Curia Hostilia, Consulate of Cinna and Carbo, 83 BCE

[General Brewster]

Appius claps when the motion is proposed, indicating his support. He rises and and says. "I too shall stand as consul for the remainder of this year."

[Rhapture]

Valerius stood
"Sulpicanius you are out of order. There shall be no talk of vacating offices or declaring anyone Hostus." He stated in his clear voice.
"There are not even enough Senators in Rome for a vote of that measure."
"The only thing on debate is naming a suffect consul."

[Celsius]

Canus speaks
"I fully support Sulpicanius. Immediate elections and the persona non grata and hostus of Papirius Carbo!"

He waited for a moment
"If it passes this body, I will stand for Praetor! If we are to hold onto anything, it needs to be law and order."

[Pontifex Maximus]

"Any Senators not present in Rome are not present at their own choice and at their own risk. The business of government will move on regardless of their presence." Sulpicianus responded dryly. "Now, let us divide the house! Those in favor of the motion shall indicate so by moving to the right hand side of the chamber, those opposed shall move left." It was a usurpation of procedure, but after taking the temperature in the room, Gaius was emboldened by the positive response. He quickly moved to the right before more discussion could take place.

[General Brewster]

Appius moves towards the right side of the room.

[Celsius]

Cotta rose and moved swiftly to the right of the room on the side of Sulpicanius. Rome was threatened by not one, but two forces. Procedure wouldn't do.

[Pericles of Athens]

Gnaeus stood. I will stand beside Rome, and I will put my name forward for Praetorship. With that he made to stand with his like minded peers.

[Rhapture]

Valerius was still standing. "By authority of my position as Princeps Senatus. I declare This meeting of the Senate is over. There is no vote. There will be no new laws passed here. Sulpicanius you are forbidden to call any meetings or to sit in the Senate. If you want to go against Carbo I suggest you march out to meet Sulla and his forces. "

[Pontifex Maximus]

Sulpicianus continued to ignore Valerius as if he had not been heard. "It would appear that the vote has been carried by a majority of Senators present." He declared. "As such the formalities for elections should be held immediately."

[Celsius]

Cotta spoke in the direction of Valerius
"Let us sit on our hands and wait for our throats to be cut. That's what you are doing. Cinna is dead. Carbo is Gods know where doing what. We've heard nothing from him. He could just as well be dead! This body can't wait when there are armies roaming the peninsula with us as the target!"

[Pontifex Maximus]

Sulpicianus quickly weighed his options. Valerius could be driven from the Curia by violence if necessary, such were the passions in the room, but that would set the elections off to a bad start as it would make the cabal of senators look no better than those they denounced. If the proceedings stopped here he would take the matter directly to the people, a cadre of Senators at his back to support the measure. It would take longer, but he did not doubt it would ultimately be successful.

[Rhapture]

"Lictors seize this man and throw him out of the Senate!!"
Valerius hails the men with the fasces. They stand frozen for a second.

(Roll for them the lictors to throw Sulpicanius out of the Senate.)

[Pontifex Maximus]

(Rolled for 15 with modifiers)

The lictors looked confused, and ultimately did not move to interfere.

Sulpicianus turned to the Princeps Senatus and scowled "How dare you! I am a duly elected magistrate of the Republic!" Gaius began to descend from the gallery and moved towards the man, his lictors falling in behind him as well as several other Senators. "Remove yourself from this body if you intend to do nothing but obstruct it!"

*Rhapture and I just found out some interesting things about lictors lol, I'll be adding it to the rules shortly.

[Rhapture]

"You are duly elected?" Valerius laughs.

He can hardly stop. He walks forward to him.

"You have just spent the last hour going on and on about how the past elections are illegal and should be thrown out! And now you claim you have some legality to your position? You cannot have both Gauis. By your own words you have lost all validity to your argument." Valerius laughs again.
"And as Princeps Senatus and Ex-consul, you will not order me to do anything."
"Lictors," he briefly addresses them without turning his head in a most serious voice, one used to directing lictors about. " If you touch me in any way, you will never again serve Rome in anyway."

"You will doom yourself if you go forward with any election. I advise any Senator here not to take part in them or put your own lives and those of your family at risk." He continues. "Oh, not from me. I am no violent tyrant like Carbo or Cinna or Marius. But there are violent men coming to Rome soon enough and they will not look kindly on this usurpation of power."

