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Lucius Junius Silanus


Chris

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Lucius Junius Silanus

26 | 27 Sep 51 CE | Senator | Tribunus Auxiliae | Hetero | Original | Aaron Jakubenko

 

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Personality

Determined and unrelenting, Lucius Silanus is a young man who will stop at nothing to secure the legacy of his family. Always in the back of his mind are the stories of how his uncle and namesake Lucius was framed, his birth father Marcus poisoned, and his father (and uncle) Decimus betrayed. He is a man who honors his family and its history, but he also is careful to learn from the mistakes of his forefathers. He is almost completely void of outward emotion, refusing to speak openly or carelessly to anyone except for his sister Junia. He has not yet in his life had anything close to a romantic relationship; that is not to say that he doesn't enjoy women, but his enjoyment of them is purely instinctual and ruled by logic. 

He places professional relationships above anything personal, and sees his duty to those who have given him a chance as paramount. Though he is completely understanding of honor and its tenants, there is a sadistic and brutal side to the man - though it is something he will only show to his enemies. When faced with difficult decisions, he weights what is in the best for the many, regardless of the influence on the few. Killing non-combatants, burning towns, taking slaves or any other number of actions to teach a lesson to any of Rome's enemies are not actions he even pauses to contemplate the ethics of.

The name of the Junii-Silani rests on his shoulders alone (until his younger brother Marcus comes of age) and he refuses to see the name trampled into the dust. He is hardened and matured beyond his years, and is absolutely ready to serve the empire to whatever end. 
 

Appearance

Lucius Silanus stands average in height for a Roman, and is lean in build like his father Decimus before him. Unlike Decimus, however, he has inherited a fairer complexion both in the tone of his skin and the lighter blond-brown of his hair - though his hair does take a darker tone when it grows out, as he has been known to do. He wears the clothing expected of his class, and is not without pride in how he dresses himself during proper situations. He is not so austere and reserved as his ancestor Augustus is rumored to have been, but he is aware of current fashion trends and what points he needs to meet in order to fit in with the movements of the upper class.
 

Family

Father: Marcus Junius Silanus (deceased)
Mother: Atia Valeria (deceased)

Adoptive Father: Decimus Junius Silanus (deceased)
Step-Mother: Flavia Juliana (b.-)

Siblings:
- Junia Silana (b. 44; natural older sister)
- Marcus Junius Silanus (b. 56; adoptive younger brother)

Spouse: None

Children: None

Extended Family
- Junia Lepida (b.-; paternal aunt) & the Cassii-Longini through her
- Junia Calvina (deceased: paternal aunt) & the Vitellii through her
- Publius Atius Rufinus (b.-; maternal uncle) & the Atii-Rufini through him 

Other:
Friendships with Tiberius Claudius Sabucius and Titus Flavius Caesar Augustus.

 

History

CHILDHOOD [51-63]

 

Over the centuries of Rome's great history, few families have survived so many political upheavals, wars, and adversity as the Junii-Silani. From the first of their name recorded - Marcus Junius Silanus in 210 BC, who fought with Scipio Africanus against Hannibal - to Lucius' own fathers, they are a family which has outlasted and carried on. Arguably the most detrimental decision in the history of the family was their integration into the distinguished family of the Divine Augustus. The simple fact that Lucius himself is a great-great-great-grandson to Augustus has been - in recent memory - enough to make him a danger to those who continue the legacy of the Caesars by borrowing the name.

Lucius was born in the year 804 since the foundation of Rome (51 CE), the second child and only son to Marcus Junius Silanus and his wife Atia Valeria. The decade of his birth saw the end of Claudius' reign, the rise of the Quinquevirate and the eventual devastation of his family. In 54, just three years after his birth, Lucius' father was suddenly found dead. While the official explanation was that he had ruptured a vessel in his brain, his wife Atia insisted he had been poisoned. Marcus had been investigating clues to uncover the truth behind his own brother Lucius' suicide, and according to Atia, he had uncovered the evidence he needed... only a little too late. His death took a heavy toll on Atia and in a matter of time she became frail and weakened, not even able to take care of her children.

