[OOC] Sand and Glory - A Gladiator RP

[Deamonbane]

Characters

In a world very much like our own, there is an Empire. Named the Centurum Empire, it's armies are famous. Well organized, strong, powerful, with great numbers, there hasn't been a single country whose roads have not been touched by their marching beats. Invincible, some people whisper. And so far, they are right. Expanding from their originally small peninsula of an country, they have expanded north, south, east and west, stopping at the great desert wastes to the east and west, the icy wastes of the north, and the great ocean to the west. The Capital of this great Empire is Maro. While there are many great cities in the Empire, this is the greatest, the finest, the most lively and decadent.

Countries all over the known world are under the heel of the Centurum Empire, either conquered, under the control of Centurum Governors, or allies, paying heavy yearly taxes in gold, food and slaves to maintain such independence.

Maro is ruled by a council of patricians, old scholars that have lost all touch with the real world, preferring to placate he people of the city with games and festivals than face the real problems. Above them, the rulers of the empire as it were, are two, man and woman, usually brother and sister, elected by the council and maintained to be the Children and Living Embodiments of the Gods Hessen and Hama, the creators of the universe. Once these die, they are risen to the Status of Gods, and a new two are elected.

Even though the cold wastes of the north and the deserts of the south and east have stopped the legions of Centurum from expanding their empire further, annual attempts are still made on each frontier, and while they still fail, raids on the armies amassed by the barbarians that live in these retched areas bring form many riches in gold, silver, precious gems and, most importantly, slaves. Women and children, for the most part, and working men, not very imposing, sold to the highest bidder, with little thought cast towards their well being other than how it will, affect their work.

But some few slaves rise above such a status. Many indeed, rise above that of a Centurum citizen, rising up to the title of the Gods themselves. These are Gladiators, warriors to fight in the Three Arenas of Maro, honoring the places of worship to Area, the Goddess of war, with spectacles of blood and gore, violence and depredation. Gladiators against Gladiators, Gladiators against beasts, either of nature or magic, fighting to arise far above the avarice of gold, comforts and pleasures of the vulgar crowd. They fight for one thing, and one thing alone: Immortality!

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As you may have noticed, this RP will be heavily based on Ancient Rome. Also, we will be having Female Gladiators (Gladiatrix) who will be training and fighting alongside the men.

The story will be happening in a Ludus just on the perimeter of Maro. The owner is a former Gladiator himself, awarded his freedom for pleasing the crowds, and continued fighting until his injuries forced him to retire. He used his amassed fortune to build his Ludus, and along with several friends, specialists in each of the Gladiatorial Fighting Styles, are beginning to train what will be the finest gladiators in the Empire. This RP will be following the lives and training of their first 20 recruits, brought in from all corners of the Empire, to train and fight in three month's time in the Twin's Festival, lasting a fortnight, five days of which will be of games, 20 fights per day and a battle on the fifth of 100 gladiators. They must be prepared before then.

The Players will be the 20 Gladiators that are in training, their six trainers, and some slaves in the Ludus. I will play the Dominus.

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Rules: Why? Because rules are awesome.

1. Even though this is a fantasy world, I will be trying to keep things as close to the origins as possible.

2. Romance will be difficult, but possible, so kissing and light petting IC will be allowed. Anything more, please fade to black as we are adhering to RPG rules.

3. I will be playing the Dominus, so my word is law. The Doctores, will also have autonomy and command, unless their word directly clashhes against that of the Dominus.

4. Have fun. If you do not, little elves will go into your homes, steal on sock from every pair and hide your car keys when you aren't looking in the cushions of your sofa.

5. Come to me when in doubt, or better yet, take your own initiative. I don't bite, I promise. Keep all fights in the OOC cordial or we will revisit them elves again. No godmodding either. Your character is mortal and (for the moment) fighting Gladiators that are better and have more experience than them. If you wouldn't know something IC, you don't know it, even if you heard it said OOC. Again, breaking any rules will be punished by elves.

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Dominus Canis Borell

Dimachaerus Rudiarius, or a gladiator favoring the use of two swords in the arena, and one who continued fighting even after he was awarded his freedom. An older man of Iberian descent, in his 40s. with enough scars to paint a masterpiece. He was immensely popular in his day, but old injuries and age forced him into retirement. He knows everything that there is to know about training galdiators, and, unlike other Lanistas, he engages actively in the training of his men.

Doctore Heimdal

Murmillo, or a fighter using a long shield and gladius, he is a giant from the Northern Wastes, also a veteran fighter in the Arenas. While his specialty is Murmillo, he trains in the forms of Thraex form as well, almost the same as Murmillo, but using a longer curved sword and a smaller round shield, teaching both. Younger than the Dominus, the two have fought together in the Arena, coming from the same Ludus. At his retirement, Canis bought his freedom in exchange for helping him train his gladiators. He is the only Doctore to have his freedom in this Ludus.

