Second in command to the Centarchos, the lowest ranked officer minted by the Collegia of the Old Dominion, the Optio is a stern, experienced veteran whose responsibility it is than an officers orders be obeyed or ignored. When the Imperial Legions were born, veteran commanders quickly realized they needed a link, a lynchpin between the professional officer corps being produced by the Colleges and the veteran legionnaires that formed the backbone of all Legions.