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Thread: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

  1. #1

    Default [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

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    Last edited by chaplain118; June 24, 2012 at 05:06 PM.

    Crusades
    Historical fiction - Fifty Tales from Rome


    Can YOU dance like the Cookie Man?
    Improbe amor quid non mortalia pectora cogis? - The Aeneid
    I run an Asteroid mining website. Visit it before James Cameron takes it from me.

  2. #2

    Default Re: [H. F.] Poppaea

    Sweet. It's about time we got some more Rome tales in here. Soon I'll be finished with mine. Bravo. +Rep.


  3. #3

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    -
    Last edited by chaplain118; June 24, 2012 at 05:06 PM.

    Crusades
    Historical fiction - Fifty Tales from Rome


    Can YOU dance like the Cookie Man?
    Improbe amor quid non mortalia pectora cogis? - The Aeneid
    I run an Asteroid mining website. Visit it before James Cameron takes it from me.

  4. #4

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    -
    Last edited by chaplain118; June 24, 2012 at 05:06 PM.

    Crusades
    Historical fiction - Fifty Tales from Rome


    Can YOU dance like the Cookie Man?
    Improbe amor quid non mortalia pectora cogis? - The Aeneid
    I run an Asteroid mining website. Visit it before James Cameron takes it from me.

  5. #5

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    I love this!

  6. #6

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    I supose, in honour of the good tales read here, that we have to add some tales of our own - untill we have fifty

  7. #7

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    -
    Last edited by chaplain118; June 24, 2012 at 05:06 PM.

    Crusades
    Historical fiction - Fifty Tales from Rome


    Can YOU dance like the Cookie Man?
    Improbe amor quid non mortalia pectora cogis? - The Aeneid
    I run an Asteroid mining website. Visit it before James Cameron takes it from me.

  8. #8

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    Wow, looks quite interesting. If I find the time I'd like to read it, but I am a little bit behind with my own literature so first I got to finish that.
    Joseph and Stafford, a medieval short story
    The life of Jack Stafford, a story in progress

    When you read a book or a short story, or a magazine article, your
    imagination really is making contact, one-to-one, with whoever wrote it.

    Frank P Ryan

  9. #9

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    The first one was a good story, really shocking to. I'm looking forward to reading the other ones.
    Joseph and Stafford, a medieval short story
    The life of Jack Stafford, a story in progress

    When you read a book or a short story, or a magazine article, your
    imagination really is making contact, one-to-one, with whoever wrote it.

    Frank P Ryan

  10. #10

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    I demand the other 45 stories, at once!

  11. #11

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    Just finished reading Actium. That one was really brilliant! It was exciting and it had a good ending! I will read the other to stories as soon as possible!
    Joseph and Stafford, a medieval short story
    The life of Jack Stafford, a story in progress

    When you read a book or a short story, or a magazine article, your
    imagination really is making contact, one-to-one, with whoever wrote it.

    Frank P Ryan

  12. #12

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    I'm waiting for them, too! Although, i think i'll do my bid for that.

  13. #13

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    -
    Last edited by chaplain118; June 24, 2012 at 05:06 PM.

    Crusades
    Historical fiction - Fifty Tales from Rome


    Can YOU dance like the Cookie Man?
    Improbe amor quid non mortalia pectora cogis? - The Aeneid
    I run an Asteroid mining website. Visit it before James Cameron takes it from me.

  14. #14
    DukeCanada's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    If I may, im going to post as a read these.

    I am currently reading the first story. You just introduced the general as Crassus, and successfully sent a shiver down my spine!

    Edit: Amazing, I loved it! Well done sir
    Last edited by DukeCanada; July 05, 2011 at 04:07 PM.
    Rome Total Realism Public Relations Representative

    "We saved so much money on toilet paper" - Remlap, after giving advice on proper wiping technique.

  15. #15
    DukeCanada's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    Sorry for the double post, but I just finished reading all the stories.

    Simply stunning, its a shame that I cannot give you more rep. I guess I'll simply have to fetch you some more readers.

    Well done.
    Rome Total Realism Public Relations Representative

    "We saved so much money on toilet paper" - Remlap, after giving advice on proper wiping technique.

  16. #16

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    Tale 6: Friends

    “Two fives.” The dice clacked in Gaius' hand.

    “Three fours.” Titus took a swig from his wine glass. Wincing, he set it down on the table. Wine never agreed with him. He liked them watered down, not at full strength like the kind he drank now.

