The Epic Of Man...

[The Capo]

This is the storyline thread for the Diplogame starting Friday, November 25th 2005 (in Australia it's November 26th). The players in this game are:

The Capo - Rome
OzzyKP - India
Deity - Azande (Mali)
Deity Dude - Russia
Master-Mike - Japan
Seventy7Ways - Mongolia

Please try and limit this thread to in-character posting, in the beginings of the game I understand we may have to use this as a forum for OOC (Out Of Character) posts, which is fine, but try and keep this thread for only storyline posts. Thank you.

[The Capo]

The tunnel was dark and cold, not nearly as dark and cold as the thoughts running through Aeneas' head. He held his torch far in front, it was the last glimmer of hope he and his people had. His bruised and bloodied hand clutched the handle of of a sword so tightly the sweat produced dripped onto the cobbled patch built years before by his ancestors, the only sounds that echoed through the dark corridor were that of the women, children and the few men that survived the attack - nay - the destruction of his home; Troy.

When he reached the door he turned "This is it" he said, "we've made it..."

Two years later...

"I think he's dead" said the boy as he poked the man's body.

"He's breathing Sextus, stop it." he friend said "Let's help him up."

"No" Sextus said, holding his friend Tiberius back "He's a soldier, look at his sword, he may kill us."

"He's near death, take his sword, we can make him our slave." Tiberius replied.

"Come on! We haven't got all day" his father yelled from the hill "what are you doing down there?" He walked towards the boys, and noticed the man "Get away from him, now!" he said rushing up to the body.

"Father he's alive, I think he's an Etruscan, he has a sword." Tiberius told his father.

"Go back to the camp, get the Auger, you shouldn't be playing with this body, it will anger Pluto." said the man as he surveyed the body; he was alive, but wasn't well, without care death would soon befall him...

The Auger looked over the body "he's a strange looking man, he's not of Italy."

"Well, look at his sword, its well crafted. It looks more ceremonial than useful, look how blunt it is" said Turnus as he ran his finger accross the sword's edge, "such craftsmanship."

"He's still alive in any event, he's breathing." the Auger said as he sprinkled water on the man's brow.

"Leave him to the dogs for all I care" said Turnus "or make him a slave, who found him?"

"We can't just make him a slave! You said it yourself, the sword he bears is ceremonial, he's obviously important, perhaps a great warrior. We could incur the wrath of the gods and anyone else that would wish to claim him if we made him a slave." the Auger argued, Turnus was not listening; he was an arrogant man who was only two days from marrying Chief Latinus' daughter Lavinia. Despite his disposition he was the greatest warrior and hunter the Latins had.

Just then the man coughed - "He moves!" the Auger said.

The man's eyes opened, he looked around the tent and quickly rose from his bed "What place is this?" he asked, hysterically.

Turnus quickly rose and readied his flint club "Name yourself!" he yelled, threatening the man.

"I am Aeneas of Troy, son of Anchises and Venus, commander of the Dardanians. Where is my sword?" he said, looking around frantically.

"Calm yourself good man" said the Auger calmly, "We have your sword."

"Give it to me, I musn't let-" Aeneas tried to explain but he was quickly interrupted.

"SILENCE!" Turnus yelled at the man, pushing him back down onto the bed with his club "What are you doing here? I hardly believe you are of Troy, it is a myth!"

"Where are the others?" Aeneas asked, looking Turnus dead in the eyes. Turnus felt a strange heat come over him, for whatever reason he was enraged.

"The man is raving!" Turnus laughed "There are no others, only you, we found you half dead near the beaches. You'd be wise to tell us what your business is here!"

"I told you, I am Aeneas of Troy. My city was destroyed by a coalition of barbarians, we left on a ship. There was a storm, I don't remember much after that, I was pretty sure I was going to drown..." he trailed off "Where am I?"

"That is of no concern to you, you will see the Chief." Turnus replied "Auger, help him up..."

Turnus bowed before Chief Latinus and kissed his feet, it was customary in the Latin tribe to do such a thing, Turnus couldn't wait until the marriage so he could one day become Chief himself; "Dominus, there is a stranger who appeared near the beach, he claims to be from Troy, he says he and a shipload of people left the city because of an attack. He's raving sir, clearly insane from near death, but I have this to offer." Turnus reported, he kneeled and held up the sword, the Chief took it.

"This is quite beautiful" the Chief said, looking over the craftsmanship "Its hardly sharp enough for fighting though. Where is this stranger?"

"AUGER!" Turnus barked from the tent, within seconds the Auger walked in, with Aeneas beside him. "Here he is Dominus." Turnus said to the Chief.

"State your name." the Chief said bluntly.

"I am Aeneas of Troy sir, son of-" Aeneas explained, the Chief raised his hand to silence him.

"Aeneas, Turnus tells me you claim to be of Trojan descent. I find this odd, we here in Italy fancy this as mere myth. Troy does not exist, it is a tale." the Chief explained.

"No sir, it can be no myth, I was born there. The city is destroyed." Aeneas explained.

"Of course it is destroyed" said Turnus sarcastically "Chief, he lies! He can't produce a city that has been destroyed-"

"TURNUS!" the Chief yelled "Leave at once!"

Turnus turned and glared at Aeneas, he then bowed to the Chief and left the tent.

"Now, Aeneas, tell me what happened to Troy..." the Chief asked.

[The Capo]

The next day the Chief announced that the camp would be moved, the Etruscans were hot on their trail and it was only a matter of time before the two tribes had to fight, the Chief's daughter would be married the next day and there was the issue of the stranger to discuss; rumors that Aeneas was nothing but an Etruscan spy were popular, and the Chief decided that it would be wise to test Aeneas' contention that he was in fact descendant of the goddess Venus. Turnus had shared a plot with the Chief, if Aeneas was found by the Auger to be of only mortal lineage then he could be executed and the fears the tribe had could be lifted.

The tribe moved north towards the Tiber river, there they would celebrate the upcoming hunt with a festival, a ceremony to disprove Aeneas' lineage and finally the marriage of Turnus and Lavinia.

The tribe assembled around a make-shift alter; Aeneas was placed upon it, bound by rope. The Auger kissed the Chief's feet and rose, approaching Aeneas. "Noble Jupiter, King of gods, King of the Earth, ocean and sky. Please today portend to us an omen. It is Aeneas, the stranger who claims to be of Troy who needs your auger today. If his lineage be true, and he be of the line of Venus please give us our sign, if he is a heretic lord Jupiter we shall strike him down for you!" the Auger said, as he burned incense and circled Aeneas body.

Aeneas couldn't believe it had come to this; he had failed his people, they were all either dead at Troy, or sunk to Neptune at the bottom of the ocean, and now his time has come. He would die in a strange land at the hand of barbarians! This was no way for a nobleman of Troy to die, he reasoned that in the end it was fitting; what use was a Trojan without a Troy?

"There is no auger!" yelled Turnus "Destroy this heretic spy!" the crowd cheered, the Auger looked to the Chief, who gave him the signal.

A man holding a large flint club approached the altar, "may the heavens bless this act" the Auger continued "for those who comitt heresy are the enemies of Jupiter, and deserve nothing but suffering to the rage of Pluto's lapdogs-" just then an Eagle flew, seemingly out of nowhere and ripped out the executioner's eye, he fell screaming in agony as the crowd gasped.

The Chief arose from his chair, "Auger! What is this?" he asked.

"It displeases Jupiter Dominus, to kill the stranger!" the Auger replied, astounded. He was a man of faith, but nothing of this magnitude had ever occured.

"Unbind him at once!" the Chief commanded.

"No, Dominus, this is impossible!" Turnus argued "This man is not a Latin, he is a liar!" he watched as the priests cut the rope, and Aeneas rose from the altar.

"I wish you no harm! Surely this is proof that I am no liar!" he said, approaching the Chief, Turnus quickly pulled out his weapon and placed himelf in front of Aeneas.

"Halt there! I will kill you where you stand if you take another step." he said to Aeneas, he then turned to the crowd "My people, fellow Latins, this man is a brigand, and practices a dark faith. What auger takes an innocent man's eye? How are we to know this is an act of Jupiter and not of some dark force?"

"Turnus, please." Aeneas argued "I wish nothing to befall you, I was sent to preserve my culture, nothing more. I offer no threat to you all, I only wish to go-"

"If this man truly is of divine lineage, Venus would not let him perish! I shall fight him, and disprove this atrocity!" Turnus yelled "Dominus, let me prove Latin strength to you before I marry your daughter, let me prove my worth to my people."

"You are our finest warrior Turnus, I could not let you die at his hands. The auger speaks for Aeneas, we can not challenge the gods in this manner!" the Chief said, the crowd was silenced.

"If this man is a child of the gods, then let him marry Lavinia if I fall to him!" Turnus boasted "But look at him, he is ill, and tattered, hardly the appearance of divinity. Let him weild his pathetic sword of Troy, I spit on him and his lies." he held his hand out to the Chief "Dominus, I will give him his weapon."

"Turnus, you are betrothed to my daughter Lavinia, I musn't let the day of your wedding end in tragedy, I can not allow it." the Chief protested.

"I will fight you Turnus." Aeneas said, "Chief Latinus, please, the sword."

"It is blunt Aeneas, and Turnus speaks without thought, if you are truly the son of Venus I would be putting my entire tribe in danger if you were to fall," the Chief responded, Turnus kept quiet, he couldn't stand to have this man, this supposed son of Venus trump his position if he became Chief, in his mind Aeneas must die.

"Great Chief Latinus. I speak no lies, this man disrespects me, and my people. I was brought here to Italy by the gods' design, they kept that sword by my side, and if I shall fall I will only do so with it still at my side, please Dominus, I will entertain this fool!" Aeneas said, the crowd began to murmur, he walked past Turnus and kneeled before Latinus "please my lord, the sword."

The Chief approached Aeneas and held out the sword "Here in the fields of Mars, named so for the god of war, shall Aeneas of Troy and Turnus do battle for the hand of Lavinia." He knew this would be disastrous, but how could it be helped, if Turnus took Aeneas' life in cold blood Venus would punish the Latins with infertility. If Aeneas was truly a liar, Turnus would have proven his might, and would make a great Chief.

As soon as Aeneas grabbed the sword Turnus swung his club, hitting Aeneas in the leg, breaking it. He fell in agony "Is this the son of Venus?" Turnus boasted as he swung down towards Aeneas' head, Aeneas quickly rolled out of the way, and rose upon his good knee.

Turnus turned to the crowd "This broken man, with his blunt sword and his story of Troy wishes to take Lavinia's hand?" He ran at Aeneas who rolled into him, knocking him onto the ground, Aeneas stood up, wincing in pain and tried to stab Turnus in the belly, but was blocked. Turnus quickly rose.

"Is that the best you can do boy?" he asked, as he swung his club, Aeneas blocked it with the sword but it broke, shards flying everywhere.

"I hope they build Trojans better than they build swords!" Turnus boasted as he kicked Aeneas to the ground and stood above him "Now, I shall prove you a liar Aeneas" Turnus lifted the club above his head as he stood directly on Aeneas' broken knee.

Aeneas clutched the now broken sword in his hand, Turnus did manage to break it, but unfortunately for him also made it sharp. Aeneas lunged it into Turnus' calve muscle and twisted it, the club fell from Turnus' hand as he bent over and grabbed his leg, Aeneas kicked him to the ground and jammed the broken sword into Turnus' stomach...

Aeneas was married to Lavinia a year later after his leg healed. The story of Troy was spread throughout the Latin tribes, who had seen Aeneas as a new hope against the Etruscan tribes. He adopted the surname Latinus, and Lavinia bore two children; their names were Romulus Latinus, and Remus Latinus...

[OzzyKP]

This tale begins on a day like any other, the sun shone on the plants and the rocks and the wind licked mountains and rivers. It begins in a place like any other, the valleys, rivers, mountains and forests not unlike those on any of the many continents were you to suddenly awake displaced far from home. Yet it begins among a special people, a noble people. A people with a long history, a rich history...

"Rich history? I ain't seen a cent of those riches."
"haha me either!"
"All I've seen is an endless treasure of ****."

"Silence! Do not interrupt Rishi Vyasa you worthless Shudra! Know your place! - Continue wise sage."

This epic tale spans thousands of years and is the great story of India. Our lives are but a speck in this grand story of our people. Yet, this is not the first world, nor is it the first universe. There have been and will be many more worlds and universes than there are drops of water in the holy river Ganges. The universes are made by Lord Brahma the Creator, maintained by Lord Vishnu the Preserver and destroyed by Lord Shiva. Since the universes must be destroyed before they can be recreated, Lord Shiva is called the Destroyer and Re-creator. These three gods are all forms of Supreme One and part of the Supreme One. The Supreme One is behind and beyond all.

After each old universe is destroyed nothing is left but a vast ocean. Floating on this ocean, resting on the great snake Ananta, is Lord Vishnu. Some say that a lotus flower springs from his navel and from this comes Lord Brahma. And it is from Lord Brahma that all creation comes.
How dies Lord Brahma create? Some tell of how he grows lonely and splits himself in two to create male and female. Then he becomes one again and human beings are created. In the same way he creates all the other living things, from the great animals to the tiniest insects. Others say that everything comes from different parts of Lord Brahma's body. All the different animals and all the people come from his mouth, arms, thighs and feet. His mouth became the brahman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the shudra was born. Everything comes from one - Lord Brahma, who is part of the Supreme One - so everything is part of the Supreme One. For this universe, this world and this Lord Brahma, like all those before and all those to come, will be destroyed by Lord Shiva.

How long is the life of a universe? Its length is beyond imagination. One day to Lord Brahma is longer than four thousand million of the years that we know. Every night when Lord Brahma sleeps the world is destroyed. Every morning when he awakes it is created again. When the Lord Brahma of this universe has lived a lifetime of such days the universe is completely destroyed by Lord Shiva.
Everything disappears into the Supreme One. For an unimaginable period of time chaos and water alone exist. Then once again Lord Vishnu appears, floating on the vast ocean. From Lord Vishnu comes forth Lord Brahma of the new universe and the cycle continues for ever.

[Seventy7Ways]

They were herdsmen on the grassy plains north of the Gobi Desert and south of Siberian forests. The Mongols were fragmented, moving about in small bands headed by a chief, or khan, and living in portable felt dwellings - gers.

They endured frequent deprivations and sparse grazing. They frequently fought over turf, and during hard times they occasionally raided, interested in goods rather than bloodshed. Didn't collect heads or scalps as trophies and did not notch wood to record their kills.

From an ancient society, a mongol named Temujin rose as khan over various families. He was a good manager, collecting people of talent. He was vassal to Ong Khan, titular head of a confederacy better organized than other Mongol clans.

[OzzyKP]

Report, soldier.

All quiet sir, as quiet as the day before which was as quiet as the day before that. For as long as my assignment has been, my post has been as quiet as a tomb. Persia is sleeping and poses no threat to us.

Any non-hostile sightings?

Just the common rabble of traders, beggars, and peasants sir. Oh, and a small detachment of dark-skinned warriors wandered through that pass there, however they did not linger nor attempt to make contact. They showed no interest in our affairs nor hostility.

And you just watched them then?

I posted Hamra and Chaladi, our swiftest runners to observe their progress from a distance and rush back if they showed any signs of aggression. They did not and were soon outside of our mandate. I thought nothing of it sir. Did I err?

No soldier, you did your duty. Just curious is all. I shall inform the lord. Many a year have we waited for official word from the kingdoms we hear rumors of around us, yet nothing but silent scouts skirting our lands. Most curious.

[deity]

There was a rustle in the jungle and a ripple of light.

Another planet, another time, the same Lizard...

It slithered away as an alien creature. What had gone before had sent shockwaves through the Universe. The misunderstood Lizard sought respite here. It seemed familiar and homely - another time warp.

What the Earth peoples had not understood from the beginning was that the Azande were not of that planet, nor this one. They slip through time paradoxes into places where intelligent life evolves and spread the word of the Lizard - knowledge, peace and harmony. But this was seen as a threat in previous times. Here, a new planet with apelike mammals can be put to the test.
Will their mankind learn the lessons; OR will the eons of ages be littered with death and destruction that is so typical of over developed apes!

Lizard moved quietly amongst his secret tribe in Africa, preparing for another model civilisation.

---

In the year 2,000,000AR (After Reptiles) the first village of Azadine was established and the first band of manlike explorers did set forth.

Around 2,001,000AR the Azandes or "Azadines" happened upon a very funny looking group of Warriors whose names all ended in "us". RiDicuLus, Pompous, Nilus and Roamus were their leaders’ names. They had a great laugh about this with the "Romans" who also commented on the strange appearance of the Azadines. Permission was granted the Romans to explore and southwards they progressed… these apes showed significant promise and a peaceful Roman civilisation seemed certain, this time…

Not long after this meeting in the year of our Lizard 2,001,600AR, a newly formed tribe of Azadine reached the same place along the river “Nilus”, named after the Roman explorer, and there did settle a new place called “Azand”

Secret intelligence revealed, despite Lizards best efforts to play down his power, his first two places of dwelling were in the Top 5 greatest ‘cities’ of the world by 2,003,180… the year that the religious mask of Confucianism was created to make the Azande seem as though from this planet…

[deity]

Further intelligence proved overwhelming and Lizard ‘requests’ for the Azande to build ‘culture’ and spread gradually throughout the lands…

[deity]

He said 'prioritise' health issues and curb growth...

[Master-Mike]

It was an age of darkness and disorder.

Jimmu throwing open the barrier of Heaven and clearing a cloud-path, urged on his superhuman course until he came to rest. Below small villages scattered across a wasteland indeserpte need of a GOD. I am Jimmu descended from the heavenly rule of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu boomed Jimmu's voice, through-out the lands.

