The Campaign Builder's Guild

[ic=Before the Senate]I understand each of your concerns, Senators, and I hold some among them as well. The solution I have proposed is that I think most suited to this situation, and I am grateful for the support the Senate has shown. I find myself in agreement that Consul de Morroccho should remain in Rome - though under other circumstance his presence would serve us well. To that affect I have sent a message to the Patrician, and he has agreed that his heir Cencio shall accompany the delegation to Anagni. Know that I am aware, Senators, that the young Signore Pierleone has only recently been introduced to the Romans. If our noble equites should find this representation insufficient I propose that they then nominate an additional delegate. I will caution, Senator Sismondii, that the entirety of the Lesser Council should not embark upon this journey lest Rome be divested of its leadership. However, if the expression of your patriotism cannot thus be stilled, I will not refuse you.[/ic]

[ic=A Message to Giordano Pierleone]Patrician,

Cencio's presence will send message regardless, I think, for it shall plainly show the Curia that the Romans stand together. I permit our noble equites to name an additional delegate, should they be dissatisfied with your nephew alone. I will be glad to have him in Anagni, and you are of course welcome to send a retinue of your own men.

Consul Roberto Basile[/ic]

[ic=A Message to Heribert of Acqui]Legatus,

Know that the Senate is grateful for your support, and the support of the Empire. His Holiness must find his rest in Rome, and I am heartened by your agreement. We shall not hesitate to call upon you or the Imperial Marshal should the need arise. As Consul, I will extend an invitation to your person - should it be your desire - to ride in company with the Romans, that you might convey the sentiment and condolences of His Imperial Majesty. It of course may be that the Empire at this very moment already possesses representation among the Curia, and you must forgive my ignorance if that is indeed the case. Know that you are welcome to avail yourself of our escort regardless, should you now have business in Anagni.

Consul Roberto Basile[/ic]

Quote from: Nomadic

Quote from: Polycarp
[spoiler=By the way]

Quote from: Light Dragon on January 24th, 2012
Sadly these games seem to peter out rather fast. I hope to enjoy it while it lasts :)

:P
[/spoiler]

I'm glad to see that it is still continuing; it is the only forum game here that has done so (surviving even a 4-6 month hiatus somewhere in-between). :)

Quotethe situation that Rome finds itself in in our game is different than the situation it was in at this time in reality.  A lot has changed in Rome in the seven game years (and almost two and a half real years!) that we've been playing, and we're at a point in the game where a number of decisions taken by the player characters in the past few years are going to have more serious and visible repercussions in the wider world around them.

Having skimmed some history of the time, I think I know some of the differences, but- if you can share without spoiling plot points- what are some of the major differences that you see?

-I know that Arnold has survived a bit longer in our world. (d. 1155) in the real world.
-Of course, De Vinti, Sissmondi, and Basile's land investments are new... although DeVinti and Basile's may have had equivalents-rich landowners from Rome briefly exerting influence over territory, bringing it into Rome's sphere.
-Sissmondi's ceremonial Roman games (of 1156?) never really happened.

Quotefinally implemented ship rules,

Yay!

[ic=To Consul Basile]
Your words of caution are wise and I will agree to stay if none of the other Lesser Council members can be spared to remain. However, I would like to once again point out that my position as vicar may be of some use influence wise as it is a title the curia will recognize. If it is at all possible for myself to join your company I would greatly desire to do so.
[/ic]

[ooc=Due Date]If you have any speeches, orders, or letters still to post, please do so by the end of the day on May 30th.  If there's anything you've posted that you'd like a response to that I haven't gotten around to addressing, please let me know.[/ooc]

Quote from: Light DragonHaving skimmed some history of the time, I think I know some of the differences, but- if you can share without spoiling plot points- what are some of the major differences that you see?

-I know that Arnold has survived a bit longer in our world. (d. 1155) in the real world.
-Of course, De Vinti, Sissmondi, and Basile's land investments are new... although DeVinti and Basile's may have had equivalents-rich landowners from Rome briefly exerting influence over territory, bringing it into Rome's sphere.
-Sissmondi's ceremonial Roman games (of 1156?) never really happened.

Off the top of my head...

