Romulus
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The most weighted word has only two letters
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Post by Romulus on Oct 16, 2011 0:18:08 GMT -5
Name: Father Rommel/ Lord Romulus
Gender: Male
Age: 50
Species: Field mouse
Occupation: Abbot of Redwall/ Horde leader/ Plot villain
Please note: Rommel is a fake identity created by Romulus. Even though the two personas clash in Romulus' mind on occasion, Rommel is not real. I will try to explain as best I can about who's who in the description of his personality and history.
Physical Appearance:
Father Rommel: for a mouse his age, Rommel is quite fit. Not overly muscular, but quite in shape. Definitely not the typical, slightly overweight elder mouse, Rommel keeps himself trim. He's also a little on the tall side. His fur is a dark tan, with a faded black stripe down his face and back, ending at the base of his tail. A surplus of gray furs can be found in a generous sprinkling over his entire body. His tail is rather long for a mouse, and his ears are a little on the small side. His many whiskers are beginning to show a prominent droop. His kind eyes are a keen deep blue in color.
He has two scars on his snout. One has been cut through his nose and ends just before his left eye. The other runs through his upper and lower lip, stopping right above his chin. He also has two tears in his left ear, but they're small ones. Another scar runs down the length of his left forearm, crossed by two shorter scars in the crook of his elbow. He has multiple short scars on both his knuckles and neck, and four equally long and equally jagged (what look like) savage claw marks across his back.
He can typically be seen in the traditional green habit of Redwall. He dons a white waist cord and simple brown sandals. Sometimes he'll wear small rock crystal glasses for reading, but otherwise he normally doesn't need them.
Lord Romulus: every inch as fit and muscular as his Rommel persona, Romulus likes to flaunt his many scars. He typically wears a dark, thick leather mail vest and breeches, and equally thick leather boots. He also wears black metal armor, but he only wears enough pieces to cover his right arm. Oh, but he also has a matching helmet and black metal boot-coverings.
Besides clothing (and general demeanor), the main difference between Rommel and Romulus is the eyes. While Rommel's eyes are a deep, almost ocean-wave blue, Romulus' eyes are a pale, glass color, with barely a hint of blue to be found. And Rommel's ears, normally held upright, flatten back while Romulus. Everything about Rommel hardens and seems to darken when Romulus reemerges.
Possessions:
Rommel has little besides his clothing. Although he does wear a gold chain with a red garnet stone as the pendant. He usually tucks it beneath his habit. He has an old, beat up sword he hangs in his room, and a battered shield. He owns a few books and his personal journal, and that's about it.
Lord Romulus, on the other paw, owns a great many things. These things include, but are not limited to: a full suit of dark silver armor (as opposed to the few pieces of black armor he typically wears), a shining double-hilted broadsword with a gold blade and black hilt, a silver shield with an intricate device on the front, a simple spear, two daggers, a short sword, and an entire army.
Personality:
Note (again): Romulus is the only real mouse out of Father Rommel and Lord Romulus. Rommel is a fake persona created by Romulus to fool the abbey beasts. However, he's been playing Rommel for so long that the Father Abbot has become real in his mind, and a completely separate creature from Romulus. Rommel has his own personality and character, and he has even become a little frightened of his real self, Romulus. But Romulus is bent on taking over the abbey, so he will dispose of Rommel the first chance he gets.
However, Romulus himself was quite unstable in mind before he became Rommel, so he often fights with himself for control. He suffers from excruciating headaches because of this. However, it's easy to differentiate between the two personalities, since Rommel is as real to Romulus as his own mind.
Father Rommel: a generous, kind and caring creature, Rommel is loved by all the abbey beasts. His sweet, father-like nature shines through in his encouraging words and quiet authority. He's also playful and loving, rarely seen without a little one clinging to his paw. He's amiable and easygoing, and gets along with just about every beast he meets. He is also a born leader and knows his responsibilities as abbot. With a warm smile rarely leaving his face, Rommel is a very approachable creature.
However, he is a firm authority, and he knows right from wrong. He also knows if you're breaking the rules, since he's excellent at reading body language. He can tell a guilty face a mile away. But he isn't quick to deal out a punishment. He prefers to right a wrong with apologies and forgiveness, but if a punishment is needed, he makes it light. And he also talks with the troublemaker afterwards, to find out why they decided to do what they did. He wants to be everybeast's friend, even those who break the rules. The words he uses most often are, "How are you?" And others can tell he means it.
Despite his authoritative position, Rommel tends to get a little flustered and scatterbrained at times. He has trouble keeping his composure, and can get a little nervous when saying the grace or giving a speech. But he just laughs it off, treating his unease as a lighthearted joke. He much prefers one-on-one conversations to public speaking.
