Grand Theft Civilization

[need my speed]

As Arretium's docks were flooded, not with water, but with Christianity, many of its citizens decided to commit to a bit of private study. Arretium's library, already housing many works of domestic and foreign origin - Arretium was, after all, Rome's centre of trade - now was now expanded to include more works. This set Arretium up as a competitor of Cumae, regarding philosophy, literature, and all manners of wisdom and intellect - though, in certain circles, Arretium would always be seen as the low-brow and uncultured version of Cumae, full of brawling sailors as it was.



To commemorate this flourishing of Arretium, the Christianos - Rome's second galley - was launched. It, too, would sail south to pick up Rome's mighty legions - now more necessary than ever, with renewed hostilities between the Enclave and Holy Rome.



Luckily, the Colossus had already docked near one of the military encampments, where the Principes had been ordered to stay until further orders.

In Antium, meanwhile, military matters of a different sort were taking place. The religious-military community had become somewhat of the leading experts concerning Rome's small-scale 'engineering revolution', being a driving force behind the mechanisation of Rome's mines, designing the schematics of the first watermills and castles, training both soldiers and civilian workers how to rapidly build bridges in the field... And constructing the first 'catapulta'.



Yes, the religious community of Antium might be quite different from the abstract intellectuals in Cumae - and the more practical intellectuals in Arretium - and also from the political scientists in Roma and from the cultured elite in Neapolis... But that just showed that each city of Rome contributed its own share to the greater whole.



Watermills were being constructed near Antium and Michel Delving, windmills near Lux Aeterna and Aequalitas, and beavers and deer were hunted near Fraternitas - but not all was well, for bar-bar archers forced the mighty Colossus to seek safer shores.



Traders and sailors operating from Arretium, now mostly devout - or not so devout - Christians, inadvertently exported their newfound values concerning civilisation, the Republic, and, of course, Christianity. This made them give greater attention to the notions of foreign traders, and a deeper sense of 'Romanness' developed in Arretium, not only tied to values, but also to aesthetics, for instance. Fashion, especially now with furs from Fraternitas, became a thing in Neapolis, whereas in Antium, great care was given to the exact designs of bridges and aqueducts, to make them look properly Roman.



There were those who went further, claiming that there was no need for war with the Enclave, no need for a fight against bar-bars, no need to spread the light of civilisation - Rome was the very epitome of what could be achieved, and sharing her glory would only make Rome worse off, relatively speaking. These few Neapolitans were 'convinced' to join the latest workforce originating from Neapolis, so as to make them see more of the world, to see if their views held up outside of their ivory towers.



They were, almost immediately, proven wrong; Roman culture flourished in Aequalitas and influenced the Enclave fortresses overseas.



And Roman culture - or markets - had attracted traders from Atlas, who arrived in fierce warships known as triremes.





Which was wise enough, as the Hobbits would soon find out.



'Course, Roman galleys, loaded with soldiers or not, had nothing to fear from bar-bars, so long as they stayed out of range.



And speaking of range, Rome's very first catapult had rolled out of Antium.



And just like how this write-up started, so too, it ended; with Arretium's libraries booming:



Unlike Arretium's waters... Rome would have to put her faith in the sturdy Atlas triremes for now.



Or for later!

 

[need my speed]

Oh, I forgot the details of Atlas, actually:

 

[need my speed]

The bar-bar sailors saw no battle yet, hunting the Hobbits fleeing for their lives, whereas Atlas' sailors were content to observe this chase from the peaceful waters next to Arretium. Speaking of water; Antium had made great use of the river flowing north of her, having constructed Rome's first watermills.



Alas, galleys were optimised for speed, compared to the smaller and cheaper boats local fishermen used. As such, it seemed inevitable that the bar-bar would catch up to the Hobbit fishermen - but as it turned out, the Atlas warships intervened, and though galleys might be fast, they had no chance to escape the Atlas triremes.



Warring right in front of Rome's main trading port, bringing in goods and coins from all over the world, was bound to have its effect on Rome. The Triumvirate had never been entirely pleased by how free Arretium was, what with its tavern brawls and its lowbrow sailor culture. The spread of Christianity did improve matters, especially when the citizens of Arretium gained a newfound sense of pride to be part of Rome, to spread her values, to represent her to foreigners. But those in Roma wondered how long this would last; was a harsher attitude necessitated, or would this adversely affect trade?

Rome's bureaucracy turned towards this question, and courses on law and politics were added to or expanded within monastic education, but by and large, Arretium was left alone for now.



Radical ideas of dividing Arretium's citizens in castes, with burly and brutish sailors at the bottom and fashionable and cultured merchants at the top, were entirely rejected.





Besides, things were progressing nicely, were they not? Arretium had manifested an 'upperclass' - in as far as this truly existed between traders, merchants, and sailors - with an interest in literature and philosophy, and if Arretium mightn't be the exact face Rome desired to present towards foreigners, well, it could be a lot worse. It could be Arpinum - which, to its credit, was remarkably well-behaved after the Antonii had started patrolling the streets.

Critics of the Triumvirate would sneer at all these excuses, deriding the Triumvirate as having grown soft and fat and lazy. A strong man needed to seize power and start doing something - Rome was prospering, yes, but not because the firm hands of the Triumvirate, not because of their vision or their foresight, but merely because the common men and women of all of Rome had good Roman sense, merely because Rome by the grace of the gods - or god - and through sheer luck and random chance hadn't suffered any setbacks.



There was some truth in that. But wasn't that the entire idea behind the transition from a palace economy into a market economy? Behind the institution of literacy programmes, of the construction of libraries and monasteries, the missionaries and prophets preaching and teaching far and wide? That Romans everywhere would be educated so that they could be trusted to act in their own - and Rome's - interest, their well-being guaranteed by the laws, protected from violence and starvation?

No, a return to the ancient despots, be they one or a few men, be they elected by the people or by the gods, no, that was the way to madness, the descent into barbarity.





Besides, Rome had taken a leading role in standing against barbarism, and indeed, against civilisations slipping into barbarism. After all, as this debate went on, Roman soldiers were being transported across the seas towards Enclave lands.



Hopefully, Atlas' triremes would come to the rescue, or perhaps the Hobbits would serve as good bait.



They excelled at bar-bar bait, but that didn't resolve Rome's problems. Atlas' fleet lay docked in Arretium, Atlas sailors still spending good coin to let their ships be repaired - but Rome's army mustn't drown.

Of course, there were some nuances to be pointed out, when it came to the merits of Rome's leadership; Rome had learned of bows and arrows from the bar-bar themselves - though so far, Rome had refused to use such barbaric weapons - and there were some few devout Christians who encouraged attempts to spread Rome's values even to the bar-bars, seeking to enlighten even those that couldn't be enlightened. This had predictable results, the few times they tried, and would surely have lead to the rot of the Republic from within. Still, they persisted, confining themselves to Lux Perpetua and at times letting a bit too many Mordorians in to attend the sermons and prayers.





Pompeius had also made his way to Lux Perpetua, precisely to speak with the Mordorian brutes. From them, he learned of wargs, and oliphaunts, and more monstrous creatures besides. Of course, Rome had long since known of elephants, but riding them, training them for battle, that had been something unheard of. A cowardly tactic, hiding atop of beasts of war made invincible within an iron carcass, to be expected of Mordorian bar-bars, is all that Marcus Antonius had to say to the suggestion. But Gnaeus Pompeius had his own thoughts of it - did Gondor not employ horses to pull platforms of war, chariots? How was this any different?





And did Rome not use horses and other beasts of burden to supply her soldiers and to pull forth her mighty catapults?



Her mighty catapults, waiting in Arpinum to be picked up by galleys unable to safely traverse Roman waters. As such, the Colossus was forced to take a detour through Anywhere lands.





It was an outrage, really, one Arretium would have to rectify.



At least... The Mordorian presence in Lux Perpetua gave rise to a curious practice; binge-drinking. And perhaps the drunk Romans were a bit too loose-lipped, and perhaps the Mordorians were surprisingly sober... But nothing of note happened, as far as Roman authorities could discern - nothing of note, except for the spread of binge-drinking throughout Roman pubs and taverns. As if the tavern brawls that plagued Arretium's ports hadn't been bad enough. Hopefully, it wouldn't interfere with the construction of Rome's navy.



Hopefully, indeed... For Holy Rome had called for aid. And unlike when Gondor called, the beacons of Aequalitas, Fraternitas, and even Lux Perpetua, were lit in answer. Yes, Rome would come to the aid of her brethren, to the aid of the native Portuguese, their estranged Spanish cousins, and even the English, who had seceded peacefully but might yet go to war against the Enclave.





