[IB AAR] Spite of Severus

[Legio]

Reading this AAR is a guilty pleasure, Juvenal. It always gives me a pleasant break from modding.

[andrewmc]

I doubt it, the pictish cavalry are too ligtly armoured and too undiciplined to fight the Sassnids cavalry.

You do realise i wasn't actually being serious

[bomberboy]

Why didn't you say so in the post?

[andrewmc]

Why didn't you say so in the post?

Because i thought it was obvious!

[Juvenal]

I have gotten into trouble myself in the past with witty comments that were taken the wrong way. I am (sometimes) more careful now, but it is still very difficult to judge how people will read things.

Regarding Mormaers, they are quite strong but wouldn't be a match for the Sassanids. I don't think I would be facing Sassanid armies on equal terms - hit and run would be the order of the day. Anyway, the desert sun plays havoc with Pictish tatoos.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

A case of woad-kill? Woad-rage? I could go on . . . but I won't.

Seriously, though, great updates, Juvenal. Always a pleasure to read a master at work (and don't worry Bomberboy, I am not being witty!).

[Mega Tortas de Bodemloze]

Juvenal...

Superlative presentation...+Rep Show us more...

[Juvenal]

It is a continuing joy for me to receive your praise and interest.

@bomberboy - yes Severus does have a master plan, and even though the Vortigern is now dealt with, further denouements are coming.

@Mr. Cursed - Severus doesn't want to be the official commander, he prefers to have a figurehead leading while he manipulates from the shadows.

@andrewmc - This story is limited to Britannia, but I might write a sequel to cover later events in Gaul.

@Entropy Judge - What has been happening so far is that the Picts have had to fight with only their starting forces owing to being in debt. But now that they have most of Roman Britain under their control, the economy is back in the black and new warriors can be recruited.

@Legio Caesar - I do hope you find time to continue to follow some of the AARs here.

@SBH - you say such nice things about my work I am actually beginning to believe them, even though I am a mere apprentice compared to that great and decorated scribe SeniorBatavianHorse (by the way, when are we going to see that Imperium Julianorum AAR you've been promising).

@Mega Tortas - great to see you here and thanks for the rep. Although much has now been achieved by Severus, yet more remains to be done before the story ends.

There is a new update coming this week-end, so I had better get back to work on it. No more sieges from now on folks!

[bomberboy]

A case of woad-kill? Woad-rage? I could go on . . . but I won't.

Seriously, though, great updates, Juvenal. Always a pleasure to read a master at work (and don't worry Bomberboy, I am not being witty!).

I don't mind.

[andrewmc]

Where is the update Juvenal? I need to hear more about Severus's schemeing.

[Juvenal]

XV: ISCA CAMPAIGN

aut vincere aut mori
(Either to conquer or to die)

We remained at Londinium for a couple of months, this remnant of the once proud host of Angus. I did what I could to improve matters, bringing trusted administrators from Venta Icenorum and Eboracum. But Angus would not give me control. I suppose he felt both vulnerable and trapped there. the Army was too weak to campaign, and Londinium required a large garrison while the administration of the Vortigern was rooted out and destroyed.

There were many more Christians here than in the North, but Angus went ahead with the abolition of public Christian worship with some gusto. A large gibbet was erected within sight of the South Gate, and it seemed that a fresh group of corpses joined the rotting throng there almost every day.

Luckily for our prospects, there was finally enough money to clear the debts Angus had incurred in the raising of his armies, and a surplus to invest in building the infrastructure we needed to consolidate our gains. Drawing men from the class of poor freemen, I was able to begin the outfitting and training of a substantial militia of Gairlom (spearmen) and Dimba (javelin skirmishers).

These good works were rudely interrupted by the return of Tasciovanus Aurelianus from his operations around Eboracum. His small force had been no great threat to us while we were investing Londinium, but now, the remnant of Angus's army was in very real danger because of the uncertain loyalties of the people of the town.

Angus wasted no time, sallying with his whole force the day after the Romans arrived. He even used my newly-raised militia, perhaps judging that leaving them alone in the city would be even more dangerous than risking their desertion on the battlefield.



Our sheer numbers made a quite imposing sight from a distance as the army pushed its way chaotically out through the west gate. Whatever Tasciovanus had been planning, it clearly didn't include facing us on the field of battle, because his force immediately turned around and marched off.

We did what we could, once I got my archers free of the traffic jam around the gate, I ran them after the retreating Romans, hoping to get some volleys off before they disappeared. Angus too tried to reach them. But he was still a semi-invalid with his wounded side strapped and bound, and his Mormaers were reluctant to go on ahead of him.

With Tasciovanus gone, Angus resolved to follow him. The levy had proved reliable, and the people were impressed by the ease with which the Romans had been driven off. Angus finally gave me full control of Londinium, setting a tithe of eye-watering proportions for me to collect. So much for that supposedly uncomplicated warlord of the Gaels.

