[X] The Jurist: Alfenus Varus is an old man, a jurist and lawyer who once studied under the speaker Servicus Sulpicus Rufus, the great redheaded orator and contemporary of Cicero. The last of a dying generation, he has spent a quiet lifetime toiling in the shadows of Augustus' administration, reforming laws and strengthening the legal foundation of the imperator's Republic. Wise, educated, and kind, he is more notable for his collected legal works and writings than for anything about him personally. Unlike many of the men who call upon your family, he will not be remembered long in history. However, he is noted by many to be a close and personal confidant of the emperor, and there are often those who wonder if the unassuming man may serve Augustus as anything more than a glorified lawyer. (Bonus to Education, Law, and Subterfuge. Gain ???)
[X] You look at your brothers and your mother, at your cousins and your grandfather. Ever since birth, all you have had is your family, this family. Since childhood you have been regaled with stories of it's rise and origins in the days of myth, of Venus the goddess who was the ancestor of the Julii. You love your family, truly and with all your heart. Nothing shall come between you and them -- not politics, not strife, not the city itself. Strip away all the pagentry and glory and gold, and all that remains is blood. Your blood, imperial. You have heard it said that the families of Antony and Pompey were destroyed in their downfall. The family of the Caesars shall live forever -- this you know. (Start game with Augustan political leanings and the Dynastic ambition. This may change over time.)
This is mainly why I slightly prefer the Priest over the Jurist. While proficiency in Law is nice once we have made a name for ourselves. Adding some Military and Logistics capabilites to our talent for Command should make us well prepared for the hard to avoid military assignments of the Roman career ladder.
I'm voting for the priest, too, but I don't care about bitching about not getting my way. Every path is viable, and no path is locking us out of certain options.
Not choosing the priest doesn't mean we can never learn anything about the military or that we are handicapping ourselves.
[X] The Jurist: Alfenus Varus is an old man, a jurist and lawyer who once studied under the speaker Servicus Sulpicus Rufus, the great redheaded orator and contemporary of Cicero. The last of a dying generation, he has spent a quiet lifetime toiling in the shadows of Augustus' administration, reforming laws and strengthening the legal foundation of the imperator's Republic. Wise, educated, and kind, he is more notable for his collected legal works and writings than for anything about him personally. Unlike many of the men who call upon your family, he will not be remembered long in history. However, he is noted by many to be a close and personal confidant of the emperor, and there are often those who wonder if the unassuming man may serve Augustus as anything more than a glorified lawyer. (Bonus to Education, Law, and Subterfuge. Gain ???)
[X] You gaze out at the roaring crowd, at the mighty theater, at shining colonnades and rising pillars of the city beyond. Augustus, it is said, found Rome a city of brick and made it one of marble. This is Rome as you shall always remember it: the Rome of your youth, golden and great. It is the work of one man's lifetime, and it shall outlast him. The richness, the splendor, the glory of these days shall not die with Augustus. In your heart, you know you will do whatever must be done to see it preserved — even if it is not your name the people chant when all is said and done. (Start game with Augustan political leanings, and the Imperial ambition— you are loyal to the dream of Augustus. This may change over time.)
NGL I kinda want to fuck off to the east (thinking Yemen or the Horn) and set up a client state somewhere. Woul be a nice change of pace to the usual politicking and economy to play a conqueror.
[X] You look upon the crowd, truly look at them. They are the people of Rome, the lifeblood of the city, and they are as they have ever been. Rome has entered a golden age, true, but it is a golden age for thee and thine. In the slums and the streets, children still die hungry. Augustus has brought the people bread, but why must he give it to them? Is it not theirs in the first place? Perhaps, you wonder, and not for the first time, the high should rule so heavy over the mighty. Perhaps the common folk of Rome should still have a voice. (Start the game with Augustan political leanings and the Populist ambition)
[X] The Priest: Lucius Calpernius Piso, known simply as Piso Pontifex, is one of the most celebrated minds of the Augustan era. He has had a long and distinguished senatorial career, serving as governor in several provinces in his youth. He commanded multiple legions under Augustus before being made the Consul of 15 BC, after which he became the Pontifex Maximus, chief priest of the city of Rome. He has been a valuable and trusted supporter of your grandfather for decades, providing a steady voice and a guiding hand to the state. A shrewd legal mind, a skilled general, and a capable administrator, he took a liking to you after a formal introduction at your grandmother's home. Livia and Augustus have decided that there are few better suited to prepare you for a position in service to the Republic. (Bonus to Military, Logistics, and Administration. Learn Skill: Augury.)
