New Civilizations Rome ( IC, OPEN)

[Reatra]

"I am, Chieftain Kampawing, although that "magic" may be better explained if you would like to come hear me talk another day. What is it you see me for, now?"

[Republic of the Cristo]

Kampowing kept a stern face as he spoke to the translator. The message he was trying to convey was somewhat longer. After about a minute the translator turned back to Riley and relayed the message. " About," the translator paused, thinking of the equivalent word in mandarin, " seven weeks ago, several of our men returned from trading with one of your farmers. These same men, told their wives of how they did not feel good, and that their chests hurt. A few days later, many of them became weak, and would refuse to leave their homes. They would lie and ach and moan, and grab their chests. They would cough up," The translator thought again for the mandarin word, " Mucus, and their skin would grow pale. Soon, their eyes would become a darker shade, almost brown in some areas. After two weeks of these symptoms, all of these men died. We burned them and commemorated their bodies to the spirit world. Next, however, their wives and their children began experiencing the same things. They too died. Now, over 50 people in my village are suffering. We hear that several other tribes are suffering from the same thing. Many believe we have been cursed. Our shamans can not heal it, so, that is why I have taken our sick and their families to you, here. We have heard of your magic... or, what ever you chose to call it. Please, can you help my people? Can you tell us were we cursed? Or did something else cause our suffering?" Kampowing starred deeply and stoically into Riley's eyes.

[Reatra]

Oh no. The plagues had begun.

"I, I am not magic, chieftain, I am man. But I can help your people, at least make it so that less of you die. I only want your people to live, I want to man to die. So... I will attempt to help your people. You are not cursed, you are contracting a disease, a plague, one which your people's bodies have no immunity. I cannot magically heal your people. We can only help assuage their pain while they are sick, and pray ever harder that they recover." Riley said, solemnly. Then he perked up and realized he could help. "If we supply them with food and water and herbs for their pains and aches, while isolating them and keeping them away from the rest of your people who have no experience with this plague, then we may see more men survive. My people are far more capable of handling this plague, I will have some of my men return to you to help you. We will bring you food and herbs to supplement those you have already. Anyone who is sick will need to stay in their hut for the duration of the sickness, and then they may survive."Let me be clear, chieftain, I cannot promise to save every one of your people, but I believe I can help more of them survive."

[Republic of the Cristo]

Imperial Palace, Rome, 101 A.D.

Puerignis sat upon his splendid throne. It was a large and lavish chair, with gilded gold for it's wooden exterior; numerous silks being used as lining; and the plushest of goose feathers being used to sit upon. Not to mention, I could also easily fit two people. Yet, despite the comforts of the throne, Puerignis was anything but. The last few weeks had been nothing but stress for him!

Ever since the day he had first heard of Samantha of Rhodes, he had been on the brink of a stress attack. The idea that others from the future - the future he had thought he left behind- could be coming back to try and change things as well, was a constant weight on his mind. They too could bring back the marvels of the 22nd centaury, raise armies, claim divinity, challenge and perhaps surpass his own power. Puerignis's very delicate and straight forward scheme was now torn to shreds by the previously unaccounted for all destroying tempest that was his own kind. And within the day... he was going to meet one of them. Why he did not execute her on Rhodes, he did not know. He had been regretting the decision ever since he sent the letter. He had been fantasizing about the meeting for days now. He had inferred that she was not entirely too smart; stemming from her failure to lie about the questions asked of her. However, this was preferable to being aggressive. When Puerignis had heard that several of his men had been shot by, what he now knew as a machine gun, he had had a panic attack. That lumbering buffoon was now, thankfully, dead. This brought on another fear of the Divine-Emperor, what if there came someone from the future, with the aggressiveness of the buffoon, but the patience and wisdom to harness the power that he posses. Puerignis feared such an answer. He would have to create a policy regarding any future incidents, something to give him even the slightest piece of mind.

