Manius Rutilius Gallus

[Atrice]

MANIUS RUTILIUS GALLUS

40 | Springtime, 36 AD | Freedman | Guard for a slaver | Bisexual | Original | Francois Arnaud

 

 

Personality.

When you first meet Manius, he will seem like a possibly gloomy man. Maybe a bit too cautious and a man of few words too. Many events in his life has shaped him into the man he is today; troubled, thoughtful and hard-working. He likes to work and does what he has to do – he carries out work, carries out the orders given to him and that’s really what he cares about doing. He may seem like a workaholic to some, but it is far more than that. Manius is very content with having something to do – he does not strive for happiness nor for social rank and he still barely thinks he deserves the freedom his former master gave him. Especially considering the most recent events of his life. His self-esteem tends to go up and down and he does not take compliments well if they’re given to him. He always thinks he can do better and will most likely not believe you, if you told him he’s doing fine.

Manius feels life has treated him badly and the person he blames for this, is himself. He thinks he has often failed those, who should be able to trust him. It is his fault, that his wife and son were killed, so many years ago. And somehow it is also his fault, that his master was eventually executed, because Manius failed to find a way to save him. And now he wasn’t at home during the earthquake and his wife has gone missing. If only he’d been there. He does not care what happens to himself and if he has indeed done something wrong, he will willingly take a beating or a flogging. He believes he deserves it. And secretly, something no one in his present life knows, he enjoys the pain.

He is fiercely loyal to those he serves today and will do literally anything they ask of him – no matter his own moral standards. Those he serves deserve his loyalty and trust. When it comes to relationships, Manius sometimes makes friends, because he is a protective and deep within gentle man, but he is not the type who makes the first move or talks out of turn. In truth he probably have more enemies now than friends in Rome because of his close relationship with his latest master and the fact that he can hold a grudge for a long time. Love is a strange thing to Manius – he loves, or loved, his wife Salacia, who is now missing and they had a very gentle and sweet relationship. But then there is his other side, in which he enjoys pain, something she never knew. Now that she is gone, he’s uncertain about what to do though, so he wants to throw himself into work once more. To both forget… and remember, that he should never take anything for granted.

Appearance

Manius has dark brown and somewhat curly hair. In the past, he’d often have it at shoulder length, but at the moment, it is shorter than that. He never keeps it entirely short though and it is half-long and slightly curly. Manius will often look a little scruffy, he does not really care much about his looks. With no woman to take care of him now, he cares little for his appearance except for what any employer tells him. He has hazel brown, troubled eyes and a very sculptured face, which some have called ‘wolf-like’. On his back and towards his neck, he has scars that he gained a long time ago. Nowadays he does not care to hide them anymore. His skin is somewhat pale, and his body is well trained, fit and slender.  

Manius will often be seen wearing short dark colored breeches and a pale (not bleached) colored or dark tunica over the breeches. When fighting and working as a bodyguard, Manius wears leather armor too. Manius has a dark grey cloak. He’s always wearing a weapon on his person too, mostly a short sword or a knife and has learned how to hide said weapon.

 

Family

Father: Publius Gallus (deceased)

Mother: Aurelia Lucia (deceased)

Siblings: N/A

Spouse: Salacia (unknown whereabouts)

Previous spouse: Dianna Marcia (deceased)

Children: Manius Gallus Minor (deceased)

Other: Former dominus and employer: Manius Rutilius Cyprianus (deceased)

Current job: Guard/overseer of slaves with Spurius Antius Claudus

 

History

36 AD - Manius Gallus was born the son to a free plebian couple in Rome. His father, Publius, worked at the slave market, but it did not seem to interest Manius at first. The boy preferred to fight with other boys at the market. A teacher was employed when Manius was old enough, so he could be professionally trained in fighting.

51 AD – Manius discovers women, wine… and gambling. It was fun and new and interesting and he got caught up in it. He also got a job at last, his father securing his son a job at the slave market, where he worked as a guard, trying to keep the most ill-tempered slaves in check. Naturally, they disliked being kept down by such a young man, but Manius did not think much about that. At least he was no slave.

55 AD – Manius marries Dianna Marcia. It is an arranged marriage, but they learn to love each other fast. Dianna is soon pregnant. Manius continues his gambling habit.

