MrCellophane

Roma Invicta

A Wild Goose Chase

"Hmm, it was," Titus replied to Agripena, removing his helmet to smooth his shock of hair. "Mind, I heard that the centurion had been fairly notorious in the Legion's for his overly stern discipline. Some legionaries even nicknamed him 'Bring-Me-Another' due to his habit of-"

A shout suddenly arose from one of the crewmen, causing a flurry of activity to begin on deck. Collecting his gear, Titus strode forward until he was near the prow; he shaded his eyes and peered on the sight that loomed before the ships: the coastline of Britannia.

"Thanks be to Neptune; we made it." he thanked said god of the sea, relieved that their crossing hadn't met undue disaster. Turning to Ari, he muttered an apology. "My apologies, priestess, but I can't speak any further for now - I must report to my Centurion and ready my contubernium for landing. Perhaps once we are ashore and on the march, we could speak later?"

He started towards the steps towards the lower deck when a thought struck him - he hadn't asked or given his name. Turning back to her, he quickly added, "Oh, you may call me Titus; Titus Licinius Nerva Flavianus, if you prefer the full name."

Roma Invicta

Wild Goose Chase

Agripena glanced at Titus. The Legionary seemed to be at ease on the sea in a way that she simply wasn't. She went up to him on unsteady legs. "I've never been out to the lands of the barbarians. Do you have any advice, or is this your first time in Britannia as well?"

@Daird

A voice piped up beside Titus and, diverting his attention to the owner, the Legionary found himself staring at the second Priestess accompanying the expedition. Placing the edge of his scutumn shield against the wooden deck and leaning unsteadily against it to counteract the waves below, he answered, "Well no, I haven't been to this new land before. But I have been serving in Amorica for a little over a year, so I have some experience with the barbarian hordes in battle."

He shrugged. "All I can really say is that it is likely that no two barbarian tribes are the same; the moment you start underestimating what a tribe can do when backed into a corner, you're as good as dead. As I heard it, that's what happened to another legion's VIII cohort after a patrol was ambushed. After they were returned, battered and undermanned, to their camp, their centurion - in a fit of anger - carried out a summary decimation. The results ... weren't pretty."

Roma Invicta

The Wild Goose Chase (Britannia)

Emerging from the lower deck and onto the "main" deck of the trireme, Titus excused himself past the hustle and bustle of the crew as he made his way towards the bow of the ship. From what chatter he could overhear in excited Latin, it seemed that the small convoy might be coming within sight of the coast of Britannia within a matter of minutes; he'd have to ensure that he collected the rest of his equipment and his pack once they made land-fall.

As he drew to a stop beside the starboard-side edging that lined the perimeter of the ship's deck, he spied out of the corner of his eye a tall, well-armoured figure leaning against the ship's mast - a so-called "Priestess of the Gods". Hhe hadn't learned a lot about them since he had joined the legions, but according to camp-talk and rumor, they were supposedly young women and girls who had been blessed by the gods. However, despite his own legion currently having a cohort's worth of these girls in his 19th Legion (the so-called "XI Cohort"), he couldn't lay a finger on why these women had been so augmented by the powers-that-be. Even more alarming, however, was that reports had been circulating that other civilisations had such Priestesses of their own! Mars above, there was one among their ranks right now - what further proof to such speculation would he have needed?

Deciding that there was nothing much he could do to help the crew, the Decanus approached the foreign-looking girl (Ari) and greeted her with a casual, yet equally reserved, "Ave."

Roma Invicta

The Wild Goose Chase

Aboard the trireme that was conveying the delegation to Britannia, 19th Legion Legionary Titus Licinius Nerva Flavianus carefully paced along the walkway that spanned parallel to the rowing deck, his hand on the pommel of his gladius as he kept a stern eye on the remiges who manned the ship's oars. The dull thud of a drum pounded in his ears, each trio-arranged row of freed-men sailors heaving to and fro as they worked the oars at a steady, calm pace - the wind had died down earlier that morning, so until it picked back up again, these men would have to earn their pay the hard way.