Luckily, the Romans could travel in peace now, what with the bar-bar galley being sighted near Absolvum, far to the south.



But the Colossus was already in Anywhere lands, sailing around what its crew presumed to be an island... Or were they in Anywhere lands?





... Or were they on the borders of Hades' lands?



Would the Principes be stranded in the very wilderness Rome had tried to rid herself of for a thousand years? Luckily, Hole Rome was booking progress despite Rome's stalled army.



... What.

 

[need my speed]

... What.



The Principes couldn't even escape.



Arretium's fleet of trireme, rushed out of port and based on Atlas design, couldn't be there in time to fend off the bar-bars.



Even when it was hastily rebuilt to a proper Roman design, improving upon that of Atlas' shipmakers, it was a forlorn hope. The Christianos joined up with the Colossus, adding to her strength, and the few Principes that could escape did escape, but all they could do was pray, pray and promise wrath if the bar-bars would kill Rome's might. Ira - dies illa, dies ira!



In another twist, an English galley was sighted operating near the Mordorian city of Morannon. The English, who had peacefully seceded from the Enclave. Potential war allies, perhaps?



No, traitors to the cause, slaves of their Enclave masters and committed to wiping out the Portuguese revolutionaries.



But if all Rome's enemies were as intellectually defunct as the bar-bar sailors...





The trireme-turned-galleass was provided with strong sails and strong man knowing how to read the winds and the waves - Ira's navigational abilities allowed her to catch up tot he bar-bar sailors.



To crush the bar-bar sailors, suffering no leakage or other damage, nor the loss of even one Roman sailor.



And so the Colossus and the Christianos reached Roman waters in safety.



More good news reached Roman shores; the Spanish appeared to be as devout as the most devout Romans, and would surely make great allies against the Enclave. They were offered free passage in Roman lands.



Not many - or any - Spanish people reached Rome's lands though. In contrast, a devout Roman, Alexandrus Bellum, went on a pilgrimage from Roma to Cumae. There, he would become inspired by the soon to be finished Sancta Sapientia; a church dedicated to Cumae's virtues of philosophy, science, wisdom, all united in Christianity - all had given birth in equal part to Christianity.



And, as history would quote, Rome wouldn't be Rome without grapes and wines. Odd, how they came to be so associated with Rome, when Arretium was famous for letting the beer flow, and when wine was first introduced to Rome by Hobbits from Michel delving. One might almost say wine was decidedly un-Roman - but that would be heresy.



And regardless of the initial Romanness of wine, wine would quickly become a drink favoured by the intellectual and the cultural, as opposed to cheap beer. With wine loosening their lips, great men and women shared their thoughts more freely, leading to an uptake in philosophy - at least, that is the explanation given by a merchant who went to Roma to sell wine to Rome's political leadership. He winked and smiled, and some laughed at his humour, but his only reward was a place in the history books, not even his name having been remembered as the ages went by.

The Hobbits, always fond of food and drink, of jokes and joy and the softer side of life, immediately constructed a great temple to wine, of course.



But Rome recognised the harder side of life, too; war, piracy, and secession - in Mordor, at least, to the glee of Rome and all of civilisation.



But the forces of Mordor had cause to be gleeful too; the outright extinction of the unknown Celtic civilisation. Perhaps, in time, they would have come to be a famous enemy of Rome - or perhaps, in time, they would have made a fine ally against barbarism. When Alexandrus Bellum heard of this, he promised to bring all of civilisation together, to form one united front against all the bar-bars and their ilk in the whole wide world.



Antium drafted two new Princeps regiments in response, preparing them through what would later come to be known as the gladiator programme; part entertainment for the people, part fighting under pressure in controlled and varied circumstances for the soldiers. An ingenious and effective training regime, as it turned out.



They were named the Sapientia, in honour of the Sancta Sapientia - or, in Greek, the Hagia Sophia. A testament to civilisation, and that is what the Principes would be too.



And that is what Alexandrus Bellum would be too, overseeing the construction of a holy palace to bring all Christian leaders together - not only of Rome, but in time, of the whole world.





Arretium, meanwhile, launched her second - or, technically, first - galleass.



And so Rome's army was safely escorted towards Enclave lands.



Except for the two Sapientia regiments, who would be waiting at the docks of Aequalitas.



And as Enclave soldiers deserted to join the Spanish cause, as Viking rebels reignited their war with Claude Speed, in Rome, every man would do his duty. Be it in the military, or in the civil service.



Farms would be needed to feed Rome's growing populace - moreso now, considering food would undoubtedly be lost being transported overseas to Rome's soldiers fighting for liberty, equality, and brotherhood, in Enclave lands. Roads had already been established for this task, though, and good Romans didn't shy away from hard work.

Luckily, they had a night to rest, first.

 

[need my speed]

In Rome, as said, every man would do his duty. Vice City, on the other hand, didn't feel the need to stand by the forces of civilisation.



So be it. But Rome needed to ensure her armies would be well supplied, and so too for her outlying cities, many of which were now situated in less than optimal lands, unable to acquire enough foodstuffs to prosper. Some kind of resource distribution might be advisable - but perhaps not the palace economy of ages past, as the unprecedented freedom of all Romans had undoubtedly seen Rome's commerce grow to unprecedented heights.



But perhaps Roman citizens could each do their duty to Rome, for but a few years, a slight restriction in freedom to work in the fields and mines, learning valuable skills, meeting various people to forge connections all over the Republic, and all in all, gain a wealth of experience. Wouldn't this result in even greater commerce, after a few years? Wouldn't it tie the Republic further together, and more importantly, ensure that all cities got their fair share of workers and produce, food and wealth? Because now, the larger cities had a larger pool of citizens to work in and around these cities, leading to these cities growing and prospering even more - and attracting citizens of other cities, who saw more opportunities in these big and flourishing cities, further reducing the chances smaller cities.



As such, a programme of civilian conscription was instituted. With immediate consequences; soon, Antium would be a bustling metropolis with farms bringing in more and more food to support an even larger military.



Meanwhile, Roman geopolitical analysts were puzzled by Mordor - and not the Enclave! - giving independence to the now Dutch-controlled Vault 15. The Dutch were undoubtedly another group of revolutionaries seeking to liberate themselves from the oppressive stranglehold of the Enclave, but how did Mordor come to possess this Vault 15? This puzzle would soon be solved, probably, for Enclave shores had been reached. Roman soldiers were greeted warmly by Spanish revolutionaries.



Roman soldiers... Without catapults! In the confusion caused by the bar-bar sailors, these mighty warmachines had been all but forgotten! On the upside, this meant that the two Sapientia regiments could immediately board the waiting galleys. On the downside - catapults!





To further boost Roman morale, Tacitus decided that, despite Khandic lands containing at least fifteen cities, Rome, with fourteen cities, was surely the greatest civilisation ever.



But would morale be enough? Catapults were sorely needed.



Or, perhaps Rome should recall lessons from their previous war; wasn't Marcus Antonius initially derided as a brute - practically a bar-bar, really - who looted and pillaged and murdered innocent civilians and opposing soldiers alike, who even enslaved some of them before burning down their entire city? Of course, modern-day Rome was far more enlightened than that, training her Principes in nobility, in valour, and in all the good qualities of civilisation - and surely, to truly triumph against barbarism, that should be done with these selfsame qualities of civilisation, not with a reversion to barbaric practices.

This debate would go on in the halls of Antium and Roma, but in the tundra village of Aequalitas, Marcus Antonius personally groomed the second Sapientia regiment into... Something wholly different.





As this went on, small naval clashes were had on the outskirts of Navarro, the Enclave having pressed pirates into service to smuggle food and weapons to the besieged fortress. Alas, no Salladhor Saan no Davos Seaworth could withstand the titanic might of Rome's galleasses.





It was different for the Principes facing Navarro. Knowing that the Enclave would soon restore order there and whip Navarro's entire civilian populace into manning its walls, the decision was made to press the attack. No catapults to help out, but what if the Principes could succeed on their own, what if victory could be had regardless? Would that not immediately prove the worth of chivalry and honour over brute savageness?











It seemed to be evident that the honour and valour of the Principes was a force well worth of inclusion in the Roman army, as opposed to the questionable values Marcus Anto-



Allegedly, even in his sleep, Marcus Antonius wore the most smuggest smile ever seen for many weeks after. Honour? Valour? Nobility? No. This was war. Men would be men, desiring spoils of war, as was their right, and as was Rome's right too; the treasury had to be filled, after all. Accidents happened, and certainly, the only thing such a brutal regime as the Enclave would ever understand was might, power, fear.

