---Class Acquired Master of the House---
[Title Acquired- Master of the House Level 1]
[Title Acquired- Dominus Level 2]
(Skill Acquired- A Masters Whim Level 1)
(Skill A Masters Whim- This skill represents a master’s ability to enforce their will upon their slaves, its effectiveness varies depending upon the levels of slave and master.)
(Skill Acquired- Slave Governance level 1)
(Skill Slave Governance- This skill provides a base summary of a slave, their location and any associated skills. The higher the level, the greater the information revealed)
As Scipio preferred to do every morning, he laid his head back upon the soft feather pillows, dropped a fresh grape into his awaiting mouth and reflected on the new titles he had earned in the recent past.
The Master of the House title was one he had achieved upon hiring the staff required for his new Ludus, it was a title his father had also held and one he used to better manage his household and employees. Scipio knew it would be a useful title, but it was hardly the most exciting one. His interests were on the Dominus class and the skills associated with it.
Scipio of course understood what these new skills meant and how the more he levelled them, the more control and knowledge he would have on his new possessions. As long as his slaves didn’t far outclass him that was. At least that was how Scipio understood it from the context given. To truly know for sure, he would need someone with more experience in this area.
He would need the Doctore he had hired to finally arrive and fill in any missing knowledge gaps, along with fulfilling all the duties associated with his position.
Quickstrike, a once fierce gladiator, brought out of retirement to train Scipio’s new gladiators in real combat, well, that had been Scipio’s plan. He had paid a large sum to hire the man’s services and the fact he had yet to show was unacceptable.
His fee is the main reason I am forced to live here, in this cart. The man should have the decency to arrive at the agreed-upon time. I will be deducting payment for this.
Without the man, it would fall upon him to organise and train the gladiators, a task Scipio was loathe to do. There was already a large amount of work that would require his attention, work that really should have fallen upon the shoulders of a lesser man, if only he had the funds left to acquire one.
He had truly fallen on hard times, but if this was what was required to earn his name, then this was what he had to do.
And with this resolve, Scipio pushed the naked slave off his chest, stepped out of his soft feathered bed and put on the fresh red and white toga which had been selected for the day. Next, he slipped on his sandals, sild the silver chain over his neck and finally put on the Plutus signet ring, a reminder of just why he was putting himself through this.
With that done, Scipio gave one last disgusted look around the goods-filled carriage before stepping out onto the hard dirty ground below.
As ordered two of his guards were standing by, ready to lay down their levels to protect the valuables still stored within the carriages. He had filled them with all the essentials of a proud ludus, from impressive jewellery, fancy clothes, and exquisite furniture to expensive silverware. Everything a proud noble house would need was stored safely within the assembled carriages, all of it waiting for one thing, a house to be displayed within.
They were worth a small fortune and so Scipio had commanded these two men to guard it with their lives. He had even outfitted them with everything they would need to do so from tight-fitting leather armour, and a nose-capped helmet to a proud short sword which lay in the scabbard tied to their waists.
The payment for the men and their fellow guards hadn’t been cheap but it was a necessary cost.
Thirty guards all levelled between twenty-five and thirty. Fifteen slave masters, all with similar levels. All to manage the fifty gladiators and ten house slaves. Once the Ludus has become a success those numbers will surely change.
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After finishing his quick guard inspection, Scipio moved away from his carriage and towards a large area of levelled ground slightly away from the pit. One day this would be the sight of his manor, one day that was, at the moment the sight consisted of little more than a mess of building supplies, a wooden architectural table and a worried-looking Marcus.
He stresses far too much, he needs to slow down, relax, and enjoy the gifts and pleasures of my new household.
Even if he worked far too much for one of his station, Marcus was a great friend, not only had he joined him in this mission, but he had the knowledge, skills and experience needed to help Scipio achieve his goals.
After taking a moment to soak in the warm midday sun, enjoy the gentle chirping of birds and take in the view of the far-off city of Ravenna as it lay nestled just before the Adriatic Sea, Scipio moved to greet his friend and examine the small blueprint he had laid out before him.
The blueprint showed Scipio’s ideal layout and building structure for the site, down from the underground slave pit, and the stone wall to the mighty mansion. It was all set out in this blueprint, even if the details and measurements were far lacking.
