Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
Sorry gang, I had to work this weekend. No update in the ALC either as a result. I'll update as soon as I'm able.
Princes of the Universe, Part I
- Thread starter Sisiutil
- Start date
- Status
no worries.. really.
we'll just have to bang down your door and tie you up to your PC/ mac and force the next update out of you...
no worries
Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
no worries.. really.
we'll just have to bang down your door and tie you up to your PC/ mac and force the next update out of you...
no worries
This is beginning to sound suspiciously like some other Internet boards I hang out on.
Er... that I've heard about, I meant to say. Yeah, that's it.
Izipo
Hardcore casual gamer
Just wanted to say that this story is beyond great.
I'm an avid book reader of all genres and I can tell you I've read a lot of books that I paid with real money that can't compare to what you wrote.
I even read quite a few by very famous authors, which I struggled to finish and finally put down wishing I had bought something else entirelly.
Anyway, before I ramble, you're a great storyteller. And your stuff sure is commercial-grade. You just have to catch a broader audience apart from us Civ players.
Speaking of books, I imagine you've read 'Imperium' by Thomas Harris?
If not, well, you should have a look.
Thanks again for a great read, hope to have an update soon.
I'm an avid book reader of all genres and I can tell you I've read a lot of books that I paid with real money that can't compare to what you wrote.
I even read quite a few by very famous authors, which I struggled to finish and finally put down wishing I had bought something else entirelly.
Anyway, before I ramble, you're a great storyteller. And your stuff sure is commercial-grade. You just have to catch a broader audience apart from us Civ players.
Speaking of books, I imagine you've read 'Imperium' by Thomas Harris?
If not, well, you should have a look.
Thanks again for a great read, hope to have an update soon.
Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
Chapter Twelve: The Merchant
Part 1: The Pitch
“Next!” Caesar said, with a sigh and more than just a hint of impatience in his voice. Before him, a clerk bowed and scurried out through the door.
“Getting tired, old man?” an amused voice next to him asked.
“You’re one to talk, you old buzzard,” he said, glancing at his Consular colleague, who was seated on his left so that Caesar could look into his colleague’s right eye rather than the dark patch that covered the absent left one.
Lucius Rutullus Lepidus Aztecus grinned. Doing so shifted the lines on his weathered but still-handsome face, which was framed by his steel-grey hair, cut short in tight curls that lay close to his head. “I, for one, find these audiences most rejuvenating,” remarked the aged but still-vital senator. He was consul for an unprecedented fourth time at the distinguished age of seventy. “Not to mention entertaining. Better than a night at the theatre, sometimes!” he said with a laugh.
Caesar grimaced. He reminded himself that this custom, of opening the Consuls’ offices to any and all petitioners on each Friday morning, had been his idea. And while most of those who sought a rare audience with him and whichever senator was his partner on the curule chairs that year either had hare-brained schemes or trumped-up accusations on their minds, every now and then, a worthwhile idea came out of it. Rome’s beautiful and inspiring Hagia Sophia, or at least the basic concept for it, had been one of the results of these meetings with common Romans, so Caesar continued the tradition.
“You know, Caesar,” Lucius continued as they waited for the next petitioner to arrive, “I actually think of all the consular duties, I missed this one the most when I was out of office. Hearing the concerns of common Romans—though I should say that since they have to possess the courage to face the immortal Caesar, they’re somewhat uncommon—is always most instructive.”
“Is that why you keep running for Consul, Princeps Senatus?” Caesar asked, referring to Lucius by another one of the many titles he had acquired, that of the leader of the house; implying, in a teasing tone, that he should be happy to rest on his laurels. But he knew, and was glad, that this man would never think of doing such a thing.
“I do so mainly because Claudia is glad to get me out of the house every now and then,” he said, turning to cast a meaningful glance at Caesar. “She complains that I exhaust her otherwise,” he murmured in a low, confidential tone, a proud smile upon his lined face, and a twinkle gleaming in his solitary eye beneath a waggling brow.
