[IB AAR] Spite of Severus

[Juvenal]

XIII: CALEDONIA

filius est pars patris
(a son is part of the father)

After three days of rape, pillage and murder, Angus had the effrontery to present me with the Praefecture of Venta Icenorum. He was going to make a bid for Londinium with his remaining effectives, while most of the sick and wounded were to be sent back to Eboracum to deter a Roman force reported to be probing from the west.

I kept Brede and all my retinue with me and called for help from my contacts here in the province of Flavia Caesariensis. Luckily there was now money enough to raise a professional town watch, establish a hospital, give aid to families devastated by the sack of the town, and start a rebuilding programme.

While I was making these arrangements, my agent Niall, who I had placed with Drest McAngus, arrived with news from the north. Drest was a man of action and had found the unsuccessful search for Sennianus almost unbearable. He had now sought and received permission from Angus to destroy the independent Picts so that he could seek out Sennianus unfettered by the need to cover Dal Riada.



Drest had moved suddenly against Cinioc of the Taexali, surprising him before he could retreat to his mountain strongholds. He approached Cinioc through woods so that the enemy would have nowhere to hide after their defeat.

The army of Drest was mostly levy, with only a cadre of experienced warriors. He arranged the levy into a battle line and marched it through the woods straight at the enemy while most of his experienced men swept around to the right.

The Taexali crumbled almost immediately, and Drest swooped down upon Cinioc sitting uselessly behind his army. The fight was bloody but brief and Cinioc died without ever fully comprehending what had gone wrong.



Drest allowed his men barely a day to take their booty, bind their wounds and get back on the march. He wanted to catch his namesake, Drest of the Venicones, before the latter could move from his camp above Inchtuthill.

As it happened, the Venicones were ready and had even been reinforced by the remaining Taexali so that they outnumbered the men of the Dal Riata. However Drest was not discouraged, he feinted against the false Drest, then conducted a lightening flank march so as to approach them from the high ground in their rear.



Coming over the brow of a small ridge, Drest's move was finally spotted. He immediately led his cavalry at the gallop to claim a position dominating the enemy milling around in the valley below.

Enemy cavalry came up to contest the high ground, but Drest's troopers were concentrated and delivered a charge which sent them scampering back to their comrades.



Soon the whole army was deployed across the slope. Had the enemy been under a unified command, they might have done the wise thing and withdrawn at this point, but instead they formed line of battle.

Drest McAngus allowed his battle line a few minutes to catch their breath and then advanced it down the slope until it was within range of the enemy. Then he gave the order and the sky literally darkened with crossbow bolts, darts and javelins.



The screams of the enemy could be clearly heard, Niall insisted that even the dull thump of the impact of javelins on bodies could be discerned. For once even the Dimba, who were normally kept out of harm's way in the rear, were able to account for a significant number of the enemy.

When Drest ran out of javelins, he ordered the levy to charge home while his seasoned men swept around both flanks. The enemy, already disheartened, fought only briefly before their line dissolved into a mere mass of fleeing fugitives.

Drest of the Venicones could not be found, perhaps he had perished in the rout, or maybe he would continue to fight against the Dal Riata as a bandit. It mattered little as the Venicones and Taexali were now both destroyed as independent forces.



Although I applauded Drest's exploits, I was concerned that he might become difficult to control when he succeeded his father as High King. Clearly something needed to be arranged to clip his wings.

However, as yet there was nothing I could do because that evening I received the summons from Angus to join him outside Londinium.

[SeniorBatavianHorse]

Another stirling update and one which deepens the intrigue and characters involved. I am honestly torn over whether I like Severus or not - his little acts of humanity such as the hospital add insight to his character even as his wider machinations place his in a selfish and egotistical mold. Well done, Juvenal!

[Ramah]

Great chapter, I really want to see how Severus will deal with Drest.

And wow you field a lot of skirmishers.

[Juvenal]

@Ramah - I think you can guess by now that it won't be face-to-face.

@SBH - I am still discovering the character of Severus myself - because it is, to some extent, shaped by events.

