《Ancient Empires》 Chapter 1 The Velian house of Cisra belonged to the prosperous Etruscan nation, a league of city-states that for centuries had been the de facto power in the region. However, due to numerous military defeats that affected the authority of the central government and the loss of important cities such as Rome, the Etruscan influence had been reduced from being the major power in the region to a mere league of cities that were in constant internal wars. The situation within the city of Cisra was no different. The ongoing wars for control of the city had caused immense damage. Many important figures of the city had died in its defense, one of them the patriarch of the Velian family, who left his wife as head of the family until his sons were old enough to take over the position. One of them was Velithur Velianas, the second son of the Velianas family, who was especially famous for his extravagant behavior and rare qualities. -Your Highness, it is time for your lesson! -said energetically Velthur''s personal servant, Ramuthas, who as every day, was excited to fulfill his tasks, one of them was to lift the young man who was deeply wrapped in his blankets, with his hair tangled all over his face. The sudden shout woke Velthur from his sleep. -I hear you! -Velthur answered reluctantly as he forced himself out of bed. Everyone in the Velian household feared what actions Velthur would take, a distant figure who seemed to relate to no one and could do everything. He passed exams in all of his dozens of subjects (politics, history, philosophy, languages, religion, among others) with grades above what he required. But only Ramuthas knew how he could become too moody in the mornings. Translated with DeepL.com (free version) - Ram, remind me of my duties today,¡± said Velthur as he approached the bowl of water and dipped his head in it. - I think we will follow your mother''s plans, she seems determined that the family will participate in the next military campaigns. -Very well, I will go there right now. -Vilthur said as he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which seemed to have been fixed after he tied it up. Going against my mother''s ambitions will only cause harm to my plans. -I understand, Your Highness. Velthur trudged towards the central hall, still analyzing the situation he found himself in. He knew his mother and knew she was not a bad mother, she was a capable woman who put her family above all else and was determined to bring back her glory days. But that is where her interests clashed with Velthur''s, who only wanted to live a life away from the intrigues of politics and live a life of wealth and comfort. Arriving at his mother''s study, he cautiously knocked on the finely decorated door. ¡°Mother, it''s me.¡± ¡°Come in, Velthur.¡± Opening the door, the familiar image of a beautiful but characteristically scowling woman surrounded by parchment and wax candles. Livia Veliana, the current Head of the Velian family, was seated behind her desk which both she and the former heads of the family had used to deal with the problems that plagued the pride of the Velian family.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. - You are too beautiful for a wrinkle to remain on your face, Mother,¡± Velthur said as he approached the desk and sat down on a vacant space. -¡°I''ll leave a scar over yours if you ever damage the desk,¡± she complained, as she pointed to her trusty dagger at her waist, ¡°I''ve told you a hundred times that it''s not something you should sit on. ¡°I don''t think you could hurt one of your best creations, sure Thesmus and Larthia might have gotten away with it, but we both know I was the product of perfection.¡± A constant joke Velthur used, but it was not far from the truth, everyone admired the intelligence of this one, and how since he was a baby the gods had blessed the family with a child fit to ascend to greatness. This only resulted in a constant nightmare for Velthur the day he was born: but for his mother, it only gave her a key piece to be used with extreme care for the resurgence of the family. In Velthur''s opinion, the kind of education he received was too strict: not only did he have to memorize the content of the teachings, but he had to think and devise how to use it, something that even he, a person who had already gone through years of habit of a modern, standardized learning system, found hard to keep up with. But nothing could be done about it, considering the family misfortune at that very moment: both his father and most of his uncles had been killed in the city''s campaigns, reducing the Velian family numbers to a laughable five. All of Velthur''s studies were organized by the head Livia. She was exceptionally strict with her children because she said that as the sole heirs of the family, they would have to be more than geniuses to deal with all the problems they faced. In addition to his mother tongue, Velthur, who could write Latin at age 8, learned Punic, Latin, and Greek at 11, and experimented with Umbrian at 13. Something his siblings had also been required to do but only he had been able to keep up with the demands, something he had only learned about a few years ago. ¡°Good. Now take a seat, we have much to discuss.¡± Lady Livia said as she put aside her scrolls. - Soon there will be an expedition in Syracuse, led by the Levanus family, they call for the support of all families, claiming that glory will be shared by merit. Velthur knew what his mother was referring to, the Etruscan cities were known for their economic prosperity and pride in the development of their cities, but one of the reasons they were benefiting from that was because of the so-called invasions that were just piracy to nearby ports. - Do you want to start securing the votes now? - His mother just smiled at the quick deduction. - But it is a good opportunity for us, our family has been away from the central politics of the city for many years, and if it were not for the continuous benefits of our business we would have been delegated to a secondary family years ago. - Something I can easily claim credit for, so I would like to see it avoided from any plans of yours. ¡°...Your brother''s coming-of-age ceremony is coming soon, the only reason we have been left alone is because of the agreement your father made with the other families and this will end once your brother takes over.¡± - I cannot participate in the invasion, not only am I far from the required age, but I have advanced.... A sudden thump on the table interrupted any excuse the young Velthur might have thought of - Vel, I have let you do whatever you want for the last two years, but it is time for you to focus on helping your brother to lead the family. -All right mother, I''ll do the best I can - Knowing that the options seemed to have run out, Velthur could only resign himself to it. - Livia relaxed her face once she heard her son''s words - You will take some men from the family guard, you can choose them after you finish getting used to them and you will be given the exclusive privilege of the hall until you leave. -Understood. Is there any way to know about the families that will participate and their representatives? -Ask Romunus, he will also take care of everything you need to get ready.