Res Publica: A Quest of Ancient Rome

[Tasoli]

You know talking about all this god stuff makes me want to do more about that. Like I played Scion before but it was always modern day but what if a game of Scion in Rome?

Also interesting fact, in ancient times victorious tribes took the gods of losers a lot. Hitits took that to its ultimate conclution taking all the gods to the point that it was like pokemon to them. Some city states had a lot of them and actively went out thier way to capture more gods.

So remember that God napping plan some time back. Perhaps we should keep that in mind next time we come across a temple.

 

[Erandil]

-[] March the captives back to the western towns, there you offer their families a chance to ransom them at affordable rates. All those not from the western towns are to be sold as slaves.

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I like the ransom idea but I think you write-in is unnecessary specified, partly because I don't really see why the differentiating treatment of people from the western towns and the rest is necessary/has significant benefits.

And I will probably go with a massed attack on the Valley of the Vulturnus with only a small detachment escorting our more heavily wounded back. Without a leader and repeatedly beaten the western towns should stay quiet and I favour removing the last possible rebel rallying point (that we know of at least) over pacifying action. With some luck the mere news of your success and march may be enough to cause the disintegration of the rebels there...

 

[Falliant]

I think simple is probably better, and with that in mind:

[] Plan Moving Forward
-[] Turn and march immediately for Nola, in order to reinforce Sertorius and the Hirpini in the siege.
-[] Sell them into slavery, both increasing your own personal coffers and gaining more money for the legion.

 

[Spacegnom]

I like the ransom idea but I think you write-in is unnecessary specified, partly because I don't really see why the differentiating treatment of people from the western towns and the rest is necessary/has significant benefits.

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Because, the people from the western towns only joined Gemino recently. They joined him after he saved them from Tercerian's raids. We had the option to help them and didn't pick it, twice. I feel that justifies treating them differently.

 

[Cetashwayo]

Because, the people from the western towns only joined Gemino recently. They joined him after he saved them from Tercerian's raids. We had the option to help them and didn't pick it, twice. I feel that justifies treating them differently.

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You could always just differentiate those who joined him recently in general, and if people try to lie en masse set a specific arbitrary number of people to be ransomed, and if the number of people who come forward exceeds that number you will sell them all into slavery

 

[Simon_Jester]

I always thought these both meant @Caesar..., but you are right Crassus & Pompey could also be possible.
In general I think some of these lines are purposefully vauge, so as to allow the QM leeway when deciding where to take this quest.

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I strongly suspect that @Telamon knows who, specifically, the lines refer to...

But then, half the fun of prophecy is trying to puzzle the meaning out of (willfully?) obscure verse, and the other half is of trying to come up with ways to fit events that have already happened to the prophecy after the fact.

Clearly the priestess is the best possible love interest. She can poison our enemies.

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Well she can... Which is not to say she would, but she can. To mangle two languages, that would definitely be the Tsundericus Maximus solution to our waifu wars.

In all honesty, with our metaknowledge and modern access to mental toolkits like game theory, Cato is absolutely the one person I would trust in Rome -- we know exactly what drives him and how to avoid being run over by that drive.

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To be fair, the ancient Romans knew exactly what drove Cato too, to the point where when Cato's extremely detailed ledgers of accounts for the province he'd governed were lost under suspicious circumstances no one took seriously the proposition that Cato the Younger might have embezzled some of the money. They knew what drove him, they just found it intensely annoying. They knew exactly how to avoid being run over by his drive. But to do so would involve obeying the laws and customs of the Republic exactingly, and forgoing all manner of exciting ways to seize greater power for themselves as individuals, so they never did what would be necessary.

The reason I keep talking him up, despite the fact that he was obviously in many ways a dysfunctional man by the standards of his time, is related to this. Namely, he is the one man in Rome that we can be sure will truly, on every level, view the Republic and the law as things greater and more important than his own aggrandizement. That can make him a tremendously difficult obstacle for one who is trying to bend or defy the law, to the utmost limit of his ability to resist... but it could also, depending on the choices we make later in the game, make him a uniquely valuable asset.

