[CHAR] Imperium Mortuorum: A Zombie Apocalypse RP in Ancient Rome

[Nobodyman123]

Name: Lucius Casca
Description:

Lucius Casca

Age: 41
Gender: Male
Social Class: Plebian
Nationality: Roman
Personality: When Lucius Casca was a Centurion in Legio VIII, he expected the best from his men and harbored no fools. Now a days, his attitude is pretty much the same. He is sometimes harsh, but deep down, he simply wants what's best for the people under his protection.

Brief Backstory: Centurion Casca served his Imperium well for more than twenty years, and expected to either die or gain his full retirement benefits. Instead, he career was cut short when a Dacian took his hand off at the wrist during battle. When the undead came, the crippled soldier suddenly found himself thrust into a command position. His legion and his men are his children, and he will fight to the death to protect them.

Equipment: Most of Casca's equipment was returned to the state on his discharge, but was allowed to keep his sword by his general. In spite of his lack of a left hand, he is still carries his sword, along with whatever equipment and armor he can get his hand on.

Skills: Casca's greatest weapon is his experience, as he has known warfare for nearly half of his life. This knowledge he is all too willing to pass down onto other in order to ensure their survival, as well as his own.

[Force and Fury]

Junia Phillipa Maxima

Junia Phillipa Maxima

Description: Juni's a tall, athletic woman in her later twenties, with dark wavy hair and brown eyes. Despite a couple of small scars picked up along the way, she's somewhat good-looking, I guess, though that's hardly a concern for her at the moment. She used to dress quite well, but, well... a zombie apocalypse is a zombie apocalypse and practicality comes first. Romans used to be practical, back in the Republic days. Remember those good ol' times?

Age: 27

Gender: Female

Social Class: Equite

Nationality: Roman, from a rather old family with a fair bit of Corinthian heritage somewhere back in their gens.

Personality: Junia's generally sharp, decisive, and quick on the uptake. She's known in particular for her scathing tongue and competitive nature and this can definitely rub some people the wrong way. She'd like to say that she doesn't care, but she does. Generally, she picks her targets and can read a room well. There's a rambunctious playfulness there too, but it's taken a back seat during these dark times. Junia can stand on ceremony if she needs to, but she'd rather not. She both can and prefers to make people laugh, though her jokes sometimes have a barb and she doesn't always respond well to being on the receiving end. In general, she's a reasonably moral individual and a hard worker, especially when she senses that her work will be rewarded.

Brief Backstory: The second oldest of five children (and first of three sisters) born into a middling equestrian family that has a long martial tradition and has always hovered right on the edge of noteworthiness, Junia was drawn to games and sports from an early age, often tagging along with her older brother, Fabius Phillipus Gratus, and later chaperoning her younger siblings to the ball courts. She has always enjoyed being active and is a legitimately talented athlete, particularly with regards to the games of Harpastum and Trigon. Few of the women in her part of the city have ever been able to hold their own against her on the courts. Of course, it is rare for a woman to be so involved in athletics, but it serves as an outlet for her ample restless energy, which could not find expression on the battlefield like it did for her brothers and husband.

When the plague hit, she was in Sicilia at the invitation of a prominent fresco artist and, unofficially, as a participant in an informal ball tournament. Her skill, despite being unable to earn her any sort of living, still noteworthy enough as a hobby that it had been recognize. Her husband, who had given her leave to go, remained in Rome with her young son. In her heart, she has given them up for dead, along with her sisters and beloved older brother, but she makes a show of keeping the faith and holds out perhaps a sliver of hope that they will be reunited. She isn't optimistic, though.

Equipment: Junia has a mule and it carries a bag full of her possessions, including a fair bit of coin, some jewellery (including a pendant from her husband), a couple of balls, flint, clothing, bandages, needle and thread, a fishing net (which she doesn't use very well), and a couple days' worth of food and water. She has a long spear (pilum) that is her go-to weapon for dealing with...undead issues, a shortsword, and a handful of daggers. If it really comes down to it, however, she'd prefer to run rather than fight, or to hide if she senses that running is not an option.

