Announcements: Cutting Costs (2024) » January 2024 Copyfraud Attack » Finding Universes to Join (and making yours more visible!) » Guide To Universes On RPG » Member Shoutout Thread » Starter Locations & Prompts for Newcomers » RPG Chat β€” the official app » Frequently Asked Questions » Suggestions & Requests: THE MASTER THREAD »

Latest Discussions: Adapa Adapa's for adapa » To the Rich Men North of Richmond » Shake Senora » Good Morning RPG! » Ramblings of a Madman: American History Unkempt » Site Revitalization » Map Making Resources » Lost Poetry » Wishes » Ring of Invisibility » Seeking Roleplayer for Rumple/Mr. Gold from Once Upon a Time » Some political parody for these trying times » What dinosaur are you? » So, I have an Etsy » Train Poetry I » Joker » D&D Alignment Chart: How To Get A Theorem Named After You » Dungeon23 : Creative Challenge » Returning User - Is it dead? » Twelve Days of Christmas »

Players Wanted: Serious Anime Crossover Roleplay (semi-literate) » Looking for a long term partner! » JoJo or Mha roleplay » Seeking long-term rp partners for MxM » [MxF] Ruining Beauty / Beauty x Bastard » Minecraft Rp Help Wanted » CALL FOR WITNESSES: The Public v Zosimos » Social Immortal: A Vampire Only Soiree [The Multiverse] » XENOMORPH EDM TOUR Feat. Synthe Gridd: Get Your Tickets! » Aishna: Tower of Desire » Looking for fellow RPGers/Characters » looking for a RP partner (ABO/BL) » Looking for a long term roleplay partner » Explore the World of Boruto with Our Roleplaying Group on FB » More Jedi, Sith, and Imperials needed! » Role-player's Wanted » OSR Armchair Warrior looking for Kin » Friday the 13th Fun, Anyone? » Writers Wanted! » Long term partner to play an older male wanted »

Heart of the Empire

Heart of the Empire

0 INK

'Tis the time of heroes and philosophers, of love and war. The Roman Empire is at its peak, and at the center of it all is the Roman Senate. Although, some may say that the true heart of Rome lies inside Amphitheatrum Flavium, also known as the Colosseum.

1,685 readers have visited Heart of the Empire since Lady of the Sycamore created it.

Introduction

Image

Gladiators:
You put on your heavy armor, your heart thudding inside your chest. You’ve been through this a million times, and yet it never seems to change. You can never fully prepare yourself. You will never know what you will be facing, and you do not know whether you live or die. You grab up your sword, well-used and balanced. You begin to feel less dread, and you pray that your skills will be enough to save you once again. You put your helmet on, and the gate slowly opens. The men at the gate nod and wish you luck as you pass by them, and you are grateful for it. For all you know, these may be the last words you ever hear. You walk out into the arena, the cool sand beneath your feet, and the deafening roar from the crowd filling you with a sense of hope. They scream your name, and you raise your sword. This pleases them, and they cry out even louder. But you’ve seen enough to know that they don’t really care. All they care about is death. And you must give it to them, one way or another. You lower your blade, ready for the challenge ahead. Ready to kill, or die. You are a gladiator, and this is what you do.

Senators:
Your sandals echo through the narrow pathway as they hit the cobblestone streets. Your breath is heavy and your side aches, but you keep on running. You cannot be late, it is simply not done. You could not afford for your reputation to be ruined. Without your reputation, you are nothing. You want to slap yourself for not getting out of bed sooner, but you know it would do no good. Soon the marble Senate House appears, and you slow down to be able to catch your breath. You ascend the stone steps, breathing heavily and clasping at the stitch in your side. After you have composed yourself, you straighten your robes and take a deep breath. You push open the doors into the Senate, and all eyes are upon you. You are not late, but it was a close call this time. With pride in your steps you make your way over to your seat. You sit down and soon watch as the decisions regarding the great Empire of Rome are made. You listen as lies sweet as honey are passed from person to person, and false promises are made. You are there as the fate of all Romans is decided. This is an important business, being a Senator. But it is also a dangerous business, because this marble House is nothing more than a spider’s web woven of deceit and treachery. While it may seem to be filled with nothing more than fat, old men, there are some who see them for what they really are; vicious wolves who look for any excuse to prey on the weak and innocent. Will you manage to keep the wolves at bay, or will they tear you apart? Or perhaps you will join them in their great feast on the riches of Rome.

