[IB AAR] Spite of Severus

[Selifator]

Oh my, seems like the picts will need even their women to fight, and raid some good steel.

[bomberboy]

Nice AAR this character is really different than most of those other romans. He might just stand a chance. Lets hope he wins.

[Scutarii]

Another very well done AAR Juvenal, I'm really enjoying this one!

[Juvenal]

VI: INTERLUDE (THE WORLD)

est illic quislibet foris?
(Is There Anybody Out There?)
Pink Floyd

Who are you reading about my most private thoughts, my dreams, my triumphs and disasters? Am I a famous man, spoken of in the same breath as the great Emperors and philosophers of old? Or am I lost in history, a failure and perhaps for a short time a laughing-stock?

Perhaps you are ignorant of my time. Well in that case I shall enlighten you. By the old reckoning it is 1164 ab urbe condite (i.e. after the founding of Rome), or the 17th year of the Emperor Honorius, or 410 Anno Domini. I live in the diocese of Britannia. Here it is...



My town is Eboracum, capital of the province of Britannia Secunda. Valentia to the north is now part of Pictavia and the wall of Severus is abandoned, like that of Antonius Pius further north. The Vortimer conducts the defence of his northern border from bases at Vinovia and Brocavium.

The Empire is a magnificent but faded eminence. Once it girdled the Mediterranean, pushing outwards in all directions like a young oak tree thrusting up through the stones of an abandoned road. Nothing could withstand us, not the mercenaries of malevolent Carthage, nor the jaded decadent civilizations of eastern Hellenism, nor the barbaric warrior societies of the western Celts.

We destroyed the evil of Carthage, humbled the Greeks and slaughtered the Celts. Every year fresh plunder would arrive in the Italies from some new conquest, fallen to our mighty legions.

But then we became more concerned with squabbling amongst ourselves. Every succession became a new civil war and the Empire was ransacked time after time to fund the adventures of the pretenders.

Now the Barbarians have become more wily. They know our methods and are involved in our politics. As often as not, Barbarians are allies to pretender or Emperor and take a full part in our protracted suicide through internecine wars.

Once everyone believed in the Senate and the People of Rome, but now Emperors rule by brute force and trust no one, not even their own generals. Competence in a subordinate has become a death sentence as demonstrated by the foul injustice meted out to that great man Flavius Stilicho just two years ago. It is gloriously ironic that thanks to Constantine I, everyone professes their faith in a single God, and yet no one can agree on a single Emperor.

Gaul is currently in thrall to the pretender Constantine III and it forms his own personal empire. But his position is tenuous. Gaul is hemmed in by Saxons, Franks, Burgundians and Allemani, while his capital of Arelete is besieged by the forces of Honorius. At any moment the encroaching Huns might push one of the border tribes into headlong flight across the Limes, and Constantine III does not possess the force to prevent it.



Further afield, the Vandals with their Alan and Suevi allies have settled in Iberia after cutting a swathe through Gaul. They now threaten to overrun both Iberia and Africa, The Goths of Alaric ravage the Italies, extorting money and threatening Rome herself. Unlike barbarians of old, Alaric is actually part of the Empire, by turns supporting and conspiring against Honorius like any other pretender to the purple.

There have been worrying signs from the Eastern Empire that Theodosius is considering branding Honorius a renegade and might attempt to reunite the Empire under his own leadership. Perhaps the only brake on this ambition is the threat of the Sassanids, but even they have to look to their backs to ward off the Hephthalites, or White Huns, just as vicious and unrelenting as their western cousins.



Contemplating the state of Europe I am heartened. There is opportunity here. Honorius is beset with problems and by the time he has ground Constantine III into the dust, I might have been able to bring down the Vortigern. Maybe I will be in a position to make my own mark upon the continent while Roman, Rebel and Barbarian are busy hacking each other to pieces.

But I suppose you know this already.

[Jingles]

Good update. Nice to have the bigger picture once in a while. Not too often though, as it (imho) would detract from the very much isolated situation in Britannia at this time, but then I suppose Severus with his dreams of glory could not help but let his gaze wander to the altogether more grand picture.