Lord Romulus: manipulative, cold, and cunning, Romulus is the exact opposite of his Father Rommel persona. Once the habit is shed, Romulus comes out to play. And Romulus does not play fair. His plans are always ingenious, and often quite complex, and they rarely fail, but they're also downright dirty. A master strategist, he can analyze a situation in the blink of an eye. He knows when his opponent has the advantage, and he can think of several strategies to take that advantage away. He fights dirty, swiping below the belt, kicking in vulnerable places on his opponent's body, scratching when his weapon has been lost, and even biting exposed skin if he can. He has no honor in battle, whatsoever. However, it's not because he isn't a good fighter. He could win a fight by battling honorably. His reaction time is virtually unrivaled, especially in swordplay. He is an excellent spear beast, and his skills with knives are also noteworthy. He stinks at archery, though, nor could he lift a war hammer to save his life.
Romulus uses beasts as others use rags, for a quick task and then he tosses them aside for (possible) future use. He has no love for anybeast but himself, and as long as the task will benefit him, he'll do it. Otherwise, forget it. He doesn't grant favors. He's more inclined to carve you a few new scars than actually help you. What do you think he is, a charity? That's Rommel's job. Romulus hates the very premise of charity. Kindness is akin to weakness to him, and the leader of a horde does not show weakness. He's only ever shown real kindness to one beast, but he tolerated her for reasons all his own. He can also read body language like nobeast's business. He is also much more collected and able to keep his composure much better than while he is playing Rommel.
Romulus has an extremely multitasking mind. For example, as he is thinking about his next three moves in battle, he will be simultaneously guessing his opponent's next seven moves or so, adjusting his own attacks as needed. This goes along with the 'master strategist' title. He is, quite simply, extremely clever. But he's also a bit unstable. His mind is sharp, but his duality between being Rommel and Romulus has caused him to become unpredictable. Before he created Rommel, he was already a little, um, tipsy? But it was the evil kind of tipsy. Read: he liked to kill and destroy in cold blood. His sanity is still mostly intact, but developing a second personality has caused him to slip even further. He's still in his right mind enough to be in control of an abbey and a horde. It's only during times when he is thoroughly exhausted that he slips a little and becomes the other personality than the one he is currently playing. For example, if he gets worn out while playing Rommel, he may become short-tempered and cynical for awhile. And vice versa for when he is Romulus.
But, despite his various . . . quirks, Romulus is a skilled leader. He commands his army with dignity and authority, and his person simply radiates dominance when Romulus takes over. He knows a good warrior when he sees one, and though he uses other beasts to his benefit, he doesn't easily dispose of good talent. Every fighter in his army is there for a reason. They've proven their skills to Romulus to be given a place in the horde. He doesn't take in random vermin. His soldiers aren't mere spineless rogues. Sure, they have no honor whatsoever, just like their leader, but Romulus only recruits fighters he knows will further his grand scheme.
Romulus was once a skilled actor. Before assuming his Rommel persona, he had the ability to assume the exact personality and mannerisms of anybeast he chose. He was able to do this because he is extremely perceptive and observant. He can read other beasts like one reads books, a brilliant judge of character and able to tell when somebeast is deceiving him. His gaze misses virtually nothing, and every detail is stored for future recall.
Strengths:
Cunning & clever
Manipulative
Master strategist
Observant
Perceptive
Authoritative
Multitasking mind
Skilled with a sword, spear, and dagger
Quick-witted
Usually calm and collected
Weaknesses:
Dual personalities that clash often
Little upper body strength
Slightly insane
Suffers from occasional migraines
Sometimes cannot control which persona he takes on
Gets nervous and scatterbrained as Rommel
Can lose composure easily
Unpredictable
Self-centered
Fights dirty
History:
Romulus was born in the harsh, cold northland. His twin brother Remus died when they were mere babes. His father worked on their small farm day in and day out, while his mother worked to take care of Romulus just so he could survive. Romulus turned ten years old the day his mother died of pneumonia, and his father put him to work in the fields. But even that didn't last long. Vermin raids were taking their toll on his father, who was finally killed when Romulus was eleven. His father had an old sword he used to fight off the raiders, and Romulus took the sword from his father's dead paws and began attacking the vermin. The leader of the raiders, a rat by the name of Ganto, decided not to kill the brave young lad, and instead he took the boy with them.
