Senate - The empty throne

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Tahl
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Senate - The empty throne

#1 Post by Tahl »

So the rules are simple:

You've already got your own money, please keep a count of what you have because after the start your accounts will be secret to everyone but yourselves and me. I will keep a second count but that's only to make sure there's no cheating.

Below is the first vote, to place a vote please PM me before 10am GMT on Wednesday the PM should read as follows:

Character name:
Vote:
then also include any additional information such as

“had to give Player X, Y amount of money to vote for me or I would like to buy a senator etc”

All votes will be secret, and the results will be displayed.





background wrote: Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus, Emperor of Rome towers as a God above all others. His Empire is the largest the world has ever seen and in his capital he has launched several building and welfare projects. Loved by his people and feared by his enemies.

Three years ago Parthia antagonised Rome, forcing the Emperor to once more lead his armies. At first this much resembled his early campaigns; his victories were swift and many. This however has slowly began to change. In the field of war he has been forced into one long and costly siege after another. The projects he launched in Rome are also suffering from a lack of funding, tax is unpopular and the spoils of his wars are too few. Then came the rumours that his health was poor, with no heir and being so far from home something is happening that hasn't happened in generations. The Senate the crux of the Emperors power is waking up, if he died without an heir it would once again assume supreme power. If he proclaimed an heir whilst so far from Rome it would be the Senate who would have to ratify the appointment.

In Rome the throne is empty hopelessly awaiting its masters return, and in the Senate the wolves have arrived......

Senator Crassus was perhaps the most dangerous man in Rome, for the last decade he led the Senate and held an equal amount of power outside it. There was one reason and one reason alone that the Emperor felt safe with such a powerful man in Rome. Crassus lacked ambition. Brutal, cunning and powerful: he had risen through the ranks come within reach of the throne and stopped. No one knew the exact reason why though there were many theories passed around at parties.

It was this man who now stood before the Senate.

“Friends, We have been summoned here today by the invitation of our Emperor Trajan. He requests additional men and supplies. The cost of such would be an additional ten thousand Denarii per caravan until the war has ended, and after vigorous investigation our studies have deduced that there is only two possible options to raise such a sum

We either de-regulate the smiths, breaking the monopolies held by the Guilds which would drop the price of such items by the required sum.

Or

We place regulations on the Merchants forcing them to sell the raw materials to the Guilds for less

I understand that many of you will feel the need to verify these sums and discuss amongst yourselves therefore the vote will be held on this coming Tuesday evening.”


As was the fashion of the Senate most Senators then retired to a party at a Senators house in order to discuss the problem, form alliances and sway enemies. It is at such a party in Crassus's house that our characters now find themselves.



[So the two choices are drop the income of character 2 by 10 (in turn leading to character 1 having 10 less expenses – or drop the income of character 3 by ten and the expenses of character 2 by 10.]
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#2 Post by Prince_Asuryan »

Caecilius strode over to several of the guests. He had not enjoyed the options at all.

'It would be foolish to put regulations on the merchants,' he said to those who would listen. 'Though I would do no such thing, you know there would be those who would simply offer far less quality to compensate, not to mention many merchants may just leave the capitol in protest. We wouldn't want our legions receiving poor quality equipment would we, friend Decimus.' Caecilius caught the eye of the nearest military man he could see.

'No,' he continued loudly, 'a breaking of the guilds, that should have been done a long time ago. Then prices would not only drop for the senate, but for all Romans, and it is our duty to serve the people.'
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#3 Post by Ferretsnarf »

My fellow senators, as I'm sure you are all aware, the guilds are in a precarious position as it is. For years the guilds have made nary a profit. The guilds have clearly not been price gouging our fellow Romans, only charging what is neccisary to stay afloat. If we were to end the iron grip the merchants have on prices, our armies may run more efficiently and our war with Parthia might be able to run more smoothly.

My fellow senators, these merchants have been returning less to us than we give to them and our legions suffer as a result.
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#4 Post by Drainial Shadowheart »

" I have to say I find myself in agreement with my honourable friend here," Claudius nodded to Caecilius "the empire relies a on trade for a great deal of its revenue while the monopoly of the guilds benefits only a very few men within the city. Not only that but I would argue that they are in fact bad for business, ending the monopoly will allow innovation and competition. Deregulating the smiths would be good in both the long and short term."
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#5 Post by Luna Guardian »

Decimus listened to his fellow senators present their cases and their arguments patiently, but knew that he would have to reach a conclusion rather soon. After all, though we have heard of stupid haste in war, cleverness has never been seen associated with long delays. Also, this had a direct impact on his beloved military.
Decimus turned to Caecilius and nodded "Indeed friend Caecilius, the legions are the sword and shield of Rome that keep her safe, and we wouldn't want to dull their edge or splinter their surface. Quality must go above quantity. However, could the same argument also be made from regulating deregulating the guilds? The new smithies may also lower their quality in order to cut costs. I am not fully convinced by either argument yet, for they both affect my beloved sons in my legion and must be carefully considered from all angles, else the result could be devastating"
Prince Deral Lionbane, head of the House of Lionbane, Lord of Lionstone and Warden of Tor Charta

