Arcani
The Arcani are the more common, but less known, group of special operations forces within the Nova Roman Empire. They are not raised from birth and they are not as glamorously armored as the Praetorians. However, they are the forces that clear the way for the Roman legions. The Arcani are akin to the United States Army Rangers or Green Berets; they are ordinary people who opted for special operations training and made it through.
Compared to the legions they are extremely different. A typical Roman legion will create an encampment once it reaches enemy territory. A defensive perimeter will be established and at the end of the day the soldiers will retire to their tents and go to sleep. Arcani, on the other hand, are divided into to teams of eight. For every legion there are two teams of Arcani, and instead of sleeping with the rest of the legion, the Arcani teams setup their camps outside of the main base, usually on a wooded hill or behind some sort of cover.
This tactic proved extremely useful in the Nova Roma/Lamoni war when THS launched a surprise attack on the Roman camps. Caught completely off-guard the Roman camps were being slaughtered. The Arcani, however, who were sleeping in the hills around the bases heard the carnage, woke up, and managed to distract and disorient THS forces long enough for the legions to retreat and regroup.
Compared to the Praetorians, they are like brother and sister, related but very different. Arcani prefer to make offensive moves into enemy territory. Praetorians enjoy slaughtering anyone who sets foot in Nova Roma. Arcani love to make elaborate traps and ruses that will confuse and terrify the enemy (spike pits, trip wires, etc.). Praetorians, while they enjoy spilling blood, do so efficiently and waste no time at all, moving in straight for the kill. Arcani outnumber the Praetorians almost 3:1 while the Praetorians enjoy the same ratio in terms of skill and finesse compared to the Arcani.
Below is a group of Arcani armed with standard issue BR55 rifles.
Arcani should never be confused with the Praetorian Guard.
