[Mines: Stewardship, 69+15=84]
Once again you send directions for the foreman to expand his mining operations, expecting once again for something to go wrong, either digging into yet another underground stream, some deep cavern they would grow lost in, or simply finding nothing at all, but it seems for once that the hunch of the foreman leads him to a new iron vein. Fairly deep, Good quality ore, and a lack of inherent dangers to mining there leads to the quick construction of housing and a smelter near the mine, ready for use. Now all that remains is carting the smelted iron back to the nearby Florence, then from there the rest of your cities.
+10fl/turn
---
[War:Martial, 17+20+20+10=67]
Not wanting to waste much time with the army of Ferrara currently in retreat you send Guillaume off with the army of San Marino to try and take Ferrara as quickly as possible. However, snags are hit. Guillaume is not experienced with leading men afoot nor in organizing a march, leaving him to rely on the few veterans amongst the army for guidance, which does little to help their respect for the knight. Secondly, despite sending them off quickly after news of their retreat, the greater part of the Ferrara army has managed to make its way back home. Lastly the French force once led by Gaston de Foix has begun making its way to Ferrara to reconnect with allied forces. The only benefit Guillaume is left with is that the Ferrara forces are disorganized, unfocused, so before he even thinks of taking the city he focuses his efforts or raiding and sabotaging the enemy forces, techniques that the Hospitallers isolation has forced them to learn. With some luck and time whittling away at their men he believes it should be a simple matter of marching on the city.
---
[Assistance: Intrigue, 77+20+17=114]
You decide that king henry could use some support with his introduction towards assassin hunting and maybe try to reach out and find the surviving English templars to introduce him to, and so you send Sophia off to the isles. She protests some, claiming the land to be a damp rock unsuitable for herself, but you manage to motivate her into going with the promise of a few luxuries and a new coat that should keep her warm while there, as well as a few of the knights templar as a guard so that what happened to Ruxandra wouldn't happen to her.
Of course henry himself is rarely there, running back south into France soon after dealing with some administrative or ceremonial work, so she deals instead with his representative and almoner bishop Wolsey. Henry tells Sophia that anything she would tell him can be told to the bishop, even matters regarding these assassins, so he becomes her main partner in their hunt for these assassins. Unfortunately the Thames den where they'd been attacked once before was completely cleared of any sign if their existence, barring the few blasts you had left behind, so that gives little to track down. Most of the hunt is left targeting the old administration of England left behind by the old king henry, and are little pleased by the new one. Sophia tells you that shell be sending letters every few months regarding hers and the kings progress, however it will be censored as while thankful henry doesn't want give away any unnecessary secrets.
---
[Research: Learning, 13+18=31]
You decide to give a look towards the tomes that Belotti brought back, though he's still in the process of translating most of them. Language drift and his already weak grasp of Arabic lead to many mistranslations and revised versions that he has to make, but eventually a picture starts to form. Most of these come from the time of an assassin master from the crusades, an old man by the name of Rashid Al-Din Sinan, Al Mualim, or the old man of the mountain. They largely recount some few techniques and traditions of the order, at least as far as you can tell. Belottis translations prove confusing at best, leaving strange and rambling words, excessively strange even for such a cult. More time is needed for these papers to really mean anything.
---
[Conversation: Diplomacy, 2+20+20=42]
You had meant to converse with the rector about potentially endorsing him or a candidate he found suitable for the position of pope with the aid of Machiavelli. You had planned to tell him how it was now time for a wise and learned pope rather then a warrior or politician. It was time for someone who can mend the wounds of Italy and put things to rest. Sadly that is not in the cards right now as the bishops of Romagna have requested his help in current temporal matters, and you honestly cant blame them for asking for the help.
Cesare has temporarily exiled most of the papal court to Urbino for the time being, still holding limited power, while he places his own "Pope" in Rome. This new pope, formerly Ramiro de Canizares and now pope Honorius IV, was almost a complete unknown before now, his claim to fame being his opposition of the inquisitions bloody actions against the heathens and heretics in Spain, often leaving much destroyed in their way. This pope, forced upon them has caused quite the stir amongst the church, many claiming him illegitimate as he wasn't properly voted for, while others, those with more humanist views, have decided to put some amount of faith in the man before decrying him, claiming that this may be an act of god seeking a peaceful pope to end the spilling of Christian blood. Now if this were all that had happened Adrien likely wouldn't have been bothered, but events in Avignon have led to questions being asked.
What cardinals have fled Rome and Urbino have converged in Avignon, former site where the French held the pope before. Amongst themselves, and with aid of local nobility, they have voted upon their own pope, one Ancelt Lemery now pope Gabriel. A favorite cardinal of the French kings son in law Francis and a man more similar in temperament to the late Julius, though now on the side of the French. While he was voted for by cardinals, there wasn't even half of the cardinals in total, bringing yet more claims of illegitimacy onto this pope, not to mention that he's nearly a puppet to the French prince.
