Well, he gets to lead a bunch of lictors who run around swatting people with sticks?
I mean, when young adolescent Cato found out Sulla was routinely executing people, he was honestly surprised to learn that nobody had tyrannicided the guy yet, and asked his tutor, who had to explain to him, "because they fear him more than they hate him." To which Cato's reply was basically "okay, got a sword on you," at which point his tutor sensibly concluded that Cato shouldn't be allowed out in the city of Rome without a keeper.
Honestly, if we're going to manage to put together a useful police force in a place like late Republican Rome, we need a Sam Vimes, and Cato may be as close as we're gonna get.
Might be a good angle to set him up as a client to Atellus once he sets up shop in Rome, if he hasn't already formally established that relationship off screen.
The only problem with giving Cato that sort of power is that he's going to use it, even (especially) if it would be politic not to.
A more general sort of problem is that men like Cato are (thankfully) rare, which leaves us the question of who fills the post after he vacates it. My first thought is the urban praetor, because almost by definition he's a man on the rise and doing quite well out of the status quo, but that doesn't solve all the problems.
All this assumes that we manage to get the creation of such a body through the Senate and Assembly, which will be an interesting challenge. The Senate hates paying for things almost as much as it hates having an armed body of men in Rome.
It is an interesting idea, though, and would be a really nice legislative accomplishment. Might be easier to start with establishing an official fire brigade (to compete with Crassus) and work from there.
I mean, when young adolescent Cato found out Sulla was routinely executing people, he was honestly surprised to learn that nobody had tyrannicided the guy yet, and asked his tutor, who had to explain to him, "because they fear him more than they hate him." To which Cato's reply was basically "okay, got a sword on you," at which point his tutor sensibly concluded that Cato shouldn't be allowed out in the city of Rome without a keeper.
... OK, so the military-trained guys who get to storm into high-value homes should probably have a military advisor on them.
And someone on the force in general to balance Cato out.
I mean, IF the object of the game is (hypothetically) to preserve the Roman Republic and put an end to warlordism, either by being the last warlord who breaks the game for all those would-be warlords who follow him OR by, y'know, not being a warlord...
Well, clearly we're going to have to throw a larger monkey wrench into the gears of History than any other. Cato at the head of a police force, if such a thing could be accomplished which is admittedly very far from certain, strikes me as the right kind of monkey wrench.
[EDIT: Basically, he's going to score own-goals and other-team-goals, and completely upset the normal pattern, but since the normal pattern is the downfall of the Republic, mob rule in the streets, and multiple rounds of massively series-parallel civil war until autocracy starts looking good by comparison, that may not be such a bad thing.]
A more general sort of problem is that men like Cato are (thankfully) rare, which leaves us the question of who fills the post after he vacates it. My first thought is the urban praetor, because almost by definition he's a man on the rise and doing quite well out of the status quo, but that doesn't solve all the problems.
This is true. On the other hand, solving only some of the problems is still better than solving none of the problems. And "no solutions to any of the problems" is the status quo here.
It is an interesting idea, though, and would be a really nice legislative accomplishment. Might be easier to start with establishing an official fire brigade (to compete with Crassus) and work from there.
I think lictors would be the starting point for this kind of thing.
Although that begs the question of how to stop the police from pulling their own coups. They would be at the heart of the empire with no one else to stop them.
That is always an issue when it comes to things like that and I don't think you can come up with a system that is 100% foolproof but even then I think that there is a significant benefit in such a force that makes trying to do it worth it. (though I am unsure if I would start with the Lictors). Honestly if it were up to me I would go with a double or triple leadership for said police force to minimize the risk of a single faction monopolizing it, ensure it is paid paid by the state and maybe even go the athenian route of hiring foreign mercenaries (who I think used scythians as a security force for some time) since foreign soldiers tend on average be less involved in internal affairs.
The greek slave handed over the wax tablets she had dictated.
Cingulla glanced at them, skimming the slave's jottings quickly. She sighed imperceptibly at the first one, letting it gently slide to the floor, then louder and louder at each one, until the last one was casually tossed across the room with a heaving from the bottom of her lungs.
"Nevermind. I'll call you when I feel for trying again. Maybe tommorow."
For a moment as she was alone, she lay starring at ceiling splayed over her lectus with two legs and one arm dangling out. In his letter to Proserpina, Quintus Cingulatus Atellus had included a few lines to his little sister. Proserpina had came by to the villa from Rome to let Cingulla add some lines to her brother in her reply.
The reply letter was long, filled with politicky gossip that Proserpina didn't let her read that her brother deemed vital for his intriguing, but that Cingulla sceptically wondered really how much different it was from regular old wives tales.
She rose from her couch and walked to the triclinium's window, and gazed at the vineyards in the landscape outside.