Doctore M

Hoplomachus, a gladiator using a long spear, buckler, short sword and light armor, he was once a tribal leader in the desert expanses to the South. Trained in the forms of Velites, using two javalins, shield and gladius, Lorarium, using a whip, buckler and club, and Laqueraius, taking use of a bolas and a curved sword, he is easily the best trained of the Doctores. He was a doctore is another Ludus, after all, but was bought by Canis as the two had arrived in Rome at the same time, and were old friends.

Doctore Luminia

Gladiatrix Retiarius, a female gladiator specializing in the use of a weighted net, trident and dagger. From the inside Italy and something of a protege of the giant, it was on Heimdal's insistence that she was bought by Canis. The youngest of the Doctores, but very popular and well known among the Arena enthusiasts. At her insistence, she is also still allowed to fight in the Games.

Doctore Darma

Cestus, or a gladiator that has steel gauntlets and is lightly armored, fighting with his fists. Also a large man, but not to Heimdal's stature. Faster, more agile and ambidextrous, he trains Diamachaerus as well, when the Dominus does not engage in the training. From the eastern Isles in the Great Sea, he was a mercenary that was sold into slavery for his gambling debts.

Doctore Meli

Not a specialist in any gladiator style, but her training regards the throwing of spears and knives, use of the bow and arrow, and horse riding. Never having set foot in any of the arenas, her duty is to make sure that the gladiators are prepared for any eventuality when in combat. While she will take no gladiators under her wing, she will assist the various Doctores in their work. Her origins are shady, although her skin speaks of her being from the East as well.

Meka Arume - Gladiator understudy

A lad of 13, he was born in the ludus and raised under it's previous owner. Seeing promise in the lad, the former Lanista offered him a place of service with the gladiators where he could watch and study them, and was promised, when he was of age to join their ranks as well. Canis said that he would hold to that promise. For the moment, he is the Doctores' assistant, getting water for the trainees, weapons and running errands.

Myken - Medicus

A cunning and conniving little man, he is from a city on the border of the eastern wastes. He was born a free man but sold into slavery by a father he never met. His first Dominus bought him as a apprentice to his own medicus. When it was shown that he had some skill in the craft of medicine, he was sent to study at the Medical school of Tarsia. However, once his studies were completed, he tried to escape, but was caught, branded and sold to the former owner of the ludus. He remained there ever since, placed prestigiously among the slaves of the house, having his own quarters.

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Everyone will be playing at least one of the trainee gladiators/gladiatrixes. However, if you are interested, you may play one of the Doctores as well. Just present a complete CS on the one that you want to play. I will be playing the Dominus, a trainee and NPCing any untaken Doctores.

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Character Sheet
Name:

Appearance:(Picture is preferable, but a short but thorough description will do)

Age:

Preferred Gladiator Form:(The forms that I will accept are in the Doctores descriptions)

Bio: (Something short and sweet. Where are they from? How did they become slaves? Anything else that will be pertinent for me to know beforehand?)

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Any Questions, doubts, ideas etc can be directed to me or my Co-GM Katelyn.

[Katelyn]

Awesome job. I'm going to call dibs on the Luminia.

[Zaresto]

Posting to make a spot for CS

[DizzyIsabella]

Love the Doctore Meli!

Could I bagsy?

[Deamonbane]

Bagsy away.

[MST3K 4ever]

Character Sheet

Name: Miserow Pax

Appearance:

Miserow

Age: 27

Preferred Gladiator Form: Doctore Hemidal

Bio: Miserow was born and raised in Maro. His father Caldor was boat-builder and his mother died while giving birth to Miserow's twin brother and sister who also died during child birth when Miserow was 10 years old. Caldor took this as a sign that he was cursed and rather than pass what he perceived as his curse on to his son committed suicide leaving Miserow as a street urchin.

Miserow grew up with an attitude of him against the world, and he did whatever he had to in order to survive. Steal. kill, whatever he deemed necessary. This went on for about 7 years and eventually Miserow became very accomplished as thief, but one day he was caught. The Regent had pity on Miserow and rather than kill him sentenced him to work on a prison barge for the next twenty years. Miserow learned quickly that it was kill or be killed on the barge, and though it was rough at first eventually Miserow climbed his way up the ranks of the barge. Miserow also during this time learned the value of having others who were willing to either help you or showed trust. The Captain of the barge began to see Miserow as a threat, and he negotiated with The Regent to have Miserow sold into slavery. The Lord who bought Miserow saw him as a threat, because Miserow began to gain popularity and respect among the others. Rather just kill him, because then he would be a martyr the owner arranged for him to be trained as a Gladiator.