He had only received a rudimentary briefing from his cohort's centurion a few days ago - accompany an expedition to the Britannian island across from Gaul and (along with the rest of the 9th and 10th Cohorts, who were currently separated across two other vessels accompanying this one) protect the delegation until their work was done. If they got jumped, however, a message would have to get sent back to the rest of the legion camped in Amorica, where reinforcements can be mobilised and sent across.

A part of him, however was apprehensive - only scattered rumors had reached his ear about Britannia, and even then, it was likely that more then half of it was unreliable, at best. Instinctively, he clutched at the small, visible icon of Minerva that hung around his neck, inwardly praying that, if something went wrong on this voyage, that she'd send warning to Neptune as soon as possible.

Roma Invicta

Yeah, seems fine, as far a my character is concerned.

All set.

Roma Invicta

Titus

Personal Information

Name: Titus Licinius Nerva Fulvianus
Gender: Male
Birthday: Nonae Maiis ('Nones of May', May 7th), 55 BC
Age: 23
Height & Weight: 179cm, 79kg

Appearance:
Generally carries the same build and fair complexion of Roman youth, although one toughened by his early adult years of service in the Roman Army. Possess a well-trimmed crop of black hair underneath his helmet and his blue-irised eyes are usually focused on either the enemy to his front or the immediate task at hand.

Equipment and Assets

Weaponry
Gladius Hispaniensis (early Roman legion sword)
Scutum (shield)
Two pila (weighted javelins); and
Pugio (dagger)

Armour/Uniform
Lorica Harmatia (chain mail)
Republic-era legionary helmet with cheek-plates and tri-feathered plume
Greaves
Balteus (sword belt)
Caligulae (hobnailed boots)
Short-sleeved woollen tunic
Focale (anti-chafing scarf); and
Subligaria (underpants)

Sarcina (military pack), mounted on a furca and containing the following:

Cloak bag, containing both of the legionary's cloaks (a sagum and a paenela),
Approx. two weeks rations and personal waterskin (usually with enough water for a day's march),
Spare tunic and subligaria,
Cooking equipment (cooking pot, mess dish, cup and basic utensils),
Entrenching tools – dolabra (entrenching tool or mattock), turf-cutter and wicker basket,
Two sudes (wall stakes), for constructing a marching camp's (castra) wall; and
Titus' personal effects, such as letters, personal items, effigies of his patron gods and so on, contained in a small satchel.

Assets: None … at least, for now.

Psychoanalysis

Merits:
Five years of campaigning, garrison duties and the odd clash with the Gauls has hardened Titus into an aspirant Legion officer. Generally calm in the face of the foe and able to act on his own initiative if a tactical opportunity presents itself.

Flaws:
While capable of acting on any orders given to him, the hardest one for Titus to ascede to is for a withdrawal or to give ground to the foe; as a Roman and a legionary, he believes that to retreat in the face of the enemy without due cause is cowardice. As a result, it usually requires either one of his fellow Legionaries or his cohort's Centurion to reiterate an order to fall back for Titus to do so likewise; a trait that has already seen him 'dressed down' by his centurion three years ago and one that Titus finds difficult to suppress.

Additionally, while he recognises his adopted noble heritage, he currently doesn't possess any major drive to become a member of the Senate. He instead prefers to work his way up the Legion ranks and focusing on his merits rather then political connections - this results in him usually shunning political contacts and leverage when it would otherwise be advantageous him.

Tragic Flaw:
None, at least by the time this story begins. Time and the strands of Fate, however, can only tell.

Personality:

As an adopted son of a patrician family, Titus usually does his utmost to uphold personal and military standards to the highest feasibly possible. Conversely, he is no Stoic and will usually avail himself of the odd hard-one reward or luxury gifted to him by his commander for exemplary service - his increased pay as a decanus could be interpreted as a reflection of that.

Generally, Titus has himself "squared away" and will knuckle down to focus on whatever assigned task is ordered of him. Perhaps reflecting his traditionalist upbringing, he had possessed a firm faith in the Senate and its members - confident that they were capable of doing good and holding a fracturing Republic together. Such faith, however, had been badly shaken and, as a result, Titus transplants such devotion to the gods of Rome.