Ever since after Proserpina's reply was sent, she wanted to write him some more, but everything was so uncertain these days, and she felt it would be rendered meaningless by the fluctuations of the fates before they arrived.
Like the engagement discussions with the Curtilii, now definitely on the shelf, what with Quintus on campaign with the legion and the old Curtilius senator cowering somewhere in the countryside. She didn't know who'd be better for Rome between Sulla and Marius, but if a Marian downfall meant the shutdown of clients of his like that old fogey senator and the permanent spiking of marriage plans with the likes of his loathsome son Sergius Curtilius, then she would cheerily throw rose petals at Sulla and gladly greet him as vir triumphalis.
She thought of Penelope. As a little girl, Cingulla loved to imagine herself as a character from the tales, and Penelope from the Odyssey was one her favourite, by day seemingly meekly weaving for her suitors but by night cunningly undoing it all, keeping the upper hand and things under her control. She loved especially when the tales were told by one-armed Theo, his voice was dark wine when he spoke Greek and told them in his mellifluous Attic accent.
Penelope probably wove letters to Ulysses, with her spindle as a pen and the cloth in the loom as paper, letters to be later unwoven. "Like all the letters I've been writing to Quintus" she thought . Another favourite character of hers was Dido, and she smiled fondly at the uncountable times she and Quintus had played as Dido and Aeneas, founding Carthage and ruling over the other kids as their loyal subjects as king and queen... how she found Dido's other name Elissa to be so infinitely beautiful and wished Elissa was her name, instead of boring and plain "Cingulla". And that time she had cut a fine pelt of lynx fur into thin strips to lay a claim to the garden shed that stood in for the hill of Byrsa, and how absolutely apoplectic it had made Tercerus...
Recently as Roman control had improved around Bovianum merchants and couriers could flow more freely and news had trickled in. Apparently Quintus was doing well among the Samnites, gaining their respect and chasing bandits and rebels all over the Apennine hills. So much that a Pentri notable was going to move to Rome to become a Roman citizen with Quintus' backing. A servant of this Marius Himatus had come to the villa, to discuss arrangements in Rome. "Baby Big Brother's very own first client in Rome" she pictured herself writing condescendingly in an imaginary letter to Quintus, but she couldn't help feel a little sting of pride.
Interrupting her daydreaming as she noted the sun was setting, Cingulla turned her back on the window and clapped twice with her hands. A slave appeared. Waving her hand vaguely towards the tablets on the floor, she said "Pick those up.". Maybe she would try writing again tomorrow early in the morning. But probably not, because tomorrow she was following the Himatus servant to visit Proserpina in Rome with Glaber and Theo. She had jumped at the city trip occasion to break up the rustic boredom. When Glaber had objected that Rome was not so safe for a young lady these days, she had replied with such a flat "Well well. Your coming with and being my bodyguard is a given then." that Theo had burst in a fit of laughter that was gargantuan even by his standards. Mancina had a desultory eyeroll. Oh sure she would have to follow Proserpina to a bunch of introductions and other boring social calls. But, there would also be dinners, parties, discovering new people... even making new friends perhaps... Finally Rome might provide inspiration and something worthy of recording in a correspondence with her brother...
[X] Plan All In
-[X] The Enemy in the West -[x] The Auxiliaries
-[x] Write to Sertorius
-[x] Noble Levy
--[X] Leave them to guard Bovianum and its surrounds.
--[X] Ask Himatus to find us a number of loyal volunteers to serve as scouts.
August 3rd, 85 BC
669 Years After The Founding Of Rome
The Year of Flaccus and Marius.
The Fourth Samnite War (85 BC - Ongoing)
Your first ever campaign, you were assigned as military tribune to the VI Legion under one Quintus Sertorius, a famed general and the Legate of Italia. The legion was dispatched by the Proconsul Cinna to defeat the Samnite tribes once and for all, and win a resounding Roman victory close to home.
Legion(s): LEGIO VI GRADIVIUS (Sixth Legion, Blessed By Mars) Position: Tribunus Laticlavus (Broad-Striped Tribune) Commanding Officer: Quintus Sertorius Commanding Officer Reputation: 8/10 -- Sertorius is the soldier's ideal, a young man who rose from nothing and won the Grass Crown, the Republic's ultimate military honor. Held to be a champion of his soldiers and a defender of the common people, there are many in the Sixth who would die for Sertorius without question. Total Forces: 5,600 combined Roman legionnaires, equites, and auxilaries. Green/Veteran Split: 4 half-green Cohorts, 4 Average, 1 Skilled, 1 Elite, 1 Skilled Auxiliary Reputation With The Legion: 6/10 -- The giver of laurels and the breaker of the Samnites, the bringer of coin and law, and a capable fighter in your own right -- you are many things to the men of the Sixth Legion, but first and foremost you are the Tribune. They may not all love you, but they respect you. Location: Apennine Italy Occupied Cities: Bovianum (Opinion 6/10) Outcome: ???