The scattered peoples who inhabited these lands looked towards the sun, were Jimmu hovered above the clouds. You will follow my rule, i will bring Prosperity, Harmony and Focus to you. I am a Sun God. Those that do not follow my rule will be my enemy, as divided we will fall, we must be united in these wastelands i am to make you a great and powerful people.

Behold my power, Jimmu pulled from around his waste a long slighly curved sword, this sword glowed as if powered by the sun its self. With a mighty slice towards the ground a river was unleashed that flowed to the nearby village and provided it with fresh water. Nothing will stand in my way, behold the power of the sun gods.

The people rejoiced as this genorous display of power from the gods. Over the comming years this wasteland was crafted into a buitiful paradise. Jimmu made war on the poeople's to the east and west who would not submit to his rule. There resistance did not last long, how can you fight a GOD. A new great nation has emerged from the desolate wasteland that time forgot. You will hence forth be know as the Empire of Japan or Japense, you are descended from the ancestors of the land of the rising sun. The Sun Gods.

You will call me Emperor. As my gift to you i present you with Kyoto our founding city. From here we will spread our knowlege, culture and focus to bring the other barbian peoples into our Empire. Do not defy me, i wil bring Justice to my new empire, peace, stability all that are not with me, are against me. This is the life of a god, all of nothing there is no middle gorund.

These words will be written into tablets and installed im my imerpial palace for lal to see.

So begins the History of Japan.

[OzzyKP]

Lord Bhishma has led his people for many years. Born on the Asiatic steppe he trusted in the Vedas and stories of a lush land to their south, so led his people south in a voyage of many years. Finally they came across a great river. The border of their new southern home.

Out of appreciation for its lush banks and the for the tales brought to him by his gods through the Vedas handed down throughout time to his people, he named the river Indus after the King of Gods, Indra. Furthermore, Lord Bhishma named his nation, India. Henceforth all the peoples in all the kingdoms of this plane and the next shall know and tremble at the mighty people of India.

They did not settle upon the banks of the Indus however, but did meet many a beautiful woman. Refugees from what they described as a vast and powerful kingdom down river. After hundreds of years, their civilization was destroyed by barbarians. Those women and children who remained fled north, following along the river banks, seeking Lord Bhishma's protection. Gladly Lord Bhishma welcomed them into the tribe. Many warriors and herdsmen gladly took on a second wife. A great celebration was held, and the people rejoiced for several nights.

Lord Bhishma continued east till his people met the banks of another great river, and there they built the first permanent settlement of their people, the great city of Delhi.

[Ljube]

So, the comeback of the Lizard. Beware all who think that Lizard is human.

[The Capo]

Dearest brother,

I yearn to return to Rome.

The nights here are dark and boring, the soldiers hate their taks; fending off barbarians.

Soon our settlers will establish themselves and we can leave, and return home to our great city. I grow tired of this, only in my confidence to you I say this; our father has lost his mind. We're attempting to re-established "Troy" in Asia. Such a fruitless endeavor, to expect our warriors to secure a land so far from Italy is questionable at best.

For now he has established a city on the great Danube river between Rome and the Russian lands, he chooses to remain in this city, it has been called "Antium" by our troops; named so for the stars that adorne its walls. I have a heavy heart though my brother, on campaign I have met numerous foreigners of various description. The pale-skins of the north and the dark skined Azande of the south, I don't know much about them but I have a sinking feeling that their humanity isn't what it seems to be, regardless, they have been our most compassionate neighbors.

I shall return to Rome soon. I can't wait to taste our wines again, and see our women. I question father's decisions; our people are not Trojan, and we musn't waste time on establishing an old and lost culture, we have many pressing issues before us.

I know you are busy with issues in Rome, and I honor you for what has been done so far in the city, but many others around the world have reached glory unattainable under our current rule. Great wonders that defy our understanding have been built throughout the world, or so the tales say. I shall be in your presence mere days after you recieve this letter. So I will save the last of my issues for your ears alone, nobody must hear of what I will speak of.

Love and honor.

Remus Latinus.

[The Capo]

Since Aeneas took power he has done many good things for the Latin people; a capital has been established in the center of Italy, a new outposts in Germany and Asia have been established, and Italy has been united under the Latin tribe; however their relative power has been unestablished in the world's scene; a dark cloud has been cast over the Roman empire...

"Send in Martius!" ordered Romulus, seconds after bedding his slave "Summon my ministers!" He had become accustomed to ruling his people since his father left in search of Troy's ruins.

Martius was a very simple man, he attained his position simply out of his acumen for understanding foreign languages, he was from an old family in the Latin tribe; the Brutii. He entered, his attitude humble, and his clothes even moreso...

"Yes Dominus." He said humbly as he entered the King's chambers.

"Martius Brutus," Romulus began "I have a note here from my brother Remus, he tells me he shall return within the next two days, I want a grand feast in his honor."

"Yes dominus" Martius replied "it shall be done."

"That is not why I called upon you, please sit" Romulus ordered as he walked towards his table, his slave dressed herself and was promptly escorted from the room.

"Dominus, I shall wait until you are clothed-" Martius said, he was quickly interrupted by Romulus.

"Nonsense, I have no shame in my Roman body, sit, we shall speak." Romulus replied, as he grabbed his toga.

Martius sat at the table, and pulled a bundle of papers from his bag, he set them on the table and waited for Romulus' statement...

"My father is busy in Antium, and things are not going well. So far three of our exploratory forces have been destroyed by barbarians, this is unacceptable. The northern tribes are uncooth and must be destroyed, we must establish relations with the Russians and Azande, it is central to my plans." Romulus said.

"I understand sir, but the Russians are less than willing to discuss any treaty, your father himself can attest to this."

"As the Tiber (thanks Ozzy :cute: ) ebbs and flows, so does the world Martius, perhaps father hasn't given them incentive, that is your job." Romulus said as he snatched Martius' papers from him "What are these?"

Martius was embarrased, "They are nothing sir, simply suggestions."

"It looks like Buddhist drivel" Romulus said looking over them "Jupiter looks down on such nonsense!" he exclaimed as he threw the papers unto the table.

"I apologize Dominus" Martius replied.

"It's irrelevant! You are to court Stalin of Russia, tell him we wish for peace and cooperation between our people, the danger of foreign doctines ruling our people is more than either of us should bear, our borders are set, and we wish to solidify them. We can not be civilized people if we don't treat others accordingly."

"Yes of course Dominus, who shall I send?" Martius replied as he collected his papers.

"Send my brother Remus, as soon as he returns to Rome." Romulus said, knowing full well that Remus was a danger to his claim to the throne "Do you know when Father shall return?"

"That is uncertain Dominus, your father may stay in Antium indefinitely, he has a love of that country." Martius replied.

"Very well, you are dismissed." Romulus ordered as Martius was promptly escorted from his chamber.

Romulus sat in solidarity, 'my family shall be the downfall of Rome' he thought to himself, 'something must be done'...

Just then one of his guards entered the room, "Dominus, your brother has arrived" he said.

"Excellent, order the slaves to prepare a feast, it shall occur at nightfall. Send my mother, I must speak with her..."

[The Capo]

"Dominus! Dominus!" Leartes exclaimed as he ran up the hill, Aeneas was surveying the countryside. He was excited about his new city.

"Leartes, please calm yourself." the King said "What is the matter?"

"My lord," he said out of breath "Lord Romulus has a message for you, he says it is urgent." the servant said as he caught his breath.

"Here, please, have some water." the King replied as he summoned his slave to bring the large jug of water they had been carrying with them.

Leartes drank from the jug, more seemed to be spilling from the sides of his mouth than was going in, he wiped his mouth and took a few deep breaths.

"Well, out with it, give me the letter." King Aeneas replied, his servant grabbed the jug and carried it back into the tent, they were set up on a hill over-looking the valley, planning out the expansion of Antium.

"No sir, it is no letter. He was afraid someone may have come accorss it and killed me, so I am to recite it to you, for your ears only." Leartes responded, eyeing the guards and slaves Aeneas kept at his side.

Aeneas nodded "Well, if my son believes it is this important I shall hear you out in private," he motioned for his people to stay put while the two walked towards the tent. As they entered King Aeneas motioned the two slave girls residing inside to leave as well...

"Alright Leartes, enough drama, what is the word from Rome, nothing has happened has is?" the King asked.

"No Dominus, its just that-" with that Leartes pulled out his knife and stabbed the King right in the throat, he clutched Leartes' ribs as he fell motionless to the ground. Leartes looked around, the tent was empty, he placed the knife back in his bag and searched for gold...

Back in Rome...

"I'm worried about father" Romulus told his mother Lavinia, "He's been in Antium for a very long time, I fear for the worst."

"He's homesick Romulus, he'll return shortly. I hear Remus has returned from Germany." she said with a smile, she was getting old but her classic Roman looks kept her famous beauty intact.

"That's just it mother, look at this note I recieved." he said as he handed his mother Remus' note, she read it and looked at her son confused.

"I don't understand, what does this have to do with Aeneas?" she asked, returning the note.

"He says that he considers father a fool. He has no right to say such things about his father, let alone the King of the Latins!" he said angrily.

"Romulus, please, calm yourself. This is hardly any reason to get upset, we have a feast tonight to welcome your brother home and you regard such a simple note as a threat to your father?" she said, as she placed her hand on his cheek "You think too much, all of this work has got you, well, worked up."

"I'm simply surprised he's been gone for so long, and everybody knows Remus is jealous that Rome was named after me." he said as he folded the note up.

"Romulus, really!" she said sternly "I will not stand here while you accuse your brother of conspiracy, this is a joyous day, since the founding of the city I haven't seen all three of you together at all, and finally I'll have my two sons here. I will NOT have this day ruined by your petty rivalries, do you understand?"

"Yes mother." he replied.

"Prefect of Latinum or not, you are still my son!" she said, "now, put on some armor, let us make this a galliant display, Rome needs something to cheer about..."

[The Capo]

Remus was happy to be home. He had been in Germany for years, and he was excited to see his family. The house hadn't changed much, a slave quickly came to his side and removed his armor and cloak, Remus nodded and smiled at her; even his slaves made him happy.

"My galliant brother!" a voice said from behind him, it was Romulus.

"Ah, Romulus, prefect of Rome!" he said in a sarcasticly deep voice "How are you?" he hugged his brother and kissed his cheek.

"What news from Germany?" Romulus asked.

"We have plenty of time for such things, where's father?" Remus inquired.

"Ah, still in Antium, I don't expect his return tonight, but we've prepared a feast for you. Junia and Laelia of the Scipii are here too, my how they've grown, if you catch my drift." Romulus said with a smile.

"You dog! Of course I do, well what are we waiting for break out the wine." Remus said enthusiastically.

"In due time brother, our mother would like to see you first, you musn't keep her waiting."

"Of course," said Remus, "Where is she?"

"She's at the temple of Venus praying for father, you shouldn't interrupt her right now-" began Romulus, but a courier quickly burst into the room.

"Dominus!" he said, "I have terrible news from Antium. King Aeneas has been murdered by a Greek slave."

The brothers were shocked, they looked at eachother and turned back towards the courier "Where is the body?" Romulus asked.

"It is on its way Dominus. The Comitia Tributa (Tribal Assembly) has been summoned to the forum for an emergency meeting. As far as we know the population has no idea, but you know how fast word spreads in Rome." the courier responded.

"Dismissed!" Romulus shouted at him angrily, the courier nodded and left.

"Why'd you tell him to leave?" Remus asked "I have further questions."

"Surely nothing a plebe could answer, we shall find all we must know at the forum." Romulus said.

"Who will be King?" Remus asked.

"We'll take care of this..." Romulus responded...

[The Capo]

(sorry I'm posting so much, I am going somewhere with all of this)

The people of Rome had all assembled in the Curia for the meeting of the Tribal Assembly, their King Aeneas Latinus of Troy had been killed in Antium by a Greek assassin.

"People of Rome!" said Aulus Iunius "We call this emergency meeting of the Tribal Assembly with great importance, our King Aeneas of Troy has been slain in Antium!"

The crowd bust with noise, chants of 'death to the Greeks' could be heard but in general the reaction was mixed. It was at this point that Romulus and Remus, the princes, entered the Curia.

"While we must mourn our lost leader, the time has come for all true Romans to reclaim their position; it was only under our conflict with the Etruscans that we named a King, our history and law dictate that Rome be ruled by this assembly and not a single despot!" Aulus Iunius continued "We now have the means to do so-"

"I MUST interject!" Romulus yelled.

"Quiet the halfbreed!" a man in the crowd replied, there was a wave of laughter and jeers following this, Romulus was incensed.

Remus walked towards Aulus, "I beg the house of Iunii to remember what the Latinii have done for them." Aulus simply looked at Remus for a few seconds and back at the crowd "We have the presence of our King's sons, Romulus Latinus and Remus Latinus. Perhaps they can shed some light on Aeneas' misfortune."

Remus turned again towards Aulus, quietly he asked "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing Dominus, please, what is your business here?" he said loudly, clearly something was afoot.

"The house of Latinii wish for a short time of mourning for our father, he was a great man, and gave the Latin people a home here in Rome. I urge the people of Rome to calm themselves until we find out exactly what occured and who was behind this heinous act." Remus suggested, the crowd was not pleased.

"We do not buy your lies Remus!" one Roman said as he approached Remus, his name was Gnaeus Brutus of the Brutii "Aeneas was a great man, I do not deny this, but he was no Latin. He was a Trojan, and while he did found our city, and did much for our people by crushing the Etruscans, his ability to lead was questionable. Under his reign we spent our money and worked our backs off to find the ruins of Troy and found a city in his old homeland, hundreds of miles away from Italy, at great cost to our well-being. His son Romulus, for whom the city was named, has sat upon the throne like a spoiled brat" Romulus did not like this "As far as we know Aeneas had no enemies, the Greek tribes showed no aggression towards us or our King, and I have evidence that Romulus himself was behind his father's vile execution!" the crowd gasped.

"Nonsense!" Romulus said, as he placed his hand upon his sword "I will not stand for this!"

"You will!" commanded Aulus, "You have no power here boy!"

Titus Pompeius, of the Scipii, rose to Romulus' defense "Gnaeus Brutus speaks to harshly of Romulus. He has done great things for Rome in his short time as Prefect, and such an audacious claim MUST be backed with evidence immedeately!"

"Very well, if the house of Scipii demands I shall prove my claim," Gnaeus whispered into a soldier's ear, the soldier nodded and left the Curia. "My witness shall be here within a few minutes." he sat down, smiling, his family had been tired of how they were marginalized by Aeneas and the house of Latinii. He felt that Aeneas was not a Latin, and thus not a true Roman, and his offspring could not be seen as such either.

Remus was nervous, he didn't know what to think. "Romulus, this-"

"Of course not!" Romulus replied immedeately.

"No, I don't believe it for a second, but this can't be good. The Brutii seem to be out for our blood, perhaps they are the ones who comissioned the murder?" Remus explained.

"Regardless, we can't give them an inch, if we deny our claim to power they will assume we are fearful of being caught and never trust us, we will certainly be killed, and what of our mother? Her family will be ashamed!" he responded "We must nip this in the bud."

A man wearing formal dress entered the assembly, he seemed rather young and unaccostumed to being in front of such a large group of people "This is Bucco, he was a servant of Aeneas and was present when the assassin Leartes met with King Aeneas in Antium" Gnaeus Brutus explained "Please Bucco, tell the crowd what you witnessed" he raised his hand to silence the crowd.

"Well, I was surveying with Aeneas Latinus when a Greek approached saying he bore a message from Romulus, he said it was urgent and he had to speak with Aeneas in private. He and the King entered the private tent, they never emerged, after an hour we entered and found the King murdered, his gold stolen and the back of the tent cut open. It took us two days to find the assassin, he was crucified." Bucco said "And that's what occured."

"What a pathetic witness!" Romulus said, "If that is all the Brutii can produce I question their motive! They provide us with a slave, who says the murderer claimed I was the one who sent the message."

"I am NO slave!" Bucco replied.

"No matter. Clearly those behind this wicked act would not reveal their true identity, naming me provides my father with the trust required to allow this Leartes into his private tent." Romulus cleared his throat "These killers must be out for power, they wish to tarnish the house of Latinii. Shame, shame on the house of Brutii, they are merely aiding these criminals in their enterprise!" the crowd again erupted in discussion.

Aulus Iunius again rose to speak "Young Romulus makes good points, I believe Quintus Latinus wishes to make some remarks on the behalf of the house of Latinii" he motioned for the old man to come to the center of the Curia.

"I am of the house of Latinii, I am an old and dying man, my claim to the throne can not be considered. I have no ambition for power, but I must say it would be a terrible thing if our people were to be divided by such treason. If we allow ourselves to be torn by the death of our King I ask how we expect to establish greatness for our people and our city?" the old man's eyes began to water "These boys are my nephews, they are honorable men. I can say with assurance that they had no role in this act, Romulus was busy developing the city that bore his name, and his brother Remus was hard at work defending our people from the Gauls in the north and establishing settlements to expand our glory. For the house of Brutii to say these boys would kill their father for power is ridiculous; they would have recieved it anyway."

"I spit upon the house of Latinii" exclaimed Gnaeus he then spit on the ground. The crowd again erupted.

"Please! Romans!" Quintus said "I meant no disrespect, I am merely saying calm minds must prevail, otherwise we support the enemies of Rome. If it is fear that these boys wish for power, I say we make it so that no one Roman can seize it! We must make this assembly permenant, appoint three leaders from the most honorable of Rome's families, and have this body witness their moves, nay oversee their moves." the crowd grew quiet.

