[RS AAR] The Gens Aurelia - a Chronicle (working title)

[Winter]

Some of you may know me from You are the Senate, where I play characters from the Aurelii family of Republican (soon to be imperial) Rome.

Over the course of You are the Senate I have created a number of reports and stories about my main character, Lucius Aurelius Lepidus, and many others in the family, and here I'm going to attempt to re-write the rather short reports and stories as a chronicle of sorts of the life of my main character and several of my minor characters.

Technically the material I am using is not "new". The battles were fought months ago and you can read how things turn out by digging through the archives in the YATS subforum. However I am hoping that I can expand the story and go deeper than I was able to during the game.

If you're not familiar with You are the Senate (YATS for short) and therefore have no idea what I'm talking about, I urge you to click the link in my signature.

Anyway, fingers crossed.

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Welcome here, Winter!
The idea is very kewl, looking forward to it.
+Rep for shooting up the thread here.

[Winter]

Part One: Of War and Broken Promises


Chapter One: Sicilia Medius
Background: Lucius Aurelius Lepidus, a new man, or novus homo, has been newly elected to the prestigious position of Consul of the Res Publica. He inherits a prodigious task: Defeating the Kingdom of Syracuse and Uniting the Island under the Roman banner.

Sicily was a strange place indeed. An island nation without a navy. A nation of great generals and strategists that refuse to lead. Great palaces dotted the landscape, yet most stood dormant and empty, their occupiers off to war or hiding from the Roman advance. An island of contradictions.

Lepidus glanced once again at the force arrayed before him, across the flat plain of grass. They were hardened elites in their shining armor, yet they were lead by a mere captain, not fit to command a battalion! What were these Greeks up to?





“Ehem, sir? Shall I order the attack?” The remark brought Consul Lucius Aurelius Lepidus out of his reverie.

It was Clodius Decius, a 19 year veteran of the army, had been a trusted advisor to Lepidus, as it was well known he had little command experience. Though Lepidus was the commander, the elder Decius quickly became somewhat of a mentor to the stoic senator.

“Ahh well umm, yes, send the Hastati in.” said Lepidus finally. That familiar indecision was back, nagging at the back of his mind. He had shrugged it off so far, but it appeared to be getting the best of him.

Decius, either unaware of his commander’s issue or willfully ignoring it, quickly pivoted and shouted “Hastati – FORWARD!”

Lepidus watched as the great tide of gleaming helmets and blue tunics marched to meet the black–armored Sicilian hoplites. At the same time, the fur headed velites retreated through the hoplite ranks – they had been pelting the Greeks since the battle began.

The Hastati crashed into the Hoplite lines with a mighty roar and the clash of sword and spear on shield and man.





The battle raged for more than an hour, and soon it became clear to the Consul that his left flank was starting to crack under the pressure.

Decius had noticed it too. “Sir, the left is folding! They must have reinforcement What should we do?”

To Lepidus that was a very good question. He was incredibly nervous. His thoughts swam together in his head and he could not pick a valid command from them. Then he glanced over to the second line and he knew exactly what to do. He took a deep breath, and finally said.

“Send in the Principes, pull out the hastati. At the same time, send the Equites around the flank. Lets finish this, yes?”

Decius smiled briefly, saying “very good, sir.” He barked out the orders to runners who carried them out to the appropriate maniples.





Five minutes later the Principes were charging home against a wall of spears and shields. However, they were no Hastati. These were veterans, trained men. They tore into their opponents and fought the elite greeks to a stand still. And at that very moment the cavalry arrived.

From over a small hill behind the Greek ranks, the equites battalion charged. They were unimpeded on their attack; the entire Greek army was engaged in the fight. It was just a matter of breaking their will now.





The charge decimated the lines of hoplites and levies. The Greeks were routed nearly instantly. Among the confusion, the Sicilian captain was cut down without a second thought.

Soon the rout was complete. The field was taken and the battle won, though not without casualties. Lepidus felt this an appropriate time to address his men.

He got up on a makeshift dias assembled from some crates, and prepared to speak.

“Men, we have done a great thing here today. We have defeated an army of a tyrant king, and have come one step closer to liberating this island. Weep not for the men you slew on this field, for they fell in defense of oppression and persecution, while our honored dead here defended freedom, justice, our good Roman values, and of course our Roman gods!”

“In truth soldiers this campaign is not over. Tonight we will rest here and cremate our dead, but them we must move. This legion will siege Agrigentum, an important Greek city and a center of their trade. In the West, we besiege and blockade the Greek port of Catana. Soon the Greeks will be forced to fight us directly, instead of sending these pathetic half armies at us, and then we will show them what true Romans can do!”

The army cheers

“Men, you and I can end this war. On then, to Lilybaeum!”

This Chapter was taken from the Consulate of Lepidus/Brutus, specifically this post http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showp...1&postcount=47

[Winter]

THE BATTLE OF THE AGRIGENTUM VALLEY


Consul Lepidus surveyed the army arrayed before him with a quiet unease. They had been on the road for near one week without a single sign of the Greeks, and the approaching woodlands were dangerous territory for his manipular army.

"I don't like this, Decius" said Lepidus, speaking to his trusted bodyguard Clodius Decius. "These Greek cowards could be anywhere in that forest, how can we flush them out?"

"Consul, I am but a soldier, no great tactician. But if I were the Greeks, I would not want to leave a defensible position like this."

"You're telling me we're going to have to follow them in there, aren't you Decius?" said Lepidus stoically.

Decius responds with a coy smile.

Lepidus sighs, shakes his head at his friend, then shouts to his army, "Foward, MARCH!"



The legion advances at a slow crawl. They are instructed to clear the first outcrop of trees before stopping at the main wood. At the same time, a small, veteran battalion of equites is sent out in front of the army to flush out any ambushers.