The question of the two popes amongst the clergy has been whether either is legitimate, and whether either holds true power. Adriens answer to this is a dangerous but potentially useful one, in that there must be another vote for who is to become the true pope. However, the two new popes must also be allowed eligibility in this vote regardless of how they came to the position.
---
[treasure hunting: Learning, 58+18=76]
Again the search for these artifacts goes poorly. You look through templar records and find many mentions of the various kinds of pieces of Eden in various places, but the information is outdated at best, leaving whoever you send after them unable to find much more then dusty ruins. Spears, swords, staves, apples, rings, so many different supposed items and you cant find a single damned one. You need to expand your search as the northern Mediterranean seems picked clean.
---
[Construction: stewardship,98+20=118]
Finally the construction of illarios castle is complete. He invites you up for a tour of the beautiful castle, a four storied wonder high up into the hills, high walls and towers to keep it secured against any who would try and take her, and with a beautiful view of the surrounding lands, letting you view all the way to Florence on a clear day. The inside is beautifully decorated, painted by Michelangelo and stained glass windows painting rooms in a myriad of color, and comfortable despite its ominous if impressive exterior. The building has been reinforced not just aggressive armies, but also certain sneaky individuals. The windows, both stained glass and clear, have been reinforced with steel and lockbars, making it incredibly difficult from any wound be invader. Every door similarly has been given heavy lockbars to prevent forced entry. Should both those fail there are a myriad of secret entrances and halls not on any documents that would allow guards or your family to escape quickly and quietly or attack with the element of surprise. Overall it's the castle of any would be kings dreams, though sadly it wasn't finished in time to taunt the old pope. All that's left is to move in.
Gained defenses for your family against invaders of all types, though not immunity of course.
---
[Construction: Stewardship, 22+20=42]
Sadly Djangos project does not go as smoothly. The theater of his simply refuses to be made easily. Wood and stone is delivered late, workers get drunk and lazy sometimes alongside Django, or the weather decides to be unhelpful, rain soaking the ground where the foundation is to be laid. Despite the setbacks Django still seems to enjoy the project, often coming up with new ideas with the acting troupes inputs or finding some new artist to leave their mark upon his construction. He does hope that the theater will actually be appreciated however. If there is one thing he has learned that the zealous hate as much as a heathen, its an entertainer.
---
[War: Martial, 99+14=113]
Now freed from the Ferrarese siege Kostas is free to continue his northern march. The march is largely peaceful Kostas, cities like Parma quickly surrendering with the French forces in disarray and unable to help they wisely decided to avoid a siege, having been nearly the center of all conflicts so far, and it shows. Things get trickier as they march north east now into the ancient bastion of Pavia, as they haven't been beaten down yet. Backed by mercenary forces the city has stood as the bulwark of Milan's southern defense, unable to be breached yet.
Kostas admits even he can't charge his way through all of that, and settles in for a siege of the city, parking his men as far back as the cannons allow while digging up earthen defenses. This city has been capital to ancient kingdoms such as the Ostrogoths and Lombards, and even when defeated it has proven a bloody wound for its captors, hopefully Georgios can escape that fate.
---
[Edumacation: Learning, 74+20=94]
With a majority of the fallen mountain side cleared Elena returns to trying to set up her school from scratch. She finds a building, not as damaged by the collapse, and purchases it from its former owners for cheap with your money, then gets to work on its repairs, or rather the builders do while she recollects the tools and tomes needed for her to teach. Hopefully there wont be another incident, but just in case she has stored some of the more precious items inside the Borgia-romana bank for safe keeping.
---
It doesn't take a genius to realize there are tensions among the citizens. Religious tensions are on the rise due to the current state of the church as factions within the citizens start to form, and the only thing they can seemingly agree on is zealotry, harassing the non Christians of your cities. These groups are at their worst in Florence and bologna, normally unhappy with everything normally and all the worse now.
---
The N.W.C. has finally had to make use of their newly made forces as both colonies seem to find themselves in conflict with the locals. In Barbaras one of the tribes local to the region tried to perform a raid upon their armory, possibly in an attempt to arm themselves with gunpowder weaponry. Its only thanks to the watchful eyes of one of the new recruits that stopped them in time to prevent anything being taken. This has lead to what seems to be attempts at trade with the other tribe of the area, seemingly willing to civilly acquire the weapons where their more warlike neighbor failed, trading crops food and luxury items for the weapons, such as green jade figures, strange dark and bitter plants, and golden jewelry. There's been some debate over how to approach the trade amongst the company, though a slight majority is leaning towards accepting the trade as they'd be the only supplier.
As for the cape colony, its less dramatic but potentially worrying. A group of one of the African tribes, perhaps scout, crossed over the border the colony had set up, leading to a standoff as company soldiers rushed to let them know they aren't welcome. No shots were fired but these scouts continued to test the border over the coming weeks, and in greater number. Their intent is unknown, perhaps they merely don't understand the concept of a border as one soldier claims, or maybe they're probing the settlements defenses.
