The Beginning of the End - A West Roman Empire Quest
- Thread starter Jax
- Start date
- Alt. History Historic
-
- Tags
- historical rome
Revan Skirata
I am Revan Reborn, and before me you are nothing.
- Location
- Why do you want to know?
Hey, those are some pretty good rolls. I have no idea what the bonus rolls are for or what they mean, but everything except East Gaul got a positive outcome. I'm especially happy about that 6 on Sicily.
- Location
- Kiel; Germany
You got another die for Civil trough marriage. I hadn't put it in on the first rolls for the Civil option.
- Location
- USA
East Gual will be interesting to see how that turns out since we could not break above a 3, while West Gaul and the monument have 3 6s each.
- Location
- United States
[] Plan Temporal Theocracy
- [] The Imperial Church was formed under the leadership of Romulus Augustus as the living heir of Jesus Christ. (???)
- [] the daughter of a rich trading prince in the East. (+1 Civil)
-- [] Cassandra
- [] Sell them into slavery. (+2 Civil Skill Progress)
- [] He forced the Britons to pay compensation and the Alans to accept these, troops enforced this. (???)
- [] Recruit more troops (+2 Skill Progress)
-- [] Form a Legion
- [] Redeploy troops
-- [] Move the two new Naval Squadrons and the new legion to Magna Graecia
- [] Order public works on …
-- [] the rebuilding of East Gaul (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Stability)
-- [] the rebuilding of West Gaul (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Stability)
-- [] Monument to honor …
--- [] General Palus
- [] Ask the Vandals for … (+2 Skill Progress)
--[] Ask for the price of Sicily (???)
I have a feeling that accepting the spiritual rule of constantinople is a bad idea. With it, they have both temporal and religious authority over us, severely stifling our options and making us dependent on them. Sure, bring a living saint is nice and all, but it ends with Romulus. If we go with the Imperial Church, we get far more religious power that can counterbalance the power of the east and even reverse it - faith is a powerful tool. It is also presumably hereditary, allowing us to keep that power after succession. It's obviously a more difficult option, but meeting in ravenna should help with the rolls - Zeno's surrounded, after all.
EDIT: crap, missed the deadline. Should've looked ahead.
- [] The Imperial Church was formed under the leadership of Romulus Augustus as the living heir of Jesus Christ. (???)
- [] the daughter of a rich trading prince in the East. (+1 Civil)
-- [] Cassandra
- [] Sell them into slavery. (+2 Civil Skill Progress)
- [] He forced the Britons to pay compensation and the Alans to accept these, troops enforced this. (???)
- [] Recruit more troops (+2 Skill Progress)
-- [] Form a Legion
- [] Redeploy troops
-- [] Move the two new Naval Squadrons and the new legion to Magna Graecia
- [] Order public works on …
-- [] the rebuilding of East Gaul (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Stability)
-- [] the rebuilding of West Gaul (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Stability)
-- [] Monument to honor …
--- [] General Palus
- [] Ask the Vandals for … (+2 Skill Progress)
--[] Ask for the price of Sicily (???)
I have a feeling that accepting the spiritual rule of constantinople is a bad idea. With it, they have both temporal and religious authority over us, severely stifling our options and making us dependent on them. Sure, bring a living saint is nice and all, but it ends with Romulus. If we go with the Imperial Church, we get far more religious power that can counterbalance the power of the east and even reverse it - faith is a powerful tool. It is also presumably hereditary, allowing us to keep that power after succession. It's obviously a more difficult option, but meeting in ravenna should help with the rolls - Zeno's surrounded, after all.
EDIT: crap, missed the deadline. Should've looked ahead.
Last edited:
480 A.D.
- Location
- Kiel; Germany
Progress Counter
This shows you what might happen in a number of turns. Note, this shows only the dangers your character is aware of.
Vandals declare war 5 / 10
Burgundian Civil War 8 / 10
Gundabad attacking 2 / 3
In 480 A.D., the Holy Roman Church was formed in its earliest form as we know it today. It united the two halves of the Empire in the Faith and ensured unity in belief. Zeno became its first head, while Romulus Augustus was made his junior. Both were added to the Bible as living Saints since they had united Christianity in the Empire. They also made sure that the different sects came to be a part of the Holy Church or face punishment. They weren't executed or driven out of their homes as they were fellow Christians, but heavily taxed until they converted and proved themselves true followers of the Holy Roman Church. Directly following the formation, all citizens had two years to convert, a compromise that had been forced on Zeno by Romulus Augustus. Only two hundred years later, when the Peace of the Cross was declared, did this change, and all forms of the worship of Christ were accepted in the Empire.
The new wife of Romulus Augustus, Cassandra, the daughter of a trading prince from the Eastern Empire, became a fixed figure in Church matters as she was a devoted follower of the Faith. She soon became pregnant, and the first daughter of Romulus Augustus was born in January of 480 A.D. The new Roman princess was named …
[ ] Write-in daughter's name
Even after her daughter's birth, Empress Cassandra kept her charity work up and became a much-beloved figure to the people of Rome and Ravenna.
After the victory over the Alemanni, a significant number of them were taken prisoner by the legions of Rome. Some of them were gifted to the Franks and Burgundy, who had helped defeat them, but most of them remained in Roman hands. And Romulus Augustus ordered them to be sold to anyone who would buy them. From the money he gained through this, he paid a great bonus to all his and Syriagus's soldiers, but a considerable sum remained. From it, he paid for the building of what is today known as Paulus's Forum in Rome. In its middle, a statue was erected to honor his uncle, who had fought and died against the Alemanni. What remained of the money was then put into Rome's coffers to be spent elsewhere.
The people of Rome loved the new Forum, and the statue of Paulus soon became a meeting place for many, especially amongst veterans who had become a normal sight on the streets of Rome again, they met and begged more frequently than in other parts of Rome. It became so bad that wealthy Romans thought openly to remove the beggars, but Cassandra, Empress of West Rome, spoke out against it. Many of these once-proud warriors of Rome had developed a disability and couldn't do much but beg. They had paid the price, and this was how Rome would thank them?
