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Thread: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated November 26, 2017]

  1. #81
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated September 1, 2017]

    Thanks, TSK! Yes, the Iceni have the advantages of artillery and - at least in Dagomaros's army - experience. Even if the plan of Dagomaros succeeds, a Celtic tribe which becomes powerful quickly can discover that there are stronger nations beyond the horizon who see them as a threat...

    Chapter Twenty-three

    Some scholars are sceptical about claims of similarities between images of Celtic goddesses carved into stones in Ireland and statues of the Roman war goddess Discordia. Two recent discoveries provide important new evidence. In 2018, a hidden chamber was found in a Roman temple near Naples. This room contained a statue of Discordia in surprisingly good condition. In the following year, the grave of a high-status Iron Age man was uncovered near Dún Ailinne, an ancient ceremonial site in county Kildare, Ireland. The grave contained a sword in the La Tène style and a bronze couch with an image of a Celtic war goddess. This image has an uncanny resemblance to the statue of Discordia found in Naples. Both the statue and the bronze couch were dated to the third century BC. This seems to suggest that Rome and Ireland were connected by networks of trade in this period.”
    - Finn O’Neill, Religion in the Roman Republic (Three Sisters Press, 2021) p. 253
    Servius Figulus frowned and shaded his eyes with his hand, as the ragged group of wanderers approached along the track from the main road to the nearest city, Cosentia. Years of service in Rome’s armies had taught him to be wary of strangers and to trust his instincts.

    “Come! Quickly!” Servius called to his sons. “Bring my sword!”

    After retiring from the legion, Servius had hung his sword proudly in his villa. The principes in some legions still carried short spears, but Servius had served in the Third Legion. They had learned the hard way that swords tend to beat spears in close combat. After a bitter defeat on the northern frontier, the legion’s principes were given swords. Even though his sword had become a decoration, the habits of soldiering remained. He still kept the blade sharp and clean of rust. As his sons handed Servius his sword, the strangers arrived.

    A fair-haired stranger, perhaps the leader of the wanderers, bowed to Servius respectfully. Servius was still on guard, but he felt sympathy for people who must have been driven from their homes by some misfortune. That’s strange, he thought, I would have expected strangers from the south to be dressed like Greeks. Surely they must have come from the Greek colony of Syracuse, across the sea. But these folk look more like Celtic barbarians from the north.

    Servius spoke first, “You are welcome, visitors. I am Servius Figulus, master of this farm. You can rest under the shade of my trees and draw water from my well before you move on. I should warn you that, if it’s work that you’re looking for, I can't offer you any.”

    The fair-haired stranger replied, “Thank you for your welcome. I am Connor of the Ebdani. My people and I are not here seeking work, we bring a warning of danger. A few days behind us is a horde of escaped slaves. They are marching in this direction and they do not come with peaceful intentions.”

    Servius spoke warily, “I’ve never heard of the Ebdani and I’m surprised by your report of escaped slaves. If slaves escaped from any Roman settlement within several days’ journey from here, the commander of the garrison in Cosentia would have sent a warning.”

    Connor said, “My people live far to the west, beyond Gaul. The former slaves did not escape Roman captivity. They were slaves in the Greek colony of Syracuse.”

    "Then they are no danger to us, unless they can cross the sea,” replied Servius.

    Connor said, “They have already crossed and they are marching north. You mentioned Cosentia. Is there any other Roman city in this region which they could be heading for?”

    “Thanks for the warning" said Servius. "I will inform the garrison commander at Cosentia, the garrison can deal with escaped slaves.”

    Connor said, “This is not a small band which your town watch could handle. It is an army. Have you received no warnings from survivors of Syracuse?”

    “Survivors? What do you mean?" asked Servius. "Has something happened at Syracuse?”

    “The escaped slaves burned Syracuse to the ground; the survivors fled to the hills,” came the reply.

    “Should my household and I leave the farm and head for Brusindium in the east or Neapolis in the north?” asked Servius.

    “Yes, you should, if you value your life and the lives of your people. The people of Syracuse thought that their militia would protect them,” replied Connor. “Now they are dead or hiding in the hills.”

