The Republic Reborn

[Polycarp]

And more correctly, I believe Fortis had all the spears he needed. It was mail hauberks that he was lacking.

It was (and is) equipment in general.  I mentioned mail specifically since it is the most labor-intensive, but the point is that heavily-equipped soldiers take time to equip given Rome's limited capacity for arms manufacture.

[LD]

[ic=To Senator Basile, Privately]
I am heartened to know that you have been in conversation with the Pierleoni about a negotiated solution to the recent problems. I trust that you will handle it expertly, Roberto.

You will be gladdened to know that I have already acquired a shipment of crossbows from Sicily, anticipating demand. I regret that Rome's defense fund is already spent, but I am sure that the expenditures were for the best good of the Eternal City. My proposal, perhaps could have been worded more adroitly. It is this; if Rome is willing to purchase these crossbows at 2 wealth as an outlay, my ships would take on the risk of acquiring additional crossbows for Rome. Currently, the waves are dangerous and every ship that sets sail risks never returning. The people of Rome would not pay for a shipment that never arrives, but the people of Rome would pay a premium for a new tool that will give them expert defense.

Now, going forward, if some system of insurance for shipments of valuable goods to Rome could be established, that would be appreciated and there would be little need for upfront payment. But, I fear the popolo and the Senate may find that hard to accept--thus my proposal of upfront investment, which is more valued by the people since there is already a demonstrable product.

Given that the defense fund has already been allocated, I can wait till another season when Rome is more secure. In the mean time, I will set my artisans and several friends who are engineers to work at analyzing the tool and how they may best manufacture them in Rome in the future. If the City is not willing to offer monetary or physical protection to ships that venture far to acquire objects at great risk, then it is best that the City manufactures the objects here. Of course, the process of examination and modification will take several seasons, but at the end, the crossbows will again be available and with luck, Rome will benefit from gaining knowledge of its own on how to manufacture the devices.

You have already seen with my votes for you and with my actions in the Senate, directed at rebuilding the city, negotiations with foreign leaders, inquiries as to the strength of foreign forces, that I believe in Rome's defense. And, to better serve the defense, I have been laying groundwork for and I seek to build up a system to acquire not only these crossbows, but also other tools... tools that perhaps may be rarely found in Rome, but that may be more easily located in Afrique and other realms more distant. I have contacts abroad and investments abroad and I believe that Rome can mightily benefit from some certain opportunities that I am organizing... but it is difficult to find someone as willing to take risk as yourself when a venture is so speculative, and it is dangerous to speak publicly of a planned venture, lest Rome's enemies discover the plans and set themselves against us. When my questions in Afrique are answered, I will have more details to relate.
[/ic]

[Polycarp]

This is the last day to change orders.  If you do, please notify me by post or PM, as the update is currently in the works.  My guess is that it will not come today, but hopefully it will be done by tomorrow.

[LD]

Well then, as a quick IC that's barely in character

[ic=Suggestion to the Lesser Council]
A possible compromise on the location of the new courts that Consul Basile suggests could be that we locate the courts at the Curia and the senate at the Pantheon, or vice versa. I bring up this option for discussion. I will support what ever solution manages these tasks: 1. It is a decision that strengthens and protects Rome both long and short term; 2. Husbands Rome's resources in the most efficient manner; and 3. It is a decision that will not limit Rome's options in the long term, either by having a chamber that is too small and inadequate, or by choosing a chamber that is controversial and that Rome is not prepared to defend- if Rome is prepared to defend the choice of chamber, then I can support it-especially if use of a chamber is clearly for but a temporary time. But without a plan to assuage critics, I am concerned about utilizing certain options.[/ic]

Essentially Vittorio has less of an issue with the Lateran if it's obvious to the public that the use is only temporary. He doesn't mind if we occupy it, but he's concerned about potential political ramifications of still being there when Frederick comes.

[Polycarp]

Anno Domini MCLIII
Winter has passed into Spring…
Spring in Rome is awaited with great eagerness, for it is Holy Week leading up to Easter in which the great annual flood of pilgrims pours into the city.  While some are barefoot and penniless penitents, others are wealthy knights and burghers from all over Europe coming to marvel at the churches and relics of Rome and pay through the nose for accommodations, guides, and souvenirs.  In the fields, peasants are clearing ditches, fixing roofs damaged in winter, and planting summer crops like millet in fallow fields.  In the pastures, the sheep are shorn before the flocks return to the hills.  After Easter comes the traditional “campaign season,” lasting until late summer when the peasants are needed back on their fields for the harvest.

Business is good on Holy Week!  During this season, all non-noble Senators will gain 1 Wealth.

Our Consuls: Fortis Calafatus and Roberto Basile
Our Pope: Eugene III
Our Rage: Seething

[ooc=This Season’s Top 5 Popular Issues]
1. "The Emperor is coming!  Who will defend us?"
2. "Would the Faliscans dare interfere with the Holy Week pilgrimage?"
3. "Arnold of Brescia is a great man.  We should protect him."
4. "Pierleone must pay for this treachery!"
5. "The Senators and their courts are corrupt."[/ooc]

News from Abroad

All is quiet abroad.  Perhaps we will hear news of foreign lands when the ships sail again and pilgrims arrive from far and wide in the spring…

News of Latium

The Pope has granted the ancient fortress of Tusculum and the surrounding town to Pietro Colonna, patriarch of the Colonna family and Lord of Palestrina.  Tusculum only fell into the Pope’s hands last year, when debt forced Tolomeo II, Count of Tusculum, to sell the property.

Even in winter, the struggle in the valleys between Farfa and Rieti smolders on.  The Abbey of Farfa retains several significant fortresses in the region, however, that will make it difficult for even the toughest of mountain banditti to do much more than despoil the Abbey’s outlying territory.

News of Rome

Tensions in the city remained high through winter, but only exploded once.  In early February, the “Marcellan Riot” broke out when a mob of Romans formed on the Capitoline hill and began marching towards the Theater of Marcellus.  Fearing that the riot might damage the truce between the Senate and the Pierleoni but with no time to call the militia, Consul Basile intercepted the mob with scarcely fifty armsmen of his house and a few other Senators who he happened to get messages to.  Though heavily outnumbered by the angry mob, the Senator interposed himself and his men between the Theater and the mob.  In an admirable display of courage and acumen, he managed to talk down the crowd and disperse the mob without violence.  Though skirmishes continued in the area for several weeks, there was no major breach of the peace between the two sides.

