Titus Sulpicius Rufus

[Liv]

Titus Sulpicius Rufus.

34 | october nonae 39 CE | Senatore | Soldier/senator | Heterosexual | Canon | Toby Kebbell

 

 

Personality.

From a very young age Titus has been described as both bold and brash. As a little boy he would try to climb the tallest tree, mount the wildest mare, start the most play-fights. He was determined to aggrandise himself, to beat his siblings and the slave children in their endeavours, and then tell everyone about it who would hear. The brashness is still there, forever a part of his nature and upbringing, but he does a good job of taming it as needed. Titus prefers to describe himself as confident. Never one to shy away from a challenge, he likes to take initiative and meet his enemies where they stand, be it in the fields of Dacia or within the walls of Rome.

It goes, without saying, therefore, that Titus is willful and driven in his undertakings. Any affair he is tasked with is seen to completion, and despite his lack of patience for mundane minutiae, he is perfectly capable of playing the long game so as to accomplish his goals. Nevertheless, every so often his face betrays his inner thoughts, and to combat that flaw he tends to assume a serious, grumpy look – which, again, leads many to feel justified in their opinion of him as an arrogant man.

In actuality, Titus is a goofy fellow with a quick laugh. Trading jokes and anecdotes with his legionaries, attending theatre performances and playing with his children are things he enjoys, and he’s as much a fan of gladiator fights and chariot races as the average Gaius on the street. The simple pleasures of life energise him and give him something to look forward to when he is away from civilisation.

As a soldier, Titus is frighteningly effective. He leads those under his command from the frontlines, aiming to set a good example, and hacks away at enemies with all the glee and abandon of a patron at a brothel. A decent strategist and a better executor, Titus feels most alive when in the midst of battle, fighting by his men’s side; he lives for victory and the look of despair in their opponents’ eyes when they realise they’re powerless to stop the implacable Roman army – better than any aphrodisiac or fine wine. His loyalty to the eagle standard is unquestionable, and his trust in the Augustus’ military and political savvy unwavering.   

 

Appearance

Titus stands at a fairly common 172 cm, being both shorter and stockier than his lanky elder brother. Thanks to his time in the legions and a natural inclination for fitness and physical activity, he is in good shape, although by no means built like a gladiator. Also courtesy of his military service are several scars, both big and small, spread across his body; some are more visible than others, like his nearly-sliced-in-half right ear and cheek, but Titus sees them as proof of his dedication rather than eyesores.

He sports short, slightly wavy brown hair and, in spite of his best efforts and shaving routine, often finds himself in possession of a 5 o’clock shadow. His eyes are an ordinary brown, neither light nor dark, and his skin colour is also quite ordinary, although a tanner tone than the one he was born with owing to long periods of time spent outdoors.

The latest fashions mean nothing to Titus, and he feels most comfortable in military garb. When at home in Rome, he lets his body slave decide for him, as long as it’s simple and sober. Regardless of what he wears, Titus strives to present a stolid countenance in public, but allows himself to be much more animated when with family or very close friends – and occasionally in front of his army subordinates.

 

Family

Father: Lucius Sulpicius Rufus (b. deceased, former Consul.)

Mother: Plancia Magna (b. alive)

Siblings:

Sulpicia Rufia (b. 48 years old)
Quintus Sulpicius Rufus (b. 29 CE)

Spouse: Valeria Flacca, daughter of Publius Valerius Flaccus (senator)

Children:

Sulpicia Flacca (b. 61CE)
Publius Sulpicius Rufus (b. 65CE)
Sulpicia Valeriana (b. 70CE.)

Extended family:

Paternal
Sulpicia Rufia's husband = Lucius Volusius Saturninus (Senator)
Quintus Volusius Saturninus (b. 60CE)
Gaius Volusius Saturninus (b.64CE)
(Other children did not survive.)

Quintus Sulpicius Rufus' wife = Cornelia Scipiones
Quintus Sulpicius Rufus Minor (b. 60CE)
Appius Sulpicius Rufus (b. 62CE)
Sulpicia Rufiana (b. 64CE)
Sulpicia Annthea (b. 68CE)

Maternal

(Grandfather, Senator) Marcus Plancius Magnus
Marcus Plancius Magnus Minor, age 40.
Plancia Magnilla

 
Extended family on the Plancia-Magna page.