The morning wind howls in your ears, and the chill, unseasonable for this early in the year, bites at your skin. You stand atop a jagged outcropping of rock some fifteen miles from the Valley of the Vulturnus. Before you is a great bull, bound and tied with strong leather cords, its dark eyes flickering back and forth frantically. Your mind flashes back to the last time you saw a bull bound in such a manner, during the Rite of Gradivus that won the legion its name. It seems like it has been a lifetime since then, and you hardly feel as if you are the same man you were then. It has only been five months, but you would swear on all the gods that you have marched through Samnium for lifetimes. You have seen men die, felt the crunch of bone beneath your sword, known the slick feel of blood under your feet. There are days as if you feel when your life ended in that temple, and you were reborn under the red auspices of Mars.
Mars. The god of War. Mars, bloody-handed and storm-eyed. Mars, who the legionnares say marches with you to end Gemino once and for all. Mars, the soldier-god to whom you and your officers have gathered here on this hill to appease, to beg for victory, to catch a glimpse of what is to come. In war, it always comes back to him, it seems. The Samnites call him Mamercus, the Greeks Ares, but every man who holds a sword knows him as their patron.
As Poronius, the augur you brought with the cohorts, prepares the bull for sacrifice, you offer your own quiet prayer to Mars. He has shaped you, changed you, molded you these last months. And he has guided you here, to the eve of battle. You ask him to guide you one more time, to lead you to victory over Gemino and his rebels. Even as your prayer drifts to the heavens, even as Poronius draws his blade across the bull's throat, the howling of wolves splits the morning air, a ferocious baying that rings in the hills. The augur's eyes widen, and he falls to the ground in prostration.
The prophetic meaning of the moment is not lost on you or your officers: the wolf is Mars' sacred animal, and the patron beast of Rome herself. Mars has not just sent a sign, he has sent the sign. And to the superstitious soldiers of the legions, to the soldiers of the Sixth Legion Gradvius, named after Mars himself, that can only mean one thing: Mars is with you. As one, you and your officers fall to your knees with respect. Still, the wolves howl, their voices sounding like trumpets in the air.
Then, something you cannot name drives you to rise from your feet. Almost without thinking, you draw your spear, and, stepping forward, dip it's point in the growing pool of the bull's blood. There is silence for a moment, and then, almost as one, Tercerus and Pompolussa rise and follow your lead. One by one, the officers of the Sixth rise to dip the points of their spears in the blood of the sacrificed bull. A few minutes after the last centurion dips his spear, the howling of wolves begins to subside, and in moments, it is gone.
The stunned augur rises shakily to his feet, but he says nothing. There is nothing he needs to say, for the omen is readily apparent.
The god of war rides with his Sixth Legion.
Greater Augury Received:The Voice of Mars
+2 to morale rolls and offensive rolls for all units under your command for the next 3 turns.
Before the augury, you spent several days gathering up all your troops, recruiting your forces, and deploying your auxiliaries and allies. You attempted to levy the nobles for their mercenaries and personal guards in order to defend Bovianum and it's outskirts while you were gone, but despite Himatus' fervent advocacy for you and your cause, the selfishness of the Samnite nobles proved too strong. What if Gemino came for them, they said, while the Romans were off on a wild goose chase? What if the legions abandoned them altogether to go fight their war? No, they insisted, they needed their forces.
You were forced to instead deploy the semi-trained auxiliaries from Aquilonia to protect the homelands of the Pentri alone, an unfavorable thing. However, your mood was considerably improved when Himatus nonetheless contributed the entirety of his household guard to serve as a scouting force. It was even further improved when the Gaulish messenger you sent at full speed to Sertorius returned nary forty-eight hours later with a cohort at his back -- the fighting Seventh, but at it's head, no mere centurion. Indeed, who else arrived to your aid but Lucius Proculus Mercator. Though Sertorius could not spare the deadly first cohort or even one of it's centuries, the primus pilus apparently appealed to the Legate to be allowed to lead the reinforcements personally. When you questioned him on this, the centurion merely greeted you with a wild grin and told you that he and Gemino have a long-standing debt which must be settled.
And so, a scant two days after you received notice of Gemino's intentions, you and your force of roughly 2900 marched off to hunt down the man who has so plagued you these last months, Gemino of the Pentri.
