Characterisation — Marcus Flavius Cursor

How Others Address Him:

By Superior Officers (Scapula, legates):

• Formal: “Cursor” (cognomen only — common among equals/superiors)
• Official: “Praefectus Cursor” or “Tribune Cursor”
• Documents: “Marcus Flavius Cursor, Praefectus Fabrum”

By Subordinates/Soldiers:

• Standard: “Domine” (sir/lord) or “Praefectus”
• Respectful: “Tribune” or “Tribune Cursor”
• Never: His praenomen “Marcus” (too familiar for subordinates)

By Equals (other tribunes/centurions):

• Casual: “Cursor” or “Flavius”
• Professional: “Tribune” or “Praefectus”

By Celtic/British Characters:

• Formal: “Tribune” (if they understand Roman rank)
• Hostile: “Roman” or his family name mispronounced

How We Refer to Him in Narrative:

Third Person Narrative:

• Primary: “Cursor” (most common — clean, distinctive)
• Formal scenes: “Tribune Cursor” or “the praefectus”
• Action scenes: Just “Cursor” (keeps pace moving)
• Full name: “Marcus Flavius Cursor” (only for introductions/formal moments)

In His Own Thoughts/Internal Monologue:

• Self-reference: Usually no name, just “he” or actions
• Occasionally: “Cursor” when thinking about his reputation/role

Dialogue Tags:

• Standard: “Cursor said” or “the tribune replied”
• Variety: “the engineer,” “the praefectus,” “Scapula’s troubleshooter”

Practical Example:

Cursor crouched at the mine entrance, examining the strange scoring marks on the stone. The work gang had fled during the night, leaving only their tools and bloodstains.

“Domine,” Centurion Brutus approached cautiously, “the men are refusing to go back down.”

“I don’t blame them,” Cursor muttered. He’d seen those marks before—something had clawed its way out from deep underground.

Later, when he reported to Scapula: “Tribune Cursor,” the governor looked up from his maps, “what’s your assessment of the Durn Hill workings?”

Bottom line: “Cursor” for most narrative and dialogue — it’s distinctive, historically appropriate, and flows well. His full rank when we need formality, his cognomen for everything else.

Excellent! Let’s develop Cursor’s distinctive voice. Given his background and position, here’s how he should sound:

Core Voice Characteristics:

Gallic-Roman Hybrid:

• Slightly more direct than pure Roman aristocrats
• Less flowery rhetoric, more practical communication
• Occasional Gallic turns of phrase that mark his provincial origins
• Confident but not arrogant — earned his position through competence

Engineering Mindset:

• Problem-focused language: “The issue is…” “We need to…” “That won’t work because…”
• Precise technical vocabulary when discussing construction/mining
• Pragmatic assessment: Sees obstacles as puzzles to solve
• Understated humour about impossible situations

Military Veteran:

• Economy of words — doesn’t waste time on unnecessary explanation
• Clear commands when addressing subordinates
• Respectful but direct with superiors
• Uses soldier’s slang with his men, formal Latin with officers

Speech Patterns:

To Superiors (Scapula):

“Governor, we’ve hit another problem at the Durn Hill workings. The men are refusing to go below the third level — they say something’s moving in the deep shafts. I need to inspect personally before I can give you a proper assessment.”

To Subordinates:

“Right, lads. I know what you heard down there, but we’ve got work to finish. Stay in pairs, keep your tools close, and if you see anything that doesn’t belong in a mine, you come find me immediately. Clear?”

To Equals (other officers):

“You can mock the superstitions all you want, Brutus, but I’ve been building things for fifteen years. Stone doesn’t score itself, and iron doesn’t bend like that without heat. Something’s wrong here.”

Internal Thoughts:

*The scratches were too regular to be natural, too deep to be made by tools. Whatever had clawed its way through that iron grating had strength beyond any man or beast he’d encountered in Gaul or Germany.*

Distinctive Verbal Tics:

Opening Phrases:

• “The way I see it…”
• “From where I stand…”
• “In my experience…”
• “Let me put it simply…”

Problem-Solving Mode:

• “We need to think about this differently.”
• “There’s always a solution — we just haven’t found it yet.”
• “What are we missing here?”
• “Back to basics.”

When Frustrated:

• “Jupiter’s balls…” (mild soldier’s oath)
• “This is becoming complicated.”
• “That changes things.”
• Brief, clipped sentences showing controlled irritation

Gallic Influences:

• Occasionally more colourful metaphors than pure Romans would use
• References to practical crafts: “Solid as a good forge” / “Sharp as a Celtic blade”
• Less concerned with social niceties when focused on work

Example Dialogue Showing Voice:

“Governor,” Cursor said, setting down his helmet on Scapula’s map table. “We need to talk about the iron workings.”

Scapula looked up. “Problems with the extraction rate?”

“Problems with the miners staying alive.” Cursor’s tone was matter-of-fact. “Three more gangs have refused to work the deep levels. The survivors are telling stories about voices in the rock, shadows that move against the light.”

“Superstitious fools.”

“Perhaps.” Cursor leaned over the map. “But superstitious fools don’t carve through solid iron grating. Whatever did this has strength beyond anything I’ve seen in fifteen years of siege work.”

He traced a finger along the marked mine locations. “The pattern’s deliberate. It’s not random attacks — something’s testing our defences. And from what I can tell, it’s learning.”

Key Voice Elements:

• Direct but respectful with authority
• Technical precision when describing problems
• Understated concern rather than dramatic panic
• Solution-oriented even when facing impossible situations
• Veteran’s confidence tempered by honest assessment of new threats

This voice shows a practical military engineer who’s seen enough to stay calm but experienced enough to recognise when something is genuinely beyond normal parameters.