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App for Hadriel
CHARACTER
Character Name: Romulus 'Rome' Hart
Character Age: 72
Canon: Original
Canon Point: Just an ordinary day
World Description: Alright, so Rome's world is pretty stereotypical Modern Supernatural Fantasy, but set in an airid, desert wasteland, with civilizations clustered into tight-knit cities. Throw in a militaristic ruling class, a platoon of supernatural creatures created to protect the civilians of their cities, and a regular outbreak of war and extermination on whatever monster species of the week happens to show its face that Tuesday... and that is an approximation of Rome's world.
Essentially, the world that Rome grew up in was harsh and unaccustomed to change. Although many supernatural creatures exist (vampires, werewolves, ghouls, really fun uncreative stuff like that), they aren't really prominent in the day-to-day life because harsh regulations from the rulers of various citystates have lead to the eradication of them- and the ones who haven't been eradicated have gone into hiding. Still, his world is plagued with paranoia- it's difficult to trust your neighbor when they could be a wraith in disguise after all- and tolerance of subhuman species is at a pretty low point.
Which is, of course, why the ruling class of several cities decided to make soldiers out of them and manipulated the circumstances so that they were capable of creating 'test tube werewolves' from birth. By utilizing the doglike loyalty, trainability, and rather simpleminded nature of werewolves, they were able to bond the creatures to assigned army handlers and used them as a special task force. These wolves were resilient, brutal, and expendable and have since been used to settle many further military conflicts in Rome's world.
[[It should be noted that Rome and Morgan, an OC currently in Hadriel, come from the same world!]]
History: If it's not clear by now, Rome is one of these artificial werewolves. He is a member of the second generation of werewolves- the majority of the first generation had been killed due to being 'too wild'- and was infected with the virus within hours of his birth.
His very young childhood is a time he reflects upon fondly- as infants, werewolves are raised in the fields of an oasis near his city, where he learned to read, write, and communicate. He was prevented from playing with the other werewolf children too regularly to keep from forming any sort of bond with them over his human handlers, but it was still an idyllic sort of place and he enjoyed it very much. Like most others of his kind, grasping human concepts and language was difficult for him and he was not considered fluent in his language until he was nine years old. After this, he transitioned to the barracks and began training with his fellow werewolf children.
At sixteen he was considered fit for service and began to go on minor missions with his handler, Jacob Vaught. Jacob was a cruel man and Rome grew to understand and accept his place as a subhuman tool without any pushback as the two of them further completed missions together. Rome never questioned his orders, at times doing immoral and unethical things at the hands of his superiors- including the extermination of a pack of wild werewolves who once veered a little too close to their city. Through this, Jacob- and, by proxy, Rome- rose to a prominent ranking in their squad.
While werewolves and handlers are paired for the handler's life, the long lifespan of a werewolves typically result in them outliving their handler- as was the case with Rome. Jacob died when Rome was sixty-three and Rome was assigned a new handler; a young Ryan Kissinger, who was green and eager and saw Rome as a friend rather than an asset.
This eagerness to succeed and naivete about the rest of the world ensured that Ryan would not live long, and despite bring one of Rome's closest relationships, Ryan was killed in action after three short years together.
At sixty-seven, Rome was given his third handler- an experienced, yet reserved man, James Marsters, who has been with Rome ever since. The two of them are a solid unit together and, along with the rest of the werewolf platoon, they have been on many successful missions. At this point Romulus is conditioned against the rest of the world, hardened and unbothered by violence, eager to perform well and please his handlers. It's now, at an age of seventy-two, that he will be taken into Hadriel.
Personality:
As a werewolf who has been bred for military service, Rome does not generally behave in the way a typical person might. Upon initial meeting, he is polite to a fault, usually addressing humans as 'sir' or 'ma'am', and does not typically use slang (as a matter of fact, slang in general confuses him- Rome is a very literal thinker, and things that challenge that give him pause until it's explained to him). He does this, not only because he was trained to be polite to his higher-ups, but also because he retains the belief that he is second-class and lesser than 'pure' humans.
While of course this isn't true in broad strokes, Romulus still has difficulty understanding many human concepts. He has a very simplistic temperament and tends to solve problems directly, rather than trying to think his way around something. Complex emotions such as guilt or shame are foreign to him, and he is very much a realist- preferring blunt, simple statements to trying to spare the feelings of others. In this way, his presence can make people uncomfortable and it's not exactly easy for him to make friends.
Romulus has been extensively trained to repress his instincts and so very little of his animalistic tendencies come through- but when they do, it's usually a surprise to others around him. He fights with a brutal efficiency, unhesitating when it comes time for a kill and savage when he finds it necessary. Part of fighting as a wolf means that he's tasted the blood of his enemies, and he does not have the capacity to fear for his own humanity when he realizes that he's become accustomed to it. He has been trained not to flinch and so he doesn't, and in this regard he functions more as a trained attack dog than anything else.