Noble Levies: 1d20 +1 (Proficient Diplomacy) +2 (Accomplished Charisma) +1 (Gift of Minerva) + (Himatus) -1 (Enemy of the Samnites) = 8
Sertorius' Reinforcements: 1d20 + 6 (Reputation in the Legion) = 14
The battle began well. Veniximaeus and his scouts evaded the Samnite army's patrols and led your army right to Gemino's location, passing through the Samnite guards like ghosts in the night. They identified the route Gemino's army was taking, a circuitous route which would take him through a warren of hills known only as the Tabelline Pass, with unique geography that provided him with powerful defensive position, and in which he could harass his enemies to no end. However, he would doubtless be forced to emerge from the hills in order to make the two-mile trek to the pass into the Valley of the Vulturnus. This, you and your officers determined, would be the perfect time to strike, when his armies were traveling over open ground.
Despite this, however, word reached Gemino of the Roman approach -- a villager allied to him saw the approaching Roman forces and rode day and night to inform the rebel leader of your army's coming. Moving quickly, he gathered his men into a defensive position at the mouth of the hill range, one well-situated for resisting and repelling an attacking force. However, you thought quickly, and, after scouting the area, you noticed that there was a path through the hills which, if marched through, would allow you to negate the defensive advantages of his position. He would doubtless see you coming, but he would still lose the tactical advantage he so often relied on.
Gemino, as you had hoped, had underestimated you. He knew of the pass, and had stationed a cursory detachment of guards there, but your scouts were able to easily wipe out these few men before they could alert the bulk of his army. Gemino thus only saw you coming when you began to emerge from the pass, and had to work frantically to wheel his army about as your armies moved. His army was still re-positioning when the Second, led by Pompolussa, smashed into his left flank. Due to the geography of the pass, your armies could not bring their full size to bear, but the Samnites were still disorganized and confused when Pompolussa attacked.
For a moment, the Samnite line wavered under the onslaught, but Gemino's commanders managed to rally the men for a counterattack. Pompolussa managed to repulse it, and hounded the Samnites even as they fell back, stopping them from effecting a proper retreat. The Samnites, ever stubborn, refused to break, and though they took heavy losses, managed to fall back, allowing forces under Gemino's command to sweep in and engage Pompolussa. The legendary bandit hit Pompolussa like a hammer, and though the Second managed to hold, it was almost certain they could not handle another engagement such as that. Pompolussa began to fall back, and Gemino chased after him -- right into your arms.
You had planned this all out beforehand. The hidden pass was only one part of your maneuvering, for you had five cohorts -- and there were two passes for the enemy to defend. Even as Gemino led his army after Pompolussa and the Second and Sixth cohorts, you and Mercator led the Third, Ninth, and Seventh to the mouth of the hill range -- behind Pompolussa's confused army, which had turned away from the position it had meant to defend. They turned to see the Gauls thundering towards them, and behind them, two Roman cohorts.
And now you are here. Blood spatters your face, mixing with your sweat and stinging your eyes even as you struggle to stay above your horse, your sword hand rising and falling and rising and falling. Around you, the Third Cohort advances painfully forward, cutting through the Samnite rear flank. The miasma of battle parts, and for a moment, in the distance, you can see Gemino's forces wheeling around to come aid with this part of the battle, allowing Pompolussa's cohort to fall back, significantly smaller than it was when you last saw it. Then the swirling dust closes, and the battle resumes.
But you feel it pounding in your heart, that same red fire kindled in the Temple of Mars all those months ago, the same fulfillment that fills your heart when you duel in the forum, the same certainty that you were born for this, that this is in your blood, in your flesh. You are a Roman, and Mars himself thunders in your veins. This...this is what you were made for. The song of battle. The rhythm of the blade. The smell of smoke and death on the wind. This --the legion's line, the shine of spears in sun, the sound of steel on flesh -- this is Rome.
Later, you will only remember snippets of this. Your throat, growing hoarse as you howled for the Third to close shields against a Samnite charge. A Samnite, no older than 15, reeling back as your gladius tore from his chest, his eyes still fixed on yours, his face twisted with hatred. Venixmaeus throwing a spear halfway across the battlefield to impale a warrior who, you later find out, was moments from putting his sword through Tercerus' back. A Gaul, leaping from his injured horse only to meet his end on a Samnite spear. The rest is a jumble of smells and sounds: blood and shit and dust and fear, the ringing of steel on steel and the unforgettable sound of men dying.
It continues for hours. The Samnites are intractable, unyielding. You surge forward, and they push you back. They surge forward, and you push them back. As Apollo burns his way across the sky, the Tabelline Pass becomes a charnel field, littered with the gore of the fallen trampled beneath the feet of living. The dirt underneath you grows red with blood. The next thing you truly remember is the sun hanging low and red in the sky as Mercator leads the Seventh over the bodies of their friends and brothers in a final charge against the Samnite left flank, which collapses like wet paper before their onslaught. As they fall, Gemino's dwindling army begins to collapse, and a final push from the Third sends them fleeing. Gemino himself rallies a band of riders and punches through the weakened line, riding out through the pass. You do not remember the decision to ride after him yourself, but your next clear memory is tearing the old bandit from his horse under a pregnant moon, the Gauls roaring around you as they clash with what remains of his army.