Nevertheless, he had current matters to attend to. While he had been in deep thought of the meeting that was to occur today, he had hardly noticed the entrance of four men into the throne room. He kept his hand on his chin as the four men kneeled all the way onto the ground before him. " Rise, Generals." The four Generals all rose. Puerignis now looked down at them. He first caught the eyes of the, now general, Maximus Coello. After his encounter with the buffoon, and his capture of the rebel slaves, Puerignis had taken upon himself to promote the man. The other three generals were actually called down from Britannia. They had been called down under special request about three weeks in advance. Each man himself commanded as much as 3 legions. These were the men holding the northern border with the savage Celts of the north, and simultaneously suppressing any internal revolt. Among them was no face unscarred, physically or mentally. They possessed arguably the most dangerous job in the Empire. There was General Cainus of Toledo, whom watched over the midlands. There was General Tullius Argento, whom commanded one half of the northern border. Finally, there was General Rabbie Gabor of Luxor, whom guarded the other half of the northern wall. Gabor appeared as an oddity amongst the other men in the room. He barred the distinctly bronze color of the Ptolemaic land he had descended from.

" You are aware of the reason for which I have called you men here today?" They all nodded, with Maximus doing so most vigorously. The other generals were more cautious in their nodding. " What are your thoughts? Mind you, I have already made up my mind on the matter, thus, if you are to advise that I steer away from my current course of action, then it will be deaf to me. Tullius?" General Tullius sighed at his lord's stubbornness. " Your holiness, an invasion of the northlands will be costly in the extreme. What little information that we are certain of in regards to the terrain there, is that it is incredibly difficult to navigate, even by foot! The cold destroys what little vegetation may lie beyond the south, forcing our armies to pack what ever supplies we may need. This is not even to mention of the Celts! They are so numerous, my lord, that after each battle it is rumored that two more men take the place for each of their fallen. They know no fear, and will show no civility to any of our men. Their leaders are beyond reason, more animal than man. Your holiness, a campaign would be near impossible." He did so, in every way he could manage with out saying so, tell his lord not to under go a campaign in the north.

Gabor stepped forward and spoke in a low and rich tone. " Your holiness, I can attest to what my comrade has to say. We have defeated the Celts in dozens of battles, and yet we see no sign of their weakness nor falter. In a campaign to the North, although we would doubtless win every battle, we could never keep control of our gains." He stepped back. General Cainus did not step up but spoke, " I am in accordance with my comrades your holiness. A campaign would be nigh impossible."

The Divine-Emperor nodded at their concerns before leaning forward in his throne. He peered down on them all before speaking, " I am fully aware of the risks involved in any campaign we take against the north men. I know that such campaigns have been attempted before. But, such campaigns have never before been attempted to be won via Zarotan." He motioned towards Maximus, him looked forward with his chest puffed out. The generals suddenly became quite aware of his distinctive red and black uniform as compared to their solid red ones. " A single man with a Zarotan can easily best 10 more. At General Maximus's disposal is one hundred and five such men. A single volley from the Army of Fire will win you any engagement. General Maximus!" Maximus's hand banged loudly over his chest plate, " Your Holiness?"

" Can the Army of Fire win a campaign against the north men?"
" Beyond question sir! We will deliver the whole of the north into imperial hands your Holiness!"

Puerignis smiled a pompous and winning smile to the other generals, whom could only help to roll their eyes... internally that is. " And that, is why General Maximus shall lead this campaign." The other generals shot their heads up in disbelief at what their ears had just heard, believing it to surely be a lie. Maximus could only stare forward, with a massive grin growing on his face. " But, your holiness," Cainus began, " He is inexperienced, he has only ever been involved in two conflicts, and neither one could be considered a re-"

" He has more right to lead this campaign then you, General Cainus! He does not cower behind a fortress wall, and pray to the gods that the north men do not slaughter his men! No, he wants, craves the opportunity to no longer defend, but conquer these savages! He is more fit to lead this campaign then any other general I have thus far met!" Although Maximus was loving the praise from his Emperor, his divine, he could also feel the piercing stares of his comrades. " Take note men, he is the new model for the Roman soldier. You may learn a thing or two from him. Now go. Go and make ready for the campaign." The Generals saluted their Divine-Emperor before walking out of the throne room, and off to plan the most daring campaign since Hannibal crossed the Alps.

Several hours later, Imperial throne room, Rome, 101 A.D.

Twenty Praetorian guard, outfitted with only the finest of regalia were positioned on either wall of the throne room. Brass hearths were being attended at the base of the throne. Of the few servants allowed in the Throne room, they were all the hand picked most beautiful. The Divine-Emperor wore his normal Black, Red, and Purple outfit as he sat atop his most lavish throne. He was engrossed by that nervous feeling again. He was going to meet this Samantha any minute now.

