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    Default Historical Fiction- Rome Battles

    A repository for any battles I have done for 'The Roman Struggle' rpg here on TWC.

    The Spanish Campaign- Lusitania (48BCE-?)
    The Siege of Cordoba

    Day 1

    Day 1
    The Romans approached the fort in the early hours of the morning. Under the cover of darkness, siege engineers set up their machines, methods perfected during earlier sieges, were used to ensure the Romans had every advantage possible against there enemy, equipment was checked and silently men assembled to take the fort. There was no noise within the fort, no indication the Romans had been noticed. Archers moved into position in range of the walls waiting, for the signal to attack, Legionaries, clad in shining armour took to the field, two legions, of Rome's finest men, ready to fight and die for their country, horses were saddled up and prepared by their masters, the Roman war machine was ready, all that was needed was the right order.
    The sky was suddenly set alight, a huge ball of fire, launched from an onager, closely followed by a second, rose into the sky, seeming to almost hang there for a moment illuminating the battlefield. The great balls of flame, soon started to sink and plummeted towards the village. Two immense crashes resounded from within the fortifications, followed by a huge pall of smoke rising into the sky, screaming could be heard from within, and shouts as the seemingly unprepared Lusitanians woke, to find themselves under attack.
    Whilst this confusion happened within the walls, outside the fort, the Romans acted as a well oiled machine, archers started to release volley upon volley of arrows into the fort itself, and legionaries prepared for the assault.
    One onager fired again, this time it flung a heavy rock towards the fortifications, the rock glanced of the top of the wall, ripping apart the top of the fortifications, before flying into the village itself, causing further damage, the second however was more accurate. It hit the wall dead centre, wood splintered and buckled under the great force, cracks streaked out along the side. The archers kept up their deadly volley, hoping that their arrows would fly true and spell death amongst the defenders.
    The sound behind the walls, started dying away, less screams could be heard, and the fire died down, the smoke started to clear inside the fortifications, and the oppressive heat seemed to diminish.
    The onagers struck again, the rocks hitting the battlement with an almighty crash. The walls ripped apart by such force, crashed to the ground and finally silence fell upon the battlefield. Everything seemed to stop as the poorly built wall, crashed into the ground. As one Legionaries and Levies rushed the gap, pouring through the remaining defences of the outer wall. Horns were blown, and great shouts came, as they entered, each man eager to do his duty to Rome.
    The Romans were met by half burning embers of the village, coated in soot and pockets of smoke. Yet they could see no defenders, they walked forwards into the streets, confused, as they passed through the burning houses, they saw ahead of them the smaller inner wall, which wouldn't last long under direct assault. Suddenly, a great shout could be heard from within the half destroyed houses. A great host of Lusitanians rushed out from amongst smoke covered streets. One thousand Lusitanians hidden, since before the assault began, now took to the streets, catching the Legionaries and levies by surprise, Two hundred archers stood upon the inner wall, raining death upon the Levies and legionaries who had rushed through the gap, the Roman archers quickly retaliated causing many deaths amongst the defenders. Only seven hundred Romans had entered the fort so far, five hundred levies and the rest Legionaries. Fighting was brutal, in those first few hours, Lusitanians fighting for their homes and families, Romans for their lives. Many Romans fell, however the number of Lusitanians soon dwindled, they had got the advantage of surprise, but Romans were constantly reinforced by their men outside.

    By late evening, only small pockets of resistance remained in the outer ring of the fort, some Lusitanians had retreated into the inner layer of the fort and the Romans mostly had control of the outer layer, however they remained pinned down by archers on the inside wall. An obstacle that would have to be dealt with, should the Romans want access to the rest of the city. The inside area was garrisoned by Levy infantry, whilst the Legionaries prepared outside for the next day.