In other news, the Curia Julia has been chosen as the Senate’s new location.  In January, its ancient bronze doors were opened to the Senate of Rome for the first time in seven centuries.  Some restoration work was funded by Senator Sismondii, though most of his investment went towards cleaning up the Forum grounds nearby, where piles of trash and rubble had made the area unsuited for anything but cattle grazing.  Though the area looks much nicer, it is hardly glorious, and there are few other buildings standing in the Forum.

In late February, representatives from Rieti and Perugia arrived in Rome.  The Reatini were led by one of their Rectors, Damianus Truffa, while the Perugini were led by Fulco Ferrante, the nephew of Camerarius Ildebrand Ferrante, the leader of the Consular government of Perugia.

The Curia Senatus, the new Senatorial justice system of the Commune, has had a rocky start.  Though the popolo grasso responded positively to the idea, a series of systemic problems need addressing.  The first is that the Commune lacks a coherent legal authority – the city previously relied on canon law, administered by ecclesiastical courts, but most Senators cannot read Latin (and a fair number cannot read anything at all) and most of them are completely unfamiliar with canon law.  The “Justinian Law” had been proposed in the Senate, but no complete copy of the Corpus Juris Civilis exists in the city.  The source of most scholarship on Roman law is in the city of Bologna, the site of Italy’s first and only “university.”

The Curia Senatus was also hampered by its location.  The Lateran was repaired and prepared for use as a courthouse, but most of Rome’s people live near the river on the Field of Mars and resented walking all the way across the city to bring cases and respond to summons.  The Senators were no more fond of the location, and many instead held court in the Curia Julia, in outdoor theaters, or even in their own estates.  This created some opportunity for abuse, with many complaining that they were prevented from meeting a summons because they couldn’t figure out where to go, or that Senator-judges had taken advantage of their “private courts” to exact unfair fines or demand payment in exchange for sympathetic rulings.  The implementation of the “justice system” led to several scuffles and riots; the so-called Jus Politia had the dubious distinction of being routed in its first attempt to bring order, chased from the river to the Colosseum by two hundred rock-throwing Romans.  The people, not very well versed in Latin, had initially called the mercenary-peacekeepers vigili (watchmen), but by the end of winter the preferred nickname had become vigliacchi (cowards).  Policing the famously unruly Roman people, it turns out, is not an easy job.

Expeditions

[spoiler=The March to the Sea]
The March to the Sea

In early December, Senator Di Fontane and two hundred recently recruited house armsmen departed from the Porta Ostiensis.  Their intent was to march down the Via Ostiensis, a Roman road running along the south bank of the Tiber that connected Rome to the port of Ostia in ancient times.  From Rome to Gregoriopolis, the route measured 15 miles over flat ground – not a difficult march.

Di Fontane first reached the Abbey of Tre Fontane.  The Abbey was built by Pope Honorius I in the 7th century and was originally Benedictine, but was transferred to the Cluniacs in the 11th century and finally to the Cistercians only twelve years ago.  The current congregation is largely from Clairvaux, France, and only a few could speak romanesco, but the head brothers made their formal submission to Rome via its Senatorial agent.
[note=Language]There was not a single “Italian” language in the 12th century.  Vulgar Latin had by this time separated into regional Romance languages, but all of Italy did not share a single language.  Today, the dialect of Rome is called “Romanesco,” which is the term I use here, but modern Romanesco is very different from the Roman language of the past.  In the medieval period, the language spoken by the people of Rome and Latium was closer to the speech of Southern Italy, particularly Neapolitan, than it was to the languages of Northern Italy.[/note]

Tre Fontane is a richly endowed abbey.  The monks practice agriculture and raise sheep in the vicinity of the abbey, but most of their wealth comes from a grant of land in Tuscany given to them by Charlemagne, whose towns and peasants they are entitled to receive tithes from (area circled in red on the map below).



The monks were extremely nervous at the entry of these armed men into their cloister, but there was no violence.  Senator De Fontane was taken to see the three springs that had welled up from the ground in the place where Saint Paul was decapitated, and prayed at the Scala Coeli (“ladder to heaven”), an altar built upon the relics of Saint Zeno, a Roman Tribune martyred in the 3rd century along with ten thousand Roman legionaries who refused to denounce Christ.

From here, the party continued to the riverside village of Malafede, home to around eighty villagers who offered no opposition to the expedition.  Shortly afterwards they reached the larger village of Acilia, a town with an actual sindaco (mayor) who received the Senator and his men generously, though nervously as well.  The Senator visited Draco, called Dragoncello by the locals, the abandoned 9th century palazzo of Pope Gregory IV by the river’s edge.  Di Fontane and his men camped there for the night, and reached Gregoriopolis in the morning.

They were graciously welcomed by the small population of Gregoriopolis, though somewhat less so by the local priests.  The sindaco showed the Senator the ruins of Ostia, as well as the marble-kilns and salt pans where the Gregoriopolitans make their living.  They requested that the Romans bring wine and cloth, for these things were in great demand in their village.  The Senator and his men stayed at Gregoriopolis on their second night, and reached Rome by the end of the third day of the expedition.

The Senator had not met with any opposition in his expedition.  The Gregoriopolitans, in particular, had been quite friendly.  Even so, these small villages did not offer “support” to Rome, maintaining that they were peaceful farmers and laborers who did not choose sides and merely paid taxes as their lords instructed them.  There was a great reticence among all the village leaders to make any statement of loyalty to Rome, obviously fearing that to do so would invite pillage and destruction at the hands of Rome’s enemies.

Word has spread of the Senator’s merciful treatment of a humbled “enemy,” especially as opposed to the continuing pillage of Farfa’s lands at the hands of the Reatini banditti.

Senator Di Fontane has gained 1 Orthodoxy.[/spoiler]

Finances

The interior Consul has provided the Senate with a report on the status of the treasury.

Treasury: 0 Wealth

• Defense Fund: 2 Wealth

Income

• Tribute, Tre Fontane: 1 Wealth/year (Paid in Autumn)

Expenditures

• Jus Politia Upkeep: 1 Wealth/year (Paid in Winter)

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=Arrigus Sismondii]Rieti
Rieti itself seems less than ideal for large-scale winemaking production.  Nestled in a mountain valley, the city’s soil is good but the local grapes did not seem very robust to your agent.  Rieti’s hillsides are mostly used for sheep grazing, while vineyards remain small and are mostly restricted to little plots around estates and churches.