Tyrannius had taken around three days to travel from Rhodes to Rome. The entire trip, he had wondered non-stop as to the possibilities of what his holiness could possibly want this lunatic for. By the time he had reached Rome, he still had no idea. He had been ordered to escort the girl and the silvery weapon that was found on her to the Palace. Once in the palace, several maids had stripped and washed Samantha vigorously, before giving her new and finer pieces of clothing. Even Tyrannius and his men were made to wear cleaner cloths. It was now only Tyrannius and Samantha waiting outside the doors to the Imperial throne room. Tyrannius's heart was beating, only once before had he met Puerignis. Tyrannius was a believer in the Son of Fire. He had had reservations at first as to his claims, but after having met him for his assignment in Rhodes, he was certain that he was indeed the son of a titan. Before escorting Samantha to the Palace, he had even taken time out to visit the, now newly refurbished Pantheon, to worship Prometheus and the Son.

Now, right outside the doors of the throne room, he breathed. He looked over at Samantha, in her new and more regal cloths. " Alright girl, time to face the titan whom holds your life in his hands." He then faced forward as the doors in front of him were opened by two praetorian guards. The two walked in unison. The praetorian guards on either side of the wall, as well as the beautiful servants scattered all about, made the throne room look something quite marvelous. The two stopped just in front of the throne, whilst the Divine-Emperor looked down upon the girl. " You... You are Samantha of Rhodes?"

[Republic of the Cristo]

Oh no. The plagues had begun.

"I, I am not magic, chieftain, I am man. But I can help your people, at least make it so that less of you die. I only want your people to live, I want to man to die. So... I will attempt to help your people. You are not cursed, you are contracting a disease, a plague, one which your people's bodies have no immunity. I cannot magically heal your people. We can only help assuage their pain while they are sick, and pray ever harder that they recover." Riley said, solemnly. Then he perked up and realized he could help. "If we supply them with food and water and herbs for their pains and aches, while isolating them and keeping them away from the rest of your people who have no experience with this plague, then we may see more men survive. My people are far more capable of handling this plague, I will have some of my men return to you to help you. We will bring you food and herbs to supplement those you have already. Anyone who is sick will need to stay in their hut for the duration of the sickness, and then they may survive."Let me be clear, chieftain, I cannot promise to save every one of your people, but I believe I can help more of them survive."

As the translator relayed this all back to Kampowing, he gave the faintest of smiles. He spoke for a moment to the translator. " Many blessings upon you Riley. Your charity will not be forgotten. I ask, however, of one more favor. The people of my village still believe these people cursed and will refuse to accept their return. I ask, that they serve their isolation out here. We will stay outside of your village limits, residing in the countryside. Please, just one more favor?"

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

During the whole three days of travel from Rhodes to Rome, Samantha didn't seem to have a care in the world. Was she going to die? Who knows, and why should she care? Her fate was in other people's hands, and she was trusting that it would go out well, and if not? Well, it was a good run, wasn't it? She could try again in a next life. Reincarnation was something that Samantha believed in, but nothing she openly talked about. It wasn't like her own religion, but more of something that happens after you die. She wasn't Buddhist or Hindu or anything like that, but she did share the same belief in reincarnation. If she were to die then she'd just go into a next life, and that was about it.

Samantha honestly did wonder about what was happening at Rhodes. If Alexander had any sense, he'd try to keep everyone under control before the island was put into chaos. She was hoping everything would be alright while she's gone. She wouldn't want to come back, if she comes back at all, to a ruined island that already refused to call her their leader once more. Samantha's thoughts wandered onto some other things during those three days, but it was nothing that important to note. She didn't even talk to Tyrannius, because she had a feeling that he really didn't want to talk to her.

During the washing she received Samantha didn't struggle to get the woman away from her, but that didn't mean that she didn't have some complains about it. Yeah, she was a bit dirty, but she didn't want these silly clothes, and instead she wanted to wear her nice, modern clothes. She just had to hope she would get those back, then. Otherwise if she didn't get her clothes back then it would take a long time to get anything like that to be made.

When Samantha was face to face with the Emperor, she gave a friendly smile and a wave. "Yes, that's me, Samantha Maxaman of Rhodes." She said. "It truly is an honor to meet you, Emperor." Well, that was honestly a lie. She could care less about this man. She didn't really know him, after all; why should she care? Well, no matter, you still had to get on his good side, Samantha, so it'd be best jsut to be polite.

