Name: Tainus Fulvius Age: 37 Nationality: Roman Rank within nation: Senator, former Legion Legate for province of Gallia Belgica (present day northern France, Luxembourg, part of the Netherlands below the Rhine and the German Rhineland – in about 90 AD roughly, renamed & incorporated into Germania Inferior, later to be reorganized and renamed as Germania Secunda). Appearance: Tainus is a healthy and strong Roman, he appears the part of a veteran Legate quite well. He has short hair and bold green eyes and stands at 6’3. A small scar marks his left eye, a result of a well-placed blow in his youth by a Iceni warrior – though now completely healed the scar will always remain. His dark hair is rapidly begging to grey and is now peppered with numerous lighter streaks, and the youthful confidence that once flowed through him is slowly begging to fade, replaced instead by a more calm and calculating appearance. Background: Born to a wealthy former plebeian family (they became ‘Nobiles’ through patronage with the patrician Fabia family around 322 BC and have since become engrained in many facets of higher Roman society), Tainus enjoyed the full luxuries that Roman life had to offer to its citizens. He spent his youth in the family’s villa just outside of Rome herself, becoming very familiar with the city and surrounding area as he was educated in many areas of Roman society, having a lust for both knowledge and experience from a young age. As he grew into a young man he soon became obsessed with the idea of the glory of Rome and her warriors, becoming heavily involved in the Roman military. (His uncle was a Legion Legate during the Roman invasion of Britannia who was vastly successful). Through the web of the family’s control it wasn’t long before he had received the best military training that could be found and was sent to serve directly under his uncle Manius Fulvius. Promoted very quickly he soon gained the respect and loyalty of his fellow legionnaires, working directly under his uncle he soon knew the feeling of power and wealth generated by his own actions. After the relative success against the different Briton Tribes he was a wealthy man, spending much of his time as his father taught him securing and investing in all manner of property, trade and of course, slaves. At the age of 31 he was granted his own command as Legion Legate for province of Gallia Belgica due to his formidable experience against the ‘barbarian hordes’ (and of course with assistance politically through his family in the senate), now charged with defending the northern reaches of the empire against the Germanic hordes, and granted provincial leadership through this position. It was at this time he bought his own villa outside of Rome and began to send his wealth back and begin to accumulate his own small fortune. He and his legion assisted his uncle against the Iceni rebellion lead by Boudicca - Tainus personally took part in the battle which saw the rebellion defeated. After several years holding the position everything was thrown into disarray with the death of the Emperor Nero, and through that the following defeats his family received after allying themselves incorrectly with Marcus Salvius Otho, who ruled as emperor for only three months before committing suicide to prevent civil war. This left them in a vulnerable position and lead to the murder or execution of several prominent members of his family by the forces of both Aulus Vitellius in the west and Titus Vespasian in the east - as they waged a civil war against each other for the control of the empire. Aulus Vitellius demanded that Tainus and his legion bow and support him as emperor, but rather than agree to the demands of a man who was responsible for the death of his father he decided that it was time to throw his own name in the ring as a powerful man of Rome and strike down the Legions supporting Vitellius before moving towards Rome herself and any others who would falsely proclaim themselves emperor. His Legion in Gallia Belgica have sworn fierce loyalty to him, as well as those who remained from his father’s Legion stationed in Britannia. Some whispers have circulated that Tainus may be better suited as the Emperor than any other pretender, however at the moment he has not decided whether to support another or attempt to take the Empire for his own. He moves now to the Senate to take his rightful place amongst those who attempt to discover the future of Rome. Strengths, weaknesses, phobias, et cetera: Tainus Fulvius is a ‘True Roman’ through and through – in the sense that he values everything that makes Rome great and loyal serves the empire first and foremost. That being said he also values the ties of family and his allies greatly and considers his word as his bond – when dealing with other Romans at least. His strengths lie in his own strength and authority of command, leading from the battlefield itself he has become skilled with many weapons and fighting techniques, as well as gathering a loyal following of soldiers and other allies both in the province he overseas and back at his homestead in Rome. Not that he would ever admit to it but his weaknesses could be considered many. He has difficulty staying away from the lure of drink as well as gambling, the two going hand in hand together. He also has somewhat of a weak spot when it comes to the opposite sex, having several lovers despite the clear love he feels for his wife. He also has a weak left knee, the result of his worst battlefield wound, narrowly avoiding losing the limb to a Iceni Chiefdom in the deciding victory against their little Rebellion. He often hesitates upon the best course of action to take, which could be considered a strength as much as a weakness in the current political climate. Ambition: Tainus Fulvius seeks to grow his own house to legendary status, be it through supporting the one true Emperor or becoming the Emperor himself. Mainly he seeks to reclaim the lost wealth and prestige of his father and family after they were recently killed and cast aside after the death of Emperor Nero. His ambition really is still to be decided. ---------- Let me know if this is all good! Looking forwards to seeing how this opens out and what not. I tried to stay as close to historical accuracy as possible, however it was a tad difficult to say exactly where the RP would take off, but I assumed someplace throughout the year of four emperors – which followed Nero’s death but before the establishment of Vespasian as Emperor. Ah, and sorry I forgot about asking in advance about the provinces :s If they are not okay for any reason then it's totally cool for me to change any of the detail, sorry again guys!