• In general, the "game republic" has been less belligerent than the "IRL republic," which seems to have spent a lot of its time antagonizing its neighbors; the players here have been relatively more cautious and diplomatic.
• The "Faliscan League" is a wholly fictional entity created in part as a result of the sack of Tivoli in our game (while Tivoli was destroyed by the Romans IRL, it was not destroyed at the time it was in our game; in fact, Tivoli was sacked around 1147 while the Commune was probably still under Pierleoni, before the start of our game, so in our game the Romans have actually thrashed that city twice).
• While Rieti was presumably friendly to Rome after the Romans helped rebuild it, there's no evidence of a real "alliance" between them IRL, nor is there any record of Rome and Perugia being aligned at all.
• Rome never, to my knowledge, exerted any kind of control or influence over Gregoriopolis, and Pisa never felt any need to try and acquire it or post a garrison there (though Pisa did extract marble from the ruins of Ostia IRL).  Certainly Gregoriopolis was never granted to the Senate by anyone, either the Pope or the emperor.
• Nettuno was a non-entity throughout this whole period, and in fact the harbor of Antium/Anzio was not actually restored IRL until the 17th century.
• The real commune preserved elections, at least for a time (they have been done away with in our game, for now), though the number of senators tended to vary widely, occasionally being reduced down to one "Senator" who was effectively the podesta of the city.
• The actual Greek invasion of Sicily was a total failure, and Alexios Axouch IRL was only successful in getting a status quo ante bellum peace treaty out of the Normans; the Greeks did not actually retain any territory in Italy and after 1158 no Greek soldiers set foot in Italy ever again.

[ic=Privately to Barzalomeus de Morroccho]Consul, I will be departing with Consul Basile to Anagni and will not bring my palatinii with me. Therefore, I will make them available to you. They are well trained, as you might know, and are used to patrolling the streets of Rome. I will again resume their command when I return. You may use them for whatever purpose you deem necessary.[/ic]

Thank you for the run-down of historical changes

[ooc=Orders]
Unless nobody else in the lesser council is staying behind to watch over Rome Sismondii will travel with Basile to offer his support for burying the Pope in Rome.
[/ooc]

[ooc=Orders]Stay in Rome. [/ooc]

Borsarius! Let's throw a debauched party whilst everyone else is away... oh wait... You're not into that :(... how about you de Morroccho, time to get away from that wife who always seems to be nagging you- I mean she's always talking with you during the Senate's breaks, surely you want to get away from her and party hard- what's that, no? :( Well then, I guess I'll just have to throw a party by myself... with all my illegitimate children and mistresses and nephews and nieces.

Vittorio Manzinni - Forever Alone-ish.

:)

Haha, Manzinni, Party Animal until he dies.

[ic=Quo Vadit?]Either agreeing with or caving to the demands of the crowd gathered outside their door, the Roman Senate voted in support of sending the Consul of the Exterior, Roberto Basile, to Anagni to deliver the city's demands.  He was joined by senatores consiliarii Arrigus Sismondii and Hugo de Vinti, as well as Cencio Pierleoni, nephew of the Patrician Giordano Pierleoni, and Heribert, Provost of Acqui, the co-leader of the imperial legation to Rome.  Satisfied by the assurances of the consuls and others that the Pope would be with them shortly, the crowd soon became less belligerent, and eventually dispersed with nightfall.

With a force of around 50 volunteer equites, masnada, and Pierleonist retainers, the consular delegation traveled quickly down the Via Praenestina through Palestrina.  Not long after passing Castrum Lateranensis (a Papal stronghold), however, the party was met by a half dozen riders claiming to be vassals of Trasimund dei Conti, Count of Segni and Lord of Anagni.  The horsemen demanded that the armed party proceed no further as they had received no permission to pass with such a force through the territory of their lord, though they offered to take the lead delegates – without their escort – on to Anagni.

The Consul pled Roman Law on the freedom of the roads, which initially made little impression on the (doubtlessly unlettered) knights.  Yet the argument was then taken up by Provost Heribert, who, displaying the Imperial Seal, thundered that the roads constituted the imperial regalia and asked if it was the intent of the Count of Segni to usurp the sovereign rights of the emperor.  This was a statement the knights were not prepared to make on behalf of their absent liege, and reluctantly they agreed to the consul's proposal to escort the party to Anagni.  The knights found frequent reasons to slow the progress of the delegation, offering to scout the road ahead or demanding a pause to await reinforcements, but the Romans continued blithely on, and after the crossing over the Sacco River the "escorts" made no further attempts at delay.

The Anagnini similarly refused to allow the Roman knights to enter their city.  Within minutes, however, a messenger arrived before the senators, who told them to ride for another gate, and the Romans found this one thrown open to them.  It was soon clear that, despite the misgivings of many in Anagni and the Curia itself about the Romans, they had at least one ally therein – the Cardinal-Priest of Santa Cecilia.

