Prometheus (born in 352 AD)

Prometheus: I was born in 352 AD… Damn… very Old.

Gregorios: Ah, another son of Byzantium. I apologize for not being able to call it Rhomania as you might prefer, and I may have done before 1453, but I can't anymore. I am so old that when I was born, the true Roman Empire still existed. It wasn't until I was three years old that the Western Empire fell. I don't remember much of that time, but I do remember a lot of people at the palace feeling very sad when I was around that age. I asked them why, and they said that something terrible had happened in Rome. They never told me more than that. But that's really all in can remember about the Roman Empire.

I am sorry I cannot introduce myself in person, dear boy, as I'm still on Mars. But things are going well, and we are getting ready fort the first Ephemeral arrivals in a couple years. Providing Fitzroy gives us the go-ahead.

Prometheus: Not many of us from that time. I served in the last legions, and first died at the hands of the Visigoths, and Emperor Valens I'm told died soon after I did at the battle of Adrianople. It was also my first life, the life of a legionnaire. Actually completed my terms of service and got some land in Northern Italy, but the Ostragoths didn't exactly acknowledge property claims of Romans, without good reason.

Honestly I am quite surprised we didn't communicate before now. I kept a residence in Constantinople for a few centuries and I still have a few estates in Italy, and I met quite a few Emperors, perhaps we just didn't notice one another for whatever reason.

Carthage, Scorpio of Alexandria (430-463 AD/CE), Part I

The ship I boarded was bound for Hippo Regius. My ship never made it there. We came under attack by Vandals and the captain attempted to make a deal. Many feared being sold into slavery but the Vandals apparently were having none of that and opened fire upon us. We ran aground a few miles east of Hippo Regius, and the survivors made their way on foot. I chose the less common option. Faced with a choice of going east or west I chose to go west, perhaps it was time to join whatever military was there. All I had with me was an empty wine cask, and my knapsack.

Recently I had been back to Hippo Regius, now Annaba, and the region is unrecognizable. Heh… so old that I can remember a time when inland North Africa wasn't a desert.

In my quest, I had found the camp of King Genseric. Such a hodge podge of factions. Genseric and his officers bore more in common with the Germans, than they did with the Numidians, which they had picked up. Anti-Imperial sentiment was high, and my loyalty was not to an Empire that condoned zealous idolatry. When I got to the camp it was in the fourth month of the siege. The siege was going fine, but tensions were rising between the Numidians and Vandals.

Outside the town at the inn I made the acquaintance of one of Genseric's lieutenants. A likeable enough fellow, died of dysentery on the way to Carthage, but that's getting ahead of ourselves. When I mentioned that I received schooling in Alexandria, he asked some follow up questions. Did I know how to make siege equipment, and other such things. I had a bit too much wine, and told him I could. That night I was taken in my sleep to Genseric's tent. We… worked out an arrangement. I worked for Genseric as an advisor/trainer, and I got to live… Wasn't really in an opportunity to say no. Over the next few months, I was working with a restless army. The Numidians wanted to go on, but Genseric wanted Hippo Regius to fall, and his hot-headed Numidian commmander was one of the worst of the lot.

At about the Ninth month of the siege, things were coming to a head. The Numidian Cavalry was attacking the supply train. In the last five months I had whipped up Vandal and Numidian crews to be able to work the trebuchets, and in the process I became just about the only person that was trusted by both sides. Genseric was concerned, the last thing this siege needed was a fight between both armies. He offered a prize to the man who could rid him of the Numidian Commander. I won that prize, my freedom and a prime position of the prizes of Hippo Regius. How'd I do it? I convinced the Numidian Commander that Genseric was planning a glorious charge into the city, and that he had already made a deal with someone inside, taking first take of the war prize… All that's needed to win a war. Play well enough and wait for the other guys to make a mistake.

When the city fell Genseric was quite careful in his conquest. He knew that it would only hurt his people. I told him just about the only thing for certain he could take from without recrimination was from the churches. Genseric was an Arianist, and the city was full of some conflicting ideology, all sorts of raiding was possible.

As a result I stayed with King Genseric, for quite a while, a trusted advisor. I'm sure the name Scorpio of Alexandria survived in some obscure text in Constantinople, but most of my time there's gone from history. Once Genseric had taken Carthage, (a move I cautioned against, and Genseric never let me forget it) I was an aristocrat, and I started to exploit it. I started a trading house that was quite successful. The Romans (of Constantinople, Mediolandum was useless then) made sure that Genseric and the Vandals couldn't deal in gold currency, they didn't want him making higher denominations. So I created a little business around that. Vandals did business with me because I had influence and the King's Favor. The Romans did business with me because I was an Italian that spoke Greek, Latin, Coptic, Punic and Germanic.