[Republic of the Cristo]

" Divine-Emperor." Puerignis continued to look down on the girl. The immediate word to come to mind was ditzy. He then switched from Latin to English, " I can assume that you speak English, correct?"

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

Samantha's smile turned into a grin as she nodded. "Yes, yes I can." She said in English as she crossed her arms. "And I noticed that you can as well. I must admit I am a bit surprised, but anyways, did you want to speak to me about anything?"

[G-Tech Corporation]

Forsaken Cave, Slopes of the Himilayas, Indian Subcontinent
Fourth of March, 101 AD

The engineer leaned forward, deep emerald eyes nearly glowing a malicious green as the light of his welder reflected off of the man's irises. In the back of his mind Jarn marveled at the power of knowledge, of the assembled wisdom of uncounted generations of humanity. It had taken him most of an afternoon to place a tiny magnesium deposit, a task the Slav had not relished in the driving early monsoon rain. But it had not bothered him unduly, all things considered; the insects and animals had been put off by such weather, and extracting the few large chunks of specialized matter he required was the work of minutes, not hours.

After the wet squelching trek back to the cave he had landed in, the real work had begun. Though the small A/M matrices on his two drones were well enough, and desperately efficiency, quick checks on their fuel supplies had told the sojourner that their reactors were only just breeding enough antineutronium for their constituent power purposes; he would need a different source of external energy if he wished to hurry the accumulation process along, or run any devices while he waited.

So Jarn had settled upon a simple design, the humble fusion torus. Startup energy was a problem, but one that could be addressed. After catching some brief fitful hours of sleep to keep his mind functioning at optimal efficiency, the assembly of the aluminum-chromium alloys had commenced. Now as mid-morning approached, Jarn leaned back on his haunches, and allowed One to finish soldering the last joins of the construct clean.

With a slight flexing of his will, the man directed the drones to either side of the power input ports, then he carefully unzipped the flextube from his suit and began pouring the filtered pure water in to the torus' separation chamber. Even this collected rainwater would have a small percentage of the heavy isotopes he required for this venture, and soon enough the torus began to hum with accumulated power even as the surreal sound of high voltage electric discharges came from the drones.

Normally one would jump up such a fusion process with another power source, or a plasma infusion, but in this case Jarn had access to neither. The annihilation units on the construct overflights would have to do duty as a passable substitute. Theoretically his sums worked out, but the man of the future still felt a bit of trepidation as he noticed the power levels in his floating fabbers dropping precipitously. All would be well, of course, but this was risking his few material assets in order to potentially acquire another.

Then the hum of the torus became smoother, the familiar roar of the miniature sun within causing a sigh to involuntarily escape Jarn's chest. Halle-freaking-lujah. After a few minutes of waiting the drones detached themselves, fully charged, and Jarn allowed himself a smile. As long as he could continue purifying water in this water-filled land, he would have energy, the life-blood of his plans and the future.

He celebrated by fabbing up an entanglement unit to place on his back, and twin fabrication swivels to attach to a rudimentary chest harness. Through this achievement would come the path to many victories.

[Republic of the Cristo]

Samantha's smile turned into a grin as she nodded. "Yes, yes I can." She said in English as she crossed her arms. "And I noticed that you can as well. I must admit I am a bit surprised, but anyways, did you want to speak to me about anything?"

Puerignis crossed his arms, barely noticing that the rest of the room was looking about in confusion. " Why are you? Also, do you know who I am?"

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

"Well, I know that you pretend to be a son of Prometheus, and I know that only people from this time period would be stupid enough to believe you." She answered. "I can assume that you had actually traveled back in time, yes? Like me? I only did it because I was bored, so why did you do it? Was it because of the same reason?"

[Republic of the Cristo]

"Well, I know that you pretend to be a son of Prometheus, and I know that only people from this time period would be stupid enough to believe you." She answered. "I can assume that you had actually traveled back in time, yes? Like me? I only did it because I was bored, so why did you do it? Was it because of the same reason?"

" You know, you're really annoying." Puerignis placed his hand on the side of his face. " I did it for power and ego, obviously. Also, I would suggest you take the situation more seriously, as I could have you executed right now if I so chose to do." He snapped his fingers and a servant approached the throne. In her hand was a purple pillow, with Samantha's pistol on top of it. The servant knelt down and offered the pillow to Puerignis, who in turned picked up the gun. He waved it around, looking at it. " You brought this back?"