Skills: Junia's a woman... in ancient Rome. When it came to anything martial, that was strike one, two, and three against her. Still, though never formally trained as a fighter, she's about as good as one could expect a member of her sex to be. Tall, athletic, and quick, she's learned how to hold her own. Early childhood sparring, for fun, with her brothers equipped her with the bare fundamentals of sword and spear. She's added quite a bit to that out of necessity since the plague struck but hasn't quite reached the level of a trained soldier, despite her natural aptitude. For what it's worth, she's a damned good ball player and can sing and play a couple of instruments at an acceptable level. More importantly, Juni is frighteningly quick and agile when she needs to be. She can sew quite well too, can cook, and knows how to look after children and a camp. She's never been much interested in literature, but is literate nonetheless. She can be a ruthless liar if it's for a good cause.

[Hansa]

Auxilio Mauritanius

Auxilio Mauritanius

Description:
Auxilio is of Mauri descent, and as such is of a darker complexion. His body is lean, but hardy. He stands at a height a bit below the average Roman, as is usually the case for men from his homeland. His face remains young, but stern and hardened from his solitary years as a scout on horseback. His brow is slim and round, his nose long, straight and wide at the bridge. He has brown eyes, perhaps a bit lighter hued than one would expect. His hair is black and curly, trimmed quite short. Auxilio also wears a beard, trying to command respect from his Roman peers, longer than his hair and well groomed, loose curls running halfway down his neck. Around his shoulders, Auxilio usually wears a rugged snake hide as a sort of scarf.

Age: 26

Gender: Male

Social Class: Plebian

Nationality: Mauri (Mauritania Tangitana, within the Roman Empire)

Personality:
Through most of his life, Auxilio has been expected to be silent and stay in the background, either as a slave, a stablehand or a scout. As such, he is introverted and has no natural inclinations for comedy or drama. He is solitary and self-sufficient, not needing much social interaction to be content. His has a serious and competent air about him, which leads to most people being inclined to trust him. However, he is terrible at making friends with his peers. In contrast, he quickly makes friends with most domestic animals he encounters. There is nothing Auxilio loves more than a good, hearty meal or a warm bath (as of yet). Auxilio does not like most arts, such as music or drama. The sciences are mysterious and too overly complicated for his liking and talk about such things mostly leaves him frustrated.

(Not so) Brief Backstory:

Backstory

Auxilio was born in a barbarian tribe to the south of Volubilis, named “Aksil” in the Mauri language. His father was a hunter and raider on horseback, as most of the other tribesmen were. His tribe would not bend their knee the the Romans, who had long since established client states reigning over the land that the tribe called home, and they were aggressive towards the Romans and even raided their settlements from time to time. This resulted in a Roman attack, which swiftly killed off every man of the tribe and burned their homes to dust. At the time, Aksil was just a small child. The surviving women and children of the tribe were sold as slaves.

Aksil was sold to an Partician estate with holdings covering large inland areas in Africa, a long way eastward of his home. His kind had a reputation as born horse-riders, and so he was trained as a hunter on horseback, intended to supply wild game for his masters’ meals and for trade. He remained a slave through the rest of his childhood and much of his adolescence.

At the age of 13 he was still a slave, nameless to his masters and known as Aksil to his peers. By now, he was a decent hunter, but what he excelled at was the art of horse-riding. He had grown tired of the life as a slave, and one day, while out on a hunting trip with a small hunting party, he simply rode off into the night. He rode towards the only other place in the world he knew, his homeland. And that is how he reached the city of Volubilis. When he reached the city, Aksil didn’t really know where to go. What he did know, was that he had ridden his horse too long and too hard, and so he went to the city stables and asked them to take in his horse. The stablemaster agreed to take the horse in, but Aksil had to work for them to earn the keep of his horse. As time passed, he and his horse didn’t leave the stables, and over time he was taken in, the stablemaster Phebius becoming a sort of father to him. This was when Aksil was given his Latin name Auxilio.

Growing into his adult years, Auxilio worked as a stablehand for Phebius. Because of his remarkable talents on horseback, he was often tasked with breaking and training troublesome horses. In his later teens, Auxilio was noticed by Roman soldiers passing through Volubilis for his equestrian abilities. At first, he was asked to deliver some written messages or retrieve important goods on rare occasions for generals and officials. Doing so with remarkable speed and without any failures, Auxilio was at last employed as a scout for the imperial border guard. As such, Auxilio truly entered the ranks of the Plebians and started earning himself a decent living. As a scout, he was tasked with keeping watch outside the Roman borders to the south, roaming over much of the lands he lived off as a child. Auxilio learned to live off the land for weeks at a time, never succumbing to hunger, thirst or injury.

