A messenger arrives, looking rather the worse for wear...

Greeting honoured senators, I bear word from Legate Lucius Aemilius, who is momentarily besieged in Segestica by the foul Thracian horde, and is thus unable to attend in person. A mere siege by a thousand bloodthirsty barbarians is not enough to stop the unstoppable Roman Courier Service (not wind, nor rain, nor guard dogs or bloodthirsty hordes will hold us back - RCS motto), and so I am pleased to present you with the words of my commander.

Conscript fathers,

Led me start of by applauding the exemplary leadership shown by Tiberius Coruncanius ! I have watched his bold plans unfold with trepidation, on occasion even fearing for his life and that of our men, but my fears for the Republic slowly gave way to amazement when I saw his achievements during his reign as consul. Truly, Mars and Jupiter must have been standing behind him all the way, guiding him with strength and wisdom ! His audacious strategy and the power of our legions gave us victory !
We are now masters of Greece, a very wealthy province and a welcome addition to our lands. The Greeks have been banished from the mainland and the Macedonian juggernaut is broken. The Illyrians are close to defeat and are down to one unwalled coastal city, Salona.

Alas, seldom are there good times unmixed with ill. I saw ill omens in the flight of the birds and when taking the auspices shortly before I got the news that the most horrible thing has befallen our nations, the loss of the III's legionary eagle. I was still in shock when an earth tremor, no doubt caused by gloating enemies in the Netherworld caused part of the wall to collapse, and only with a supreme effort of will did my demoralized men manage to erect an improvised barrier before the camp was overrun by the barbarians. All manner of ill tidings have plagued us since, no matter how grand our sacrifices.
I blame this ill fortune on the wrath of the Gods. Only if we placate them by regaining the eagle will the balance shift once more. Even if not for the Gods, as I know not all of you are so religiously inclined as myself, I beg you to think of the morale of our troops. My men are so terrified they will lose their standard as well they no longer sleep in their tents, but in a circle around the standard untill I put a stop to it by having it guarded by my Praetorians. We must make it our highest priority to regain the eagle, and not men or mountain should delay us in achieving this goal.

Our nation is strong, but the heavy fighting has left it in disarray, which strongly disagrees with my Roman sense of order. Our new territory, while still prosperous, is blackened and burned by the ceaseless strife. Many of the cities are littered with copses and burned buildings. The greatest worry, our legions are battered and even in Italy itself there is hardly a cohort of men up to full strength. I place no blame on Tiberius Coruncanius, we were so hard pressed even our garrisons were needed at the frontlines. This situation must however be remedied immediately.

New troops must be raised en masse and send to to front to strengthen our forces, and to Hades with the expense involved. The Illyrians, down, but not out, must be crushed immediately as well, so we need no longer watch our backs at the Greek frontlines. Finally, the cities must be rebuild and the garrisons brought to full strength. We should also build a large number of temples, to regain the favour of the Gods while we strive to regain our honour by recapturing the lost legionary eagle. Only with their favour shall we succeed and this dark cloud banished which now hangs over us.

I am pleased to hear of so many new and eager men who want to do their bit for Rome and I applaud you for it. Without your fervor our the Republic would crumble like the empires of the ancients within a generation.

I will second the following motions :
Motion 9.1 Retrieve the eagle and exterminate the Gauls in Gergovia.
Motion 9.5 Move out the garrisoned regular troops (few as the are) to strengthen our battered legions.
Motion 9.6 Raise a new legion (We will need several new legions).
Motion 9.7 A triumph for Tiberius Coruncanius !
Motion 9.8 Nothing shall stand in our way in our quest to regain our honour !
Motion 9.11 Augustus Verginius to Gaul !
Motion 9.13 I am willing to wait one season, just one mind you, to prevent a bridge battle against a massive army.
Motion 9.14 Raise three legions (We will need several new legions).
Motion 9.15 Who amongst us is not anxious to know what befell our legion on that disastrous day ?
Motion 9.16 Rather trivial, but I''ll second it.

I will NOT second the following motions :
Motion 9.2 I agree with this motion, but I will only see my son Marcellus assigned as a tribune when he has finished his studies.
Motion 9.3 Mars must be pacified and an example set to all barbarians.
Motion 9.4 The Gods will punish us if we delay our actions more than absolutely necessary.
Motion 9.9 The Gauls have an isolated province on their western coast. It would be strategically crazy to march trough the Iberian lands and capture it, let alone hold it. I am willing to leave them one small fishing village.
Motion 9.10 A good motion, but already proven unsound.
Motion 9.12 See Motion 9.9.

I wish once more to commemorate Marcus Laevinus, who died at the Relief of Scodra. Perhaps his death was the reason that Publius Laevinus's wits were deranged on the day of the defeat of the Legio III.

Finally, since no candidates have come forward as yet, I will stand myself for the office of first consul, but only with a co-consul. I ask my collegae Augustus Verginius if he will stand for office alongside me, as it is a burden I cannot carry myself for a full term. He and I both know the hardship of a full term.

OOC : I might be going on a short vacation at the end of August, and I need someone able to fill in if needed for a week or perhaps two. I will start the first half of the reign myself, and continue if needed, but otherwise the co-consul can take over. I am open to any other arrangements.