She didn't like the idea and even said so to any who opposed her openly. Using the wealth of both her father and her husband, she built the St. Paulus Invalid's home, the first such building in the Empire. In it, veterans who could prove that they were such, could live for a small rent and even were given work – most of it being simple labor. It wasn't much, but better and more than most of the veterans had until then. Many other such buildings were soon erected and paid for by wealthy individuals all over the Empire.
When the snow in the mountains had melted, the Emperor decided to visit the newly united Gaul and Syriagus. He had proven himself as a loyal and faithful official of Rome. Romulus Augustus planned to spend most of the sommer in Gaul, traveling the Province and meeting the people of these lands. They had been cut off from the rest of the Empire for so long and yet had remained loyal. But it was also his stated intention to speak judgment to any who would appeal to the Emperor. He did this most likely because of the growing troubles between the Britons and Alans in Amorica.
Syriagus had established a forced peace between the two groups of settlers in the area. The Alans, who originally had been given the land, had been forced off it by the Britons. They had to flee their island because of Anglo-Saxons. Syriarcus, in his function as Governor of Gaul, had decided how this situation should be handled. He had found a compromise no one truly liked, but everybody could live with it. The Britons would pay a fair amount of money and goods to the Alans as compensation for the lost lands; in return, the Alans would give up their claims on the property. Both of them were against it, but the troops that had been stationed there had come back. Especially as these troops had just shown the world what happens if you dared to rise against Rome, the belligerents grudgingly accepted the new status quo, but both of them were more than ready to try and get the Emperor on their side.
In Dalmatia, another Legion was mustered and equipped under Ovida's watchful eyes. This new formation was the first that had been recruited there, and all of them were eager to prove their loyalty to Romulus Augustus. Most came from Dalmatia, but many came from Gaul and Spain. Their Faith united them as Christians, and their belief in the Roman values. Rome would soon need this new Legion. After they were formed, they were ordered to march to the south of Italy, to Magna Graecia as a show of force to the Vandals who ruled over North Africa and Sicily.
But they weren't sent alone, the two newest Naval Squadrons also joined them and began to patrol the waters around the south of Italy. Pirate attacks close to Italy or in the Adriatic soon became a thing of the past as the new alliance between East and West also meant that Byzantium sent their ships to secure the new, flourishing trade between the two halves. This was not only a proof for the new alliance, but also for the regrown strength the Empire wielded again. Something many of the new, barbarian kingdoms watch with concern – the Vandals by far the most.
They were earning money thanks to the new trade to and from Italy. Yet, they also saw the rapid rebuilding the Empire was doing. They noted the quick and crushing defeats a united Roman Empire could deliver to all who dared to challenge them. The Vandals hadn't forgotten how they had humiliated the Empire, and they also knew that Rome's memories were long as they were vicious. With unease, they noted that West and East had come to terms with each other, even if the relations were still chilled, it became clear that the two Eagles were ready to hunt again.
With the typical weak hold on his realm, the Vandal king needed something to appease the Romans to gain time, time he hoped to use to unite his nobles under his banner. It was a calculated move, especially as the attacks from the nomadic people from the desert grew, and the Vandals only truly controlled the coastal regions. If he could crush them and unite his elites, he had a chance to stand against Rome that was growing stronger but was still far from the power it had wielded sixty years ago. There was yet a chance to improve his strength if he had the time needed for this. But how could he gain this time?
Without intending to, Romulus Augustus gave it to him when he sent a diplomatic mission inquiring about the purchase of Sicily's. Unknown to the Vandal king's plan, the Emperor had reason to preserve his military strength. The Burgundian situation looked worse every day, and it seemed less and less likely that the Empire could remain neutral in such a civil war. Both Orestes and Romulus feared that the Vandals could fall on their backs if they showed weakness or too much hostility to the new masters of North Africa. Yet regaining Sicily and its agriculture, not to mention its ideological value, was simply too great to completely ignore it. So they hoped to gain it back without shedding blood, by paying for it with money. The same way the king of the Vandals was pleasantly surprised by the sudden offer, so were the Romans when the Vandals showed open interest in such a trade, since the troops that were needed to hold Sicily were needed in Africa, and their numbers were high.
[ ] Pay the Price
[ ] Refuse
The year before, it was also decided that the Empire would spend significant efforts and money in bringing the province of Gaul back to its former glory. In the Western part of Gaul, which hadn't seen Alemanni attacks, this quickly began. Especially as both Britons and Alans saw this investment as a chance to grow stronger over each other soon, Gaul saw both parties in West Gaul trying to out-do the other side. When the Britons built a new road, the Alans built a new bridge and so on. Both sides sought the approval and praise of Syriagus and later the Emperor himself when he visited. This heightened activity in the province led to the extension of the economic boom Italy was seeing, as the demand for building goods and laborers skyrocketed.
Many immigrants and Romans from barbarian kingdoms moved into Gaul, especially coming from the Burgundian lands where war was looming. Gundabad, one of the Burgundian kings and Rome's sworn enemy, saw this with displeasure as it robbed him of these people that now moved to Gaul. He quickly forbade this immigration under the threat of punishment. Other kings of neighboring kingdoms reacted differently; they saw the money that came to them when they supplied Gaul with the materials needed and were more than happy to lose some of the unemployed that now moved out of their lands.
Sadly, this boom couldn't take hold in East Gaul that had seen much raiding and war when the Alemanni had rampaged through the land. And even their former lands returned to the Empire through a revolt were still suffering from years of neglect at the hands of the Barbarians. Here, the money that was given was mostly used to repair what was needed to live and establish the typical Roman bureaucracy's bare bones. It was far from the boom the West saw, and many of the skilled workforces left for the west of the province as they saw there more opportunities than at home.
Choose 6 actions!
