Mares Lótebrius Salsissimus
Ancestry and early life
Mares Lótebrius Salsissimus was a citizen of Kelónia and the father of the notorious Senna Lótebrius Tevis. Although his son was a playboy who, through his irresponsibility, caused the downfall of an entire Tarrabaenian city, Mares is often cited as an example for discipline and integrity. He was not as high ranking, as some other members of the family, but in his position as an infantry officer, he played a role in the military, which is highly regarded in Tarrabaenian culture. And at that he had a very down-to-earth position, unlike many of his peers, who rather took on the more prestigious titles in the cavalry or navy.
It is no wonder, that this made him appear pretty modest and unpretentious, also properties which are in high esteem with the Tarrabaenians. In addition he was responsible for two flattening defeats of the Messellat Mdûlûn, allegedly fighting among the soldiers he commanded, instead of ordering the around from afar.
Career and private life
Mares was born around 1765 of the Era of the Earth. He belonged to an already established family, that had been filling roles in secular and religious institutions for generations. It was thus no wonder, Mares followed the path his family has set for him. Early on his parents arranged for a marriage to aid the family's standing. Thus he was espoused to Lótítia Véra Crispissima from Succília, a small, but important town at the bay of Ós Evoris.
Mares was already trained in the martial arts before joining the military. He is said to have been especially gifted with short sword and shield, the standard weapons of the Tarrabaenian army. He was also known as an orator, with a special talent for allocúsio, speeches to motivate the soldiers and for cócilliasio, speeches to elaborate and educate on a specific topic. In rhetoric as well as in martial arts he reached his high level of performance not through talent, but rather through incessant and diligent training. This made him an examplary figure to show the importance of hard work to reach one goals. He is often cited, when parents advise their children to work hard for their goals and when politicians want to sell unpleasant truths - mostly dues of compulsory labours to their audiences.
He joined the military when he was fifteen to seventeen years old and soon rose in the ranks, due to his families contributions but also due to his hard work and training. It took him only one year to become a trainer himself. His training was rough, but compassionate. Still to this day, some masters of a craft are said to be 'mareicus' or 'mareica', which means that they ask a lot of their students, but also work hard to really improve their students skills.
At the age of twenty two, he got married and also for the first time was deployed to march against the Messelat Mdûlûn from Kissalinn to counter their recently more frequent attacks on the Limina Tegulissima. When in the camp he learnt his fiancé was pregnant. He fought his battles well, but asked for a timely leave to marry her before their first child was born. After the wedding he stayed for four months, to be with his wife for the birth of his first daughter, Cintia Véra Núbécula. When returning to the battlefield, his superior, Silvius Órículus Ratior fell sick, but trusted Mares' qualities so much as to transfer the command to him. Mares did not disappoint and defended the camp most efficiently, which also lead to the adaption of a new winged word: 'to leave something at the hands of Mares'. It is used, when someone high-ranking, experienced or responsible for something leaves a task to a subordinate person whom he she can trust with the task, so the task can be fulfilled to everyones content and the person entrusted with the task has a chance to prove him- or herself.
Historical impact
Other than expected, Mares did not leave a major impact on Tarrabaenian history. He was a defender, not a conqueror, but very good at that job. It is not exactly known, why after all these years he is still so often cited, either by dicta from his speeches or in winged words on his person. A possible explanation might be, that he was such a good orator, that from that aspect of his work his accomplishments stayed in common memory, spawning also the dicta about him. Another aspect might be, that other than his son, Senna Lótebrius Tevis, he was a person of great integrity and of exemplary and modest appearance and that caused his permanence in the public opinion.
One thing about his rhetoric skills should not stay unmentioned: He was well known to have employed comparisons and everyday life examples in his speeches, that made his point very palpable to a general audience. This was still unique and considered a bit quirky during his time, leading to his epithet Salsissimus, which means 'clever, quippy, zestful'.
Children
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