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

"Well, I know that you pretend to be a son of Prometheus, and I know that only people from this time period would be stupid enough to believe you." She answered. "I can assume that you had actually traveled back in time, yes? Like me? I only did it because I was bored, so why did you do it? Was it because of the same reason?"

" You know, you're really annoying." Puerignis placed his hand on the side of his face. " I did it for power and ego, obviously. Also, I would suggest you take the situation more seriously, as I could have you executed right now if I so chose to do." He snapped his fingers and a servant approached the throne. In her hand was a purple pillow, with Samantha's pistol on top of it. The servant knelt down and offered the pillow to Puerignis, who in turned picked up the gun. He waved it around, looking at it. " You brought this back?"

Samantha looked at the revolver and nodded. "Yes, that's mine." She answered, seeming to completely ignore the emperor's threat. So what if she was execute? She didn't care. Of course it was. Who else would possess something like this? Well, besides maybe this emperor person. "I thought that it would be good to have that if I went back in time. It did come in handy back at Rhodes, as you may or may not know."

[Republic of the Cristo]

" Oh yes, the governor. Are aware of what happened to him?" Puerignis looked over at Samantha. Another servant walked over and handed him a bullet from the gun.

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

Samantha shook her head. "I can't say that I know what happened to him after I took his position. I haven't heard from him in a while, to be honest, and neither has Alexander, who is basically my assistant."

[Republic of the Cristo]

Puerignis smiled down a cold and sinister smile at Samantha. He turned towards Tyrannius, whom at until this point been confused by the conversation. He spoke in Latin, " Tyrannius, tell Samantha what you and your men did to the former military governor of Rhodes." Tyrannius smiled and looked over at Samantha. " As per orders of his Holiness, we executed him for treason. The method which we used however, was not of the usual. I was permitted to use the metal coffin. A device of my own design. You see, once we found the governor, whom was still healing from that injury you inflicted on his leg, we brought him to the city center of Rhodes. We stood him up in an iron coffin and shut the door in front of his face. From the top of the coffin there was a hole. A man would stand on a ladder at the top and pour down into the coffin liquid iron. He died within a minutes time. That coffin still resides, standing tall, in the city center of Rhodes."

Puerignis looked down at Samantha. " I am on the verge of doing this very thing to you. You are testing my patience. Give me a reason why I should let you live, or you will join the former governor in a coffin of your own!"

[Cuprum]

After the defeat of forces loyal to the Shogunate during the Boshin War, the new Imperial government confiscated all lands formerly under direct control of the Bakufu and lands controlled by Shugodai who remained loyal to the royal cause. These lands accounted for approximately a quarter of the land area of Japan and were reorganized into 12 provinces with governors appointed directly by the central government.

The movement was spearheaded by Kido Takayoshi of the Chōshū Domain, with the backing of court nobles Iwakura Tomomi and Sanjō Sanetomi. Kido persuaded the lords of Chōshū and of Satsuma, the two leading domains in the overthrow of the Bakufu, to voluntarily surrender their domains to the King. Ffearing that their loyalty would be questioned, the daimyo of 260 other domains followed suit. Only 14 domains failed to initially comply voluntarily with the return of the domains, and were then ordered to do so by the Court, on threat of military action.

In return for surrendering their hereditary authority to the central government, the daimyo were re-appointed as non-hereditary mayors of their former domains, and were allowed to keep ten percent of the tax revenues, based on actual rice production, which was greater than the nominal rice production upon which their feudal obligations under the Shogunate were formerly based.

As mayors, the former daimyo could name subordinates, but only if the subordinates met qualification levels established by the central government. Furthermore, hereditary stipends to their samurai retainers were paid out of the municipal office by the central government, and not directly by the governor, a move calculated to further weaken the traditional feudal ties.

The term "daimyo" was abolished with the formation of the peerage system.

The central government accomplished this reorganization by promising the former daimyo a generous stipend, absorbing the domain's debts, and promising to convert the domain currency (hansatsu) to the new national currency at face value. The central treasury proved unable to support such generosity, so the ex-daimyo stipend was never paid and the Daymio were obligated to pay their debts to the new central goverment. Those who were unable to pay it, lost their condition as peer in the nobility system.