“That’s far more information than I really needed to know, you old lecher!” Caesar said, grinning, making his friend and colleague toss his head back and laugh.
Thus, when the next petitioner walked in, he found two Consuls who were also old friends sharing a joke and evidently in a good—and, he hoped, a receptive—mood.
The consuls sobered quickly and turned their attention to him. The man standing before them looked as though he could have successfully sought a private audience with Rome’s Consuls on his own. He was richly dressed in flowing, brightly dyed robes of mauve and purple. The robes were silk, which was difficult to obtain now that Greece’s war with England had cut off Rome’s supply of the fabric. Even more remarkable were the rich, varied colours of the cloth, since they must have been made using dyes from Greece, and Rome had never had a steady supply of that luxury item from the truculent Greeks. It took money, and a lot of it, to obtain clothing like this.
His hair was dark brown and neatly trimmed, his face clean-shaven, as was the Roman fashion. He was of average height and build. The man’s eyes, however, caught Caesar’s attention even more than his flashy clothing: his blue eyes were shrewd, yet bright and lively, as if lit from some internal fire.
“Greetings, Caesar, Princeps Senatus” the man said, bowing low to each of the Consuls, his arm sweeping out wide, then downwards with more than just a touch of theatricality. “I… am Hanno.”
“Just… Hanno?” Caesar said, his lips beginning to curl back into a grin. If nothing else, the man’s dress and manner promised that the meeting would at least be entertaining.
“Just as all the world knows you as Caesar, though you possess other names,” the man said, straightening, “soon the world will know me by that one name, and it will be enough.”
“I see false modesty is not one of your character flaws,” Lucius remarked, amused. “Please, have a seat… Hanno,” he said, waving to one of two chairs in front of the meeting table, “and tell us what brings you before us today.”
“I have a proposition,” Hanno said once seated, wasting no time, “that will fill Rome’s Treasury to overflowing for generations to come.”
Caesar’s arched brows rose. “Indeed?” he said, cautiously, glancing sideways at Lucius, whom he could see was sceptical but intrigued, like himself. It wasn’t the first time they’d heard such a proposition on a Friday morning. Still, something about the man told them that here might be the one person who could actually pull it off. “Go on,” he said.
“What I propose to do,” Hanno said, his blue eyes alight with enthusiasm, “is to put together a trade mission. Take a few ships loaded with the finest goods Rome has to offer—wine, sugar, furs, spices, wool, leather, even dried bananas and salted beef and pork—and take these goods to the distant continent for trade.”
Lucius blinked in surprise. “Are you sure that’s wise?” he asked, frowning. “There’s a war going on over there, you know.”
“All the more reason to make the trip!” Hanno said, spreading his arms as though this was the most obvious conclusion in the world. “Wars produce shortages, of luxury goods in particular—while their availability reinvigorates the fighting spirit, as I’m sure such formidable military commanders such as yourselves would know.”
Caesar ignored the flattery, but was intrigued by the idea. “Aren’t you worried about winding up in the crossfire?”
Hanno drew himself up proudly. “I am a citizen of Rome!” he declared proudly. “That simple fact, and its declaration, is protection enough in every corner of the globe, thanks to you, Caesar, and to men such as your distinguished colleague here. No one would dare earn the enmity of mighty Rome.”
The two Consuls were warming to the man, as outrageous as his plan sounded. Caesar was silently realizing that in Hanno, he may have found a man who matched his own audaciousness, but in business rather than in war or politics.
“Even so,” Hanno went on, as if sensing a need to tender that impression, “some precautions would be wise. That is why I have come to you. Ships capable of making the ocean crossing—not to mention their crews—are expensive. The government of Rome has several at its disposal.”
“Ah,” Caesar said, now understanding why Hanno had come to him. “So you want, what, one galleon, two? Or more?”
Hanno shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. “Not galleons, Caesar. Caravels.”
“Caravels?” Caesar responded, mildly surprised. “Are you certain?”
