Damn we're good. To be fair, he practically set us up for that line.
In the weeks that follow, you are treated with new respect by the men of the legion. You have proven yourself at the head of the First, the finest and the best men in all the legion, and their tales of your bravery and leadership in the streets of Aeclanum has spread like wildfire amongst the men. That, coupled with Sertorius' ringing endorsement, means that your status among the legion has catapulted to new heights. There is not a man among them who does not straighten his back in respect when you walk past -- not out of duty, but out of respect. You are bloodied, and well -- and the legion will not forget it.
Huh. Up to 6/10. Not bad. I'll be satisfied if we can bump that to 7/10 by the end of the campaign, though I'd be happier with an 8 or 9.
Greece is under Roman rule again -- but Rome herself is divided. Even as Sulla triumphs, Marius has landed in Asia, defeating Mithridates' forces from the opposite side of his kingdom, and is even now carving a path of destruction across Asia. Towns and cities turn to the legendary general's side as he marches for the Hellespont, Greece, and Sulla. Rome, it seems, is conquering Pontus from both ends -- but who shall conquer Rome?
Big question is, will Sulla and Marius clash by year's end? It sounds like Marius will live through this campaigning season, probably, but will he make it through another winter?
"You've put me in an interesting position, Atellus."
"How so, commander?"
"You already know I have no problem with your actions at Aeclanum -- they were necessary, and your firm hand there has pacified that entire area for years to come. But I feared the Samnites would not take it well, and indeed they have not."
One wonders what would have happened if we'd taken the, ah, nicer option at Aeclanum. Guess we'll never know.
He gestures to several sheafs of paper littered over his desk. "Letters, from across Samnium. The Samnites are rising up across the area. It seems the disparate groups and warbands have begun co-ordinating with one another. You have struck the terror of Rome in their hearts, and they have begun to set aside tribal feuds and disputes to work against us in concert."
You scowl, but something stirs inside you. Not admiration, perhaps, but respect. Again and again they rise up, bloodied yet defiant. Such is the way of the Samnite and his heart of steel.
Damn that balls of steel trait.
Sorry, Telamon. I'm going to keep misnaming it.
"Where are they rising up?" you ask.
Sertorius takes another draught of wine before gesturing at the papers again, his features twisted with disgust.
"Everywhere. Even the towns Sulla decimated and resettled with Romans are not safe. In Abellinum, for example, a Samnite preacher --some damned priestess of theirs-- has risen to prominence, inciting his people to violence against their Roman fellows.
Her, I take it? Well, the good news is, she hasn't yet
succeeded in causing true mass chaos, only, uh, retail chaos. Well, okay, wholesale but not total destruction. Something like that.
I actually like the idea of us going there, because we might well win in a debate even with our slight malus to diplomacy with Samnites, and because it would let us tie up a loose end. Rufus might also be of use helping to settle things with law and words even if we can't.
Plus,
saving a major city so that it will still exist as an economic center post-conquest is going to be beneficial overall to the region.
In the valley of Vulturnus, a bandit and rebel by name of Tercerian, an associate of Medix Appius, has led the Samnites there in open rebellion, butchering every Roman living within the valley and seizing the city of Aesernia in the name of Samnium. And even those who have not risen into open rebellion are threatening to do so -- the Hirpini, the most warlike of all the Samnite tribes, have seemed content to stay pacified, but now they demand more supplies and 'compensation' from Rome."
These are tough nuts to crack. Vulturnus sounds like a straight-up military challenge, which plays to our mediocre (or rather, developing) stats and not our excellent ones. We might perform adequately, but I doubt we'd perform especially
well. At least not without considerable luck.
The Hirpini sound tough for someone with even a slight diplomacy malus. If we
had to pick this one, I'd do it and take my chances, but we aren't so silver-tongued that it'd be easy for us.
"Even the news favorable to Rome brings more headaches. Bovianum, the largest city in Samnium, has officially bent the knee to Rome. Its Elders say they see no wisdom in defying the legion. But now it is harassed and plagued by bandits and thieves who see them as traitors. They request our aid in pacifying these forces, else they may be 'forced' to return to the arms of Medix Appius and his rebels."
This is also a good choice. It allows us to cast ourselves as the
defender of a Samnite cultural center, and gives us a chance to put our Administration skills to work. Also, to command a large force (i.e. half the legion) in something
other than a pitched battle where a fuckup means death.
With the previous mission, if we screwed up, Mercator could pull us out of the fire; it was his cohort and he's very skilled and experienced. With this one, there is no single Roman with the authority to command the whole force if we make a mistake. So a chance to build up our experience (and level up Command or at least get close to it) with something less than a legion-sized force sounds good.
