. What else?
Ooh. Good omen!
Yep. Definitely picked the right theme song for this update.
Huh. Let's exploit the Tartarus out of that. Get back to Nola so we can be an impressive military powerhouse in the decisive battle!
The Augury (Poronius): 1d20 + 2 (Accomplished Prophecy) = 22
Needed: 10
Legendary Success
You got a natural 20. Again.
....I need a drink.
Hey, it's bound to happen like 5% of the time. We roll several d20s a turn, after all.
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.
Bastard dumbasses.
you Marius Himatus, are worth any ten of 'em.
(hic)
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.
Classy of him. He couldn't persuade the others, so he took it upon himself to do the job.
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.
WOO! Gobanitio came through and earned his big ol' bag of silver!
Also, that was some fast marching. Good job, mighty Seventh! See? What we said to Veniximaeus was true: "I owe it to Sertorius to see if any of his half of the legion have the belly for a quick brawl before the main event at Nola."
Let it never
ever be said that Mercator doesn't have the belly for a fight.
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
So as I understand it, we rolled a 5 (less if Himatus provided a bonus on the die roll) and an 8 on our reinforcement rolls. See, our luck isn't insane, we pay for the highs with the lows!
Scouting (Veniximaeus): 1d20 +1 (Skilled Troops) +2 (Accomplished Command) +2 (Gaulish Cavalry) +1 (Himatus' Household) = 23
versus
Scouting (Gemino's Lieutenant): 1d20 +1 (Skilled Troops) +2 (Home Turft) +1 (Proficient Command) = 9
Resounding Victory
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.
Good one. So, Himatus's help managed to cut Gemino's home turf advantage in half, not that we really needed it. I assume the Gauls got the +1 for "Skilled Troops" because even if we personally weren't leading the scouting expedition, we were in overall command of the whole force?
Warning (Gemino): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) +3 (The Oracle's Warning) +2 (Accomplished Charisma) = 28
Manuvering: 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +0 (Average Command) + 1 (Gift of Minerva) +1 (Competent Subordinates) +2 (Numerical Advantage) = 26
versus
Manuvering (Gemino): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) +4 (Renowned Command) +1 (Competent Subordinates) +2 (Home Turf) +3 (The Oracle's Warning) -6 (Outnumbered) = 12
Resounding Victory
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 studying maps of the area, you noticed that there was a path through the hills which, if you attacked through it, 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.
Huh. Gemino had a net +8 on the die roll... and rolled a 4. Conversely, we had a net +6 and rolled a 20. Inspiration strikes again; Gemino is very, very good, but is he
inspired? On the other hand, Gemino
aced that 'warning' check; it would have been disastrous for him if we hadn't.
Also, outnumbering him like 3 to 1 gave us a relative +8 advantage on the opposed die roll. Presumably because we have so many men, we could send one army bigger than his along the route he'd
LIKE us to take, and
still jump on his back with yet another army also bigger than his.
Round 1
First Strike (Pompolussa): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +2 (Accomplished Command) +2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) = 22
versus
Defend the Flank (Gemino's Lieutenant #2): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +1 (Proficient Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) = 14
Resounding Victory
Samnite Morale Check: 1d20 +2 (Renowned Command) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 22
Needed: 14
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.
12 versus 8 on the die roll, middling performances for both sides
under the circumstances, but the circumstances grossly favored the Romans here. Gemino gets his flank stove in and has to salvage the situation... By the way, whatever happened to that Military +4 Command +1 lieutenant of Gemino's who almost mousetrapped the Ninth Cohort? I was kind of dreading seeing
him show up.
Round 2
Counterattack (Gemino's Lieutenant #2): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +1 (Proficient Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) = 19
versus
Repulse the Counterattack (Pompolussa): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +2 (Accomplished Command) +2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) = 28
Resounding Victory
Samnite Morale Check: 1d20 +2 (Renowned Command) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 16
Needed: 15
Round 3
Shatter the Flank (Pompolussa): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +2 (Accomplished Command) +2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) = 16
versus
Fall Back (Gemino's Lieutenant #2): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +1 (Proficient Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) = 15
Narrow Victory
Samnite Morale Check: 1d20 +2 (Renowned Command) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 23
Needed: 7
Round 4
Drive off the Romans (Gemino): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) +4 (Renowned Military) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) = 31
versus
Hold the Line (Pompolussa): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +2 (Accomplished Command) +2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) = 11
Resounding Defeat
Roman Morale Check: +0 (Average Command) +2 (The Voice of Mars) = 21
Needed: 14
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.
