Roman Eques Laurel
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Roman Eques Laurel
Overview
An experiment years in the making. Decades of research put towards them and the rest of the hatchlings. Seen by the higher up devils as only a replacement for their grandfather. Seen by their mother as the moment she realised she wasn’t important in this scheme. Seen by their siblings as an elder, part of the elite first three siblings, a figure to be feared. Maybe they should be feared.
Roman is less power hungry, more easily power tempted. They don’t actively search out knowledge about demons or ways to get more powerful, but they are fully aware of how happy they feel feeling powerful or feeling knowledgeable. They are quick to an escape route, quick to observe over attack, and quick to shut up. They’re good at keeping secrets like that.
It’s... fine, it really is. I know what I did. I deserved it.
Basics
Personality
Traits
- Helpful
- Protective
- Nimble
- Self Sacrificing
- Obedient
- Pessimistic
- Uncaring
- Hesitant
- Loud
Favorites
Demeanor
Roman is quick to start talking and even quicker to stop. For someone who’s default tone is so neutral and quiet, they can be a very loud person, often wearing multiple layers of noisy clothing, multiple necklaces that clang into each other, and having a lot of noisy stims, such as their upgrade to a bouncy leg, which is repeatedly and rapidly stomping their feet, much like a rabbit thumping.
They’re not good at starting conversations, but great at ending them. They don’t divert the conversation too much from however the person originally started it, and often starts taking longer to respond the faster and further away the conversation strays from the original topic. They don’t like asking for help despite how much they might need it, and they very much require verbal validation that they’re okay.
Roman is to share silence with people. They like involving people in their interests, by proxy or by openly involving others. Archeology trips, library trips, shopping trips. They also don’t mind pressure, the physical kind. Weighted blankets, other people. It helps. They don’t mind little “I love you”s. They don’t mind a bit of hand holding; they are immune to getting sweater hands. Or walking arm in arm. They have a bad walk cycle, they probably need the support of someone else. They like to buy little gifts for people, physical things tend to stay longer than the memory of a kind word.
Likes
- Gothic Architecture
- Demonology
- Punk Rave Fashion
- Demon Meat
- Historic Books
- Fighting
Dislikes
- Being under Authority
- Swords
- The Past
- Food
- Loud places
- Accents
Fears
- Sleep
- Uri
- Family
- Restrains
- Vunerability
- House Vans
Hobbies
- Archeology
- Anatomy Drawing
- Demon Hunting
- Reading
- Betrayal
- Parkour
Design notes
- Burn scars cover their hands, arms, shoulders, calves, and feet. These burns scars are in the second degree.
- Thanks to blood rituals, they have a pretty androgynous figure.
- Their hair length can varry from shoulder length to mid-back length.
- They wear clothes that obscure their figure.
- From a lore perspective, Roman is not meant to mimic their father. From their POV, this is completely accidental. From a design perspective, this is 100% on purpose.
Eyes
Hair
Skin
Extra
Before
- As mentioned before, Roman's existence is years in the making. Intentional, planned, they had a purose from the moment they existed.
- Years of research and failure was put towards them and the rest of the hatchling batch, this was their last hope.
- One chance to produce something worthy, and one chance to replace those who came before them.
Operatio Redemptionis. A demon-lead project to produce hybrid nestlings capable of “paying for the sins” of their parents. Demons and their descendants hunted down for the sole purpose of sending a human woman in to attempt to produce some sort of child, who could then be raised, brainwashed, and used against their parents one day, if they are successful.
Edora Laurel. Not much is entirely known about the human woman used for at least one branch of this project. Perhaps she was just not an interesting human before the project. Perhaps she was just so secretive that it is a wonder how the demon in charge of the project even found her. For all intents and purposes, it may have been better this way. Given a demon child of her own to “raise” from “infancy” to “adulthood”, the demon would manipulate her by providing specific locations and dates for which Edora would find the next “donor” to produce the next sibling. This demon was named Uri by Edora. Edora was given a warm home, large enough to care for all of her children. Seated practically inside of a hellgate, Uri would be able to easily slip in and out of the house when necessary. So would any other demon, if the matter called for that. So would anyone else, if they weren’t careful. Food and water were all provided for her as well. Bills were taken care of. All Edora had to do was produce and raise at least one successfully manipulatable hybrid nestling.