Speaking of which, it was time for Rome's border guards to inspire fear in the hearts of the savages in a growing bar-bar encampment.





It was time to call upon the Hobbits to do their part for civilisation. Their poetry and paintings, their literature and their plans for a great library, that all could wait.



No, the Hobbits, small men and women largely confined to the crowding Michel Delving, would be resettled throughout the Republic, as part of the civilian conscription programme; they would build small cottages, hamlets, villages, towns - entire cities.



Really, have I ran out of great general names already? But I spent hours on adding so many names!

Spoiler :

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				<UniqueName>Andrew Browne Cunningham</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>George Dewey</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Don Juan de Austria</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Andrea d'Oria</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Ioannes Doukas</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Francis Drake</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>David Glasgow Farragut</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Francois-Joseph Paul</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>John Paul Jones</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Chester William Nimitz</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Matthew Calbraith Perry</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Koca Murat Reis</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Phormioon</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Marcus Atilius Regulus</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Ruggiero di Lauria</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Zinovy Rozhestvensky</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Shi Lang</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Alfred Peter Friedrich von Tirpitz</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Togo Heihachiro</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Turgut Reis</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>William Tecumseh Sherman</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Ulysses S. Grant</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Douglas MacArthur</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Itzcohuatl</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Tizocicatzin</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Huitzilihuitl</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Sumu-Abum</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Nabu-Apal-Usur</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Qianlong</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Zuo Zongtang</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Zhao Kuangyin</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Khnum-Khufu</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Menmaatre Seti I</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Manfred von Richthofen</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Armand Jean de Richelieu</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>William Wallace</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Charles Cornwallis</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Arthur Wellesley</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Shivaji Bhonsle</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Poros</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Bindusara</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Akali Phula Singh</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Nerva Traianus</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Publius Aelius Hardianus Augustus</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Qiuntus Fabius Maximus</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Germanicus Iulius Caesar</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Marcus Antonius</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Richard the Lionheart</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Henry V</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Theodore Roosevelt</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Wu of Han</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Alareiks I</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Taharqa</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Xerxes I</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Tadodaho</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Numpkahapa</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Mahpiya Luta</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Thasunke Witko</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Batu Khan</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Baba Ala Singh</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Wiraqucha Inka</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Simon Jose Antonio Bolivar</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Themistokles</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Gaius Duilius</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Artemisia I</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Yi Sun-Sin</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Ching Shih</UniqueName>
				<UniqueName>Anna Nzinga</UniqueName>
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Rome's military organised itself, with the bulk its soldiers heading deeper into Enclave lands, while the last vestiges of the Enclave's power - roads and mines, now defunct and unused - were looted and destroyed. In Rome's homeland, the catapults had almost arrived to board the Christianos, while the Colossus would soon make landfall with the this new regiment of macemen.

 

[need my speed]

Other naval activity happened southwards, where a fleet sporting white sails with a black hand on them was sighted. Curiously enough, they claimed to wear the white hand, and not the black hand, of Saruman of Isengard.













That was perhaps a good sign, for white on black - be it a face or a hand - was an intimately familiar sight to Rome's border guard. Who knows, the Isengarders might have been attacked just like the bar-bar were.





To the north, the catapults had boarded the Christianos while the macemen had linked up with the Principes, and the two galleasses had decided to explore the coastline, stumbling upon Holy Rome's main base of operations - Poseidon - and hopefully stumbling upon the Enclave's headquarters of Raven's Rock in the near future.



While razing the Enclave lands, however, the Roman soldiers stumbled upon an Enclave army - perhaps not too surprising - headed by a great general by the name of Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar.



The Roman soldiers could do naught but pray, and as the Roman soldiers grew closer to their Holy Roman, Spanish, and Portuguese brothers in arms, they took up their prayers as well. The various armies promised each other to forevermore fight for the light of civilisation, against the encroaching darkness and the oppressing terror of the Enclave and their ilk. In time, it was hoped, the palace Alexandrus Bellum had built in Cumae would come to serve as a platform for these discussions.



With renewed zeal, hoping that Christianity would find fertile ground in almost-former Enclave lands, Christians all over the Republic worked harder than ever. No wonder many cities saw an increase in churches and monasteries.



Though it would take missionaries and prophets to truly spread Rome's ideals to others (I do not believe I mentioned it yet, but yes, religion does not at all spread automatically anymore - I wanted to see how the world would end up, with religion only being able to spread through missionaries and prophets).

And some of those others, alas, had their own, contrarian, ideals...













Luckily, both the Portuguese and the Khandic took offence to the warped exploitation and debauchery so common in the casinos of New Vegas - perhaps the Christian faith could take a stand against this, too, though it might risk alienating Vice City... But did Vice City even know of New Vegas?

That would be pondered another time!

 

[TheNoob]

Ooooh this looks like a fun story

 

[need my speed]

Luckily, the Enclave army opted to suffer no losses, what with the Holy Romans, the Spanish, the Portuguese, and the English prowling around.



To celebrate the survival of Rome's soldiers, seventy-two of their faces would be immortalised in stones carried away from the mountains of Ravenna, stones that would form a great monument called Borobudur.



Antium's military leaders had perfected the bar-bar bows into crossbows, and Antium's governor was eager to make use of this new weapon. Marcus Antonius would surely be impressed.



Rome's border guard, still wielding good old axes of bronze, discovered that Gondor had almost become an enclave of Vice City.



With Ravenna - a colony of miners - having constructed a great monument to honour Rome's soldiers, Mediolanum - a city established by soldiers - simply had to construct an even greater monument to honour Rome's soldiers. They did, admittedly, copy Ravenna's idea of using the boulders of nearby mountains to construct this monument - but that wouldn't prevent this monument from being even greater.



Of course, the military populace of Mediolanum had far less experience with all this than the miners and stone carvers of Ravenna. As such, they brought in Hobbit expertise from Michel Delving; Hobbits, after all, had great experience digging their hovels inside hills and mountains.



Other Hobbits were sent out to settle the less populated parts of the Roman Republic. Of course, the first conscripted volunteers - say what now? - flocked towards Hobbit lands...



Whereas Rome's army flocked towards Raven Rock, home and capital of the Enclave remnants. The Ira eagerly started bombarding the city.



This was helped by one of the crew having invented a primitive telescope. When word spread of this - to Vergilius, in particular - optics became a whole new field of science. And Cicero still pondered, wondering what secrets the stars held for him - but he had an eyeglass now, and a telescope too.



At the same time, the Triumvirate received envoys from Holy Rome, Spain, Portugal, and England, to discuss what should be done with the former Enclave lands. The Enclave was, for all intents and purposes, a spent force. The forces of civilisation had triumphed, as they would ever more - and on that note, Mediolanum's monument was coming along nicely.



It was decided that any civilisation would be allowed to keep control of the portion of Enclave lands already under their control, having fought bravely against overwhelming odds to secure their independence and make the Enclave crumble from within. Rome would gain mastery over Raven Rock, to ensure that there would be lasting peace in the former Enclave, though for now, Roman soldiers were waiting on their catapults and macemen to arrive, merely skirmishing with the Enclave army to the north.



To further ensure lasting peace, Christianity would become a fundament of each nation, of each people's ethos and core values. Rome would have to see to this, as the other nations simply did not have the capability to educate their peoples in the ways of civilisation and Republicanism.





Finally, as to the barren north and the unsettled west, these lands would be free to be settled on by any signer of this Concord of Civilisation, as the final document resulting from these discussions came to be known. This sparked a discussion in Rome; if the civilian conscription programme could be expanded to make people settle the former Enclave lands - to 'prepare them for Romanisation', perhaps - then Rome would have claims to large swathes of lands bordered by friendly neighbours.

It wasn't without precedent, what with Hobbit-Romans founding their own small settlements; Civilitas, for example, which would show the Hobbits under Bilbo Baggins that Roman Hobbits enjoyed far more fruits of civilisation.



Still, forced resettlement was seen as too much of a restriction on the freedom of Roman men and women; while in theory, it would only be for a year or two, in practice, who would leave his new home, then? It would pull families apart, and would cause much grumbling, undoubtedly.



Before all that, however, the Enclave needed to be conquered. A breakthrough was achieved when the Sapientia repelled an assault headed by Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar and his ferocious war elephants. The Sapientia were almost cut down to the last man, but they survived none the less, enriching the battlefield with many elephant corpses.



The Bilbonis chased them and secured a total victory for Rome. As far as the Concord of Civilisation knew, the Enclave army was now confined to Raven Rock, besieged by Rome. Though it was unsure how long their food reserves would last, Rome's catapults would seen render that issue moot.



