In the beginning.
Bella, bella victoria! Cried the plebs, fools they were. Roma had gained glory, fighting the pathetic ‘powers’ that still held ground in italia proper. But the real war lay ahead of us, we didn’t know it at the time, but Roma would burn the world in defence of her people and in return, the world would speak of her glory for ever.
Come; make yourself warm, the night is long and the tale of her greatness even longer.
Chapter 1 – Italia learns her place
After the celebrations, we mustered for battle. We didn’t tell the plebs of course, what on earth could those idiots know of war and death visited upon our enemies in their name? Quintus Papus, commander of the first legion of Rome, readied his men to march north to remove the treacherous barbarians – Etrurians they called themselves – from under our noses. They had been harassing us for months, picking and poking and biting. We are lucky they didn’t have the brains to finish us off while we consolidated our position, but our scouts now report they have mustered a serious threat. Papus marched to stop them, but still it may have all been for nothing for a greater threat had been brewing for months.
The thrice damned Epirus.
The Greek hedonistic man-loving sop lays claim to south Italy, and even now as papus marches romes finest to deal with the Etrurians he is massing in Taras. He must be stopped! But could Papus get there in time – and more importantly – with an army not dead on its feet already?
Papus was not found wanting. We recieved word that Papus had smashed the enemy, they dared to challenge him on the field and not fight in the streets, clearly fortuna and mars were not with their king that day. The enemy thought it would be in their best interest to wait for their reinforcements to arrive, fools they were. Our slingers obliterated theirs in minutes clearly showing roman superiority to the men, the enemy dying in droves and stones smashed jaws in the tens, the fools dying to the jeering of the impetous Hastati, witnesses to the spectacle. Realizing his folly, the enemy marched forth and crashed against the Hastati line, breaking like waves, but the hastati like rabid dogs of mars himself simply couldnt wait to be unchained upon the foe. Papus himself smashed into the rear of the enemy with a equite alae of romes finest, breaking them.
We did not fall to the Triarii this day, Mars favoured us.
But now the main contender appears, epirus has thrown together an army and holds in Taras, Papus must march the army (which he kept successfully intact) to attempt to deal with this new threat.
Our spies found this:
A unit of war elephants! in addition to those pikes, plus the walls of taras, Papus knew he couldnt attack. He opted for defence; wait for the right time to strike, the greeks will likely declare war on epirus sooner or later, or kill his army as he marches on our lands unaided by the garrison force; no doubt ruling the plebs there with an iron fist he couldnt risk sending all of them out at once.
'They can bite, they can scratch, like any other Floozy', said the commander of the watch at Cosentia. Within 2 hours the commander of the floozies was hanging from a tree desecrated. Gnaeus Pullius had done the impossible, defeating 3/4 of an enemy stack (not eprius himself unfortunately and his dratted elephants) in the defence of Cosentia and by proxy Roma herself. The enemy had brought forward enough force that he was confident of victory. Papus mustered the men of Legio I after hearing of this great news, steadying his cloak and straightened his sword belt. The end of epirus was nigh, and Pullius wouldnt stand an assault from the main force, despite his heroics.
Epirus lays dead. Epirus lays dead. The word went around Rome like a wildfire, invigorating her like no man could. Papus had done it. In a decisive battle, he managed to intercept the enemy army commanded by the man himself and the remnants of the men pullius had so conveniently defeated. The word must had spread around the enemy camp of the caliber of men they were dealing with, their 'visit' to Cosentia dropping their morale faster than a man drops his toga at the sight of a naked woman.
The elephants get utterly destroyed:
Though the enemy is not as fierce as the roman Hasta, a unit still makes a heroic last stand against the might of Papus. They shall be recorded in a local monument as people with the spirit of alexander must be remembered:
The way to Taras lies open, Papus replenishes his troops and marches on the boot of italy, Taras falls within two seasons, Legio I takes some casualties but whats left of Pyrrhus' family is sent a diplomatic proposal, they may keep their land in greece, but Italy is made for the romans, to be ruled by romans, and exploited by romans, one more step on to her soil, and we will crucify Pyrrhus' entire family and decimate his capital. Of course, lacking any army at all, they accepted. Southern Italy comes into the fold, but what about the north?