"I concur!" Titus Pompeius rose and said.

"I concur!" Tiberius Sergius seconded, one by one the members of the assembly rose in favor of what Quintus said.

"Who shall serve as the leaders?" asked Gnaeus Brutus "I must object to our wisdom! We have nothing but Bucco's testimony to go on, right now suspicion, although it may be questioned, is upon the house of Latinii."

"Give it a rest Gnaeus!" Titus Pompeius exclaimed, "your jealousy of the Latinii blinds nobody else!"

Remus approached Romulus "The tides seem to turn brother" he said smiling.

"But for how long?" was Romulus' reply.

"Quiet! We shall have a vote, all those in favor of this assembly's permenancy and the division of the crown upon three men, vote now!" the crowd, seemingly all in favor erupted, hands raised high into the air.

"This is a travesty" Romulus whispered to his brother "For all we know any or all of these men could have been behind this."

"Romulus, it is our way, we can not demand power. We must accept the decision of the assembly." Remus explained "besides, we don't want to look ambitious."

"All those opposed, make it known!" Aulus asked the crowd, a few men, mostly those supporting the Brutii booed and hissed, their hands raised with their thumbs pointed towards the ground.

"Then it will be done, the assembly is permenant, and three Consuls shall be chosen to rule the land. What shall the assembly be called?" there was a silence, at which point a young plebe stood up.

"Dominus, I am not of the landed class, but I believe that this new Senate must represent the people of Rome, it is only in this manner that it can truly be seen as independent of the Consuls."

"Go on boy." Aulus replied.

"Well, we should call it the Senatus Populusque Romanus (the Senate and People of Rome)" he looked around nervously, Gnaeus Brutus rose and walked towards the boy, he grabbed his wrist and lifted it into the air.

"This boy is wise!" he exclaimed "He has founded the SPQR, please my son, what is your name?"

The boy was very nervous now, he cleared his throat and hardly muttered "My name is Flavius, Flavius Julius of the Julii."

"Let it be known that young Flavius Julius, a plebe, of the house of Julii shall be honored for giving the name to this great council. We shall assemble again to determine the Consuls. As per our law the eldest son of Aeneas will serve as Dictator until we have established the SPQR." Aulus said "Now then, if there is nothing further this meeting is adjourned!"

[deity]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Report, soldier.

All quiet sir, as quiet as the day before which was as quiet as the day before that. For as long as my assignment has been, my post has been as quiet as a tomb. Persia is sleeping and poses no threat to us.

Any non-hostile sightings?

Just the common rabble of traders, beggars, and peasants sir. Oh, and a small detachment of dark-skinned warriors wandered through that pass there, however they did not linger nor attempt to make contact. They showed no interest in our affairs nor hostility.

And you just watched them then?

I posted Hamra and Chaladi, our swiftest runners to observe their progress from a distance and rush back if they showed any signs of aggression. They did not and were soon outside of our mandate. I thought nothing of it sir. Did I err?

No soldier, you did your duty. Just curious is all. I shall inform the lord. Many a year have we waited for official word from the kingdoms we hear rumors of around us, yet nothing but silent scouts skirting our lands. Most curious.

Lizard perused the latest piece of intelligence.

Knowledge, peace and harmony...

But these scouting Azadine warriors never returned home - killed in the pass it is believed. BUT by whom?

"And you just watched them then?"

These words echoed in Lizards 'ears'................

[The Capo]

Gnaeus Brutus greeted Aulus Iunius at his home properly; there was wine, and plenty of food for consumption, a little too much for just two men.

Aulus sat down at the table as the slave poured him a goblet of wine "So Gnaeus, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"We must speak of the Senate, how are things going in Rome so far?" Gnaeus responded as he broke a piece of bread, handing one of the halves to Aulus.

"If by that you mean the building's construction all goes well, otherwise Rome is in mourning. And where were you yesterday anyway? Your absence at the funeral could be problematic for us." Aulus replied then ate a piece of bread.

"My wife Appia as there, I was busy." Gnaeus responded.

"Regardless Gnaeus, I already told you how sensitive this situation already is. You accused the sons of Aeneas of murder, or at least conspiracy, ambition, and embarassed the house of Latinii, the founding house of our tribe might I add, in front of the entire city! Then you have the gall to miss the King's funeral?"

"Aulus, come now. I told you I was busy, my wife, son and daughter where there, as was the majority of my family. The Brutii were well represented." Gnaeus explained.

"Save yourself, the de facto family leader! How is this going to look to the Senate?" Aulus responded.

"Speaking of which, who will be the consuls?" Gnaeus asked.

"Well obviously Romulus will be proconsul."

"That wretched boy will be proconsul? To what end Iunius?" Gnaeus asked surprised.

"He's the son of Aeneas, he must be proconsul. The city is named after him, and I just told you that you publicly humiliated him. Its the least we can do to prevent outright civil war, not to mention we can't afford to have Antium leave our realms." Aulus explained.

"I'd rather have Remus than that spoiled brat!" Gnaeus said as he ripped a peice of ham from the bone "At least he's a military man."

"Well, I was thinking the tri-consulate could be comprised of Romulus Latinus as proconsul, with Titus Pompeius and Remus Latinus serving as the others." Gnaeus looked up at Aulus and shook his head as he chewed his food.

"What of the house of Brutii?" he asked as he swallowed.

"What of the house of Iunii? Or Septimii? I could go on, we can't all be consuls." Aulus said.

"Yes, but I figured that we'd finally be-" he was cut off.

"No! No Gnaeus, you are acting like a child. You tried to get the Latinii removed from the throne with your stupid Bucco testimony, I don't know what you were thinking! Now you want to be a consul? I am trying my best to preserve the empire, and you want to set yourself up in a situation to conflict with Romulus Latinus again?" he took a gulp of wine "I just explained to you; you caused a scene at the curia, you didn't attend the funeral, and now you want to be consul? Such ambition is not discreet Gnaeus Brutus, the people will see right through it, and the Latinii certainly don't appreciate what you'v'e done!"

"Who put you in charge anyway?" Gnaeus asked.

"I am the head of the Comita Tribula, this is my job, just because the Senate will take over doesn't mean I'm done with my work, besides, we'll be meeting in two days so you better be on your best behavior. If it is the Latinii you are worried about stop, there's no way the two of them can continue to work together. Clearly the blame with go somewhere for Aeneas' murder, watch the two rams set their horns upon eachother..."

Back in Rome...

The house had been very quiet since the funeral, Remus sat in his room that night looking over the city and its lights, he couldn't help but admire the city for its courage; its King was dead but its lights continued on into the night.

"Remus" a voice said from behind him, it was his mother "Livia of the Brutii has come to see you."

"To see me?" he asked.

"Yes, come down." she said.

"No, send her up mother." he replied.

"You boys are dogs!" she said with a smile.

"Stop it, that's not why." he said, he was embarassed, he had always liked Livia since they were children.

Seconds later she entered, carrying a basket full of fruit with her "Hello Remus" she smiled "I brought you some fruit, I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry about my father in the Curia. He's an angry old man."

"Its not a problem, the brunt of it went towards my brother anyway, you should be apologizing to him." he replied as he took the basket from her "Ah pears, my favorite."

"Romulus, well I can't say I didn't feel a little satisfaction out of hearing what he got. He's been such a braggart since Aeneas left for Antium." she said "do you mind if I sit here?" she asked, as she patted his bed.

"Um, no, its not a problem." he said "So they let you out this late?"

"No, Placus (her guard) is with me, I can't be here too long. We're staying at the Scipii house, we've been weaving all day. Frankly I can't stand Laelia and Junia, all they do is talk of men!" she explained as she sat down.

"Well what's wrong with men?" Remus asked.

"Were you there at the Curia Remus? All they do is blow hot air from their mouths, blah blah blah." she said mockingly.

"Yeah..." he said, there was a short silence.

"I'm sorry about your father Remus. You know, you shouldn't be angry about it, you must keep a clear head. I know you will though, you're a soldier." she said.

"Thank you, we'll do our best to find out who was behind the murder. I'll be here for a couple more days and then I have to-" she kissed him.

She pulled away and smiled "I have to go Remus, I'll be back tomorrow and you can take me out to the country, if you aren't too busy?"

He was surprised "Um, sure, I have to meet with the Senate though, but after that?"

"That should be fine, you can stay at our house. My father will be coming to the Senate tomorrow too." she said, she ran her fingers through his hair.

"He doesn't like me, he thinks I'm a killer." Remus replied.

"He does like you Remus, who wouldn't?"

[OzzyKP]

The years after the founding of Delhi have been prosperous, however the union between the two tribes of India have not been as harmonious as it first seemed. The men's first wives grew jealous of their husband's new wives. Rumors grew that their civilization at the mouth of the Indus had grown prideful and sinful and was destroyed by Lord Shiva. It was felt they had the disfavor of the gods and should not mingle with the proud people of the steppe.

Over time these rumors and divisions spread and solidified. The decendents of the Indus Valley civilization living in Delhi became ghettoized and finally seperated from the rest of society by a strict caste system. It is written in the Vedas that the creator god, Lord Brahma divided himself into the people of the world. His mouth became the brahman; his two arms were made into the rajanya; his two thighs the vaishyas; from his two feet the jhewdra was born.

The people from the Indus Valley became a part of the jhewdra, the untouchables. After many generations their origin was indeed largely forgotten, and became little more than a myth circulated by the jhewdra people. Life as a jhewdra was difficult, they existed in slavery serving the Maharaja and the other Indians of higher caste.

During this time the native religion of the people adapted to new norms and a long oral tradition became finally synthesized into a consistent set of beliefs. The oral Vedas were written down, and new ones were added. From this work, the great belief of the Indian people, Hinduism approached its final form.

The great pantheon of Hindu gods changed over the years. Indra, once regarded as the king of the gods has lost importance, so has Brahma the creator. Vishnu and Shiva, while recognized as facets of the same god (together with Brahma) became central figures of worship. Brahma became largely ignored and Indra became just another of an increasingly crowded pantheon of gods.

Not all Indians took to the new changes. The Jhewdra ("Jews" for short) increasingly alienated by mainstream Indian society, began to reject the polytheistic faith of their masters. It was, they reasoned, Indra who saved their from the barbarians, it is Indra who was proclaimed the king of the gods in the original Vedas, it is Indra who will save their people from slavery in Delhi and return them to their rightful promised land at the mouth of the Indus. The Jews rejected all the other Hindu gods, developing the world's first monotheistic faith. There is but one God of all.

Their people toiled away in slavery for many generatins. Great works were created with the sweat of their labor. A mighty monument to the Hindu gods was built. Many Jews resisted the work, as this "Stonehenge" honored "false gods" they said, but were put to the sword and the others eventually fell in line.

Stonehenge was a great achievement for the Indian people. Envied the world over. Its towering stones enhanced the people's relgion and allowed them to spread their culture even faster through the lands surrounding their home. Travelers bring tales of another great wonder of the world built in a land far north of them, but little is known of these "Mongols".

One day though, a great man rose up among the Jews. Raised as a Brahman in the palace of the King, his untouchable ancestry one day was revealed and he was sent to work in the stone mines. This great man, Moseshadev, was a very holy man, and could talk to Indra directly. After many generations of slavery, Indra has agreed to lead his faithful people back to the promised land.

The great god, Indra, sent several plagues against the people of Delhi until the Maharaja agreed to Moseshadev's demands that he "Let his people go". The Jews began their great exodus across the Great Indian Desert. For 40 years they wandered across the desert. Until finally reaching the great Indus river of their origin. The mighty river that had nourished their ancestors and would once again sustain their people. The site for their new city, Karachi lay just beyond the far banks of the Indus river. However they would have to escape one last danger.

Angered by the escape of the Jews, and the loss of a valuable labor force the Maharaja pursued the untouchables with his entire force. The Maharaja trapped the Jews between his army and the river. Moseshadev made one last appeal to Indra. His god listened to his pleas, and opened the river before his people. Quickly they fled along the now dry river bottom to the other side.

The Maharaja led his army in hot pursuit, but the river did not stay dry forever. The river returned to its normal flow and drowned the Maharaja and his entire army. Moseshadev led his people safely to the other side and founded Karachi, their new homeland where they could live in peace. They had returned to their promised land.

[The Capo]

Scipio Africanus surveyed the land, it was dry and desolate, it was nothing like Italy. "Alright men, we'll camp here, set up our tents." he said.

"Yes Dominus!" one of his Centurions said as he saluted and turned towards the rest of the troops, ordering them to begin breaking out their equipment.

It was along and arduous mission; they were explorers. They had traveled with Aeneas to Antium, and from there were given orders to search the surrounding areas for remnants of the Trojan kingdom, something Scipio himself felt was a waste of time. Years had passed since the legendary fall of the great city, and any remaining Trojans were either dead or so far from Roman in his mind that discovering them would be useless. It was then that a scout approached him.

"Dominus!" he said, as he placed his fist on his chest and then extended his hand (palm down, fingers out) towards his commander "We have spotted a small garrison of black-skinned men just south of here!"

"Are they aggressive?" Scipio asked.

"Not enough information to tell sir, we haven't made contact with them, they are carrying weapons though." was the soldier's response.

"Well, so are we soldier." he said as he looked south "Alright, I shall go, gather a detatchment and we shall hold audience with these black-skinned men."

A few hours later Scipio and his men approached the garrison, they had around the same amount of troops Scipio had, and it seemed they were prepared to speak with the Romans. "I am Keita Salem of the Azande." the black man said "Greetings from our glorious leader Lizard."

Scipio bowed to him "I am General Scipio Africanus of the house of Scipii." he said "We are here peacefully, we hold no ill will to his majesty Lizard, we are merely exploring."

"Understood" Keita Salem responded "We are happy to accomodate our Scipii brothers."

"No, you don't understand Keita, we are not all Scipii, that is my family. We are Romans."

"I apologize General." Keita responded.

"No, it is of no consequence. So with your majesty's blessing we wish to continue our exploratory mission, we will not remain here for too long I assure you." Scipio replied with a smile.

"Well, if you will be camping here let us have our soldiers meet and eat together, it will bring our people closer" Keita said. "We will have our traditional dinner of insects and small mammals." he said.

Scipio thought this sounded a lot like a lizard's diet ( :naughty: ) "Well, we Romans eat a little more robust food, such as large game, but no matter. It shall be done, Quintus, tell the troops we feast with the Azande tonight!" Scipio said proudly.

The soldier nodded and returned towards the camp.

"Well Keita, this seems like the beginning of a wonderful friendship, I shall send a courier back to our King Aeneas Latinus (Scipio didn't realize King Aeneas was dead yet), he will be more than happy to hear of this." Scipio said.

"Wonderful" Keita responded.

"By the way, have you heard any legends of a fallen city and its inhabitants, the Trojans?" Scipio asked.

"I can't say I have."

"That's what I thought, well, we shall meet in say two hours and break bread?" Scipio asked.

"Wonderful" Keita said again.

"Good day Dominus!" Scipio said, saluting him in the Roman tradition.

"Yes, we shall see you later..." Keita replied....

[The Capo]

Here's a crappy image I made of the meeting between Scipio and Keita, yes its bad, and yes its from Rome Total War, but who cares...

[The Capo]

"You don't understand Livia, I've pined for you since we were children." Remus said, they sat on a blanket close to the mouth of the Tiber. They had bread, wine, grapes, cheese, and eachother.


"Remus, you make me blush." she replied.

"Shall we tell our parents?" he asked her, as he gently rubbed her cheek.

"Give me some time Remus, father is assured that your brother Romulus had your father killed. My father Gnaeus is a proud Roman, and believes the entire country is in trouble if this is true," she said as she looked solemnly at the ground "He would hate it, unless of course you found some way to disprove his suspicions."

"Am I my brother's keeper Livia?" Remus asked, he was clearly offended "How can you tell me you love me, and then ask me to investigate Romulus?"

"Please, Remus. I didn't mean it. I'm simply saying that I've seen my father, and he is an angry and ambitious man. He is dead set in his mind that Romulus was behind Aeneas' death," she said "He would dishone me if I were to leave with you!"

"I don't know, what am I supposed to do? Romulus is very cunning. If I am found to be investigating him he'll think ill of it." Remus reasoned. "Unless of course I tell him about us."

"No!" Livia responded quickly, it was strange... "He'll certainly think you are conspiring against him if he finds you are betrothed to Gnaeus Brutus' daughter. You must do this secretly...."

Two days later, Antium...

Scipio Africanus and half of his legion returned to Antium from whence they came, he was happy to be in the city and proud to report to King Aeneas about his exploits and contact with the strange Azadines of the south.

"Centurion!" he yelled to guardsmen "Take me to King Aeneas Latinus."

"Dominus, that is impossible." the Centurion responded.

"I'm sorry Centurion, I don't believe I heard you correctly; did you say that is impossible?" Scipio asked, he was being a bit rude to this Centurion.

"Aye General, King Aeneas has passed, killed by Learte's sword." the Centurion reported.

"Who in Jupter's name is Leartes?" Scipio asked.

"Sorry sir, I forget you have been out for some time, he was a Greek assassin. There are numerous notes here for you Dominus." the Centurion reported, pointing towards the barracks. Scipio nodded and ordered his troops to follow him...

Dearest Nephew,

I don't know when you will recieve this letter, but when you do I am sure you will have already known the terrible news; our King was killed by a vile assassin. We have no evidence to suggest who was behind the crime, other than a faint rumor that it may have been Romulus proffered by the house of Brutii.