And if not, Antium was still outfitting new recruits with crossbows.



But, at long last, the catapults had arrived.



And with their flanking techniques - a 50% chance of withdrawing in time, all in all - they would easily be able to inflict massive damage to Raven Rock's fortifications and defenders.



Well, perhaps not so easily... But the siege regiments were disciplined enough to withdraw properly, be it with less than a tenth of their original strength.



Rome's soldiers charged the city.



But did they have enough manpower?



By Mars, they did!





By Mars... Six great generals? Truly the Enclave had dived to the depths of warlike barbarism, hell-bent on exterminating all of civilisation.



Christianity would need to be spread throughout these lands, to indoctrinate the masses into the proper Roman way of living. A fleet of hand-picked prophets had already been assembled - and more prophets were on their way.



Some would opt to go south, to teach Gondor, and perhaps even Vice City, of the wonders of Rome and Christianity.



With the end of the war, generals and commanders who had grown famous returned to Rome to retire and nourish their fame, or perhaps to take a post at one of Rome's military academies. But some few chose to serve Rome in their proven capacity; some few chose to continue leading Rome's soldiers to greatness. One such general had docked in Arpinum.



And he was looking for the Leonum. The lions, whom all would hear roar. Audi me rugire; hear me roar.

 

[need my speed]

Not only Rome's generals came home; one of the Ira galleasses was dispatched as well, initially to the port of Arretium. From there, it would hunt down any pirates and bar-bars.



Such as bar-bar triremes... The poor Hobbits.



Though they would find refuge in the port of Absolvum, new Hobbits meeting old Hobbits, the latter explaining the virtues of a Roman life to a captive audience.



The other galleass went exploring, through former Enclave lands.



It found out that the Spanish revolutionaries had disbanded, perhaps integrating themselves in the Portuguese ranks, and that the English had gone on to become a force of good, antagonising the uncivilised Mordorians.



Despite her adoption of slavery - perhaps desperate times called for desperate measures - Rome decided to establish more formal relations with Elizabeth Tudor, leader of the English people. The Portuguese were not very pleased.



She gave a most curious reply.



Perhaps there was hope for the Portuguese and English, if they would both eagerly adopt Roman values - and the English were, apparently, doing their best.

It was not only the English, that Rome contacted. No, Roman merchants decided to see if they could play their age-old trick on San Andreas merchants once more.



They were, as always, happy to help. But they were, understandably, too thuggish and boorish to be held in much esteem by the Holy Romans.



This was very much unlike Rome, and especially Neapolis, which had long been the centre of Rome's elite, and all the arts and culture - and intellect and politics - they brought with them.



As the cultural elite of Neapolis congratulated themselves on their wonder, the unnamed general had arrived in Lux Perpetua, where the Leonum were stationed, fending off nefarious influence from Sauron.



The Leonum adopted his motto, and his lessons, too.







The Leonum were reborn as a fearsome combat unit, the very best of Rome's impressive military.



In other military news, Antium's final crossbow regiment was readied, for a war that had already been fought.



And Rome's final batch of missionaries and prophets had boarded the Colossus.



With clams from San Andreas flowing into Roman ports, it was decided that Arretium needed more docks - not for the construction of warships, this time, but to let all merchants dock in Arretium. Already, Vice City merchants refused to trade their crabs for fair prices such as rice shipments; they demanded horses, for transportation of their wares, they claimed. Rome frowned and declined.



Note that the Seaport's Sentry promotion only applies to naval units.

With trade goods flowing into Rome, Roman ideals and values were flowing out of Rome into the wider world.







... Or perhaps not.



Caesar's Legion? Clearly, clearly, they bore no relation to modern Rome whatsoever - their clothes, their attitude, their religion, it was plain to see that these were little more than bar-bars, like so many others Rome had met. Rome wasn't quite sure where these envoys had come from, though, as no boat nor military escort was sighted.



Regardless, their leader was obviously an up-jumped bar-bar strongman.



Their Legionarii a pale imitation of glorious Roman Principes.



And their Raid Camp a clear indication of their uncivilised nature.



Though Marcus Antonius ever so slightly approved, it was rumoured.



With Islam apparently popular overseas, popular with those scarcely - or not at all - above barbarism, Ciryaher and Cumae's governor pushed for the Concord of Civilisation to meet in the Apostolic Palace, to discuss what should be done about this threat.



There were a few problems, however; only Gondor had received proper Christian institutes so far, with the missionaries and prophets bound for Holy Rome, Portugal, and England still on their way.



While Vice City's latest city having seen an influx of Christians, the vast majority of Tommy Vercetti's lands were devoid of any religious institutes either. As such, it was opted to do nothing yet, and await a future council.

The Hobbits continued to spread throughout Rome, establishing the city of Hobbitus Parvus; 'Little Hobbit' (or 'Small Hobbit', if you wish, or even 'Cheap Hobbit', I believe... Is 'parvus' not related to 'poverty'?).

 

[need my speed]

But this brought to light a curious development. As was feared with the introduction of civilian conscription, when the Hobbits were called upon to spread themselves out over Rome, if this practice would be extended to everyone, families and fortunes would be torn apart. Imagine, being told to pack your bags and go live many kilometres away from the only home you have ever known, needing to rebuild your whole life.

The migrating Hobbits - and others, whom inadvertently got caught up in the practice; Rome's bureaucracy wasn't foolproof - more and more sought wealthy patrons; in return for their loyalty, this patron would see to it that they could rebuild their life without want of food or other essentials. This gave these patrons a position of power, and in time, this lead to patrons demanding more and more from the Hobbits - and others - in return for their livelihood. The wealth of these patrons accumulated, profiting from their Hobbit clients, and this allowed these patrons to hire - or buy, really - even more clients.



It was not a very nice system - but the Triumvirate could court this patrons, and increase both their own as well as Rome's power, at the cost of an underclass of Hobbits. On the other hand, Rome was the very picture of civilisation, and was supposed to be above these practices - Rome could hardly blame her enlightened peers for employing slaves when this was but a step above slavery.

How would Bilbo Baggins react, when he heard of this? Could the Hobbits of Michel Delving - and the many cities they had built and come to inhabit ever since - stage a revolt, again? A revolution, perhaps, such as seen in the Enclave? And what about the non-Hobbit underclass? Surely, to stave off this dissent, every single Roman would need to be included in this patron-system...



Whatever Rome would do, Rome would impose certain strict rules upon the system, such as forbidding these patrons from raising private armies - levies - and demanding that all citizens from all cities would be treated equally. Rome's precious cohesion couldn't be threatened, after all.



But would the very existence of this system threaten Rome? Or would she profit from it? That is a question best left to objective, outside observers. Such as those on this forum!

To make that decision, it might be relevant to know the future civics of that category:

 

[Noyyau]

Rome should, no, Rome must remain a beacon of civilization in this world besieged by darkness and barbarity.

It would be the opposite of civilization if such a system, that is slavery in all but name, would be accepted by the state as an official way.

 

[need my speed]

"Rome should, no, Rome must remain a beacon of civilisation in this world besieged by darkness and barbarity". So spoke an adviser of the Triumvirate passionately. "It would be the opposite of civilisation if such a system, that is slavery in all but name, would be accepted by the state as an official way."

The Triumvirate agreed, and promised to break up this burgeoning system of abusive patrons. Indeed, the Triumvirate went one step further, enshrining common human decency in the very tenets of Christianity itself. Human decency, not only Roman decency; the worth of a person would be judged by the actions of that person, not by the colour of a person's banners or skin, nor by the actions of a person's peers. And as Gondor proved, the light of civilisation could shine outside of Rome, too.



The light of civilisation would shine outside of Rome; the Concord of Civilisations would be expanded, with the formal inclusion of the former-Enclave revolutionaries as Christianity would be spread throughout their lands. Trade and exploration would, of course, increase as a result, to spread the Christian ethos to all corners of the world. As such, those few who propagated the superiority of Rome to the exclusion of all others were met with derision, as they were before, when they clamoured nationally for an isolationist attitude.



(yes, I never showed Mercantilism, unlocked with Optics - there you go)

And so it was; Christianity found its way into the hearts and minds of the liberated Enclave-Romans.



And soon also into the hearts and minds of their estranged brothers and sisters.



But perhaps not in the people of Vice City... Was it because Rome had declined Tommy Vercetti's latest trade offer?



Rome would try to save the people of Vice City. To do away with their debauchery, their prostitution and slavery, their intense desire for incense, their addictions to drugs and - drugged? - ice cream... Rome would try to better the people of Vice City, to make them rise above themselves - but it might already be too late...