The infamous rebel rises from the ground slowly, a stony smile spread across his face. This is the first time you have ever seen him in person, and now, bathed in the light of the full moon, you can make out his features clearly. His eyes glint with...something you cannot place. Anticipation? Expectation?
...Eagerness?
"So. You win, boy." His voice is tired, very tired, and for the first time you are truly cognizant of the fact that your great enemy is a man perhaps a decade or two younger than Tercerus, if that.
"I win."
"I am but a single man. The Samnites will always rise up to violent purpose against Rome." His voice is strained, as if he's trying to convince himself.
You chuckle, at that. "Your people have bent knee to Rome, Samnite. They see wisdom in ending this farce of war."
"He who chooses slavery is still a slave. And that is what you bring, Roman, make no mistake: slavery. You will choke my people for their gold and their food, and when you are done you will still take their lands from them, and the Samnites will be no more."
He pauses, and for a long moment, he looks almost regretful. "Would that you'd been born a Samnite. We might have stood a chance."
You don't know where the words you speak next come from, but as you speak them, you know you mean them.
"Would that you'd been born a Roman."
Gemino chuckles, at that.
"Bend the knee. Submit to Rome, and I will show you her mercy." Mercy, until he can be judged in Rome, of course. Sertorius would well appreciate the leader of the western rebellion in chains.
The old Samnite just sighs heavily and raises his sword high, sliding into a battle stance.
"Damn the Sibyls." The old rebel's words are almost a whisper, and you frown as you try to puzzle their meaning. Then, before you can even think to react, Gemino pivots his blade and shoves it through his stomach.
The man who has been your greatest enemy these last months falls to his knees, his grey eyes still fixed on yours.
"I die a free man and a Samnite. Choke on your mercy, Roman." With that, his proud features go slack. His eyes, still, empty, and wide, gaze into yours for a long moment before you turn away. They stay with you for a long time.
So passes Gemino of the Pentri.
With his death, his forces are broken once and for all. What is left of his shattered army goes to ground, the peasants returning to their farms and homes, while the few living rebels scatter, likely to devolve into banditry or petty brigandry without Gemino's guiding hand. The dead will take days to count, and the injured weeks to heal. Pompolussa was heavily wounded in Gemino's rout, and Tercerus and Mercator both have a few more scars for their respective collections.
But you have won the battle of the Tabelline Pass -- Gemino and his rebels are, at long last, no more.
Next Moves
Though it has cost you some three-hundred-odd men, you have won the battle of the Tabelline Pass, and seen Gemino to his final, bitter end. Now you must decide what, exactly, to do with your forces next.
[] Turn and march immediately for Nola, in order to reinforce Sertorius and the Hirpini in the siege. [] Turn to pacify the western towns that supported Gemino, and ensure that the entire region is solidly under Roman control. [] March for the Valley of the Vulturnus to finish what you started and destroy the rebel presence in in western Samnium. [] Return to Bovianum to better tend to the injured, and ensure that the supply lines stay secured.
Captured Enemies
You have captured roughly 150 survivors of the Samnite army, either those who surrendered or were captured while fleeing. What do you wish to do with them?
[] Sell them into slavery, both increasing your own personal coffers and gaining more money for the legion. [] Free them, and order them to return to their homes and farms. With Gemino gone, they are no longer a threat. [] Kill them all.
--[] Crucify them along nearby roads as examples.
--[] Have them executed by your men here and now. [] Write-In
There is now a TWENTY-FOUR HOUR MORATORIUM on all votes.
Use this time to discuss the choices available and create different Plans. As previously discussed, any votes not in plan form, or submitted before the moratorium is up, will not be counted.
As always, discussion is rewarded. (As are Omakes and Reaction posts.)
Captured Enemies
You have captured roughly 150 survivors of the Samnite army, either those who surrendered or were captured while fleeing. What do you wish to do with them?
[X ] Write-In:
Crucify half of them in front of the city, to show what happens to who define Rome. Sell the other half and divide the money to the Legion.
For the others vote... Uhm, I'm not sure...
[] Turn and march immediately for Nola, in order to reinforce Sertorius and the Hirpini in the siege. [] Turn to pacify the western towns that supported Gemino, and ensure that the entire region is solidly under Roman control. [] March for the Valley of the Vulturnus to finish what you started and destroy the rebel presence in in western Samnium. [] Return to Bovianum to better tend to the injured, and ensure that the supply lines stay secured.