Tercerian killed all the Romans and open Roman sympathisers in the Valley. Do we want to leave our new clients in Bovianum with him poised at their throats when we head off? Especially since they couldnt even defend themselves against Geminos 500 rebels

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If Tercerian were going to roar down into the valley he would have already done so, in all probability. He has the numbers for it, so what he lacks must be either the logistics, the reliability of his followers, or the confidence that he can move away from his own supply base without having it rebel behind him. Absent a reason to expect any of those things to change, it would be surprising if Tercerian moved, unless he were desperate and events forced his hand (i.e. if his army will starve otherwise).

One interpretation that comes to mind is our choice of a marriage partner. We could find ourselves in a position to choose between marrying for love (or perhaps a match that will bloom into love), or to shore up our position with a faction (e.g. with a victorious Sulla) effectively out of fear.

One choice would be very good, one very bad. Fun is guessing which is which!

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The thought had certainly occurred to me.

Since I'd rather roleplay a man with a loving wife who's on the run from the authorities than a man whose wife hates him but who is on good terms with the authorities, I know how I'll be voting.

 

[Spacegnom]

You could always just differentiate those who joined him recently in general, and if people try to lie en masse set a specific arbitrary number of people to be ransomed, and if the number of people who come forward exceeds that number you will sell them all into slavery

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I will admit my original thoughts went into that direction, but then I thought:"That would probably make the Write-In too specific", maybe I was wrong

 

[Gaz]

Gaulish Princess is clearly best Waifu.

 

[masterofmadness]

The thought had certainly occurred to me.

Since I'd rather roleplay a man with a loving wife who's on the run from the authorities than a man whose wife hates him but who is on good terms with the authorities, I know how I'll be voting.

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Hey now we don't know the situation yet so don't make any decision so fast maybe we can have all the options in one package!

A wife that we love who keeps us on good terms with the authorities... that we also fear the crap out of, but hey that's every marriage after a few years right?

 

[Simon_Jester]

Hey now we don't know the situation yet so don't make any decision so fast maybe we can have all the options in one package!

A wife that we love who keeps us on good terms with the authorities... that we also fear the crap out of, but hey that's every marriage after a few years right?

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I can live with that. Speaking of terrifyingly capable women, by the way...

No mortal ruler would dare harm the Pythia, else he incur the unending wrath of Apollo himself. Armies have disbanded and kings lost their crown at her word. She is consulted for anything and everything, from the well-being of a shipping lane to the fitness of the royal heir.

Make no mistake — I may be keeping you in the dark as to whether or not the gods are real, but to Atellus and his contemporaries, there is no question. The Pythia has made nations set their swords aside and put brothers to war. It is no small exaggeration to say that not only is she the most powerful woman in the ancient world, for a very long time she was the most powerful mortal. The time of the Greeks is waning, but thanks to the hellenization of Rome, her word can still stop conquerors and unmake armies. The armies of Marius and Mithridates would far sooner turn their blades on their beloved leader than upon the Priestess of Apollo.

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Let's put it this way. There are three possible interpretations of the Pythia, high priestess of the Oracle at Delphi.

1) The gods are real, and the Pythia is the voice of the god Apollo, he who is the literal god of prophecy, and who is the sun, and who has wiped out entire armies with plagues for insults far less than harm done to his high priestess.

2) The gods are not real, the Pythia does it all without help. If so, then she is the terrifyingly, TERRIFYINGLY skilled Diplomacy/Subterfuge/Intrigue-specced statmonster who somehow manages to know about all that is going on for hundreds of miles in every direction. To know more about these things than the principal parties involved know themselves, including secrets they would desperately prefer she not learn. To predict future outcomes with an accuracy others find uncanny. She who can craft on the fly convincing poetry that will persuade kings and heroes to listen to her advice, and who has managed to cultivate through all this a reputation for never, EVER being wrong, and who sits at the center of a web of influence that as noted, permits her to profoundly shape the course of the Mediterranean world.

Be afraid.

Moreover, she is not unique in this respect, she is part of an organization, a religious hierarchy, that has been able to reliably field such women regularly, on demand, for centuries, one after another, so that the reputation for infallibility and wisdom of the Oracle at Delphi is preserved throughout the ages. Even if you somehow disposed of her, another would take her place, and be just as terrifying.

3) The gods are real, and she is the voice of Apollo, AND she is a terrifying Diplomacy/Subterfuge/Intrigue-monster, as above. At the same time.

Under NONE of these circumstances would any remotely sane person even consider crossing the Pythia.

---

As an example of what happens when an insane person does so...

