born to a PRIVILEGED higher standing family, many had HIGH EXPECTATIONS of the only child of the cunningrow estate. see, the cunningrows were well-received & wealthy in nohr due to their main trade export: weaponry. they gladly PROFITED off the constant warring nohr participated in, whether it was through designing newer, more gruesome weapons, mass production of tomes & staves, & brilliant tactical advice alike. when roman was born into the family, it was more of an accident than it was a PURPOSEFUL conception. his parents, luckily, could easily afford to pay off others to raise the child, dumping the RESPONSIBILITY to generously paid strangers.

roman was a STRANGE youth. the boy typically kept to himself & often created a whirlwind of PROBLEMS for those raising him. nannies flew in & out of the cunningrow's revolving doors as his antics worsened. sometimes he'd hide a jar full of spiders in a nursemaid's sheets, or plant skinned rodents in their pockets. if this had been a plea for ATTENTION from his parents, it was not heeded, as he was soon sent to uncle taltero's home, residing close to the northern fortress in windmire. uncle taltero is strict, they said, he'll sort you out for good.

uncle participated in the FAMILY TRADE, yes, but he also was a GENERAL in the nohr kingdom's army. a close friend of his appeared to be hans. roman did NOT like it when hans visited. uncle taltero, the brother of roman's mother, seemed ABHORRENT towards the family business of selling the weapons. to him, the "greatest weapon" was the soldier themselves, & for the spoiled cunningrows to sit upon a throne of money without dirtying their hands in battle disgusted him. therefore, he taught roman how to wield a blade, rather than educate him on the runnings of a business.

true to his parents' words, taltero was a terrifying drill sergeant, treating roman harshly. however, nothing could have prepared him for the TREATMENT he received. bruisings were sustained over roman's ivory skin, CRIMSON stained many of his fancy coats, & these afflictions were not always from swordplay or practice. fingerprints remained embedded upon his constricted throat & his uncle gladly received more than just MONEY as payment for ever-so graciously taking "good care" of his nephew. it took the loss of roman's right eye for the boy to realize he needed to take a chance & flee this abusive place.

( not before exacting his own revenge upon his uncle, of course. )

no one would notice nor care should they find the body: uncle taltero had made many enemies. it was only a MATTER OF TIME when his actions would catch up to him. the only people who had their suspicions aimed at roman were his own family. it was no surprise then that his father & mother excommunicated their son from the estate's fortune. this did not punish the boy as much as they had hoped, for he already had no plans to return back home. roman wished to find his own path without relying on a corrupt business' inheritance. the question was... how?

there weren't many skills he possessed, save for the TRAINING his uncle gave him. seeing as they were already positioned so close to the nohrian stronghold fortress, roman applied for the MILITARY. due to his name, he got in relatively easily, managing to gain in prestige due to both bribery & offering other soldiers certain... favors.

roman remains a source of RUMORS. theories surrounding the story behind his eyepatch, or the cruel MALEVOLENCE he carries himself with, or even his complete lack of regard for other human beings, continue to circle around the barracks. roman himself might feed into these hushed utterings, telling different stories to different people to keep everyone guessing.

PERSONALITY

deviant. can remorselessly murder any living thing from animals to children without any skin off his back. known to act indiscriminately flirtatious & hypersexual. more of a follower than a leader. spiteful & vengeful. always seeking out ways to benefit only himself. if you won't advance his ambitions or needs, he won't waste time entertaining you. surprisingly social despite being in strict isolation for most of his life. of course, that does not mean he's particularly good at it.

comes off as aloof & pretends to have no care in the world. quite enjoys making a mockery of others. knows how to play his cards right around key players, such as other nobility & royalty; very adept at acting, manipulation, negotiating, & boot kissing. still struts about with the high class his family name comes with, often getting away with using his name for special privileges.

secretive about himself, electing to whom he shares what information. arrogant & oversells his strengths. can lie so well that he could even fool himself into believing his own web of spun lies. cunning. an opportunist. has a hard time comprehending human emotions, as well as any & all human relationships. might seek out validation from authority figures to fan his own ego.

STATISTICS

HP:
■■■■■■□□□□ 6 / 10

ATK:
■■■■■■■■□□ 8 / 10

SPD:
■■■■■■■□□□ 7 / 10

DEF:
■■■■■■□□□□ 6 / 10

RES:
■■■■■■□□□□ 6 / 10

TRIVIA

• roman's right eye socket is concealed with an eyepatch. the injury was sustained through routine abuse under his uncle. to avoid any suspicions, his uncle refused to get the wound treated or healed. underneath the patch remains a grossly scarred mess of blood vessels and tissue. in more ways than one, this is a sore subject for roman, but he also sees it as a grim reminder of who he was, where he came from, and what he has endured.
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