Furthermore, as with the other mission to Abellinum, we're saving a place that will be a useful postwar center of learning and commerce, assuming it DOESN'T get burned to the ground by pissed off barbarians or by equally pissed off legionnaires after rebelling to avoid starving to death.
"Quite right, but that's not why I called you here. I called you here because you're the most capable Tribune I have. I know, I know -- not much of a compliment, next to your 'peers', but you are quite skilled, boy.
"That's why I'm giving you half of my legion."
Sertorius- blessed by Mars. Also by whichever of the gods handles deadpan comedy. Which god is that, do you think?
Since time immemorial, the fiercest and deadliest of all the races of the Samnites have been the Hirpini, the wolves of the Apennines. Cowed by Sulla during the Civil War, the Hirpini have chosen to keep their heads down and submit to the will of Rome -- thus far. Apparently, the seeming 'success' of Medix Appius at retaining his independence in Nola has led the tribal assembly of the Hirpini to believe they can extract demands from Rome in order for their continued obedience. Should the Hirpini rise to war, thousands across Samnium will follow. Pacifying them, however, may come at great cost. This, Sertorius warns, is no battle to be won with swords alone -- the Hirpini must be brought over to the Roman side of the war, through intimidation or diplomacy. Should they rise in revolt, Samnium will rise with them.
Again, I don't think this would go well for us. It uses our good stats, but we have a slight malus against us, and I suspect the DC is hella high. If we were playing Sertorius Quest, I'd vote to take this one ourselves, in all probability, and hand Quintus Atellius one of the others. Quintus has proved himself as an asskicker, not as a negotiator, and negotiation is what's called on here.
Also, Sertorius has a towering military reputation that he can use as a 'stick' to carry when talking to the Hirpini; all we've done is burn down one town full of farmers.
Bovianum [] Hailed in song and myth as the 'Athens of the Samnites', Bovianum is among the oldest and most well-developed cities in all Samnium. A center of Samnite culture, art, and history, it has long been a focal point for rebellion and insurrection against Rome. It was a surprise, then, when Bovianium numbered among the Samnite cities to unconditionally bend the knee upon Sertorius' arrival. In the months since, however they have been harassed by bandits, raiders, and plagued by rebellion within the walls. The tribal assembly at Bovianum has sent a message with a plea for Roman aid -- if this continues, they will not be able to feed all their people come winter. Roman aid is badly needed, or so they claim, in order to pacify those in the city who sympathize with the rebels, as well as the bandits plaguing the city. Should they fail to receive this aid, they claim, they will have no choice but to go over to Medix Appius and his rebels.
As noted, this plays into our skills in law, and gives us a chance to develop administration. Both we and Rufus may have chances to speechify and reassure local authorities that they made the right choice.
This is also likely to have a greater direct effect on the next phase of the campaign than any of our other choices, except the Hirpini negotiations that we're more likely to screw up.
Aesernia [] Situated in the Valley of the Vulturnus, in the heart of Samnium, Aesernia has been a city of the Samnites since time immemorial. Subjugated and made into a Roman colony long ago, it remained loyal during the Social War -- to its own detriment, as a Samnite leader by name of Tercerian has led the Samnites of the Valley to rise up and butcher every Roman living there, earning him the nickname of 'the Butcher of the Vulturnus'. This Samnite leader has connections to Medix Appius, but reports say his hold on his people is tenuous. He is not charismatic enough to maintain his hold through respect, and instead rules the city and the Valley through fear and domination. Defeating him and his followers will be key to subjugating Samnium.
If we were more of a military-specced (instead of military/law) build, I'd go for this one. It sounds like a straight up military challenge; avenge all the dead Roman citizens and defeat Tercerian. On the other hand, if Tercerian is as feared as he says, he's unlikely to be able to extend his rule very far, which means he's less likely to cause problems that will balloon out of control in the next 2-3 months than some of the other problems.
In the Samnite/Roman colony of Abellinum, your past has risen to haunt you. The last priestess of Ampscantus, Visella Tertia, has arrived in the city, supposedly seeking recruits to rebuild her order. Instead, she has been inciting the people in the city and the surrounding towns into a violent fervor, whipping them up with angry words she claims are from the gods themselves. Seven fires have burnt through the city in the last few months, and Romans are attacked in the street by angry Samnites. Abellinum was meant to be a success story, a place where the Samnites proved that anyone can become Roman, that even the fiercest barbarians may be civilized. Instead, it may become yet another bloodbath between Roman and Samnite, unless the city can be pacified and the rebellion quelled before it begins.
I like the idea of settling unfinished business here, and the prospect of out-debating Visella Tertia appeals (though we might fail in that, to be fair). Rufus would be very helpful here.