Following a meeting by the Comita Tribula the decision was made to split the Kingship unto three men determined by the Senate. We have had our meeting and the consuls will be Romulus Latinus, Gnaeus Brutus, and myself. Remus should have been consul as well if not for the whining of the house of Brutii.

From now on these consuls will be overseen by the Senatus Populusque Romanus, or SPQR, to make sure nobody practicies tyranny. The entire idea was devised when the house of Brutii challenged the Comita Tribula to see Romulus as the mind behind the assassination. The people of Rome are a difficult bunch though, and we had to capitulate at least to splitting the leadership, although Romulus was elected Proconsul.

The speed in which this all occured is bothersome, with worthy men such as yourself out on expedition I feel like this entire idea was pushed into effect by an ambitious Gnaeus Brutus. We need your return quickly young Scipio, you will be a Senator upon your return to the city.

Titus Pompeius
House of Scipii

Scipio promptly collected his things and prepared to return to Rome...

[OzzyKP]

Two Kingdoms, One People

The days after the Jews' exodus out of Delhi were turbulent times. Lord Bhishma who had lead his people since for many generations, was killed in the raging waters of the Indus, leaving no heir. With him, much of the army of Delhi perished.

At this point a great debate began among the leaders of the newly formed Karachi on how to proceed. Moseshadev, leader of the people, Arun, his brother and high priest, and Nidhish a wealthy Hindu merchant who joined the Jewish cause, all stepped forward into the center of the clearing that was becoming the town square of the newly formed Karachi.

Moseshadev addressed the crowd first, "After generations of slavery in Delhi, our people have been delivered their freedom by Indra, the one true god of all. The promised land, the land of our ancestors is here at our feet, this is a happy day, we should be rejoicing."

"Yes brother, we have been granted a great victory, but what then when news of this reaches Delhi?" Arun then turned to the crowd, and continued, "We are still outnumbered 3 to 1. When the Kshatriya and other military men discover what happened, they will raise an even larger force to destroy us. We must strike now while they are disorganized and weak."

"Now, now, lets not be hasty," Nidhish interjected, "We have been blessed with a unique opportunity to unify our people, Jew and Hindu alike. A civil war serves no one."

"A civil war will be upon us, whether we wish it or not!" said Arun, "I say we strike while we have the upper hand and not wait here to be murdered in our sleep."

"So we should murder them in their sleep instead?" asked Nidhish.

"If need be, yes."

Frustrated, Nidhish began pacing around the square, "We may have different faiths, but we are one people. We are all Indian. We share a common history and a common destiny. We cannot simply massacre our own people."

"Our people? You forget your place, friend, you know nothing of our people. While you and your Vaishya kin were counting your gold, our daughters were being raped, and our sons whipped." Arun's hand grasped the hilt of his sword menacingly as he continued, his anger brewing over, "Your heretical pagan faith has brought this oppression upon us, and no one will be safe until it is stamped out, one pagan at a time." With that he took a step towards Nidhish.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Moseshadev. "Stand down brother."

Arun, paused and slowly turned to look at his brother. He looked him in the eye just long enough to be uncomfortable before he let go of his sword and relaxed his stance. He waited for his brother to speak.

Moseshadev's silent flinty gaze panned the crowd, a silent accusation from their respected leader, and a warning to calm themselves. Humbled by his look, the Karachites waited expectantly for his words. Moseshadev was a known peacemaker and just ruler, if anyone can diffuse this situation it is he.

Moseshadev knew his people waited for him. He could sense their unease. With the many trials they have been through, it was this moment that was most important, and this moment that carried the most risk. He did not fear and did not doubt during the flight out of Delhi. He trusted in God, and he provided. Dealing with the passions of men is a far less certain business. This speech, this moment, would decide the fate of his people. Indeed of all the Indian people.

He paused to collect his thoughts, and then at last he spoke, "My brother is right to be angry. I am angry too. And you, and you," he gestured to the crowd, "we are all angry, for we have seen much evil. The evil that men should turn their brothers into beasts of burden, to be stripped of spirit, and hope, and strength - only because they are of another caste, another creed. If there is a god, he did not mean this to be so."

He paused briefly for effect, then continued, steadily becoming louder and louder in his deep baritone voice, "I have been in your sandals, my eyes have seen what yours have. I toiled with you in the stone mines of Delhi. I was whipped by the same straps, and kicked by the same feet. And when our tormenters laid their hands upon me for the last time, I shared your voice of defiance by telling them, 'Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty Hindu!'"

With that the crowd cheered wildly.

Moseshadev continued, softer this time, "We have seen that evil, and we have overcome it, and now we are asked to decide what comes next. Should we, in turn, visit this evil upon our enemies?"

There were some murmurs of agreement in the crowd.

Moseshadev raised his hand to silence them and asked, "Before we decide this most important of decisions, we must ask ourselves, who is our enemy? Is our enemy those who have done evil, or is our enemy evil itself?"

He paused again, letting the question ring through the square and sink in to people's minds. Then he continued, more forcefully this time, "I say that we should here today, make an enemy of evil and a friend of all who renounce it. If evil is our enemy, then by exacting our revenge upon the people of Delhi, we make ourselves once again the slaves of our enemy. Doing the bidding of evil cannot defeat it, only doing good can."

The people were silent. Forgiveness is difficult for any people, especially those so wronged as his, but they must again learn compassion and forgiveness. He knew he was winning them over, but they still needed one more push.

Moseshadev walked over to Nidhish and put his hand on his shoulder as he began to speak, "It is true, this man did not endure the terrible wrongs we've suffered, but it is also true that he did not cause those wrongs. He has been a friend to us, and to our people. Indeed many Hindus have been our friends over the years and have supported our cause.

'We have been shown great evil, but haven't we also been shown great compassion? We indeed want our freedom, but don't we at some level feel a certain attachment and affinity to our home in Delhi? The Vishnu Gardens, gazing in the palace reflecting pool, Shaman Square, shopping in India Row, our children playing on the Soylent Green, admiring the Vedic Oblisk these are all part of our background and culture. We can't just burn them all down.

'All of these places from our childhood are made meaningful because of the people. The good people who have reached out to us over the years and reached beyond their caste to welcome us. The respite we got from our lives was from the people. Happiness is people. Shaman Square is people. Soylent Green is people. Delhi is people. We can't cast that aside. Remember some of the good times, please."

He waited for the people to think on this a bit. He could hear murmurs of people recalling out loud different locations and people and happy moments from their former lives. One caught his attention, "Gordon Street? Ah, yes, Gordon Street. I used to know a girl who lived there, when I was young. Not a day goes by that I don't think of that girl and the promise that I made which I will always keep. That one perfect day on Gordon Street."

By now, their eyes were welling up with tears. Even his brother Arun's demeanor was changing. Moseshadev addressed the crowd one more time with force, "There is a time for love and a time for hate, a time for war and a time for peace. So therefore I propose a course of action that will satisfy all our needs..."

Moseshadev continued to outline his proposal, and he received the full support of his people. His plan called for uniting Karachi and Delhi into one proud, strong nation. To stand firm against common threats as one people. Word spread of his magnanimity, and with no government in Delhi, Moseshadev was given control over the whole country in a spirit of reconciliation. No one was harmed, no one was executed, but the caste system was done away with and slavery was one and for all eliminated. For a time in fact, Judaism became the state religion. Karachi and Delhi both grew, and the Indian people prospered for many years to come.

[OzzyKP]

10 gold to the first person who can identify and cite every quote i used.... :cute:

[The Capo]

The Senators assembled in the Curia, the temporary home of the Senate, for yet another meeting.

Romulus Latinus had fufilled his destiny becoming the Proconsul (or defacto leader of Rome), during that time Rome saw heavy increases in infrastructure and a peace treaty with the Russians. Mongolia and India were contacted as well and Roman foreign relations seemed very good under the reign of Romulus; a man many considered to be hotheaded and arrogant.

Romulus decided it was in Rome's destiny to expand westward into the land of the Gauls. He had already established a new settlement, Narbo Martius, in the Germanic area of Europe successfully, setting doubt to the pessimists contention that the Germanic Tribes would ally and attack Roman settlements. So far things were going well for Romulus and his policy of expansion seemed like the right thing to do, well for some of the Senators anyway...

"Salve!" Romulus began "I bring this session of the Senatus Populusque Romanus into order!" he said as he knocked his fasces (a septar symbolizing Rome's power) on the floor three times. The assembly, in due order, silenced themselves.

Romulus surveyed the room and smiled "I like what I see here, I see the future of the Roman people in this room." he rose from his seat and took the floor "Under this triumvirate, of Latinii, Scipii and Brutii wisdom and cooperation our empire has expanded into the nothern lands of Germania. Antium has been secured with a road to Rome, this road will be extended north to the settlement of Narbo Martius. The expansion of our people and culture is vital to us securing Gaul and creating a safe environment for our people to flourish!"

The Senate began to clap, for the most part they supported Romulus' policies; they may have been a little ambitious, and sometimes ill-conceived or funded, but thus far Rome had successfully warded off the barbarian tribes of Europe, established a system of roads and farms, and begun to relations with Russia.

"I, Senator Scipio Africanus wish to speak!" Scipio said as he rose, holding a finger into the air, Romulus nodded.

"Senator Africanus has the floor" Romulus replied.

"Thank you Proconsul Latinus," Scipio began "People, Senate of Rome. I have seen a lot in my travels, I have hunted Lions in the Azadine deserts, I have fought strange foreign barbarians in the great lands of Asia Minor, and I have seen the dark forests of Gaul and Germania. While I applaud Proconsul Latinus, and similarly Consuls Brutus and Pompeius I can't help but think that this may be too good to be true. Yes, they are vile sh*t-eating barbarians, but they are not entirely stupid. If we continue this expansion with little to no garrisons of defense our settlers are sitting ducks." the Senate began to discuss what Scipio had just said.

"Please, Senators please" Romulus said "Let Scipio finish." He couldn't help but get a little angry that Scipio was criticizing him...

"Thank you Dominus." Scipio said with a smile "Currently we are planning on further expansion into Gaul, and Spain; again, it is not the expansion I call into question, but the protection of our settlers that must be addressed. Let us not forget the story of our King Aeneas. His great city was destroyed by maurading barbarians, we musn't let this occur to our people." with that he returned to his seat.

"I concur" Titus Pompeius said, rising from his Consul's chair "If we aren't careful we may see these precious settlements fall before our very eyes. These Gauls, these Alemani, they are so brutish and warlike that even their women go to battle! Even if our people create no conflict with them these savages will sack and pillage for it is their very nature."

"We can hardly afford to defend our own established cities, let alone territory that would double our empire!" Senator Remus Latinus remarked, Romulus was not happy about this turn of events either.

"Very well, we shall appropriate funds towards the creation of a professional legion, its purpose will be to weed out any resistance we will experience from Gaul or Germania" Romulus said, reluctantly "Now, this will interfere with our own projects here in the city, but if it is the will of the Senate and People I will make it done, I am a man of consensus, despite what some of my detractors say. Besides, I have personal communication with the Czar of Russia, and his soldiers have spotted barbarians armed with battle axes in their territory. Clearly there is a danger, so we must address it..."

Narbo Martius, Germania...

Placus was excited; the new city was going quite well so far. Its defensive forces were menial, but they were proud and ready to take on any threat to the city. He was out on a double mission of patrolling for danger and acquiring firewood as the winters in Germania were a bit colder than in Italy.

He had a nice bundle going and was prepared to return to the settlement when he heard strange noises in the distance, it sounded like a group of men talking. He quietly put down his bundle of wood and slowly crept towards the sound.

"HERAUS!" boomed a voice, he heard footsteps.

He ducked behind some trees on top of a hill and looked from the side of them, what he saw worried him...

[The Capo]

Remus tightened his hood over his head, it was cold and snowing in Antium. He approached Bucco's house and knocked on the door, nobody answered. He looked around, only a couple of guards on patrol were out, it was far too cold, he approached one.

"Salve," Remus greeted the guard "The master of this house, where is he?"

"Bucco Varro sir? He left a couple of days ago with some people from Rome." the soldier answered.

"Do you know why?" Remus asked.

"No dominus, I have no idea. We don't get that type of information, rumor has it that Romulus summoned him." the guard replied.

"Very well, I am Senator Remus Latinus, I am on-" Remus began, the soldier interrupted him.

"Aye sir, I know who you are. You are here looking for information about King Aeneas' death." rumor spread as quickly in Antium as it did in Rome.

"Yes, I need to know some information about Leartes."

"Leartes, well he had lived just south of here before the founding of the city. He always bragged about going to Rome, that was years ago though, a long time before Aeneas was killed." the soldier thought for a minute "He claimed he was related to a rich Roman family, and he was going to collect his inheritance, or something of that nature."

"Hmm, where did he live?" Remus asked.

"In Illycium, near the Adriatic." the soldier responded.

"Alright, well, I am going to need someone to accompany me there, are we well on soldiers here?" Remus asked.

"Well sir, I'm not sure how to answer that. We have a good amount, but funding is low for our expeditionary forces, and word from Narbo is that the Gauls are coming towards settlements in Germania." the soldier explained.

"Hmm, yes, there is debate in Rome on that very issue, we must meet our security demands hastily, but its difficult for the rich pink men of Rome to understand things like that, very well, you can accompany me on my mission, what is your name soldier?" Remus asked.

"I knew you wouldn't remember me dominus, I am Flavius Julius, I was there when they accused Romulus of conspiracy, remember, I came up with the name of the Senate." he smiled.

"My, you were just a boy then, look at you!" he said patting him on the shoulder "good strong Roman! Alright, well we'll get out of this hell-hole and look for Leartes tomorrow, I'll get permission from your Centurion." Remus said...

House of Brutii...

"How is everything going Livia?" Gnaeus asked.

"He left for Antium three days ago father, everything is going well."

"Perfect, Bucco should be arriving shortly, he must be dealt with for this to work, he knows far too much." Gnaeus explained.

"There is only the matter with Romulus to take care of, and believe me, as long as he is a man that shouldn't be too difficult."

"Livia, I fear for the man who takes you as his wife..." he said proudly.

[The Capo]

Bucco Varro wondered what had been taking so long. He just wanted his money so he could go to Germany and live the rest of his life without fear, he couldn't believe he had got himself into this mess.

"Bucco Varro!" the slave said as she held a curtain open for him, he nodded and entered...

Segestica, a town south of Antium...

Flavius Julius and Remus Latinus had finally reached Segestica in the morning, for Flavius it was a very interesting journey; this was the son of King Aeneas, he was a Senator and speaking to Flavius about becoming a Centurion! His life was so lucky recently and as he had no family he couldn't believe how far he had come since escaping to Rome years ago...

"So here it is Dominus." Flavius said to Remus as they approached a nice hut in the middle of the village, next to it was a wooden tablet with an inscription that Remus didn't bother reading.

Remus strapped his helmet on and pulled a peice of paper from his bag, and approached the doorway, he knocked three times and said "Open this door by order of the Senate and People of Rome!"

There was no answer, finally Remus kicked the door open and looked inside, there was an old man walking slowly towards the door, and he seemed terribly startled "My word boy!" the old man muttered "What on Earth are you doing?"

Remus was a little embarassed "I'm sorry, we are looking for clues about the death of King Aeneas, our search brought us to this home."

"Oh, you must be looking for Leartes, he was talking about that a few years back. He hated that Aeneas for taking his throne from him." the old man said as he sized up Remus "He looked a little like you."

"Like me?" Remus asked.

"Yes my son, just like you. Are you a Centurion?" the man asked.

"No, I am a Senator sir. Did Leartes live here? Did he have any guests?" Remus asked.

"Well, its not so often I get a house guest, let a lone a Senator! Here, come, have some honey water, have some wine!" the old man said as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Don't worry Dominus." Flavius said to Remus, "He's a lonely old man, if we sit and have a drink with him he'll tell us everything we need to know, that plaque outside near the well, there's something there about Leartes, I swear it! We're on the right track."

Back in Rome...

The guardsman helped the courier from his horse and chuckled "So what good news from Narbo sir? Have the Gauls destroyed it yet?"

"Not quite, there's a message here from Valerus Pullo, the Centurion in command there. Its pretty urgent and the Senate must hear of it as soon as possible!"

Hours later Aulus Iunus and Titus Pompeius arrived at the barracks to read the message;

SENATVS POPVLESQVE ROMANVS

The Gallic threat has dispearsed however we can not help but notice they have headed towards Rome. The rumor here is that the Gauls intend on destroying us where we come from and heading directly for Rome herself without bothering our settlements in Narbo Martius and Antium.

We understand this is merely speculation, but we believe it is imperative that the Senate and People of Rome make the proper decision and raise an army of Roman warriors to take down these Gauls.

You should be warned, they are a dangerous lot, armed with large battle-axes capable of rending a man in two. We hope that the Senate and military of Rome heed our warning and arm to the teeth to defend our empire.

Cen. Valerus Pullo
NARBO MARTIVS

Masilia, North West of Rome...

Brennus was finally approaching the farmlands of Italy, his quest to take down the Roman scourge was finally in his sight. He had successfully united the tribes of Gaul into one large force with the intent on stopping Roman settlers from expanding into Gaul and Celtebrea (Spain) and destroying their way of life. After years of attacking the groups of settlers the time had come to strike down the snake by taking its head; the time had come to destroy Rome...

[OzzyKP]

Proposed settlement to the Great Eastern War:

[The Capo]

The old man went on for hours about the origins of Leartes and of Segestica itself; it was an old Etruscan village, the last they had before the Latins united, founded Rome, and crushed the Etruscans. Lavinia, Remus' mother and daughter of King Latinus, had apparently fathered a child to Turnus here in the city. Turnus was the greatest warrior in the Latin tribe and leader of the resistance against the Etruscans, this child was named Leartes after a Greek chieftan that had helped the Latins defeat the Etruscans. Remus didn't know what to think as they left the hut...

