Fair enough. If you're only a recent graduate, it shouldn't be too hard to bluff your way into a local university's library system, since you still know the ropes. Managed to get into the University of Michigan's papyrus collection myself once, without anybody challenging me.I read it a few years ago at University, though I concede I don't have a perfect recollection of it, nor access to a copy. A focus on 'Roman warlords' is obviously a major focus of this TL, at least early on. Given the decided lack of evidence for the period, I am trying to embrace the spirit of the period as much as possible, while accepting that reflecting the precise history is all but impossible. On the point of Soissons, I have given Syagrius more or less the traditionally accepted borders for the Domain, while also underlining his relative administrative weakness and making clear that he operates in a context where he is heavily constrained by the existence of other powerful Roman warlords.
One thing that both MacGeorge and the great Peter Heather have emphasized was how relatively barbaric Syagrius was, if his behavior leading up to the Battle of Soissons was any clue. That Clovis named the time and place of the battle beforehand and that Syagrius was willing to go with that suggests that the Gallic warlord was, if not infused with the ways of the Franks, at least so familiar with Frankish ways that he was willing to work within their system of warfare.
Yes, although I've been posting updates on it anonymously elsewhere just because... I dunno, that's what I've been doing. To make Soissons relatively weak and unstable given its size, I made the CK2 Soissons just a ducal-level title, and gave the western half of the Duchy to a count, that nebulous Paulus figure who's vaguely mentioned in accounts of the Domain of Soissons. Makes it easier for Franks to conquer it like that.Btw, are you still working on your CKII mod?