While some battles are fought with him in his wolf form, he also excels at fighting in his human form. He's a decent marksman despite being colorblind, and his superior strength and speed make him proficient in hand to hand combat. Sparring with him can be a little dangerous as he doesn't entirely respect human limitations, but overall, he tries to be careful not to seriously injure any of his allies.
All of this can lead to the somewhat obvious assumption that Romulus and other werewolves like him lack humanity or a soul. It becomes easy then, to dehumanize them as a race- but this would be a mistake. Despite believing himself to be subhuman, Rome actually has a childlike curiosity and interest in the world around him, often asking questions and attempting to understand human culture and ideas. While he is pragmatic and can be ruthlessly logical, it doesn't mean that he's set forever in his ways- he's highly susceptible to mentorship or influence from others and is eager to learn new ways to think about things. In this way he can be an easy target for manipulation (as he has been his entire life), and can sometimes seem strangely innocent, even though he is very well-versed in military operations and death.
This oddity extends to the world around him as well. Despite growing up in a barracks, Rome feels the most at peace when he's surrounded by nature, and his happiest memories are of the fields he spent his very early childhood in. Because he spent the majority of his life in a city in the desert, Rome has little other experience with grassland or forestry, though he finds himself instinctively drawn to it when he's nearby.
Perhaps because of this open air that he's accustomed to, Rome is also rather claustrophobic and though he's never given the subject much thought, his worst fear is being imprisoned in a cage. So- you know, we'll see how he does in Hadriel :)
Inventory:
- A faded green jean jacket
- A set of dogtags denoting his name, rank, and species
- The usual clothes
- A holster and Beretta M9 pistol, with two clips for a total of 30 bullets
- A fighting knife holstered in his boot
Abilities:
Just in case, I haven't stressed it enough, Rome is a werewolf. In his world, there are several different types of conversion which mostly boil down to two: you can be converted at or near birth- which makes the person more caninelike and less human- or after some development- which makes the person more human but far less likely to coexist peacefully with their 'other' nature. Rome is the former and as such, has seamless abilities between both of his forms, though the tradeoff comes at the expense of a more humanlike nature.
In his human form, Rome's sense of smell is exceptional, though his eyesight is weaker and he is red-green colorblind. Still, he can track most things through scent, and can usually detect whether someone is human or not via their scent. In addition, he is absurdly strong for his smaller frame, coupled with the typical faire of heightened reflexes and speed. He is capable of using a myriad of weapons, though he's happy enough to stick to his pistol, his combat knife, and his fists.
In his wolf form- and it is a wolf form, no weird furry hulk thing- all of this is amplified. Rome is stronger, faster, and his jaws are built-in weapons capable of bending steel. He is capable of transforming into wolf form at will due to the earliness of his infection with the disease, though he is forced to transform during the three nights that the moon is at its fullest.
There is also a minor healing factor in play, here. While Rome is no Wolverine, he's capable of healing most minor injuries, though more severe ones may take several days (as opposed to weeks or a month of a normal healing process) and may require a little medical attention to prevent him from bleeding out. Iron weapons exacerbate this and draw out his healing process and are therefore more lethal- however, silver weapons are the big factor, and one of the few things he is afraid of. Pure silver literally burns him to touch, and if it finds its way internally- like a bullet or knife- then it can cause a tissue necrosis, resulting in a very painful death if not treated immediately.
Flaws:
Rome can be ruthlessly pragmatic, and will spare little thought over sacrificing twenty to save twenty-five. His oversimplification of the situation can (and has) lead to his ethical choices being a little less nuanced than the choices someone else might make. He has also killed innocent people and werewolves in cold blood due to a higher-up order, and though he internally regrets it, he buries that guilt and doesn't think about the way it makes him feel.
His lack of understanding the complexities of human morality can get him into trouble in other areas as well- his bluntness can be offputting and his lack of hesitation when it comes to brutality can seem inhuman. While Rome will not strike until he's been authorized and ordered to, he doesn't hold back in the slightest when he's finally allowed that permission.
As far as chaos in general is concerned, though Rome does not admit or confront it, he is constantly dealing with the internal conflict between his naturalistic instincts and the efficient training that his handlers have forced upon him from birth. If asked, he will say that he doesn't mind his current situation- but he does, and the unease that it brings him can rear its ugly head and (very rarely) can give him pause and a healthy amount of inner turmoil.
SAMPLES
Action Log Sample: old fourth wall log, let me know if that's not alright! I will be retconning his fourth wall experience and bringing him in fresh- thank you!
For anyone still curious about Rome or the world he comes from, more details can be found here!
