Ave, and welcome to Turn
IV! Where is the Republic? Well, NOTA BENE is still the primus
inter pares within the Senate thanks to the dignitis of Publius Cornelius
Scipio Africanus, who defeated Carthage in Year II and Lucius Aemilius
Paullus Imperator, who defeated Carthage in Year III. Rome is still digging out from last year's
Storm of the Century. The Illyrian
guerillas continue to disrupt the grain supply and the Syrian war rages
on in the east, less one Roman commander, Junius of CORONUS, who
languishes there in captivity. Carthage
is beaten, but still exists, and Hamilcar is still there, licking his
wounds and plotting revenge. The
Treasury stands at 29 talents. The
populace is rather upset [unrest 4] and that will no doubt pose quite a challenge
for the Rome Consul, one Lucius Aemilius Paullus Imperator of NOTA BENE. Rome has 22 Legions under arms, of which
four are Veteren, and six Fleets.
So things are not what one
could consider "bad".
Unless, of course, you
happen to belong to the IONIC faction, as this is the year that Plautius
Pontifex Maximus' body decides to retire permanently from all public and
private life, taking 20 talents of gold with him to the Great
Senate Hall in the Sky, a
place where the money will have absolutely zero practical use for the
Lesser Senate Hall on Earth.
News from the new Roman
provinces is good. The governors, Scipio
of NOTA BENE in Sicily, and Manlius of CORONUS in Sardinia-Corsica,
both manage to significantly improve the infrastructure of their
provinces. This garners both of them
new clients and thus increases their dignitas within the Senate.
In the case of Scipio,
it clearly establishes him as the greatest, most powerful and admired man in
Rome [Inf=23]. And in the Senate, the backbenchers
have begun to murmer about how much power one man can hold before he is bold
enough to think himself "king".
When all the bills are paid,
the Treasury stands at 59. This is a
dangerously low amount, so the Rome Consul, Paullus Imperator of NOTA BENE,
wastes no time in appealing widely to the Senate for contributions. He also pays his respects to the grieving IONIC
faction for the demise of the Pontifex Maximus. Furius of BACCHANALIA also conveys his condolences,
declaring that a "kinder face has never before been seen at the helm of
our religious affairs."
(Historians will later go to
great length and expense to show that no one in Rome during that time could
ever have argued with that assertion in any way, shape or form. As proof, they are able to note -- after
exhaustive research
-- that Plautius was,
in fact, the _only_ Pontifex Maximus Rome ever had up until that time).
The Senate answers the call
for money and 58 talents roll into the Treasury, bolstering it to 117, as only IONIC
fails to contribute; but given the loss of 20 talents to Plautius'
death, no one blames them.
In Carthage, a very
capable general named Hannibal comes to prominence. It is very fortunate for Rome that his
arrival is so late, for one can't help but wonder how Rome might have fared had
he and Hamilcar both been at the head of the Carthaginian Army in
the previous two wars.
To placate the populace a
bit, Furius of BACCHANALIA hosts a Slice & Dice, the very first
Senate-organized games that the Republic has seen. It also edges up Furius' own popularity.
And in Macedonia, Philip
V finally succeeds in organizing the force he needs to openly challenge
Rome, and declares war. His army is
formidable, but as with Hannibal's arrival, Rome may at least count
herself lucky that Philip was unable to declare war earlier, while the Carthaginian
menace occupied all of Rome's attention.
The gens Plautius
recovers quickly from the death of their senior member and immediately
requalifies for the Senatorial census.
Amidst all this hustle and
bustle of activity, it is a highly confident Lucius Aemilius Paullus of NOTA
BENE, Rome Consul and Imperator of Carthage, who steps up to the
rostrum to deliver this year's State of the Republic address.
He's all smiles. Who can blame him? He's wildly popular for vanquishing Carthage last
year. Indeed, Rome has never had
such a wildly popular Rome Consul! And
thus everyone is looking forward to Paullus applying that wild
popularity to lowering the unrest level just by talking.