    “If someone wanted to steal from my farm, they might approach me with a story like yours,” said Servius. “Perhaps, if I take my household away, we’ll return to find that no slave army arrived but that our harvest and valuable property have vanished – or even that you are occupying my land and claim to own it.”

    “Suppose I and my people travelled with you to Brundisium or Neapolis,” suggested Connor. “That should reassure you of my good intentions. We would be safer if we travelled together.”

    Servius sent his eldest son to warn the garrison of this report of a slave uprising from the south. Then, Servius and his household and Connor and his band of wanderers set out together. Servius decided that they should go north to Neapolis, since he had relatives there. When they passed through the city of Cosentia, Servius’s son rejoined them and said the garrison commander had sent a messenger to Brundisium, to warn to the Second Legion. Servius insisted that they stopped in the market-place at Cosentia so that he could warn his friends there about the approaching army. His friends seemed to take his warning seriously. But as he continued his journey, Servius worried that they had simply been humouring an old man.

    During their journey north, in the evenings Servius and Connor exchanged stories over the camp-fire. Servius talked proudly of his service in the Third Legion and he took pleasure in Connor’s obvious respect for his military prowess. One evening, Servius asked Connor why he and his people had come so far from home.

    “After we were driven from Ireland by invaders, we settled on the west coast of Gaul at first,” explained Connor. “My people had a history of trade with the Arverni and their allies, the Pictones and the Cessetani. But the tribe which had invaded my homeland – the Iceni – arrived on the north-west coast of Gaul. Their general, Dagomaros, defeated the Namnetes and the Pictones. When we fled again, we met people who had escaped the walled city of Bibracte, which was being attacked by Iceni ballistae. Another Iceni general, whose army had swift horsemen and fierce swordsmen, had taken the Arverni city of Nemossos.”

    Servius said, “I’m sorry to hear that you had to flee your place of refuge, to seek sanctuary elsewhere. I didn’t think that the barbarian tribes had ballistae. If these Iceni can cross the sea, take a walled city in Gaul and sustain a successful campaign, then they are dangerous indeed.”

    Connor agreed, “The Arverni were the paramount tribe in Gaul. They might still regain the lands which they have lost. When the Iceni attacked, the armies of the Arverni were away, fighting on their southern border in Iberia. If the Arverni can make peace with the Iberian tribes, then they can send their armies north to face the Iceni. But it will not be easy. The Iceni have occupied the lands of the Pictones, and made peace with the Arverni’s other allies, the Cessetani. If the Iceni can hold on to the lands which they took from the Arverni, then they will be powerful – perhaps as strong as the Gallic Confederation to the east of their territory, or even equal to your Republic.”

    Servius doubted that any Celtic tribe could be as strong as Rome. But he was troubled by Connor’s words. He decided that, when he informed his cousin in Neapolis of the news about the escaped slaves from Syracuse, he would pass on Connor’s story about the Iceni as well. His cousin had been buying land from bankrupt farms and had acquired powerful friends. Perhaps he - or his friends - would know whether this dangerous tribe might threaten the plans of Rome.



    Author's Note
    Finn O’Neill and his book, 'Religion in the Roman Republic' were, as you probably guessed, invented for this AAR. However, Dún Ailinne is a real historical site in Kildare, Ireland.
    Last edited by Alwyn; September 10, 2017 at 08:45 AM.

  2. #82
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    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated September 10, 2017]

    Just re-read this through from the beginning, it's all looking quite good. It was nice to see Boudicca's confusion when seeing the ancient Briton warriors for the first time again, and it seems as though with the recent expansions the Iceni might be the growing empire to fear... it'll be interesting to see how they fare against the more disciplined armies to their south, when the time comes

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    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated September 10, 2017]

    I like the way you've done this from a different point of view. It's interesting to hear from people who think of the Iceni as the enemy - and to hear what effect all the fighting has had on other people.






  4. #84

    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated September 10, 2017]

    I, like Callaigh, enjoy the Roman point of view offered in this chapter. I think it really helps to give a sense of just how much the Iceni have grown over the course of your AAR. I am also intrigued by the Arverni and am interested to see what might come of a more concentrated Arverni war effort. And I think there is definitely some foreshadowing there for an Iceni-Rome smack down.

