The Republic Reborn

[Polycarp]

[ic=To Consul De Vinti]I would gladly consider selling you the lands you ask for, and perhaps even one of the castles themselves, but there is the small matter of holding on to them.  As it stands, the lands I have recently redeemed are claimed by a Cardinal.  Such claims are, of course, totally specious, but nevertheless I anticipate trouble when the Teutons come to enforce the "rights" of the Curia.  The thought has crossed my mind that I may well be forced to surrender them.

I will offer you a deal, Consul - if the Senate can aid me in protecting my rightful territory from the grasping hands of the Curia - or, if in the event that I must give it up, if the Senate will help me regain this territory once the Teutons leave - I will not simply sell you the land you desire, but give it to you.

Niccolo Capocci[/ic]

[Magnus Pym]

[ic=Letter to Niccolo Cappocci]Signore Cappocci,
I'm delighted that you'd agree to provide me with land. Unfortunately, as you well know, it is impossible for the Senate to protect your rightful possession at this time. The arrival of Frederick I in Rome is imminent, and no doubt the Pope will make an appearance as well. It's for certain that they will take back their land with very persuasive means.

But your latest proposition is a sound one. If you promise me a castle of my choice, I will gladly help you regain this territory when the Teutons leave. In the meantime, should you be forced out of your lands, I invite you for a stay in my palazzo until Frederick I has been crowned and leaves. After which I will provide men for the capture of said territory.
If you wonder about the fate of your men, while my palazzo is only as big as it is, Rome is a big city, and they may take up residence here for the time being.

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

[Polycarp]

[ooc=Orders!]This is a friendly reminder that you have just one more day to post orders for the coming update.[/ooc]

[LD]

[ic=To Arrigus]
I have expended 1 WP in sending a ship and gifts to egypt in order to help facilitate the establishment of the Alum trade. I am glad to establish the beginnings of the trade in return for your friendship, first rights of refusal to purchase at cost any alum that you import in the future that you do not use in your ventures, a right to invest in and increase alum shipment at such a time as my own ventures have need of it, and a right to purchase 1 Alum in a years time at cost. Would that be acceptable in return for my gift now and facilitating the transaction?

*Eg:
-Friendship
-Can purchase alum through your venture at cost in the future, if you end up having more than you need.
-Has a hold on 1 alum in a year if he wants to buy it, at cost.
-Can piggyback on your agreement with the Egyptians- paying his full costs to fund an extra ship to get alum. (essentially the same as your offer)
In return for his facilitating agreements with Egypt and fronting some of the costs now.
(note: my above-edited orders reflect you agreeing to this; if you don't then I'll save the WP)
[/ic]

[Nomadic]

[ic=To Manzinni]
It is good to hear this and I see no reason not to agree to it both out of a sense of friendship and a belief that what you propose will serve both us individually and Rome as a whole. Opening trade with Egypt will only help in the coming days. However, I would not force you to fund this alone I shall add onto the deal as a show of my goodwill a contribution of my own to match yours.
[/ic]

[ooc=Orders]
- Partake in joint venture with Senator Manzinni whereby we will through his contacts with Egypt attempt to establish an agreement to purchase Alum. As part of this agreement I shall contribute [1 wp] in valuables as trade (including the best oil, wine, and wool from my latest harvest as part of this as well as the more standard wp fare).
- Pay Senator Calafatus [2 wp] rent.
- Pay a visit to the various churches throughout Rome renewing my promise that I will not let Rome forget her duties to the faithful within her walls. Offer small gifts of wine, oil, and woolen fabrics as tokens of my appreciation for their devotion to the spiritual strengthening of the people. Hint to the larger churches (the ones that can afford it) that I would be willing to offer them more of this at a reasonable price. That I of course recognize their right to get what they need wherever they want, but that hopefully they might consider purchasing from a Christian brother when it comes to dyed wool.
- Until I can get alum go ahead and look into utilizing salt or urine to begin production of dyed cloth.
[/ooc]

P.S. - you told me to remind you about the agents I sent to florence and flanders regarding the learning of techniques to improve my wool production.

[Magnus Pym]

[ic=Letter to Arnold of Brescia]Dear Arnoldo,
Time is of the essence. Have you decided on a course of action?
If you wish, my offer still stands to help you retreat to a safe location during Frederick's visit, after which I will send for you a missive to inform you that returning is safe.

