Porthos Tegula







Porthos is tall with starched posture, and muscular, although lacking definition, his build a result of years of labour in the Dominion Legions. His long face and hawk-like features are indicative of his Highborn heritage, and are framed by black hair and a beard. He makes no attempt to hide his past, and speaks in a clear High-Cassian accent.'

"Much of the words of which I speak to you are not my own, they are the words of great men of eons past. Be that as it may, do not discount their worth. Great men do not just create wisdom, but know when they see it in others." ''
 * -Martin Tacitus, scholar and servant of the Tegula household.''

Porthos was born into a wealthy highborn Cassian family, to Lucius Tegula, a civil servant, and his wife, Florentia, a librarian. Both parents cared little for the day to day raising of their child, and much of his childhood was spent in the custody of various servants of the household, most notably Martin Tacitus, his personal tutor. Martin Tacitus had, by the time of taking on the task of training young Master Tegula in philosophy and the arts, already been in the employ of the family for many years, having tutored both Porthos' father and grandfather. Many days were spent in the family library with the ancient figure's tutelage, but for as much adoration and respect the boy had for his mentor, his mind would always drift during his lessons to the Dominion's legions and their heroic tales. He would daydream about the great fictional heroes of Cassus, like Corporal Nero, who saved the people of the Rando Station and Space Mall from an outbreak of Ravenous Mordesh, or 'Sparks' Laetorius, who knocked a Granok out cold with one punch. There was nothing Porthos wanted more than to follow in the footsteps of his heroes. Unfortunately for him, that opportunity arrived.

Martin eventually succumbed to old age, passing away peacefully in his sleep. A replacement tutor from the collegium was arranged to cover Porthos' lessons, but after finding that his mentor had died, and due to the unsympathetic nature of his new tutor when informing him, Porthos attacked this replacement.

On the suggestion of the collegium tutor, Lucius agreed to have his son enrolled in the Legions, to instil a sense of duty and respect for authority.'



"I hear the rush of the thrusters outside the drop-pod as it is throws itself free of the ship, then the silence of space. No friction, no drag, as I hurtle towards the planet at gods' know what speed, strapped inside this thing. The slow building rumble as the pod reaches the atmosphere, until it is almost deafening, then gone, replaced by howling wind. I breathe deeply, my gun clutched to my chest, barely able to move, inside this metal tomb. Coffins, not carrying the dead, but death incarnate. We are the weapon in the hands of angry gods." ''
 * -Porthos Tegula, Recount of 61911E incident''

Porthos took to his new vocation with gusto. His somewhat calm demeanour, coupled with a determination to prove himself a "hero", his naturally size, and the finest training the Dominion could provide, crafted him into a powerful and loyal soldier. Selected for service in the Black Legion after his training, under the employ of a minor house, much of Porthos' military experiences concerned the protection of Cassian interests, and subjugation of rebellious populations. For over a decade, he followed orders, and revelled in his fantasies of being a grand protector of the Cassian people. It would be one of these orders, however, that would be his downfall.

"The sun above me shines through closed eyelids, stinging my retinas, but I can’t scrunch my eyes to shield me from it. Not yet. I lay flat on my back. The firing squad had missed. Just glanced me. Probably saved by the same glare that now tortures me. A shadow moves to my side. I crack my eye slightly to peek. A glint of metal in his hand. A sword used to finalise the work of the firing squad. Don’t move, I tell myself. The blade is coming anyway, but if I stand, I speed my fate. I can feel the manacles still binding my hands in front of me. Don’t move. Don’t move..." ''
 * -Porthos Tegula, Recount of the moments following his 'execution' ''

After a mining outpost took up arms, Porthos's platoon was sent in to shut them down. Thought to be a simple in-out job, the squads moved in through the mine shafts, expecting to sweep out the insurgents with little resistance. Inside, they found an incredibly hostile battlefield. Poor light, lack of oxygen, and cramped spaces hindered them, where the miners, equipped and experienced with the environment, pushed them back with the use of tools and explosives. With the risk of losing a lot of lives, the platoon commander gave the order to retreat.

Following their withdrawal, the platoon commander reported that they had been poorly informed on the conditions of the operation, and that it had been foolish to given the order to attack without proper intelligence. His immediate superior, who had given the order, took this as a personal insult to his position and tactical prowess, and called for the immediate court martial of the platoon commander, and all squad leaders who had followed him.

