Welcome to the House of the Sempronii Sophi, an extremely wealthy plebeian family with a proud merchant and military history since the early days of the Republic.
The size of the villa is immense compared to those in the center of Rome. Marcus picked a position outside of Rome exactly for this reason.
After you pass through the large gate you enter a beautiful garden with many exotic plants. As you pass by a fountain you enter the main building, right in front of you there are multiple large busts. The central one is portraying an elder name and holds the name of M. Sempronius Sophus. The one on the left is a young man, in his early twenties with a grim look on his face, this busts holds the name of C. Sempronius Sophus. The bust on the right is a young and energetic man that looks more like a boy. It holds the name of P. Sempronius Sophus, a black mourning drape is hanging over it. In both directions of the building there are large marble alleys and right in front of you there is a large open chamber with both a corner with sofa's and a large table with many seats. In a distance you can see a large office through an open door, many slaves seem to be working here in giant stacks of parchment and papyrus.
Marcus Sempronius Sophus is a wealthy Roman citizen of the plebeian class, living in his luxury villa just outside Rome. He lives here with his wife, Agrippina. His son Caius is spending his time in the military, as every proud Roman citizen should do. He spend most of his youth being educated, as wished by his father. Who had nearly no education when he was young and mostly skipped the few lessons he got. Young Marcus however was on that part not like his father, spending many hours reading about military history and the cultures of the world. In his early twenties he joined the military and aged 25 he was a tribunus militum under Manius Curius Dentatus, during his first period as Consul.
After completing his military service Marcus focused on the family business and greatly expanded his wealth with his keen eye for business. After a few years of work he left the merchant business and decided to focus on his private life, spending more hours reading, talking with historians and of course spending valuable time with his dear wife Agrippina and their two sons. When both his sons left for the military Marcus felt a bit bored and after being motivated by his wife went to explore a whole new area, politics. With help of his wealth and a few powerful friends he acquired in the years as a merchant he managed to become a senator. After only a year in the senate he decided to run for quaestor, a position he managed to acquire. Dealing with finances, as a true Sophus. During the Siege of Bononia his youngest son, Publius, died in battle. Marking a new dark period in the house of Sophus.
Character:
Marcus is past the peak of his life, being 49 years old. In the last years he gained some weight and lost some hair but Marcus is still the active man he always was. His agnomen, Sophus, meaning 'a wise man' has been part of his family since the early days of the Republic and Marcus is quite proud of this. The fame of the Sophi however, has faded. Marcus has a great desire to change this, as do both his sons. Marcus is a very calm and stern person. He never loses control and if he does, you will not notice it. His emotions are also rarely shown, only in between the walls of his villa. He loves reading and history, having a large interest in Megas Alexandros, even though he was a Greek. If he is not reading or discussing with friends he can be found on the markets or harbour, the place where he made the larger part of his wealth. He still has daily contact with his old business partners who keep him up to date about everything that goes on in poor man's Rome. As a plebeian, he greatly believes that the rights of plebeians should be equal to that of patricians. Being born on a hill should not make a man different, only the way he acts in life are to decide who and what a man is. Marcus hates cocky patricians and usually has a hard time restraining himself when he comes in contact with a patricians who feels too good to talk to a plebeian. Luckily Marcus does not face these situations quite often as he is richer than the majority of the patricians, earning a sort of respect.
In the military he learned how to fight and how to organize, as every member of the military tribune he spend countless of hours lining up maniples in formation for a battle. His overall good experiences with leaders have made him a very loyal man. If he believes in a cause he will follow it. Although one can doubt it if Marcus would follow someone to death, as he greatly loves his life. In politics he tries to be his honest self, something which might be more of a burden than a blessing for a politician. Marcus only wants the best for the Republic but also wants to look out for the plebeians, especially for the merchants and soldiers. However, this is not always easy. He will mostly be on the look out for smart senators who share his ideas, as a relative new senator he doesn't wish to stand out that much. In the senate Marcus wishes to be part of things that fit him, the Plebeian Tribune is something Marcus would love to be part of. The power to protect the plebeians. But as the competition was great and he already supported a friend he instead decided to run for quaestor. A position where not many people applied for and the one who applied had made himself hated during his term as part of the tribune. Marcus however, with his immense wealth and financial knowledge was quite certain he could win the run. And he did, without campaigning. His goals however, are much further. Perhaps he can be consul one day.
Villa Sempronii Sophi
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