I don't think he is an evil man (although he is severely pissed-off at the beginning of the account), however he does seem to lack empathy, viewing people largely in terms of their potential usefulness. He also has a bit of a chip on his shoulder due to being ostracised from the nobility.

I am looking forward to seeing how he reacts if things threaten to come unraveled for him, or if he is faced with some important moral choice. Perhaps if I drink just one more bottle of that rather nice single-malt more might be revealed... :hmmm:

@Winter - Thank you for your support. I shall indeed keep it up (even if I have to use a prop).

@Legio Caesar - I still mostly use MS Paint at present, although I am trying to learn how to get things done in The Gimp.

Appeal: Please, everyone, do consider voting in the AAR competitions. Every vote warms the cockles of some poor lonely AARtist's heart, and encourages them to write more stories!

[andrewmc]

This is without doubt the best AAR there is! i check every day to see if there is an update! Can't be long till Londinium is captured.

[Legio]

Another great update, Juvenal.

[bomberboy]

Great updates as usual and I voted for you.

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Awesome update: epic scenery, big ass battles, and a refined way of story-telling... can't wait to read more. This could and should be published, Juvenal you continue to amaze us, and you got my vote too.
On a side note, I didn't know crossbows were used in this relatively early era.

[Legio]

Crossbows were even used by the Diadochi, Power.

[Juvenal]

@andrewmc - Don't worry, Londinium is next on Angus's itinerary. It will be a notable occasion since the Vortigern is there.

@Legio Caesar - Thank you.

@bomberboy - Thanks. The more people that vote, the better the competition (even if they don't vote for me :violin2.

@PowerWizard - Well it has been published... here!

The Crossbow is a quite ancient weapon, despite us generally associating it with the Middle Ages, see the Wiki article. The ancient Chinese had it, and so did the Greeks (Gastraphete or "Belly-bow"), and Romans (Manuballista).

Here is a Gastraphete reconstruction.

There is evidence that the Picts used it too. Here is a crossbow illustration from the 9th Century Drosten Stone.

As for the next update, well, I am just waiting for a report from Londinium.

[bomberboy]

The Greeks had crossbows! I'm learning something new every day.

[Entropy Judge]

Wait, Age of Mythology actually got something right??!! Wow .... That said -nice victory! Go Picts! I hope Severus doesn't have to send an assassin to help Drest on his way to glory in some other battle ....

[bomberboy]

I bet Severus would do that.

[Antiochos VII Sidetes]

Very good AAR! I've enjoyed reading through it.

[Juvenal]

XIV: LONDINIUM

victis honor
(Honour to the vanquished)

I took no soldiers with me to Londinium, and only a small party that could travel unremarked across the chaotic land of Flavea Caesarensis.

Arriving at Londinium I found Angus almost ready to assault. The garrison was apparently tiny, and the small relief force which had been hovering around the area had marched north to take part in some manoeuvre against Eboracum. I knew this would come to naught since the host of Drest was also close to Eboracum, on its way to resume the search for Sennianus.



As for my dual Praefecture, things were going almost better than could be expected. Trade was flowing through Venta Icenorum again, and it even now had a locally-raised militia to defend it. My beloved Eboracum was recovering well from the slave-taking, and I had been able to raise my first professional band of Chodaoer there. Unfortunately there was not yet enough money to complete the repair of the walls, so I was relying on Drest to defend it against marauding Romano-British.



Angus seemed very confident and, wanting to administer the coup de grace himself, gave me no important command, instead relegating me to leading the archers.

The Vortigern chose to remain deep within the city, and our army had no difficulty breaking down a gate and marching cautiously toward the city centre. We soon arrived at the immense open plaza facing the opulent Governor's Palace, in which the Vortigern and his cronies and concubines now made their home.

I will give Angus credit for handling his troops competently, but I don't think he fully realised just how strong the Roman heavy cavalry really was. They were the very best soldiers with the best armour and weapons. They were also well motivated since they must have known that the only options on this day would be victory or death.



