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Fall of the Republic - First Civil War of Rome

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Chapter IV

Praetor Maximus

Scaevola felt the wind through his hair as he rode down the road that lead to the Quirinal gate, and into Rome. He had not seen his home city in more than nine years, and now, declared Dictator of Rome and Praetor Maximus he was ready to tackle the tough field of battle that made up the Roman politics. Greece was conquered, and Cotta's forces in Spain had been diminished and slaughtered, the eastern half of the peninsula occupied with the newly appointed Military Tribune Gnaeus Calpurnius Calvus letting the more than 50.000 loyalist forces under his direct command there advance ever forward. General Gnaeus Atilius Rufus was, at the same time, marching with an army of 33.000 men to challenge Cotta in Pergamon and Gaius Marius Lentulus had an army of 26.000 besieging the greek city state and former Roman ally of Massilia.

The empire was celebrating, the people was celebrating, the soldiers was celebrating. Scaevola too would have been, if it was not for one petty detail that still troubled his mind. Marius was not there, there had been thorough searching in all provinces taken over by Scaevola's forces, and Cotta was busy claiming that he was holding both Sulla and Marius hostage in Pergamon. Scaevola knew Cotta, he was not the kind of man who lied about these kind of things. Sulla and Marius both truly were held captive by the traitor proconsul. The senate had voted, and Cotta was considered an outlaw, as were all who followed him, and Scaevola had been awarded with a huge pile of honourary titles.

Quintus Mucius Scaevola was 68 years old, a veteran from commanding over 50 battles, elected consul twice and now... He was the mightiest man in the entire empire, the Dictator. None could oppose him now. He had won the war, and the senate and people of Rome had awarded him the greatest of all prizes. He would bear the honour well the last few years of his life, he knew this. He was healthy and virile for his age, but it was only a matter of time until he would collapse, just like all old men do. During the last year he had been feeling increasingly tired and spent, and even though his mind remained young and healthy, his body did not show all the same positive symptoms.

But Scaevola knew he could not rest quite yet. There were four other people in the world which he cared for more than he cared for himself, these were his wife, the beautiful Livia, his children, seven-year-old Titus and Mucia, and finally his daughter Mucia's husband, Gaius Marius. He knew that when he passed away, Titus would be the Scaevola family head and therefore, he did not want to die before Titus had atleast finished his basic education and was ready for such great a task. Neither did he want to die before he had saved, or atleast ensured that he had done all he could to save Marius from Cotta's claws. Livia was still young, a mere 31 years of age only six years divided her and Mucia, who was his daughter together with a Licinia Crassa, who had been his wife until the start of the Civil War, when she picked her fathers side and joined Sulla. Scaevola had loved her, and from all he knew she was still alive, working as a governor for one of the provinces in western Spain. Also she had re-married, but her husband, the Centurion of the 6th Greek, Quintus Caecilius Metellus, had died trying to fight off Legio Magna in the Battle of Athenae.

He laughed at his sorrowful thoughts and waved to the people lining up on the streets around him. How could he be despairing a day like this?
He was home now!
He rode up the stairs of the Curia building, and turned around looking out over Forum Romanum. He remembered how Marius had done the same thing almost ten years ago, at the very same place and wondered if the people also remembered the two great, charismatic leadesrs who had threwn them into this horrible Civil War at first for so many years ago.

"My people! Beloved citizens, freemen and slaves of Rome! You; who are the backbone of our great empire, and the bulwark of civilization wherever in the world I turn. I have returned to you, after nine long, dreadful years of constant fighting against the illoyalist scum who have infested our glorious republic for so long. These men I am talking about, have been defeated!" A great shout arosed as the entire Forum Romanum roared Scaevolas name with one voice. "Even if we have won this war, this the greatest conflict in the history of our ancient realm, it will take long to recover from the wounds caused by the illoyalists who have been trying to overthrow our glorious republic into anarchy. The senate has awarded me with the title of Praetor Maximus, and as such, I have taken it on as my duty to cleanse out from the empire all that remains of the evil anarchist rabble.
But this I say to all of you; we must and will remember these thousands of men and women who have died protecting their families and their honour, no matter what side, these men have given their lives to Rome, and for a pointless Civil War that was not theirs to fight."

