Bellicanus "Rubrum Rex" Velox

Early Life in the Empire Enclave
The man that would eventually come to be known as Bellicanus Velox was born into poverty within one of the Centurion ruled enclaves far south of Mount Ignis. His mother was a Centurion's servant in the enclave, and thus had received no medical support during labour, dying shortly after giving birth. The unnamed baby was collected by a rich man in the enclave who was known for training gladiators and then sending them off to the Iron Legion in exchange for goods and riches. His mother's corpse was left in the streets for the rats and birds. The man raised the child as a retiarius, though as the boy's taste in weapons were refined, he chose to relieve himself of his fishing net in favour of a buckler, and thus, Bellicanus Velox was born, named for his distinct dexterity and speed.

As Bellicanus grew up in the arena, developed a certain habit of looting any gold trinkets or baubles from the carcasses of his felled opponents, a habit that he would use to eventually purchase his own property within the enclave, so as to provide a shelter for his love, a servant to the rich man that had carried him from the streets so many years ago. Within this household, Bellicanus raised one son. After numerous years of collecting golden chains and sand-eroded family heirlooms from his enemy, Bellicanus enlisted the aid of a blacksmith, fusing the forgotten gold ornaments into a shimmering golden set of gladiatorial armor, fitted with vibrant red cloth and leather, and topped with a crimson jeweled brooch and a crown of white eagle's feathers. Additionally, the blacksmith had forged him a winged trident of gold and a steel buckler with golden rims. Stepping out into the arena, the blood red cloth and glare of the gilded plate against the hot sun drew the eyes of every living soul in the stands, and Bellicanus was emboldened with a new fire, a new love for the thrill of the fight. The following three years in his golden armour were Bellicanus's best years in the arena. Eliminating his opponents mercilessly, and making a show of it for the crowd. It was through this action that Bellicanus was dubbed "Rubrum Rex", The Red King.

Departure From The Enclave
Bellicanus would come to be a ruthlessly efficient gladiator within his enclave's arena, quickly establishing himself as a crowd favourite, famous for his brutal strength with his shield, sometimes eliminating enemies with a single strike from the rimmed buckler. As with any gladiator, the merciless crowds soon grew tired of Bellicanus's theatrics, and yearned for something new, something that Bellicanus was unable to provide. As time went on, Bellicanus struggled to captivate his audience like he used to, and was pulled from the arena by the son of the baron who adopted him. Bellicanus was to be sent to Ashfeld with his family to serve in Apollyon's war. These sorts of trades were common with the Empire enclaves, as it was their way of trading for goods and supplies. This news had crushed Bellicanus's spirits, though he knew had had no choice but to obey. In the enclave, to defy the centurions' orders was to meet the end of their blade. He loaded himself into the caravan with his wife and son and his now decommissioned gladiatorial gear, along with about thirty other soldiers and gladiators that suffered the same fate as he.

After a two week long journey through the desert wastes that engulfed distant southern Ashfeld, the caravan carrying Bellicanus and his family had stopped. Three other men on the caravan had died due to sickness, had they stayed on the caravan,any longer, the others would have shared the same fate. They had arrived at the Blackstone Fortress. Though the dark castle stood tall and proud, there were no Blackstone legionnaires or soldiers to be found. The black and orange banners, reduced to scraps of ash and singed cloth. Any sign that Apollyon was here had been eliminated. The caravan unloaded, Bellicanus took his armour and weapons with him, and along with their caravan driver, they made their way to the fortress's front gate, hoping to find any sign of human life. Making their way through the arches leading up to the entrance, they spotted one man standing guard in front of the gate, only, he wore not the flaming black garments of the Blackstone Legion, instead, his glistening iron armour was adorned with the striking colours of the Iron Legion, a deep green accompanied by a yellow, the colour of sunlight. His longsword sheathed at his hip. The caravan driver approached the man, all the caravan members behind him. The man at the gate, entirely still, spoke through his masked helmet loud and clear. He explained that he, along with many other Iron Legion knights station in and around the hollowed out castle were tasked with watching for the caravan, as they had obtained intel that Apollyon had been making trades with the enclave, and was expecting a shipment of men at the time of her death.

