our dear Prime Minister VL and our great founder GreatBritian who were exiled as part of the terms. They are the embodiment of how no one person is an alliance and they gave their lives to The Legion without hesitation.

The Legion began to lick its wounds and slowly rebuild and pay reparations. Good stable leadership during this period stabilized The Legion and the reparations were paid off over two government terms. The terms expired and The Legion had gone from 10million strength pre war, to 3million strength post war and finally worked its way up to 5million strength. A great feat by an alliances standards and The Legion remained sanctioned and was climbing up the ranks. Wars with the GGA allowed The Legion to take 6th spot in the strength tables and The Legion was once again a force to be admired and feared.

During this period The Legion formed stronger bonds in purple team. As the leading alliance in the sphere The Legion felt a duty to promote unity, strength and PUPPY, later to become GRAPE, was formed, a pact unifying friendship throughout the sphere. There was one alliance in purple The Legion had issues with for reasons we still debate to this day and that is Valhalla. An alliance founded by former Legionnaires and an alliance supported fully by the NPO. Incidences such as “TechGate” strained relations and The Legion wanted nothing but peace from Valhalla. However their demands were unreasonable and they were looking to damage puppy. This climaxed at period known as “The Dove War” where The Legion received information on an imminent attack and the alliance was ordered into peace mode. A peace was made and $40,000,000 in reparations was paid by Lord Swampy in compensation plus apologizes and so forth. Valhalla relations looked up and The Legion once again looked for peace and growth.

The Cyberverse was long overdue a great war and GOONs and allies were the next target, their super-bloc the Unjust Path or UJP had annoyed many people however their sheer strength meant they were to be listened to. War broke out and the initiative had a different feel to it, FAN a former ally had been destroyed by the NPO and GOONs had switched sides and found allies in alliances such as \m/ and Valhalla. The Legion stood firm that it would only enter if the ODN were attacked. The ODN had ties to GOONs and the NpO however it supported the NpO in their battle. The Unjust War as it was to become known was in full flight and by sheer idiocy \m/ they declared on the ODN. The Legion declared war. The Legion was no longer arrogant in its power and it had a new admiralty war system that was untested however we fought and we fought very well. Valhalla declared war on The Legion toward the end however The Legion gave them kind surrender terms, a “white peace”. The Legion’s confidence was high and the honor of victory among us. Relations with the NPO and NpO looked improved as we fought together. Its new banking and war systems were proven and its respect in the eyes of the world regained.

The Legion went from strength to strength and many elections went by. We saw Lord Swampy rise to power and he brought us a strong policy however Valhalla was on everyone’s tongues. Lord Swampy chose not to re run for Prime Minister for a second term and the election was wide open however two well known faces stepped forward as the prime candidates. Sinatra, a former Home Minister throughout Great War III and a two time Deputy Prime Minister during the rebuilding period and former Foreign Minister and Legion nice guy Thom Solo. The election was fought both boosting strong ideas and when the polls opened no clear winner was decided; everyone knew the importance of this election. It went to a run off and Thom Solo won by 9 votes. Thom was a fine Legionnaire however his presence in office would prove to be near fatal to The Legion.

The Legion with buoyant strength from the former terms moved forward and the cabinet had a new feel to it. Thom Solo was a behind the scenes Prime Minister and Pezstar as foreign minister was controversial at best. However blunders were to come. Pezstar made Lord Swampy a Foreign Advisor allowing him access to the Cabinet discussions room which was not a clever move.

Then suddenly The Legion is ordered into peace and all of a sudden we are fighting for survival. Then an order comes to disband any our ranks are evacuated by our best and brightest members. Confusion is everywhere then decisions are made. The order to disband was considered illegal as two signatories on the cabinet’s order who were given, did not actually approve the order. Also a vote is required by the membership to disband and this was not given. Influential members calmed the people and an explanation given by Pezstar is read. Lord Swampy and Thom Solo had tried to support a Valhalla Coup. Whether this was a trap or they just got caught we shall never know, but against the alliance and the rest of the cabinet they made the most idiotic of mistakes. The Legion had lost 300 members and 3million strength overnight and it looked as if we would be destroyed.

We negotiated terms and a provisional government was formed. The government negotiated terms of $300,000,000 in reparations per month, an NPO viceroy and various other smaller terms. Times were bleak and the actions of our most trusted left us on our own and feeling let down. A new charter was written and The Legion chose a new government. Now The Legion remains stable however sadly lacking in its sanctioned mask, it does keep a great many members and a great deal of strength and the long road to former glory begins. The Legion is a master of reinvention however reinvention without losing the morals of old and the principles it was formed upon.