I tried to get my men to somewhere they could fire upon the enemy, but it proved very difficult, firstly because we were at the back of the column, and secondly because crossbows can't be fired over the heads of our own men, so I had to scout out a position beyond the right of our line where we would be in danger from a sudden charge. But before I could even get my men into place, the enemy came charging into Angus's spear line.

The battle was horribly unequal as the heavily armoured Romans trotted through the swirling mass of Picts and mercenaries, seemingly immune to Pictish spears, periodically dipping and swinging with their spathae, for all the world like farmers cutting the harvest wheat. Angus appeared to realise this, because he hurried all of his cavalry around the Roman right to hit them from the rear.

For a long time the battle was utter confusion. Friend and foe inextricably mixed, the air thick with the clanging of sword and spear against shield, and with the shouts and screams of the combatants. After a while the line of foot soldiers in front of my men began to thin, and the survivors started to stream away in defeat. I wondered how Angus would bear the shame of having a whole army defeated by a single vexillation of cavalry.



I did the only thing I could and ordered my men to fire directly into the melee. As the last of our Chodaoer gave way, no Pict remained standing in the plaza, all were dead, wounded or else fled back into the side streets from which we had emerged so full of bravado just a hour before.

When the Romans turned to concentrate on the Mormaers, we had a clearer target, and our arrows began to have an effect. I am certain that Angus and his cavalry would have been utterly destroyed without our fire. As it was, the Vortigern found himself with just a few surviving retainers, facing a similar number of Mormaers tightly bunched around their injured lord Angus, the horses jostling and slipping as they sought their footing on the blood-soaked flagstones of the plaza.

Suddenly, the Vortigern gave an order and his survivors broke off the fight with Angus and came trotting directly toward my men. My archer mercenaries instantly took off between the buildings, but my Elbharu stood fast. The Vortgern, seeing that we would not run, halted his men to prepare a charge.



Standing with my men, I shouted across the gap.

"Vitalinus, your game is played out, your god Cernunnos has deserted you and your sons are slain. Surrender to me now and I guarantee safety for your family and an easy death for you".

“Severus? - you traitorous bastard, I should have known you'd be here following the wolves looking for carrion. Go to Hades you stinking half-cast scum. Get out of my way and crawl back under your rock with your snake brethren!"

Seemingly satisfied with this epithet he turned away from me to order the charge. But I had taken a crossbow from the man next to me and as the Vortigern raised his spatha to give the signal, I shot him in the neck.



Most of the remaining Romans had wisely taken the opportunity to leave his employ while Vitalinus delivered his last speech, a single volley from my Elbharu accounted for the rest.

While I stood there contemplating the corpse, Angus came up with his remaining bodyguards. His left side was sodden with blood (his own this time), and he grunted with the effort of remaining upright in the saddle. He was also incandescent with rage. He looked down at me and the body of the (ex) Vortigern as if we had somehow conspired against him.

“If you speak of this to anyone I will kill you”

“My Lord, I am as ever your faithful servant” I said as I bowed my head to hide my own anger and gave obeisance.

Angus and his men rode off, presumably to start the punishment of the city.

Walking among the bloody remains of the battle I wondered if Vitalinus would be missed, and whether his faction would continue to fight without him. Would they choose a new Vortigern or would the Roman elements regain control? As for Angus, well his days were numbered. Soon the Romans would either be destroyed, or become our vassals. Then the need for Angus would be at an end.

[bomberboy]

Looks like Severus is ready for his master plan.

[Antiochos VII Sidetes]

I wonder, how are you going to add him in as a commander...

[andrewmc]

Where next from here? clean up the rest of the romano british ,should be easy enough. Then maybe conquer the world i reckon the pictish cavalry will easliy match the sassanids.

[bomberboy]

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

[Entropy Judge]

It looks like Angus made the mistake of many horde-lords - believing that morale and numbers would always prevail against armour. Sometimes it works, but usually you have to work for your victories, as I hope he's found out. Good luck on his allies deciding not to help! That looks like it could have turned quite nasty had they been close enough to help.