The Republic Reborn

[Magnus Pym]

No problem, anyways Guild wars 2 is coming out tomorrow, I'll be busy! :P

[Nomadic]

Pym you still need to respond to the prefect's request. Just reminding you.

[Magnus Pym]

I believe things went so that I don't actually have to. But I'll cook something after I'm done eating.

[Magnus Pym]

[ic=Letter to Boso Breakespeare]Dear Chamberlain,
Indeed, you are correct in that both the good senator Sismondii and signore Niccolo Capocci have been supporting me in my endeavor to put back Labarum's fields to productivity. However, you are mistaken on some points. Please let me clarify.

I have never robbed the poor, nor have I used force against passive men. In fact, when men loyal to me went to take care of the fields when the peasants fled, they have been welcomed with foul words and swords! Thanks to signore Capocci, they are alive and safe. It is he who defended these good Romans and senator Sismondii who offered them shelter when they had dire need of it.

And, it would be false to assume that the Senate is backing this case. The Senate, in fact, never knew until the recent raids. Senator Sismondii is only active in this matter because I asked him to shelter my men who the barons have so savagely chased from these abandoned lands.

There is no breach of the treaty, for I acted as a private citizen. As did signore Capocci and senator Sismondii.

In Good Faith,
Hugo De Vinti, Consul of the Interior[/ic]
[ic=Letter to Senator Sismondii]Senator Sismondii,
I replied to the Chamberlain, and I believe you wish to know what you should tell him about this Labarum Case?
I simply told him that I asked if you could shelter the good Romans that were chased away by the savage barons, and that you accepted to offer help. All this, of course, is our private initiative, and the Senate has never heard of this until the recent raids and still has not ushered a word about this on the Floor.
If you wonder what to tell of the good signore Capocci, just tell him that, as one who defended our compatriots, he was deserving of your hospitality. In case you want to minize your involvement, just say that this was another favor I asked you.

Yours truly,
Consul Hugo De Vinti[/ic]

[Llum]

[ooc=Orders]
-Stay with the Papal forces, try and secure some victories
-Talk to any allied Greeks around to try and get some info on their siege weapons.
-Keep my 150 Heavy armored honor guard and my 100 light mercenaries
[/ooc]

[LD]

[ooc]
I think I forgot to do my orders, so in that case:

1 wp to my forces.
1 wp to maintenance and upgrade of the pilgrim housing (and/or additional land purchases if they come available)
2 wp save.

-Research what sort of trade Rome has been doing with Gregoriopolis; who is sending the money there, is it senate approved, etc? (Manzinni probably knows that Da Vinti and Basile have been doing some work there, but he isn't officially in the loop there-essentially he's curious based on the statement from Acilia.)
-Spring order: Present the holy catalogue of the holy places to the Pope in as obstensible a manner as possible. I suppose I have to go through a papal nuncio or cardinal but Manzinni wants to mention that while the pope was away, he took the liberty of cataloguing the relics and their locations so that the Church may better protect its holy relics and to guide pilgrims to the locations. He wants the pope to know that as holy week approaches, this is his gift to the Pope and the whole church.

-Figure out what I know in general knowledge regarding the raids and counterraids that have been going on that may or may not involve Consul DaVinti and the newly-given-shelter-to nobleman (Capocci).[/ooc]

[LD]

[ic=To Master Girardo di Meda]
Rome and I are grateful for your return and those of the Templars. It has been my honor to serve you and your interests as you serve the Faith.

Rome, which has been sacked before by barbarians and heathens especially welcomes your presence. If I may so deign to ask, what are your immediate and intermediate plans for your forces? Will you be recruiting to set voyage for the Holy Land, or do you have immediate plans in this fair city? If you do have some immediate plans, either I or the best men of my masnada would be glad to give you aid or advice in your endeavours.
[/ic]

[ooc]In Acilia, what do they have to offer Rome?[/ooc]

[Nomadic]

[ic=Letter to Boso Breakspeare]
It has been my understanding chamberlain that certain nobles have risked the peace of the lands around Rome in unprovoked attacks against Hugo De Vinti's lands and those men under his charge within those lands. I have acted in this most sorry affair solely seeking to protect a friend against unwarranted aggression by over-eager nobles. I have wished to limit the bloodshed and indeed have limited myself to providing a safe haven and nothing more for my friend and for those who have sought to join in his defense. While I cannot speak to claims of pillaging and looting beyond my own lands from what I have seen Signore Capocci has spent much time merely holding the bridge below my lands against the predations of those that would seek to sow discord so near to Rome.