It is most likely that at least the higher demons providing Uri the locations and dates for Edora were aware that Roman’s father was to be a descendant of Sparda. It’s most likely that Edora had no idea. Uri’s knowledge is completely up for debate, although one would think it would be hard to answer that kind of question with no head.
Childhood
- Amongst so many siblings, one would be hard pressed to say that Roman had a lonely childhood. However...
- They had everything handed to them on a silver platter. Some may consider this childhood ideal.
- Perhaps having so little to worry about is exactly what fueled that which they did worry about.
Roman is the 2nd oldest biological child of the human Edora. This quickly turned into being one of eight hybrid children. Being born and raised on the line between The Mortal Plane and Hell makes for a complicated upbringing. Used as the scapegoat for most of the siblings' mistakes, as Roman was the most outspoken about their mistreatment under Edora and Uri. Often pitted against their other siblings in an attempt to curb their temper, they spent most of their upbringing isolated from their siblings, but not the rest of the world.
The hybrid nestlings were allowed a human education so that their use in the human world would be easier. It is in public education that Roman met Harriett and Magdalena. The pair acted as Roman’s window to the outside world, introducing a plethora of doubts that their treatment was in fact, the norm. Everything culminated a while after Roman turned twenty-one. Four out of their seven siblings had since passed away. Shortly after turning sixteen, Roman learned of five maternal cousins, two out of which had survived. At around nineteen years old, one of their half-siblings had since been considered “successful”, and been taken into hell to theoretically continue their brainwashing. Since then Edora had disappeared, but Uri hadn’t. And unfortunately for Uri, she had perfectly crafted an entity willing to kill her, and a group of entities capable of backing them up.
Present
- The hold themself up in a crumbling castle, both physically and metaphorically.
- Clinging to the past yet it is not their own they want to remember.
- Stories are boring when you know they will have an unhappy ending.
Now having moved out of their home city to some small town called Fortuna, having heard some weird demonic activity, they’re now left to find their own path. They are powerful, and don’t plan on letting anyone get in the way of them and their best friends Harriett and Magdalene, who’ve grown to mean absolutely everything to Roman.
As Roman slowly leaves their comfort zone and enters the real world, they slowly hit the realisation that they prefer Hell. Even when interacting with people they’d never have dreamed of meeting, like their father, it hits them at an uncomfortable speed that they still cling to the escape of the Gate Forest outside of their house. They’re still followed by the sense that it’s only a matter of time before Roman messes up and destroys everything they’ve just recently gained, and it scares them how long it will be from that moment to when they find comfort again. The further in land you go, the harder it will be to find the ocean again.
Future
- The future is bright, I promise.
- A loving family with open arms waits for them.
- Even as they run far, far away.
Sorry fellas, this is pretty big spoilers.
Come back when you're a little... mmmm... richer.
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Combat
Weaknesses
- Singular Enemies: They use their hammer to bounce off of one attack to defend another.
- Flighted Enemies: It's hard to reach them.
- Magic: You can't really swing at a beam of ice to make it stop, nor can you shoot electricity.
Skills & abilities
Demonic Heritage
Roman is roughly a quarter demon due to their heritage from Dante. Thus, they’re granted access to advanced physiology. Roman isn’t as strong as the rest of the Sparda bloodline, but they’re able to lift large pieces of marble and even throw around their family members with enough momentum. Using The Afterthought, they’re able to shatter most weapons they can block. They’re able to run at the same speed on the ground as on the ceiling. They’re able to heal from most injuries, although they still try to treat their own injuries. Since unlocking their demon powers, they’ve been able to shrug off at least the pain of most injuries. Roman is able to run for extended periods of time without losing speed or concentration. They’re able to run with The Veil-Piercer and fire it simultaneously, despite the sizable recoil.
