[RTW AAR] The Proud Blood of Germania

[ReD_OcToBeR]

Oh Yeah! Nice asskicking. Glad to see this back.

[Solid Snake]

Why thank you, it feels good to be back.

[LukeMurgatroyd]

Excellent work sirrah. Crush them with German steel!

[SakyaIllidan]

i don't speak english Very well.... but the pictures are fantastic ^^^^

[Macedon1an]

Happy to see an update after a long time ! This is THE BEST RTW vanilla AAR ! This AAR gave me the inspiration to play with the Germans who are now one of my favorite factions ! +rep

[Solid Snake]

Thank you all for your kind words.

[The_Blacksmith]

Yes, this is BRILLIANT!!

[Solid Snake]

Expect an update.

[LegolasGreenleaf]

First Reaction- Solid Snake has returned!


Then- Are you sure? You're not joking?


Love to see this back. This was one of the AARs that made me join TWC in the first place(and to a certain extent, made me buy RTW).

Again, great to see this back. Hope this continues!

[Solid Snake]

It will come on Sunday...fear not...

[Solid Snake]

The Wolf Approaches

“Julianus who?” Asked Flavius Julius in the War Room of Arretium, his table full of maps, letters and signed orders, his hair streaked with grey, his face covered with creases and frowns, his mind full of doubts, his heart full of fear.

“Julianus Murena Sire.” Answered the messenger from the Senate. “The Roman Senate, in it´s wisdom has appointed him and his forces in answer to your call for help.” He finished gulping down.

Flavius have never heard of Julianus before, an untested brat no doubt, he had asked for Decius and this is what the Senate gave him? They must be suicidal he thought, 800 men, eight of the hundreds, some of Rome´s finest under the command of a mere boy against Rome´s greatest threat so far: The Wolf…Vannius. He didn´t know what was worse, the fact that the Senate were acting like they had no heads upon their useless sacks of fat that they called bodies, or that 800 good soldiers that could have been put to much better use under his direct command or under Decius were now marching to their deaths.

“May I ask what became of General Decius?” Flavius asked regaining his calm.

“The Lion has been ordered back to Rome to raise another host and take it…”

“Take it where?” Flavius asked with a sudden peak of interest, all was not lost it seemed.

“He is to march to Ariminium.” The messenger answered with a nod of the head.

“For the foul beard of Hades!” Flavius cursed slamming his fist upon the table, parchments and cups flying in any direction. “I need him here, his men are needed here, not in accursed Ariminium, Vannius will attempt to break our borders here; we must stop him here, last time I checked he was headed towards my own gates, not towards the ones that guard the eastern passages!”

“May I remind you Sire, that Vannius has already breached our borders and it was due to your lack of…” the boy started but…

“Enough!” Flavius roared. “I will not suffer you giving me lectures of how to defend my land. Fair enough, I will let Julianus march while I gather whatever I have left behind my walls.” He turned to his counselors. “Send word again, to Brutus and Cornelio, tell them it is not our glory or our honor that it´s at stake here, but our lives and the lvies of those who look up to us to defend them.” Flavius sight moved a bit so he could glance at his wife and child that were playing in the terrace under the Roman sun, unawares that war would very soon be upon them.

“As for you.” He turned to the messenger. “Tell the Senate that if they have been done mocking and laughing about me behind my back, that they should remember that the Germanics are very real, that their armies are not 1 week´s march from their saggy bottoms, tell them that we should be standing together in this, that this is not the time for petty acts of revenge and punishment, tell them that if we fail to unite ourselves under one banner Rome shall burn and the Germanics will laugh at how they so easily conquered us. Tell them they are coming.”

Meanwhile one of the Senate´s legions was marching out wide in the open looking for Vannius and his forces.

“Shouldn´t we march under cover father?” Asked a young man atop a horse in the rearguard.

“We are not hiding here Valenus.” Answered Julianus Murena from his war horse, fully armored and glistening under the sun. He was but twenty and three, his nephew no older than seventeen. “Vannius is not hiding from us, he is out pillaging in broad daylight, killing our people in the warm rays of our Sun, I will not hide from him.”

“What about an ambush Father?” Young Valenus said looking around.

“He will not do such, these attacks are meant as provocation, he wants us to meet him in the field.” Julianus answered.

“Then how come we are meeting him on the field?”

“You see Val, with these barbarians one must show no fear, and one must not shrink from the challenges that they throw at you. This war started because we looked weak to them, we must end it by storming their positions and not skulking away like some thief in the darkness of night, in broad daylight we must beat them, otherwise even if we destroy them they will have beaten us.”