Welcome!
Welcome to Amphitheatrum Flavium, better known as the Colosseum. The year is 68 A.D., and the Emperor Nero sits upon the throne. It has been almost four years since the Great Fire of Rome. Nero had successfully managed to have parts of the burnt city rebuilt, but at the expense of the citizens of Rome. The largest project was a palace that the Emperor had built for himself, and it was paid for with the harsh taxes upon the Romans. β€˜New’, is a choice word to describe this time. New is the glory of the Rome that had been rebuilt out of the ashes, but new is also the hate that is rising up towards the Emperor. Also new is the rise of the religion of Christianity, and Nero has blamed the Christians for the near destruction of Rome.

It is a difficult time for those in the Senate, and they who wish to keep their heads must tread carefully and do nothing to anger the Emperor. This is a time that effects all in Rome, but they must all carry on. For it is not the Emperor that keeps Rome alive, it is its people.

Positions/Occupations:
  • Emperor – Nero
  • Master of Gladiatorial Games – Antonius Crassinus
  • Senators
  • Noblemen
  • Noblewomen
  • Gladiators
  • Praetorian Guards
  • Soldiers
  • Citizens
  • Slaves
  • Anything else you can think of

Character Sheet:
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Position/Occupation:
Nationality (Roman, Greek, etc.):
Significant Other (if any):
History:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Preferred way to kill someone:
Other:
Looks(description or picture):

Toggle Rules

Rules:
  • Use authentic names from the time period
  • Be as literate as possible
  • Please use my character sheet
  • You may have as many characters as you want
  • Please try to create at least one male character for each female one. Gladiators can be girls, but primarily they are guys. It’s okay to have a few female gladiators though, that makes it interesting :) Lets try not overrun this thing with girls though
  • Only submit a character if you have the time to come back once in a while, please don’t submit a character and just ditch it
  • Please post at least once every couple of days
  • Don’t kill other people’s characters unless that’s okay with them
  • Try to include all members as much as possible
  • While Nero was the Emperor of Rome during this time, note that many events that are happening are not historically accurate
  • Your characters can have any occupation available in the time period. Most of the action will take place in the Colosseum, the Senate, or the Roman Forum. So choice occupations would be gladiators, senators, noblemen/noblewomen, or slaves (who can belong to anyone)
  • If someone wants to live very dangerously and be a relative of Nero living in the palace, that’d be cool, just let me know!
  • Have fun!

Taking place in...

Ancient Rome our primary setting

The City at the Heart of the Roman Empire

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome by Lady of the Sycamore

The City at the Heart of the Roman Empire

The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 2 authors

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kissa
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Kissa
Kissa shivered, and she drew what she had left of her worn dress around her. She was hungry, exhausted, and emotionally tired out to the point of apathy. She didn't care anymore. She knew what was going to happen, and she was ready for it. She knew that it would be foolish to even dream of seeing her family again, and what happened to her was not a concern. She just wanted it to end. For her to be sold or to die. She did not care which. But she could not stand this anymore, she hated everything. She hated her cell, she hated the slave traders, she hated the other slaves, she hated the rotten smell of death in the air, and most of all she hated the filthy Romans who casually walked by, regarding her and her people as nothing more than animals fit for market. And that is exactly what they were. They were nothing more than animals, if they were even as high as that. Her misery subsided as she watched a Roman man approach the trader at the door of the cell. The trader unlocked it, and the Roman stepped in. He began to look all of the slaves over, and Kissa knew this was her chance. She was not sure what she could accomplish, but she could not simply sit there anymore. Without a moment of hesitation, she threw herself at the Roman and hit him with all the force she could muster. The Roman was shocked, and she would have inflicted reasonable damage to him had two traders not rushed in and taken her away from the man. They drug her out of the cell and beat her. She cried out in pain, but she was not ashamed. There was no more that they could do to bring her any lower. The Roman, recovered from his shock, stepped out of the cell and studied Kissa once again.
"She'll do excellently. A bit of beauty and ferocity, I am sure the crowd will be impressed. She might even last for more than a minute, this one's a fighter.", said the Roman. Kissa was a bit confused at this, but the traders simply bound her wrists in chains while the Roman went and picked a half a dozen other slaves, who were all bound in chains into a long line. The Roman paid the slave traders, and then he led the chained procession down the streets of Rome.

