The Epic Of Man...

[The Capo]

House of Latii, Rome...

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]

The Curia, Rome...

(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]

House of Brutii, Italy...

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]

Egypt...

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 ( ) "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]

Outside of Rome...

"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....

[The Capo]

Roman Senate, Rome...

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]

Rome...

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]

Segestica...

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..."