Cassius the Wrathful, Gaius Victor, and Julianus the Cold-hearted
Playing as Brutii, my empire by 208 BC is easily divided into three segments - the Italian Peninsula (the homeland + Patavium and the Northern Marches), The Greek City States and the Balkans comprising the center segment, and the Eastern Greek Colonies and Islands making up the far Eastern end. To protect this empire, I had formed two hard-hitting armies, one bivuaced due West of Patavium under the joint generalship of Gaius Brutus and a former Gaulic Family Member who's name I cannot pronounce, let alone remember how to type. Gaius had become quite the General, as he was the conqueror of the Baltic cities for the house of Brutii, and had gained quite the reputation as a butcher as well as a good field tactician. As Giaus the Wrathful he was known for many years, but soon even the fickle populace realized his greatness and bestowed upon him the title of "Victor".
Cassius Brutus, a distant cousin of Gaius, had early in his career been also sent to the Greek lands to wage war, earning his stripes in the sieges of Corinth, and Sparta before an uneasy peace was had for 10 years. It was before the walls of Athens, Halicanarsus, that he would earn the title Cassius the Wrathful, and he too would bear this name for many years (a good deal of which at the same time as his cousin Gaius) before assuming the mantle of Cassius Victor.
While these great men were on campaign, a young Roman of the house of Brutii had come of age, and was quickly gaining prestige within their ranks as being bright and intellectual. Studying in Tarentum under the Paterfamilias, Julianus Brutus would go on to govern Thermon before being summoned back to become Heir to the Brutii family holdings at the young age of 22. Julianus then traveled the length and breadth of the family's vast holdings, assuming a feel for his people and surrounding himself with some of the greatest minds of the age.
With the passing of his uncle, Julianus assumed the mantle of responsibility. From this point on, his attentions remained in the Italian Penninsula, busying himself with governing the family holdings there, and pursueing Senate Offices (a political animal, it was second nature to him). Even keeled and notoriously sober, his hand was the measure of justice in the Brutii lands, and peace came to the lands. The people, too, loved him - as he loved what they loved - the games, the sport, the carnage. As a youth, he had campaigned against rebels in the Roman penninsula, and many remembered his victories of years passed with joy - a hero locally, if anything.
As time passed and Julianus ascended through Senatorial ranks, his reputation as a 'true Roman' grew without end. He had "Virtus" - true Roman, through and through. The Senate, whom he served unquestiongly, knew without question that it was Roman interests that governed his conscious, and not that of greed, fortune, or fame. Ironically, these came regardless of his lack of drive for them, and as the Pax Romana that endured through the middle and later years of his reign matured, so did the Brutii coffers, bringing the household to an epic level of financial development. This, in turn, had its negative consequences. The financial boon could not be abated, despite increases in spending towards the creation of three new legions for the security of northern border of the Greek holdings; two years later, two more additional legions were raised after the Marian reforms.
War with Egypt did not even give pause to the financial surplus, as the primary means of trade was domestic or with the other Roman states. Julianus, in his waning years, began to fancy all the finer things in life, and his sobriety and even-handedness began to appear more apathetic and cold-natured. His reputation for using the agents at his disposal did not help with this matter... As a matter of peculiarity, the elderly Thracian King met an unfortunate end sometime during the reign of Julianus, and soon thereafter, he was popularly known as Julianus the Cold-hearted; relations with Thrace [an Ally] have not deteriorated. Despite all this, he was known for having 'clean hands', as his agents were well trained enough as to not get caught.
-=-
All this was to initiate a quick discussion of the nicknames that generals receive - I've had a few of the following:
Name - "active name"
Cassius the Wrathful
Cassius Victor
Gaius the Wrathful
Gaius Victor
Gaius Secondus
Virbisconius? the Mad [Gaulic General, purchased]
Julianus the Coldhearted
Gaius Albinus
???? the Fat [heh - he's Pontifex Maximus right now]
I've purchased three Gaulic Generals - I enjoy when you first get them that they are "so-and-so of Londignum". I use them primarily for border defense and farming retinues [leave them in your capital with your faction leader, as new younger Faction members come of age, you have ready to distribute retinues waiting for them, which means you can create "uber" generals / governors quite quickly.
Also, as an interesting peculiarity, one of my Brutii generals [I believe I purchased him from the Gauls, who had purchased him from the Julii!!] went on to become the Dacian King!! The funny part was he continued to show up on my Family tree, including his progeny - his son "Ata", his wife, his grandson, etc! I'm half tempted to find the son-of-a-gun and purchase the family back! Only time will tell.
Reply With Quote
Re: Cassius the Wrathful, Gaius Victor, and Julianus the Cold-hearted
Damn fine general though. Cut his teeth in the Gaulic Wars, basically rolling up the west side of the country before traipsing down to start work on Iberia. Had a sky high bonus for defending because the enemy would always attack him as he was about to or in the process of laying siege... and got their heads kicked in for their troubles.
Originally Posted by TimDogg
Bookmarks