Definitely heard that from one of my friends- Sirom.
Pretty sure he had a girl in every port we went to. Not exactly the most virtuous of guys I know, definitely.
He said to me once- Love is worth a lifetime of gold.
And that he was rich with love.
-nods- Mm.
Yeah- I- know Berserker a little.
-has just sat down, axe across his knees-
... I also know a bit about the Red Winter. Though not much that's a direct help in this situation.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this postMmm. Well- his attitude ended up costing him, a little.
Not just- gift wise. I mean, a roman merchants' daughter, found out about the other girls because she managed to get on one her fathers' trade voyages, and- well- met Sirom, whilst he was out with one of his other lovers in Athens.
It- Didn't end pretty. Romans have very stubborn grudges- and being Carthaginian never helped that particular relationship to begin with.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this postClose- the Roman traders caught him on her orders- and she nearly killed him. I say nearly because her father got the ransom off to us, with a note that she wanted to do it, and if we didn't comply that we'd get him back in separate packages.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this post-Waves back-
-Seemingly unbothered by her weirdo hat friend-
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?Mm. Well- certainly we didn't intend to get into a fight on foreign soil- even if it was neutral territory. Wouldn't reflect well on Carthage... at least the Romans made a bad showing for themselves. We paid the ransom and got him back.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this postYeah. Well- it was very intense.
Most of the time, the only reason we weren't going to war is because both of us knew it'd cost too much to be worth it.
Fight by proxy of mercenaries, and pirates.
Merchants, too.
Though Rome was more focused on Northern conquests than Trade.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this postPoint for the state was that it was out of government cost- and more- individual cost.
If the Merchants fight, then its' the Merchants' profits at stake.
If they succeed, then its' more money to the state through tax- if they don't, then its' slightly less tax.
Minimizing and keeping it as an informal war.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this postAs a guy that lived through it, my advice is have plenty of heat with you.
Fires, preferably.
You- said you were a king of steam, right?
It is. Its' a bitch.
But at the end of the day- yeah- Rome hates us that much, and we can only really afford to be defensive of our own interests, anyway.
1.5 imperial gallons of tea were consumed during the writing of this postI'm Gracia. This is my new best friend Cole. He thinks you're strange because you're not real like the other people.
What if there’s no better word than just not saying anything?

Wood
I am the king of steam, also called a Caster, but please feel free to refer to me as Mr. B