Republicanism and Conquest (Pacem Republicae)

Rise of the Second Republic
It was the year 933 AUC (180 CE). Marcus Aurelius was on his deathbed dying. However, in the latter part of his reign, he reigned as part of a triumvirate with Commodus. Commodus was proving to be a very ineffective ruler. If he came to power, disaster may befall Rome.

Enter Aquila. He planned to end the First Roman Empire and establish a republic once again. If he were to do this, it would mean the end of the might of Rome in his eyes. Aquila's plan for Rome included the establishment of himself as the consul of Rome. However, he never planned to make himself any more powerful than any other consul of the Roman Republic. He needed to make himself seem like Julius Caesar. To do this, he needed to first establish himself as consul and begin a campaign. He already had such a campaign planned out. It would include the conquest of Germania, even including the many Germanic vassals to Rome. Successfully convincing several notable patricians with his powers of persuasion, he made a plan for a coup against the two emperors. Aquila was ready.

Commodus was in Rome. He thought he was absolutely safe. But he was wrong. Aquila's mercenaries ventured toward Commodus and a skilled marksman killed Commodus. One of the two Caesars of Rome was dead. However, few could guess that the First Roman Empire was dying. When Marcus Aurelius came to talk to his dying, the skilled marksman shot an arrow at Marcus Aurelius. However, Aquila threw his shield in Aurelius' path. This was all part of Aquila's plan. At the funeral of Commodus, Aquila expected him to declare him the successor to Aurelius. He was right. Aquila was made Caesar of Rome. No one expected him to end the First Roman Empire.

At the Senate, Aquila declared the Second Roman Republic. Declaring himself dictator for life, many saw the sudden change in confusion. However, with the change, the Senate was given more power. With little resistance, Aquila created a freer Rome. Although his declaration as dictator of Rome caused a bit of resistance, few were truly angered at the establishment of a dictatorship. However, despite calling himself dictator, in truth he was more like a consul. He did not have absolute power. That belonged to the Senate. The only thing akin to a dictator was him being in rule for life. Hence the happiness of the populace

Expansion of the Republic
Under their new system, Rome looked to expansion. Aquila wanted to look more legitimate in the eye of the public. To do this, he would need to accomplish a conquest. Aquila looked to Germania. The region was a lot like Gaul in many ways. He thought of it to be a place to begin his version of the Gallic Wars.