You have my compliments and some more rep

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

It is gloriously ironic that thanks to Constantine I, everyone professes their faith in a single God, and yet no one can agree on a single Emperor.

- what a wonderful line.

A good update which allows us to see his grasp of the wider picture and his reasons for setting in motion his own destiny. I need to spread rep around before I can bestow it again, alas . . . :hmmm:

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Agree with the gentlemen above.
Thanks for the 'big picture', Juvenal, a diligent, nice update.
I've fired up the same campaign today, trying to play the Romano-British, and I can tell you, that it was not easy. Almost knocked myself out after 3 turns. The biggest problem is oddly not the Saxon or Pict danger, but the financial disaster this empire-bit has fallen in. If you don't disband most of the troops, you'll find yourself in the reds soon.
I hope Vertigorn's ambitions won't carry himself away. I'm concerned.... :hmmm:

[Juvenal]

Thank you everyone for your kind words.

@Jingle_Bombs - The compliments and rep are much appreciated. I hope the casual reader now realises just how different a world it is from that of RTW. There are no push-overs out there.

@SBH - Thanks for the (virtual) rep. I was having trouble writing a good enough story around the coming battles, but given the chance to complain about world affairs, the flood gates seemed to open and some classic Severus bile emerged.

@PowerWizard - Don't forget I am playing Picts, so the A.I. Romano-British get to keep their full complement of troops, plus whatever they can build during the game. In my first attempt at this campaign I zapped the rebel Picts and conquered Hibernia, unfortunately while I was gone the Romano-British arrived in force and I lost Dal Riada. Being in debt at that point, I had no chance to recover and had to abandon the campaign.

I think the only successful strategy for the Picts is to go straight at the Romano-British until their army is so worn down that the economy goes positive. Hopefully the enemy are dead or at least weakened by this stage.

My apologies for the lack of actual fighting so far. I can assure you that this is about to change. Severus doesn't really like to fight unless it is a sure thing, but unfortunately he doesn't have a choice now, so it's make-or break-time for his Imperial ambitions.

[Selifator]

"Snap"

[Kallum]

nice update as allways love to see some action

[Juvenal]

VII: SIEGE OF VINOVIA

dimidium facti qui coepit habet
(He who has begun, has the work half done)
Horace

It was odd watching the army of Angus on the march. Unlike Roman formations they did not form orderly columns but simply spread out and took every possible route, each headman seeming to treat his men as his personal property. Some didn't even bother leaving camp until the day was well advanced.

There was going to be some need for circumspection if we were to catch Caratacus unaware, so I entreated with Angus to get his men to form a column so that the scouts would be able to prevent onlookers from seeing the main body of the army.

We marched south, keeping to the foothills of the Pennines and avoiding large settlements. We passed the Wall of Severus at Corstopitum through a section destroyed in the great raid. That evening, camped by the vallum behind the wall, I explained to Angus the current constitution of the Legions of Britannia.

Constantine had taken the last true legion, so the new British legions were comprised of Limitanae. Their pseudo-Comitatenses were Pedites Romanii, swordsmen with scutum and javelins, having helmets, but no mail or greaves. Their auxiliaries were Miltes Stationarii, spearmen with helmet, hasta and scutum. Having no Saggitarii, Vortigern had improvised a corps of archers from the disbanded fleet. There were also Foederati from Germania, both spearmen and swordsmen.

The main strength of nova Britannia lay in its abundant cavalry. Stablesiani bodyguards and Scutarii heavy cavalry were universally equipped with helmets, mail tunics, spears and spathae and all mounted on good horses. Caratacus also had with him a vexillation of Alan mercenaries. These fierce steppe horse-archers are well armoured and carry the two-handed Kontos spear. They are almost uniquely suited to decimating Pictish armies. With their arrows they out-range and out-shoot the Pictish Elbharu, while with their armour and lances they are superior to even the most elite Pictish infantry and cavalry.

As I was explaining the finer points of the magnificent Alans, Angus's complexion began to take on a ghastly grey pallor, but luckily he was saved from further suffering by the return of my messenger.

