The Grim Reaper
TNPer
So, basically, here's the deal. I need to flesh out Caesar's children, and I need a few of them. I'm putting up this thread for feedback and suggestions. I'm not looking to marry anyone off, or have them educated abroad, or the like - just looking for advice in drafting.
This is a fairly barebones thread as is - it's mainly intended as a discussion for people who already have a vested interest in Caesar's family (Silly String, McM, and Myroria). Over time, it'll become a folio of main characters from the 'Conclave'.
Lictor-Magister: Alessandro Gassman / Paola
Caesar
Born 2nd September, 1945. Regency Council ruled on behalf of his mother over span of 5 years, 1953 to 1958. (Elections begin October 16, 1962) Crowned October 28, 1962. Dismissed the Regency, 2nd September, 1966. Giancarlo Giannini.
The Gang
(No. + Gender) PersonalName MiddleName [ShortenedNickname, OtherNicknameAbbreviation (OtherNickname)]
Note: Other Nicknames are variably formal.
(First Princess) Rosa Theodorina [Rose, Grandmum]. Born 21st November, 1976 - Named in honour of 'the Rosevine', Imperium's most famous and influential Caesara (female Imperator), who was named Theodorina Lysandra. Known as Grandmum in the media, Rose has notably held to her namesake's staunch economic ideologies - a centrally-planned, protectionist economy, with strict paternalistic sociology underpinning every segment of the industrial world, offset by physical and normative divisions between the working world and casual world. Rosa, in attempting to modernize this world-view, was one of the first in Imperium to graduate from a degree in positive psychology, and later urban planning, as a middling member of the Censorial Service. Her relatively moderate views, strong public relations campaigns as a result of her contacts in the Censorial Service, and her stance as the oldest child of Caesar all make her the strongest candidate for succession to the throne, and she is particularly popular with elected senators who are otherwise apathetic in Crown politics. A keen horse-rider, Theodorina is a common presence at the track as both an owner and a gambler. While this has also made her popular with nobles in high society, her obsession with the races - not gambling, but rather, her ownership stakes - has made her a bold target for any opposition that should be raised, and industry insiders suspect that her love for riding has given way to self-destructive number-crunching, garnering some level of hostility from those who the public believe are closest to her. Were anyone in the Conclave to withdraw and support another nominee, it would be to Rose's detriment. She is rarely referred to as Grandmum in the media, except in the most overtly biased content by the Censorial Service, and while she enjoys the nickname, bystanders will generally view its use as boot-licking at the highest degree.
(First Prince) Zeno Petrus [Zen]. Born 9th November, 1977 - A statistician and psephologist trained at the First Academy of Sciences, Montani, Zeno is by far the most prominent psephologist in Imperium's history. A child of Caesar's rapid modernization of Imperium's military intelligence and political interventions, Zeno himself is a generally easy-going, pragmatic gentleman. Cynical to the point of a beleagured optimism, his involvement in military affairs is as an aloof observer. Those who have personally trained under him have made a name for themselves as frighteningly competent mathematicians, casting almost prophetic predictions on often entirely irrelevant foreign affairs based entirely on what is most statistically interesting. He himself has turned his eye to virtually industrializing the electoral campaigns of Imperium's local politics, his personal staff globally recognized for their extraordinarily pedantic attention to detail - at one point, becoming widely acclaimed for a comprehensive, nationally funded interview of every eligible voter in a small, rural by-election. Any lesser man or woman would have been roundly criticized for stooping to such truly irrelevant activities, but Zeno is both a Prince and a genius. It has often been suggested that he may have an interest in truly free trade, but it is clear upon talking to him for just a few moments that his interest in economics is purely academic. To that effect, he has for decades been a proponent of a free trade area in Imperium, and he is widely considered to be the Conclavist most responsible for the rise of Aemilius' pro-democratization movement, a project he is suspected to have passively supported out of sheer boredom and curiosity.