Ganto had no wife, and no son, and therefore no heir to his position as leader of his band of raiders. After seeing the way Romulus confronted the raiders with only an old sword as a weapon, Ganto decided to train the little mouse, take him on as an apprentice. If Romulus didn't live up to expectations, Ganto would just leave him to die in some ditch. But Romulus learned fast. Ganto and the other raiders sparred with him daily, both to help train their newest recruit and to keep their own skills honed. However, not many of the vermin agreed with their leader's new pet. One ferret in particular, whose name was Tern (keyword: was), openly objected to a mouse in the band. He argued that mice had no backbone and no fighting skills. He obviously took raiding innocent farmers a little too seriously. Ganto said nothing, but he let Romulus prove himself. Tern died that day, easily, and not ten minutes after his final outburst against Romulus. The mouse pleased his adopted 'father' Ganto that day, as well. Romulus was about thirteen years old at this point. Tern was the first beast Romulus ever killed, and the trigger for Romulus' slip into insanity.
Eventually, Ganto set his sights on the villages further to the south. He wanted not just to burn and destroy, but to plunder as much good loot as possible before doing so. He didn't want the violence so much, now that he was getting on in years. That was where Romulus came in. He offered the band of raiders (fewer in number now due to desertion, murder, and other menial things) become a traveling troupe to fool the villagers. Ganto, quite fond of his adoptive son by this time, thought the idea was worth a try. So, finding an old gypsy caravan (and getting rid of the pesky gypsies therein), the band donned the flamboyant costumes and assumed the lives of a traveling troupe. Romulus developed his knack for acting during this time. He became a professional actor, able to emulate anybeast he met. His schemes fooled the villagers in every town his troupe went, and the vermin raiders were easily able to walk among the creatures and rob them blind. Their methods of subtlety were fine-tuned, and they developed many more talents besides burn and destroy, which they had implemented during their previous years of raiding. They took to the troupe life quite well, surprisingly. Romulus enjoyed the sensation of being welcomed by the villagers and then robbing them blind right under their noses. And of course, killing them when he saw fit. By this time, Ganto had more or less given leadership to Romulus since the rat was getting on in years, and he enjoyed watching Romulus wreak havoc.
But then one creature came onto the scene who nearly ruined Romulus' setup. She was a young and beautiful mouse by the name of Julia, and she was just as sharp-tongued and quick-witted as she was pretty. Romulus fell for her. Hard. But he never admitted it, not even to himself. He did, however, allow her to become a member of the troupe. Ganto was not in agreement with this course of action. He didn't trust the mousemaid at all, but Romulus saw her usefulness as an actress. Julia was an excellent actress.
But Ganto and the other vermin didn't trust her. Ganto argued that Romulus was allowing his feelings to get in the way of his judgement. Villagers couldn't be trusted. Romulus argued that Julia was a useful actress, and that he could throw her away whenever she ceased to be so. Ganto relented a little, but only a little. However, Julia did prove to be useful in Romulus' plans, and she even learned how to be a decent thief, even though she didn't necessarily agree with the morality of it. But she was an orphan, and she had no home, so there wasn't much else for her to do. Romulus allowed her to stay with the troupe for his own purposes, and of course it was not because he liked her, or anything.
Eventually, however, tension between Romulus, Ganto and the other vermin came to a head. They still did not trust Julia, and it was found out that she had indeed betrayed them. A platoon of warriors from one of the villages had sent Julia into the troupe as a spy, and she had been alerting the soldiers of the troupe's location, effectively warning the villagers before the raiders arrived. Ganto and the vermin were furious with her, and Ganto ordered Romulus to kill her while they were still a good ways off from the village, so they would have a chance to escape without detection.
Romulus refused.
So Ganto and the others tossed him and Julia out of the cart and left them. When the two mice picked themselves up and entered the village, the soldiers asked Julia where the vermin had gone. She and Romulus pretended to have barely escaped with their lives, and they told the soldiers where the vermin were headed. Ganto had made a grave mistake by not killing Romulus and Julia when he had the chance. Ganto and the raiders were hunted down and destroyed.
After living 23 years in the harsh, cold north, Romulus wanted to go south. Julia went with him, because she really didn't have anywhere else to go. They travelled down into Mossflower, and four years later they married, even though they both knew Romulus was a murderer by heart. He'd only married Julia to protect her. If she'd married somebeast else, Romulus would have gone mad with depression and vengeance, eventually killing both Julia and her husband. Since he didn't want that to happen, he had suppressed his killer tendencies around her.
One year later, she bore him twin sons. However, when the boys turned three, an unseasonably cruel winter became the end of them, and it also caused Julia to become perilously ill. Romulus heard a story of an abbey in Mossflower where sick and orphans were welcome. Julia was both, so Romulus, after burying his dead sons, set off to find the abbey, carrying her on a comfortable sled he'd built. He knew he would never be welcome at Redwall, since, in the back of his mind, he was still a cold killer and slipping further and further into his dark thoughts.
