Praetorian Confederacy Lore
PRAETORIAN HISTORY (ANCIENT)The history of the Praetorian Confederacy is long and tumultuous, fraught with political intrigue and near destruction on many occasions. Founded during the rise of the Roman Republic on ancient Earth around 275 BC, and officially dismantled by Emperor Constantine I in the 4th century, they survived the Decimation of Constantine the Terrible to rise again becoming a power in the galaxy. The history of the Praetorian Guard, later the "Praetorian Confederacy" did not end with Constantine I, rather it became more covert and clandestine.
The original Praetorians were an elite and fiercely loyal fighting force employed to protect high profile Roman officials such as senators, provincial governors and even generals. Later, Emperor Augustus made them the private bodyguards to the emperor. Their power and influence grew and at the height of their power in Ancient Rome, the Praetorian Guard was even able to determine who the Emperor would be through assassination, intrigue or who could pay them more for the job. At the end of the commonly known timeline of the Praetorian Guard, they backed Senator Maxentius to be the next emperor, but Constantine I defeated them and had most of the Praetorians killed, burned their barracks and seized their assets. The few who remained were scattered to the farthest reaches of the Empire never to be heard from again. Or so it would seem.
PRAETORIAN HISTORY (THE CIVIL WARS and SCHISM)
For a few centuries after the Constantian Purge, the Praetorians, now scattered around the Empire, learned from their previous hubris in their experiments in state control and gradually began to rise to power again. This time, Praetorians remained firmly in the background, never stepping out to be identified, never proclaiming power, instead they gradually gained local political and economic control through manipulation and subterfuge. Praetorians cleverly maneuvered themselves into positions to leverage control over first local leaders, then district leaders and finally Kings. None of this came without a price. Praetorian bubbles of control would ultimately touch as they grew and local Praetors would angle for the upper hand. Initially, they didn’t realize they were fighting other Praetorians, but eventually each Cohort came to recognize that they weren’t the only Praetorians who survived the Purge. These civil wars continued from circa 600AD to 876AD; sometimes with the shedding of blood, at other times one Praetorian Cohort would be eradicated or absorbed by another through political machinations.
The "Great Schism" between Praetorians came in 1054AD and lasted until 1417AD. During this time, no Praetor was willing to submit to the rule of another. The centuries long schism mirrored the religious and political strife in the world and in 1417AD the Praetorians gathered in Constance, Germany and under complete secrecy signed a treaty dividing the world into Praefectures that each would respect. One of the seven Praetors was chosen as “Legatus”: he whose vision the other Praetors would carry out. The Legatus then chose a “Tribune” from the Praetors: the Tribune would carry the Legatus’ orders to the Praetors (as well as carry out secret missions he didn’t think necessary to share with the Guard), furthering his agenda. This Final Agreement, as it is commonly referred to among Praetorians, remained for centuries until the Great Disintegration.
PRAETORIAN HISTORY (SPACE FLIGHT – EMPIRE)
The race to the stars in the 2160’s saw a golden age of Praetorians taking to the stars. First a few Praetors moved out to new posts in new systems as the Federation grew. Eventually, As human populated systems rapidly expanded, Centurions began to separate from the leadership of their Praetors and the Legatus. Before long, lines of communication were lost and central Praetorian leadership dissolved. Without the leadership of the Legatus, most Praetorian outposts vanished over the course of a few centuries. Some shed the anonymity of the millennia before and started calling themselves Praetorians again. These Praetorians were the only ones to survive the "Great Disintigration". One Centurion, eager to start a new world away from the Federation, pledged to support the Duval family and moved the outpost to Achenar in 2320, the year Henson Duval was crowned the first Emperor. Four years later the Federation invaded. The Praetorian Guard distinguished themselves during the Battle of Achenar first holding a flank then pushing a much larger force back when the odds had them being wiped out completely. Emperor Henson was so impressed he awarded the leader of the Praetorian Guard a station to establish his outpost at Di Yomi and orders to keep that corner of the Empire safe for commerce and travelers.
PRAETORIAN CONFEDERACY HISTORY (SERVICE to the EMPIRE)
For nearly a thousand years the Praetorian Guard has served the Emperor in whatever capacity he deemed necessary. Recent events have split Empire loyalties over lines of succession. In 3301 The Praetorian Guard join thousands of disillusioned Imperials and pledged allegiance to reformer and the one legitimate Duval bloodline, Aisling Duval. They braced for civil war within the Empire which never came as Aisling Duval fell in line and accepted the recently legitimized bastard child Arrissa Lavigny-Duval as Emperor.
The new coalition, now dubbed The Praetorian Confederacy, continues to serve the greater good as dictated by Aisling Duval. Recent accomplishments include ensuring Lines of Communication stay open for trade in Empire Space as well as “Bubble-wide” Community Goals that further human development and expansion in the galaxy. The Praetorians have supported efforts as close as Munshin and as far as Maia and Colonia. Under direction of Aisling Duval the Praetorian Confederacy has returned to their ancient practice of manipulating the political landscape by assisting in expanding her influence into the Haroingori and Cari systems, and opposing the nearly constant invasions into her sovereign space by those powers jealous of her assets. Several systems’ governments within her territory, but which are unfriendly to Aisling Duval, have fallen into chaos, war and famine. Many of the spokesmen for these governments have vocally accused the Praetorian Confederacy of having a hand in their losing control of these systems, however, the Confederacy neither confirms nor denies any involvement in their troubles; replying to accusers only that if they supported Aisling Duval inside her territory, they might have had better outcomes.
The Praetorian Confederacy continues to proudly serve the Princess Aisling Duval and will, to the best of their ability, unto death.