(Second Prince) Elio Avulus [Elbent, Pianoman]. Born 25th April, 1979 - Though to be a cold, arrogant fellow, Elio is hellbent on music. A virtuosic multi-instrumentalist, Elio is a noted concert pianist, violinist, flautist, percussionist, bagpiper, hurdy-gurdist, contrabass vocalist, conductor, and composer. Rumoured to be of poor health, both mentally and otherwise, his almost militant distaste for people is well-known, and unlike virtually all of his family, he has no real romantic or sexual liaisons to speak of. Private and closed-off, much of the public knowledge on Elio is unverified, his mental health touches on a long-lasting public concern hanging around the head of Caesar and his own mother. He is best known through his surrealist, impressionist-inspired music, often accompanied by commissioned gothic artworks and publications. Those few who have had extended conversations with him have noted that he is introverted, and far from being arrogant, is merely emotionally dulled. Instead, they find that the evocative darkness and maliciousness often ascribed to his music is actually the result of his reflections on the natural world, and of its complex relationship with the wars that form the artistic backdrop of the Augustine Dynasty.
(Second Princess) Concetta d'Albalonga [dotcon, Dalba]. Born 6th August, 1980 - Her name and upbringing designed to draw attention from Elio's troubled childhood, Concetta was raised as a native of the post-post-modernist movement, her birth and the ensuing injection of patronage by the royal family and its allies into contemporary art virtually marking the end of post-modernism in Imperium. With the rise of the internet as a militarized network, Concetta would become the first member of the Augustine Dynasty to study computer science as a discipline, tutored through classes under various military researchers by her precocious older brother, Zeno. She never took to the field, completing her degree in good time and with honours, but concurrently making a name in the digital arts. At first drawing the ire of her older siblings, and of her extended family, her countercultural works and her capacity to mobilize the funds of the Palace in further and further attempts to supplant Elio as an Augustine imprint on the creative world helped to position her as a pioneer figure in August arts. Never particularly capable in her own right as an artist, she nevertheless became a crucial impresario and patron of the digital arts, creating the first generation of August digital cultural figures whilst also becoming a potent backer to Zeno's own attempts at kickstarting August electronic intelligence and computing.
(Third Prince) Spathus Vibrus [Spat, Derv (The Dervish)]. Born 25th May, 1982 - He is an expert fencer; among the best in the world. He is notable, particularly, for his penchant for Imperium's typically showy fencing style. Specializing in the epee, like most August fencers, his height, and resulting long fencing distance, was not as large an advantage as it is with the foil and sabre, due to epee's whole-body target area. Instead, he developed an exceptionally aggressive and technically advanced style, to oppose the so-called 'new paradigm' of epee that seeks to control fencing distance and open avenues for counter-attacks. Educated at a domestic university, he enrolled in the Divine Service as a member of Imperium's judicial system. He is interested in politics, and is viewed positively by political Traditionalists, as he holds conservative views on Imperium's judicial procedures. However, he is dogged by rumors that he organized and fought in a series of extrajudicial, unarmoured duels during his university life, as a hazing ritual for applicants to his fencing team - in particular, one to the death, a cultural taboo in Imperium. 'The Dervish' is an honorific, used as a sporting nickname, and is hence appropriate up to formal settings, depending on who the speaker is and what the occasion is. He is almost exclusively referred to as 'Derv' in the media. Many of his siblings respect his genuine athletic capabilities, but in general are wary of his inclination towards such backwards traditions as the judicial duel.
(Fourth Prince) Placidus Paxinus [Plax, Little P]. Born 18th March, 1984 - The beginning of a trend in the naming of the royals, his alliterative name is the revival of an old superstition granting good luck. His middle name, Paxinus, is a similar allusion, a diminuitive of the God Paxus. A capitalization on the improving economy of Imperium, he and his older brother Spathus were both brought up in a conservative, traditional manner paying homage to a recovering agricultural and industrial base after the depression of the late 70s and early 80s. In the same vein, he spent much of his world studying agricultural and landscaping, training in combat and military science with the elite Companions. He would later move to studying agricultural science, completing an associate's degree before apprenticing under vocational programs for private business. The least educated royal since the August educational reforms of the 1800s, he is immensely popular with rural politicians, his political interest being mainly in supporting measures to improve political access for vocationally trained experts and the public. Whilst deeply conservative, and hence holding sincerely to the preservation of the nobility, he is a rabid supporter of the historic role of the nobility as caretakers of their properties. He is therefore a noted supporter of the 'working-class upper-class', providing both financial and political incentives to nobles who chose to engage in the wider economy outside family holdings and politics. Single-handedly responsible for a small but respected cohort of nobles experienced in retail, labour, and farming, his influence has ultimately been positive in helping to support unusual and unconventional candidates from families otherwise deeply aligned to conservative politics. He has in recent years begrudgingly taken a role as a mediator between unionists in the senate and their noble coworkers, even as he continues to refuse to involve himself in electoral politics. Ultimately, Plax remains equally dedicated to stamping out elitism and preserving the noble order in a single breath.