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

[Túrin]

[ooc=Orders for Spring 1155]- Keep business deals with the other Senators going, attempting to maximize investments, or failing that, direct profits. (This will also be my default order if I fail to post any in the coming weeks, while I'm travelling.)
- Look into the possibility of getting an exclusive contract with the Pisans so that they will deliver silver only to me, and no one else in the direct vicinity of Rome (use bribes if needed). Would this be economically feasible?
- Attempt to establish contact with one or more of the Sardinian giudice, seeing if they could be persuaded/bribed into delivering directly to me.
- Is this "alum" stuff a metal? If so, it might be worth asking around in my network if anyone knows how to get it. I'm not going to go out of my way for it right now though.[/ooc]

[Polycarp]

Is this "alum" stuff a metal?

It's a chemical compound that, very rarely, appears in a pure, crystallized form in nature.  While technically there is some metal in it (specifically, aluminum), medieval people did not think of it as a metal, it was not refined or forged like one, and the alum trade had nothing to do with metalworking.  Alchemists generally described it as a "salt."

[spoiler=Pure Alum]Here is a picture of some pure alum.

[/spoiler]

[ic=To Consul De Vinti]Consul,

Transport for my teacher Arnold to Sicily has been arranged, though it will take some time - days, weeks perhaps - before he can leave, considering our many enemies and the nature of his flight.  Will this be sufficient for the purposes of the Senate?

Wetzel[/ic]

[Magnus Pym]

[ic=Letter to Arnoldo]Esteemed Arnoldo,
Words escape me to describe this "crisis", and the great service you are doing Rome and the Romans. Perhaps some won't see this right away, but today you are a hero, doing the great deed.

I plan to send for you the very moment all is secured for your safe return to the Eternal City. My hope, however futile it may seem, is that you do not feel abandoned.

Obviously, leaving before the arrival of Frederick seems best, but I trust you took good care in your preparations. Yes, it will be sufficient.

Most sincerely,
Hugo De Vinti[/ic]

[Polycarp]

Anno Domini MCLV
Spring has passed into Summer...
Summer in Rome is a time of unbearable heat, when the wealthy flee to country estates and the rest of Rome suffers in the stifling and malarial air.  The peasants must work regardless, mowing hay and weeding their gardens until it is time to harvest winter wheat and rye.  By the end of summer, the grain must be reaped, threshed, winnowed, and milled into flour.  The feasts of the Assumption of Mary and of St. Peter and St. Paul are celebrated in the summer, the latter especially important in Rome, the seat of Peter's blessed heir.

Our Consuls: Hugo Da Vinti and Fortis Calafatus
Our Pope: Adrian IV
Our Rage: Fuming!

[ooc=This Season's Top 5 Popular Issues]
1. "Who will spare us from the wrath of Frederico?"
2. "Bring back Arnoldo!"
3. "The interdict has ruined us..."
4. "Death to the foreigners!  Down with the barbarian Pope!"
5. "We ought to do to Viterbo what we did to Tivoli!"[/ooc]

News from Abroad

The city of Tortona fell to the forces of King Frederick von Hohenstaufen in April.  Though the less fortified lower city was stormed early on by the Saxon knights of Duke Henry "the Lion", It is said that the defenders of Tortona bravely defied every attempt to take the upper city, resisting a massive bombardment and thwarting numerous attempts to dig under the walls.  The siege dragged on inconclusively for two months until the King accepted a negotiated surrender of the city from the Tortonesi, who apparently were running out of water.  The city's defenders were allowed to depart the city for Milan with all they could carry, but the city itself was razed so thoroughly that, in the words of one traveler, "not one stone lay atop another."  Though the King was victorious, the long and stubborn defiance of the Tortonesi seems to have convinced him to postpone his campaign against the Milanese and the rest of their allies, for the Imperial army has turned south and even now marches through Tuscany towards Rome.  The Imperial army is expected to arrive before the walls of Rome in only two or three weeks!

It is reported that Beatrice of Rethel, widowed queen of the late Roger de Hauteville of Sicily, has given birth to a daughter conceived shortly before Roger's death.  She has been christened Constance and is the only legitimate child of Roger still alive apart from the currently reigning King William.

Pilgrims from Romagna have told of a substantial Greek fleet which landed at Ancona in April.  Some claim that thousands of Greek and "barbarian" soldiers disembarked and are quartered within the city walls.

The city rectors of Bologna have decided to end the rule of Signore Guido di Sasso, a nobleman of Canossa, who was invited to rule the city with the title of podesta and granted all civil and military powers in 1151 in the hopes that an outsider would be able to stop the factionalism and civil unrest that was plaguing the city.  Rumor has it that Signore di Sasso proved too pro-Imperial for the taste of the Bolognese, who are known to have sympathies with the Milanese.

The people of Spoleto have reportedly seized a party of pro-Imperial delegates returning from Sicily led by Guido Guerra, a Tuscan count, and thrown them into prison.