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    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated September 10, 2017]

    Thanks, waveman, Caillagh and Rabbit, for your kind and encouraging comments! Yes, the Iceni are a growing empire and they face challenging opponents to the south. I enjoyed writing the previous chapter with its different perspective, including some of the consequences of this warfare. Yes, the Arverni are a formidable foe and, while the Iceni are expanding, the Romans are building an empire of their own. Meanwhile, a new generation of Iceni have been born...

    Chapter Twenty-four

    When Duratios woke, he heard a confusing mixture of sounds: people running, the cries of warriors charging into a fight and the metallic ring of swords clashing. His mother, Rhiannon, leaned over his cot and whispered, “Stay here. Don’t make a sound.” The boy nodded. She drew her longsword and stood very still, just inside the tent’s entrance.

    Duratios wanted to hide, but he wanted to see what was happening. He pulled up the furs on which he had been sleeping and peeped through a small gap. A swordsman wearing a tunic and cloak with an Iceni design walked backwards towards the tent’s entrance. He sagged and slumped to the ground. Beyond him, a stranger pulled a bloody spear out of the swordsman’s body. The spearmen walked into the tent. His head turned towards a wooden chest. Perhaps he wants treasure, thought Duratios. Because the spearmen was looking at the chest, he was looking the wrong way when Rhiannon’s sword cut him down. Rhiannon seized his spear and spun around, as a ripping sound indicated that someone was cutting through the leather of the tent with a blade. When a flap of tent-leather was pushed down, she thrust the spear into the warrior who had been cutting his way inside. When Mabon arrived with his friend, the hunter Blaidd, Duratios was relieved. My father is alive. That was the first raid Duratios remembered – the first of many.

    Despite frequent raids by the Cessetani and Arverni in the south, the Iceni armies of Dagomaros and Mabon held firmly onto their territory in Gaul. They seized the homelands of the Vivisci and Volcae tribes including the cities of Burdigala and Tolosa in southern Gaul. The rulers of these tribes swore allegiance to Adiatorix, the Iceni High King. Sitting with his mother at the feast to celebrate these victories, Duratios heard his father saying that the Vivisci and Volcae could easily return their allegiance to the Arverni, if the Iceni were defeated.

    In the early years of his childhood, Duratios was used to the camp constantly moving as Mabon’s army advanced. When the army seized Tolosa and scouted the lands beyond the city, Duratios saw that a range of mountains barred the way south. Scout riders reported that there were three ways to progress south into Iberia. There were paths around the mountains on the west and east coasts and there was a high pass across the central mountain range. However, instead of heading for one of these three routes, Mabon’s army settled near Tolosa.

    Duratios wondered why the army was not continuing south, beyond the mountains on the southern horizon. One night, he sneaked into a dark corner of the tent where Mabon conferred with the Rhiannon and the captains who commanded each company in his army. He learned that the Iceni generals were worried that the tribes in Gaul might rebel if the main Iceni armies crossed the mountains into Iberia. If they advanced further, the Iceni armies would be caught between rebellious tribes in Gaul and the Cessetani and Arverni in northern Iberia.

    While Duratios grew from a child to an unblooded youth, the armies of Dagomaros and Mabon guarded the cities of Burdigala and Tolosa in southern Gaul. The Arverni were determined to regain the lands they had lost. Small garrisons guarded the cities in Gaul which the Iceni now occupied. At first, the Arverni and Cessetani sent small bands of raiders; then, they sent entire armies, trying to break through into Gaul.

    Duratios enjoyed the feasts at which Mabon and Dagomaros celebrated successful ambushes of Cessetani and Arverni forces. Dagomaros boasted cheerfully, in his loud, booming voice, that his veterans had defeated their enemies without losing a single warrior. Duratios watched the faces of his father and mother; Mabon and Rhiannon showed no discomfort at this boast, so he concluded that Dagomaros had not intended any insult.