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Marcellus Ponticus
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Marcellus
Marcellus woke to a small voice, and a light tapping at his shoulder.
"Dominus, it is time for you to be waking." Marcellus opened his eyes to see the smiling, adolescent face of his slave, Felix. Marcellus sat up and yawned. He looked out the window, and was glad to see that it was going to be a pleasant day. He got out from under his blankets and Felix brought him a new set of clothing. He got dressed, splashed some water onto his face from a basin, and then went into him small dining room. He sat down and his cook, Enid, brought him a plate full of fruit and cheese. He ate quickly in silence, and then went out into the city, leaving his small villa in the care of Enid and Felix, as always. He walked slowly through the streets, knowing that he had plenty of time to reach the Senate. He watched as small children played along the side of the of road, and vendors called out to anyone who would lend an ear, or perhaps a coin or two. This was the Rome that he loved, the Rome that he hoped that he could help preserve. The signs of the terrible fire had mostly disappeared, but the memory was still there as if the flames had only engulfed the city yesterday. Marcellus, like everyone else, knew the rumors. He knew who it was who was blamed in whispers for the fire. And personally, Marcellus did not doubt these rumors. He knew what the Emperor was capable of. Marcellus sighed and put these thoughts away in his mind, and went back to enjoying the present happiness in Rome.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kissa Character Portrait: Antonius Crassinus
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Antonius
Antonius sat upon his raised chair on the balcony that overlooked the arena. He watched as his gladiators trained in the sand, their swords and spears clanging against shields and armor. Tonight would be a fairly good evening of entertainment. He had sent one of his men to go and fetch a fresh batch of slaves, and the new conquest of some villages in Egypt meant that there would be a decent stock coming in. Not that he expected the slaves to last very long in the arena, but the people always loved it if the slaves gave a good fight. Antonius got up from his chair and walked down to one of the holding cells for the slaves underneath the arena. Right on time, the man he had sent was just arriving with a half a dozen slaves from the market. He looked at them approvingly, until he noticed that one of them was female, something that they rarely used in the arena. She was very beautiful, and he asked his man why he chose her.
"She may seem tame, but she almost teared me to pieces when I got within a few feet of her. She's got spirit, this one.", said the man. Antonius nodded in understanding, and he watched as the man locked the slaves up. He then went back up to his seat, and knew that the crowd would be very pleased indeed. Some of them may protest about the woman, but blood was blood, no matter male or female. He might even let this one be permitted a sword, just to give her an advantage. He smiled as he thought about tonight's games. As always, he knew that he would enjoy himself. Many say that the Colosseum is the heart of the Roman Empire, and he was proud to be called its keeper.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Octavia Livius Character Portrait: Marcellus Ponticus
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Octavia

Octavia sat quietly in her room, scribbling down words onto a piece of partchment. She was writing down scriptures from the Christian Bible that she had remembered from the night before. There were few at the moment who had their own codex of the Bible and she wasn't one of those lucky ones, but she hoped one day she could get her hands on one. For now, however, she would have to use her writing skills that were taught to her by her brothers in order to have some scriptures.

Octavia finished writing one last thing when there came a knock on her door. She quickly scrambled to pick up her partchment and shoved it into a secret cubby hole before her mother walked in her room. She quickly sat back down in her chair and turned to face her mother. "Oh you're up already, that's unexpected. Why are you up so early?" Her mother asked, still surprised her daughter was already awake.

"Am I not allowed to be awake at this time Mother? I simply woke up earlier than normal and decided to get ready for the day, is that a crime?" Octavia asked her mother and had to suppress a small giggle as she watched frustration wash over her mother's face.

"You speak in such a disrespectful way to your mother now, what happened to my sweet little girl?" She asked her daughter out of frustration and when the girl only shrugged this upset her more. "Well never mind you rude girl. Just hurry up and come out to the common room. We're all getting ready to head into town with your father and see him off." And with that the woman spun and stormed out of her daughters room. Octavia sighed as she stood up, knowing she shouldn't have treated her mother that way. The two were just such different personalities and they both frustrated each other.

Octavia made sure she looked presentable before doing as her mother asked and heading out to the common room. This was their day they went into town with her father to see him off, but then they spent time in town shopping before heading back home. Most of the time Octavia would leave herself looking very plain and unimpressive which often made her mother throw a fit. How would she impress any man looking like that is what her mother would always say. However today she did make herself look presentable more because she didn't want to hear her mother complain.

She came out to the common room and was greeted with a smile from her father and a kiss on the cheek. None of her two brothers still living in the house were anywhere to be found. Octavia figured they had already left for their jobs. So it would be just her and her mother today seeing her father off. So she silently followed as they left their not so humble abode. The place was more extravagant than many that lived around them and it almost screamed that they were "special". It's all Octavia knew however and she never took much notice of it.

As they came into the town her parents continued their chit chat while Octavia stayed a little further back, still staying silent while watching the scenes around her. There were vendors trying to get her to come look at what they had, but she just gave them a polite shake of her head and continued on. At one point she had to come to an adrupt stop as three small children ran right in front of her. Immediately a woman started yelling at them and apologizing to her. She gave the woman a kind smile and reassured her it was fine.

