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SSL pin for dress uniform

The Special Service Legion is the elite special operations force of the Clavic military, widely known by their moniker: Greybacks, derived from the muted grey cloaks they wear in place of the standard Clavic orange.

Formed at the onset of the Clavic campaigns, the SSL was designed to execute high-risk, high-value operations unsuited for conventional military forces. Their missions are classified, their identities protected, and their reputations steeped in myth and fear.

Purpose and Origins

The Legion was commissioned to serve as a scalpel where the main army is a hammer. Reconnaissance, sabotage, assassination, and unconventional warfare are all within their purview. It is commonly believed that less than a hundred Greybacks exist at any one time, though the exact number is classified.

Many believe the SSL’s selection process was inspired—if not directly stolen—from the Sundown Sisters and their whispered trials.

Selection & Training

Candidates are accepted on a volunteer basis only, drawn from both the Clavic Army and Navy. However, volunteer numbers remain low due to the SSL's infamous "washout clause":

Any candidate who fails the training is executed—as part of the training of those who do not.

Because of this, every Greyback has killed, even before being officially inducted.

Phase 1: The Cauldron

Training begins at Camp Hearn. Twice a year, volunteer candidates are sent on a forced march known as the Freeway of Sorrow—from Derth to Broadlan—a stretch of lawless territory prowled by raiders who take special interest in Legion selections, treating them as sport. The military does not interfere.

Those who survive are paired up and begin a wilderness survival program across multiple biomes. This ends with a death duel, deceptively framed as a random drawing. In truth, every candidate is always assigned to fight their own survival partner. Only one may move on.

Phase 2: The Micro Phase

This phase includes intensive training in:

Close-quarters combat and small unit tactics
Weapons mastery
Stealth, sabotage, and infiltration
Intelligence gathering and interrogation
Counter-interrogation resistance

Groups of candidates rotate roles—interrogators, detainees, and observers—over the span of several brutal weeks. Those in the observer role are allowed limited rest, but never the illusion of safety.

Phase 3: The Macro Phase

This final stage shifts from physical to intellectual:

Military history and battlefield psychology
Macro strategy and logistical sabotage
Guerrilla warfare theory
Psychological operations and destabilization tactics

Greybacks are expected not only to execute, but to understand warfare as both art and philosophy.

Operational Status

Greybacks are deployed in teams of 2–5 for operations deemed too sensitive or lethal for regular forces. Each wears a grey cloak with no insignia. They answer only to the highest military authority—or directly to the Emperor himself.

Their legal status is ambiguous, and many are presumed dead after completing missions deemed politically inconvenient to acknowledge.

Notable Members

Captain Bor Lerich – Highly decorated SSL officer. Credited with ending the Siege of Dron’s Hollow via an unconfirmed solo operation. Allegedly killed three of his own men during Phase 1.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:SSL emblem.png|right|thumb|patch emblem of the SSL for duty uniform]]
 [[File:SSL pin.jpg|right|thumb|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 '''Special Service Legion''' is the elite special operations force of the [[Clavic]] military, widely known by their moniker: Greybacks, derived from the muted grey cloaks they wear in place of the standard Clavic orange.
-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.
+Formed at the onset of the Clavic campaigns, the SSL was designed to execute high-risk, high-value operations unsuited for conventional military forces. Their missions are classified, their identities protected, and their reputations steeped in myth and fear.
-==Selection and Training==
+== Purpose and Origins ==
-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.
+The Legion was commissioned to serve as a scalpel where the main army is a hammer. Reconnaissance, sabotage, assassination, and unconventional warfare are all within their purview. It is commonly believed that less than a hundred Greybacks exist at any one time, though the exact number is classified.
-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 team's pair fighting each other to the death in order to move on to Phase 2.
+Many believe the SSL’s selection process was inspired—if not directly stolen—from the [[Sundown Sisters]] and their whispered trials.
-Phase 2 consists of advanced weapons, tactics, and strategy. As part of the strategy portion, they are also instructed in the ways of intelligence gathering and interrogation, as well as resisting interrogation.
+== Selection & Training ==
+Candidates are accepted on a volunteer basis only, drawn from both the Clavic Army and Navy. However, volunteer numbers remain low due to the SSL's infamous "washout clause":
-==Notable SSL==
+<blockquote>Any candidate who fails the training is executed—as part of the training of those who do not.</blockquote>
-*Captain [[Bor Lerich]]
+Because of this, every Greyback has killed, even before being officially inducted.
+=== Phase 1: The Cauldron ===
+Training begins at [[Camp Hearn]]. Twice a year, volunteer candidates are sent on a forced march known as the [[Freeway of Sorrow]]—from [[Derth]] to [[Broadlan]]—a stretch of lawless territory prowled by raiders who take special interest in Legion selections, treating them as sport. The military does not interfere.
+Those who survive are paired up and begin a wilderness survival program across multiple biomes. This ends with a death duel, deceptively framed as a random drawing. In truth, every candidate is always assigned to fight their own survival partner. Only one may move on.
+=== Phase 2: The Micro Phase ===
+This phase includes intensive training in:
+*Close-quarters combat and small unit tactics
+*Weapons mastery
+*Stealth, sabotage, and infiltration
+*Intelligence gathering and interrogation
+*Counter-interrogation resistance
+Groups of candidates rotate roles—interrogators, detainees, and observers—over the span of several brutal weeks. Those in the observer role are allowed limited rest, but never the illusion of safety.
+=== Phase 3: The Macro Phase ===
+This final stage shifts from physical to intellectual:
+*Military history and battlefield psychology
+*Macro strategy and logistical sabotage
+*Guerrilla warfare theory
+*Psychological operations and destabilization tactics
+Greybacks are expected not only to execute, but to understand warfare as both art and philosophy.
+== Operational Status ==
+Greybacks are deployed in teams of 2–5 for operations deemed too sensitive or lethal for regular forces. Each wears a grey cloak with no insignia. They answer only to the highest military authority—or directly to the Emperor himself.
+Their legal status is ambiguous, and many are presumed dead after completing missions deemed politically inconvenient to acknowledge.
+== Notable Members ==
+*Captain [[Bor Lerich]] – Highly decorated SSL officer. Credited with ending the [[Siege of Dron’s Hollow]] via an unconfirmed solo operation. Allegedly killed three of his own men during Phase 1.
 [[Category:Military]]
 [[Category:Factions]]