The Senate erupts. Discourse has stalled, the senate is split. The issue is about what to do with the three barbarian tribes to the north. they are all at war with each, but the Insubres appears to be winning. Marcus Aburius stands up:
'The Insubres to the north are going to win. This is not a opinion it is a fact! Look at what we have achieved! middle and south italy bends to our will! Pyrrhus the last hope of the greeks crushed, the samnites, smashed, the lucanians wiped out! Our people in the north whether we like it or not will be attacked or we will have to pay fortunes to keep the barbarians at bay. Let us pay them now i say! With blood and steel, like true romans! For the Senate and People of Rome!'
senators stood up together, none wanting to be called out as 'not a true roman', many more worried about how much the future tribute could cost and more importantly impact their own business. It didnt take much for the entire chamber to erupt into shouts of SPQR! SPQR!.
Papus readied himself to carry out the will of Rome, the army marches north:
The attack on Genua went by without a hitch, the town was assaulted as soon as the army arrived after half a days march. The defenders was bombarded within the city and came out to come to grips with the sons of mars, only to be promptly smashed and contained within the town, which became their grave. Some hours later Papus was in his command tent considering his next move. the Insubres he knew would be quite pleased that rome had removed one of its enemies, it stood to reason they wont be hostile - at least not yet while they fight with the veneti to the east. Papus decided to take advantage of this, he would hold in genua for a time replenishing and pacifying the local area, removing any further resistance and bringing civilization to this backward place. Then he would swing around and hit the veneti, he knew he would need to be quick as once the veneti had been hit the insubres almost certainly would realize rome had designs on all of northern italia, which of course is only right and proper.
Onward then, Mars called them....
Papus' luck had kept up with his march across Italia. The veneti had moved her army to attack the insubres, poised to take their capital, no doubt jealous that they had better hovels then themselves pathetic uncivilized scum the lot of them. Papus capitalized, and took the town of Patavium without a hitch, the now well oiled 1st Legion finding the barbarian resistance minimal compared to the war with Pyyrhus. a season later, and the veneti were destroyed, ambushed by a insubres army in their own lands, the bodys left to rot. All that stood in the way of securing the north and ensuring the wealth of the people of rome, was the Insubres. They had one full army, last reported to be somewhere in the forests near their capital and a half strength force along with garrison forces in the capital. Papus called his commanders together, and they planned to finish the campaign. The plan consisted of attempting to bait the enemy out of his capital, and try to avoid the same scenario with epirus, as tough as romans are in these foreign lands garrison commanders like Pullius of Cosentia are few and far between and all must not be risked at the last stroke.
Ill news! As expected the Insubres attacked but with far more men than expected:
The unwashed barbarians, knowing they couldnt take on the might of Roma man to man, raised half a army of mercenarys and crashed against Papus' Heroes! The men of the first held their ground for 6 hours, the enemy pouring from the north like a horde of rats throwing man after man to his doom on the mighty Hasta. The men took horrendous casualties, the numbers of the enemy just too much for them to handle. All looked lost, when at the lasted, a battered squad of men from Papus' hand picked bodyguard who were so exhausted they practically fell on to the enemy instead of charged, managed to cause the enemy to panic and flee, of course no surprise, but robbing the Insubres of a victory. Papus wrote to the senate of his great victory, but also had no choice but to declare the tattered remnants of his legion unfit to fight anymore, utterly ruined by the assault. He was forced to retreat back to rome to rally the plebs to his banner, the Insubres using what was left of his horde of unwashed misfits to take patavium and then genua a season later.
The north was lost.
The senate after hours of derision and maneuvering, saw fit to raise a new legion to aid Papus in taking the north. The men of the Legio I had done its duty, they fought like true romans and could no longer be expected to carry the weight of Rome by herself. The new legion was raised in three season, just outside of rome, commanded by Vatinius Habitus a rising tribune from the first legion, and given the title of the fifth legion, (the other 3 maintained garrison duties). Papus' men bolstered by this new army, marched forth once more and retook Patavium, as now the enemy was engaged in a 3 front war, the tribes to the north taking advantage of his weakness and marching on his capital, though make no mistake they were no friends of Rome, should they succeed, plans were already being made to remove them from cisalpina (the administrators were already making documents and plans on how to manage the area once taken).
This is the current situation:
Can Legio V and Legio I work together to further the cause of Rome?
In Defence of the Senate & People of Rome: A DEI Roman AAR
Originally Posted by Garbarsardar 
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Originally Posted by Darkan
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