Re: [IB AAR] The Spite of Severus
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.
Last edited by Juvenal; October 10, 2008 at 01:37 AM.
imb39 ...is my daddy!