13 versus 18 in the first round, an
excellent performance from Pompolussa, let's remember to recommend him for a medal or something. The Samnites damn near broke right there. Pompolussa's counterstroke was a 6 versus a 9, not so impressive, but under the circumstances he wasn't likely to break them. Then Gemino took the field and... uh, was the morale check rolled with our Command +0 instead of Pompolussa's Command +2? Is that because Pompolussa had been knocked out during the battle? Or is it just a thing in general?
Also, good thing we rolled a 19 on (in effect) a DC 12 morale check there. Coulda been messy.
Round 5
Attack From Behind: 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) + 0 (Average Command) +3 (Gallic Cavalry) + 2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +1 (Gift of Minerva) = 15
versus
Defend the Rear (Gemino's Lieutenant #3) +1 (Proficient Military) +2 (Accomplished Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) -2 (Attacked from Behind) = 6
Resounding Victory
Samnite Morale Check: +2 (Renowned Command) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 13
Needed: 14
Samnite Back Flank Broken!
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.
POW!
So yeah, our win on this round was pretty narrow, and it almost didn't work. Low rolls on both sides; we rolled a 3 and Gemino's lieutenant rolled a 1, but our tactical advantages were so huge that we could break their back anyway. And
finally, for the first time I can remember, a Samnite force on the defensive broke at the first clash of arms.
Round 6
Save the Day (Gemino): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) + 4 (Renowned Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) -6 (Outnumbered) = 21
versus
Defeat Gemino (You): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) + 0 (Average Command) +2 (Gallic Cavalry) + 2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +2 (Numerical Advantage) +1 (Gift of Minerva) = 31
Resounding Victory
Samnite Morale Check: 1d20 +2 (Renowned Military) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 21
Needed: 14
Round 7
Charge the Roman Position: (Gemino): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) + 4 (Renowned Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -1 (Peasant Levies) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) -6 (Outnumbered) = 17
versus
Defend Against The Charge: (You): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) + 0 (Average Command) +2 (Gallic Cavalry) + 2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +2 (Numerical Advantage) +1 (Gift of Minerva) = 18
Narrow Victory
Samnite Morale Check: 1d20 +2 (Renowned Military) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 18
Needed: 7
Round 8
Defeat Gemino: (You): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) + 0 (Average Command) +2 (Gallic Cavalry) + 2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +2 (Numerical Advantage) +1(Gift of Minerva) = 14
versus
Fall Back To Better Ground: (Gemino): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) + 4 (Renowned Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -1 (Peasant Levies) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) -6 (Outnumbered) = 13
Narrow Victory
Samnite Morale Check = 1d20 +2 (Renowned Command) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 27
Needed: 8
Round 9
Defeat Gemino: (You): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) + 0 (Average Command) +2 (Gallic Cavalry) + 2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +2 (Numerical Advantage) +1(Gift of Minerva)= 20
versus
Defeat Atellus: (Gemino): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) + 4 (Renowned Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -1 (Peasant Levies) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) -6 (Outnumbered) = 11
Resounding Victory
Samnite Morale Check = 1d20 +2 (Renowned Command) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 26
Needed: 17
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.
So it's finally down to Quintus Atellus against Gemino, directly. He's at a -10 on the die roll that more than offsets the bonuses he personally brought to the table, with the cumulative bonus being +5... and we have a whopping +13 points worth of bonuses. Well chosen terrain, the Gallic cavalry we made a special effort to cement to our side, and the heavy weight of Roman numbers that we committed to battle, give us such a big advantage that Gemino being by far the more skillful and experienced commander hardly matters.
