Name: Aestus Marum
Age: 34
Sex: Male
Birthplace: Larius Lacus, just off the banks of Novum Comum
Species: Oceanid
Appearance
Undeniably an Oceanid, Marum towers at 6'0" with bluish skin and a short tail. His head's the biggest giveaway: Three small fins, a protruding jaw, and total lack of hair will do that to a guy. The rest of him is humanoid, of course, with only minor differences; pointed teeth, webbing, gills... You know. The works.
Personality
Aestus trusts in his own strength. He's known to be impatient, even reckless, sometimes. Most of the time. Shut up. Though he isn't exceptionally smart, his occasional gruff silence isn't as thoughtless as some may believe. Determination and ruthlessness kept him alive in the ring, but he has a good heart beneath his temper. Deep beneath. Probably.
His years in captivity have left him with a negative impression of humans, especially those in the hunting or lanista business.
History
64 BC. A man stands alone in the calm surf.
Which would make a terribly boring story, should it be true. Good that it's wrong on three counts.
First count. The creature in the surf was no man.
It was tall, nearing six feet, towering over the fronds and reeds. Its skin, rough as sandpaper, tints deep blue in the pale light of the moon. Young fins sprouted from its head, arms, and legs, matching the short adolescent tail that trailed behind it as it walked. It walked. It
walked. Could eyes be believed? Though it looked for all the world like a fish, like a feral monstrosity of a creature that sucked blood and killed children, it
walked. On two legs, it trudged through the shallow mud. On two feet, it stomped down the lilies and fronds. With two hands, it clenches two solid fists. And with one mouth, it lets out a feral monstrosity of a roar.
Second count. The surf was not calm.
Cruel laughter tears the air. Water, dyed red by a trail of blood. A girl, a body, robbed of life in the moonlight. Blood, seeping, flowing, pouring, from three small holes in her infant chest. Dumped in the lake to hide, as if no one would know. But the creature knew. Laughter rises in frequency, joined by two other throats. It took evil to commit the deed. It took a monster to revel in it.
Third count. The creature was not alone.
Three soldiers, skilled hunters of both prey and men, amble uproariously away form the shoreline. The first, the only one to matter tonight, carries a bronze trident tipped in blood. Ale sloshes in their stomachs. Then a noise. A commander? Fear shines in their eyes. Their pace quickens. Another rustle. A bear? An authority? No, only a young creature from the lake, seething with rage. It leaps for their throats. It bites and it slashes. It is bruised and is beaten. Three holes, like those in the girl, stain burlap's inside red. The laughter returns, louder, raucous, elated at its new burden.
54 BC. A man stands victorious, defeated, as cowards look on.
A lion, three holes through its pelt, lies dead in the sand. A net, still wrapped around the mane, is gathered up by his killer. Would this hunter, this murderer, feel sorrow? He had, long before, but his lips soon grew still. He pitied his opponent, though he no longer showed mercy. The crowd cheers. The travelers stand, applaud, shocked that such a large beast could be felled. The locals chuckle quietly to themselves. They know; They've seen it before. This retiarus, now scrambling for the moisture of its hypogeum, was fearsome in the ring. Its bronze trident, stained with blood, struck down men and beasts alike each day.
It enters its cell, cool and damp in the darkness of the tunnels. Strength slowly returns. With a brush of its hand, wounds stem and skin mends. It waits, anxious. Weary. Defeated. The next call aboveground would not be the last.
44 BC. A man runs, exhausted. Elated. Ecstatic.
Dearly it clutches a small vial on its flight. Novum Comum, great city of glory and games, fades all too slowly from the horizon. There was no turning back.
Now, a man stands free.
Traits
- Anathema
- Gladiator
- Lateral Line
- By Land or By Sea
- Healing Touch
Custom
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Shark Skin: Spawned without the rigid scales of his people, Marum's skin grew tough to face the rigors of combat and punishment. After 34 years, it is thick, rough, and abrasive; its protection rivals stout leather, or that of a shark.
Equipment
- Bronze Trident
- Weighted Nets
- Pugio (Dagger)
- Manica (Arm guard)
- Galerus (Shoulder guard)
- Tunic
- Greaves (Leg guard)
- Sandals
- Loculus (Satchel)
- Vial of Seawater (Worn as an anklet)
- Completely legit freshwater canteen