“They are the precaution of which I spoke. A mighty galleon, to the Mongols or the Greeks, would be perceived as a ship of war, would it not? And since they are well aware of our bonds of friendship with beleaguered England…”
“Ah, I see the man’s point, Caesar,” Lucius said. “We currently have an open borders agreement with Mongolia…”
“…but they have cancelled just such an agreement in the past, and may do so at any time,” Hanno finished the thought for him. “Capricious, those Mongolians,” Hanno said with a grin and a raised eyebrow. “Without an open borders agreement, entering Mongolian or Greek waters in a heavily-armed ship also capable of carrying troops, such as a galleon, would be perceived as an act of war. A much smaller and lightly-armed caravel, on the other hand, can come and go as it pleases.”
“Indeed,” Caesar said, nodding. He was sharp, this Hanno—he understood not just business, it seemed, but international relations as well. “Just how much gold do you think such a trade mission could generate?”
For the first time during their meeting, Hanno looked somewhat uncomfortable. He glanced about nervously. “No offence, Caesar, but in my experience, the walls have ears.” He took a slip of paper and a quill from the table before him, wrote a figure upon it, and handed the paper to Caesar.
The Roman leader glanced at the figure. His fair brows rose, and he gave a low whistle, then passed it to Lucius, who had a similar reaction. And given the vast wealth of Lucius Rutullus Lepidus Aztecus, owner of most of the gold mines on the continent, that spoke volumes.
“Less my own modest profit, of course,” Hanno hastened to add. “It may take several years to accomplish,” the merchant then cautioned the two men sitting before him. “I may have to travel the length and breadth of the far continent, seeking the best deals for our goods.”
These words put the senses of the two Consuls, both old military men, on full alert. For the first time during their meeting, the full force of Caesar’s shrewd, perceptive stare fell upon Hanno. It took all the will-power the merchant possessed not to wither under that fierce yet icy-cold gaze. After subjecting Hanno to several moments of close, uncomfortable scrutiny, Caesar spoke.
“I insist that you do so,” Caesar said.
“Especially if you gain access to Greece,” Lucius added, his lone eye intense, his voice heavy with meaning.
Hanno nodded, well aware that Roman travellers had never been granted access to Greek lands. Their mercurial ruler, Alexander, had granted an open borders agreement when he first met Rome’s envoys. But before any Romans could explore the foreign nation, Alexander had cancelled the agreement shortly thereafter as Rome pursued closer relations with his northern enemy, England. Thus, the country was shrouded in mystery, just as the Aztec Empire had once been. And here, sitting before Hanno, were the two men most responsible for bringing that former empire into the Roman fold. The implications of what he was being asked to do were obvious, though he knew no mention of that must be uttered outside this room.
“I will, of course, send regular dispatches back to Rome, reporting on my progress,” Hanno assured them.
“Yes, you will,” Caesar said, smiling wolfishly now. “And some of my scribes will show you how to write them so that your messages to me are not understood by prying eyes—Greek, Mongolian, or otherwise.”
“So we have a deal?” Hanno said eagerly.
“No,” Caesar said, rising from his chair and smiling broadly. “You’re going to go get us one. And much more besides.”
Part 1: The Pitch
“Next!” Caesar said, with a sigh and more than just a hint of impatience in his voice. Before him, a clerk bowed and scurried out through the door.
“Getting tired, old man?” an amused voice next to him asked.
“You’re one to talk, you old buzzard,” he said, glancing at his Consular colleague, who was seated on his left so that Caesar could look into his colleague’s right eye rather than the dark patch that covered the absent left one.
Lucius Rutullus Lepidus Aztecus grinned. Doing so shifted the lines on his weathered but still-handsome face, which was framed by his steel-grey hair, cut short in tight curls that lay close to his head. “I, for one, find these audiences most rejuvenating,” remarked the aged but still-vital senator. He was consul for an unprecedented fourth time at the distinguished age of seventy. “Not to mention entertaining. Better than a night at the theatre, sometimes!” he said with a laugh.