Considering the fact that it was these nobles who initiated the hostilities and that it is them who seem to be bringing violence to the fields of Rome I find their claims that Capocci is a brigand to be highly suspect. It disturbs me deeply that they also seem eager to twist truth into lies and that they would dare present such things as truths to the church, in hopes perhaps of sowing chaos for their own gain and to the expense of the church and her holy city. It is my desire that truth shall shine through in this and that they will show willingness to cease this senseless fighting and allow the people they have driven from Laberum to return safely.

If they would simply agree to cease this conflict peacefully and allow Senator de Vinti and those under his protection to return to their lands there would no longer be any need for Capocci's swords or my stone walls in this affair. Certainly one would hope that as Christian men the nobles attacking de Vinti would be as eager as I to end this bloodshed.

In hopes of a peaceful resolution,
Arrigus Sismondii
[/ic]

[ooc=Orders]
- Make sure we get a senate vote and a final resolution of the codification of senatory laws and that said laws are recorded and made official upon resolution. Try to split it into two votes, one on the matter of consular rights and limitations and the other on how new senators will be elected. In order to calm the fears of the equites offer an amendment to the proposal wherein a minimum of ten senate seats must be held by an equites (in order to insure proper representation for the group which provides so much to the security and economic growth of Rome).
- Not sure what kind of control Calafatus has over his treasury while he's away so I will set aside [2 wp] as rent payment to him and inform the men overseeing his estates that I have the payment available for collection upon confirmation by their master.
- Save [1 wp]
- Send a man to Civitavecchia's Pisan Quarter to negotiate for a contract with the Pisans to supply regular shipments of alum from Egypt through the port in Civitavecchia. Permit him to spend up to [1 wp] to bribe, cajole, or otherwise persuade the Pisans on this matter. Hint that I plan to greatly expand the local wool trade and that there is much potential profit to be had for those who get into the Roman market early while it's still being built up.
[/ooc]

[Polycarp]

Gah.  Sorry about these delays, it's madness right now.  Here is something to tide you over; I will try to answer everything else before the end of this Labor Day weekend.

[ic=On the Floor]The proposal for the Senate to become hereditary was met with a wave of condemnation from much of the body.  Outspoken senators of the popolo grasso railed against the suggestion, offended by the association with Rome's nobility – who, aside from the small minority that make up the noble equites, have been enemies of the Senate since 1144.  One speaker suggested that such a policy could lead to "outsiders" gaining seats through marriage, or even inviting Papal interference – after all, the Church claims the ultimate authority over marriage and inheritance law.  Presumably the equites were supportive, but they made no indication of it, apparently possessing the good sense not to throw themselves into what was clearly a losing battle.

The Senate was more evenly divided on the matter of selecting a replacement.  This time, the equites met the proposal with cautious approval.  They were countered by some of the middle-class members, who charged that allowing senators to select their own replacements would lead to corruption and the fracture of the government – one senator asked sarcastically if he could soon sell the succession to his senate seat to Oddone Frangipani for fifty pounds of silver and a prize mule (which elicited much raucus laughter).  The Arnoldists were more neutral in their response; clearly, some were troubled by the threat of corruption, but they seemed to find the option more favorable to their cause than popular elections.

Though the equites did not openly support Senator Manzinni's suggestion that they should be the gatekeepers of the Senate, able to choose new Senators, they did put forward a proposal that they should at least be able to approve new members – as they put it, the Ordo Equester is the Commune's noble guard, the chief protectors of the liberty of citizens, and surely the approval of new members of the Senate should fall within their purview, if it should be given to anyone.  The Arnoldists, as expected, accused them of trying to subvert the Senate.

There is no serious opposition to the reforms regarding Consular veto.  A few staunch supporters of the Consuls complained about infringements on consular authority, but with the Consuls themselves supporting the idea, this opposition quickly withered.  A vote of acclimation to the veto proposal would almost certainly succeed, were it divorced from the more contentious matter of the replacement of senators.[/ic]

for polycarp a question- so we are going to decide policy based on the In-Character votes?

The Senate will tend to go in whatever way the Consiliarii go, though some members will still vote against policies they oppose strongly.  If the Consiliarii are united, they are very likely to get their way; if they are not united, it is possible the vote might swing against them if what they propose is deeply unpopular.  

