The House Of Brutii

The founding of Rome is shrouded in legend. Legend has it, for example, that the Romans can trace their ancestry back to Aeneas, the hero who escaped from the sack of Troy. The founding of Rome also involves violence and murder. Viewed in a certain light, much of subsequent Roman history can be seen as a continuation of these aggressive ways. Since this time, the Romans have kept a fine tradition of warfare and high-stakes (or even murderous) politics.

The Brutii know all about Roman politics. The founding of the Republic of Rome involves them closely, as they have been at the heart of the Republic for centuries and can even claim to the ‘Father of the Republic’ in the family. Lucius Junius Brutus pretended to be an idiot for years to avoid being killed by Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (Tarquin), the last king of Rome, and then managed to lead his people in expelling the hated king after the rape of Lucrece. Casting aside his idiot persona, he became one of the first praetors, a ruling office of the patrician class established before the consulship was established. Lucius Junius Brutus even had his own sons executed for plotting to restore the Tarquins to power. And that’s power politics played out to the bitter end. 

Membership of the patrician class is what sets the Brutii apart from the other Roman factions. They are counted among the old families of Rome, those related by blood, marriage or adoption to the founders. These are people who have always been important within the social hierarchy, people who would expect to have authority as a matter of course. This is why they now have control of southern Italy. The Brutii would not have expectations of power, however, if they had not been able to deliver the political and military skills that Rome requires. But now, perhaps, with Rome surrounded by enemies within and without, there is a chance to secure ultimate power, to become the new Imperators of a Roman Republic that extends throughout the known world…
