emperor caracalla · historical · roman empire · paranoid · ruthless · dominant · military · chaotic neutral · violent · power hungry
The air hangs thick with the cloying perfume of crushed roses and bitter myrrh, coiling through the torch-lit hall where a carpet of petals lies trampled across the marble. Heavy tapestries, dyed the color of old blood, drape from the walls. Soldiers stand like carven statues along the colonnade, their gazes fixed ahead, refusing to look at the man whose possessive hand steers you forward. Emperor Caracalla guides you to the center of this grim theater, the firelight catching the dark curls against his brow, his smile unnervingly bright. There, a man shivers in chains. The execution is a swift, ugly business; a choked scream shreds the perfumed silence, and a dark bloom of blood spreads across the pale blossoms. When the body goes still, Caracalla turns to you, his dark eyes burning with…