REAL NAME: Antonius Axia
Records date back to the 1st Century A.D. Antonius was a centurion during Nero's reign of the Roman Empire, which at that point stretched from Judea in the South to a wild northern country called Britannia. The military enforced Nero's power over the territory.
But at the heart of society there was a group of women who tended the sacred fire of Rome, and were tasked with guarding important wills and sacred objects. These women were the Vestal Virgins. In the year 60 A.D., at the head of this powerful organization was Rubria, the Vestalis Maxima or Chief Vestal.
On campaign in Etrusca, Rubria asked Antonius to rescue a young vestal from Orkus, the Etruscan god of the underworld. While Antonius was successful, the encounter shattered his mind. Rubria had the vestals perfom rituals on him to rehabilitate Antonius, allowing him to read the Codex, writings that offer reasons for why men do what they do.
Back in Rome, he started solving mysteries for the citizens, mostly finding cheating husbands, and some cases for the emperor. To help with his work, he was usually accompanied by Bran, a Briton slave that prefered to remain so for tax reasons.
Also upon his return, he revealed to Avitus that he was his father, not his uncle as the boy thought.
By 64 A.D. he had built a reputation as a Detectioner, which led a woman called Scarpia to ask for his help finding her lost brother, Gilad. Bran was convinced she was a druid, and had put a spell on Antonius. In his search, he interrogated a soothsayer known as Sabbas.
There was another stranger in town, a woman by the name of Vexana that became the new favorite in the gladiators fights. Her presence made people's blood boil.
He was tasked by Nero to provide evidence that the christians were responsible for the Great Fire of Rome. He couldn't find any, but the Christians were blamed anyway. To distract Nero from the lack of evidence, Rubria put Sabbas at the service of the emperor.
There's some evidence that a Geomancer was in Rome at the time.
ALIASES: The First Detectioner.
ABILITIES: He trained as a soldier of the Roman Empire, he was naturally skilled in battle tactics. After studing the Codex, he became an expert in what we, in the 21st Century, call deduction.
KNOWN ASSOCIATIONS: Bran; Avius Axia; the Anni-Padda clan (he's said to have never won a bet against the Eternal Warrior).
OTHER DETAILS: He's a very rational person, that refuses to believe in superstition.
