The Campaign Builder's Guild

[ic=Letter to Nicolo Cappoci]Signore Cappoci,
As you read this, the Emperor's forces, at the request of the Pope, might already have demanded that you submit your lands, or is about to.
Unfortunately there is very little I can do in this matter. You are welcome to come visit me at my palazzo in Rome so that we may discuss further.

Sincerely,
Hugo De Vinti, Consul of the Interior[/ic]

[ic=At the Senate]Esteemed Senators!
It is unfortunate that Roman blood had to be spilled on that day [coronation ceremony]. Indeed it is not everyday that the Roman people is subjugated to the will of others, be they Pope, Emperor or Monk. Their anger was understandable.
Though, understandable or not the Rule of Law, and Order must be kept so that peace may reign.

However, let's observe a moment of silence for those who fell on that fateful day, and pray for their families.[/ic]

[ooc=Orders for the Summer of 1155]
Consular Duties
Sign the Treaty presented by the Pope and Frederick.

Make available 8 WP from the Treasury for the reimbursment of goods plundered during the ousting of the Pope, a few years back, as was asked for by Hadrianus in his demands.

Continue repairs on the Aqua Virgo. [Use, as a maximum, half of the remaining funds in the Treasury after it has been used to reimburse the Papal Curia]

Start repairs on the Aurelian Walls protecting the Via Asinaria (Porta Asinaria). [Spend 2 WP on the startup, or for the whole operation if it can be done at such a cost]

Allocate 1 WP of my personal wealth to the Treasury.

Flax
Get an update on my Flax industry; the state of the fields, the morale of the workers, impression of this year's production and what can be improved, or even invested upon.

[spoiler=Labarum]Plant Fear
During the coronation ceremony in Rome, send 3 masnadas, posing as Siennese on a short trip to Rome, to spread word in and around the desired lands (for my Flax industry) in Labarum that the Germans are set to attack the Faliscan cities directly after Frederick's coronation. There's no doubt they will plunder Labarum as they pass by to resupply; and they are bloodthirsty.
Make it seem as it if was imminent, since the coronation is now taking place and that these rumors were the talk of the day in Rome. Even hint to the actual confirmation by Frederick himself.[/spoiler]
Naples
Have my agent keep up the recruitment efforts, and tell him that he might be able to convince the most skilled Flax workers that with the Pope so near, they would be safe to work the Roman fields. But keep this persuasion method only for the best scouted experts (I mean, he should know the bests now, he's been there YEARS).

Palazzo
Get an update on the progress of my palazzo's embellishment.

Militia
Pay upkeep [1 WP]

Have my heavy infantry (50) train their aim with the crossbows on makeshift targets in my palazzo's yard, in the process establishing a strict code of conduct as to ensure the security in and around the palazzo.[/ooc]

[ooc=orders]
- Pay Calafatus the 3 I owe him
[/ooc]

Things I'm waiting on:
- Guy I sent to Flanders about the wool
- Alum from Egypt
- Babby

[ic=To Consul De Vinti]I appreciate the warning, Consul, though I expected that His Holiness would not pass up this opportunity to strike at my lands with Imperial force.  My retainers and I stand little chance against the army of the Emperor, particularly if no assistance is forthcoming.

If I am forced to leave my lands, which seems likely, I trust the Senate will allow me and my family to take refuge in Rome, for I think it is unlikely that any other place in Latium would receive and protect us.

Signore Niccolo Capocci[/ic]

[ic=On Another Round At the Senate]Senators,
The Curia will now collect most, or the entirety, of the monies that usually flows from religious tourism. Of course, we can hope the Pope will put it to good use, but we cannot be certain of this. And it would be a miracle that he tells us what he intends to do with it, exactly.

For this very reason, we have to find ways to promote the building of establishments that are not run by the Church; such as inns and estates. Furthermore, this again reinforces the point that we must put more effort into the diversification of our economy, lest we want the current state of affairs to remain...[/ic]

[ic=Letter to Consul Calafatus]Consul Calafatus,
The matter I wish to discuss I also wish would remain a secret between the two of us.
The Pope demanded that we cease all use of force against christians. Obviously, this request is a serious hit to our right to redeem what is truly ours.
But now that the Pope can be easily persuaded that any armed force we mount is for the defense of Rome, perhaps it would be a good time to think about organizing a standing army? It would have the full blessing of the Pope.

