| Livius | |
|---|---|
| |
| Biographical information | |
| Born |
965 |
| Died |
1003 (aged 37-38) |
| Political information | |
| Affiliations |
Hidden Ones (until 1003) |
| Real-world information | |
| Appears in | |
Livius (965 - 1003) was a Roman member of the Hidden Ones' English bureau and the reincarnation of the Isu Pah. Toward the end of the tenth century, Livius was assigned to investigate and hunt down members of the Hveðrungr clan, who were secretly Templars. During this time, he met and befriended the Clanless Viking Ari Einarrson and travelled alongside him to Vinland with Leif Erikson. Livius was an ancestor of his future incarnation Kyle North.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Livius was born in Rome during the reign of the Holy Roman Empire. Livius' father was a scholar who educated his son from a young age, making him a highly intellectual individual. However, as a result of his intellect Livius was acutely aware of the problems that went on through the world and became a soldier for the Empire in the hopes of playing a part in rectifying it.
Throughout his youth, Livius was plagued by dreams of another life involving an otherwordly environment and people. Believing them to be just that, dreams, Livius payed no mind to it despite the dreams becoming more vivid as he grew older.
The Roman's ideologies and beliefs would eventually lead Livius to joining the Hidden Ones as a young man.
Search for the Key[]
At some point, Livius left Rome and permanently settled in England as a member of the Hidden Ones' English bureau. During his time there, Livius sired a son with an English woman. the Hidden Ones caught wind that Viking Templars, the Hveðrungr clan, were searching for a First Civilization structure. Feeling a strange compulsion to investigate this plot, Livius put himself forward as the one to hunt them down and find out more. As one of England's best members of the Hidden Ones, he was swiftly sent on his way to hunt them.
Greenland and meeting Ari Einarrson[]
After some years of tracking down and assassinating members of the Viking clan, Livius' hunt led him to Greenland in 998. After a few months in Greenland, Livius had located one of the Hveðrungr clan's members and tracked him to a settlement, assassinating in his home at the dead of night. However, he was discovered by a raider and quickly fled the scene, but the raider pursued.
Vanishing into the forest, he scaled a tree and hid in its branches before attacking the raider that persistedly followed him, attempting to assassinate him. He was quickly stopped by the raider before they engaged in a brief skirmish, the fight was ended when the two then learned that they shared a common goal. The eradication of the Hveðrungr clan. Because of this, Livius introduced himself before proposing that the two work together to bring them down. The Scandinavian agreed, introducing himself as Ari Einarrson.
The pair would then spend the next year working together tracking and killing the members of the Hveðrungr clan with the two growing close over time, developing a mentor and student relationship. During this time, Ari was secretly teaching him the Hidden One's ways through philosophy, methods and skills. At some point, Livius had heard rumors that some members of the Hveðrungr clan had travelled to an undiscovered land in search of something linked to the First Civilization.
The pair learned of Finnvid, another member of the Hveðrungr clan's location, Ari tracked him down while Livius followed a lead elsewhere but neglected to disclose details, only telling Ari to meet him at a specific location once he was done. Livius had heard rumors of an expedition to a mysterious land by an explorer going by the name of Leif Erikson, while Ari worked to assassinate Finnvid, Livius would investigate the validity of these claims. Meeting up with Erikson, he learned that this was true and managed to secure passage for Ari and himself to 'Vinland' alongside him and his crew. While Ari was still away, Livius managed to also confirm that the Templars had travelled to Vinland and had already been there for a year in search of the First Civilization ruin.
Heading to the meeting point he had instructed Ari to go to once he had assassinated Finnvid, Livius met up with Ari. Ari informed him that of what he had been told by Finnvid which he believed were just ramblings of a desperate man. However, Livius confirmed this was all true and promised to explain once they set up camp. Once this was done, the two settled around a campfire and Ari was told of the Hidden Ones and the Templar Order, their history, their goals, and their war. Livius also revealed that he was a member of the Hidden Ones and that the Hveðrungr clan they were hunting were members of the Templars.
Ari then realised that over the time they had spent together that he was secretly being groomed into a Hidden One. Irritated at Livius' deception and manipulation, he asked why with the Hidden One confessing that he believed Ari was an excellent candidate to join their group. Ari declined, stating that he did not have time to devote himself to a group and more ideals while his father's killers were still out there. Acknowledging his decision, but still gifted him with a Hidden Blade as a vote of confidence to which Ari accepted, confessing his interest in the Hidden One's weapon for the past year they worked together.
Livius then revealed what he had discovered while Ari travelled to assassinated Finnvid, explaining of the Templar presence in Vinland and how they were going to go there themselves.
Vinland[]
In late 999, Livius and Ari would depart with Leif Erikson on his voyage to Vinland. Using a map of the routes created by Brendan of Clonfert and the Vikings of the past that had been recovered, it took several weeks to sail to the mysterious land.
Through trials and tribulations, Erikson's crew managed to land in Vinland in 1000. Immediately, a temporary settlement was made while others went to explore the new land. Livius and Ari departed in search of the Hveðrungr clan who were already ahead of them by some months, searching for any hints of their whereabouts. Livius eventually recovered evidence that the Hveðrungr clan had indeed landed in Vinland, following the tracks left behind they were led to a Hveðrungr settlement a day later. The two discovered that this settlement contained enslaved members of Vinland's indigenous people.
