Cicero Auriga

Cicero Auriga, also called Dex, was the first black hand of an emperor in Seprum's history. He led Emperor Manius' army until the emperor's death in 86 PS and continued serving for his son, Emperor Aelius. Though a shrewd tactician, Cicero faltered when it came to politics and Manius's daughter, Augusta, convinced Aelius to replace him with Claudius Cetus in 73 PS. Ever gracious, Cicero moved to his wife's hometown of Cetrum and remained out of politics until his death.

## Relationship with Emperor Manius

Cicero's relationship with his emperor is one of great interest to historians. The two men wrote over five hundred letters to one another during their lifetimes. Cicero often called Emperor Manius "closest to my heart," "dear and precious," and a "source of longing." In one letter to his sibling, Cicerel, he compared the ink Emperor Manius used to write his letters to the water of the River Ayan. According to Henesian myth, the goddess of love dipped the tips of her arrows into the Ayan so that whoever touched the arrowheads next would fall desperately in love. When Emperor Manius died, Cicero took ten days of public mourning, a tradition generally reserved for spouses, parents, and siblings.

Whether Emperor Manius requited his feelings is up to debate. Some records from their time at the academy in Genoa together suggest they may have enjoyed a physical relationship. However, Emperor Manius was much more explicit about his feelings in his letters to his wife and especially his spouse. His writing turns almost unreadably flowery in many passages, especially during Augustok's pregnancy. He never used such language with Cicero.

However, this could be due to their relationship as emperor and hand, positions that cannot marry. Before Cicero accepted Emperor Manius' offer of deputy, the three surviving letters are more ambiguous. Emperor Manius refers to Cicero as "more than a comrade" and compares him to Ermes, a man whose love and devotion, according to myth, brought his wife back from the dead. In the letter, it is unclear whether Emperor Manius merely acknowledges Cicero's feelings towards him or reciprocates them. Some historians argue Emperor Manius meant to compare himself to Ermes and Cicero to the wife, as it is unseemly for an emperor to compare himself to a woman.

## Effect on the Position

Black hands have existed as long as the Seprum artes; however, they were reserved for paters, maters, or waters, not emperors. As such, Cicero had room to expand his scope of duties, which he did, eventually encompassing areas that, today, belong to the silver and grey hand. Cicero oversaw prisoner interrogation and transport; trained spiromancers and integrated them into the chain of command and army structure; gave generals and generals prior orders on the battlefield and during training; and created the action plan, a document that describes to an emperor or other commanding officer the goal of an action, the logistics necessary to support it, and the broader strategy and tactics of a conflict.

Cicero could not have expanded the bounds so much if Emperor Manius had not trusted him implicitly, often giving him responsibilities that previous belonged to the senate. The public feud between Cicero and Augusta Vesnia reduced his standing in the eyes of the senate and decreased the power of his position. Over time, it shrank further, most dramatically when the position of silver hand was created. However, black hands remain assumed heirs when none are ready for the position and they remain influential with the military. Though a series of competitions and trials determines who the military nominates as black hand, the relationship between black hand and emperor if of great importance—if they have not met before, as is common, because black hands tend to be young, the first role of the black hand is to start building that trust.