    Day 2

    Day 2
    As the last remnants of the fire, claimed the last of it’s fuel, a few of the Lusitanian soldiers roused themselves, they had a job to do. Quietly, in the early hours of the morning they roused a few of the women and sent them down the Baet river to collect supplies for the Lusitanian’s. The women understood the risks yet they undertook the task. The Romans had not thought to block the river, and the opportunity for extra supplies would not go amiss.
    Preparations were being made by the Lusitanians, a great ditch was dug right next to the wall, and filled with stakes of wood. The Lusitanians had known what was coming and they had prepared. They had seen Romans worked well together but apart they were easily crushed, they could win this, if only they had time. Great balls of hay coated in tar were placed at the top of the escarpment, fire brackets stood nearby, showing the intention of this. 400 Archers took to the inner wall in preparation for the coming onslaught of Romans and Celts, and the winding pathway up to the main city was fortified heavily. The Lusitanian’s were prepared, they understood the land, all they needed was for the Romans to make one mistake and they could win.
    The Romans roused themselves later than the Lusitanian’s, in there mind the battle was already won, they had seen how few enemies there were and bolstered by their pyrrhic victory the day before, they believed that the battle was easily won. Celtic infantry, who the night before had taken to the smouldering houses of the outer city to avoid Lusitanian snipers, now took to the streets preparing for the days battle, no enemy could be seen over the walls, and the order to form up came.
    The sense of victory was short lived however. Lusitanian archers took to the walls, quietly, unnoticed by the Celtic warriors, who were eager to get to the fight. As one the four hundred archers on the walls, stood, took aim and fired into the massed ranks of there enemies, causing horrific injuries and many deaths, from behind the inner wall came another volley of Arrows, a further thousand Lusitanian Archers quickly firing to catch the enemy by surprise. At first the Celts were shocked, screams rang out from the dying, and amid the continuing hail of arrows, they fled the outer city, some taking refuge in the charred houses, some choosing to head outside and regroup there.
    The Romans, positioned outside the city knew nothing of this, yet when they saw the first soldiers rushing out the city, they realised something was wrong. The tedious inspections of kit and equipment was stopped, as the realisation that the battle was about to continue hit them. The Legio VII, was given the task of relieving the Celts trapped within, along with the support of five hundred archers. Almost half of their missile troops. The Legion entered the city with shields raised above their heads, protection from any missiles, that might be shot at them. The roman archers, then returned fire upon the defenders. Most hit the wooden wall, but along the line of Lusitanian archers, gaps appeared.
    Whilst this was occurring, the roman general decided to send one thousand celtic cavalry, 3,000 celtic Levy infantry, 2000 celtic Normal infantry and 678 archers, the remainder of their archers, around the left flank of the enemy, and the city, to the opposite side of the Hill fort, establishing a pincer movement, to trap the enemies inside. The Lusitanian commanders, on top of the huge escarpment could see every move the enemy made, and was able to prepare for it accordingly.
    The thousand Lusitanian archers behind the wall, at a signal from their chief retreated to the opposite side of the River, across the great bridge, that spanned the width in the middle of the town. As these men passed, they saw the houses of the village being weakened by soldiers, ready to collapse at any moment, small boats were scuppered along the river to prevent the Romans getting them, and ditches were dug and filled with stakes to provide the Romans with a nasty surprise.
    Once the Romans had retaken the outer city, they prepared there Onagers to attack. The great machines, flung rock over the expanse of the battlefield dealing extensive damage to the fortifications. Wood splintered and the walls shook. And finally after three hours of constant bombardment the wall collapsed. The Legionaries prepared themselves for the inevitable battle, and all but one hundred archers retreated from the walls, to the safety of the river. The remaining Celts within the city, about three hundred of them were ordered to head through the gap first. The archers did not fire upon them, and ahead of them they saw a hundred Lusitanian Levy soldiers. Eager to prove themselves in battle, and angry at the death of their comrades, they rushed forward, over the gap, and into the newly dug ditch. Very few were impaled by the stakes however many of them, became stuck by a black substance at the bottom of the pit. They gave no thought to this however, and soon they were rushing up the other side of the bit, to fight the Lusitanian’s. A bloody battle ensued, many men killed, confusion reined, the Celts coated in the black substance could not tell each other apart, and many fell to a friends blade that day. Soon enough, the Lusitanians were defeated, and the Celts, roared in triumph. It was now time for the Legion to enter. Ten centuries entered through the gap, and strode towards there allies, the Celts. The Lusitanian, archers, who were still playing dead upon the walls, could see this, and waited for the moment to strike. The Romans easily dodged the spikes, however due to their heavy equipment and armour, they quickly became bogged down in the tar. When the last of the ten centuries entered the ditch, the archers struck, quickly and without mercy, they began picking off the bogged down Legionaries. The other centuries quickly seeing this, assaulted the walls, hoping to dislodge the archers, once and for all. They reached the top of the wall and quickly dispatched many of the archers. However they saw something in the distance which, made their hearts sink. They knew what was in the pit along with their friends, and seeing that lone Lusitanian standing next to the brazier, a flaming arrow notched in his bow, they realised that these barbarians would stop at nothing to win. What happened next, would stay with these men forever, A thousand of there friends burning in a pit, broke their resolve, and disheartened them greatly.
    The Celts, on the other side watched in dismay as there allies burned, then from behind them they heard, shouts, and horns. A thousand veteran soldiers were rushing there position, some fought but many fled, towards the pit, they gave no thought to the flame, no thought to the stakes, there only thoughts were about the blood crazed mob, baying for there blood.
    At the end of day two, the Romans now have the entire outer and inner walls to themselves, the Celts took the back without any resistance and now own one those outer walls on the North side of the river. The Romans have the South side, however there is a gap between them, the river. The only crossing place is the bridge. The Romans, would drown in their heavy armour in the deep river. The only crossing point is the bridge, in the centre of the town.

    Day 3


    Day 3
    Throughout the night the Romans had worked, dousing the fires, clearing the dead and creating a pathway through the outer city for their Onagers to go through. Makeshift bridges had been set across the ditch, where many had died the night before, and camp had been made on the plateau by the escarpment. The other half of the army remained inside the fortifications, on the other side of the plateau in the hope that they hadn’t been noticed. Waiting for the right order to encircle the huge fort up ahead. The army was then told to rest until morning, before they moved to take the bridge and the southern part of the village.
    The Lusitanians had also been busy. In the early hours of the morning the women had arrived back with the supplies that were needed, though there wasn’t much, it was enough to last the Lusitanians a few hours. After they had delivered the supplies, the Lusitanian men sent away as many of the women and children as they could as to escape, the battle that was soon to come. Fletchers had worked all through the night, stringing bows and making arrows, in preparation for the siege, huge boulders had been rolled to the top of the pathway up to the main fort, if anyone attacked up there they would be crushed. As they had done the day before, the engineers weakened the structures on the North side of the river, to prevent the Romans gaining any advantage by hiding in them, and the bridge was sabotaged, should any great weight be placed on it, it would fall into the river, taking any crossing at that moment into the murky depths. With sharpened swords, strung bows, the Lusitanians were ready to fight.
    At ten ‘o’ clock, the Roman Legionaries roused there men, the Celts and Romans both prepared to move into the southern side of the village, the place that unbeknownst to them the Lusitanians had booby trapped the night before. Six thousand Celtic troops were sent forward, three thousand Normal and three thousand Levy. A few hundred Levy soldiers were sent to investigate any threats in the houses. However the sabotaged houses collapsed on them, killing many, after the first few attempts, they gave up trying to take the houses, they realised no one could be inside as, as soon as they entered it would collapse. They moved forward to take the bridge, checking the ground for any traps, they had learnt what to expect by now, and were wary of everything. Once they had reached the bridge they started to secure the South side, in preparation for the legions to join them.
    The Lusitanians at the top of the hill saw this and dispatched 2000 archers to the bottom of the hill to the Northern side of the River, they were to ambush the Celtic and Roman soldiers, to try and draw them across the sabotage bridge. They also saw the Celtic army on the Northern side of the escarpment preparing to encircle their city, and they readied the defences to deal serious damage to these attackers.
    The Roman legions marched forward through the village streets. The broken, dispirited Legio VII Gemina, followed closely by the as yet untouched, Legio IV Hispania. These men were followed by the six hundred strong Roman cavalry, whilst the engineers moved their Onagers forward, into the main plateau so that they were in range of the huge escarpment. The Legio Gemina moved forward to help the Celts secure the bridge, as they did this the Lusitanian archers started firing into the massed rank, screams of soldiers were heard, and a few tried to take refuge inside the buildings, which then collapsed on them. The Legio Gemina was in disarray, they had been ordered not to cross the bridge, and so melted into the side streets, away from the deathly hail. The Romans then moved the rest of their archers on the Southern side up to attack the Lusitanian archers, four hundred and eighteen men, to deal with five times their number. They fought bravely, exchanging arrows over the vast expanse, but by mid afternoon, most had died and those that were left, routed. They had caused over five hundred casualties in the Lusitanian ranks, and this was a Valiant effort from the decimated archers.
    Whilst this was happening, the Celtic army moved to take the Northern side of the city and dislodge the Archers, on the southern side. As they moved towards the escarpment the remaining Lusitanian, archers numbering over one thousand, which had remained at the top of the escarpment, fired upon their unprotected heads. The archers travelling with the Celts quickly retaliated, however, the angle was to great, and many arrows simply bounced off the top of the huge cliff. Not long after they had started, the archers stopped, giving the Celts a short respite. Their relief was short lived however. The Lusitanians, lit the bales of hay that they had coated in tar the morning before, and started rolling them down towards the attackers. Sparks flew into the air, men screamed, horses bolted. The grass, of the northern plateau which in the Spanish sun had been dry, for almost a month now, quickly burst into flame. Huge clouds of smoke billowed into the air, fires raged amongst the crying soldiers. Then the archers started to fire again. Arrows like angry wasps, zipped through the air, adding to the general confusion. Soldiers choked on the smoke, which clogged their eyes, noses and mouths. They couldn’t escape the fires. The entire land was burning.
    The Roman Generals saw the smoke and realised that something was happening. The Lusitanian archers on the other side of the river had retreated back to their fortifications. The emplaced Onagers now started to aim at the top of the escarpment, ready to rip into the enemies walls as they had done so effectively the day before. The first Onager fired, the rock shot out of the harness at high speed, travelling through the air at such a speed that had it hit the fortifications it would have destroyed them surely. However the rock hit the top of the escarpment with a huge crash, and split into many pieces, huge shards of rock fell amongst the retreating Lusitanian archers, killing many men, and maiming other. The second onager fired however its rock, sailed over the battlements, hitting their own celtic men on the other side of the huge fortress. The angle is to great, shouted one of the engineers to the General, there is no chance of us hitting the fort. They built it to far back from the rock to let us hit it from this angle, and any further back and our rocks will just sail over it. We need a new tactic.

