Jenn

Julia is recently widowed- although she isn't exactly ready to run head first down the aisle yet, she is available for marriage if the right person came along. It would need to be someone who allied with the Imperial Family as she is very supportive of the Imperials.

I can do one if you wish. Perhaps she can come visit the palace and bump into Volusa. @Sharpie

My Julia was Claudia's former governess and has kept in contact with the Imperial children so she would be familiar with Volusa. She is a patrician but was once a slave so doesn't hold a person's status over their head.

Having kept to herself during Saturnalia due to the illness of her husband and his passing, Julia wondered when Lupercalia rolled around whether she should venture out or not. So many titles had described her over the years- patrician, slave, patrician again, wife, mother but the title that hung over her head now was widow. Lupercalia certainly did not apply to her now, but it was an opportunity to get out- it was okay to simply stand back and observe. Standing toward the back of the crowd she watched the initial ceremony and then watched with amusement as the 2 boys- Tiberius & Titus ran naked through the crowds striking women who stood with their hands out. Having served as Tiberius’ governess she was very aware of how much he was enjoying this experience- he had always been a quirky child prone to causing mischief so this was right up his alley. (only observing unless someone wants to come up and talk to her- definitely NOT due for a smack)

Not being able to find my sisters...who knows if they are even still alive. What is your favourite tradition?

"Being brought to Rome to coerce my father into conversion" If you could travel, where would you go?

When her father entered the room with Seia on his arm, Barbara had stood and taken her place next to her brother. She shifted the weight of her one year old son in her arms so he was sitting nestled on her left hip while her brother snapped to what he thought was attention. Even after the look she had given him to put the sword away, she noted with a slight amusement that he still held it but at least he tucked it away behind him. After her father sat with Seia next to him, and Imperia on her lap, Barbara took a seat as well. Once the family was comfortable her father took a deep breath and began talking. “As the three of you know” She assumed he was referring to her, Alaricus and Imperia “you too” Barbara couldn’t help but smile as he then appeared to address her son as he was the only other person in the room beside Seia. “Seia and I have been spending a lot of time together. We have found that we get along and enjoy each other's company. It is our intention to marry and for her to live here with us." Barbara had certainly noticed how close her father and Seia had become. “Pater, this is wonderful news. Seia, Imperia welcome to the family.” To her it was wonderful news, and she could only hope her brother felt the same way. For Barbara it was not a new experience to get a ‘new’ stepmother as her father had been married a few times, however Barbara felt a close kinship with Seia. Seia had been the person she turned to when she first suspected she was pregnant with her son. Most women turned to their mothers but that wasn’t something she had been able to do so Seia, as someone who was a mother herself, became the role model for Barbara even though they were so close in age. @Gothic @Renna @Sarah

Hey Sharpie- welcome When it comes to characters we have all levels of society being played so you should have no problem finding characters to interact with. We do have a board for Wanted & Canon characters https://www.aeternaromarpg.com/forum/57-wanteds/ If you have any more questions please feel free to ask

Sure I can start- any particular location of interest?

Seeing the gesture from her father they entered the room with her holding a firm but gentle grip on Aelia’s hand. Aelia save Alaricus’ wave towards them and gave a way back. So far so good…Barbara was prepared to send her children from the room if they got bored but at the same time it was good to expose them to social situations. “Salve Miss. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She watched with amusement as her brother puffed out his chest and very firmly said ‘Damn right I will be’. Barbara had long ago suspected that her brother would follow their father into the military lifestyle. “Thank you for the invitation father. Decimus, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Barbara, my husband Marcus as well as my daughter Aelia and my son Marcus Minor.” Having spent many years functioning as the Domina of the household it felt very natural for her to be welcoming him but at the same time she wondered where Seia was. She hoped she was doing alright. The answer to that question was quickly answered as her step-mother, who was heavily pregnant at this point entered the room with Imperia following cautiously behind her. Her brother immediately set about getting a chair for Seia while she made excuses for being late- said the baby must have been a girl as soldiers were supposed to be on time…and she was late for everything. Barbara couldn’t help but give a little chuckle. Seia immediately set about making sure their guest had a glass of wine. Crispina one of their household slaves stepped in and offered to do the serving so Seia good sit. Barbara had both her children sit down and then sat down next to Aelia when the other adults did. “Decimus is going to be working with Marcus, Therefore it is likely we will be seeing more of him," @Gothic @Sains @Renna @Indy @Echo