On his way north, your agent did indeed find many sizable vineyards.  These, however, were on the lands of the powerful and wealthy Abbey of Farfa, on the southern slopes of the mountains that divide the Abbey’s territory from the contado of Rieti.  Though Italians of all classes drink wine, most production is concentrated in the hands of the Church, because wine is necessary to perform the Eucharist.  Even if you were to produce wine in Rieti, it would be difficult to compete with Farfa’s prosperous vineyards.

Your agent found that, even in winter, the struggle in the valleys between Farfa and Rieti is still ongoing.  He reports being roughed up and robbed by a gang of rude-looking men in sheepskin coats, probably some zafones – irregular warriors of the mountains that occasionally serve local lords and communes as mercenaries or levies.  Though these particular thieves were just working on their own, many such men are said to be acting either under encouragement or direct instruction from Rieti, and they have established control over the portion of the Via Salaria that runs just south of Rieti.

Mercenaries
Your agent in Naples has contacted several Siculo-Norman men-at-arms, mostly younger sons and nephews of Norman barons who lack much land of their own and are eager for foreign service.  Some of them are quite experienced, they simply lack means due to their status as last-born.  They are mostly cavalrymen, though they are not as well equipped as knights owing to their lower status and fortunes.

Because there are no “mercenary companies” at this time, men must be recruited individually, and this takes time.  These Norman men-at-arms could be recruited at a rate of 50 men per Wealth if you intended on campaigning with them.  These rates are for a single campaign season and assume that some plunder will be forthcoming if the campaign is successful; if they are simply used to garrison a castle or given another duty that entails no chance of plunder, they may demand more pay.

Food
Thirty thousand mouths require a great deal of food.  Rome has farms within the walls, but they are nowhere near enough to sustain the whole city.  Rome would probably be forced to surrender due to starvation in about two seasons if the siege was total and allowed no supplies to enter.  It would probably take about 4 Wealth worth of grain per season to sustain the city’s entire population on a bare minimum ration.  This figure may increase or decrease based on the time of year and the productivity of that year’s harvest.

You have spent 1 Wealth this turn.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Roberto Basile]Lateran
As related above, the use of the Lateran has not proven popular as a courthouse for very mundane reasons.  You have, however, restored it to a presentable state, and it now serves as the temporary embassy of Rieti and Perugia while their ambassadors are in Rome.  There is more than sufficient space for your armory as well, though it is somewhat distant from the usual training fields of the militia.

Your handling of the so-called Marcellan Riot was exemplary, and it has won you approval in the Senate.  Should you manage to bring this Pierleoni business to a positive conclusion, you will likely benefit from the relief and appreciation of the city magnates and wipe out any remaining doubts caused by your earlier missteps against the Papal forces in Rome.

Disaster!
Dire tidings have reached you, Consul, of your Pisan venture.  It is reported that Captain Bedello and his ship never made it to Palermo.  Whether it was a storm, Saracens, Genoese, or God punishing your sins for trading with the Moorish heretics, we may never know.  Certainly word will eventually reach you if any trace of them is found, but for now it looks as if your investment and your men have been irrevocably taken from you in a manner most cruel.

You have spent 1 Wealth from the Defense Fund this turn.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Domenica DeRosa]Chapel
Fortunately, your skilled artisans had still been in the preliminary planning stages of their works, as the chapel itself is still being constructed.  Your sculptor was still in the process of selecting the right marble.  Though annoyed by the change, he will probably not be significantly delayed by it.

Iron
How fortunate it is to have contacts abroad.  By calling in a few favors from your Genoese acquaintances, you have managed to procure a favorable opportunity for the purchase of good Basque iron if you are so inclined.  While ore is far too heavy and unprofitable to ship, and the smiths of Spain are quite busy making armor for their own warriors, a cargo of iron ingots could be arranged via a Genoese merchant house.  The discount you would receive depends on the amount you are interested in purchasing.  You will need to decide whether to take this opportunity this turn, for the sailing season will be starting soon, and if you wait until summer it will be too late.

The market for weapons and armor in the great cities of Italy is not great; common things like spearheads and shield-bosses are made locally, and expensive items like knightly hauberks and swords are bought from abroad in too small a quantity to make a middleman great profits.  Certainly there is a demand in Rome, particularly among those nobles raising their own private armies (much to the consternation of the popolo grasso), and arms or the iron to craft them could bring a profit here.

Resources
Leather is expensive and not easily acquired in mass quantities in the Roman countryside.  There are far more sheep than cattle in Latium and the latter are preferred for clothing – after all, one can make wool without killing the sheep, while the same cannot be said of leather and cattle.  Among mercenaries and militiamen of middling means, padded armor of wool or linen is preferred for its low cost.  Cotton is ideal, particularly in the hot months of summer, but that must be imported from Egypt or elsewhere and it is beyond the means of a footman.

Lumber’s availability depends on where you go in Latium.  Most of the lowlands have been cleared long ago, probably by the Romans of old; the best woods are to be found in hilly regions, though there are forests near Ardea and Nettuno to the south, as well as in the valley around Tivoli to the east.  None of these woods are particularly prized but they could serve your purposes.

Roads
The state of the Roman roads is varied.  Some are in quite good shape; others have deteriorated.  Unfortunately, modern Romans have neither the knowledge nor the means to fix them.  In any case, they are not used very much; both trade and the regular movement of large armies are rare these days compared to the time of the ancients.  The great avenues of trade are on the sea, not the land.

Churches
The condition of the churches of Rome is varied.  This is partly because of what qualifies as a “church” – hundreds of buildings in Rome have been consecrated over the past millennium, and many of them are simply no longer in use or have since been dismantled or put towards other purposes.  Those that are still in use are in generally good condition, though many of them are in old Roman buildings that owe their condition more to their initial robust construction rather than any attempts at upkeep.

There are virtually no church officials left in Rome; while plenty of priests and monks still take care of churches and administer sacraments, the bishops and vicars have nearly all either fled or been expelled.  Local communities continue to support their churches with tithes, but some of the more historic and obscure churches that were formerly supported by the Papal Curia no longer have any apparent monetary support.  In the long run, this may cause these edifices to fall into disrepair, or the priests may simply be forced to leave with no means to maintain themselves.  Reports of any “bilking” are scarce, and evidence is thin.