Word comes to us that the rulers of the four native provinces (or giudicati) of Sardinia have together sworn an oath of loyalty to Villano Gaetani, the Archbishop of Pisa.  Though Genoa has not renounced its claims on the island, their attempts to undermine Pisan influence over the giudicati and their rich silver mines seem to have come to naught, and for the time being the Pisan diplomatic victory appears total.

News of Latium

A Norman army invaded Latium without warning in April and ravaged the Latina valley.  Frosinone and Ferentino were attacked and all outside their walls was plundered and burned.  The Normans made no attempt to besiege these cities, but the barons and bishops of the valley were powerless to prevent them from devastating the countryside at their leisure.  Many Romans feared the Normans would make their way further northward in the prosecution of King William de Hauteville's feud with the Pope, but as rumors of the impending German arrival came, the Normans withdrew back to their territory with much ill-gotten treasure.

The residents of Labarum, a small town on the Tiber just a few miles north of Rome, have reportedly murdered a local farmer who was accused of practicing sorcery and performing "demonic rituals" in the fields.  The man took refuge in the town's church, but the priest's promise of sanctuary proved insufficient defense against the mob that broke in, dragged him out into the street, and beat him to death.  The matter has attracted the attention of Hugo of Beauvais, Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia, who had a proclamation read in the town square reminding the residents that there are no such things as sorcerers, witches, and other such pagan superstitions.

Pope Adrian IV has moved the Papal Curia yet again, this time to Civita Castellana.

News of Rome

March had hardly begun when a Papal legate arrived at the city and pronounced a solemn interdict upon the city of Rome for harboring the excommunicate Arnold of Brescia, ordering the churches to be closed and barring practically all religious rites from taking place within the city.  The people of Rome were aghast, for such a dire penalty has never been leveled against the holy city of Rome in all the history of Christendom – though not too aghast to immediately chase the legate out of the city, pelting him with rocks and dung as he ran for his horse and rode for the hills.

The effects of the interdict were soon felt.  Even priests who were sympathetic to Arnold and his teachings closed the doors to their churches and basilicas; the insistence of Arnoldist preachers like Wetzel that clergy who owned property (like the Pope) had no power to effect the sacraments anyway was not sufficient to persuade Rome's clerics to defy a Papal interdict and risk their very souls.  The people of Rome, however, took the news surprisingly well, at least for the first few weeks.  Though rumors had already been floating around the Senate that Arnold might be leaving the city, the stern defiance of the people in the face of Papal sanction seemed to lend the Arnoldists confidence.  While Arnold appeared little in public, he remained in Rome for another two weeks at least, and his colleagues addressed the masses with urgent fervor.  A handful of radicals even dared to hold public communion in total disregard for the Papal ban.

For more than two weeks, the Romans thumbed their noses at the Pope, but then Holy Week came on the 20th of March.  The eagerly anticipated pilgrims arrived in alarmingly small numbers; apparently the city leaders of Viterbo, delighted by Rome's misfortune, took advantage of their position on the Via Francigena to tell every pilgrim that passed through that there was no religion to be had in Rome.  Those that came anyway, seeing that the tale was true, did not stay long.  It took only two days of a Holy Week without the Church to break the Roman will, and defiance was soon replaced by a great mob outside the Curia Julia demanding that Arnold be expelled.  Arnold, however, had evidently beaten them to the punch and slipped out of the city, with his pupils insisting that he had left "for his health" but would not be defeated by the devious and cynical designs of the English Pope.  There are a thousand rumors of where he went, but no way to tell which is true.  On the 24th, the interdict was formally lifted, and the churches of Rome once again opened their doors with a jubilant peal of bells.  The damage, however, had already been done, and even Arnold could not take all of the blame, for allegedly the Viterbesi kept telling travelers Rome was still under interdict until well after Easter.  The pilgrimage season of 1155 was the most disappointing that any Roman could remember, and it has delivered a serious blow to Rome's economy; hostels have been put up for sale, grocers and souvenir-sellers forced into debt, and pilgrimage guides reduced to begging in the alleys.  The consequences have already spread far beyond merely those involved in the hospitality business.  All non-noble characters have had their incomes reduced by 2 WP for the spring turn.

Word has circulated in the Senate that Pera, wife of Senator Arrigus Sismondii, is with child.  His colleagues congratulate the Senator on receiving this God-given blessing and pray for the health of his wife.

Signore Pietro Colonna has departed the city with his entourage.  Though leaving the city this time of year to spend the summer in the Alban Hills is customary for Signore Colonna and many Roman noblemen, observers could not help but notice that he took everything of value in his palazzo with him.