Valenus closed his mouth and let all this sink through his head. His Father did have a notion of war and the things surrounding it, they would not be easy prey.

After two hours…


“Sire! The South´s Raider is upon us!” one scout yelled as he rode back to Julianus.

“Vannius is approaching us you mean. How many?” he asked in a calm voice.

“His entire strength, around 12 hundreds.” The scout reported. “He is making his stand atop the next slope of the road.


“Very good.” Julianus blew his horn. “Romans! The time has come for us to make battle against he who they say cannot be beat, we are here to face those beasts from beyond the mountains, here we come to taste their steel and battle skills. Will you fight them with me?!”

The army roared its approval, being trained by Decius himself these troops knew no fear and were eager for battle against those barbarians that would take their lands from them.

“Upon that hill of dirt they stand!” Julianus said as the companies took positions and spread into battle formation. “They think themselves as the ultimate soldiers, they think that there is no one in the world who can stop them! I say: Here we are! For Rome!”

“For Rome!”

“So this is the Army of the People if Rome..” Vannius said. “I´m not impressed, under this Decius, the one they call the Lion, things might be different, but this Julianus, I will trample him into the dust.” He promised as he rode to the first line of his phalanxes. The troops cheered him with thunderous acclaim as he rode in from of them, his sword shining in the sun, his mane caught in the wind. “My brothers!” Vannius said as the army cheered for him. “Now it´s the time to put our heart into the spear and our mind in the future, for now we crush the Romans with thunder and spear we shall! We will show them who are the true masters of this world, long have we suffered their insults and contempt, for long our ancestors bowed to them in fear of their power, who is trembling now?!” The army roared like the hungry beast that it was. “Wolves, it´s time! Feast upon their blood!”

The clatter of spears upon shield, the ground shaking with their collective stomping, the battle cries; it was enough to send a man´s bowels running, for the Germanics were no normal men. Death incarnate they had become.


The Romans however were not to be intimidated, this was the Army of Rome, selected from the very best of the greatest barracks of the Italian cities, they were the elite, their training superb, their tactics the best, their gear the best that Roman gold could buy, their resolve unflinching and their will unbreakable, battle hardened against some of Rome´s greatest enemies, some of the men taking the field today saw the might of Carthage, the discipline of Greece and the ferocity of the Gauls…their defeat would not come cheap.


The pride of Rome was battling today, this was a battle that they had to win anything else would be utter failure and it would crash the people´s morale, they did not just had to win, they had to triumph, they had to make short work of the Germanics to prove their superiority, they had to reestablish themselves as lords of Italy; only then could they hope to win the war.


The wolves of Germania were eager to pounce on their prey, but Vannius refrained them.

“It´s them who have to win here, not us.” He said to his captains. “It is them who have to regain their land, let them try and take it back.” He turned to his archers. “Volley! Ready!....” he held his sword high in the sky..”Fire!”


“Me and my heavy horse will take the right, the Romans will try to pry our left flank with their cavalry, I see their horses moving to our left, the Bears must stall them, and then our light horse must send them back, the left must hold!” Vannius said as he began to rode off with his companions. “Hold the center boys! Be the anvil to my sword!”

The Romans went for the left alright, Valenus led the charge with his heavy horse against two companies of light cavalry from Germania. The ensuing clash surpassed the main battle that was taking place in the center of the field. The Germanics rode like no one else, and were top fighters when riding their horses, but the heavy armor of Valenus´ guards cut through them like sweet grass.


The Bears that were supposed to hold the left were rushed, and thus enable to help the cavalry, by the Roman Triarii, the very best that Rome had to offer against the deadliest force of Germania…


The Romans were outstanding warriors and their skills showed in their skirmish against the Bears, their spears soon found their mark upon Germanic flesh, not that the Germanics stood still, their fierceness was feral, wildlike, like rolling thunders in the sky, their axes were unforgiving and could take a limb, spear, armor, skin, muscle and bone, clear off a soldier, the Triarii were not deterred by this, their armor proved the key to their victory…for it was light so they could evade most of the axe´s swings and enduring enough to guard agains the light grazes that the Bears managed to connect upon them, and after they evaded the Axe, the Spear took their kill, Germanic blood began to spill to the ground, and their numbers began to dwindle. But they would not quit, they would make the Romans pay, and with blood they paid, the carnage was great when the best of both armies fought over who ruled supreme on the left flank of the battle line.

But far to the left, the Germanic cavalry had been routed, their ranks decimated and their spirits crushed the riders ran away from Valenus´ charge.