Fire
What’s a firefighting team?  Certainly nobody in Rome has heard of that.  When a house is on fire, you yell and go get some water.  Cost, you say?  Well, water’s free, isn’t it?

This idea may be a bit too advanced for its time.  While a serious fire might give you the opportunity to explore the possibility of a more state-organized response to fire, right now the Romans are far more worried about floods than flames.  Estimating a cost for something that nobody’s really done before is not very feasible.

Guilds
“Guilds” as we conceive of them do not yet exist in Rome.  The closest things to them are scholae (“schools”), but they are not so much price-fixing cartels as joint ventures.  A few gardeners or bakers or weavers might form a schola to combine their various talents or take on a specific mercantile undertaking, but no schola possesses anything close to a monopoly on goods that would allow them to fix prices unilaterally.  The only exception to this are the dying and tanning trades, as these trades are dominated by the Jews, who naturally form their own schola-like community.  Since dyed cloth and leather goods are beyond the reach of most common people anyway, however, the only people who complain about prices are the upper classes and nobility who can afford to pay anyway.

Inns
The “official” pilgrim hostels in Rome are administered by the church, primarily by local monks and clergy who are still in place.  They operate with church money, though there is precious little of that these days.  Some are maintained by foreign lords; there is a Hungarian hostel, for instance, operated for Hungarians and paid by a stipend from the King of Hungary.  There are more pilgrims than hostels, however, and those with the means to pay for it usually find “private” lodging.  There are a few actual inns about, but most rent out extra rooms of houses maintained for that purpose, or a room of a upper-class Roman’s palazzo.  Some Senators maintain guest houses to entertain particularly wealthy and important pilgrims.

While it is not difficult to find a place for everyone, most poor pilgrims have very spartan accommodations, as church-operated hostels are not exactly luxurious.  Even so, a straw mattress on a stone floor is better than nothing, and the church hostels are usually kept very neat.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Bernardo Di Fontane]Acquisitions
While the situation of the courts is covered in greater detail above and has so far been insufficiently implemented to accomplish most of your aims for it this turn, personal profit is perhaps best pursued when the laws are unclear.  Your attempts to aggressively appropriate lands and rights held by “absentee” landowners has met with some success, though in the absence of detailed records it is difficult to always tell who owns what.  Not all owners were truly “absentee” and returned later in the season to dispute your seizures.  Those who made suit against you were either paid off or simply had their cases quashed by pulling a few strings among the Senator-Judges.

Though the rights you have acquired do provide some income, they are not yet sufficient to register on our system of Wealth.  Further opportunities or more aggressive tactics yet may be needed to consolidate your developing position as a Roman tenancy magnate.  If you are too aggressive, however, there could be consequences, especially while Rome remains in turmoil…

Salt Flats
Winter is not the season of production in the salt marshes of the Tiber, for it is primarily in the summer when the marshes dry up enough to turn them into seasonal salt flats.  As far as ownership, the marshes have no local landowner; they are presumably owned by the Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia as a fief of the Pope.  It is difficult to see exactly how you would “take control” of the marshes, for they are large and it is the salt workers who make them profitable.  Certainly the marshes could not be permanently garrisoned.

There is certainly more than enough marsh to invest in your own salt-collecting operation (once the season arrives), but it would require a significant number of laborers willing to live in Gregoriopolis and work in the marshes during the hottest and least healthy time of year.  It is the acquisition of labor, not land, that poses the greatest challenge to your endeavors.

You have spent 1 Wealth this turn.  You have gained 1 Orthodoxy this turn.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vittorio Manzinni]Iron
Rome is not a great city of arms manufacture.  While it has blacksmiths that can forge mail, there are not too many of them and the local iron supply is not great.  Currently, almost every smith capable of making mail is making hauberks for the men of Consul Calafatus, and it may take a full year for the city’s smiths to armor only a hundred men.  You estimate that raising “heavy infantry” – that is, armored infantry – would be about twice as expensive as unarmored infantry, as well as taking much longer before their equipment would be ready.

You are able to negotiate with the city’s smiths to keep costs down on your spear-etching project, but given how busy they are and your unwillingness to seriously exert your finances, it may take some time.  You will be informed when the task is completed.

Relics
Though the turmoil of the last year has upset matters somewhat, the relics of Rome are one of the matters that the local church pays the most attention to.  The “translation” of relics – that is, their formal movement from wherever they once were to Rome – is a sacred and serious act that is recorded in church records.  While there are a bewildering number of minor relics in Rome, even the toenails of nearly-forgotten ancient martyrs are highly esteemed by the chapel clerics who maintain them.

While some piece of literature along the lines of Ptolemy’s seemed at first like a good idea, you then remembered that the vast majority of those outside the clergy are illiterate, and thus it would do little practical good.  While you might still commission such a work if you wished, it would be merely academic.

With regards to taxation, it is difficult to see how relics themselves could be taxed or taken without great unrest.  Most of Rome’s clergy are not hostile to the Senate – Arnold’s preaching is actually quite popular among the simple priests and friars of Rome, even if the bishops call it rebellious and seditious.  These relics already bring in money in the form of the pilgrims they attract.  If you are interested in acquiring more relics, taking them from enemies might be a better pursuit than prying them away from potential friends.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Fortis Calafatus]De Re Militari
The Latin of De Re Militari is old and difficult to translate; you have enlisted learned monks to assist you, but it is slow going.  Clearly it is a book written in the Late Empire, admonishing the Romans on how far their army had slipped from ancient times.  Vegetius’ prescriptions for recruitment, training, and armament seem almost incredible – what he calls the minimum height for a soldier, for instance, is taller than most men alive today.  Still, even if our Rome cannot match his, it may aspire to come closer.

Vegetius insists that Roman victories came not from superior equipment or numbers, but from superior discipline.  To that end, he recommends a rigorous program beginning with marching, the military step being “the first thing the soldiers are to be taught.”  They are then to be taught to run, to swim, to fight with training equipment twice the weight of regular equipment, and to go on marches with sixty pounds on their backs.  The infantry and cavalry are to be exercised with twenty-mile marches three times a month.  Such demands seem entirely beyond what our citizen militia is capable of, or at least beyond what many would be willing to do.