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

Samantha put her hands up, a gesture that basically asked to give her time to speak. "Look, before we get trigger happy here," Samantha said, still speaking in English. It was her first language, so it was easier to learn. "I'm sure we can come to a less violent agreement here, can we not? Surely there must be some other way. I can probably help you rule the empire if you wish, for ruling an empire like this must be difficult, or at least it seems like it. I'm not assuming that you are incapable of doing so, though. Not at all, I'm just saying that it could be a bit stressful. Another person who knows what they're doing to help out could be useful, correct? And if not, couldn't you just put me somewhere else? Somewhere far away? I don't think I'd be able to cause much damage to you and your rule if I was put outside of Rome, don't you think? Besides, how much harm could a woman like me do? It's not like many strong men would take orders from a woman in these times, correct?"

[Reatra]

((Goddamnit I made a nice long post about helping the people but it got deleted))

"Yes, chieftain, that is fine, I will welcome your people with open arms. Perhaps after this plague is over, we may see a new era of friendship."

Riley escorted the chieftain home, and welcomed his people to San Francisco. A massive tent city was soon erected, over the course of half a year, to house the thousands of natives who needed treatment. Luckily, with so many thousands coming from overseas, there was no shortage of laborers to help the natives. Plus, due to Riley's industrialization and creation of fertilizers, there was more than enough food and water for the people, and Riley's ability to make chemicals out of plants allowed him to create a far more potent form of natural pain-relievers. The total death rate dropped to near 30%, and the chieftains were ever so thankful.

[Heidelski]

Henry landed in rhodes. He smelled the air and started walking towards the jail. After he arrived he talked with the guards. They said a person wanted by the emporor hd just been sent rome. Henry nodded and smiled as he walked to the port. He got on the next ship to rome with instructions to the captain to make all haste.

[The Holy Dominion of Inesea]

Hartford Settlement
Bamako-Timbukto Region, West Africa
Arrival+20 Months

It had been almost two years since the settlement of Hartford had been established by James. The town, and it was a town now, was easily the largest in the region, boasting nearly 10,000 inhabitants. The rapid growth came from the fact that the town had huge farms that needed tending, farms fed by water straight from the earth. The irrigation and groundwater/canal system created by the inital laborers and Constructor had led to a massive amount of arable land. Using knowledge fo fertilizers, the manure from the burgoeing flocks of animals was carefully districuted to the fields. Local crops were used primarily, as Buchail knew the folly of trying to integrate wheat into this climate. Constructor Junior, as the more primitive bot was called, had cranked out a type of pesticide from the local flora and minerals. It worked well enough and was essentially safe for humans and larger order mammals.

Alongside the influx of purchased and freed slaves came the settlement of several transhumance clans. In exchange for protection, markets, and steady water and food supplies, they upeneded their winter or summer settlements and moved to Hartford. Buchail created a centralized pasture system, in which clans were incentivezed to move to Hartford through the cheap grant of land. In exchange for a portion of their flock, James gave them newly irrigated prime cropland for them to start farming on and he also taught them about sustainable grazing. Two Mande Soulla tribes also joined Hartford, after a flood in the Upper Niger destroyed their homes. James welcomed them with open arms, setting aside homes and land for the people. They were very grateful. It had been four trading seasons since the founding and merchants and caravans had quickly learned that Hartford was a prime source of gold, salt, and worked metal.

The original fifty or so people who had built the settlement with him had become wealthy leaders and his very own disciples. He taught them in the ways of science, logistics, and other arts. One, Iba Soussi, had become his sort of pupil and second in command. He had been raised as a blacksmith and knew about metalworking. With the help of the Reader and Constructor, he built an impressive set of forges and smitheries. Hartford was located on the crux of the metal trade in West Africa and also had ample amounts of domestic ores. The metalsmiths learned how to work steel and other alloys, cranking out tools, weapons, and armor by the cartload. Bronze, Iron, Steel, Brass, Gold, and Silver were all crafted and worked. A gold standard was established, using coins minted using an engraver made by the Constructor. The coins were so uniform and smooth that counterfeiting was nigh impossible. The settlement was slowly weaning off barter.

James himself was currently north of the city, about a days ride, but not in the direciton of the river. Along with a company of guards and miners and builders, they had spent the last month building a massive copper and salt mine. Using Constructor and sheer manpower, a primitive water pump and mill was established, bring freshwater and power(Like Mills and Lathes) to the settlement. It was located on a massive salt mine and a goodly sized copper one.