(Third Princess) Johanna Jura [Jojo, Doc (The Doctor)]. Born 1st May, 1986 - She is notable for being one of only a handful of royals who have studied abroad by choice, having graduated from the University of Floresque in microbiology. Her passion project is antibiotic resistance, and she travels the jungles and forests of the world looking for precursors to new drugs. She has little interest in politics, and has advanced rapidly in the academic streams of the Medical Service, where, like her fellow Medics, she is sworn to political neutrality. Her position in the Medical Service means she is expected not to accept nomination to the succession - and, she has in fact expressed an view that this is an advantage of Medical service, having been entirely uninterested in politics, beyond a generalized stance in favour of freedom of information and travel for academics. This has made her reasonably popular as a safe, apolitical representative of the Augustine Household to formal events - a rarity in Imperium's partisan, politicized monarchy. 'Doc' is acceptable regardless of formality, in personal conversation, but is not acceptable in group conversation unless all members of the group are acquainted with each other, or if Johanna is the only participant with higher education. She is never referred to in the media as 'Doc'. The complex usage of 'Doc' is due to ambiguity when discussing others who hold doctoral-level certifications or professional masters (i.e. JD, MD), and Johanna has no reservations regarding the term. As a neutral, often otherwise abstentionist, member of the Conclave, and due to her generally affable nature, she is generally called upon to chair formal meetings. However, she has seen some criticism within the Conclave for her amicable relationship with Varus, with whom she has played doubles tennis for many years.
(Fourth Princess) Katerina Khroma [Qat, Pix (Pixel)]. Born 7th April, 1989 - An officer in the Terrestrial Service, she is most notable for her pivotal role as a strategic advisor to the Vigilatorial Service on the ground in New Intelligensia, when the New Intelligensian Occupation Government was installed. She is reportedly a no-nonsense, stern servicer, and is admired by more conservative portions of the Equestrian College, particularly from her home service, and from 'Political Militants' in the Vigilatorial Service. She is interested in Augustine politics and extremely ambitious; however, her chances at governing in her own right are damaged by her relatively young age. She is a well-known patron of, and participant in, Imperium's national chess tournaments. As is typical for August chess, she uses an aggressive, positional opening strategy, shifting into a tactical phase during the mid-game to capitalize on positional advantage. While this can create weakness during the mid-game, she is an exemplar of Imperium's 'nettlesome' play, using creative and unexpected plays to goad opponents into risky responses. 'Pix' is only acceptable from close friends and family, and even then is only used sparingly by senior members of the Augustine Household. Katerina is openly hostile to the use of the nickname. The Conclave tends towards belittling her, with a sense of amicability. This is a turn of events that she herself does not approve of, and she notably views her siblings with altogether more hostility than vice versa, with the exception of her one younger sibling, Varus, who is her closest confidante.
(Fifth Prince) Varus Nascorus [Ross, Mac (McMasterdonia)]. Born 14th April, 1993 - The youngest member of the Conclave, he is considered the most politically apathetic, short of Johanna's virtual absence from politics. A philosopher and poet, educated in New Intelligensia, he majored in Svobodan Literature. His upbringing was largely a public concession to radical elements of the Millenium Revolution, and indeed, he has felt some inclinations towards their political views. He is not viewed as a viable successor to the throne, and is unpopular with Imperium's landed nobility. However, he has an extremely high level of popularity with traditionally anti-absolutist [monarchist] elements of Imperium, like the Trade Syndicates (semi-legal corporations and unions seeking to provide alternatives to the state-operated collective bargaining institutions and means of production, mostly in the fields of arts, medicine, academia, and other fields where private practice is tied to the government services) and foreign-educated titular nobility. He spent time at "spiritual retreats" in Nierr, Plembobria, and Myroria, but while he wrote two books on his experience, rumors swirl that entire sections were fabricated wholesale. He has a reputation for being a playboy, but has become almost absent from public life in recent months, barring formal events, or casual events with various siblings or known acquaintances. 'Mac' is a politicized nickname and may draw the ire (or cheer) of bystanders in any and all situations - Varus himself will interpret it based on prior experiences with the speaker. He is generally unpopular with the Conclave, although he feels little animosity towards them, as a result of his radical political views - for many years almost unknown to the public, but a common topic for the Conclave. The exception is with Johanna, with whom he is a long-term doubles tennis partner, and his confidante, Katerina.