    For Duratios, this period of his childhood felt like a long springtime. As one of the older children in the camp of Mabon’s army, he led a group of enthusiastic youngsters as they pretended to be hunters or warriors. Blaidd, the hunter, noticed their interest in hunting and led the older boys on a real hunt, taking them into an unfamiliar forest. When a wild boar charged towards Duratios, he braced his spear firmly on the ground, hoping to get his first kill. But the boar turned at the last moment and other boys took the kill. As Blaidd and the boys walked back carrying their bounty, there was a blur of dark grey movement from beyond a group of young trees. Duratios left the group and walked softly to investigate. The fallen leaves crunched under his feet and he heard the snarl of an angry animal, although it was strangely quiet and high-pitched. Duratios felt the hand of Blaidd on his shoulder and stopped.

    “Do you see?” asked Blaidd. “It’s a wolf cub protecting his mother. It looks like she is badly wounded or ill, she probably won’t survive. But the cub doesn’t want to leave his mother.”

    “What will happen?” asked Duratios.

    “Sometimes the cub moves on,” replied the hunter. “Sometimes the cub stays with its fallen parent until they both starve. The cub is too small to hunt.”

    “We could rescue the cub and raise it,” suggested Duratios.

    “If we tried to separate it from its mother, it would attack us,” said Blaidd. “We would risk getting hurt for no reason. A hunter learns not to take unnecessary risks.”

    “But I want to care for this cub and raise it,” said Duratios. “It will guard the tent of my mother and father, so we will never be surprised by raiders. If I could walk into battle alongside a fierce wolf, my enemies would fear me.”

    “Listen, Young Wolf,” said Blaidd, “Hear what an old wolf learned, when I was a boy”. He held up his left hand, with its two fingers and thumb – and two small stumps where his other fingers had been. “Many young warriors dream of taming wolves. Some even manage it. I had the same dream, when I was your age - and a wolf cub took two fingers. Your father and mother would not be impressed if their eldest son was mutilated before you were old enough to swing a sword.”

    They returned to the army camp, where more people started called Duratios ‘Young Wolf’. He liked the nickname, especially when Blaidd presented him with a cloak made from the pelt of a dark grey wolf. He wore his new wolf cloak proudly. Sometimes, when he heard a wolf howling in the distance at night, Duratios wondered what had happened to the wolf-cub and his mother. One evening, he returned to the forest alone, gripping a spear tightly. He felt sure that he found the place where he had seen the wolf-cub, but he found nothing.

    During the cold winter which followed, Duratios was glad of his wolf-fur cloak. Some warriors taunted him, telling him that he hadn’t experienced a proper winter, like that had in Britain and Ireland. When winter reluctantly receded and there was gentle warmth in the sunshine again, a messenger arrived at the camp and demanded to see Mabon at once. Duratios, wanting to know what was happening, crept into the edge of the crowd around his father and Rhiannon. He wished that he was taller, he wanted to see. At least he could hear.

    “Will Dagamaros live?” Mabon asked. Duratios hardly dared to breathe. What had happened to the famous general?

    “The assassin’s blade cut him deeply,” said the messenger, “The druid Serria is taking care of him, but whether he will live through each night is in the hands of the gods.”
    Last edited by Alwyn; October 07, 2017 at 09:22 AM.

  6. #86
    Caillagh de Bodemloze's Avatar to rede I me delyte
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    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated October 7, 2017]

    It's a good thing Duratios has someone to give him good advice!

    That's a nice way to get through several years quickly, I think.






  7. #87
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated October 7, 2017]

    Thanks, Caillagh! Yes, Duratios needs good advice and you're right, I wanted a way to move the story on a few years.

    Meanwhile in the Roman Republic the story of a Roman veteran, Servius Figulus, continues...

    Chapter Twenty-five

    Dio alleges that Boudica has an army of two hundred and thirty thousand people and even though this is probably grossly exaggerated, even half this number would have looked invincible. Suetonius Paulinus has assembled around ten thousand men from parts of his Twentieth Legion, the Fourteenth Legion and various local auxiliaries. He had previously sent for the Second Legion Augusta …, but its commander, Poenius Postumus, had failed to deliver the necessary men … it was a decision that would cost him his life.”
    - Vanessa Collingridge, “Boudica” (Ebury Press 2005), p. 246
    With every mile that he walked along the road north to Neapolis, Servius Figulus felt more and more guilty. He had listened to Connor of the Ebdani, a refugee from a distant land. Connor had warned him that an army of escaped slaves from Syracuse was marching towards Cosentia, the nearest city to his farm. He was leading his household, together with Connor’s ragged band of wanderers, towards Neapolis and safety. But Servius Figulus had served in the Third Legion. He remembered how he and other soldiers had talked, proudly, about how they protected the people of Rome and how they left no-one behind. These memories, and thoughts of the people of Cosentia who would be unprotected when the escaped slaves arrived, weighed heavily on him.

