patch emblem of the SSL for duty uniform
SSL pin for dress uniform
Special Service Legion is the special operations force of the Clavic army. They are also known as the "Greybacks" because of the grey cloaks they wear in lieu of the orange ones.
The SSL was commissioned almost immediately after the Clavic campaigns started to enable smaller, more elite units to perform operations that required specialized training. The exact number of Greybacks in service is kept classified, though the Legion's reputation for its rigorous candidacy program points toward there being very few of them.
Selection and Training[]
Candidates are taken on a volunteer basis only. Anyone in the Clavic army or navy may try out for the Special Service Legion, however, volunteer numbers remain very low due to the unique "washout" system in place: any candidate who fails the training is killed as training for the other candidates. Because of this, it is impossible for a Greyback to have never killed anyone.
Once a soldier or sailor puts forth his or her volunteer package, they are sent off to Camp Hearn for training; selection takes place twice a year. For the first phase of their training, a phase called the Cauldron, they are given a fitness test and forced to march from Derth to Broadlan, a route commonly known as the Freeway of Sorrow. The route is a known hotspot for Raiders, who especially like to patrol during Legion selection, which is like a game. Candidates who survive are then paired up with a partner and move on to the survival portion of Phase 1, where they are taught to survive in a number of different environments with their partner. The survival phase concludes with each member secretly drawing a straw to determine their opponent, who they must fight to the death in order to move on to Phase 2. What the candidates don't know is that no matter what, each person must fight their partner from the survival portion.
Phase 2 consists of advanced weapons, tactics, and strategy (called the micro phase). Here they learn unit tactics, movement, weapons, drills, etc. As part of the strategy portion, they are also instructed in the ways of intelligence gathering and interrogation, as well as resisting interrogation. During these exercises, candidates are broken up into three groups so that each group practices interrogation on a group that is practicing resistance. The third group, meanwhile, is given the week to relax.
Phase 3 consists of military history, macro strategy, psychological warfare, guerrilla warfare, etc. All scholarly application, philosophy, and theory.
Notable SSL[]
- Captain Bor Lerich