(Sixth Prince) Crius Ctrus [Circuit, Criss]. Born 17th February, 1997 - Given an extraordinarily modern name, Crius was born at the height of Imperium's modern renaissance, just a few years before the earthshattering impacts of the Millenium Riot. At 19 now, Crius is a current student of electrical engineering, focusing on the impact and future of the electrical automobile under some of Imperium's pioneers of consumer electrical automobiles. With its strong traditions of electrical transportation, Crius' chosen career path (chosen, of course, by the Household) is an envious one, secure and futureproof. However, his youth and the relative political insulation of his career path have made him unlike any other of his siblings uniquely dissuited for politics. Whilst he has shown an occasional interest in the field of politics, it is ultimately relegated as a peripheral concern for a future move into marketing and business management as he undertakes more vocational study. Bright and an independent learner, his greatest asset is his business savvy and charisma, his head for mechanics and vocation not at all marking him for the heights achieved by his father.
(Fifth Princess) Isabella Isotte [Izzy, Silly] Born 9th July, 2003 - At 14, Isotte is the youngest of Caesar's children, still a blank canvas to be painted on. Her formative years were defined by the confusing and turmultous times following the Millenium Riot, the long period between her birth and that of Crius being largely down to the incredible stresses of that period on her father. Ultimately, her young life would be handed over almost entirely to the care of tutors and the Household, with unknown hosts in Silly String becoming her home away from home. Whilst she retains an amicable relationship with her father, she is virtually adopted by Jojo, who is almost old enough to be her mother. Excelling at virtually anything she puts her mind to, Isotte is even amongst the gifted and resourced children of Caesar a prodigal child, but her strange and fragmented upbringing have made her, so far, a non-entity in August politics. Her childhood remains a mystery, even to those closest to Caesar, and her future remains more mysterious still.
This is a fairly barebones thread as is - it's mainly intended as a discussion for people who already have a vested interest in Caesar's family (Silly String, McM, and Myroria). Over time, it'll become a folio of main characters from the 'Conclave'.
Lictor-Magister: Alessandro Gassman / Paola
Caesar
Born 2nd September, 1945. Regency Council ruled on behalf of his mother over span of 5 years, 1953 to 1958. (Elections begin October 16, 1962) Crowned October 28, 1962. Dismissed the Regency, 2nd September, 1966. Giancarlo Giannini.
The Gang
(No. + Gender) PersonalName MiddleName [ShortenedNickname, OtherNicknameAbbreviation (OtherNickname)]
Note: Other Nicknames are variably formal.
(First Princess) Rosa Theodorina [Rose, Grandmum]. Born 21st November, 1976 - Named in honour of 'the Rosevine', Imperium's most famous and influential Caesara (female Imperator), who was named Theodorina Lysandra. Known as Grandmum in the media, Rose has notably held to her namesake's staunch economic ideologies - a centrally-planned, protectionist economy, with strict paternalistic sociology underpinning every segment of the industrial world, offset by physical and normative divisions between the working world and casual world. Rosa, in attempting to modernize this world-view, was one of the first in Imperium to graduate from a degree in positive psychology, and later urban planning, as a middling member of the Censorial Service. Her relatively moderate views, strong public relations campaigns as a result of her contacts in the Censorial Service, and her stance as the oldest child of Caesar all make her the strongest candidate for succession to the throne, and she is particularly popular with elected senators who are otherwise apathetic in Crown politics. A keen horse-rider, Theodorina is a common presence at the track as both an owner and a gambler. While this has also made her popular with nobles in high society, her obsession with the races - not gambling, but rather, her ownership stakes - has made her a bold target for any opposition that should be raised, and industry insiders suspect that her love for riding has given way to self-destructive number-crunching, garnering some level of hostility from those who the public believe are closest to her. Were anyone in the Conclave to withdraw and support another nominee, it would be to Rose's detriment. She is rarely referred to as Grandmum in the media, except in the most overtly biased content by the Censorial Service, and while she enjoys the nickname, bystanders will generally view its use as boot-licking at the highest degree.