I mean, sic semper tyrannis, but I think that ship has sailed. May as well give power to the people
[X] The Orator: Lucius Annaeus Seneca, popularly known as Seneca the Elder, is one of the greatest speakers of your time. From youth, he has engaged in the study of rhetoric as an art, receiving an education from many of Rome's finest speakers. Often called a modern Cicero, Seneca has shunned the political world and the intrigues of which Romans are so fond, opting instead to write several lengthy tomes on rhetoric and history. A harsh and no-nonsense man, the very model of a Roman elder, Seneca was hired by Augustus to teach you the oratorical arts. When he is done with you, you can make your voice carry for half a mile, and twist your tongue in turns of phrase that would make the old masters proud. (Bonus to Education, Oratory, Diplomacy, and Charisma. Learn Skill: History)
[X] You look upon the crowd, truly look at them. They are the people of Rome, the lifeblood of the city, and they are as they have ever been. Rome has entered a golden age, true, but it is a golden age for thee and thine. In the slums and the streets, children still die hungry. Augustus has brought the people bread, but why must he give it to them? Is it not theirs in the first place? Perhaps, you wonder, and not for the first time, the high should not rule so heavy over the low. Perhaps the common folk of Rome should still have a voice. (Start the game with Augustan political leanings and the Populistambition)
[X] The Jurist: Alfenus Varus is an old man, a jurist and lawyer who once studied under the speaker Servicus Sulpicus Rufus, the great redheaded orator and contemporary of Cicero. The last of a dying generation, he has spent a quiet lifetime toiling in the shadows of Augustus' administration, reforming laws and strengthening the legal foundation of the imperator's Republic. Wise, educated, and kind, he is more notable for his collected legal works and writings than for anything about him personally. Unlike many of the men who call upon your family, he will not be remembered long in history. However, he is noted by many to be a close and personal confidant of the emperor, and there are often those who wonder if the unassuming man may serve Augustus as anything more than a glorified lawyer. (Bonus to Education, Law, and Subterfuge. Gain ???)
[X] You look at your brothers and your mother, at your cousins and your grandfather. Ever since birth, all you have had is your family, this family. Since childhood you have been regaled with stories of it's rise and origins in the days of myth, of Venus the goddess who was the ancestor of the Julii. You love your family, truly and with all your heart. Nothing shall come between you and them -- not politics, not strife, not the city itself. Strip away all the pagentry and glory and gold, and all that remains is blood. Your blood, imperial. You have heard it said that the families of Antony and Pompey were destroyed in their downfall. The family of the Caesars shall live forever -- this you know. (Start game with Augustan political leanings and the Dynastic ambition. This may change over time.)
[X] The Priest: Lucius Calpernius Piso, known simply as Piso Pontifex, is one of the most celebrated minds of the Augustan era. He has had a long and distinguished senatorial career, serving as governor in several provinces in his youth. He commanded multiple legions under Augustus before being made the Consul of 15 BC, after which he became the Pontifex Maximus, chief priest of the city of Rome. He has been a valuable and trusted supporter of your grandfather for decades, providing a steady voice and a guiding hand to the state. A shrewd legal mind, a skilled general, and a capable administrator, he took a liking to you after a formal introduction at your grandmother's home. Livia and Augustus have decided that there are few better suited to prepare you for a position in service to the Republic. (Bonus to Military, Logistics, and Administration. Learn Skill: Augury.)
