Nicknames: Goes by "Hasan", his Ottoman name, to all who are unaware of his status as a vampire.
Birthdate: February 16, 268 AD
Current Age: 1625
Gender: Male
Race: Vampire
Occupation: If any
Reputation: Appropriate number 1-10 & why
Residence: London
Social Class: Upper, middle, working
Family: Caius (father, long deceased), Umbria (mother, long deceased), six siblings (all long deceased)
Appearance:
If there was one word to describe Augustus then it would be "colossal". Standing at 6' he was once considered tall for a Roman, but it is truly his firm muscular build that stands out. He remains fit even to this day and it is the various scars lining different sections of his body that indicate his body has and continues to be in use. Of course, he also bears the more physical signs of vampirism such as slightly paler skin than usual and retracting fangs that show up upon feeding.
Among his most notable facial features are his thick dark eyebrows and round face. His distinctive curly hair is surprisingly well-kept along with his facial hair that often remains as little more than stubble. Surprisingly, the majority of his facial scars are nearly non-existent, only existing as cuts that seem to have mostly faded with time. Only one remains protruding from his jawline, the product of a lion's claws during his time in the arena.
History:
Content warning for death of a child, pregnancy complications(and death from said complications), very brief mentions of mental illness and suicidal thoughts.
Augustus was the second born child to Caius and Umbria, brought into the world during the reign of Emperor Gallienus. Despite turmoil in the east against the Goths the child and his siblings had a relatively peaceful upbringing. Caius himself was a respectable citizen of the Empire, having played a political role previously. It gave the family considerable privileges, or at least as many as they could have without being part of the nobility. Naturally, such privileges extended to his entire family, marking them as well-off from birth.
Due to loyalty and considerable privilege each of the seven Marinus children were offered the best education they could get. Augustus and his siblings were all eagerly tutored in both magical and non-magical subjects alike, the beginning of forging them into equally as respectable citizens as their parents.
While many of Augustus' siblings found solace in the academic and scholarly he was more excited by the active and militaristic. He was passionate, proud, and proved himself to be adept with both weaponry and wands. Naturally, it marked him as a prime candidate to join the military. Unfortunately, it also meant watching most of his siblings be carefully married off while he was bound to his contract.
Unsurprisingly, Augustus' passion did not wane. Despite the throne frequently changing hands he proved himself loyal to each man occupying it and ultimately his country. He found himself sent on many campaigns, proving himself to be a highly capable soldier in each battle he found himself participating in. It was to nobody's surprise that after considerable years of service he ascended to the rank of Centurion.
Augustus' respect among his comrades continued to grow. In fact, most became certain that he was well on his way to potentially becoming a leading officer. It was under Emperor Diocletian that the imperial court took full interest in the man. He was seeking to promote some officers and nearly immediately Augustus caught the emperor's attention, thus leading to his promotion. The Emperor, of course, intended to test the loyalty of each of his new officers, deriving tasks for each of them.
It was in the beginning of 303 that Augustus received his orders from the emperor himself. Having grown increasingly concerned with what he deemed the Christian threat, the emperor began to further restrict the rights of the empire's Christian minority. The ambitious Centurion's task was made clear: hunt down the empire's Christians and bring them to justice. Naturally, he eagerly accepts, infiltrating the catacombs all over Rome to make arrests.
However, just when Augustus was on his way to prestige fate had other plans for him. As he got further into his mission he found the need for deeper infiltration even further. He felt he needed to get to the root of the underground network of Christians that had begun to form around the empire. It was time for him to go undercover entirely. He did exactly that, hoping to eventually lure entire families either to renounce their faith and return to the Paganism of the emperor or submit to arrest.
Despite knowing his methods were a bit unorthodox, Augustus retained his place within the Christian underground societies of Rome. For nearly a year he carefully collected information on everybody deemed important, notably those deemed to be a threat to the emperor himself. However, unbeknownst to most of the others he was slowly growing sympathetic to the plight of the same society he sought to destroy. He found himself moved by their strong devotion and dedication to all they believed, even to the threat of their own lives.
Unfortunately, it was Augustus' change of heart that would prove to be his ultimate downfall. When it came time to make arrests of the very people he had come to befriend he found himself conflicted. He simply could not, eventually refusing entirely. To the emperor such actions were seen as little more than treachery. Treachery that, as far as the emperor was concerned, was to be punished. He soon found himself sentenced to the very same fate as those he had once been hunting down himself: death in the arena, all for the sheer entertainment of the Roman people.