    By this time, what was left of the Celtic army returned, they had lost many men in the fires of the plain, and were now blackened with soot and weary. They travelled along the foor of the escarpment, to meet up with their Roman allies, by the village. Constantly being harassed by the archers above them. The Romans seeing their allies cross the lip of the escarpment decided to send their cavalry over to help mop up any remaining resistance within the city.
    These Cavalry led by Senator Flavius Hispansis Drusus, Crossed the bridge quickly, and whilst weakened it did not yet break. The cavalry rode into the city. They saw a threat approaching their allies, which they had not yet seen themselves. Around three hundred Lusitanian veterans were, running down the hill towards the dispirited Iberians, ready to deal a crushing blow to the already decimated men. The veterans launched themselves into the ranks, screaming at their enemies, creating fear amongst them. The Lusitanians, dealt many casualties to the Celts. Their swords ripping through the Ranks, the dead and dying lay upon the ground. The dry earth became clogged with blood. The Lusitanians revelled in the Slaughter of their greatest enemies. Huge men, the best soldiers in the Lusitanian army, breaking through ranks, as easily as breaking through straw.
    The cavalry of the Senator saw this dire problem. They charge towards the Lusitanian veterans. Resplendent in shining armour. Spears down in front of them, Their horses galloping, they braced themselves for the charge. As they hit the Lusitanian ranks, the front rows crumbled, men thrown into the air, landing heavily upon the ground breaking limbs, the horse rode onwards, the back ranks were hit by the spears, that the Romans were carrying, the spears splintered into the bodies of the barbarians. The Romans rode through, and wheeled around to charge again. This time the Lusitanians were ready, as the cavalry rode through, they stepped to the side of the lances, and cut through the bodies of their attackers. However the charge was still successful, and every time they cut through the enemies, they wheeled around to charge again. The enemy soldier lay dead upon the ground, their fur lined bodies, amassed on the ground, yet every so often lay the form of a Roman Cavalry soldier, whose once shining armour now was covered in blood and grime, but the cavalry had done it, heroically charging their enemies, and dealing a hefty blow.
    The generals seeing this moved their legions forward over the bridge. The pounding of heavy feet, resounded on the wooden planks. The heavy armour of the legionaries, pressed down on the wooden planks, the tightly pressed formation of the infantry, walked along the wooden planks. The supports strained, the structure groaned, and ropes snapped. The entire bridge suddenly plummeted into the water, depositing Roman legionaries into the murky depths. The heavy armour dragged the men down to the bottom, the water churned with every man trying to kick his way free of the wreckage. Some made it back to shore, but many drowned in the River Baetis, miles away from home, they died alone.
    The days battling was done, the Roman and Celtic forces, while sustaining heavy losses had still taken control of all the lower lands of the fort. The generals were realising now the true nature of their enemies. They knew they had two options. A costly head on assault, of the final stronghold, up the narrow path, they would lose many men but it would soon be over. Or wait the enemy out lay a proper siege, and concentrate most of their forces on the other Lusitanian forts, bypassing the city for now, leaving half the army to stop the defenders leaving. Whatever the decision the decisive day was tomorrow, day 4 of the siege would be the deciding day in the conquest of the Hill fort Cordoba.