[X] You gaze out at the roaring crowd, at the mighty theater, at shining colonnades and rising pillars of the city beyond. Augustus, it is said, found Rome a city of brick and made it one of marble. This is Rome as you shall always remember it: the Rome of your youth, golden and great. It is the work of one man's lifetime, and it shall outlast him. The richness, the splendor, the glory of these days shall not die with Augustus. In your heart, you know you will do whatever must be done to see it preserved — even if it is not your name the people chant when all is said and done. (Start game with Augustan political leanings, and the Imperial ambition— you are loyal to the dream of Augustus. This may change over time.)
[X] The Jurist: Alfenus Varus is an old man, a jurist and lawyer who once studied under the speaker Servicus Sulpicus Rufus, the great redheaded orator and contemporary of Cicero. The last of a dying generation, he has spent a quiet lifetime toiling in the shadows of Augustus' administration, reforming laws and strengthening the legal foundation of the imperator's Republic. Wise, educated, and kind, he is more notable for his collected legal works and writings than for anything about him personally. Unlike many of the men who call upon your family, he will not be remembered long in history. However, he is noted by many to be a close and personal confidant of the emperor, and there are often those who wonder if the unassuming man may serve Augustus as anything more than a glorified lawyer. (Bonus to Education, Law, and Subterfuge. Gain ???)
[X] You look at your brothers and your mother, at your cousins and your grandfather. Ever since birth, all you have had is your family, this family. Since childhood you have been regaled with stories of it's rise and origins in the days of myth, of Venus the goddess who was the ancestor of the Julii. You love your family, truly and with all your heart. Nothing shall come between you and them -- not politics, not strife, not the city itself. Strip away all the pagentry and glory and gold, and all that remains is blood. Your blood, imperial. You have heard it said that the families of Antony and Pompey were destroyed in their downfall. The family of the Caesars shall live forever -- this you know. (Start game with Augustan political leanings and the Dynastic ambition. This may change over time.)
Always be yourself, unless you can be Caesar. Then, be Caesar.
[X] The Orator: Lucius Annaeus Seneca, popularly known as Seneca the Elder, is one of the greatest speakers of your time. From youth, he has engaged in the study of rhetoric as an art, receiving an education from many of Rome's finest speakers. Often called a modern Cicero, Seneca has shunned the political world and the intrigues of which Romans are so fond, opting instead to write several lengthy tomes on rhetoric and history. A harsh and no-nonsense man, the very model of a Roman elder, Seneca was hired by Augustus to teach you the oratorical arts. When he is done with you, you can make your voice carry for half a mile, and twist your tongue in turns of phrase that would make the old masters proud. (Bonus to Education, Oratory, Diplomacy, and Charisma. Learn Skill: History)
[X] The adoring crowd, the beaming faces, the joyous voices. You want it. You want the glory and the triumph and the majesty. You are tired of being the second-born, the third fiddle, the barely considered, the afterthought. The adulation Gaius now sees could be yours, nay, will be yours. You see as if through a haze a vision of yourself, older and splendid, garbed in the finest robes, at the head of a mighty triumph through the city streets. Your name, scrawled in the pages of history. Your name, sung from the hills. Your name, forever. What care you for ancient rivalries or the petty ambitions of others? You will cut them all away and rise soaring to the heights Augustus ascended before you. (Start the game with Augustan political leanings and the Glory ambition -- you are loyal to the dream of future glories. This may change over time.)