With the emperor wanting to make an example of him Augustus was thrown into the arena, unarmed, along with many of those he had ironically marked for death months earlier. Very quickly they were bombarded by the hungry animals seeking to make a meal of them. Due to his military background he briefly put up a fight, even tackling the animals to the ground and flinging wandless spells at them. At first he was successful; the crowds were entertained and there even seemed a small possibility that he would get out alive.
The fight, however, quickly took a turn for the worst when one of the lions targeted the youngest victim present in the arena: a small child, no older than eight. Augustus attempted to lure the lion away but to no avail, watching in horror as she was gored to death by the creature. Traumatized and frozen in horror, he began to scream as he and others began suffering similar fates.
Unbeknownst to Augustus his heroic efforts in the arena did not go unnoticed. Later in the evening as the spectacle was ending and the crowds were dying down a single well-dressed official sought after the man that he was certain was still alive, albeit barely. Once successful, he bit into the dying man and injected him with his own blood.
Augustus soon found himself awaking in an unfamiliar environment, completely disoriented. It was only then the same well-dressed man reappeared, introducing himself as Lucius Secudus Mutius, a former Senator. The man was charismatic and friendly, thus Augustus took an immediately liking to him. If anything, he began to look up to the man upon realization that it had been through his efforts he was still alive. However, it also meant coming to terms with the new conditions of his existence: vampirism.
Unlike most, however, Augustus adjusted to his new condition relatively quickly. In fact, he proudly embraced it. He found his enhanced speed and strength to be advantageous in his own endeavours. He was even quickly marked as one of the most physically capable in his coven. That combined with his military background made him an obvious candidate to act as a coven guard.
Augustus found his life within the coven to be a good one. For one of the first times in his life he also found opportunity to enjoy more in the way of physical pleasure. Whether food, drink, or even women he gladly indulged in it all. While he was not on duty he was commonly found embracing a more hedonistic lifestyle. Naturally, it also led him to one of his first true loves: Seia.
Seia was mortal and Augustus was not. It was an obvious dilemma that eventually showed its face in their relationship. However, it did not prevent the man from trying to have a child with her. After a few years the couple attempted something that was known to be difficult, yet not impossible. Both began furiously consuming blood in hopes of being able to conceive a child. It was after several tries that Seia finally became pregnant.
The couple knew the risks of trying to create a Dhampir child and unfortunately they became all too real as Seia began to experience pregnancy complications. Unbeknownst at the time the child within her was slowly killing her, finally finishing the job just weeks before the expected delivery date. Left alone and distraught, Augustus vowed never to love again, falling into a deep depression. He also distanced himself from his previous embrace of hedonism.
Life for Augustus within the coven continued as usual. He hunted and served as coven guard. It remained the man's standard for over a century. It was only a drastic turn of events that forced him out of his routine: the disposal of Emperor Romulus in 476. The empire he knew was suddenly no more. Left with an uncertain future within a society in shambles the entire coven began to disperse, forging their own paths. Augustus himself was no exception. Knowing there was hope for prosperity in the still flourishing East, he made the drastic decision to migrate to the empire's new capital, Constantinople.
Finding many new opportunities in Constantinople, Augustus began dabbling in the arts. He took a particular interest in music, using the last bit of his resources to study the musical traditions that were cropping up within the empire. He even hoped to make a living as a performer, but after many years he found himself unsuccessful. It took several more years for him to realize that the military life has always been his calling. Embracing it once more, he began to train people, muggle and magical alike, in the art of combat. Magical duelling, swordplay, he was familiar with it all, making him highly sought after.
Augustus' new life remained uninterrupted for centuries. He even grew attached to the new city and retained the same loyalty to it and the emperor that he had borne in his mortal life. It allowed him a relatively easy and comfortable life paid for through his students and sometimes even the nobility themselves who occasionally hired him as a mercenary or as a bodyguard.
It was only in 1453 that Augustus found his way of life interrupted once more. The Ottomans had begun their advance on the empire. By May they had a weakened capital firmly in their grasp. Having grown connected to the city and everything it represented to him, by nobody's desire but his own, he joined in the final defense of the city against the Ottoman invaders. It was a fierce struggle that left the vampire with more than one close call with death. He almost welcomed the prospect of dying, yet he continued to cling to the state he was already in, neither dead nor alive.
It took weeks for Augustus to recover back to his peak physical and mental state. He had been marred, leading him again with an uncertain future. He considered migrating West back to Rome, knowing the city was now flourishing again since its fall centuries earlier. However, fate had other plans for him as soon as his heroics and skill went noticed by Sultan Mehmed II's forces themselves. The newly crowned leader of the conquered Constantinople even offered him a prestigious position training his own elite troops, the Janissaries. Exhausted and no longer caring about loyalty to empires and their particular rulers, the vampire hesitantly agreed. Subsequently he took on a new alias, simply "Hasan".