He finally found Redwall, and the kind creatures there agreed wholeheartedly to take care of Julia for him. He didn't want to enter the place, since he feared he may slip still further, but then he remembered his skills as an actor. Thus was born Rommel, Romulus' kindly persona. Rommel, to the Redwallers, was a desperate and concerned husband, never leaving his wife's side all during her sickness, which plagued her for a full, agonizing year. But she never healed. Romulus' mind practically broke in half. His Rommel side, the side that was his genuine concern for Julia, broke down in depression. His Romulus side, the side that was his insane possession of Julia, flew into a rage.
The night of Julia's burial, Rommel never showed up, pretending to stay in the room he'd been provided out of grief. But two days after the funeral, the abbot of Redwall offered to talk with Rommel, to help him find a way to ease his grief. They took a walk in the woods, and only Rommel came back.
His body splattered with blood, cuts, and claw marks, Rommel stammered out a tale of a horrible vermin gang. They had murdered the abbot, despite Rommel's efforts to save him, and Rommel had barely escaped with his own life.
In reality, Romulus and the abbot had come across an entire vermin horde, led by a cruel fox. The abbot and Romulus were captured by the horde beasts, but Romulus offered a deal to the fox leader, whose name was Aeneas. If Aeneas killed the abbot, then Redwall would be left exposed and up for the taking, and Romulus would help Aeneas in conquering the abbey by learning the in's and out's of it. Aeneas, seeing the clever deception of the young mouse, agreed to the plan and slew the abbot. He released Romulus from his chains, but then the mouse pounced on him. Their bloody battle lasted all of twenty minutes, but eventually Aeneas was killed with his own blade.
The horde beasts were stunned by this, since Aeneas had led them countless times to victory with his cunning mind. They accepted Romulus as their new leader by right, since it was his cleverness and skill that had won him the position. His first order as leader was for the soldiers to stay hidden in Mossflower, on reserve. For he, crazed as he now was with indulging in his split personality, wanted to take over Redwall.
Rommel returned to the abbey, dazed and frightened, still carrying Aeneas' blade. The abbey beasts mourned the death of their abbot, and Rommel mourned with them. For his bravery in fighting off the vermin gang, the Redwallers named Rommel their champion.
Romulus was not satisfied with this. So, one year later, since Redwall was still without an abbot, he sneaked back to his new horde and ordered a regiment to attack the abbey.
Rommel proved his skill in battle when the horde beasts attacked. He also proved his skills as a good leader by effectively leading the able-bodied fighters of Redwall to victory over the vermin. His tactics were ingenious, and the vermin were either all killed or driven off.
The elder Brothers and Sisters of Redwall decided to keep their eye on this intelligent warrior mouse. He was definitely a potential candidate for becoming the abbot. For a long while, it seemed nobeast fit the bill quite like Rommel did. In fact, the elders were so intent on discovering if Rommel was really the one to become their new leader, that the position of abbot was not filled for almost three full years. During this time, Rommel was urging the elders to find somebeast, while Romulus silently rejoiced that they were considering him.
Finally, Rommel was named the abbot. It had taken much waiting and much patience, especially on the part of Romulus, but it was declared officially almost seven years after he'd first entered Redwall abbey. Rommel led the abbey with his kind and caring nature and his firm yet loving authority.
All the while, Romulus keeps his horde calm in the depths of Mossflower, urging them to await the perfect hour to take over the abbey. His grand scheme is an intricate one, but he knows it will work. His army is also recruiting new vermin from gangs roving about the wide woodland, and they continue to grow in strength. Romulus is now in possession of Aeneas' old weapons and armor (which includes the list in the 'Possessions' section).
Rommel has been the Father of Redwall for nearly twenty years, now, and he has since retired his sword for battling, but he spars often with the current champion and any other young, aspiring warriors.
Relationships:
Every beast at Redwall is Rommel's friend, and he is their confidant.
Romulus' horde is roughly two hundred-fifty strong, having started from about fivescore vermin when Aeneas was leader.
His wife Julia is deceased, and so are his twin sons. His fathers, both biological and adoptive, are dead, and so is his mother.
Other:
His red garnet pendant that he wears as Father Rommel once belonged to his late wife Julia.
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)! I only have 1 question, and it's a quick one. When you use the term schizophrenia, are you referring to Romulus's multi-personality problems or the insanity issues that come along with it? I can't really tell and and schizophrenia isn't the multi-personality disorder ( double checked with mayoclinic.com). If it isn't and that's just me not reading it correctly, that's fine and I'm all ready to approve. If it is can you just change the term schizophrenia.