The reason why this is relevant should be somewhat obvious, especially to you.
I'll let you ponder on this.

In Good Faith,
Hugo De Vinti[/ic]

Pym the curia will mostly be collecting money that the churches collected before, which we never collected before the pope anyhow.

"who shall possess sole authority over the collection of tithes, tolls on travelers and pilgrims, and the collection of all revenues from ecclesiastical rents and estates."

We never collected tithes, tolls, or revenue from ecclesiastical properties (save for the tribute from tre fontane). We're also getting a 4wp stipend so we lose 1wp from tre fontane and gain 4 from the pope. The money gained from selling goods and services to the pilgrims will still go to the individual Romans providing those goods and services.

QuoteWe're also getting a 4wp stipend so we lose 1wp from tre fontane and gain 4 from the pope.

Actually, that stipend is explicitly stated to be 4WP per year, equivalent to 1WP per season, which is the same amount the Senate is currently extracting from Tre Fontane.

Quote from: Polycarp

QuoteWe're also getting a 4wp stipend so we lose 1wp from tre fontane and gain 4 from the pope.

Actually, that stipend is explicitly stated to be 4WP per year, equivalent to 1WP per season, which is the same amount the Senate is currently extracting from Tre Fontane.

I know it's 4wp/year. I thought though that tre fontane was 1wp/year. Good to know though.

Quote from: NomadicI know it's 4wp/year. I thought though that tre fontane was 1wp/year. Good to know though.

Well, the mistake is understandable - it was 1 wealth per year under the old wealth system, but became 1WP/season under the new wealth system.

Jesus Christ

[ooc=Orders]- Invest 2 WP into my fishing/salting business.
- Inquire with my son if he has further considered the matter of his marriage, indicating that I would be more than pleased to find a suitable bride for him.
- Provision my fishers and salt workers with canteens and waterskins. Spend 1 WP on this.
- Begin a search for a suitable source of fresh drinkable water near to the banks of the Tiber in the vicinity of Ostia.[/ooc]

I guess the core of what I had to say is still relevant, at least :) Haha

/facepalm

This is a quick reminder that you have one more day to submit orders for this turn.  Also, I still need both consuls to decide whether they are going to sign the treaty or not!

[ooc=Orders]
-Sign the treaty
-If anyone comes back claiming some of the land I've acquired, stall then tell them to get in line and we can deal with it at some point in the future
-Resend my invite to the leader of Ardea that I will help his daughter find a good marriage
-Pay the Popes stupid fine
-Disband all but 50 of my Honor Guard (for now) keeping all their gear and telling them it is a temporary leave. They will be required in the future.
-Invest any money I can in acquiring more property prioritizing around the Colosseum and near city entrances.

My orders were a few pages back before the mini-turns.

Anno Domini MCLV
Summer has passed into Autumn...
In autumn, laborers take to the farmlands to plow the fields and sow the winter wheat, while in the hills grapes and olives must be picked and pressed.  This is a busy time in Rome, for much work needs to be done between the withering summer and the onset of winter.  The wealthy return to the city from their country estates this season, and the Church prepares for the celebration of All Saints' Day.  On the water, merchants hurry to complete their routes before the winter storms make the sea treacherous, and citizens watch the Tiber warily, for floods come most often in autumn

Our Consuls: To be determined
Our Pope: Adrian IV
Our Rage: Simmering

[ooc=This Season's Top 5 Popular Issues]
1. "Bring back Arnoldo!"
2. "Let the Normans and Papists kill one another – the better for us."
3. "We ought to do to Viterbo what we did to Tivoli!"
4. "We won't stand for another tyrannical Prefect!"
5. "Death to the foreigners!  Down with the barbarian Pope!"[/ooc]

News from Abroad

Rebellion and War!  The barons of the Kingdom of Sicily have long chafed under the consolidation of royal power masterminded by the unpopular ammiratus ammiratorum ("emir of emirs") Maio of Bari, the most powerful man in the Sicilian royal court.  Now, encouraged by the excommunication of King William de Hauteville by Pope Adrian IV, scores of Norman noblemen have risen up in rebellion against the King of Sicily.  On the mainland, the Counts of Principato, Sangro, Gravina, and Lecce have attacked royal garrisons, and a baronial revolt has exploded in the southern part of the Isle of Sicily itself.  Meanwhile, two exiled Norman noblemen who traveled south with the Emperor, Robert Drengot and Andrew de Rupecanina, have crossed into Sicilian territory and begun raising an army to seize their former lands in the region of Capua.

