Late to the Party

Tiberius- Man, Monster and NPC

Young Tiberius in 'I, Claudius'

Tiberius is a bitter and caustic old man determined to do absolutely nothing more than his duty and indulge his vices. Between spite, insecurity and fear, Tiberius has been at least partially responsible for the death of his son, his sister-in-law, most of his nieces and nephews and many innocent clients of Sejanus, his former Praetorian Prefect and best friend.

Bald and covered in lesions and sores from both his self-indulgence and his early years on the march, Tiberius is still a bull of man. He can usually be found with a goblet of wine in one hand and a nubile lover within reach of his other. In conversation Tiberius is blunt and avoids niceties as he only has time for the burdens of leadership and his pleasures.

Historical Sketch

Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (42 BC-37 AD) was the second Emperor of Rome and ruled from AD 14 to his death. He has, to put it lightly, a bit of a PR problem with the Roman historians who make up our primary sources.

At best, Tiberius appears to have been a good, but paranoid administrator who was vulnerable to people who preyed upon his insecurities. At worst, he was described as a murderous monster who indulged his every sexual whim.

The stepson of Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, Tiberius was never the first choice for a successor. It took the deaths of nearly every other appropriate male heir before Augustus finally settled on Tiberius, and even then, he moaned about it in his will.

Nor was Tiberius exactly thrilled at the prospect of being the first man in Rome. He called the senate a ‘generation fit for slavery’ and seems to have done his best to isolate himself from the daily politics of Rome. This preference for isolation also seems to have made him even more vulnerable to those, like Sejanus, capable of preying upon his paranoia.

Tiberius in 'Caligula'

A competent general but a natural misanthrope, Tiberius spent years in seclusion before and after being hailed as Emperor.  In fact, when Tiberius left Rome to visit an island villa on Capri in 26 AD he was never to see the city again. Of course, many took Tiberius’ absence from Rome as a sign of something far more sinister than a mere distaste for bitchy senators and political maneuvering.

By AD 32, Tiberius has been absent from Rome for 5 years and, according to the more salacious historians is enjoying himself immensely. Indeed, Tiberius is rumored to practice every deviancy imaginable while on Capri, including many that are held abhorrent today.

So the question for the prospective GM is whether to represent Tiberius as the, basically competent, but misanthropic and paranoid, administrator found in the BBC’s adaptation of I, Claudius or as the child-molesting tyrant found in Tinto Brass’ Caligula.

My take, is hopefully somewhere in the middle.

32 AD.

I didn’t pull it out of a hat.

Honest.

32 AD is not the most eventful year in roman history. It is, however, snuggly between the fall of Sejanus in 31 and the ascension of Caligula—yes, that Caligula—in 37. A Cthulhu Invictus campaign starting in 32 AD benefits from the chaos of Tiberius’ purges and the inevitable succession of a madman who thought he was a god.

And since this is Call of Cthulhu, who’s to say he wasn’t…

OK, but who’s this Sejanus guy?

Sejanus in 'I, Claudius'

Lucius Aelius Sejanus (20 BC to 31 AD) was of relatively humble birth and rose to become the most powerful man in the Roman Empire. Barred from a Senatorial career due to being born an Equestrian, Sejanus rose to prominence as the Praetorian Prefect under Tiberius. An impressive man, Sejanus became Tiberius’ closest confident and advisor. Indeed, Tiberius referred to Sejanus as ‘my partner in my toils’ over Tiberius’ own son Drusus.

As Praetorian Prefect, Sejanus was akin to a combination Imperial Bodyguard and head of the Secret Police. If that sounds sinister, it should. Sejanus used his power and influence to purge Rome of his personal enemies and may even have manipulated Tiberius to imprison or kill many of his relatives and potential heirs.

Eventually, however, Sejanus went too far. Somehow, his machinations were brought to Tiberius’ attention (along with allegations that he had poisoned Tiberius’ son). In October of 31 AD, Sejanus fell, and fell hard. His entire family was executed along with any known associates and cronies. Anyone even suspected of being an ally of Sejanus was hunted down and killed in the years that followed.

In the campaign, Sejanus would have relieved Tiberius of the burden of running the Order of the Dawn’s day-to-day activities, as he did so many other Imperial functions. Those citizens charged with looking out for cultists, arcane texts and super-natural threats to the republic would have answered directly to Sejanus. Unfortunately for them, this  would also have put them a little too close to Sejanus for Tiberius’comfort.

By the start of the campaign the bulk of Order of the Dawn’s personnel have been hunted down and killed by order of the Emperor. And finding those still at large is the top priority for their successors. An experienced hunter of monsters and forbidden knowledge with a grudge against the Emperor is a very dangerous thing, after all.

The PCs are brought into the Order, and Tiberius’ personal orbit, in the wake of these developments at once aware that Sejanus’ fall has triggered their rise. Of course, the bloodied togas of their predecssors will also be a reminder of the fate of those who lose the Emperor’s favor…