Military - 4 (2 / 20 next Skill point)
-Trait: Ravenna - Strong defence +2d6 Military
-Trait: Rome - Strong defence +2d6 Military
-Trait: Legion, +1d6 for each Legion sent on a Campaign (Current Number of Legions: 4)
-Trait: Citizen Legion, +2d6 when Fighting on Roman territory, outside like a Legion
-Trait: Navy Squadron +1d6 for each Squadron send on a Campaign on the sea (Current Number of Squadrons: 3)
[ ] Redeploy troops
-[ ] Write-in where to
[ ] Recruit more troops (+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Form a Legion (Gain X Legion, each Legion counts as an action)
-[ ] Form a Citizen Legion (Gain x Legion for the same amount of Stability)
-[ ] Form a Navy Squadron (Gain X Squadron, each Squadron counts as an action)
[ ] Build additional Naval Yards (+1 Skill progress)
[ ] Hire foederati from Barbarian Lands (Gain Trait: Foederati Troops +?d6)
-[ ] Write-in who
[ ] Plan a military expedition (+3 Skill progress, War!)
-[ ] Against the Vandals
-[ ] Against the Burgundians
-[ ] Against the Visigoths
-[ ] Against the Alans
-[ ] Write-in
[ ] Reconquer Pannonia (+5 Skill Progress, ???)
[ ] Sent the Navy out to patrol Roman coasts (+3 Skill Progress, ???)
Civilian - 6 (8 / 25 next Skill point)
-Trait: Support of the Common Men +1d6 against Senators
[ ] Order public works on …
-[ ] the rebuilding of East Gaul (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Stability)
-[ ] Monument to honor …
--[ ] Your son (+1 Stability, ???)
--[ ] Yourself (+1 Stability, ???)
--[ ] Syriagus
-[ ] Write-in
[ ] Give the Alans full Citizenship (+5 Skill Progress, ???)
[ ] Write-in
Diplomacy - 4 (6/20 next Skill point)
[ ] Ask East Rome for … (+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Troops
-[ ] Money
-[ ] Write-in
[ ] Ask the Burgundians for … (+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Troops
-[ ] Money
-[ ] Write-in
[ ] Try to force a Civil War in the Burgundian Realm (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Burgundian Civil war)
[ ] Ask the Vandals for … (+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Naval Protection for trading vessels (???)
[ ] Ask the Visigoths to …(+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Return southern Gaul to Roman rule for a price
[ ] Send an envoy to … (+1 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Germanic Kingdoms
--[ ] Write-in to who
---[ ] Recognize their realm
---[ ] Demand tribute in troops or money
[ ] Write-in
This shows you what might happen in a number of turns. Note, this shows only the dangers your character is aware of.
Vandals declare war 5 / 10
Burgundian Civil War 8 / 10
Gundabad attacking 2 / 3
In 480 A.D., the Holy Roman Church was formed in its earliest form as we know it today. It united the two halves of the Empire in the Faith and ensured unity in belief. Zeno became its first head, while Romulus Augustus was made his junior. Both were added to the Bible as living Saints since they had united Christianity in the Empire. They also made sure that the different sects came to be a part of the Holy Church or face punishment. They weren't executed or driven out of their homes as they were fellow Christians, but heavily taxed until they converted and proved themselves true followers of the Holy Roman Church. Directly following the formation, all citizens had two years to convert, a compromise that had been forced on Zeno by Romulus Augustus. Only two hundred years later, when the Peace of the Cross was declared, did this change, and all forms of the worship of Christ were accepted in the Empire.
The new wife of Romulus Augustus, Cassandra, the daughter of a trading prince from the Eastern Empire, became a fixed figure in Church matters as she was a devoted follower of the Faith. She soon became pregnant, and the first daughter of Romulus Augustus was born in January of 480 A.D. The new Roman princess was named …
[ ] Write-in daughter's name
Even after her daughter's birth, Empress Cassandra kept her charity work up and became a much-beloved figure to the people of Rome and Ravenna.
After the victory over the Alemanni, a significant number of them were taken prisoner by the legions of Rome. Some of them were gifted to the Franks and Burgundy, who had helped defeat them, but most of them remained in Roman hands. And Romulus Augustus ordered them to be sold to anyone who would buy them. From the money he gained through this, he paid a great bonus to all his and Syriagus's soldiers, but a considerable sum remained. From it, he paid for the building of what is today known as Paulus's Forum in Rome. In its middle, a statue was erected to honor his uncle, who had fought and died against the Alemanni. What remained of the money was then put into Rome's coffers to be spent elsewhere.
The people of Rome loved the new Forum, and the statue of Paulus soon became a meeting place for many, especially amongst veterans who had become a normal sight on the streets of Rome again, they met and begged more frequently than in other parts of Rome. It became so bad that wealthy Romans thought openly to remove the beggars, but Cassandra, Empress of West Rome, spoke out against it. Many of these once-proud warriors of Rome had developed a disability and couldn't do much but beg. They had paid the price, and this was how Rome would thank them?
She didn't like the idea and even said so to any who opposed her openly. Using the wealth of both her father and her husband, she built the St. Paulus Invalid's home, the first such building in the Empire. In it, veterans who could prove that they were such, could live for a small rent and even were given work – most of it being simple labor. It wasn't much, but better and more than most of the veterans had until then. Many other such buildings were soon erected and paid for by wealthy individuals all over the Empire.
When the snow in the mountains had melted, the Emperor decided to visit the newly united Gaul and Syriagus. He had proven himself as a loyal and faithful official of Rome. Romulus Augustus planned to spend most of the sommer in Gaul, traveling the Province and meeting the people of these lands. They had been cut off from the rest of the Empire for so long and yet had remained loyal. But it was also his stated intention to speak judgment to any who would appeal to the Emperor. He did this most likely because of the growing troubles between the Britons and Alans in Amorica.
