Nigel "Hadrian" Cooper
Character Summary
Name: Nigel Cooper
Aliases: Hadrian
Age: 33
Birthday: 11th of March, 1977
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Birth Place: Leavenworth, Washington State
Location: Spartanburg, South Carolina
Gender: Male
Major/Minor: Ancient History/ Pedagogy
Occupation: Full-time highschool teacher, part-time Roman reenactor
Languages: English and Latin
Appearance
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 174
Build: Toned
Eyes: Grey
Hair: Red
Skin Tone: Pale
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: Small cuts and old bruises on his hands.
Psychology
Adaptive * Stubborn * Loyal * Stern * Hopeful * Hardened
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Relationship Status: Single
Personality:
Nigel's outward image has changed over the years of death, limb-tearing and generally End-of-the-world thing, to someone stoned-faced and caring about survival more than how one presents himself. Out in the field, Nigel is focused on the task at hand at all costs, having learned that one sometimes have to break a few proverbial eggs to make an omelette. He does care that running close by a horde is near-suicide, but if that is how you're going to survive in the long term, he won't budge. He might seem like an asshole, but like the Romans he has studied; One does not simply win wars by being nice.
Then again, that's how he's survived this long, and that's good. Which he thinks so too, making it possible for the born-too-late Roman to smile and enjoy life once in a while. Like earlier said, out in the field he focuses on the job. But outside? He can be a nice friend to have. To those he truly cares about, he can be as loyal as any dog you've known all your life. Sure he can get locked in arguments about historical inaccuracies for hours, but mostly because it's his passion, his jam, his life really. And he'd love to tell you more about it, once this whole End-of-the-world-thing is over.
Habits:
- Coming with fun-facts
- Quoting Latin
Hobbies:
- Reading
- Watching movies
- Weapon maintenance
Fears:
- Wolves
- Failing to save his friends
- Not being able to fight
Likes:
- Wine
- Learning new things
- Hikes in the woods
- Roman music (as far as one can speak of roman music, according to historical evidence of course)
- The fresh breeze of morning air
- Being able to talk about his hobby
Dislikes:
- Being lectured by 'experts'
- Swimming
- Tight areas - Not fully claustrophobic, but it still gets to him.
- Vodka
- Being ask if "Is that real?"
- Having nothing to do
Cards On The Table
Pre Outbreak Skills:
- Teaching
- Construction - Roman Siege warfare
- Smithing
- Sword fighting
- Scavenging
Post Outbreak Skills:
- Shield fighting
- Firearm - Rifle
- Leather working
- Stealth
- Close-quarter combat
- Survival
- Scouting
- Basic Psychology
Current Supplies:
- Current Clothing - Black hiking boots, black pair of socks, beige pants, white linen shirt, dark brown jacket.
- Gladius - Roman sword
- Scotum - Roman shield
- Water Canteen
- Flint and tinder
- Wetstone
- Hunting knife
- Binoculars
- Leather poach with smoked food
- Iron chainmail - Roman Lorica hamata
- Leather greaves
- Leather vambraces
History
Your First Walker Encounter:
It was bad enough already that they had to attent a different faire because of some other reenactment group of vikings had been chosen over them. It was bad enough that they had so much free time on their hands due to little attendance, that they actually got through the whole "Building a Roman palisade fort" routine. It was even worse when they had to depend on their lives on the fort when the first signs of hell breaking loose arrived. At first it was nothing more than a distant shout of someone calling for a doctor, one which Nigel and his group payed attention to in the sense of fumbling for their phones and calling 911. But then, once the shouting turned into screams and cries, followed by loud moaning and people fleeing towards them, they knew something was wrong. Even more wrong when Nigel saw It for the first time; bloody, mortally wounded, yet stumbling determined towards him. Nigel didn't know what to do at first, but the sight of the carnage left behind convinced him of one option; to draw his gladius and threaten the attacker. When It didn't stop, he hit It across the head with the flat side. When that didn't stop It, the blade went through Its skull.
With more kills necessitated as time went by, he would stop questioning if it was right or not.