All this may prove to be merely a distraction, however, to the greatest threat of all.  One of the most powerful Norman lords in mainland Sicily, Robert de Bassonville, Count of Loritello and Conversano, has renounced his allegiance to King William and allied with the Greeks, who have invaded the Apulian coast with a large army and are said to be encouraging more barons to revolt with generous gifts – that is, bribes – of Greek gold.  The Greek army, led by the strategoi Michael Palaiologos and John Doukas and accompanied by Count Robert's rebels, has already taken several important coastal strongholds, some without any resistance at all – the people of Bari, which was once the capital of the Greek provinces in Italy, seized and imprisoned their own Norman garrison and threw open the city's gates to their fellow Greeks.

As if all this were not bad enough news for the Sicilian King, it is rumored that he is bedridden with illness, incapable of taking to the field in defense of his endangered kingdom.  Some are convinced that he is close to death.  It is said that Maio of Bari has sent the royal chancellor Asclettin de Catania from Palermo with an army and a fleet to confront the treacherous Count Robert and his Greek allies. [From now on, shaded areas within the Kingdom of Sicily on the map of Italy will be used to represent areas held by rebels against the crown.]

News of Latium

Hail the Emperor! The rex Romanorum et Italiae, Friedrich von Hohenstaufen, has received the Imperial crown from Pope Adrian IV in Rome.  Shortly afterwards, the Germans attacked the holdings of Signore Niccolo Capocci, who had seized the Papal castle of Poteranum during the Romano-Farfan conflict.  Signore Capocci relinquished his conquest and retreated to his castle at Monte Ritondo, but the Emperor would not relent.  Hopelessly outnumbered, Signore Capocci fled to Rome with his family and retainers.  Both his castles, Monte Ritondo and Nomentum, were razed by the Germans.  Unfortunately, the climate of the Tiber valley in July proved less than healthful, and an outbreak of the Roman Fever among the Germans took many lives.  Though many had expected the Emperor to remain and make war against the Sicilians, the Germans subsequently began withdrawing northwards – though not before "reasserting" a few "Imperial rights."

The Emperor began by forcing Tivoli to pay the fodrum, or "hospitality tax" (purportedly a tax for the upkeep of the Imperial army), and then requiring the Tiburtini to make an oath of fealty to him.  The Pope protested these impositions and was able to annul the oath, but could not prevent the collection of the tax, nor the subsequent collection of the fodrum from the Abbey of Farfa.  From there, the Emperor proceeded to Rieti, which was also forced to pay the fodrum, and thence to Spoleto, whose citizens behaved in a particularly foolish manner.  They refused to pay the Emperor's tax and demanded that the Emperor pay them for the release of Count Guido Guerra, an Imperial delegate whom the Spoletans had imprisoned.  Frederick began a siege of the city, but did not need to wait very long – the Spoletans tried to attack his camp, but were soundly beaten and chased back to the city with heavy casualties.  The Germans then stormed the walls, plundered the city, and burned everything.  Even the city's cathedral was torn down.  As a final insult, the Germans seized the relics of Saint Gregory of Spoleto, the city's beloved patron saint, to be carted back to Germany.  Men across Italy now speak in fearful voices of the fell deeds of Barbarossa – "red-beard" – whose thirst for vengeance is limitless, and whose cruelty surely knows no equal.

[Imperial Knights have been added to the unit library.]

Meanwhile, as the Emperor was besieging Spoleto, Pope Adrian IV traveled to Tusculum.  He apparently purchased the fortress from Signore Pietro Colonna for a grand sum, and bequeathed it to Gionata Tusculani, Count of Tusculum, in exchange for the smaller fortresses of Artena and Faiola (both in the Alban Hills) and a personal oath of loyalty to the pope.  Gionata pledged his loyalty and promised to defend the Church against all men, but insisted that because the Counts of Tusculum had been Imperial vassals since the days of Emperor Louis the Blind, he had the right to append "excepto contra Imperatorem" – "except against the Emperor."

