From a young age, you have been exposed to the propaganda fed throughout all of the Umbarian Empire, but especially within the border region of the Verdant Plains. All of your formative years you have heard about the evil that dwells on the other side of the Shadowvale Mountains. That the old Vessyrian Dominion slaughtered the good people of the Empire with deals and pacts made with the Apostatic and Outsider Gods, and that the people of Old Vessyria still worship these dark gods and pray for the Empire's fall. Between the constant propaganda and news of Vessyrian raiding parties that harry the coast, you knew you had to help protect your village, family, and Empire. 

When you were 14, a Glorious Legion recruiting party was passing through to pick up new conscripts from the jails and see if there were any volunteers. Though your family wanted you to stay where it's safe, you pledged your name to the Empire. On the spot you performed the Induction Oath and became an official member of the Glorious Legion. Due to your age, you were not put straight to the front, you were instead assigned the duty of Corpse-Tender. 

For the next three years you were forced to tend to all the dead, both Legion and enemy alike. You travelled far and wide during this time, tending to the skirmishes within the Shadowvale Mountains, and even on distant continents where the Empire were testing their might and expanding their assets. Though it was a grizzly job, over time you began to see and learn how the body worked. You could see where the bones should fit together, which injuries were fatal, and even how various diseases affected the body. Your increasing knowledge went unnoticed for a time, until you found one soldier piled with the dead who was still alive. With no medic around, you were the only hope this young man had. It was not a perfect job, but you managed to save his life and bring him back into the camp - much to the shock of the Legion soldiers and officers. 

Right away, it was determined you had served enough time as a Corpse-Tender. It was time for you to train and become a true soldier of the Glorious Legion. You were sent to the Dorian Fields, the heart of the Empire, to Truestrike Hold. Here you learned the basics of the arts of war and death. Now as capable as any colt, you spent a brief amount of time with a foot-soldier battalion to cement your skills. Your medical knowledge, however, was not forgotten. It was not long before you were pulled back to Melora's Hope to study under a Legion Surgeon to expand on your basic medical skill. 

While you were happy with your progression, you began to notice the darker side of the Empire and of the Glorious Legion. Any infraction or mistake was punished severely, and any dissent was quelled immediately with worrying brutality. Throughout your service you tried to speak up for your people and the enlisted soldiers, much to the disgust of the officers and higher-echelon. Your back, marred with the deep scars of the Cat of Nine Tails, shows how the the Legion deals with troublemakers. Yet you endured, you continued to speak up for the good of the people wherever possible. This earned you the deep respect of your fellow comrades and those below you, but the animosity of your superiors.

Not long after your 18th birthday, you received a letter of ill tidings. Your family, who you thought safe in Sunding, were slaughtered by a Vessyrian raiding party. They were the only victims of this assault, and hardened your heart and soul. You no longer had no one to return to, and no home to live in. 

Eventually, your influence over the lower ranks became too much for the officers. Knowing that they couldn't truly remove you from service, as your skills were too valuable, they 'promoted' you instead. You were assigned to the Umbra Legion, a regiment used for specialised, and usually clandestine, operations both upon Calon Tir and on foreign lands to protect the Empire's interests. These operations took you far and wide, and put your medical skills to the test with keeping your squad alive and the natives that were sometimes under your protection. 

For a time, you were content with the Umbra Legion. But then one mission went too far, and cast an irrevocable shadow over your view of the Empire. You were sent to Lavestown, within the Valley of Scales to eradicate a group of Vessyrian Dominion sympathisers who plotted against the Empire. You were expecting a destroy a single group, but instead the entire village was razed. Men, women, children, no one was left alive. You watched on in horror as your squad happily slaughtered everyone and everything. Your entire service was to ensure the Empire never fell. This day, you knew the Empire had fallen long ago. Long gone are the days of The First King of Umbar, Lord Gallen the Just. 

As soon as you were able, you ended your contract with the Umbarian Empire and it's terrible machinations of corruption. You became a free-man who worked for the good of the people, performing acts of good both small and large. You took jobs that you believed would truly better the Empire, but your service left you disillusioned. Every conversation was met warmly, but with distrust and a hand on your blade at all times. 

Skill Proficiencies: Your service within the Glorious Legion honed your skills to the Empire's standard. You gain proficiency, or expertise if already proficient, with Medicine due to your medical training. Additionally, choose one skill from the following list: Athletics, Deception and Insight from your time in the Umbra Legion, Investigation, Perception, and Survival.

Tool Proficiencies: As a medic, you gain proficiency with the Herbalism Kit to craft elixirs while on the battlefield.

Languages: During your time within the Umbra Legion, you picked up the language of one of the regions you were sent to. Choose one common language to be proficient in. This includes Jierdan from the Broken Caliphate, and Kainga from the eastern continent of Ngata Ahi. 

Equipment: Over your time within the Empire's military, you gained the following items:

• An insignia of your rank and position within the Umbra Legion, usually in the form of dog tags or a bracelet. 
• A suit of armour that you are proficient with, that is worth 50GP or under. 
• A shield, if required.
• A simple, martial, or special weapon that you are proficient with. 
• Your choice of a Healer's Kit or Herbalism Kit. 
• Leftovers from your last pay. A coinpurse of 20GP.

Suggested Characteristics

The horrors of war combined with the rigid discipline of military service leave their mark on all soldiers, shaping their ideals, creating strong bonds, and often leaving them scarred and vulnerable to fear, shame, and hatred.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I’m always polite and respectful.
2	I’m haunted by memories of my service. I can’t get the images of violence and horror out of my mind.
3	I’ve lost too many friends, and I’m slow to make new ones.
4	I’m full of inspiring and cautionary tales from my military experience relevant to almost every combat situation.
5	Death has little impact on me any more. I've seen too much for it to concern me.
6	I'm very much a cautious optimistic. I will try and see the good in everything, but my blade is ready at all times.
7	I have a crude sense of humor.
8	I face problems head-on. A simple, direct solution is the best path to success.

d6	Ideal
1	Greater Good. I will always do what I can for the good of the people, that is all that matters. (Good)
2	Responsibility. I do what I must and obey just authority. (Lawful)
3	Independence. When people follow orders blindly, they embrace a kind of tyranny. (Chaotic)
4	Might. In life as in war, the stronger force wins. (Evil)
5	Live and Let Live. Ideals aren’t worth killing over or going to war for. (Neutral)
6	Nation. My city, nation, or people are all that matter. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	I would still lay down my life for the people I served with.
2	Someone saved my life on the battlefield. To this day, I will never leave a friend behind.
3	My honour is my life. My code and ethics paramount to all else.
4	While the Empire itself may be dark and corrupt, the people are still deserving of kindness and protection.
5	Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.
6	I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.

d6	Flaw
1	My insight into the Empire has left me disillusioned to the evils that can dwell within people. I trust no one until they have earned it.
2	My time as a Corpse-Tender has left me desensitised to death. Some think me cold and callous, though I don't mean to be.
3	I made a terrible mistake in battle that cost many lives—and I would do anything to keep that mistake secret.
4	My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning.
5	I will always speak up for someone if their cause is just, even if it means trouble for me.
6	I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.