"Fallen in war, they belong to history. Fallen in war, they sleep 6 feet below. Hearts of the brave, we cannot bring them back to life. Fallen in war. Still brothers in arms."
​
 
homhom... a quite big jump... what happened after Fahne höch? :confused:
9 years... I hope that those will be still explained... and what year is it now in game?
 
Enewald said:
homhom... a quite big jump... what happened after Fahne höch? :confused:
9 years... I hope that those will be still explained... and what year is it now in game?
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Sounds like there was a little misunderstanding :D

It's 10 years since the start of the civil war. I jump circa 2-3 years between every chapter. Because I like writing that way.

It's 9 years since Scaevola last was in Rome, 'cause he's been field serving in Spain since even before he became consul. And now the war in Spain is over.

Sorry if I was unclear with anything :p

It's 680 in the game, btw.
 
Chapter V

Triumph of Death

The 21st of February, 682 the Legio Hispania, lead by general Quintus Valerius Murena marched in through the gates of Rome. Every soldier, aswell as every civilian was dressed in black, and not a word could be heard on the streets. Also Murenas sun-burnt face was tormented by despair and anger, as he sat on the throne, dressed in his dark-purple toga. He was the only man in Rome that day who was not dressed in Black, but also he would be. It said in Roman law, that after the death of a dictator, all soldiers was to be dressed in black in a full year forward.
The death of a dictator.
Scaevola was dead and his 9-year-old son had taken over the throne. It was an horrific thought, as the majority of the people had demonstrated openly for that, after the death of the glorified Praetor Maximus, the republic should return to normal with senators and consuls. Titus Mucius Scaevola's advisors, old supporters of his fathers authoritarian regime, said that the dictatorship was to last for as long as the republic was in the crisis of a civil war, and that the threat of a such was not yet removed.

Legio Magna was, however, going into republican Pergamon in western Anatolia with 33.000 soldiers, to make short work of Cotta and his forces once and for all. Titus had officially ordered that the civil war should be ended as soon as possible, with none of the excuses used earlier to 'slow down the approach of peace' and 'effectively increase casualties to the Roman people, and to Rome itself'

Most triumphes used to end in a speech from the general, once the last of the cohorts reached the Forum Romanum. Murena had not planned such a speech, and was unsure if he was to perform one at all. Most, if not all, of the people in Rome already knew everything that he had to say, and most of them wouldn't be overly impressed, would he tell them fact they were already aware of. He had, of course, been told that he should tell them about Marius. And what he had learned during the march through Oretani.
Marius had been found, alive, in a spanish prison after the battle ended, and Murena and the soldiers had become overwhelmed with happiness after the event.
Marius, however, was a changed man. He was back in Rome for the first time in 12 years, he spoke with a hearable ibero-gallic accent that he had picked up after spending time with the spanish prisoners of war, leftovers from ages old campaigns and rebellions against the republic. When Marius returned to Rome he had been terrified by the news that his father-in-law had actually took the terrible step of declaring himself Dictator for Life, and in addition, died, leaving the legacy to a nine-year-old. Marius had been allowed one time to meet with the new dictator, and had described him as 'intelligent, not only for his age, but for Romans in general' and 'charismatic, even though it comes to shame with his still very childish voice'. Marius had predicted that he would become a great dictator, whether cruel or noble.
He would become great.

Marius had, when he came to Rome held an official speech where he told mostly about the things he learned from rebellious enemies of the republic and from the unhappy native people in Spain during captivity. However, most people had been more stunned by his tale of the battle that had taken place in Oretani right before he was freed, and how that battle had looked from the Republican side. How it had looked from the other side to see a Roman army defeated by another.
The commander of the Republican forces in Oretani had also been a man who had fought and bought himself the place as the Legate for the troops stationed there, as he wanted to see for himself that Marius survived the war. The man was Gaius Julius Ceasar, Marius cousin and the only relative still living he knew about, except of course Julius' two daughters Julia and Cornelia. Julius had, however, died during the battle and his wife and daughters had been destroyed when given the news of the battles in Spain. He had recieved a almost decimeter-deep slash right through his belly, and had, according to eyewitnesses from the battle, continued to fight with half of his insestines hanging outside the body, killing a man and severely wounding two others.

There was also another question around this matter that troubled Marius. He had, during the time they were both free and alive, been a very good friend of his cousin, and they both had seen each other more as brothers than anything else. Still, Julius had preferred choosing the side of Sulla rather than his beloved cousin, even Julius' wife had chosen Marius side, after her father Cinna, who had been one of Marius' greatest supporters during his way to consulship.