Finances

Treasury: 10 WP

State Projects: Aqua Virgo Repair [4/15]

Income: 2 WP

• Duty, Patrician Pierleone: 1 WP
• Tribute, Tre Fontane: 1 WP

Expenditures: 0 WP

[spoiler=Personal Finances]
Arrigus Sismondii
Wealth Level 4 [12/16]
Savings: 0 WP
IP: 22 Wine, 2 Olives, 12 Wool
Projects: Rocca [10/15]
Assets: Estate

Fortis Calafatus
Wealth Level 4 [9/16] +1 WP (Rented Land)
Savings: 1 WP
IP: 26 Farmland, 7 Colosseum Rent
Projects: None
Assets: Estate, De Re Militari, 150 Heavy Infantry (3WP)

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

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

Hugo de Vinti
Wealth Level 4 [13/16]
Savings: 5 WP
IP: 14 Marble Trade, 10 Sculpture, 13 Flax Production
Projects: Gilding Palazzo [5/5]
Assets: Palazzo [10], 50 Heavy Infantry (1WP) with crossbows

Romolo Vannetti
Wealth Level 4 [9/16]
Savings: 15 WP
IP: 25 Goldsmithing, 8 Moneylending
Projects: None
Assets: Estate[/spoiler]

Senatorial Inquests

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

[spoiler=Fortis Calafatus]Imperial Army
You scout arrived in the contado of Tortona just as the siege there was entering its final stage.  He was, in fact, captured by a patrol of Piedmontese knights (serving under the Marquess of Montferrat) who suspected him of being a Milanese spy, but released when it became evident that he did not speak at all like a Lombard.  He has confirmed that they are on their way south through Tuscany, though exactly how long they will take to arrive depends on where they stop and what approach they choose to take towards Rome.

Your scout enclosed the following report.

[ic=Report]The King of the Teutons has with him many of the great lords of the Empire, among them Henry, Duke of Saxony, called 'the Lion;' Otto von Wittelsbach, Count Palatine of Bavaria and the King's foremost commander; Vladislaus Premyslid, Duke of Bohemia; Arnold von Wied, Archbishop of Cologne; and Hillin von Fallemanien, Archbishop of Trier.  The Teutons alone do not number more than two thousand men, but these are mostly knights and their retainers, all of them mounted.  At Tortona the King fought alongside his Italian vassals and those communes hostile to Milan, but he has marched into Tuscany without them so as to make great speed.[/ic]

Ardea
Your messenger has returned from Ardea after delivering your offer to Signore Caetani.  He sent your agent back with the message that although your offer is intriguing, he does not feel safe bringing his daughter to Rome at such a time.

Military
While your guard does additional exercises in preparation for the German arrival, you have further studied De Re Militari in the hopes of finding some further useful information.  While Vegetius lists numerous stratagems and machines for taking cities, however, he hardly says a word on defending them.  Perhaps the ancients were so all-victorious that they never needed to?  Vegetius occasionally mentions the defenders of a city using artillery on the artillery of the besiegers, and indeed your agent sent northward reported a rumor to you that the Tortonesi managed to take out one of the King's great stone-throwers with a catapult of their own, but unfortunately the descriptions of such engines in this book are both quite vague and written in such technical Latin that the monks who have been translating it for you have difficulty even guessing at the meaning.

Colosseum
You have expanded your legal hold over the Colosseum this season, but the low-hanging fruit was already picked, and it became increasingly difficult to discover the owners of the shops and apartments still unclaimed.  You estimate that you legally own around three quarters of the structure, but the owners of the remainder are either impossible to track down or have no interest in selling to you (the latter are largely abbots and cardinals living outside Rome).

Arnold
Though Arnold's men assured you that he would leave as soon as transport could be arranged, it did not come fast enough to avoid the interdict.  You are not precisely sure how Arnold left the city or where he went when he finally made his exit during Holy Week – he seems to have given your men the slip.  He did, however, claim [1 WP] of your allotted funds for "arranging travel."

Investigations
Senator Manzinni does not seem to be up to anything unusual, though your agents report that some of his ships returned recently from Sicily so high in the waterline that they could not possibly have been carrying cargo of any significant weight.  When they finally managed to sneak a man aboard several days later, the holds were empty.  Your men are unsure what this means.

Consul De Vinti seems to primarily be concerned with his Consular duties, starting major construction projects on both the city walls and the aqueduct.  Your men noted that he seems to have acquired a small number of crossbows and is training his armsmen with them.

There is one other nagging issue – one of your agents riding near De Vinti's flax fields near the Tiber has twice spotted three men rowing from De Vinti's land to the marshy bank on the other side and then hiding their boat.  What they are doing, or even if they are De Vinti's men at all, is unclear (after all, the land of Signore Capocci is directly adjacent).  The only thing of note at that point on the river is the village of Labarum.