The exploring Ira, meanwhile, sighted a large Mordorian warfleet, perhaps to deal with the robo-pirates of the Front, who were suspiciously human and not at all 'robo-'.



Still, an enemy of Mordor could be a friend of Rome.



... Or not. Pirates, indeed, wallowing in the depths of barbarism.









(Haruka has quite some nice drawings - you'll recognise this one from the picture above )



While Christianity might lose ground in Vice City lands, Christianity took root in former Enclave strongholds and fortresses.



Even in those not of Rome nor of Holy Rome.



Ravenna would start Rome's attempts to bring this light to the Vice City, and was also spearheading Rome's attempts at universalism; not only the Hobbits would be sent out to populate Rome's lesser inhabited lands.



Silvarum, the city of forests, was - obviously - smaller than the other towns surrounding Rome, but it would grow in time.



Rome's crossbowmen had all boarded the Christianos at this point, and would be shipped to Raven Rock. More galleys would need to be commissioned, to see all of Rome's armies home... Or somewhere else.



Others, on the other hand, had left their galleys, and as Carolus Magnus thanked his Roman ancestors for seeing to the spiritual needs of his people, Rome's missionaries saw to the needs of the English as well.



They blessed a Portuguese oasis, and soon, the Portuguese eagerly came to listen to the sermons of Roman missionaries - and later, their very own Portuguese missionaries.



Of course, they couldn't forget about Rome herself.



The Ira did her own part for the forces of civilisation. Perhaps not by spreading Christianity...



But certainly by halting the spread of barbarism. This also appealed to the nearby Hobbits.



Civilisation paid off, by allowing people of many qualities to thrive in an environment not found amongst bar-bar tribes, where muscular might made right and where power mattered above all else. Henricus Bessemerus was one such person who would have perished amongst the bar-bars, but who flourished amongst the intellectuals of Cumae.



He was a visionary, yet saw no clarity in his visions, as he would be quoted in the history books. He had to draw his visions on paper and parchment, and it was this need that lead to one of his aides, from Silvanum, inventing a method to produce paper from wood.



With this help, he would go on to found the University of Cumae; Rome's very first university, dedicated to the universalisation ( ) of knowledge, accessible to everyone, young or old, Roman, Gondorian, or even bar-bar, provided they were willing to learn. And, provided they were willing to learn Roman - Christian - values, perhaps making the world's first university not quite universal.

 

[need my speed]

Regardless of the merits of his university, his work - and that of his aide - greatly increased the availability of paper, with all the consequences that followed; lumbermills processed entire forests in mere weeks to produce palaces full of paper, libraries renovated themselves by the dozen to store their valuable artefacts on long-lasting paper, and Roman merchants, explorers, and diplomats, recorded all their dealings and findings on paper too.













The overwhelming quantities of paper now available couldn't come at a better time; soon, Roman explorers would sail from Arretium into the great unknown - but for now, Rome had to make do with maps supplied to them by others.







The Vikings had apparently captured quite a lot of Claude Speed's cities - even his capital, Anywhere City, judging by the fact that Claude had moved his capital to Altamount.



Russian cossacks had apparently risen up against the horse-lords of Rohan in Aldburg.



Toni Cipriani's Liberty City, to the west, harboured followers of Taoism.



While Hinduism had already spread to Vice City and Little Havana - Rome would have to hurry, to save the Vice people from desolation! Luckily, Arnor, to the west, remained safe from these nefarious influences.



There were also bar-bar and Khandic intrusions on Rome's home continent.



The former Enclave lands were mostly in the capable hands of Carolus Magnus. Though Rome wasn't quite sure why he seemed to view Poseidon as the primary deity, of which all others are but mere aspects.



Confucianism and Islam battled for influence in Tandi's New Californian Republic, while a Dutch insurrection to the west also seemed to battle for influence - with all of New California.



Roman map analysts were pretty sure they sighted the borders of Angmar just north of the Fairy Council - and if Rayman didn't have enough on his hands with this malicious Witch-King, a bit to the east, the distinct brown of the corsairs of Umbar was spotted.



Of course, Rayman had other enemies; Razorbeard's Front, and Mr Dark's Valley to the west.



Razorbeard's pirates had taken Wellinghall off Saruman's hands, though, so perhaps they were preoccupied with Isengard.



Then there was the giant of Khand. If Christianity could find root there...



Mordor - and Umbar - would stand no chance of pulling the world into barbarism.



And yes, the bar-bar city of Barbados is quite appropriately named... It only lacks an 'r'.

 

[need my speed]

The Antonii, first and foremost of Marcus Antonius' forces, were sent south to deal with the Hobbits once and for all, or so it was hoped.



Christianity, perhaps, hadn't fully taken root in the Hobbits' hearts. But Christianity had, by this time, become an institution powerful in all of Rome's cities.



As such, Roman missionaries and prophets started on their long trek southwards, to save Vice City from the forces of barbarism and debauchery. They would be equipped with maps of all lands known to Rome and Vice City, ensuring that their travel would be as safe as possible.



Rome's border guard would also move up, to deal with the bar-bar presence to the south, lest they threaten Rome's missionaries.



Rome's main army was still camped in Ravenna. Arretium would commission two transport fleets, for the Colossus and the Christianos were unable to carry all of Rome's soldiers. Antium would provide two macemen regiments, to make sure any boarding attempt by bar-bar pirates would be repelled.



With the spread of paper throughout the Republic - and, of course, with Rome's extraordinary literacy - it was easier than ever to write poetry, literature, or indeed, entire dramas.



Over the years, with science and philosophy becoming more and more accessible to the common Roman, Cumae had become less a recluse of philosophers living in the quiet libraries of their manses, and more a common city like any other, with fora bustling of activity and smithies spewing smoke into the air. With the rapid rise of dramas' popularity, some citizens of Cumae decided to migrate northwards, to the quiet tranquillity of the mountaintops and untouched woodlands. They searched for serenity, and founded Serenitas.



This small settlement attracted certain people, seeking to refind the calm of old times and to again breathe in the fresh and unpolluted air. Nicholas Oloniacus was one such person, an eccentric mind of prestigious Greek descent, his family's history dating back to even before the founding of Roma, when Greeks and Romans intermingled in various tribes.



Apparently, practicers of Hinduism from Vice City had also intermingled with the Khandic people - with disastrous consequences for civilisation at large.



Hinduism, purportedly, prescribed that all humans were created unequally, for some had more strength and others more intelligence, and as such, it was the divine's intention for humans to organise themselves in castes.



This practice was eagerly adopted by Khand, but the Romans recoiled, reminded all too well of the patron-system of serfdom, of slavery that was so common all over the world, and of many more practices intimately associated with barbarism.



It was at this time that the world's first university was completed, thanks to the visionary Henricus Bessemerus. As said, this would be a less-than-universal place of learning; certainly, no man who would condemn his fellow man into a caste of poverty and weakness would be welcome here.



More division was apparent elsewhere; Portugal and England had gone to war against each other, despite both being ardent supporters of Christianity, despite both being members of the Concord of Civilisation.



On the other hand, Vice City was encroaching on Roman lands, with an army clearly meant to, if perhaps not capture the bar-bar city of Lugeria for their own purposes, then to scout out Rome's own army and exert Vice City influence ever northwards.



Rome wouldn't be intimidated though; the soldier-settlement of Mediolanum had finally finished its construction of a monument even surpassing Borobodur in size and scale. Truly, Rome's military was honoured.



Perhaps it was because of this awe-inspiring display of Roman superiority that the Vice army halted its advance.



Or perhaps they were too used to their life of drugs and sex and feasts with every meal, that they lacked the martial prowess necessary for battle.



Whatever the reason may be, Rome profited from the spoils of war.



On land, and on the seas.





Gondor was thankful, and had yet more reason to be thankful; the Concord of Civilisation would force Sauron to abandon his ways of barbarism. For now...



For Sauron had made a most grievous error, by capturing the former Enclave base of Adams, where the Enclave was rumoured to have experimented with flight. This base had been commanded by the English, and their leader, Elizabeth Tudor - but she had now gone missing, and one could scarcely imagine what horrors Sauron may force her through in Mordor, if she wasn't dead already. The English revolutionaries were forced to join Mordor, lest they be gut down by Sauron's orcs and wargs - and Portugal, Portugal had aided Sauron in this... Truly, the lies and deceit of Sauron were without compare.



This insult, this act of aggression, spreading discord within the Concord, defiling civilisation with barbarism, this couldn't stand. Fortunately, Arretium had already completed the first of the two new fleets of galleys; the Civilitas set sail towards Raven Rock.