As part of his piousness to the gods and while doing his utmost not to neglect all of them, Titus usually dedicates his prayers and small sacrifices to three of the main Roman pantheon:

Jupiter – God of thunder and head of the Roman Pantheon. Prayed to as patron god of both Rome and the army (though it goes without needing to explain why),

Minerva – Goddess of wisdom, war and strategy. Prayed to for success in battle and as patroness of the XIX Legion; and

Diana– Huntress of the gods and goddess of the woodlands. Prayed to for protection against the beasts (and, it could be argued, barbarians) that prowl the Gaelic woods, as well as for good fortune in his own expeditions. Thus far (save for open clashes against the Gauls), it seems Titus has remained in Diana's good graces.

Recorded Information

Culture and Country:
Latin
Tusculum (original family), Etruscan-Roman (by adoption)

Languages: Latin

Public Record:
Currently not a lot is known in the wider public record regarding Titus. However, according to legion records, Legatus Gaius Varus promoted the legionary to Decanus in 33BC. The general cited Titus' improvised command of his contubernium during a reconnaissance assignment in Gaul, which resulted in the legion able to prematurely ambush and wipe out a major Gaulish force while they were encamped.

It later emerged that this barbarian army had been the fighting force of one of the last Gaulish holdouts in Amorica (modern day Brittany); said community would be subsequently 'flattened' by the 19th and the nearby 15th Legions after a second battle two days later. On viewing the burning remains of the town, Titus boasted to his centurion, “Caesar would have been proud: all Gaul is now Rome's!”

Private Information:
As he had been part of the Roman Army since adulthood, not much regarding Titus' private life (outside of the legion's camp duty and the extremely rare temporary rotation back to Italia) seems worthy of note. While his adopted father had encouraged him to pursue an office in the Senate, the presently-toxic environment and the constant duties away from home have actively discouraged him from pursuing a political career so far.

Faction Information

Loyalty:
II Contubernium, V Centuria, IX Cohort, XIX Legion 'Scions of Minerva' - an Octavian-affiliated Roman Legion

While he personally opts for a stable form of Pompeian-minded government compared to the present upheaval, the 19th Legion has declared itself for Octavian and Titus cannot renege on his enlistment. As a result, he is swept up in the Civil War between the Triumverate nominally on Octavian's side.

Political Rank: -
Military Rank: Legionary Decanus (II Contubernium, V Centuria)

Skills and Metastatus

Skills:

WARRIOR

Infantry
Light Weapon (Gladius Hispaniensis) (Trained)
Light Weapon (Pugio) (Knowledgeable)
Shield (Scutum) (Trained)
Armour (Lorica Harmata) (Knowledgeable)

Skirmisher
Throwing Weapon (Pilum) (Trained)

OFFICER

Tactical
Personal Initiative (Knowledgeable) (only applicable to II Contubernium at this time)

???:

Fate:

Miracle:

Legion XIX

Legion Number: XIX Legion ('Scions of Minerva')
Legion Founded: 19th March, 108 BC

Legion's Founding Region: Roma, Italia
Current Posting: Amorica, Gaul
Patron God: Minerva
Legion Emblem: A depiction of the Owl of Minerva surmounted on two crossed pila, with the Legion's number (in Latin numerals) underneath.

Legion Legatus: Legatus Gaius Cominius Varus (former), Decimus Aelius (current)
Style of Leadership: The former legatus in command of the XIX did not stand out from many of his contemporaries; like other legates, he's a stern disciplinarian, a drilled tactician and strategist and no slouch when it came to wielding the spatha from his mount. He had recognised the usefulness of the recently-formed 11th Cohort and generally allowed their commander a bit more battlefield independence.

Of course, there's always a metaphorical rod at the ready to reign this ticking battlefield time-bomb back in; as a result, 11th Cohort members are entrusted with the same expected discipline as the rest of the army. They are not driven into the ground as slaves, but they are expected to face the same penalties as the other cohorts - even if it should mean the rare (but bloody) decimation.

Previous Actions:

- Participated in the latter stages of the Cimbrian War (then known as XXII Legio) from 107 BC - 101 BC. Was on the Roman Order of Battle at the Battles of Aquae Sextiae (102 BC) and Vercellae (101 BC).