Caesar grimaced. He reminded himself that this custom, of opening the Consuls’ offices to any and all petitioners on each Friday morning, had been his idea. And while most of those who sought a rare audience with him and whichever senator was his partner on the curule chairs that year either had hare-brained schemes or trumped-up accusations on their minds, every now and then, a worthwhile idea came out of it. Rome’s beautiful and inspiring Hagia Sophia, or at least the basic concept for it, had been one of the results of these meetings with common Romans, so Caesar continued the tradition.
“You know, Caesar,” Lucius continued as they waited for the next petitioner to arrive, “I actually think of all the consular duties, I missed this one the most when I was out of office. Hearing the concerns of common Romans—though I should say that since they have to possess the courage to face the immortal Caesar, they’re somewhat uncommon—is always most instructive.”
“Is that why you keep running for Consul, Princeps Senatus?” Caesar asked, referring to Lucius by another one of the many titles he had acquired, that of the leader of the house; implying, in a teasing tone, that he should be happy to rest on his laurels. But he knew, and was glad, that this man would never think of doing such a thing.
“I do so mainly because Claudia is glad to get me out of the house every now and then,” he said, turning to cast a meaningful glance at Caesar. “She complains that I exhaust her otherwise,” he murmured in a low, confidential tone, a proud smile upon his lined face, and a twinkle gleaming in his solitary eye beneath a waggling brow.
“That’s far more information than I really needed to know, you old lecher!” Caesar said, grinning, making his friend and colleague toss his head back and laugh.
Thus, when the next petitioner walked in, he found two Consuls who were also old friends sharing a joke and evidently in a good—and, he hoped, a receptive—mood.
The consuls sobered quickly and turned their attention to him. The man standing before them looked as though he could have successfully sought a private audience with Rome’s Consuls on his own. He was richly dressed in flowing, brightly dyed robes of mauve and purple. The robes were silk, which was difficult to obtain now that Greece’s war with England had cut off Rome’s supply of the fabric. Even more remarkable were the rich, varied colours of the cloth, since they must have been made using dyes from Greece, and Rome had never had a steady supply of that luxury item from the truculent Greeks. It took money, and a lot of it, to obtain clothing like this.
His hair was dark brown and neatly trimmed, his face clean-shaven, as was the Roman fashion. He was of average height and build. The man’s eyes, however, caught Caesar’s attention even more than his flashy clothing: his blue eyes were shrewd, yet bright and lively, as if lit from some internal fire.
“Greetings, Caesar, Princeps Senatus” the man said, bowing low to each of the Consuls, his arm sweeping out wide, then downwards with more than just a touch of theatricality. “I… am Hanno.”
“Just… Hanno?” Caesar said, his lips beginning to curl back into a grin. If nothing else, the man’s dress and manner promised that the meeting would at least be entertaining.
“Just as all the world knows you as Caesar, though you possess other names,” the man said, straightening, “soon the world will know me by that one name, and it will be enough.”
“I see false modesty is not one of your character flaws,” Lucius remarked, amused. “Please, have a seat… Hanno,” he said, waving to one of two chairs in front of the meeting table, “and tell us what brings you before us today.”
“I have a proposition,” Hanno said once seated, wasting no time, “that will fill Rome’s Treasury to overflowing for generations to come.”
Caesar’s arched brows rose. “Indeed?” he said, cautiously, glancing sideways at Lucius, whom he could see was sceptical but intrigued, like himself. It wasn’t the first time they’d heard such a proposition on a Friday morning. Still, something about the man told them that here might be the one person who could actually pull it off. “Go on,” he said.
“What I propose to do,” Hanno said, his blue eyes alight with enthusiasm, “is to put together a trade mission. Take a few ships loaded with the finest goods Rome has to offer—wine, sugar, furs, spices, wool, leather, even dried bananas and salted beef and pork—and take these goods to the distant continent for trade.”
Lucius blinked in surprise. “Are you sure that’s wise?” he asked, frowning. “There’s a war going on over there, you know.”