At this time, more and more Romans wondered if they shouldn't take a more active role on the world's stage; an incursion into Mordor to show Sauron the error if his ways and to liberate the oppressed Mordorians, yes, that was good and proper - but there was a whole world out there, and without the light of Christianity, without the ideals of the Republic, with nary a resemblance to the civilisation of Rome, the whole world was in need of enlightenment. And yes, Rome's missionaries were hard at work bringing this enlightenment to Vice City - but would this be enough? What if it wasn't? What if military action would be needed, to force the world at swordpoint into rejecting barbarism? This was an inconclusive debate, but it showed the dominant sentiment in Rome.



Of course, a dominant sentiment inspired a counter-culture amongst those few susceptible to such fads.



But how could there be peace with Sauron, how could Mordor be left to grow unchecked, when already, the poor English had been wiped out of existence? If nothing else, this debate managed to activate Rome's youth and pull them into politics. With dramas being a very popular - and politicised - entertainment, and with paper being so widespread, politics had more of a pull than ever. Many treatises were written, many plays were dedicated to the nuances and subtleties of this line of thought, and to the biases and wrongs of that line of thought. As Cumae had already experienced before, philosophy was becoming a widespread subject not only available to the cultural and the intellectual elite of Rome.



Luckily, the Concord of Civilisation wasn't entirely lost, despite Sauron worming his way into the debate, now the ruler of Adams were the few surviving English still clung to Christianity. Yes, he had been greatly influenced by Christianity, and had now seen the error of his ways, to be sure, Portugal could attest to that - all lies, of course, lies and deceit meant to break the Concord apart from within. However, Holy Rome, ever faithful, and Gondor, always a light of civilisation, stood together with Rome.



Vice City had fallen under the sway of barbarism as well, what with the growth of Hinduism sanctioning all their debauchery for those castes blessed by the divine. Christianity would be popular with those not in the higher castes, those poor slaves, or so-called free people practically forced to sell their bodies, or those too addicted to drugs to function properly. Them, the first of many missionaries would help, and teach them of Christianity at the same time.



This was decidedly less brutal than how the Antonii 'helped' the Hobbits restore order.



Perhaps the effeminate Hobbits would swoon over the latest dyes and dresses as clothiers were established in Michel Delving. Carrot and stick.

 

[need my speed]

The Ira, making repairs and resupplying her crew in the ports of Dol Amroth after having cleansed Gondorian waters of pirates, was outfitted with the latest navigation charts and instruments.



As this happened, Arretium launched a new fleet of galleys into the deep seas. The Lux would bring light to the shadow of Mordor.



Arretium's next fleet wouldn't consist of galleys, but of caravels, meant for exploration.



Rome would need to leave a small defence force behind in Raven Rock, lest bar-bar riders destroy the lands.



For now, Rome's army had no problems dealing with these horsemen.



On the seas, however, a bar-bar fleet of triremes showed up - and they would simply ram Rome's galleys, instead of engaging in a melee with the macemen that had just boarded one such galley.



The Ira was yet too far away, but its superior design - and crew - would mean that it'd catch up with the bar-bar triremes in no time.



The other Ira was even farther away, having made contact with the cossacks of Russia under Yekaterina Alekseyevna. Though having no formal authority - and knowing that the situation with Russia might be delicate, what with them presumably having revolted against the as of yet unknown people of Rohan - they negotiated a right of passage treaty anyway.



As friendly as Yekaterina appeared, so unfriendly was Kundaj the Fifth, of Khand.



Clearly, this is what Hinduism did to a nation, allowing its ruler to place himself above all others, even above Rome! Preposterous!



The whole notion of a caste system would be widely ridiculed in Roman theatres and on Roman streets, by way of drama, but also through music - especially now that a music notation had been developed, as a result of more and more dramas incorporating music in their plays.



The bar-bar fleet threatening Rome's galleys had mysteriously disappeared - as far as the Ira could ascertain, they had not been in combat with the nearby fleet of New Vegas - but there was no harm in keeping the Ira around to escort the galleys towards Raven Rock.



Though the bar-bar fleet near the galleys might have disappeared, the bar-bar had their own galleys prowling near Russian borders. Roman sailors never shied away from making a good impression on the local women, nor of proving their martial strength, and often, the two were entirely the same.



The Russian workers cheered them on and offered them vodka - but the real prize, the eyes of Yekaterina catching a glimp of their heroics, remained sadly out of reach. Perhaps they had to venture closer for that closer relationship.



They met Eorl the Young of Rohan as they came closer - but he was a hairy and unlikable man. Perhaps the Russians were right in revolting against such a revolting person. Perhaps? Yekaterina and her Russians had to be right - maybe, maybe Eorl had tried to take her as his wife - yes, that must be what happened, the despicable old man!



Refusing to negotiate with these filthy Rohans, the crew of the Ira found itself to be blocked to the south and to the north; Rohan, it seemed, had expanded her stables of horse-dung far and wide along this continent.



With no other route left open, the Ira headed back to Rome.



As for the other Ira, closer to Rome, her crew saw the bar-bar fleet reappear again.



It would be the bar-bar fleet's last appearance ever.



The New Vegan sailors could only stare in awe at the Ira's wrath. In Little Haiti, a remarkably different battle played out, with Roman missionaries preaching enlightenment to the many poor Haitians working the lands near the city.



The Hindus were not amused, seeing their carefully crafted caste system collapse before it could take root, but what could they do against the overwhelming truth of Christianity?



Within the halls of Roma, the mansions of Neapolis, and the centres of learning of Cumae, various people had drawn their own conclusions; in order to effectively combat the stain of Hinduism Tommy Vercetti seemed intent to export everywhere, Rome couldn't adopt a reactive attitude. Rome couldn't wait for the Vice populace to come to Rome - Rome would need to settle her own citizens far and wide, and spread Christianity while doing so. Cumae took the initiative.



Christurbs, a contraction of 'Christos' and 'urbs' - city - would be the first of these cities.



But a second opportunity presented itself...



Admittedly, Rome's army was far away. But it wasn't like the Hobbits would pose a credible threat, as Marcus Antonius had learned long ago.

...

That is to say...

And so Christurbs wasn't founded yet, and a Hobbit galley was still approaching, guarded by sailors from Vice City.



So... Where were we, Hobbits?



Thought you could avoid your doom?



Think again!

 

[need my speed]

The captured Hobbit expedition force, intent on reclaiming their homeland, were sent to Christurbs for indoctrination into the proper, Roman way of living.



There, they would settle down on the peaceful meadows, doing peaceful and rewarding work such as tending to the herds of sheep and overseeing the smokeries necessary to feed the population.





Understandably, the Hobbits of Michel Delving were outraged. That is to say, some of them were... Most knew to keep quiet, with the Antonii prowling the streets. And others identified themselves with Rome and her Romans, instead of the Shire and her Hobbits. This lead to clashes between Hobbits who both viewed each other as traitors, to their race or to their nation - or both.

Many were caught inbetween these sides, wanting to have nothing at all to do with this violence. A willing exile followed by these men and women, disgusted at how hotheaded brats were willing to burn down their proud city over politics, race, nation... Some would end up on the road to Serenitas. Many others joined the new settlement of Christurbs. But some few would go on to found their own city, a place of peace, where all would be universally accepted, judged only on their own merits. Universitas was founded.





With war being declared on the Hobbits, Marcus Antonius defied the armchair generals of Rome and trained all the noble Principes into his own art of war. He was, after all, the leading expert on how to exterminate Hobbits, and his army had no place for valour and honour.



So Rome's army was assembled.



And as Rome's army arrived at the shoreline, Bilbo Baggins was already willing to cave in.



War had already come to Rome though, in the form of bar-bar battering rams. Not the most effective tool to put against fine bronze axes...



Other consequences were apparent, in that Carl Johnson of San Andreas regretted to inform Roman emissaries that his merchants had no way to reach Roman waters - at least, no way known to them; the Hobbits were choking off the trade routes San Andreas had with Rome.



A quick look at the map made all of Rome suspect Carl Johnson hadn't been entirely honest. And wasn't he supposed to hate the Hobbits, to have declared them to be his worst enemy? One wonders why this changed.

But, all in all, life in Rome went on as it always had, with the cultured elite of Neapolis having eagerly picked up Christianity as part of Roman culture. Indeed, churches, temples, monasteries, cathedrals... They all provided the Neapolitans with ample opportunities to construct new wonders of culture and architecture. Even if they needed to hire these architects from Rome.