The siege equipment found herein is curious.  The descriptions, unfortunately, are not sufficient to make perfect replicas, but more critically, most of the treatise’s siege weapons are powered by twisted skeins of sinew.  This is never done now, as nobody really knows how to process proper sinews, and regularly slaughtering precious cattle for their connective tissue is far too expensive for even wealthy lords.  The most powerful stone-thrower we currently have is the man-powered mangonel, which looks rather like this:

[spoiler=Mangonel][/spoiler]

The descriptions of other engines, like towers, galleries, and “tortoises” are more useful, and may be put fairly quickly into practice so long as the army has competent carpenters and available lumber.

While the copying of the book continues under your instruction, copying its lessons to modern Rome may take much longer and may never be completely possible.

Byzantines
A messenger has been dispatched with some icons and illuminated manuscripts produced by Rome’s priests and monks; surely nothing is more unique to Rome than its religious heritage.  They will depart from Ancona in the spring along with the rest of your mission.

Espionage
Your agent in Tusculum was unable to penetrate into the castle itself, but reports that the entire region of the Alban Hills is dotted with castles, both large and small.  Most belong to the Tusculani, but some are Frangipani, Colonna, or directly Papal, like Tusculum itself since it was recently sold to the Pope.  An attack on any point in the Alban Hills would have to contend with these fortifications, either reducing each one in turn over a lengthy siege or risking counter-attack or encirclement by troops dispatched from other fortifications.

Ardea is considerably less well-defended.  The city is walled and has a citadel within, but the fortifications are no stronger than those of Tivoli.  The primary difficulty of investing the city seems to be that the besiegers could easily be cut off by reinforcements from the Alban Hills, and the Roman army would be in great difficulty if caught between the city on one side and the enemy on the other, with no avenue of retreat towards Rome.

You have spent 1 Wealth this turn.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Hugo di Vinti]Flax
Your agent has observed the fields near Naples.  In a Mediterranean climate, flax is a winter annual, meaning that it is planted in autumn and harvested in spring.  With your permission, your agent will continue to stay in Naples through the spring to observe the harvesting process.  Though your agent is attending his task dutifully (as far as you are aware), he has little training in agricultural matters and may not be able to judge such things as a crop’s suitability without any specific expertise.

Your agent reported little Pisan activity this winter, though that is certainly because of the winter storm season.  If he stays through spring, he may be able to observe more of their comings and goings.  He has delivered your letter and gift as asked.

Venice
Your agent has been dispatched to Venice.  The overland road to Venice takes time, and you have not yet heard back from him.

Gregoriopolis
Your agent noticed no ships arriving in Ostia this winter, though again, it is winter and few merchant ships travel this season.  The villagers were aware of foreign roundships pulling into the Tiber to take on stone cargo, and they are occasionally paid by these foreigners to help load stone.  Aside from occasional paid work in this manner, there appears to be no relationship between the village and these mariners.[/spoiler]

[ooc=DEAR SENATOR]As always, the update is not yet complete.  The following items have not been completed until I cross them out:

• Maps
• Front Page and Population Info
• Letters

As usual, please inform me if I have made an error, failed to address one of your orders, or (once I post letters) have forgotten to respond to one of your letters.  Regarding Justice orders, there were several inquests from different players and most of that info has instead been combined into the relevant news item.[/ooc]

[LD]

Hi!

I don't know if you saw the updated OOC that I gave; particularly my questions about the crossbows and my questions about the picture book for a tourbook. (I did address the literacy question).

Also it doesn't appear that the wealth has been updated yet for non-noble characters in the first post.

Unaddressed(?) OOC is below. (I doubt that there is any response to the Abbot thing, but it also had some late additions (on Monday).
[spoiler][ooc]-
- Store the crossbows for a time on my estate. Have some technical minded members of my coterie examine them and make some suppositions of if Rome could produce crossbows itself (e.g. do we have the resources, expertise, etc) and what the costs would be. What would production of crossbows entail. Also study to see if there is any way to improve crossbows.

- Send my Masnada and myself around to local churches and rectories, making inventories of saintly relics and auditing the wealth with estimates of what is located where. If possible, make discrete inquiries into relics stored out of sight. Do not pursue questioning regarding the out of sight relics if the clergy are becoming suspicious. If suspicion is raised, one excuse (partially true) is that they are compiling information for possible acquisition by an interested party. (Note: (1) potential acquisitions; (2) tourbook on Rome's wonders, like Ptolemy's tours of the ancient wonders of the world; (3) taxation/appropriation issues.) Eventually bind this information and provide it to Vittorio. Vittorio will examine the information and will several differently styled one page document of certain highlights (e.g. Martyr's Tour, Miracles Tour, Obelisk Tour). The 'written' documents mostly include pictures of highlighted locations and approximate locations (due to massive illiteracy). (I'll give more information on this either by PM or next turn Polycarp!, but the goal is to finish this before the Pilgrim season--and for certain things to take place in the pilgrim season depending on your resolution of these events.)

- Send the Abbot of Subacio some fine wines in thanks for the letter he wrote me regarding the College of Cardinals. Also, give him a standing invitation to join me in my gardens when he is in Rome. The invitation includes himself and one or two associates.[/ooc][/spoiler]

[TheMeanestGuest]

[ic=Speech to the Public]

Romans! Friends!

Spring is upon us! And what better time is there for new efforts? As always, I listen to what the people of Rome have to say, and in so listening to such wisdom, it is often of great ease to determine what must be done! It seems, as they say, that my eyes have been bigger than my stomach! The Lateran Court is indeed far from the people of Rome, and it's main toll seems to be tired feet!

Romans, this will simply not do. I have heard of other courts, held at private residences by our Senators out of their own... generosity. But we cannot so impose upon their hospitality any longer. Henceforth, I promise, all trial will be held where eyes can watch! The Forum has been cleared, and such a space, under the eyes of God and the people of Rome, will serve most admirably.

To speak of watching. I have also heard of the welcome you have given our new vigili. But as we know, the enthusiasm of the Romans is not an easy gift to accept, particularly for those so unused to our affections! It is no simple job, surely, to keep us safe from thieves and murderers, and so I ask only that you give our watchmen some small measure of your co-operation, and I am sure we will all be glad for it!  

