Flavius Odethus
King of the Gausi, Cura Palatii and Autokrapatōr Flavius Odethus Gausi
Flavius Odethus was a Herodi foederati and court magnate who rose to the position of Curia Palatii under Julius Macellus. Odethus would become emperor in all but name for nearly two decades from the installation of his first puppet Libius to his downfall under his son Valen.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Odethus was of imposing Herodi stock, the grandson and son of warriors, and just as capable. Odethus' tall stature made him an imposing figure in conversation as he is said to have often leaned in when talking to men, making his height even more obvious.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Coming from the royal line of the Herodi Gausi tribe, Odethus' grandfather was Gauseric, King of the Gausi and a famed friend to the Rasenna who had defeated the army of his rival Ganeric, King of the Iriboudi tribe which had threatened the important imperial city of Trevia during the reign of Emperor Florvius. For this, Gauseric was given the prestigious title of Autokrapatōr or "Father of the Emperor" in recognition of his deeds. Odethus' father was Rotharic, the former king of the Gausi who had been usurped by powerful tribal leaders and who had fled to the capital to take refuge with the clients of his father. It was in the capital that Odethus would be born and given the name Flavius Odethus, taken from Emperor Sidorius' family name. Odethus grew up within the confines of the great capital of the Rasenna but came of age in a time of hardship and conflict as the empire buckled under its instability as the dynasty of Macerian lost much of its favor and gradually began to succumb to internal infighting spurred on by men of ambition like Odethus would one day become.
Odethus began service in the empire as leader of auxiliary troops during the reign of Emperor Sidorius where he fought his countrymen in battles along the Rhor frontier which came to a swift end with the peace secured by Sidorius with King Brieudos of the Sichastres. Sidorius had become the first Rasennan emperor to informally admit defeat in war with the Herodi and this made him extremely unpopular in the rank and file soldiery, especially the soldiers on the Rhor frontier. When a plot was formed to assassinate the emperor, it is likely that Odethus was among the junior members of the plot which was ultimately successful and led to the coronation of Julius Macellus.
It was under Macellus that Odethus would become a veteran commander of men and a respected figure in the court of Rasca for his bravery, talented rhetoric, and imposing persona. During the war with the Sichastres, Odethus commanded a large component of the foederati troops at the Battle of Minalium where Brieudos and the young prince Macerius were killed and conflict on the Rhor came to an end for the time. Odethus was commended for his command and given numerous honorifics, one being Curia Palatii or Palace Chamberlain meaning he was in charge of the Emperor's personal quarters, a task that gave Odethus enormous personal power. During the long war with the Rasanids in the east, Odethus is said to have again, commanded Foederati troops and fought very well but was sent back to the capital to ensure no attempted revolts broke out there. In 572 B.E, when Macellus was assassinated by his troops, Odethus was in the capital and rushed to secure his position in the decision to elect a new emperor, this emperor would be Libius, Odethus' chosen candidate and a true puppet. Under Libius, Odethus would secure his power thoroughly by having Macellus' assassins put to death and winning a victory against the Maniorii tribe who crossed the Rhor in 566 B.E. Winning the Battle of Acenza, Odethus also received the title of Magister Militum Praesentalis, which effectively gave him total command of the empire's troops when the emperor was not present, which was often. Having secured the political and now military control needed, Odethus sat at the height of his personal power and would in effect rule for the remainder of Libius' reign.
When Libius came to be an unpopular candidate, Odethus pragmatically had his former ally blinded and overthrown in favor of the younger candidate Urias who had proved a firebrand speaker in public but yet cowed to the indomitable barbarian commander who again, ruled behind the throne of his new emperor. During Urias' "reign" Odethus commanded the empire's resources in entangling with the politics of Odethus' tribe, the Gausi. In 558, Odethus secured the crown of his people by overthrowing the son of the man who had overthrown his father and now expanded his list of titles to that of regality. By this time, Urias had thoroughly become disillusioned with his imposing benefactor and schemed to have him overthrown via the palace guardsmen. Odethus however had secured the loyalty of these palace guardsmen and as such, the guard shackled Urias and had him brought before Odethus in chains. Urias had his eyes put out by Odethus himself, a fact that would lead to the former emperor's death a few months after his usurpation. In the aftermath, Odethus would place his own son Valen on the throne of the empire.
Odethus' son Valen was also the son of Julia Macellia, the daughter of the former emperor Julius Macellus and as such, was distantly related to the Macerian family who had ruled before Macellus' own overthrow of the dynasty. Valen had not spent a large portion of his life with his father, instead, he was raised primarily by his mother in the suburbs of the capital and had very rarely even met his father. Odethus seemed to have a very soft spot for his supposedly weak and docile son and as such gave him tremendous amounts of freedom in governance as he seemed eager to groom his son to properly rule. This care was not reciprocated however as due to his pacifism in dealing with his son, Odethus was betrayed by his own son who had him imprisoned and put to death shortly after.