"Ah Marcellus! It's good to see you this morning. How have you been? Have you met my wife Hilaria and my daughter Octavia?" Festus spoke as he recognized Marcellus, knowing him from the Senate. Octavia heard all this as she came up next to her father and she instantly felt the eyes of her mother on her. It was as if her mother was silently screaming at her to be on her best behavior since this man could be a possible suiter. To her mother any man they came across could be a possible suiter for her daughter. Octavia looked at the man her father had called out to and after a moment of looking him over she decided to give her mother the satisfaction of a friendly smile towards the man. She didn't speak, however, because she didn't think it was an appropriate time to do so.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Octavia Livius Character Portrait: Marcellus Ponticus
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Marcellus
"Ah, Marcellus! It's good to see you this morning!"
Marcellus was browsing through a crate of various scrolls when he heard a familiar voice call out his name. He looked up and smiled as he saw Festus, one of his fellow senators coming toward him. Following him came two women, one a bit older and the other young and beautiful. Marcellus raised his hand in greeting and hailed Festus as he continued talking. "How have you been? Have you met my wife Hilaria and my daughter Octavia?" Marcellus smiled and replied to him.
"Good morning! I have been excellent, Festus, thank you. No, I can't say that I have met either of them before." He turned to them an gave a smile and a nod to each of them in turn. "Hilaria, Octavia. The pleasure is all mine." His eyes lingered for a second on the beautiful face of Octavia, for she was indeed a sight to behold. He also saw a quick glance that passed from the mother to the daughter, and it wasn't hard to guess what it meant. He had become accustomed to anxious mothers trying to show-off their daughters whenever he was around. Although he was humble, he was still aware that he had most of the things that a Roman woman looks for when she wants to marry off her daughter. He was a senator; powerful, smart, and moderately wealthy. He was also young and handsome, which was an extra incentive. He still wasn't sure quite whether he wanted to get married yet, but he knew that the time would have to come eventually. Every Roman man needs a good Roman wife... his father would say. But he still had a bit of fight left in him, and he knew he could hold off the flood of desperate mothers for at least a bit more.
He gave Octavia a knowing smile and turned his attention again to Festus. "So where are you and these lovely ladies of your household off to this fine morning?"

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kissa Character Portrait: Antonius Crassinus
Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

Kissa
Kissa slumped against the wall of the holding cell. Great, another cage... Kissa wasn't sure what was in store for her, but whatever it was, she knew it couldn't be good. She was in the sort of place where disobedient slaves were preferred, and she knew that disobedient slaves were only good for one thing: being killed. Perhaps she could make an escape. But what then? There was no way she could get out of Rome with soldiers and guards everywhere.
Kissa sat there for hours, spending what might be her last moments dreaming about Egypt and her family. Then the time had come. There was a general, hurried commotion under the arena, people bustling about here and there. Soon a loud cheer erupted from above, and it continued on. Once in a while, a man would come and take a few of the slaves at a time. The cheers continued. Slowly, the cell became emptier and emptier, until Kissa was the only one left. Most entertaining for last..., she thought bitterly. Then her time had come. A man appeared to bring her up, and he took her out of the cell and led her through a series of passages,until finally they stood in front of a closed gate. She could hear the cheering, louder than ever, coming from the other side. The man went to a table nearby and grabbed a sword. He gave it to Kissa, and she turned it over in her hands. It was quite heavy, and felt very unbalanced. But she was thankful to be given one at all, so she resisted the urge to kill him with it. The cheers became louder, signaling the end of the previous match. Then a silence fell, and a muffled voice rose over the arena, and then ended with a large amount of cheering. Kissa's heart quickened as the gate in front of her opened. The man pushed her into the arena, and she stumbled into the blinding sunlight. She squinted around her, and almost dropped the sword in astonishment. Around her was a giant stone arena, where thousands of Romans sat and screamed. All of their eyes were upon her, and at that moment she hated Romans even more than when they had burned her family's farm to the ground. They were cheering because they wanted to see her die. At that moment she finally noticed her opponent: a large, bulky gladiator covered in armor, with his sword drawn. She knew then what she had to do. She had to defy these Romans at any cost. She would not die, not like this, not while thousands of spectators screamed for her blood. She raised her sword, ready to kill.

View All »Arcs

Arcs are bundles of posts that you can organize on your own. They're useful for telling a story that might span long periods of time or space.

There are no arcs in this roleplay.

