Nirvan Corruption Scandal

In **591PR** a huge political scandal arose in the Nirvan Republic. The scandal was caused when a private investigation found that many prominent Nirvan senators were taking money from Hashin. It is an event in the Hashino Corruption Ring.

## Background

In the reign of Arima Itami, Emperor of Hashin, a spy network was created to deal with the increasing international threat. At the time, Hashin was still dealing with the aftermath from the Plague of the 5th Century and was weak militarily, requiring them to use other means.

In **512PR** Tamwull absorbed the Kingdom of Bethune, a surprising political move that threatened the borders of Hashin. In order to deal with this, Itami ramped up his spy network, increasing their effectiveness.

The network was further advanced in **560PR** by Emperor Arima Se-Yoon. The network had enough funds and influence to begin corrupting various individuals in political sectors. It is unknown about the true extent of the corruption at this time, but it is expected to have affected many major events.

## Corruption

In **585PR** Senators Lucius Tibullus, Titus Arcavius, Secundus Matho and Decius Crotilo were approached by Hashino spies and bribed to join their cause. At the time the Senators were only low level, Lucius having served as Aedile in the previous year and Decius a pleb. They were offered 1,500gp per year, bringing them near aristocratic status with their political income.

In **587PR** Lucius was elected as praetor, furthering their cause and becoming very sympathetic to Hashin. This garnered him a bad reputation, but he was able to take attention away from his other spies.

In **589PR** Titus and Secundus managed to become praetor, while Decius became Tribune of the Plebs. With his power he was able to veto any legislation that may harm the interests of Hashin. Though suspicions began to rise, forcing him to block an important piece of legislation which would’ve helped Hashino trade. This angered his employers back in Hashin but he was able to explain the situation and previous work kept him getting the money.

In **591PR** Titus and Secundus were on a joint ticket to become Consuls. They were becoming quite popular, and used Hashino funds to bribe many of the other senators into helping them become elected.

## Investigation

In **588PR** Tertius Calenus had finished his term as praetor. During his term he was able to oversee an important case regarding some merchants who had smuggled in refugees from Hashin. The merchants were eventually punished, but, given lesser sentences in order to give up their employers. When his term ended, he petitioned the Senate for an investigation into the matter, believing something bigger was at play.

In **589PR** Tertius’s investigation was accepted, and he was given a group of 5 individuals to help him, along with any more he could personally afford. Using his own finance he hired two more, getting his own Hashino spy. So far his only target was still Lucius, who was losing influence.

Through his investigation he was able to discover that some senators were on the Hashino payroll, he just didn’t know who. Further prompting gave him nothing and since he didn’t want to alert the senators he was on their trail, he was unable to raid any locations.

In **590PR** the investigation found that the spies and corrupted officials were planning something big. Fearing the worst but not having enough information, Tertius informed many of the Legates that patrolled the sea borders that there might be something coming and to stay on alert. By the end of the year nothing had happened, but Tertius knew he was getting closer to the truth.

In **591PR** his investigation finally found what it was needed. When Titus and Secundus announced their joint ticket consulship, his spy was able to inform him that this was the play. All he needed was solid evidence. However, now with suspects, he could hire more individuals to follow them around and gather more information.

### Raid

On Mak 5 **591PR** Tertius and his group managed to find the location of the drop. He knew the place was where the Hashino spies placed their money to help with Titus and Secundus’s election. So, he prepared his crew. Keeping everything secret, costing him a lot of money in incentives, he waited for Titus to make his way into the building.

The moment he arrived in the building the raid commenced, capturing both Titus and a Hashino named Yasue. Yasue was their front man, sending messages from the actual Hashino spies. While Tertius was unable to catch the main man, there was enough evidence to arrest Titus and Yasue.

### Trial

The moment Titus was captured, Secundus was stopped trying to flee the city. Eventually he too was captured and brought in. Using illegal interrogation methods, they were able to discover both Decius and Lucius had also played their part, bringing them in.

The trial was overseen by Praetor and Calenus Faction member Decimus Sellic. In order for a fair process, the men were able to get trialed separately, allowing them to argue their own case.

The case itself was hugely popular and many citizens came and watched the trials, becoming rowdy at times and forcing guards to disperse them at points. By the end, all of the defendants were found guilty.

### Punishment

Punishment for the corruption varied. Some received much harsher than others, dependent solely on how popular they were rather than the extent of their crimes.

Titus was simply stripped of his rank and exiled from the city, able to take most of his money with him. This was because he was the foreman of the joint ticket and made himself very popular in the community. Even this punishment angered the crowd and the rest of the sentences had to be carried out in private ceremonies.

Secundus was stripped of everything, with all his assets seized. Along with his exile from the city, he was exiled from the nation as well. With nowhere to go, he eventually committed suicide before he was forced out of the Nirvan Republic.

Lucius had the same fate, stripped of everything he owned and any title he gained. As a capable Legate, he had achieved some medals and honor for his family. That too was stripped and the medals were returned to the Senate, to be melted down back into metal. He too would end his life, this time on the boat ride out of the city.

Decius got a particularly harsh punishment. As a previous Tribune of the Plebs he had used his express veto power to block legislation that was important to the republics success. His popularity plummeted, the plebs believing he had soured their name. So, he was instead enslaved and sent to the mines, likely dying from some sort of disease.

## Aftermath

In the immediate aftermath of the corruption scandal, a gang of commoners began to roam the streets, looking for any Senators and questioning them and their ties to Hashin. This forced many to isolate themselves in their homes, hiring guards to protect them (unless they already had lictors).

The Senate itself was forever changed, and a small council of individuals were made to oversee the funds given to Senators. This ironically stopped the huge amount of bribing at the time, but returned to normal when the council itself was bribed to look the other way.

Tertius was honored for his efforts and declared a hero of the republic. In **592PR** he would run for Consul and win in a landslide, having Decimus as his joint ticket.

The mastermind of the Hashino corruption scandal was never found, but it has yet to infect (or at least be known to infect) Nirvan politics again. This is likely because no Senator is willing to take the money just to lose everything in the end.