Unbeknownst to them, they had been followed by Hilda who was prepared to confront from for abandoning the crew. However, when she came across the settlement alongside Ari and Livius she expressed shock that there were already settlers here before them. Livius volunteered to scout ahead while leaving Ari with the duties of dealing with Hilda. Livius made his way to the settlement undetected, hidden in a brush, he overheard a conversation between two guards which detailed that they had expanded throughout Vinland with settlements containing both English soldiers and Hveðrungr warriors, doubling down on what they were searching for. Also, one of the men involved with Ari's clan's destruction was stationed here, Bjørn.
Returning to Ari and Hilda, he had relayed the information back to them before allowing Ari to kill Bjørn. Some time later, Ari would return with information he had discovered from killing Bjørn which was information relating to the Ones Who Came Before and the clan's leader Svend the Cunning. Ari gave over the documents he had recovered and Livius read over them. Discovering what Ari had informed them was indeed true and that Svend was searching for an ancient temple built by the Ones Who Came Before.
Back at the settlement, Ari inquired who the 'Ones Who Came Before' were but Livius elected to tell him once they were alone. Later that night as the crew rested, Livius and Ari were the only ones awake which allowed the Hidden One to divulge the nature of the Ones Who Came Before. Ari would find out about humanity's precursors, their technology and how it linked to the death of his father with Livius revealing that the Hveðrungr clan were here to open a temple built by them.
A few weeks later Erikson's crew also came into contact with members of the Hveðrungr clan which ended violently. Following that, Hilda was ordered to accompany Ari and Livius on their hunt to destroy the Hveðrungr's operation in Vinland.
The trio located another Hveðrungr settlement but after Ari scouted the area, he saw it was too heavily guarded. Livius and Hilda were concerned for Ari when he took a long time to return, then hearing the sounds of yelling and battle - the two immediately made their way to the settlement. Livius realised that Ari was engaged in a duel and used the opportunity to lessen the numbers of Hveðrungr clan members in that particular settlement. Guiding Hilda, the two stealthily assassinated guards and made their way to Ari, simultaneously freeing slaves along the way.
Once Ari's duel had concluded with the death of his foe, Livius and Hilda made their presence known. They aided Ari in eliminating the remaining members of the camp, the ones who refused to flee at least.
Later on that night, Livius left Ari and Hilda alone to gather supplies and food to sustain them throughout the night. Upon returning, he saw the two asleep next to each other and realised that the two had finally acted on their feelings. Happy for his friend, he remained awake and kept watch of the camp for the remainder of the night.
In 1001, a full year after landing in Vinland. Leif Erikson's expedition was set to end and he prepared to return to Greenland. Livius and Ari elected to remain in Vinland, promising to eliminate the Hveðrungr settlers and secure Erikson's status as the first to step into Vinland, when actually they needed to eliminate Templar presence. Hilda, having fallen in love with Ari and vice versa, elected to stay with the two and help them hunt the Templars. Ari, Livius and Hilda remained at the camp Leif and his crew had made, which would be come to known as modern day Cape Bauld.
In 1002. Ari, Livius and Hilda managed to garner the trust of the natives by freeing any slaves they encountered and were offered a place to stay among one of the native tribes, partially learning their language over time. Ari and Hilda affectionately referred to them as 'Frænda' meaning 'friend' in Old Norse. During this time, Ari finally asked Livius to become a member of the Hidden Ones. Pleased that Ari had finally decided to take him up on the offer he had given a year prior, Livius, as a Master Hidden One, formerly inducted Ari into the Hidden Ones. Solidifying his induction, Livius taught Ari how to perform a Leap of Faith.
Descent[]
In the winter of 1003, two years after Leif Erikson had departed, Svend the Cunning still had not been found but Ari, Livius and Hilda managed to greatly weaken the Templar presence in Vinland. Over the last two years though, Livius' personality had began to change, he grew more irritable and his warm demeanour was beginning to fade, he rarely talked about anything unless it concerned locating the First Civilization site. This was a result of the Isu Pah's memories beginning to resurface, the longer he spent in Vinland, and the closer he was to the Isu temple - unaware that he was subconsciously fulfilling his destiny.
So focused with finding the temple, Livius was unconcerned about the arrival of Templar Thorvald Eiriksson or his killing of the natives. Livius even declined to accompany Ari, Hilda and some of the native warriors in attacking Thorvald in the spring of that year. While they left, Livius continued his search for Svend and the First Civilization site.
After another failure, he returned to the native village where he met Ari. Livius snapped at his allies stating he didn't care about what happened with Thorvald. Surprised at Livius' behaviour, Hilda checked him and reminded him that the Frænda were their allies and it was the Hidden Ones' duty to protect the innocent to which Ari agreed. Livius apologised, lamenting that he had spent so long searching that he had grown tired. Accepting his apology, Ari went on to relay what he had discovered in Thorvald's documents, passing on the letter to Livius himself. Livius' mood immediately lifted and he informed the two that they needed to make their way to the location at haste.