The long-running Palace Chamberlain, a figure many assumed never held true power, was marched before the people of Rasca and forced to admit to his crimes, his role in the downfall of Sidorius, Libius, and Urias was made known and despite little favor being shown to these men in their day, the crowd grew agitated at the wrongs made to their former sovereigns and in anger, they rushed the soldiers guarding Odethus who they overwhelmed. In the melee that followed, Odethus, who was still bound in chains, was stabbed repeatedly and in agony bled out in the streets of the capital.
With his death, much of the work he had done to establish his son Valen as legitimate was undone and despite Valen's own readiness and eagerness to rule properly and justly, he would be killed in battle against a revolting general in Agrihenia. Flavius Odethus is typically depicted as a villain, a scoundrel who through his own ambition, brought the empire to the brink of ruin in his own selfish desire to maintain control of it. However, Odethus was a complicated man who gathered strength within the bounds of the law and sought power in much the same way other would-be emperors had in the past. The only thing holding Odethus back from simply securing the imperial seat for himself was his heritage.
Odethus began service in the empire as leader of auxiliary troops during the reign of Emperor Sidorius where he fought his countrymen in battles along the Rhor frontier which came to a swift end with the peace secured by Sidorius with King Brieudos of the Sichastres. Sidorius had become the first Rasennan emperor to informally admit defeat in war with the Herodi and this made him extremely unpopular in the rank and file soldiery, especially the soldiers on the Rhor frontier. When a plot was formed to assassinate the emperor, it is likely that Odethus was among the junior members of the plot which was ultimately successful and led to the coronation of Julius Macellus.
It was under Macellus that Odethus would become a veteran commander of men and a respected figure in the court of Rasca for his bravery, talented rhetoric, and imposing persona. During the war with the Sichastres, Odethus commanded a large component of the foederati troops at the Battle of Minalium where Brieudos and the young prince Macerius were killed and conflict on the Rhor came to an end for the time. Odethus was commended for his command and given numerous honorifics, one being Curia Palatii or Palace Chamberlain meaning he was in charge of the Emperor's personal quarters, a task that gave Odethus enormous personal power. During the long war with the Rasanids in the east, Odethus is said to have again, commanded Foederati troops and fought very well but was sent back to the capital to ensure no attempted revolts broke out there. In 572 B.E, when Macellus was assassinated by his troops, Odethus was in the capital and rushed to secure his position in the decision to elect a new emperor, this emperor would be Libius, Odethus' chosen candidate and a true puppet. Under Libius, Odethus would secure his power thoroughly by having Macellus' assassins put to death and winning a victory against the Maniorii tribe who crossed the Rhor in 566 B.E. Winning the Battle of Acenza, Odethus also received the title of Magister Militum Praesentalis, which effectively gave him total command of the empire's troops when the emperor was not present, which was often. Having secured the political and now military control needed, Odethus sat at the height of his personal power and would in effect rule for the remainder of Libius' reign.
When Libius came to be an unpopular candidate, Odethus pragmatically had his former ally blinded and overthrown in favor of the younger candidate Urias who had proved a firebrand speaker in public but yet cowed to the indomitable barbarian commander who again, ruled behind the throne of his new emperor. During Urias' "reign" Odethus commanded the empire's resources in entangling with the politics of Odethus' tribe, the Gausi. In 558, Odethus secured the crown of his people by overthrowing the son of the man who had overthrown his father and now expanded his list of titles to that of regality. By this time, Urias had thoroughly become disillusioned with his imposing benefactor and schemed to have him overthrown via the palace guardsmen. Odethus however had secured the loyalty of these palace guardsmen and as such, the guard shackled Urias and had him brought before Odethus in chains. Urias had his eyes put out by Odethus himself, a fact that would lead to the former emperor's death a few months after his usurpation. In the aftermath, Odethus would place his own son Valen on the throne of the empire.
Odethus' son Valen was also the son of Julia Macellia, the daughter of the former emperor Julius Macellus and as such, was distantly related to the Macerian family who had ruled before Macellus' own overthrow of the dynasty. Valen had not spent a large portion of his life with his father, instead, he was raised primarily by his mother in the suburbs of the capital and had very rarely even met his father. Odethus seemed to have a very soft spot for his supposedly weak and docile son and as such gave him tremendous amounts of freedom in governance as he seemed eager to groom his son to properly rule. This care was not reciprocated however as due to his pacifism in dealing with his son, Odethus was betrayed by his own son who had him imprisoned and put to death shortly after.