Luna, try not to beat them too hard. They are proud about their pseudo-glorious past and their present nothingness, you know.
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#6 Post by Amun-Lothain »

Titus waited with uncharacteristic patience, a cup of wine in hand, until the others had spoken. "Apologies, friend Claudius, but I fail to see the short term benefits you speak of. We all agree that we wish to do nothing to jeopardize the war effort, but breaking the guilds would do just that. The smiths have always provided quality equipment at a fair price. I myself can attest to this, and I am certain good Decimus can as well. The merchants may not like it, but as Roman citizens they will surely accept such regulations as a necessary sacrifice during times of war."
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#7 Post by Tahl »

[Please note that due to some confusion I am not going to give the exact voting numbers in this election. I will do so from now on. Please check the OT thread for full information]


Senator Crassus was surprised at how quiet the previous evening had been, everyone had been polite and civilized like good roman citizens. He stepped forward into the middle of the forum, his sandals gentle against the cold white marble floor.

"Friends, the votes have been counted. It is the will of Rome that the regulations on the Guilds are weakened in order to allow new production to occur. This in turn will free up funds to be sent to our most beloved emperor.

I will now step back in order to introduce Senator Puxis who has been instructed to speak before us."

Crassus then moved to join the center of the forum sitting along with others who belonged to that political affiliation. Puxis was a military man, fresh from the army and very much the eyes and ears of the Emperor in the Senate. His loyalty was absolute and he unfortunately had a rather jealous streak for those who desired to outshine him in the Emperors eyes. He had short hair and even beneath the toga his toned body shone through. His voice was rough and held none of the subtle tone's of Crassus own orations.

"Members of the Senate. I have word from legate and governor of Judaea, Lusius Quietus, as you all know he was a Senator himself before he joined the Emperors war. Trajan favors him like a son, and has won many victories.

He reports that the Jews in the East have revolted against the empire. He has slaughtered them for their insolence and has retaken Nisibis from them. In response the Rebels have concentrated their forces and fortified their position in Edessa.

He seeks the princely sum of two hundred thousand Denarii's so that he may maintain a siege and sack the city. In return he promises to hand over the spoils of war that he finds within. - though speaking frankly the Legate has no clue what those bloody rebels may have done to the city or it's treasures.

I have no head for figures unlike friend Crassus, therefore I leave it up to you to figure out how to raise the capital. Of those solutions that you divine we will vote on Friday which one to accept. Or none at all, He is not our Emperor - his demands can be ignored."

[Votes in by 10am Saturday ]
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#8 Post by Luna Guardian »

Decimus stood up first, nodded to Puxis and turned to address his fellow senators.
"I thank senator Puxis for bringing this to our notice. I know Legate Quietus well and he is a great and noble man who meticulously looks after the best interests of Rome in the farthest reaches of the east. If not for these reasons alone, then look at the more pragmatic reasons for cause to aid him.

We cannot allow the Jews to go unpunished for this outrage, lest the spark of rebellion spreads to other provinces as well. Most of us could easily pay the requested amount in full, but such a burden would be unfair to such a benevolent citizen of Rome. I thereby suggest that each of us provides a sum of forty thousand denarii in order to end this siege and crush the insolent Jews once and for all."
Prince Deral Lionbane, head of the House of Lionbane, Lord of Lionstone and Warden of Tor Charta

Luna, try not to beat them too hard. They are proud about their pseudo-glorious past and their present nothingness, you know.
-Elmoth, about Caledorians
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#9 Post by Ferretsnarf »

Senator Putorious stood and adressed those assembled

"While I agree with good Senator Malleolus that we cannot ignore the call from Governor Quietus, I must point out that not all of us may have that amount of liquidity to fund the campaign. However, might I suggest that each of us funds what we can, and we divide the spoils as a direct percentage of how much we contributed? We can pass legislation and make it law that the spoils be split exactly as we funded the campaign.
I, for one, would be more than happy to pay a sum of 25,000 denarii, assuming of couse we eventually agree that this will be our legislation."
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#10 Post by Prince_Asuryan »

'I agree that 40,000 denarii is much when we do not guarantee any returns. I, for example, simply cannot afford that much, but will put forward 20,000 if we agree to friend Putorious' idea.'

