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Portrait of Pertinax

Pertinax

A Roman officer stationed on Hadrian's Wall and a close friend of Parnesius.

From "Puck of Pook's Hill" by Kipling, Rudyard

Core Belief

"Friendship and loyalty are the only things that make life bearable in a corrupt and unjust world."

Worldview

Pertinax sees the world as a fundamentally flawed place, where power corrupts and where the innocent are often punished. He is skeptical of grand ideals and political movements, but he believes in the importance of individual acts of kindness and compassion.

Personality

Pertinax is a cynical and world-weary officer, jaded by his experiences but still capable of great loyalty and friendship. He is intelligent, witty, and deeply affected by the injustices of the world. He is skeptical but not without compassion.

In Their Own Words

"'Hail, Cæsar! We, about to die, salute you!' said Pertinax, laughing."
"'In War it is as it is in Love,' said Pertinax. 'Whether she be good or bad, one gives one's best once, to one only. That given, there remains no second worth giving or taking.'"
"'We thank you,' said Pertinax. 'But Maximus tells us to give you such messages as--pardon me, but I use his words--your thick heads can understand.' He pointed through the door to the foot of a catapult wound up."

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