Tiberian of the Hundred Sons

Though broad and imposing in youth, Tiberian became heavier and more sedentary in later years. His limp from an old campaign injury gave him a distinctive gait, often leaning on an engraved cane.

Thick hands calloused from sword and pen alike; a chest marred by two shallow scars; shoulders broad even in old age.

A strong jaw, a hawkish nose, and penetrating dark eyes framed by silvered hair.

He often wore a signet ring of the House Tiberiana, and the limp from his old injury became a recognizable part of his presence.

Tended to clasp his hands behind his back and pace while speaking; known for fixing interlocutors with an unblinking stare.

Uncanny ability to remember names and details of even minor acquaintances, which he used to great political effect.

In public, he favored crimson-trimmed senatorial togas or military tunics adorned with campaign medals. Privately, he wore simpler garb.

Carried the Signet of House Tiberiana, which sealed hundreds of contracts and marriages during his life.

Born in 132 AR into a middling patrician family, Tiberian began life as a younger son destined for obscurity. He proved himself first on the battlefield, earning a reputation for both cunning and ruthlessness during the Rift Border Campaigns. After the Rift Famine, he leveraged his growing influence to secure a governorship, where he rebuilt shattered trade networks and quelled uprisings with a blend of diplomacy and calculated brutality. His many marriages, formal and informal, were as much political maneuvers as personal indulgences, cementing his name in every corner of the Empire. By his death, he was known simply as The Father of the Hundred Sons, though whispers say his true number of children was far greater.

Tiberian was educated in Nova Roma under the tutelage of Sol Invicta’s temple scribes and later at the Collegium Imperialis, where he developed a keen grasp of law, rhetoric, and the delicate art of patronage. He also apprenticed briefly under a Riftborn tactician, learning unconventional strategies that he employed to great effect.

His career began in the legions, where he rose to commander before entering civic service as Governor of the Western Provinces. His administrative skill in reviving trade and pacifying dissent earned him accolades and growing suspicion from his peers. His final years were spent in the Senate, where his voice could make or break laws.

Tiberian rebuilt the western grain routes after the famine, instituted reforms in provincial courts, quelled two notable uprisings without mass bloodshed, and fathered an astonishing number of children who went on to occupy positions of influence across the Empire. His family became synonymous with resilience and ambition.

His personal appetites brought him before the Senate on charges of nepotism, though he was never convicted. His public feud with the High Priest of Sol Invicta damaged his standing late in life. Rumors of illegitimate offspring and clandestine worship of the Rift Moon dogged his legacy.

Though outwardly genial, accounts note that Tiberian grew increasingly paranoid in his later years, seeing betrayal in every council and whisper. Some attribute this to the pressures of managing his vast progeny and alliances.

Astute, charismatic, and ruthlessly pragmatic, Tiberian excelled at reading people and turning them to his ends. He believed knowledge of others’ weaknesses was the greatest weapon.

His philosophy was simple yet unsettling: the Empire endured through bloodlines as much as through conquest, and personal excess was acceptable if it strengthened the whole.

Despite his libertine ways, he was said to despise dishonesty in others and refused to condone open rebellion or cowardice.

Driven by a desire to secure his family’s dominance and intertwine it irrevocably with the Empire itself.

Savvy at manipulation and negotiation, inept at genuine intimacy or sustaining trust beyond his utility to others.

Loved good wine, lively debate, and the theatre; disliked sanctimony and public displays of piety.

Generous to allies, fiercely protective of kin, charming even to enemies.

Notoriously lustful, occasionally cruel, and unable to refuse a political opportunity regardless of cost.

Known to tap his cane rhythmically during speeches, a habit that many claimed was calculated to unnerve opponents.

Fastidious about his personal cleanliness, even while campaigning, insisting on daily ablutions.

Tiberian remains a controversial figure: revered by descendants and cited as a warning by moralists. His likeness graces mosaics in the Senate hall and in countless family villas across the Empire.

Served as governor for twenty-three years, marked by infrastructural reforms and family entrenchment.

Connected to nearly every noble family through marriage or children; allies in the Legion Command, Senate, and clergy.

Founded the House Tiberiana; known descendants number in the hundreds.

Officially devoted to Sol Invicta, though some claimed he made private offerings to the Rift Moon.

Confident, persuasive, and masterful in formal settings; adept at managing audiences.

Measured gestures, deliberate silences, and a tendency to let others speak first before cutting them down with precise words.

Kept racing hounds and bred pigeons for sport; known to commission elaborate plays about his campaigns.

Smooth, baritone voice with perfect diction; fond of metaphor and gentle sarcasm.

Vast landholdings, generous patronage networks, and considerable debts inherited by his heirs.