We can certainly try for a thread between Julia/Lucius but I am curious how well it would end up. She is far the typical Patrician in that she is definitely NOT snobby and it would probably make her either defensive or uncomfortable. Having since returned to Patrician society, she often still feels on the outskirts if that makes sense- she doesn't go out of her way to hob knob with the elites unless it is people she is VERY comfortable with. @Brian

Hey Sydney- I would have to think about that as both my gals realize there are all kinds of people but don't necessarily have patience for people who are petty/mean. They have both had rough lives and are at a positive place in their lives and try to avoid the negative drama associated with Rome.

My Julia Valeria is only a few years younger than Lucius and is recently widowed. She has been closely connected with the Imperial Family as well (long story). He would need to look past her rocky history but she has made a respectable name for herself.

While waiting for her father Barbara sat herself down on one of the chaise lounges with her son Marcus in her arms. Little did she know but her father was already in the domus, he was just in his chambers. Tucking her feet up underneath her she began to rock Marcus without even realizing it. Her brother began to get impatient waiting for their father to appear and stood some distance away swinging his wooden sword. Her brother was constantly waving that thing around- he would mostly likely end up following their father into military service. Barbara was watching her brother out of the corner of her eye when his sword connected with a chair that toppled to the ground with a bang. She felt her son’s reaction to the sound before she heard the cry that came from the little tiny boy in her arms. Barbara shifted her son’s weight from her arms to up to her shoulder. “It’s alright Marcus, it was just a loud noise-just your uncle being silly”. She patted him gently on the back to soothe him back down. As soon as the chair toppled her brother dropped the sword sheepishly down to his side. He came to her side. “Barbara will you cover for me? You won’t tell Pater on me will you?” She looked at her brother with a strange look. What exactly was she supposed to say to their father if he got word. As his elder sister, there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her younger brother whom she had basically raised from babyhood, however it was clear knowledge in the Domus that Alaricus often swung his toy sword around and was forever knocking things over. Before she could answer him, in walked Seia with her father and Imperia behind him. Barbara looked in the direction of her father, Seia and Imperia and was about to greet all three, when Seia crossed the room. She gave Barbara and Alaricus a quick smile but without saying anything else she the chair upright then turned her attention to the two of them. "Salve, Barbara, Alaricus. It seems we're just in time to keep the domus from being torn to pieces." Barbara gave her brother a look that said put that sword away and be on your best behaviour. She did note however that Seia was grinning so they were likely escaping trouble at this point. Barbara stood up from the chaise and took a place next to her brother. “Salve Seia- it is wonderful to see you. You too Imperia.” @Gothic @Renna

Sure- do you want to start it?

Tertia and Barbara have probably spent time together- as Alaric's daughter and defacto Domina while her father was unmarried (between Suetonia & Seia). While Barbara wasn't one to be overly flashy she probably came to rely on Tertia's expertise when it came to the need to be 'formal'.

