The Eagles of Avalon

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Varic as Ricimer's son works even better than I had first imagined. Father the son of a Suebian Prince and Visgothic Princess; mother the daughter of the eastern roman noble Anthemius, made Emperor at Emperor Leo's insistence.

Ricimer was Patrician and assassinated one or two Emperors. Varic would be 22 or 23 years old in 489. Ricimer, however, actually had good relations with the Senate. Varic is acting much as the Patrician did in making Romulus Emperor.

The Senator was in a seedy neighbourhood with only a couple of guards. He was knifed by, could have been anyone. Romulus can be as indignant as the Senators and promise to leave no stone unturned - and as the Senator had no heirs, his property reverts to the state - knowing perfectly well that he's gotten away with murder.

Varic, like his purported father, could be elected Consul and actively exercise those consular powers. Varic plans on making himself Emperor of the Western Roman Empire after he's persuaded Romulus to marry and then married his grieving widow.

I'd like to be a fly on the wall in the Palace as Varic tries to persuade Romulus to marry and Lady Barbaria tries to persuade him against marriage.

Varic comports himself as one born to command, but I think Mett isn't going to be this straightforward.

 

[Pirate Z]

It is amusing to read the offended replies of some of the readers. This is fifth century politics after all. Do you really think Romulus, after finally gaining the absolute power of a Caesar, will be willing to share it with the decrepid institution that is the Senate? Who cares about the roads or the filthy waters of the Tibrus, anyway?

Indeed -- who cares about the fate of Rome ...?

 

[VILenin]

How completely public opinion (of the readers, that is) seems to have swung against Romulus; I hope the Roman public doesn't experience a similar change of heart for the young imperator's sake. Doesn't anyone want Romulus to grow out of his foolishness and mature into a great leader?

 

[CatKnight]

I think Varic probably acted on his own.

If he didn't though, I'm frankly proud of Romulus. He started out as such a wimp - he's finally proving worthy of his title. Sure, we can deplore his tactics all we want...but an emperor, especially of an empire in this much trouble, requires strength. You don't gain strength in endless debate, but through decisive action.

I was rereading some of the earlier posts, and one of my first comments on this thread was along the lines of understanding why Caesar/Augustus/etc. turned the Republic into an Empire. The Romulan senate was far too interested in their own power, wealth and prestige to really do anything about the problems facing the Republic. Romulus can not afford that right now, and he can not afford ANY dissension.

This isn't a modern western democracy where political disagreement is a sign of a healthy society. This is fifth century Rome, and division equals death.

 

[stnylan]

Well CatKnight, its the traditional problem with autocracies though isn't it. If Romulus was competent and actually knew what he was doing, and was not so dominated by Varic and his mother, then I would entirely agree. An Augustus or Vespasian or Diocletian or Septimus Severus or Theodosius is exactly what the Empire needs. Unfortunately I rather suspect it has an Alexander Severus instead, or perhaps a Honorious or Valentinian III. Actually, considering the relationship between VIII and Aetius that might be the more appropriate comparison. Anyway, you can surely see what I am trying to say!

VILenin - I agree. The lad had potential, but he seems to have wasted it. Of course, it is also a sign of Mett's masterful telling of the tale. I am quite sure that, if he so wished it, our sympathies could be turned around again.

 

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Orestes may have intended that his son Romulus be an ornamental figurehead and that the Empress would have been chosen from a family with a history of turning out strong generals and administators of Rome. Orestes would have ensured that all heirs were his and not his son's. Romulus just might have turned out both to have a sharp brain and a backbone.

Romulus exiled Remus because he recognised the threat posed by said general to his own rule. It makes sense for him to murder Remus' chief supporter in the Senate. Thus, he could remove Varic by exile as well. Selenus could buckle under the pressure, so leave him where he is, ; if he proves competent, exile him too. Barbaria would not be the first mother who thought she had her son under control. Perhaps, he could exile her along with her toy-boy bit of rough.