"In 67 AD, Emperor Nero, who was just 30 years old and had killed his own mother in 59 AD, when visiting the Oracle was told:

Your presence here outrages the god you seek. Go back, matricide! The number 73 marks the hour of your downfall!​

He was angered and had the Pythia burned alive. Nero thought he would have a long reign and die at 73. Instead his reign came to a short end after a revolt by Galba who was 73 years of age at the time."

That is the kind of shit everyone is terrified of.

[keeps reading]

Oh, you know who's crazy enough to mess with Delphi? The Thracians. A tribe of Thracians was nuts enough to defile the oracle. Thaaaaat was due to happen in about two years' time in our timeline. May be butterflied here.

 

[Raybomber]

[] Plan Moving Forward
-[] Turn and march immediately for Nola, in order to reinforce Sertorius and the Hirpini in the siege.
-[] Sell them into slavery, both increasing your own personal coffers and gaining more money for the legion.

We need money and be attractive to soldiers to want to follow us if we wish to move beyond our current circumstances.

 

[Cetashwayo]

Oh, you know who's crazy enough to mess with Delphi? The Thracians. A tribe of Thracians was nuts enough to defile the oracle. Thaaaaat was due to happen in about two years' time in our timeline. May be butterflied here.

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Delphoi was defiled before, but that was in the time of Greeks which was much cooler and more interesting than the Late Roman Republic (I Am Absolutely Not Biased).

Since I'd rather roleplay a man with a loving wife who's on the run from the authorities than a man whose wife hates him but who is on good terms with the authorities, I know how I'll be voting.

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It's not a good Roman career in the twilight of the Republic if you don't spend some time on the run. It's practically a requirement for becoming politically prominent, akin to getting exiled to Siberia as a Bolshevik before the first world war. Getting some romance out it just makes it more enjoyable.

 

[Oshha]

I too support the idea of going on the run because of love.

 

[masterofmadness]

I can live with that. Speaking of terrifyingly capable women, by the way...

Let's put it this way. There are three possible interpretations of the Pythia, high priestess of the Oracle at Delphi.

1) The gods are real, and the Pythia is the voice of the god Apollo, he who is the literal god of prophecy, and who is the sun, and who has wiped out entire armies with plagues for insults far less than harm done to his high priestess.

2) The gods are not real, the Pythia does it all without help. If so, then she is the terrifyingly, TERRIFYINGLY skilled Diplomacy/Subterfuge/Intrigue-specced statmonster who somehow manages to know about all that is going on for hundreds of miles in every direction. To know more about these things than the principal parties involved know themselves, including secrets they would desperately prefer she not learn. To predict future outcomes with an accuracy others find uncanny. She who can craft on the fly convincing poetry that will persuade kings and heroes to listen to her advice, and who has managed to cultivate through all this a reputation for never, EVER being wrong, and who sits at the center of a web of influence that as noted, permits her to profoundly shape the course of the Mediterranean world.

Be afraid.

Moreover, she is not unique in this respect, she is part of an organization, a religious hierarchy, that has been able to reliably field such women regularly, on demand, for centuries, one after another, so that the reputation for infallibility and wisdom of the Oracle at Delphi is preserved throughout the ages. Even if you somehow disposed of her, another would take her place, and be just as terrifying.

3) The gods are real, and she is the voice of Apollo, AND she is a terrifying Diplomacy/Subterfuge/Intrigue-monster, as above. At the same time.

Under NONE of these circumstances would any remotely sane person even consider crossing the Pythia.

---

As an example of what happens when an insane person does so...

"In 67 AD, Emperor Nero, who was just 30 years old and had killed his own mother in 59 AD, when visiting the Oracle was told:

Your presence here outrages the god you seek. Go back, matricide! The number 73 marks the hour of your downfall!​

He was angered and had the Pythia burned alive. Nero thought he would have a long reign and die at 73. Instead his reign came to a short end after a revolt by Galba who was 73 years of age at the time."

That is the kind of shit everyone is terrified of.

[keeps reading]

Oh, you know who's crazy enough to mess with Delphi? The Thracians. A tribe of Thracians was nuts enough to defile the oracle. Thaaaaat was due to happen in about two years' time in our timeline. May be butterflied here.

Click to shrink...

Honestly my personal interpretation is one of the gods are real options which is why I fully plan on us becoming a priest so we can insure under no circumstances do we ever incur their wrath.