He reached the Forum Romanum and recieved the cheers of the people before raising his hand to gain silence, and he opened his mouth to give the people the glorious speech that meant Victory For ROME!​
 
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Mmm, so despite his victory his family diminishes?
 
stnylan said:
Mmm, so despite his victory his family diminishes?
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Kind of, yeah. Actually I just got bored and took myself a lookie at the family trees.
Found mr. GJ Ceasar (the real one, yeah, I checked with age and stuff - also he was married to Cornelia Cinna and had a daughter named Julia, etc.)
Seems some fucked up stuff had happened, he had been a governor in Greece, obviously. Then a general for forces in Spain and had died in Oretani. I just thought it would be interesting to write it as this seems to be a SERIOUS change to history, thinking of what Ceasar now can't accomplish. Also it was done WITHOUT my intervention. :eek:

comagoosie said:
what is next? Will Marius use his knowledge of his inprisonment against the spanish
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What spanish? Spain is Roman Dictatorian now! Enemy just exists in Anatolia and Beleares (where they have stocked up 135 cohorts, who just doesn't seems to die of attrition -.- Lost 20.000 men there just trying to see how much they've lost, by time writing)

Enewald said:
How does rome look now?
On the maps?
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That's right... How do I upload ze maps? Haven't been asking/searching for that before, 'cause I haven't been interested. But if there's a public interest... :p
 
That's right... How do I upload ze maps? Haven't been asking/searching for that before, 'cause I haven't been interested. But if there's a public interest...
Click to expand...

There is no sticky about it. But there should be. But there is still none.

First make sure you have those screenies edited as you wish to have them posted here.
then you need to upload them into internet with using some site which allows you to upload images into the internet without paying for it.

I use photobukcet, but there are many others. I just use that. Don't ask why. :rolleyes:
Just create your account there and then upload those images from your comp.
Then copy the img code which can be found somewhere near the pic, and post the img code here.
I do anything to see pics. Always.
 
Okay, so, before the next post comes up I just wanna say I'm dreadfully sorry for the time it has taken. Summer vacation has come up with too much things except sitting here by my PC screen telling odd tales about non-existent italians all days long.

While later on in this message (presumably about -now-) skipping formalities, modesty and thourough niceyness I also wanna make clear that this campaign is going shit boring, and I'm currently trying to find out a way to write it, that'll make my endless attrition wars more interesting to you than they are to me.

Actually I don't think you want me here telling you this complete and utter bullshit anymore, but that you would prefer me to finish off this chapter so you can all go to sleep.

Well, now that I am officially done with my bullshitting I just want to say thanks for me, and see you tomorrow, when I will have a new chapter of Fall of the Republic - First Civil War of Rome ready and pastaboining(?)
 
Chapter VI

Turning On the Outside

Titus smashed his already bloodied hand into the stone wall whilst he cried over what he had lost. Over what had been done to hurt him. Over what had been done on his behalf, to avenge him, to please him. As if revenge ever helped.

As a matter of fact, what would have helped in such a situation?

It was the 26th of January, 685, and it was the day after the Numidians had sued for peace after two years of bloody fighting, in the wake of the Battle of Hippo Regius where Military Tribune and Legate Maximus Gaius Antonius Murena of the first Spanish Legion had led his thirty cohorts into the Numidian capital, faced with more than twice as many enemies, Numidian losses estimated towards fifty thousand, whilst Rome had lost roughly two thousands. The victory over the Numidians had been decisive, and the Numidian king had been punished for his horrible crime. The provinces of Sabratha, Thapsus and Phazania had been ceded into Roman North Africa, and Numidia had been forced to become a Roman tributary and most importantly, the Numidian kings' son and only child, Philocrates, had been publicily executed on the streets of Rome.

As a punishment for Numidia's crimes. Titus had, under pressure from his closest advisor Gaius Antonius Scipio, declared war on Numidia the 5th of October, 683, convinced that the king himself was indirectly responsible for the assasination of Titus mother, Livia Cethegus, the preceding day. There had been no evidence of this act of treachery from the Numidian side. But Titus was Praetor Maximus of Rome, he needed no evidence or Casus Belli to subjugate minor kingdoms and tribes, or so had Antonius convinced him.