Cardinal Ottaviano dei Crescenzi Ottaviani di Monticelli (or "Cardinal Octavian") is himself a Roman, a member of the once-distinguished Crescentii family that had been the arch-rivals of the Tusculani before being cast down to relative obscurity in the past century.  The Romans soon discovered that the Cardinal had been pressuring the Curia to relocate to Rome for the burial and election as soon as the Pope had died, and the timely arrival of the delegation greatly strengthened his hand.  Crescentii retainers escorted the party directly to the Papal Palace, stabling Roman equites in the courtyard outside in plain view of the Curia.  The Curia refused to meet directly with the Roman delegates or the Provost, but the consul submitted his "requests" to an attending priest.  When someone finally emerged from the palace, he came bearing word that the Curia, after great deliberation, had determined that a burial in Rome was God's will.

The Romans found themselves conscripted into the escort of the Curia and the body of the late Pope Adrian, who was said to have died of quinsy, an inflammation of the tonsils.  Also attending the Curia, along with their armsmen, were Signore Gregorio Corsi, one of the exiled nobles who had returned to Rome after the papal treaty; Signore Pietro di Vico, lord of Vico and the last prefect of Rome before the creation of the Commune; and Count Trasimund dei Conti.  The procession stopped at the Abbey of Grottaferrata just a few miles from Rome, and was joined there by Signore Oddone Colonna, Counts of Tusculum Gionata and Raino, and heads of the Savelli, Annibaldi, Orsini, Crescentii, and other noble families.  Arriving subsequently was a force of four hundred horse with Signore Oddone Frangipani and Signore Antonio Demetri della Suburra, Prefect of Rome.

The Curia announced its intent to have the Pope interred at the Basilica of Saint Peter, otherwise known as the Vatican Basilica, within the Leonine City.  Prefect Antonio was ordered to prepare the city for their arrival, but this was a farce from the start; nobody believed the prefect had any real power in the city.  To negotiate directly with the Senate, however, would be to snub their own lawful prefect.  The deadlock was broken by Cencio Pierleoni, who – noting his uncle's position as Patrician and caretaker of the Leonine City – offered to negotiate with the Curia directly on his uncle's behalf.  This was protested by the Frangipani, but their position was weak; even with the prefect installed in Rome, the Leonine City would still be firmly in Pierleonist hands, and any discussion of a burial at Saint Peter's Basilica would require Pierleoni cooperation.

Cencio Pierleoni, then, found himself before the Senate, requesting on behalf of the Patrician that the senate prepare a route through the city and see that no disorder breaks out during the procession.  The Senate now debates how exactly it is to perform this duty.  A few issues loom large:

• Should the procession go through the heart of Rome, or approach the Leonine City via Trastevere?  Avoiding the densely populated center of Rome in the Campus Martius seems the safest thing to do.  Southern Rome is sparsely populated and Trastevere is a fairly quiet district.  The crowds that roared for the Senate to bring the Pope to Rome, however, might react poorly to the news that the Pope had circumvented them entirely and denied most Romans any chance to see the funeral procession of the Vicar of Christ.
• Should the Senate and/or the Militia have a presence in the Leonine City?  Although Patrician Pierleoni has been formally reconciled with the Senate, he is still absolute master of the Leonine City and its fortifications, and no senatorial troops have been stationed there since his reinstatement as Patrician.  Many senators, even those who are usually favorable to the Pierleoni, question the wisdom of allowing the Patrician complete control over the proceedings with no Roman presence.  If the Curia is safely over the river and behind the Leonine Wall without any senatorial force within, they seem unlikely to feel particularly intimidated by Roman mobs or Roman might, which is precisely what many senators hope will sway the Curia to elect someone favorable to the city.  Yet trying to force the Patrician to open his little city to the militia might cause a breach with one of Rome's few noble allies.
• What number of armed men should be allowed to enter the city?  When Pope Eugene was buried the foreign knights amounted to no more than 50, but the Frangipani alone have 400 mounted men mustered at Grottaferrata.  All told the number of armsmen under noble banners at the abbey may be nearly twice that number.  The Senate is extremely reluctant to let all these knights into the city.  It is difficult to imagine Patrician Pierleoni allowing 400 Frangipani knights through his gates, and there is also concern that the whole arrangement may break down when the Frangipani insist on entering and the Pierleoni refuse them.
• There are also whispers among the senators as to whether the city should, in some less-than-overt fashion, support a particular candidate.  Cardinal Ottaviano is a popular choice – he is Roman, the presumed leader of the pro-imperial faction of the Curia, and his family has a deep grudge against the Tusculani.  The most prominent alternative, Cardinal Rolando Bandinelli, the Papal Chancellor, is a native of Siena, the presumed leader of the anti-imperial "Sicilian" faction, and the very man whom the Imperial Marshal (now resident in Rome) is said to have drawn his sword upon when he "insulted the imperial dignity" while serving as a Papal legate.  Rolando has little support in the Roman Senate, but his "Sicilian" party is believed to be the stronger one within the Curia itself.  How the Senate would support a candidate without damaging relations with the Curia or causing it to abandon Rome as too partisan a venue, however, is unclear.  Many wonder whether individual senators, noblemen, or other prominent Romans may seek to "support" one candidate or another in their own way, even if the Senate proclaims its neutrality.