Well, life in most of Rome; the loss of San Andreas merchants hurt Arretium and Arpinum quite badly. In Arretium, the loss of pearls and clams collapsed so-called tavern-economies, where sailors and merchants had long used these goods as private currencies between themselves to better facilitate gambling and betting. In Aprinum, on the other hand, construction on its seaport was outright halted by protesting workers. They would be put on a galleass for their insolence, but even so, it was a worrying development.





Not all news was bad news, though; Arretium's seaport was still operating, and a fleet of speedy caravels were ready to brave even the deepest of oceans. Ah, if only the men could bet with their pearls and clams now - when would they return, what would they see, would they sink...?



They would sail with the blessings of Lady Fortuna, and so they set off, into the deep, where no man had gone ever before.



Lady Fortuna had also blessed Rome's land army - although, were blessings truly needed here?





As for the Hobbits, they received the blessings of setting sight upon Rome's greatest heroes ever; the Leonum. They would whip Michel Delving back in shape, beginning with a complex of barracks to make proper Romans out of rebellious Hobbit youth.



The miners of Ravenna had their own audacious tale to tell. They would willingly move to the southern shores, allegedly for the iron mines there, but they themselves knew better; with Rome focused on the Hobbits to the west, Romans all over the Republic needed to remain vigilant against the larger threat of Mordor to the east.



To think that a few simple-minded miners could withstand the might of Sauron's indomitable will...



As these settlers passed by Mediolanum and Cumae, the intellectuals of Cumae woke up to this reality as well, and moved to do their own part for civilisation.



They would settle themselves to the south, where the bar-bars had just been cleared out by Roman axes as the soldiers of Vice City, as ever, had merely watched.



The threat of Mordor wasn't imagined - indeed, the very fact that Rome was now pursuing a wasteful war with the Hobbits, as far away from Mordor as they could be, whereas before, Rome had planned on invading Mordor, spoke volumes of the threat of Mordor.

Worse was that Afonso, still under Sauron's sway, had persuaded all of Portugal to go to war against Holy Rome - was he intent on exterminating the entire Concord of Civilisation?

Worrisome, very worrisome indeed.



Indeed, news quickly flew into Roman ports, of Portugal razing Vault 13, burning it whole along with the Holy Romans within.



Horrified and outraged at this, Neapolis redoubled its efforts to promote Roman culture - and more importantly, Christian culture, and all the values that it held, most certainly not condoning the wholesale slaughter of devout Holy Romans!



Antium played its own part by launching a campaign to provide Rome with a national city defence force; bar-bar archers, Hobbit bowmen - Shirriffs - and Roman crossbowmen were good and well, but longbows were the superior weapon when it came to defence, Antium's military experts postulated.



They would garrison every single Roman city, so that no army could ever inflict these horrors of war upon the Roman populace. And if they would... Well. Rome was ready to face any adversary.

 

[need my speed]

But as they sailed away from Mordor, some questioned; how ready were they, truly, if Portugal set its sights on Raven Rock, if Sauron turned his burning eyes to all of Rome? There hope, forlorn as it may be, would lay with Khand. Would Hinduism see that Sauron and his people threaded way too far above their caste?



Maybe. But if guided by Christianity, Khand would certainly see that Sauron and his people were a threat to all of civilisation.



There was hope, here, for even amidst the many Hindus of Vice City, Christianity had managed to spread, to Ocean Beach, without Roman help.



And Sauron's latest plot would be foiled as well; Afonso, of Portugal, Sauron's lackey, would never lead the Concord of Civilisation, fragile as it may be.



Though only Gondor remained the stalwart ally of Rome and all of civilisation...



Gondor even allowed Roman archaeologists to study the construction and engineering techniques of the ancient ruins of a long forgotten city... It was kept quiet, but these archaeologists believed they had stumbled upon a bar-bar city - and it was quite ridiculous to learn anything of them, least of all highly intricate techniques and designs pertaining to the science of engineering.



With the former Enclave lands so threatened by Sauron's influence, the Romans left behind in Raven Rock raised a Princeps regiment. Initially, this was to guard Raven Rock, but with war having come to Holy Rome's doorstep, the officials of Raven Rock decided a more proactive stance might be merited.



Holy Rome's city had been burned. Razed, to the ground, and Portuguese armies were still marching onward, to sniff out the lives of Rome's devout brethren. Rome would reverse this tide. Rome would rebuild Holy Rome.



Maybe it was this selfless act of kindness that made Kundaj see the light of Christianity - maybe, or maybe he had also grown to fear the presence of Sauron on his northern borders, but whatever the case, he finally, finally pledged himself to the cause of Christianity and civilisation. Roman merchants were quick to offer Khand profitable trade deals, to tie them further to Roman ideals and Roman values.



Khandic explorers revealed more of Mr Dark's Valley, and had heard word of a Bohemian revolt breaking out in Moskito's Nest.



The expeditionary force from Ravenna was unofficially lead by Martinus Paduei, and as they arrived on the site of their new livelihood, he gave a rousing motivational speech. We must settle here, lest darkness falls, lest the shadow of Mordor sniffs out the light of all civilisation. And so it was done; his name would forever be honoured, now the name of their new city. Lest darkness fall, indeed.



The settlers from Cumae had their own motivational words, because really, to take such a blatant stand against Mordor, and that as peaceful miners minding their own business, and philosophers hidden away in their mansions, more concerned with the stars than with war... It was a very brave thing to do. One would have expected this of the soldiers of Antium, yes, or perhaps a few Hobbits would be resettled to see how they seized up against Mordor, but for these meek men, these peaceful women, these innocent children, even, to come together and defy Sauron... Truly, the light of civilisation had never shined brighter than in any of these souls. Let there be light. And there was light.



This is not to dismiss the efforts of Rome's more militaristic populace, however. Antium's city garrison programme was still in full force, with Ravenna and Michel Delving soon lending their aid to this gigantic undertaking. The many Antonii and the entire city garrison force of Roma, along with all the other clubmen patrolling the streets, would be recalled and pressed into active duty as macemen regiments.



Longbowmen would handle the protection from external threats, form now on, and a citizen police force unattached to the military would keep the peace.



Rome's new armies of macemen would gather at her coastal cities, to be transported to the Shire if needed. They would be guarded by a new fleet of galleasses, launched from Arpinum this time; Bilbo's Bane.



Bilbo's Bane was soon joined by the two Ira's, coming from the north and the south.



And these three galleasses would be joined by galleys launched from Arpinum; this city, founded by dissenters from Neapolis, had taken to the hard life on the shore, on the lands, and in the woods - no comfortably cushioned homes here, no collections of paintings and sculptures to be found there. But in time, this had turned most of the dissenters from Neapolis into proud Romans; look at us, doing the hard work that keeps Rome going, instead of resting on our laurels like those Neapolitans. They found their pride, and in this way, they had repented for their past dissent against Rome.



The Paenitentia - repentance - was the first of Aprinum's galleys. It would lay in port waiting for Rome's macemen to trickle in. The Fortuna, however, Rome's sole caravel fleet for the time being, hadn't stuck around in port - no, it had set sail, over ocean blue, to reach faraway lands.



It had sighted the borders of Atlas, and had further sighted the borders of Hyperion, south of Atlas.



Handsome Jack seemed to pose himself as the sole light of civilisation, the hero of the world - and that wasn't an entirely arrogant notion, considering he had lived his whole life knowing of Helga Steele and her Atlas to the north. Of course, Rome hadn't had much contact with Atlas, and Helga Steele's Buddhism seemed quite peaceful... But who knows? Maybe Handsome Jack was right in his assessment? Maybe he could be persuaded to join the forces of Christianity?









It wasn't a good time for Christianity though; Mariposa, another base of Carolus Magnus, had been razed by the Portuguese, and even Khand was falling victim - to Razorbeard's pirates, this time.

It was clear that Rome had made a grievous mistake in sending her army away from the former Enclave lands. But Portugal would know retribution in time.

 

[need my speed]

Yes, Khand was falling victim, despite further emulating Rome's government by instituting a system of social status in her military. Rome would not fall victim like this, though - Ravenna had also dedicated herself to training longbowmen, and and Bilbo's cities were being bombarded by Rome's mighty galleasses. No enemy would even set foot in Roman lands.



But Khand was falling victim... And as proud Khandic warsteeds rode into Rome, displaying their transition from a nomadic horde of horsemen to a civilised Christian people, Rome felt she owed her Christian brothers and sisters a duty, and more, a duty to the entirety of civilisation.



Yes, Rome would declare this war, little use it may be. But there was a reason why Razorbeard's worst enemy was Ciryaher of Gondor.



