Preview : Sertoriani

Greetings Europa Barbarorum fans.

We are proud to present the first preview of our late campaing mod

Europa Barbarorum : Novus Ordo Mundi

Today we will present a new faction, which will basically be a fusion of two factions, already available in Europa Barbarorum.



We are proud to present the

Imperivm Sertoriani

The state of Quintus Sertorius

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The Faction Symbol

For the Sertoriani faction, we have chosen to use a symbol depicting the goddess of the hunt Diana with the white doe of Sertorius. The white doe, was a gift given to Sertorius by a Roman farmer in Hispania. Seeing that the doe was white he thought this would be a nice gift to the commander. The Iberians, were amazed by the sight of a white deer, and Sertorius used this to his advantage, claiming the doe was a gift from the goddess of the hunt herself. He said the doe talks to him in his dreams and warns him of impending dangers. This belief was even further improved since Sertorius trained the doe like a puppy; she would always respond to his calls, always follow and show love for her master. The belief of her being divine was further improved when the doe got lost. This severly demoralised the Iberian followers of Sertorius. Having found her, Sertorius devised a cunning plan. He made her »magicaly« appear at a meating, in a way that it looked like she was supportive of his cause. The deer really became a divine creature to the Iberians at the time.

Who was Quintus Sertorius? A short introduction

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Sertorius was born around 123 BC in Nussa, a city of the Sabines. He is first noted as campaining with the proconsul Quintus Servilius Caepio at the battle of Arausio in 105 BC. Even in his first battle, he showed incredible courage and soon became famous because of this. He then served under Gaius Marius and proved his worth time and time again. Even tough he gained positions of command, he never stopped being a soldier by heart. He was always in the thick of battle for which he also lost one of his eyes. Even tough his was no close ally of Marius, he sided with the Populares during Sulla's civil wars. After the defeat of the Populares at the hands of the Optimates, he had to flee Rome with a small army and the majority of the populares remaining, to Hispania in 83 BC.
Sulla would not be satisfied with this, and after sending an army after him and a betrayal from his own subordinates, Sertorius was forced to sail to Mauretania. There Sertorius conducted great military campaings in the country's civil war, after which his fame became even greater. Even tough he conquered Tingis, and had control over the entire country, he did not seek to assert himself as the leader of the state and returned the power to the rightfull ruler. Admired for this, Sertorius receved many gifts from the local noblemen, becoming a very rich man.
In 80 BC a Lusotanian embassy was sent to Mauretania. The Lusotanians, a proud and fighting people, resented the Roman treatment of them while they were under the SPQR and their fightng spirit was as eager as ever. All they needed was a great general, that could lead them to great things, like Viriathus did before that. They found that general in Sertorius.
Later that year Sertorius sailed again for Hispania. He had only a small army with him, comprimising of troops from Rome, Iberia and Africa, but his forces would soon expand. In the homeland of the Lusotanians he was given all the powers that he could wish for, acting as the high-king of the western tribes of Iberia. That same year, Sertorius and his quaestor Hirtuleius defeated two Roman armies, led by the governors of the two Hispanias, Ulterior and Citerior. Many tribes and cities joined the Sertoriani cause, and even tough Mettelus Pius, the consul, was sent to Hispania, he couldn't stop what Sertorius began. At the hight of the Sertoriani power, almost all of Hispania, except the far south and north, was under the control of the populares. Mighty cites like Tarraco, Valentia, Osca and Carthago Nova were siding with this never defeated general. The situation in Rome became dire. In 77 BC the young Pompey Magnus was sent to Hispania with a great army to stop the rebellion. But the same year, after the defeat of Lepidus in Italy, Marcus Perperna Vento joined Sertorius with large forces, and once again the power of the rebels increased. Pompey and Metellus were defeated many times. Sometimes in open battle, sometimes with timely ambushes. For Sertorius often used this tactic, which came so natural to the Iberian peoples, and with it he had great success. We have numerous reports of Sertorius wiping out more then a 1.000 soldiers of the enemy with well prepared ambushes, with barely any losses to his troops. The sitaution became so dire, that Pompey threatened that he would march on Rome, if he would not receive a large amount of soldiers and money to try and defeat Sertorius. It is obvious, since Lucullus agreed to give Pompey what he needed, that Pompey actually had the strenght to conquer Rome, but not the strenght to defeat Sertorius. And that's a statement that makes one think.
The capital of this new state was Osca. There Sertorius found a new senate of 300 Roman exiled senators, and also built a school, where the children of the elite of the Hispanian tribes would be edjucated in a Roman way. Osca also minted it's own coins. These were the foundations of a new state, that would exist beside the Roman one, if the Optimates would remain in power in the City.
Sertorius held his own in Hispania until 72 BC, where he was assasinated by his second in command, the before mentioned Marcus Perpenna Vento. He tried then to lead the young state on his own accord, but seeing their leader dead, the Iberians started to desert the cause that Sertorisu put in place, and Vento was utterly defeated in his first battle against Pompey. Thus Pompey became the re-conqueror of Hispania, something he couldn't do, while Sertorius was still alive, even tough he had all the resources of the Republic at his disposal.