I was given just the Dimba, backed up by my own network of spies and assassins with which to control the town. My trusted governor Kaeso was given leave to create a local administration, provided that elements loyal to Vitalinus were excluded. I made sure that money was available to establish a ruling class completely dependent on my largesse, and hence relatively trustworthy.

I was again forced to accompany Angus, but now that I had decided upon his fate, I was content to follow along so that I could be on hand when the moment of destiny came. I entrusted Felix with poison and instructions that Angus not be allowed to fully recover from his wounds. Despite his great age (he was now LXVIII), the man seemed to have the constitution of an ox and a kind of feral intelligence which left him constantly suspicious of me no matter what I did.

We set off to the West while Drest did likewise from Eboracum. Our plan was to slowly converge on the last Roman province, all the while covering the approaches to our recent conquests. In the meantime I did my best, by means of letters and messengers, to ensure that Greater Pictavia was being organised to bolster our tired and ragged armies for the final confrontation.



Near to Glevum (modern Gloucester) we encountered Tasciovanus again. Angus offered battle and the Roman withdrew again, but fearing ambush, Angus decided to hold back and await fresh troops. In the meantime, we received reports from Drest that he had finally located Sennianus! What's more he was apparently now leader of the Romans, an amazing rise for the son of a non-entity who seemed to have made his career out of avoiding combat.

Sennianus and Morrirex together were too dangerous for Drest to attack, so he too was forced to wait for reinforcements.

We spent a nervous week waiting for the newly-raised warriors from Eboracum, but they arrived without incident, two bands of Chodaoers and an ordo of Milites whose loyalty I had bought out of our new surplus of funds.

Now somewhat more confident we prepared to resume the advance, but Tasciovanus surprised us (had I been in command this could never have happened). He had received a substantial reinforcement, clearly the reason for his recent otherwise inexplicable manoeuvres.



The newly enlarged Army of Angus spilled out of its camp like a crowd of drunkards leaving a tavern. But luckily the enemy seemed to have their own problems. The reinforcements (under the command of Tribune Matugenus as I later found out), were so eager for the fray that they were far in advance of the wily Tasciovanus.

The dreaded Alan mercenaries peppered us with arrows as we struggled to deploy our battle line, but Matugenus rashly ran straight through them with his three ordines of Milites spearmen to make a frontal attack on us. These we knew how to deal with and they were quickly, if bloodily defeated. Matugenus also died there, in the mud, with his men.



As for the Alans, they proved just as deadly as I had expected as they tried to drive in our left flank. They crushed a band of Gairlom and our ordo of Milites, but fresh troops from the slaughter of Matugenus piled into the fray and slowly wore them down until the last forty of them decided to break out and quit the battle.

Even though the fight against the Alans seemed to take an age, it was still over before Tasciovanus could join the battle. Seeing that his colleague was defeated, he sensibly turned his own force around and marched off, but not before we had taken down a good number of his men with the arrows of our Fleet auxiliaries.



The battle over, we assessed our losses. Our spear contingent was wrecked and we would have to wait for yet more reinforcements before completing our march on Isca. But the Roman forces in the south must now be very small. Provided that Drest could prevent Sennianus from intervening, it seemed likely that Isca would be captured soon and the Romans reduced to mere bands of brigands roaming the hills of Britannia Secunda.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

A very gripping narrative, Juvenal. I am eager to see how your protagonist eventually deals with Angus . . .

[belisarius12]

in one word fantastic

[Xavier Dragnesi]

Another great instalment Juvenal!

[andrewmc]

Another quality update!

[Antiochos VII Sidetes]

Quite good.

[Watercress]

neat.

[Juvenal]

XVI: BATTLE OF MANCUNIUM

absens haeres non erit
(an absent person will not be an heir)

After the battle near Glevum, Angus was no longer able to ride and had to travel in a cart. This, and the constant pain that was a side-effect of the poison, served to shorten his temper to a point where most of his nobles sought to avoid him at all costs. I made a point of reminding Angus as often as possible that a resumption of the advance on Isca was totally dependent on the ability of Drest to keep Sennianus at bay.

My agent Niall happened to arrive with the latest progress report from Drest, which amounted to, in essence, nothing. Angus exploded into a tirade against the supposed indolence and cowardly nature of his son. To my great satisfaction he entrusted Niall with the peremptory demand that Drest attack Sennianus immediately or else be disinherited.

In order to help persuade Drest against outright defiance, I made arrangements for him to receive some mercenaries as reinforcements: an ordo of Fleet Archers and a vexillation of the slightly deranged Graal Knights, who despite their religious fervour, didn't seem to have any problem serving pagans as long as they were paid.

Our camp outside Glevum began to take on an air of permanence, Tasciovanus, too weak to face us, withdrew into the western mountains. I had the opportunity to attend to the administration of Nova Britannia. We were now able to raise new soldiers in all three of the captured provinces, unrest was at manageable levels, and trade was flowing at close to pre-war levels.

