Rome

Rome is a character in Mini-Grand 5102.

Biography
The alchemist, a patient man, held his breath and poured the precious dust of empires into the glass vial he had carried with him for many years. It sank to the bottom, under the blood and the wine and the burning, burning fire, and began to boil, first a little and then more and more, until it flowed over the top. The vial cracked under the heat and the mixture poured out: the alchemist’s hands were burned but he didn’t let go even as he squeezed his hand into the broken glass and fresh blood flowed to mix with the old. Finally he could take it no more, and dropped the vial to the ground, where it poured its contents into the dusty earth. The liquids it had held swirled and smoked, and right before his eyes they sank straight down into the ground.

The alchemist sank to his knees and wept. All his work had gone into the earth and there was no way to get it back. He would never be able to raise the empires that had gone before him; he would never know their secrets and their sacred hidden things. He threw his hands down in anger on the soil and began to tear at it, throwing away clumps of it wastefully. He was searching for one last bit of hope, anything to let him know he had not wasted all his years of work.

Something warm and moving met his fingers, deep in the earth, and the alchemist cried aloud. There from in between his hands a red dust began to seep up out of the ground, faster and faster, like a flooding river. He backed away and the dust flew up as if stirred by a secret wind, following him. His legs would move no more, he was so struck by wonder and fear, and as the dust came closer he saw that it was beginning to take shape. The striped body of a tiger, the slender legs of a gazelle, the tail of a serpent: the alchemist could not believe his own eyes. The Beast that had come out of the dust placed its hooves (hard and sharp, not like one of our horses) on the earth that had birthed it and rested its head against his, tame and gentle as a young deer. It cried back to him, so beautifully the man began to weep; when he brought his hands up to clear his eyes the Beast spat a heavy iron key straight into his outstretched hand. Whether it had come from the ruins the Dust Beast was born from or was a gift from the Beast itself, we will never know; its strong hooves pushed away from the alchemist and carried it far away, leaving only the key behind. It is this same key that hangs in the front of our caravan, for all its years never having tarnished, still wholesome as the day it was given to us.

As for the alchemist, he spent the rest of his days following the trail of the Dust Beast. Always he was just far enough behind it to catch only a glimpse, and never did he lay a hand on his Beast again. Some say he is following it still, for he gave us the key and left, and no word has ever reached us of his fate.

-Excerpt, The Iron Key and the Alchemist (Sibhorrohak Folk Tale)

Description:
Rome (the name given to it by its creator, though it will not respond to it any more than it would a simple “hey, you”) is an alchemical construct, apparently made from equal parts blood, wine, fire, and the “dust of empires”. This last is assumed to have been collected from the ruins of ancient civilizations, though it’s more than likely outside arcane forces were brought into play. Several hundred years old at the time of its collection, Rome is the size of a large horse and resembles an oddly dragonish gazelle, covered in black and red stripes. It has six legs, each bearing a multi-toed hoof that can deliver a considerably powerful kick at ideal angles. Its ankles and neck are decked with heavy iron rings that seem to serve some purpose in stabilizing its form, as well as providing a telltale clanking sound whenever the beast is near.

Despite being of no true organic origin, Rome displays signs of intelligence, though no true analysis of its mental capacity has ever been performed. It has the power of speech, albeit in limited phrases that sometimes do not seem to relate to the current situation, and can recognize individual humans over long periods of time. Its behavior is somewhat erratic, but seems to indicate a high level of curiosity and an animalistic affection for those few people lucky- or unlucky- enough to come into contact with it.

Abilities:
Rome constantly trails a unique red dust that sticks to nearly everything it comes into contact with. This dust has the unfortunate tendency to carry the destruction of the empires it was made from with it: buildings covered in the substance will deteriorate at extraordinary rates, windows will shatter, stones will crack, and metal will tarnish. Its effects on living beings is negligible, though they may come into danger if, for example, a roof collapses on their heads because Rome has passed through the area recently.

Rome also retains the ability to return to this same dust whenever startled or frightened, or even when trapped in an area it feels is too constricting. It can rematerialize from nearly any nearby hidden place assuming it has not sustained enough damage to prevent such an action.