Syriagus had established a forced peace between the two groups of settlers in the area. The Alans, who originally had been given the land, had been forced off it by the Britons. They had to flee their island because of Anglo-Saxons. Syriarcus, in his function as Governor of Gaul, had decided how this situation should be handled. He had found a compromise no one truly liked, but everybody could live with it. The Britons would pay a fair amount of money and goods to the Alans as compensation for the lost lands; in return, the Alans would give up their claims on the property. Both of them were against it, but the troops that had been stationed there had come back. Especially as these troops had just shown the world what happens if you dared to rise against Rome, the belligerents grudgingly accepted the new status quo, but both of them were more than ready to try and get the Emperor on their side.
In Dalmatia, another Legion was mustered and equipped under Ovida's watchful eyes. This new formation was the first that had been recruited there, and all of them were eager to prove their loyalty to Romulus Augustus. Most came from Dalmatia, but many came from Gaul and Spain. Their Faith united them as Christians, and their belief in the Roman values. Rome would soon need this new Legion. After they were formed, they were ordered to march to the south of Italy, to Magna Graecia as a show of force to the Vandals who ruled over North Africa and Sicily.
But they weren't sent alone, the two newest Naval Squadrons also joined them and began to patrol the waters around the south of Italy. Pirate attacks close to Italy or in the Adriatic soon became a thing of the past as the new alliance between East and West also meant that Byzantium sent their ships to secure the new, flourishing trade between the two halves. This was not only a proof for the new alliance, but also for the regrown strength the Empire wielded again. Something many of the new, barbarian kingdoms watch with concern – the Vandals by far the most.
They were earning money thanks to the new trade to and from Italy. Yet, they also saw the rapid rebuilding the Empire was doing. They noted the quick and crushing defeats a united Roman Empire could deliver to all who dared to challenge them. The Vandals hadn't forgotten how they had humiliated the Empire, and they also knew that Rome's memories were long as they were vicious. With unease, they noted that West and East had come to terms with each other, even if the relations were still chilled, it became clear that the two Eagles were ready to hunt again.
With the typical weak hold on his realm, the Vandal king needed something to appease the Romans to gain time, time he hoped to use to unite his nobles under his banner. It was a calculated move, especially as the attacks from the nomadic people from the desert grew, and the Vandals only truly controlled the coastal regions. If he could crush them and unite his elites, he had a chance to stand against Rome that was growing stronger but was still far from the power it had wielded sixty years ago. There was yet a chance to improve his strength if he had the time needed for this. But how could he gain this time?
Without intending to, Romulus Augustus gave it to him when he sent a diplomatic mission inquiring about the purchase of Sicily's. Unknown to the Vandal king's plan, the Emperor had reason to preserve his military strength. The Burgundian situation looked worse every day, and it seemed less and less likely that the Empire could remain neutral in such a civil war. Both Orestes and Romulus feared that the Vandals could fall on their backs if they showed weakness or too much hostility to the new masters of North Africa. Yet regaining Sicily and its agriculture, not to mention its ideological value, was simply too great to completely ignore it. So they hoped to gain it back without shedding blood, by paying for it with money. The same way the king of the Vandals was pleasantly surprised by the sudden offer, so were the Romans when the Vandals showed open interest in such a trade, since the troops that were needed to hold Sicily were needed in Africa, and their numbers were high.
[ ] Pay the Price
[ ] Refuse
The year before, it was also decided that the Empire would spend significant efforts and money in bringing the province of Gaul back to its former glory. In the Western part of Gaul, which hadn't seen Alemanni attacks, this quickly began. Especially as both Britons and Alans saw this investment as a chance to grow stronger over each other soon, Gaul saw both parties in West Gaul trying to out-do the other side. When the Britons built a new road, the Alans built a new bridge and so on. Both sides sought the approval and praise of Syriagus and later the Emperor himself when he visited. This heightened activity in the province led to the extension of the economic boom Italy was seeing, as the demand for building goods and laborers skyrocketed.
Many immigrants and Romans from barbarian kingdoms moved into Gaul, especially coming from the Burgundian lands where war was looming. Gundabad, one of the Burgundian kings and Rome's sworn enemy, saw this with displeasure as it robbed him of these people that now moved to Gaul. He quickly forbade this immigration under the threat of punishment. Other kings of neighboring kingdoms reacted differently; they saw the money that came to them when they supplied Gaul with the materials needed and were more than happy to lose some of the unemployed that now moved out of their lands.
Sadly, this boom couldn't take hold in East Gaul that had seen much raiding and war when the Alemanni had rampaged through the land. And even their former lands returned to the Empire through a revolt were still suffering from years of neglect at the hands of the Barbarians. Here, the money that was given was mostly used to repair what was needed to live and establish the typical Roman bureaucracy's bare bones. It was far from the boom the West saw, and many of the skilled workforces left for the west of the province as they saw there more opportunities than at home.
Choose 6 actions!
Military - 4 (2 / 20 next Skill point)
-Trait: Ravenna - Strong defence +2d6 Military
-Trait: Rome - Strong defence +2d6 Military
-Trait: Legion, +1d6 for each Legion sent on a Campaign (Current Number of Legions: 4)
-Trait: Citizen Legion, +2d6 when Fighting on Roman territory, outside like a Legion
-Trait: Navy Squadron +1d6 for each Squadron send on a Campaign on the sea (Current Number of Squadrons: 3)
[ ] Redeploy troops
-[ ] Write-in where to
[ ] Recruit more troops (+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Form a Legion (Gain X Legion, each Legion counts as an action)
-[ ] Form a Citizen Legion (Gain x Legion for the same amount of Stability)
-[ ] Form a Navy Squadron (Gain X Squadron, each Squadron counts as an action)
[ ] Build additional Naval Yards (+1 Skill progress)
[ ] Hire foederati from Barbarian Lands (Gain Trait: Foederati Troops +?d6)
-[ ] Write-in who
[ ] Plan a military expedition (+3 Skill progress, War!)