But "talk" he does
not, at least not right away. All he
does is step up to the rostrum, smile broadly and raise his fist in the
air. The crowd in the Forum loves it
and goes wild, cheering him loudly!
"Good morning,
Rome!" Paullus' voice booms.
(Mighty cheers).
"How y'all
doin'?!" (Deafening cheers).
(Historical note: it's very unlikely that true Romans ever
used the expression "y'all").
"Havin' a good time,
are ya'?" (Mind-boggling
cheers. Children dance and squeal with
delight. Young girls faint. Some older girls bare their breasts).
Paullus waves and smiles, lapping it all up, discretely
indicating one of the older girls to a lictor, who moves into the crowd to
arrange the Consul's
"refined
entertainment" for later on. Paullus
just keeps on smiling and waving, even as the crowd gradually settles and grows
quiet, such that he is still smiling and waving even after everyone is completely
quiet and staring at him.
A lictor finally nudges the
Rome Consul, who suddenly seems to come out of his blissful trance and realizes
where he is and what's happening. It
quickly dawns on Paullus that smiling and waving is not going to
be sufficient; he'll actually have to talk.
Gulping, he lowers his hand
and wipes the smile off his face and begins to talk. But clearly he's not prepared, for there are far too many
"uhm"'s, "uh"'s, and "How y'all doin'?"s in his
oration. One can imagine the negative
impression this creates, but one must also take into account his high popularity. Net result:
the two basically cancel each other out, and the great general manages
to leave the populace just as angry as they were before.
Looking visibly
disappointed, Paullus reconvenes the Senate. He ignores their glum faces -- they also had higher hopes for his
speech -- and attacks the matters at hand.
"Philip has shown is true colours," says the Rome
Consul, and he calls for Rome to attack now.
Julius of AENEAN agrees, noting that Rome is lucky to have already
defeated Carthage so that now she may concentrate on Macedonia. He then analyzes Rome's military needs for
the year and advocates campaigns against both Macedonia and Syria.
Claudius of BACCHANALIA enthusiastically agrees, noting that not even the "wildly
popular" Paullus was able to mollify the masses and the Senate desparately
needs to restore faith by trouncing her enemies. Claudius endorses his faction mate, Furius, as one
of the Consuls this year, noting the latter's increased popularity as a result
of the games he hosted and his solid military record.
Buoyed by the positive words
so far, Rome Consul Paullus of NOTA BENE makes his proposal: Furius of BACCHANALIA and Julius
of AENEAN as this year's Consuls.
Flaminius of IONIC pledges his support for the proposal and also makes
a plug for his faction mate, Sulpicius, to become the new Pontifex
Maximus.
Paullus answers that NOTA BENE is ready to support Sulpicius
for the post.
The current proposal brings
out Applus, the CORONUS backbencher, whose life, it is said, exists
solely to dazzle the Senate with mathematics.
True to form, Applus dazzles the Senate again this year with his
indepth analysis of, well, everything!
He suggests that attacking the two "weak" wars (Illyria
and Syria) might be best, thus avoiding further military expenses this
year and simultaneously building the treasury and creating new veterens.
And the Consul vote is
in: 44-0, with six absentions from CORONUS. Furius of IONIC becomes Field Consul
and Julius Imperator of AENEAN becomes Rome Consul.
When next the Senate meets, Julius
is first to speak. It is time to
propose the new Pontifex Maximus. Julius
thanks IONIC for the offer of Sulpicius, but declines it because
the Ship Building Concession, which generated the revenue the Pontifex Maximus
needed before, is no longer generating that revenue because Rome already has
her fleet. He therefore proposes Papirius
of OPTIMATES for the position, where the Armaments Concession will generate
the needed funds.
Papirius looks pleasantly surprized, but Faction Leader Valerius
wastes no time; he jumps up to "graciously" accept the nomination and
claims that Papirius is well-suited for the duty, as he is
"predisposed to gazing obsessively at the stars and also enjoys
slaughtering a menagerie of animals -- especially oxen." A strange glint flits across his eyes,
rather unnerving to those around him.
