Cvria Ivlia, Consulate of Labienus/Publicola (II)

[Caesar Rex]

I send this letter as a distress.
I awoke this morning to find over a thousand gauls laying siege to the town I am residing in.
I have with me 280 trained men.
They have brought their ladders and an assualt on this town is emminent.
I do not know their intentions toward Rome but it would seem the prescence of our Proconsul in Massilia has caused alarm.
I will try to write again.
I do not know if we will see the night through.
Ser.Labienus

[Caesar Rex]

[apple]

OCC: OMG

[Gaius Julius Civilis]

Senators, our consul is trapped. The Gallic menace has descended into Italia herself. Only a few days' marches seperate the barbarian Hordes from the walls of the Eternal City. Something must be done! Recently the holy senate voted whether or not to send a legion to Massilia. Now is the time to excecute that motion. Refill the ranks of the legion back from Africa and MARCH TO ARRETIUM! TO THE RESCUE OF OUR SACRED CONSUL! The senior consul shall then take charge of the legion there, and march onwards to Massilia and our brave proconsul!

[Philos Sophos]

"Yes,we need to protect our city.Let the Massilians be alone now and rescue our noble consul.

Roma Victor!"

[Gaius Julius Civilis]

ooc: actually I meant that the legion en route to Massilia would rescue the consul, who would then take charge of the legion.

[Philos Sophos]

ooc:oh,lets do that then

[We shall fwee...Wode]

We should mobilise the entire military infastructure of Italy to rescue him, the ships will take too long. We must not accept this unprovoked and violent incursion on our homeland! I am a man of peace, but when they march on Rome, they must be punished.

[Caesar Rex]

There is a noise outside...
The street are filled with citizens of all nations residing in Rome...
The throng of it rouses all the senators in the Curia.
Is Rome being attacked.
Wait.
No one is screeming.
No.
They are cheering.
News of the consul under siege had reached all ears in Rome.
Everyone was talking about it.
What could this be.
How could there be cheering at such a time.
This was not right.
Something must be happening.

[Philos Sophos]

Tiberius runs outside of the curia and says.

"What the...?"

[Gaius Julius Civilis]

Falco quickly runs to the Rostra to speak.

[Caesar Rex]

The consul was home.
The consul was home and he was safe.
Although carried in a gig all of Rome was cheering.
How had he slipped away from the Gauls.
Those barberians had laid siege to the town he was stranded in.
The winds had pushed his ship north to the port of Arretium.
How could this be.
Had he escaped their clutches.
The gig stopped outside the Curia.
Not dressed for the occassion Servius Labienus entered the senate.
Everyone could see he was not himself.
You could always pick him out of the crowd as he was the one most upright.
But now he was huddled.
Injured?
Hurt?
How had he managed to get away from those Gauls.
Those ravages that dared defy Rome.
Those that entered Romes borders.
How?
Why?
Everyone had something to say from the fishmonger to the slave dealer.
Children were following the gig and dancing in the streets.
The consul was safe.

[Philos Sophos]

Tiberius runs to the curia and says.

"All hail,the consul has returned!"

[Gaius Julius Civilis]

Falco stopped in surprise, nearly bumping into the consul.

"Consul! You're alive! And... in Rome? You were in Arretium, being besieged... How did you escape?"

[Caesar Rex]

As he entered the halls the senators gathered around the old man.
Yes he was consul.
He was now back home.
Nevermind going home to clean.
Driven day and night the gig got to Rome in record time.
Now seated in his curule he began his speech.
Dirt on his face he tried his best to keep his pose.
Left leg in front of the right.
Dusted toga and strewn hair.
He tried his best to keep his back straight although the cut on his shoulder prevented it.
His leg bandaged hastily as he left Arretium.

[Philos Sophos]

ooc:He is David Copperfield

[Gaius Julius Civilis]

Consul, would you mind sharing the state of Arretium and the story of your escape with us?

[Caesar Rex]

The consul tried to stand but his legs would not give.

'Senators, I beg you to allow me to sit while I tell the story.
No one knows where they emerged from.
They must have marched all night from there borders that edge ours.
From the campaign in Africa I was used to rising before the sun and this day was like every other.
A man of my age must keep fit and took walks in the early morning along the walls of Arretium.
Something I used to do when I was a boy.
Always loved looking down into the ocean of grass and trees.
Yet two days ago all I saw was barbarians.



Over a thousand strong and they were beginning to encircle the town.
I hurried to get hold of a scribe and that was the message you received not long ago.
As I predicted they had brought their siege equipment as this was to be a blitz.



Take the walls and slaughter, pillage and rape.
Then take their leave back to their lands.
It has happened to many farms now on their borders and never have they gone so far to take a city.
The doors to city were shut and I gathered the two maniples I had with me.
A good friend of mine was governer of the town and I had him guard the centre itself.
He was to be the last wall of defence if they took the walls.
It was not long till they mounted an attack.
There was no way reinforcements were to reach the city in time.
We would not see the night if we failed.
They brought the ladders to the walls.



Fortune played her role and the townsfolk that manned the towers managed to destroy their ram.
A catastrophe had it reached the gates as our resources were already thin.
I stood with the two maniples.
A consul among rankers.
Their mothers never loved them more than I did that day.



We fought for what seemed hours, they continued to pour over the walls in numbers.
I never thought we would see nightfall if they kept this up.
Every man did his job and yes, we lost men.
They died fighting for Rome.
For her people.



One of those that got over the wall seemed to recognise a man of importance.
He lunged straight at me with all his might.
Passing through five men he managed to get his spear in my thigh.
Had in not been for Sextus Pompeius who caught my arm I to would have joined those that now celebrate only death.
In the end we triumphed over these barbarians who dared defy Rome.
Their numbers meaned nothing to Roman honour.
Their waves of men crashed against our rocks of gladii.



Forty-nine men lost their lives defending Arretium.
After the siege was lifted I made for Rome with all haste.
I doubt whether we have anything to worry about for now and with the troops from Africa soon landing on italian soil we will be sufficiently protected for now.'

[Philos Sophos]

"You are an hero consul,but we have bigger problems now.We are now in war with the Gauls.We are need to raise alot of legions and imrpove our defenses in the north.We mush not forgive the attacking of Romans.

Roma Victor!"

[Caesar Rex]

So it would seem.
To long have they been a thorn in our side raiding farms and pillaging the north.
They have a clear path to us from Gaulia Interior.