Rise of the Gallic Confederacy: Confederacy Decisions

[UltraWar]

This thread is devoted to in-character communications for this PBM.

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=77509

For all out of character business - including volunteering to join the campaign - please post in the above thread.

This thread should be for Confederacy business only. Chieftain reports will be in a separate thread.

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Gaul in 270BC - Gaul is a confederacy of tribes which own the provences of: Alesia, Condate Redonum, Lemonum, Narbo Martius, Numantia, Mediolanium and Patavium.

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CONFEDERACY ANNOUNCEMENTS, 270 Summer

Talks on what to do first will be held shortly

[UltraWar]

My friends, we live in troubled times. Our enemies are at our gates and eyeing up our beloved tribes and plotting to incorparate them in their own empires. This will not do! We need to stand up and fight!

I may be old but I am wise, the Britons control the region of Belgica through the town of Samarbrovia. This is a tempting target but there are other foes at our gates.

The Germanic tribes in the east must not be put down as weaklings. They are nearly as strong, mighty and brave as us yet they have valour. We should watch out for them.

In Celtiberia, the capital of that region, Numantia, is surrounded on all sides by the Iberians. They are a mighty people and shouldn't be taken lightly.

And finally I come to the scum of the earth, the Romans. They are truly hellspawn. They do not deserve to be allowed to run free. They should be exterminated! They have pillaged our lands for too long. For me, they are the biggest threat. They are split into 3 "Patriarchs" which are the House of Julii, House of Brutii and the House of Scipii. They bow down to the might of the SPQR. This is our biggest problem.

Now friends, I would like to hear your suggestions on what the Confederacy should do.

[Craterus]

It is my own people that are in the most need of support. Our land lies within Roman grasp. Our crops, our fields, our forests. This land is ours and we must defend it. We defend the Alps, the gateway to the mainland, and the two neighbouring settlements: Mediolanium and Patavium.

At best, my tribe and it's neighbouring allies could muster perhaps 300 fighting men. 300 men to defend two major settlements and the gateway to our land is not enough.

The other threats are irrelevant, you can negotiate with these tribes. They know honour, they will keep to their words. You can not negotiate with a Roman, they know not of honour or promise. They will say one thing and do another. I am currently awaiting more news of an approaching Roman army, despite our latest peace agreement. The Romans are not to be trusted and should be the first threat vanquished.

[Andres]

My oldest brother speaks wise...

* looks despising at Eporedorix *

when he's sober and not in the company of his "Uncle".

Indeed, the Romans are our main concern. Therefore, Head Chieftain, father, I would like you to add two units of our garrison in Narbo Martius to my army.

In order to defend our lands in Gallia Cisalpina, we need to establish an "anshluss" as our German neighbours would call it.

Order me to conquer Massilia. It's currently occupied by the Vocanti who will be nothing more then a pushover for my men. Within one or two years I will have added them to our Confederacy and have them swear allegiance to our cause.

Then I will march with my troops to Mediolanium and Patavium.

Give me permission to take all our troops available there and I will burn and destroy the northern Roman settlements and eventually I'll give our Confederacy the most precious gem of all: Rome!

You know me father, brothers. I'm no politician. I'm no diplomat. I'm a warrior! Let me be the Sword of the Confederacy. I will give you glory! Let me follow in the shining footsteps of our great ancestor Brennus who sacked Rome 100 years ago. But instead of stopping at the Capitoline Hill and accepting Roman gold, I will finish the job, I will exterminate those ugly dark dwarves and we will occupy their so-called "eternal" city.

Meanwhile, I suggest that you, father, and our beloved brother Rianorix, be our Shields. Send our wise diplomat Senaculus to the German and the Britton tribes. Let him try to get trade rights and alliances. We should also train another diplomat and send him to the Iberians. If one of these tribes would backstab us, I suggest we wage a defensive war against them, until we have Rome.

Indeed, we cannot afford to be on the offensive on more then one front. And allthough not trustworthy, despicable and filthy, we should not underestimate the Romans. They may be weak, small and ugly, but they are disciplined.

*** Sits down, still trembling from the fire that raged through him while he spoke ***

[Caius]

IS my opinion accepted?

[Craterus]

(Yes, you are welcome to join in these discussion, fine sire.)

“It is the festival of Beltane, a celebration of Belenus’ greatness. We should not be in here discussing such matters on a night of the Gods. I will answer my little brother’s concerns and then leave to more promising pursuits.

Vindex, my brother, you seem awfully eager to get your fair share of the glory. Except this doesn’t sound like a fair share; it sounds to me like you want all of the glory. And how do you plan to do this? Just march at the Romans, burning and pillaging everything you pass. With this in mind, I’m anxious to even accept your help. You may forget where you are and start burning my people, our people, your own countrymen.

