Rome Lockheed

### Height

Human Form - 5' 4"Dragon Form - 17 feet at the shoulder. 22 feet high with neck.

### Weight

Human Form - 102 lbsDragon Form - 15,300 lbs

## Special Info

### Talisman

Pandora's Die of Hope / The Salamander's Egg

### Quirks

Reluctant leader. Genuinely wants to do the right thing.

**ROME LOCKHEED**: Appears in all books.  Main protagonist.  A fire dragon from the Den of Volcana under the disguise of a concealment spell that gives him the shape and age of a 13-year-old boy.  In the first book, almost all the point-of-view is from him.  After being forced into The Great Synergy, we begin to see insights of his partner as well.  This is done intentionally to mirror how the symbiosis between the boys is created. They share everything including their minds, memories, and pain. Rome is skeptical at first, but soon realizes that his destiny may involve saving the world from an ancient evil alongside his growing list of allies. Rome is sympathetic, moral, passionate, and pragmatic in his decision making. These traits, along with his desire to do the right thing make him an obvious choice to lead his allies in their battle against the Darkbrands.

The first book of the series shows Rome struggling with accepting the fact that he is a fire dragon in human disguise. Once he understands his purpose, talents, and the destiny set to befall him and Julian, he begins his arc of becoming a leader. Rome soon understands that no matter how many allies the group acquires, they will still need leadership both in the field and in the war room. Rome feels drawn to that role more than others considering what can be lost through inaction. He denies this call at first, but with a little persuasion from his friends and a destiny, he steps into the role triumphantly (even if Julian doesn't want to).

**The Great Synergy**:  Rome is joined to Julian Rider by The Great Synergy. This allows his dragon heart to be completed, but it also links their souls together for life.

When Julian and Rome lost their powers due to a Nocturn's darktouch curse, they had to find a new Talisman to enact The Great Synergy, Once they found The Salamander's Egg in Asia, they gained updated abilities. Rome, completed his dragon heart legitimately, which boosted all of his already powerful abilities, making him one of the strongest dragons in the world.

**Abilities**: Rome’s abilities include his fire breath, his fire-eye auras, and his durable shield-like scales.  He is capable of flight utilizing black, leathery wings and has strong spikes on his forearms and back for defense. His tail is strong and can be used like a lasso to grip enemies and toss them away.  Fire dragons are 2nd largest of the dragon clans behind the Earth dragons.  In his human form, he exhibits superior athleticism compared to humans his age. He is a capable runner and has the agility of a tenured hackey-sack enthusiast. He has shown to be of average intelligence, but displays far superior introspection. He also shines in problem solving and leadership skills. It is discovered in book #6 (A Dragon's Dyne) that Rome unlocks a Dyne, which allows him to be reborn through Phoenix flames, (See Rise of the Phoenix)

    **Trivia**: Besides Rome's parents, who are blissfully unaware that they are fire dragons, he is the only known, living fire dragon from Volcana. During the times of The First and the times of The Good King Arthur, fire dragons were plentiful, but in modern times, most have disappeared.

Rome represents one part of the author, Brett Salter's personality. He is the levelheaded and introspective portion of the author that wants to do the right thing, but rarely jumps at the chance to be a leader. Despite his uneasiness about assuming a leadership role, he always has the best interests of his friends and family in mind. Rome's internal dialogue and hesitant decision making reflect how Brett Salter felt about himself specifically during his teen years. Finally, the spatial linking is a metaphor for how his two personalities differ and interact inside his head.