    Day 4

    Day 4
    “Brothers, gather round, let me tell you about the Romans, the men from the South, the men with the power over most of the world, the men who we SHALL defeat this day. They come at us in their multitudes, writhing, crawling worms, SCUM, they seek your homes, they seek your lands, your Women will become their property, your children will become them. If we fall today, they will take all that is good, all you have worked for, lived for, DIED for, away from you. Do you know what happened in Alanis, do you? They took our brothers, fathers, sons, from us, to the stinking crawling maggot holes of Rome, to die in the Sulphurous pits of the mines, in the disease driven Galleys of the sea and for the pleasure of the fat Roman, swine, who sit in their arenas, watching our Brothers, Fathers and Sons die. This is what they will do, if we lose today. I will say this now Brothers. This shall not happen, we are Lusitanian we are, Spanish, we are the children of the Gods. Our numbers, are few yet every man is worth ten of theirs. So brothers, Today we will, fight and die for our people and tonight we shall dine in the Afterlife” The bard roared “So man your posts and let these scum and their dogs, know their doom approaches.” With this the Lusitanians roared out, they could win this, would win this, or they would die trying. So in the dead of night, the Lusitanians were ready.
    Throughout the night, into the early hours of the morning, the Roman Onagers, had been constantly firing up at the fortifications, in an attempt to crush the attackers, before battle commenced the next day. A few hours before dawn the Onagers stopped, they had run out of ammunition, so free from the sounds of battle, the Romans and Celts slept gaining the last bit of rest they could before the next day. Engineers worked tirelessly however, to bridge the River, the gap between the two camps was large, the Celts on one side, with the remainder of the Roman cavalry and archers, and the Roman legionaries on the other side.
    Their peace did not last long however. The Lusitanians were putting to use the trick they had learnt the day before, the Celts camp lay just below there fortifications, and with tar stained bales of hay, and braziers of fire, they were ready to wreak havoc, one thousand Lusitanian veteran infantry also prepared to attack, quietly slipping down the steep cliff, daubed in mud, so as not to be seen by the Celtic sentries. Archers lined up at the battlements. They would crush the Celts here, there would be no survivors.
    Suddenly without warning, huge balls of fire, shot down the sides of the escarpment, picking up speed quickly on the steep face, their flames burned continuously the tar, searing the ground as it passed. The first balls hit the Celtic tents, bouncing upon the ground, setting fire to the flimsy wood and cloth structures, one fireball shot into the horses stables, the horses terrified by the fire bolted, running down many of the Celts, who were trying to escape their tents, screams rang out, as men trapped inside their tents burned alive, those that tried to escape became tangled within the knots and pegs, tripping up and spreading the fire from one tent to another. The second wave of fire came, burning through the narrow avenues between tents, sparks flew as it some crashed into the food stores, burning the Celts supplies.
    Then it was the turn of the veterans, huge men, battle scarred and mad with bloodlust ripped through the Celtic camp, slaughtering their unarmed enemies. Shouts were heard by the Romans, and they watched from the other side of the river as their allies were slaughtered by the enemies. Nothing could be done, the bridge was not yet finished, and the current was to strong. Many a brave man broke down that night, screams of their friends ringing in their ears.
    Many of the Celts tried to Run, but their great leader rallied them, Geriatrix the fearsome warlord who had conquered many enemies, now stood strong in the face of his foes. His allies joined him, two hundred Celtic soldiers, the remainder of his decimated army, cavalry, levy and normal infantry, joining in a final stand. The Lusitanians started to rush them, yet they were stopped short, a horn was sounded from the escarpment, an order to run, what had their leaders seen, that would make them order this.
    The answer quickly became known to them, the Roman cavalry, who had made camp separate from their Celtic allies had roused themselves at the first screams, and now in full armour were charging the Lusitanian force. One hundred of the Lusitanian fighters, sacrificed their lives for their friends. Forming a defensive wall whilst their brothers in arms, ran back to the safety of the fortifications. The Romans charged the rearguard, cutting swathes through the great men, fighting raged, for hours, not one Lusitanian resting, faltering, surrendering. They would give no quarter, and as the last man fell the true extent of the casualties could be seen.
    The rest of the force retreated safely to the safety of the fortifications, their sally had been successful, albeit costly. They now rested, for the days events that would now follow.
    As daylight hit brow of the escarpment, the true extent of the damage was shown, skeletons of tents stood upon the uneven ground, charred bodies laying in the blood stained, blackened streets. The bridge that the engineers had worked on all night was finished, and just after dawn, the Celts crossed over to meet their allies, of the great hordes that had first joined them, just over four thousand remained, they had escaped the worst of the fighting and were downtrodden desolate, and scared by the prospect of fighting again. The Roman general gave them the permission to stay out of the final assault, unless they were truly needed by the Romans. The remaining Roman archers, then started firing upon the city, loosing arrow high into the air causing death to all those did not escape the streets in time. They did this until they had depleted all supplies of arrows. The Romans Legionaries then moved into place, and the Legio Gemina took the vanguard, marching steadily up the steep hill towards the gates of the high fort. As they reached the halfway point, Lusitanian archers started to fire upon the unprotected flanks of the Romans from the city walls, killing those who did not react quick enough. The Romans quickly formed a testudo against these attacks, and continued towards the top of the gates. After a few more volleys of arrows, the firing ceased. This gave the Romans hope, and they pushed on right into the trap, that had been set for them. Huge boulders, entwined in nets, lay at the top of the path. Burly Lusitanians standing next to the support ropes, brandishing huge axes, smiled at the Romans as they approached. The legionaries at the front saw this, and tried to get their friends to retreat, but they were too slow, the ropes were split, and the huge boulders, avalanched down the only path available, crushing limbs, and bones, cracking skulls, shields and armour, the stones plummeted, the testudo crumbled, and at once the archers started firing again, slaughtering the remainder of the Legion within minutes, The Gemina was routed, there general underestimated his foes, and had brought about the doom of his men. No more would he take the Lusitanians lightly, they were brutal, military geniuses, and his legion had routed. The second Legion fared better than the first. They formed the testudo befor the ascent. Marching steadily, the as yet untouched men of the Legio Hispania, marched up the body strewn road towards the fort. Very few arrows found gaps in their defense, and soon they had reached the great gates. Sappers quickly prepared to break through this last barrier, fires were lit on the wooden gate, and slowly the structure set alight, the gatehouse. Burning slowly. Finally with an immense crash, the gates burst open showering the Romans with sparks. As one, the Romans rushed through the gates, swords at the ready, shields protecting their bodies, the final battle was joined, at this moment, the Lusitanians had the advantage of numbers, yet the Romans, were superior in every other sense. The bravest men of a nation, fell that day, trampled beneath Roman feet, swords cracked, shields snapped and bows broken by the might of Rome. The ground became slippy with the blood of the dead, and slowly but surely the Lusitanians fell, under the Roman onslaught.
    Whilst the archers were distracted, cavalry raced the gap towards the breached gate, joining the fray, against the Lusitanians. The fight lasted for hours. Until every last Lusitanian lay dead, upon the ground. The general surveyed he final battleground, and he asked his soldiers, were there any survivors. The man pointed at the huge kings house, in the centre of the fort. Two hundred veterans walled inside along with their leader, they would not surrender they would take as many as they could with them. That was all that remained of the Defenders, “What of the Women and Children” None the soldier replied, they appear to have been evacuated. “Very Well” the General replied, he knew he would lose many men in the attempt on the great house. His final words would seal the fate, of these heroic defenders. He had his victory but at a great cost, and as he surveyed his men, he spoke the last words of the battle. “Burn It”
    The battle is finished, and now the soldiers must move on, to take the other settlements or risk being attacked by any Lusitanian reinforcements. The clock is ticking, and all hangs in the balance. Yet this battle is over, even if the war has only just begun.