And finally, a gift, from me to you! Free, tasty, and sweet. Remarkably easy to eat. An orange, from Basile!

*Roberto has several of his men crack open a few barrels of oranges, and distributes them to the crowd*

[/ic]

[ic=Speech to the Senate]

It is a new season, Senators! Breathe that fresh spring air, and rejoice for God's gift that you are Romans.

The Curia Senatus has had no easy start, to be sure. And that is my error as much as any other man. The Lateran is too distant from the people of Rome, and most will not come. And so I see that is not the solution I had hoped it to be. But I said I would be watching, and that I would stand for no malfeasance! Court will not be held at your Pallazos, Senators! Though I am sure your intentions were noble, it is no boon to the people, they become unsure as to the proper place of Justice, and begin to doubt the ethic of our Law. From this point forward - barring exceptional circumstance as determined by your Consuls - the Justice of Rome may only be dispensed on the grounds of the forum, or in the halls of the Curia Julia, and that is my final word on this subject.

But all is not cause for consternation. The truce I have secured with the Pierleoni holds, and with God's will, we will soon have reconciliation. Holy Week is nearly upon us, and we all prepare to welcome our Christian brothers and sisters from all corners. So too have our friends from Perugia and Rieti arrived, and Consul Calafatus and I confer with them to ensure security of the interests of our peoples. Indeed, those who have spoken of defence, do not fear, for your words have not fallen on deaf ears! The walls of Rome have long been neglected, but this should not be so, for they keep us safe from those who would do us harm. Thusly, this season I will make effort at their repair my primary priority, the better to see us through what may come.  

[/ic]

[ic=Conversation with Fulco Ferrante and Damianus Truffa over Dinner]

Ah! Fulco, Damianus. A wonderful spread, was it not? But now that we are through with one meal, let us get to the meat of our business. Perugia, Rieti, and Rome. Three great cities alike in dignity. But we have more in common than that, no? Strong and brave folk. Friendship, surely. And those who would see us ill....

The ecclesiastes would see us all back under their thumb, of that there is no doubt. But as we know, they have no business in the ordering of a city. We can see to matters of the mundane ourselves, I should think. Farfa has yet to learn its lesson, it seems. And we have other enemies. The Faliscans and their so-called League. They say they organize purely to see to their own safety, but their lies will not fool us. Viterbo and the others.. long have they looked upon us with envy and spite, waiting for their chance to pull us down. But we cannot give them such opportunity.

Fulco, on the Senate floor you spoke of a strengthening of the bonds between us, and assuring our own independence. Rome finds itself in complete agreement. We must band together! With our combined strength, our foes would think twice before bringing challenge to us. If others form Leagues, then why should we not? Let us make a League of our own, a League of the Tiber. Together, and with the Grace of God, we will prosper. Think on what I have said. Enjoy the sites and hospitality of Rome. I would not rush such a momentous arrangement.[/ic]

[ooc=Orders for Spring 1153]

- Using my Consular authority, declare that judicial court will now only be held in the Forum, or the Curia Julia. (held elsewhere only by special Consular writ, as given by the Consul of the Interior)

- Spend 1 of my own wealth and 1 wealth from the defence fund to make repairs to the most damaged sections of the walls east of the Tiber - that is, the areas north of Quirinal Hill, and east of the various baths - paying special attention to areas where they have fallen to near ruin. Clear such areas of debris and the remains of the former walls, and in the gaps raise earthen berms faced with stone - the same stone gathered from the clearing of damaged sections, and if that is not sufficient, nearby ruins. (or any method of repair that is suitable and cost efficient, really)

- Make use of a wing of the Lateran Palace as a hostelry to host wealthy - and paying - pilgrims come to Rome on Holy Week. Any excess funds so gathered are to be placed into the Defence Fund.

- Send an agent to the University of Bologna to attempt to have a copy made of the Corpus Juris Civilis for use by the courts of Rome, offering a copy of a suitably rare book taken from the library of the Pope in trade if necessary.

[/ooc]

Will edit with further orders etc. once letters have been posted or whatever.

[Polycarp]

Light Dragon, the matter of the Abbot was just awaiting letters (see below).  I'll examine the others later today.

Magnus, I fixed your inquest!

[ic=Letter to Consul Basile]The following has been brought to the Consul by the two previously abducted Senators...

Consul,

My brother has informed me that you have found my offer to be acceptable.  Given what has occurred since I penned it, I must add the additional stipulations.

One, the Senate shall enact a general pardon for me, my armsmen, and my family, that none of us may later be prosecuted or fined for deeds done during the events of October or at any time prior to the date of our formal agreement.

Two, as I find it impossible to serve a man who currently and falsely claims that I attempted to murder him, I require Consul Calafatus to retract his accusation against me and swear that no attempt was made on his life by me or my guardsmen on Saint Ignatius' Day.  This he must do personally, before the entire assembled Senate of Rome.

As a demonstration that these negotiations are done in good faith and no compulsion is exerted upon the Senate, I have released the Senators in my custody and requested that they bring this missive to you.

Patrician Giordano Pierleoni[/ic]

[ic=Letter to Senator Manzinni]I appreciate the gift, Senator, but I believe I will decline the invitation to travel.  The roads are altogether too rough for an old man like me.

Pietro Tusculani, Benedictine Abbot of Subiaco[/ic]

[ic=Speech before the Senate]Senators,

It is my pleasure to speak before you today.  I and my colleague from Rieti are thankful for our generous reception.  I believe I speak for both of our delegations when I convey my dearest hope for a relationship between our cities that strengthens our bonds and assures our independence.  We intend to remain until after Easter, to experience the Roman Holy Week personally, and to make ourselves available for discussions with the Senate and Consuls as to the particulars of our association.