“Go to sleep my little one” Marcus was not having any of it. Luckily Barbara didn’t have anything she needed to get done, so she found herself walking the corridors of the domus with her son bundled in her arms. Her husband was working and the slaves were going about their chores. One of their slaves approached from the end of the corridor but was hesitant to speak in case the young child was sleeping. Barbara gave her shake of her head. “It’s okay- he is wide awake at the moment. What is it you need to tell me?” He went on to tell her that there was a message from her father- he was requesting her presence at the family Domus. “Thank you. I shall take Marcus Minor with me. When my husband comes home, if I’m not back yet let him know where I am.” He nodded and went back to what he had been doing previously. “Looks like you get to go see Grandpa.” After making sure they were both appropriate, she left the Domus and made for her father’s home. Barbara arrived at the home of her father and the door was opened by one of their household slaves. She removed her warm wrap. ”Is my father here? He requested that I come.” He shook his head. “No Domina, he has not arrived yet, but word was sent that he was asking for you and your brother to gather in the main room.” Barbara nodded her head and followed him into the main room with her son still in her arms- he wasn’t asleep, but at least he was quiet. Her brother Alaricus was already waiting. She gave him a hug and sat down next to him. “Do you have any idea what this is about?” Alaricus shook his head no. (timeline check- Marcus Minor is about a year at this point, so she was married/son was born prior to Alaric’s marriage. I was trying to find exactly when they started showing interest in each other and it seemed to be just after the civil war? So this thread is just making it 'official') @Gothic @Renna @Indy (Indy- if you want to bring Marcus into the thread up to you)

Tacita's bio Hey Sarah- you will notice on her bio that it is accepted but unfinished as she had been purchased by Sextus Ursus Crassus who with the move to the new site was being killed off so her 'availability' is flexible. Decided to leave her 'purchase date' open- either she was sold again shortly after her time with Crassus or he never owned her at all. If she was sold again Spurius could have bought her sooner or she could have been with an NPC and switch hands to him nearer the current time (she is currently 25 years old) @Sarah

Hey Sarah- awesome character choice We need one of those around here. Tacita is still available for ownership- not overly picky regarding owner. Slavery is the only life she has known and because of her 'deficiencies' she has no desire to be freed. @Sarah

Barbara had received word from her father of a dinner invitation. Alaric had invited one of the younger Praetorian guards who would be working alongside her husband Marcus, and he was requesting that she and Marcus join them for dinner. After clearing it with her husband, to make sure he was going to be free as she would go either way, she had sent a note back stating they would be there. The evening of the dinner arrived, and Barbara was looking forward to an evening of adult conversation, although the children had technically been invited as well. She was dressed in a dark green stola with her hair braided up into a knot of curls. She had told her son to make sure he was dressed in his best tunic and had done the same with Aelia, but also made sure there was more relaxing clothing brought if they got ‘bored’ and she needed to take them from the room- which she wouldn’t hesitate to do if they got out of control. Barbara, Marcus and their children arrived at the Domus and were informed that their guest had already arrived. “Thank you.” She knelt to her daughter- it was always better to look the young girl in the eyes when something needed to be explained. “Be on your best behaviour for Mater.” She wasn’t too worried about her son- he was ‘old’ enough to know what was expected of him. Aelia nodded her head and took her mother’s hand. Barbara moved from the Atrium into the Triclinum and saw her father along with her brother Alaricus and their guest. “Salve” @Gothic@Renna@Sains@Indy

Sounds good and I can post Barbara into the family dinner thread with Decimus if you want

Hm- Alaric would have heard that his friend was sick again. He could either visit shortly before he passed or sometime after he passes. With Claudia it could be post Saturnalia visit

Claudia Caesaris will be glad that Canus is dead or perhaps one with Alaric- care for a thread?