You have spent 3 WP and invested 2 WP this turn.  Your received only 1 WP in rent from Senator Sismondii - it seems he is unable to pay the other 1 WP that he owes you![/spoiler]

[spoiler=Roberto Basile]Greeks and Barbarians
Lord Bariotes has sent his apologies for being unable to come to Rome this season (a more detailed letter will be posted soon).  His Pecheneg guardsmen have left your estate, having been recalled to his service in Viterbo in May.  Fortunately, this had no significant impact on the smiths you paid to duplicate their armor, who at that point had nothing further to learn from it.  They have gratefully accepted your additional funding and their work continues, though they do not anticipate being finished any earlier than late summer even when putting your work before all else.

Gregoriopolis
The Gregoriopolitans began their yearly labors anew this season, and you made your best attempts to see them reinforced with laborers from the city.  Roman citizens are a proud people who value their Roman-ness; fortunately, the men you are after are merely subjects, popolo minuto with neither property nor political rights, and you found a good number willing to relocate to the country for lower rent.  The threat of the "Roman fever" at Gregoriopolis seemed rather irrelevant considering that an epidemic of the same just struck Rome last summer.

Several hundred Romans were settled in and around Gregoriopolis, particularly fishermen; this was less due to your "enticing" than to the devastating fire that destroyed most of Arenule et Caccabariorum where many of Rome's fishermen and poorest laborers lived.  Apparently having their houses destroyed by flood one year and fire the next gave them a compelling reason to accept relocation.  Though the season of salt-gathering is only beginning, the fishermen have begun their work already.  They appreciate the docks you have built but complain about the lack of fresh water – the river itself is brackish here, and Gregoriopolis (specifically, the village's well) is a good mile from the docks.  There was once an aqueduct supplying Ostia, but most of it is ruined, with part of the Gregoriopolitan city wall itself built over its arches.

Initially, some grumbled about the lack of good wine as well, but this problem was quickly replaced by another.  Apparently, beginning in early May, Pisan ships began regularly dropping anchor outside the Tiber mouth.  The Pisans would disembark and then pay the Gregoriopolitans (chiefly in cloth, wine, and stoneware) to assist them in loading Ostian marble onto rafts taken out to their ship offshore.  The Gregoriopolitans are happy for the extra work, though you have heard that your fishermen have started abandoning their nets when the Pisans arrive since their work pays better.  Evidently the Pisans have been exploiting Ostian marble in this way for several years.

You spent 1 WP and invested 2 WP this turn.  You earned an additional 1 WP from your "smuggling."[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Arrigus Sismondii]Cloth and Alum
Senator Manzinni has dispatched a trading mission to Egypt, but it will not return until late Summer at the earliest.  They have taken your goods on board as per your instructions.

Of course, wool production does not need alum, but there are drawbacks to its alternatives.  Stale urine certainly works, though it does not hold colors as well as alum.  Copper is a very effective mordant – so effective that you can often dye cloth quite well just by dyeing it in a copper kettle – but it tends to make everything "coppery" (that is, it gives every color a greenish-blue tint).  The upshot is that while your wool industry may continue to expand and may even thrive locally, Roman woolens are still very far off from any worth on the international market.

Sismondii the Faithful
You have made the rounds of the Roman churches – or at least as many as you could in one season, given that Rome has at least 400 of them (nobody quite knows the exact number).  Your gifts were accepted politely, though the clerics had clearly hoped for more.  While they were receptive to your arguments that Christian-made cloth might be more spiritually sound than Jewish cloth, they were also reeling from the dismal pilgrimage of 1155.  Already hurting from the lack of Papal funds since 1152, even prominent basilicas are struggling to stretch their budgets enough to buy enough candles and sacramental wine.  Until the clergy of Rome can effect some kind of recovery, they are unlikely to be a lucrative market for your goods.

Foreign Missions
Your mission sent to Florence has returned; the mission from Flanders is expected next season.

It seems that the clothmakers of Florence have only recently been conglomerated into an organization called the Arte di Calimala, or cloth-merchants' guild, which has its own elected "consuls" to set standards and govern the body.  The Arte, though corporate, is also something of a family business – only the sons of existing members can be initiated as new members, and only after proving their skills and paying an entrance fee.  This stamps out local competition, preventing "outsiders" from competing with established merchants, and also strives to enforce a certain level of quality that helps combat competition from outside.

The Florentines produce very little wool themselves, and the members of the Arte do not use local wool at all, believing that English and Flemish wool is of a superior quality.