It was at that point that Lucius and his elder sister Junia were sent to their aunt Junia Lepida and her husband Gaius Cassius Longinus where they were cared for and looked after until Atia's death in 58. Though the death of their mother hit Junia hard, Lucius felt less influenced simply because of his age and the fact that the two of them hadn't had time to make a strong connection. Instead, he felt frustration and fear over leaving his uncle Cassius and aunt Lepida. Their next destination was to yet another uncle's home, who would become a father to them. Decimus Silanus was the youngest of the Junii-Silani, and was without children of his own. It was decided, then, that he would adopt Lucius as his own son and Junia as his ward, and raise them as his own children.

Seven years old at the time, Lucius made a quick bond with his youthful and energetic uncle-become-father and at last had the father-figure missing from the formative years of his life. Lucius and Junia continued to follow their father Decimus in his movements, as - despite the misfortune of his elder brothers - his career seemed to continue rising. After successfully putting down a large pirate threat in the Mare Nostrum, he was appointed Governor of the new province of Britannia and tasked with its administration. Lucius followed along and, coming into age for schooling, was tutored by Decimus himself, a Greek tutor brought along, and Decimus' personal slave - a Briton given the name Scaevo.

Lucius enjoyed Britannia and the change of scenery. He loved to watch the legions, and enjoyed seeing people of a different life. He quickly attached himself to Scaevo, as well as Decimus' second-in-command Lucius Cassius Longinus (also the brother of his uncle Gaius Longinus).

In 59, Decimus entered into an alliance to gain favor for the family with the marriage of Lucius' sister Junia to then-junior-Caesar, Decimus Caesar (also known by his nickname "Junus"). It was the first time in Lucius' life that he was apart from his sister Junia, and he coped with the loneliness by throwing himself into studies. He spent a great deal of time with his tutors studying the finer aspects of rhetoric and tactics, so much to the point that he began delving into the private library of his father Decimus, curious to learn how the man's education impacted his governance of the province. When reading didn't sate his thirst for knowledge, Lucius explored the growing city of Colonia and observed its inhabitants, and gradually began spending more and more time around the city's barracks, entertaining himself by watching the legionaries in their daily exercises.

The next year an assassination attempt was made on the young Caesar Junus during his visit to Aegyptus - the first stop on his tour of the empire that would eventually see him arrive in Britannia. Lucius was overjoyed to be reunited with his sister Junia, even if only for a short while. During his visit, Junus officially awarded command of the Britannic legions to Decimus, effectively making him master of all of Roman Britannia. The command came with the task of conquering the island and making good the dream of Junus' brother and predecessor to reap the wealth of that land... but only after they had all returned from Rome. For the summer of 60, Lucius traveled with Decimus and the rest of his family to Rome to celebrate the great races that Junus himself had orchestrated.

At nine years of age, Lucius had his first true visit to the heartland of his people. All of his life he had been whisked away to one city or another in one province or another, but at last he saw Rome... and in style. Junus spared no expense in treating his newly-acquired extended family, as - though it was over Lucius' head at the time - Junus saw quite a powerful ally in the successful Decimus Silanus. It was during this trip that Lucius first met his aunt Junia Calvina, and thus became his first experience with a true family. All of his joy was soon to be brutally ripped away from him. The very climax of his trip to Rome - the grand finale of the races - was to be the catalyst for the near destruction of his family. In a procession to travel to the grounds of the race track to meet his favorite racer, Lucius and his father were separated from Junus and Junia during a commotion with the mob. The commotion turned into the assassination of Caesar Junus, all of which Lucius witnessed firsthand.

