Camp of Consul Merula, Sicily - 486-487AUC

[Merula]

North East Coast of Sardinia

The voyage across the sea from Ostia harbour had been full with good fortune, they had had clear skies and strong winds to take them to the island of Sardinia. When they made land fall on the north eastern side of the island Marcus ordered a fort erected to act as a place to fall back to in case of disaster. Of course, disaster was the furthest thing from Marcus' mind as he viewed his men. They were all well trained loyal troops and they would take Sardinia for certain, the gods had been kind to them so far, surely they would not be so callous as to turn on them now?

Tomorrow Marcus would march south against the Poenii town of Karalis, if he took that town (it being the main Poenii stronghold on the island) Roma would then have undisputed control over Sardinia, and more importantly, its wealthy Gold and Lead mines.

[Kubrick]

A messenger had followed the consul and his army but arrived too late every time. He had missed the fleet leaving for Sardinia, why did Dives not tell him a bit earlier? On his master's pay he boarded a small merchant vessel to Sardinia, the men where happy to bring him for a few coins. They hoped to make even more on the island, selling goods to soldiers. On the island he was too late to see the army disembark but the camp was not far away. He walked his way to the camp, together with the group of merchants. This territory was still hostile after all. At the camp he hurried his way to the consul's tent and left a letter for him. Finally his task was complete. He went to gamble with soldiers while he waited for a response to take home.

The letter, carefully sealed with the Divites seal, was a bit weathered by the travel overseas but the readability was still excellent.

Dear friend and consul Merula,

The elections are coming up again and I feel for another step forward even though my term as quaestor was not the most succesfull ever. I am glad to see you have recovered to the fullest and are even campaigning now. However, that is not why I write you, as I mentioned before I want to move on in my career. That is why I have signed up to run for the position of praetor for the next term.

I write you as the first person, even though it might arrive as the last one as you are on Sardinia, because you adviced me to go on with my career after the trial of the traitor that shall not be named. This is why I ask you to send forth a person to vote for me. In return for your support I will lobby for extending your term as consul once more so you can end the campaign and this war with the authority a man needs for it.

I hope to see you soon in Rome again.

Your friend, Caius Geminius Dives.

[Merula]

Karalis

Marcus felt invigorated this morning, completely refreshed from his trials of the previous day, although his shoulder still pained him where his scar ran a jagged line down to his collarbone. Marcus had found he could no longer lift a sword with his right arm, due to the wound inflicted upon him by Gala; instead he had started to train with his left, but the sessions with the swords master left him breathless and angry at his crippling circumstances. He had been counseled by his Tribunes that he should lead his men from behind, to stay out of harms way, but this had only made him more annoyed, and had strengthened his resolve to lead from the front as a good commanders should.



The Consul had marched his army to the town of Karalis only yesterday and had been completely taken aback at its lack of defenses. The town had no walls to speak of, not even a small palisade for its inhabitants to cower behind! In any case it only made his task easier, to capture the town he would not have to waste any time creating ladders or rams. He would only have to walk in and take his prize!

Marcus had paid some locals to tell him of the exact nature of the garrison of Karalis, and what interesting news it was (albeit after having paid the peasants more than they deserved...). One of the most high ranking Poenii nobles had been in residence in the town for over a month now, a man by the name of Carthalo. He was a high aristocrat Barcid, veteran of quite a few battles in Africa and in Karalis commanded a force of locals, numbering around seven hundred. Marcus had met the locals already, those mountain men who had skirmished against his column as it marched, men who hated any invader. But they had been run off easily enough, and Marcus had no worries regarding how his one and a half thousand men in the legion would fare against these local militia.

Marcus had arranged his men in the maniple formation that was becoming quite common now in the military standards in Roma. The Leves to the front, Hastati behind them, followed by the Principes and finally the Triarii as the last defense. On the wings he placed his Accensi (on the right) and the Campanian cavalry (the left).

[IMG][/IMG]

Of course, the formation meant nothing when they would have to fight through the streets. It was while he was pondering what to do next that some of the militia from the town marched out and moved to engage his men. Marcus had the Accensi move forward and bring them under missile fire from their lead bullets.



Everything seemed fine, the militia would surely break before they reached his lines, but they instead stopped, and pulled their bows of their backs and started to loose arrows into the Leves! Marcus had not seen this coming so he ordered the Campanian and his own guard forward to engage them.







Those militia were soon dealt with, and Marcus decided to split his force in two, sending one down the east main street, one down the west side.