Devil Bringer
Thanks to their self-immolation, they have a Buster ability similar to Nero. From the scars on their arms, hands, and feet, they can make vine-like, red tendrils to push, pull, fling, drag, or hold targets or themselves. They can parkour around city and town environments, or root themselves to walls and ceilings, or to the floor to stop someone else’s momentum. They can also form them into a tail. When not, the vines rest tightly around their hands and mimic long, fingerless gloves.
Pyromancy
Imogen, the twin sister of Tobias, was born of a descendant of a demon harbouring fire magic. With her greater knowledge of demonic power than any of her siblings, she was able to cause some of that pyrokinesis to linger after her death. This power, gifted to Roman by Uri, was impressed into a piece of gilgamesh, which was first utilised in a necklace worn by Roman, giving them Imogen’s pyrokinesis. It was later melted down and used in the improved, post-Uri iteration of The Afterthought.
The Afterhthought
Roman’s main form of physical combat is their War Hammer. They use wide, powerful attacks, capitalising on the momentum of The Afterthought to best tackle a multitude of enemies approaching from multiple angles. They are skilled enough to defeat Uri, as well as taking on Dante, Vergil, and Nero simultaneously by forcing them to approach Roman’s small range, and go up against a weapon they were unfamiliar with.
The Afterthought. Roman’s shell of a Devil Arm, a War Hammer around their own height. An amalgamation of a demonically forged War Hammer, and the unnamed Devil Arm wielded by Uri. It houses a shard of the Yamato in the head of the weapon. It’s able to, to a much weaker and less degree, mimic the portal and time abilities of the Yamato. It is not able to separate man from demon, nor is it able to lock away entire planes.
The Veil Piercer
Roman’s secondary weapon has always been The Veil Piercer. This armour piercing gun makes up for the lack of range of The Afterthought. Roman has demonstrated precise aiming, able to hit targets while both they and the target itself are moving.
Roman has only ever made two guns, with the first being the first iteration of the Veil Piercer, and the second being the second iteration of the Veil Piercer. The first iteration tore itself apart during Roman and Uri’s fight. The current Veil Piercer is an improved version, nearly identical except much more stable. It still has all the flaws of the original, it’s just now able to hold itself together.
The Veil Piercer. Roman’s first, and currently only, self-made weapon. A powerful sniper rifle, built to be almost as tall as they are. It’s powered by Roman’s own demonic energy, with a built in inhibitor to stop the weapon from drawing too much. The gun is poorly built, with lax recoil. The blueprint has long since been burnt.
Nails
Small crystal grenades about the length of a hand, they act as catalysts for the Yamato-mimicking abilities of The Afterthought. Upon detonation, they warp space around themselves causing damage over a short period of time before the tears collapse in on themselves. They can be plunged into surfaces and broken to create easier, temporary portals.
They have a pink to purple gradient, with a crystal point structure, and a hat of copper machinery attached to the top, with a small red crystal right at the top of the copper hat.
Devil Trigger
During the end of their family trip through Hell, Roman gets a little too in over their head. In a sorrowful attempt to save his son, Dante stabs Roman through the heart with Devil Sword Dante. This allows Roman to finally unlock their full Devil Trigger.
Instead of a lingering aura or haze, Roman takes on a truly demonic form. Similar to their cousin, their Devil Trigger form is much more human compared to their uncle or father. By default, they have three spectral tails out throughout the duration of the Devil Trigger. Their arms and calves length by a couple inches, adding to Roman’s overall height and reach. Two of their spectral tails can curve through grooves on their legs and leave an orange trail behind them, increasing their speed and jump strength.
Black scales cover their thighs, while red scales adorn their shoulders, sides, and back. Orange fur adorns their chest, with red fur on their forearms and black fur on their calves. They have two, black, spiny plates on the sides of their thighs, running perpendicular to their legs, with smaller red thorns protruding from them. Their hair length shortens greatly, being only just shoulder length closest to their neck, and chin length furthest away; their fringe covers their eyes. They grow three horns, one on their forehead and and two just below and behind their ears, which curve out and forward. Their ears lengthen to the sides, having tufts of fur on the ends. Their scars take on the appearance of swirling orange scales. The chain of their transmutation necklace and their dog tags turns to a copper metal.
