Calpurnia Praetextata

[Chevi]

CALPURNIA PRAETEXTATA

40 | 25 May 36CE | Senatore | Former Vestal | Heterosexual | Canon | Hannah Waddingham

 

 

Personality.

Clever, proud, and independent. Born into a senatorial family, and raised to be a Vestal from an early age, Calpurnia is used to privilege. She is confident in the world, she has had exceptional education, and the freedom rarely awarded to any woman outside of the House of Vestals. Now that she is back in Roman society, she is determined to keep that freedom, and enjoy the finer things in life. She is a great conversationalist, although she is sometimes too direct with stating her opinions, and she absolutely does not suffer fools. She can be intimidating when angry, but it takes a lot to really anger her. She cares deeply for the people she holds dear: her Vestal family, and her actual family. She does not often let her guard down around strangers. She seeks knowledge for knowledge's sake, and does not much care for politics, although she follows them with the attention of a historian.

Appearance

The first thing people tend to notice about Calpurnia Praetextata is that she is tall. Standing at almost five foot ten she towers over most of the women in Rome, and she is only a bit shorter than her brother. That, combined with her thick blonde hair, would have had her mistaken for a barbarian quite a few times, had she not been a Vestal since the age of 9. He appearance still earns her strange looks, but over the years she has grown from lanky, awkward girl into a proud woman with a straight posture. She carries herself with the dignity befitting her privileged station, even though she is not a Vestal anymore. Since she has left the House of Vestals, she enjoys dressing in colors, and appreciates fine jewelry. She has blue eyes and a wide, bright smile when she is truly amused. 

Family

Father: Tiberius Calpurnius Praetextatus (alive)

Mother: Aurelia Faustina (alive)

Siblings: Aulus Calpurnius Praetextatus (born 33CE)

Spouse: none

Children: none

Extended family: none

Other: Former Vestal Virgin

 

History

36CE: Calpurnia Praetextata is born as the second child (and only daughter) of her parents. She admires her brother and annoys him by following him around.

45CE: At a little over nine years of age, Calprunia is chosen to be a Vestal Virgin. It is considered a great honor by everyone, and she does her best to rise to the task. She leaves her family, and begins her training at the House of Vestals. She devours knowledge, and is curious about everything.

55CE: At nineteen, Calpurnia concludes her training in the House of Vestals. From now on, she serves as one of the six Vestals guarding the flames. She takes her position and her duties very seriously, and begins exploring the privileges granted by her station as a Vestal. She still studies and reads a lot, honing her knowledge of history, literature, and politics.

62CE: Civil war breaks out. Calpurnia is worried for the rest of her family, especially her brother. Publius Cotta breaks into the House of Vestals, and in an unthinkable, unspeakable act, he kidnaps one of the Vestals, a woman who was a mentor to Calpurnia, and shielded the rest of the Vestals from the attack. Calpurnia is too scared to do anything but shield the others too, and she still harbors regrets about not putting up a fight. Later, after Cotta is killed, the Vestal returns, but since no one can be sure her vows had not been broken, she is allowed to quietly disappear, and a new Vestal is chosen in her place. Calpurnia is shaken by the events, and takes her duties even more seriously after this, not just as a Vestal but also as a guardian of Rome's honor. She is relieved when she receives news of her brother's survival.

65CE: After ten years of service, Calpurnia takes on a student that will one day replace her as a Vestal. She is also a likely candidate to become Virgo Maxima, but she tactfully avoids the possibility, as she is not sure she would like to stay on after her 30 years of service. She is known to be a good (although stern) teacher, and also for having a soft spot for using her Vestal powers to occasionally save people from execution.

74CE: Calpurnia purchases Eppitacos at a private slave auction, and sets him free, mostly out of respect to his reputation as the leader of free people who put up a valiant fight against the empire. Her decision is not unanimously seen as wise, but she sticks with it, making sure Eppitacos can start a new life as a freedman.

75CE: Calpurnia's 30 years of service as a Vestal officially come to an end. She spends some time contemplating the decision of staying or choosing to leave. Eventually, at the end of the year, she leaves the House of Vestals, and re-enters Roman society. She still harbors some curiosity about all that the wider world has to offer, and she is determined to learn by exploring this time.

76CE: Calpurnia currently lives with her brother's family. As per customary, the search for a suitable husband has begun, although she is determined to make that choice for herself, thank you very much.

Chevi | Central Europe | Discord

Edited November 28, 2021 by Chevi

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