Fulco Ferrante di Perugia, with Rector Damianus Truffa di Rieti[/ic]

[ic=Arnold addresses the masses...]Let us give thanks to God for all that he has given us, and further thanks for his justice upon those who despise his law and love iniquity.  The Romans have reclaimed their city from the misguided princes of the church who would rather be baptized in silver than with the Holy Spirit.  Such is the nature of the man who claims to be the heir of Saint Peter!  Who among you can show me the palazzo of Christ, or the great estates of the Apostles?  God grants no power in His name to those who hoard worldly goods and yet claim to be His priests.  Woe to the man who accepts sacraments from the bejeweled hands of the Pope's vicars and thinks himself saved!  Woe to him who believes the false doctrines perpetrated upon the people by gluttonous charlatans who call themselves your servants but act as your masters!  Let the Romans be wary not only of these men, whom we know all to well, but of foreigners who remain still in the thrall of the gilded clergy and come to our city to give them treasures and honors.  Do not be fooled by any parade of foreign princes and wealthy men, who come only to bribe and corrupt the servants of God, who believe the great and unjust earthly power of the Pope and his cronies is a thing to be admired and praised, that it should burden the Roman people like a millstone hung from their necks!

The crowd roars its approval![/ic]

[ooc=Due Date]I still need to touch up a few order issues and update the population figures, but this update is otherwise complete.  Orders for the next turn are due by Thursday, March 1st.  As usual, let me know if an extension is needed.[/ooc]

[Llum]

[ic=Letter to Fulco Ferrante]
Greetings Honored visitors from Rieti.

As Consul of the Exterior I wish to extend my warmest regards. I would also like to enquire into the nature of your dispute with the Abbey of Farfa, what causes such unrest between your two towns? What can fair Rome do to help settle the dispute? Rome looks to form a Tiberian league, would the Republic of Rieti be willing to form alliance?

Fortis Calafatus, Consul of the Exterior
[/ic]

[ic=Letter to Formello]

Fair greetings, as Consul of the Exterior I would like to point out that although there were rumors of war that no one marched upon your fair city. Indeed, the Falscian league to the north expressed the utmost interest in the well being of your city. Do you seek to join the Faliscan league in the north? Perhaps you would rather look south for allies. Rome looks to form a Tiberian league, would the city of Formello be willing to form alliance?
[/ic]

[ic=Letter to Pietro Colonna]
Congratulations on gaining the formidable Tusculum. Having prospered so much from the recent misfortune of your nephew Tolomeo II, I wonder, what is your disposition towards him? Are you content with your new gains or do you seek to become the strongest branch of the Tolomeo family?

Fortis Calafatus, Consul of the Exterior
[/ic]

[Stargate525]

[ic=Bernardo: Speech to the Senate]
Esteemed Senators.

I must say I like our new home. It is perhaps not as bustling as one would like it, but such is the nature of movements of entire seats of government. We sit now on the ancient forum and, as is traditional for my first speech of the new season, I come to talk about money. *pause for laughter* The forum could be used as a marketplace once more. With its central location and open ground, it would make an ideal spot. If we charge a small fee for every market day from the stall owners, it will make a nice addition to our coffers, promote business, and not anger the already annoyed citizenry.

Further, there is room here to expand. I propose we either fund the construction of or repurpose a nearby building for the courthouse, in addition to the Lateran. Further, we end the practice of holding court wherever we please. Since we have no extant copy of the roman law, I will be sending out messengers and couriers to bring back legal systems from across the world, in addition to finding a copy of the Corpus Juris Civilis. Rome will once again be the legal forefront of the world.[/ic]

[ic=Message/Letter to my renters]
Esteemed friend,

Though you have not been paying rent to me for long, I wish for you to know whom it is that owns the land you rent. I am Bernardo DiFontane, and I would be pleased to meet you in person at [time] and [place] to discuss your work. In celebration of the holy season, I will also be continuing your rent holiday throughout the Holy Season. One has much more important things on their mind than paying rent in this time of the year.[/ic]

[ooc=ORDERS]
-Talk to all my renters. For the poorer ones, and peasants, I do this in groups of maybe 20-30 at dinners. I meet with the wealthiest, most prosperous of my renters in person, one on one, and discuss their rent situation and business. Though I got the land shadily, I want to make sure it's run efficiently and cleanly under my administration. Spend nothing large enough to register on the wealth scale for this.
-Survey Gregoriopolis, and talk to the locals, for the areas that seem least hit by Malaria during the summer. Find an unoccupied area near the salt flats that meets these criteria and build and claim a salt farm with the living quarters on that site. Recruit disenfranchised people of Rome to travel and work there.
-Send my men to Bologna, Genoa, Venice, as well as Paris, London, and Constantinople to find and acquire copies of any legal code their courts, libraries, or monasteries may contain. While they're at it, have them feel out the cities for large demands that Rome may be able to fill at some point in the future.
[/ooc]

[Polycarp]

These sentiments are expressed both in meetings with the senatores consiliarii and Consul Basile over dinner.

[ic=Rector Damianus Truffa and the Reatini]It is not the church we should be most wary of, but the German King, and his allies in Farfa - for Farfa is an Imperial abbey.  It was the Emperors that gave Farfa independence from the Diocese of Rieti, and since then they have spent generations taking advantage of Imperial favor to amass "privileges" and usurp our land.  They have tried to pry themselves away from Roman domination for hundreds of years; they will be no more likely to embrace it now that Rome has Consuls instead of Popes.  Consider what they own - they claim the cities of Alatri and Civitavecchia as fiefs, as well as 14 villages, 82 mills, 315 hamlets, dozens of strongholds, and hundreds of churches and convents, all of which enrich their abbey and help no-one else.  The Romans aided us after the Normans sacked our city, but from Farfa, our neighbors?  Nothing.

When the Germans come, what do you think Farfa will do with its great wealth and many fortresses?  They will be put at Frederick's disposal, for more privileges, more land, and more silver.  They will sell any man out to win greater favor from their Imperial protector.  They may not threaten you with words, like the Faliscans, but they are a greater threat to us, and to Rome.

Fortunately, we still have time to act.  The Abbey maintains castles in the Sabine hills that block the Via Salaria between our cities, castles that we cannot take with mere raids.  But together, we would have the strength to overcome them.  Let us march this season against Rocca Sinibalda, a fortress that is key to their defenses there, and land the first of the blows that will cripple this Imperial ally so their wealth and power will not be a weapon placed in Frederick's hands![/ic]

[ic=Fulco Ferrante and the Perugini]Senators, we must not be so rash as to rush into war.  We support Roman independence, of course, and wish to frustrate the designs of Viterbo and their confederates, but the Faliscans are in a strong position and cannot simply be overrun.  Furthermore, Perugia is not at all interested in any conflict with Farfa; it is the League that offends us, not some territorial dispute between Rieti and its neighbors.  The Camerarius counsels patience, that we may build our strength and in good time face the Faliscans with superior might on both sides.[/ic]

Other letters...