Your agents report that on the subject of dyeing the Florentines are nearly as secretive as the Jews.  They were able to "acquire" a bill of sale proving that the Florentines do indeed import alum from Genoa; Pisa is closer, but Pisa is also a fierce rival of Florence, and the cities have skirmished in the past in an attempt to dominate the smaller cities of the Tuscan countryside.  Whether this alum makes up merely a fraction or a significant amount of their mordants, however, is uncertain; your agents saw copper kettles and smelled a great deal of urine.  Their best achievement was arguably done in a tavern, where they managed to get an apprentice to explain to them the process of dyeing with copperas, or "green vitriol," which was imported from Spain and perhaps better known for its use in making the ink used by many scribes and monks.

You spent 2 WP this turn.  The loss in income from this season's events have prevented you from paying 1 WP of your rent to Consul Calafatus, and you now owe him 1 WP.  He will not be amused...[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Romolo Vannetti]Business
The events of this spring been a mixed blessing for you.  The demand for luxury items has fallen off a cliff from the combination of the anemic pilgrimage and the flight of a number of Rome's richer citizens in anticipation of the German arrival.  Though for now you are sustaining your business with lucrative contracts from the other senatores consiliarii, expanding the business further seems like an exceptionally bad idea at the moment.

The other end of your business, however – moneylending – has not suffered, but prospered.  The same merchants no longer interested in your silver decorations are suddenly much more interested in your silver coins, and the demand for small loans from the popolo minuto hit hardest by the economic crunch has increased significantly.

Pisa and Sardinia
The Pisans seem to be singularly uninterested in making any exclusive deals with you, and the profitability of their trade seems to immunize them against any bribes you are capable of offering.  If it is any consolation, it doesn't seem to be personal – the word among the goldsmiths of Rome is that the Pisan traders have become increasingly hesitant to strike supply deals with Roman artisans ever since the brief Roman occupation of Civitavecchia.  In your experience, the Pisans tend to value profit much more than revenge, and you're not quite sure why the unfortunate conflict last year would have a lasting impact on their relations with Rome.

The giudici of Sardinia are four – Barisone II of Logudoro, Salusio III of Cagliari, Constantine III of Gallura, and Barisone II of Arborea (not the same Barisone as the guidice of Logudoro).  It seems that all of them are currently on good terms with Pisa, though there is apparently bad blood between the native Archbishop of Cagliari and the Archbishop of Pisa, for the Pisans have been lobbying hard at the Papal Curia for the Archbishop of Pisa to be given primacy over Corsica and Sardinia (and thus placed above the Archbishop of Cagliari).  The giudice of Cagliari, Salusio III, is said to be a supporter of the Pisans against the local archbishop and has given large amounts of money to Pisan religious orders building monasteries in his territory.  Whether this is a conflict that you could exploit is uncertain, but the giudici presently seem far too closely allied to Pisa for you to pry them away with mere bribes.  You may have to be content with waiting for a more opportune moment; alternately, a visit in person might give you a better grasp of the situation than merely sending an agent.

You spent no WP this turn.[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Vittorio Manzinni]Grain
Your merchants have returned from Palermo with alarming and unfortunate news.  They have been unable to purchase grain at the markets there.  The rumor on everyone's lips is that war is coming soon, and the ammiratus ammiratorum of Sicily, Maio of Bari, has banned the export of grain from Sicily this year, presumably to supply the garrisons of citadels and fortresses across the kingdom.  Hopefully this will only be a temporary ban...

Crossbows
Senator De Vinti has paid you [2WP] for the remainder of your crossbows.

Egypt
You have dispatched a mercantile delegation to Egypt to sound out the possibility of a trading agreement on alum.  It is unlikely that you will hear from them until late summer at the earliest.

You have spent 2 WP and earned an additional 2 WP this turn.  The interdict and its effects on the pilgrimage have caused you to lose 1 IP devoted to Hospitality...[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Hugo De Vinti]Ostia
Your agent has reported to you that the Pisan ships started returning in early May.  Just as before, they paid the people of Gregoriopolis (chiefly in wine, cloth, and stoneware) to help them load Ostian marbles onto their ships.  If anything, the arrival of the Pisan ships seemed to be even more frequent than last year.

Naples
Your agent apologizes for the lack of an update last season, but notes that the roads were bad and felt it appropriate given the situation to wait until spring to send you new information by sea.  As before, the situation in the city itself is tense, particularly with the news of the approaching Germans; the residents seem certain that war is coming and that the Germans will march into Sicily as soon as the Emperor is crowned in Rome.  None of this seemed to affect the farmers and flax-workers in the countryside until May, when two thousand Sicilian armsmen and mercenary Saracen soldiers arrived in the city.  The knights among them proceeded northwards, evidently to support the Norman attack on the Latina valley, but many of the sergeants and Saracens remained in the city garrison and began levying the farmers of the Neapolitan contado.  Evidently the raid on Latium was not just an isolated incident – the Kingdom of Sicily is preparing for war.

Your agent reports his frustration with the situation; before, the farmers had little interest in leaving.  Now, they are more willing to leave, but cannot, as they have been called up in the King's levy and cannot abandon the country without risking being hanged for desertion.  Your agent writes that he sees no other option but to continue to monitor the unfolding situation; perhaps the war that everyone thinks is coming will provide you with opportunities.

Labarum
Your men express some reluctance to continue their secretive work after the people of Labarum murdered a local man, completely unrelated to your agents, for "sorcery."  Obviously your efforts to frighten the people are having an effect, but the murder of an innocent farmer has now brought a Cardinal's attention down on Labarum – and in any case, the barons who actually own the land around the village still seem unmoved by the whole affair and are still unwilling to sell to you.

Palazzo
You have hired Senator Vannetti and his apprentices to decorate your palazzo with precious metals.  They have begun their work, though considering the delicacy of the task, it may take some time to complete.

Crossbows
You have purchased 50 crossbows from Senator Manzinni.  Though the weapons themselves are simple to use, acquiring good aim is not, and your men have spent long hours on a makeshift archery range to gain some proficiency in their use.

Grand Projects
Rome's last aqueduct is in need of very serious repair; the work will be expensive and take at least a year, and that covers only the part of the aqueduct which is within the city; most of the aqueduct is outside the city walls and runs underground, and the Roman masons are uncertain how to repair it, whether it even needs to be repaired, or even how to get inside.  Hopefully the problems with the underground part of the channel will be minimal...

As the aqueduct work is a public project funded with public money, updates on its progress will henceforth be under "News of Rome" rather than in your personal inquest.

During his term as Consul, Senator Basile oversaw the patching up of some of the most vulnerable spots in the Aurelian Wall, but the possibility for repairs is almost endless – the walls are 12 miles long, more than 50 feet high (originally), and have nearly 400 towers.  Given Rome's forces, this is a laughably indefensible length of fortifications, but you suppose that even poorly defended fortifications can still pose an obstacle to attackers.  You have focused your efforts on the Porta Ravenna and the walls nearby, but it seems unlikely that you will be able to finish the work you have paid for before the Germans arrive.

Arnold
Your agents beg for your forgiveness – Arnold, it seems, has given them the slip!  They were unable to learn where or exactly when he left, though they believe he has indeed left the city.  They have insisted that there must be some kind of shadowy network funding and organizing his flight; that may be true, or perhaps they are just offering excuses for their incompetence!

You have spent 11 WP this turn.  Under your orders, 4 WP has been spent from the treasury this turn.[/spoiler]

[ooc=Updated!]As usual, check your finances and such.  I should have the front page updated by tomorrow.[/ooc]

[Polycarp]

[ic=A PAPAL BULL]For his wicked attacks upon and rebellion against the Holy Church in defiance of reason and piety, we separate GULIELMUS, Lord of Sicily, together with his accomplices and abettors, from the precious body and blood of the Lord and from the society of all Christians; we exclude him from our Holy Mother, the Church in Heaven, and on earth; we declare him excommunicate and anathema; we judge him damned, with the Devil and his angels and all the reprobate, to eternal fire until he shall recover himself from the toils of the devil and return to amendment and to penitence.

HADRIANUS, Episcopus, Servus Servorium Dei[/ic]

(Note: "Gulielmus" is Latin for William.)

[ic=To Senator Basile]Senator,

Please accept my deepest apologies for being unable to accept your generous offer of hospitality.  Given the weighty developments of the past few months, I have been unable to remove myself from the Papal Curia.  Naturally I must remain for the expected arrival of the German King, and following this I am anticipating further orders from my superiors that may require my relocation.  I cannot predict when I shall leave Latium or, having left, when I will be able to return, but I pray that you do not take offense at my inability to visit you and your great city.  God willing, this inability will be of a temporary nature.

On a more official note, I wish to assure you that my Lord Manuel, peerless Emperor of the Romans, is quite interested in matters currently unfolding in Italy and neither unaware of nor unconcerned with the travails of the people of Rome.  The time may soon come when the Emperor will wish to enter into more direct communication with the Roman Senate.  My advice to you is to seek reconciliation with the Pope, who shares certain interests with my Lord, and be wary of seeking solace with the Normans and their king William, whose favor will not avail the Romans.

Sebastos Kosmas Bariotes
Ambassador Plenipotentiary of Manuel, by the Grace of God faithful Emperor and Autocrat of the Romans[/ic]

[TheMeanestGuest]

[ic=Letter to Enrico de Pisa]Your Eminence,

The Romans have suffered this season past, and it grieves me to the core of my very soul. In light of the Interdiction and the changeable nature of the will of the People of Rome, the Senate moved to expel the Friar Arnold of Brescia from the Eternal City, but to our shock, it seems he has fled in fear of his due punishment! To where, we know not, for he vanished with the cowardice and slipperiness of an eel. It is my hope that this abandonment will at the least inure the Roman people against the seduction of his heresy.