You are reckless, brother, reckless and stupid. We will not just walk into Rome. This invasion must be planned. Planned by someone who knows what he's doing. I would like to hear Father’s opinion on the matter. He is very wise and best informed on our former major conflicts with the Romans.

Were I in charge, I would fortify our Southern border first. Raise the troops so that we are capable of defending it. Then, and only then, would I sanction an outright invasion of Italia. Home security should come first.

I am also slightly confused as to why Vindex believes he should lead this. It is my people he puts at risk with his poor commanding and rash strategy. If the Romans achieve victory, as they no doubt will if my little brother is at the helm, they will advance upon our settlements before we can even think of sending reinforcements through the Alps.

It is for this very reason that I request absolute control of this pre-emptive strike. It unsettles me to think that another man is controlling the fate of the North-Italian tribes I lead. It is especially unsettling when I think that this man is my brother. It is my responsibility to lead these men into the battle for their homelands. I will, however, accept the assistance of my brother and his armies would be greatly appreciated in this defence of our homeland, but only if he agrees not to light too many fires.

I will leave you on that note as there are far more important things to be done on this night. I welcome you to join me in the celebrations; I think we could all do with a break and a little indulgence in the sickly sweet nectar of the Gods!”

[Caius]

I'm an spy.You know what I do.

I stole information.I know what are they doing.If someone walks to the right, i know it.
But I'm not here for describing my job.I'm here because we need talk.We need a smart advice.

Who said the Romans are weaker?

*looks at Vindex*

I'm afraid you are wrong.The roman CAN be stronger.Im not saying they are stronger.

The things will change. When that day comes, we wont be in serious problems.But Im talking about the tomorrow.We live the today.
I suggest take the swords, capture Samaobriva and keep the Romans away.

[pevergreen]

Lug want hunt time!
Lug want smash dem Romies!
Lug proceeds to swing a cooked boar round his head yelling "Smash dem Romies!" over and over.

[Bootsiuv]

(out-of-character: I don't have an avatar yet, so I really have no idea what geographic location my character will be most concerned about. Therefore, I decided to choose a location which seems to have been underrepresented thus far, Iberia. If this leads to giving my character a governance in Iberia, that would be fine.)

A young man enters the tribal circle. He looks a little disheveled, as if he has been traveling for quite some time. No one knows his name, nor does he offer any introductions, save the tribes he has been sent to represent.

"Fellow warriors, I have been sent from afar to speak on behalf of our tribes in Central Iberia.

As I'm sure many of you know, our lands in Iberia have great potential to be amongst the richest and most prosperous of the confederacy. Natural resources are plentiful. The soil is rich and fertile, and the mountains offer many raw resources which our confederacy may yet find useful.

However, I fear the native Iberian tribes may yet be hostile. I have heard much talk of a unified Iberian nation, ruled not by Gauls, but Iberians.

I am here to seek help in gaining strength enough to fortify Central Iberia against any incursions from east or west.

I also must inquire about the Carthiginian peoples to our south. Perhaps we should extend a hand of friendship to these peoples, thus securing our southern most frontier.

Last, but not least, we MUST keep the small strip of land that we control in the Pyrenees open for our merchants and military. Perhaps a fort in the pass to the southwest of the largest fishing village would help ensure that our lands in Iberia could be easily reinforced.

On the note of war with the Romans, I must remind my tribal brothers that one does not simply walk into Rome. The Italians are wealthy, organized, and treacherous. I would think fortifying our current holdings against attack would be the wisest course of action.

I also must advocate securing northern Gaul before any fronts in the South are opened, lest we face a pincer attack by foreigners which we are unable to cope with.

Thank you for your time.

The young warrior takes a seat, looking relieved to have done his duty.

(Out-of-character: I don't know if someone has been assigned the character of Riorx [or whatever Numantia's governor's name is at the beginning of the campaign], but if so, perhaps they could take a more active role in the strategic planning of the defense of Iberia, I just felt the southwestern tribe needed someone to speak up for it :))

[UltraWar]

Fellow brothers, everyone raises good points yet it is tricky on which we should act out.

The Britons are deadly and should not be overlooked. I personally would prefer if Vindex went east and captured the town of Massilla. I agree with Eporedorix on Italia. Rome is rich and brutal. If our land there is fortified, the Romans will be held back and weakened. I agree that Eporedorix should be in charge of holding the lines there. Vindex, I agree that you should assault the Greek town of Massilla. Taking it would give the Confederacy more income to spend on defending our homelands.

