Name: Marcellus. His full name is Marcus Claudius Marcellus.
Alignment: Neutral good
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Marcellus was born into a privileged family, the son of Marcus, a prominent Roman citizen, in the third century BC. He followed a military career, and quickly rose to fame after defeating the Gaul leader, Viridomarus, in single combat. His career as a general was one marked by many important successes, often where others had failed before him.
Marcellus led his army in an attack of Syracuse. After a two-year siege, he captured and sacked the city. There, according to Plutarch, occurred a tragic loss:
“But nothing afflicted Marcellus so much as the death of Archimedes, who was then, as fate would have it, intent upon working out some problem by a diagram, and having fixed his mind alike and his eyes upon the subject of his speculation, he never noticed the incursion of the Romans, nor that the city was taken. In this transport of study and contemplation, a soldier, unexpectedly coming up to him, commanded him to follow to Marcellus; which he declining to do before he had worked out his problem to a demonstration, the soldier, enraged, drew his sword and ran him through.”
Marcellus captured many magnificent Greek sculptures, which he brought back to Rome and displayed in his triumphal parade. This was an affront to the Gods, who were paraded as captives before the citizens of Rome. It was not Marcellus’ intention to display gods as captives, so, in atonement, he erected two temples; one to Honor, and one to Virtue. The damage was done, however, and a vengeful god one day plucked him from the fields of northern Italy and hurled him into the Astral Plane.
There, Marcellus languished for what seemed like centuries; time does not exist there. He was nearly mad with despair when he was rescued by a merciful goddess, who called herself the goddess of Night. She took pity on him, restored his body and strengthened his spirit. Unable or unwilling to return him to his home, she placed him in Hollow. He swore his allegiance to her, and remains her faithful follower, although she does not manifest herself in Hollow. Because of her absence there, he has sought a deity in Hollow to follow. He reflects upon his existence, and prays to Sven for guidance, but does not claim to be a priest of Sven. He wanders the byways of Hollow, helping the less fortunate and rejecting the violence by which he had lived for so many years. He will only occasionally be so filled with righteous anger that the old general in him will awaken to deal out terrible retribution. He works quietly to atone for the thousands of lives lost, the civilizations destroyed and the thousands of slaves captured under his command. All the while, he seeks the means to return home.
He believes that it is by use of a banishment circle that he might someday cross the Astral Plane and find Rome again, and thus motivated he has studied the art. He can send living and nonliving objects into other planes, and can return himself to Hollow from other planes, but has not found the plane of his homeland. He has an interest in Alchemy. Although he cannot make gold from base metals, he has made other interesting discoveries.
Marcellus is a tough hunter, and will occasionally slay a dire bear while clad only in ragged shirt and pants. It helps him to refine himself spiritually, by denying his corporeal body. He can occasionally be seen meditating while dressed in rags, seeking to refine his spirit and purify his perception of his true place in Hollow. Even as a general, he was a religious man, and a conscientious follower of Honor and Virtue.
He has no overt romantic interest in Hollow, but he seems to harbor a flame for his good friend and hunting partner, Jhessail. He has a weakness for food and drink, and usually buys a round of ale when he visits the tavern of Kelay, which is often. He would never admit it, but he has a weakness for a pretty face. He helps the poor, and he usually helps the poor women first. He carries spare supplies to give away, and always carries a pretty dress or some jewelry to that end. Though he is not a bard, he has a fine tenor voice, and likes to sing.
Player’s Note: See http://www.livius.org/cg-cm/claudius/marcellus.html
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