The Curia

[/Bean\]

Another messenger arrives in the Curia, rather dark skinned and adorning a light beard. He looked slightly lost, as if he had never entered the Curia before, though he wore the clothes of a Senate Envoy. He looked round in wonder as he strolled in, then at the staring senators, as if he was unsure of who to deliver the message to. Thinking this was yet another message from Dux Cotta, Balbatus rose to take it. However, accoring do the insignia it was from a Roman official in Massilia. Balbatus questioned the messenger, who instead of replying simply gave the scroll to Balbatus and turned to leave quickly, having not spoken a word. Frowning after the man, Blabatus read it, before speaking.

Gentlemen, it seems our delegation to the Carthaginians seems to have worked. They have turned away from the city of Massilia, and are marching back towards Iberia. We must be wary of Carthage. They are beginning to poke their toes over the line.

[navarro951]

Blasio makes his way into the Curia tired from the long march down Italia...

"Good men I will have a few days to spend some time here in Roma before I return to deal with our rebel problem.

I would like to speak more on the matter of this completed Dux campaign. Dux Cotta, I think we can all agree executed his plan skillfully and with as minimal casualties as possible. I believe that a few honors should be bestowed upon him.

First, when he and Legio II return I ask as Consul that they be allowed to perform a Triumphus in his honor.

Second, I ask that he be declared Dux Caivs 'Illyricus' Cotta.

Finally, in preparation for him becoming a Quaestor, that a Provincial Governorship be granted to him. I think the province of Illyria Hellenike is fair enough."

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

(OOC: I will leave this open for debate. If there is two sides of opposition a poll will be opened so we can keep the Republic in order. See TCV....)

[/Bean\]

Balbatus puts down the letter upon Blasio's arrival.

I wholeheartedly agree with all the proposed. Dux Cotta fully deserves these honours. The Triumphus will let all in Roma see the glory and riches gained by the campaign. The name Illyricus will let us all remember the honours Dux Cotta received for all time. And the provincial dictatorship will help sturdy our new borders and further honour Roma's greatness.

A wise choice, Consul. I hope the rest of the Senate agree. However, I do believe the other commanders should receive honours also. Not quite as grand, of course. Although their new ranks as Duxii are indeed splendid, they should be noted for their successes in the campaign. After all, one man cannot do it all by himself.

[Potocello]

Deciumus, aid to Dux Longus stands

"Wait a minute gentlemen, let us not be too hastey with these awards yet, Ilyria is still a work in progress. What are we to do about the rest of Epiros? I think it would be better if we used these newly acquired riches to create more Legios rather than flaunting them about in the streets of Roma. Also, what of our countryside? Have you people not noticed the bands of rebels which are roaming about our lands, threatening our farmers? I think a triumphus would be unwise and reckless at this point in time, we need to retrain and put down these rebellions. I do think Dux Cotta should receive these rewards, but i do not think he should get them now."

[Tiberius Claudius Marcellus]

A deep voice rumbled his agreement with Deciumus, "Indeed, let us not be hasty in bestowing honors, especially such high honors and to those to whom they do not belong."

Senators in the back of the Curia strained their necks to see who spoke such words. Down on the speaking floor a rather large man struggled to stand up from his seat. This garnered quieted chuckles from the elder statesmen who were in better shape, causing the younger legislators to lean and whisper, asking who was this portly fellow. Caius the Fat finally came to his feet and hobbled out to the middle of the floor with the aid of a crutch, his ragged breathing echoing through the chambers. He blinked his eyes several times to bat away the diziness that came upon him from this rare exertion and bellowed,

"A Triumphus should be held only for those conquerors who have defeated a powerful enemy. Dux Cotta has done no such thing. In his own words, he sought to erradicate nests of pirates on the shores of Illyria. While his campaign was successful in its goals, all praise be to the gods, it was fought mostly against those same pirates and uncivilized barbarian tribes!."

Caius stopped speaking to catch his breath. An aide came forth and mopped his brow of the sweat that was beginning to bead. When he had regained his composure he continued,

"Our intelligence reported that Dalminion was just that, a client kingdom of Pyrrhus, while Epidamnos was their home soil. The Legio III Campania also readily defeated two forces and took a city from the Epirote Greeks - a true blow dealt to the enemy, not the acquisition of outlying, loosely "allied" tribes and provinces! The Epirotes are not even broken! They are instead reeling from a good blow; but are still in the fight. At most, Dux Cotta deserves a Corona Ovalis, for his campaign has earned him nothing more than an Ovation, in this senator's eyes."