*picks up Goblet*

The Romans are not weak. They are as sly and cunning as wolves. They will stop at nothing at crushing us. This should not happen. It was 120 years to this day that our ancestor, Brennus, defeated the Roman legions and sacked Rome itself, and demanded a huge ransom to avoid completely destroying the city. A sly Roman Senator once protested that the weights used to measure the gold were inaccurate. In response to this, Brennus threw his sword onto the weights and uttered the following words which must not be forgotten: "Vae Victis" - "Woe to the vanquished".

Soon, my comrades, the voting will start on what you decide is the best course of action. We still have time for more opinions.

[Caius]

I have spoken.

Remember, everyone here has the true.

*looks at Lugatorix*

You too Lugatorix,but stop acting like a "barbarian", according to the romans.
What's a "barbarian":A person who is not a roman, and makes strange movements and speeches.So Stop!

[Orb]

'Massilia shows no real value,' The voice came from a man of unusual height with dark hair, 'Spain can rest, Rianorix need not advance further, that would weaken our situation. Striking off the Britons of Samarobriva should be both easy to accomplish (so long as we proceed carefully and eliminate at least one of their hosts at our own towns earlier'

[Andres]

So, my oldest brother calls me stupid.

*points at himself*

But this stupid warrior sees the real threat of Rome. He sees that they procreate like rabbits and they will soon need more living space. Where do you think they will find that space? Where do you think they will strike first? At our lands, at Gallia Cisalpina off course.

We cannot hide for them. We cannot live in forts and shelters, hidden like cowards for eternity! What are we? Turtles?

No, my brethren, we are proud warriors.

The forests are our homes. The Romans kill the trees, they make a world of dead wood and stone. Soon, our druids won't be able to find the sacred trees because they will be dead, killed by Romans.

We must get to them, now that their numbers are still manageable.

So, let me go and join my oldest brother. Massilia lays on my way. I'll take this town and add it to our Confederacy. It will bring us more gold and more power, which we are in dire need of.

My brother says I am in search of personal glory.

*smiles, but the smile doesn't reach his eyes*

At least I have more ambition then him who is spending his time in dark Taverns and at decadent festivals, drinking until a drunken "Uncle" has to carry him home, after he has puked his guts out.

Yes, the conquest of Rome will bring me glory. Glory that will benefit the Confederacy. My glory is the glory of the Gauls! My glory will give our beloved father more influence. My glory will be shared with the Confederacy and add to its' political power.

This is to be preferred over the stench of alcohol, which is the only thing shared with us by my oldest brother.

[pevergreen]

Oh Look a Rabbit!

"Lug" proceeds to dance with the rabbit

Men of Gaul! Bash dem Romies! Fortify everfing near de Romies! Den, dey attak uz and we smash dem good!

(Ive decided to make my avatar slightly retarded.)

[Csargo]

Senauculus the Diplomat walks into the room

Greetings all,

I believe that I should be sent to the Romans to secure an alliance with them. If you do plan to attack them then at this time I think it would be safest to make them think we are friends rather than foes, so that we may build up our military to attack them. Though I have no military experience I think that would be best option for us at the moment. If we were to attack them now unprepared and not properly organized we will surely be crushed.

Now on to other pressing matters. Whether or not you choose to take my advice we will also need strong allies against the Romans. We should try to make alliances and give trade rights to the other Germanic tribes in Iberia, Brittania, and Gaul.

Please give my opnions some thought and if you wish me to carry them out please inform me.

Senauculus turns and leaves the room

[Andres]

Senauculus speaks words of wisdom. As usual.

I agree on sending him to the Roman lands. We should get trade rights and let our cunning merchants take advantage of them.

An alliance would not be in our best intrest though. War with the Romans is inevitable. There might come a situation when we have the advantage and when it would be in our intrest to start the war. In that case, we would obtain a bad reputation. I don't want to hear the world screaming "The Gauls cannot be trusted! They are backstabbers!".

No my fellow Chieftains, father, brothers. Trade rights, I agree. We can benefit from it. An alliance? No. The only thing we can gain from an alliance is a bad reputation.

The Briton, Iberian and German tribes would despice us because we allied with those little, ugly and arrogant dwarves.

Senauculus must obtain trade rights from the Romans but nothing more. We cannot wait for another century to get rid of those Romans once and for all! Soon they will crawl all over our lands. Finish them before they are too big.

I've heard about mighty tribes in the East. They are called "Greeks" and "Macedons". I've heard they hate the Romans, just like we do. I've heard they are powerful and rich. Senauculs should try to get trade rights from them because their lands are blessed with valuable resources. Once we know them a bit better, our wise and respected druid should make them our allies.

Mighty and rich allies that share our hatred towards the Romans!

[Caius]

*Ivomagus try to speak again, wait a minute and he can talk*

I say yes to an alliance.Then they will betray us and we can be ready for a war.

We need lands, where we can live.
And destroy.We are brave.We have the power.