In terms of the skill of the performances, in round 6 we have (Gemino vs. Atellus) a 16 versus 18 on the die roll, a high-scoring near-tie. Followed by a 13 vs. 5 (!) in Round 7 where he could conceivably have knocked us back with only slightly more luck or slightly tougher men. Gemino tries to fall back, rolling a 9 to our
natural 1, and it still isn't quite enough; we're able to keep pounding on him even though his troops' morale is practically unbreakable. Finally, in Round 9, we roll a 7 to Gemino's 7, tying the die roll, which translates into handily winning the exchange and grinding the Samnites down further. The cumulative effect of this is wearing them down, but their bonuses still give them every chance of winning a morale check.
Also,
phew good thing Tercerus made it!
Counterattack (Gemino's Lieutenant #2) 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +1 (Proficient Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) = 24
versus
Defend the Seventh (Mercator) 1d20 +2 (Proficient Military) +4 (Renowned Command) +2(First of the First) +2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +2 (Numerical Advantage) = 22
Narrow Defeat
Roman Morale Check = 1d20 +0 (Average Command) +2 (Voice of Mars) +1 (Skilled Units)= 15
Needed: 6
Meanwhile, a similar pounding match between Mercator and one of Gemino's subordinates. Mercator has all our bonuses except "Gallic Cavalry," and he offsets that with the "First of the First" bonus, which I can only assume is about
him personally since he didn't bring any of the First Cohort with him. A reputation bonus or something? Anyway, Mercator has all our bonuses, but he's
good at command (oddly, not as good at raw overall Military as us by nature, but his skills must have been ground waaay up over the past decade or two). He's rolling with a +16 on the die roll, and Gemino's lieutenant starts out rolling at a +6, being less crushingly outnumbered.
But Mercator rolls a 6, and the Samnite attacking him rolls an 18, so the Romans take a pounding. Once again, we see that the Roman morale checks are being made with Quintus Atellus' Command bonus, not that of whoever is personally leading that chunk of the army.
Break the Seventh (Gemino's Lieutenant #2) 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +1 (Proficient Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) = 19
versus
Defend the Seventh (Mercator) 1d20 +2 (Proficient Military) +4 (Renowned Command) +2(First of the First) +2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +2 (Numerical Advantage) = 19
Tie
Once again Gemino's lieutenant surpasses himself, rolling a 13 to Mercator's 3, but the tactical situation favors Mercator so strongly, and so great is Mercator's skill and reputation, that it doesn't matter. He holds the line.
Break the Seventh (Gemino's Lieutenant #2) 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +1 (Proficient Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) = 8
versus
Defend the Seventh (Mercator) 1d20 +2 (Proficient Military) +4 (Renowned Command) +2(First of the First) +2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +2 (Numerical Advantage) = 27
Resounding Victory
Samnite Morale Check = 1d20 +2 (Renowned Command) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 24
Needed: 17
Aaaand in the eighth round, the Samnites run out of offensive steam. Their leader rolls a 2 against Mercator's 11; an adequate performance is all Mercator needs to chew up the Samnite attack, though they don't break themselves...
Charge to Glory (Mercator) 1d20 +2 (Proficient Military) +4 (Renowned Command) +2(First of the First) +2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +2 (Numerical Advantage) = 33
versus
Hold the Line (Gemino's Lieutenant #2) 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) +1 (Proficient Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) = 10
Resounding Victory
Samnite Morale Check = 1d20 +2 (Renowned Command) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 9
Needed: 18
Samnite Left Flank Broken!
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...
Until Mercator does one of his signature CHAAARGES to finish the job. He rolls a 17 on the die, the Samnite lieutenant rolls a 4, and then the Samnites roll a 2 on the morale check and shatter, in a check they had 'only' a 50/50 chance of passing.
