NAME:
indent↳ NICODEMUS VIPSANIUS NOVELLUS. ( born into the gens of vipsania, a prominent patrician family in messalina's legion and the claimed territories of the western empire. his cognomen, novellus, was established by his legionnaire father to augment their second name of vipsania in order to inaugurate his own branch within the family clan following the chained renegades and the death of his own kin. his praenomen, nicodemus, is his personal name chosen by his parents on dies lustricus (day of lustration), the ninth day after he was born. he is named after a prominent figure in the new testament, whose interactions in the texts provide significant theological insights into the concepts of faith, rebirth, and salvation. kin and close companions often refer to him by the nickname 'nico'. )
GENDER:
indent↳ CISMALE.
AGE:
indent↳ 29 YEARS OLD. (B. APRIL 28TH, 2404 IN THE LEGION SETTLEMENT OF FALLEN HOPE.)
SEXUALITY:
indent↳ BIROM/SEXUAL. (MALE LEAN.) altering munk to not make certain aspects of what he has to do as a spy Consistently Traumatizing/even more so than what legionnaires go thru aleady
MISC. INFO:
indent↳ TAURUS ☉ GEMINI ☽ LEO ↑
indent↳ ENTJ-T
indent↳ LAWFUL/NEUTRAL EVIL
indent↳ ENNEAGRAM 3W4
FC: eduard badaluta
PETS:
indent↳ SUNDANCE (a kiger mustang mare gifted to him by his parents when he turned 14. mustangs have adapted to survive in the desert and can tolerate hot, dry weather and low hydration needs, making them perfect mounts for the legion as they scale the american southwest.)
indent↳ AMADEUS (a brindle male cane corso he adopted at twenty six. cane corsos are a staple attack dog of the legion. equipped with spiked protective collars and mail armor as well as chest plates, they are trained to run in attack formations and are used to carry baskets with oil lit on fire into enemy lines. weighing 118 lbs., amadeus is one of many attack dogs who accompany officers of the frumentarii across nevada.)
ARMOR/LEGIONNAIRE OUTFIT: ( X, X, X, X, X )
SONGS: no surprises by radiohead, still valley i by northumbria, taker by DIIV, youngest daughter by superheaven, crybaby by destroy boys, hail caesar & blood and the bull by inon zur
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: ( standing at 5'10" and weighing 179 lbs., nico is not the type of person one would picture when they think of desert-ravaging extremists. exceptionally handsome and put together, nico's relative normality and inviting features has been his number one driving success as an officer of the frumentarii. able to casually insert himself into scenes of regal formality in conclave-operated towns or the nightlife of extravagant debauchery located in the strip, nico has become a master of disguise, and most of these skills can be accredited to his appearance. with a defined face structure, prominent nose, and subtle cheekbones, nico possesses arguably pleasant features that do not inspire terror or discomfort, something that a lot of legionnaires cannot easily relate to. his hair, colored in the shade of starlet brunette, is almost always casually styled. curiously enough, nico also has sectoral heterochromia, with his left iris a complete shade of light umber and his right a mixture of hickory and cobalt; he most notably has sanpaku eyes, a japanese term of folk lore origin in which the visibility of the sclera below the irises marks an individual as more likely to develop an illness or die a tragic death at a young age. it is also believed to indicate a physical or mental imbalance within the individual. like most legionnaires, he has a variety of tattoos that identify his position in the legion's military and subsequent hierarchy. similar to all soldiers of the legion, he has the outstretched symbol of an eagle tattooed directly on the middle of his back, as well as the headpiece of a fox - the symbol of his family - right above his heart. his entire right arm is tattooed with permanent dots and peculiar symbols - the mark of CPAI, also known as the cult of the ancients or the cultus populusque antiquorum imperium, which roughly translates to 'the culture and people of the ancient government'. it is noted by outsiders that these tattoos are often done poorly, most likely a result of subpar medical techniques such as old needles and subsequent skin infections from the soot used as a stand-in for dye. as a result, these tattoos rarely heal properly and often form in the appearance of chiseled scars. these techniques are often used in conclave and NCRR propaganda by smearing the legion's legacy as a cult and accusing its governing body of maliciously harming its own soldiers through tactful yet painful procedures, for it is true that the legion does not actively uphold the best medical prerogative in said application procedures (it is often believed by the legion that glory is in suffering, because their figureheads know that suffering produces perseverance, character and hope.) as a result, legionnaires may suffer from slow-healing wounds for weeks or months on end, a process that is only further crucified by their faction's shunning of painkillers, bliss and similar medicines. beyond his tattoos, nico has a canvas of scars earned from years of living out in the wasteland. some of these scars are minor, earned during the heat of conflict; others are more pronounced, given to him via flogging for failing the legion in the beginning of his career. while only slightly taller than the average american male, nico is broad-shouldered and well-muscled, with excellent endurance from years of wandering through exhausting desert and mountainous terrain. )
HISTORY/ROLE IN THE LEGION:
indent↳ born on april 28th, 2404, in the former state of arizona in a small settlement known as fallen hope, nico is the oldest of three children born to tacitus vipsanius novellus and geminia augusti filia. born into the gens of vipsania, a patrician family of ruling class status, nico would spend the majority of his childhood in amasra hill, a fortified legion stronghold built on the towering plateau of fortification hill, a prominence adjacent to lake mead. it is located at the northwest terminus region of the black mountains, and specifically the north region of the black mountains; it is near a southern section of lake mead, and just northeast of morgan dam. the stronghold can easily be seen eastward across las vegas bay or from the two northern mountain terminuses of eldorado mountains (nevada), or the black mountains (arizona). with an elevation of 3,719 feet, amasra hill commands a terrifying view of the scorched valleys below. reaching the fort is only possible via raft boats controlled by legionnaires stationed at serpentine cove, an outpost of messalina's legion that is currently under the command of the centurion