The Equites commander, Gaius Valerius, leads his men up to the edge of the wood and rides right along it. He knows the enemy wouldn't risk attacking such a small group and revealing themselves.

Valerius rides forward and backward, searching for the glint of a shield, the tip of a spear, anything, to signify enemy presence...



Meanwhile, the legion has formed up nearly 100 meters from the wood.
Lepidus, hearing nothing from his scouts, orders his Velites into action.

"Velites, forward! Don't stop until you root out those bastards!"
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The Velites advance. Slowly but surely, they close the distance to the trees. To Lepidus, it is as if time had slowed down just so he could take in the sight. The perfectly ordered formations, in close order, marching to the woods. Surely these Greeks couldn't be of that great strength? Why else would they hide? No, this battle would go very well indeed. Now wait, what is that commotion down at the tree-line?
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At the treeline, Valerius was completing one final sweep when he saw something. A leather belt, in the style of Syracuse, behind one of the trees. He ordered his unit to slow from their trot so he could investigate further.

"What is it sir?" crys a soldier.
Valerius picks up the belt, looks into the woods, then runs to his horse.
"We must get to the Consul immediat-" he is cut off as an arrow whizzes by is face. At the same time, a great number of Greek light horsemen leap full speed from the woods. Valerius motions for his men to run, but realize they will never make it. Nobly, outnumbered three to one, he orders his horsemen into the enemy.

Lepidus looks at the scene with growing concern. Things were going very wrong very fast, and if he didn't get control of the situation he might be in trouble. First the Greek cavalry attacks our scouts, and now hoplites are streaming out of the woods? What do I do? I'm just a senator...

"Sir! What do you want us to do?" Screams Decius in the Consul's face.

Lepidus looks at Decius, confused, then immediatley regains himself.

"Equites second battalion, FORWARD! ATTACK! Velites, fighting retreat, NOW!"

Marcus was the seasoned centurion of the Velites first maniple. He'd seen a lot in his career, and so when he heard the order for 'fighting retreat', he knew his men were in for some serious trouble. Without thinking he ordered his men to throw spears.

He called for them to retreat 20 meters, and they did, and threw again. The velites retreated and threw like clockwork until they were behind the Hastati line, slowly pushing its way to the front...

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Valerius was in the thick of a vicious battle. His spear had broken and he had abandoned his shield , and was wildly swinging around him with the Gladius. It was of no use, and slowly but surely he was losing ground and men. But then, from on the hill came the sound he was hoping for. The trumpet, signaling his savior's arrival. The second battalion Equites came streaming down the gentle slope, impacting the body of Greek horses with the force of a thousand battering rams. The Greeks were shattered. Nearly every horseman was killed, and they retreated deep into the woods.

Valerius took one look at the retreating Greeks, looked once at his eager men, and shouted "LETS GO GET THOSE COWARDS!"
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Lepidus overlooked the battlefield with a nervous calm. Now came the really nerve wracking part. His men had to go into the woods, and would be out of sight for at least a half an hour. Lepidus finally called out, as loud as he could,
"HASTATI! ENTER THE FOREST! ATTACK!"
Trumpets nearby blared, signaling his order.
And that was it. The battle was out of his hands. It was up to his men, and the Gods, now.


The Hastati entered the woods slowly, carefully. An old Centurion said "Easy, lads. These bastards are out there, and we will get'em. Remember your training, you'll get through this fine." It didn't help. The Hastati were terrified. They looked in all directions, fearing an attack. Eventually, they came upon a clearing...
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Valerius and his men followed the Greeks as fast as they could through the light wood. Dodging trees and thrown spears, they pursued them. Eventually they came to a large clearing, where they were stopped there horses as fast as they could.

In the clearing was a whole new battalion of light cavalry, and at the head was the Greek General.


Without further hesitation, Valerius ordered his men into a charge. It wasn't much of a contest. In a fair fight, the Equites armor and weapons easily overwhelmed the unarmored Greeks.

Valerius desperately tried to get to the Greek General, but he was surrounded by Roman troops. He fought like a man possessed, beating back every attack, slaying many Romans.

So if Valerius couldn't attack him hand to hand, he would do the next best thing. He threw his sword at the man. It struck him square in the chest, taking him by complete surprise. He looked down at the weapon, up at Valerius, and then he saw no more, falling back off of his horse to the ground.


The Hastati had found the main Greek force, and it was much larger than they expected. Among their numbers were the elite light infantry of Syracuse, and many battalions of militia hoplites. The Romans paused for just a moment.

Then they raised their pila.

The deadly iron darts rained down upon the Greeks like a hellish hail. The heavy spears pierced the shields and armor of the hoplites as if they were paper. However, not enough fell. So the Romans charged.



The Hastati engaged the Syracusans in fierce, hand-to-hand combat. The battle was as furious as it was bloody. Many men died, on the Greek side and the Roman side. However, the Romans lost considerably less men than the Greeks, and were slowly pushing the Hoplites back.

But they couldn't keep on like this. Not forever. They needed help.

And that's when Valerius' cavalry hit the rear of the enemy formation.


The light infantry broke in seconds, dissolving into the forest surroundings. Valerius ordered his men to retreat, and hit the main rear of the Hoplites, massacring them. Valerius' cavalry gave the Hastati time enough to encircle the enemy. These men would not run.

Once every last hoplite was dead, Victory was declared.


After the battle, Lepidus observes the battle on his own. After seeing the carnage, he returns to his tent. Disillusioned with battle, he prepares to write his report for Rome, wondering how he will tell the senate of the blood he has seen today..."
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Okay so I didn't write this fresh for this AAR, I wrote it a long time ago, but I really like it and want to share it