(First Prince) Zeno Petrus [Zen]. Born 9th November, 1977 - A statistician and psephologist trained at the First Academy of Sciences, Montani, Zeno is by far the most prominent psephologist in Imperium's history. A child of Caesar's rapid modernization of Imperium's military intelligence and political interventions, Zeno himself is a generally easy-going, pragmatic gentleman. Cynical to the point of a beleagured optimism, his involvement in military affairs is as an aloof observer. Those who have personally trained under him have made a name for themselves as frighteningly competent mathematicians, casting almost prophetic predictions on often entirely irrelevant foreign affairs based entirely on what is most statistically interesting. He himself has turned his eye to virtually industrializing the electoral campaigns of Imperium's local politics, his personal staff globally recognized for their extraordinarily pedantic attention to detail - at one point, becoming widely acclaimed for a comprehensive, nationally funded interview of every eligible voter in a small, rural by-election. Any lesser man or woman would have been roundly criticized for stooping to such truly irrelevant activities, but Zeno is both a Prince and a genius. It has often been suggested that he may have an interest in truly free trade, but it is clear upon talking to him for just a few moments that his interest in economics is purely academic. To that effect, he has for decades been a proponent of a free trade area in Imperium, and he is widely considered to be the Conclavist most responsible for the rise of Aemilius' pro-democratization movement, a project he is suspected to have passively supported out of sheer boredom and curiosity.
(Second Prince) Elio Avulus [Elbent, Pianoman]. Born 25th April, 1979 - Though to be a cold, arrogant fellow, Elio is hellbent on music. A virtuosic multi-instrumentalist, Elio is a noted concert pianist, violinist, flautist, percussionist, bagpiper, hurdy-gurdist, contrabass vocalist, conductor, and composer. Rumoured to be of poor health, both mentally and otherwise, his almost militant distaste for people is well-known, and unlike virtually all of his family, he has no real romantic or sexual liaisons to speak of. Private and closed-off, much of the public knowledge on Elio is unverified, his mental health touches on a long-lasting public concern hanging around the head of Caesar and his own mother. He is best known through his surrealist, impressionist-inspired music, often accompanied by commissioned gothic artworks and publications. Those few who have had extended conversations with him have noted that he is introverted, and far from being arrogant, is merely emotionally dulled. Instead, they find that the evocative darkness and maliciousness often ascribed to his music is actually the result of his reflections on the natural world, and of its complex relationship with the wars that form the artistic backdrop of the Augustine Dynasty.
(Second Princess) Concetta d'Albalonga [dotcon, Dalba]. Born 6th August, 1980 - Her name and upbringing designed to draw attention from Elio's troubled childhood, Concetta was raised as a native of the post-post-modernist movement, her birth and the ensuing injection of patronage by the royal family and its allies into contemporary art virtually marking the end of post-modernism in Imperium. With the rise of the internet as a militarized network, Concetta would become the first member of the Augustine Dynasty to study computer science as a discipline, tutored through classes under various military researchers by her precocious older brother, Zeno. She never took to the field, completing her degree in good time and with honours, but concurrently making a name in the digital arts. At first drawing the ire of her older siblings, and of her extended family, her countercultural works and her capacity to mobilize the funds of the Palace in further and further attempts to supplant Elio as an Augustine imprint on the creative world helped to position her as a pioneer figure in August arts. Never particularly capable in her own right as an artist, she nevertheless became a crucial impresario and patron of the digital arts, creating the first generation of August digital cultural figures whilst also becoming a potent backer to Zeno's own attempts at kickstarting August electronic intelligence and computing.
