Sairus Arterius (Victus)

Sairus, circa 2239 CE

> ***"IT SHOULD BE MY MOTHER ON THAT THRONE! MINE! YOU SHOULDN'T EVEN EXIST!"** - Sairus to his half-brother, Keirix Victus.*
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Sairus Arterius Victinus (born 'Sairus Victus Arterinus') (2222 CE - 2341 CE) was the only child of Primarch Fidellion Victus and his first wife and bondmate, Sarena Arterius. His mother died when he was just four years old, sacrificing herself to save the lives of his father and uncle, Cassian Arterius, during the Leviathan War. He has four half-blood siblings from his father's second marriage to his stepmother, Marcia Abrudas; Keirix, Adriana, Irixia, and Gaius. As per his father's contingency plans, Sairus married Selena Quentius at the age of sixteen and had a son with her, whom he asked her to name Desolas, in honour of his exiled grandfather, Desolas Arterius II. Although a Victus by birth, Sairus was released from House Victus by his father after the birth of Keirix, permitting him to change his name to 'Sairus Arterius' and his son's to 'Desolas Arterius III', to re-found House Arterius in the Milky Way after the exile of his maternal family at the hands of his abusive stepfather, Antraxes Mehrkuri.

Sairus bonded with Selena, although the pair would divorce years later due to Sairus' mental instability and inability to be a consistent presence in their son's life. While the pair were devoted to one another to the end, they knew that the past trauma of their lives made it impossible for them to live together permanently as a family, however much they wished it were not so. Sairus would eventually take his own life by driving a knife into his heart after learning of Selena's death, unable to bear living in a world that no longer held the woman he loved within it. Despite his estrangement from his father, Desolas would dutifully bury his parents beside one another on the volcanic island of Aenaria, off the coast of Cipritine, where his mother had lived out the last years of her life.

Sairus was estranged from and had a difficult relationship with his father, who he paradoxically viewed as both a traitor to his mother's memory and the only person who could save him from himself. Despite their strained relationship, Sairus served his father as a member of the Imperial Praetorian Guard, both to protect his father and keep his own volatile emotions in check. Due to his shady reputation, he was often called *Manus Sinister Fidelli'i*, "Fidellion's Left Hand", by turians who felt uncomfortable with his presence within the Imperial Family. Whenever Fidellion needed sensitive problems that directly endangered him and his family resolved, Sairus was always the one that he entrusted to protect them.

Like his mother and father before him, Sairus was renowned for his skills as a duellist. His fluid brutality with a combination of spear and shield quickly earned him the prestige of becoming a household name in Cipritine's gladiatorial amphitheatre, where he fought to protect the slandered honour of House Arterius. After leaving the blood and sand of the arena behind, he used the same skills he had cultivated there in service to his father.

Sairus has a pet corivel which he has trained to scout out enemies and deliver messages for him. Keirix in particular is rather scared of it as it has taken to hissing menacingly at him, something which amuses Sairus to no end.

## Biography

### Birth and childhood

Sairus was born to Fidellion Victus and Sarena Arterius in 2222 CE. His mother went into labour and gave birth to him within the walls of the Imperial Palace, his father by her side every step of the way. Sairus was a blood member of House Victus from birth, in addition to being a member of the incumbent Imperial Family as the grandson of Primarch Desolas Arterius II. As a member of the Imperial Family, he was entitled to wear Tyrian Purple.

His parents were devoted to him and raised him together as much as they could. Whenever either of them was called up to perform their military duty as generals of Palaven, Sairus was left in the care of his paternal and maternal grandparents, who loved him dearly. In particular, Sairus would spend a lot of time with his maternal grandfather, Nihlus.

### Rescuing Keirix

Sairus was the person responsible for rescuing his half-brother, Keirix, from Terminus pirates who had abducted him for ransom. Using Callian and Desola as a distraction, he singlehandedly butchered the pirate band holding his brother prisoner before throwing him over his shoulder and carrying him back to his shuttle. He then returned Keirix to their father, dumping him at his feet and snarling: *"Don't get caught again, golden boy; you can't keep out-humiliating me in front of Dad if you're dead."* Keirix, shocked by his brother's uncharacteristic display of familial loyalty, attempted to thank him for saving his life but Sairus simply huffed at him, whispering: *"Never forget who saved you. You owe House Arterius a debt."* Keirix's husband, Callian Vecturis, later sought Sairus out to personally thank him for saving him, despite their bitter fraternal history - an act of appreciation to which Sairus, for once, was receptive. The two men then shared a bottle of horosk while bitching over their mutual disdain for the turian establishment. From that moment on, Sairus referred to Callian as *"...one of the real ones."* and considered him a friend.

