Orichalcum
First Post
Alea Iacta X: A Civil Campaign Chp. 4: The Lawyer
As Thrax leaves the rostra, the second candidate steps up. Metellus and Marcus recognize him, to their startlement, as Gnaeus Tertius Publicola, the young prosecutor in the soothsaying case. He is a handsome if slight young man, wearing an immaculate, blindingly white toga. The other members of our group, scattered throughout the crowd, focus on their barrage of detection spells. Lucretius can tell that Publicola is not particularly devout, but is a follower of the Olympians, especially Jupiter, the imperial cult, especially Augustus, and his own household gods. Cornelia and Meloch, meanwhile, are immediately struck by the high level of enchantment magic on Publicola's toga.
Publicola strikes a dramatic pose and begins a gripping, eloquent oration, causing even casual passersby to stop in their stroll and turn to focus all their attention on him.
"Citizens of Roma, the most important qualification to be a good and wise judge is not military glory, but knowledge of the law. As an advocate for the past two years, I have defended your interests at every turn, seeking to uphold the rights of every Roman citizen, not just those with a lofty name or large amounts of wealth. Let me tell you about my hard work on your behalf in just the last few months.
Some brave Roman soldiers of the Third Legion came to me a little while ago, having just returned from Caesar's glorious campaign in Britannia, and told me a shameful story. Though they had fought bravely, many of their companions had died due to the poor quality and sometimes complete lack of their armor and weapons. Tears in their eyes, these noble veterans spoke of leather straps breaking in the midst of battle, of being forced to fight with only one greave, even of decurions giving up their sandals so that the front line would not go barefoot into the swamps of Britannia. As one voice, they begged me to seek justice for them and their lost comrades, against Quartermaster Lucius Praecus, the foul embezzler who in his own selfish greed had doomed so many of the Third Legion. Seeking only the best for Roma, I took up this case and brought the evil quartermaster to court and won. I could not bring back those lost lives and limbs to our soldiers, but at least their wives and children may have some recompense, and I have made an example to warn other Quartermasters against valuing the weight of their own moneybags above the safety of the Legions."
Much cheering breaks out at this point, even among Thrax's soldier crowd.
Marcus mutters to Llyr, "Well, it can't have been that difficult. I mean, all Quartermasters are corrupt." Cornelia, meanwhile, resolves to ask her Uncle Drusus, the head Quartermaster of all of Britannia, about this Praecus.
Once the applause has died down, Publicola begins his oration again. "More recently, I dealt with a danger to us all right here in the center of our glorious city of Roma. A madman, a crazed, heretical Sicilian man, probably a foul sorcerer, set off a catastrophic explosion on the Via Ferra. Many of you may remember the enormous ring of thunder and the sudden flash of fire there a few days ago. Not content with destroying the contents of his own putrid lair, this madman in his explosion badly damaged several other neighboring smithies, owned by respectable, upright Roman citizens. On behalf of these good craftsmen, I took the insane experimenter to trial and forced him to recompense them for their damages and suffering. Perhaps in the future we can enforce a more orderly, lawful society, where such ruffians cannot wantonly destroy the property of honest working craftsmen like many of you."
There is less applause here, but the working men do seem quite impressed, and Heilyn, of course, begins glaring at the young advocate. Publicola finishes up with a few rhetorical flourishes. "Do not vote for me, good citizens of Roma, out of desire to line your own pockets, or because of a handsome face. A vote for Gnaeus Tertius Publicola is a vote for Justice, for Order, and for all that makes Roma the greatest city in the history of the world!"
Several women swoon as Publicola extends his arms to the crowd, and even our group finds his words eloquent and persuasive. "This is clearly not going to be an easy field to win," Metellus thinks glumly.
As Thrax leaves the rostra, the second candidate steps up. Metellus and Marcus recognize him, to their startlement, as Gnaeus Tertius Publicola, the young prosecutor in the soothsaying case. He is a handsome if slight young man, wearing an immaculate, blindingly white toga. The other members of our group, scattered throughout the crowd, focus on their barrage of detection spells. Lucretius can tell that Publicola is not particularly devout, but is a follower of the Olympians, especially Jupiter, the imperial cult, especially Augustus, and his own household gods. Cornelia and Meloch, meanwhile, are immediately struck by the high level of enchantment magic on Publicola's toga.
Publicola strikes a dramatic pose and begins a gripping, eloquent oration, causing even casual passersby to stop in their stroll and turn to focus all their attention on him.
"Citizens of Roma, the most important qualification to be a good and wise judge is not military glory, but knowledge of the law. As an advocate for the past two years, I have defended your interests at every turn, seeking to uphold the rights of every Roman citizen, not just those with a lofty name or large amounts of wealth. Let me tell you about my hard work on your behalf in just the last few months.
Some brave Roman soldiers of the Third Legion came to me a little while ago, having just returned from Caesar's glorious campaign in Britannia, and told me a shameful story. Though they had fought bravely, many of their companions had died due to the poor quality and sometimes complete lack of their armor and weapons. Tears in their eyes, these noble veterans spoke of leather straps breaking in the midst of battle, of being forced to fight with only one greave, even of decurions giving up their sandals so that the front line would not go barefoot into the swamps of Britannia. As one voice, they begged me to seek justice for them and their lost comrades, against Quartermaster Lucius Praecus, the foul embezzler who in his own selfish greed had doomed so many of the Third Legion. Seeking only the best for Roma, I took up this case and brought the evil quartermaster to court and won. I could not bring back those lost lives and limbs to our soldiers, but at least their wives and children may have some recompense, and I have made an example to warn other Quartermasters against valuing the weight of their own moneybags above the safety of the Legions."
Much cheering breaks out at this point, even among Thrax's soldier crowd.
Marcus mutters to Llyr, "Well, it can't have been that difficult. I mean, all Quartermasters are corrupt." Cornelia, meanwhile, resolves to ask her Uncle Drusus, the head Quartermaster of all of Britannia, about this Praecus.
Once the applause has died down, Publicola begins his oration again. "More recently, I dealt with a danger to us all right here in the center of our glorious city of Roma. A madman, a crazed, heretical Sicilian man, probably a foul sorcerer, set off a catastrophic explosion on the Via Ferra. Many of you may remember the enormous ring of thunder and the sudden flash of fire there a few days ago. Not content with destroying the contents of his own putrid lair, this madman in his explosion badly damaged several other neighboring smithies, owned by respectable, upright Roman citizens. On behalf of these good craftsmen, I took the insane experimenter to trial and forced him to recompense them for their damages and suffering. Perhaps in the future we can enforce a more orderly, lawful society, where such ruffians cannot wantonly destroy the property of honest working craftsmen like many of you."
There is less applause here, but the working men do seem quite impressed, and Heilyn, of course, begins glaring at the young advocate. Publicola finishes up with a few rhetorical flourishes. "Do not vote for me, good citizens of Roma, out of desire to line your own pockets, or because of a handsome face. A vote for Gnaeus Tertius Publicola is a vote for Justice, for Order, and for all that makes Roma the greatest city in the history of the world!"
Several women swoon as Publicola extends his arms to the crowd, and even our group finds his words eloquent and persuasive. "This is clearly not going to be an easy field to win," Metellus thinks glumly.