"Wow." said Flavius "All I can say is wow."

"But why did he kill Aeneas?" Remus asked himself "In a way Leartes was my brother, my half brother." he stared into the distance for a while before Flavius interrupted his gaze.

"Well, Senator, we have a connection now. We should go to your mother and ask her what she thinks of this..."

Rome...

Gnaeus Brutus, Titus Pompeius and Romulus Latinus met in the curia to discuss the situation with the Gauls. They were approaching Rome, according to the information they had at least, "Well, what can we do?" Gnaeus asked.

"You have no vision Gnaeus." Romulus said bluntly, it was no secret Romulus loathed Gnaeus, and in a way the entire Brutii family. "We have enough units to destroy them, they are just out of position."

"What good are units that can't see their adversary?" Gnaeus asked "We have units in Narbo that would have to travel through the forests of Germania, cross the Danube, then come down to Italy before the Gauls do. Its an impossibility!"

"What choice do we have?" said Titus "We can't just sit here and whine, we must act quickly. You know, there is an old Roman law that gives military powers to the Proconsul, thus making him a Praetor."

"We can't do that!" Gnaeus said "Its ridiculous, should we create a dictator every time there is a war?"

"Well, you said yourself it is impossible old man, I believe we can save the city. I know we can save the city! If I am made Praetor I assure you Rome will be saved." Romulus assured the other Consuls.

"We don't have any other choice Gnaeus" Titus reasoned "The military is too disorganized to allow the Centurions to command the legions against the Gauls."

Gnaeus thought about it and reluctantly said "Fine! But once the Guals are repelled you must rescind your title. Rome can't be under control of a dictator."

"Agreed." Romulus replied "I have to go, I'm a man of action and I can't waste time talking to this senile old prole!" Romulus turned and left.

"That little bastard!" Gnaeus said "I swear, I hope he dies in the war!"

"Calm down Gnaeus, with the boy gone the city is ours. Besides, he's far too arrogant, he'll make a mistake. This could be what we need..."

[OzzyKP]

"Sir, Ambassador Daisuke Takahashi, is here to see you. He says it is urgent."

"Very well, send him in."

<img src="http://www.amazingben.com/chandragupta.jpg" border=0 width=115 align=right hspace=10>
Takahashi, the Japanese Ambassador entered the Presidential palace in Delhi, and greeted President Chandragupta Maurya with a low, formal bow, as is the Japanese custom. He stood politely waiting to be addressed.

President Chandragupta gave a small bow and then invites the Japanese Ambassador to sit. "So, what is so urgent, Ambassador?" he asked.

"Sir, I have been sent to discuss the matter of your neighbor to the north. It has come to our attention that our Mongol neighbors have set up new settlements very near to your northern borders, and to our western borders. Our King has become quite concerned of this, and as this is a matter that concerns both our peoples, he has instructed me to consult with you."

President Chandragupta had heard rumors of Mongol movement on their northern border, but was in truth preoccupied with domestic affairs, India was the world's first true Republic, and keeping his nation's diverse religious and ethnic communities together was a constant challenge. He had not sufficiently investigated the reports from the northland. He pushed Takahashi to give him more information on the matter.

Takahashi got out the map he had brought, and laid it on the table, "The Mongols have built a new settlement here," he said, pointing at Tibet, "and a caravan of Mongol settlers are desending upon this river valley here," again pointing at the map. Perhaps due to their great nautical history, the Japanese were great mapmakers.

Chandragupta didn't need to study the map long. He knew immediately what this meant for his people. Looking at the string of outposts Mongolia has established made the picture clear, they weren't simply expanding, they were creating a ring around Indian and Japanese lands to contain their nations and permanently bottle them up. The Indians knew well the lush land to the far north that the Mongols called home. Why settle among the deserts and mountains bordering India when there was so much nicer land north? Clearly this was not peaceful settlement, but an aggresive move to block the Indian Republic.

Chandragupta turned to his assistant, and told him, "Call the Mongol ambassador and tell him I request an immediate meeting. And ready the chariot division garrisoned in Lahore"

[The Capo]

The situation in Rome was dire; the leadership had been reduced to three men whose ambitions were in conflict, a military who had little to no organization, and an infrastructure ravaged by barbarians. All of these circumstances had finally resulted in a battle that should never have been so important.

Gallic troops had finally reached Italy and were menacing towards Rome, in their wake roads, mines, and farms had been brutally masacred for minute amounts of wealth. The leaders of Rome had finally agreed to put aside their petty family-politics to come to the aid of the people of Rome. Meanwhile a lone Senator Remus Latinus, and Centurion Flavius Julius have been investigating the suspicious death of King Aeneas Latinus for some time, with small but interesting results.

To put it quite plainly Rome was in shambles...

Antium...

Flavius and Remus approached the plague in the center of town, but it was to no avail, a troop of soldiers and citizens dressed in make-shift armor approached them as one asked "Please, let one of you be Senator Latinus?"

Remus turned, "Yes, I am Remus of the house of Latinii, what is the matter?"

"Dominus, there is an army of Gaul approaching Rome, Proconsul Remus Latinus has ordered all able-bodied Romans to come to the aid of our motherland, whatever matter you have before you, I assure you it is trumped by these Gauls." he handed Remus a map, but he didn't need to look at it.

"Very well, Flavius we must go to Rome." he turned back to the soldier "Who commands the army?"

"Army? Dominus, we have no army. This is our army." He said, referring to the citizens assembled, "If this is an army, we are in trouble."

"Alright, collect your things Flavius, we must go straight to Rome..."

Meanwhile in Rome...

Bucco Varro had finally received his money, and was prepared to return back to Antium and live out the rest of his life. He looked at Rome differently now, he was a rich man and the world was his oyster, but things were about to change.

A Centurion approached him in the street "Sir, sir!" he cried as Bucco walked away from him "Sir, it is edict from the Senate that you listen to me, or be punished!"

Bucco turned around "WHAT IS IT!?" he yelled.

The Centurion clutched his sword "Proconsul Remus Latinus demands that all able bodied Romans report to the city barracks, an army of Gaul approaches from the north."

"I have orders to meet with Senator Brutus sir." Bucco responded.

"No other orders can be adhered to, this is entirely necessary, please, time is of vast importance." the Centurion said.

Bucco looked around, it was late and he was tired. "Alright, alright, I'll come." he knew that legal trouble was the last thing he needed, if his origins were discovered it would spell death for him...

TO BE CONTINUED....

[OzzyKP]

Three hours have passed, and the courier returns to the Presidential Palace and is immediately ushered into President Maurya's office. Maurya quickly cuts through the formalities, "Where is the Ambassador?"

"I don't know sir, he never came out to speak with me."

"What? Did you give him my message?"

"Yes sir, I gave the note to one of his servants, then I waited for 2 hours. I am certain the Ambassador was present in the embassy, but I received no explanation for why I did not receive a response. I was simply kept waiting."

"That insolent dog! He cannot so disrespect a man bearing the Presidential seal, and live to tell the tale. This is indeed quite unfortunate. Deliver to him one last ultimatum, 'Immediately stop the construction of the city north of Lahore, and negotiate borders or that settlement will be destroyed.' Send this message to the Mongol capitol itself, I will not risk war over an incompetent Ambassador. Copy the message to each of the world's greatest kings as well."

"Yes, sir.'

'Oh, and deploy the chariot division. Instruct him to move within striking distance of the Mongol's settlers north of Lahore and again deliver the ultimatum. They shall then wait until further orders."

"Yes sir, right away sir."

[OzzyKP]

Chandragupta assembled a war cabinet of his most important ministers and military leaders. Indeed, only a grouping of such important men could face the historic events that lay before them.

<img src="http://www.freeindia.org/dynamic_includes/images/biographies/greatpersonalities/chanakya.jpg" border=0 width=100 align=right hspace=10> First and foremost, was Chandragupta's Prime Minister, Chanakya, a legendary political thinker in his own time. He orchestrated the fall of the old dynasty of Kings, and the election of Chandragupta as the first President of the Indian Republic. He has served as Chandragupta's esteemed advisor and Prime Minister since. In future ages, Chanakya will be compared to other strategists like Machiavelli and Sun Tzu from Rome and Japan respectively.

<img src="http://www.info4india.com/indian-personality/images/ashoka.jpg" border=0 width=100 align=left hspace=10> Also in attendance was Chandragupta's grandson, the brash military commander, Ashoka. Ashoka had distinguished himself years earlier as the savior of Delhi when it was under attack from eastern barbarians. During the siege he broke out with his chariots and routed the enemy forces. He is now the Commander in Chief of the Republic's military, and his personal chariot unit, that distinguished itself at the Battle of Delhi, has been sent to meet the Mongols north of Lahore.

As India was working on concert with Japan through this crisis, Ambassador Takahashi was also present. He was recently briefed from the Emperor and was prepared to negotiate a military and diplomatic strategy on Japan's behalf.

Also in attendance was Radhagupta, the Domestic Minister, and Pushyamitra, another general, Ashoka's second in command.

Chandragupta spoke first, "You have all been briefed on our situation, and the aggressive moves the Mongols have made into our lands. They are a threat to both us and our friends the Japanese. I have been assured by Ambassador Takahashi that this shared threat will create a shared reaction. We will be working in concert with our Japanese neighbors through this entire process. It is for this reason I have invited Ambassador Takahashi to our usually closed cabinet meeting."

"I have attempted to contact the Mongols," he continued, "but I was unexpectedly rebuffed. Takahashi informs me the Japanese have received the same reaction. I have sent riders out to contact the Mongol King, and am awaiting a response. In the event they similarly ignore my pleas for diplomacy we need to decide an appropriate course of action."

Prime Minister Chanakya, rose to speak, "His irrational refusal to communicate is unexpected. With Japan and India united, and threatening war, it is clearly in his best interests to negotiate an acceptable border arrangement. If and when he ultimately refuses to negotiate, suggests only two possibilities. That he is profoundly stupid, or that he anticipated our response and deliberately provoked us to goad us into war. This also implies that he has a very large army at his disposal and is prepared to take on the combined might of Japan and India. I am a cautious man, and thus must assume the later."

Nodding in agreement, Ashoka spoke, "Pushyamitra has been gathering intelligence on the Mongols, and can shed more light on this subject." He gestured to Pushyamitra and beckoned him to share his report.

Pushyamitra began, "Our scouts traveling in the northern hinterland along the Mongol border have given reports of many trained Mongol axmen. Their soldiers are equipped with bronze weapons and armor, far stronger than what we have at our disposal currently. They appear battle-hardened from years fending off barbarian raids. We do not have any accurate estimates of the size of their force, but if there were many more units of the kind our scouts saw, this could indeed be a fierce war."

Chandragupta nodded, a grim expression appearing on his face, he turned to his grandson, "What of our military readiness?"

General Ashoka replied, "It is not good. City defenses are paltry, and our offensive capacity is limited to my lone chariot unit, currently moving to intercept the Mongol settlers. Most of the troops we do have are green and have not faced combat. Indeed the Battle of Delhi was the first serious battle we have fought in two generations."

The situation looked grim indeed, Chandragupta did not despair, his trusted advisor was a true strategic genius and had got him out of some rough situations in the past. He turned to him next.

Chanakya still on his feet did not miss a beat, "Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous. We must strike swift and severe, a dramatic show of force and ruthlessness will put fear into their men, and cause the Mongols to question their chances. Ideally this will bring them to the negotiating table, and having scored a recent victory, will give us the upper hand in negotiations. If however they still refuse to talk, then the blow to their army's morale may give us a slight edge in the ensuing conflict."

All in the room nodded in agreement, Chanakya was indeed a wise man, and this plan seemed to be the best way to leverage their limited forces against a superior enemy.

Sensing the agreement, Chandragupta spoke, "Excellent, so it is agreed. Negotiations are our primary goal, and a quick victory should aid in bringing the Mongols to the negotiating table. If that should fail however, no blow to their morale will be sufficient to overcome our severe lack of military strength. There is little doubt we must build an army, and immediately. Radhagupta, how stands our production capacity?"

"We have just begun construction of an iron mine far south of here, but I fear it won't be ready in time to fill our military needs. The breeding grounds of Lahore though have plenty of horses ready for chariot production. The only issue however will be switching over from a peacetime economy. After knowing nothing but peace for so long, the people may be slow to hammer out the weapons of war once more...."

"The people are fat and lazy," interjected Ashoka, "They have grown used to a decadent lifestyle in this materialist Republic of ours. This is a national crisis, we have no time for a peaceful disposition. Even our slaves have grown fat and lazy. It is time we put them to the lash and get every last bit of labor out of them. If the merchants and blacksmiths resist, we confiscate their businesses. Anyone who resists will simply disappear. We can militarize our state through the strength of our police for maximum efficiency."

"But how? How can we get the people to accept such a brutal regime?"

Instinctually, everyone turned once again to Chanakya. His machinations swept away the old lines of Jewish and Hindu kings, to bring Chandragupta to power through ballot, if anyone could sweep away his new creation, it was he.

Taking his chair once more, Chanakya fixed his gaze upon all seated around him and tented his fingers as he spoke, "It is quite easy actually. We must simply appeal to their sense of national greatness at the same time we fan the flames of fear. This is a national crisis, and at our most base level, all people seek security at the expense of all else. It is simply a matter of pushing the right buttons."

The assembled men nodded, mesmerized by Chanakya's cool, calculating cadence. Chanakya continued, "To do that we must simply tap into our common heritage and sense of unity. We all know the story of Emperor Bharata told in the Mahabharata. His empire stretched many miles in all directions, encompassing the known world to our ancestors. That world has been invaded by the Mongols. Their settlers intrude within the sacred borders of Bharatavarsha. Displacing our hopes for Greater Bharata, Greater India. This is more than a simple territory dispute, this is an affront to our religion and way of life. Chandragupta, my dear friend, declare this a religious crusade, and grant yourself absolute power in a theocracy to defend the people from this outside threat. A threat not only to their lives, but to their sacred religious traditions and eternal territorial ambitions. Ashoka and the military are behind you, I will create a propaganda machine, and anyone who resists will simply be disposed of."

Chandragupta thought on the matter a while. While the Republic was in many ways simply a power play, he had grown to appreciate the workings of democracy. India's form of government was the most advanced the world had yet seen. Unlike the mere trappings of the Roman Senate, India had a true republic. It did indeed bring happiness to the people. Chandragupta was quite reluctant to throw it all away.

Yet he could not allow the Mongols to defeat them, burn their villages, and rape their women. If he had to choose between a reputation as the destroyer of the Indian Republic or the destroyer of India, he clearly must choose the former.

Before he could speak though, a breathless courier burst in the room. "I bring word from Mongolia, they ignore your plea for negotiation. They will not discuss borders, they will not discuss their settlements, they will discuss nothing. Their only message is that any war that is begun now will never end. They pledge eternal warfare if violence breaks out."

Chandragupta rose to his feet quickly. "It is decided then. We must move quickly."

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
10 gold to the first person who can identify and cite every quote i used.... :cute:

*sigh* all that work for nothing.

Where is everyone besides me and Capo?

[The Capo]

Romulus surveyed the soldiers gathered in the Field of Mars; he was a little uneasy about their mission, the army had been underfunded due to Romulus' expansion project which indirectly resulted in their current situation. Brennus, the King of the Gauls, had taken it upon himself to unite the Gallic and Celtic tribes of Europe against the Romans. They had a clear advantage, and that was copper. This metal was so rare within the Roman domain that it could only be used for jewelry and small trinkets, Romulus knew that his troops could only gain victory if they clearly outnumbered the Gauls.

"So, Scipio do you think this will be enough men?" he asked. The men were waiting for Romulus' speech before they were to be deployed.

"Well Praetor, we have reserves coming from Spain, Germania and Antium. The Gauls appraoch from the Masillian highlands, they will be here before the rest arrive, this will have to do for now, I believe we will be able to hold Brennus with this army, whether or not the reserves will arrive in time is entirelly another matter." Scipio Africanus replied, he was a Senator made General for this event.

Romulus nodded and approached the crowd of soldiers, none of them had been battle tested, and barely any of them were properly trained or equipped "Brave men of Rome, your country calls upon you. We are simple men, we are traders, merchants and farmers. Nobody ever said Rome had ambitions for conquest, or military achievement. I know the majority of you are simple plebians, but not now, now you must take up your arms in defense of Rome herself! The Senate has given me Praetorian powers to settle this emergency, an army of Gaul approaches from the north, they will be upon Rome soon, and it is our duty as proud and true Romans to defend Rome to the death! Reserves approach from our northern settlements and from our Spanish expeditionary forces, but until they arrive we must hold off these brigands with every ounce of mettle we can muster. We will stay here outside of Rome for the time being and await the Gauls, meanwhile General Romulus Latinus will wait for General Valerus Pullo from Narbo Martius and General Crassus Brutus from Spain, once these armies consolidate we will make a stand in the hills surrounding the town of Segestica. From this position we will be able to pinch them and hopefully outnumber them. I understand the defense of our lands is something the Senate, and myself as Proconsul have failed to accomplish. The resources we have been given have not been condusive to military prowess, and so far the wealth of our merchants has been our foremost concern, but you have my assurance that the Augers have already begun and are almost finished creating a new alloy that will make Roman metal the strongest the world has ever seen, once this project is finished we will crush the Gauls once and for all!" he surveyed the camp, the men were listening, many of them filled with pride. Romulus knew he could count on these men to defend Rome and avoid disaster. "Alright men, tonight we sleep and prepare for tomorrow, the Gauls should arrive within the next couple of days..."