Character Name: Romulus 'Rome' Hart
Character Age: 72
Canon: Original
Canon Point: Just an ordinary day
World Description: Alright, so Rome's world is pretty stereotypical Modern Supernatural Fantasy, but set in an airid, desert wasteland, with civilizations clustered into tight-knit cities. Throw in a militaristic ruling class, a platoon of supernatural creatures created to protect the civilians of their cities, and a regular outbreak of war and extermination on whatever monster species of the week happens to show its face that Tuesday... and that is an approximation of Rome's world.
Essentially, the world that Rome grew up in was harsh and unaccustomed to change. Although many supernatural creatures exist (vampires, werewolves, ghouls, really fun uncreative stuff like that), they aren't really prominent in the day-to-day life because harsh regulations from the rulers of various citystates have lead to the eradication of them- and the ones who haven't been eradicated have gone into hiding. Still, his world is plagued with paranoia- it's difficult to trust your neighbor when they could be a wraith in disguise after all- and tolerance of subhuman species is at a pretty low point.
Which is, of course, why the ruling class of several cities decided to make soldiers out of them and manipulated the circumstances so that they were capable of creating 'test tube werewolves' from birth. By utilizing the doglike loyalty, trainability, and rather simpleminded nature of werewolves, they were able to bond the creatures to assigned army handlers and used them as a special task force. These wolves were resilient, brutal, and expendable and have since been used to settle many further military conflicts in Rome's world.
[[It should be noted that Rome and Morgan, an OC currently in Hadriel, come from the same world!]]
History: If it's not clear by now, Rome is one of these artificial werewolves. He is a member of the second generation of werewolves- the majority of the first generation had been killed due to being 'too wild'- and was infected with the virus within hours of his birth.
His very young childhood is a time he reflects upon fondly- as infants, werewolves are raised in the fields of an oasis near his city, where he learned to read, write, and communicate. He was prevented from playing with the other werewolf children too regularly to keep from forming any sort of bond with them over his human handlers, but it was still an idyllic sort of place and he enjoyed it very much. Like most others of his kind, grasping human concepts and language was difficult for him and he was not considered fluent in his language until he was nine years old. After this, he transitioned to the barracks and began training with his fellow werewolf children.
At sixteen he was considered fit for service and began to go on minor missions with his handler, Jacob Vaught. Jacob was a cruel man and Rome grew to understand and accept his place as a subhuman tool without any pushback as the two of them further completed missions together. Rome never questioned his orders, at times doing immoral and unethical things at the hands of his superiors- including the extermination of a pack of wild werewolves who once veered a little too close to their city. Through this, Jacob- and, by proxy, Rome- rose to a prominent ranking in their squad.
While werewolves and handlers are paired for the handler's life, the long lifespan of a werewolves typically result in them outliving their handler- as was the case with Rome. Jacob died when Rome was sixty-three and Rome was assigned a new handler; a young Ryan Kissinger, who was green and eager and saw Rome as a friend rather than an asset.
This eagerness to succeed and naivete about the rest of the world ensured that Ryan would not live long, and despite bring one of Rome's closest relationships, Ryan was killed in action after three short years together.
At sixty-seven, Rome was given his third handler- an experienced, yet reserved man, James Marsters, who has been with Rome ever since. The two of them are a solid unit together and, along with the rest of the werewolf platoon, they have been on many successful missions. At this point Romulus is conditioned against the rest of the world, hardened and unbothered by violence, eager to perform well and please his handlers. It's now, at an age of seventy-two, that he will be taken into Hadriel.
Personality:
As a werewolf who has been bred for military service, Rome does not generally behave in the way a typical person might. Upon initial meeting, he is polite to a fault, usually addressing humans as 'sir' or 'ma'am', and does not typically use slang (as a matter of fact, slang in general confuses him- Rome is a very literal thinker, and things that challenge that give him pause until it's explained to him). He does this, not only because he was trained to be polite to his higher-ups, but also because he retains the belief that he is second-class and lesser than 'pure' humans.
While of course this isn't true in broad strokes, Romulus still has difficulty understanding many human concepts. He has a very simplistic temperament and tends to solve problems directly, rather than trying to think his way around something. Complex emotions such as guilt or shame are foreign to him, and he is very much a realist- preferring blunt, simple statements to trying to spare the feelings of others. In this way, his presence can make people uncomfortable and it's not exactly easy for him to make friends.
Romulus has been extensively trained to repress his instincts and so very little of his animalistic tendencies come through- but when they do, it's usually a surprise to others around him. He fights with a brutal efficiency, unhesitating when it comes time for a kill and savage when he finds it necessary. Part of fighting as a wolf means that he's tasted the blood of his enemies, and he does not have the capacity to fear for his own humanity when he realizes that he's become accustomed to it. He has been trained not to flinch and so he doesn't, and in this regard he functions more as a trained attack dog than anything else.
