Res Publica: A Quest of Ancient Rome
- Thread starter Telamon
- Start date
- Original Historic
- Location
- My room
[X] Plan Sulla Redux
[X] Plan Carmen Sandiego
The Romans stole the whole Greek pantheon.
Whats one more?
The Romans stole the whole Greek pantheon.
Whats one more?
Chaos Blade
Procrastinating Writer
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
[X] Plan Sulla Redux
I was tempted by Carmen Sandiego, but I feel simple is best of us at the moment, too much write in and with our relative greeness (in the practical) simpler plans should work better
This is also a very good point. we might be able to import some Priestesses from ROME, though, so that could actually work by subsuming the worship here under the control of the Roman branch of the cult. that might actually work better.
I was tempted by Carmen Sandiego, but I feel simple is best of us at the moment, too much write in and with our relative greeness (in the practical) simpler plans should work better
This is also a very good point. we might be able to import some Priestesses from ROME, though, so that could actually work by subsuming the worship here under the control of the Roman branch of the cult. that might actually work better.
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Claytonimor
WE WILL TAKE JERUSALEM
- Location
- Loudon, TN
[X]Plan Sulla Redux
- Location
- Central Europe
Good point.. a better solution might be a mix of the Write-in and Victor Over Death [].
- [ ] Write-In: Empty Temples. You order the men under your command to gather up the sacred artifacts and idols of the Grey Lady carefully, returning anything they have taken from the temple precincts. The goddess Mephitis will be honored- in Rome. Visellia Mertia can take up the task of re-establishing her order with Scaevola. Her temple goes untouched. You bar the doors and seal them forever, ensuring that no Samnite may ever again worship in its' halls, but you leave the Temple unburnt and unbroken, a living monument to the power of Rome.
Thats the point. It has the benefits of destroying the temple(removing a cultural focal point) without actually destroying it.
It means that instead of getting angry that the Romans destroyed their worship, they are forced to go to Rome to pay respects to their own gods.
Which is a pretty potent symbolic gesture without the additional stressors that comes of straight desecration
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
What I'd do is Carmen Sandiego the big, grand temple to Rome, while sending Roman priest(esse)s to maintain a small shrine here.
The holy site is still tended, and Mephitis still has a big temple, but the big temple isn't a Samnite cultural center making trouble, and the holy site actually in Samnite territory is being tended by pro-Roman figures.
Chaos Blade
Procrastinating Writer
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
Actually what I pretended was more to import Priestesess of Mephitis from the Roman Temple to here and use the new blood to influence the locals. the one surviving priestess can teach her roman "sisters" and be sidelined, but she needs remain to teach her roman Sisters the intricacies of the rituals of the pools and what not (as we do not want to upset Mephitis, obviously).
the end would be she becomes a voice among many, and the many will sing a different tune to hers
- Location
- Central Europe
They can just rebuilt that temple a few years down the road. The important part here is not the temple. Not the priests. Not the relics. It's the pools. We can't move those.
Chaos Blade
Procrastinating Writer
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hmmm... Roman engineering challenge spotted!
Mr.Controll
Lord of the un-nessisary thread bump.
- Location
- The 5th dimention
[X] Plan Carmen Sandiego
Except they can't. Without their priestesses and relics they cannot respect their gods correctly. The pools might be sacred, but theres nobody to tell them what to do there.
If they want to rebuild the temple they'd need to go to ROME to seek the priestesses and relics to restore the temple.
Which is the whole point of the endeavor
- Location
- Central Europe
There is only one priestess alive left here and the write-in doesn't even force her to come with us...
The only thing of value we are taking are the relics, but those are not more important than the pools.
Chaos Blade
Procrastinating Writer
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
THe problem with that plan:
Leaves the pools unattended, that should piss off the goddess
the new priests will be all roman, this will cause a legitimacy issues
Hence why I feel watering down the current priestess with Roman ones will have a romanizing effect but with us maintaining the local priestess, we keep a patina of legitimacy, she can "teach" the Roman branch how to "properly" tend the pools while they can teach the locals how to be a proper "roman"
And this is not at all likely to cause resentment.
