House Valerius - Revision history

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2026-07-25T13:06:04Z

Created page with "{{Family}} {| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;" | {| style="border:10px background:#FFFFFF; float:left;" width="50px" |- style="background:#E3C08D; height:10px; text-align:center; vertical-align:center;" |'''House of Valerius''' |- style="height:5px; text-align:center" |- style="vertical-align:middle;" | style="height:100px" valign="top"| 200px|center |- style="color:grey; text-align:center; vertical-align:center;" | ''<span..."

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|'''House of Valerius'''
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|<span style="font-size:small;"> '''Country''': Rome
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== Family's Origin ==
Gens Valerii have been prominent established in the very beginning of the Roman Republic, an old and revered family who keep to pietas, gravitas, fidelis, justitia, disciplina. Each and every child born into the family is taught Greek, Law, Philosophy and Rhetoric. All go through the Cursus Honorum as has been tradition since the early days, though lately its noble root has been corrupted by the desire for power from the previous family heads.

The family is well known among other patricians, even though their members have not been too remarkable for the last century, not a single consul or major praetor emerged, which has drained the family’s coffers quite a lot with the many bribes that have been given in the attempts to achieve great power. Even so, with the indulgence in corruption, they still remain loyal to their ideals and the interests of Rome, chasing the goal of bringing back the good old fashioned values Romans used to rely on. The current family head claimed to wish to protect Rome and its people through law and virtue in his youth. Though the last few weeks he’s been less public of a voice.

Most of their influence comes from land ownership, old contracts with various stores in the city and debt settlements, leading to seizure of those same stores, as well as taking on criminal cases as judges and lawyers as of recently with the emergence of Marcus Valerius’ son, Lucius, as a Praetor who’s been unapologetically just and fair to everyone who wishes to bring their offenders and themselves before the ears of Justice. Though this has brought some ire with a few other patrician families, more than usual.

== Notable Figures ==
===First Generation===
* '''[[Lucius Valerius Cato|Lucius Valerius]]''' - Head of the Valerius family during the fall of the republic era.

== House Culture ==
===General Information===
The Valerii do not stage public spectacles. Their traditions are private, precise, and observed with an intensity that borders on the obsessive. It is in these quiet rituals that the family's public piety and its hidden shadows converge.

===Family Traditions, Practices and Teachings===
'''The Lararium''' - In the atrium stands a marble shrine housing bronze figurines of the household gods: the twin Lares, guardians of the family; the Penates, protectors of prosperity; and a veiled image of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. Beside it, a carved cupboard holds the wax death masks of ancestors who held high office. Their painted eyes watch everything.

'''The Morning Salutation''' - Each day begins before this shrine. The pater familias washes his hands, lights the lamp, and offers a pinch of salted flour and a few drops of wine. He speaks the prayer:
"Salve Lar Familiaris! Greetings, household Lar! Salvete Di Penates! Greetings, Divine Penates!
Vos precor {hoc sacrificio obmovendo bonas preces} uti sitis volentes propitii mihi, {liberisque mei,} domo meo, familiaeque meae.
I humbly ask that you may bestow your blessing upon me, {my children,} my home, and my household.
Mactete hoc sacrificio, Be thou increased by this which I give to you. Ita est! So be it!"

'''The Genius of the Paterfamilias''' - Among the shrine's figures, one receives anxious reverence: the Genius of the family head—the divine spirit passed through the male line. Lucius inherited his father's Genius upon Marcus's death. He offers it honey cakes on the monthly Kalends and pours libations of milk and honey on the anniversary of Marcus's passing.

'''Honouring of Vesta''' - At the rear of the atrium burns a perpetual flame upon a raised stone hearth. It is tended daily by the women of the household, stirred at dawn, banked at dusk, never extinguished. The fire that burns now was kindled from embers carried from the family's first home generations ago. It is the symbolic heart of the Valerii continuity. Upon each major meal or main meal of the day with at least most of the family present the women of the household together pronounce prayers to Vesta. While the rest solemnly wait, reciting the words in their head the women also provide offerings to Vesta in the form of a piece from the meal to Vesta, putting it into her flame to consume:
"Salve, Vesta mater! Greetings, Mother Vesta! Accipe hoc sacrificium factum meo artificio de tua auxilia beata. Accept this offering, made by my own handiwork with your blessed help. Te precor humiliter uti sis volens propitia foco meo, domique familiaeque meae. I humbly beseech you to bless my hearth, and the home of my family. Macte hoc sacrificio. Be thou increased by this which I give to you."
Throw the offering to the hearth (or place it in the offering bowl, as the case may be.)
"Dea propitia sit! May the Goddess be favorable!