Sultans came and went while centuries passed. The passage of time became increasingly meaningless to Augustus. He retained his role of training the sultan's forces, even if he no longer engaged in combat himself. At best, he contemplating ending his life that had gone on far too long.
It was only in the early 1800's that a spark of hope ignited within Augustus once more. Little had changed in his life for centuries, even if the world around him was. Such changes brought extensive foreign trade and exploration and even the earlier International Statute of Secrecy that restricted his and others usage of magic. Explorers from all over the world also came to see Constantinople. It was one such British explorer that soon caught the attention of the vampire.
Nathan Evans was the explorer's name and they easily grew close to each other. They seemed to share a similar curiosity about the world that allowed them to bond. The man's time in Constantinople was relatively short-lived as he was scheduled to depart for the New World. However, he did not want to leave his new friend behind. Wanting to discover a new meaning in life, Augustus agreed to accompany him.
Augustus soon found himself within the British colony known as "Upper Canada". Once there the explorer's purpose for arriving became clear: he was to work as a cartographer for the region. It was a duty the man took deep interest in and naturally the vampire accompanied him on his expeditions. It was also during that time that whatever feelings the men had for each other developed into something deeper than friendship.
Despite Augustus' vows made centuries earlier to never fall in love again, one night on the frontier they shared their first intimacies - intimacies they both agreed to keep secret due to the scandal it would create. It was also during this time Nathan discovered his lover's own secret: that he was, in fact, a centuries old vampire. The man accepted it, becoming more curious than anything.
Nathan's assignment in Upper Canada continued for several more years. Between mapping out the region and working on negotiations with the French and indigenous populations he began to grow tired and homesick. Ultimately, he hoped to see his homeland once more before passing away. With little hesitation the couple made their way to Britain.
Augustus' years spent in Britain with Nathan were among his most peaceful and happiest. Despite having to keep their love for each other well-hidden they persevered. Age did also eventually catch up to the man. Before he aged beyond recognition he pleaded to be turned; he wanted to spend eternity with his lover who was already trapped in eternity.
After weeks of contemplation Augustus finally agreed to turn Nathan. While he was sleeping he crept into their bedroom, brought him to the brink of death, and then began injecting him with copious amounts of blood. Once the deed was done he stood and waited in anticipation for the man to awaken as a vampire.
The man never did awaken, leaving Augustus distraught and heartbroken once more.
Without Nathan by his side Augustus once again found himself alone and uncertain of his future. He went back into a bout of depression, almost entirely becoming a hermit. Slowly and surely he has been emerging from such a state in order to move into his next phase of eternity.
Personality:
Once a confident and proud individual, Augustus has become a very different man over the centuries. At best, the flowing sands of time had tamed his fierce personality, leaving him rather full of uncertainty and even outright doubt. If anything, he remains lost and unconvinced of his place in the modern world. He is very much a man of the past(which does frequently show up in his mannerisms as well).
Augustus is quintessentially a warrior. He possesses extensive experience in a diverse range of combat related fields dating back to his earliest days as a conscript in the Roman Legions. Whether it's a sword, spear, wand, or even modern weaponry he has mastered nearly all of it. Unsurprisingly, he has also fully embraced vampirism as well. He sees it as an enhancement to his already existing skillset rather than a hindrance like many afflicted with the condition do.
Despite no longer being as proud as he once was, when driven to his limits Augustus remains powerful. He is by no means a pacifist and strongly believes that armed conflict is necessary under certain circumstances. This philosophy has enabled him to continue picking up arms, even if the passage of time has left him exhausted from fighting the battles of others. Essentially, he believes it is crucial for the strong to defend the weak and vulnerable(particularly as he carries trauma from witnessing innocents suffer). He is always willing to do exactly that.
As difficult as it may be for some to believe, beneath his hardened warrior demeanour Augustus does possess a softer side. His experiences in both Rome and Constantinople have left him with a lingering love of the arts, especially literature and music. Additionally, although he is wary of loving again due to the misfortune that seems to follow each of his relationships, he does fantasize about the concept of settling down with somebody(even if deep down he knows it's nearly impossible in his condition).
Lastly, Augustus has little tolerance for those who simply give up on something without trying. Perhaps it is influence from his own background, but if somebody has their heart set on a certain ambition then he expects them to at least try to fulfill it. Naturally, it makes him not particularly fond of laziness either. He is active, both mentally and physically, and he expects others to be as well.
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