Over coming months The Legion developed into its new shell and cemented its new found identity. New laws were created by The Legion House, new internal procedures and most impressive was the new Legion foreign strategy, and the friends this strategy gave. The best example of this is the Poseidon Unity treaty which was signed in July of 2008. This treaty unites all the major purple alliances under a single allied banner. This treaty ever improved the defence and solidarity of The Legion and significantly developed economic collaboration throughout the entire sphere, however by far the most significant by product was making Purple the most united sphere across all of CN. New high level treaties forged in the post purple gate period involved old friends at M*A*S*H, and new friends found in the form of CON, OMFG and Nueva Vida.

In August 2008 a rare occurrence in the modern Legion would come to fruition. In complete contrast to our new spell of making friends we would find ourselves with a few new enemies in what would become know as the Universalis war. In this war The Legion would fight three alliances, they were PAIN, Vanguard and Universalis. An allied Valhalla attack on Hyperion and a developing Great War would lead The Legion to strike PAIN on evidence that they were conspiring to enter the war on the opposite side. The Legion acted and on the 14th of August 2008, declared war on PAIN. The war would result in clear Legion victory with reparations paid, and we would fight proudly among allies such as M*A*S*H. However the war came at a cost, The Legion entered thinking it would be a small conventional war and it resulted in a prolonged highly nuclear conflict. The Legion would gain confidence and military prowess, but lose 700,000 NS in the process.

In January 2009 The Legion celebrated her 3rd anniversary, making The Legion among the top three oldest alliances in CN. This grand occasion was celebrated in style with festivities and a swapping of memories in the special Legion Letter edition. Beyond the razzmatazz and celebration a far more profound message was sent by this achievement; that we were still here after three years, and above all, we were as strong, united and committed as ever. When so many great alliances had faulted, we remained. The Legion was yet to change again in the upcoming months and a structural shift in how our government operates was on the tips of everybody’s tongue.

The Legion would now enter a period of mega growth. Under Melidan’s reuptake of the director of recruitment our numbers soared by almost 100 members. This combined with economics functioning efficiently and giving us programmes such as “sleds”, jumped us from 33rd to 19th in alliance rankings over a period of four months. This fast sustained growth was acknowledged by all as a fine achievement from sources foreign and domestic.

It is during this period the charter discussions reached new elevations. Talk of a new charter had been in the air for some time, with dissatisfaction with the House and the need for a leader a new charter was drawn up. Arcadian Empire took the role of “Charter Chair” and through various debating threads and polls a new charter was established over a period of four months. This charter was then warmly voted into power. The biggest addition of the new charter was the presence of a single leader, or Imperator. Elections quickly followed and the most in-depth and historic elections in the alliance’s history began. The list of candidates went into double figures and they consisted of many of our best, brightest and most decorated members. After close fought battles in every voting round, Imperial was elected as The Legion’s first Imperator. Never had The Legion placed so much power in the hands of a single individual.

On his first day in office Imperial took us to war. Tensions had been increasing for some time in CN and the focus of the tension was towards our allies over at the New Pacific Order. After a spying incident, the NPO, after failing to reach a peaceful settlement declared war on the OV alliance. This triggered a chain of events that led to what would be known as the Karma V’s Hemegony war. Many allies refused to support the NPO, and cancelled their defensive obligations to the NPO both pre, and during the war, however The Legion remained a true ally. Due to the controversial nature of the war an optional fighting order was given, whereby a nation could fight, or legally stay in peace mode during war depending on his/her personal feelings on the war. Regardless of what was chosen on the 22nd of April 2009 The Legion declared war against RoK in defence of the NPO and fought honourably and with great skill. This skill was recognised, and whilst this was an almost un-winnable war The Legion’s bravery and competence in combat was recognise, and white peace was achieved between all alliances that were warring with The Legion.

The Legion came out of the Karma war, full of hope, we had stood toe to toe with several major alliances and had come out well, even gaining NS. However, a few Legionnaires, wanting to have a different approach, left our ranks and founded Quantum. So The Legion continued on, saddened by the loss of such good Legionnaires, and continued to grow.

That ends The Legion’s memorable events until this point. At the time of this writing we look forward to the possibility of sanction. The Legion lies on the doorstep of being recognised as one of the most powerful alliances in CN, but our history proves that beyond our physical strength, our rich community, culture and history make us the strongest entity within CN.

Related links

 * Legion Forums
 * Flags of The Legion
 * Legion-Valhalla War, sometimes referred to as the Dove War
 * Legion Disbandment Crisis
 * Karma War