On the road to Rome...

"I don't understand, if her father hates your family so much why would she marry you?" Flavius asked Remus as they rode back towards Rome, they were followed by two units of warrios from both Narbo Martius and Antium respectively.

"She is not her father Flavius, she knows Romulus has nothing to do with my father's murder, its Gnaeus Brutus that holds an old grudge with my father. He would love nothing more than to peg it on Romulus so he can seize control of the triumvirate, that is all it is." he explained.

"I still don't understand what any of this has to do with your investigation." asked Valerus Pullo, General of the army from Narbo Martius.

"See Pullo, it is no matter that Gnaeus accuses Romulus, there is no evidence, so he can prove nothing. But as long as he has an inclination he can deny Livia's marriage to me. She simply wanted me to clear my brother's name, but if Romulus knew this she thinks he would assume she is a Brutii spy." Remus explained.

"Women are confusing." Flavius said "Wouldn't it be strange if she was though?"

"Confusing?" Remus asked.

"No, a spy." there was a silence.

"Well its simple, she isn't. Why would she be?" Remus asked.

"I don't know, I don't know her." Flavius replied.

"EXACTLY! So let's move on to something else, we should arrive in Rome in five days, hopefully before Brennus does..."

The Curia, Rome...

Gnaeus Brutus, Aulus Iunius, Quintus Latinus, and Titus Pompeius made plans for the appropriation of funds, with Romulus and Remus away from the city the Latinii, at least for now, had no means of controlling the empire. In many of their minds this battle with Brennus was a good thing; Romulus was not necessarily a tyrant, but under his leadership the coffers were empty, the military was non-existant, and all of the infrastructure built by Aeneas was ravaged by barbarians. Romulus' expansionist policy was ill-advised and ill-funded, while it was successful in establishing Roman settlements in the Danube valley and in Germania, it had created a war with the Gallic tribes of the west and managed to get thousands of Roman settlers killed as a result.

"Our first order of business should be to re-establish our roads. If we had them intact this situation would have been much easier, we have no idea when our reserve armies will arrive from Antium and Narbo, not to mention trade with the Russians has been stymied by sh*t-eating barbarians!" Gnaeus Brutus exclaimed.

"I agree, Romans are traders and merchants, roads are as necessary to us as are veins to a heart." Aulus agreed with Gnaeus, "We must establish mines again and farmlands, we're too well off sitting here in Rome while the rest of our country suffers under the Gallic axe."

"Well, while I agree with both of you I have to say we can't rush into any of this. " Quintus Latinus interjected, he was an old man, and brother of Lavinia Latinus who was the mother of Romulus and Remus "Romulus' expansion program is nearly completed, if we cut the funding we will have wasted precious time and materials, we should get these settlements up safely before we committ to building more roads and mines, Italy is pretty well developed as it stands, and Antium and Narbo Martius need time to establish themselves."

"The house of Scipii agrees with the Latinii, this policy has been troublesome for Rome, and did cause our situation with the Gauls to be as violent as it is, but that's no reason to stop now, we've put too much effort and money into this to trash it simply because of some filthy Gauls! Africanus, Pullo, Latinus and Brutus command our armies. These are our finest young Roman men, and they will break the Gauls. Once that is done we can safely settle, this may be a war for our survival, but we forget what spoils come with victory." Titus Pompeius continued "and I know for a fact that Scipio Africanus will be victorious, the boy is a prodigy, a true Scipii and a true Roman. Victory here spells glory for Rome."

"And what if we fail? If they sack Rome we'll be exiled to Antium, I pray to Jupiter, at worst Narbo Martius. Our soldiers are ill-equipped, the Russians tell tales of Gauls weilding heavy copper axes! Our weapons will be smashed into shards against that type of army." Gnaeus said, "My son Crassus is in harm's way because that arrogant boy Romulus doens't know how to protect his empire!"

"Romulus is not a warmonger like you Brutus!" Quintus Latinus responded "He was trying to expand our empire and get wealth for us all, and you talk about him as if he personally stabbed you in the back!"

"Please, please, there's no time for petty squabbles here, time is of the essence." Aulus interjected "Titus told me he had something to show us."

"Yes of course, how could I forget. An Auger who Romulus commissioned with discovering an alternative to copper says he has successfully found a metal that is stronger than copper." Titus began, "He calls it 'Iron,' he says if we can equip our men with armor and weapons made of this metal we will be unstoppable."

Titus stood up "Come outside into the garden, I had a slave prepare a statue for us, it will show you exactly what type of uniform these soldiers would wear..."

[deity]

Originally posted by OzzyKP


*sigh* all that work for nothing.

Where is everyone besides me and Capo?

maybe it's something to do with ONLY 10 gold!

BTW, I'm having trouble getting psyched up to continue writing in this one after that false start. My first session post relates to that game and I was a bit miffed about a new game starting up. I would have preferred Mongolia went AI, and as it turned out.. that would have been for the better maybe...

Anyway, I'll try and get some inspiration soo...

[OzzyKP]

Well in theory I shouldn't have to bribe people to read my posts!

But yea, I'm going out of town for a week now, so I hope to see some good posts from everyone when I get back. :doitnow!:

[The Capo]

What does the second start have to do with anything? Everyone generally has the same land from what I can tell, I'm just continuing as I'm going with my storyline, so everyone else should do the same.

As long as we have Mongolia covered we should be fine. I wished more people would post though, that would be nice.

[The Capo]

Scipio Africanus and Valerus Pullo had finally met in Italy, but they were very late. The Gauls had already reached the farmlands north of Rome, where the army under Romulus Latinus was already prepared to rebuff the attack on the city. Meanwhile there was tension in Rome as a few key Senators were planning a takeover while the Proconsul attended to the military.<br>
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1121616/scipiopullo.jpg" align="right" border="0"><br>
"At this rate we'll be too late to reach Rome, we camp here and hope the army can hold the Gauls for another night." Africanus said, donning his new armor courtesy of Titus Pompeius, who had funded the project leading to the discovery of Iron. The metal had recently been discovered in Spain, and returned to Italy for research, a new metal was created that would be stronger than Bronze.<br>

Pullo looked hard into the distance, there was a small billow of smoke coming from some hills, but otherwise no proof that the Gauls were near "I say we march into the night Scipio, if the Gauls approach Rome they will attack, otherwise they will move. They won't stop to rest, we should pursue just as quickly."<br>

"Impossible Pullo, the plan must be to bring the Gauls from Rome, Romulus has assembled a large force there, it will take the Gauls more than two days to take the city, we'll be there tomorrow." Scipio replied, he was assured of victory, he knew the plan quite well. The trap had yet to be set, but the Gauls would be fooled into thinking Antium was left ungaurded after failure at Rome. Africanus had known that the Gauls will not fight if they are assured defeat, they must return the unquestioned victors; if they knew of an easier target than Rome they'd take it, Brennus could not afford a defeat, it was necessary to the Gauls to stop the Roman expansion at all costs.<br>

"I understand that, Brennus' army is comprised of all the Gallic warriors, but I don't understand how we intend on stopping them, what if they break Rome's defense?"<br>

"Nonsense, Romulus boasts his force is so large even if the Gauls cut through with the might of Mars himself they will at least need three days to destroy our forces, the plan is to lure them to Antium where they will be crushed, the battle of Rome occurs soon. We must prepare, after this victory we will create a large professional force, for now though, we must use our mettle." Scipio replied.

Pullo patted Scipio on the back "You are a great Roman Scipio, and the armies of Remus and Flavius Julius will arrive in Antium soon, I think the plan will work. Finally we can show those old men in the Senate what the Roman youth is made of!"<br>

PS; Alright, I just read this, and I have to say two things: 1) I was wasted when I wrote this,a nd 2) I am wasted nwo. So I'm sorry, but it makes sense, I will explains later.

[The Capo]

The Gaul's eyes went blank as Romulus slammed his sword into his belly. He pulled his sword out, it was dripping with the blood of Gauls. "We have rebuffed the Gallic army!" Romulus bellowed as he lifted his sword into the air. It was quite a scene; the fields were strewn with bodies, weapons, and blood. Romulus approached a Centurion, Publius Mamericus, and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Dominus?" Publius asked.

"The Gauls have retreated into the northern highlands, we celebrate our victory tonight and tomorrow we give chase. I need you to help me though, I have a special mission for you..."

House of Brutii, Rome...

"Until the war there is no reason to pursue our goals, we don't know what the outcome will be yet, and we can't bank on anything at this point." Gnaeus said to his daughter.

"I understand father, but Remus has intentions to marry me, if we don't succeed in time what am I supposed to do?" she said, she was very distraught.

"Livia, my beautiful daughter, there are ways to end marriages believe me. Bucco never arrived, which bothers me because my spies say they saw him in Rome. I wonder if he was called to the front." Gnaeus surmized, he poured some wine for his daughter.

"Crassus may return home soon father!" Livia remembered, her brother had been out in Spain and Gaul for the past few years, and she was excited to see him back in the city.

"Let us hope so, his army should be meeting with Brennus' soon, we shall pray for his safety..."

West of Antium...

Crassus Brutus was making great time "Rufus, shall we make camp here or continue? The moon will be upon us soon."

Rufus was Crassus closest friend, and many rumored the two to be lovers, which made it difficult for Crassus to move up in the military which was his chosen profession "We'll make it to the city if we continue, but it will be past nightfall."

"Very well, we must continue. The battle plans are for us to meet near Segestica, if Romulus' army is successful the Gauls will be approaching Antium through that town." Crassus was pleased that he'd finally be able to return to Rome, hopefully after years on exploratory duty he'd be given a better position in the military.

A lone horseman approached, he was not a Roman "Identify yourself!" a centurion ordered.

The man pulled his horse to a stop, "I am Vasili Pochenko, I represent King Stalin of Russia. Is this the army of Romulus Latinus?"

"No, it is my army. I am Crassus of the Brutii. What news do you have for Proconsul Latinus?" Crassus replied.

"I am sorry, I must speak directly with King Latinus." the Russian answered.

"He is not the King, he is the Proconsul." Crassus responded, the Brutii and Latinii were not fans of eachother.

"Whatever he is, he is in charge of affairs of state, and this is an affair of state." the Russian said sternly, this particular Russian was brave enough to speak down to a General. "So if you please, direct me to YOUR leader so I can move this important information along."

Crassus thought for a bit, if he could discover the content of this information he could greatly help his father, "Very well, Vasili was it?" Crassus asked, the Russian nodded, "Well Vasili, you will go south down this road here, but there are Gallic axemen everywhere, Rufus and two soldiers will escort you to Rome."

"That is fine Roman, good luck with your battle comrade..."

[The Capo]

Remus Latinus, Scipio Africanus, Crassus Brutus, Flavius Julius and Valerus Pullo sat at the table to devise a strategy. The battle would take place tomorrow, the armies of Romulus Latinus had successfully rebuffed the Gauls north towards Antium, a city they believed to be unguarded. The Roman empire, under the command of Proconsul Romulus Latinus, had called upon all able-bodied men to fight against the Gallic invasion of Italy. Defeat would have cost Rome its empire, now only Antium could be taken by the Gallic armies of King Brennus.

"Only two of us should command these armies." Remus said, "The others should return to Rome quickly, we don't want the city to fall into disarray."

"Why would that happen Remus?" Crassus Brutus asked, he suspected this comment was directed at his father.

"No reason, its just that with the entire army out defending against the Gauls we don't want to risk any type of insurrection." Remus explained "Not to mention our finest Generals are in this tent and our Senate is defenseless."

"I agree, I believe myself and Remus should stay and defend the empire, the rest should return to Rome and make sure everyone knows all is well." Scipio said, he got a few nods but Remus didn't seem to agree.

"No Scipio, I must return to Rome. There is an issue that needs my attention, besides I need to make sure my brother behaves himself." Remus replied.

"Yes, there is a courier from Russia too, I sent him to the city with my aide Rufus." Crassus interjected, if Remus would be returning to Rome he wanted to also. His father had sent him numerous notes that Remus had been courting his sister Livia.

"Very well, Scipio we will leave you with Flavius Julius, Pullo you go directly to Antium and assure the city's safety. We will return to Rome tonight." Remus continued "Good luck..."

The Next Morning...

Flavius Julius couldn't believe how far he had come in the past few years; he got to name the Senate, he was given rank as a soldier in the legion, sent to Antium where he recieved a plot of land, was made a Centurion by a Senator and finally got his own cohort to command, and in defense of the empire! Things were going well for him, and he knew he couldn't screw this up.

"Formation I!" he barked, holding his sword into the air, the troops formed into an inverted wedge, his legion would be charging downhill upon the Gauls.

"Dominus" a soldier said to General Scipio Africanus "The Gauls are approaching."

Scipio surveyed the Gallic line, which was slowly approaching. Brennus' army was comprised of mostly Axemen, and a few skirmishers.

"Flavius, charge forth a small army of your men when the Gauls reach the bottom of the hill," Scipio ordered "When they begin their charge we will come from our right upon their side, we need to box them up."

Just then a Gallic commander, possibly Brennus himself, barked "Heraus!" and the Gauls began their charge.

"Gemina!" Flavius ordered his forward unit of warriors, "Charge!"

<img src='http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1121616/barbfight1.JPG' width=821 height=296 >

The Romans ran down the hill, holding their swords high in a ready position, as two Gallic units charged upon them. There were plenty of Roman reserves in the nearby forest, Flavius readied his sword for Scipio's order.

A Gallic axeman slammed his axe into a Roman warrior's shoulder, nearly chopping his arm clean off! He was promptly stabbed in the stomach as he tried to pull his axe from his victim's body. Flavius was disgusted but still watched for Scipio's order.

"Shall we pursue them sir?" Cassius Carbo asked Scipio, he was his second in command.

"Not quite yet, we need them to fall deeper into our trap." Scipio surveyed the action; the Romans were taking heavy losses, the Gauls were fighting like animals.

"This is insanity." Flavius said to himself as he watched the Gauls begin to surround the Roman warriors, they were taking heavy losses and Flavius knew if he didn't support them the Gauls could break the line, and with it the morale of the troops. He lifted his sword into the air and ordered "CHARGE!" he began to run down the hill, his legion following closely behind.

"What is he doing!?" Scipio asked Cassius, "He's disobeying my orders!"

"Shall I call for the charge dominus?" Cassius asked his General, Scipio had no choice. The Romans couldn't afford to lose more men and he knew it, "Very well Cassius, let Mars be on our side!"

Cassius Carbo ordered the standard move forward, and the army of Scipio began its charge.

<img src='http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1121616/barbfight2.JPG' width=811 height=406 >

The Gallic line was thin, but vicious. They started making segway against the first unit of Roman warriors, but when the rest of the Roman army began charging it was clear that the Gauls would be overwhelmed.

Brennus tried to call back the troops but the Roman warriors reached them too quickly, any retreat now would result in a massacre. When Brennus finally realized he would have to fight or die he raised his battle-axe and let out a warcry. The Gallic troops went berzerk.

Flavius saw this, he knew the Gauls would fight for Brennus if he fell today, and he knew that politically his capture could result in the fall of the Gallic resistance. "Take Brennus alive Romans! Don't give up!" he yelled as he directed another charge...

<img src='http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1121616/romewins.JPG' width=731 height=347 >

The Romans were victorious, the Gauls were defeated and Italy was safe again. Brennus had successfully been captured by Flavius Julius and a couple other soldiers, Scipio was pleased with Flavius' performance, "Flavius Julius, despite your refusal to wait for my command you showed excellent mettle today against these savages."

"Thank you Senator Africanus." Flavius replied with a respectful nod.

"Your actions today, they will be told throughout Rome and the lands of the Romans. I suspect others will hear of your bravery today on the field." He grabbed Flavius' forearm "What you did today was important, you shall be greatly rewarded, Romulus will have no choice but to give you land, or even make you a Prefect. You brought him Brennus, the Gauls are effectively crushed, and the Triumvirate preserved..."

[The Capo]

The Roman Empire had finally secured its place in Europe; Romulus Latinus returned to Rome a conquering hero, the Senate was unable to curb his power as the people deemed him the great defender of Rome. Flavius Julius was the hero of the day, his brave charge was not seen as foolhardy by the people, who considered it a testiment to Roman bravery. Politically speaking Rome was better off than it had been in prior years, new agreements were being reached between Rome and its neighbors in Russia and Africa. Through Romulus' expansion program Roman territory had now extended into western Europe and it seemed for now that Rome would be a success...

Rome...

"Ah, Crassus Brutus" Romulus said with a fake smile, "Welcome to my humble abode."

Crassus grabbed Romulus' forearm and shook it, staring dead into his eyes. Crassus had only been in Rome a short time since being out in Spain, he hadn't even seen his father or his sister yet but Romulus demanded an audience "Proconsul Romulus Latinus, it has certainly been a long time. To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"Here sit, have some wine." Romulus motioned for his slaves to bring food and wine for Crassus, but Crassus held up his hand.

"No that's fine, I have to go home and see my father, I have been away for a very long time." Crassus took a seat.

"Well Crassus, the war went quite well and the Senate and People of Rome thank you for your help in driving the Gauls into hell. For your excellence in command I have decided to comission you with an important mission, it is very much a secret." Romulus took a sip of wine.

"I don't know what to say Romulus, thank you." Crassus replied, he still wasn't sure what Romulus was driving at.

"There is a war, in the East. We are not going to get involved in this war, but I am sending a legion to investigate the matter."

"Who exactly is at war sir?" Crassus asked.

"The Indians and Mongolians, there is another kingdom, but we have no contact with them, the Indians call them the 'Japanese,' your job is to contact these people and report to me how the war went." Romulus explained.

