Erastes Fulmen - Fictional Character Biography

Fictional Character Biography

Erastes is introduced as a businessman who tries to help Lucius Vorenus, a Roman centurion returning from Caesar's successful Gallic campaigns, build a new business as a slave trader. Vorenus, weary of military life and lengthy separations from his family, had decided to use slaves he'd been awarded in the campaign to start a new business and thus leave military life. It is during a social event held to launch this new career Erastes first meets Vorenus. The two seem to get along well at first; Erastes even offers to aid Vorenus if the need should arise.

Unfortunately, Vorenus' ambitions as a slave trader are cut short when pestilence takes his allotted slaves and his life outside the military is threatened. Vorenus is thus compelled to take Erastes up on his offer of assistance and enlist his aid in arranging a meeting with a money lender. Erastes, sensing an opportunity for himself, cites problems with arranging such a meeting and instead offers Vorenus a job as a bodyguard. Reluctantly, Vorenus agrees but ends up walking away from the position when, during a "collection" exercise, Vorenus is asked to kill a man whose indebtedness to Erastes is dubious.

Erastes is enraged by this perceived "slight", which is compounded when Vorenus, now trying his hand at butchery, stops Erastes gangster from assaulting someone near his new shop. Erastes' man retreats when confronted by Vorenus and fellow former legionary Titus Pullo. Erastes returns and publicly threatens to brutally kill the entire Vorenus clan if he does not receive a public and humiliating apology from Vorenus for the "disrespect" shown. Only the coincidental arrival of Caesar with a squad of lictors (ceremonial guards) prevents Erastes from carrying out the threat.

Pullo later enters Erastes' employ as a hired killer after a fight with Vorenus. Pullo is reckless in his killing and is caught and charged with the murders, refusing to disclose it was Erastes who hired him. Later it is revealed that Erastes was paid by Posca, slave of Caesar, to eliminate Caesar's political opponents. Through Posca, Caesar expresses his dissatisfaction that Erastes hiring ex-soldiers like Pullo to do such work.

Caesar is assassinated during the Ides of March, thereby nullifying Vorenus' protection and presenting an opportunity for Erastes to get even. After Erastes arrives at Vorenus' home and finds Vorenus' children and Lyde unprotected as they prepare Niobe's body for her journey to the afterlife, Erastes abducts them all.

Erastes is killed when Pullo and Vorenus storm his lair, kill all his henchmen, and demand the whereabouts of the children. Erastes, knowing his death is sealed despite Pullo's attempt at bargaining for information, defiantly claims to have raped and killed them, with their bodies being irretrievably thrown in the Tiber. Vorenus, in a rage, takes immediate vengeance, slicing off Erastes' head in a single stroke.

The audience see Erastes' severed head as a prop, twice in the following month of plot time, and also see the missing family members being transported elsewhere in slavery.