The young soldier wheeled about his company to smash the remains of the Germanic left. Vannius was told of the disaster, he was guarding the right flank and could not see for himself, but he ordered his reserves to march left to cover the gap left by the cavalry and to cover the phalanxes´ back. And to counter the Romans he unleashed his heavy horse upon the Roman´s left hoping to smash Julianus who had been left unguarded by the Triarii, only his riders to protect him…


Valenus soon was upon the Bears, attempting to finish what the Triarii had been unable to, the Bears did not flinch from the challenge and were ready to stop Valenus´ charge dead in its tracks.


“Hold! My brothers!” Roared one of them as he swung his great axe above his head, beheading yet another Roman, he spun and cut the legs of a horse making the rider collapse to the ground. “For Vannius! For Germania! Hold!” he bellowed as he cut in half another Roman and beheaded a horse in a single swing; blood poured from his trunk, his hair caked with blood, his face bruised and one of his eyes missing, his fury and valor were something to behold. “To me my brothers! Hold the line!”


On the Germanic´s right the heavy horse clashed against Julianus´ guards taking him by surprise or so it seemed.


“Charge!” ordered one of those who rode in the vanguard as he smashed with his spear the Roman´s flank, the rest of Vannius´ Raiders soon followed, the Romans had been caught quite stationary, the Germanics had the whole momentum of the charge with them and soon they broke a wedge deep into the Roman ranks, Julianus was fighting for dear life as his companions were being cut down one by one. Yet the Roman battle discipline showed through and helped to balance things, for had it not been by pure skill and weapon mastery the Roman´s would had been swept by the first charge.

“To me!” Julianus cried. “Only a little longer! Hold them a little longer!”


For a company of Triarii had sneaked behind the Germanics and while the Raiders were entangled with Julianus´ guard they moved with haste to grind them into dust and blood.


On the far left, the heroic clash ensued, outnumbered and outflanked the bleeding Bears were determined to make their final stand there.

“For Germania!”

“For Vannius!”

“Vannius King!”

They yelled, so high was their devotion for lord and land. And while they stood they killed, bleeding from many wounds they were still able to chop heads, slice torsos open and cut limbs with ease with a wing of those terrible axes of them. It was with fear that the Romans made their last push on them. Shouting and cursing, bloodied and battered the last of the Bears was finally brought down, on the same spot that he held during his last moments of life.


“Enough of this” Vannius said as his left crumbled beneath the spears of the Triarii, that while diminished were still a menace to his phalanxes´ rears. “Let´s put his to an end.” He said to Vordegaer. “Phalanxes! Push! Onward to the enemy, hack them into pieces! Cavalry Charge!” And he released his sword from his scabbard and blew his horn and set out racing towards the left flank to try and save the battle.


Over on the center, Murena having escaped the Raider´s charge was rallying his disarrayed center and putting it back to shape against the oncoming wave of spears that Vannius had just unleashed, he needed the center to hold, and then his son might get the chance to outflank Vannius´ line and end the battle with one swift blow. But his center did not hold, for his horse was caught between Germania´s spears and soon his armor was pierced by another three spears, his vision became red with blood, red sky, red sun…and then darkness as the boots and spears of the wolves passed above him on their path to victory.


Vannius had rushed the left and had crumbled the Roman soldiers under his horses hooves, but he was gone as swift as he had came, for he was now pounding the Roman companies from behind and putting them to the sword, but the Triarii who had taken the left were still standing, only scattered a bit by the Germanic cavalry, and were still willing to fight or die today.


But against the Wolves, the masters of the spear they were outmatched, and after the Hell that the Bears had put them through their defeat came soon, but they did not ran , they also held their ground and only stopped fighting until the last of them was pierced side to side by one of Germania´s finest.

Chaos soon followed, the Roman center had broke after seeing Julianus fall, the Triarii and the rest of Julianus´ guard fell back and the Raiders, the last of them at least, regained their foot and their courage when they saw brave Vannius storming the Roman line and inspired by their leader they threw themselves onto the chase.


Valenus and his cavalry were retreating with full hast as well but Vannius was giving chase and he was determined to capture Julianus´ young son.


“Faster! Faster!” Valenus implored to his horse “By the Gods!...”

And then Vannius caught up with him…

Death littered the field as far as the eye could see, Decius´ legion had been smashed by the wolves of Germania and the way into Arretium was wide open…

[Solid Snake]

So how did you like it? Its been too long since The last update and Im feeling quite rusty, hopefully in the upcoming holidays I will be able to write some more in the meantime I ask but patience of you.

[Boustrophedon]

Well I liked it but I'm more of the silent watcher my only gripe is that your pictures are so sharp.. That's just your style though so never mind. It's just not my personal favourite.