    Obsidio et Hispanorum Munimentum

    Obsidio
    et Hispanorum munimentum





    The Romans, after many hard days of bloody battle had defeated the Lusitanians at both the the Battle of Alanis and the Siege of Cordoba, and the Lusitanians felt their losses dearly. However now was not the time for mourning, for the crying women and the funeral rites, no, now was the time for the cold, hard bite of the Iron blade, the black clouds of fire and the carrion birds that haunt the lands of the dead. Now was a time for war, and all would take up the call, young and old, the Lusitanians built an army, to drive the invaders out of their lands, to bring the Romans to a swift justice, at the end of the executioners sword, and their Celt-Iberian dogs, would follow the same fate. The Lusitanians had risen against the invaders, and they had hope, eight thousand of their men, had routed a Legion and decimated the Celtiiberian force, they would win this battle. How can it not be so when the gods will it?



    The Romans, were crushed in spirit they had won all, but lost everything, especially those of the Gemina, a lost eagle, a lost hope, yet here was the chance to redeem themselves. The Lusitanians were weak, tiny shrews trapped in the sight of the Eagle that is the Republic. They would swoop down upon them, and bring a vengeance for their fallen brothers unlike any seen before them. Barbarian women would weep, and the ground of the tarpeian rock would run red with the blood of a thousand Lusitanians before the year was out. Their General had been replaced, by a great man, a man who was famous throughout all the world, yes, the same man who had governed the Republic through many years of need, was ready to take on the barbarian scum, with the whole power of Rome behind him. No more would the shame run deep within the ranks, the Legions of Spain would rise up and take their place as the bravest and most noble of all Legions. They would become legends, all of them, to strike fear into the hearts of all that opposed Rome. They were ready for a battle, they knew that not all of them would live to see it through, but press on they must. As storm clouds gather over barbarian lands, blood shall be spilled and the Gods shall be appeased.


    The Battle


    The Romans, with their Celtic allies, cut a huge path through the forest. Carving a road through the dense foliage, by sheer weight of numbers. The steady beat of thousands of feet, set the pace of the march. Echoing through the Spanish mountains, the noise reverberated through the clear air, of a hot summers day. Reaching, into the distance, arriving hours before they would at the Camp of their Lusitanian foes


     


    The Lusitanians heard the sound, like rolling thunder, throughout the land, and they prepared. Each man made piece with the Gods, ready for the coming onslaught of enemies. They stood out side the walls of their fort. They would meet their enemies head on. A mass of men, to meet the Romans, roaring battle cries, with flags, held high, they would destroy the Romans scum, who had so infringed upon their lands, dealing death to the people of Lusitania, with every move they had made. It would end today, the Romans would fall upon their men, like waves upon the shore, and they would break there, in front of those walls, which protected their wives and children. There would be no rest, no respite, only the cold, hard clash of sword upon sword, and the deadly power of the fight.


     


    The Roman generals prepared their men for the fight. The Lusitanians were heavily outnumbered, but they knew that they would fight hard. Ahead of them the Celtic Vanguard had arrived at the fort. The Lusitanians were outside. This shocked the Romans, they wondered why they did not defend the keep, but at the same time they were glad. No more pesky traps, no more deadly surprises, just a normal battle, both sides pitching the strength against each other. In one deadly duel to the death.


     


    The Roman general gave the order, and his men put them into practise. Legionaries, formed themselves into the testudo formation, cavalry prepared to attack the flanks, peltasts prepared their javelins and Onagers loaded their heavy Rocks ready to deal death against the enemy.


     


    The Lusitanians saw movement in the forest, they were hear. Orders were quickly given. Each soldier was to do his best to put fear into the hearts of the enemy. They started to Roar and stamp their feet. Screeching out barbarian war cries, enough to raise the hairs on a mans back. The crescendo got louder and louder, the entire world seemed like it was shaking, every time the men stamped their feet.


     


    From the treeline the Romans watched this display, their faces looked Gaunt, as they saw the amassed enemy, waiting for them ahead. The Celts however revelled in the challenge the Lusitanians offered, and walked out of the treeline to directly face the Lusitanians. The Celts started their own, battle cry, screaming and shouting in Celtic. Drumming their weapons upon the ground. The entire battlefield was alive with noise.




    The Roman commander nodded to his engineers, they could all hear the Lusitanians and it was time to shut them up, ten ballistas and ten Onagers were all ordered to fire into the Lusitanian rank, at the same time, whilst at the same time the Celts would charge. These were the orders, now it was time to put them to good use.


     


    The Lusitanian and Celtic chanting was still in full roar, then suddenly another noise could be heard drowning out the cries, a great whistling sound filled the air, coming from everywhere at once. Huge rocks thrown from Ballistas and Onagers, were catapulted into the skies before plunging down into the Lusitanian ranks. Great Boulders of stone, flying, seemingly weightless, an illusion that would soon be shattered. The rocks fell, into the Lusitanian ranks, causing devastating damage shattering bones, cracking skulls and crushing men. The entire field went silent.