-[ ] Against the Vandals
-[ ] Against the Burgundians
-[ ] Against the Visigoths
-[ ] Against the Alans
-[ ] Write-in
[ ] Reconquer Pannonia (+5 Skill Progress, ???)
[ ] Sent the Navy out to patrol Roman coasts (+3 Skill Progress, ???)
Civilian - 6 (8 / 25 next Skill point)
-Trait: Support of the Common Men +1d6 against Senators
[ ] Order public works on …
-[ ] the rebuilding of East Gaul (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Stability)
-[ ] Monument to honor …
--[ ] Your son (+1 Stability, ???)
--[ ] Yourself (+1 Stability, ???)
--[ ] Syriagus
-[ ] Write-in
[ ] Give the Alans full Citizenship (+5 Skill Progress, ???)
[ ] Write-in
Diplomacy - 4 (6/20 next Skill point)
[ ] Ask East Rome for … (+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Troops
-[ ] Money
-[ ] Write-in
[ ] Ask the Burgundians for … (+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Troops
-[ ] Money
-[ ] Write-in
[ ] Try to force a Civil War in the Burgundian Realm (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Burgundian Civil war)
[ ] Ask the Vandals for … (+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Naval Protection for trading vessels (???)
[ ] Ask the Visigoths to …(+2 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Return southern Gaul to Roman rule for a price
[ ] Send an envoy to … (+1 Skill Progress)
-[ ] Germanic Kingdoms
--[ ] Write-in to who
---[ ] Recognize their realm
---[ ] Demand tribute in troops or money
[ ] Write-in
- Location
- Kiel; Germany
I'm unsure what you mean?
General you can add options with the Write-In options. Just run them by me first.
sorry I meant buy and ok!
- Location
- Asia
That went well. I am of the opinion that we should buy the land.
Revan Skirata
I am Revan Reborn, and before me you are nothing.
- Location
- Why do you want to know?
The Burgundian civil war is really close. This is a good chance for us to project hegemony once again. I suggest we support some of the brothers, set them up as client kingdoms, and maybe take some of Gundabad's territory if it'll let us reconnect our Gallic and Italian holdings. Plus, once we deal with the Burgundians, we can turn our full force South against the Vandals. If we can crush them, then we'll probably have enough troops between ourselves and our Frankish and Burgundian allies to take on the Visigoths if we need to.
- Location
- Asia
Yeah if we make peace with the Vandals, we can concentrate on Burgundy.
Revan Skirata
I am Revan Reborn, and before me you are nothing.
- Location
- Why do you want to know?
Okay, so I say we buy Sicily, redeploy two of our legions to our border with the Burgundians, plan a military expedition against Gundabad for when their civil war starts, and spend the rest of our actions on rebuilding East Gaul and building monuments to us, Romulus, and Syragius. I'm just not sure which legions to move, mostly because I don't know how many we have and where they are. Also, for future reference, who controls Pannonia right now?
LucidProp
Pocky Eating MafiaDoka
[X] Plan Burgundian Blitz
-[X] Pay the Price
-[X] Military:
--[X] Plan a military expedition Against the Burgundians of King Gundabad (+3 Skill progress, War!)
--[X] Redeploy 2 Legions to the Burgundian Border
--[X] Sent the Navy out to patrol Roman coasts (+3 Skill Progress, ???)
-[X] Civilian:
--[X] Order public works on the rebuilding of East Gaul (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Stability)
-[X] Diplomacy:
--[X] Try to force a Civil War in the Burgundian Realm (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Burgundian Civil war)
--[X] Send an envoy to … (+1 Skill Progress)
---[X] Burgundian Kingdoms friendly to Rome
----[X] Negotiate for their Vassalship in exchange for protection.
So a prototype plan for quickly putting the Burgundians under us. We demand vassalship from them and they help us in the war, in exchange we protect them from their rivals and crush those who refuse Roman rule. A bit heavy handed, but such is the way of an Empire.
That said, I think we can afford to redeplpy 2 Legions for the campaign right? 1 of 4 is protecting South Italy, and we have 3 in Gaul right? So we can take 2 from Gaul and use them as a show of force to pressure Burgundy into bowing or dying.
-[X] Pay the Price
-[X] Military:
--[X] Plan a military expedition Against the Burgundians of King Gundabad (+3 Skill progress, War!)
--[X] Redeploy 2 Legions to the Burgundian Border
--[X] Sent the Navy out to patrol Roman coasts (+3 Skill Progress, ???)
-[X] Civilian:
--[X] Order public works on the rebuilding of East Gaul (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Stability)
-[X] Diplomacy:
--[X] Try to force a Civil War in the Burgundian Realm (+2 Skill Progress, +1 Burgundian Civil war)
--[X] Send an envoy to … (+1 Skill Progress)
---[X] Burgundian Kingdoms friendly to Rome
----[X] Negotiate for their Vassalship in exchange for protection.
So a prototype plan for quickly putting the Burgundians under us. We demand vassalship from them and they help us in the war, in exchange we protect them from their rivals and crush those who refuse Roman rule. A bit heavy handed, but such is the way of an Empire.
That said, I think we can afford to redeplpy 2 Legions for the campaign right? 1 of 4 is protecting South Italy, and we have 3 in Gaul right? So we can take 2 from Gaul and use them as a show of force to pressure Burgundy into bowing or dying.
- Location
- Asia
[X] Plan Burgundian Blitz
[X] Plan Burgundian Blitz
- Location
- Germany
Really cool Quest Jax. Seeing the Western Roman Empire making a comeback is just hilarious on so many levels and yet satisfying. The best moment was getting legitimisation by the pope and then ursurping his position. He never saw it coming.
Western Roman Empire before...
and After the SV-Hivemind took over.
Rome is basically this guy here. Beaten, bruised, not even willing to fight, but still winning.
Western Roman Empire before...
and After the SV-Hivemind took over.
Rome is basically this guy here. Beaten, bruised, not even willing to fight, but still winning.