    “How much you betting?”

    “Don't worry about it. I'll still be taking your money by the day's end.”

    “Alright.” He threw the dice on the table. The onlookers muttered and pointed at the dice. Three fours and two threes were on the table.

    “See, what did I say?” Titus reached over and grabbed another two copper coins from Gaius' pile. “Ready to give up yet? Or do I have to keep embarrassing you?”

    “I don't get it. I mean, I should at least win once, right?” Gaius leaned on the table and sighed. His pile of money was getting dangerously small.

    “Should, but didn't. You know, at this rate, you might as well stop getting more wine. Save some money.” Titus took another sip. He'd have to remember to tell the slave girl serving the wine to bring some water soon.

    “Double or nothing, ten coins.”

    “You're joking, right?” Titus bowed his head and sighed. “Alright, if it makes you happy.”

    “Yeah, well, probably the last time we'll get to do this.” Gaius picked up the dice.

    “Stop being so pessimistic. At least your family still has the money to let you join.” He turned to the
    slave girl and snapped his fingers. “Bring some water.”

    “Yeah, well, if this damn war keeps going, that money's going to be gone pretty fast.”

    “Then pray to Jove that it takes you somewhere with plenty of gold.”

    “Yeah, real likely. Two ones.” Gaius shook his head. Sicily had only been conquered a few years ago at the end of the War against Carthage. Now, that former great empire was busy fighting its own mercenaries, Rome has seen fit to begin seizing additional territories in the Mediterranean. Namely, the two islands just north of Sicily. It has been a brutal campaign, and hundreds of soldiers have already died on those islands. So far, Corsica has fallen, and only Sardinia remained free. But both knew it would be a matter of time before Sardinia succumbs to the Republic's call.

    “Who knows, maybe you might just get sent to Sicily. I heard it's nice this time of the year. Four sixes.”

    “Yeah, and miserable during the summer.” Gaius tossed the dice. Two ones turned up. Punching the air, he hooted and jeered as he raked over twenty coins from Titus' pile.

    “About time. What am I going to do without you?” Titus flicked the last coin over.

    “Be a grain merchant? You always wanted to do that.”

    “No ship. And with the Punics still blocking half of our sea lanes, there's not much money to be made.”

    “Yeah, well it's a start isn't it?”

    “I guess. But what little money I make is going to the taxmen in Syracuse.”

    “Not really. My dad said that if you ship less than fifty bushels per trip, you'll be exempt from taxes.”

    “They'll probably just charge me extra harbor fees at Ostia.”

    “Well you're still making a living. If there's no gold to take, up north, I'll be broke by the end of the year.”

    “No, your family's gonna be broke.”

    “Same thing, though, isn't it?”

    Titus shrugged and picked up another coin. Turning it over in his hand, he wondered just how much a ship would really cost. It might take a few years, but there were still plenty of unclaimed lands in Sicily. It costs what, fifteen hundred sesterces for a respectable plot? He could pay that off in two years if the harvest is good. Three normally. The ship would be the most expensive part. And a crew, can't forget about a crew. But the more he thought about it. The more it made sense. A grain merchant was a lucrative career.

    “Hey, Titus! Titus! Hello!” Gaius waved his hand in front of Titus' face.

    “Sorry, zoned out.” Titus looked back at his friend. They were both only sixteen. Barely old enough to be called men and still looked like boys. They had been best friends since the age of five when they first had a scuffle over an apple that fell over from a cart. Titus had won that time. He always won. Now the two inseparable friends were about to go their different ways. Gaius' family had enough money to send him to the legions while Titus' could only send him to work on one of the many larger farms the upper class owned.

    “Want to keep playing?”

    “No, I think I'm done.” He tossed a coin at the slave girl. She looked Greek, but he really didn't care. She probably didn't speak Latin either.

    “Tell you what, I'll give you back ten, and we're going to make a promise.” Gaius smiled.

    “Yeah? What promise is that?”

    “That you're going to make it rich as a grain merchant, and that I'll be consul one day.”

    “How much have you been drinking?”

    “Not much more than you. Trust me, it'll happen.” Reaching over to the water jug the slave girl just set down, Gaius diluted Titus' wine.

    “Ad finem” Gaius raised his cup and smiled.

    “Ad finem.” Titus looked into the dark red liquid and saw his own doleful eyes looking back at him. Tilting his head back, he swallowed the contents of the cup whole. The diluted wine still stung his nose but it was more bearable than before.