     


     


    That was when the Celts charged, five thousand infantry right to the centre of the Lusitanian formations. But the Lusitanians did the unexpected. Their forces split in the middle, and the infantry started to split into two, half of their entire force went down the left flank of the celts, whilst the other half charged down the right. Out of the middle of their forces, the cavalry who had been concealed since the start of the battle, now charged down the direct centre of the field, to meet the Celts head on. Great Lusitanian warhorses, bred for battle, at full charge down the centre of the line, howling barbarians armed with long spears, sat atop them, directing their fearsome beasts into the fray. The Cavalry, met the Celts halfway. Cutting a bloody path through the charging Iberians. Men, were thrown back by the force of horses hitting them, flung into the air before being thrown back down again, only to be crushed under the immense hooves of the war horses. Spears, wielded by experienced cavalry men, splintered into the chests of the lightly armoured Celts. Huge holes appeared in the Celtic force, as the cavalry made their charge. The Cavalry then broke through the back of the Iberian line, and instead of turning to attack them, they kept up their tremendous charge towards the treeline, where the rest of the enemy force stood staring in shock.


     


    Whilst this was happening, the Lusitanian flanking movement was met by the enemies cavalry, the celtic ones, and those under the command of Senator Flavius. The result however was completely different to the one that had occurred in the middle of the battlefield, huge Lusitanian veterans wielding heavy axes, had led the flanking movement, and were now, smashing the enemy cavalry into pieces. Huge swings from their axes, cut into the Celtic charge, the axes did not differentiate between horse and rider, and both fell under the stunning blows, of the Lusitanian giants. The celtic cavalry routed into the forest, whilst those of the Senator, returned quickly to their own lines, to avoid further casualties.


     


    Then it happened. Two thousand missile troops, opened fire upon the Lusitanians. Peltasts flung their light spears, out into the battlefield from the safety of the woods, impaling man and horse alike. Celtic archers, huntsmen, also fired, after being trained to hit wild hares from far away, they were able to pick out targets easily among the Lusitanian ranks. Massive gaps began appearing in the Lusitanian line. As soldier after soldier fell to the onslaught of weaponry. The Lusitanians kept charging however, and their sheer numbers, got them across that field.


     


    The Lusitanian warhorses, kept up their brutal charge, enduring the rain of missiles from the enemy troops, they finally reached the treeline. Smashing into the forest they drove themselves into the enemy, running them down, giant hoofs crushing, mens chests. The missile attack faltered and all of a sudden stopped. The Lusitanian foot soldiers poured into the forest, axemen cleaved enemies in two, heads were ripped from their bodies, and the ground became slippy with the blood and gore, of a thousand men.


     


    Then the Legionaries came. Huge hosts of men six thousand from each side, and a further six thousand from the front fell upon the charging Lusitanians, their shields blocked the epic blows of the Lusitanian axemen and swords men, their swords thrust between the rib cages, of those who had dared to attack the might of Rome. Blood arched high into the air, coating the trees in a gruesome red. The entire forest became a vision of hell. There was no ground left to stand on, only the bodies of the fallen, piled high amongst the undergrowth. The Lusitanian attack faltered, only slightly, but the Romans capitulated on that. The Roman cavalry, rushed to the back of the Lusitanian forces, and joined the remainder of the Iberians. Then they charged, armour glinting, in the cruel Spanish sun. They broke into the backs of the Lusitanian soldiers, and began to erode away at the army. Men falling over the bodies of their brothers, fathers sons, entire families slaughtered in the massacre that would become legend for the Romans, through the night the battle continued. The Romans slowly advancing. The Lusitanians slowly crushed.


     


    Dawn of the next day arrived, and a gruesome sight greeted the Romans. The entire forest was painted red. Bodies lay in the mud. Weapons were scattered about, and carrion birds flocked to their meal, the stench of death hung around the place. In the centre of the battlefield stood the Lusitanian commander, surrounded by a group of twenty men, huge hulking elite infantry, wielding massive axes. This was all that remained of the enemy force. The Romans had done it, but not without losses of their own.


     


    Yet this was a time for victory, the settlement was now under control, and the army was defeated, Rome would be proud of her Generals.




    Proelium Pro Emeritae

    Proelium
    Pro Emeritae
    Deployment Stage


    There is blood on the hands of the Romans, brothers, the blood of our people. Our Soldiers, our women, and our children. They have taken OUR lands, they have destroyed our way of life. These men are truly scum, they sided with the Celts. The very same inbred people, that think they have a claim over us. We showed them, and we gave them mercy, did we not? The mercy at dying at the hands of a great people like ourselves, and how did they repay our kindness. They took us arms, and invited these Italians from the East. They have gone through our lands like the plague, dealing death to any who stood in their way, but not today brothers, today we will crush, them. Here on the hallowed lands of our fore-fathers they shall die. We will be strong, we will be brave and by the gods, brothers, we will be Victorious!

    A steady beat, uniform, like the soldiers who kept it, resounded through the clear mountain passes, and hilly tracks of the Lusitanian land. The Romans were coming. Dust thrown up from the sun baked earth spiralled into the sky. The Romans were coming. Birds ceased all song, animals disappeared into their hiding holes to escape them. The Romans were coming, and with them they brought the vengeance of Mars. Fortuna was with them, they were the chosen. Out of all peoples on this land, the Romans were the chosen. There could be no other.
     
    An entire country was in turmoil. Forge fires, burnt nightly, fletchers worked daily and all manner of weapon, was created, to arm the great host of Lusitania. Lusitanian horses, bred for their strength, size and stamina, which far outmatched those of other nations, were saddled, Veteran soldiers, who had seen war many times before prepared, alongside raw recruits who had given up their lives for their country. The sheer volume of men was astounding. Thousands had flocked to the banners of the tribal warlords, and now the true scale of the mobilization was known. Twenty seven thousand men, the biggest army Spain had ever seen, gathered in the low foothills of Lusitania. There they would make their stand against the Romans. There they would fight in their masses, there they would kill in their masses, there they would die in there masses, and they would wish it no other way. It would be an honourable death. One which would give their ancestors pride. No man would back down, none would run, or surrender. Death was the only way out of this battle for them.
     
     
    The combined armies, of Rome and Gaul, stood across the valley, staring straight into the eyes of the great host that had come against them. This was the place they would fight, and with the sun shining onto their armour, they prepared for the onslaught. This day the dead would not be counted in hundreds, but in their thousands. Such was the scale of the battle. And as each side made their peace with the Gods, the generals plotted and planned, as, by the next morning, battle would be joined, and the fate of the Roman republic in Spain, and the Lusitanian people, would hang in the balance. All it needed was one wrong move. And the entire thing could be lost.