"With all due respect sir, I have been gone for so long in Spain, and I simply long to be with my family for a while before I go back out on campaign again." Crassus knew this was a ploy to get him out of Rome.

"Think of it as an order General. You are highly qualified for this, Rome needs good representatives..."

House of Latinii...

"Mother, are you here?" asked Remus as he walked into his mother's room.

"Remus!" she said, as she hastily threw some sheets over herself, "Don't just walk in here like that."

"I'm sorry mother," he said, he was a little embarassed and quickly turned away "I didn't see anything I-"

"Okay, you can turn around now." Lavinia said.

"Well, we've won the day." Remus said with a smile "And finally Rome can go back to business as usual. By the way, while I was out I heared a strange rumor."

Lavinia got up from the bed "What rumor?"

"Well, there's a town near Antium, where the murderer of my father once lived. His name was Leartes, he was said to be a Greek, but he really wasn't, he was of Latin blood." Remus explained "That's not even the interesting part, the interesting part is that he was said to be the son of a great Latin warrior named Turnus, now if I remember my history correctly wasn't Turnus the same name of the warrior father killed in the field of Mars?"

"Yes, I believe it was." she said, she was getting a little nervous and Remus noticed.

"Perhaps it is the same Turnus, and this Leartes was avenging him! I couldn't investigate further because of the war, but I must find Bucco Varro, who seems to know more than he is leading on." Remus explained.

There was an akward silence, Lavinia approached her son and smiled at him, she rubbed her hand against his cheek, "Remus... there is something I have to tell you..."

TO BE CONTINUED...

[OzzyKP]

The short-lived Indian Republic died quickly and quietly. Chandragupta dissolved Parliment, and declared himself Great King, or Maharaja. Chariot production began in earnest in several cities, all other building projects were put on hold and the people forced into the creation, training and manning of chariot units. This was to be the greatest war the world had ever seen, and India did not intend to lose.

There was some resistance in the cities to the harsh police state Maharaja Chandragupta Maurya imposed upon them, but all rebels were enslaved immediately and put into the service of making new chariot units.

While not as powerful as the bronze clad axemen the Mongols were reported to have, the Indian chariots great strength was their manuverability and speed. Speed was key. India's northern border consisteded of many large mountain chains that are virtually impassable for most units, thus to strike its enemy, India must detour around the mountains. Its fast moving, four horse chariots accomplished this nicely:

http://oneandfour.org/images/chariot1.jpg

[OzzyKP]

In a field north of Lahore.

General Ashoka returned to his unit stationed outside of the Mongol encampment. He was discouraged by the delay caused by the trip to Delhi. He summoned the commander on duty, Major General Ajatashatru to brief him on the decisions made in Delhi and to get updates from the field. It was late, but he didn't wish to waste any time.

Ajatashatru entered the tent and saluted General Ashoka. Ashoka stood in the back of the tent with his back to him. He turned slowly around and asked, "What news of the Mongolian settlers?"

The tent was dimly lit by several torches, but Ajatashatru could see that Ashoka was not a handsome man. He burned with intensity though. He delivered his report, "Since you left the camp, the Mongols have unpacked their wagons and have begun to build a village on the bank of that river."

"Fools. Don't they understand the danger they are in? Why would they encumber themselves by building in such a tense moment. Do they have a military escort yet?"

"No sir, just women, children, and farmers for the most part. They should put up little fight. "

"Still more curious. Perhaps the Mongols aren't as organized or powerful as we expected. No matter. Our plan is the same."

"What news from Delhi? Did the Mongols finally agree to negotiate?"

"No. They refused to discuss borders altogether. So the decision has been made to strike swiftly. If we let them expand into our territory without challenge we will soon have Mongols living right outside Delhi. We are to flex our muscle here, in the hopes a quick victory here will drive the Mongols to the negotiating table. If they remain stubborn, then our victory will be a morale boost in our favor."

"Understood. What of General Pushyamitra?"

"He remains in Lahore and is directing the training of new chariot divisions. We will be alone for this battle, but reinforcements will be deployed soon. General Pushyamitra will lead the new chariots to our next objectives, if we have them. We must waste no more time. Ready the troops, we ride out at dawn."

"Understood sir."

[OzzyKP]

The Great Eastern War Begins

That morning General Ashoka led his troops out to the new Mongol city. They were caught by surprize though. A detachment of Mongol warriors garrisoned the city the previous night under the cover of darkness, just in time to provide some defense to the city. Instead of entering an unarmed village as planned, they had a fight on their hands.

<img src="http://www.oneandfour.org/images/chariot2.jpg" border=0 align=right hspace=10>The warriors were well trained and fought hard, but did not have a chance to prepare proper defenses for the settlement and were overcome by the superior strength of Ashoka's chariots. The battle was short but fierce.

Ashoka had no use for prisoners, and instructed his men to burn the city to the ground and spare no one. This battle was meant to send a message to Mongolia and that is what he intended to do. Ashoka personally cut off the head of the Mongol commander and had it delivered to the Mongol capitol.

"Negotiate or face the same fate."

He sent similar "care packages" to other Mongol cities hoping to strike a blow at their troop's morale. India would not be pushed around.

Ashoka camped out along the river to attend to the wounded and await further orders.

[The Capo]

House of Latinii...

Remus Latinus charged into Romulus' room, where he was sleeping. He was enraged, his bloody sword ready for another kill.

"Wake up you murderous prole!" he barked at his brother, who stirred, Remus grabbed his arm and tossed Romulus to the floor. "Look at me you dog!"

Romulus opened his eyes "Remus, what in Budus' (Buddha) name are you doing?"

Remus kicked him in the ribs so hard he rolled onto his back, Remus pointed his sword into Romulus' throat.

"I know what you've done, I know what mother has done. She's dead Romulus, and so are you! Now tell me you had nothing to do with this!" Remus was angry, and Romulus recognized this; he had to live, he was the Proconsul of Rome! He knew he could convince his brother he had nothing to do with Aeneas' murder.

"Remus... please, listen to me, take the sword from my neck." Remus stared at him for a second "Brother, listen to me, I don't know what has come over you."

Remus slowly withdrew his sword "What do you have to say for yourself Romulus? It better be good!"

"I don't know what you are-" he was quickly interrupted.

"Shut up! Mother told me everything, about Leartes, about Turnus, about your conspiracy with her to kill father, I just want to hear it from your mouth before I end you." Remus explained.

"Listen, just relax, she's lying." Romulus slowly stood, holding his hand out "I don't know what you are talking about, here, just relax let me put some clothes on." he slowly inched towards his toga.

"Stop right there!" Remus said "Why would she tell such a lie? What would her motive be?"

"I don't know, clearly she wanted our father dead. Do you think she wouldn't sink to setting us against one another?" Romulus explained, still moving towards his clothes.

"No, you are a liar just like she was." Remus yelled.

Romulus ran and grabbed his sword, he knocked the bed-table over to block Remus' path. "Stop there, I'll run you through, just relax." Romulus said.

"I will NOT RELAX!" Remus bellowed, he kicked the table into the wall "Come here you traitor!" he charged Romulus, who swung his sword knocking Remus' to the floor, it slid into the far wall. Remus again lunged at Romulus, but again Romulus side-stepped him and drove his sword into Remus' back.

"Ugh," Remus grunted as he fell to the ground, "You'll pay for this Romulus." he said, as he crawled towards the door, Romulus calmly approached him and placed his foot on Remus' back, then pulled out his sword.

"I won't brother, I won't." he said as he drove the sword into the back of Remus' neck, killing him.

Just then the door burst open, it was Flavius Julius with three soldiers "Romulus Latinus, I arrest you in the name of the Senate and People of Rome for conspiracy to murder Aeneas Latinus, the murder of Remus Latinus, and treason against the Senate and People of Rome..."

One Week Later...

<img src='http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1121616/romulustrial.jpg' width=445 height=278 align="center">

Romulus Latinus was found guilty of all charges by the Senate and the oration of Aulus Iunius. While Romulus seemingly was a great leader and defeated the armies of Brennus and their attempt to sack Rome, and finally finished settlement of Gaul, Germania, and Spain, he would always be remembered as the most vile leader in Roman history. For his heroism in the war against the Gauls Flavius Julius was given the governorship of Spain. Scipio Africanus was named the third consul, creating a new triumvirate; Gnaeus Brutus, Scipio Africanus and as the new Proconsul Titus Pompeius...

[The Capo]

I. The first day of our expedition was exhausting, Proconsul Latinus had somehow convinced the Russians to allow us passage through their lands in the Balkans. I have to say the Serbs and Greeks are among the most filthy of barbarians I have ever come in contact with. Our mission is to reach the lands of India and report on the impending war between India and Mongolia. Romulus believes it is wise to extend Rome's influence to this part of the globe, but in my mind he simply wants me out of Rome. I worry for my father, he is old and this ambitious prole wants him dead. I hope nothing bad befalls the house of Brutii.

II. It has been a long time since my last entry, I spent a lot of time surveying the lands of the two great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. Such lush soil would be perfect for Roman settlement, and after some discussion with the Russians and Azadines of Africa I believe this could become a reality. We tredge on though, their are mountains in our midst and we must either find a way around them or attempt to cross them ourselves, our great Proconsul hasn't equipped us well for this journey, and it merely adds to my suspicions.

III. We have finally reached India! Well, we have made it to their territory at least. According to the people here their empire expands thousands of miles east to the great ocean. Their President has offered us safe passage through their territory, so we shall see how things are done in a foreign land.

IV. (There is nothing but strange writing here)

V. The Indians have been gracious enough to let us pass through their capitall, which boasts an amazing monument; they are large pyramid-shaped tombs for their Kings and nobles. They are constructed with pure white Marble and Ivory, with golden caps which reflect the sun's rays. Quite a splendid scene. We have been told that our journey to the lands of Japan will not be much longer, but there are dense forests to the east.

VI. This is entirely a military report. The war with Mongolia was started by the Indians and Japanese because there seems to have been a territory violation of some sort, my translator hardly knows any Latin, but has a good grasp of Russian so its difficult to translate perfectly. The King of Mongolia is said to have called for the demise of India, in some form of religious struggle, its difficult to tell exactly what is going on. Japan joined because of a similar Mongolian incursion into a land called China. This 'China' is said to be beyond the Mountains and Jungles, we are currently headed in that direction but have been warned to be wary of Mongolian axemen.

VII. Wine is good.

VIII. We have been in the jungles for a while, we may be lost. If anyone finds this please send word to Rome that Crassus Brutus and his expeditionary force did not make it.

IX. How I wish I could destroy this document. We were all starved and diseased until we reached Japan. We were given some cure for our ailments, namely food, but we have lost many men and the legion wishes to return to Rome. The Japanese are not very friendly to us, but the war seems to be over. Hopefully we can return to Rome intact. I hope everything goes well, I will be so happy to see the city again, even if it means running into Proconsul Latinus...

(Crassus Brutus was sent by Romulus Latinus to bring back a report on Asia. He returned only to find that Titus Pompeius was the new Proconsul, Crassus Brutus became the governor of Antium upon his return...)

[OzzyKP]

The save from Session 2:

[The Capo]

HOVSE OF SCIPII, ROMA...

It was a relatively cold night in Rome. A Russian dignitary, Vasili Pochenko, was expected to hold audience with Praetor Titus Pompeius at any moment; things were tense. For the past few centuries Roman-Russian relations have been very wary and cold. No trades, or deals were truly made as the two people barely recognized the other's existance. The leadership of Romulus Latinus was partly to blame, his expansionist policies included one of isolationism as well since he didn't want Russia to know where Rome intended on expanding to and perhaps causing them to beat them to it. Ultimately it didn't matter.

Titus Pompeius wanted to send a representative before granting an audience for two reasons; the first was that it made him look more important and powerful, and the second was because he wasn't sure what position to take on certain issues. The Russians had expanded quickly into the danube valley and the Slavic areas of Europe effectively blocking the Romans from movement into Asia, or even out of western Europe. He had set up an emergency meeting of some of his most trusted advisors and allies in the senate; his nephew Scipio Africanus was a consul in the senate, and Aulus Iunius was another close friend from childhood. Cassius Carbo was there, but he was to be sent to meet Vasili once he arrived within Scipii territory.

"We must establish positive relations with the Russians if we are to be safe! As long as we strike a positive chord with them the safety of Roman territory will be established. The Gauls have fallen, the time is now to establish our territory and develop our lands." Scipio Africanus was against further expansion without establishing the current territory. Most Roman cities were unconnected with roads, or ill-defended with small groups of warriors. Roman augers have discovered a new way of making armor and weapons by using Iron, which would be stronger than the bronze that was used by the Gauls and many other armies in the world.

"While that may be true Africanus, we don't have the means to barter with Russia on certain issues. Can we allow them passage into Roman lands? Why would they want them? There is nothing beyond our border, it is securely Roman. If we allow them in, that changes, their influence is already at our doorstep in Antium, and in Narbo Martius. We can't allow their culture to trickle in any more. They would understand that, right now we have a big mess to clean up." he began pacing, Aulus always did this since he was a child. He was known as a man who thought on his feet, in actuality he constantly practiced speeches for things that hadn't even occured yet, the man was mildly eccentric.

Just then a soldier entered the room, "The Russians approach." he said and stood at attention.

"Very well legionary" Cassius Carbo rose "I shall see you in a moment, what are my orders?"

"They must understand that Rome's biggest concern is security of territory. That way we all understand what is in our better interests. Germania, Gaul, Celtebria, Hispania, Asia Minor, Hellas, Judea, and Assyria. These lands are what Rome strives for, and this must be made clear to King Stalin." Titus Pompeius said, he thought for a moment. "Make a big deal about our religious similarities, remark about what Budus would do, and oh yes. Legionary give him your helmet."

The Legionary slowly took it off and handed it to Cassius Carbo. Cassius looked up at Titus.

"Well, put it on. It makes us appear to be ready for battle. If it was our military victory over Brennus they admired well enough to send a representative, perhaps they respect a military tradition."

Cassiucs Carbo nodded "I shall return Domini..."

Vasili had simple orders from Russia; they wanted good relations with Rome, they got the territory they wanted and now was the time to deal with the Romans. It wasn't that Russia necessarily didn't like Rome, it was more that they weren't sure how they would fare against the Gauls and didn't want to waste any resources on a doomed country. But the Romans attacked the Gauls from two sides with two armies and ended the threat, now Rome was safe to trade with.

"I see an entourage of Romans approaching the gates, I don't think we need all of the weapons." Vasili said to his escort, they were assigned to protect the ambassador from any foul play.

"Salve!" Cassius Carbo said with a smile as he greeted the Russians, he opened the gates himself his troops standing closely behind him "I apologize for meeting you in these conditions, as you know our former leader; Praetor Romulus Latinus has been arrested for committing murder, it was a terrible turn of events. So I am representative of the Senate and People of Rome, Cassius Carbo."<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1121616/RomeRussia1.jpg" align="right" >

"Greetings from Russia Cassius Carbo, I am Vasili Pochenko, and I represent King Josef Stalin of Russia." he gave a courteous bow, Cassius akwardly replied with a bow.

"We are interested in the purpose of your visit to the Proconsul's home." Cassius sad, "The Senate would simply like to know what your intentions are in Rome."

"Understood, these are our intentions. We simply wish to speak with your leader, and congratulate your people for their victory over the dreaded Gauls. We have issues in Russia with the huns. We believe Russia and Rome could be strong partners."

"Yes," Cassius was pleased to hear this, because it would make his job a lot easier "Rome feels the same way, we see no reason why we can't cooperate with eachother. Our borders meet, and yet we have little to no relations."

"What type of agreement does the Roman Senate suggest? We understand that there has been some sort of change in leadership since the war?" Vasili asked, part of his mission was to find out why the reign of Romulus Latinus ended so abruptly.

"Yes, unfortunately our prior Proconsul, who was made Praetor because of the Gallic invasion had be to arrested for murder, it was a sad story but the Senate lives on even in his absence, and we had two other Consuls to choose from. Proconsul Titus Pompeius resides over the Senate, and here in this villa. We wish to clean up the mess made during the war, so our foremost concern is an agreement of territorial concessions for both sides. Rome will agree to no more expansion into Europe, namely East and north. Well, except for Britannia, we believe we can secure that island, and should, as Russia has locked us into Europe for thousands of years.."

The Russian stood and thought for a second, and smiled "We can agree to that, as long as the Romans stay on their side of the border, we can allow those lands to be Roman."

"What about open borders? If we shared open borders Rome could explore the rest of the world, but we are bottled up in Europe, we must be able to pass Russian lands to make new discoveries." Cassius continued, he felt good about his chances here, for whatever reason the Russians were cooperating.

"Do you speak of Turkey?" the Russians said.

"Asia Minor, yes, the lands you call Turkey. And Greece for that matter, the Slavic lands are yours by virtue of your similar cultures, but the lands of the Greeks should be ours by that some token."

"Russia doesn't see a problem here, you musn't expand past the Caucus mountain-range, all land north of that is Russian and only Russian." Vasili didn't see this as a concession, Russia had no interest in expanding into the Middle East, and if it made Rome feel like they got something out of the deal he would give it to them.

"Agreed."

"Finally, we would like to send our wisemen to Rome to discuss the sciences with yours. We believe to establish friendship, we must share with eachother. The more we can learn from eachother the better our bond will be." Vasili smiled, Cassius couldn't help but mistrust this Russian, why was he being so helpful?

