Blame the Romans: An Alternate History Fantasy

T

The Philosoraptor

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Original poster
Many theories abound about the origins of the Roman Empire. The most commonly accepted (and the most realistic) revolves around the development of the Latins in the Italian peninsula, and their underdog story that culminated in the change of western civilization as it was then known. Ancient Roman poets hypothesized that they were the descendants of an ancient enemy of the Greeks, who fled to a foreign land to escape persecution. But none can forget of the two Wolf Brothers, Romulus and Remus, the greatest Roman demigods of all time...

This story begins with two children. They were not the sons of a god, though they were divine in their own form. Nor were they nursed by a wolf, though the Earth gave much to them. They were powerful beyond belief, and walked among men as divine. But siblings quarrel, and gods worse than any. When they ruled over men, they quarreled. When they cared for men, they quarreled. But the time soon came when arguments no longer satisfied the anger of the elder twin. Romulus cast his brother Remus away from the kingdom they had built together. He could not be killed, but he was forsaken by the Earth and Man. His divinity was tainted, and the land revolted where he walked.

In the aftermath of Remus's banishment, the kingdom that was founded and named for Romulus prospered. But Romulus never left his empire... 1500 years after the Founding, Rome stretches from the Iberian Peninsula to Cape Dezhnev, from Egypt to South Africa. With a god in place of an emperor, the Romans never fell. Barbarian hordes rebelled and were crushed, and enemies scattered before each divine blow. The city of Rome itself has grown into a sprawling urban metropolis, housing the millions of Roman citizens who flock to the shadow of the God-King Romulus. Yet not all is well in the Golden Empire.

The Eldest Brother, still connected to the Infinitely Divine, remains a paragon among his people. But the Exile, the fallen Remus, tainted the land wherever he walked. In his wake rose the men of corruption, blooddrinkers and shapechangers, half-men and demons. And now, at the peak of the Golden Empire, armies of darkness spread over the lesser, wild frontiers of Romulus's dream. And all the untamed barbarians who bear the brunt of the assault can say is: Blame the Romans.

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For now, this is only an interest check and a writing pad for ideas to spread here. The writing level I'm looking for is Intermediate-Adept. I do do background checks on my players. Feel free to make suggestions, ask questions, and apply for the RP!​
 
I am interested in this.
 
What exactly is the premise? Will the plot be about the Romans, the Barbarians? Remus' corruption? The world is very interesting but I need to know who we are - or rather, can be.
 
What exactly is the premise? Will the plot be about the Romans, the Barbarians? Remus' corruption? The world is very interesting but I need to know who we are - or rather, can be.

It would revolve around a group of specialized legionaries: The Aurea Milites. The job in it's most basic form is to actively defend the Empire from her supernatural enemies, ranging from hunting vampiric beasts across the sands of Egypt to fending off centaur attacks in Gaul. While the standard Legions bring the rest of humanity under the shadow of the Great Wolf, the Golden Soldiers slay the darkest enemies of the Empire. Meanwhile, the vile cults of barbarian humans dedicated to the worship of Remus abound across the known world. In exchange for worship, Remus grants them power rivaling the Aurea Milites, making them even more dangerous enemies than the creatures of Remus.

Without any more RP talk, we essentially play the elite soldiers of the Golden Empire, warriors selected from the standard legions for valor in combat, exceptional skills in battle, or the luck of having survived against the supernatural before.
 
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What exactly is the premise? Will the plot be about the Romans, the Barbarians? Remus' corruption? The world is very interesting but I need to know who we are - or rather, can be.

Also, I just realized: YOU!
 
Hey, @VerbalAbuse, it's been a while.

So basically, we're supernatural hunters. Interesting...
 
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Aww, guys~

This sounds awesome and I hope it catches on because I'm jonesin' for some Romans
 
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Hey, @VerbalAbuse, it's been a while.

So basically, we're supernatural hunters. Interesting...

Less hunters, more soldiers. We don't actively hunt the creatures, since we need to be on hand whenever a threat occurs. We only seek when we find. Example: We return to that vampire I mentioned a post or two back. After feeding on a few priests, the issue is taken to the city magistratus, who in turn alerts the local branch of the Aurea Milites. If no warriors are at hand, a message is sent out, either by bird or magic (haven't decided on magical abilities yet). When the message is received, the Golden Soldiers descend upon the city and begin the hunt. It plays out similarly to a criminal investigation, though with less due process and more punching of the face. Kind of like Batman. Yeah. We're the Batmen of Ancient Rome.

After leads are found, the true hunt begins. It can span across deserts, through cities, and under the earth itself. But by nature, the Golden Warriors never concede victory until every last one of them has fallen in battle. Eventually, the vampire is found and slain. The warriors return with proof of the kill, and return to their other duties.

Make sense now?
 
Fair enough.
 
I am so cool with being Roman Batpersons
 
This is coolio, and i'm quiet interested. And i'm interested to know, are Romulus and Remus going to be played or will they be NPCs? Also, why not additionally have a group of characters that are a part of Remus hord to balance out Romulus' Golden Soldiers? That way people can play the villain side if they so choose. Also, the setting: is it going to be more ancient Rome (their architecture, politics, ethics, dress etc.) or will it lean more toward the modern? Or maybe a little of both?
 
This is coolio, and i'm quiet interested. And i'm interested to know, are Romulus and Remus going to be played or will they be NPCs? Also, why not additionally have a group of characters that are a part of Remus hord to balance out Romulus' Golden Soldiers? That way people can play the villain side if they so choose. Also, the setting: is it going to be more ancient Rome (their architecture, politics, ethics, dress etc.) or will it lean more toward the modern? Or maybe a little of both?

A bit of both, since a God-King is in charge. Furthermore, while there would be balance to the Golden Soldiers, they aren't playable. The RP needs to be compact to be manageable.
 
This sounds pretty cool. Have done anything Rome-themed in a while.

Also, the tittle reminded me this: