Curia Hostilia - Consulate of Annalis and Celer

[chaplain118]

MAGISTRATI IN ANNO - DCLIV A.V.C.


CENSOR
C. VALERIVS CATVLLVS

CONVSVLES
CN. HERRENIVS ANNALIS
TI. MARCIVS CELER

PRAETOR
BRENCIS GAIVS AVGVSTINE

QVAESTOR
QVINTILIVS DECIMVS OCTAVIVS

TRIBVNVS PLEBIS
LVCIVS PRIMVS MARCELLIVNVS

PROCONSVLES
NISVS PALINVRVS RHADAMANTHVS
CN. CORNELIVS SEVERVS

[RVFVS]

Celer, accompanied by his Consular lictors, enters the Curia. Seated around him is a shellshocked Senate. Assembled for the first time since Marius' death Celer allowed his proximate lictor, Molon, to announce his entering.

"Here comes the Consul Tiberius Marcius Celer! Son of Quintus Marcius Celer Numidicus! Consul of the Roman people!"

The house looked at the man with contempt. Celer walked in his head held high. He wore his white Toga Praetexta with pride and soon sat in his Curule chair. He conversed briefly with his scribe for a moment before once again standing.

"Senators, gentlemen, the last time this house met it murdered it's head of state. It dragged him and a sacrosanct Tribun of the People out into the forum and stabbed them until dead. Senators our Republic is in a period of unrest. Greece, Africa, Asia and Spain are all in a state of unrest at the death of the Consul Marius. Therefore, understand this..."

Celer looked the Senators, especially the aristocrats some of whom had participated in the Marius killings.

"There will be no tolerance of unrest in my term. Any man who starts a brawl will be immediatly arrested and thrown in jail for disturbing the peace."

Celer waited a moment for the words to sink in.

"Now to the matters at hand. Currently, our entire Empire is in a state of unrest and rebellion. With that said I would ask that the Quaestor Octavius draw up a report on the finances of the Republic while my co-consul Annalis draw up a report of the Republic's state. If he for any reason cannot do this I of course would be willing to make the report."

Celer briefly consults his scribe. He then sits and awaits other to make their opinions known.

[chaplain118]

Brave words, for a man whose father has murdered the most popular man in Rome. Hypocrisy, it seems, is not a trait that you lack, Celer.

Nisus chuckled in the back, unimpressed by the flourish that Celer presented before the Senate.

I suppose the first order of business should be where to send your proconsuls. Men who are so steadfast opposed to the populist reforms that you must personally be pushing or have even promised the people. How lucky can you be, Celer? To have two of the most adamant anti-populist voices out of your way for two whole years. You must be rejoicing.

Now, the provinces. As I understand it, only the most far-flung lands of Hispania and the recently acquired lands that the Attalid dynasty has bequeathed us are in any danger of rebellion. The rest of our provinces, while certainly not completely happy, are more or less content. Try not to make our situation seem far more dire than it must be.

Oh, and before I forget, I'd like to propose a motion. A motion that you, dear Celer, have personally come to me about. And fellow senators, this motion in its entirety can be attributed to Celer, and Celer only. He simply asked me to propose it on account of my... ah, seniority in the Senate.

Without further ado, and before I depart for my province, let this motion be known:

Lex Celeris de Agro Rei Publicae

I. Legionary service shall be increased from 16 to 20 years
II. Each enlisted man is allotted ten square acres of land ONLY in the regions they served AFTER completing a FULL term of service
III. Each enlisted man is allotted whatever he has taken during plunder in addition to whatever his commander has given him from said plunder
IV. The state shall fund for all legionary equipment
V. Each enlisted man is to pledge his allegiance for life to the Senate rather than his commander. If the commanding officer were to march against the Senate, each enlisted man is duty-bound to honor his pledge, even if it means rebelling against his commander.
VI. Enlisted men who return to Rome during their period of enlistment, regardless of occasion, automatically forfeit their promised reward at the end of service. Should they want to obtain those rewards, they must re-enlist for another full term of service.
VII. A man may continue serving in the legion for an additional 5 years after his mandatory 20. At the end of those 5 additional years, he is eligible for five acres of fertile land in Italy in conjunction with his ten acres abroad.
VIII. Those who have settled abroad after their service length has been finished are still eligible to be recalled into service for the remainder of their lives should the occasion arise as per the pledge of allegiance for life to the Senate.

Nisus sat down and smiled at Celer, but his eyes were as cold as ever.

[RVFVS]

Celer, unaffected, rebuffed.

"You are right, Proconsul, except you lft out the small detail the I completely opposed my father and his methods. Perhaps one such as you should not question parentage. Your faliure for a father for instance is a good example. Hypocrisy, Rhadamanthus, is not the word you are looking for. That would be irony."

Celer smiled mockingly at the proconsul.

"The provinces in Africa are in a state of unrest as are the others I listed. Albeit Spain and Asia are more concentrated then the others. Once again, my friend, the word I used was unrest which was is I believe the word you use when the populace is unhappy."

Celer's smile died away and he looked at a copy of the bill and frowned.

"The bill is exactly as I planned it out except for one small bit. The clause stating that soldiers must swear an oath to the state is unnesassary in my opinion. Never before has a Roman marched an army against fellow Romans and I doubt such a practice will ever exist. It is common practice for soldiers to swear an oath of alleigance to their commander and has been since Marius started the practice. It allows for soldiers and commanders to bond and therefore serve the Republic more effectively."

Celer put down the notes and continued.

"Regardless, I thank you for proposing the bill."

Celer smiled darkly.

"I suggest you now depart for your province Senator"

[chaplain118]

Nisus' face twitched slightly at the mention of his father. But that only darkened his stare even more.

Hmph, your definition of unrest is as truthful as procuring wool from an ass, and blood from a stone. By your definition, consul, even Rome is facing unparalleled unrest. Save your rhetoric for the rostra, we're not fools here.

As for the bill's contents. I will not change it, and I would hope that the rest of you in the senate, who will speak on my behalf, who will act on our Republic's behalf, will think likewise. After all, is the Senate not the instrument of our government rather than our generals? Without a loyalty oath to the senate, a rebellious general would find it easy to declare war on Rome.

Looking at Celer, Nisus paused before continuing.

Or on his political enemies.

My proposal will not change, and I take your thanking of me as a second of the motion. So put it to vote, consul.

[Raglan]

Lucius Primus sat frozen, this man had siezed the proposal and twisted it just enough that all benefit to the citizens had disappeared. Yet his agreements had been with Celer, not this man.

May i propose an addition to the bill. That any citizen, regardless of wealth or status may enlist if they choose.

[ulti]

After Nisus had stopped talking Octavius took his chance.

"Senate, listen once and listen hard. Rome's coffers may be full, but her profits are not so good. After receiving financial reports from across our lands I can tell you that by the end of this term we shall have lost over 8000 Denarii, bringing our total to 91,510. Whilst this may not seem bad it is. Within two years we shall have no money at all, and this is unacceptable. To give you a better grasp of where money is being lost, you should look to the army, for its upkeep alone costs nearly triple our annual tax income."

He pauses to let the words sink in.


"I am also afraid to report that there is some corruption, albeit minor, within our outlying cities. 3000 Denarii was lost to the corrupt governors of Osca and Larissa. I have sent people to investigate."

He then turns to the Consuls.


"Is there anything else that you wish to know about our finances, any specifics of cities?"

[Ozy]

"Thank you for your report, Quaestor, but I feel a deeper, more complete report would be better for us. Perhaps greater detail on alternatives to fix this crisis. I would hate to have our legions' numbers diminished in any way until we see other means to obtain money. Hav you considered opening trade routes with other neighbors? Extending our infrastructure, that is, investing money to then harvest more income by the end of the year?"

He then turns to Radamanthus, who still awaited a response on his law proposal.

"Senator, I see future in your law, but fail to see any necesity for it as of now. So the lenght of the service is increased by 4 years, in exchange for land in the region they served. That would obviously increase the time our veterans can serve their country, but other than that I see little point on it. On point VI, I honestly don't see how it could possible be of any importance if a man returns to Rome or not, are you refering to the sole act of setting a foot in the city's soil? Point VII, seems like a fairly reasonable point," he said, thinking of it as an obvious attempt to gain favor from the mob.

"I would say that the only points I fully support are number V and VIII," he finished, looking at the bill with a level of displeasure.

"Perhaps you could further explain the points I've just criticized, Celer."

[ulti]

Quintillius nods, understanding.

"Certainly, my report was preliminary, so that the Senate may have a grasp of the economy. As we speak I have people working out possible solutions and after I have answered all questions I shall go and have a look and decide."

[chaplain118]

What about the budgets set out to the provinces? I daresay that to combat corruption and even the loss of money abroad, we may have to spend even more money that expected. As for our neighbors, there are rumors of envoys from surrounding nations that are approaching our territory even as we speak, possibly ready to offer trade rights.

As for the bill and your queries on point VI, Herrenius, let me explain why I have included that in there. This bill is meant to further augment the reforms to our military that Gaius Marius had enacted. While he began the path towards what is a semi-professional army, this bill will have completed that path. Think about it, if soldiers continuously return to Rome every few years, then they will begin to be affected by the pleasures of home rather than be constantly toughened by the rigors of an army life. As a result, their discipline may be eroded and they could grow complacent when they fight. To develop good soldiers, it is important to place them as far from home as possible for as long as possible so that they will have an idea of something to return to. If a man could see his family every five years, then his time away from them will be almost meaningless. But if he could see them in twenty years, then he will fight as hard as he can to keep himself alive so that he may return to them.

[Raglan]

And what if they are sent to Rome as messangers? This law would forbid such a thing. How are we to know of the legions actions. Shall we just hope for the best?

[Ozy]

Perhaps then a new clause replacing the other one:

Soldiers must be drawn from single men, and it is forbidden for a foot-soldier to marry during his service.

I think this is far more practical and simpler to impose.

[Elendil of Númenor]

Simple, yet effective. I believe this motion should be put to vote as soon as possible - I am in support. Senator Primus, I am quite sure clause VI is not meant with that narrow-minded strictness. Our communications are developed. What's important is that our soldiers stay in service for their terms and not lay down weapons every time they win a battle.

As for the Provinces... shall we decided where we are going or will it be left to the lots? Furthermore, as Senator Rhadamanthus has just mentioned, the Provinces should be given an annual budget for the Proconsuls to spend. Considering that many of our lands are at the brink of riot or even rebellion, I would not let this budget to be small. At least more than 10000 denarii.

[ulti]

What about the budgets set out to the provinces? I daresay that to combat corruption and even the loss of money abroad, we may have to spend even more money that expected. As for our neighbors, there are rumors of envoys from surrounding nations that are approaching our territory even as we speak, possibly ready to offer trade rights.

"For the time being I would advise the Senate of the following budgets. For the Eastern part of the Empire there is to be 15,000 Denarii maximum to be spent, and for the Western part a total of 20,000 Denarii may be spent. This leaves around 60,000 Denarii left in reserve. It is my recommendation that where possible roads and farms be built, for they produce both quicker routes and more taxable goods."

He stops as an aide hands him a report and then heads out again.

"The reports of diplomats near our lands are quite true, Illyrian, Gallic and other diplomats have been reported at the borders. Perhaps if the Senate would like to state it's intentions of expansion for the next few terms then I could find a possible trade partner. But until then striking any deal is pointless if we may break it only a few months later."

[chaplain118]

Tribune, messengers can take the form of loyal slaves or even a military tribune who is a commissioned officer that does not fall under the jurisdiction of this law. Rest assured, news will come to Rome.

And Quaestor, I do not feel that such a paltry amount you have assigned us will do us any good. What will you do with that 60,000? No, double what you give to the provinces, and then you shall have a fair budget for the greater good of the Republic.

[Ozy]

Again, I think replacing your point with my proposal if far simpler, yet will probably have the same results. I think overall I support the bill, it seems reasonable to further increase the power of our legions.

[Elendil of Númenor]

ooc: well if we're going with the east-west idea, a doubling is definitely in order

[ulti]

ooc: well if we're going with the east-west idea, a doubling is definitely in order

OOC: What, 15k and 30k. I don't think so. We need some in reserve for the next term and diplomatic stuff.

[chaplain118]

ooc: take the ooc out and debate!

I do not think so. There is nothing wrong with the original clause. But if it were changed to nothing but single men, then you'll be hard pressed to fill the numbers. Plus, men with families of their own tend to fight better as they are motivated not only by their hatred of the enemy in front of them but also the love for their own flesh and blood behind them.

ooc: I also recommend you guys bribe Pyrrhus, he's a quite good governor to have for Rome in game

[Raglan]

let us look at the bill.

Lex Celeris de Agro Rei Publicae

I. Legionary service shall be increased from 16 to 20 years
II. Each enlisted man is allotted ten square acres of land ONLY in the regions they served AFTER completing a FULL term of service
III. Each enlisted man is allotted whatever he has taken during plunder in addition to whatever his commander has given him from said plunder
IV. The state shall fund for all legionary equipment
V. Each enlisted man is to pledge his allegiance for life to the Senate rather than his commander. If the commanding officer were to march against the Senate, each enlisted man is duty-bound to honor his pledge, even if it means rebelling against his commander.
VI. Enlisted men who return to Rome during their period of enlistment, regardless of occasion, automatically forfeit their promised reward at the end of service. Should they want to obtain those rewards, they must re-enlist for another full term of service.
VII. A man may continue serving in the legion for an additional 5 years after his mandatory 20. At the end of those 5 additional years, he is eligible for five acres of fertile land in Italy in conjunction with his ten acres abroad.
VIII. Those who have settled abroad after their service length has been finished are still eligible to be recalled into service for the remainder of their lives should the occasion arise as per the pledge of allegiance for life to the Senate.

I still take issue with clause vi. if it is meant that they remain soliders then change it so thats what is said. What if the senate grants a trimuph? none of the men would be allowed to attend.

The clause would much better be served if it stated that legionaries and auxilliaries are only allowed in Rome during their service with the express permission of the military tribune. This would cover those occassions that they might need to return to rome.