In Fine, Solum Est Tibi (A Quest in Rome, During The Fall of the Republic)

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[] Minerva's Disciple
-[]War: Your Father, despite his lack of a male heir, did not decide to put you down into the hallowed halls of womanly virtue as was expected of you. You were not one to stand at the feasts, and be a pretty face for those to ogle and gawk at. Instead, he trained you in the art of war, and War, as it turns out, as it had for him, went well with you. You learned how to shout above men in battle when your voice was nearly gone. You learned to ride a horse and lead men to die for you. It was not something you expected to be any good at, but you became a master at it.
-[] Speech: Words are Wind. That was what your father said when you were a child after you lied to him about stealing a sweet treat. That was when you learned the power of words, how they can shape perspective, they can shape everything from opinion to the will of men. You may not ever set foot in the Senate, but nothing matters. Words… Oratory is the most valuable skill that any man, any person can have in Rome. A speech said to the right people, given the right motivation, can shape a nation. Even a nation as rigid as Rome.
-[] The Gift of Mars: It is said that those who take to the art of war from a young age were blessed in the womb by Mars himself, as a gift for your Father's loyal duty to Him. You are one such, a prodigy of battle, capable of learning and absorbing new strategies and tactics, and quickly adapting them to match the actions of your foes.
-[] The Gift of Bellona: Battle is what you live for. The battle is what you will die for. You are a master of fortune in fighting. Those who have seen you rip through a battlefield, be it a street or a war, say that it was like looking upon Bellona herself, the ancient goddess of war and destruction, come to earth in mortal flesh. While you draw breath with a blade in your hand, there is no man living that can face you alone.

Basically I figure if we want to take command we absolutely have to be built around that idea, with Speech because speechcraft is goddamn important in Rome

edit: reposting to try and unscrew up voting
 
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Teen Spirit said:
Basically I figure if we want to take command we absolutely have to be built around that idea, with Speech because speechcraft is goddamn important in Rome
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Just remember, your build will define what options will be available for you when we finally start.

Just so you know.

And to say this: The Greek boons are powerful, but they also give... Well I won't say, but the consequences will be very important.
 
[] Plan Words are Wind and we are the Storm
[] Plan Orator Oblitus [Speaker of the Forgotten]

Just not the military.
 
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Orion Ultor said:
While I really want to go down the War God route, it's these traits in concert with one another that provide us with the best chances of not only survival, but prosperity.
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Personally I disagree, political power is tied to war in Rome, so if we want to be another more than anothe Roman Matron, The path of a Warrior and General is our best bet.
 
Thyreus said:
You know, given our estate and our slaves and servants an economic build + architecture could be fun.
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Its an option.

Hell I took off a two options that were solely Econ for a simple reason.

They were kinda broken.

Also it might have bitten you in the ass and I didn't think it was a good idea for them to bite you in the ass.
 
Magoose said:
The Good kind or the Bad Kind?

Or the Magoose Kind?:V
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Definitely the Magoose Kind.

[X] The Designated Protagonist
-[X] War: Your Father, despite his lack of a male heir, did not decide to put you down into the hallowed halls of womanly virtue as was expected of you. You were not one to stand at the feasts, and be a pretty face for those to ogle and gawk at. Instead, he trained you in the art of war, and War, as it turns out, as it had for him, went well with you. You learned how to shout above men in battle when your voice was nearly gone. You learned to ride a horse and lead men to die for you. It was not something you expected to be any good at, but you became a master at it.
-[X] Speech: Words are Wind. That was what your father said when you were a child after you lied to him about stealing a sweet treat. That was when you learned the power of words, how they can shape perspective, they can shape everything from opinion to the will of men. You may not ever set foot in the Senate, but nothing matters. Words… Oratory is the most valuable skill that any man, any person can have in Rome. A speech said to the right people, given the right motivation, can shape a nation. Even a nation as rigid as Rome.
-[X] The Gift of Fortuna: You are lucky. The Will of the world, fortune itself seems to fall upon you like tumblers in a lock, being opened by a key. Men who have tried to kill you fall in misfortune. Or treachery, turning on themselves before dying to your guards. Snakes that should have bitten you miss, or hit your clothes or sandals, their venomous bites. Games of Chance or merely games to win money. The Bets at the colosseum and the Circus Maximus are merely ways to get money to invest. And even the debts you owe, what little you do owe to your slaves and comrades, are nothing. It is as if a force you cannot control, but you feel as if you are a plaything, a whim to a much higher power.
-[X] The Gift of Zagreus: You Will Fail. You will break down and be defeated. But that is not the end, merely another beginning to start again. In one story your mother told you, Zagreus wanted to meet his mother and had to fight through all of the Underworld to reach the surface, before being dragged back to the underworld. You Will Fail. But that does not mean you will fail forever.
 