Without hesitation, the caravan members returned to where they had left the caravan. The soldier joined the driver in the front. Over the next day, the Iron Legion knight had directed their driver through the winding hills and forests to the Iron Legion fortress. When they arrived, all the people on the caravan unloaded all of their belongings, and filed in to the fortress, to be brought in as an Iron Legion soldier the next day. Bellicanus's family was directed to the nearest village where they were provided with a small, but liveable house as well as a compact farm. With them, they took Bellicanus's golden gladiatorial gear, as there would be no use for it on the battlefield.

The New Blackstone Legion
After fighting against the samurai and vikings for not more than a year with the Iron Legion, Bellicanus Velox had been reduced to a common soldier. The glory of the arena in the enclave had left him, and now he was no better than those around him. It was at this point in time that the new Blackstone Legion was created. Their ideals of strength, speed, and tactical intelligence over all other appealed to Bellicanus greatly. The Blackstones operated as a subdivision of the Iron Legion, accepting only the best of the best for their barracks, and Bellicanus had fit right in. After being accepted into the Blackstone ranks, Bellicanus rose quickly up the military ladder, and within one year, he was already a commander of the growing legion, and being one of the earlier recruits to the legion, was trusted by his fellows in the legion. His prowess on the battlefield was tenfold that of his skill in the arena. Every battle he waged with the northern horde was won, and over a span of two years, the knights of Ashfeld has pressed their borders farther north than ever before. The only time territory was lost to the vikings was when Bellicanus and his men were not present at the battle. With this newfound power, Bellicanus had brought his family in from the Iron Legion village, to the new Blackstone Fortress, built over the remains of Apollyon's bastion. In that fortress, he found quarters for his family, along with plentiful food and drink and a servant for his wife and son, who was now seven years old. Even though Bellicanus had found success in the Blackstone military, his heart yearned for more. He missed the roar of the crown, and much preferred the elegant dance that was arena combat, compared to the brutish hacking and slashing that engulfed the front lines of war. With his newfound wealth and influence, Bellicanus had the means to make something great, not only to sate his desire for the arena, but also to the benefit of his soldiers.

The Bellatorum Circulus
With permission from the Blackstone warlord, Bellicanus had begun construction on his "perfect arena", later which he would name the Bellatorum Circulus. A large circular coliseum, constructed of quarried stones and concrete in a dry, deserted area just south of the Blackstone fortress. The battle floor lined with a thick layer of sand, and many doors on the sand lined plane that lead into a warrior's quarters just below. Though Bellicanus he is a harsh commander, he is not cruel, and wishes for justice for all people. There would be no slaves, no orphans, and no criminals forced to fight in the arena. Only voluntary combatants looking for the betterment of their skills in battle. There would be no combat to the death, only honourable battles of skill and strength. The stands would be large enough for a hearty crowd. While there would be no intent to kill in the arena, there was nothing else at the time like this for the Blackstone Legion, and the ring kept by Daubeny's Militia was incredibly secretive. The Circulus was sure to draw a large crowd for each battle.

After five years of construction, the Bellatorum Circulus was opened to soldiers of both the Iron Legion and the Blackstone Legion. Hundreds of men scheduled battles for themselves to be included in. Some went in groups, looking for a skirmish watched by a crowd, others went with a friend, hoping for a noble duel between two warriors, and some, like Bellicanus once did, just wished for the approval of the crowd, not caring for who their opponent was.

Rejoining The Fight
Bellicanus was finally content with what he has done. His mind was at rest, yet there was still one more thing he must do. Returning to his quarters at the Blackstone fortress, he rummaged through his belongings and retrieved his, now dusty, shimmering armour, along with his trident and buckler.

He returned to the Circulus, a fire in his heart, his mind sharp, and his eyes tuned. As he walked up the stairs to the battle plane, he could hear the crowd roaring, but as soon as Bellicanus stepped out on to the hot sands, the stands went flat, not a sound was heard save for the birds and the wind. No one recognized this man, but a few souls in the crowd had heard of a golden gladiator that hailed from the southern lands, and soon the name "Rubrum Rex" began to spread throughout the crowds. Bellicanus lifted his helmet from his head, and dropped it into the sands with a thud. The arena goers, recognizing the Blackstone commander erupted with cheer. Bellicanus lifted his arms into the air, pointing his trident to the sun, as if a challenge to the gods themselves.

In this moment, there was no Bellicanus Velox.

Rubrum Rex had returned to the arena once more.