## Load-out

* **Primary weapon:** Brawler (Turian semi-automatic pistol)
* **Secondary weapon:** Punisher (Turian semi-automatic sniper rifle)
* **Armour:** Predator Armour (Turian medium armour)
* **Omni-tool:**Armax Arsenal's *Vulcan* model (military grade)

## Powers

* **Marksman:** Recharge Speed: 4.80 sec // Duration: 7.80 sec // Rate-of-Fire: +50% // Accuracy: +85% // Headshot Damage: +25%
* **Fortification:** Recharge Speed: 4 sec // Damage Reduction: 35% // Melee Damage: +100% // Shield Recharge Speed: -15%
* **Havoc Strike:** Recharge Speed: 6.40 sec // Damage: 960 // Force: 1040 N // Melee Damage: +40% for 5 sec after a successful charge.
* **Incendiary Slash:** Recharge Speed: 4.84 sec // Damage: 1100 // Range: 20 m // Radius: 2 m
* **Submission Net:** Recharge Speed: 4.80 sec // Grapple Duration: 7.80 sec // Incapacitate Duration: 9.20 sec // Damage: 1020 // Slow armoured targets by 30% for 10 seconds // Shield & Barrier Damage: +50%
* **Cryo** **Omni-shield:** Omni-shield coated in super-cooled subatomic particles, capable of snap-freezing unprotected targets on hit. Armoured and shielded targets are chilled on hit, slowing their movement speed by 30%. Reduces enemy armour on hit by 50% for 5 sec. Shield Health: 5250.
* **Inferno Grenades:** Damage Per Second: 285 // Duration: 8 sec // Radius: 7.50 m
* **Marksman's Focus:** Grants an escalating damage bonus for every target killed in a short time.
* **Jump-jets:** Onboard propulsion packs which allow short-distance glides to evade incoming attacks. Grant the ability to hover in place for a few seconds.

## Gladiatorial Career

Sairus earned his fame (or infamy, depending on whom you ask) in the heat of bloody combat, becoming a household name in Cipritine's gladiatorial amphitheatre. In the early days of his fighting career, Sairus was reviled by the arena's spectators, the majority of the crowd predisposed to betting against the young Arterius simply because of his family name. However, as he became progressively stronger and started winning an increasing majority of his matches, he slowly transitioned from a political pariah to a beloved hero of the arena. Classified as a *hoplomakus*, Sairus' weapons of choice were the spear, shield, and short sword. He often fought under the moniker *Sairus of Cipritine*.

Sairus briefly retired from the life of a gladiator after being bested by his father in single combat. During this time he tried to concentrate on being a good husband to his wife, Selena Quentius, and their son, Desolas Arterius III, and to resurrect House Arterius from its near-extinction. However, in light of the traumas he had been through as a child and the hatred in his heart for the empire's political machinations, Sairus quickly returned to the catharsis of the arena, despite having previously sworn to his wife that he would leave that life behind for good. Losing himself to his battle sleep once more was the only way he knew how to cope with the overwhelming grief of losing his mother and the rest of his Arterius family to Antraxes' ambition. His fighting style soon devolved into an uncoordinated mess, which reflected his troubled emotional state, becoming far less focused on strategy and more so on reckless brutality.

Sairus would eventually go off the deep end and vanish entirely from the arena, unable to cope with his pain any longer, abandoning his family in search of vengeance. During this time he hunted and killed those of Antraxes' conspirators who had survived his downfall, using the skills he had honed in the arena to carve a bloody path across his father's empire.

## Family and Lineage

Through both of his parents, Sairus is a conflux of two ancient and politically dangerous bloodlines. His maternal grandparents are Desolas Arterius II and Nihlus Kryik, while his paternal grandfather was the revered war hero Lieutenant Tarquin Victus. His paternal great-grandfather was Primarch Adrien Victus. His maternal great-grandfather was General Desolas Arterius I. Sairus is in an arranged marriage with Selena Quentius, the youngest granddaughter of Cadmus Quentius.

### Familial relationships

#### Fidellion

Sairus has a complex relationship with his father, whom he simultaneously despises and loves. While he often hides his true feelings behind a veneer of rage, Sairus deeply loves his father and desires to be wanted by him. However, their relationship is tainted by the immense burden of Sairus' childhood trauma. Sairus grew up feeling neglected and unwanted by his father, when in reality his father sacrificed nearly everything to keep his boy safe. There are also residual feelings of blame regarding the death of Sairus' mother, Sarena Arterius, who died to save Fidellion during the Leviathan War. Above all, Sairus mourns the loss of his family and blames his father for not doing more to save them from Antraxes.

Fidellion often finds himself making excuses for his son's antisocial and sometimes violent behaviour, being his only real advocate. While he does not approve of his son's disrespect towards the rest of their family and often has explosive arguments with him, Fidellion never chooses to outrightly punish Sairus for fear of losing him again. This is in stark contrast to how he disciplines his other four children, with whom he is fair but firm.

In his more lucid moments, Sairus will confide in his father about his troubled thoughts and feelings, regressing into the traumatised inner child that is still trapped inside of him. It is during these extremely vulnerable moments that Sairus and Fidellion bond the most, sharing their unique perspectives of the same trauma with one another and exploring each other's pain in a safe environment. As Sairus was a child at the time of his mother's death and his family's exile, he lacks the clarity of memory that Fidellion possesses and thus has either misremembered or misinterpreted many of his father's actions during that time. Fidellion, understanding this, does everything in his power to help his son to begin to heal. While initially resenting it, Sairus did eventually allow his father to find him a trauma therapist, who visits Sairus once a week.

#### Keirix

Sairus has a rather antagonist relationship with his eldest half-sibling, Keirix Victus. As Sairus is twenty-six years older than him, Keirix viewed him as more of a bad-tempered uncle than a loving brother. Sairus resents Keirix's existence and during the early years of his brother's life made this known to all, including Keirix himself. When Keirix became a man in his own right, he found the strength to stand up to his brother after Sairus insulted Keirix's mother at a family dinner, resulting in Sairus reactively lashing out and punching Keirix in the face. Despite his rocky relationship with Sairus, Keirix is close with his son, Desolas Arterius III, who is Keirix's half-nephew.