    The Battle

    The sunlight broke over the great Spanish peaks, cutting through the treeline before, glinting onto the cold water of the Shallow lake. A light breeze, ran through the branches of the tall trees, rippling the surface of the lake, all was calm and peaceful. As it had been for centuries before, the entire place was timeless, untouched by the hand of man, since the Gods first created the world.
     
    The quiet peace would soon be shattered, the lake would run red with blood, and the skies would go dim with a cover of smoke, rising like some great beast from the surface of the earth. Already the wheels of war had been set in motion, great battles fought over tracts of land, unimaginable miles of grey rock, golden fields, and the green life of the trees. Yet this is was the curse of man. They were given the gift of Life, yet they had squandered it on petty matters. Over land, cities, gold and food, they had given up their lives for what had been freely placed at their disposal, all for what, some acknowledgment that they had the most land, the best stocked larders and the most filled treasuries. This was the curse of mankind, their greed, and as the Sun sets over the ancient peaks of Spain. This gaping wound that had been bandaged by platitudes of peace and friendship, would be ripped off, to expose the true horror of life, death.
     
    A whisper had been started, in the smallest villages, a whisper that all would change, the whisper that signalled the end, the end of the fight against Rome, the whisper raged through the lands like a great wildfire, consuming all within it with the roaring flames of patriotism. A call to war, sounded, like the great battle horns, ringing clear and true, throughout Lusitania. An army was being gathered, one so large that even the doubters, that filled the towns of the land, with cries of peace, and surrender, would be quieted. An army that all would flee before, or be crushed in their great wake. An army that would bring triumph and glory to the lands of Spain. An army to match any Roman force thrown against them, and bring about the turning point in the war.
     
    The quick rhythm of the army, resounded throughout the land, great clouds of choking dust mottled the blue sky and the sounds of the world were silenced by the living incarnation of War itself. Plumes of red feathers lined the helmets of the proud Centurions, their centuries in step behind them, one massive beast, synchronised perfectly, snaking through the land of the barbarians, leaving a permanent impression of their passing on every, animal, person, rock and stone, that was in view of their vicious march. Baggage trains, carrying every conceivable amenity that an army required, reached as far back as the now Roman city of Cordoba, supplying the men as they saw fit, and Lusitanian horses, pillaged and plundered from the great stables of Barbarian kings now cantered steadily through the scrub, carrying their proud masters, riding high above the centurions, their polished armour glowing and their spears, sharpened, ready to strike at the heart of any enemy.
     
    They arrived that day, by the shallow lake, the Lusitanian horde, kit in armour scraps, and ancestral weapons, passed from father to son since time immemorial. Eager for the fight laughing and joking, taking their formations by the shallow rocky water. A great hum rung out, the hum of men, living their lives, with no care, free from their normal burdens of life, their land, their duties, yet in a few hours, all this would change, the hum of life would be replaced with the low keen of death, and much of these mens land would soon lie fallow, without the caring touch of their masters to breathe new life into them each passing year.
     
    The glean of light, breaking of their armour announced the presence of the Conquerors, almost insultingly they walked upon the land, as if they already owned it. For in their minds at least, they did. Who would be powerful enough to stop the might of Rome, and as they crested the final hill before the valley, the Romans almost imperceptibly to the untrained eye, faltered, what they saw before them, was unlike anything else, the great host of men baying for their blood, would get their fill of it before the day was out, and as the Romans so caught up in their destruction of the Spanish peoples, finally came to realise what their enemies had known all along, they were beatable.

    All Lusitanian cheer ceased, battle would soon be joined, and by the rising of tommorrows sun, a victor would have emerged. The attack when it came would be brutal, but the men of Spain were rested, having spent most of the day asleep, ready for a night of chaos. Their Roman counterparts on the other hand, were exhausted, dust clogged every nook and cranny of their armour, and their weatherbeaten faces were marred with exhaustion, they had marched hard that day, and all promises of rest were soon forgotten at the sight of their enemy. A battle line was formed, in preparation for the great battle, and the Legionaries of Rome alongside their Iberian allies readied themselves for the longest night of their lives.

    All noise ceased, as the Roman battleline formed by the Legio Gemina, supported by the Celtic infantry, inched forward over the grassy land, to their right, stealthily moving through the shallow water of the lake, were the Legio IV Hispania, moving slowly, the once smooth surface of the pool was shattered with ripples arching off into the centre. To the left of the main battleline marched the proud men of the Legio Italica, matching the pace of the one thousand six hundred strong cavalry of the Senator Flavius Hispansis Drusus. In reserve, concealed by the great trees, that had lined one end of the battlefield were the Legio Artilli and the Gallic cavalry, ready to aid their allies at a moments notice. The thousand archers of the Roman forces and the Gallic archers numbering just over five hundred men, kept behind the Gemina, ready to rain death upon the enemy lines.

    The Lusitanians keen ears made out the sounds of movement across the battlefield and their men were prepared, archers notched arrows into their bows, while cavalry mounted their fearsome stallions. Swiftly and silently the Lusitanians assembled, ready to meet their foe.*