Last edited:
- Location
- Space
This could actually have consequences on wider Christianity down the line, while we have means to surpess dissident in our empire those knigdoms converted outside of it might want to get their own churches independent from Constantinople (given the head of the church is there)and Rome which might draws us and east Rome in new wars.
Which actually got me wondering how are Christians outside of the empire reacting on pope being unseated?
@Jax
Last edited:
- Location
- Kiel; Germany
@Star well, that is something up to debate and I haven't really but down. Most of the former territory of the Empire, where large parts of the government have simply been taken over (Spain, Gaul, parts of North Africa) the officials have acknowledged that. But mostly there is great uncertainty since the change in leadership. At the moment most Bishops are ignoring the fact because it hasn't been much of a problem for them. They have more freedom than today simply because travel times are longer and by default of them being under a different king - they have to be careful.
481 A.D. The Epilog
- Location
- Kiel; Germany
Right, this is the end of my Quest. The end has mostly two reasons. Reason One: Time, I find myself having less time to write a quest (meaning relative short windows to write and post). Second Reason: research. I started this quest a bit blue-eyed and simply wrote the first few parts without much care for butterflies. I did a good job, but the longer the quest got, the more time I had to spend on research and the less on writing. Still, I had much fun writing this quest and I think the endpoint is good.
Thanks to you all!
Sicily officially returned to the rule of the Empire in 481 A.D., after the Vandals had conquered it twelve years before. It had been that conquest of Sicily and the loss of North Africa and the Roman fleet that had weakened the West Roman Empire. But now, a decade later and the Empire was again regaining its strength with each year. It had won several impossible victories and was beginning to use its strength again to muscle in on other powers, even if it did so reluctantly until now. On the other hand, the Vandals had seen their power slip as they were constantly harassed by tribes coming from the desert. They needed time and seeing a chance to gain some power back in the form of money and appeasing the Western Empire at the same time? They couldn't say no.
So Sicily returned to the arms of the Empire, and Romulus Augustus was praised as a peacemaker where others thought such a thing impossible. The officials sent into the regained province found that much of the old infrastructure had suffered from years without care, but not to the extent Gaul had been neglected. Repairs were quickly made, and life slowly returned to the way it had been before Sicily had been lost to the barbarians.
Immediately after the province was secured, two Legions were sent to northern Italy, close to the border with the Burgundian Kingdom. This happened unnoticed by the Burgundians who were more and more looking inward as the conflict between the three kingly brothers began to heat up. The movement was mirrored by Syriagus, who moved parts of his troops to the northern border Gaul shared with the Burgundians.
This was all part of the war preparations Orestes had made in secret. He was planning to use the uncertain political situation in the barbarian kingdom to bring the lands they held back into the Empire. He didn't do this just because he wanted to conquer the lands, but also because Gundabad's younger brothers seemed open to the idea of being under Roman rule – as long as they could hold local rulership. Such an agreement wasn't new to Rome and had served it well in the past. We can assume that Orestes was planning something similar when he moved his troops.
Indeed, he started an intensive correspondence with three of the four Burgundian kings. This was how Gundabad learned about Rome's plans. He had replaced his brother Godomar I with a double after he had arranged his murder. This had happened without the other brothers' notice as they were all suspicious of each other. Forewarned of what would come, Gundabad saw his only hope in an attack on his brothers, hoping to defeat them on the battlefield before Rome was ready to move.
He swiftly attacked Godegisel and took his brother's capital of Dijon. Godegisel managed to escape and escaped to the Franks in the north, who quickly informed Syriagus about the situation. Syriagus in turn sent messengers south, one for Rome and one for Chilperic II who had sworn eternal friendship to Romulus Augustus two years before. The messenger arrived just in time for Chilperic to retreat behind his walls and hastily prepare for a siege when his brother came to his land with the force of three Burgundian sub-kingdoms.
When the news came to Ravenna where the Emperor was residing, he immediately acted. An order was sent to his father to begin his planned assault of Gundabad's heartland. The Emperor himself ordered the muster of the Northern Italian militia that wasn't near his father at Ravenna and sent a messenger to Dalmatia. The orders for Ovida were simple: to march his men to the Burgundian territory border and await the arrival of the Emperor. Another message was sent north to Syriagus. It held orders to attack the Burgundian lands with all haste and to seek battle with Gundabad, if possible. The cry for help from Chilperic was the pretext that the Romans had hoped for, and they wouldn't let this chance slip through their hands.
But other powers were also at play. The Franks, alerted by Godegisel, prepared their march to war. Syriagus, who had still some funds left over from the years before, was only too happy to reinforce the Roman forces with these reliable warriors. He sent them south to augment the forces of the Emperor. The Franks were under the leadership of Clovis. With these fresh reinforcements at hand, Ovida began a quick march towards the capital of Chilperic.
In early summer, the army of Gundabad noticed the approach of the two armies and tried to storm the city, but were repelled in a bitter struggle for the walls. Barbarians and former Roman citizens fought united on the walls against the hordes of Gundobad. Chilperic died here, defending his people, but not before killing many enemies. Before the fight had begun, he had made his will known to the people, the church, and the nobility of his tribe: never should they kneel before Gundabad. If he was to fall, they should seek revenge in his name and seek out the protection of Rome. Chilperic had grown fond of the civilized lifestyle of Rome and accepted it as his way of living. And he wasn't alone in this, many of his Burgundian people saw it the same way.
After his death, the survivors gathered under the command of one Ecdicius Avitus, a former magister militum, and son of the late Emperor Avitus. They crowned him king, for even though he had been the man that had forced them to submit to Rome the first time, he had sought shelter with them when Orestes had replaced him. He had grown close to Chilperic and was popular among the barbarians and the former Roman citizens who lived in these lands. When Syriagus and the Emperor forced Gundabad to retreat, Ecdicius Avitus Rex met with the Emperor.