I don't want the Gift of Fortuna for the simple reason that I want any success we gain to be because of our own skills and decisions, not because we just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
 
[X] To Build A New State
-[X] Law: Roman law is a complicated, tangled morass of bylaws and codas, less a legal system and more an inscrutable maze, the byproduct of three hundred years of plodding bureaucracy. Ever since you could walk, and talk, you found yourself in front of Roman Law books, looking through the loopholes and intricacies that are commonplace. How to find strengths and weaknesses in any argument involving the laws, including the peculiar situation that you find yourself in. The noblii see knowledge of the law as nothing short of essential, and the right case in the eyes of the Common man can make or break a political career.
-[X] Speech: Words are Wind. That was what your father said when you were a child after you lied to him about stealing a sweet treat. That was when you learned the power of words, how they can shape perspective, they can shape everything from opinion to the will of men. You may not ever set foot in the Senate, but nothing matters. Words… Oratory is the most valuable skill that any man, any person can have in Rome. A speech said to the right people, given the right motivation, can shape a nation. Even a nation as rigid as Rome.
-[X] The Gift of Apollo: Words are like a hurricane, they can destroy you, or save you. That is what your father said to you before he died. To speak and to listen is something that you do obsessively. You are nothing short of a rabble-rouser, a loose cannon a fire that will light the great fire that is within Rome and cause it to burn to the ground, where you will be the master of it's ashes. The Senate views you, not only as a threat but as a truly dangerous voice to tradition and Roman Virtue. The Downtrodden, the Plebeians who have been lost and forgotten, even the slaves, who view you as the greatest master one could have. You are the future, some say. And everyone takes notice of the future.
-[X] The Gift of Fortuna: You are lucky. The Will of the world, fortune itself seems to fall upon you like tumblers in a lock, being opened by a key. Men who have tried to kill you fall in misfortune. Or treachery, turning on themselves before dying to your guards. Snakes that should have bitten you miss, or hit your clothes or sandals, their venomous bites. Games of Chance or merely games to win money. The Bets at the colosseum and the Circus Maximus are merely ways to get money to invest. And even the debts you owe, what little you do owe to your slaves and comrades, are nothing. It is as if a force you cannot control, but you feel as if you are a plaything, a whim to a much higher power.

Reasoning:

Law: I want to be the architect of whatever rises out of the ashes of the Roman Republic, preferably a new Roman Republic.

Speech: This is to help convince people to support our policies.

Apollo: Doubling down on the power of words.

Fortuna: Luck would be very helpful for this plan (and any plan, for that matter).
 
Kirook said:
I don't want the Gift of Fortuna for the simple reason that I want any success we gain to be because of our own skills and decisions, not because we just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
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All I will say is this:

Luck will only get you to a position, but its how you react and the skills you have at that position that will either make you succeed, or die.

Or fail.
Godwinson said:
Magoose Dice, your objection is invalid. :p
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For some places and rolls, and actions...

There will be no dice rolls.

There will be skill checks.
 
Kirook said:
I don't want the Gift of Fortuna for the simple reason that I want any success we gain to be because of our own skills and decisions, not because we just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
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You would be surprised how many of History's greatest Figures often only got as far as they did not just for their skills, but also for their incredible luck.
 
Teen Spirit said:
Personally I disagree, political power is tied to war in Rome, so if we want to be another more than anothe Roman Matron, The path of a Warrior and General is our best bet.
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While I fully agree that the culture is tied to war in the pursuit of greater glories, the problem is that if we were to go down the path of General and Soldier we're going to have a much harder time not only navigating the almost labyrinthinean nexus of laws and customs that is the city of Rome but also maintaining the soft political power within it and the loyalties of those held closest to us. There's many routes to power, but in this case I'd rather not be a Ned Stark in King's Landing Caesar on the Ides of March.

Besides, what matter is it to us how our enemies grovel and rave when we control the streets of New York Rome? When every beggar on every corner, the servii in every home, the veteran in every den, the police gangs by the shore, and all the other forgotten answer to us?
 
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