56 AD – A son is born, Manius Gallus Minor. Manius adored his son, but… things began to go wrong, after his son was born. First his mother became ill, dying a few months later. And Manius was still gambling and had been caught in a web of owing money, thanks to the Servian Collegium lending him coin that he was unable to pay back. Because of that, Manius and his family were threatened because Manius was unable to gain the coin he needed to pay his debts.

58 AD – Manius has gained too much debt at the gambling tables. He was 22 years old the day he came back from work, to find his wife and 2-year-old son murdered, gathered on the floor in a pool of blood. Manius naturally, and with good reason, blamed himself for this. He considered taking his own life, but decided that would be too easy for someone as inferior as he. Instead he sold his home, all of his belongings and then himself at the end – he gave himself up to slavery instead and was soon purchased by a family. Here he would teach two young sons how to fight and became bed slave to the oldest son, who mistreated him.

59 AD – Manius is sold after issues with the family. Before he was sold though, the son of the house who took him to bed, chose to say goodbye to Manius in his own special way. Manius has scars across his back and neck because of this. But eventually, he was sold to a new master and mistress, to become a bodyguard to his new mistress. In 59 AD, he was passed on to a new master and mistress, to be bodyguard to the mistress. He fell back to gambling, briefly, and got himself beat up and abused after losing a game. 

60 AD, spring – While he enjoyed the new job as a bodyguard, he made a mistake. He fell in love with his mistress and dared to kiss her one day they were walking on the beach. He was soon for sale again, this time to be bought by one certain Manius Rutilius Cyprianus. To begin with, Manius worked as a house slave, but soon advanced to personal sparring partner when his Dominus practiced his fighting skills. And before Manius knew it, he was more or less functioning as his master’s very loyal bodyguard. And Cyprianus needed one, since he made plans behind everyone else’s backs and kept climbing the social ladder in Rome, until he was Dictator.

60 AD, fall – Manius was, against his will, freed and would instead officially function as Procurator a Patrimonio for the Dictator of Rome. Unofficially, he still functioned as a bodyguard and followed Cyprianus wherever he could. Even as a freedman, Manius was loyal to his Dominus to the point of insanity. On another front however, something good happened (Manius did not consider being freed as a good thing). His fellow slave Salacia, whom he’d fallen in love with, was also freed and the two were married.

62 AD, spring – Not even Manius could prevent his master’s fall from grace. After his master resigned his final duty, Cyprianus decided it was about time Manius and Salacia lived their own life. Manius and Salacia retreated to Pompeii in early 62 AD, before all the riots and the trouble in Rome and wasn’t there when the mob stormed the Curia. In Pompeii, Manius settled down with training guards and bodyguards for wealthy and noble people.

62 AD, summer – Living in Pompeii didn’t work out well for Manius and his wife. Going home to rest at night wasn’t enough for a man like Manius. In the summer of 62 AD, his father passed away and left a sum and Manius returned to Rome with his wife, to move into his father’s old home. In Rome, he was still able to come and go from the Imperial Palace and did what he could to save his former master, who had been arrested for corruption. From behind the scenes, he’d try to prevent the execution of Cyprianus, but eventually, his former master is instead murdered. Manius decided it was best for him and his wife to stay out of sight and they resumed to living quite ordinary lives in Rome. Manius became a guard at the slave market once more, in order to earn some coin and remind himself how little he deserves the life he has now.d wi

75 AD – For over 10 years, Manius and Salacia have lived a quiet life without anyone paying them much attention. They never had any children. Then the earthquake happened. Manius had been working a night shift at the slave market and he assumed Salacia had been at home and could only pray that she reached safety… but when he returned home the following morning, she was gone. No one had seen her; she seemed to have disappeared. Not knowing whether his wife is alive or dead, Manius is once more at a loss of what to do with his life. And because his employer at the slave market lost a great deal of coin because of the earthquake, Manius lost his job. Anyone he knew in the past are either dead or have disappeared. He's alone. He has nothing and if he does not find a job, he won't have any money left either. Then he'll loose his home. Manius is desperate. So once more, he is looking for a meaningful purpose with the miserable life he still has. He currently works as a bodyguard for Caecina Tusca.

76 AD - Manius stayed with the Tusca until he was no longer needed there. He doesn't really know the reason they told him he wasn't needed, nor does he really care. After he left their domus, he met Spurius Antius Claudus, who ended up offering him a job at the slave market for him. That's where Manius is now - where it all began, where it all started. Where will life take him next?

 

Atrice | GMT+1 | PM or Discord

Edited May 20, 2022 by Atrice

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