“All the more reason to make the trip!” Hanno said, spreading his arms as though this was the most obvious conclusion in the world. “Wars produce shortages, of luxury goods in particular—while their availability reinvigorates the fighting spirit, as I’m sure such formidable military commanders such as yourselves would know.”
Caesar ignored the flattery, but was intrigued by the idea. “Aren’t you worried about winding up in the crossfire?”
Hanno drew himself up proudly. “I am a citizen of Rome!” he declared proudly. “That simple fact, and its declaration, is protection enough in every corner of the globe, thanks to you, Caesar, and to men such as your distinguished colleague here. No one would dare earn the enmity of mighty Rome.”
The two Consuls were warming to the man, as outrageous as his plan sounded. Caesar was silently realizing that in Hanno, he may have found a man who matched his own audaciousness, but in business rather than in war or politics.
“Even so,” Hanno went on, as if sensing a need to tender that impression, “some precautions would be wise. That is why I have come to you. Ships capable of making the ocean crossing—not to mention their crews—are expensive. The government of Rome has several at its disposal.”
“Ah,” Caesar said, now understanding why Hanno had come to him. “So you want, what, one galleon, two? Or more?”
Hanno shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. “Not galleons, Caesar. Caravels.”
“Caravels?” Caesar responded, mildly surprised. “Are you certain?”
“They are the precaution of which I spoke. A mighty galleon, to the Mongols or the Greeks, would be perceived as a ship of war, would it not? And since they are well aware of our bonds of friendship with beleaguered England…”
“Ah, I see the man’s point, Caesar,” Lucius said. “We currently have an open borders agreement with Mongolia…”
“…but they have cancelled just such an agreement in the past, and may do so at any time,” Hanno finished the thought for him. “Capricious, those Mongolians,” Hanno said with a grin and a raised eyebrow. “Without an open borders agreement, entering Mongolian or Greek waters in a heavily-armed ship also capable of carrying troops, such as a galleon, would be perceived as an act of war. A much smaller and lightly-armed caravel, on the other hand, can come and go as it pleases.”
“Indeed,” Caesar said, nodding. He was sharp, this Hanno—he understood not just business, it seemed, but international relations as well. “Just how much gold do you think such a trade mission could generate?”
For the first time during their meeting, Hanno looked somewhat uncomfortable. He glanced about nervously. “No offence, Caesar, but in my experience, the walls have ears.” He took a slip of paper and a quill from the table before him, wrote a figure upon it, and handed the paper to Caesar.
The Roman leader glanced at the figure. His fair brows rose, and he gave a low whistle, then passed it to Lucius, who had a similar reaction. And given the vast wealth of Lucius Rutullus Lepidus Aztecus, owner of most of the gold mines on the continent, that spoke volumes.
“Less my own modest profit, of course,” Hanno hastened to add. “It may take several years to accomplish,” the merchant then cautioned the two men sitting before him. “I may have to travel the length and breadth of the far continent, seeking the best deals for our goods.”
These words put the senses of the two Consuls, both old military men, on full alert. For the first time during their meeting, the full force of Caesar’s shrewd, perceptive stare fell upon Hanno. It took all the will-power the merchant possessed not to wither under that fierce yet icy-cold gaze. After subjecting Hanno to several moments of close, uncomfortable scrutiny, Caesar spoke.
“I insist that you do so,” Caesar said.
“Especially if you gain access to Greece,” Lucius added, his lone eye intense, his voice heavy with meaning.
Hanno nodded, well aware that Roman travellers had never been granted access to Greek lands. Their mercurial ruler, Alexander, had granted an open borders agreement when he first met Rome’s envoys. But before any Romans could explore the foreign nation, Alexander had cancelled the agreement shortly thereafter as Rome pursued closer relations with his northern enemy, England. Thus, the country was shrouded in mystery, just as the Aztec Empire had once been. And here, sitting before Hanno, were the two men most responsible for bringing that former empire into the Roman fold. The implications of what he was being asked to do were obvious, though he knew no mention of that must be uttered outside this room.
“I will, of course, send regular dispatches back to Rome, reporting on my progress,” Hanno assured them.