(Third Prince) Spathus Vibrus [Spat, Derv (The Dervish)]. Born 25th May, 1982 - He is an expert fencer; among the best in the world. He is notable, particularly, for his penchant for Imperium's typically showy fencing style. Specializing in the epee, like most August fencers, his height, and resulting long fencing distance, was not as large an advantage as it is with the foil and sabre, due to epee's whole-body target area. Instead, he developed an exceptionally aggressive and technically advanced style, to oppose the so-called 'new paradigm' of epee that seeks to control fencing distance and open avenues for counter-attacks. Educated at a domestic university, he enrolled in the Divine Service as a member of Imperium's judicial system. He is interested in politics, and is viewed positively by political Traditionalists, as he holds conservative views on Imperium's judicial procedures. However, he is dogged by rumors that he organized and fought in a series of extrajudicial, unarmoured duels during his university life, as a hazing ritual for applicants to his fencing team - in particular, one to the death, a cultural taboo in Imperium. 'The Dervish' is an honorific, used as a sporting nickname, and is hence appropriate up to formal settings, depending on who the speaker is and what the occasion is. He is almost exclusively referred to as 'Derv' in the media. Many of his siblings respect his genuine athletic capabilities, but in general are wary of his inclination towards such backwards traditions as the judicial duel.
(Fourth Prince) Placidus Paxinus [Plax, Little P]. Born 18th March, 1984 - The beginning of a trend in the naming of the royals, his alliterative name is the revival of an old superstition granting good luck. His middle name, Paxinus, is a similar allusion, a diminuitive of the God Paxus. A capitalization on the improving economy of Imperium, he and his older brother Spathus were both brought up in a conservative, traditional manner paying homage to a recovering agricultural and industrial base after the depression of the late 70s and early 80s. In the same vein, he spent much of his world studying agricultural and landscaping, training in combat and military science with the elite Companions. He would later move to studying agricultural science, completing an associate's degree before apprenticing under vocational programs for private business. The least educated royal since the August educational reforms of the 1800s, he is immensely popular with rural politicians, his political interest being mainly in supporting measures to improve political access for vocationally trained experts and the public. Whilst deeply conservative, and hence holding sincerely to the preservation of the nobility, he is a rabid supporter of the historic role of the nobility as caretakers of their properties. He is therefore a noted supporter of the 'working-class upper-class', providing both financial and political incentives to nobles who chose to engage in the wider economy outside family holdings and politics. Single-handedly responsible for a small but respected cohort of nobles experienced in retail, labour, and farming, his influence has ultimately been positive in helping to support unusual and unconventional candidates from families otherwise deeply aligned to conservative politics. He has in recent years begrudgingly taken a role as a mediator between unionists in the senate and their noble coworkers, even as he continues to refuse to involve himself in electoral politics. Ultimately, Plax remains equally dedicated to stamping out elitism and preserving the noble order in a single breath.
(Third Princess) Johanna Jura [Jojo, Doc (The Doctor)]. Born 1st May, 1986 - She is notable for being one of only a handful of royals who have studied abroad by choice, having graduated from the University of Floresque in microbiology. Her passion project is antibiotic resistance, and she travels the jungles and forests of the world looking for precursors to new drugs. She has little interest in politics, and has advanced rapidly in the academic streams of the Medical Service, where, like her fellow Medics, she is sworn to political neutrality. Her position in the Medical Service means she is expected not to accept nomination to the succession - and, she has in fact expressed an view that this is an advantage of Medical service, having been entirely uninterested in politics, beyond a generalized stance in favour of freedom of information and travel for academics. This has made her reasonably popular as a safe, apolitical representative of the Augustine Household to formal events - a rarity in Imperium's partisan, politicized monarchy. 'Doc' is acceptable regardless of formality, in personal conversation, but is not acceptable in group conversation unless all members of the group are acquainted with each other, or if Johanna is the only participant with higher education. She is never referred to in the media as 'Doc'. The complex usage of 'Doc' is due to ambiguity when discussing others who hold doctoral-level certifications or professional masters (i.e. JD, MD), and Johanna has no reservations regarding the term. As a neutral, often otherwise abstentionist, member of the Conclave, and due to her generally affable nature, she is generally called upon to chair formal meetings. However, she has seen some criticism within the Conclave for her amicable relationship with Varus, with whom she has played doubles tennis for many years.