My entire objection to Grand Theft God (which I accept I may not have always articulated clearly) is that the absence or downgrading of a temple at the pools is going to be a constant, grinding reminder of that time those Roman bastards stole our religion on top of everything else. Every time a Samnite wants to make an offering but cannot, because he can't afford the trip to Rome, it is going to fan those sparks of hatred. And Samnium is frankly enough of a tinderbox that I do not want sparks flying around.
By all means, work with Scaevola to send Roman priestesses of Mephitis once things have calmed down. It behoves the Republic to ensure that the primary shrine of a major deity of its new citizens is properly attended, quite apart from helping cut down on sedition. Take actions to undermine the surviving priestess's legitimacy as a symbol of Samnite resistance, certainly. But don't cut off a metaphorical hand and expect the Samnites not to resent you because you could have cut off both arms instead.
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- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
The pools and the temple and the priests are important.
The pools are important because they are a natural site for the worship of Mephitis, being a bunch of stinky volcanic pools.
The priests are important because they have influence with the worshippers of Mephitis, that is, the Samnites.
The temple is important because it is a large and prestigious center of Mephitis-worship, drawing worshippers from a larger area than would a modest shrine.
If we replace a large temple of Mephitis whose anti-Roman cult was fanatical enough to die almost to the last woman, with a small shrine whose cult consists entirely of Romans, we have materially weakened anti-Roman cultural influences in the region. This is true even if we do not move the pools.
Conversely, by uprooting a fanatically anti-Roman cult and transplanting it in Rome, where it can recruit only Romans unless it is to wither away and perish, we neutralize its anti-Romanism over time.
That said, the point that it may sting and anger the Samnites enough to offset the effects... is valid. I'm not sure I agree but it's a reasonable counter-argument.
Telamon
A corvid.
- Location
- Texas
To all those talking about Roman priestesses of Mephitis, there is quite certainly no such thing. Mephitis is a minor goddess out of hundreds in Rome, worshipped as a house god, a god of home and hearth, and primarily worshipped by Samnites or Samnite-descended Romans in Rome proper. It is only in Samnium, where her worship is widespread, that priestesses devote their entire lives to her.
I would argue that you have this backwards. It is important because it draws worshippers from a large area, which it does because of the pools. As a natural focus of worship it was always going to be a large and prestigious temple. Removing the temple is not going to remove the underlying factors that made it important in the first place, at least not on a useful timescale.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Taking the temple might annoy the wanted, but leaving it behind is worse. Religion is basically a propaganda machine and government nerve center in these times- leaving them there is letting the Samnites remain within Rome as a distinct subgroup, under the sway of a fanatically anti Roman clergy.
Taking the temple means we eliminate that nexus of cultural/political resistance and turn it, potentially, into a pro Roman nexus. It's one of the best things we could do for the long term, and a powerful propaganda move (we got your god! Obey us!).
Taking the temple means we eliminate that nexus of cultural/political resistance and turn it, potentially, into a pro Roman nexus. It's one of the best things we could do for the long term, and a powerful propaganda move (we got your god! Obey us!).
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Ah. My apologies, I had misunderstood the situation, mostly because of misunderstanding what is meant by "minor goddess."
That said, the basic idea is still valid-ish. If Visellia Mertia is forced to train Romans to carry out the rites at the Pools of Amsanctus, while she herself is stuck in Rome maintaining a large temple of Mephitis in a city where few worship the goddess faithfully, then it seems likely that the problem of Mephitis-worship acting as a focus for anti-Roman political sentiment will gradually weaken over time.
The fact that the temple itself is here increases the draw of the pools and the prestige of the Mephitis-cult here, just as the pools increase the draw of the temple and the cult. The political strength of this religious institution is the result of synergy between three sources. Breaking the synergy (by physically removing the cult and impressive treasures from their roots in the natural terrain feature) weakens all the parts of the institution.
- Location
- Italia
[X] Plan Sulla Redux