But Claudius of
BACCHANALIA frowns, saying, "The logic of our esteemed RC seems a bit
flawed." He professes not to
understand how Julius feels that the Arms funds would generate the
needed income and rhetorically asks if Rome would recruit Legions simply to
fill the Pontifex Maximus' coffers. He
calls for a new proposal that awards the postion to "a faction with a more
steady income," although he omits mention of which faction that might be.
Paullus of NOTA BENE laughs, declaring that that rules out his faction.
At this point, something
absolutely unprecedented happens, something certain to have profound and
unexpected repercussions for the future of the Republic -- the Tribunes of the
Plebs, for the first time, come alive and forcefully exert their authority.
"Hear me, Conscript
Fathers!" booms the Tribune who has jumped onto the floor. "I forbid this august body to continue
voting for this proposal! It does not
please the Populus que Romanus!"
In short: a VETO.
To say that the Senate is
"stunned" would be an understatement -- except for the IONIC
bench, which looks serenely happy.
But before anyone can do
anything about it, a second Tribune of the Plebs strides out onto the Senate
floor. "Hear me, Conscript
Fathers! It is the will of the People
of Rome that Sulpicius of IONIC, being highly qualified for the position
and enjoying the trust and confidence of the masses, be our next Pontifex
Maximus!" In short: a proposal that completely bypasses the
Consul.
There is no proof, but it's
not hard for Senators to guess in whose clientship those Tribunes
operated. And with that, the Senate
explodes, and pandemonium reigns.
Shouting above the din, Julius of AENEAN attempts a conciliatory
note toward IONIC, saying that Sulpicius is more valuable to Rome
as a future Consul than as Pontifex Maximus.
He challenges Sulpicius to give his justification.
But Valerius of OPTIMATES
is livid with rage. He decries
"that a mere Pleb" should be able to disrupt "the patrician
house". His faction storms out in disgust,
sneering at the Tribune bench.
And nothing much useful gets
done for the rest of that session.
By the time the Senate next
convenes, tempers have subsided, but you can still feel the tension simmering
in the background. The votes finally
come in, and Sulpicius indeed becomes Pontifex Maximus by a close vote
of 22-17, with 11 abstentions.
Sighing with what some
interpret as "relief" that the unpleasantness is over, Rome Consul
Julius of AENEAN takes the floor to propose the Censor. "We only have four candidates," he
says. He states that three of those, Flaminius
of IONIC, Valerius of OPTIMATES, and Paullus of NOTA BENE
will certainly understand why they should not get the position, by which he
means their already high dignitis. Julius
therefore declares that Junius of CORONUS should become Censor.
But in the first noticeable
"repercussion" of what will eventually be known as the "Tribune
Incident of Year IV", Julius outlines an elaborate plan for ensuring
that Junius wins the election:
he'll propose all three of the other candidates, one after the other,
and expect the Senate to vote them down, thus making Junius the last
eligible candidate which forces him to become Censor.
Julius states that he must do it this way because "one
may never know how uncontrolled tribunes may act."
A guffaw is heard from the CORONUS
bench, and Fabius is overheard commenting to a faction mate about the
waste of time. Junius himself,
however, publicly addresses the Senate.
He says he would be "honored to accept the Censorship".
He professes understanding for the Rome Consul's "legal
mechanism", but not for the "labyrinthian method".
"Am I worthy of the
Censorship?" Junius demands to know. "Am I capable of it?
Then why dilly-dally about? Why
not put it directly to the vote?"
After a moment of silence, Junius shrugs, sighs, and takes his
seat.
And when the votes are
counted, Flaminius fails to become Censor, 15-35.
Julius then proposes Valerius of OPTIMATES. Answering Junius, Julius says,
"I sincerely think that you are the best candidate" and believes that
he speaks for the rest of the Senate.
However, for reasons already mentioned, he is determined to see Junius
elected by this roundabout method.
And Valerius goes
down 8-26, with 16 abstentions.
So Julius proposes Paullus
of NOTA BENE.