Delphoi was defiled before, but that was in the time of Greeks which was much cooler and more interesting than the Late Roman Republic (I Am Absolutely Not Biased).



It's not a good Roman career in the twilight of the Republic if you don't spend some time on the run. It's practically a requirement for becoming politically prominent, akin to getting exiled to Siberia as a Bolshevik before the first world war. Getting some romance out it just makes it more enjoyable.

Click to shrink...

Really what we should be planning for is where we get exiled to!

Personally I think North Africa or Spain is a good option, get some sun, come back with a tan, avoid anywhere too cold you know?

 

[Erandil]

It's not a good Roman career in the twilight of the Republic if you don't spend some time on the run. It's practically a requirement for becoming politically prominent, akin to getting exiled to Siberia as a Bolshevik before the first world war. Getting some romance out it just makes it more enjoyable.

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True, though luckily as a Roman exile you get to spend your enjoying the sun on Sicily, Corsica and Spain or maybe at a nice decadent eastern court instead of freezing to death in Siberia^^.

 

[Redhawk]

I've always liked reading about the Ancient Romans and Greeks so finding this quest was a pleasant surprise. I've enjoyed it a lot and I hope we get a chance to meet the rest of Atellus' household guard like Theo the Greek and Glaber. About the vote on whether to go back to Sertorius immediately or put an end to Tercerian.

It is in the midst of all this that word arrives from Sertorius. He has made a deal with the Hirpini, promising them land and wealth in exchange for their loyalty to Rome, and his forces advance on Nola with an army of Hirpinic auxiliaries even as he writes. Having heard of your success with the Pentri, he calls on you to rally the cohorts and meet him at Nola for the siege that will end the war -- after all, Appius has a mere 6000, and the two of you have the legion and the armies of the Hirpini, a combined 8000 battle-ready men. You just need to mop up the rebels and meet him at Nola to end the war. He trusts you will have no problem seeing such a simple matter to its' end, with your excellent successes thus far.

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Sertorius has called on Atellus to meet him at Nola. He says to rally the cohorts so that means he doesn't want any of them left behind. While we could leave the injured behind it presents a problem on what to do with the Second and Sixth Cohorts. Sertorius has ordered us to rally everybody so leaving them behind might technically go against his orders.

Meanwhile, I think we should leave Tercerian alone. There were four options to pick when the legion split into two. One of them was to take care of Tercerian, so that's considered a separate option apart from defending Bovianum. Therefore, it's not really one of Atellus' responsibilities. His job was to pacify Bovianum which already has been accomplished. These western towns are also specifically mentioned to be near the Valley of Vulturnus so they're not part of Atellus' task either. I think the best course of action would be something like this.

[X] Plan Token Guard
-[] Send Pompolussa, the Second Cohort, Himatus and his men back to Bovianum along with all the wounded to ensure the supply train stays secured. Task him with keeping an ear out for Tercerian in case he tries to attack Bovianum or attempts to aid the rebels in Nola by attacking your cohorts from the rear.
-[] With the rest of the cohorts march immediately to Nola in order to reinforce Sertorius and the Hirpini in the siege.
-[] Free the captured enemies and order them to return to their homes and farms with the following message: Submit to Rome and you will be forgiven for supporting the bandit Gemino. Refuse and we shall raze your village. We shall put your men to the sword and sell your women and children to slavery. With Gemino gone, they are no longer a threat.

The write-in for the captured peasants lets us send a message to the western towns. It's no substitute for actually going to them and visiting them but that can be done after the siege of Nola.
​

 

[Alliterate]

Not for a lack of trying on my part
I think I will go with this:
[] Plan Hearts, Minds & the Legion's purse
-[] Send Mercator and the 7th cohort immediately back to Nola, he is to inform Sertorius of your success, thank him for the assistance provided and inform him that you plan to follow soon.
-[] Send Pompolussa's 2nd and the 6th cohort, together with all the wounded, to Bovianum to better tend to the injured, and ensure that the supply lines stay secured.
-[] Take the 3rd & 9th cohorts as well as the Gallic auxiliaries to pacify the western towns that supported Gemino, and ensure that the entire region is solidly under Roman control.
-[] March the captives back to the western towns, there you offer their families a chance to ransom them at affordable rates. All those not from the western towns are to be sold as slaves.