The long-running Palace Chamberlain, a figure many assumed never held true power, was marched before the people of Rasca and forced to admit to his crimes, his role in the downfall of Sidorius, Libius, and Urias was made known and despite little favor being shown to these men in their day, the crowd grew agitated at the wrongs made to their former sovereigns and in anger, they rushed the soldiers guarding Odethus who they overwhelmed. In the melee that followed, Odethus, who was still bound in chains, was stabbed repeatedly and in agony bled out in the streets of the capital.
With his death, much of the work he had done to establish his son Valen as legitimate was undone and despite Valen's own readiness and eagerness to rule properly and justly, he would be killed in battle against a revolting general in Agrihenia. Flavius Odethus is typically depicted as a villain, a scoundrel who through his own ambition, brought the empire to the brink of ruin in his own selfish desire to maintain control of it. However, Odethus was a complicated man who gathered strength within the bounds of the law and sought power in much the same way other would-be emperors had in the past. The only thing holding Odethus back from simply securing the imperial seat for himself was his heritage.
Education
Given a standard education for provincials in the capital. Odethus would be tutored on history, Rasennan history, rhetoric, economics, military studies, and languages
Employment
Foederati captain
Foederati commander
Curia Palatii
Magister Militum Praesentalis
King of the Gausi
Foederati commander
Curia Palatii
Magister Militum Praesentalis
King of the Gausi
Accomplishments & Achievements
Maintained power for nearly twenty years
Reorganized the imperial bureaucracy and eliminated outdated titles and offices
Reorganized the imperial bureaucracy and eliminated outdated titles and offices
Failures & Embarrassments
Overthrown by his son and murdered by a mob
Allowed the empire to slip further into anarchy
Allowed the empire to slip further into anarchy
Intellectual Characteristics
Shrewd and Manipulative
Morality & Philosophy
Climbing to the top keeps you above water
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Secure his own power and control over the empire
Virtues & Personality perks
Ambitious
Driven
Commanding
Capable
Driven
Commanding
Capable
Vices & Personality flaws
Conniving
Disloyal
Power hungry
Deceitful
Controlling
Near Sighted
Disloyal
Power hungry
Deceitful
Controlling
Near Sighted
Social
Family Ties
Father of Emperor Valen
Son of Rotharic
Grandson of King Gauseric
Husband of Julia Macellia
Great Grandfather of Agatha Valena
Son of Rotharic
Grandson of King Gauseric
Husband of Julia Macellia
Great Grandfather of Agatha Valena
Religious Views
Born in the capital, Odethus was familar with the Imperial Cult founded by Rursus and as such was more deeply engrossed in Rasennan culture. Odethus would have been appalled and hateful toward his own people's polytheism and this seems to have been his attitude towards his people during his own life.
Social Aptitude
Known as a calm and unflappable character in his time, Odethus' time in the court of his puppet emperors was a time when he truly knew he could get away with anything. Though the sources are often biased, Odethus is a character whose portrayal in future histories was one of a scoundrel "bandit king" who made the men of the Curia and other offices bend to his whim due to the impressive list of powerful allies and connections he was able to make.
Mannerisms
Callous, posturing, and a student of social mind games, Odethus was a man who made every interaction with him seem like an interrogation. Numerous sources for this period relay stories of Odethus' behavior in court as he came to be known for his aggressive posture when speaking with men he wished to intimidate. Odethus was a large man and as such frequently leaned forward when speaking to make more apparent his superior height and size.
Speech
Speaking in a clear but rumbling voice, Odethus' Herodi accent was said to have still been detectable as was his apparent frequent use of Herodi double entendres which confused the often Lakic or Mykran speaking members of the court.
Relationships
Ethnicity
Date of Birth
12th of Amiel
Date of Death
1st of Larce
Life
620 B.E
554 B.E
66 years old
Circumstances of Birth
Son of former King Rotharic of the Gausi tribe
Circumstances of Death
Stabbed to death in the streets of Rasca by an angry mob
Birthplace
Rasca, Lakia
Place of Death
Rasca, Lakia
Spouses
Julia Macellia
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Light Brown
Hair
Short, Blond Hair and Beard
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
White
Height
6'5
Weight
230 lbs
Quotes & Catchphrases
"I have done what I have done, will you rule any better!?" -Said to his son Valen upon his usurpation
Belief/Deity
Cult of Victus Ouea
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Lakic
Mykran
Agrihenian
Character Prototype
Ricimer
(Odethus depicted in an Ivory diptych in his role as Magister Militum Praesentalis)
(Odethus' foederati troops at the Battle of Acenza)
Comments