    “You know, I just had the craziest idea.” Gaius said.

    “I'm supposed to think this is new?”

    “Oh shut up. No, it's for your grain merchant business.”

    “I'm glad that you're so interested in this business that doesn't exist yet.”

    “Yeah, yeah, shut up and listen. You don't need your own boat. I just remembered that. Dad's friend, Marcellinus, he's been exporting grain from Caralis for the past two years. Bastard doesn't have a boat at all, he just pays for passage on another boat and unloads the grain himself at Ostia.”

    “Isn't Marcellinus dirt poor though?”

    “Yeah, but he still has more money than we do. Plus, half of his earnings are in Caralis anyways. Dad says he doesn't pay nearly as much taxes as we do.”

    Titus thought about what Gaius said. It made sense, to a certain extent. He knew that the provinces did not adhere to the stringent tax policies of Rome herself, but he also knew that corruption ran rampant in those lands, especially the newly conquered territories. What he didn't have to pay in taxes, he'd probably have to make up with in payments to extortionists and gangs. But at any rate, it was all a distant dream. He didn't have the money to start up this business, no matter how much he discussed it with Gaius. He echoed that sentiment with his friend, who only reassured him that things will change.

    “You'll be working on the farms at the Cornellii estate, right?”

    “Yeah. I think Lucius Cornelius Scipio's personal plots.”

    “Then problem solved! I'll put in a good word for you in the army, and he'll give you the money you need to start up your own grain merchant business.”

    “I don't think it's that simple. We're just two Plebes, he's not going to care about us.”

    “We'll see. Maybe I'll save his life one day. Just imagine it, Gaius Terrentius Varro , savior of the consul of the Republic. It's got a nice ring to it don't you think?”

    “I think you need to start cutting down on the drinking. It's clearly getting to your head.”

    “Maybe, maybe not.” Gaius smiled. A mischievous glint flashed briefly in his eyes.

    As the two young men went home under the setting sun, they sang the same songs that they had sang when they were but children. Their laughter rose and fell over the storied apartment buildings that crowded the Subura, and they each dreamed about their future. Little did they know, Titus indeed went on to become quite a successful merchant that eventually earned him admission into the Roman Senate. Gaius would eventually become consul as he himself promised. But his consulship would lead to the worst disaster that ever befell the Roman military on the fateful plains of Cannae.

    Crusades
    Historical fiction - Fifty Tales from Rome


    Can YOU dance like the Cookie Man?
    Improbe amor quid non mortalia pectora cogis? - The Aeneid
    I run an Asteroid mining website. Visit it before James Cameron takes it from me.

  17. #17

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    Ahh of course, Varro of Cannae. I knew that his name would be an important one, just couldn't remember who he was for sure.

    Great update as always.

  18. #18
    DukeCanada's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    Quote Originally Posted by Aenima View Post
    Ahh of course, Varro of Cannae. I knew that his name would be an important one, just couldn't remember who he was for sure.

    Great update as always.
    I was thinking the exact same thing!

    "where have I heard this name...hmmmm"
    Rome Total Realism Public Relations Representative

    "We saved so much money on toilet paper" - Remlap, after giving advice on proper wiping technique.

  19. #19

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    50 tales will be epic! Good luck with this!

    It will probably take me a while to catch up so i'll declare which tale I am commenting on when I progress through them

    'Poppaea' was very good Chaplain. The use of the boy as some kind of spiritual connection worked really well, even though it was a shock to find out that one of the main protagonists dies (Marcus).

    As for constructive criticism the arrows of the Parthians seem to at times rip through the shields and other times to bounce off them. The Parthians under Surena used composite bows (not unlike the Steppe Horselords) which were extremely powerful and could tear straight through even the testudos. At Carrhae this decimated Crassus' army. Later the prisoners of the 'Forgotton legion' wrapped their shields in silk to counter this.

    I look forward to catching up on more of these!

  20. #20

    Default Re: [H. F.] Fifty Tales from Rome

    -
    Last edited by chaplain118; June 24, 2012 at 05:06 PM.

    Crusades
    Historical fiction - Fifty Tales from Rome


    Can YOU dance like the Cookie Man?
    Improbe amor quid non mortalia pectora cogis? - The Aeneid
    I run an Asteroid mining website. Visit it before James Cameron takes it from me.

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