Plotting is the jumping off points for character relationships- I have 3 women. Feel free to take a look I have: Julia Valeria Patrician- sold into slavery, escaped, eventually freed/restored to Patrician status by Lucilla Augusta & Magister Fluvius Stilicho Former Imperial Governess- following her escape from slavery she was concealed by Lucilla in the Imperial Palace as Governess to Flavia (and Claudia/Tiberius after they were born) Widowed- was married to Marcus Aburius Canus, died during the most recent Saturnalia (Dec 73 AD) Barbara Stilicha Equite- Daughter of Alaric Aetius Stilicho, Germanic Prince captured and brought to Rome, Barbara brought along as incentive for him to convert Wife/Mother- Married to Marcus Aelius Lentulus, mother to 2 children (Son: Marcus Minor, Daughter: Aelia Lentula Tacita Slave Born mute- able to hear, unable to produce speech beyond very basic sounds, communications with gestures & very basic writing Hard worker- loves being in the kitchen (does not mind being alone in her tasks) Owned by: Aulus Calpurnius Praetextatus

Tacita 25 | 26 September, 48 AD | Slave | Cook, House Slave | Heterosexual | Original | Emilia Clarke Personality. Tacita has been a slave her entire life as she was sold very young. As such she does not know a lifestyle any different. As a child to keep her out of trouble she was often kept in the kitchens helping the slaves out in there and that was where her love of the kitchen was born. Tacita learned very early in from those who ‘took care of her’ that her biological family had abandoned her due to her inability to speak- she has vocal chords as she is able to produce non-descript sounds, however that is the extent of her ‘voice’. To help with communication Tacita learned to use gestures and the slaves around her learned to ‘translate’ however that led to trouble or awkwardness when she would encounter new situations where people didn’t know her usual signs. Her second Master (Lucius Antonius Octavianus) corrected this issue by having a tutor in his household teach her the basics of writing. Although she practices her writing as much as she can, she will still rely on gestures when around people who are familiar with her. The important thing for people to know is she might not always communicate but there is a full conversation going on in her head- just because she can’t talk do not assume she is dumb. Those who do, are not high on her favourites list. If someone were to ask her if she wanted to be freed the answer is no. Tacita is very content where she is. Being abandoned as a very young child and then a particular bad day where she fell into a crevice and was unable to call for help have reinforced the desire to stay. Being in a ‘household’ even as a slave is the closest to a ‘family’ she has ever had. Appearance For her childhood and teen years, Tacita was often described as ‘mousy’ due to her very slim build. Standing barely 5 feet tall as an adult, her physique is that of someone who has worked hard all her life but started off with barely anything to begin with. Being a servant, and one with such a disability, she often got the scraps left over and spent many hours of her days running around the kitchens/gardens gathering this and that for the cooks so she never seemed to put any fat on her body. This has changed slightly over the past few years due to a healthy stable life. Although she is still a slave, as she is the cook she knows where her meals are coming from and has some control over what goes into them. More often than not her gaze is directed to the floor, but if you do catch her gaze you will see that her dark brown eyes and dark hair against her pale skin is a very striking contrast. Her hair and eyes are so dark that they could almost pass as black but there is a just enough warmth in them to make them inviting and not cold/harsh- think a good comforting piece of dark chocolate. As her skin tone is very pale it is not uncommon for her to have bruises on her body- it is not because she is beaten it is simply because she marks up easily. It takes a very little brush for her to end up with a bruise but luckily they are rarely serious and easily hidden under her dresses. She does have a scar on her right outer thigh from a childhood accident- that spawned her fear of small dark places. Tacita had been out gathering herbs from the hillside garden of a former master’s house and fell into a crevice. She wasn’t hurt other than the 3” cut on her thigh and some bruising but she was there for a while because she was unable to call for help- the best she could do was squeaky cry. Eventually she was found but the wound wasn’t well treated and she ended up with a scar. Family Father: unknown (abandoned at birth) Mother: unknown (abandoned at birth) Siblings: unknown (abandoned at birth) Spouse: Children: Extended family: Other: -Current Owner: _______________________ (up for sale) -Past Master: Sextus Papirius Crassus Ursus -Past Master: Lucius Antonius Octavianus History CHILDHOOD [48-61 AD]: September 48- born/abandoned/found 50- sold by the family that found her as they had too many children 