Other:

Related to the Valerii-Flacchi by marriage

 

History

Titus came to the world in 39CE, the third and last child to his parents. Being the youngest afforded him liberties his older siblings would have had to fight for, and that suited the active little boy just fine. His bronze soldier toys followed him all around the domus, and the conquests of Alexander were his favourite bedtime stories. He was a curious and fearless child, more interested in history and the military arts than literature or philosophy. While his brother concerned himself with learning the ropes of the Senate and their dealings from their father Lucius, Titus dreamed of becoming the greatest legatus of his age, an equal to Scipio Africanus in the annals of history. As he grew older, however, he came to understand the merits of Quintus’ long-term strategy, and sought to adapt it to his own ambitions.

His coming of age coincided with a period of great unrest in Rome. The illness and later death of Claudius brought about much uncertainty, and rebellions popped up all across the Empire like mushrooms after heavy rains. It was in this climate of distrust and betrayal that Titus joined the legions as tribunus laticlavius under the command of Quintus Flavius Alexander, unafraid to openly support the Augusta’s family. The conflict in Gaul had them facing the forces of the proditor patriae Camilius and emerging victorious in 56CE. Titus’ service only confirmed what he had always felt deep within: the art of war was to be his métier.

The fragile peace attained after the liquidation of Camilius would last only a few years, suffering irreparable blows from the deaths of the Caesares: Darius in 58CE and Junus and Honorius two years later. Titus’ stint in Gaul ended when Quintus Flavius Alexander returned to Rome in 60CE, and in the same year he married Valeria Flacca, she too the daughter of a senator. It was a political match, as most were, but Titus’ affection for his wife grew quickly as they welcomed their new life together, and before long he was sincerely and utterly devoted to her. A year later, in 61CE, the pair welcomed their first daughter, named Sulpicia Flacca for both families. Titus found he was the doting type of father, hopelessly wrapped about his daughter’s chubby little fingers.

In 62CE civil war broke out, and again Titus hurried to Quintus Flavius Alexander’s side in the East. Between Cyprianus’ loss of power and the executions ordered by the newly-acclaimed Clemens, Rome was a most dangerous place to be, and Titus entrusted the safety of his wife and child to the smooth tongue and diplomacy of his older brother. In Cappadocia he acclaimed Quintus Alexander Caesar, supporting him in his defeat of the armies of Scaurus, Cotta and Clemens, and marched triumphantly back to Rome under the new Caesar after a fortunate reunion with his brother. His reencounter with Valeria and Flacca was an emotional one, yet Titus was eager to assist Quintus Caesar in his structural reforms of the legions. In 63CE he marched to Gaul once more, aiding Caesar in his pushback against the German attackers along the Rhine and helping to prepare a new venture into Britannia. Their force reached the island in 64CE and again a reorganisation of the legions was undertaken so they might better defeat the belligerent natives.

In one of the skirmishes with aggressive tribes Titus suffered a serious injury and was sent back to Rome once he has recuperated enough to travel, his superior affirming that Titus had yet much to offer to the army if only he took care to live long enough. His sourness at having to miss out on all the action was lessened by being with his family again, and in 65CE Valeria gave birth to a son, named Publius in honour of his maternal grandfather. His new heir made Titus’ recovery much more agreeable and provided him with the perfect excuse to retrieve and dust off his old toy soldiers, and in early 66CE he celebrated the return to Rome and triumph of Caesar Augustus, with the infamous Briton Eppitacus in tow as spoils of war.

The following years were of little note. Titus resumed his unfinished business in Britannia in late 67CE, this time as quaestor in suo anno, and participated in the maneuvres and strategies that would ultimately remove Ysulda of the Brigantes from power in 68CE. Once his quaestorship was over, Titus was sent back to Rome to keep an eye on the deposed Ysulda, who had by that time reached the capital after having fled to Colonia in Germania Inferior. He and Valeria made good use of this time to add to their family, and in 70CE Sulpicia Valeriana greeted the world for the first time. However, Titus did not have much time in which to get to know his youngest child, as Caesar sent him to Dacia to assume the post of legatus legionis for the XI Claudia. Thus, in 72CE Titus commemorated news of his brother’s election as consul from quite a distance, nevertheless feeling much pride at Quintus’ accomplishment.

It is now 74CE and Titus is back in Rome following the completion of his term in Dacia. For the time being he is kept busy by all the catching up with family and affairs of the city, but is of two minds about whether he should aim for a new assignment to the provinces or begin to climb up the ladder in earnest and seek a praetorship.

 

 

Liv | GMT+1 | PM/DM (Liv#5452)

 

 

 @Gothic

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by Liv
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