At Tusculum, the Pope also received a new delegation from the Greek Emperor Manuel Comnenus, and shortly afterwards the pope announced his intention to enter the conflict against King William of Sicily by summoning the expeditio, the grand levy of the entire patrimonium.  By law and custom, all the pope's feudatories are required to either fulfill their military obligations in person or pay a fine by which mercenaries may be hired in their place.  Messengers are riding throughout Latium to call upon every baron and commune to muster their forces at Ferentino come October.

It is rumored that the pope has indeed entered into an explicit alliance with the Greeks, and if so he is in violation of the Treaty of Constance with the Emperor, which specified that "...the pope will not grant any land in Italy to the king of the Greeks, and will use all the resources of St. Peter to drive him out if he invades that land."  As Frederick is already on his way northwards, however, it seems unlikely this apparent breach will have any immediate repercussions.

News of Rome

Congratulations are due to Senator Arrigus Sismondii, whose wife Pera has given birth to a healthy baby girl!  The child has been baptized as Angela.

A number of noble Roman families who were expelled from the city in the revolution of 1144 have returned following the signing of the Treaty of Campus Neronius, though most simply sent representatives, being less interested in moving back to Rome than simply reclaiming their property.  One of the families that has actually returned to the city is the Demetri, the family of the late Pope Anastasius IV.  Signore Antonio Demetri della Suburra, nephew of Anastasius and younger brother of Gregorio della Suburra, Cardinal-Bishop of Sabina, has begun rebuilding the old family estate just south of Senator Basile's residence, which was sacked in 1144 and has been squatted in by goat herders since then.

In late June, the notorious Arnoldist preacher Wetzel attempted to stir up trouble in the district of S. Eustachii et Vinea Teudemarii, where Cardinal-Deacon Ildebrando Grassi had been residing and supervising the giving of alms since the entry of the Pope into the city.  Despite the fact that the district is known to be a hotbed of Arnoldism, the locals apparently did not appreciate the disruption of Church charity.  Wetzel was shouted down when he attempted to speak on the steps of Saint Eustace and chased out of the district by a mob of angry beggars.

Work continues on restoring the section of the Aqua Virgo within the city walls.  Without skilled architects or the expertise of the ancients, the work must be completed through brute force; broken arches cannot be restored, but must be replaced by simply building a giant wall of brick there.  Such an approach is not fast, cheap, or efficient, but should eventually get the job done.

The allied regiments sent by our Tiberian allies, Rieti and Perugia, have returned home, no doubt thankful that they did not actually have to fight the Imperial army.

Finances

Treasury: 0 WP

State Projects: Aqua Virgo Repair [6/15]

Income: 1 WP

• Duty, Patrician Pierleone: 1 WP

Expenditures: 0 WP

[spoiler=Personal Finances]
Arrigus Sismondii
Wealth Level 4 [12/16]
Savings: 1 WP
IP: 22 Wine, 2 Olives, 12 Wool
Projects: Rocca [10/15]
Assets: Estate

Fortis Calafatus
Wealth Level 4 [9/16] +1 WP (Rented Land)
Savings: 8 WP
IP: 26 Farmland, 7 Colosseum Rent
Projects: None
Assets: Estate, De Re Militari, 50 Heavy Infantry (1WP)

Vittorio Manzinni
Wealth Level 4 [8/16]
Savings: 16 WP
IP: 24 Egyptian Trade (Glassware, Linens), 6 Hospitality, 2 Pontis Rent
Projects: None
Assets: Estate, Grain [3], Land in Ripe et Marmorate, 50 Heavy Infantry (1WP)

Roberto Basile
Wealth Level 4 [6/16]
Savings: 3 WP
IP: 14 Sicilian Privateers, 10 Oranges, 6 Fishing
Projects: None
Assets: Estate, Tower House [15], 100 Masnada (1WP)

Hugo de Vinti
Wealth Level 4 [12/16]
Savings: 7 WP
IP: 14 Marble Trade, 10 Sculpture, 12 Flax Production
Projects: Gilding Palazzo [5/5]
Assets: Palazzo [10], 50 Heavy Infantry (1WP) with crossbows

Romolo Vannetti
Wealth Level 4 [9/16]
Savings: 19 WP
IP: 25 Goldsmithing, 8 Moneylending
Projects: None
Assets: Estate[/spoiler]

Senatorial Inquests

Senators that requested information or launched endeavors have the results of their efforts listed here.  This information is private, but you may certainly choose to share it with the Senate.

