The Third Expeditionary Legion is a military force that operates in New Sotosa. The legion stayed behind when Viridia withdrew from Dalbanu in Y9410*. The Third Expeditionary Legion had pushed past Dalbanu lands, into the sparsely populated hills north of the Arrajan Wilds. When the orders came to return home, the legion refused. They had already accomplished so much, their commanders argued, buildings towns and fortresses and subduing magical creatures. To leave, they said, would be to abandon the Viridians who had already settled there. And so the Legion stayed, naming their territory New Sotosa.
The Legion continues to maintain that they are Viridian soldiers and citizens, merely temporarily removed from the empire. They profess a willingness to rejoin the Dominion, as long as Viridia welcomes them back and recognizes their contributions over the centuries. It is well understood by both Sotosan and Viridian leadership, however, that this is unlikely to ever happen - Viridia's long, slow decline has made it improbable they will ever have the strength to reunite their former territories, especially not one so far removed.
Since its founding hundreds of years ago, the government of New Sotosa has been inseparable from its military. The commanders of the Third Expeditionary Legion still govern the towns and fortresses of the nation under perpetual martial law, though the military has changed significantly since its arrival in the region. New recruits are still trained to the same high standards, but most soldiers are given the mundane role of guarding towards from wild animals.
Once meritocratic leadership has become hereditary, with officer positions passing down to children or relatives. The generalship of the Legion, and rule over New Sotosa with it, has been held by multiple families in the hundreds of years of separation from Viridia. The current ruler of New Sotosa is General Scipio Eras. Eras took the role in Y9974* at the age of 25 upon his mother's retirement. He displays little interest in the mundane details of governance, letting his subordinates make decisions for themselves - some have begun whispering of plans to overthrow Eras and install a new, more competent General.