Other than that I'm wondering what the huge white space at the bottom is for? Nonetheless a nice update but I don't need to remind you of your writing skills glory!

[ReD_OcToBeR]

HA! great so see alot on my "old friends" updating their AARs that were around when I started on TWC. Splendid victory. Great stuff.

[Solid Snake]

Keep posted....not done yet.

[Solid Snake]

The Last Push

The King woke up…as an old man…he opened his eyes, smelled the morning breeze, looked upon the rays of sun entering his dorm room on the Great Hall of Lemonum, he heard as his wife Thusnelda stirred beside him, and old woman for an old man.

He had sent his Guard after her all the way back to Damme with the orders to bring her to his side if she so wished, Thusnelda agreed and hurried to join his long absent husband and King.

She had arrived last night and they had shared the bed again after Gods knows how many moons and it had been like that very first time all those years ago when they surrendered their hearts and souls to each other. The thought of another child was, of course, impossible, long had the Queen´s bleeding stopped…that made their night together an act of the purest love.

“My love…” The King said as he caressed his wife´s grayish hair.

“My King has awoken.” Replied Thusnelda with a smile. “Shall we get up..or should we break our fast here.”

“We will do neither.” Ariogaisus answered. They kissed…and didn´t leave the bed for another hour.

The couple broke it´s fast on the Hall as the messengers from across the realm poured in to deliver their reports to the King. Thusnelda watched this with a frown for she was against discussing matters of State at the table. The reports were all good from the Core Cities and from the eastern borders, there were rumors of a Briton force that had went rogue, remains of their shattered invasion armies, ghosts from past battles, the King did not worry himself over that information and only recommended the Captains to reinforce the patrols and guards that prowled the roads in the Dark Forest. From the South the news came from the King´s sons and Thusnelda even looked up to hear what they had to say of Othelhildis Half-Hand and of Vannius the Night´s Raider; the King heard of how his sons and brother had smashed the Roman opposition in their path and of how they were invading Roman cities as the messenger spoke, of how his sons were heroes amongst the men, of how they were the terrors of the enemy…all in all things that would make any Father proud.

As the messengers finished with their reports the King called upon his Captains and Quarter Masters, he was calling for a War Council, the Queen made to stand and excuse herself, but Ariogaisus retained her hand and bid her wait.

When all were gathered the King stood up and spoke:

“My friends, long have we rested, long have we stayed here, for too long I think.” He drank some ale. “I decided to bring my wife here not because I planned to never leave this town. I know that some of you think I am too old to fight, too old to conquer, too old to rule.” Some of the Captains shifted looks amongst them, the King ignored them. “That is not so my brothers, I called my wife here for I intend to brag in front of her one more time if the Gods see fit to it.” A moment´s pause. “Gather our forces, we march upon Narbo Martius.” A cheer erupted across the table, as the men stood up and cheered for their King. “My days are short now, and I want to spend them with my wife and Queen, together, as we were young.” He turned to look at her. “Will you ride with me again my love? Will you ride with me, see me off to battle? And..”

“And wait for your return? Be prepared to care your wounds or rest your soul? To celebrate you in victory or mourn you in defeat? Yes I shall do all those things, like when we were young.”

The Captains stormed from the Hall, the horns sounded and the Wolfs assembled to march and fight one more time.

[King of Thessaly]

Love this stuff!

[Solid Snake]

“It must end tonight” Etelgis whispered. “For all our sakes this must end.” He said as he saw the fires erupting in the town of Deva, last of the British strongholds. After reaching the town´s walls in the dead of night and having a brief skirmish with it´s garrison he had ordered torches to be lit and flung into Deva´s homes and barracks, setting them ablaze.

Leya was beside Etelgies looking at the flames, lost in thought. She then turned to look at the men she loved, the man who had led the Wolves of Germania into the Haunted Forest´s of the Briton´s Isle, she looked at him, gaunt and thin, his back burdened with the deaths of Gods know how many boys, girls, women, old…all innocent, all Briton, all dead.

Their march from Eburacum had been quiet, no Woads, no attacks, no howls, but the horns, the horns that Etelgis blew at every dawn had chilled her to the bone. The only thing they found were small villages and ancient strongholds, sometimes empty and abandoned, sometimes with people hiding in them, some other times with life thriving inside them; it didn´t matter what they found, they always left Death behind them.

Leya had begun to had nightmares, and she had begun to fear the man she slept next to. Once she had proposed him to let it go, to return to the ships, return home…the look that he had given her, his eyes…sunk into it´s sockets, two coals from the darkest Hell.