The days afterward remained a blur in his memory. Junia was changed, and so was he. In short order, the fate of the August family seemed to reveal itself cursed. The empress Lucilla had passed only a month earlier, and shortly after Decimus returned his family to Britannia news came to them of Honorius' death in battle and the rise of Manius Cyprianus as dictator in Rome. Lucius remained closer than he had ever been to Decimus... for a time. Decimus, however, knew that he needed to show his strength. As a close ally of the Caesars - whom had obviously been plotted against - he ran the risk of being a target. He quickly mobilized the Britannic legions and pushed them into a war that was somewhat ill-prepared.

The war against the Britons was not as successful as hoped, as Decimus found fierce and strategic resistance in his opponent, Eppitacos, the leader of the Briton armies. As the intensity of the war picked up, Lucius seldom saw his uncle and instead began to spend the majority of his time with his step-mother, Flavia Juliana. Juliana had become pregnant with Decimus' own child, whom everyone hoped would be a boy, and Lucius felt it to be his duty to look after her and protect the family while Decimus was away. He took quickly to patrolling their home, seeing to it that the slaves were doing as they should, and that the midwives were paying attention to Juliana at all times. He relished in his small position of command, and thought himself quite good at it.

For the better part of the year 61, Decimus was away on his campaigns. He had yet to win a secure victory, but was far from a major defeat. News had come from Rome of the end of Cyprianus' dictatorship, and Lucius wondered if Decimus wouldn't attempt to quickly wrap up the war in order to return to Rome himself. Whatever Decimus' plans were, they would never be known. In the battle he intended to bring an end to the war, he was betrayed by his own secretary Scaevo and killed. The battle was salvaged by Lucius Longinus, and Scaevo returned to Colonia for interrogation. When the news came to Lucius, he didn't know how to feel... so he felt nothing. He found the effects of his father, took them, and in doing so found the traitor Scaevo and ended his life. From that moment, the boy that was Lucius Silanus disappeared.

 

TEENAGE TO EARLY ADULTHOOD [63-68]

After Decimus' death, there was no reason for the family to remain in Britannia. There was a general fear among the Roman population that the Britons would overwhelm them and massacre all of them, and so with a great many other families of note (and more of nothing), Lucius traveled with Juliana and Junia to return to Rome. Lucius Longinus escorted them, as he was called back to Rome to give an official report of what had happened, and to request for more troops to fight against the Britons. Lucius ended up living on the estate of his aunt Calvina, and Junia joined them. Neither child was overly outgoing or ambitious for several years following their return. The Lucius whom had loved watching the races and simply observing the world around him was gone. As the boy became an adolescent and then a pre-teen, he brooded and skulked.

Yet, Lucius was living in Rome in the middle of a very volatile time, and with the outbreak of the civil war in 63, his life again was thrown into chaos. Though Calvina was his guardian in the eyes of the law, Lucius remained very close to Juliana, whom he saw as more of a mother figure. His closeness to her (and Decimus' ties to her) marked them as enemies once the vile Clemens came into his brief stint as Caesar. Juliana, though pregnant, acted quick enough to flee the city with Lucius and Junia.. their destination was Africa, where her father Jullus was safely situated. Calvina, however, refused to go. She had been in exile for much of her life, and refused to leave the beloved city she had only just returned to. It was the last time Lucius ever saw her; he hadn't known her long at all.

Once in Africa, Lucius was whisked away with Juliana to the gubernatorial estate of her father, Jullus Flavius Alexander. As the civil war exploded across the empire, Jullus remained faithful to his brother Quintus; that fact, coupled with that fact that Africa was so disjointed from the main course of the war kept Lucius in safety through what was to follow. During the months he spent in the province, he became ever closer to Juliana, whom had suffered a miscarriage during the trek across the Mare Nostrum, and thereby spent a good deal of time around her father, Jullus. Ever without a father, Lucius needed a man to look up to, and Jullus was a fine candidate. Though there was no shared blood between them, the bond between Juliana and Lucius was obvious, and apparently enough for Jullus to watch over the young and developing boy.