As Poronius, the augur you brought with the cohorts, prepares the bull for sacrifice, you offer your own quiet prayer to Mars. He has shaped you, changed you, molded you these last months. And he has guided you here, to the eve of battle. You ask him to guide you one more time, to lead you to victory over Gemino and his rebels. Even as your prayer drifts to the heavens, even as Poronius draws his blade across the bull's throat, the howling of wolves splits the morning air, a ferocious baying that rings in the hills. The augur's eyes widen, and he falls to the ground in prostration.
The prophetic meaning of the moment is not lost on you or your officers: the wolf is Mars' sacred animal, and the patron beast of Rome herself. Mars has not just sent a sign, he has sent the sign. And to the superstitious soldiers of the legions, to the soldiers of the Sixth Legion Gradvius, named after Mars himself, that can only mean one thing: Mars is with you.
Then, something you cannot name drives you to rise from your feet. Almost without thinking, you draw your spear, and, stepping forward, dip it's point in the growing pool of the bull's blood. There is silence for a moment, and then, almost as one, Tercerus and Pompolussa rise and follow your lead. One by one, the officers of the Sixth rise to dip the points of their spears in the blood of the sacrificed bull. A few minutes after the last centurion dips his spear, the howling of wolves begins to subside, and in moments, it is gone.
Before the augury, you spent several days gathering up all your troops, recruiting your forces, and deploying your auxiliaries and allies. You attempted to levy the nobles for their mercenaries and personal guards in order to defend Bovianum and it's outskirts while you were gone, but despite Himatus' fervent advocacy for you and your cause, the selfishness of the Samnite nobles proved too strong. What if Gemino came for them, they said, while the Romans were off on a wild goose chase? What if the legions abandoned them altogether to go fight their war? No, they insisted, they needed their forces.
You were forced to instead deploy the semi-trained auxiliaries from Aquilonia to protect the homelands of the Pentri alone, an unfavorable thing. However, your mood was considerably improved when Himatus nonetheless contributed the entirety of his household guard to serve as a scouting force. It was even further improved when the Gaulish messenger you sent at full speed to Sertorius returned nary forty-eight hours later with a cohort at his back -- the fighting Seventh, but at it's head, no mere centurion. Indeed, who else arrived to your aid but Lucius Proculus Mercator. Though Sertorius could not spare the deadly first cohort or even one of it's centuries, the primus pilus apparently appealed to the Legate to be allowed to lead the reinforcements personally. When you questioned him on this, the centurion merely greeted you with a wild grin and told you that he and Gemino have a long-standing debt which must be settled.
The battle began well. Veniximaeus and his scouts evaded the Samnite army's patrols and led your army right to Gemino's location, passing through the Samnite guards like ghosts in the night.
Despite this, however, word reached Gemino of the Roman approach -- a villager allied to him saw the approaching Roman forces and rode day and night to inform the rebel leader of your army's coming.
For a moment, the Samnite line wavered under the onslaught, but Gemino's commanders managed to rally the men for a counterattack. Pompolussa managed to repulse it, and hounded the Samnites even as they fell back, stopping them from effecting a proper retreat. The Samnites, ever stubborn, refused to break, and though they took heavy losses, managed to fall back, allowing forces under Gemino's command to sweep in and engage Pompolussa. The legendary bandit hit Pompolussa like a hammer, and though the Second managed to hold, it was almost certain they could not handle another engagement such as that. Pompolussa began to fall back, and Gemino chased after him -- right into your arms.
And now you are here. Blood spatters your face, mixing with your sweat and stinging your eyes even as you struggle to stay above your horse, your sword hand rising and falling and rising and falling. Around you, the Third Cohort advances painfully forward, cutting through the Samnite rear flank. The miasma of battle parts, and for a moment, in the distance, you can see Gemino's forces wheeling around to come aid with this part of the battle, allowing Pompolussa's cohort to fall back, significantly smaller than it was when you last saw it. Then the swirling dust closes, and the battle resumes.
But you feel it pounding in your heart, that same red fire kindled in the Temple of Mars all those months ago, the same fulfillment that fills your heart when you duel in the forum, the same certainty that you were born for this, that this is in your blood, in your flesh. You are a Roman, and Mars himself thunders in your veins. This...this is what you were made for. The song of battle. The rhythm of the blade. The smell of smoke and death on the wind. This --the legion's line, the shine of spears in sun, the sound of steel on flesh -- this is Rome.
It continues for hours. The Samnites are intractable, unyielding. You surge forward, and they push you back. They surge forward, and you push them back.
ou do not remember the decision to ride after him yourself, but your next clear memory is tearing the old bandit from his horse under a pregnant moon, the Gauls roaring around you as they clash with what remains of his army.
The infamous rebel rises from the ground slowly, a stony smile spread across his face. This is the first time you have ever seen him in person, and now, bathed in the light of the full moon, you can make out his features clearly. His eyes glint with...something you cannot place. Anticipation? Expectation?
...Eagerness?