[Polycarp]

[ic=To Consul de Vinti]Consul,

Firstly, no accusation has made against you in the matter of attacking peasants, but rather for supporting and assisting Signore Capocci, who according to the testimony of a number of local noblemen has committed violent acts against persons and property without provocation.  You, Consul, are equally entitled to the defense of your property as is any man, but I hasten to remind you that you are no vassal of His Holiness and thus you hold no land as a fief of the Church; unless you are claiming a fiefdom of the Emperor or have allodial rights we are somehow unaware of, the fields you have taken the initiative to "take care of" are not yours, and it is imperative that they be returned to those whom they belong to legitimately.  I have no objections to the creation of greater prosperity in the patrimonium but clearly your desire to achieve it and the means you have pursued have led to some unintended and unfortunate consequences.

I cannot fully implement a solution to this matter until the return of the Curia from Benevento; however, until the return of His Holiness and the Curial court, I have come to the following conclusions:

• The actions of all men against the peasants of Labarum must cease, and all common people living in this area must be allowed to return to their homes and their labors without interference.
• To prevent further violence, I am appointing my clerk, Cencio of the family of Pierleoni, to serve as vicarius of Labarum and its lands, to hold off the claims of any party until the Curia can return and pass judgment on this matter.
• Signore Capocci shall not suffer any censure at present, but is prohibited from further attacks against vassals of His Holiness.

On a final note, Consul, though I have tried to extend the benefit of the doubt to you, I find it very difficult to believe that the Consul may involve himself in a conflict of arms within sight of the walls of Rome, along with a fellow Senator, and yet it has nothing to do with the Senate of which he is for all intents and purposes the leader.  It appears to me to be an insult to the intelligence of reasonable men, and I warn you that even if you speak only truth you may still drag your office through the mud by your unwise associations.  Take care not to tarnish the name of your Senate on the flimsy distinction you have made.

Boso Breakspeare, Papal Chamberlain[/ic]

[ic=To Senator Manzinni]Senator,

The forces under my immediate command are few, for I retain only those Sergeants needed to protect the preceptories and lands of the Order here in Italy; our knights are needed in the Holy Land.  My intent here is to re-establish this important seat of the Order, to secure and expand the revenues of the Order within Italy, to seek new recruits among those noblemen and soldiers who visit the city of Rome on pilgrimage, and to gain greater commitments of lands and money from the noble families of Rome and Italy in general.  I have served long in the Holy Land, and by the decree of the Grand Master my place is now here, to see that our brave and virtuous Knights in the east are not forgotten by the faithful and furnished with the money, ships, supplies, and men required by God to protect God's grave from the blasphemous followers of Satan.

If there are noblemen in your knowledge who would be receptive to making a bequest to our order, or whose sons may be interested in serving as the greatest and most blessed of God's holy warriors, I would welcome their acquaintance.

Master Girardo di Meda[/ic]

I have an order for Spring, but it's too early to state that one right? I have something I want to do before holy week.

Correct - this is the Winter turn.  Next turn will be the beginning of Spring, before Holy Week.

In Acilia, what do they have to offer Rome?

Acilia is a farming village; they do a little fishing too.  There is nothing particularly important or interesting about it, save perhaps that it lies on the road between Rome and Gregoriopolis/Ostia.  There's a Papal palazzo nearby but it hasn't been in use for a few generations and is probably in pretty bad shape.

[ooc=Schedule]Because some business is only getting finished up now, I will allow further editing of orders through Monday.  After that, orders will be closed and I will try to turn out an update this coming week.  Thanks![/ooc]

[LD]

[ic=To Arrigus]
If we have the votes, which I doubt we do although the poplo grasso of the senate appear to object to hereditariment seats in the Senate, I would more strongly propose my original idea and I would vote for it were it to arise- that the titles are not hereditary.

If we do not have the votes, then I will continue to promote my solution of willed seats.

To acquire the votes, we would need to convince either Da vinti, Calafactus, or Basile to come to the side of opposition of hereditariaments. I do not believe Basile or Calafactus will bend, but it is possible that Da Vinti might if you are willing to exercise your influence over him. Personally, I am pleased with my compromise solution, but if the people are restless, it can be most politically expeditious to be seen as being on their side in the coming vote- for the good of Rome's stability.
[/ic]

[ic=To diMeda]

Thank you for pleasuring me with your thoughts. It is a great pity, Master Girardo, that I do not personally know of noblemen from Rome who might be receptive to the call. I know of several of the popolo grasso who might be willing to head to the holy land and receive the Blessing of Rome, but most nobles who I know are of contemporary age with myself and the journey would be too much for their aged legs.