[spoiler=Hugo de Vinti]Compensation
Paying for the Lateran is easy; dealing with the nobles coming back to Rome to demand their property is not.  Most have been gone since 1144, when the Commune was first proclaimed; some have died since then, and their inheritance is uncertain or in dispute.  Some nobles have come to claim property now inhabited by subjects or citizens, who refuse to leave it or insist that it was lawfully paid for; some claim losses of property and goods that conflict with the Senate's records (where they exist) or are absent in any records at all.  Some property has been destroyed or lost in the last decade, and there is nobody to deduce what proper compensation should be; the Senate has no functioning courts and the Senators themselves are reluctant to adjudicate the claims personally, for fear of being perceived as allies of the anti-Senatorial nobility.  The Pope's call to arms has provided you with momentary relief, as many of the nobles demanding compensation have departed for Ferentino to join the expeditio.  Unless God wills that they all die catastrophically, however, they will surely return to demand their rightful property as soon as the campaign is over.

Projects
New work has begun on the Porta Asinaria and the walls around it.  The Porta Asinaria is best known as the gate where the famous Greek general Belisarius entered Rome in triumph during the reconquest of Italy from the Ostrogoths.  This section of the wall is also where the Normans entered the city in their sack of Rome in 1084, and it is presently rather decrepit.  Some of the towers were gutted by fire in 1084 and haven't been touched since.  2 WP is a start, but completely repairing the walls here might turn out to be an expense comparable to the Aqua Virgo.

Labarum
Frederick's army was camped very close to your flax fields during their reduction of Signore Capocci's castles.  It was fortunate that you were not growing anything edible, as it may well have been entirely seized by the army, but some damage was inflicted by Germans plundering Signore Capocci's lands who were neither aware nor very concerned about the boundaries between one estate and the next.

The harm done to your investment is lamentable, but the passing of the Imperial army was not without some merit.  Specifically, your campaign to scare off the people of Labarum finally met with some success – though your messengers were incorrect in that Frederick never went anywhere near Falisca, the people of Labarum could very easily see the German knights across the river and the occasional plumes of smoke from manors being torched.  Combined with the tales of the massacre of Hadrian's Bridge and your own instigation, most of the people of Labarum fled to Formello and other nearby villages with whatever belongings they could carry.

Moving swiftly, you assumed control of the village and the lands around it.  The fastnesses of the local barons and clergy, however, are a concern – only a mile north of the town is the fortified villa of Gallinas, inhabited by the vicarius Bernardo, who administers these lands for Santa Maria in Via Lata, a church in Rome that apparently owns much of the land north of Labarum.  Only two miles to the west is the fortress of Rubrae, owned by a signore named Luidolf who fancies himself lord of Labarum.  You are certain these men, and perhaps other local barons, are not going to take this lying down.

Naples
Naples, your agent reports, feels like a city under siege; the garrison was recently strengthened with loyal troops from Sicily who have effectively placed it under martial law.  The rumor in the city is that they expect to be besieged by Norman rebels or Papal forces, perhaps within months or weeks.  Now, it seems artisans within the city may well be ready to leave for Rome rather than remain here, but the city is effectively under lockdown thanks to the royal garrison; the harbor is occupied by a Sicilian fleet, and no travel out of it is permissible unless allowed by the royal castellan, Manfred.

Your agent reports an astounding discovery – he writes that Arnold of Brescia is here in Naples, apparently smuggled into the city by ship in the spring.  Though he has been keeping a relatively low profile, Arnold has been unable to stop preaching entirely, and has already developed a small group of followers in the city who assemble at a wealthy merchant's house to hear his sermons.  Your agent has made contact with some of his friends here in the city, who are currently trying to arrange for his return to Rome; unfortunately, they are stymied by the same martial law that you are.  Your agent surmises that a bribe might be effective in getting Arnold out – and perhaps a few others along with him – though he cannot say for certain.

Palazzo
[Turin, who is handling the metalwork in the palazzo, didn't hand in orders this turn – hopefully he will swiftly return.  Until then, all I can say at present is that work is progressing normally.]

You spent 2 WP and saved 2 WP this turn.  You lost 1 IP in Flax.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Arrigus Sismondii]Congratulations, Senator.  Though a daughter is perhaps not as prestigious as a son, every child is indeed a gift of God and a testament of His grace.