[Wired]

Name: Cynbel (Kin-Bul)

Gender: Male

Age: 26

Height: 5'11

Weight: 195lb

Preferred Gladiator Form: Thraex

Bio: Cynbel was born in Britain and raised a warrior Celt. From a young age he took to life joyfully, soon growing prideful of his people and culture. Where Cynbel really flourished was tribal warfare, he loved the excitement, renown and prizes that often spawned from his peoples victories and soon lived only to further his clans way of life. That's not to say he was a brute though, he loved his people as a whole, it was simply that them trying to destroy and gain advantage on one another was a part of who they were. A part that for a long while Cynbel loved. When the Empire invaded Britain Cynbel took tremendous joy in seeing his people unite, and felt tremendous pain as they were slowly crushed under the Empires legion.

He fought for as long as he could, being injured more than once whilst doing so but eventually he and his raiding party fell. He looked up at the soldier, ready to die. He wasn't killed though, only knocked unconscious. When he awoke he was on a Legion ship, bound and headed directly to Maro to be sold. Despite looking for every opportunity to break free and join his people in the afterlife by way of fighting Cynbel just didn't find chance and was soon lined up for selling with many other slaves. Early one morning a man came by; Canis Borrel. He looked over the slaves, looking each in the eyes in a way that made Cynbel believe he could stare through them into the soul. Whether it was the obvious battle scars or the anger and hate burning in his eyes Cynbel was purchased for some reason, a reason he does not care to know as of yet.

[Katelyn]

Looking good guys. I'll move aside and let Bane do our Cs review.

Wire - I can't see the pic in the link, love. :)

[Wired]

Thanks. :)

Hmm, weird. Is the new one working?

[Katelyn]

It links, but it throws you to some website that has tons of small pics, not a large pic of a gladiator as I assume you're going for.

[Wired]

Eh, that link sucks. Anyway, that should fix the problem. Thanks for pointing it out. :)

[Katelyn]

Got him... lovely. :)

[Deamonbane]

MST3K 4ever: Very nice, just one thing: Heimdal teaches two kinds of gladiatorial combat. Murmillo (Or Myrmillo) and Thraex. Would you like to pick one or just let that come as the story progresses? Accepted either way :)

Wired: Very Nice as well. Accepted.

[MST3K 4ever]

Thank you...Since we're just recruits...I'll figure that out as the story goes along it feels more in keeping with the learning aspect of the training.

[Wired]

Thanks, I changed fighting style to Thraex, it'll suit him more I think. :)

[SIngemeister]

Name: Tane Cacahau Anoaru (Taah-Ney Ka-ka-HOW Ah-no-ah-ru) - Big Man Whose Laugh Is Thunder Of Anoa.

Appearance:

He stands at 7'1", and is covered in tattoos.

Age: 27

Preferred Gladiator Form: Loriarium

Bio:
Born on Anoa Island in the Kapuiri island chain in the great western ocean, Tane was the son of the Chief-of-Warriors Raumhe under Grand Chief Hemipaura. Even from birth, he was huge, and as he reached his eighteenth year, he towered over even the naturally tall people of the island chain, giving him his first name. From youth he had been boisterous and jovial - quick to start a fight, but slow to truly anger - and a connoisseur of life's pleasures such as food, games, alcohol and women, his roars of happiness and his great booming laugh giving him his second name. He was also a great warrior, although he relied more on brute strength, size and intimidation than on any real skill. His weapon was a great warclub, a great oarlike bludgeon edged with chunks of sharp rock, obsidian and shark teeth, and he loved it more than life itself. With his warclub at his side, he proved his worth as a warrior against the tribesmen of the other islands in many a battle, eventually rising to the position of Chief-of-Warriors when his father died.

Then, the legions came to his shores. Again and again, he and his warriors fell upon the soldiers of the empire, driving them back with their brute strength and joyous ferocity. But one day, as they celebrated another glorious battle and feasted, drank and whored, spies of the legion slipped into their fortified town and let in the soldiers. Too drunk or tired to fight, the warriors were clapped in irons and sent to work in mines or die in arenas or as curiosities. One of the centurions, however, recognised Tane for his great size, bought him as a slave and sent him to the ludus of Dominus Canis Borell, most likely hoping to win some money.

For all that he has been through, slavery has not dulled his spirits. Tane took to learning what Centurum he could, so that he could joke and laugh with his new owners and with his fellow slaves as he could with his countrymen - despite obvious flaws in this idea. Although he misses the baser things in life, the soldiers have told him that those who succeed in the ludus are often rewarded with food and drink and all the whores that you can eat, a thought that keeps him going no matter what.

So yeah, a simple man with simple pleasures. A gentle jolly giant who lives in the moment. And is going to be really annoyed when his new club is too small.