- Revived in Rome during the Social War. Fought in the Third Servile War at the disastrous Battle of the Colline Gate against Sulla - predictably, they and the defending Roma-Italians lost. XXII Legio subsequently disbanded.

- Legion resurrected and renamed as the XIX Legion 'Scions of Minerva', at the outset of Julius Caesar's campaign in Gaul in 60 BC. Legion fought alongside Caesar throughout Gaul until the campaign's end in 50 BC; remained in the region to preserve the Pax Romania and to put down any rebellion attempts or resisting communities the Romans had overlooked.

11th Cohort Composition: Drawn from both Italia and (when possible) from Gaulish levies within the occupied provinces. Similar to a "line" legionary cohort, though with their own methods of fighting and own command structure at centuria level. Typically armed and armoured like the main-line soldiers, though they are allowed a limited increase in scope of uniform dress - it is their ability and disclipline that, at the end of the day, will count the most.

11th Cohorts Primus Prior: Centurion Primus Tiberius Marcius Corvus (Legion liaison), as-of-yet unidentified Centurion Priestess (de facto)

Roma Invicta

Already got an Octavian-affiliated Legionary (not quite his own choice, mind!) in the works, boss. Gonna take some time, though.

Artificial Spirits

Sorry for the absence, guys - been job-hunting and that's taken a lot out of me lately.

I'll get a post up ASAP.

Artificial Spirits

In one of the darkened corners of the ruined temple, a series of stone biers were set into the floor. The majority of them were bare, yet on one of them, an ebony armoured figure lay in repose. The body, indistinctive underneath the plate armour, hooded helm and cloak, was clutching a broad-bladed, two-handed sword in its gauntlets and, at the foot of the bier, was a rucksack containing various possessions.

All was still and silent within this corner of the building ... until a soft, sibilant command was whispered within it:

"Awaken."

Two tiny luminous scarlet orbs opened behind the helmet's visor; wearied, laboured breathing caused the armoured chest to rise and fall as ragged gasping for air forced its way through the tiny breathing grilles of the helm. Groggily rising to a seating position, the figure placed the sword to one side of the bier as it tried to get its sense of bearing and direction. Catching sight of her gauntlets and armoured legs, however, the figure fell of of the bier in a panic, landing on the floor with a clatter of armoured plating and chain-mail. She moaned, pain from landing hard on her back flaring up her spine as, righting herself on her knees and hands, she weakly began to look for something that she could use to get a good look at herself.

Who am I? she asked herself, crawling towards what appeared to be a cistern or a pool that was buried within the floor. A name floated to the surface: I'm ... I'm ... Krzysztanzia - that's it, that's my name. But where am I right now? And in whom or in what have I woken up in?

Like a wounded animal, the armoured figure came to a stop beside the cistern and, drawing the hood back enough, tugged the black helmet away from her head; it fell with a clang against the cobblestones, allowing Krys to see herself for the first time. Within the rippling reflection of the stream, she could make out a face - alabaster skin as ashen-grey as the stone she was kneeling on, crimson-irised eyes that stared back at her in utter confusion, pale white locks of hair that fell from beneath the hood that framed her face, and ...

Throwing the hood fully back, Krys gasped in shock at the pair of prominent ears that thrust themselves up from the sides of her head. She reached up with a gauntlet-clad hand and pressed the fingers against her face, gingerly caressing her cheek as if to confirm that the reflection in the water was, indeed, her.

This ... this is me. This is ME!

Scrabbling for her helmet, she placed it back over her head, her pale visage once again hidden by the protective steel that covered it. Wobbly getting to her feet and turning back to the biers in order to collect the objects that were left with her, she paused, noting that she was not alone within the temple's massive central chamber and that all of the other occupants were gravitating towards a massive statue within the center of the room.

Artificial Spirits

Appearance

Appearance - without shield or plate armour (outlined below)

Body Character Sheet

Gender: Female.
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Race: Dark Elf ("Drow", if you're being technical)
Appearance:
Personal plate armour (fitted to drow size):

Plate Armour

Helmet – worn under hood (no horns):

Helmet

Equipment: Two-handed greatsword w/ scabbard, armour, map, compass, preservable food (such as kept bread and the odd apple or bit of cheese), whetstone, polishing cloth and rucksack.