View All » Create New » Quests

There are no quests in this roleplay.

Add Group » View All » 0 Factions to align with

Here's the current leaderboard.

There are no groups in this roleplay!

Events

Soon™.

Game Master Controls

Welcome home, Promethean. Here, you can manage your universe.

Arcs

Arcs are bundles of posts from any location, allowing you to easily capture sub-plots which might be spread out across multiple locations.

Add Quest » Quests

You can create Quests with various rewards, encouraging your players to engage with specific plot lines.

Add Setting » 1 Settings for your players to play in

Settings are the backdrop for the characters in your universe, giving meaning and context to their existence. By creating a number of well-written locations, you can organize your universe into areas and regions.

Navigation

While not required, locations can be organized onto a map. More information soon!

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome by Lady of the Sycamore

The City at the Heart of the Roman Empire

Add Group » 0 Factions to align with

There are no groups in this roleplay!

Collectibles

By creating Collectibles, you can reward your players with unique items that accentuate their character sheets.


Once an Item has been created, it can be spawned in the IC using /spawn Item Name (case-sensitive, as usual) — this can be followed with /take Item Name to retrieve the item into the current character's inventory.

Mobs

Give your Universe life by adding a Mob, which are auto-replenishing NPCs your players can interact with. Useful for some quick hack-and-slash fun!

Mobs can be automated spawns, like rats and bats, or full-on NPCs complete with conversation menus. Use them to enhance your player experience!

Current Mobs

No mobs have been created yet.

Spawns

Locations where Mobs and Items might appear.

Events

You can schedule events for your players to create notifications and schedule times for everyone to plan around.

Permissions

Add and remove other people from your Universe.

The Forge

Use your INK to craft new artifacts in Heart of the Empire. Once created, Items cannot be changed, but they can be bought and sold in the marketplace.

Notable Items

No items have been created yet!

The Market

Buy, sell, and even craft your own items in this universe.

Market Data

Market conditions are unknown. Use caution when trading.

Quick Buy (Items Most Recently Listed for Sale)

Open Stores

View All » Add Character » 5 Characters to follow in this universe

Character Portrait: Emperor Nero
Character Portrait: Antonius Crassinus
Character Portrait: Kissa
Character Portrait: Marcellus Ponticus
Character Portrait: Octavia Livius

Newest

Character Portrait: Octavia Livius
Octavia Livius

"A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches." Proverbs 11:16

Character Portrait: Marcellus Ponticus
Marcellus Ponticus

For the good of Rome

Character Portrait: Kissa
Kissa

Bloody Romans...

Character Portrait: Antonius Crassinus
Antonius Crassinus

Let the games begin!

Character Portrait: Emperor Nero
Emperor Nero

What's one more crucifixion?

Trending

Character Portrait: Antonius Crassinus
Antonius Crassinus

Let the games begin!

Character Portrait: Octavia Livius
Octavia Livius

"A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches." Proverbs 11:16

Character Portrait: Marcellus Ponticus
Marcellus Ponticus

For the good of Rome

Character Portrait: Emperor Nero
Emperor Nero

What's one more crucifixion?

Character Portrait: Kissa
Kissa

Bloody Romans...

Most Followed

Character Portrait: Octavia Livius
Octavia Livius

"A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches." Proverbs 11:16

Character Portrait: Marcellus Ponticus
Marcellus Ponticus

For the good of Rome

Character Portrait: Emperor Nero
Emperor Nero

What's one more crucifixion?

Character Portrait: Antonius Crassinus
Antonius Crassinus

Let the games begin!

Character Portrait: Kissa
Kissa

Bloody Romans...


View All » Places

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome by Lady of the Sycamore

The City at the Heart of the Roman Empire

Fullscreen Chat » Create Topic » Heart of the Empire: Out of Character

Discussions

  • Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Most recent OOC posts in Heart of the Empire

Re: Heart of the Empire

I think that'd be cool! Go right ahead!

Re: Heart of the Empire

So I think I'm going to make a cs for Octavia's father and also one for a gladiator. What do you think?

Re: Heart of the Empire

Great! She looks fabulous! You can make another character too if you wanr, or you can wait to see if anyone else joins. It's your choice :)

Re: Heart of the Empire

She is up :). If need be I can make another character too that's a gladiator if we don't get more people or somethung.

Re: Heart of the Empire

Okay, sounds like a plan! Thank you, I look forward to seeing your character!

Re: Heart of the Empire

Oh this seems quite interesting especially since it is one of my most favorite times in history. I do have an idea for a female character so count me in :).

Heart of the Empire

This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Heart of the Empire"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

cron