[Pericles of Athens]

And would you hand these violent men this city? Our city? Gnaeus spoke up. You claim you are no tyrant, yet you attempt to deny the will of the Senate, and seize senators for speaking their own truth.

[Trot]

Titus's temper flared he was so close to achieving a consulship that had long been denied him and this rat. He was not worthy of his seat.

"Who are you Valerius to stand in the way of the senate's will? To deny elections proscribed by the founders of the Republic? How much did Cinna and Corta promise you to insure their tyranny went unquestioned in Rome?" He demanded his voice echoing through the chamber over the confused mutterings of other senators. "If you seek to deny elections and the will of the senate in favor of tyrants then I motion we name you a conspirator and traitor to the Republic." He says challenging the man. The vast majority of the senate had stood in favor of the elections but this this was a violation of multiple customs. Titus did not care he was not going to sit down when he had an opportunity that he had long thought closed for him forever.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Sulpicianus and his growing throng of supporters began to push Valerius out the door of the Curia.

[Rhapture]

Valerius turned his attention to Rusca.

"Who am I? I just told you who I am! Princeps Senatus, the leader of the Senate! Descended from the first Consul of Rome, and countless more besides. " He had never lost his head like this, but these Senate flies deserved no mercy.
" The right question is who are you Titus Pinarius Rusca? A nobody? A man from the pine woods who looks to get fat from trying to bribe his way to the Consul? But is too backwards and lowly to know he could never succeed!"
"I have helped keep the peace inside these walls all these years of Cinna tyranny. I am no warrior or general. I know my limitations. But I know I couldn't let the blood continue to flow after Marius and his maniacal ways made the streets run red." He continued
" Not all my dealings have been known publicly, but I have worked tirelessly for a peaceful solution, hopeless though it may seem. I do not see you and any other of these Senators calling for new elections out there with Sulla trying to overthrow Carbo. Are you too afraid of death? That you would hide behind your own walls feigning respect all the way, the greed you hold close to you heart festers because you can not measure up to someone like Carbo?"

"The actions in the Senate here disgust me. We do not need more uprising and violence, which your new elections would surely entice. Enough Romans have died. We do not need more to see a premature end to their days."
Valerius ended.

[Pontifex Maximus]

ooc: with no real opposition to the offices we want, we can just sort of transition into holding new offices I guess. Like we can assumethat this session has ended with us all confirming ourselves i offices and just dispensing with the need to go through an election process.

[Celsius]

Valerius turned his attention to Rusca.

"Who am I? I just told you who I am! Princeps Senatus, the leader of the Senate! Descended from the first Consul of Rome, and countless more besides. " He had never lost his head like this, but these Senate flies deserved no mercy.
" The right question is who are you Titus Pinarius Rusca? A nobody? A man from the pine woods who looks to get fat from trying to bribe his way to the Consul? But is too backwards and lowly to know he could never succeed!"
"I have helped keep the peace inside these walls all these years of Cinna tyranny. I am no warrior or general. I know my limitations. But I know I couldn't let the blood continue to flow after Marius and his maniacal ways made the streets run red." He continued
" Not all my dealings have been known publicly, but I have worked tirelessly for a peaceful solution, hopeless though it may seem. I do not see you and any other of these Senators calling for new elections out there with Sulla trying to overthrow Carbo. Are you too afraid of death? That you would hide behind your own walls feigning respect all the way, the greed you hold close to you heart festers because you can not measure up to someone like Carbo?"

"The actions in the Senate here disgust me. We do not need more uprising and violence, which your new elections would surely entice. Enough Romans have died. We do not need more to see a premature end to their days."
Valerius ended.

Cotta spoke
"Valerius, you would have us leaderless. The sole Consul isn't even in Rome. More so he probably isn't even alive. We have no administrations to deal with the day to day duties. No Quasators, no Praetors, only one Aedile. That's not enough to do anything. We are this close away from anarchy. If we do not have a solidified government by the time an army reaches here, we'll all be lambs to the slaughter. We are here to govern, and you are preventing that."

He paused
"By preventing these offices to be filled, you are offering up Rome on a platter. You say you don't want more uprising or violence, yet your inaction and fascination with the status quo says otherwise. Enough Romans have died, yes. But many more will if this city falters in its day to day duties. When it does, you'll be at the center of the cause..."