By the end of 63, the civil war had ended with Quintus Alexander declared the new Caesar. After things in Rome settled down, Juliana and her cohort returned to the city. Lucius, as had become natural for him, remained with her as a part of her household. Through this connection, Lucius became ever more intertwined into the daily structure and happenings of the imperial family. Juliana was the niece of the emperor, and as such was permitted access to come and go from the wings of the palace as she pleased. Lucius, too, often went with her. Though several years older than Quintus Caesar's son Titus, and his ward Tiberius, Lucius and his younger brother Marcus quickly befriended them. As their senior, he became the unofficial leader of their small group. The newfound role, and friendships, was a great boost to his self-confidence and helped to shape him into the young man he would grow into in later years.

Quintus Caesar, too, saw promise in having the scion of a leading house in the halls of his home. Lucius was treated as Juliana's own son and given access to the finest of tutors available. He took to his studies with great enthusiasm, and especially delved into the studies of tactics and logistics. His passive studies of the art of war and politics continued through the next several years until he was at last deemed old enough to begin more hands on learning.

 

ADULTHOOD [68-NOW]

In 68, at the age of 17, Lucius shaved the hair from his face and ceremoniously became a man. He inherited the great wealth of his family, though he and Marcus remained within Juliana's household. Pining for his first taste of duty, he appealed to Juliana to appeal to Caesar to secure him a position in Britannia. The favor was quickly granted, and Lucius saw himself to Colonia to serve as Tribunus Laticlavius under Legatus Legionis Lucius Longinus, whom Quintus Caesar put in place after his return to Rome. Though Eppitacos, the man whom had defeated Decimus thanks to betrayal, was no longer the enemy of Rome in Britannia, the war against the tribes continued. In fact, just as Lucius arrived in the province the Britons suffered a terrible blow to their unity in the betrayal of their queen Ysulda.

Ysulda retreated to Colonia to seek haven. She was taken in by Longinus and immediately sent to Rome as a protected and important ally of Rome. Meanwhile, Longinus used her place as a wronged ally of Rome as a means to war. He had the cassus belli needed to complete the last phase of Caesar's plan to conquer southern Britannia. Despite the loss of their southerly allies, the Brigantes remained a very strong and self-sufficient tribal kingdom. They maintained a neutrality with the more barbarian tribes to the north, and with the Hibernian tribes across the straight and thus had only to focus on defending their own lands. The campaign, therefore, was not a quick one. For the next three years the Roman Britannic legions pushed against the Brigantes, finally breaking them at the climactic siege of the capital of Brigantia, referred to as Calx by the Romans.

Throughout the years of campaigning, Lucius proved himself more than adept at leading soldiers. Despite his age, he had - from his formative years - a strong knowledge of the land, the people, and their customs. It was knowledge he used to his advantage when leading scouting and advanced parties of the legions. Several of the men within the legions knew his name and had fought beneath Decimus and all likened him to their commander, whom they had adored for his fair and just treatment of the legions and the conquered. Lucius was quick to adopt the persona of his deceased father and greatly endeared himself to the legions of Britannia. He remained fierce in battle and fair in the doling of rewards and spoils once the kingdom of the Brigantes had been toppled. Longinus praised him for his hard work and quick thinking on the battlefield and wrote back to Caesar of his approval.

With Britannia soundly conquered at the close of the year 71, Lucius was recalled to Rome. He arrived in the spring of 72 and for the remainder of the year became embroiled in a legal dispute over the ancestral lands of his family. The former land belonging to his family had been burned in Clemens' riots, and then claimed by the state. With the deeds and documents all destroyed, Lucius had to trade favors with several of Rome's leading senators and families in order to eventually win the rights to the land. Once he had done so, he hired the finest architect he could afford and set about building a new version of the old home - which was completed halfway through the year. By the time it was finished, Lucius had already departed Rome again, this time as a member of an official diplomatic party sent by Caesar to meet with the eastern kingdoms of Armenia, Parthia, and the 'Graeci'.

Strong winter winds closed the return path for the party, forcing Lucius and others to remain the "guests" of their Greek hosts - where he still remains until the spring thaws allow travel across the mountains and back into Roman territory.

 

CHRIS | US EST | PM / DISCORD

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