'''The Vigil of the Scales''' - The night before a Valerius presides over a major trial, he withdraws. He fasts. He speaks to no one. He reviews the laws and precedents in silence. Though the day before the trial he makes sure to eat and sleep well. Then at dawn of the judgement day he kneels before the scales in the atrium of his household, letting gods watch on as he places four figurines, representing four Roman deities: A gilded eagle for Jupiter, A terracotta owl for Minerva, A marble turtledove Fides and A bronze ossifraga for Sancus.
"Salve, Juppiter Optime Maxime. Da mihi oculos qui verum videant. Hail, Jupiter Optimus Maximus. Grant me eyes that see the truth.
Salve, Minerva. Da mihi animum qui prudenter iudicet. Hail, Minerva. Grant me a mind that judges wisely.
Salve, Fides. Da mihi cor quod fidem iuris sustineat. Hail, Fides. Grant me a heart that upholds the faith of law.
Salve, Semo Sancus. Sub caelo tuo sto. Esto mihi testis omnisertor. Hail, Semo Sancus. I stand beneath your sky. Be my all-seeing witness.
Invoco hos quattuor custodes iustitiae. I invoke these four guardians of justice. Aquila pro perceptione. Bubo pro sapientia.
The eagle for perception. The owl for wisdom. Columba pro fide. Ossifraga pro veritate. The turtledove for faith. The ossifraga for truth.
Haec sitra aequa sit, sicut iudicium meum hodie esse debet. May this scale balance as my judgment must today. Nihil nimis. Nihil parum. Aequitas sola regnet.
Nothing in excess. Nothing too little. Let equity alone rule. Di faveant. Ita sit. May the gods be favorable. So let it be."

'''Rituals of Cleansing''' - A short ritual members of the house perform whenever they shower, wash their hands before a ritual or if they wish for purification. During washing these words should be spoken thus:
"Haec aqua a corpore impuritates, simile modo velut plumbum ad aurum mutando, eluat. May this water cast out all impurities from my substance as from lead to gold.
Purget mentem. Purget corpus. Purget animum. Purify my mind. Purify my body. Purify my spirit. Ita est. So be it."

== History ==
=== Pre-FOTR ===
In the years leading up to the Fall of the Republic, House Valerius was plagued by internal division and political turmoil. The household became increasingly fractured, with many members openly questioning the leadership of its current patriarch, Lucius Valerius Cato. Behind closed doors, whispers of dissent spread throughout the family:

"He's betraying his father's wishes."
"He has no idea what he's doing."
"He's still just a child."

Once considered a promising candidate for the consulship, Lucius had come remarkably close to achieving his late father Marcus' ambitions. However, following Marcus' sudden death, Lucius abandoned his pursuit of power, causing many within the household to question his resolve. Others questioned something far darker. While the official account claimed Marcus had died of a heart attack, rumours of foul play quickly spread.

"A coup..."
"Patricide...?"

Such accusations, whispered in the corridors of the Valerius estate, sought to undermine Lucius' legitimacy and erode his sanity. Despite this, he remained steadfast. Aware of how his actions appeared to outsiders, Lucius continued to pursue what he believed was best for both his family and the Republic, driven not by malice or ambition, but by conviction. Even those who supported Lucius found themselves divided. One faction remained loyal, trusting his judgement without question. Another sought to steer him back toward his father's original vision: to campaign once more for the consulship, restore House Valerius to political prominence, and ultimately shape Lucius into the figurehead Marcus had always intended him to become, a consul, guided by those behind the scenes.

[[Category:Families]]
[[Category:FOTR]]
[[Category:FOTR Families]]