    On the first evening of their journey, as they sat around a camp-fire, Servius proposed that he should take his sword and return to Cosentia, to join the town watch there.

    “I served as a soldier,” Servius said, ”I know that the town watch are poorly trained boys and men who are too injured or too old to serve in the legions. I cannot walk away while escaped slaves turn a peaceful city to a smoking ruin.”

    “Some brave men of Syracuse thought as you do,” said Connor, “They fought alongside their city militia. Now they are dead and their deaths did not prevent their city falling to the slaves.”

    “I know, I know,” admitted Servius, “it would take a legion to defeat this invading army. Yet I can’t walk away and do nothing.” He had an idea. “Either the Second Legion will march from Brundisium or the Third Legion will march from the north to relieve Cosentia. But they’ll know little or nothing about the enemy they will face. Frightened refugees will not provide a Roman commander with reliable details about the enemy.”

    “You are thinking that you could provide a Roman officer with the information he needs, is that right?” asked Connor. Servius nodded.

    “This will be a dangerous journey, even for a former soldier,” continued Connor, “Can I go with you? We will need to stay out of sight of the escaped slaves. They will kill us if they guess that we are scouting ahead for a Roman army. If two of us are looking out for danger, we have a better chance of avoiding getting into trouble.”

    While their families continued north towards safety in Neapolis, Servius and Connor turned back south towards Cosentia. They started to see small groups of civilians who were fleeing for their lives. One man, who Servius recognised as a stall-holder from Cosentia’s market reported that the city was under attack and that the town guard were falling back. As Servius had predicted, none of the fleeing civilians could provide reliable details of the enemy. Some made claims about the number of attackers which seemed highly improbable. Surely the attacking force could not be as large as a fully-manned Roman legion! As Servius and Connor approached the city, Servius stopped and gasped when he saw smoke rising ahead. He had seen cities sacked before, but none had been the city he thought of as home.



    It was clear that pitifully few of the town watch still fought in the central square. They were surrounded and had no hope of victory. When Servius put his hand on the hilt of his sword and breathed in hard, Connor put his hand on the old soldier’s shoulder and whispered, “I know, you want to fight. But don’t forget, we can only tell a Roman officer what their legion will face in battle if we get out of here alive. If we charge in now, we’re dead.”



    “Where are the Second Legion?” hissed Servius. “They must know they are the only legion in the area. On good roads, they shouldn’t take long to get here from Brundisium. How can they not know that this is happening?”

    “Perhaps their commander does know?” suggested Connor.

    “You mean, he’s afraid to leave the protection of Brundisium’s city walls? We should report him.”

    “Who to – who would listen to us?” asked Connor.

    “When we have scouted the enemy force, we should go to Neapolis, the home city of my old legion, the Third. If the Second Legion won’t help Cosentia, the Third will!”

    Servius and Connor kept their heads down and observed the escaped slaves from a distance. As they left Cosentia on the road north, cavalrymen confronted them, demanding to know who they were and where they were going. The riders wore armour in the Greek style and, from their accents, it was clear that they were escaped slaves from Syracuse.

    Connor thanked the riders profusely. He explained that he and Servius had been slaves in Cosentia and that they had only escaped thanks to the arrival of the army of former slaves from Syracuse. He explained that they were leaving Cosentia to find their families.

    When they arrived at Neapolis, they found Roman soldiers guarding the southern entrance of the city, speaking to everyone who entered. When Servius Figulus explained that he was a former soldier, here to report on the enemies occupying Cosentia, he and Connor were escorted by a pair of young hastati to the villa of the Camp Prefect, the third in command of the Third Legion.

    The Camp Prefect recognised Servius and embraced him as an old friend. When Servius had explained that the escaped slaves were organised into disciplined groups of pikemen, peltasts and cavalry in the Greek style, and were equal in size to a fully manned Roman legion, the Camp Prefect nodded and stroked his chin.