While some battles are fought with him in his wolf form, he also excels at fighting in his human form. He's a decent marksman despite being colorblind, and his superior strength and speed make him proficient in hand to hand combat. Sparring with him can be a little dangerous as he doesn't entirely respect human limitations, but overall, he tries to be careful not to seriously injure any of his allies.
All of this can lead to the somewhat obvious assumption that Romulus and other werewolves like him lack humanity or a soul. It becomes easy then, to dehumanize them as a race- but this would be a mistake. Despite believing himself to be subhuman, Rome actually has a childlike curiosity and interest in the world around him, often asking questions and attempting to understand human culture and ideas. While he is pragmatic and can be ruthlessly logical, it doesn't mean that he's set forever in his ways- he's highly susceptible to mentorship or influence from others and is eager to learn new ways to think about things. In this way he can be an easy target for manipulation (as he has been his entire life), and can sometimes seem strangely innocent, even though he is very well-versed in military operations and death.
This oddity extends to the world around him as well. Despite growing up in a barracks, Rome feels the most at peace when he's surrounded by nature, and his happiest memories are of the fields he spent his very early childhood in. Because he spent the majority of his life in a city in the desert, Rome has little other experience with grassland or forestry, though he finds himself instinctively drawn to it when he's nearby.
Perhaps because of this open air that he's accustomed to, Rome is also rather claustrophobic and though he's never given the subject much thought, his worst fear is being imprisoned in a cage. So- you know, we'll see how he does in Hadriel :)
Inventory:
- A faded green jean jacket
- A set of dogtags denoting his name, rank, and species
- The usual clothes
- A holster and Beretta M9 pistol, with two clips for a total of 30 bullets
- A fighting knife holstered in his boot
Abilities:
Just in case, I haven't stressed it enough, Rome is a werewolf. In his world, there are several different types of conversion which mostly boil down to two: you can be converted at or near birth- which makes the person more caninelike and less human- or after some development- which makes the person more human but far less likely to coexist peacefully with their 'other' nature. Rome is the former and as such, has seamless abilities between both of his forms, though the tradeoff comes at the expense of a more humanlike nature.
In his human form, Rome's sense of smell is exceptional, though his eyesight is weaker and he is red-green colorblind. Still, he can track most things through scent, and can usually detect whether someone is human or not via their scent. In addition, he is absurdly strong for his smaller frame, coupled with the typical faire of heightened reflexes and speed. He is capable of using a myriad of weapons, though he's happy enough to stick to his pistol, his combat knife, and his fists.
In his wolf form- and it is a wolf form, no weird furry hulk thing- all of this is amplified. Rome is stronger, faster, and his jaws are built-in weapons capable of bending steel. He is capable of transforming into wolf form at will due to the earliness of his infection with the disease, though he is forced to transform during the three nights that the moon is at its fullest.
There is also a minor healing factor in play, here. While Rome is no Wolverine, he's capable of healing most minor injuries, though more severe ones may take several days (as opposed to weeks or a month of a normal healing process) and may require a little medical attention to prevent him from bleeding out. Iron weapons exacerbate this and draw out his healing process and are therefore more lethal- however, silver weapons are the big factor, and one of the few things he is afraid of. Pure silver literally burns him to touch, and if it finds its way internally- like a bullet or knife- then it can cause a tissue necrosis, resulting in a very painful death if not treated immediately.
Flaws:
Rome can be ruthlessly pragmatic, and will spare little thought over sacrificing twenty to save twenty-five. His oversimplification of the situation can (and has) lead to his ethical choices being a little less nuanced than the choices someone else might make. He has also killed innocent people and werewolves in cold blood due to a higher-up order, and though he internally regrets it, he buries that guilt and doesn't think about the way it makes him feel.
His lack of understanding the complexities of human morality can get him into trouble in other areas as well- his bluntness can be offputting and his lack of hesitation when it comes to brutality can seem inhuman. While Rome will not strike until he's been authorized and ordered to, he doesn't hold back in the slightest when he's finally allowed that permission.
As far as chaos in general is concerned, though Rome does not admit or confront it, he is constantly dealing with the internal conflict between his naturalistic instincts and the efficient training that his handlers have forced upon him from birth. If asked, he will say that he doesn't mind his current situation- but he does, and the unease that it brings him can rear its ugly head and (very rarely) can give him pause and a healthy amount of inner turmoil.
SAMPLES
Action Log Sample: old fourth wall log, let me know if that's not alright! I will be retconning his fourth wall experience and bringing him in fresh- thank you!
For anyone still curious about Rome or the world he comes from, more details can be found here!