My Army had arrived! I took Angus out to inspect it. This was my personal triumph, the last three ordines of Limitanae that I had raised for my lost command had been recruited from the abandoned lands between the wall and the new military frontier. These men were personally loyal to me and had never joined the legions of Vortimer, and now they were here, ready to provide the essential stiffening for the Pictish army that would enable it to prevail in the coming fight. They were an impressive sight, lined up near the Wall. Two ordines of Stationarii and an ordo of Fleet Archers. They formed tight neat ranks in the Roman fashion, and their presence elevated me to an ally of Angus rather than just his adviser.

We approached Vinovia by night, infiltrating around the hills that overlooked the castra of Caratacus and surprising the guards before they could raise the alarm. By the morning we had the place fully invested and could begin the construction of rams while the men of Caratacus looked on in impotent fury.

The artisans of Angus worked quickly, even though none of the garrison had escaped, word would soon reach Vortimer and his large force would undoubtedly be on its way to crush us. As the first snows of winter began to pepper the land, a set of five rams was ready and the army disposed itself for the assault.

Angus called a council of war the evening the rams were completed. We would have much preferred to meet Caratacus on the open field where the Picts could fight after their fashion, half battle and half skirmish, flinging javelins and then evading the Roman heavy infantry, trapping and mobbing Roman cavalry. Even with five rams, our warriors were going to be very vulnerable to arrows while approaching the walls, and to the Roman cavalry when we attempted to pass through the breaches.

We discussed waiting longer for Caratacus to sally, but it was clear that he was not going to come out, preferring to await rescue by Vortimer. I proposed a plan to break into the castra from three sides simultaneously. We would endeavour to trap the defenders near the wall by using our many breaches to gain their rear. Angus was enthused by this and decided to lead the right wing in person, while Broichan, his Master of Horse and chief of the Marca led the left wing. I was given the centre with the best infantry and the archers.

Privately I knew that many of our Pictish warriors and mercenaries would die on the morrow, even with our superiority of three against one, but I kept this from Angus and his lieutenants, their over-confidence was needed for them to go through with this mad enterprise. If it failed, I had lost little, merely a change of location for my exile – Hibernia perhaps. But if we won, oh, if we won – I hardly dared think what opportunities there would be. But I dismissed these thoughts, victory needed to be assured somehow. Our chances of success rested entirely on the efficient destruction of the Alans and the bodyguard of Caratacus. I resolved to make sure this happened while Angus and Broichan pursued their scatter-brained ideas of glory and honour.

The host of Angus resolved itself into three groups in the darkness and began to marshal in the areas from which they would mount their attacks. I spent a restless night, I had prepared as well as I could, but still the issue was in doubt. I bitterly regretted having failed to get an agent into the retinue of Caratacus. A well timed assassination could have taken much of the risk from this enterprise.

Finally, the sky began to lighten in preparation of the dawn and I could begin to see the Pictish forces grouped behind their rams. Of course the Roman sentries could see them too, and as the sun broke the horizon, their call to arms could be heard, thin and wavering in the distance.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Great attention to detail and leavened with drama and cynicism. Excellent work, Juvenal. The arrival of the army of Severus was a particularly good touch!

[Kallum]

good job m8 indeed the arrival of the army of Severus was nice touch

[Jingles]

Ah... the tension is bordering on unbearable! I feel unsure myself of the outcome...I know how badly the picts seem to fare in sieges, but Severus's Milites may just be the extra 10 grams that tip the scales of fate in his favour... We'll see...

In the meantime I'll have to ponder the outcome. I have a feeling the three pronged approach may do the trick. At least you're not playing with Ihatemonday's Stone forts...then I fear you'd have a terrible time...

[andrewmc]

Just read through all your AAR so far and it is very interesting, i have never been bothered about having a try with the Picts but this makes me want to have a go (probably do awful 1st time round). Really enjoyed reading it, hope you have a new update soon

[Juvenal]

VIII: BATTLE OF VINOVIA

flat justitia ruat coelum
(Let justice be done through the heavens fall)

Now that it was drawn up ready for battle, we could see exactly what men Caratacus had in hand. Two ordines of Milites Stationarii and three vexillations: Equites Scutarii, mercenary Alans and the Equites Stablesiani of his own bodyguard. The uninitiated might think that our foot soldiers had the advantage against cavalry shut up in a castra, but I knew that these men were all heavily armoured and could slaughter our lightly protected warriors as they tried to push through the breaches.