A Tribune's Duties: Before you march, there are still some things which need seeing to -- your duties.
Pick Two
[] Training: The newest recruits are inexperienced and new to war. They've had a few small skirmishes with bandits, but are no veterans yet. Now that you've had a taste of battle, you feel confident you're more than ready to begin whipping them into shape.
[] A Matter of Wealth: Some of the men feel their share of the loot is a bit too small, and have taken to complaining about it rather loudly. It is Carcellus' duty to administer discipline, but if you stepped in and saw to their problems directly, you could improve your standing among the men.
[] A Law Beyond The Sword: The men often have simple issues, complaints, or grievances which they wish to address. As broad-striped tribune, it is your duty to see to these. One afternoon, you set up a table in the middle of camp and invite men to come air their grievances before you, and perhaps even raise a case against a fellow soldier.
[] Maintenance: Though it is the Camp Prefect's duty to ensure maintenance of equipment and materials, you begin to rigidly enforce the proper maintenance of personal weapons and armor. Through reduced rations and corporal punishment, you will force the men to ensure their equipment does not rust or rot.
[] Blessed By Mars: Sertorius has made clear his intentions to honor Mars as the patron of the Sixth Legion, and the nickname given to the legion, the Blessed-By-Mars, has already filled the men with a sense of pride and driven up Mars worship in the legion. You begin to enforce and codify this practice, trying to encourage commonplace worship of Mars (in his aspect as Gradivus the Soldier-God).
[] Justice Beyond The Walls: You begin cracking down on even minor offenses and crimes, making it more than clear that the rule of Rome extends far beyond the city walls. The men respect a disciplinarian -- but they will never love him.
[] The Left Hand Strays: The other tribunes are, well, a disappointment. With the exception of Rufus, they are all young men who were elected on the strength of their family names over any actual skill or worthiness they might have. You take it upon yourself to whip them into shape and make them decent extensions of Sertorius' will -- and your own. You failed at this the last time you tried, but you have now had a taste of battle.
[] Portents and Signs: You contact the Camp Augur and hold a public augury. Auguries are necessary to determine the fate of any military venture, as men are often nervous marching into battle without a sign from the gods, but if the augury is unfavorable to the campaign, the morale of the legion will be lowered.
[] Sic Semper: One of the centurions has picked up a reputation as an incredibly harsh disciplinarian, whipping men almost to the bone for their offenses. When one of his legionnares cannot even march for three days after, Carcellus asks you step in -- as an officer himself, he cannot risk alienating himself by going after the 'Barracks Tyrant', as the men have come to call him, and Sertorius has delegated all such issues to you after your success in the court-martial.
I think we'd better drop the anvil on this jerk centurion, with "Sic Semper."
I'd STILL like to do something with "The Left Hand Strays," among other things because as we see, Sertorius is having to split up his command all over the place and he only has a handful of officers who know what they're doing with any command larger than a cohort. Namely, himself and hopefully us. I STILL think this would be a good way for us to build connections among people our own age who may prove useful later, that it will improve Rufus' ability to help us, and it might even give us an extra action if we're lucky, because having more tribunes effective to spread the load might give us more freedom of action. But this option may be unpopular.
My other favorite for the second option would be "Blessed by Mars." The worship of Mars seems to be working out pretty well for the campaign, though we've learned that auguries are kind of a crapshoot.
You've had almost a month since you came back from Aeclanum, and though your work has kept you busy, you've had a few chances to do something of your own initiative.
Pick One
[] Write Home: You took the opportunity of remaining on the Italian Peninsula to write back home to your friends and allies in the city. You wrote to...
(Pick Two)
--[] Scaevola
--[] Cicero
--[] Atticus
--[] Proserpina
--[] Volero
[] Brotherhood: You began eating your meals with the men, to show them that you stand as one of them, not some aloof aristocrat.
[] Sparring: You began sparring with the men, testing your own skill with the blade against the skill of the men serving under you.
[] Silver Tongues, Silver Words: You began to attempt to form deeper connections with the men, walking around the camp and speaking and talking to your soldiers. With enough personal charisma and skill for speech, you can begin to make yourself as loved in their hearts as Sertorius.
[] Fortune's Favor: After camp is made for the night, several of the officers, including Carcellus, gather to gamble and game. These men are all fast friends, with ties stretching back years, but if if you integrated yourself with them and got them to consider you one of them, it would go a long way towards improving your standing in the legion.
[] Study: You study the campaigns of some of Rome's greatest generals, hoping to increase your own skill with command.
I'd like to vote to write home to Cicero (because best letters ever) and Proserpina. Proserpina will have done more than a little with her spy network by now, and developments in Rome are likely to have gotten...
interesting. Especially since Pompey is still in the city.
