Aedui information for a PBM/succession game.

**abou** · 10-16-2007, 04:21

Anthony posted this over the summer in our private fora for our own PBM game. I don't think it ever got off the ground because we got busy, but here is some good information for those of you who were planning on playing as the Aedui - or better yet, something to motivate you guys to play as them.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

On druids;

Around 8 druids from the Carnutes would go to the bi-yearly council meeting. Sometimes observers from Britain would join too, but they didn't vote, so, no concern there. These 8 druids from the Carnutes DID vote though. Regardless of their number (since it might be more or less), they got 2 votes. These druids would probably not be military leaders, but probably diplomats. Between these men, they would come to an agreement on how to use these two votes.

Diplomats in Gaul would be druids. They would meet in the druidic council in Aulercia (remember it? It's a unique building). While others could sit in on the council (kings, mainly) and offer their point of view, they would have no vote. So, what would the druids vote on? A few things;

Druids raised their own armies, which were not beholden to any of the other councils. They should be the only council capable of raising Carnutes. The Aulerci have no say in that, or how they're used. However, the confederacy's large council can vote to mobilize the druids against a specific enemy. The druids had no appeal against this; it was one of the few times druids could be actively forced to do anything.

But, that's not all druids did. Druids controlled the building of new temples, for example. Building temples was done by the druids paying a local workforce. However, sometimes, to get the support of the druids in the next big council meeting of the confederacy's heads, the people of the region would pay to build new temples themselves when the druids requested one be built there. Druids, however, did NOT control to whom the temple was dedicated; the local high druid of a region would dedicate the temple to an appropriate local deity. Druids recruited for their army in any region with a substantial temple

Druids could, similar to being forced to fight, vote to state an injunction against a member of the confederacy, or anyone in Gaul that followed the druids (not the Arverni). The confederacy, or any other Gaul, could NOT give money or assistance to the tribe that suffers the injunction until the druids lift the injunction. No money, no military aide, not food during a famine, and not allowed to vote in the confederacy. This was typically lifted when the tribe in question gave aide to another tribe that was in good with the druids themselves, or aided the druids. It was the basis of their political power, and it was a huge amount of power.

Druids could also name a geas for a person, as well as a tribe. For a larger body, like a tribe or kingdom, this was typically the conquest of new lands, or uniting a tribe into their lands (more or less reasoning it'd be better to incorporate as many tribes together as possible in certain cases). As such, they give a closer knit, unified goal for the faction, as opposed to the disorganized, 'every man for himself' nature of the intertribal council. They can only exercise a large geas once every 10 years though, but it can be exercised over the whole of the confederacy, or just over a single tribe, or given to a man (for example in game, a specific general might be given a goal to meet like personally conquering a region or defeating an enemy army); giving a geas to a man was allowed at any time though, although a single man could not be given more than three geasa in his lifetime. Failure of a tribe to meet the geas by simply not attempting it may result in an injunction. Not meeting a geas was, at times, grounds on which one justified commiting ritual suicide, as a geas was considered that important.

Local tribal councils;

Each tribe had its own councils. They decided how to arm the levy, what soldiers to raise, what to build, where to fight, etc. Pretty simple. Any major decisions go through the council. More key would be, who would be on this council.

Typically, you have your key nobles (generals, family members, and just lower nobles who potentially wouldn't even have a character in-game at the time), the chiefs and lesser chieftains, who had one vote in all matters. Nobles too low class would lack any votes. The council on average would have 3-12 such men. There'd also be a druid, acting as the king or chieftain's chief advisor. This druid and the king had 1 or 2 votes on matters that required voting, depending on what the matter was, the nobles each had one vote. The king had 2 votes in military matters, the druid had only 1. His druid had 2 votes in all other matters, where the king only had 1. As such, a Gallic tribe is actually run, more or less, by two men; a king and a druid, depending on the situation. Of course, either can be overruled by the other voters in either situation where they've got the advantage.

So, as can be seen, it's a bit complex, lots of various councils, each with their own authority and purpose, and all of them tied together some way.

Any ovations or dedications should be given to Anthony. In fact, some of you should start building temples to the man.

**PershsNhpios** · 10-18-2007, 10:08

I read this earlier, but in sight of no one else being forward in discussion, I am taking the time to thank you for this information.
I do endorse the idea of the EB team getting as involved as they can in helping out in the Succession game organisation.
We do plan to re-enact many more factions and governments once we have led the Carthaginians from their homelands.

And this is a most valuable essay of information, which I will no forget in the event we play a Celtic faction.
I have learnt of many things the celtic Druids practiced, but not their laws or other areas of government - I am approaching this eventually however.
Thank you, abou.