Round 10
Defeat Gemino: (You): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) + 0 (Average Command) +2 (Gallic Cavalry) + 2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +4 (Overwhelming Numerical Advantage) +1 (Gift of Minerva)= 27
versus
Defeat Atellus: (Gemino): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) + 4 (Renowned Command) +2 (Home Turf) +5 (Hearts of Steel) -1 (Peasant Levies) -4 (Tactical Disadvantage) -6 (Outnumbered) = 15
Resounding Victory
Samnite Morale Check = 1d20 +2 (Renowned Command) +5 (Hearts of Steel) = 8
Needed: 18
Break Free (Gemino): 1d20 +4 (Renowned Military) + (4 Renowned Command) + 2 (Home Turf) +5 (Heart of Steel) -1 (Peasant Levies) -7 (Vastly Ountnumbered) = 19
versus
Capture Gemino: (You): 1d20 +2 (Accomplished Military) + 0 (Average Command) +2 (Gallic Cavalry) + 2 (The Voice of Mars) +4 (Tactical Advantage) +4 (Overwhelming Numerical Advantage) = 27
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.
Sheer numbers gives Quintus Atellus a plus
fifteen on the die rolls now, while Gemino is down to a +4. The die roll itself is practically a tie, but that's enough for the Romans to cause great damage to the Samnites, and this time, as happened last round with Mercator, the Samnites' morale cracks.
We roll a 13+14=27 to Gemino's 12+7=19 and catch Gemino.
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.
That is, fifty-five or older?
"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."
To be fair, he's not 100% wrong, but he's not 100% right either. The Romans won't take everything, and they'll
integrate the Samnites rather than just cutting them up and destroying them, or that's my expectation based on how things are going so far. The Samnites are being stubborn about accepting the 'Social War deal,' but they
are in the process of (very violently grudgingly) accepting it.
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.
Wow, that's good. Hope that makes it into Quintus' journal. Gemino put up a hell of a good fight; he deserves to be memorialized as one of history's more skillful guerillas. He kept up a campaign for months at three-to-one odds, in the face of an increasingly hostile population that was being eaten out from under him by Roman politicking.
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.
He who sees you overthrown
Melts with tongue the heart of stone,
And stands apart, though not alone.
Atellus, who with his charisma and oratory won the hearts of both the Pentri (forcing Gemino to take desperate measures, and ultimately making it easier for Atellus to bring Gemino to bay) and the Gauls (whose respect and loyalty gave Atellus a constant tactical advantage throughout the battle). He stood apart from two of his foremost regular military commanders (Pompolussa and Mercator), leading his own element of the battle, and yet he was not alone (accompanied by the Gauls, and perhaps by Tercerus)
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.
Again, I really, really hope Gemino goes down in history, even if only as the antagonist of the first chapter of
Atellus's story.
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.
So yeah. The Second is pretty chewed up, no doubt, though all our cohorts have taken a pounding. 300-plus dead or incapacitated from wounds is a bit more than 10% of our overall force, with the losses probably being heavier among the Second Cohort in particular.
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.
If I had to pick a curated option it'd be "march for Nola." Sertorius
TOLD us to come right back after beating the rebels, and while the letter of his orders could be interpreted to mean "but first, beat Tercerian in the Vulturnus," the spirit of his order is clearly otherwise.
Plus, Sertorius will want the Seventh Cohort back. He may even have ordered Mercator to bring it back whether we like it or not.
Finishing off Tercerian might be within our capacity, since we have only slightly
fewer men than he does (~2500-2600 to his ~3000, and I suspect some of his men will desert when they see us coming). And from his performance, we can be pretty sure he's no Gemino in terms of skill. But at the same time, he may well be in a fortified position we'd have to dig him out of, and that would take time, and our men are already weary and weakened.
@Telamon, what's the geometry of the terrain and marching routes like here? I'm pretty sure we'd have to go back to Bovianum anyway to regroup for a day or so at least, and I'm pretty sure it's on our route back to Nola anyway.
Now, I could go for something like the write-in Caesar suggested (spend a few days pacifying the immediate area with the Third, Sixth, and maybe Seventh, while the Second and Ninth take the wounded back to the camp and recover for a while, THEN march back to Nola).
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
I think I'm voting 'free them' or make a write-in along those lines. It's over, we broke the rebels. Given how much Gemino swelled his ranks with random peasants in the past few weeks, many of the people we're dealing with probably had no real intention of fighting the Romans when they signed up with Gemino's forces.
Anyway, whew good stuff!