---
There's been tension amongst the holy league as arguments have begun over spoils. Venice wants quite the hefty reparations from the French once the wars over, both in gold and control over various major ports to make up for what Naples took back. Naples however has no wish for them acquiring any more fiscal power, as they'd just use it to take back whatever they've lost. Maximillian seeks to keep the peace between the two but their fighting proves incessant.
---
The wars in Byzantium continue as multiple new kingdoms or republics form from these rebellious states. The Cossacks of Crimea have now joined in the rebellions, a much easier war with the black sea in-between them and either ottoman emperor. The brothers continue to fight against everything and anyone around them, losing men slowly but surely as each tries to defeat the other before focusing on rebels. Constantinople now lies somewhat securely in the Byzantines hands, though the assassins continue to be an ever present enemy.
---
The day has finally come, one you've been dreading somewhat. Lupo is now of the age where he can start training with his sword. Nothing to complicated yet of course, simply the basics to help build a strong foundation for him, but now that he can swing the sword he wastes no time doing so nor acting as the knight he wants to be. One day hes Roland, the next El Cid, Galahad, Percival, even Joan of arc one time. The boy pesters his teachers to train him to fight as they did, and every time he must be told to wait till he's older.
Lupo has gained Beginner fighter and beginner swordsman! +3 to prowess, +2 to prowess when using a sword, +1 martial
He has also gained Whimsical! +2 martial, +2 diplomacy, +1 intrigue
---
you have 880 florins, an elite army, 3 regular armys, a fleet, and enough ships for trade
You have six actions, use them as you will
You may take up to two extra actions but each will subtract 10 from your rolls as you stretch yourself
Please make your vote in plan format
You have the sixth sense bonus and may have an advisor aid you or do a task on their own
Martial
[] The simplest way to expand is to take the land by force, send an army to try and conquer somewhere
-[] Where?
-[] What is your Casus Belli?
[] Have one of your armies train and try to improve
-[] which one?
[] Perhaps you could give the legionary eagle to one of your armies, it could do great things for morale
[] Spend some time to form another fleet of ships and train a crew to man them to protect or attack any naval foes
[] As Romagna expands you may need another army to defend it, start building one.
[] Perhaps you should look into mercenaries you could hire
[] Hire one of the mercenary groups you know of (300fl)
-[]Which one
[] With your current independence you may want to improve your defenses, send some men out to improve the forts
-[] north or south?
[] Write in
Stewardship
[] Give one of your stewards the funds to pursue their own projects
[]You can always make more trade deals(you will need more ships for oversea trade)
-[] Who?
[] The current iron mining operations are doing well, but perhaps they could expand? (50 fl)
[] Your brother found blacksmiths while you were away, perhaps they could forge you something?
-[] What?
[] The ruby mines could always be improved, try to do so (75 fl)
[] The woods are dense and large, perhaps you could expand the operations (50 fl)
[] you could encourage immigration somewhere
-[] where?
[] The docks are in good repair at least, perhaps you should purchase some ships to help with trade and defense (100 fl)
[] There's a whole new world out there, fund the company to form a new colony (takes one turn, and is much more likely to succeed with your map, you may choose a location on the eastern American coasts/Bahamas, 500 fl)
-[] Where?
[] Write in
Diplomacy
[] Add new laws for the N.W.C. to follow in their colonization efforts
[] Try to convince Cardinals to vote for Adrien as Pope
[] Maybe you could look for an alliance, without marriage?
-[] Where?
[] The templars need new blood, maybe there's someone you could recruit?
-[] who?
[] Perhaps you should go meet one of your neighbors directly?
-[] Which one?
[] You know where Ezio lives, perhaps you should send him a friendly letter
-[] About what?
[] Send a letter to a different Power, such as Venice, the Ottomans, etc
-[] Who?
[] Write in
Intrigue
[] You now have two assassins, give them a target(50fl-200fl depending on the danger/Importance of the target)
[] You now have your own groups of thieves and spies, now what to use them for?
-[] Write in
[] Start spying in foreign land, blackmail or opportunities won't find themselves
-[] Where?
[] start bribing cardinals so they'll vote for Adrien for pope (100 fl)
[] write in
Learning
[] Give your engineer resources and let them design what they please, perhaps making something of use (50fl)
[] Continue experimenting with the volley cannon, perhaps some new inspiration will strike?
[] Start experimenting with the steam engine
[] Work on translating those assassin texts
[] try to find this prophecy chamber from Brutus journal
[] search for more pieces of Eden
[] Write in
Personal
[] Try to befriend people in your court
-[] Who?
[] Send a letter to a family member
-[] To who, and what about?
[] You should learn how to use that dagger Cesare gave you
-[] Or maybe something else?
[] Write in
[] Try to train a stat
-[] Which one?