NGL, I really love Telamon's quest for their excellent characterization and writing. It's just a shame that its very likely that this quest would also stop abruptly just like the others
[X] The Orator: Lucius Annaeus Seneca, popularly known as Seneca the Elder, is one of the greatest speakers of your time. From youth, he has engaged in the study of rhetoric as an art, receiving an education from many of Rome's finest speakers. Often called a modern Cicero, Seneca has shunned the political world and the intrigues of which Romans are so fond, opting instead to write several lengthy tomes on rhetoric and history. A harsh and no-nonsense man, the very model of a Roman elder, Seneca was hired by Augustus to teach you the oratorical arts. When he is done with you, you can make your voice carry for half a mile, and twist your tongue in turns of phrase that would make the old masters proud. (Bonus to Education, Oratory, Diplomacy, and Charisma. Learn Skill: History)
[X] You look upon the crowd, truly look at them. They are the people of Rome, the lifeblood of the city, and they are as they have ever been. Rome has entered a golden age, true, but it is a golden age for thee and thine. In the slums and the streets, children still die hungry. Augustus has brought the people bread, but why must he give it to them? Is it not theirs in the first place? Perhaps, you wonder, and not for the first time, the high should not rule so heavy over the low. Perhaps the common folk of Rome should still have a voice. (Start the game with Augustan political leanings and the Populistambition)
[X] The Jurist: Alfenus Varus is an old man, a jurist and lawyer who once studied under the speaker Servicus Sulpicus Rufus, the great redheaded orator and contemporary of Cicero. The last of a dying generation, he has spent a quiet lifetime toiling in the shadows of Augustus' administration, reforming laws and strengthening the legal foundation of the imperator's Republic. Wise, educated, and kind, he is more notable for his collected legal works and writings than for anything about him personally. Unlike many of the men who call upon your family, he will not be remembered long in history. However, he is noted by many to be a close and personal confidant of the emperor, and there are often those who wonder if the unassuming man may serve Augustus as anything more than a glorified lawyer. (Bonus to Education, Law, and Subterfuge. Gain ???)
[X] You look at your brothers and your mother, at your cousins and your grandfather. Ever since birth, all you have had is your family, this family. Since childhood you have been regaled with stories of it's rise and origins in the days of myth, of Venus the goddess who was the ancestor of the Julii. You love your family, truly and with all your heart. Nothing shall come between you and them -- not politics, not strife, not the city itself. Strip away all the pagentry and glory and gold, and all that remains is blood. Your blood, imperial. You have heard it said that the families of Antony and Pompey were destroyed in their downfall. The family of the Caesars shall live forever -- this you know. (Start game with Augustan political leanings and the Dynastic ambition. This may change over time.)
[X] The Jurist: Alfenus Varus is an old man, a jurist and lawyer who once studied under the speaker Servicus Sulpicus Rufus, the great redheaded orator and contemporary of Cicero. The last of a dying generation, he has spent a quiet lifetime toiling in the shadows of Augustus' administration, reforming laws and strengthening the legal foundation of the imperator's Republic. Wise, educated, and kind, he is more notable for his collected legal works and writings than for anything about him personally. Unlike many of the men who call upon your family, he will not be remembered long in history. However, he is noted by many to be a close and personal confidant of the emperor, and there are often those who wonder if the unassuming man may serve Augustus as anything more than a glorified lawyer. (Bonus to Education, Law, and Subterfuge. Gain ???)
[X] You look at your brothers and your mother, at your cousins and your grandfather. Ever since birth, all you have had is your family, this family. Since childhood you have been regaled with stories of it's rise and origins in the days of myth, of Venus the goddess who was the ancestor of the Julii. You love your family, truly and with all your heart. Nothing shall come between you and them -- not politics, not strife, not the city itself. Strip away all the pagentry and glory and gold, and all that remains is blood. Your blood, imperial. You have heard it said that the families of Antony and Pompey were destroyed in their downfall. The family of the Caesars shall live forever -- this you know. (Start game with Augustan political leanings and the Dynastic ambition. This may change over time.)
[X] The Priest: Lucius Calpernius Piso, known simply as Piso Pontifex, is one of the most celebrated minds of the Augustan era. He has had a long and distinguished senatorial career, serving as governor in several provinces in his youth. He commanded multiple legions under Augustus before being made the Consul of 15 BC, after which he became the Pontifex Maximus, chief priest of the city of Rome. He has been a valuable and trusted supporter of your grandfather for decades, providing a steady voice and a guiding hand to the state. A shrewd legal mind, a skilled general, and a capable administrator, he took a liking to you after a formal introduction at your grandmother's home. Livia and Augustus have decided that there are few better suited to prepare you for a position in service to the Republic. (Bonus to Military, Logistics, and Administration. Learn Skill: Augury.)