Unnamed Devil Arm
A virulent blade. It hums with something deep, something warm, something unleashed. Content, true, at home.
Roman’s relationship with their father starts out with complete ignorance. Roman was never made aware of who exactly their father was or from whom their demonic heritage originated, so when they’re accidentally spotted trespassing and lurking among the Order of The Sword ruins around the edges of Fortuna, their initial interactions are full of hostility. Roman has never even heard of this “Legendary Devil Hunter”, so why should they care what he thinks of them?
Dante however, has learnt his lesson from Nero to trust his gut feeling with random, rambunctious, white haired, quarter-demons. And this one’s wearing red instead of blue. Things are looking good for remaining the wacky-pizza-uncle.
It takes quite a while for Roman and Vergil to actually interact. For a while, their reserved personalities kept their interactions to just when Vergil confronts Roman about stealing his poetry books when they’re under too much observation to dig for books long since covered in rubble and stained with blood. Eventually, Vergil starts to dedicate a small area to books he has completely finished, and were thus, up for being borrowed. This pushes Roman to actually recommend books which they have completely finished, that they think Vergil would like. Which, in turn, allows Vergil to observe what Roman’s preferred variety of books are, and allows him to recommend some books in turn.
Of course, Dante and Nero only notice how much they interact when Roman’s casual fashion sense starts to mimic Vergil’s.
Nero is the third paternal relative that Roman interacts with, and similarly to Dante, it doesn’t start off great. Roman sneaking around the Order ruins sets off plenty of alarm bells for Nero, and Roman is only mildly annoyed by having their book-collecting interrupted by someone with the same hair colour as them. Nero sees Roman as a loose ember on a pit of kindling, ready to spark the Order’s hold on Fortuna all over again; human curiosity always finds a way. Roman sees Nero not as a potential relative, but as a potential answer. He was apparently here, when this entire building was at its prime. What could have possibly happened to bring this great monument down?
It’s actually Nero who is the first, after multiple fights and defeats on both sides, to actually bring up that Roman’s only the 3rd person Nero has ever met with white hair, and the last two turned out to be related to him.
Roman and Vigilex go way back. Vigilex was specifically made to be Roman’s guardian. Roman owes all their combat efficiency, all their calmness on the battlefield, all the physical know-how they used to escape the mansion to Vigilex. Due to his closeness to Mundus, the demon technically in charge of Operatio Redemptionis, Roman doesn’t particularly trust Vigilex, but treats him with a lot more kindness than they would any other Guardian that showed its face again.
Vigilex was assigned to train Roman. Vigil takes immense pride in being the one who helped create such a strong soldier. The two have lost contact since Tola was selected as the successful hatchling.
Uri, the lead Guardian personally assigned to the project as a whole. As the entity in charge of the field observation of all of Edora's children, she was to report back to the overseeing demonic council any and all progress and setbacks to the production of the replacements. All of the Guardians reported to her directly as well. She was the main source of all of Roman’s malcontent; she was much more vocal than Edora about her dislike of the young quarter demon.
A Devil with Oracle abilities was brought on to oversee Roman’s birth, identical to Tola’s birth. Edora had planned on naming her next child Bianca, knowing that the next child was to be a girl as well. Upon viewing the child, the oracle dubbed it Roman. It could not see far, but saw that if they were to get the best use out of the child, it was to at least be called Roman and be referred to in neutral terms. Edora tried to protest, but was shut down by Uri. It was this moment that caused Edora to realise she was just as much of a tool to Operatio Redemptionis as the Hatchlings were.
Edora gave Roman the perpetual silent treatment, only engaging in conversation to remind Roman how much of a mistake and a failure they were.
Edora’s current whereabouts are unknown. It’s also unknown whether she’s still alive or not. Roman will assume that she is still alive out in the world somewhere until they see her dead body in front of them.
Roman’s relationship to the maternal side of their family is very mixed. The siblings and cousins that survived have similarly fled their childhood home and are now all on their own self-discovery journeys, with all similarly warped ideas of the self, family, humanity, and self preservation.
I wonder who'll end up here.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