¡± Livia stood up from her seat, as she approached Velthur to hug him. It was a side that few saw of the patriarch of the family, but the woman knew that as a mother, she had to make sure that her children received the corresponding affection. But she knew what the world was like and how she could be seen as weak in her displays of affection for her children, so she made sure that her office was only for her children and herself. Chapter 2 After having said all he could, Velthur somehow managed to convince his mother to allow him to have freedom until the meetings in . Tasks that Velthur considered useless, such as his duty to study religion, language, and art, were reduced. Even the time devoted to the study of politics would have been reduced had it not been for persistent objections. The main reason Velthur believed that these subjects were useless was that they had not changed for a hundred years: the stagnation of ideas was just another sign of how Etruscan society was in a period of decadence. The social elite used to their historical supremacy in the area and their continuous victorious wars over the other powers generated the question of which group would be the leader of such a nation, only to be the result of hundreds of internal wars that wore out the forces to resist the continuous barbarian invasions and the uprisings of important cities like Rome, Velthur knew what would be the fate of the Etruscan culture if things continued their course. Yet despite this, they pretended that they were still the leaders of the present age, seeing every Etruscan loss of territory and defeat as an opportunity for their political opponents to lose power. But Velthur knew that the error was not so simple, for the simple teaching consisted in the pride and grandeur of certain decadent ideas that blinded anyone to the reality they faced. If he had been educated on that basis, in the current complicated internal political situation of Cisra, it would surely not be long before he would have lost all the luxuries he had. If nothing stood in his way, brother would ¡°take over¡± the family, which meant the end of the pact that protected them so well from the wolves around her, even though mother would still be the decision-maker. They would push to push her away and look for faults in Thesmus. Should she be involved in politics from a young age?'' Obviously, this was risky, Velthur knew it was foolish to rely on the poor knowledge of history he had about the time, this world though similar, had a reality far removed from where he came from. However, he knew he had knowledge that benefited him above most, he had tried to implement some but knowledge without the power to protect it was simply a target on his back, so he had made the decision to devise strategies that would help the family business. That had already attracted stares full of malice. - Ramu contacts Tiv''s guard and tells them to prepare for months on ships - at once, although I don''t think your mother will like it if you are seen with simple mercenaries even if they are from the Velian house. - Mother said I could choose any man of the house for my campaign, perhaps next time she will consider, more explanation in her words. Besides, I cannot risk going with inexperienced guards. You remember what happened two years ago, don''t you? -Very clearly,¡± he sighed. Ramuthas with frustration.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. -I have not invested so much time and money in the Tiv guards to have contact with good mercenaries. In this campaign, I will be sure to secure their loyalty. -It is hard enough to say for sure that they will serve our house, it will not be easy to ensure that they will follow you in the face of such free individuals. Velthur took the sword from his waist and waved it with a demonstrative air. ¡°They are simple weapons Ramus, and like all you must only know how to wield and aim them effectively. Besides that your leader has the sweet tendency to gamble, his debts to our house would enslave anyone.¡± -Understood. Do you still want to visit your uncle? -The Velian house had only five direct members, the mother and head of the family Livia, and her three sons, but they were also camped in life by their uncle Lars, brother of Larth and former general of Cisra, who was retired due to a wound that took his left arm. As Cisra''s most revered general, he had defeated several armies under the command of the Gauls and had been promoted to the position of Strategos at the age of 33. Moreover, he was the only Coalition general whom I feared, as he had even been able to take the power of the house from the hands of Mother, but many say that with his hand went his ambitions. But they were not so far from the truth, the man had become disillusioned with politics and his people, he had sacrificed much for his people and had been turned away. Had it not been for the incompetence of the Cisra government, which did not know how to take advantage of the good cards it had been dealt, the wars against the Gauls would have ended before the Romans intervened and Cisra would have had a more important political position in the Etruscan league, perhaps even the entire league would have been better off. One man achieving success was certainly no good for such a divided polity. ¡°Fortunately, he''s part of our family.¡± There were few things Velthur could come to appreciate in such a backward world, where he almost felt like an alien because of the vast difference in ideas, but with his family it was different. Soon they reached the room designated in the mansion for his uncle''s exclusive use, but a startled slave at the door interrupted their passage. ¡°Your Highness, please wait a moment; my lord strategos will receive you shortly!¡± The slave spoke with polite concern in her tone, thinking it was a bad idea to leave Velthur, enter, and find out what was going on in the room. In truth, the concern was unfounded, for there was no one more sympathetic about what was going on inside that room than Velthur himself. Beyond that, knowing that it would not be a good idea to interrupt his uncle while he seemed to be engaged in his routines for the day. -I have no problem waiting here. Besides, bring me a glass of wine! -Velthur replied with a smile on his face. ¡°Little Vel, I see you''ve decided to dazzle me with your presence - oh, how you''ve grown!¡± A cheerful voice was heard. ¡°Man, I see you''ve decided to finish your business faster, I hope it''s because you don''t want to keep us waiting and not a factor related to your age,¡± Franz said as he smiled bitterly. ¡°Ha, Brat, a lot of talk for someone who has never spoken to a girl in your life, sometimes I worry that Greek customs have managed to permeate you while you were learning their language¡± Lars said amidst laughter. The calm and laughing atmosphere seemed to have changed to one of pure violence, as nephew and uncle rested their hand on the hilt of their swords, which seemed to worry all the servants who did not know how to react. ¡°My lords, I''m afraid to remind you that the lady will not appreciate you practicing your skills in the halls and it could result in a pocket cutting.¡± - Tsh, you ruined the fun,¡± said Lars as he seemed to calm down and take a seat while sipping a glass of wine. ¡°Uncle, I''ve been sent on to the next Invasion campaign¡± Velthur said as he sat back down. -Well, let''s talk then Lars set aside his glass and gestured for his servants to leave.