[X] The adoring crowd, the beaming faces, the joyous voices. You want it. You want the glory and the triumph and the majesty. You are tired of being the second-born, the third fiddle, the barely considered, the afterthought. The adulation Gaius now sees could be yours, nay, will be yours. You see as if through a haze a vision of yourself, older and splendid, garbed in the finest robes, at the head of a mighty triumph through the city streets. Your name, scrawled in the pages of history. Your name, sung from the hills. Your name, forever. What care you for ancient rivalries or the petty ambitions of others? You will cut them all away and rise soaring to the heights Augustus ascended before you. (Start the game with Augustan political leanings and the Glory ambition -- you are loyal to the dream of future glories. This may change over time.)
2 AD 755 Years After The Founding Of Rome
The Year of Vinicius and Varus Augustus
Alfenus Varus has lived and served the Republic for all of his life. A career bureaucrat and jurist, he is loyal to the dream of Rome in his bones, and has served Augustus since he was just a boy named Octavian. His life has been one of silent toil in the shadows of better men to build the future. Your studies under him are, for the most part, the studies of a lawyer: you read ancient scrolls and treatises, recite legal codes and judicial mores, and etch into your brain the ancient laws of Rome that have held her steady for seven centuries. You learn the very bones of the Republic, how to take them apart, and how to put them together again.
But there are parts of your education that you are not quite certain you should mention aloud: the days spent memorizing the great families of the Senate and their members, who is married to who and who detests who, who desires who's lands and who is cuckolding whom. There are things Varus teaches you that you are almost certain do not fall under any legal code ever written in any land. How to learn things, for example, and how to use them. You are taught slowly of the terrible power of knowledge, which Varus explains may topple kingdoms and raise up empires. Greater than all the legions is the man who holds their leash, and greater still is the man who knows his secrets.
An empire is built on the backs of man who know truths that few others know. Varus is one of these men.
Now, so are you.
Trait Gained: Sub Rosa
Sub Rosa (I): In ancient times, it was tradition for Romans embarking on clandestine ventures to hang a rose from the ceiling, and swear all present to secrecy under the rose. Though this tradition died out long before your time, in certain circles it is still common to speak of things which are 'Sub Rosa', held under the rose -- referring to deeds done in secret and sin that are not for the light of day, to knowledge that is made more valuable by it's scarcity, and to men who work best out of sight and out mind. You have begun to learn the secrets that lie beneath the glimmering sheen of Augustus' world, and of the blood and bones upon which that splendor is built. You have gazed upon Rome under the rose.
Though the two Caesars, Lucius and Gaius, are the pearls of the emperor's eye, he has not forgotten his niece's children. As you and your siblings grow older, he and Livilla make more and more effort to integrate you with those who will someday be your peers -- or more likely, your servants. Ostentatious feasts and parties are held at your family's estate, hosted by your mother and grandmother to introduce the youngest generation of the Julio-Claudians to their peers, and to each other. It is in this time that you make your first true friend among your peers in the Roman elite -- a person whom you strike it off with immediately, and form a lasting bond. Perhaps you may even be able to trust them, in the years to come.
[] Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus: Born 17 BC, Gnaeus Ahenobarbus is famed as a rake, a rogue, and a man of cruel excess. It is said he once tore out a man's eye in the Forum for daring to criticize him. Despite this wanton and banal cruelty, he is handsome and fair, and loved by the common people of Rome for his generosity. Your cousin by your aunt Antonia Major, he took a liking to you at a party thrown by Augustus, where, grinning, he promised to show you a real party once you were old enough. His father, Lucius Ahenobarbus, is one of Rome's most feared generals, a man of cruelty and excess to make Gnaeus' youthful exploits look like child's play. It seems apparent to all that the younger will someday fill the elder's footsteps as Augustus' cruelest dog.
[] Postumus: Agrippa Postumus, the youngest son of Julia the Elder and the legendary general Agrippa, is an angry, sullen boy a year your younger. Overshadowed by his elder brothers Lucius and Gaius, he is saddled with a mighty name and few ways to live up to it, a curse to which you can well relate. You hit it off while horsing with the other young men of Rome, and form a fast bond. You temper his harsher tendencies, providing a cooler head to his hotter one, and the two of you quickly become inseparable.