    “I had heard reports of the escaped slaves, but I had no idea of their numbers, discipline or equipment. I was about to send a detachment to Cosentia. I now realise that they would have faced overwhelming numbers and certain defeat. Your report has saved the lives of many solders. You have done the Republic a great service – and you could do more, if you are willing.”

    Servius nodded, waiting patiently for the officer to continue.

    “A Boii army broke through our defensive line in the north. They reached Velathri,” said the Camp Prefect.

    Servius kept his face impassive, although inwardly his mind was whirling. The Boii had a reputation as ferocious warriors, but their homeland was far from Rome’s northern border. They raided frontier towns in the past, but had not tried to invade the heartlands of the Republic for many years. With the Boii threatening Velathri in the north, escaped slaves occupying Cosentia in the south and Rome’s finest legions serving far from home, the Republic was in real danger.

    “The Third Legion turned back the Boii, but at a significant cost,” continued the Camp Prefect. “My remaining men are preparing to march to liberate Cosentia, but from what you have said to me, I need more soldiers. Many young men in Neapolis have volunteered to serve, but from one old soldier to another, you know that it takes time to train for war.”

    Servius smiled and nodded.

    “We sent a messenger to the Second Legion in Brundisium, asking for reinforcements, but their commander claims that the civic leaders demand that he remains there. Apparently they are afraid that the slaves would revolt, if the legion left.” From the tone and expression of the Camp Prefect, it was clear to Servius and Connor that he was not convinced by this excuse.

    “I need soldiers now. I cannot wait until the new volunteers are trained,” said the Camp Prefect.

    Here it comes, thought Servius, he will ask me to train the raw recruits. I can teach men how to stand in line and fight, but we will not have long.

    But the Camp Prefect’s request was not what Servius expected. “Many retired soldiers of the Third Legion live on the southern edge of Neapolis or nearby farms. I need a veteran to call them back into service. You have shown courage and initiative and I remember that you are a reliable officer. If you can assemble some veterans, then your men will steady the new recruits and keep them in line when the fighting is hard. Without more experienced men, the Third Legion will struggle against the enemies occupying Cosentia. Will you help me?

    “It will be an honour,” Servius replied. With those words, he was back in the Third Legion. Now, he needed to find some old soldiers to lead into battle.
    Last edited by Alwyn; November 11, 2017 at 11:12 AM.

  8. #88
    Caillagh de Bodemloze's Avatar to rede I me delyte
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    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated November 11, 2017]

    Servius was obviously right about the civilians being unreliable witnesses. I wonder if his determination to provide accurate information will turn out badly for him. He's back in the army, after all, and there's fighting to be done, so he has no chance of escaping to safety now.






  9. #89

    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated November 11, 2017]

    It looks like the Iceni have by now build an empire which frightens even the most powerful of warlords!
    100% mobile poster so pls forgive grammer

  10. #90
    Alwyn's Avatar Frothy Goodness
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    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated November 11, 2017]

    Thanks for commenting, Caillagh and mad orc!

    Chapter Twenty-six

    Rhiannon was so focused on stalking the deer through the trees, she almost failed to notice the riders approaching on the plain to her left. She was leading the young women of the army camp on a hunt. When she did notice the riders out of the corner of her eye, she signalled to the other hunters to drop to the ground.



    The horsemen looked bulkier than ordinary horsemen, as if they were wearing thick winter clothes. When they got closer, Rhiannon saw that they were wearing heavy leather armour, unlike any riders she had ever seen. The designs on their shields indicated that they were Arverni, the greatest enemy the Iceni had encountered. First one company of riders came into view, then another, then another and finally a fourth. A long column of infantry appeared – and then another. This was not a small raiding party, Rhiannon realised. This was the vanguard of a great army. In fact, judging by the size of the two columns, the Arverni had brought a larger force than the two Iceni armies guarding the southern frontier of the Iceni kingdom.

    “Do we fight them?” whispered Branwen, Rhiannon’s daughter.

    Rhiannon smiled. Her daughter did not lack courage. “What do you think we should do?” asked Rhiannon.

    “We hide and watch them, then we report back to Father and the army?” suggested Branwen.