The Commune of Rome yet fervently desires reconciliation with His Holiness, and with the threat of civil violence overcome, there is naught that stands in our way. With the approach of the King of the Germans, the Senate wonders at the intentions of His Holiness. Will Frederick be crowned Emperor in Rome?

Senator Roberto Basile[/ic]  

[ic=Letter to Kosmas Bariotes]Lord Bariotes,

No apology is necessary, for the kindness you have shown in your actions more than makes clear to the People of Rome the genuineness of your character. Your duty calls, and I understand. Know that you will find yourself welcome in the Eternal City any time you should be able to make your visit.

The Senate of Rome is pleased by this news of the interest of Emperor Manuel in our fair City, and we patiently await the pleasure of his correspondence.  

Senator Roberto Basile[/ic]

[Polycarp]

[ooc=Bonus Turn?]I've been thinking about the best way to handle the upcoming German arrival.  Depending on how the players handle the situation, it's possible that orders you give me for the summer might be rendered undesirable, irrelevant, or simply impossible by what happens when Frederick reaches Rome.  One possibility is having a "bonus turn" right now, covering only the next 2-3 weeks, in which only orders relevant to the German arrival and related topics will be accepted; the turn after that would cover the Summer season more generally.

I've also been thinking about how best to handle some of the negotiations that may soon be taking place between the Commune and the Pope and/or Frederick.  PBP is great for letter-writing, but not exactly ideal for a conversational negotiation.  I thought about maybe utilizing chat, but that brings in a whole slew of attendant difficulties like scheduling that make it probably not a very good idea.

I'm interested to hear any comments or ideas you have about how to best handle this special event![/ooc]

[ic=To Consul De Vinti]Consul,

It seemed appropriate to notify you that I have been invited by His Holiness to a meeting of prominent noblemen of the Patrimony of Saint Peter to be held in Segni next week.  His Holiness seems to have some concern over the conduct of the Germans in Lombardy and wishes to coordinate the defense of Latium to address any possibility of such destruction being repeated here.  Those I know to also have received invitations include Oddone Frangipane, Count of Tolfa; Pietro Colonna, Lord of Colonna and Palestrina; Gionata and Raino Tusculani, Counts of Tusculum; and Trasimund of Segni, Count of Segni.  My understanding is that I have been summoned in my capacity as a nobleman of the patrimonium rather than as a representative of the Commune.  I see no reason to refuse this summons but felt it wise to inform you of it to disabuse you of any notion that I am conducting negotiations for the Commune behind the back of the Senate.

Patrician Giordano Pierleone[/ic]

[ic=To Senator Basile]Senator Basile,

Though His Holiness has some doubts as to the Senate's claims to have no involvement with Arnold's disappearance, he was moved by mercy to end the interdict for the remainder of Holy Week that the Romans might be able to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is the position of the Curia that, so far as he does not continue his preaching, Arnold is not a person of major importance to us and we will not seek him out.  His writings, however, have already been condemned in council, and it is incumbent upon all people of faith to destroy them wherever they are found.

His Holiness has had little contact with the King of the Germans since his arrival in Italy.  I expect that negotiations over the matter of the Imperial crown will take place in Falisca at a spot to be agreed upon by negotiators from both camps.  The intentions of the King are not fully clear to us and His Holiness wishes to ensure that the destruction visited upon certain communes in Lombardy is not repeated in the Patrimony of Saint Peter.  Despite the belligerence and insolence of the Romans it is absolutely not the desire of His Holiness that Rome should suffer further violence.

Regarding negotiations with the Senate over its reconciliation with the Church, the present opinion of His Holiness is that such discussions should be postponed until the King of the Germans may be in attendance.

Enrico da Pisa[/ic]

[LD]

OOC: and let that papal interdict be a word of warning to the consuls who didn't share that it was coming with Manzinni and the inner council- I don't know if he could have helped, but he had just won an orthodoxy point for his defense of the chapels. Maybe I missed something, but I wasn't sure why it didn't come up.

Polycarp- regarding the WP I sent on those ships to purchase those things- do I get that wealth back to add to my expenditures and possibilities this turn?

[spoiler]Land/ Ships out to Spain?[/spoiler]

[Magnus Pym]

OOC: Your right Manzinni, but I doubt very much it would have changed a single thing. But its true that I thanked Pierleone for his support but not even my old friend Manzinni, Im so dumb.