“I’m not happy you know,” Greeted Marcus as his eyes remained fixed to the drawing.
“When are you ever, you know what may improve your mood, not getting up at the crack of dawn to work,” Scipio countered.
“I’m sure it would, but I have far too much work to plan before I can rest easy.”
“Ah quit your whining, you love a challenge, so go on tell me this grand plan of yours,” Scipio replied as he passed the now empty wine glass to one of the house slaves he had set to following his every move.
It was a luxury he hadn’t quite been permitted back home, but here, his rules were in play and if he wanted slaves to follow him around, obey every order and incite him, then it would be so.
I need to get them better clothes, those robes may as well be rags. That shall be my task as soon as I have a house first, there is no point sullying fine dresses by having them standing around in a muddy field.
“Scipio, focus if you would, the time for rest has ended, and we need to get these plans agreed upon whilst the day remains light,” Marcus spoke as his words succeeded in their aim of interrupting Scipio’s lost train of thought.
“Go on then, I can see you’re simply dying to show off.”
With a small roll of the eyes, Marcus returned his gaze towards the blueprint
“As it stands, the site is an unorganised mess, lacking in leadership and order. Half the guards simply wander around aimlessly whilst the rest watch over the pit, the masters we hired are doing little more than wait around in their carriage, the same goes for the chefs, accountants and other staff you hired. They are simply waiting for work.” Marcus spoke in a surprisingly impressive and uninterrupted monologue.
And once his friend had made sure he was still listening, Marcus continued his speech.
“We have all the materials we need but no masons, carpenters or labourers to utilise them. We lack captains for the guards or any real direction.”
“I thought you were going to show off your plan, not simply criticise.”
“The plan comes now, criticizing you is just the first step in highlighting the mess you have put us in, you did everything out of order. We have furnishings but nothing to furnish, cooks without a kitchen, beds without bedrooms. I should have joined you earlier.”
“I did what I could with the resources I had left, if id bought a house, I’d have run out of money almost immediately, if I’d spent money on masons, I wouldn’t have been able to afford all the materials. I compromised, like I am now by not hitting you. Now just tell me your actual plan,” Scipio said as his words signalled the end of the small sharing of criticism and banter.
And with Scipio unwilling to hear any more useless criticism on his situation, Marcus finally drew his attention to the blueprint and specifically the drawing of the finalised slave pit. With its multiple secured cells, bathing area, storage and toilet areas.
“The slave pit base has been set and completing its construction will be our first call of order, as it stands now it is inefficient not only in security but functionality as well. After it is completed, we shall fill its roof and use the space as a training area. Next, we build a rudimentary wall around the compound and expand upon it later. Only then do we start construction of the manor and its grounds.”
It was then Marcus turned his gaze towards the slave pit and the guards surrounding it. With a flick of his hand, a command was given and the gladiators within were led out in pairs, held to the ground and chained together by the feet.
Can’t have any thinking they can run off. Once the wall is constructed, the chains can be removed.
“A necessary inconvenience, with all the slaves out of the pen, they could become hard to control. The chains will do for now. Once they have all been brought up, I shall divide them into two groups, one to train, one to build, they shall rotate every day. Once enough time has passed, I or our Doctore will study their training and choose five men, our most competent fighters to train every day. We will need them for the tournament.”
“Of course, the first demonstration of our Ludus, a chance for our gladiators to prove themselves.” Despite saying them with as much confidence as he could muster, he wasn’t that enthused by the prospect. The upcoming match wasn’t so much a gladiator showdown in the arena as it was a privately held blood match.
To provide entertainment on a young noble birthday, his men would simply put on soldier attire and ‘battle’ against a group of weak slaves dressed as enemy soldiers. It would not be an impressive spectacle nor one that would draw forth any glory, it was simply a means to make a little extra money.
A waste of time really but Marcus is insisting, and I guess we do need the money to pay the arena fee.
His men had one weak to prepare for the ‘challenge’ and once it was concluded the real glory would come.
They would be signed up for every tournament available, pitted against the fiercest opponents and would spill blood upon the arena’s sand in his triumphant name.
Eternal glory and all earned by me.