    The Romans were still inching forward, convinced they had remained unnoticed. Then the light went, the light glow of the moon that had accompanied them on their mission was now blotted out, confision reined momentarily as men, found themselves in pitch balck darkness. But the true nature of this blot on the sky was soon to be found, a low whistling was heard as a thousand arrows came crashing down into the front ranks of the roman assault. Piercing the legionaries armour as effectively as they pierced the unprotected skin of their Celt-Iberian allies, low cries and moans errupted from the mouths of those struck as the arrows found their mark. The Roman and Celtic archers quickly moved forward to counter attack the enemy and the they loosed a wave of arrows into the distance, screams told them they had met their mark, and as they moved to reload, the main battleline charged, the Legio Gemina, in a controlled fashion, whilst the Celtic forces numbering almost 3000 levy infantry charged seperately looking for personal glory more than anything else. The battleline broke against their Lusitanian counter part, vicious fighting ensued, with both sides inflicting casualties upon one another, the clash of sword upon sword and axe upon shield rang out across the valley, warcries rang out, and men fell. Along the Roman left flank, the Roman Cavalry alongside the Legio Italica moved to directly flank the enemy line, but before they could come into contact with the main battle force they were faced with an even greater threat. The Lusitanian cavalry, who were guarding against that eventuality, moved in for the kill, great horses charged across the open ground, their riders low in their saddles holding long spears straight and unwavering. The Roman cavalry seeing this new threat also charged, with almost double the amount of cavalry they were certain of their victory, yet their spears were shorter than the Lusitnians, and though some rode the pillaged Lusitanian horses from the captured towns, most rode inferior breeds, smaller and slower than those of their enemy. The two charges met, in a huge clash of horse against horse, man against man, and spear against the chest of their enemies, the Lusitanian charge, struck terrible casualties amongst the Roman cavalry, their long spears keeping them out of reach of the Roman weapons, yet after the initial charge the Lusitanian spears became useless, in close quarters, cumbersome almost, and the Roman spears started to rack up casualties, more manouverable than the Lusitanians weapons they could block any attack before striking at the enemy. The barbarians to counter this, concentrated on the enemy horses, their spears striking into the unprotected beasts, a dismounted cavalryman was useless compared to normal infantry and cavalry. Soon many of the Lusitanians had dropped their long spears in favour of their swords, drawing them they were, once again, effective against the Romans. It was at this point that the Legio Italica struck, with deadly efficiency they attacked the unprepared Lusitanian cavalry, who had not seen their arrival, however the Romans soon lost that advantage of suprise, and the Lusitanians trampled them into the dust, and struck at their heads with their swords. The Lusitanians also had infantry in reserve for this problem and a huge movement of men, occured behind the battling Gemina and Lusitanian infantry. 2500 men moved up to aid there cavalry from reserve charging the enemy, the brutal battle between one sides infantry and cavalry forces pitted against the other sides equivalent, continued with neither side giving in.

    Along the right flank peace didn't last long either, the Legio Hispania, moving quietly through the shadows, were spotted by the Eltie infantry which lined the Lusitanians right flank. 5000 of Lusitnians finest warriots were about to put their years of fighting and knowledge into practice upon one of Romes newest legions. Huge battlescarred men, wielding great war axes, crashed into the Legions front ranks, splitting them apart at throwing them into the air like they were weightless, mighty blows, rained down upon roman shields and armour, splintering one, and shearing the other, heads flew into the air, and before the Romans coukd react, they had lost many men, when they did finally come to, they organised themselves into groups, striking down one man at a time, this method was effective, yet there delay, had caused them to much damage, and they were soon losing greatly. The Lusitanians continued on their great rampage. Turning the enemy soldiers into little more than lumps of flesh and bone, the water ran red with the blood of tousands of legionaries.

    The struggle of the main battleline still continued, neither side woukd give in, and heavy casualties, started to show in the lines, the Celtic infantry were decimated, their numbers now cut to a few hundred, yet the Legio Gemina were a whirlwind of efficiency, working as a team the cut great swathes through the enemy lines, but gaps began to show within the Roman ranks, as the sheer weight of the Lusitanian forces pressed against them. The archers on both sides had kept up an almost constant stream of arrows, and now as the battle reached a fever pitch, the amount of casualties caused by them began to become substantial, yet many of them were reaching the end of their quivers, and after many hours of causing death the marksmen finally ran out of arrows. The Roman archers retreated back to the reserves, whilst the Lusitanian archers moved back also away from the main fight.

    On the left flank the fighting remained pretty even, but soon the arms of the foot soldiers became tired of striking at those above them, and the horses of the cavalry became tired of the constant movement of their masters, many collapsed of sheer exhaustion, catapulting their riders into the ground breaking limbs and cracking skulls. The Romans new it was time for reinforcements, but the problem was, where?

    On the right flank, the Legio Hispania had been all but destroyed by the Lusitanian elite, and were now routing back to their reserve lines, they would not return to the battle. The Elite infantry now concentrated on flanking the enemy line from the right, they attacked the remaineder of the roman battleline, turning the holes into gaping wounds, at the same time the remainder of the 15000 men who had made the Lusitanian battline pushed hard, yet the Gemina were unwavering, biting back the inflicted many casualties. On the left flank, the roman and celtic reinforcements had arrived, the artilli crushed the remainder of the lusitanian cavalry and along with the decimated roman cavalry and the legio Italica they moved to finish the flanking attack they had attempted hours before, striking into the side of the enemy. The Lusitanians were now fighting a battle on two fronts now, and the Gemina renewed their assault on the front, yet the Elite Lusitanian infantry, once again proved their worth, coming between *their main battleline and the Roman legionaries, they drew the Geminas attention, leaving the main army to concentrate on the flankers. The flanking effort had started off well, many had fallen beneath the romam swords yet fresh Lusitani reinforcements soon moved to combat them 2500 fresh regular infantry moved round their own left flank to crush the enemy. The pace of the battle was slowing, the Gemina, exhausted but still fighting could not break the Lusitanian elites, they inflicted large casualties yet, they could gain no advantage. The elite spanish men however, were revelling in the blood shed, they were ripping through legionaries like their was no tommorrow, and in the early hours of the morning the Gemini resolve finally crumbled and the men routed, into the trees. The remainder of the Lusitanian army was now concentrated fully upon one target, and soon they were broken too, many men slaughtered as they tried to run from the field, and as the sunlight crested the Lusitanian peaks, they revealed the carnage of the previous night and the site of the turning point in the Lusitanian war.*

    The Romans were finally beaten, the remaineder of there army hightailing it back to allied lands along with their general. They had left the bodies of their fallen, and run exhausted to escape the Lusitanians. The Lusitanians fared no better, they had lost many thousands of men, and though they had won the had lost also, the grand army was no more, yet in rhe one battle they had fought the had beaten the Romans.



  2. #2
    Boustrophedon's Avatar Grote Smurf
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    Default Re: Historical Fiction- Rome Battles

    This looks very promising. I'll read it more closely when I have the time

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    Dark Storm's Avatar saut dans le vide
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    Default Re: Historical Fiction- Rome Battles

    Thank you

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