"So. You win, boy." His voice is tired, very tired, and for the first time you are truly cognizant of the fact that your great enemy is a man perhaps a decade or two younger than Tercerus, if that.
"I am but a single man. The Samnites will always rise up to violent purpose against Rome." His voice is strained, as if he's trying to convince himself.
You chuckle, at that. "Your people have bent knee to Rome, Samnite. They see wisdom in ending this farce of war."
"He who chooses slavery is still a slave. And that is what you bring, Roman, make no mistake: slavery.
The old Samnite just sighs heavily and raises his sword high, sliding into a battle stance.
"Damn the Sibyls." The old rebel's words are almost a whisper, and you frown as you try to puzzle their meaning. Then, before you can even think to react, Gemino pivots his blade and shoves it through his stomach.
You realize that we are not dealing with civilized men who would be cowed by the tactics of fear, like the Turks or Hungarians at the times of the Impaler. Cruel and unusual deaths are the bread and butter of the barbaroi and Romans looks down on such waste of bodies.
So basically even if Atellus does succeed in pacifying the Samnite this way, there's definitely too much of a potential backlash and at this moment in time, in front of the treacherous Roman politics and Pompey as an enemy, this kind of gambit is too much of an unnecessary risk.
Safer to just sell them off, really. Less of a political risk. More gold to the coffer. Now we can move on to the other Samnites in the region.
[] Plan Hoth [] March for the Valley of the Vulturnus to finish what you started and destroy the rebel presence in in western Samnium. [] Sell them into slavery, both increasing your own personal coffers and gaining more money for the legion.
[] Plan Hoth [] March for the Valley of the Vulturnus to finish what you started and destroy the rebel presence in in western Samnium. [] Sell them into slavery, both increasing your own personal coffers and gaining more money for the legion.
We do need to ensure the region is completely pacified before rallying to reinforce Sertorius. Gemino is dealt with, but we still need to handle Tercerian, to say nothing of the villages who had supported Gemino. Still, Tercerian is probably the next priority.
As for the prisoners, they dared to defy Rome, so why not punish them in such a way as to gain more money for the Legion?
Once the moratorium is over, I will probably be voting for Plan Hoth.
[ ] Sell them into slavery, both increasing your own personal coffers and gaining more money for the legion.
This is just what you do with captives of war, like this is literally where the majority of roman slaves come from and the Samnites would not be surprised nor would our legionaries like to deprived of their money if we don't sell these slaves.
You realize that we are not dealing with civilized men who would be cowed by the tactics of fear, like the Turks or Hungarians at the times of the Impaler. Cruel and unusual deaths are the bread and butter of the barbaroi and Romans looks down on such waste of bodies.
So basically even if Atellus does succeed in pacifying the Samnite this way, there's definitely too much of a potential backlash and at this moment in time, in front of the treacherous Roman politics and Pompey as an enemy, this kind of gambit is too much of an unnecessary risk.
Safer to just sell them off, really. Less of a political risk. More gold to the coffer. Now we can move on to the other Samnites in the region.
[] Plan Hoth [] March for the Valley of the Vulturnus to finish what you started and destroy the rebel presence in in western Samnium. [] Sell them into slavery, both increasing your own personal coffers and gaining more money for the legion.
Sertorius ordered us to bring our forces to support him in besieging the primary rebel force screwing around over here when he wants those forces right now seems like a poor idea.
Edit: We might be able to justify leaving one cohort and our injured in our base camp here in order to allow the injured to recover and not slow us down as well as providing some kind of garrision force to prevent anyone from getting ideas. If they have spare time they might even be able to subjugate those towns or get started on the roads.
There are still the rebels in the Valley of the Vulturnus, though. Given that they would have tripled Gemino's numbers, it would only be prudent to deal with them once and for all. I do not think Sertorius would begrudge at least this much. It is only logical not to leave this dagger poised at our backs.
We were wanted to meet back up with Sertorius as soon as possible, so no marching to try and attack the guy that outnumbers us now. We can probably stay long enough to deal with the towns that turned to Gemino, but no more than that. I'd say we deal with them and then march to meet up with Sertorius at Nola.
Whatever we do we should at least send the Seventh back, although I'm thinking it'd be a nice touch to send the Seventh plus another Cohort, along with enough men to have both at full strength.
Sertorius ordered us to bring our forces to support him in besieging the primary rebel force screwing around over here when he wants those forces right now seems like a poor idea.
Edit: We might be able to justify leaving one cohort and our injured in our base camp here in order to allow the injured to recover and not slow us down as well as providing some kind of garrision force to prevent anyone from getting ideas. If they have spare time they might even be able to subjugate those towns or get started on the roads.
That might be a good idea. Have Rufus hold down the fort so to speak while the injured recover and we head out. It might be worthwhile to just march into the towns that sided with Gemino and show his severed head off and call for their surrender though.
