The Fall of an Empire

[PrincessLUV]

The Empire, a glorious civilization. Filled with bright minds and great men. This is the top of the food chain, this is the place many travel to be enlightened. The emporer rules with an iron first but his rule is coming to the end with opposal from some senators. Particularly Cato Vitus. Those who had made enemies with either man are going into hiding or exile, so as not to risk their lives. The Gods watch over carefully, ready to intervene at any time.

The land itself if nothing less than beautiful. Great cities are about, full of temples and stone houses. Soldiers parade the streets on grand horses. Peddlers push their wares from around the world. Shop owners shoo away rogue children. In the distance are great orchards of olives, figs, grapes and the such. Fields of golden wheat thrive as fishermen bring in hearty catches each day. The woods are filled with animals and creatures unknown, including great beasts.

You are a subject of the Empire itself. The land is ruled by humans but sightings of Gods do not go unnoticed. Same for creatures like centaurs and sirens. The main city is under turmoil after several attempted assassinations of some of the highest ranked citizens around. Fear is in everyone’s hearts as well as uncertainty. Will the gods play with the mortals in this deadly game? Can you be a hero in the face of man and beast.

((This is based on Roman/greek mythos and centered around a romanesque empire, feel free to play as a deity but I will not allow god-modding. Everyone gets a chance to have fun.))

PROFILE
Name: (based on nationality)
Age:
Race: (If not human, please look into Greek Mythology)
Occupation: (soldier? Seamstress? bum? emperor? Ship builder? there’s lots of options)
History: (short history please)
Appearancelinks accepted)

Questions? Comments? Feel free to PM me.
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Name: Cato Vitus
Age: 39
Race: Human
Occupation: Senator
History: Cato is a warrior turned politician. He fought valiantly in all campaigns and learned quickly to play to his strengths. His honorable nature gained him friends and enemies. Upon a failed attempt on his life that left him with a terrible limp, he decided to become a senator so his words rather than actions could benefit his people. Just before this transition, he became a father and lost his wife. This solidified his decision to stay close to home. He currently makes great attempts at collaborating with neighboring empires.
Appearance: CATO

Name: Aurora Vitus
Age: 16
Race: Human
Occupation: Senator's Daughter...no real job
Bio: Aurora was born to a motherless family, being raised by nannies and her father, her mother figure an old Egyptian woman named Fatima who taught her to be kind as well as cunning. She grew up learning the way of higher society, establishing herself as a pleasant and intelligent young woman. She frequents social events to surround herself with people from all walks of life.
Appearance: Aurora

Will post soon, feel free to start!

[Tsumugi Kotobuki]

Name: Grad
Age: 20
Occupation: Aurora's personal Guard
Bio: Grad had been a born soldier, he started training when he was five years of age. His mother taught him to read, write, and speak in many languages. He had become an adept fighter by the time he was twelve. At the age of 16, he was already at high rank in the roman army. At age 20, Grad is now the guardian of the senator's daughter, Aurora.

Appearance: Grad

[Blackthawne]

Name: Brutus
Age: 24
Occupation: Roman Mercenary

Bio: A thorough-bread Roman Soldier, coming from a long lineage of warriors. From the day he could grip a sword, he was thrown into hell... His father would watch impassively as his son was thrown from one extreme to another, taking beatings in order to strengthen his will and his strength. At the earliest opportunity, he was recruited into the Roman Military, where he excelled.... He fought in campaigns alongside well known heroes, and was recognised for his talent and offered the second-in-command of a legion at the age of 22.... An amazing feat, to stand beside the most talented tactitians and warriors the Empire had known. This was however, until his scouting force was set upon, and he dragged his broken corpse back, barely alive... The Legions felt him useless, his scarred body couldn't recover, surely.... He was given riches and land, and was not seen again for 18 months, before returning at the age of 23 with a hundred-strong mercenary band behind him.... all cast-aways of the Legions. Quickly, the prowess of these loose ends was realised, and their fame spread. The men clad in black Roman armour, who feared no foe.... Now, 6 months later at the age of 24, Brutus returns to the Empire....