*Then, the man said BLARG!Hate the Romans and he left the room

[Csargo]

Ah but Vindex if the Romans truely do hate us and want our lands then they would break the alliance not us. This alliance will just be to hopefully delay the Romans if only for a few years long enough for us to organize our military and for me to secure more alliances against the Romans. The more time we have to build up our forces and secure alliances the better off we are.

[Craterus]

Vindex, your inferior mind clearly misunderstood my point.

What I was trying to say was that we should build up before we try an all-out attack on the Romans. The cost of failure is too high to just go charging in. We must raise more fighting men before we attempt to fight the Romans.

[Andres]

Eporedorix, your alcholic brain doesn't get a clue of what I'm saying heh?

I did not say we should rush in as a flok of panicking cows would do.

I said you should build up your garrisons while I take Massilia. After Massilia is ours, I'll march towards Gallia Cisalpina. This will take two or three years! By the time I arrive, your newly built army combined with my troops will be strong enough to whipe out at least the Julii family and conquer Rome.

Get rid of that drinking companion and your "Uncle", brother.

*** Sits down again, staring disgusted at his oldest brother ***

Edit: it's Eporedorix nog Craterus

[Csargo]

You two are grown brother's yet you bicker like you are small children. Whas up with that?

[Bootsiuv]

The Iberian warrior stands, a look of disdain on his face.

"Brothers, I hear much talk of conquering this and that...How can we be expected to conquer new lands, when our hold on our current lands is tenuos at best, and downright dangerous at worst.

It is for this reason that I must reiterate my point on securing Samarobriva (sp?) before we attempt any attacks into northern Italia. I've had dealings with those 'britons' before, and they are not to be trusted. It is my belief that they WILL attack us once word reaches their ears that we have opened up a front in the south.

Our confedaracy's lands are vast and wealthy, but, I fear, this very reason may bring about our downfall. We have to defend lands from northern Italia to central Iberia. Surely our homelands security should be our first priority. Forts should be erected in chokepoints, such as river crossings, mountain passes, and forest clearings. Watchtowers in Gaul and Iberia may also be a good idea.

I also advocate the building of roads in all of our provinces....it will greatly enhance trade, and more importantly, millitary movement.

As for war with the Romans, I do think that we should begin a 'cold war' against them at once. Spies and assassins should be sent in droves, and many years before we begin our offensive. Perhaps Patavium and Mediolanum could provide these agents in time.

Last, and definitely not least, we should avoid war with the Britons before we have a decent fleet (2-3 ships) in the sea that seperates us from those fools.

Naval domination in the mediterranean should also be a priority before any wars are started in that arena. We could severely cripple the Roman economy with naval blockades.

Surely, as warriors, you understand my points.

That is all for now"

The Iberian sits down, looking around the tribal circle as if to challenge any naysayers to the points he's just made.

[Patriarch of Constantinople]

A young druid stands, covering his face with his hood

Noble Gauls, hear me out.

The Romans are our biggest threat, yet should not be underestimated. The Roman Army is of organized legions. If we can hold a pass at the Alps, we may be able to hold them off. Therefore I propose that our money is focused on building military. Our warriors may be brave, but organization is everything, which the Romans have. If we can counter them with a well built plan, then we might be able to defeat them.

The druid sits down

[Caius]

Druids and chieftains.

I also reccomend capturing a city, unnamed at the moment.It is near Ebracum, so I suggest create boats, explore and conquer!

I will investigate more, and maybe i can told where is it.

OOC:I know,late for the motions thread.

[Stuperman]

An elderly druid emerges from the shadows, shoeless, he moves into view silently. Only wearing a bear pelt, his body is covered with spectacular geometric designs, of woad, mud, and tattoos.

I spoke with mother earth at sunrise, she's fearful." The oldman's voice was hoarse and raspy, but st the same time enrapturing."Fearful of the so called 'civilized' peoples to the south, they destroy her, strip her to nothing and rape her with their farms, their roads.....their grand marble monstrosities. She emplores us to raise an army and fight!" he pauses (sp) and coughs loudly "But this god is very smart, she knows the Romans are a strong people, and strength is needed to fight strength, we should strengthen ourselves with Massilia and Lugdunum (sp) before we free our blessed goddess from Roma."

The holy man quickly sinks back into the shadows muttering a prayer to the goddesses of earth, and war...

[ByzantineKnight]

@Bootsiuv: your character is Rianorix

Voteporix of Alesia stands to voice his opinion

I must agree with my Uncle Rianorix, we must not forget Iberia. All I ask is for the council's permission to march on the cowardly scum at Osca. Just give me one warband to place at our city of Narbo Martius, and we shall control it within 2 years, this is a small request and I am growing weary for lack of action.

He sits down, his opinion stated