 

[VILenin]

Well CatKnight, its the traditional problem with autocracies though isn't it. If Romulus was competent and actually knew what he was doing, and was not so dominated by Varic and his mother, then I would entirely agree.

Yes, in many ways autocracy offers the greatest promise of efficiency or potential for greatness if the right person's on the throne. It's a big IF. When the wrong person is in the seat of command a lot of things can go badly.

 

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Just a note that everyone should go and vote in the AARland Choice Award!

 

[The Yogi]

Romulus is a boy - with the insecurity of a boy among men, and the akwardness of youth. Yet for all that, I feel his heart is in the right place - his instinctive decision to spare Odoacer's life shows that he's neither vicious nor vindictive, but magnanimous. And that is a big thing in a boy with his background, his purple stripped from him, his father executed, fed all his life, doubtlessly, with the resentment and longing for faded glories of his witch mother (yes, I REALLY do not like Lady Barbaria either!) One would not have been surprised if he would have revelled in his power and ordered some atrocious execution of the defeated barbarian.

But now the boy needs to grow up and temper that good heart with some cold, hard realisations about what his fledgling Empire can afford, and what it can not. Among the later is an Emperor who can be publicly disobeyed in life-and-death matters and also defeated former rulers alive.

While Varic got it right about what should've be done about Odoacer, he hasn't done Romulus any services. On the contrary, by undermining his authority and putting his honour in question, he might well have struck the young Emperor a telling blow. The question is only if that was his intention, that is, one might suspect that the intended target of that knife was not only Odoacer's heart, but also Romulus's throne.

 

[Mettermrck]

Greetings, all! I have returned and had a wonderful time in fair Quebec, reinforcing my plans to eventually finish 'American Nation', having seen the ground in person. Settling in, I will be taking a short hiatus from Eagles as I work some overtime to cover the vacation bills. I would say about a month, and in the meantime, I'm probably going to be doing a short, gamey project to pass the time. Don't worry, I have every intention of returning to this fun story. I might be even find time to do an occasional update or two, but it'll be a little quiet in this thread for the next few weeks. I appreciate all you guys reading and commenting, and hope to present more of Eagles with you soon!

 

[Yuri3.7]

Just read all 40 pgs, awesome work!

Subscribed!

 

[Mettermrck]

Yuri3.7: Thanks, sir! Glad you liked it.

Well, here's a little tidbit I managed today. Listening to the King Arthur soundtrack at work always gets me in the mood.

 

[Mettermrck]

​

It was a small mercy that for much of its length, the aqueduct was open to the air, allowing easy access to the murky channel. Not that the cool water and the chill night wind did much for comfort's sake, yet Remus could appreciate the ease of the approach, allowing for an unobstructed intrusion through Burdigala's west walls without detection. The aqueduct had been breached by tribal attack long ago, much of its piping and even some of the stonework slowly chipped away for the more desperate uses of others. No water flowed along its length though what remained, added to by occasional rains, would collect at the bottom of the channel until dirt and debris made it a test of obstacles. All that remained now was the vestiges of its imposing breadth and length across the landscape, an open door through the defenses which hopefully had not been grasped by the Visigoth imagination.

The Flumen Garumna was flowing briskly past the town walls to the south, carrying a faint echo across the still air which served as the only noise available to mask their slow crawl. Everything ached as he crawled through the shallow water, every old wound calling to him as he scraped his limbs across the rough stone. His legs were freezing and each telltale sound, each splash of water, and each clink of metal on stone provoked a halt, prolonging his agony and that of his men. Yet he could see no other option, no other means of entry without lengthy planning. And time was not a commodity his force possessed, not with Alaric himself bearing down on him. If he was to retrieve anything from this foray across Gaul, it had to be quick, decisive, and now.