History Before Outbreak:
Nigel, contrary to what most children assosiated with those people he came to study and lecture on later in his life, had a rather happy childhood. He grew up a little northwest of Leavenworth, Washington state on the West Coast, the son of a small-time farmer as a father and a veterinarian for a mother. The only thing he could have wished for better was more time with his parents, due to them being busy many a time when Nigel wanted company. But living close to the woods as they did, he had plenty of time to explore his little world of wonders and exploration. While he didn't have an interest in chasing the local wildlife, he did learn the in's and out's of what the woods had to offer; berries, mushrooms, leaves and the like to be eaten, and what to stay away from unless you wanted a real itch in your backside.
What time he did have with his parents, he learned the most from his own father. Being an ol'timer, his father preferred to make and repair his own tools, horseshoes, basically most of the metal used around the farm himself. "It's cheaper that way, and you don't have to pay for poorly made Chinese steel." his father always told him, but Nigel only remembered the smithing itself, which he never quit doing even as he went to university.
Life at university - Washington State University to be exact, was to prove a bumpy new chapter in his life. Nigel felt awkward socializing with all the new people around him, not used to such large gatherings of people at one place after growing up in halfway isolation, far from the buzzling city life. He applied first to take a degree in agricultural science, hoping to find a field he'd like. His father always told him that that was as good a field as any to take, and so why shouldn't he listen to his ol' pa?
Because he hated it. Okay, perhaps "hate" was too strong a word, but he certainly felt it was not what he had thought of it to be. It just didn't click for him, and perhaps that was for the best. Because eventually, the rural farmboy made friends with other students at the university found a new passion in his life; Roman history. He had decided to attent one of the lectures with a friend, hoping to lighten up a dull day of papers and what-not. And by the end of the lecture, he was hooked. Addicted, in love, everything! He had found his calling in life; to teach history, and be amazed by Roman antiquity.
And that's what he did. He changed his courses over to teaching, grew closer into the group of friends and history enthusiasts. It even went so far as to him moving out of state to join a Historical Roman Reenactment group on the East Coast. Sure he was able to find work there, but it was still a bold move for a former country boy. His parents supported him, however reluctantly. And so Nigel worked mostly as a teacher through his adult life, but put more and more time into his side-time passion of reenactment. There he gradually became the expert on weapon smithing and Roman siege warfare, not only explaining curious bystanders how they fought in sieges on both sides, but showing them with real weapons and constructions. He did learn how to swing the Gladius too, but he much more enjoying walls and siege engines than swords.
History Since Outbreak:
The groups first idea was to get as many as possible inside their Roman palisade to protect them. That they managed, guiding or even forcing people scared for their lives inside their little fortress before more of Them could grab hold. It worked at the start, but sooner rather than later it dawned on Nigel that simply sitting idly inside the fort was doing them any good. The Walkers couldn't get in, but neither could they get out. Within the nexy day their already pity supply of overly-priced water bottles and peanut bags ran out, as no one had expected this. And even if they did, they wouldn't have had time or space to store it. They waited, hoping the Walkers would lose interest and wander somewhere else. Nigel stood on top of the tower and watched to his horror that they didn't. More and more of Them came, hopelessly trying to grab him and only attracting more attention. They needed to get out.
Nigel led the group in their valient attempt to 'break the siege'. Armed with their swords and shields, the reenactors put up the show of their life, holding back the Walkers and cutting them up as they tried to protect the 'civilians' in the middle of their Testudo. Tried, because it almost worked. Some Walkers got through and had a field day, while others managed to get a bite or slash through the swords and shields, infecting them. And even when they managed to get most of them to safety in the local grocery store, the damage as already done. Within the night, more people had started to turn, starting the cycle all over again. That night Nigel started to change into his current self; he grew more cold and determined to survive, whatever the cost may be. The coming weeks, Nigel and his remaining 'Legion' decided that they needed a long-term plan, and set out on the open road for better grounds.