I moved up my archers and the Elbharu crossbowmen and ordered them to fire on the Alans. The Elbharu having a shorter range were obliged to move much further forward, but then they were unable to target the enemy over the wall of the castra, so for the moment their only usefulness was as decoys to draw fire from the fleet archers. Sadly the Alans were not fooled and my poor fleet sailors bore the brunt of the return fire. Lacking armour, my archers fell in great numbers.

But then the rain of incoming arrows diminished, the Alans had transferred their attentions to Broichan's men pushing his rams. I continued my firing while my own ram, pushed by Angus's Gai Aurmahr armoured spearmen, pressed on toward the gate facing me.



Eventually the Alans withdrew to the back of the castra, perhaps we were killing some of them after all. I sent my sailors closer to the wall to try to find the range again. As they moved forward, dozens of still forms remained behind, felled by the arrows of the enemy.

I heard the sound of the rams of Angus against the right wall of the castra, and his were the first to break through. From my vantage point on a small mound I could see his Gairlom spears halt outside the gate facing the defending Foederati. Then his Milites Stationarii rushed through the other breach. The Foederati responded unblocking the gateway and allowing the Gairlom to run in behind them to spring the trap.



As my own ram broke through I had my men rush the gate. I could see Broichan's men doing the same. As my spearmen passed through the gate they ran straight into the Roman Equites. There was an almighty clash of sword and spear striking shields and mail coats, interspersed with the screams of the Roman horses.

I sent in the Gaimorlom pikemen and the Aumui Boai wildmen to mob the Roman cavalry and prevent them from disengaging to make a charge.

In the meantime I could see the Alans returning to contest the breaches. Broichan rushed his Milites Stationarii to intercept while the rest of his force where streaming through the gaps.

I almost cried out with pain at the sight. I knew of these Alans, whom the Romans in their ignorance always talk of as Scythians, they had slaughtered hundreds of Picts and Saxons in the Great Raid. They were so famous that they would undoubtedly appear in the sages centuries from now. They wore the finest banded armour and their spear-heads were of an imported steel, hard enough to break even lorica squamata (the scale armour used by Roman Centurions and standard bearers).



Even from outside the castra, I could see the Alans coolly unshipping their massive two-handed Kontos lances and laying into my poor Milites. Outreaching the Milites, they picked them off like noblemen at a feast, spearing morsels with their knives. The spears of my Milites were clearly no match for the Alans' banded armour. But then I lost sight of the details as Broichan and his Marchan horsemen piled into the melee.

[Juvenal]

...BATTLE OF VINOVIA (continued)

In front of me, the enemy Equites were holding a perimeter inside the gateway. But my spearmen had gained sufficient ground in their initial rush for the pike militia and wildmen to come through and join them. Although the enemy were holding, they were being worn down, and most importantly they could not pull back and charge.

From my mound, I could also see the development of the great melee on the right. Caratacus had committed his bodyguard in support of the Foederati. Angus responded by throwing in his own bodyguard and all his remaining men (Chodaoer axemen and Dimba skirmishers). The foederati had run off, pursued by Angus's Gairlom spears, leaving Caratacus stuck fast amid a horde of foot soldiers like a boot caught in the mud.

At the centre of the castra, Caratacus's reserve (two ordines of Milites) were soon hemmed in by Pictish warriors, the melee expanding slightly as the surviving Foederati and their pursuers arrived.

Seeing that all of the enemy were now tied down in the four melees, I came down from my mound and ordered my remaining men forward to the gateway.



As I arrived, the last of the Equites was falling and the way was clear for me to advance into the castra. Moving my strike force around to the right I was able to get behind Caratacus and trap him with my Gai Aurmahr while the others piled into the fight for the drill square.

Looking up after making these arrangements, I saw Broichan's Marchan and Milites streaming away in rout. All I could do was send my Dimba and crossbowmen to try to delay the Alans while the issue with Caratacus was decided.