To Romulus Augustus, he said: "Your father replaced me, and long I hated him for what he did to me. But now I see he is a great man, but his son is like an angel sent by the father! Please hear me, oh, Emperor of Rome! I've become the Rex of these people, but they wish to become part of the Empire, and all Romans need to stand united as one in these dark times. Do you take my sword and oath so that I can serve you against the dreaded Gundabad?"
And the Emperor replied: "I hear your words and have heard many good things of your deeds. I take your sword, but no oath will be required of you or your people. For they have proven their loyalty to the Empire, as did you, Ecdicius Avitus! And you shall hold the title of Rex of the Burgundian people, as shall your children – so long as they stay loyal!"
As thanks and a reminder of what had happened, Ecdicius erected a statue where this exchange of words was inscribed. This was done to remember the meeting and the agreement made with Rome. From that day one, each of the Avitus kings was crowned before this statue. With Ecdicius Rex as an experienced stadtholder, the Imperial forces chased after Gundabad. For the time being, Gundabad escaped the wrath of the Empire, but his realm suffered for it. From the south, forces under Orestes were marching and fighting in the Burgundian heartland, from the north Syriagus pressed forward and from the east, the Romans and Franks were hunting him. He had gambled and lost.
Ultimately, he would be destroyed in two quick battles that followed each other then Syriagus's cavalry engaged his retreating forces and delayed them long enough for the main force to attack. Gundabad showed his tactical brilliance when he managed to disengage from that battle with only minor losses. But the next day, he was caught again, this time by the Emperor and the Franks. The battle lasted long enough that Syriagus could join the fight – this meant the end for Gundabad, who was killed by his brother Godegisel. Godegisel himself died three days later from the wounds he had received, ending the Burgundians' ruling family.
But not only on land did Rome triumph. After Sicily had returned to the Empire, the land forces had been rerouted to the north, not the Navy. The reborn naval forces had completely sailed south as it was the area that had seen the most activity from pirates in the last years. Even with the Vandals being on friendly terms at the moment, Orestes still expected some pirate activity. Not in an organized way, but with the vacuum of power, this was just the chance many pirates waited for.
And he turned out to be right, as soon as the news hit that the Vandals had returned the island, attacks on merchants and coastal settlements began. But the Roman Navy quickly came down on these scattered pirates who had expected a comfortable victory. The news that Rome had a fleet of its own again hadn't reached them apparently, and they were in for a bloody surprise. By the time storms made travel on the Mediterranean sea almost impossible until the winter season, five major and countless minor pirate attacks had been stopped or retaliated. In the next years, the pirates had learned their lesson, and no significant pirate activity was reported until ten years later.
Eastern Gaul saw an upswing as the repairs were mostly finished, and the economic boom also hit the province. This was, ironically, thanks to Gundabad. Without him, the Emperor and his army wouldn't have come, nor would the Franks. With all these soldiers in the province, marching forth, and coming back with loot, many businesses saw an upswing. It was the first step so that Eastern Gaul could begin the journey to catch up with the western and northern parts of the province.
With this year filled with grim tidings and death, the reclamation phase of the Western Empire under Romulus Augustus ended. The rest of his rule was mostly to secure his new gains and rebuild the Empire in these parts that he had returned to Rome's arms. As in other parts of the Empire, the barbarians raged on. The Western Roman Empire became a beacon of hope and light again. Thanks to the more stable West that stood firm, the Eastern parts of the Empire were also more resilient against attacks.
The Emperors that came from the line of Orestes pushed the reclamation process further. Ultimately, they were stopped when a new power emerged in North Africa. What followed were many clashes with the Muslims, the followers of Mohammed, who had become a power in Asia and Africa.
But that is a story for another time...
Thanks to you all!
Sicily officially returned to the rule of the Empire in 481 A.D., after the Vandals had conquered it twelve years before. It had been that conquest of Sicily and the loss of North Africa and the Roman fleet that had weakened the West Roman Empire. But now, a decade later and the Empire was again regaining its strength with each year. It had won several impossible victories and was beginning to use its strength again to muscle in on other powers, even if it did so reluctantly until now. On the other hand, the Vandals had seen their power slip as they were constantly harassed by tribes coming from the desert. They needed time and seeing a chance to gain some power back in the form of money and appeasing the Western Empire at the same time? They couldn't say no.
So Sicily returned to the arms of the Empire, and Romulus Augustus was praised as a peacemaker where others thought such a thing impossible. The officials sent into the regained province found that much of the old infrastructure had suffered from years without care, but not to the extent Gaul had been neglected. Repairs were quickly made, and life slowly returned to the way it had been before Sicily had been lost to the barbarians.
Immediately after the province was secured, two Legions were sent to northern Italy, close to the border with the Burgundian Kingdom. This happened unnoticed by the Burgundians who were more and more looking inward as the conflict between the three kingly brothers began to heat up. The movement was mirrored by Syriagus, who moved parts of his troops to the northern border Gaul shared with the Burgundians.
This was all part of the war preparations Orestes had made in secret. He was planning to use the uncertain political situation in the barbarian kingdom to bring the lands they held back into the Empire. He didn't do this just because he wanted to conquer the lands, but also because Gundabad's younger brothers seemed open to the idea of being under Roman rule – as long as they could hold local rulership. Such an agreement wasn't new to Rome and had served it well in the past. We can assume that Orestes was planning something similar when he moved his troops.
Indeed, he started an intensive correspondence with three of the four Burgundian kings. This was how Gundabad learned about Rome's plans. He had replaced his brother Godomar I with a double after he had arranged his murder. This had happened without the other brothers' notice as they were all suspicious of each other. Forewarned of what would come, Gundabad saw his only hope in an attack on his brothers, hoping to defeat them on the battlefield before Rome was ready to move.
He swiftly attacked Godegisel and took his brother's capital of Dijon. Godegisel managed to escape and escaped to the Franks in the north, who quickly informed Syriagus about the situation. Syriagus in turn sent messengers south, one for Rome and one for Chilperic II who had sworn eternal friendship to Romulus Augustus two years before. The messenger arrived just in time for Chilperic to retreat behind his walls and hastily prepare for a siege when his brother came to his land with the force of three Burgundian sub-kingdoms.