Starting territory

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Basic outlay of the Sertoriani starting territory

You will start with territories simmilar to what the Lusotanians had in Europa Barbarorum. Two big battles occured in 80 BC between the Sertoriani and the SPQR, and both Roman armies were defeated, so the garrison of the Roman cities will be minimal at best. You'll have to act quickly, before the consul Mettelus, sent to deal with the threat, organises his forces in order to secure yourself a strong base in the Peninsula. Try to expand as fast as you can, since this will only be possible before the Romans recruit new armies, and once you will have most of Hispania under your command, you will still have to use the resources of the country wisely. You must also exploit the best of the Romano-Hispanic armies you will have at your disposal. This will be a tough campaing, but if you prove yourself worthy of acting like Sertorius, you can conquer further and dream of glory, perhaps even asserting yourself as a dictator in Rome itself.

Exercitus Sertorianorum

As the Sertoriani, you will have the ability to field very diverse armies. You will have at your disposal the complete allegiance of the Lusotanian and Celtiberian tribes and their armies, the new Romano – Hispanic soldiers, and of course the regular Roman soldiers of the Republic. However the Roman soldiers won't be available for quite some time, except for those that will already be in your starting armies.

The troops: (note: the new descriptions are for this preview only)

Iovamann (Lusotannan Levy Skirmishers)
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The Iovamann are formed from some of the poorest members of Lusotannan society, those who live off their flocks of sheep and goats at the top of the mountains of Lusitania. They are armed with several "sude", which is a wooden javelin, sharpened and fire-hardened on both ends. While this would seem ineffective, it can play havoc with lightly armoured enemies. They have only a coarse wool tunic for protection, so they are among the most vulnerable soldiers to cavalry or missile counterfire. Luckily, they have a nearly inhuman ability to hide in tall grass and thick terrain, allowing them to ambush enemy columns and seemingly disappear into thin air. They are armed only with a knife for melee, so they must be guarded from any hand to hand combat.

Historically, these warbands were the lightest and among the most 'annoying' harassment troops that the Romans had to deal with. They caused many casualties before they retired back into the night or hills and attacked again the following day. When the Romans imported good light cavalry to help in their wars against the Iberian tribes, their job got a whole lot harder!

Gestikapoinann (Lusotannan Light Spearmen)
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The Gestikapoinann are the semi-professional line infantry of the Lusotannan. They are well in life, owning farmland and cattle and taking the occasional mercenary service to pay for their equipment. They are equipped with light armour made of leather combined with a small bronze breastplate, a "galea" leather helmet and a rather large shield that gives them their name. Their armament includes a bundle of javelins and a sturdy spear. In battle they form a loose shieldwall that can stand most regular cavalry, but may be at a disadvantage against better trained assault infantry.

Historically, these men are in the same social category of the Caetranann, but chose to go to combat in a different kit. They were the Lusotannan response to the very effective Iberian cavalry that could just run over other infantry that were not equipped to handle them.

Iabarannta (Ambushers)
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The Iabarannta (I-ab-ah-ran-tah; "Ambushers") are made up of the lower warrior class and the upper-freemen of the Lusotannan society. These are the men who live off their farms, herds and flocks, and complement it by raiding other tribes' territories. These activities afford them a decent battle kit for their culture which they use to further their social and economical status. They are armed with javelins and a spear, along with a buckler and a leather cap to protect them but nothing else. Being otherwise unprotected, they trust their speed and agility to stay out of the reach of heavier enemies while pelting them with their javelins. While not completely incompetent in a melee it really should be their last recourse, after all their javelins have been spent and the enemy is tired or in disarray.

Historically, these lighter troops were one of the most numerous Lusitanian types of warriors, and were a part of every army they sent into enemy territory – either for simple raiding or great invasions. The Lusitanians were masters of fast attacks, pursuits and feigned retreats, and light skirmishing troops were fundamental in executing these tactics. When properly supported these men were able to cut off retreats, harass supply lines and lower the enemy morale to the point of making the enemy winter before the campaigning season was over.

Caetranann (Lusotannan Light Infantry)
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The Caetranann are the Lusotana variant of the typical Caetratii found in all Iberian armies, and no less fierce than their Iberian brethren. These men are used to a constant state of warfare, having served on countless raids and attacks on neighbouring tribes, probably having even served as mercenaries at some point which afforded them their equipment. They wear light quilted linen armour, besides the tunics and thick cloaks that also give a degree of protection. They wear a tough sinew and leather helmet called a "galea" and carry a bundle of javelins to throw before the melee. Their javelins make them ideal skirmishers, and their earth toned clothing allows them to excel at ambushes. They carry a number of these javelins, and charge with their falcata and caetra when these are spent. They are just as skilled in melee as the other Caetratii, but their skirmishing ability is much more developed.

Historically, the Lusotannan Caetranann were among the most feared Lusitanian soldiers to face the Romans. Their ability to hide in tall grass and to seemingly appear out of nowhere worries and vexes their opponents, and many guerilla battles were won by these hardy men.

