Member
Lord Shaxx
A portrait of Leon di Falco II in the III Legion dress uniform, 3418.
Leon di Falco II
Name: Leonillo 'Leon' di Falco
Age: 26
Sex: Male
Position: Captain of the First Heavy Grenadier Company
Appearance: Leon is a taller-than average man, standing at six feet tall. This is normal for a Legionary, however, especially those who have been part of the Legionary program since childhood. He is also well-built for his height, being muscular but not too buff; his body type was atypical of the expectations of the people when it came to the Legionary Immortals. Because of how bulky their suits were, one would expect an Immortal to be extremely buff, but that was not the case. His skin is rough thanks to years of war and military training since childhood, but its tone is still fair.
He has short, light brown, well-kept hair that is combed to the back. He is clean-shaven with a cleft chin and strong facial features. His eyes are small and dark brown, containing within them the horrors he has experienced in those days during the Galactic Revolution. Angled eyebrows sit atop them, giving him a perpetually-judging dagger-like stare. Overall, his facial features give him an air of authority and stoicism –– an appearance true to his personality.
Equipment:
- Blade of Medinius - The dagger he received as a Legionary recruit. It is battered and its monomolecular blade damaged, but it still holds a good enough edge.
- Shortened Waraxe - This is the standard Legionary CQC weapon, but shortened to be used with only one hand. It still has a hefty axehead capable of cutting heads off.
- Engraved M854 - A customised M854 with a fine ebony grip. The metal on the pistol is hand-engraved with the Aurelian Cross, leaves, and vines.
- M15-II - An 'upgraded' version of the M15 with additional soft armour padding covering the thighs. The armour's camouflage is coloured white and grey to help in urban and winter warfare. His helmet also has a white feather strapped to the side.
- Scl-18 - A standard Scl-18, nothing really special about it.
Personality:
Leon is known as a stoic man to most of those he meets. He is usually quiet, weathering the storm of whatever problem might come his way. His closest friends refer to him as 'the Oak,' gentle, deep-rooted in thought and tradition, with a strong affection for history. However, he is also powerful and unwavering, and to some, terrifying. He produces an air of silence and authority, always strict, sober, and chaste. By all means, he is a stoic who was capable of wrangling his emotions, but the moment his wrath is evoked, he is said to be like a thunderous volcano. To his friends, he is slightly different: he is more Jovial, outgoing, and occasionally drinks, but he is still a man of few words who wouldn't allow a drink to muddle the clarity of his vision. Though righteous, he can do the most treacherous things in times of war, if only to save his men and further his cause. Leon is a true believer in the Legionary cause, and would not allow his friendships to get in the way of his goals.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Strengths:
- Historically-inclined
- Unwavering, uncompromising
- Has good a system of reward and punishment
- Radical in believing in the cause
- Stoic, but also realistic
- An expert delegator
- Most of the time tactically flexible
Weaknesses:
- Can sometimes be rigid in tactical planning
- Can at times be anxious due to potential missed opportunities or factors
- A dangerous gambler, counting on luck in precarious, ambiguous situations
- Fearful of being perceived as weak
- Can sometimes go overboard on punishment, especially against his enemies
Backstory: Leonillo was the descendant of a minor noble family related to the De Estrada Imperial House of Novellum, but after the Archon Empires broke from the Imperium Orionis, the loyalty of his family remained with the Aurelius Dynasty. For a long time, they were not a very prominent family, holding some farmland in a far-off planet called Graecus which they decided to keep for agriculture. They had good relations with the surrounding towns and villages, and occasionally held the post of Mayor of Manors. However, it was not until the past few generations that the family began to slowly grow in wealth and influence. It reached its peak when House di Falco was headed by the young and ambitious Leon I, grandfather to Leonillo, under whose shadow he and his father lived.
Leon I hid his ambition well but laid out all his skills for their world to see, for he was the first in the family to become part of the Legionary officer corps. Leon was elected by the Planetary Court to become the new Governor-General of Graecus. A planet-wide private war of assassins was waged, but eventually, Leon I was endorsed and funded by the Emperor, who sought to put a stranglehold on the unruly nobles. Leonillo's father, Giorgio, was born in a time of great prosperity, but was a nobody compared to Leon I, having been spoiled by his mother and kicked out of the Legion and the di Falco line of succession. Leonillo was born 'Leon II' to Giorgio through a prostitute on 3395. The two abused the baby Leon, and upon hearing of this, Leon I intervened and imprisoned the couple. His grandfather became his father figure after Giorgio was imprisoned, training the young child in the Legionary way and the traditions of the di Falcos and the Empire at the age of three. He was affectionately called 'Leonillo,' which later became his official name. One lesson affected him the most: that of honour and duty, which was firmly imprinted onto the young boy. He had little friends because of his training, and so became reserved. Despite this, he loved his grandfather like a true father. He knew that he had to make his grandfather proud and continue the di Falco line.
