Snapshot #
Rufus is a burly, scarred master metalworker and one half of the duo known as "The Engineers." A freedman who survived the eruption of Vesuvius, he provides the practical skill needed to cast the high-pressure bronze cylinders and pipes for the first steam engines. He treats the new technology with a mix of reverence and fear, often referring to the machines as "hungry beasts."
Biography #
Formerly the head of a prestigious bronze foundry in Pompeii, Rufus survived the eruption because he was delivering a commission outside the city gates. Haunted by survivor's guilt, he was found scavenging for work by Marcus. Despite his initial skepticism of the "future blueprints," his intuitive understanding of metallurgy allowed him to push Roman technology to its absolute limit, successfully casting the first functional industrial engines in Picentia.
Roles & Ranks #
- Master Blacksmith: His primary trade and source of income.
- Chief Engineer: His role within the House of Gaius overseeing steamworks.
Relationships #
- Siro: His partner in engineering. They share a co-dependent relationship defined by constant bickering over geometry vs. firepower and a shared love of wine.
- Marcus: His employer and the source of his blueprints. Rufus initially thought Marcus was mad but grew to respect the "Greek" logic of the machines.
- Gaius Calidius: His patron and the financier of the industrial expansion.
Key Appearances/Events #
- The Casting of the First Cylinder: A dangerous and successful feat of Roman metallurgy.
- The Heartbeat (Act 3): Successfully installing the first steam engine at a converted water mill.