[Katelyn]

Someone is going to have to give Kate lessons on all these big words. :P

[Deamonbane]

Name:
Lucanus

Age:
20

Preferred Gladiator Form:
Dimachaerus

Bio:
Some would say he was cursed by the gods on the account that he was the youngest of five brothers and two sisters, the runt of the litter, smaller, both in height and girth, weaker and physically less imposing, even as an adult. Others say he was blessed. He was perfectly ambidextrous, capable of using both hands to equal fury, quick of eye and quick of mind. Coordinated well, with good depth perception and hand-to-eye coordination. Quick, agile, sharp and an intelligent fighter, he proved himself among his father's men.

His father was a warlord to the East of Maro, of a kingdom that was officially a part of the empire, even if their own king ruled the lands. His father disliked bending the knee at all, more so to the Centurum scum, and his followers felt the same. An uprising, of which Lucanus was a part, to drive the Centurum forces out of their motherland. At first they were met with astounding success, defeating two legions in battle and taking several cities back. But armies Marched from Maro to face the oncoming threat and in two smashing defeats, the uprising was all but quelled.

Lucanus was not with his father at the end, following one of his brothers to fight further north, driving to the city that had once been their capital. He was the champion of their army, the finest swordsman. When his brother heard of the defeat, driven into a rage he set out to attack the Centurum forces but as winter fell over the land, most of his host died of cold and hunger. Lucanus and a handful of others escaped that fate, only to find themselves captured. They were decimated, one in ten beaten to death and the rest, Lucanus included, sold into slavery. Canis had little interest in the youth at first, but Heimdal had a different view, liking the arrogant cockiness of the youth, and he was among the 20 that would make up Canis' first gladiators.

[Deamonbane]

Name:
Canis Borell

Age:
43

Preferred Gladiator Form:
Dimachaerus

Bio:
Canis is not his real name, not by far, although if asked he will say that he does not recall his real name. Born in Iberia, a land just a few hundred leagues north of Maro, it was one of the first to come under the influence of the expanding empire. Therefore, the people from Iberia were the only ones allowed to join the Centurum Legios. Canis was one of them, and showed immense promise as a commander. Marching into the bitterly cold north on his first campaign, there were high hopes for him.

They were shattered quickly. The man commanding the legion was a full and Canis watched as many close friends were butchered in a Northerling uprising of numbers that had not seen before, and a few weeks after their mass retreat, Canis abandoned his post and deserted.

He was quickly caught and branded as a deserter, with the Legionaries that caught him calling him a dog, or Canis. He adopted the name after his sign of the legion was burned from his skin. Sold into slavery, he was bought by a nobleman that wished for some cannon fodder in games that he was promoting. Seeing that there were many others like that in the ranks of those games, he found his edge wielding two swords instead of one. He survived because he was one of the only ones that had any fighting experience. It wasn't a very high class fight, but Lanista saw promise in the young deserter and bought him from the nobleman after the fight was over, training him among his men.

It proved a worthy investment, and Canis, as he became known, quickly hacked his way to the top of the food chain in the Three Arenas of Maro, and kept himself there for longer than any other fighter in history. But, as all men, he grew old and his edge was beginning to fade. His speed was replaced by skill and experience, his strength by cunning. He was no fool and knew that there was no way that he would last much longer so he retired from fighting, having already earned his freedom a few years previous and, with his amassed winnings, decided to open a ludus of his own, purchasing the property from a Lanista that was retiring from the business himself, and finding the proper doctores to train his new gladiators. His friend and fellow gladiator Heimdal was the first.

[Nyxella]

Name: Nairi

Age: 20

Preferred Gladiator Form: Thraex

Bio:

Born in captivity to an unwilling mother and an unknown father, she was no different from the many ‘high-maintenance mistakes’ running around at the villa, or so the matronly attendants thought. When her words came, they were as strong as the legs that carried her not nine months from leaving the womb. Rather than remark at the girl’s growth and fine form, those around her made sure she never forgot about the filth in her blood and the foreign taint that attributed to her temper. It was often said that her spirit was meant for a different body, the way she played and fought with the local boys. As she blossomed into her adolescence, her trade value became increasingly apparent, however, she was too unruly and was shipped off to the barbaric West to be sold into slavery there.

For years she was to be her broker’s bane, never straying from the selling block for more than a handful of hours. She refused to bow at the feet of a Dominus, spat at the thought of tending to a Domina, and reacted violently to any attempts to prime her for the line of work she looked more suited for. It became such a regular occurrence that the broker could almost predict when her escorts would lament their foul luck and return for their coin. Perhaps the only touch of fortune was that she healed quickly from whatever beatings her disobedience earned. Although, when her reputation became more commonly known, no amount of trade potential could save her from the pit once her market value plummeted. To regain what little coin he could, and to spite the problematic wench, the broker sold her at the lowest price to a newly established ludus. A death sentence would have been swift and kind.

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SInglemeister, I quite liked reading along with your character.