So that's how I became the Entrepenuer of the Vandals…

Carthage, Scorpio of Alexandria (430-463 AD/CE), Part II

The modern world is very remarkable in one respect, there's a clear delineation between legal and illegal. The system of checks and balances keeps the two separate. In antiquity, the line was a bit murkier. I was an upstanding citizen of the Vandal Kingdom precisely because of two things: One, I was friends of the king. Two, I spent money not on audacious things, but on ensuring allies got a cut, and reinvesting.

Although I didn't realize it at the time I came upon the methods of banking that would serve the Medicis well. I had means of taking collateral, kept immaculate records, and charted interest rates. Within a few years I was one of the wealthiest men in Carthage.

In practice I would have called myself more a loan shark/mobster than a banker. The Imperial Court of Constantinople was leery of letting the Vandals do business with gold, and other high end currency… and the Vandals had trouble trusting the Greek or Roman merchant houses. Once I again I exploited my outsider status to my advantage. I made a fair share of enemies as Scorpio, some upstart band not knowing their place, or some manipulative merchant thinking he could cut me out, or a noble who didn't think he had to pay. Having enemies isn't the problem. The problem is having more enemies than allies.

I am ashamed to say that it was probably my influence that caused Genseric to do the unthinkable. I had mentioned at a feast that I was losing quite a bit of money to people lending money from me and then travelling to Rome. It was the closest place that I couldn't get my hands on people. Rome in those days was chaos, a few families fighting over it an paying lip service to the Emperor, they unified under one common goal, keep out foreign influences.

Before a few months had passed, Genseric informed me of his plans… A siege of Rome. The Eternal City, it was an audacious plan. One Genseric was sure would place his name in the history books. The sack of Rome… I wasn't some legionnaire doing a last stand in the city… No how times change. I was attached to King Genseric as he negotiated the terms for the Vandals leaving the city. It was more peaceful than one would expect. As Scorpio I remember taking pleasure in watching Pope Leo I whimper and kiss the boot of Genseric…

Numerous slaves were taken, whereas I was more concerned with the material wealth. I took the gold from the temple of Jupiter, tomes from the Imperial Library, statuary that was toppled by the Christians of the gods. We made out like bandits. Oh and the families protecting my debtors were more than happy to release them to me…

<pause>

Scorpio, was not one of my nicer personas. He was ruthless, efficient, and lacked many scruples. After my life as Atticus… I honestly didn't care…

Eventually Scorpio had more enemies than friends. I had ruled the underworld of Carthage and the Vandals for over 20 years. People called me the devil, and like all empires, mine crumbled.

It was at a dinner party when a servant sliced my throat, and a rival took out my guests. I knew instantly who betrayed me, and the assassins died as well once I awoke. It gave rise to a legend, they had to body and so the legend of Scorpio of Alexandria, endured. Constantly fearing my return as if I was some super natural entity. That last night I buried three chests that I intended to find again some day, and took off with much gold. My allies and lieutenants dead… Fear of being left alive, and to endure torture forever did not appeal to me.

I was on the road, after Scorpio died, when I first met another Eternal. The African man presented himself as Africa. He spoke of a time when Sahara was more fertile, and although I didn't realize who they were, he mentioned meeting G'Len and Th'and. He called himself Africa. I asked why he took the name of the continent. To this day I will never forget that shit-eating grin he gave me. “Who's to say the Continent isn't named after me. Scorpio, Atticus, whatever name you take Prometheus, you think a hundred suns is bad? wait until you've seen a few thousand.” and laughed and left. Never saw him again, although I must say he was very good with that staff, he took on that band of thieves with one hand behind his back.

In a way he convinced me to enjoy a simpler life. I slipped aboard ship bound North from Tunisia. So ended Scorpio of Alexandria.

Birth Name: Not given by Eternal
Birth Date: 352 CE
Birth Place: Outside Florence, Italy
Status at Birth: Born into a wealthy family, with a strong military tradition
Relation to other Eternals:
Current Pseudonym:
Past Pseudonyms: Atticus of Alexandria
Current Home:
Past Homes: Adrianople, Alexandria, Carthage
Current Occupation:
Skills: Centurion, Platonic Philosopher, Mathematician, Merchant, Capo,
Languages Spoken: Latin, Greek, Punic, Germanic

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