... Though that might soon change; reports of the Fortuna spoke of 'national socialism', and of something far worse than 'mere world conquest'.



See, Portugal may raze cities, but she would resettle them, in time, and enslave part of the populace, so that they might live on. In Mordor, too, races and species slaved away for their masters, and Razorbeard's robo-pirates shipped away slaves by the dozen (or ten thousands...). But nothing of that could at all come close to the outright genocide of any non-pureblooded German, as the German workers sailing for Adolf Hitler proudly told the crew of the Fortuna.



It was, as such, quite logical that a crew of Liberty sailors were shadowing the German workers, contacting the crew of the Fortuna to warn them of Germany. They promised to stand by Rome's side against the evils of this Germany.



Privately, the crew of the Fortuna noted that Toni Cipriani of Liberty didn't differ too much from Tommy Vercetti or Carl Johnson - borderline tolerable, hopefully redeemable. Tommy Vercetti would hopefully reject Hinduism's caste system, and as for Toni Cipriani's Taoism... It remained to be seen how tolerable that practice would be.









Still, they were sailing in highly advanced ships - galleasses - and if they would take up arms against evils such as Germany, they couldn't be all that bad. Indeed, they were even willing to export crabs - which Tommy Vercetti had never wanted to - and clams - which Carl Johnson had stopped exporting.



They would be exported from Staunton Island - which wasn't a true island - until the Fortuna had more opportunities to explore the lands of Liberty.



Or until the Fortuna bought Liberty maps.



Maps that also revealed the shadowy Illuminati, and, presumably, Big Brother's Oceania even more to the south.



Hopefully, this Nazi Germany couldn't stand against the ever increasing cooperation between civilisations; Rome and Liberty had a newfound 'alliance', Rome and Khand stood together against the Front, and Rome and Gondor had explored the science of engineering together.



As the first Paenitentia sailed from Arpinum's docks, armies of macemen crowding its deck, the second Paenitentia just finished construction.



The Colossus, Christianos, Civilitas, and Lux galleys had all sighted the Shire's borders by now, and soon their armies would land on Hobbit shores, together with the other macemen.



Hobbit naval opposition was laughable, to say the least. The plump Shirefolk sooner drowned than swam!



While Ravenna hired military instructors to train her miners - and, of course, her other inhabitants - into the art of the longbow, Cumae sought more and more citizens to spread themselves out over the eastern shores. Unskilled in the martial arts, Cumae might be, but she dutifully continued her settler programme. Ravenna would protect Rome against military threats with her longbowmen, but Cumae would protect civilisation against the dark.



And Neapolis, as ever, contributed in her own unique way; by showing what exactly civilisation was capable of. Nicholas Olianacus was hired to work on this, as Serenitas had achieved somewhat of a 'spiritually enlightened' status; an exotic variant of the Neapolitan status of being 'culturally enlightened'.





Soon, all Hobbits would be part of enlightened Rome, instead of the backward island fiefdom of the Shire. They would be ever so grateful.

 

[Noyyau]

And if the hobbits won't be grateful, well, Rome shall make them so, shan't we?

 

[need my speed]

Oh yes, Rome shall make the Hobbits very grateful indeed! To this end, the Paenitentia II set off towards the Shire, with a full four regiments of macemen on board.



It would, however, be the Paenitentia I that first made landfall.

To be specific, the Leonum. Perhaps, yes, perhaps the Antonii on board were more prepared for the brutality of landfall, arrows piercing the clouds as armoured macemen desperately jumped off their galleys into what they hoped was shallow enough water, then to run and charge and press on amidst a hail of arrows, hoping beyond hope that their plate armour would see them safely arriving at the city walls, where they would need to besiege the entire city, yet again under a storm of arrows.



Perhaps the Antonii would be better suited for this carnage. But the Leonum were Rome's heroes. To have them win the first victory - it was a risk, but it would pay off in dividends for all of Rome.



And unlike what the Antonii would have done, the Leonum kept the city standing, kept the Hobbit populace alive as much as they could - would be seen as liberators, in time, as memories faded and history books lasted, carefully crafted, inevitably embellishing goods and exaggerating bads. The Leonum were hailed as master tacticians.



The Paenitentia I sailed on with the three remaining macemen regiments, towards Zarelli, whereas Rome's main army was landed on the unguarded shores of Funabashi. Macemen set up camp on these grassy shores and protected their mighty catapults, but the crossbowmen remained on ship; they might yet prove useful besieging Zarelli.



And if not, perhaps the recently finished Paenitentia III and her crew of macemen would. She would be the last of Arpinum's galleys for now, for with Toni Cipriani's generous shipments of seafood, it seemed as if the entire population of Arpinum had come to find work on the docks.



Perhaps Antium could learn something from the valour and honour the Leonum conducted themselves with.



But Ravenna was in more need of military instructors - it was but a small mining outpost, after all, now evolved into half-mining outpost half-military base.



Yet, with military instructors arriving, Ravenna's longbowmen were trained to an excellence only surpassed by Antium.



In other news, the citizens of Isengard, long dwelling under the yoke of Razorbeard's pirates in Wellinghall, finally managed to liberate themselves to form the nation of America.

Whether the enslaved Holy Romans will ever liberate themselves from the Portuguese yoke, however, remains to be seen. Especially with Portuguese armies marching on Poseidon.



Rome would aid her devout brothers and sisters of Holy Rome by dotting the twice-razed wastelands with Roman fortifications and cities. Indeed, despite the heavy causalities both the Enclave and now Holy Rome must have faced, the land was still surprisingly fertile. Rome would cultivate the lands and, in time, bring them under Holy Roman control - or perhaps Holy Rome would petition to rejoin Rome, as perpetual insurance against Portuguese acts of aggression. None, after all, could stand against Roman soldiers.



But these plans hadn't quite come to fruition yet, unlike those of Cumae; her expedition force had finished constructing the initial foundation and fortifications of yet another city to protect Rome against Sauron's influence; Amor Sapientiae, Philosophy, something the mindless minions of Mordor could never grasp.



But even Tommy Vercetti, forever walking the tightrope between decency and debauchery... Even for him, philosophy - enlightenment - was out of reach, slipping through his fingers as Hindu missionaries funded by Mordor whispered poison into his ears, all too willing to hear, all too willing to listen.



One day, Roman Christians promised themselves, all of Vice City would be lit up, with the crosses of Christianity as bright and as numerous as the stars in the sky. But for now, the fight for Christianity would go on farther east, and farther north. Castra Sancta would be the first of the fortifications meant to immortalise the presence of Christianity on this continent, despite Portugal's - despite Mordor's - best efforts.



Of course, an entirely different fight was going on in the west. After Funabashi's fortifications had been softened by Rome's galleasses, the mighty catapults could hit the now exposed Hobbit army camping in Funabashi.



The way was practically free for the thousands of macemen amassed, to finally put an end to Bilbo Baggins' machinations, to ensure that forever, forevermore, the Hobbits would be Roman first and foremost.



And maybe they had learned something from the Leonum, who had been tasked with garrisoning Sarn Ford for the time being, for the city was kept as intact as possible... Well, it wasn't razed, at least... Of course, the many macemen regiments each had to thoroughly search the city for Bilbo Baggins, which lead to a few more injuries and a bit more destruction than otherwise.



But it was quite intact, really. Intact, though missing Bilbo Baggins.



Perhaps he had fled to the nearby Hobbit armies.



Or maybe he had disguised himself as a Hobbit labourer.



Probably not, but the labourers would be interrogated most thoroughly.



However, it was likelier that Bilbo had fled to Zarelli.



And Zarelli, last bastion of the Hobbit people, stood no chance at harbouring Bilbo in peace. Especially not when the first generals started appearing in Arretium and Aprinum, their part in the war done, their soldiers laying down their arms - for now. A few of these generals, perhaps delighting in the irony, would set up a military academy in Michel Delving.



Still, soon, there would be no Hobbit nation, no Hobbit people. Even as Sauron executed another nefarious plan of his, having apparently declared war on Tandi's New California, noble Roman crossbowman utterly scattered the Hobbit defenders, who couldn't remain standing against such a storm of arrows. Arrows of a far greater force than any Hobbit Shirriff could ever manage.



And so the way was opened for the macemen to finish the Hobbits once and for all.



Which was a job done swiftly, with all the efficiency befitting a Roman.



With all the brutal efficiency befitting an Antonii, too. Now, the Hobbit civilisation was truly destroyed.



Now, peace was restored, the captured labourers set to work for now.



And soon, a strong Roman presence would forever be established on these islands.