The year 351 AD ends with the XX Legion not yet assigned. Grandmamma has discovered that Calamus gifted the Magister Militum, Melchettus, with a million sesterces to cancel the assignment to Brittania. Since Melchettus is a moral politician (one who, when bought, STAYS bought), we'll need to come up with 1.1 million to get him to send the XX where we want.
That is, for the mathematically optimistic among us, 11,000 Librum. Which, needless to say, we don't have.
But! All is not lost. For in the distant Isles du Loup, the King, an ally of Rome, has been deposed by his ambitious brother. The King's niece, Sigrid, has appealed to the Emperor to restore her uncle's throne. Among other things, the treasure of the Isles, amassed over centuries of sea-raiding (they call it "brooking", because you sail up brooks), is currently in the usurper's hands. If her uncle could but be restored, surely the treasure would belong by rights to those who helped him.
The Emperor may indeed choose to grant Sigrid's request. Or not. But he is away on an extended dove hunt, and before he returns, Retaria, wife and career counselor of our own gladiator Retarius, has found out about the appeal, and made it clear that if the Valerians get there first, they get the treasure. And all you have to do is kill some barbarians! That's what you do all day anyway, she says. Retaria knows the ins and outs of palace intrigue and plots within schemes, but she doesn't think fighting is terribly interesting or complicated. So she's serenely sure that you'll win.
Can we take the XX Legion? No. But some of the men can be given extended leave from the Army, and why not? They're sitting around Rome not doing anything. So Grandmamma and Retaria agree that the Valerians should send their best agents to the Isles to help King Rothmar against his wicked brother Varian.
And if you need to ask who House Valerius' best agents are, you haven't really been paying attention ...
No comments:
Post a Comment