Tainted Sand; A Spartacus AU [Interest Check and Profile Page]

[Snowe]

It is 73 AD; A time of civil and economy upheaval. Lanista [Gladiator Owners] from all over the country strive to defeat their adversaries and crown themselves as lords of the arena. For hundreds of years Rome has grown not through the might or talent of their leaders or tacticians, but through the sheer numbers of slaves stolen and imprisoned for various unsavory means by the Roman Empire from all over the known world. The world itself is in disarray, and various Ludii [Gladiator Training Camps] have already been destroyed by so-called 'bandits', though reports are generally scarce on the matter despite the public outcry surrounding. Some say, despite the reports of bandits pillaging and burning over a dozen Ludii to the ground and capturing slaves, that it is the work of the missing slaves themselves, as the corpses of these slaves were never found. Several new Ludii were founded, and those fortunate enough to survive from times past built on the ashes of the haunted pasts of the Empire; Built upon bloodied sands steeped monumentally high, the flesh of the gladiators past and present, those that fought to survive and to built upon reputation, those who sought personal gain, and those who sought only to save others from their own fate. All those lives forsaken and destroyed for the bloodlust of the Roman Empire.

A skilled young thracian warrior by the name of Spartacus is one of the many new slaves to be purchased by the likes of Lentulus Vatia, a noted roman lower aristocrat and skilled Lanista, and his wife Luseria, a woman of good standing who is noted for her diplomatic talent and silver tongue, as well as her devious nature. With plot and ploy they purchase Spartacus and numerous other talented slaves at the cost of selling numerous heirlooms and treasures to the empire for the dinari mint to supply them with food and lodgings for these new slaves. While talented in their ability to ward off the debt collectors and conspire against their kin, Vatia and Luseria seem to forget that keeping slaves, tormented and abused both physically and mentally in their home with only bare guard patrols every so often and a handful of talented house guards to keep the rabid beasts from their throats is a -very- unintelligent move.

A bloody feud is about to begin, a conflict which will take the lives of many of it's participants on either side and shatter the once noted peace that settled throughout Rome. The Third Servile War is about to begin, and Rome will forever be changed.

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Main Characters, Rebellion: While I would PREFER that you keep to the characters, you CAN change them to a moderate degree. Just no making the teacher or Hero an evil douche or making the villain a lovable character. You can give them different sides, just don't make them entirely different.

Spartacus/Spartia: The hero or heroine of the story and an extraordinarily talented warrior who nearly led their forces to victory over their detested enemies, the Getai, until their capture by a roman praetor and general by the name of Titus Glabrus. A kind and just individual who only fights when he/she truly needs to. He/she is not the type to attack those who cannot defend themselves; In fact, they are generally helped instead of hindered.

Rival: In canon this is the role Crixus plays. The personality and back-story is up to you, but they must at first hate or simply resent Spartacus/Spartia for one reason or another; Should that be a male rival being rejected by Spartia or Spartacus, or a recent defeat at his hands, or perhaps it's just in his nature to despise the newbie.

Friend: Should be the same gender as the hero, but can easily be any gender. A kind and somewhat mellow person who enjoys the more fun things in life. They are not a Gladiator by force, but instead allow themselves this fate for one reason or another; As to this they are a very determined person who will go to great length to reinforce their dreams, or those of a friend. In canon, this is the role played by Varro.

Teacher: An older gladiator who, for one reason or another, no longer fights in the arena; Be this an act he committed, an illness he has/had, or an injury he sustained. Still, he is a ferocious and skilled gladiator noted to have never actually been defeated in battle or in the arena. He is a wise and talented teacher yet a strong and brave fighter, and is honored throughout the Ludus as Doctore, or head gladiator teacher. Other than Spartacus/Spartia he is the most morally just character, as well as the one with the most just reasons to rebel.

Fierce Female: A very rare Gladiatrix; A female gladiator from a small community 'somewhere near Hispania'. She is a fiery, fierce yet intelligent warrior who lives by her own code of honor. She hates to be dismissed as 'Just a female' as she is said to be just as powerful and just as able as any male gladiator, showing this by being the first female gladiator to defeat a male gladiator in armed combat.

Kind Boy: A young gladiator around sixteen or seventeen years of age who, despite being almost untrained and thrown into the local arena, has survived thus far. He hates his life and is very withdrawn; It is said however that he has a great amount of potential as both a warrior and a gladiator, if he could only get over his emotions and fear of violence. He is the younger sibling and only living relative of the 'Fierce Female' character.

