![]() It is for this reason that I have chosen Maximian, a general whose military acumen knows no equal, to lead this land. Germanic tribes, the Gauls, the Celts, and the Druid warriors on the island of Brittania will seek to disrupt the order of the Roman empire. Maximian will face continuous conflict amidst the barbarism of the West. Headquartered in Mediolanum, Maximian will rule alongside a third Tetrarch - Constantius, who will assume the title of Caesar. Maximian’s dominion will include the western half of the Roman empire. Maximian will retain this place of authority, and will be elevated to the title of Augustus - full co-emperor alongside me. This named him as the heir to the imperium, and placed him squarely above all save myself in the heirarchy of our governance. One year ago, my most trusted colleague Maximian was granted the title of Caesar. ![]() Four emperors of descending seniority will oversee the affairs of their individual jurisdictions and will coordinate with each other in order to ensure a harmonious and unified direction for the empire as a whole. Each will be governed by its own emperor. A more enlightened form of rule, it will divide the empire into four manageable parts. Like Augustus before me, I will usher in the birth of a new age - that of the Tetrarchy. The model of a single emperor has become untenable, and its time has come to a close. As the empire has grown, the demands placed upon those who wish to rule it have grown exponentially. I have examined the condition of the empire and the courses of action most likely to ensure the everlasting continuation of Rome’s prosperity. I have learned from the mistakes of those who have come before me. The fate of my reign will not be the same. The title of Imperator lost its meaning and Rome lost her identity. Power vacuums materialized throughout their anarchic domains and new competitors rose, challenged, and fractured. Their pride made them try, and piled failures upon failures. Western emperors could not control the east, and eastern emperors could not control the west. For a generation, men who were far too small to wear an Emperor’s robes struggled impotently to govern our vast land. Hubris is the scourge which nearly destroyed our Rome. It is imperative that we recognize this fact, and along with it the bound conclusion that a single man cannot effectively exercise authority over a limitless domain. However, although the best among us may be deified posthumously, men are not gods. ![]() This is fate - it is the will of Jupiter, and of Appollo, and of Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun. Ever since, we have exercised our moral obligation to push into the barbarism that surrounds us and spread the gift of civility into those wild lands. He founded the Imperium and introduced Rome to a new era of peace and prosperity. The Divine Augustus eradicated the influence of the traitor Marcus Antonius and the foreign queen Cleopatra. Though the wounds of these wars are still fresh, sufficient time has passed and security has been achieved for us to examine those events which will come to be known as the Crisis of the Third Century. Unending civil war became the new reality of our once bucolic civilization. Our land, our people, and our values were fractured to the extent that the light of our empire flickered and was nearly extinguished. ![]() In fifty years, over twenty ersatz “imperators” laid claim to the empire. For fifty years before I donned the purple robes of Augustus, Rome boiled over with violence and uncertainty. The immediate and urgent prerogative of my infant regime was the restoration of the empire to a calm and peaceful state. In the year 284, I became your ruler - that Roman Emperor of whom so much is asked and upon whose shoulders so heavy a burden lies.
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