During the time of pilgrimage, however, I do know of several noble pilgrims from past years who would be of a temperament to heed such a call. I can arrange for introductions if they grace rome again this coming season (e.g. I figure that Manzinni will have made some contacts through the pilgrims that he has put up in his hospitality rooms in the past years).
[/ic]

[ic=To the Senate]
Acilia is on the road to rome and it appears that Acilia wishes to become a greater friend of Rome. I for one welcome Acilian fishmarket traders in Rome and wish them to feel welcome to ply their goods in Rome. If Romans purchase the goods, all the better. If romans do not purchase the goods then at least we have opened our hearts to our friends and given them an opportunity that cannot be had in their small towns.
(Does Rome have an area set up for out of town people to sell goods? Essentially, just speak of how Rome can expand its influence by allowing surrounding villagers to sell their wears in the Roman city in a formal fashion if in return, they allow roman traders to sell their wears in their cities and they either permit Rome to invest in their lands or they pay Rome tribute).

Now, if the outsiders are successful, this will mean that our locals may sell less of their products--I therefore encourage our merchants to buy more from locals and to trade these far and wide in allied towns, building markets. This policy should increase Rome's wealth-not deplete it. If after two years, it has made our merchants and our workers poorer, then I would say revoke it- but I say this project will increase rome's wealth, its prestige, as it was great in the old day- so is Rome great today!

[/ic]

[TheMeanestGuest]

I am still owed at least one letter, I believe.

[Polycarp]

You have not received responses from sindaco Rodolfo or "a concerned citizen."  You may hear back from them in the update or at a later point, but the lack of response at this moment is intentional.

[Magnus Pym]

[ic=Letter to Boso Breakspeare]Chamberlain,
I am aware that you were not explicitly accusing me of violence against persons or properties, but you are accusing the good signore Capocci of such deeds. As I stated previously, Capocci only defended the unarmed people and fields against the aggressive barons who claim these lands as theirs. So it was not an unprovoked aggression. It was defense.

However I hear your plea for all violence to cease and for this matter to be settled peacefully and fairly. I have demanded that signore Capocci soften his usual response to the incessant aggressions of the barons until all parties come to an agreement.

Finally, I would have you know that the Senate of Rome is in no way associated with this endeavor and will never be, it is strictly a private initiative, but I will ponder on your wise advice.

In Good Faith,
Hugo De Vinti, Consul of the Interior[/ic]
[ic=Letter to Niccolo Capocci]Dear Signore Capocci,
I have a deal which I would like to propose to you. What if the entire vicarium was yours, officialy? I happen to be presented with a possibility, one in which you would have credible claim over the vicarium. Obviously, after these claims are presented to the Church, the following act would be yours to write.

However, if I were to gift you with such a thing, I need a trustworthy promise that I and senator Sismondii will be granted lands to expand our businesses when you take control of the vicarium.

On a final note, perhaps it is time that you get back here in Rome. The Chamberlain made it explicitly clear to me that you were to stop violence or he would have your skin. Even though we are aware of our honest and righteous work, he has only heard lies from those who oppose us. Let them not have more ammunitions.

Sincerely,
Hugo De Vinti[/ic]

[ooc=Note]Modifying orders due to this new scheme with Capocci (Should he accept), make sure to reread my orders.[/ooc]

[Polycarp]

[ic=To Consul de Vinti]What is it you think the Chamberlain, the Pope's glorified coin-counter, is going to do to me?  He's not a priest, let alone a bishop, and can't excommunicate anyone.  Even his beloved nephew won't get Adrian to move his arse from Benevento in the middle of winter.  What happened to the Romans who burned Tivoli beneath a Cardinal's nose and chased della Suburra out of the Lateran with a sword at his back?  Who killed Lucius when he had the temerity to try to take the Capitoline?

If pleasing this scribe is so important to you, very well - there's little enough to loot in winter anyway.  I suppose I will need somewhere to quarter my men unless Sismondii is particularly enamored with them.  As for Labarum, if you need me to "officially" take it I'll cooperate.  You can have what river-lands you like - what I want is a new castle, so I don't have to squat with Roman merchants any longer.  Whether that comes from one of the local barons or the church's own holdings makes no difference to me.

Niccolo Capocci[/ic]

N.B. - The domain of a vicarius is technically a vicariatus, though this is almost always Anglicized into vicariate and that's the form I will typically use.  The reason I don't Anglicize vicarius itself is because "vicar" is more often used to refer to a kind of Anglican priest in modern English.  The word itself comes from the same root as "vice," as in "vice president" or "vice admiral" (meaning "instead of") - vicar/vicarius has always been used to mean a representative or subordinate to someone else, in our case a layman who administers land as a representative of the Church.

That note is just for general interest, and as usual I do not care one bit how people use terms in this game as long as I can understand what they mean.  :)