Legion History

Under his guidance, the Blackfoots not only defeated but subjugated the neighboring tribes and came to respect Sallow, following him as their leader. Sallow granted himself the name Caesar and began reorganizing the tribals he commanded into the Legion. Through his leadership, he implemented warfare policies in the Legion based on the Roman concepts of "divide and conquer" and "total war." He saw the tribes as having been "playing at war," the tribals accustomed only to minor skirmishes and raids that never escalated into major conflicts.

The Legion defeated the region's seven tribes from weakest to strongest and completely dominated each tribes' land and people, subsuming them into a growing army. Those who surrendered were conscripted, with the remainder either enslaved or killed. Through this process, Caesar elevated his Legion into a fanatically loyal army of assimilated warriors. A prime example of this subjugation was the tribe once known as the Twisted Hairs, whose members served as scouts during incursions into the former American Southwest. Evidence of their dedication to the Legion littered the landscape in the form of crucified wastelanders along the ruins of Interstate 40.

In the course of these conquests, Caesar appointed Graham, who had shed some of his earlier reluctance, as the "Malpais Legate." He was considered one of the Legion's greatest champions and an emissary of its destructive will.

In 2271, the growing threat of the Legion served as a catalyst for the Ranger Unification Treaty. President Kimball recounts during that year, the Desert Rangers of Nevada joined the New California Republic's forces to protect the region against "the tyranny of [Caesar's] regime."

After many years of gathering strength, Caesar commanded his Legion to expand westward into the Mojave and eventually established a base of operations on Fortification Hill overlooking Lake Mead and the Colorado River in 2277. The advancing Legion eventually made contact with the NCR near New Vegas and began a campaign to take the region with their forces consisting of 65 conquered tribes.

Under the command of the Malpais Legate, Legion forces marched against the New California Republic garrison at Hoover Dam, in an attempt to take the strategic asset and river crossing. In what became known throughout the region as the First Battle of Hoover Dam, The Malpais Legate led a massive assault against the entrenched NCR defenders, seeing some limited early success in routing the NCR from the dam. However, the NCR First Recon and NCR Rangers, under the command of Chief Hanlon, executed a tactical retreat west into Boulder City after using their prowess in marksmanship to pick off the Legion's centurions and decani from afar, creating chaos and confusion among the lower ranks. The Malpais Legate ordered the Legion's elite forces to push forward in pursuit of the enemy sharpshooters instead of consolidating their gains, realising too late that the Rangers and First Recon had booby-trapped Boulder City, laying explosives all along their route of retreat and throughout the city itself.

During the First Battle of Hoover Dam

When the Legion's elite forces entered the city, the Rangers and First Recon detonated the explosives and inflicted severe casualties on the enemy, crippling their offensive. Shortly after, the remaining Legion pursuers at Boulder City were finished off, and NCR Troopers under the command of General Lee Oliver then counter-attacked, pushing back and eventually routing the Legion's main force after having successfully held the dam. Caesar, angered at the failure of his Legate, made an example of him. The Praetorian Guard covered the Legate in pitch, set him on fire, and cast him into the depths of the Grand Canyon. Caesar forbade mention of his name and now he is spoken of only in hushed whispers by the lowest legionaries and slaves, who call him the Burned Man.

Though bruised by their defeat at the dam, the Legion did not retreat. By 2281, Caesar's Legion has reestablished its power in the west, rebuilt its army, and has slowly encroached on the city of New Vegas, now with 87 tribes brought to heel (or put to the sword). They continue to contest NCR in the Mojave region, destroying several NCR bases such as Ranger Station Charlie and Camp Searchlight, overrunning the NCR town of Nelson, decimating the town of Nipton and sowing discord and terror across the region.