gnaeus of phoenix. the cove has become a staging area where captives taken by the legion are then sent by boat over the colorado river into arizona to be processed as slaves, as well as a launching point for legion raids in the southern areas of the united states. it has since become the largest single encampment of legion forces on the western side of the colorado river and is their foothold into nevada, using the river to transfer troops and supplies to amasra hill on the east bank. as a military cantonment and subsequent garrison, it is uncommon but not entirely unheard of for imperial families to reside in amasra hill - especially given the fact it has become one of the legion's most productive nerve centers since the beginning of their conquest of new california. his childhood in amasra hill and not a traditional settlement beneath legion jurisdiction can be credited to his kin. his father, tacitus 'he who lives in death' vipsanius novellus, is a soldier of the praetorian guard, an elite unit of the army that serves as personal bodyguards for the gens of julia, a patrician family that has historically held leadership over the legion since its founding. equal parts secret service, special forces and urban administrators, members of the guard accompany the legion's sovereign and ruling body on active campaigns, protecting civic administrations and rule of law; they are also expected to fight by their master's side during times of war. nico's father tacitus serves as the prefect praetorian, the commander of the praetorian guard and a position of office that grants said position extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming one of the sovereign's chief aides in terms of imperial security. like all officers of the guard, tacitus resides in the castra praetoria, barracks built on amasra hill to specifically house the praetorian guard and their respective kin. raised amidst the battle cries and martial scheming of amasra hill, nico spent a majority of his early childhood amongst some of the greats of messalina's legion. at age seven, nico would become a cupbearer for the court whenever the circle of a thousand faces and/or the senate congregated at amasra hill. legionnaires stationed at amasra hill would go on to describe nico as a brazen but likable child, one who was eager to please and even more susceptible into falling into a youthful arrogance. as the eldest of three and the first grandchild of the family, nico spent the majority of his childhood being the apple of his parents' eyes. there was nothing he could do to upset them or push their limits (actions that would certainly foster later habits of hubris and egotism), and they invested much of their time into ensuring he had the foundations of a strong legionnaire. this included hiring a magister or grammaticus - tutors in the western empire who teach imperial children basic reading, writing, and math in english and latin - and ensuring that nico developed a strong basis for fighting by having him become a page at nine years old. as a page, nico acted as an attendant for legionnaires within the amasra garrison. the first stage of training for citizen soldiership in the legion army, pages are considered necessary building blocks into crafting a career of military discipline and routine. while pages do not typically see battle, they are expected to act as a courier for their overlords, wait on them at their tables, polish their armor and tend to their mounts, aid in preparations of war, etc. in exchange for training in swordsmanship and firearms. for the next few years, nico served beneath the tutelage of centurion axia soterica and tribunus appius duronius igennus in the fortifications of amasra hill. he would not depart for the wasteland as a full fledged soldier until he was fourteen years old, and by this age he showed great promise in bringing the wasteland to heel.
indent↳ first serving as a tirone ("new recruit"), he would eventually be promoted to miles gregarius, non-specialist regular soldier whom make up the bulk of the legion's manpower. alongside soldiering, munifex are required to perform guard duties, labor work, building and other non-combat roles, which increase their status in urban centers and make them more likely to be promoted or receive further training to become immunes. having fought fearlessly on the front lines of the cairn creek war - a relatively minor and swift conflict between messalina's legion and the tainted-blood communities of cairn creek, arizona, where its residents attempted to resist legion assimilation with no success - nico was promoted at fifteen years old to cornicen ("horn blower"), a junior officer and special duty position/enlisted rank in the legion who works hand in hand with the signifier in drawing the attention of the men to the centurial signum and issuing the audible commands of the officers. the cornicines are also used as assistants to a centurion (like an optio), and the cornicen is typically a duplicary ("soldier") who receives double the perks of the average enlisted legionary. nico's promotion came with serving in a century, tactical units of about one hundred soldiers stationed throughout the west and commanded by a centurion. nico would go on to serve his centuria faithfully, achieving minor successes throughout new california until the summer of 2419 in what would later become known as the graveyard incident. / southwest of the wastelander city of necropolis, the new california red rangers have historically produced their government's currency in a sprawl of urban ruins formerly known as the city of el monte. now known collectively as the whalebone graveyard,
PERSONALITY TRAITS:
FAMILY:
xxxx—— FATHER: tacitus vipsanius novellus
xxxx—— MOTHER: geminia augutsi filia - (born augusta paulla.) mother...
xxxx—— SIBLINGS:
indentxxx↳ augusta vipsania novellus
indentxxx↳ nero vipsanius novellus - im cooking
xxxx—— EXTENDED FAMILY:
indentxxx↳ aunt name here - maternal aunt, the older sister of geminia, sejanius and sabinus.
indentxxx↳ sejanius opsius midas - maternal uncle, the younger brother of geminia and older brother of sabinus. the way i Cannot decide on fcs for these durks like atp imma leave it alone
indentxxx↳ sabinus 'dead sea' opsius navius - (armor) maternal uncle, the younger brother of geminia and sabinus. he primarily goes by the nickname 'dead sea', a sobriquet he earned during the legion's bloody campaigns in new california (as well as to help extingush himself from his older brother, for their names sound irritatingly similar). in 2428, he was responsible for putting ilmourn, an outpost of the infamous twin order gang, to the sword and forcing its residents to flee into the pacific ocean, where most of them would succumb to the tides.