Branded a traitor and a defector, Porthos was placed in front of a firing squad to be executed. By luck, the executioner's shot was poorly placed, leaving him with merely a flesh wound. Flooded with adrenaline, the will to survive kicked in. Through attacking one of his would-be-killers, and using him as a human shield, he was able to break out of the execution yard, into the sewers below Cassopolis.

It took several weeks of hiding among the slums, but he eventually secured transit off of the planet with a group of smugglers.



"I had ditched the clothing I acquired while travelling to Nexus, and found a new uniform. White, not the colours of the Dominion. A clean slate. I feel it suitable, but it is not the best idea for blending in." ''
 * -Porthos, Black hoods interview #13''

After spending some time on the run, travelling with merchants and smugglers, Porthos heard that the legendary planet of Nexus had been found, and that the rebel "exile" faction had already began to move towards it. Realising the opportunity, he found the first transport he could, heading towards Nexus, believing that his best chances of survival would be to place himself behind many larger targets.

Under the belief that the Empire made him their enemy by sentencing him to death, and slightly paranoid about the threat they pose to his continued existence, he has taken a very aggressive stance towards the Dominion since arriving on the planet, raiding their supply lines and eventually resorting to terrorist activity.

He still considers himself a soldier, only his targets have changed.



"I object! Some of those are trumped up charges! Half of them I didn't even do before I ran, and most of them you should be thanking me for!" ''
 * -Porthos, Black hoods interview #27''

Despite being under black hoods observation, Porthos has no criminal record within the Exiles, and actually takes an aggressive stance towards the various criminal elements on Nexus.

The Dominion, however, is a different matter entirely. Although his original trial and sentence was for the crimes of mutiny, desertion, treason and blasphemy, the ICI has continued to record his crimes following defection. As it stands, the current list includes the following:
 * Arson
 * Attempted Murder
 * Blasphemy
 * Cattle Rustling
 * Desertion
 * Fraud
 * Homicide
 * Intimidation
 * Kidnap
 * Mutiny
 * Obstruction of justice
 * Possession and purchase of contraband alcohol
 * Sabotage
 * Terrorism
 * Theft
 * Treason
 * Vandalism
 * Vehicular theft



"'Respect the enemy in your friend'. What does that tell us, Master Tegula? To our friends, we lower our guard, we expose our weakest side, and reveal our darkest fears and secrets. The weapons for our quick demise, we place in the hands of our closest allies, and we trust them to not use them against us. Now, what then does that make of our enemies? Those who know us in our rage, facing our strongest side, and at times our mercy. If they respect us in turn for the greatness we must face them with, can they not be also our allies? Heheheh, perhaps not. Perhaps a lesson for another time, young master." ''
 * -Martin Tacitus, scholar and servant of the Tegula household.''

"I left Cassus with a stolen plasma rifle from my would-be executioner. Designed to only be fired once, with intent to kill, cumbersome to cock, and a poor choice for real combat. This same rifle was with me when I reached Nexus, unfired since I fled under the city, such a long time before. It was to be a tool to hunt, to help me survive the first days on this blessed planet, but the question still remained: was my quarry to be beast, to feed my stomach until my rifle failed, or man, to feed my rage and place in my hands better tools. I chose the latter, and as I stood over his broken and bleeding body, he used his last ounce of strength to spit at me.  ''
 * -Porthos, Black hoods interview #3''

"What I teach you, Tegula, is the tools of statesmanship, so that you may follow your father into service of the emperor. You place too much stock in these 'heroes' of your story books, but any fool may learn how to use a gun or wield a blade, and with it bring a hundred worlds to heel for the Dominion by force. A learned man can change the very core of a person's beliefs, however. That is the true definition of power. ''
 * -Martin Tacitus, scholar and servant of the Tegula household.''

"We have a large town here, probably one of the largest settlements on the planet. We have farmers, miners, construction workers and their families, toiling all day long, then when they get home, what is there to do? Sit sifting through the holonet for captioned pictures of pumera looking angry, getting slow, and lazy? While I was growing up, I was a member of clubs for fencing, riding and shooting, these are transferable skills. ''
 * -Porthos Tegula, on the founding of NAGBAR.''