I don't think that letting these 150 men go will cause a significant amount of trouble. Gemino's best men probably died or evaded capture anyway.
My worry is that our men won't be happy, if we are too forgiving with the Samnite rebels. Let's not forget that it was the legionaries who had to endure enemy guerrilla warfare over the last few weeks. Making the western towns pay a small ransom for their levies should boost our army's pay after this battle and help smooth over some ruffled feathers.
Also I'm not sure whether our 'Censure their Rivals' promise becomes applicable here.

Here is the old plan though:

Spoiler: [] Plan Hearts & Minds

[] Plan Hearts & Minds
-[] Send Mercator and the 7th cohort immediately back to Nola, he is to inform Sertorius of your success, thank him for the assistance provided and inform him that you plan to follow soon.
-[] Send Pompolussa's 2nd and the 6th cohort, together with all the wounded, to Bovianum to better tend to the injured, and ensure that the supply lines stay secured.
-[] Take the 3rd & 9th cohorts as well as the Gallic auxiliaries to pacify the western towns that supported Gemino, and ensure that the entire region is solidly under Roman control.
-[] Free them, and order them to return to their homes and farms. With Gemino gone, they are no longer a threat.

I still like this plan. It's just that I can't see how the slightly higher level of Samnite gratitude caused by this plan would benefit us more than even a miniscule increase to our victorious legionaries pay.

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Do you think we'll need to leave the 2nd, the 6th, and the Auxilliaries behind to secure Bovanium and the supply lines mid-term?

One thing that appeals to me is returning Sertorius' gesture and sending him back an extra cohort (the 6th?) along with the 7th and our promise of swift return. It seems... like something gracious, perhaps something a peer who understands the strategic situation would do, and acknowledges that thanks to his support from the 7th- and as a competent commander- we now have matters in hand and no longer need as many troops.

Edit: I'm also persuaded that Tercerian is Not Our Problem (right now) and is better dealt with by the whole legion (and stronger commanders).

Pompolussa would stay behind to heal with the injured, and as an engineer maybe start road surveys if he recovers.

 

[Simon_Jester]

I like the ransom idea but I think you write-in is unnecessary specified, partly because I don't really see why the differentiating treatment of people from the western towns and the rest is necessary/has significant benefits.

And I will probably go with a massed attack on the Valley of the Vulturnus with only a small detachment escorting our more heavily wounded back. Without a leader and repeatedly beaten the western towns should stay quiet and I favour removing the last possible rebel rallying point (that we know of at least) over pacifying action. With some luck the mere news of your success and march may be enough to cause the disintegration of the rebels there...

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The big problem is, if we go into the valley of the Vulturnus, we have to come back with Tercerian's head; we're committed. His slaughter of Roman citizens was far too gross an atrocity for us to even consider forgiving or tolerating for any length of time.

Which means that if we're lucky and his army shatters as soon as we approach, terrified that Mars rides with us, we get an easy victory. BUT consider what happens if his army doesn't shatter. Say, because they expect us to kill them all for siding with Tercerian and slaughtering all Roman citizens and sympathizers in the valley, plus, y'know, Samnite Hearts of Steel. Then we have a very serious problem. We'll be up against an army roughly the same size as our own, with at least a modicum of formal military training (possibly as much as quite a few of our newer recruits have). They know the terrain, they're on the defensive (LOTS of rolls at +5 or more), they know every place to fort up and slow us down, and our side of the legion is at best mediocre at siegecraft, especially with Pompolussa's self-vaunted engineering skills out of the picture.

I'm not saying we wouldn't or couldn't win that battle, but it would almost certainly take us both time and blood, in considerable amounts. The odds are, we'd show up in Nola a week or more late, and several hundred men short. Sertorius, who has already weakened his half of the legion considerably to reinforce us, sending us his finest fighting officer at the head of one of his strong cohorts, may not appreciate that.

 

[Spacegnom]

Do you think we'll need to leave the 2nd, the 6th, and the Auxilliaries behind to secure Bovanium and the supply lines mid-term?

One thing that appeals to me is returning Sertorius' gesture and sending him back an extra cohort (the 6th) along with the 7th and our promise of swift return. It seems... like something gracious, perhaps something a peer would do, and acknowledges that thanks to his support from the 7th- and as a competent commander- we now have matters in hand and no longer need as many troops.

Click to shrink...

