Menelaus

[Járnviðr]

MENELAUS

30 | 09 January 54 CE| Slave | Charioteer | Bisexual | Wanted (https://www.aeternaromarpg.com/topic/6131-white-faction-membersroles/ | Jack Huston

 

 

Personality.

Spontaneous, creative, and introspective, Menelaus concerns himself with the stories people tell about each other. He loves to connect with new people and charm them. He easily moves past old hurts, and often turns bad stories into better ones in his memory. He is not very capable of feeling guilt, nor resentment. He has accepted his lot in life, and has very little interest in freedom for his own sake. He has not planned for the future; he believes he will die before he has any children, or finds a wife, and so he does not look forward. He is interested in having positive experiences and in making genuine connections, but not in speculating, predicting, or worrying. He tends towards selflessness by reflex, rather than compassion- helping others is natural when each person has their own valuable, interesting story that he is only briefly intersecting.

Menelaus works quite hard in his racing life, in the hopes of enjoying the pleasures of life when he is not racing. He is a lover of the senses: he likes taking baths, eating food, and sleeping peacefully. If there is anything Menelaus envies the patrician class for, it is that they are physically comfortable. He does not need longevity, or an easy life, but he wishes to find some sort of reward that brings him joy.

Appearance

At about six feet tall, Menelaus towers over the average person. His hair is cropped short. His muscular arms and legs advertise his profession, while his golden-brown skin advertises his Greek heritage. He sports a slight beard, fancying it another distinguishing factor of many that separates him from any other person that could be seen in the street. Although he is now renowned for his numerous victories in the races, Menelaus bears marks of past injuries, in the form of one of his fingers. It is bent oddly, from a fracture that never set properly. Most of the time, Menelaus wears the appropriate clothing for a racer of the White faction.

Family

Father: Unknown

Mother: Philis

Siblings: N/A

Spouse: N/A

Children: N/A

Extended family: Unknown

 

History

Born to a slave mother and a slave father, Menelaus is descended from at least two generations of Greek slaves, according to the records. The story that he always told himself was that his ancestors were captured in battle, and that in his role as a charioteer, he is making them proud. Meneleaus grew up without many other skills or education. His physical prowess (an early growth spurt, combined with a general comfort with his senses and balance) fast-tracked him to life as a charioteer. Menelaus trained hard to improve. A plodding, determined sort, he was able to turn his talents into skills. Having avoided life as an ordinary laborer or body slave, Menelaus mostly associated with fellow charioteers, and the odd fan who found the sport fascinating. Such attention was not always positive, but all of it was flattering.

By age 18, Menelaus had begun cementing his reputation- and stardom, of sorts. He rose through the ranks, impressing audiences and fellow competitors alike. He loved the attention and comfort that his new position brought to him, even if the consequences of such a taxing profession on his body were severe. Many of his friends and rivals died throughout the next ten years, as their roles as charioteers were unforgiving. He no longer likes to get attached to the others, especially the youngest. He spends most of his time cavorting with those who watch the matches and would like the notch on their bedpost that a charioteer would make. He does not expect to ever leave this life behind. While he has saved towards retirement as best as he can, even by 28, Menelaus had barely any savings.

In the past two years, Menelaus has sensed the coming end which he so keenly fears. He knows that charioteers often come to ignominious ends- crushed underfoot as their own chariots careen off without them, in more than one case. Besides that, his body is wearing down with age. Each day, he can feel time slipping by.  His own tendency towards laziness and desire for a comfortable life get in the way of his desperate, last-ditch efforts to squeeze whatever he can out of his career as a racer. He uses most of his time now trying to make connections with plebians (or even patricians) who might be able to employ him if he ever buys his freedom- and drinking to distract himself from the specter of death on the horizon.

 

Járnviðr | EST | Discord (Járnviðr#1573)

Edited February 10, 2021 by Járnviðr

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