(Fourth Princess) Katerina Khroma [Qat, Pix (Pixel)]. Born 7th April, 1989 - An officer in the Terrestrial Service, she is most notable for her pivotal role as a strategic advisor to the Vigilatorial Service on the ground in New Intelligensia, when the New Intelligensian Occupation Government was installed. She is reportedly a no-nonsense, stern servicer, and is admired by more conservative portions of the Equestrian College, particularly from her home service, and from 'Political Militants' in the Vigilatorial Service. She is interested in Augustine politics and extremely ambitious; however, her chances at governing in her own right are damaged by her relatively young age. She is a well-known patron of, and participant in, Imperium's national chess tournaments. As is typical for August chess, she uses an aggressive, positional opening strategy, shifting into a tactical phase during the mid-game to capitalize on positional advantage. While this can create weakness during the mid-game, she is an exemplar of Imperium's 'nettlesome' play, using creative and unexpected plays to goad opponents into risky responses. 'Pix' is only acceptable from close friends and family, and even then is only used sparingly by senior members of the Augustine Household. Katerina is openly hostile to the use of the nickname. The Conclave tends towards belittling her, with a sense of amicability. This is a turn of events that she herself does not approve of, and she notably views her siblings with altogether more hostility than vice versa, with the exception of her one younger sibling, Varus, who is her closest confidante.
(Fifth Prince) Varus Nascorus [Ross, Mac (McMasterdonia)]. Born 14th April, 1993 - The youngest member of the Conclave, he is considered the most politically apathetic, short of Johanna's virtual absence from politics. A philosopher and poet, educated in New Intelligensia, he majored in Svobodan Literature. His upbringing was largely a public concession to radical elements of the Millenium Revolution, and indeed, he has felt some inclinations towards their political views. He is not viewed as a viable successor to the throne, and is unpopular with Imperium's landed nobility. However, he has an extremely high level of popularity with traditionally anti-absolutist [monarchist] elements of Imperium, like the Trade Syndicates (semi-legal corporations and unions seeking to provide alternatives to the state-operated collective bargaining institutions and means of production, mostly in the fields of arts, medicine, academia, and other fields where private practice is tied to the government services) and foreign-educated titular nobility. He spent time at "spiritual retreats" in Nierr, Plembobria, and Myroria, but while he wrote two books on his experience, rumors swirl that entire sections were fabricated wholesale. He has a reputation for being a playboy, but has become almost absent from public life in recent months, barring formal events, or casual events with various siblings or known acquaintances. 'Mac' is a politicized nickname and may draw the ire (or cheer) of bystanders in any and all situations - Varus himself will interpret it based on prior experiences with the speaker. He is generally unpopular with the Conclave, although he feels little animosity towards them, as a result of his radical political views - for many years almost unknown to the public, but a common topic for the Conclave. The exception is with Johanna, with whom he is a long-term doubles tennis partner, and his confidante, Katerina.
(Sixth Prince) Crius Ctrus [Circuit, Criss]. Born 17th February, 1997 - Given an extraordinarily modern name, Crius was born at the height of Imperium's modern renaissance, just a few years before the earthshattering impacts of the Millenium Riot. At 19 now, Crius is a current student of electrical engineering, focusing on the impact and future of the electrical automobile under some of Imperium's pioneers of consumer electrical automobiles. With its strong traditions of electrical transportation, Crius' chosen career path (chosen, of course, by the Household) is an envious one, secure and futureproof. However, his youth and the relative political insulation of his career path have made him unlike any other of his siblings uniquely dissuited for politics. Whilst he has shown an occasional interest in the field of politics, it is ultimately relegated as a peripheral concern for a future move into marketing and business management as he undertakes more vocational study. Bright and an independent learner, his greatest asset is his business savvy and charisma, his head for mechanics and vocation not at all marking him for the heights achieved by his father.
(Fifth Princess) Isabella Isotte [Izzy, Silly] Born 9th July, 2003 - At 14, Isotte is the youngest of Caesar's children, still a blank canvas to be painted on. Her formative years were defined by the confusing and turmultous times following the Millenium Riot, the long period between her birth and that of Crius being largely down to the incredible stresses of that period on her father. Ultimately, her young life would be handed over almost entirely to the care of tutors and the Household, with unknown hosts in Silly String becoming her home away from home. Whilst she retains an amicable relationship with her father, she is virtually adopted by Jojo, who is almost old enough to be her mother. Excelling at virtually anything she puts her mind to, Isotte is even amongst the gifted and resourced children of Caesar a prodigal child, but her strange and fragmented upbringing have made her, so far, a non-entity in August politics. Her childhood remains a mystery, even to those closest to Caesar, and her future remains more mysterious still.