Combat Skills: Unable to rely on the grace and speed elvenkin are renown for, she is forced to rely on both brute force (what she can muster, that is) and any magic she could bring to bear, if at all.

Her primary expertise is with two-handed swords, longswords, maces and polearm weaponry. Conversely, she has little experience with any bowed weaponry and no experience with any other forms of weapon.

Unexpected Angles
To a veteran warrior, every possible part of a weapon could be another avenue for attack or defence - the flat of a blade, a mace's pommel, the shaft of a glaive and so on. All one needs is to recognise an opening, time it perfectly and, of course, practice, practice, practice.

Ambidexterity
Constant training and use of her two-handed weapon has given the wielder the ability to wield her cumbersome 'zweihander' with either her right or left hand in the predominant "control" grip of her weapon. This can allow her to counter-attack or defend against blows to either side of her body that a lesser-trained individual with a dominant hand (as well as no other form of defence, such as a shield) might find more difficult to compensate for.

Non-Combat Skills: Lowlight vision (inherent trait), intimidation (goes without saying, considering who she is and likely what she does), recognition of Dark Elf language and sigils, repairing and maintaining her arms and armour.

Mana: Mid-range mana-retaining capacity, though only usually enough for the abilities that are listed below.
Magical Schools: Diabolic (major)
Magical Abilities:

Smite Good
The very antithesis of do-gooders, such as warrior-priests or knights who serve those deities of heroes, the Blackguard draw on the magic of the world not to uphold the ideas of justice, but to strike down these weak-minded and naive fools. With a powerful blast of magic, the Blackguard could bring any character of Good alignment - at least, those unprotected by any higher power or enchantments against evil - screaming to their knees in abject agony.

Neutral or Evil character will remain unaffected.

Corrupt Blade
Just as a Paladin or warrior-cleric can invoke the name of their god to divinely empower their blade before facing the diabolical, so too can a Blackguard prepare their own blades before facing their opposite numbers.

At its simplest form, corrupting a blade would allow the Blackguard to inflict an incremental higher amount of damage against an opponent, reflecting the infusion of vile magics or runes into the weapon about an hour before the battle.

At its most powerful (and provided the necessary rites and work is done at least 48 hours in advance), the defiled blade can banish an enemy's soul to the hells if the weapon can inflict a single fatal wound, such as running it through the heart or by decapitation.

In both cases, however, the corruption will fade away as soon as the battle has concluded; the Blackguard must begin the rites again if he or she wants to corrupt their weapon again.

Techniques:

Unbridled Rage
Whether it is due to a trigger that sets off something within them or a sudden surge of fury imparted from their deity, the Blackguard suddenly feels their limbs cloaked in demonic fire and their soul filled by rage. Infuriated, the Blackguard immediately rushes towards the target of their anger, their strikes now enscorcelled by the power they serve and hitting harder then they could have before.

Any subsequent strikes inflicted by the Blackguard would hit harder then they would have under their own strength until the target falls. Once the opponent lies dead, however, this strength fades away.

Artificial Spirit Sheet

Name: Krzysztanzia Zaleski
Personality:

Despite holding a feminine name, this spirit, wherever it has originated from (or from who), generally does not consider itself specifically feminine in its present state due to the lack of a body. It has, however, retained a feminine persona for simplified interaction between itself and others, to be able to relate to its present "host" and in order to avoid any confusion as to "why a woman sounds like a man".

Generally feels uncomfortable (if not near nauscious) when forced to kill someone in cold blood; a possible give away, considering the body the spirit will inhabit.

Talents:

Scion of the Forge Fire

Learning the art of forging, the spirit is able to, with enough practice within its new host and experience, able to forge basic level arms and equipment for those who require it. It will need to gather the necessary materials and equipment to complete weapons and armour, so more complex and powerful pieces would take anywhere between several hours to a week to complete and either fit for the client or prepare for battlefield use.

With additional learning, it could be possible for the spirit to be able to produce magically-enhanced equipment. However, these will take the longest time to produce and ready - up to a month of on-off work for the most powerful of enhanced works.

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