Equipment:
First and foremost, Auxilio is almost always seen on horseback or with a horse, unless he is in a city. The snake hide he wears around his neck is not just for show; it is so leathery and tough that it can be used as a rope or binding if needed. He carries a pouch with a shortspear, a shortbow and a dozen arrows. Most of the time the pouch is also filled with an assortment of herbs, edible plants and nuts which he has foraged and dried in the sun. His longspear is kept strapped to the harness of his horse. And, most importantly, ha carries a fine cloth dyed in the Roman red and the roman insignia in a golden yellow. This is his proof for being a citizen of the Roman Empire, in case he would ever be taken captive or led astray.

Skills:
- Basic combat skills with bow and arrow, shortspear and longspear. Primarily on horseback, as light cavalry. Significantly below the level of a trained soldier.
- Expert wilderness survival
- Expert horse-riding
- Adept animal care
- Physically well-trained and resilient

[Martian]

Cassius

Name:

Cassius

Description:

Cassius is of Gallic descent and thus has pale skin. He stands a few inches taller than most Romans at 5’9’’, with a slim build, one of working indoors and not in the fields. This type of work has left Cassius’s skin pretty blemish free save a scar on his left hand from cutting himself accidentally while cooking as a child. Another thing that makes Cassius stand out is his bright red hair. While the color is unusual, he keeps it in a short cut like most men in the city. His face is quite plain, with a round shape, a defined nose, and blue eyes like the sea. His wardrobe is provided by his owner, which is usually a simple robe and shirt, often in plain colors.

Age:

23

Gender:

Male

Social Class:

Servi (Slave)

Nationality:

Gallic

Personality:

Cassius is a very complacent person. He doesn’t really look forward to anything, as he lives in the moment. And that means serving his owner. As he’s never really been treated badly, Cassius sees no reason to complain. In fact he takes pride in his work as he does consider himself a very skilled cook and servant.

Cassius tends to have a positive view of the Empire, seeing it as a perfectly working machine, one that shall last forever. Cassius is so sure of this that he does not fret at mentions of foreign wars, or rumors of a plague. Cassius does believe that everything has a status quo and will keep it.

When talking to others, Cassius always goes for respect and understanding. He quite often will do what he can to help others and will never speak negatively of them. This helps Cassius to blend in into society, as the helpful guy who does nothing of note.

Brief Back Story:

Cassius’s family can be traced back to Gaul, just west of the Rhine in what would become Germany. His family was opposed to working with Julius Caesar when he invaded Gaul in 58 BC, refusing to fight the migrating Helvetii people. This stance was not unnoticed by Rome who held it against the clan when they took over Gaul. Cassius’s family would be pariahs, cut off from the benefits of the Empire. This treatment led to a small revolt against the Romans, one that the other Gallic tribes did not support. The legions of Rome quickly put down this riot, slaying all the adults who participated. The surviving children then were taken to Rome as slaves. One of these children was Cassius’s grandmother.

Cassius’s grandmother would serve as a maid for a prominent noble family, eventually becoming involved with another slave from Gaul. They would have several children, who by Roman law were born slaves. One of these girls would inherit her mother’s position as the house maid. She would become involved with a field slave, having children with him, including Cassius.

Born without a name, he would be sent to serve a senator in Rome itself. The senator would give him the single name of Cassius. The young Gaul would be raised without an education, instead learning to clean house and to cook. Cassius would quickly find himself a great cook, especially when using spices from far off lands. This quickly led to him becoming one of the preferred slaves in the household.

Cassius would maintain a good relationship with his senator owner, up until he took ill. Deciding to retire for his health, the senator moved away from the city, hoping that the countryside would be good for him. The senator’s first born son would move into the residence. The younger man would have many ambitions to become a senator like his father.

Cassius and the other slaves would no longer be treated as well, as the son looked down on non-Romans. But Cassius still performed his duties, not knowing any other kind of life. Cassius would quickly become one of the oldest slaves at the home as most couldn’t last under the son, being sold off to other nobles. Eventually, Cassius figured that his cooking skills was the only reason he was kept around.

Equipment:

Besides the clothing he wears, Cassius doesn’t really own anything. Any tool he uses is owned by his master.

Skills:

Cassius is trained as a house servant. He is adept at cleaning things, chopping wood, and doing whatever he is ordered to. His one true passion is cooking, as he is recognized as a master in the kitchen. He loves to use foreign goods in his cooking as he does experiment with dishes, to which his masters have never complained.