    Rhiannon nodded. Her small band of young hunters, armed with javelins, would have had no chance against those heavy horsemen. Rhiannon and her hunters kept low, remaining still and relying on the cover of the forest. She led her hunters deeper into the forest and back to the Iceni army camp where Mabon waited.

    When Mabon heard Rhiannon’s report of the approaching Arverni armies, he sighed. “We worked so hard to make this army as strong as we could. You spent many days turning farmers with spears into trained warriors. Our warriors have weapons made with the gods-blessed iron from the forges at Lemonum, which is less prone to bending or breaking than the iron forged in Britain. The spearmen you trained would fight with courage, but they might not be enough against the numbers of heavy cavalry you saw.”

    Rhiannon and Mabon met with Carvilios, who commanded the other Iceni army which had been led by Dagomaros, the Iceni general who had conquered Britain, Ireland and western Gaul. Rhiannon remembered the day when the news had arrived that an assassin had wounded Dagomaros. When Dagomaros lay dying, Rhiannon and Mabon had visited him. Rhiannon remembered how Dagomaros had sat up from his sleeping furs and reached out to grasp the hands of Rhiannon and Mabon.

    “My son, Carvilios, will command the army which I led,” said Dagomaros, “He is a brave warrior. But he doubts his own judgement – as you once did, Mabon. He will need good advice. I know I can rely on you to advise him well, my good friends.”

    Rhiannon and Mabon had assured him that they would. Rhiannon had noticed tears on the cheek of Mabon as he watched his old friend and mentor fiercely holding onto life, defying death to the end.

    Now, we will fulfil our promise to a dying friend, thought Rhiannon as they approached the tent of Carvilios. Rhiannon felt anxious about this meeting. Before his death, Dagomaros had not told them who would have overall command of the two Iceni armies – Carvillios or Mabon. Mabon was an experienced general, but Carvilios was a nephew of Adiatorix, the Iceni High King. We’ll have to hope that Carvilios follows our advice, she thought.

    Carvilios greeted them warmly. “Uncle Mabon, Aunt Rhiannon!” They were not blood relatives, but Carvilios inherited his father’s warm-hearted nature. He called for ale for his guests and asked them, “Have you heard the news?”

    “We had come to inform you,” said Mabon, “The Arverni have-“

    Carvilios interrupted, “The Arverni? No, the news I have is about the Atrebartes in the north. A druid, returning south from a visit to Camulodunon, said that the confederation which had united the Atrebartes and Nervii tribes has broken into the original two kingdoms. A master craftsman in our city of Cenabum saw an opportunity to trade with the neighbouring tribes. Hoping to earn favour and display his skill, he made two silver cauldrons. He offered them as a gift for a wedding between a prince of the Atrebartes and a princess of the Nervii. The design of the cauldrons included the gods of the Nervii, but none of the gods of the Atrebartes. Offended by this, the prince refused to accept his cauldron. In a blazing row which followed, the prince wounded a Nervii nobleman.”

    “It sounds like the Atrebartes and Nervii are heading for war”, said Mabon.

    Carvilios said, “That’s what I thought. But the prince of the Atrebartes found a way to blame the Iceni. He pretended that we wanted to divide the Atrebartes and the Nervii.”

    Rhiannon gasped, “The master craftsman! He-“

    Carvilios interrupted, eager to continue his story. “Yes! The master craftsman was in Cenabum, in the Iceni kingdom. The prince of the Atrebartes claimed that the cauldrons were intended to provoke conflict between his tribe and the Nervii. This re-united the Atrebartes and Nervii in fury against us! The Atrebartes have assembled an army in Nemetocenna.”

    Mabon said, “From there, they could cross the sea to Camulodunon or march west to Cenabum. Which way will they go?”

    “A sea crossing would be a risky move. Surely they know that the Iceni have a navy and that King Adiatorix would defend Camulodunon fiercely?” suggested Rhiannon.

    Carvilios agreed. “Indeed – while Cenabum has only a small garrison. If they can take Cenabum, they can invade western Gaul, as my father did! We must move quickly, to send warriors to defend Cenabum.”

    “That will be difficult,” said Mabon, “The Arverni force approaching here is at least equal in numbers to both of our armies. We are needed here, to defend the southern border.”