Valerius of OPTIMATES takes this opportunity to remind everyone about the "Tribune
Situation" by firing an angry comment toward the IONIC bench. He calls the use of the Tribune
"abhorrant...an afront to the mos maiorum." He is especially angry because the Tribune was able to influence
an office that is "more ancient then the kings of Rome".
"Fancy a representative
of the people proposing our Chief Priest!" sneers Valerius. "I hope Jupiter finds more reverance in
these 'people's' tribunes than I do!"
He then goes back to sit down.
And then promptly stands again and shakes his fist at the IONIC bench. "Why dont you move to Greece with the
other democrats!" he shouts. And
then he sits down again.
And the vote is 8-37, with
five abstentions. As the last available
candidate, Junius of CORONUS finally becomes Censor. He declines prosecutions.
In the next session, which
all hope will be just a little quieter, Rome Consul Julius Imperator of
AENEAN addresses the two new Roman provinces: Nearer & Further Spain.
For Nearer Spain he proposes Flaminius Imperator of IONIC and for
Further Spain, Valerius of OPTIMATES.
Only CORONUS
dissents, as Junius declares that he cannot "see the wisdom in
posting another man with high military acumen to the boondocks." But as usual, CORONUS represents the
minority opinion, and the proposal passes 44-6.
And off go the governors!
Julius now proposes military builds: three new Legions and one new Fleet. This is, for a change, a
"non-controversial" proposal, and it glides through the Senate, 45-0.
In the Senate's final
session of the year, Rome Consul Julius Imperator of AENEAN tackles the
War Plan. The "time for swords has
arrived," he says. Declaring that
Rome is at her military peak, he says it is "time we smash our
enemies!"
The proposal: Field Consul Furius of BACCHANALIA
takes command of three Veterens, 13 Legions, and five Fleets, and attacks Philip
V's Macedonians; Rome Consul Julius of AENEAN takes command of one
Veteren, eight Legions, and two Fleets, and attacks the Syrians.
Amid general approval from
around the Senate, it is the CORONUS bench that again cuts against the
grain. Applus the Backbencher again
demonstrates his mathematical ability to discredit the force distribution. He advocates one less Legion for Syria
and one more for Macedonia.
Naturally, CORONUS votes NAY.
Julius of AENEAN smirks, rolls his eyes and rhetorically asks,
"Has ever CORONUS voted YES to something???" Laughter all around.
Nevertheless, the War Plan
passes 40-6. The Consuls go off to war
and the Senate adjourns for the year.
Furius of BACHANALIA leads 16 Legions, three of them Veterens. Arrayed against him is the Macedonian
Army, with Philip V in command. Philip
has prepared very long indeed. He
curses vainly about his lack of success in mobilizing his country to challenge
Rome while Hamilcar's Carthage was in the field. Now Carthage is reduced to a shadow
of her former self at the time that Macedonia is finally ready. But Philip knows it would have been
premature to declare war on Rome even a year ago -- his forces just weren't
ready. So for better or worse, he has
chosen this moment to unleash his own legions. This year, vows Philip to himself, and later to his
soldiers, will be Macedonia's year.
For their part, his soldiers need little encouragement, for Philip
has held them back for so long that they are now like thoroughbred racehorses
chomping at the bit.
And as the campaign
progresses, they chomp on Roman Legionaries.
Furius' Army, big and powerful though it is, is simply not
prepared for the ferocity and rabid hunger with which Philip and his men
fight. Again and again, one engagement
after another spills rivers of blood, swelling to an ocean of loss that Rome
has not yet known, even against Carthage. As the campaign wears on, the clashes became more frequent, more
desparate, and bloodier than the ones before, in which mercy's face flees,
neither side gives any quarter, and both sides commit atrocities heretofore
unseen in Rome's history.
In the end, neither side can
claim victory this year. Military
historians will later generally agree that Philip of Macedonia was the
far better commander on the field, easily out-classing Furius in
generalship. This is not to say that Furius
isn't a good soldier. Certainly no one
could dismiss him as a coward, for indeed, in more than one battle he was only
spared death because his personal guard physically restrained him from charging
into a mob of Macedonians, even though he was already wounded.
