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Post by sforza on Sept 16, 2021 16:46:46 GMT -5
Saturninus' young cousin, Gaius Appuleius Decianus was not known as a man of great prominence in Roman politics. Over the course of years they had been close to each other, with Saturninus even considering adopting Decianus as his son. As Saturninus wanted his cousin to start his career he gave command to his newly recruited cavalry force to Decianus. The last orders that was relayed to Decianus was that Rome fell back into the hands of his enemies and that he was instructed to start an insurgency in the countryside of Etruria north of Rome against the lands held by Conservative senators and magistrats. This was to happen as Saturninus would rally the legions to retake the city. And thus Saturninus' young cousin began to assemble this new cavalry force on the hills of Etruria. The young man who looked much like his uncle gathered some of the local soldiers to gather information about villas held by conservative senators and their supporters.
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Post by Gandalf on Sept 16, 2021 17:09:55 GMT -5
The local towns send riders to Roma informing the Consuls of an apparent insurgency in Etruria.
Decianus' men find the estates of hundreds of prominent senators, Latifundia spreading across the countryside as far as the eye could see. There was little to be done to determine specific estates, not without visiting each farm individually.
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Post by sforza on Sept 16, 2021 17:17:10 GMT -5
Decianus' cavalry goes to determine the loyalties of the latifundia near the countryside of Vulci. If their loyalties are with the conservatives they are ordered to loot it or if barricaded to set it ablaze.
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Post by Gandalf on Sept 16, 2021 17:35:46 GMT -5
Their "loyalties" are to their owners, all aristocratic senators. Being simply farms worked by slaves, who they are owned by is difficult to discern.
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Post by sforza on Sept 17, 2021 6:56:00 GMT -5
The cavalry is commanded to set fire to the crops and loot the estates of the senators. With any luck there might be senators present who might have fled Rome.
If they find out that these lands are of allied senators he supposed that Saturninus would simply refund them.
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Post by Gandalf on Sept 18, 2021 6:14:44 GMT -5
Saturninus’ men begin to plunder a number of estates, yielding a thousand denarii in loot. Unfortunately for Decianus, they belong largely to the wealthy Italian equestrians of Etruria.
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Post by sforza on Sept 18, 2021 12:09:32 GMT -5
With the countryside of Vulci set ablaze and looted but not able to get to senators, Decianus orders his cavalry force to go to the countryside of Chiusi. Their they are to look for lands of senators and loot it and set it ablaze.
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Post by Gandalf on Sept 21, 2021 16:12:50 GMT -5
Decianus' path of destruction does little except irk the Etruscan polities, who begin levying troops to put down his insurrection; furthermore, they consider Decianus as acting in concert with a faction in Roman politics and place the blame on the Republic for allowing one of their own to ravage Etruscan lands indiscriminately.
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Post by sforza on Sept 22, 2021 13:07:36 GMT -5
The young Decianus' world crumbled once heard about Saturninus' death. Decianus at first couldn't believe the news, then he threw a tantrum and vowed to avenge his distant cousin. But even Decianus' realized that the senate would be soon upon his force, being so close to Rome. Perhaps it was time to pay a visit to Saturninus' villas and seize whatever money that was stored there before the senate would confiscate it. Once there he would weigh in his remaining options, there was still Sertorius to the south of Italy. Saturninus' ally and father-in-law. Or he could try to stir up the Italians against Rome.
Thus Decianus ordered his force to assemble once more and ride to Saturninus' rural estates close to Arezzo. It remained to be seen how much money was left there.
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Post by Gandalf on Sept 22, 2021 13:12:04 GMT -5
With Saturninus declared Hostus, his money that had been safely stored in various temples had now come under the care of the Roman state. Decianus found nothing but an abandoned villa, looted and bereft of slaves, now put up for auction.
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Post by sforza on Sept 23, 2021 15:31:49 GMT -5
With the greedy hands of the Senate already digged into the treasury of his deceased Uncle, he decided to change plans. Soon the senate would surely send a force to Etruria and it would be therefore no longer safe to dwell in Etruria. He guessed he could cross the appennine mouintains that would surely give a natural barrier against Rome for some time. Decianus gave orders for his force to leave Etruria and cross the appenine mountains to Marche, from there on he would organize an uprising against the Senate.
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Post by Gandalf on Sept 24, 2021 9:56:40 GMT -5
Orders arrive from Sertorius for Decianus to make his way southwards to link up their forces
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