[] Decimus Haterius Agrippa: Grandson of one of the Marcellae sisters through her first marriage to Agrippa, he is only distantly related to the imperial family, yet his father, a famed senator, has leveraged his influence to have him educated alongside you and your siblings. A solemn and quiet boy, he spends more time in thought and contemplation than he does in action -- the polar opposite of his half-uncle Postumus.
[] Drusus Julius Caesar: The only son of Tiberius and his first wife Vipsania, Drusus is a tall, handsome young man who bears a striking resemblance to his cousin, your brother Germanicus. Charismatic, openhanded, and kind, many see him as a plausible successor to whoever succeeds Augustus. It is said that where Germanicus was made to be a soldier, Drusus was born to be a politician. Though still a boy, he has ambitions that far outstrip his station.
As your childhood draws to a close, Augustus begins giving you and your brother more and more chances to display yourself before the people of Rome. It is a practice that has now become ritual among the Julio-Claudians -- young men of the family are expected to display their skills and talents in public before the people of the city, to begin winning them love and adoration that will be valuable in the future. As a young man, there are several public events in which you can compete, and though you do not stand out especially in most of them, there is one event in which you do perform well enough to have the crowd cheering your name after all is said and done.
[] Horsemanship: Young nobles of all stripes are gathered in the Circus Maximus to race, joust, and perform feats of martial prowess atop their steeds. Those who perform exceptionally well each year are said to be blessed by Mars himself, and their names are inscribed on a tablet of records on the very walls of the Circus Maximus. Your name is not scratched on that venerable tablet, but not for want of trying -- you won several events and races that day, besting youths several years your elder, and came in second only behind your brother Germanicus. They cheered both of your names as you were carried out of the Circus by the cheering crowd. (Start at Popular reputation, and gain +1 rank to Combat and Horsemanship)
[] Sea Battle: Several dozen of Rome's young men were allowed to participate in a mock sea battle, in which an arena was filled with water and you were all given ships to command. You drew the winning lot to be captain of your ship, and led your team to a resounding victory over the other. Several of Rome's more prestigious aristocrats were in attendance, and congratulated you on your head for tactics afterwards. (Increased reputation with patricians and nobility, gain +1 rank to Command and Seafaring)
[] Debate: You, along with a half-dozen other educated boys and studious young men, were gathered in the Forum for a mock debate where you would assume the positions of one of Rome's famous orators and defend a position they had once defended. You played the part of Cicero, and recited his In Catilinam from memory, seguing into a wholly original oratory that, while not the equal of Cicero's, was more than impressive enough for a 15-year old boy. (Increased reputation with philosophers and orators, gain +1 rank to Oratory and Diplomacy)
[] Trial: A mock trial was held, with different young men playing judge, jury, and lawyer. You were the defending counsel, and provided an excellent and almost watertight argument that 'saved' your client from an ignominious fate. The plebs in attendance were impressed at your dedication and readily apparent knowledge of the law. The lawyers of Rome are often the only line of defense between the plebs and an overambitious patrician -- and so a good lawyer can find himself more well-liked than a conquering general. (Increased reputation with the plebs, gain +1 rank to Law and Charisma)
The drums pound through the streets in a wild frenzy, and the air is thick with the heady scent of wine. The crowds throng thick around you, hands pressing on your body and your hair. Above it all winds the throatlike singing of the priestess, who's voices echo to high Jove, calling down blessings upon the men of Rome. Your face is flush and red from the alcohol you have already imbibed, and it is all you can do to keep putting one foot in front of another as you push through the crowd.
You are sixteen years old, and this is the Liberalia -- the feast of the coming of age. You are winding through the streets of Rome surrounded by other young men of Rome, clad in the ritual dress and gown slashed with purple. All around you are cheering crowds dancing and reveling to enter you into manhood under the auspices of Liber Pater, the Free Father, god of fertility, manhood, and Roman freedom. You and every other boy of age in Rome, including your brother Germanicus, have been pampered and prepared for the ritual by the priestesses of Liber Pater, aged women wearing crowns of ivy and heather. They shaved your beard and lathered your skin in honey and crushed grapes, to bless you and your seed into manhood. Now you are marched through the winding streets of Rome so that the people may look and celebrate the coming of the next generation of Roman men.