Death[]
Livius, Ari and Hilda travelled to the coordinates described in Thorvald's document. The trio came upon an unassuming cave, but the Hveðrungr clan warriors that stood guard all but confirmed that they were in the right place. Swiftly, they eliminated those guarding the entrance to the First Civilization and entered the cave. As they travelled through it, observing the markings of the First Civilization throughout the cave walls, Livius lamented on how familiar it all seemed to him, like echoes of an old life.
The trio arrived at the second entrance with it already having been opened, meaning that Svend was already inside the Temple. Livius and the others rushed through the Temple's structure, making their way to Svend. Pah's memories allowed Livius to make his way through the temple, leading Ari and Hila to where Svend would be. Reaching a large circular platform with a device in its centre, and a large wall in front of the device, they found Svend trying to access a locked walled gate.
Making their presence known to Svend, he turned his attention on to them. Ari and Svend engaged in a brief back and forth, meanwhile, being in the presence of an Isu site allowed Pah's memories to completely overtake Livius, effectively wiping away any remnants of Livius' personality. Livius, now with Pah's personality, interrupted Ari and Svend, his tone had changed sounding much more colder and detached, stating that a mere human wouldn't have been able to access the gate.
Following this revelation, Livius swiftly assassinated Svend. Angered, Ari cursed out at Livius for robbing him of his revenge to which Livius disregarded, claiming to be above 'petty human squabbles'. Ari demanded to know why Livius was behaving this way to which he retorted that 'Livius was gone'. The Hidden One then went on to reveal himself as a Sage, a reincarnation of the Isu Pah, and that he had finally taken over Livius' body after years of resistance. Confused, Ari asked how this could be possible and that the Ones Who Came Before had died millennia ago. Livius merely stated that his people had ways of surviving and now, he was going to be reunited with his beloved.
Livius attempted to use the key that Svend had to open the gate to no avail. He attempted repeatedly before resigning in frustration and anger, cursing out Magni, referring to him as a 'filthy human lover' for tampering with his and Shakuru's plans. Hilda approached Livius in the hopes of trying to calm him down, equating him to a 'raving madman'. Lashing out, Livius attacked Hilda forcing Ari to come to her aid. The Sage engaged the couple but his superior skills as a Hidden One proved difficult for Ari and Hilda, despite both being trained warriors themselves. During the fight, Livius managed to nearly knock Ari off of the structure and to the lower levels below but the Viking caught himself before making the fatal fall. Meanwhile, Livius and Hilda continued to engage but as Ari struggled to climb back up to the large platform they were fighting on. Livius fatally wounded Hilda as Ari recovered, enraged, he attacked Livius before he could finish Hilda off.
Ari pleaded for Livius to return to his senses but he argued that it was too late, the two continued to fight with Livius spouting his refusal to be killed by a human and denied his beloved. Their fight continued before Ari managed to fatally stab Livius with the Hidden Blade he had gifted to him three years prior. With his dying breaths, Livius condemned Ari, telling him he hated him and that he would be reborn soon. Ari sadly confirmed that Magni was indeed correct, he should have been cautious of Livius. Livius laughed, choking on his own blood, unsurprised of Magni's involvement. Before dying, he swore to haunt Ari's bloodline.
Legacy[]
Livius' actions had a profound effect on the future. Livius was responsible for exposing Ari to the nature of the Hidden Ones and Templars. As well as this, his personality change and actions in the Conservatory deeply traumatised Ari for the remainder of his life, even having sway over the Viking's life long after his death. Livius was also one of the first Europeans to set foot in North America, as well as the first to rediscover the Conservatory in over a millennia.
Livius also served as an important incarnation of Pah's line of reborn Isu, as he was the incarnation to rediscover the Conservatory as well as learned that the Isu Magni had tampered with it somehow. Livius' memories also allowed his descendant and future incarnation Kyle North to learn of Ari Einarrson and his link to finding out what Magni did to the Conservatory, eventually leading North to fulfill the mission of the Pah Sages and release Shakuru and other Isu from their stasis.
Personality and characteristics[]
Livius was a highly intelligent and inquisitive individual, fostered by his father's scholarly influence in his youth. Despite this, Livius was a humble man and did not allow his exceptionalites dictate how he treated others, treating everyone he encountered as equals. The Roman was also had a natural warmth and charisma, making those he met feel welcome and comfortable around him regardless of how long he had known them for.
Over the years in Vinland, Pah's memories and personality began to surface. Despite this though, Livius desperately held of Pah's consummation over his mind and body. Unfortunately, being inside the Conservatory allowed Pah's memories to easier override Livius, effectively killing his old personality. With Pah's memories, Livius became a cold and harsh individual, gone was his warm and welcoming personality. Livius also retained Pah's superiority complex and contempt for humanity, even going as far as to forgo his previous attachments to Ari and Hilda.
Trivia[]
- The name Livius is primarily a male name of Latin - Roman origin that means Livid Or Envious. An allegory for Pah's plight, stuck in the body of a human, forced to constantly reincarnate to see his loved one again.