However, what happened after the declaration had been worse. For 2 years the war had been raging, and with Roman main armies busy quelling rebellions in Hispania and fighting Cotta's troops in Anatolia, the war in Numidia had been a series of undecisive victories on both sides, with the armies losing and gaining territory and the frontlines ever changing. The already overstretched Roman forces had suffered heavy losses in Numidia, without being able to send reinforcements, and it had at one point seemed like the enemy forces were on their way to occupy the ruin-city of Carthage, in which case the only effective harbor for sending supplies to the troops would have been lost, and the Numidians would have been able to force forth a peace acceptance, lest they would have taken the land route through Tingis and assailed Hispania itself.

As if that was not enough, at the beginning of the war, the two gaul tribes of Sequani and Helvetii had attacked the province of Gallia Cisalpina, under the excuse that Roman velites had been crossing the border in large amounts, burning Helvetii villages. It was later proved that the gauls had been right, and that the action had been under direct supervision of Gaius Aurelius Cotta, who wished to distract Titus' forces from the frontline in Anatolia to be able to achieve a breakthrough and regain Greece. His plan had, however, failed utterly, as some hundred volunteers from the ranks of retired soldiers living in the colonial provinces had risen up and organized, fighting back the gaul threat for long enough for Titus to be able to dispatch a smaller force from Hispania, which, joined up with the retired veterans, had defeated and ultimately annexed both of the gaul tribes after two months of official war.

However, as it turned out the more decisive victories had been quickly following each other towards the end of the war, it started out with the first battle for Hippo Regius, where the Roman forces won with great losses on each side, quickly followed by the second battle of Hippo Regius, where the Romans were indeed forced to retreat after inflicting immense losses on the Numidian main army, as the Numidians had concentrated their effort on retaking their capital, their army had became overstretched everhwere else, and Roman forces managed to during the battle occupy over five provinces, which effectively meant most of eastern Numidia.

Then came the news of that Cotta's forces had finally been utterly defeated in Anatolia, raising the Roman morale to that extent, which they, under the command of Murena managed to decisively win the third battle of Hippo Regius and secure the defeat of the Numidian kingdom.

Now it was only one more thing left to do, before Titus could finally retreat from the horrible world of warfare into which he had been born:

Cotta had taken the last of his forces with him and managed to make his way to the Beleares island group east of Spain, upon which there was stationed an supposed-impenetrable Roman fortress. All that was left to do, was prove that Roman military tactics can outdo Roman engineering, and prove that the fortress is not at all impenetrable. Because for as long as Cotta lives in his fortress, and has troops under his command, Romes safety cannot be guaranteed.​

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________​

About your wish, Enewald, and probably someone else's too (depending on if somebody else reads this cheap crap :p ) I don't have the pictures until weekend, so I will put up a (or maybe two) picture on Saturday for everyone to do whatever they wanna do with. (what else than looking at it can be done with it? idk maybe it can be used as toilet paper)
 
Heh, time to bring the war to a conclusion. And I am confident that what the Romans built they can tear down.
 
Okay. I know, I know. The picture was two days late. I told you saturday, now it's monday.

But it's coming up today. Today! Yeah I know what you're thinking. I'm just a regular one of those asian games developers who says a date then every time I reach that date I put it up with some days. :eek:o (not saying any names, though many probably know who I am referring to)

But it's not gonna be like that! Today it comes! I ehm... Prom... No I can't promise, but I can. Eh. Well I can't do much, but I am 95% sure you'll get a pic today. xD As a celebration of the breaking of the 1.000 readers line.
 
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Westeurope685.jpg

Map of the current state of Western Europe, including my gains in Gaul and Numidia, aswell as the belearic fortress.

Easteurope685.jpg

Eastern Europe and the nearest east. Republicans entirely driven out of this area. As can be seen partially to the far right side of the map, Parthia, my main concurrent after the Republicans, is indeed getting trashed in a war versus the Armenian-Iberian alliance. A war that has been going on for six years. I expect a peace soon, maybe giving 1 province to Armenia. Almost absolutely making Parthia a tributary to either or both of Iberia and Armenia.

Also note that some (Legio Magna, 1st African, Hispania Rebellia) legions are named. This is simply for me to keep track of legions which are referred to in the AAR, and make it possible for me to make some lines about the eventual death of an important legion. I wish I had the imagination to name them all. But, sadly... ​
 
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