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Main Characters, Roman Empire: For all intents and purposes these characters are the villains. They're -supposed- to be mean-spirited, cruel, dark people who really don't care who they have to kill to get where they want to be.

Vatia: A vindictive and cold person with a sadistic streak matched only by his father and wife, thus why he married her. He is notable for his wily personality and his ability to get out of very sticky situation unscathed; He is no fool, and will always try to flip the tabled on anyone he can. The less people alive, the less competition for him, right? Sees Spartacus/Spartia as a way of getting the money he needs in short timing, and seems the teacher as a brother, trusting him with his life. The role played by Batiatus in the canon.

Luseria: An equally cold and deceptive person, thought not -quite- as dark as her husband. She would prefer to sweet-talk her way out any situation instead of slaughter her way out. Though cold to her gladiators, she is known to love her slaves like friends, treating them well with better food, finer clothes and hairstyles than the slaves of others. Hates Spartacus/Spartia for one reason or another, and would prefer if her husband just killed him/her. Noted to be extremely good-looking and for her distinctive flame-red hair. The role filled by Lucretia in the canon.

Titus Glabrus: A Roman General and Preator, a commander of men and politics. A cunning and truly manipulative man, and a person any man would be wise to not trust. Talented in tactics and swordplay, while young, he commands an entire legion of soldiers, heavily armored and heavily trained. Has an infatuation for Luseria and wishes to have Vatia killed so he can steal her away. Other than that he is a man who frankly ignores those of lower standing and shows little care for anyone that is not himself; Even going so far as ignoring his beautiful young wife, only marrying her to further his power, her father being a great politician.

Note: These set characters are the MAIN characters. You do --NOT-- have to make them. Repeat: YOU DO NOT NEED TO PLAY ONE OF THESE!!! You can make a slave of the ludus, a fellow politician, you can be another gladiator, and I will make it so you get your own stories and reality; You can be a main character if you play your cards right, I just want these here to make sure we get a proper story.

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Profile Code:

~~~ A God Graces the Ludus ~~~

300 x 300 goes in that tag. NO ANIME. NO UNDERAGE. You -MAY- use drawn if it's a damn good quality and LOOKS like a real person.

I am the one they call:

Name goes here. If you are a slave or gladiator then please place your name previous to capture and your current given name.

My role is thus 

Are you one of the above-mentioned roles? If not, put N/A

I am thought to look..

Appearance description here

I look quite similar to..

If you use a celebrity picture then please place the name and occupation here. For example 'Christina Aguilera, Singer'.

My Skills Include

Skills, both physical and mental should go here.

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~~~ Between Thine Thighs ~~~

I am excited by fail

Replace fail with your sexual preference; Males, females, or both. Nothing else, don't ruin the code or remove the italic.

I partial to

Place all sexual kinks and fetishes here please.

I dislike

And all sexual dislikes and such here.

~~~ And tainted sands grow nearer ~~~

I fight as a..

These are the gladiator types in this age. Please pick one. Obviously, delete this if you are a Roman and not a gladiator.

[Snowe]

Gladiator Types for your profile

Dimachaerus:

Equipment:
Two matching swords, both either a gladius (Roman short sword), sica (curved sword) or spatha (long sword) OR two small axes.
Leather leg wrappings.
Light bronze galea with visor.

Style:
Clearly, the dimachaeri was paired as a lighter figher against more heavily armored opponents and was expected to penetrate their defense to beat and kill them.
Gladiators of this style came in several shapes and sizes. Men who were large enough to overpower their opponents and men who were fast enough to outlast their opponents. Dimachaeri is a special class that highly skilled Gladiators can fight under after years of training.

Users
Style used by Spartacus in part 2, Oenamaus, Gannicus and Theokoles

Hoplomachus

Equipment:
Dory: A 7-8 foot long spear designed for thrusting.
Pugio (dagger) or Gladius Graecus (short sword).
Manica: Segmented cotton or metal armguard.
Linen greaves worn like long pants.
Hoplon: A smaller iron version of the bronze Greek Aspis, worn on the arm.
Hoplomachus Helmet: a mid-weight helmet.

Style
This style was better fitted to constant attack rather than defending or using agility. Although their small shield afforded less protection than that of some other classes, their lighter equipment did not weigh them down as much and thus they would not tire easily as a more heavily armored opponent. A decidedly swift and ferocious style allowing weaker-bodied fighter to gain victory whilst keeping their unguarded body from enemies.