[ic=A Letter to Consul Calafatus]I do not wish to become involved in the disputes of the Faliscans and the Romans.  This business of "alliances" will only end in trouble.  I welcome peace with Rome and look forward to the upcoming pilgrimage season; I also welcome peace with the Faliscans.  So far, the two of you have yet to fight and merely posture, which I hope will be the limit of this animus.

Signore Martino de Corso, Lord of Formello[/ic]

[ooc=Oops]After a little more genealogical research I realized I goofed on Pietro Colonna - he is in fact Tolomeo's first cousin, not his uncle.  Not a big deal for the game, but just so you know.[/ooc]

[ic=A Letter to Consul Calafatus]Consul Calafatus,

Of course I take no pleasure in the difficulties of my cousin.  His Holiness decided that I would be best suited for the lordship of Tusculum, and I happen to agree.  I wish Tolomeo the best and hope his is able to rectify the dire straits in which he has found himself - and of course, if he requests my aid, I am happy to grant it.  We must always be generous with our family and friends, don't you agree, Consul?  A shame that dear Tolomeo is a bit too proud to ask me, but I shall certainly be there to lend a dutiful hand in the spirit of brotherly cooperation.

Pietro Colonna, Lord of Palestrina, Tusculum, Castrum Columna, etcetera and so forth[/ic]

[TheMeanestGuest]

[ic=Letter to Giordano Pierleone]

Patrician Pierleone,

It is good to hear that you are well. The families of our missing Senators rejoice at their return, and the rest of Rome's Senate is relieved to see their colleagues alive and well. To your first condition, of course. Events have a way of escaping the grasp of even the wisest men. The proclamation will be issued, of that have no fear. We all regret that Bloody October, and as long as it shall live in memory, we cannot allow it to happen again.

But as to your second, I am afraid it presents some difficulty. Consul Calafatus refuses to eat his crow. He has intimated to me that he will not recant, and I suspect he will not change his mind. His influence with the popolo is too great, and there is naught that I can do in this regard. But I would still see peace between us. Roman cannot fight Roman. We have enough enemies as it is, I should think. Take comfort in the fact that Fortis may not be Consul forever, for that is all I can offer you on this matter.

But perhaps it is not all I can offer. You know as well as I that law must be restored to Rome, but to restore law, men are needed to do so. I would offer you the additional title of Magistrate of Trastevere, and with it, a right to half of all fines you levy in the execution of Roman Law in your jurisdiction. Your judicial decisions that concern that section of the city would be unimpeachable by any other in the Judiciary.

All other terms of your previous offer would stand.

I have acted in nothing but good faith, Giordano, and the success of our truce has brought me much joy. I would hope that that, and my offer, is enough to reconcile us one to the other, and to again be as brothers, in the eyes of the Romans and in the eyes of God.

Consul Roberto Basile

[/ic]

[ic=An Aside to Fulco Ferrante]

Fulco, do not be concerned. Rome is no warmonger, hastily rushing into battle. Our each and every decision is carefully considered. Rome too supports the independence of Perugia, and we would not see her suffer for the careless mistakes of her friends. There will be no war with the Faliscans until all is prepared, of that you can be assured.

As to Farfa, Rome does not expect you to commit your resources to any such potential expedition. Declare nothing in this regard, I would say, and stand back. But Rome must consider the wellbeing of her other friends, of course, and we may yet stand with our Reatini brothers in their dispute, if such is God's design.

When the time is right to strike to the heart of Viterbo's machinations, know that Rome will be ready, and their League will be sundered.

[/ic]

[ic=An Aside to Damianus Truffa]

The German is ever on the minds of Rome's Consuls and Senators, and know that we do not underestimate the threat he poses to our continued independence. If action is appropriate, you can be assured that action will be taken. But that is not a matter for me to decide, no matter how much I might agree that Farfa must be cut down to size for their presumption. Speak with Consul Calafatus. When it comes to matters military, there are few minds that can match him.

Enjoy your time in Rome, Damianus.

[/ic]

[Polycarp]

[ic=A Letter to Consul Basile]Very well - with the caveat that, so long as he refuses to acknowledge the truth, I am excused from any duty to follow orders from or place myself under the command of Fortis Calafatus in whatever Senatorial position he may find himself in, Consular or otherwise.  With your assent to this, I will ratify our agreement.

Patrician Giordano Pierleone[/ic]

[Nomadic]

[ic=Letter to Damianus Truffa]
I am no man of war and my duties are rather those of the craftsman and the builder yet I have ears for your plight. Rieti has ever been a true friend to Rome and in such troublesome times friends must support each other lest they both stumble on the path. I have reports from my own men of the scoundrels that plague your lands and while I have not the authority to order Rome to your aid I nevertheless offer you my support as it is. I shall do my part as I can to stress the urgency of Farfa, you stand not alone. If god so wills that there is to be alliance amongst Rome and Rieti and war with Farfa then I and those with me will stand ready to fight. Yet there is much more to be discussed and considered in the days to come I am sure. For now let us celebrate and be merry, giving thanks to god. I offer then to you an invitation that at your convenience, if you would be willing to honor me so, that you should come and partake of the hospitality of my table. I am sure there is much to be discussed between us.
[/ic]

[TheMeanestGuest]

[ic=A Letter to Giordano Pierleone]

Your caveat is noted, and accepted. You will not be required to serve under Fortis Calafatus, regardless of what position he should hold. I will have papers drawn up immediately, and our agreement shall be sealed. I look forward with great anticipation on all the good that together we will bring to Rome.

Consul Roberto Basile

[/ic]

[ic=A Speech Before the Senate]

Senators! Hearken to my words, for I bring auspicious news!

We have peace with Patrician Pierleoni, and once again he numbers among the true citizens of Rome!

He has pledged loyalty to our Senate, and to the People of Rome, and keeps the Leonine City to ward it against our enemies, and has agreed to take on the role of Magistrate of Trastevere, the better to enforce the Laws of our Judiciary! So too does he make tribute to us for his privileges and honours, and I can assure you such wealth will be put to good use for the betterment of our City. So enjoy this new season of peace, Senators, and walk the streets safe in the knowledge that all Romans work for one common cause!

[/ic]