The last stadii were the worst. Not for stealth's sake, for the aqueduct became a closed tunnel as it began to descend across the walls into the town proper. It was the darkness, the sheer terror of night bringing a crisis of confidence. Exhausted, cold, and with no small measure of fear, it took every ounce of the precious commodity to bring each man slowly along the aqueduct's length. And there was another fear since no one truly knew how the water reached the town in the final length of the aqueduct. In many cities, the aqueduct descended underground through a series of lead pipes, emerging into vast cisterns drawn for bathing and public fountains. Smaller towns, however, often utilized a series of direct links to fountains aboveground, with typically a single bath for the entire settlement. Burdigala, as a provincial capital, could possibly boast either. Seric was of little use. "I drink the water, general, I don't ask where it comes from."

God smiled on Remus, however, for even as panic approached with its maddening tendrils, the cool night air once again blanketed them and this time he welcomed the its chill. They were inside the walls! Slowly, with careful deliberation, he eased himself up over the edge, glancing downward into the open courtyard of Burdigala. Directly across lay the former Templum Mercurii, converted into a church, and now serving as a garrison house. The town itself lay to the east, separated by a pair of hills and a crude inner palisade of Gothic construction. A shallow ravine cut between the nearest hills, isolating the garrison nicely from the citizens. And close by, silting and useless, lay the central fontana, to which the aqueduct extended one of its branches. There was not a guard in sight. And why would there be? Enemies approached openly from the outside, after all. "We'll move closer to the fontana and go over the sides one at a time. We'll need to ask fast."

"Thank the Maker this aqueduct's broken, or we'd all be drowned," someone barked behind him.

"Tace!" a centurion hissed at the offending soldier. All was silent, until Remus resumed the steady, painful crawl. Whatever the result, he promised himself, he surely acknowledged that his body was losing its affinity for physical warfare. Gnaeus had once told him that no general leads from the front forever. And now, through the years, he could see the sense of it. Thinking of the dead equite, however, was sobering and ill-timed. He couldn't afford sentiment at a time and place like this. As if to knock him out of these reminiscences, his left knee scraped something hard on the bottom of the water, and he gritted his teeth as the old wound protested. Damnable Mediolanum! Another push, and he slithered forward. Almost there, he promised himself, and inside the Visigoth citadel with one hundred armed men. Barring an unfortunate noise or a sober defender, he had already won.

 

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Barring an unfortunate noise or a sober defender, and he had already won.

I have a nagging suspicion that he hasn’t, and the results will be bloody.

 

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Encouraging titbit this prelude to the battle. Since there are heavy hints that this is Remus' last field battle in which he will actively lead men,some enterprising citizen had better show up with the reinforcement Remus is almost certainly going to need. Remus cannot count on his luck holding, although I wish it would.

 

[stnylan]

I find it an almost poetic justice that the Visigoths are being attacked through a weakness ultimately caused by their own depredations. The broken aqueduct, a symbol as effective as any of broken Rome, may yet have its own small revenge.

 

[Storey]

I have a nagging suspicion that he hasn’t, and the results will be bloody.

If he can get to the gates and open them for the rest of his men then he's won. Now lets hope that he doesn't get wounded like the last time he led his men into a city.

It sounds like Remus is finding out that getting old sucks.

Joe

 

[Darks63]

Remus may want to find a younger officer for these bold plans.

 

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Remus is attacking a thousand man Visigothic citadel with 100 men in the dark. Are all the men drunk, where they are supposed to be and on an accurate map? Seize the commanders and then have them order their men surrender before they realise just how few Remus has. The Visigoths are very poor at seiges and will have to ransom the city and their men back. That's after they have lost thousands in fruitless attempts to storm the city.

 

[Stuyvesant]

Ah, guile! Let's hope it will be enough for a victory, be it substantial or merely symbolic.

Since Joe has already put it more succinctly than I ever could (and him speaking from experience, too ), I'll just say plainly that I liked the descriptions of time and past wounds starting to catch up with Remus' body. And without the body, his fiery mind won't go very far. Time for Remus to adapt to his limitations and lead from afar?