No, "cowardism"
was not the problem. It was simply Philip,
who outmaneuvered and outclassed Furius every time. But Philip, for his part, was left
just as frustrated, cursing vainly because one engagement after another failed
to produce him a clear victory -- Rome's Army was just too damned big. If he had just mustered more soldiers, or if
Rome had fielded less Legions, things could have gone differently.
As it is, Philip and Furius
both settle down into winter camp, licking their wounds and preparing for the
next campaign.
Julius of AENEAN, Naval Imperator over Carthage, finally has
what he's always dreamed of -- command of Roman Legions on the ground. He has 10 of them, of which one is
Veteren. This is his moment, he knows,
and he fully intends to make the most of it.
The Syrians will help him with that -- by dying by his hand and
the hands of his soldiers! Julius never
felt that the previous commander, Junius of CORONUS, knew anything
worthwhile about soldiering and that sending him to face this wily eastern foe
was just about the dumbest military decision Rome has ever made. But it was Junius' fault, of course,
choosing to be Field Consul instead of Rome Consul last year! But enough of that -- time to lead this Army
and fight for the glory of Rome! Time
to show the Syrians what their fate is when a real Roman Military Man
takes the field against them.
And Julius gets his
victory! But not without cost. In the Carthaginian Naval campaign of
Year I, some had criticized Julius for being too reckless, for rushing
the victory, when a little bit of patience would have saved Roman lives. And again those rumors of recklessness
resurface, for he buys his victory against Syria with the loss of two
Legions. But Julius himself also
pays the ultimate price, for in the hour of his triumph, he too falls with his
soldiers, covered in the blood of his enemies, his sword stuck to his hand by
blood and gore.
A victory indeed ... but not
without cost.
BACK IN ROME...
Claudius of BACCHANALIA is the first to address the Senate in the aftermath
of the military campaigns. "Can
our military plans be so flawed?" he demands of his peers. "We of BACCHANALIA think not,
but instead offer our belief that the hand of a more powerful entity is at play
here."
By "powerful
entity", it's clear that Claudius is referring to supernatural powers,
for he then "implores" the Pontifex Maximus "to offer libations
to Mars, the God of War, as he is obviously most displeased with our
actions!"
Claudius concludes by decrying this "black day in the
histories of Rome." He then offers
solace to Julius the younger, who must now take charge of his gens in
the Senate.
Lucius Aemilius Paullus
Imperator of NOTA BENE speaks next,
with words so profound that one simply must include them in their
entirety: "I am struck almost
speechless at the news of Julius' death. Killed by a rampaging elephant at the moment of his triumph! An elephant is a noble and intelligent beast,
served by its prodigious memory. Loyal
to its friends. Unforgiving of its
enemies. A fitting totem for Julius. A fitting model for his son".
(Now that is a
"eulogy"!)
Much later, when the mail
catches up with events, a letter arrives from Valerius of OPTIMATES,
currently serving as Governor of Further Spain, in which he writes: "Let us not think that we have lost a
colleague but gained a statue!"
(Now that boggles the
mind).
In the meantime, Julius
the Younger, Faction Leader of AENEAN, expresses gratitude to all who've
expressed their sympathy. He calls his
father's death "the most glorious one" and he notes that the war
booty, 45 talents of gold, is greater than any Rome has yet gained from
conquest. In a surprising moment of
candor, Julius admits that his father miscalculated the military risk of
the two wars and thus badly distributed the available Legions between
Macedonia and Syria, and thus contributed to the woeful
result.
(Now that is
something you don't see every day!)
In conclusion, Julius
notes the unfortunate stalemate in Macedonia and but also states that
"Furius has been good enough to avoid falling in an ambush." As the year ends, Sulpicius Pontifex
Maximus of IONIC becomes Administrator of the 3rd Tax Farmer District.
In the CORONUS
faction, one Quintus Fabius Maximus, a military man of some renown,
takes over leadership of the gens Fabius.
Thus ends Year IV of SPQR
III.