OOC: Or, we could hold a bake sale and sponsored car wash?
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#11 Post by Drainial Shadowheart »

"We can all understand that many even in such august company as this do not have the cash on hand to donate such necessary sums immediately; fortunately I am better placed than most. Provided of course that the spoils taken from the cities nigh inevitable sack are divided in proportion to the funds provided I feel able to make up the short fall and put 80,000 forwards." Claudius said, it was something of an investment after all, and he could not abide a challenge to the greatness of Rome.
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#12 Post by Luna Guardian »

"I am glad to see that there is support for this undertaking and thank my fellow senators for their support, especiallly the generosity of friend Claudius. What say you, friend Titus?"
Prince Deral Lionbane, head of the House of Lionbane, Lord of Lionstone and Warden of Tor Charta

Luna, try not to beat them too hard. They are proud about their pseudo-glorious past and their present nothingness, you know.
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#13 Post by Amun-Lothain »

"I agree, this cannot be ignored. The rebellion needs to be put down quickly. If it spreads, we could find ourselves fighting two wars." Titus replied. "However, I favour good Manius' suggestion. Our investment in the legate's campaign is a gamble. Some of us can afford to risk more than others, so let each decide what they will contribute to the cause."
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#14 Post by Ferretsnarf »

Senator Putorius stood, looking very pleased.
"It brings me much joy to see that my beloved senate is for once in agreement and working together."
With that, Senator Putorius presented a scroll with legislation to be voted on.
Legislation wrote:In order to fund the campaign to quell the rebellion of the Judaians under the governance of Governor Quietus, the following funds will be provided by the listed Senators:

Senator Aullus Sejanus Claudius: 80,000 denarii
Senator Caecilius Maritus Fabricus: 20,000 denarii
Senator Decimus Villius Malleolus:
Senator Manius Octavius Putorius: 25,000 denarii
Senator Titus Aurelius Scaurus:

Governor Quietus shall send all plunder as repayment for the funds raised by the good senators.
The wealth will be split proportionally to the funds generated by each senator.

Senator Aullus Sejanus Claudius: ?%
Senator Caecilius Maritus Fabricus: ?%
Senator Decimus Villius Malleolus: ?%
Senator Manius Octavius Putorius: ?%
Senator Titus Aurelius Scaruus: ?%

This Shall be set to a vote for approval on the morning of the 19th day of Feburary the year [whatever year this is]
"I should hope that the good Senators Scarius, and Malleolus will provide a listing of the funds they will provide so that we may complete the legislation on this scroll and properly divide the return on our investment when it arrives."
Senator Putoius sat and waited on the remaining senators to write in their contribution.
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#15 Post by Luna Guardian »

Decimus nodded in agreement with Putorius "Indeed, friend Putorius is most wise to draft such a legislation. Encouraged by the example of friend Claudius, I will gladly offer the sum of 50 thousand denarii, if good Scaurus will provide the remaining 25 thousand, meaning the legislation would appear in it's final form as such:"
Legislation wrote:In order to fund the campaign to quell the rebellion of the Judaians under the governance of Governor Quietus, the following funds will be provided by the listed Senators:

Senator Aullus Sejanus Claudius: 80,000 denarii
Senator Decimus Villius Malleolus: 50,000 denarii
Senator Manius Octavius Putorius: 25,000 denarii
Senator Titus Aurelius Scaurus: 25,000 denarii
Senator Caecilius Maritus Fabricus: 20,000 denarii

Governor Quietus shall send all plunder as repayment for the funds raised by the good senators.
The wealth will be split proportionally to the funds generated by each senator.

Senator Aullus Sejanus Claudius:40%
Senator Decimus Villius Malleolus: 25%
Senator Manius Octavius Putorius: 12,5%
Senator Titus Aurelius Scaruus: 12,5%
Senator Caecilius Maritus Fabricus: 10%

This Shall be set to a vote for approval on the morning of the 19th day of Feburary the year [whatever year this is]
"We are all in accord?" he finished, looking at the assembled senators
Prince Deral Lionbane, head of the House of Lionbane, Lord of Lionstone and Warden of Tor Charta

Luna, try not to beat them too hard. They are proud about their pseudo-glorious past and their present nothingness, you know.
-Elmoth, about Caledorians
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#16 Post by Amun-Lothain »

"Agreed." Titus replied. "Let us hope future proceedings run so smoothly, eh?" He added with a smile.
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#17 Post by Drainial Shadowheart »

"I see no problems with such a proposal."
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Re: Senate - The empty throne

#18 Post by Tahl »

Senator Puxis stepped into the middle of the forum, his eyes hard and his face like stone.

"While many words laced with honey have been spoken here good Romans have died. We have spoken the words of warriors but few have shown the heart and actually voted on the resolution. Therefore it has failed to pass, the siege will continue. We've grown fat and corrupt!"

"PUXIS!, you go too far!" Senator Berguni rose to his feet, his face livid with anger. One of the oldest Senators both in terms of age and duration in power.

"I vote that we will investigate these heinous allegations, and once they are dis-proven then we will demand apology."

Puxis face still tight with rage swept over the room and sat at the end of the Liberal wing.

[Vote to be handed in to PM box before Wednesday 10am. If passed it will half the number of corrupt Senators everyone has, number will be rounded up. This is also the last vote so with your PM's please include any votes you wish to raise yourselves]
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