On the eastern side of the town another unit of bow and spear armed militia came out and attacked the line, but they were met by a vicious wave of javelins from the Hastati and they broke back to the center of the town.





Marcus then ordered his men to start moving through the streets towards the main plaza. As the western force moved down their narrow entrance they soon came upon the plaza laid out before them, and they were met by a head on charge from Carthalo's guard cavalry.



These men were veterans all, and caused many casualties in the Hastati, and it was only the timely arrival of the Triarii that saved the young soldiers.



The militia left in the plaza were too busy firing their arrows into the western force to notice Marcus' eastern half come through the alleys behind them, and it was only when the Hastati there formed up and launched their own missiles that the militia paid them any heed.





From there the battle was all but won for the Romans, they had the Poenii surrounded and Carthalo was brought down from a spear thrust to the belly.





The remainder of his troops fought to the death, but their heart was not really in it, being militia. The plaza was soon controlled by the Romans, and Marcus rode his mare over the cobbled stone, surveying the carnage, but, more importantly, his victory.





Sardinia was Roman.

Spoiler for ooc: 

OOC: Pics soon

[Merula]

Western Sicily

The landing had gone without incident, with much the same fortune as the crossing over from Sardinia. Marcus had been afraid that the Poenii fleet may have found their meager transports and destroyed them all during the three day voyage. Thankfully they had not found them and Marcus' legion had landed on the north western side of the island of Sicily.

Marcus had not wasted any time with fortifications on the beachhead, he wanted to make south with all haste to besiege Lilybaeum. The thought of being intercepted by other larger Poenii armies did not come to mind at all, there was nothing he could do and he prayed that Valerius had been able to rid the island of the Poenii presence.

Marcus sent the transport ships away with orders to sail along the coast to Messana, they would not be needing them any more. There in Sicily it would be a one way trip, with only two possible outcomes, defeat or glorious victory!

[Merula]

Western Sicily

As it turned out, the garrison at Lilybaeum did not wish to wait for the two Consul's to besiege them, the commander took most of his men out of the city and marched north to intercept Marcus. Marcus' troops were some miles out from the city when his scouts arrived to tell him that an enemy host had been sighted further south. Marcus listened pensively as the scout told him what he had seen,

"Sir, the enemy outnumber us two to one, mostly pikemen but with a small cavalry contingent guarding the flanks of their column. They will be on us in mere hours sir.."

Marcus was furious, "Hours! How did they manage to sneak up on us that quickly, we are marching along a flat plain soldier!"

"Uh, well, uh, they marched out of the city at night sir...we...we weren't expecting them to sally like this..."

"Weren't expec.... Uh! Get out of my sight...." After the scout hurridly removes himself from the command tent Marcus turns to his tribune Papirius, "Get the men ready, we march in battle formation."

Marcus made a show of being calm and collected, that he had everything under control, but in reality he was fretting the battle to come, outnumbered two to one as they were he did not know how well his mostly green troops would hold against the veteran Poenii pike line. He walked over to his desk and wrote a quick and precise message to Valerius before sending it away with all haste.

You had better show up Poplicola, or the Senate will have both our heads....

[Merula]

Western Sicily

It was the slowest prelude to battle Marcus had ever encountered, he had been a soldier ever since he could remember, and no fight he had been in had taken this long to commence. The Poenii commander must have been either supremely confident, or overly cautious, as he just stopped his march and drew up in battle formation to await Marcus' legion. Marcus had thought the enemy would fall upon his smaller army as soon as possible, but it seemed they were content to just sit there and block his route to Lilybaeum.

"It seems it is we who are to attack them," he said to Papirius as they rode, "Very well, we shall do as they bid, but I want every man to know this; we will not give an inch of ground once battle is joined, even though the line will be stretched thin no man is to relinquish any gains made. We will hold against their horde and keep them firmly in place until Consul Valerius arrives." If he arrives.....

Papirius saluted and rode off to deliver the message to the men as they marched ever closer to the enemy formation. Soon after the Tribune had left a messenger rode up to Marcus handing him a letter with the Valerian seal attached, he read it quickly.

Merula,

Hold your position against the enemy, give ground where you must. In two hours I expect another courier with your positions and in four I expect you to counterattack the enemy forces. I will fall on their flank from the East and we will drive them back into the settlement.

With regards,
Consul Lucius Valerius Poplicola

Marcus nodded in contentment, Thank the gods... "Two hours eh? Well," he scratches out a response from atop his horse, "give him this and ride fast soldier..."

As the messenger rode away the horns sounded and the pre battle noise began in earnest.

***