Flanders
At long last, your delegates have returned from the land of the Flemings.  Flanders is ruled by Count Thierry of Alsace, an ex-Crusader who has ruled the county since 1128.  Thierry, though he technically owes homage to the King of France, is also closely allied to the English king and is married to the daughter of the King of Jerusalem – all in all, a very powerful and influential man.  The count has influenced the development of Flemish industry with the opening of many new ports and the creation of a more efficient and literate administration based at his capital in Ghent.

The greatest export of the Flemish cities is broadcloth, a wool textile that is remarkably dense and smooth, while remaining far cheaper than cloth from anywhere else.  In part, this is because English wool is used; their wool is of a very fine quantity and quite inexpensive, as the English lords have consigned huge tracts of land to sheep grazing.  It also has to do with fulling, the process of cleansing and thickening the wool cloth.  Roman fullers beat the cloth with mallets in warm water or stale urine to cleanse it, but the Flemings have mechanized the process – they have "fulling mills" that use water wheels to drive great wooden hammers.  Not only is this much faster than fulling the cloth by hand, but it is milled more evenly in this way, and the result is a product that feels thicker and smoother and yet costs less to make.  Flanders also benefits from a natural abundance of the clay called fuller's earth that is used as an alternative to urine in the scouring of the wool.

The whole trade is also highly regulated by newly emergent guilds, who ensure that no man may be a weaver, fuller, or dyer without possessing a certain level of skill acquired by years of apprenticeship.  Over the years, this regulation has created a class of very skilled craftsmen; England lacks such craftsmen, which is why it is cheaper for the English to sell wool to Flanders and buy back the cloth than to make the cloth themselves.

Flanders has solved the rarity of alum by embracing the color blue.  The woad plant makes an excellent blue dye that requires no mordant at all.  Blue is such a common color for Flemish woolens that your agents heard cloth-workers referred to as "blue-nails."  Woad, unfortunately, does not grow well in Italy, but your agents note that they encountered many woad merchants in Languedoc (a region of southern France) who sell woad in the form of balls of crushed and dried leaves.  Most of their woad is exported to Spain or sent north to the great mercantile fairs of Champagne.

You have spent 3 WP and saved 1 WP this turn.  You are no longer indebted to Consul Calafatus.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Romolo Vannetti]Your agents in Civitavecchia have reported that the Pisans have been doing a great deal of business with Papal clerks in recent weeks, and that Boso Breakspeare, the Pope's nephew and Chamberlain of the Holy Roman Church (that is, the man in charge of the Papal Curia's money) has made an unprecedented personal trip to the Pisan quarter.  At the same time, silver prices have been rising despite the fact that the Pisans seem to still be receiving regular shipments at the port.  With a bit of digging, you've discovered a possible reason for this – the Pope may be intending to re-establish the Roman Mint.

Rome was the location of the Papal Curia's chief mint, overseen by the Papal Prefect, but when the Prefect was forced out by the Romans in the revolution of 1144 the mint was looted and ruined.  When he led the Commune, Patrician Pierleone spoke of his intent to re-open the mint and coin new Senatorial deniers, but the constant fighting against the Curia and Tivoli made the regular import of silver into Rome impossible.

Minting is an incredibly profitable business, and it's not surprising the Pope would seek to re-establish the mint as soon as possible.  A silver coin is typically not 100% silver, but is traded as such, and the difference is pocketed by the ruler (this is known as seignorage).  More relevant to your situation, however, is that the maker of the coins is also given a cut of the silver (this fee is called brassage).  The Pope, after all, needs someone to actually make the coins, and goldsmiths are the logical choice.  If indeed the Pope intends to start minting coins in Rome once more, the person who gets the contract to actually do the minting will be a wealthy man indeed.

You're not certain if your competitors have heard this rumor or not.  You could be ahead of the game – or, for all you know, the contract has already been awarded in secret.  Perhaps the rumor is not true at all and the silver is intended for some other inscrutable purpose.  Still, it is possible that a great opportunity is waiting for you, if you can only figure out how to seize it...

You have saved 4 WP this turn.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Roberto Basile]Fishing
You have continued to encourage new settlement near Gregoriopolis and acquire new equipment for the labor.  The Roman Fever has struck once again at Gregoriopolis, causing some death, but this summer's outbreak seems to have been harder on the Germans up north than the Gregoriopolitans.