It is now afternoon on the 5th of September.  The Curia hopes to conduct the procession as soon as possible, preferably tomorrow morning, and begin the conclave to elect Adrian's successor on the same day.[/ic]

This event is intended chiefly for senate discussion of the issues at hand and corresponding OOC orders, but any IC statements/letters and OOC orders which can be accomplished within the time frame are acceptable.

[ooc=Due Date]All speeches, letters, orders etc. for Event 2 must be submitted by the end of the day on Saturday, June 7th.  Please let me know if you need additional time.[/ooc]

[ooc]Obviously, Barzalomeus is having trouble keeping up with all of this intrigue, so he has summoned Transmarina to advise him. She sits outside of the senate chambers with a small complement of masnada, writing letters.[/ooc]

[ic=Before the Senate]
My fellow Senators, truly God would only have men of great patience hold positions such as ours, for He sends us test after test with which to prove ourselves to Him and to the Commune.

We have set before us three matters of potentially-grave importance. The first that I shall speak upon: the path that the funeral possession shall take to the Leonine City. I for one will not abide the thought of the popolo, the lifeblood of our fair city, the opportunity to see His Holiness one final time before he is laid to rest. As a Consul of Rome, I will not spit in the faces of the faithful men and women who came to the steps of the Senate and beseeched us to bring the Holy Father's body to Rome for proper burial! I will not spit in the faces of the pious and the mourning to assuage the paranoia of Cardinals who would not have brought the Holy Father's body to us if we had not gone to Anagni to retrieve it ourselves! If you call yourselves servants of the Commune and men of God, do not deprive the faithful of the opportunity that is rightfully theirs! The procession must go through the heart of the city!
[/ic]

[ic=Before the Senate]While our newly ordained Consul's enthusiasm for the popolo is certainly worthy of admiration and emulation, I do question whether he, or his...advisors... have any suggestions as to how to keep Arnold and his agitators at bay, especially with a crowd as hungry, physically and spiritually, as our brethren in the streets? Surely we should not simply hope the anti-papists will ignore this golden opportunity to insult or seize the procession.[/ic]

[ic=Before the Senate]
I understand the concerns of my fellow Senator and I am glad that he has voiced them, for it brings us to the second issue at hand: the presence of the Frangipani knights. It is not my wish to provoke a quarrel by denying them their right to participate in the procession, but neither do I have any desire to see eight hundred armed men marching through the streets of the city whose peace you have entrusted me with, especially with the tempers of the popolo such as they are. It is my opinion that they be allowed to march in the procession, but only on the condition that they do so without arms or armor; let it instead be the pedites and palatini who truly protect the body of the Holy Father as he is carried to his final resting place. And as for the agitators, if you do not think the Militia enough to dissuade them, then perhaps masnada spread throughout the crowd could shadow the procession as it moves towards the Basilica and subdue any would-be troublemakers before they are able to disrupt the proceedings. Who among you will contribute their own men-at-arms to such an undertaking?
[/ic]

[ic=Before the Senate]It will not do to have the procession pass through Trastevere. We have deployed the strongest voices to persuade the Curia that the late pope should be buried in Rome, but we must not now become lazy -thinking we have achieved our goal- and instead press the relevant authorities -be that the Curia or the Pierleonii- for an important Roman presence throughout this affair. The Pierleoni might even share the goals of this Senate concerning the election of the next pope and therefore allow us more visibility within the Leonine City than he normally would.

My palatinii, of course, will help ensure that the procession goes smoothly and that order is kept within the city.[/ic]