    “But there are no other Iceni armies in Gaul, just small garrisons who will be no match for an army of the Atrebartes,” said Carvilios. “My army will remain here. The ballistae are slow-moving, it would take forever to drag them across Gaul. Your army is more mobile, so you should take your men to defend Cenabum.”

    “Yes, I will lead my army to Cenabum,” said Mabon. “But there is little hope that I can reach it before the Atrebartes. We can only hope that my army can take Cenabum back from them.”

    Rhiannon noticed that Mabon instinctively deferred to Carvilios, even though the younger general lacked experience. My husband still doubts himself, she thought.

    Mabon continued. “I am worried about leaving you to face so many Arverni. On this open plain, your smaller force could be outflanked and destroyed. Perhaps you could fall back behind the walls of Burdigala?”

    “I could defend Burdigala,” said Carvilios. “But the Arverni have enough men to maintain a siege of Burdigala and send another army across the bridge east of Burdigala, the bridge over the river Elave at Gergovia. They could invade western Gaul.”

    “That’s true,” said Mabon, “Instead of defending the cities, would you prefer to fall back to the bridge at Gergovia? The river Elave is broad and swift. Your army would have a fighting chance of holding off a larger force at the bridge. But retreating to the bridge means giving up the cities of Burdigala and Tolosa.”

    “Then we must give up those cities,” said Carvilios.

    “Perhaps we don’t have to simply abandon them to the enemy?” suggested Rhiannon. “You could tell the kings of the Vivisci and Volcae, the tribes who used to own these cities, that they are released from their oaths of loyalty to the Iceni. You could invite them to return to their former allegiance to the Arverni – or to swear loyalty to any tribe. If they swore loyalty to the Arverni, then the cities of Burdigala and Tolosa could avoid being sacked when the Arverni reach them.”

    “That’s true!” said Mabon, “The traditional lands of the Volcae have the Massalians as their eastern neighbours. If the Volcae of Tolosa swore allegiance to Massalia, that would help us. We would be defending a narrower front against the Arverni.”

    “But would it help the Volcae to swear allegiance to Massalia?” asked Carvilios.

    “Yes, it would,” said Mabon. “For years, their homeland has been the front line in the war between the Iceni and Arverni kingdoms. They have endured constant danger, as raiders and armies marched back and forth across their lands. If they became part of Massalia, they could live in peace.”

    “It is settled, then,” said Carvilios. “We’ll liberate Burdigala and Tolosa. Your army will go north to take back Cenabum from the Atrebartes while mine will hold the bridge at Gergovia to keep the Arverni out of western Gaul.”

    Rhiannon said, “This plan will hold back our enemies. It is better to hold a defensive line then to lose the war. But what will be our next move? How can we win a war on two fronts, against two powerful tribes?”



    --

    Author’s note
    The cauldrons were inspired by historical Celtic cauldrons such as the Gundestrup Cauldron.

    Of course, Rome II does not actually allow a faction to liberate a region which it currently occupies, as the Iceni do in this chapter. I am using the new Power & Politics patch for Rome II. I started a new campaign, which has now reached the same situation as my previous campaign. That explains why there are some changes to the map - for example, in this campaign the Atrabartes and Nervii are allies but did not form a Gallic Confederation.
    Last edited by Alwyn; November 26, 2017 at 09:46 AM.

  11. #91

    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated November 26, 2017]

    Interesting chapter! I wonder if Rhiannon's plan will work and give the Iceni the defensive line they need to hold against their foes. As she expressed though, it seems the Iceni will need a fair bit of luck and strategic thoughtfulness if they hope to best both the Arverni and the Atrebartes. Hopefully Carvilios will be prove himself as capable as his predecessor.

    Also, it is interesting to see that you have switched to Power & Politics, and I wonder if that will impact the course or development of the story.

  12. #92
    Caillagh de Bodemloze's Avatar to rede I me delyte
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    Default Re: Andraste's Children (Iceni AAR) [updated November 26, 2017]

    That's kind of a mixed result, isn't it? I hope the defensive line will hold.

    Like Rabbit, I'm interested to see how Carvilios turns out.

    (Also, I like the picture!)






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