Summer was the high season of saltmaking, and with new labor a record number of evaporation pans were dug.  A great deal of salt is needed – it takes nearly a bushel of salt to preserve a hundred pounds of mullet.  Once salted, the fish are hung on stakes in the open air to dry, and then packed into barrels – at least, if there were any barrels around.  The fishermen clamor for charcoal-makers, carpenters, blacksmiths, and especially coopers, complaining that such tradesmen, while common in Rome, are nonexistent in Gregoriopolis.  It has occurred to you that barrel-making might also go some way towards solving the problem of water, for you have been unable so far to locate a source of fresh water nearby; an aqueduct once ran to ancient Ostia, but it is in a state of near-complete ruin now.  Providing the fishermen with waterskins only goes so far in the scorching Latin summers.

Thy Son
Ricardo has informed you that he has indeed been considering the matter of his marriage; in particular, there are a few daughters of Roman equites available.  Such men could certainly afford to pay a large and honorable dowry, though there is the open question of how willing they would be to pay that dowry to the son of Roberto Basile, who is after all a less than popular figure among the equites.  There is also, potentially, the question of the Church; after all, the Senate has just agreed to give the Church sole jurisdiction in legal matters of marriage and inheritance.  Ricardo worries that church officials opposed to the Senate might interfere with a marriage that would transfer a large dowry, particularly if it comes in the form of land, to the Basile family.

He welcomes your offer of assistance in this matter, either in negotiating a deal with one of these prominent merchants or in finding another bride who would prove an asset to the family.

You have invested 2 WP and spent 2 WP this turn.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Fortis Calafatus]Land
Fortunately for you, your fellow Consul has informed you that the process of compensating newly returned nobles for their property is a bureaucratic nightmare that is unlikely to be resolved for some time.  The confusion should, at the very least, afford you a few months before any serious claims can be levied against you.

You have had difficulty finding new land to acquire, particularly since the return of the exiled nobles from elsewhere in Latium.  One discovery you have made is that, in fact, there is a relatively new tower-house near the territory you are leasing from the Tusculani.  From what you gather from the local peasants, it's called Tor Tre Teste (Tower of Three Heads) and it belongs to the Lateran Basilica, probably intended for some Papal vicarius (a lay administrator of church lands), but it's wholly unoccupied, as is a modest amount of wooded land around it.  You're not certain if the Church even knows about it at this point, though they might eventually find out...

Caetani
Crescenzio Caetani, Lord of Ardea, has accepted your invitation, and has arrived in Rome with a dozen retainers, as well as his daughter Caetana. (See letter to be posted later.)

Fine
The Papal Chamberlain, Boso Breakspeare, thanked you for your willingness to promptly pay the Pope's fine, but told you to keep the money until the autumn.  In August, when word spread of the Pope's summons to the expeditio, you realized why – the Chamberlain must have known of the Pope's intention to waive the fine for any noble who joined the Papal army in person.  You can, of course, take him up on the offer... or you may prefer to pay the [2WP] fine, plus the [1WP] fine for declining the summons.

Popularity
Though certainly much of what happened in June was beyond your control, your standing amongst the people has been damaged by the death of Roman citizens at Hadrian's Bridge.  You have lost 1 Popularity.

You have spent 1 WP and saved 7 WP.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Vittorio Manzinni]Slum Lord
You have been able to acquire some new renters from buying out people desperate for money after the failure of the spring pilgrimage, though such investments are not exactly hugely profitable.  You were unable to invest more than 2WP in this endeavor this season, mostly in Pontis; the Fish market, remarkably, is not doing too badly – apparently a significant number of fisherman have left the city for Gregoriopolis, where you have heard that Senator Basile has been building up a local fishing industry.

Grain
The grain ships have been sent to Spain, with letters of introduction to some of DeRosa's old acquaintances.  You won't hear back from them until next season.

[Notes: As Manzinni is not a nobleman, he is not required to pay the 2 WP fine levied by the Pope.  Additionally, as Romolo Vanetti's player did not post orders this turn, I did not effect your orders regarding goldsmithing; hopefully he'll be back soon and you can try that again.]

You have spent 2 WP and invested 2 WP this season.[/spoiler]

[ooc=Update]Maps and correspondence to follow shortly.  Let me know if any orders are missing or if finances are out of order.[/ooc]