Appearance: Brutus

[O-Ren]

Name: Salandra
Age: 2,443
Race: Gorgon
Occupation: Soothsayer / Witch / Healer
History: Born from the pure blood of the original Gorgon sisters, her line is bred with the strong heros captured in the days of old. She was born on the small island her race inhabits off of the coast, nestled in the feirce waters riddled with sirens and aquatic beasts, making passage extremely difficult for humans who do not have the favor of the gods or of the beasts. She came to the mainland, the reason lost in the bowels of time and weathered by the passing of ages. She stays on the mainland, toying with the fragile lives of humans, reading their fate, telling their fortunes. She, unlike various other beasts, are neutral in her views on humans, and as such does not make a habit of killing them unecessarily.
Salandra had watched the empire grow, watched it build brick by brick, watched different rulers fall. Though as with each passing decade they resort to dirtier and dirtier tricks. She resides in a small cottage, built into the rock of an ancient cave, stretching deep below the earth, where she watches, and offers advice to those that pay.
Appearance: Salandra

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The coast churned angrily with the coming of a storm far off in the distance, her hair writhed irritated, tongues tasting the fresh spring breeze. It was the time of spring when the winter nip receeded, and the rains came trudging in, bringing forth the sprouts that were hibernating for so long. Golden eyes turned to the young man before her, his young face contorted with curiosity as he waited for her to tell him what the divines had in store for him. "Tell me boy," she began, the earthy tones of her voice rugged yet hauntingly beautiful as she motioned for him to take a seat at the small table in front of her cottage, the steely grey color of the rock standing out against the soft earthen tones of the wood that enclosed the cavern into a respectable living area, "what exactly are you hoping to find today." She seated herself as he followed along behind her.
People came to her in secret, a person coming to a monster before going to a fellow man was out of the ordinary, a thing to be frowned upon, but the human oracles' divinations were often tainted with bias and politics, their connections to the faits flitting and unsure. They had no true passion for the fates and for what time had in store for the stranger before them, but one such as Salandra had the length of her long existence to strengthen the bond.
"I was hoping you could show me what the fates had in store for the passage of my manhood." She looked at him, golden slitted eyes not blinking as the snakes writhed slightly with annoyance. "You come to me, bearing such a dull request?" She scoffed slightly, long pointed nails scratching at the table as she shook her head and let the coy smile that played across her strangely beautiful face fade. 'You should have gone to a human, a small oracle in the city could tell you such things, I help those with no choice, or with dark dealings that a human would easily turn around and spout." She laid the pal of her hand flat on the table, through with torturing the wood any further as she awaited the boy to justify his actions. "You see," he began, his voice calm, unsure yet holding firm, "they all told me to go to you." She arched a brow, curiosity pulling at her features, "So the humans turned you to a monster, it must be something interesting then." She stood, suddenly, pushing back the small chair she was seated on as her ornately clothed form disappeared into a small barn, she returned quickly, baring a chicken who flapped and fluttered in revolt as she carried it by the feet.
She slammed it down on the table in one quick motion, pulling a knife from one slick leather belt that dangled around her curvaceous form. "Slay it, then spill the innards, I will read them for you." She watched as the blood spilled onto the table, traveling quickly and sputtering on the rocky floor beneath them. The shiny pink intestines and bluish hued innards with red glory bits of heart and kidneys spilled out from the gash that ran along the chickens stomach and across its breast. She pulled at the innards, laying them out, nodding to herself slightly and whispering in a sharp language unfamiliar to humans. "I see why," she finally noted as she pushed the innards in a more ornate fashion, displaying them to the boy before her. "Your fate is yet to be determined, not even the fates themselves have decided what to do with you, a rare case for most have their paths laid for them the moment they have life breathed into them. It is blank, you are the second one I have seen with this fate, the other man became a hero." She seated herself down, bloody hands joining as she interlaced her fingers. "you have a choice of what you can do, for once a human is free from the determination of fate, of the gods. Choose wisely." The boy nodded as he considered her words, dropping small leather bag filled with coins he left, mounting his horse and leaving in a flurry of dust and motion. She sighed as she began to pluck the feathers off of the chicken before her, it was best not to let the fruits of nature go to waste.

[PrincessLUV]

They had to leave. Her nurse had arranged it after all. The former attempt on her life had fallen upon him. It made her stomach turn to think that she had left him there on the alter of the goddess in such a fit. A satchel was prepared for her, a light dress and coin to get her far from her family home. Her father was determined to use her as a pawn in this game of his and now her family was a black spot on the clean white silk of the emperor's toga. It was to be removed. Cato had powerful allies and the mind of a fox but to him she had become disposable. Why? How had he gone from the apple of his eye to such a petty creature? Was she too much like the ghost that still haunted him?