“Yes, you will,” Caesar said, smiling wolfishly now. “And some of my scribes will show you how to write them so that your messages to me are not understood by prying eyes—Greek, Mongolian, or otherwise.”
“So we have a deal?” Hanno said eagerly.
“No,” Caesar said, rising from his chair and smiling broadly. “You’re going to go get us one. And much more besides.”
Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
I hope everyone will forgive me for once again fudging the dates and sequence of events a little for the sake of the story. Obviously during the game I was first to Economics and the free GM while the war against Montezuma was still going on, and while Lucius was a young man. But I liked the idea of giving everyone a glimpse of the older Lucius, and besides, with Civ's strange timing, by the time Hanno reached the other continent the war was over and several decades had passed! 
Obviously during the game I was first to Economics and the free GM while the war against Montezuma was still going on, and while Lucius was a young man. But I liked the idea of giving everyone a glimpse of the older Lucius, and besides, with Civ's strange timing, by the time Hanno reached the other continent the war was over and several decades had passed! FourthThunder
Chieftain
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2007
- Messages
- 22
Quite epic !
feldmarshall
Dictator
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2007
- Messages
- 387
ah, finally an update..Thanks sisiutil, but you forgot to update the 1st page
Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
ah, finally an update..Thanks sisiutil, but you forgot to update the 1st page
Fixed! Thanks.
ConanKND
Warlord
Nice One, Sisiutil. During the last two days I 've been reading the last seven chapters or so of your story, since I was in CHina for a month and had no internet access there. It's so awesome! Heck, I've been looking forward to catching up on the great chapters I'll get to read while still on the plane.
But I've got a simple request. Can I have a map of the whole world? Or maybe just the other continent ass you know it? And another question, do you use reloading sometimes? Like when you bring the Confucian Missionary to Calixtlahuaca? Or did you actually use Macemen to attack your cities insted of Praets?
More question will pop up in my head now and then. Don't get bored!
But I've got a simple request. Can I have a map of the whole world? Or maybe just the other continent ass you know it? And another question, do you use reloading sometimes? Like when you bring the Confucian Missionary to Calixtlahuaca? Or did you actually use Macemen to attack your cities insted of Praets?
More question will pop up in my head now and then. Don't get bored!
rabidveggie
King
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2007
- Messages
- 697
I'm satisfied at the moment. I hope you have another update in the near future since that one was very good.
Sisiutil
All Leader Challenger
Thanks!
I'll try to include a map of the other continent soon, it's certainly appropriate for this segment of the story. I may have to go back into the game to get it.
Which answers your second question. Since this is a story rather than a game account, I have no hesitation about reloading one of the many saves I originally created in order to capture some appropriate screen shots. I had to practically re-play the entire Aztec conquest, for example, in order to get proper screen shots for Lucius' story, making sure that the 14th Legion was playing a prominent role.
After a while, it gets hard to remember what choices I made in the original game--which I played months ago--versus choices I make on a re-load to get screenies I didn't get the first time. Which is why I hope most of you don't get too caught up looking at the year and the score screen and the research bar and noticing discrepancies. There are bound to be several, but the overall flow of the game remains the same. I mean, it's kind of like Khan recognizing Chekov in The Wrath of Khan; a dedicated ST:TOS fan will know that doesn't make sense, but do you really let that detract from your enjoyment of the movie?
As for the specific reference to the Macemen--I recall making a brief reference in the Noble Men segment that the maces are mainly along as defensive units (it's always a good idea to include a few of those in the stack). The Praetorians, in the game as in the story, did most of the fighting and were the ones earning the city raider promotions. I'm sure there was a friendly rivalry between the Legions and the Macemen, much like there is between the various branches of the American armed forces. I actually do have a later story planned that deals with the Civ oddity of having and encountering antiquated, obsolete units.
Izipo
Hardcore casual gamer
Consider I'm in...
rabidveggie
King
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2007
- Messages
- 697
Burning his house down will only stop the story. I'm for marching over there and having him work at gunpoint. 
- Status
