Cvria Ivlia (I), Dominate of Flavius Claudius Decimus (Rome) - *IBFD*

[Snowball]

Senators! what is the best for the EMPIRE!? ask yourself this! i beg of you!

some of you say you wish to die on the walls of Rome! for what!? rome is no longer the center of our empire! do you not realize we can and will take Rome back if it falls!?

What is best i ask!, an empire without rome, or an empire without rome and a dead senate!?


Please, stop this mad talk of dying on the walls, let logic and reasoning be your guide! not misguided notions of bravery and fame.

[Pontifex Maximus]

As the shepherd protects his flock, so the emperor is protecting us. I trust in not only our emperor, but God, who will protect us in this time of trial. Do any of you really think God will let his faithful be slaughtered by mere heathens? He is delivering them to us! But for now we are on the defensive. We will simply wait for troops to arrive then unleash our strength upon them.

[Starvin Marvin]

senators, we must also talk about italy's financial problems.

[Caesar Rex]

Marcus sat back and listened, not knowing which way would be the right it seemed that most of these fine men wanted nothing more than to fight for the sacred city.
Some called it just an ancient town.
Others called it the future.

"Senators.
The emperor has spoken and yes his words are divine but so is Roma's own voice.
She is crying out to us to protect her.
Lest we forget that she has been raped and pillaged before.
Are we to go down as those men who abandoned her?
I will stay with few.
We only need a handful of men to win this battle.
I know there are valiant men here who will stand with me.
Together we will be victorious or remembered as heroes in a forgotten tongue.
I would prefer us to be victorious.
Who is with me?"

[Snowball]

*Marcus sighs deeply and shakes his head*

Fools, poor fools.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Brennius, an Illyrian officer of the rank of Tribune, arrives and excuses his dusty attire. The Visigoths chased him all over the hills and woods as if in sport but he evaded them as a fox evades the hounds. He unrolls an imperial scroll wreathed in a purple sash and reads the following words out to the assembled Senators - his Latin is untutored and simple and he stumbles over some of the phrases -

Flavius Claudius Decimus
to
The Most Learned Conscript Fathers of Rome

Greetings

I will dispense with the formalities. As an officer in the army of Rome, you will appreciate I cannot indulge in sophistry. My learning is war not words. My notaries tell me there is dissension in the Senate. There are those of you who wish to stay and those who have heeded my call for you to move here to Ravenna should the barbarians of Alaric advance on Rome. I look to you all not for consensus nor for sycophancy. Who is to say which is the more heroic? To stay and fall with the walls of Rome or remove your hallowed selves to safety to preserve and avenge our Roman State? These are weighty questions. I will not act as your conscience or absolve you of responsibility towards to your own ethics. But know this -

If a wall crumbles it can and will be rebuilt. If a man falls that is the end. So I ask each of you to look into your heart and ask yourself which is more important - your own honour and courage or your fealty to Rome and your Emperor? There I leave it.

Now to the heart of the matter. I have taken Ravenna as my own and my legions, such as they are are, are securing the northern passes and the Alpine frontiers. I have removed the corruption which so stank up this city and allowed our Empire to totter into decay. I have loaded men down with chains. Pensioned off others. Some have been handed over the the official torturers to account for the perilous state of our finances.

I throw out my hand and invite you learned Senators to step up and join my legions and officers to raise Rome out of the dust. I need Romans again to marshal our armies and govern our cities. I break now with precedence and offer to the Senate of Rome in its most dire moment my hand in rule. Offices I need filling and men of rank, status and ambition are needed. Men of power. Of privilege. Of courage and honour. I look to this Senate for these men. Am I wrong to do so?

Let me list these offices and their responsibilities:

The Magister Militum Intra Italiam

commanding the field armies of Italy and responsible for commisioning Comes and Duxes; charged with preserving the Alpine passes and the cities and villas therein; charged especially with harassing Alaric and his Goths until such time as they are either vaquished or driven from Italian soil; charged with recruiting soldiers and building castra.

The Magister Equitum Intra Gallias

commanding the field armies of Gaul and responsible for commisioning Comes and Duxes; charged with retaking Arelate from the usurper and then advancing north up the Liger to Lugudunum; charged with establishing a naval classis at Arelate in readiness for the Vandal migration and to preserve the Mare Nostrum in the West; charged with recruiting soldiers and building castra.

The Comes Hispaniarum

commanding the field armies of Hispania and responsible for commisioning Duxes; charged with rebuilding theb armies of said Diocese; charged with maintaining Cathago Nova at all costs even unto death; charged with recruiting soldiers and building castra.

The Comes Africae

commanding the field armies of Africa and responsible for commisioning Duxes; charged with preserving the integrity of the Diocese and of Carthage in particular; charged with recruiting soldiers and building castra.

The Praetorian Prefect of Italy

maintaining civil law; maintaining the cities and towns; maintaining our revenue.

The Praetorian Prefect of Gaul

maintaining civil law; maintaining the cities and towns; maintaining our revenue.

The Vicarius Africae

as above

The Vicarius Hispaniarum

as above

Those who wish to hold these posts may in my largesse debate their merits and vote within the Senate House, and my officer here, the Tribune Brennius, shall ratify in my name the results of such voting.

Know that by my mandate all military officers shall immediately take up their posts and disband ALL barbarian troops and foederate forces within their commands. Exceptions may be presented to me for my discretion.

Know that by my mandate all governing officers shall immediately take up their posts and demolish ALL lesser Christian buildings and buildings of ill repute to allow for stones and materials to be diverted to rebuilding the walls and defenses.

Be ready. The Goths come. Elect a new Rome under my name and make your peace with your conscience.