"Perhaps we should find out what's next for us..." she suggested as she lifted the bag, taking one last look at her comfortable home. All the spoils of aristocracy had been hers and now she was giving it up in favor of something more. She pushed back the golden curtain of hair and smiled nervously at Grad.

[Tsumugi Kotobuki]

Grad stood looking back at the place that was once his duty station. "Aurora, do not worry, if I'm correct I think I may know someone from my past that can help us get out of here unnoticed and no it is not Vixen." He put his arm around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort the nervous girl. "I have to go pick up my Halberd from Vixen's place before we actually leave though. She kept it in case I would ever need to pick it up again, since my sword mysteriously disappeared I am going to need it..." he laughed a little. Seeing the girl not even letting up he stopped and moved right in front of her and put his one hand on each of her shoulders, "Listen, I know this is a lot for you, but I am here anything you want to get off your chest, off your shoulders, you can tell me, cause right now, we only have each other."

[PrincessLUV]

Aurora held back a sigh at the thought of having to spend more time preparing. Shouldn't he had known better? She looked at the hand on her shoulder then at her friend's face.

"Not now. We don't have time for talking." She shifted herself and grabbed her small satchel. They had a lot to do.

"Let's go," she said, leading him out the back as the slaves were gathered in the hall.

~~
Business was going as usual, yet Cato was not pleased. The attempt on his daughter's life shook him but made him curious as to why against her reather than him? Did the Emperor think it would be a punishment? He had lost so much already...now he would gain so much. Everything had to fall into place first. He had to build an army.

[Blackthawne]

Brutus awoke with the crimson tint of the rising sun glaring in his eyes through the open windows of the small stone home he had built for himself... He rose, nude, from his bed and stretched, scarred muscles stretching and popping with satisfaction before he made his way to the wash basin. The water was probably slightly stagnant but, that did nothing to lessen the refreshing coolness as he splashed it over his face and chest. After drying himself quickly, he went to his armor... smiling slightly at how well he had made repairs to his black cuirass, he slipped in to his morning routine. First was his simple, padded woolen clothing... itchy as it was when it was new, the amount of washing and wear it had, had made it perfect for beneath his armor. It stretched down to his thighs. He then buckled around his waist a belt of hardened leather, with strips of the same material hanging down to his lower thigh, each treated more so than the belt to give added protection.

On his ankles, he tightly buckled more hardened leather protective armour to his body, before tightly fitting his sandals to his feet. Then, was the cuirass.... the black cuirass of the fallen. He lifted it over his head and slipped into it, tightly buckling it at the sides so that it fit him as a second skin... He smiled with pride as he continued his work. His bracers buckled tightly to his wrists, with small, tight, thin straps for his hands to slip into to hold the protective leather over the back of his hands in place. Finally, and the most prideful symbol of all, was a single shoulderpad that fit over his right shoulder, buckled tightly across his chest. From it flowed a cloak of the deepest black, dyed many times over... It was pristine, not a tear to be seen across it. He flung it around his shoulders and tucked it under his shoulderguard, where a small fastening held it in place, allowing the cloak to flow down his back as a cape, though if necessary could be drawn around the body to drive the cold of night away.... He slipped his black leather bound gladius into its sheath hanging from his belt, and tucked his helmet under his arm. He was complete, Brutus of the Fallen Legion.... though a legion it was not, the name had stuck.

"Another day, another battle..." he murmured to himself as he stepped outside into the light, his eyes gazing at the many small stone houses that housed his mercenary band... They had flocked to his small farmland home, and had practically created a village from their numbers. Even merchants had taken up residence there, knowing the mercenaries had coin to spare....

"At least... i pray for a battle... the men grow restless..." He added to himself, staying at his porch, surveying the small village.

[Tsumugi Kotobuki]

Grad nodded and continued out the back. It was surprisingly warm outside it wasn't, but a few moments before he started to sweat. Probably a side effect of his sudden recovery, he could tell that his body wasn't taking it too well. As soon as they were far away enough from the building he took her hand in his and ran to where Vixen lived.

Once they arrived, they were both greeted with a warm hug and a jug of water. Vixen didn't say much seeing as there could be spies or operatives lurking about. What she did do though was give him a giant clothed item the size of his old sword, which she tied around his left shoulder. "This is what you wanted right?" Vixen asked him.

"Yep, this statue was handed down through my family, it will bear a large value if sold to the right person," He said, though lying, he was telling the truth in a sense. He turned to Aurora. "We need false names and a false bacground, any ideas?"