There was a problem with freebooters terrorising the road south of Eboracum, but dealing with these actually proved useful training for the quite good quality Chodaoer being raised in Eboracum.

New warriors arrived and the Army of Angus made preparations to resume the advance as soon as confirmation arrived that Drest had brought Sennianus to battle. It was not long in coming. On that fateful day Niall was brought into camp by our scouts. He was almost unrecognisable, wounded, bedraggled with his clothes shredded and encrusted with dried blood. I made sure I was present when he was bundled into Angus's tent to make his report.



Drest had obeyed his orders to the letter. Coming down from the mountains he had sought out Sennianus, and found him near the town of Mancunium already united with Morirex and offering battle. It was a fine army with eleven ordines of infantry and six vexillations of equites. I winced at the sudden vision of such an army facing Angus at Vinovia. We would undoubtedly all have perished, and Pictavia would likely have collapsed back into its normal state of anarchy.

Seeing that the Romans had arranged themselves on a rise above broken ground, Drest declined the invitation to break himself on their line and sought a more favourable approach with one of his characteristic flank marches onto their right wing. Niall rode with the Marchan led by Brude (Drest's second-in-command).



He was hoping to give them a good dose of Pictish missiles, so he led his march with the Elbharu and Fleet Archers. But sadly the flanking attempt came to an abrupt end as Sennianus reacted, first wheeling his own battle line to the right to face Drest, and then launching cavalry against both wings of the advancing Picts.

The missile troops had to run for the rear while the spear line was hastily deployed. The Romans charged into both ends of the line of Gairlom and proceeded to slaughter them. Drest sent his Ludodoaer Champions running in to shore up the left. On the right, seeing the standard of Morirex, he sent in his Graal Knights.



The Picts fought with the strength of desperation, but no amount of self-belief can compensate for lack of armour, poor weapons and scanty training.

On the left, the Ludodoaer were losing an unequal fight and Drest had to commit his Chodoaer axemen, he also galloped his Mormaer bodyguard still further to the left and charged it into the back of the Roman equites.

On the right, the Graal Knights proved to be strong and tenacious. They surprised Morirex with their charge and drove him back into the Pictish spear line. Morirex himself was brought down by lowly Gairlom and skewered as he lay helpless in the mud.



A great cry of triumph rose up from the Picts, but then another Roman vexillation charged into the melee and now the tables were turned, with the Graal Knights caught between the men of Morirex and these new equites.

At this point, Brude charged in with his Marchan from his position behind the Pictish centre and the Roman push was again halted. Niall recounted how poorly the Marchan fared, for all their bravery, against the armoured Roman heavies.

Niall saw at least four ordines of Roman infantry strike the Pictish left centre in some kind of wedge formation. The remaining Chodoaer who had been been on the point of being committed on the right now started to run down the line to help the Gairlom.

At the very same moment, yet another vexillation slammed into the melee on the right. The sight of the departing Chodoaer must have tipped the balance, because the whole right suddenly gave way, the Chodoaer becoming caught up in the rout. The Pictish line facing the Roman infantry also gave way.

The Romans surged forward. Niall saw that Drest had disengaged from his battle on the left and had galloped to the rear to try to form a new line. But although he still had a good number of fresh troops, they were all skirmishers, and the Roman equites simply rode through them, scattering them to the four winds. Any who tried to stand their ground were simply cut down. Brude and Niall rode for their lives with the survivors of the Marchan. The magnificent Graal Knights had apparently fought to the last, and none could now be seen.



Drest quit the field pursued by Roman equites and it looked as if the entire Pictish army lay dead on the field.

It turned out that appearances had been deceptive, because during the following week, Drest was able to collect together 880 of his original 3040, and with this force he skulked in the hills, hoping to delay any advance on Eboracum long enough for fresh warriors to be brought up.

Niall reported that Drest's surviving nobles were no longer on speaking terms with him and were actively considering choosing a new leader.

I was jubilant, this was just about the best possible result! I had of course known that Sennianus was too strong. Now Drest had greatly weakened his position with this failed attempt at glory. For the first time, my prospect for power at the expense of Angus and Drest was actually looking achievable.

[Antiochos VII Sidetes]

Ouch...

[Redolegna]

I have run an AAR (well, kinda) on a French-speaking forum where one of the characters acted very deviously and let one of his rivals get killed before saving the day (read: my reinforcements came in very, very late). But I said he was doing it for love and, as they were also in the middle of a full-out war, everything was fair. Now, what we have here is a double-timing, egotistical, power-hungry, embittered man...

And I simply love every part of it. The way you describe his cunning treacherousness, his ruthlessness and total disregard for losses that have amounted for nearly 2,000 men in this single meaningless (except for him) battle. And the way he cannot stand to have to use Barbarians to do his bloody job.