I was riding up to my spearmen, hoping to encourage them against Caratacus when I heard the shout of victory from the men of Angus, Caratacus was slain! The Milites of Caratacus in the drill square did not last much longer, dismayed by the approach of Angus they were soon overwhelmed. No quarter was given, even the wounded being killed as they lay writhing in the dust of the square.



With the battle won, Just 22 Alans remained trapped against the castra wall. I would have had these dangerous men cut down, but instead Angus insisted on honouring them for having bested and slain Broichan in battle. He obtained their agreement that their employment by Caratacus was at an end (owing to Caratacus being at an end), and permitted them to march out the west.

At least I prevailed with the remaining Roman wounded. They were cleanly dispatched and stripped. The booty (including slaves and civilians) was collected for dividing up later and placed under heavy guard.

It so happened that my forces included several women of the cult of Bona Dea, each the wife of a man of the cult of Vulcan. The two groups cooperated in guarding each other's secret rites, which they practised in caves in the bowels of the great Pennine hills. I protected these people from persecution at the hands of the Christians and in return I benefited from the best advice both in metalworking, and in the treatment of wounds and disease.

I had them attend first to the dangerous arrow wounds inflicted by the Alans. It was essential to clean and cauterize these to ward off the bloating and blackening malaise that was almost invariably fatal. Simple sword wounds I left to Angus's healers.

As night fell that day, the castra looked like a camp of refugees. The stink of sweat and blood was overpowering. The air was rent with the cries of the Pictish wounded. The braziers flared brightly and the cauterizing irons shone within them like flaming rubies.

The following night, fires blazed again, but this time they were funeral pyres for our 400 glorious dead. Broichan was not among these because Angus was having a barrow built to house his body. He was already beginning to talk of Broichan as a helpful spirit to gain the favour of the gods instead of the crass bumpkin he had been in life.

Over the nest week we settled into the castra. Our casualties had been frightful, almost half our force, but of the 900 wounded men we were able to save more than 500 thanks to my healers. I was particularly proud that we had saved all of the sailors struck by the arrows of the Alans, we had less success with the Milites as many had been run through with the vicious Alan lances. Admittedly many of the survivors were lame or otherwise diminished, but they would still eventually be able to fight.

As for myself, I was anxious and slept badly. I knew that it was just as matter of time before Vortimer arrived from Eboracum to crush us. We were tied to this castra until our wounded were recovered enough to travel. Angus had called for his men from Inchtuthill to join us. I just hoped they would show some urgency (not a famous Pictish trait).

I also worried about the remaining Alans. I wondered where they were. Had they gone straight to Sennianus? Were he and Vortimer both on their way to slaughter us in revenge for the death of Caratacus?

I even dreamed of the Alans, in every dream I was alone with only my knife, I would see the Alans in the distance and frantically look around for somewhere to hide, but there was no cover, and before I could decide what to do they were upon me with lance and sword, ready to hack me to pieces. Trying to pull out my knife, it would stick fast in its sheath, and as the killer blow was about to fall I always awoke with a scream still on my lips.

[bomberboy]

Nice updates.

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Very immersive, detailed and vivid updates. I see you fancied the movie 'King Arthur', good idea to spice up the AAR with stills from the film. Those late Roman 'legionary' units (milites and foederati) are still a pain in the arse with their hardened discipline, aren't they? Nonetheles the time has come to march south and butt the British remainder of the Roman Empire.

[Juvenal]

Thank you bomberboy and PowerWizard for your kind words.

Severus was experiencing a bit of "Alan funk" (did you notice they had gold weapon and armour upgrades?) so I added Clive Owen and his chums in his nightmare because they were playing what could very well have actually been Alans, despite being labelled Sarmatians in the story (the Romans were notoriously imprecise about identifying barbarians).

At the time I saw King Arthur I remember thinking, "what a load of cobblers, everyone knows the Saxons spread out from Kent and East Anglia". But in fact the film is correct, Saxons did raid the wall around 367AD and maybe at other times as well.

I think King Arthur might be worth a repeat viewing, although I will have to grit my teeth at the accents.