53- Began earning her keep working in the kitchens 58- Fell into a crevice, scraping her thigh and unable to call for help was stuck there all day until found 61- Her master’s shady business practice caught up to him and she was put back on the auction block Tacita was born on a late September day and although she was a healthy sized child there was one thing immediately noticeable about the child. Her cry was not a normal infant cry. What came out sounded like a cat that was being drowned in water or a whistling type sound. While her existence now was proof that someone could live with this condition, at the time of her birth her ‘voice’ (or lack thereof) scared her family and she was abandoned by the riverside. She was found by a farmer’s family and the wife kept her long enough to determine whether the child had enough will to live or would fail to live through the winter. Tacita was a tough child and as such survived and life seemed good however the family that found her had a wealth of children and after a few years were unable to keep her any longer. She was given away, sold off and this is where her life as a slave began. The early years of her life were a blur of memories. Birthdays came and went with little acknowledgement. If it hadn’t for the fact that farmer’s family who originally took her in estimated her age/date of birth and passed that information on when she was sold initially she might not even have an approximate age. At the age of five, two years after initially sold, it was decided she needed to start pulling her weight around the Domus and she was given to the slaves in the kitchen to use as necessary. They had her helping in the gardens- pulling weeds, gathering herbs & food etc as well as small tasks in the kitchen. About 8 years old she was out gathering up on of the hillsides she slipped into a crevice. She lay injured in the bottom of the crevice ‘crying’ for help but no help ever seemed to come. By the time someone clued in that she had not come back yet and went looking for her before their master found out and was angry that a slave had ‘run away’ she had been trapped there most of the day. She was taken home and after being cleaned up, other than bruises, the only wound she had was a cut on her right thigh that would later form a scar but the experience scared her and she did not want to venture far from the kitchen for quite some time after that. Instead she took to tasks in the kitchen and learned to cook some favoured dishes. Life was going well, or at least she thought so. It was well known around the Domus that young little Tacita could not speak and occasionally her Master would send for her if he was doing business he wished to be kept silent but still needed a slave around to serve food/do his bidding. He knew that she would be unable to ‘spill’ his secrets to the world and both he and his wife appreciated that. She was ‘prized’ for two skills- her cooking and her silence…the second being a VERY rare skill because even slaves sometimes gossip. Her Master had some shadiness to him and eventually this shadiness caught up to him and he was executed/his household seized. TEENAGE TO EARLY ADULT [61-70 AD]: 61- Purchased by Lucius Antonius Octavianus who purchased her for her cooking and taught her to read to assist with her lack of a voice but her position there did not last long 62- Once again on the auction block, purchased by Sextus Papirius Crassus Ursus however he was killed when riots broke out early in 62. 62 to 70- Tacita was purchased by a family looking for slaves in the kitchen and general home slaves In 61 AD, at the tender age of 13, Tacita found herself back on the auction block and feared she would be purchased by a brothel or something worse but it was her abilities as a cook and her silence that found her another home. She was purchased by Lucius Antonius Octavianus and while her time in his household was short, compared to her first Master, he was very good to her. He praised her for her cooking abilities and rewarded her by helping her overcome one of her major challenges. In his household he had a tutor and Lucius felt that Tacita should learn to write/read so that her need to use gestures/translators was lessened. Life would take another change of direction. When she was 14 years old (62 AD) she was once again on the auction block and was purchased by Sextus Papirus Ursus Crassus and she had barely gotten set into the household when her new master was killed in the riots that broke out just prior to Clemens seizing control. His slaves were sold off to various masters and Tacita was purchased by family looking for general household and kitchen slaves. ADULTHOOD [70-74 AD]: 70 to 73- Tacita has continued to serve the family that purchased her 74: Tacita has once again found herself on the auction block Upon becoming an adult life continued on as normal- there wasn’t any acknowledgement. She continued working for the family that had purchased her and it was the longest she had served a single household. She works mostly in the kitchen but helps out in the general household. JENN | EST | PM/DISCORD