“When they are all dead.” He said. “Then we return.”

Etelgis also had nightmares, he knew that his acts could not be forgiven, not by him, not by the Gods, not by Leya, he loved her, and she had seen the worst of him during this Invasion, he had seen the fear and reproach in her eyes. It make him mad, he also wanted to stop, to turn back, to escape, to kneel in front of her and say he was sorry. But he could not do that, for he feared, feared the Britons, feared that they would return for him across the sea and beyond time, with vengeance and hate that would consume his soul. And so he had to kill them all, and then his nightmares would stop.

“This….this ends tonight.”




A ram had been built and by the morning, when the fired had subsided Etelgis ordered for a full scale attack on the town´s gate, the garrison was small and was sure to face defeat and yet they had refused to surrender sending the Germanic messengers heads back to Etelgis.

“That´s a no I guess.” Etelgis said as he readied himself for battle. “Wolves! My brothers!” The army turned to look at it´s Commander. “Long have we stayed here, long have we fought, I promise: This ends tonight! Britannia dies tonight! I have bled and fought beside you I see you as part of my own being, heart, sword and spear you all are. Into Hell you have followed me and into Glory I will lead you! After tonight, we return home, to sacred Germania, knowing that these monsters will not trouble our people ever again! Your names will be the names of heroes and giants, you shall be the stuff of legend! Wolves! For Germania! Death!”

“Death!” The army roared with him.

“Forward into the city! Kill all inside it!”

“Death!”

Etelgis turned to Leya, as always her group was sitting rearguard.

“You and I will lead the assault. Get your group ready, together we breach the gate and take the square. I come from in front and you take them in the back.” Etelgis grabbed her hand. “My love…I …please…lets do this together, and then we can go home. I dream..of a life together Leya, please… I love you.” He said to her face.

Leya looked at him, she loved him as well, but she did not speak, she only smiled and nodded as he led her group forward, one tear rolling down her cheek.

The gate fell before the battering ram and Leya and Etelgis led their forces inside, inside the smoldering ashes of the Briton town, some buildings have fell beneath the flames while others had survived the fire and only smoke poured from their structure.

Leya separated from Etelgis company and took a side road to reach the plaza, she led her group of fighting women across the burned down town, smoldered corpses littered the streets, cries of anguish filled the air and the smell of rotting, burned flesh engulfed them all. She was sick of it all, sick of the war. This was enough, this had to end she thought as tears rolled down her cheeks as she saw the bodies of two children half emerging from a house´s ruins.

She reached the plaza after Etelgis´ phalanx had engaged the remaining warbands in the town´s square. Leya yelled her group into the fray smashing the Britons from the back with chilling cries and hard steel.

The battle was nearly over, the Britons were holding for dear life with brave desperation, after killing a Briton or three Leya engaged with one of their greatest warriors, more than 6 feet tall, battered shield and scarred body, his spear aflame with Germanic blood. The Warrior took one look at Leya and roared as he charged her.

Duck, parry, cover, strike, cut, downswing, thrust, side step, the dance of battle had started and Leya was on the losing side. All around them the Britons were being slaughtered by her Germanic comrades, but this one would not die. Duck, side step, shield bash, hit, she fell to the ground and he looked as how the Briton readied his spear to pierce her side to side. She avoided the thrust and got up as the Briton struggled to free his spear from the square´s floor.




A breath to gather herself, she steeled her muscles and her heart. Another thrust, she evaded it by rolling to her right, she swung at the Briton´s legs, she almost cut it right off. The Briton fell to his knees, Leya got up and stroke the man´s neck with her axe with a sickening “thunking” sound.

Etelgis was at the other side of the square busy dealing with the Briton warband´s remains, he struck the last Briton down with his blade and turned to see Leya kill the warrior in front of her, with a sigh of relief he turned again to strike against his next foe; until…

The Briton´s sight was red with blood, his heart was giving up on him, his last strike, his last kill, he gathered up his strength and his spear.

Leya heard something rustling behind her, but as she turned to look…

Etelgis turned at the right time to see Leya´s chest pierced from the back by the Briton´s spear, he saw her eyes giving away, blood pouring from her lips, the tip of the spear bright with her blood, she seemed to struggle to say something as she collapsed to the floor. Etelgis ran to her.

“NOOOOO!” He cried.

It was over, it was all over.

[Dejeyo]

Very interesting AAR. It's quite addictive to read. Can't wait for next update!

+rep

[Solid Snake]

Thanks! And to everyone who has read this, thanks, thanks a lot, I see the viewer´s count on the thread and it blows my mind, thank you..for real thank you.