Caius took a few sips from a cup of water brought to him by an aid and continued,

"And you, Blasio, what is this of offering the territory taken from the enemy - by a force not his own - to Cotta? Illyria Hellinike was not paid for with Roman blood to be gifted away to the latest passing fancy, as a schoolboy would give a flower to his love! Should, then, this legislative body bestow an honorific agnomina to a man who shooed away goat herders and peasants from their hillside hovels? I should dare say not. No, honored sons of Roma, not during my lifetime. I will not see it done, that a warrior be granted such excesses when he has but begun what could be a lifetime of glory and honor. In time, perhaps; yet now is not that time.

Caius hobbled back to his seat and turned around to address the Curia before he sat,

"Nay to a Triumphus!
Nay to a provincial dictatorship in an unearned land!
And nay to a titular honor, unearned!

What would we bestow upon a general who had performed greater deeds under greater adversity if we grant our finest and greatest honors for such trivial accomplishments as these?"

Caius heavily plops down into his stone chair and lets out a sound more akin to the bellows of a forge. As an aide brings him more water and daubs a damp cloth to his neck and forehead he nurses and rubs the stump of his right leg - the last physical reminder of a once renowned Roman commander.

[desert]

Hey senators, it's Mars again. Been a long time, hasn't it? I remember some of you were kind of, well, scared ****less by my appearance, and you sent some Augurs to sacrifice a bull to me (yeah, I could tell that what you wanted was for me to leave).

So I was just here to say that the Marcellus kid, what was it...Tiberius, was using Jedi Mind Tricks on the fat guy to make him act as his messenger. That's all for now.

OOC: In other words, back in the early days we decided that you can only portray yourself, or a runner carrying a message of yours in the Curia.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert
For roleplay purposes, I am not yet a Senator - if I ever even become one. So just pretend that was the voice of a god.

In the game you are your character and your character only. You can't be your character + Mars.

I will make my IC entrance tomorrow, I think. It is my opinion though that the typical army should have enough and the right units to allow for the tactic that... err... "Mars" told us to use. It seems much more correct to have it that way. I also have a slight problem with the whole "dictator" thing. Why not consul and co-consul? I do not know what those dudes did historically (Rome is really not my favourite area), but in Camillan times I think "dictator" would be worse no matter what the consuls actually did. -.-

(I am aware that they could become dictator, but this was if I have understood things correctly only for a limited time, and not something they wanted to be permanent. Perhaps adding a rank of dictator that can be held by X person Y time and giving Z benefits, or just have it as it is but with changed names. That's my opinion, at least.)

[SwissBarbar]

OOC: WTF

[/Bean\]

Balbatus looks astonished at the Fat's outbursts.

Excuse me? So commanders are no longer rewarded for their accomplishments nowadays? We are to break hundreds, nay, thousands of years of tradition for your jealousy of this Roman Commander? No, I won't have it. You cannot deny the praise, rewards and justifications always go to the commander, and from hence to the lower orders. It has always been that way, and will forever remain that way.

Everyone knows the price of failure, yet many seem to not know the rewards of victory. Should this campaign have gone wrong, Dux Cotta's career would have been over. Like him as a man or not, that is a big risk to take. He asks only for what he deserves, as commander of the expidition that he planned, commanded and won! I saw no input from you, Caivs. As I see it, you don't look fit enough to comment on such matters.

Cotta asks for a triumphus to show his victory in Illyria, not against the kingdom of Epirus. The idea was never to directly attack Epirus, but to rid them of strong, supporting allies to the north, strangling their manpower and their wealth. The fact that their manpower was depleated and they did not leave a substantial defence force, alongside their failures at governing these new tribes, is no fault of Dux Cotta's. You are suggesting he be denied prizes for the enemie's failures. There is no sense in that.

Even now, Cotta toils in the mountains in the north of Epirus and Makedonia, protecting the Legio III, who did do a fine job indeed in taking the lightest garrisoned target, although the relief force was unprecidented and dealt with well, I must say. I do praise the commanders of the other Legions, and wholeheartidly agree with their respective promotions. But would you have the lower commanders granted these rewards, these honours and new powers, and that Dux Cotta receive nothing? Don't even bother to answer; it's propostrous.

In a letter sent to me, Dux Cotta assured me he wanted the Province of Illyria Hellenike simply due to the fact it would need a strong leader and protection in this time of need, when it is at it's weakest. The Illyrian kingdoms to the north do not require such attention as of yet; they can be governed by Roman puppet kings for now, guarded by a mixture of Italian and Illyrian loyalists.

This attack is nothing more than jealousy and regret that you could not be there yourself, Caivs, and for whoever else you may speak for. I beg you, Senators, do not get sucked into this way of thinking.
Thank you.