[chaplain118]

Nearby legions, there must be nearby legions we can pull to Rome for her defense! And the populace, give them the right incentives and they'll fight. I will not abandon this city!

Besides, the Goths control the road from Rome to Ravenna, and it would only be a matter of time before they turn their full fury on Ravenna as well.

However, the news that a usurper in Arelate has seized control may be to our advantage. That frees up thousands of men that we can now call back to Italy to her defense. Rome is not over yet. We will not go down without a fight.

[Selifator]

Oppius stands and addresses the Tribune, his mind made up on what he shall do.
"Tribune Brennius, please relay this message to the Augustus. My family has been known as a family of lawyers for centuries. One of my ancestors after whom I have been named, was a capable lawyer himself. But he had made a diary in which he expressed his concern that lawyers and debatists could not defend themselves against the barbarians.

So my family changed our ways, and we became a family that bred many Duxes to protect all of the Roman citizens. Many of my ancestors have given their lives for this. And I am prepared to do so as well.
I believe that we must protect Rome as best we can, but the reports you have given us are dire indeed. It shames me that the borders have been broken on all sides, that we have been unable to protect even the heart of the Empire.

In order to redeem myself I shall place myself at your side, though it is my wish to stay here, reason says that I must place life over legacy.
Rome is not only a city, it is a culture, a history. One that we all carry, that we were born with and that we shall die for.

So even though my heart tells me that I should stand and fight, reason tells me that I must go to our Augustus and give him all that I have in order to fight.
Augustus, as it is your wish that we come to you, I shall do so. I shall be leaving soon for Ravenna, and I hope that my fellow senators can see reason as well.

That is all, Tribune."

And with that, Oppius sits with a heavy heart, hoping that he has made the right decision and wondering what the future shall bring.

[Snowball]

I fully agree with my fellow senator Oppius Aulus, know that i do not do it easily! But i will not let my feelings get in the way of reason!

[Selifator]

As a wise man once said, "Reason is the only sovereign that I can allow to rule myself." Do not let history get in the way of the future, for we are the future and we must live to serve the Roman people.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

The Tribune Brennius observes the debate in the Senate House and casually unrolls a rough parchment scroll from within his sagum cloak. He spreads it on the marble floor for all the Senators to see and then steps back in silence -

[Xavier Dragnesi]

Marcus Appuleius glances at the map and exclaims:

Senators, look at the road to Ravenna. It is beset with hordes of Visigoths numbering in the tens of thousands. We are lucky that none of our cities have yet been besieged. From what I can see, I think that our chances of surviving the jouirney to Ravenna are about as small, or even smaller than our chances of holding Rome. Flee, those senators who think they must, but I shall stay, and stand with good Marcus Labienus. Battles I have fought, and battles I have won. Honour I have fought for, and honour I have retained. Pride I have fought for, and pride I will not lose again.

[Pontifex Maximus]

Friends, the port remains free. We could travel by boat to the south, where I am told the position is less dangerous.

[Maxinius Scipio]

Gnaeus' eyes widen as he takes a quick glare at the map.

"Do you all see now?! Look at the numerical superiority of the Visigoths, compared to the tiny garrison stationed here! How can you possibly hope to survive...it is impossible for those of you who wish to stay here to even put a small dent in Alaric's horde!

We must flee this city, get on the nearby fleet, sail to the North, and then lead the legions of our Augustus to avenge those lost to the Visigoths. That is the only reasonable course of action! We cannot risk to lose some of you here. Some of you may be adept tacticians and strategists, and we need many of those for the trials that lie ahead.

I offer my services as the Praetorian Prefect of Italy! I know the local farmers and merchants well, and I am sure that I could scrounge together a hefty profit -- one large enough to pay for a hundred legions!"

[Xavier Dragnesi]

A letter has been sent to the Emperor requesting a report on our military status and strength at the current time. I shall see where our forces are stationed and how numerous they are, before I make my final decision.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Word ripples through the streets and forums of Rome that a Roman fleet has been sighted and has docked at Ostia. Before the Senators can absorb this news, the Praepositus of the Misenum Classis strides into the Senate House and presents by the will of the Emperor the list of the field armies of Rome in the West:

Here stand the legios and vexillations of the Illyrican Field army and the units personally responsible for raising the Emperor to the Purple and which he retains sole command -



Next are the Gallic troops in the field army now assembling around Arelate -



And the slight forces under the command of the Comes Hispaniorum -



Finally those few forces at Ravenna and on the march north of Arretium -



These are the field army and palatine regiments scattered about the empire and do not represent the limitanei at the frontiers or on garrison duty in the towns and cities. Moving these units risks revolt or sacking and is too dangerous for the Emperor to contemplate. The forces in Africa are slight and fit only for frontier, desert, action.

The Praepositus Majorian then gestures out of the Senate House and offers up his galleys to any who desire it. He has orders to sail north along the Italian coast bypassing the hordes under Alaric and offer safety to all who desire it.

[Selifator]

Senator Saturninus, I plead to you! Please do not let your pride come in front of your life! We need men like you to rebuild the republic, to reclaim what is rightfully ours!

[Maxinius Scipio]

Gnaeus jumps up from his chair in an instant and walks towards the Praepositus.

"Well then, I suppose I'm off. I'll see the majority of you in Ravenna...unless we still have some things to settle first?"

[Snowball]

You have heard my arguments, i am going to the emperor.

[Starvin Marvin]

There is a difference between dying for rome and commiting suicide and by staying in rome, you will be commiting suicide, i plead any senator who wishes to stay, do the right thing, do the smart thing and die for our country another day. I am off to Ravenna, i hope you all come to your senses. Rome will be waiting for us to return.