The worship of Liber Pater faded in Rome in Republican times, but it has been restored by Augustus, the new father of the Republic, who has renewed the temples of the old gods of Rome upon the Aventine Hill, winning him the love of the people near and far. Liber Pater has always and ever been a god of the plebs, a god of the common man, the god of Freedom, and now he runs wild and free through the streets of the eternal city, living in the drums and the wine and the hazy heavy smell of spring and sex and the fresh crops rising.
Your procession of young men winds slowly through the thronging crowd, guided by the ivy-helmed priestesses and shepherded by the drunken crowd. There, upon the steps of marble, before the phallic idol of Liber Pater, in sight of all of Rome, you are all disrobed and stand naked and shivering as the day you were born, a hundred-odd Roman boys pale in the spring sun. The priestesses wash your hair with wine, then dedicate you as citizens of the Republic. Livia Augusta herself, as the chief matron of Rome and the most revered woman of the city, leads the ceremony. When it is done, you are given the long, pure white robe of a Roman adult -- the toga virilis, or the toga of freedom. It signifies your status as one now free from the bonds of childhood, able to start a family and serve the state.
You, and all those honey-drenched youths beside you, are now men. You may now vote in Rome, kill for Rome, and sire children for Rome. If the gods are kind and the Fates are right, you may even die for Rome.
The party which follows is the stuff of legends. As a young boy, you have been privy to dinners and social functions -- dry, boring affairs.
As a man grown, you may party as Romans party. Though you do not receive quite the same honors as Lucius did --no lions are slain in your name-- the week of feasting which follows you and your brother's entry to manhood is a city-wide affair. Wine is spilled in copious amounts, flesh bared, and sumptuous feasts prepared. Unlike most every other social function of your life, you and your brother are the centers of attention, with Augustus content to sit at the head of every table and murmur over his wine with aging senators and confidants. You and Germanicus are the apple of every Roman eye at these parties -- scheming aediles hoping to win your favor in the future, rising new men hoping to make a powerful ally in the court of Augustus, and Senator's sons trying to find themselves in your favor. Of course, these are all petty intrigues compared to the ambitions of your family -- for your family is vast, and for the first time in your life, they are all gathered in a single place and focused wholly on you.
You rub shoulders with cousins and uncles you have not seen since childhood, and make small talk with your extended family. These connections, you know, will be exceedingly valuable when you are older, but they are not without cost or risk. The family has been split down the middle since the exile of Augustus' daughter, Julia the Elder, for the crime of adultery some four years ago. Her supporters and lovers were murdered or exiled, and her children have seethed for vengeance ever since. While Augustus lives, there is peace, but should the aging emperor die, the many factions in the family may turn upon one another. As a boy, you could dither and dote upon whichever aunt or uncle you wished, but as a young man, any associations you make with your family in these troubled times may be seen as choosing sides in this conflict. Wholly apart from this, however, each branch of your family has different connections and allies throughout the Republic that may help or hinder your rise in Rome.
Make this choice, as with all others from now on, wisely. You have become a player in a game that will not end until your death.
[] The Marcellae: Tall, statuesque, and venom-eyed, the Marcellae are your aunts and Augustus' nieces by his sister Octavia -- Claudia Marcella Major and Claudia Marcella Minor. Though born two years apart, the sisters are nearly identical, and forty years of age have not lessened the similarities. Since they were girls, the Marcellae have been held to be touched by the god Apollo, blessed with the gift of oracular sight. Incredibly influential and powerful in Augustus' early reign, they have been at odds with the emperor since Marcella Minor's husband, the consul Julius Antoninus (a son of Mark Antony), was forced to commit suicide after being found in flangrante delico with Emperor's daughter, Julia the Elder. Her son Lucius Antoninus was exiled for his father's crime, and the Marcellae and their other children have not forgiven the emperor for this slight. The Marcellae hold much power among the college of the priests and with the Vestal Virgins, all of whom revere their supposed oracular talents.