"Very well, please stay in the house down the street, I shall send a detatchment to escort your men there. Tomorrow we are having the triumph in the center of the city. It will be a day of celebration, a day of eating and drinking and we insist you come. There you will have a meeting with Proconsul Pompeius and we can discuss the future of Rome and Russia." he said proudly "Oh yes, I musn't forget. We will execute Brennus, the leader of the Gallic scourge, that is unless you and your men have problems with a little blood and death."

Vasili knew he had to except the offer "Yes, we shall celebrate with Rome, the demise of a barbarian horde is mutual to all civilized people..."

[deity]

Originally posted by deity
Lizard perused the latest piece of intelligence.

Knowledge, peace and harmony...

But these scouting Azadine warriors never returned home - killed in the pass it is believed. BUT by whom?

"And you just watched them then?"

These words echoed in Lizards 'ears'................

There was a blinding flash! The Universe lurched and a time space vacuum was created... it was no more, yet in it's place was a planet strikingly similar... familiar names... familiar problems...

Lizard was quickly catching up with the affairs of the Azande on this planet. Confusionism (!) still reigned supreme but the holy city was now Azande River, leaving the kingdom of the lower Nile with less power.

Lizard was in prayer to his God when news of far away wars reached him. His cold blood coursed through his veins. Mongolia had decided to take on the world! But in another blinding flash the Universe lurched once more... and.. it was another place, again... There was a deep disturbance here; extreme lack of stability; extreme behavior by rulers on this world who saw themselves as king Makers and as Gods!

So be it! Lizard formed a new mission in his mind.

The 'new' ruler of Mongolia was peaceful and had sued for peace with India and Japan. As a gesture of support, and in an effort to assist in restoring some balance, Lizard did offer free technological support to Mongolia.

An ill wind blew throughout Asia and a strategic, friendly and peaceful relationship was further cemented with Rome and Russia. Huge, idle armies lay to the far East and all nations must be vigilant.

Until calmer heads prevailed Lizard's main thought was to use his technological advantage sparingly; and in full knowledge that peaceful uses were applied with such technologies.

It is now AD 510 - a new age was beginning, again.

The stars seemed stable now...

[The Capo]

Outside of the House of Scipii...

There was a knock at Vasili's door as he prepared for the day's celebration. In his mind the greatest thing he could bring back to Russia was information about the way Rome operates, that way they could better deal with these backward people from the west. "Enter." Vasili said plainly as Cassius Carbo entered.

"Salve Vasili." he said as he approached the diplomat with a large smile on his face "It is a great day for a triumph. I hope you are prepared, it will be a long day."

"I am excited sir, finally we can celebrate the end of the Gallic hordes." he grabbed his cloak, "Shall we go?"

Rome, the Curia...

"The best thing we can do now is show him a good Roman time!" Scipio Africanus remarked as he popped a grape into his mouth.

"Yes, this is true." said Quintus Latinus, he was very old now and sickly, the demise of his family was a terrible burden on him, and in honor of the old Latinii name he was allowed to maintain his seat in the Senate. "The gods shine favorably upon us this day, and the Russians will appreciate such an event. It will make Rome look more powerful than it truly is."

Gnaeus Brutus whispered something into Aulus Iunius' ear, and Scipio noticed "Gnaeus." he said "Is there something you'd like to say?"

"No, that is why I whispered. Young Scipio." he responded, he was discouraged that his family gained nothing from the demise of the Latinii, Crassus Brutus was his son and he expected Brutii stock to rise.

"He was only talking about the triumph and didn't want to interrupt the discussion, that's all, everyone should relax its a day of celebration..." Aulus Iunius replied.

Meanwhile, near the city-square...
<img src='http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1121616/roman-soldier-1.jpg' width=256 height=384 align="right">The newly dressed praetorian guard began to make its way into the center of the city, Flavius Julius was overseeing the operation and was happy he had become so successful recently, despite the death of his friend Remus Latinus "Alright men, two more blocks to go and we put on our warfaces! This is important cargo we have here!" he said looking up at Brennus, who was tied to a post with a noose around his neck.

Placus Americus, a Centurion, rushed up to his commander "Flavius, err, General, I have word that we must delay our enterance into the city's square!" he yelled over the sound of the clanging armor.

"What is it Centurion, I can't hear you?" Flavius asked.

"I said, I have orders, we can't continue so quickly, because the ambassador from Russia is going to make his entrance before us!" Flavius heared what Placus had to say and placed his hand in the air.

"Halt!" the soldiers slowly came to a stop. Flavius took his helmet off and turned back towards Placus again.

"The what?" he simply asked.

"I said the Ambassador of Russia, he is coming today. He is going to enter before us, and we are to enter after him." Placus replied.

"Well, when do we enter?" Flavius asked.

"They didn't tell me dominus." Placus replied.

Flavius thought for a moment, "Well Centurion, go find out and return quickly, we don't want this Gallic prole escaping on us do we?"

Outside of the Curia...

The crowd had gathered, and the scene was brilliant; there were children playing and music blaring over a grand feast with boar, beef, lamb, and seafood. Old music from the tribal era was popular, and everyone was drunk. The Romans had been dogged fighters against a Gallic threat that had a technological advantage, and finally they could celebrate what they considered guaranteed peace and stability within their country. There was no longer a fear of death anymore, they had gone from a tribe of Latins on the run from the Etruscans to the masters of their own fates, it was bigger than the people at the triumph imagined. But it didn't matter, today was for eating, singing, dancing and drinking.

The Russian diplomat made an enterance first, with a horribly done rendition of what the Romans believed was the Russian national anthem, but was in actuality a Russian drinking song. To the end of his days Vasili Pochenko would always remember this as an oddity, not realizing Rome truly meant great admiration by the act. He was escorted to the enterance of the Curia and was placed in a seat next to Senator Scipio Africanus "Salve, pleasure to finally meet you." he said, extending his hand, the Russian shook it.

"The pleasure is all mine, Senator Scipio I presume?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes dominus, I am the nephew of Proconsul Titus Pompeius, you don't know how much of an honor this is, to have a dignitary such as yourself here to witness one of our greatest days."

Just then the trumpets blared, as both men turned quickly. A gateway was open under a newly built arch, three rows of young beautiful women emerged throwing rose petals and dancing, the trumpets again blared as two large oxen pulled a cart holding King Brennus of Gaul. The crowd went into a chorus of boos, as they pelted him with tomatoes and other assorted (and quite spoiled) vegetables. Then came the legion of praetorians, all dressed in their new iron-made armor, they had yet to see action but the entire crowd was silenced in awe. The real army that won the Gallic campaign was a rag-tag group of hunters, warriors, and farmers. This legion looked nothing like it, Flavius Julius proudly wore his helmet and smiled as he waved to the crowd. Roses were thrown at their feet as the legion passed.
<img src="http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1121616/RomanTriumph.jpg" align="left">

Then it was time for Proconsul Titus Pompeius, who entered on a chariot. He wore laurels as his men carried various standards, and the ceremonial fasces (a bundle of sticks tied together with axeheads, to symbolize the unity and strength of the Roman people). He waved proudly to the crowd. He then left the chariot and walked up the Curia stairs towards his throne, the crowd cheered in approval. Vasili Pochenko rose from his seat and clapped, as did the others seated around the Consular throne, Gnaeus Brutus and Scipio Africanus greeted Proconsul Pompeius as he stood before his throne. He then turned to the crowd again and raised his hands in victory, there was a loud chorus of cheers again from the assembled audience as they filled in the area the parade vacated. Titus then stood watching over the crowd, he was pleased in the position he had gained, and he knew he could do great things for the people of Rome. He cleared his throat as the crowd silenced itself...

"Romans! Today is a day of celebration" Titus began "We have defeated the maurading Gauls once and for all! We have established friendly relations with the great kingdom of Russia, and secured Roman peace for centuries to come! There is much left to be done, the tyrannical rule of Romulus Latinus left us with a penniless and powerless nation, far flung, and unweidly. Our settlements in Celtebria, Gaul and Germania still have no roads to connect them to our great city. We have barely begun to increase our military prowess, and there are issues of scientific development and foreign diplomacy to address as well. So Romans, there is plenty of work to be done yet, this must serve as a day of celebration and of forethought, tomorrow is the begining of Rome's rise to greatness, and I invite everyone here to join me and the Senate in such a goal."

The crowd cheered in approval, as Titus Pompeius smiled. Things finally seemed well for the empire, and while things may have seemed so grim there may have been no getting out of it, Rome prevailed and their empire preserved. "Now then, the next order of business is the stinking Gaul over there!"

The crowd began to boo Brennus, who couldn't understand the words that were being said, but he knew what they meant; his people were now under Roman control, and there was nothing more that could be done. Their heroic march to Rome only ended in their defeat up and down the Italian penninsula, their army (which was comprised of their tribe's greatest warriors) was crushed underfoot. Now only women, children, and a few elderly men were left to defend their camps which were no doubt being overriden by the Roman scourge. Death was nothing now to him, if anything it was deliverance from his shameful fate. He was a failed king, and now he would get what he deserved.

<img src='http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-12/1121616/brennusdying.jpg' width=350 height=300 align="right">Titus lifted his hand into the air and clenched it into a fist at the crowd's approval, Flavius quickly gave the signal and the oxen were made to pull the rope, squeezing against the back of the post and pulling the rope tight around Brennus' throat. The crowd watched in silence as the Gallic King slowly suffocated to death, his face growing pinker and pinker until it took on a more purple tone. Vasili Pochenko looked around at the assembled Roman nobility, they all watched intently like ravenous vultures. Vasili noted this affinity for violence that Romans had as a reason for the murders that plagued their history. The crowd burst into applause as it was apparent, once and for all that the Gauls would never trouble their empire again. From now on Rome would be safe from any internal tribes trying to deny them their empire, from this point on only foreign powers would ever again threaten Rome...

[OzzyKP]

*sigh* well the game is dead and over, and no one noticed all the movie quotes I intertwined into my great "Two Kingdoms, One People" post despite my bribe. So since I'm all annoyed that I spent a whole lot of time writing this post and making every effort to put a lot of great quotes in here and make them work seemlessly with the material I'm going to point them all out to you punks who couldn't come up with them. Do people even read my posts? Or is my humor too subtle for y'all and you need things spelled out for you?

Anyways, now I'm gonna spell it out, cause this post (imho) is too much of a classic to let it fade away unnoticed and unread.

The following scene is one where the breakaway Jewish leaders of India are discussing what to do about the Hindu King and the people of Delhi. (explaining my in game decision to switch to Judaism for a few turns which was really done to expand the borders of Karachi, but as this is a well crafted Diplogame I made a storyline to accompany that in-game decision).

So the Jewish leader is Moseshadev, obviously modeled on Moses with an Indian twist. So since the most famous Moses is Charleton Heston's version of him in the 10 Commandments, I decided to slip in lots of movie quotes from Charleton Heston. Since no one read carefully (or at all?) enough to pick them out, I've bolded them all:

Originally posted by OzzyKP
Two Kingdoms, One People

The days after the Jews' exodus out of Delhi were turbulent times. Lord Bhishma who had lead his people since for many generations, was killed in the raging waters of the Indus, leaving no heir. With him, much of the army of Delhi perished.

At this point a great debate began among the leaders of the newly formed Karachi on how to proceed. Moseshadev, leader of the people, Arun, his brother and high priest, and Nidhish a wealthy Hindu merchant who joined the Jewish cause, all stepped forward into the center of the clearing that was becoming the town square of the newly formed Karachi.

Moseshadev addressed the crowd first, "After generations of slavery in Delhi, our people have been delivered their freedom by Indra, the one true god of all. The promised land, the land of our ancestors is here at our feet, this is a happy day, we should be rejoicing."

"Yes brother, we have been granted a great victory, but what then when news of this reaches Delhi?" Arun then turned to the crowd, and continued, "We are still outnumbered 3 to 1. When the Kshatriya and other military men discover what happened, they will raise an even larger force to destroy us. We must strike now while they are disorganized and weak."

"Now, now, lets not be hasty," Nidhish interjected, "We have been blessed with a unique opportunity to unify our people, Jew and Hindu alike. A civil war serves no one."

"A civil war will be upon us, whether we wish it or not!" said Arun, "I say we strike while we have the upper hand and not wait here to be murdered in our sleep."

"So we should murder them in their sleep instead?" asked Nidhish.

"If need be, yes."

Frustrated, Nidhish began pacing around the square, "We may have different faiths, but we are one people. We are all Indian. We share a common history and a common destiny. We cannot simply massacre our own people."

"Our people? You forget your place, friend, you know nothing of our people. While you and your Vaishya kin were counting your gold, our daughters were being raped, and our sons whipped." Arun's hand grasped the hilt of his sword menacingly as he continued, his anger brewing over, "Your heretical pagan faith has brought this oppression upon us, and no one will be safe until it is stamped out, one pagan at a time." With that he took a step towards Nidhish.

"ENOUGH!" shouted Moseshadev. "Stand down brother."

Arun, paused and slowly turned to look at his brother. He looked him in the eye just long enough to be uncomfortable before he let go of his sword and relaxed his stance. He waited for his brother to speak.

Moseshadev's silent flinty gaze panned the crowd, a silent accusation from their respected leader, and a warning to calm themselves. Humbled by his look, the Karachites waited expectantly for his words. Moseshadev was a known peacemaker and just ruler, if anyone can diffuse this situation it is he.

Moseshadev knew his people waited for him. He could sense their unease. With the many trials they have been through, it was this moment that was most important, and this moment that carried the most risk. He did not fear and did not doubt during the flight out of Delhi. He trusted in God, and he provided. Dealing with the passions of men is a far less certain business. This speech, this moment, would decide the fate of his people. Indeed of all the Indian people.

He paused to collect his thoughts, and then at last he spoke, "My brother is right to be angry. I am angry too. And you, and you," he gestured to the crowd, "we are all angry, for we have seen much evil. The evil that men should turn their brothers into beasts of burden, to be stripped of spirit, and hope, and strength - only because they are of another caste, another creed. If there is a god, he did not mean this to be so."

He paused briefly for effect, then continued, steadily becoming louder and louder in his deep baritone voice, "I have been in your sandals, my eyes have seen what yours have. I toiled with you in the stone mines of Delhi. I was whipped by the same straps, and kicked by the same feet. And when our tormenters laid their hands upon me for the last time, I shared your voice of defiance by telling them, 'Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty Hindu!'"

With that the crowd cheered wildly.

Moseshadev continued, softer this time, "We have seen that evil, and we have overcome it, and now we are asked to decide what comes next. Should we, in turn, visit this evil upon our enemies?"

There were some murmurs of agreement in the crowd.

Moseshadev raised his hand to silence them and asked, "Before we decide this most important of decisions, we must ask ourselves, who is our enemy? Is our enemy those who have done evil, or is our enemy evil itself?"

He paused again, letting the question ring through the square and sink in to people's minds. Then he continued, more forcefully this time, "I say that we should here today, make an enemy of evil and a friend of all who renounce it. If evil is our enemy, then by exacting our revenge upon the people of Delhi, we make ourselves once again the slaves of our enemy. Doing the bidding of evil cannot defeat it, only doing good can."

The people were silent. Forgiveness is difficult for any people, especially those so wronged as his, but they must again learn compassion and forgiveness. He knew he was winning them over, but they still needed one more push.

Moseshadev walked over to Nidhish and put his hand on his shoulder as he began to speak, "It is true, this man did not endure the terrible wrongs we've suffered, but it is also true that he did not cause those wrongs. He has been a friend to us, and to our people. Indeed many Hindus have been our friends over the years and have supported our cause.

'We have been shown great evil, but haven't we also been shown great compassion? We indeed want our freedom, but don't we at some level feel a certain attachment and affinity to our home in Delhi? The Vishnu Gardens, gazing in the palace reflecting pool, Shaman Square, shopping in India Row, our children playing on the Soylent Green, admiring the Vedic Oblisk these are all part of our background and culture. We can't just burn them all down.

'All of these places from our childhood are made meaningful because of the people. The good people who have reached out to us over the years and reached beyond their caste to welcome us. The respite we got from our lives was from the people. Happiness is people. Shaman Square is people. Soylent Green is people. Delhi is people. We can't cast that aside. Remember some of the good times, please."

He waited for the people to think on this a bit. He could hear murmurs of people recalling out loud different locations and people and happy moments from their former lives. One caught his attention, "Gordon Street? Ah, yes, Gordon Street. I used to know a girl who lived there, when I was young. Not a day goes by that I don't think of that girl and the promise that I made which I will always keep. That one perfect day on Gordon Street."

By now, their eyes were welling up with tears. Even his brother Arun's demeanor was changing. Moseshadev addressed the crowd one more time with force, "There is a time for love and a time for hate, a time for war and a time for peace. So therefore I propose a course of action that will satisfy all our needs..."

Moseshadev continued to outline his proposal, and he received the full support of his people. His plan called for uniting Karachi and Delhi into one proud, strong nation. To stand firm against common threats as one people. Word spread of his magnanimity, and with no government in Delhi, Moseshadev was given control over the whole country in a spirit of reconciliation. No one was harmed, no one was executed, but the caste system was done away with and slavery was one and for all eliminated. For a time in fact, Judaism became the state religion. Karachi and Delhi both grew, and the Indian people prospered for many years to come.

1st quote from the 10 Commandments (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049833/)
2nd quote from Planet of the Apes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063442/)
3rd quote from Soylent Green (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070723/)
4th quote from Wayne's World (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108525/)

Come on people, this post is classic. **** even besides the quotes I skillfully worked in (and it definitely took some work), the rest of it was damn good writing. Gimmie props, all y'all punks.

:doitnow!:

[The Capo]

Wow.

I will not say anything at all about this for fear of Ozzy's reprisal. ;)