Users
Auctus, Barca[mmm..barca. *drools*]

Laquerius

Equipment
Chain flail: a long chain with a heavy (typically spiked) ball on the end.
Pugnum: Small "buckler" shield affixed to the wrist.
Poignard or Pugio: Dagger held in the buckler hand.

Style:

A far more tactical and intelligent style than almost all of the others afforded to the common gladiator. This style uses the long chain to ensnare and capture enemies, before defeating or killing them with the chain. For offensive purposes then can also the wield the chain ball with deadly accuracy from so far away that it defeats the purpose for armor. The ball is very powerful, having enough weight to crush armor and skull alike.

Users:
None

Retiarus

Equipment:
Rete: A weighted net used to trap opponents.
Fascina: A three-pointed trident, as tall as a human being.
Pugio: A dagger.
Manica and galerus: Two guards to protect the arm and shoulder.

Style
Retiarii wielded a net (rete), which could be used to trap opponents or to ensnare weapons, while the trident (fascina) they wielded would keep opponents at a distance. The retiarius would fight with little armour, usually only a subligaria and no helmet or foot gear. He would also rely on evasive tactics to stay out of range of the weapon of his opponent. The net was also intended to make up for his lack of armour, while the dagger (pugio) was used to finish off a defeated opponent, or as a last resort should the trident be lost.

Users
None of note.


Murmillo

Equipment:
Gladius. Roman short sword.
Scutum. Tower shield.
Manica. Segmented arm guard.
Galea. A large helmet, usually made of bronze, with an ornate 'grill' face visor.

Style
The Murmillo fighting style was suited for men with large muscular arms and strong heavy shoulders needed to help him carry the weight of his shield and sword. Men who played the Murmillo were shorter than most other Gladiators but very muscular.
The Murmillo depended on his strength and endurance to survive the battle against foes who were more suited to attacking. The tower shield gives him an edge in defense and his gladius also gives him the ability to thrust and swing at his enemies when in close range. The Murmillo are also trained to kick their enemies with the thick padding worn around their legs.

Users
Early Spartacus
Crixus
Agron
Varro [NUUU VARRO! WAI! WAAAAAAAAAAAI *Cries*]

Samnite

Equipment
Gladius: Roman short sword.
Scutum: large shield (rectangular or oval).
Greave: leg guard.
Plumed Helmet.
Cuirass: Protective breastplate.

Style:
The most heavily armored of all the Gladiator classes, the Samnite uses this to their advantage, and are masters of forcing their opponents to use all their energy up dodging their wide, sweeping offences and attempting to defeat their impenetrable shields and armor. They may appear slow and cumbersome, but they are absolutely not to be trifled with.

Users:
Mycter


Secutor

Equipment
Manica (right arm): cotton or metal segments tied onto the striking arm for protection.
Ocrea (left leg): a leather or metal greave to protect the leg beneath the shield.
Secutor Helmet: a helmet with two small eye-holes, rounded top and neck-protective flanges.
Securis: Roman single-bladed axe.

The Secutor are notably brutish and powerful Gladiators, and are mostly those large and uncoordinated fellows with more brute strength and endurance that speed or whit. That is, they are likely taller and heavier than other warriors. They wield there axe with surprising speed and amazing power, yet are not as well-loved as others because of their entire lack of skill or flash. They prefer to remove limbs and cover the arena with gore and the sands with blood in a few seconds then leave; Not sit there chanting to the arena.

Users
Hasdrubal
Adrianus
Duratius


Thraex

Equipment:
Sica: A curved thrusting sword.
Parmula: A rectangular shield, half the size of the scutum.
Manica: Cotton or metal segments tied onto the striking arm for protection.
Griffin Helmet: A helmet with a small griffin on the top, resembling a Thracian deity.

Style:
The Thraex fighting style was suited for men who had long and toned bodies, resembling the tall and slender Thracian warrior. They fight with a fast paced and agile style that well matches the slower but heavily armored Murmillo.
The smaller parmula shield allows for the Thraex to move at a greater speed than an opponent carrying the larger scutum, while still remaining protected.

The sica sword allows them to hook onto an enemy's shield and pull it out of the way, to then thrust at their opponent's exposed body.

The arm guard worn on the striking arm allows the Thraex to attack without worrying about losing that arm.

Users:
Early Spartacus