When the news came to Ravenna where the Emperor was residing, he immediately acted. An order was sent to his father to begin his planned assault of Gundabad's heartland. The Emperor himself ordered the muster of the Northern Italian militia that wasn't near his father at Ravenna and sent a messenger to Dalmatia. The orders for Ovida were simple: to march his men to the Burgundian territory border and await the arrival of the Emperor. Another message was sent north to Syriagus. It held orders to attack the Burgundian lands with all haste and to seek battle with Gundabad, if possible. The cry for help from Chilperic was the pretext that the Romans had hoped for, and they wouldn't let this chance slip through their hands.
But other powers were also at play. The Franks, alerted by Godegisel, prepared their march to war. Syriagus, who had still some funds left over from the years before, was only too happy to reinforce the Roman forces with these reliable warriors. He sent them south to augment the forces of the Emperor. The Franks were under the leadership of Clovis. With these fresh reinforcements at hand, Ovida began a quick march towards the capital of Chilperic.
In early summer, the army of Gundabad noticed the approach of the two armies and tried to storm the city, but were repelled in a bitter struggle for the walls. Barbarians and former Roman citizens fought united on the walls against the hordes of Gundobad. Chilperic died here, defending his people, but not before killing many enemies. Before the fight had begun, he had made his will known to the people, the church, and the nobility of his tribe: never should they kneel before Gundabad. If he was to fall, they should seek revenge in his name and seek out the protection of Rome. Chilperic had grown fond of the civilized lifestyle of Rome and accepted it as his way of living. And he wasn't alone in this, many of his Burgundian people saw it the same way.
After his death, the survivors gathered under the command of one Ecdicius Avitus, a former magister militum, and son of the late Emperor Avitus. They crowned him king, for even though he had been the man that had forced them to submit to Rome the first time, he had sought shelter with them when Orestes had replaced him. He had grown close to Chilperic and was popular among the barbarians and the former Roman citizens who lived in these lands. When Syriagus and the Emperor forced Gundabad to retreat, Ecdicius Avitus Rex met with the Emperor.
To Romulus Augustus, he said: "Your father replaced me, and long I hated him for what he did to me. But now I see he is a great man, but his son is like an angel sent by the father! Please hear me, oh, Emperor of Rome! I've become the Rex of these people, but they wish to become part of the Empire, and all Romans need to stand united as one in these dark times. Do you take my sword and oath so that I can serve you against the dreaded Gundabad?"
And the Emperor replied: "I hear your words and have heard many good things of your deeds. I take your sword, but no oath will be required of you or your people. For they have proven their loyalty to the Empire, as did you, Ecdicius Avitus! And you shall hold the title of Rex of the Burgundian people, as shall your children – so long as they stay loyal!"
As thanks and a reminder of what had happened, Ecdicius erected a statue where this exchange of words was inscribed. This was done to remember the meeting and the agreement made with Rome. From that day one, each of the Avitus kings was crowned before this statue. With Ecdicius Rex as an experienced stadtholder, the Imperial forces chased after Gundabad. For the time being, Gundabad escaped the wrath of the Empire, but his realm suffered for it. From the south, forces under Orestes were marching and fighting in the Burgundian heartland, from the north Syriagus pressed forward and from the east, the Romans and Franks were hunting him. He had gambled and lost.
Ultimately, he would be destroyed in two quick battles that followed each other then Syriagus's cavalry engaged his retreating forces and delayed them long enough for the main force to attack. Gundabad showed his tactical brilliance when he managed to disengage from that battle with only minor losses. But the next day, he was caught again, this time by the Emperor and the Franks. The battle lasted long enough that Syriagus could join the fight – this meant the end for Gundabad, who was killed by his brother Godegisel. Godegisel himself died three days later from the wounds he had received, ending the Burgundians' ruling family.
But not only on land did Rome triumph. After Sicily had returned to the Empire, the land forces had been rerouted to the north, not the Navy. The reborn naval forces had completely sailed south as it was the area that had seen the most activity from pirates in the last years. Even with the Vandals being on friendly terms at the moment, Orestes still expected some pirate activity. Not in an organized way, but with the vacuum of power, this was just the chance many pirates waited for.
And he turned out to be right, as soon as the news hit that the Vandals had returned the island, attacks on merchants and coastal settlements began. But the Roman Navy quickly came down on these scattered pirates who had expected a comfortable victory. The news that Rome had a fleet of its own again hadn't reached them apparently, and they were in for a bloody surprise. By the time storms made travel on the Mediterranean sea almost impossible until the winter season, five major and countless minor pirate attacks had been stopped or retaliated. In the next years, the pirates had learned their lesson, and no significant pirate activity was reported until ten years later.
Eastern Gaul saw an upswing as the repairs were mostly finished, and the economic boom also hit the province. This was, ironically, thanks to Gundabad. Without him, the Emperor and his army wouldn't have come, nor would the Franks. With all these soldiers in the province, marching forth, and coming back with loot, many businesses saw an upswing. It was the first step so that Eastern Gaul could begin the journey to catch up with the western and northern parts of the province.
With this year filled with grim tidings and death, the reclamation phase of the Western Empire under Romulus Augustus ended. The rest of his rule was mostly to secure his new gains and rebuild the Empire in these parts that he had returned to Rome's arms. As in other parts of the Empire, the barbarians raged on. The Western Roman Empire became a beacon of hope and light again. Thanks to the more stable West that stood firm, the Eastern parts of the Empire were also more resilient against attacks.
The Emperors that came from the line of Orestes pushed the reclamation process further. Ultimately, they were stopped when a new power emerged in North Africa. What followed were many clashes with the Muslims, the followers of Mohammed, who had become a power in Asia and Africa.
But that is a story for another time...