There are still the rebels in the Valley of the Vulturnus, though. Given that they would have tripled Gemino's numbers, it would only be prudent to deal with them once and for all. I do not think Sertorius would begrudge at least this much. It is only logical not to leave this dagger poised at our backs.
Their hold on the valley is by force at the moment, an the leader is barely keeping them together from how he's been described. They aren't in a position to be much of a problem outside the valley. They also outnumbered us before we fought Gemino. They aren't a small problem we can smack aside easily with the Samite Balls of Steel trait.
Many greek can become freeman if they have enough skill so the samnite.
Also,I am on clear out rebel and bandit in this territory,We need to do reinforcement but let enemy behind our back is invite disaster and risk our supply line.
The mystical nature of auguries you manage to convey to the reader (Especially whenever we manage to crit them ) is one of my favourite things in this quest.
... Characters with the 'Gift of Mars' like Sertorius, Pompey and Caesar gain a +5 Modifier to pre-battle auguries. This, in addition to their natural +5 modifier to battle rolls, will make it really hard for us to ever win a prolonged round of hostilities against someone who bears that Gift. To even the odds we would need to outrank our opponents significantly, but this is also made difficult by the boni the Gift of Mars provides to boosting all martial-related stats and skills. While I trust the QM to keep the quest interesting, right now I have a hard time imagining how we could hope to go toe to toe on a battlefield with any of our peers who posses that trait. Outside of us aquiring a strong narrative trait, maybe making use of our high intellect to give us an additional modifier in battle rolls, I can't see us stay competitive with people like Pompey and Caesar.
You attempted to levy the nobles for their mercenaries and personal guards in order to defend Bovianum and it's outskirts while you were gone, but despite Himatus' fervent advocacy for you and your cause, the selfishness of the Samnite nobles proved too strong. What if Gemino came for them, they said, while the Romans were off on a wild goose chase? What if the legions abandoned them altogether to go fight their war? No, they insisted, they needed their forces.
However, your mood was considerably improved when Himatus nonetheless contributed the entirety of his household guard to serve as a scouting force. It was even further improved when the Gaulish messenger you sent at full speed to Sertorius returned nary forty-eight hours later with a cohort at his back -- the fighting Seventh, but at it's head, no mere centurion. Indeed, who else arrived to your aid but Lucius Proculus Mercator. Though Sertorius could not spare the deadly first cohort or even one of it's centuries, the primus pilus apparently appealed to the Legate to be allowed to lead the reinforcements personally. When you questioned him on this, the centurion merely greeted you with a wild grin and told you that he and Gemino have a long-standing debt which must be settled.
This was a really intense battle. Nicely done. At some points I honestly thought that Gemino would manage to get away one more time.
Also, those were alot of battle rounds.. annoying 'Heart of Steel' trait. (Although it only saved them once).
On to the options, these two are out:
[] Turn and march immediately for Nola, in order to reinforce Sertorius and the Hirpini in the siege. [] March for the Valley of the Vulturnus to finish what you started and destroy the rebel presence in in western Samnium.
This will take longer, especially because we will probably have to still return to Bovanium to order the region. These towns will be essential if we hope to have the Samnites contain Tercerian by themselves. But, I worry if there is anything we can really achieve in these towns. We just murdered their husbands and sons on the field of battle and we still carry the 'Enemy of Samnites' trait, that will be a hard DC to beat. In the end, taking this option would only make sense in combination with 'letting at least the peasants go home' in the second vote.
[] Sell them into slavery, both increasing your own personal coffers and gaining more money for the legion. [] Free them, and order them to return to their homes and farms. With Gemino gone, they are no longer a threat. [] Kill them all.
--[] Crucify them along nearby roads as examples.
--[] Have them executed by your men here and now. [] Write-In
Crucifying is out of the question. It would be better to just kill them here than provoke trouble in this already pacified region. I think it is important to remember that the western towns signed up with Gemino, because we didn't send aid and Tercerian was raiding them.
@Telamon Can we differentiate well between the peasants from the Western Towns and Gemino's 'original' rebels? If, yes would a write-in like this be possible:
[] Write-In: Free the Levies, Enslave the Rebels
Free all those you determine to be newly levied troops from the western towns. Enslave and sell, the rest.
In combination with this I might be tempted to go to the western towns... [] Plan Melting Stone
-[] Turn to pacify the western towns that supported Gemino, and ensure that the entire region is solidly under Roman control. -[] Free the Levies, Enslave the Rebels: Free all those you determine to be newly levied troops from the western towns. Enslave and sell, the rest.
Otherwise, I would go with either [] Kill on the spot OR [] Enslave + [] Return to Bovanium.
) is one of my favourite things in this quest.