At the age of 7, two years after the war broke out, he was enrolled in the Legionary Academy, where he met his first friends. Despite being quiet, he was one of the top scorers in his batch, especially in subjects such as governance. At the age of 13, he became a candidate for the Legionary Immortals and began training. By 16, he was an officer in the Legionary corps, and was deployed with his unit, the Immortal Grenadiers. He performed exceptionally in battle, but single exceptional men on the battlefield cannot win wars.
In early 3418, Leonillo fought his last battle of the Revolution on his home planet of Graecus, where he commanded the young Mikhael Aurelius, in whom he saw much potential. He secretly swore to protect him, should any harm fall upon the Imperial Family, so that he may take over. His grandfather died during the Siege of Graecus, and though he was proclaimed the next Governor General, it was a title of not much use to wider history. He mobilised the population, and delayed the Amaran army wherever he went. He saw how desperate his situation had become, and so, he began to adopt questionable, brutal strategies against the Amarans: earning their trust before massacres were committed, using terror tactics to intimidate the Amarans. Despite the progress in Graecus, the Imperial House was still forced to surrender when uprising came to the capital of Jovian. His governorship was renounced as the Amarans set up a republic in Graecus. They hunted down the former governor to arrest him on charges of war crimes, but by then, the young Leonillo had already fled to Jovian to escape prosecution. He adopted the name 'Leo' to avoid capture, and began working as a librarian. He was disenchanted with his life. The rightful rulers of Jovian were gone, his homeland taken from him by the invaders. However, when the Uprising of 3418 occurred, Leonillo was contacted by his former superior. The Iron Brigade was formed the following day with veteran soldiers wearing their old clothing and armour gathering around the city. They negotiated with the Republic, who promised to offer them good pay and the pardoning of their war crimes so that they may walk Jovian as free men. They began setting up positions around the city. Other former veterans in the vicinity, as well as men who felt like their future had been taken away from them, joined and pledged their support to the Iron Brigade.
After months, Leonillo fought his first action against rebels, enchanted by the idea that perhaps one day, they could reverse the Galactic Revolution. Despite the fact that he no longer had his Immortal Armour, he still fought as a good Legionary. Despite their efforts, the government was unable to pay them for their services, but instead of launching a coup as Leon had expected, his commander decided against that decision and instead left their services. He was assured that their time would one day come, but that they were unprepared. It was at this time that the Iron Brigade began to receive payment from mysterious third parties, enough to afford dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles which they kept secretly for when it would truly be needed.
He fought in several other actions in more Berelian uprisings. In one of his battles, the enemy was more competent than expected and managed to graze his leg and kill several of his men. Though he almost died of blood loss, he ordered his men forward with a ferocity nobody had seen before 'til that point, forcing the capitulation of the enemy. Though they surrendered, majority of the fighters were executed. The Iron Brigade was noted for its ferocity and power at that moment. They were feared wherever they went. This garnered the attention of the First Legion, who saw them as worthy to bring to their cause. They were informed of a plot brewing in Nova Medinia, where they had been stationed for the past several years. The plot would be to kidnap the Imperial Family and use the peoples' distrust of the Republic to launch a coup. They gauged that majority of towns and cities were ready to raise the Imperial Banner once more, but the capital itself was ambiguous in its alliance, so they decided that the Iron Brigade and the First Legion would attack from two sides and wrest the city from the Republican government.
The Iron Brigade was waiting near the capital when the Berelian Revolution of 3420 erupted. The First Legion understood that their plans could no longer be fulfilled, and so retreated to make the extraction of the Imperial Family from Berelian hands their first objective. Both the Iron Brigade and First Legion diligently evacuated the planet alongside the other Free Brigades that escaped the Berelians. The Revolution, however, spread like wildfire, and many Brigades were left to fend for themselves. They had acquired several assault ships and dozens of transport ships to use. However, the moment they arrived in Nova Medinia to regroup and reorganise, news of the Imperial Family's execution already made headlines. The Nova Medinians were outraged, and so were the Free Brigades. Leonillo recalled the young Mikhael Aurelian that served under his command, and knew that their battle was not yet over. A small detachment of First Legionnaires would extract the new Crown Prince, who was reported to have been arrested over politically-motivated charges, while several other Free Brigades would steal warships from both the Berelians and the Republic. The infiltration was slow, and took three weeks, but eventually, the Free Brigades were given the signal. The moment the ships were stolen, the First Legion extracted Mikhael from prison. Leonillo's company was sent to begin liberating several Free Brigades from siege, and to deliver them to the Berelian-side extraction point.
With the extraction now complete, they celebrated. Leonillo himself was given command of the esteemed I Heavy Grenadiers Company of the Iron Brigade, and stationed in the northern forests to await the Varkusian invasion.