[] The Julians: Julia Caesaris, or the Julia the Elder, Augustus' only natural child, has been exiled from Rome for the crime of adultery since 2 BC. Her children have not forgiven Augustus for her exile, nor for the brutal purge of her lovers and allies which followed. Lucius and Gaius Caesar, nominally the 'heads' of this branch of the family, have left Rome to begin their careers as governors and generals. This technically leaves the Julians under the authority of their youngest brother, Agrippa Postumus, a brash and sullen young man with a foul temper. In reality, they are 'led', if barely, by Julia the Younger, an impetuous young woman who is the oldest daughter of Julia, and her husband Lucius Paullus, consul of 1 AD and an ambitious young man. Fragmented and lacking cohesion, their greatest supporters in Rome are the common people and the army, who loved Agrippa and his wife, and love their children still.
[] The Antonians: Your mother, Antonia Minor, and her sister Antonia Major, are the wealthiest women in Rome, celebrated for their beauty and Roman virtue, and widely loved as the daughters of Mark Antony and the family of Nero Germanicus. Formidable and well-loved by the emperor for their intelligence and loyalty, the Antonians and their supporters have worked diligently in support of Augustus' reign -- a support that was 'rewarded' when Julius Antoninus, last son of Mark Antony, was forced by Augustus to commit suicide for adultery with Julia the Elder. His sisters have not taken this lightly, and your mother has reputedly been given 'new life' by her renewed grudge against Julia the Elder and her children. They are supported in all things by Antonia Major's husband, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, an arrogant, cruel, and extravagant man who serves as one of Augustus' foremost generals. The greatest supporters of the Antonians are the old patrician families of Rome, steeped in tradition and honor, who in Republican days would have been the optimates.
[] The Claudians: Your older brother Germanicus has refused to have any part in your mother's intrigues, and has instead focused his time since manhood on building up connections with the old supporters and followers of your father Nero Germanicus. Though not truly a faction -- you are men, boys but a day ago -- this signifies rather your intention to stand apart from the politicking of your family members and not subjugate yourself to the influence of any of your aunts or cousins. A more difficult path to beat by far, with fewer natural allies and more natural enemies -- but you are joined on it not only by your brother, but by your cousin Drusus Claudius, son of Tiberius and among your closest family outside of your mother and siblings. All three of you, new-made men in the prime of youth, are descended from the Claudians of old, who were the greatest family in Rome for centuries uncounted, and so this is what your detractors and supporters alike come to call you, after the name all three of you share.
As this is still early in character creation, there will be NO MORATORIUM on votes. Please be aware that there will be one in the future. As well, votes do not need to be in plan form for this update.
However, as always, discussion is rewarded.
[X] Decimus Haterius Agrippa
[X] Drusus Julius Caesar
The other two candidates seem like too much trouble.
[X] Trial
We have bonuses to Charisma, Diplomacy, Stewardship, Command, Education, Law and Subterfuge. The trial choice is the only one that allows us to double down on two stats at once, as I believe we are curently spread too thin. Additionally, a bonus to charisma would be most usefull in the context of familly drama. [X] The Claudians
Independence, and most importantly, opportunism.
I really like the synergy between picking Drusus as our friend and forming a sort of 'next generation triumvirate' with him and our brother so I will go with: [x] Drusus Julius Caesar
[x] The Claudians
When it comes to the Deed I think it is important to note that these provide Rank Up's. If this quest is even remotely similar to Res Publica, then a Rank up is significantly more powerful the higher the pre-existing Level of the targeted Skill/Stat (A rank is made up of multiple levels, especially skipping the Level 10 to 14 Rank could be a huge boon). So far we have recieved large boosts to Charisma, Diplomacy, Stewardship, and Command (Gift of Antony) and also Education, Law, and Subterfuge (Jurist Tutor). Comparing this list with the offered Deed boni the Trial stands out as strengthening two of our already boosted attributes. Furthermore, I see a nice synergy with our 'neo-triumvirate'; Drusus the Politican, Germanicus the General and Tiberius the Lawyer. [x] Trial