I actually meant to take those two cohorts south to Nola with us. This plan was only meant to send them ahead to Bovanium so that they could take care of all our wounded for now. We would then pick them up - in at most a few days - on our way south. For me, having the map of the region in my head, that was obvious (We are right now in between Aesernia and Bovanium). I can see now that I need to make that much clearer in writing, thank you.
Edit: The 6th was also in that flank that got hit during the battle. They might be hurt just as badly as the 2nd. I'd rather not send Sertorius one of our weakest cohorts as 'help'.

 

[Alliterate]

I actually meant to take those two cohorts south to Nola with us. This plan was only meant to send them ahead to Bovanium so that they could take care of all our wounded for now. We would then pick them up - in at most a few days - on our way south. For me, having the map of the region in my head, that was obvious (We are right now inbetween Aesernia and Bovanium). I can see now that I need to make that much clearer in writing, thank you.

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OK. I still like the idea of sending the 6th on ahead with the 7th, for the same reasons. A few days might make a difference if there is an attack.

 

[Spacegnom]

OK. I still like the idea of sending the 6th on ahead with the 7th, for the same reasons. A few days might make a difference if there is an attack.

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Sorry, I got sidetracked. Edited my original post. If you want to send more cohors ahead to Nola, it should probably be the 9th or the 3rd. From what I gathered they both weren't hit as hard.

 

[afterthought53]

When we go to Nola, we have to take the entire half legion with us. Sertorious orders were to gather our cohorts and go, he didnt say to send what we thought we could spare.

 

[Alliterate]

When we go to Nola, we have to take the entire half legion with us. Sertorious orders were to gather our cohorts and go, he didnt say to send what we thought we could spare.

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I get that, but we didn't go. Instead, we asked him for an extra (edit) cohort, and got it.

Now, we'll probably (hopefully) pacify a few villages before retuning. We could send him an extra cohort early, is all.

 

[Simon_Jester]

With apologies if I have mangled the Latin:

[] Plan Celeritas et Clementia
-[] Reassign able-bodied men from the Second Cohort to fill out the other cohorts' ranks. Transfer walking wounded who cannot keep pace or fight effectively to the Second, in like number.
-[] Send Pompolussa, what remains of the Second Cohort, Himatus and his men back to Bovianum along with all the wounded, to ensure the supply train stays secured. Task them with keeping an ear out for Tercerian in case he tries to attack Bovianum or attempts to aid the rebels in Nola by attacking your cohorts from the rear.
-[] Inform the captured rebels that they will be forgiven for following Gemino and allowed to return to their homes, on two conditions. Any who do not swear to these two conditions have refused Rome's clemency, and will be sold into slavery.
--[] Firstly, the captives will receive a scarring notch on their right earlobe. If any man so marked ever abuses Rome's clemency by standing in her way again, that man will be crucified.
--[] Secondly, the captives must convey a message to their home villages: Bovianum bent the knee to Rome. On that day, Bovianum chose to meet Rome's open hand. Gemino, in his arrogance, persecuted Bovianum. On that day, Gemino chose to face Rome's sword hand. The sword has fallen. Gemino is dead. Soon, the legion will return. All villages that bend the knee to Rome will not be harmed, as Bovianum was not harmed. All those thieves and bandits who have persecuted those villages will be destroyed by the sword of Rome, as I have destroyed Gemino. Wherever those who persecute the villages may be, and however strong they may appear, they will be destroyed. Remember, and beware!
-[] With the rest of the cohorts (excepting the rump of the Second), slightly filled out by troops drawn from the Second, march immediately to Nola in order to reinforce Sertorius and the Hirpini in the siege.

...

Note: We have about three hundred dead or fully incapacitated, as I understand it. A cohort consists of roughly 500 men. Since our losses were distributed among multiple cohorts, while the Second has no doubt taken heavy casualties, there must surely be enough men left standing in the Second to replenish the losses of the other cohorts, at the cost of leaving the Second greatly understrength. The Second is thus a token garrison, which will fill out slightly as the walking wounded from the other cohorts recover.

In this way, we get all the able-bodied men fit to fight, less a small guard put on the wounded, to Nola as fast as we can, as per Sertorius's orders.

Any suggestions?

 

[Alliterate]

For now just that there isn't anything making the captives convey that particular message, without any troops.

I mean, there's not much to be done about it without going with a pacify-villages-plan, but still.

Edit:
Grumbling might be an issue? Presumably the legions expect proceeds from slave sales and the like, especially from men worth following.