I have long missed this air, this land, the sight of the olive trees along the shore, the bright blue skies and the clouds, soft and fluffy as sheeps' wool. These memories come back to me and greet me as a friend from days gone past. Days that, were I to return to them, would greet me with open arms and remind me of our joys, of the time we shared. Days that would pat me on the shoulder, sigh, and weep in the regret that I have grown beyond them and our time could not be spent together forever. But, in natural course, man is but time given form, and time must crawl on, it is unstoppable, it is irreversible, and its treatment, whether kind or harsh, binds itself in a place forever to be remembered, until the day that all that has been remembered is forgot.

My only wish is that the time here has remembered me in my absence as an honorable man, and that the reports I have heard from my uncle are not in their entirety true. The port bell rings, the dockmen approach. It is time to prepare my report.

August, 500AUC
Since the last consular report there has been an enormous leap in infrastructure construction throughout the Republic, with planned constructs of significant lengths, that is taking longer than two seasons, being established in the following order.

Third Phase Auxilia in Appollonia and Pella.
First Phase Auxilia in Cartago, Hadrumentum, Mytilene
Large Temple to Jupiter in Thermon
Large Temple to Saturnus in Thessaly
Safe Harbor in Smyrna


Various temples of smaller size have been planned throughout our newer sections of the Republic.

Projects completed by the beginning of this season are as follows.






The structures completed in Apollonia and Pella have now allowed us to recruit Peltasts and Podromoi, respectively. The peltasts will be of great use in providing a cheap, loyal, but local and therefore trusted garrison for our Greek cities. The podromoi will do well to supply us with a good source of skirmisher cavalry in the east.

Our military recruitment continues throughout the heartlands and now abroad as well, thanks to our work in expanding our training facilities throughout the Republic.




There has been a significant increase in the number of generals available to us on the front lines as well. Senator Quintus Libo has done the Republic a great service these last two seasons, and agreed to take a full three young men under his wing.

Adopted as a man of the hour from the Thracian border guard.


Adopted, again, as a man of the hour, this time from our Numidian mercenaries who led the Carthaginian forces to Flavius Pacuvius near Cartago.


And then this promising young man showed significant skills under the senator's own command, and now serves alongside him in the north near Luvavum.


Congratulations should also go out as well to senators Appius Barbetus and Cornelius Saturninus on the birth of two fine daughters into Rome's great families.

As far as the course of political affairs goes, things could not be looking better.

In Afrika, Carthage has been soundly defeated, their once enormous and mighty armies have been crushed beneath Roman might, Cartago, Hadrumentum and Thapsus are now ours. Flavius Pacuvius is set to march on Utica and Hippo Regius to secure the territory promised by the end of my rule, I have considered marching as far as Kirtha, to establish that our farthest western reach in Afrika is a walled city, and therefore easier to defend. Marcellus and Oppius Aemilius, following a much needed reinforcement of their legion, will finish in the east by taking Capsus, retaking Lepcis Magna. Following the completion of these tasks, orders will be allocated for two of these generals to return to the islands of Sardinia and Melite and dislodge the Carthaginian invasion forces stranded there. The third will remain in western Afrika to act as our defender against the possibility of any last ditch attempts by Carthage to retake lost territory.


In Transalpine Gaul, our forts at Comata and Gergovia, though they have not yet reached the full breathe of the proposed defense plan as far as actual forts go, they have been reinforced with a significant number of Italian sword and spearmen, and the forces under Quintus Naevius have been reinforced with a unit of fresh triarii. The Iberians have left their once troublesome presence in this land and moved on. The peace here is enjoyed, and Massillia will soon be set to become the most strategic city in Rome's western provinces. A Provincial Barracks will begin its construction here before my rule ends.


Along the Eastern Danube, Thrace has been reduced to a shadow of its former self, and the only significant force they seem to have left is approaching slowly from the north, Quintus Libo and Nero Naso, supported by Servius Nero, will defeat this force in two seasons time, should it refuse to see the logic in turning back and going home to Vicus Marcomanii.



Along the Northern Danube, massive Iberian troop movements have prompted a withdrawel from Viberi, the town was simply not important enough, and the senators Quintus Libo and Nero Naso too valuable for me to risk a disasterous turn of events here. While I feel shame for condemning the Germans to this fate, I must point out that on multiple occassions these "allies" have fielded large concentrations of troops against us, fighting for Thracian gold, and have inflicted a serious number of deaths on good Roman men. The senators have been withdrawn to a fort along the Danube outside of Luvavum, they will be moved eastwards with the bulk of their forces after the midterm motions to a place between that fort and our closest other fort near Oduba, where they will be able to reach either of these forts in a seasons march should they be beset upon.


In Asia Minor, our campaign has progressed astoundingly, while the farthest reaches of our campaigning this season has taken us from Pessinus through Ancyra to Adana, there will soon be a consolidation and fortification of our new eastern lands upon the arrival of Appius Barbetus with reinforcements for Numerious' Aureolus and his legion. Our final acts in this region will see the consolidation and solidification of our land by sealing off and defeating all pockets of Seleucid or Ptolemeic resistance. The maintenance of two consular sized legions and one praetorian will be established to hold our eastern frontier.


This concludes my Midterm Consular Report.

In nomine Roma, et pro totus doxa deum.
Servius Aemilius





http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/253-Autumn-End.zip (The save that will be continued from after the midterm motions have ended.)