Speaking of guards, a good sized army/guards/police had been established, with all men and some women recieving training with spears and shields. The professional soldiers were split between archers, pikemen, and cavalry. There were also police/guards that kept order in the city. The troops were equipped in light leather and metal armor, cloaked to keep the heat off. Most had been warriors before foudning and carried over their skills.

In Hartford, a massive trade caravan was being prepared. Camels loaded with gold, salt, and worked goods and carts filled with water, foods, and other goods were assembled in the square. Alongside the traders and merchants went a good sized camel company headed by five of the original men. They were to ride to Roman North Africa and trade off their goods for seed supplies and cows. The caravan left shortly before dawn.

[Republic of the Cristo]

Imperial Throne Room, Rome, 101 A.D.

Puerignis leaned his hand on the side of his facing, thinking of what to do with Samantha. Suddenly, a most brilliant idea occurred to him. A brilliant, dastardly, and downright cruel idea. " No, I don't need help ruling. But, I am beginning an expedition in Scotland. It out to begin here in a few weeks. I want you, to go with the expedition, to survey the north. This wouldn't be too difficult for you to do? After all, I hear Scotland is quiet beautiful." Puerignis was smiling, but there was nothing but venom behind it.

San Francisco ( WIP)

Japan ( WIP)

[The Assorted Saharan Outposts]

Samantha's small grin grew a bit wider upon hearing of Scotland. "Ah, yes, that shouldn't be too difficult for me." She answered, moving some red hair that had gotten into her eyes. "I'm actually half Scottish, I'll have you know. I can be at one with my people." She chuckled and shook her head. This girl clearly had no fear for what the emperor could do to her.

[The Olog-Hai]

Aryeh
Outside of Jerusalem, Israel
101 A.D.
Woah.
That had been fun. The sensation of the time travel, it was... interesting, to say the least. Definitely worth that mad dash through the lab. The security had been hard to get to, but those few moments of time travel alone had been worth all of that. Now, to change history...
If his calculations were correct, he should have landed in the year 101 CE, somewhere outside of Jerusalem.
And if he remembered his history correctly, Israel would be under the rule of the Romans. He would have to change that, no matter the grandfather paradox repercussions it would have. Those could be dealt with if they arose. They would probably just destroy the universe if they did.
But time to hitch a ride with someone so he could get to the city. And collect some information.
So, he took his laser cutter, melted a rock into something that looked like a coin, and paid someone to take him in to the city.
While on the wagon, he asked the man about the current state of events.
"Well, they say there's a new emperor in Rome. He hasn't done much new here, but something happened over there," the wagon driver replied.
Hm. Coincidence, time stream ripples, or another? I haven't heard of any others making it into the lab, but it's possible. Maybe.
When they arrived, Aryeh thank him for his time, and asked directions to the nearest Jewish place of worship, other than the now-destroyed temple. He learned that there weren't very many left, but he got directions to one.
Once there, he asked if he could speak with someone important.

[Republic of the Cristo]

Samantha's small grin grew a bit wider upon hearing of Scotland. "Ah, yes, that shouldn't be too difficult for me." She answered, moving some red hair that had gotten into her eyes. "I'm actually half Scottish, I'll have you know. I can be at one with my people." She chuckled and shook her head. This girl clearly had no fear for what the emperor could do to her.

Puerignis smiled back, " Oh, I am sure you will love it there." Oh, you're gonna die. He thought this to himself. " The Praetorian will escort you to your quarters here in the palace. You will move out within the next three days to Scotland for the... expedition. Go then." Two praetorian guards appeared suddenly behind Samantha and grabbed her by the arms and led her off to her private quarters. The quarters were quite nice. The room was more than big enough for one person. The bed was covered in wool blankets, and a dresser of sorts was stationed at the wall. A mirror was present on the opposite wall. She was told that she would be able to travel unhindered in this part of the palace, but she would not be able to leave beyond this quarter.

As Samantha was being carried off to her luxury prison, Puerignis looked down at Tyrannius. " Tyrannius of Latiea," The imperial agent straightened his back at the call of his name. " In light of your exemplary service, you shall be promoted. You are now, General Tyrannius of Latiea." Tyrannius was now showing one of his rare smiles that was not contrived out of sinister feelings. He bowed down onto all fours, and praised the Divine-Emperor, " You are the wisest of all men your holiness. Thank you, thank you."

Puerignis only starred at the worship. His mind was else where.