They found their sanctuary in an old, abandoned sanitarium, perfect to their liking; high, sturdy walls of iron bars surroudning the whole building, an open grounds perfect for farming, and plenty of space on the inside for storage and scavenging material for them building defences. And for a long while, it worked fine. The settlement, "Nova Invictus" as the reenactors fittingly named it, survived for two years with what they had. They allowed in some people, but many very turned away because of scarce resources, obvious Walker wounds and dubious motives. Nigel did regret those turned away, but knew he had little choice. It was "Us versus Them". And that's how they survived, and most likely attracted attention to themselves.
After the two year mark of Nova Invictus, they were attacked. Not by the Walkers or random looters mind you, but an all out-siege of their fortress. This was a well-organized band of survivors who wanted what Nigel and his people had, and they wanted it now. They refused to give up, and the siege lasted until their walls were breached and compound compromized; their home was gone, as the besiegers foolishly for themselves threw firebombs at the building. Nigel and those remaining saw the writing on the wall, grabbed as much as they could and fled out into the darkness to live another day. One died of severe blood-loss that night, and one refused to believe his girlfriend was dead and so went back, never to return. Nigel and the handful of close friends went on into the night, surviving another year and a half as semi-nomads. The last half year Nigel was alone, the last one of the Legion XIII Augusta still alone, migrating slowly and stealthely south in hopes of reaching spring sooner. He was unsure of where he was ending up, but eventually he found himself within the borders of Georgia.
Extras
Character Quote:
- "Hope is the pillar that holds up the world. Hope is the dream of a waking man."
- "Let him who desires peace, prepare for war."
- "Look, we have to choices; we either take a chance and try, or we die. It's that simple."
Theme Song:
How Many Walkers Have You Killed: "I've lost count. Going to kill many more, so why try?"
How Many People Have You Killed: "A few, not many enough. Would've still had our home if I only got a few more of those barbarians…"
Why:"They tried to take things that didn't belong to them. They had to get through my sword first."
Anything Else:
*By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy.
Relations
Nigel "Hadrian" Cooper
"Keep your friends close, and enemies closer."
[hr.]⟢ 🎆Respects ⟡ 🌓Neutral ⟡ 👋Acquaintance ⟡ 🙇It's Complicated ⟣
⟢ 💛Friend ⟡ 💙Good Friends ⟡ 💜Best Friends ⟡ ❣️Ex-Friends ⟡ 😈Frienemy ⟣
⟢ 💘Infatuation ⟡ 💓Loves ⟡ 💗Couple ⟡ 💕Basically Family ⟡ 💞Family ⟡ 💔Ex-Lovers ⟣
⟢ ♨️Tense ⟡ 💀Dislikes ⟡ 😡Hates ⟡ 👿Enemy ⟡ 👹Absolutely Loathes ⟣[hr.][hr.]
👋/♨️Wayne Maldonado ♨️/👋
"He's more usefull than Caligua at the least..."
Wayne is crazy, and Hadrian is worried about having a crazy person in their group. There's no hiding that. Having one of their people run straight into battle with a death wish really doesn't improve their odds, but so far Wayne hasn't gotten them killed. So far. Hadrian trusts the others to help keep him in line, but who knows for how long?
👋/♨️ Hank Wright ♨️/👋
"...Have many times do I have to tell you, they're called 'Chain mail'?"
Hank does get in Nigel "Hadrian"'s nerves, but in all honesty it's better than the alternative. He hasn't had someone throw witty comments at him since he still worked in Highschool, and Hank's good at it. But Hank has had Nigel's back ever since the first time they met, and 'Sporticus' will have Hank's back as they keep going forward. And with Wayne still, Hank's good to have.
💛 Erica Monroe 💛
"A breath of fresh air in the company of barbarians."
After their less than ideal introduction with Erica having to put Robert out of his misery, Nigel has warmed up to Erica. It feels like she's even opened herself up to Nigel "Hadrian", so it's nice to have someone to talk to who doesn't call you 'Sporticus' or references History Channel all the time. Nigel enjoys and is more than willing to explain to her his interest in Roman history, and would love to teach her if and when they'd have more time.
1x Laugh