Scortamareva (Lusotannan Medium Spearmen)
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These men are some of the most well equipped and heaviest warriors the Lusotannan can muster. They are a fierce, well drilled and well equipped force, making them a great medium infantry that will be likely to stand well against most enemy unit types. Such warriors are considered wealthy by Lusotannan standards, having acquired their gear through trade, mercenary services or sponsorship by an important chief of the somewhat rich coastal towns. They are armed with a well made Iberian steel shortsword, a bronze breastplate, greaves, a bronze montefortino helmet and well made javelins and spear.

Historically, Lusitania was a land of contrasts. In an early period the Lusitanians were a landlocked people that inhabited the hills of what is now Northeastern Portugal and parts of Spain clinging on to their last strongholds, and after facing the Celtic threat they once again descended from the highlands and reoccupied most of their lost land. In the interior lived the poor tribes of hillmen and mountaineers of definite Indo-European influence, which relied on herding as their primary economic activity, while on the coast decidedly Mediterranean-influenced cities, existed virtually autonomous and subsisted off farmland and commerce along the coast and rivers. These were the richest parts of Lusitania, where the richest artefacts are found and the place these well equipped warriors came from.

Lankeaberoi (Celtiberian light cavalry)
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They constitute the bulk of the Celtiberian cavalry. Comparatively well-trained, they are invaluable to any western army. They throw javelins at a distance, depleting an enemy before charging with their main spears. They are trained to throw javelins, charge, and withdraw repeatedly, and they do it well. A helmet, shield, and their weapons may not seem the equipment of any partiuclarly great cavalry, but they are a solid medium cavalry force, capable of running down routers, defeating light cavalry, and skirmishing if necessary.

Cohors Hispanica (Hispanian Cohorts)
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...by introducing Roman arms and formations and signals he did away with their frenzied and furious displays of courage, and converted their forces into an army, instead of a huge band of robbers. Still further, he used gold and silver without stint for the decoration of their helmets and the ornamentation of their shields... (Plutarch, Life of Sertorius).
Once Sertorius was in command in Hispania, he saw the need to equip the largest possible amount of the soldiers at his disposal in the Roman fashion. After all, the Roman way of war has proven, that it is the best the world has ever seen. Sertorius re-equipped some of the soldiers that he held command over. He taught them how to fight as legionaires, operating the same way the legions of the Republic did. These are very good soldiers, ones every commander could wish to have under his command. Very versatile, they can be used on any battleground. Perhaps not at the same standard as the regular legionaires of the Republic, they do wear superb equipment, higlhy decorated shields and helmets, and will be more capable of performing ambushes then their Roman counterparts.

Celtiberian Light Spearmen
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These men are the basic Spearmen of the Celtiberian and Sertoriani armies. Equiped with a spear, javelins, large shield and light body armour they can provide a decent line holding unit, but they shouldn't be expected to fight against professional troops. Like all spearmen, they provide an excellent anti-cavalry weapon, but are weak against sword armed opponents.

Cohors Reformata (Post Marian Legionary Cohort)
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Roman legionaries are now uniformly equipped with two pila, a gladius, and an elliptical scutum around 1.28m high. Their main armour still remains a coat of lorica hamata (chain mail) and a Montefortino-type helmet. The high quality of the legions equipment has become one of the great strengths of the Roman infantry, besides their strict discipline. In battle they will throw their pila as soon as the enemy comes in range to soften his formation and then engage at close quarters.

Pedites Devotionum (Consecrated Elite Spearmen)
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... wherever he went he surrounded himself with a body-guard of Celtiberian spearmen instead of Romans... (Appian, the Civil wars). These man are the elite of the Celtiberians allied to Sertorius, a great unit capable of turning the tide of battle on it's own accord. Armoured with a large scutum, sword, spear and excellent quality chainmail and helmets, they are truly a contigent to watch for in the eye of battle. Like many of the Hispanian elite warriors, these men have pledged allegiance to the death to their commander, making them invaluable in great battles and extremly unlikely to rout. While they are great fighers, their number is very limited, since few Celtiberians have the wealth to equip themselves in such manner. Use them wisely, where the battle will be decided, and they will not dissapoint.

Ala Arevacorum (Arevaci Horsemen)
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The Ala Arevacorum will probably be the best recruitable cavalry unit at your disposal. The Iberians were always known as excellent horsemen, and these elite Celtiberians are armed with a caetra shield, a long spear, a helmet and excellent quality chainmail. They can fight better then most cavalry of the Western Mediteranean. Not only will they be able to summon a powerful charge, they will hold their own in melee as well, as long as they don't try to pick a fight with spearmen. These men are an invaluable addition to any Sertorian, Roman or Celtiberian army, and can deliver the battle winning punch.

Ambakaro (Lusotannan Elite Shock infantry)
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The Ambakaro ("Arms Bearers") are men that have proved their valour and dedication to their chieftains in the heat of battle. While their background may vary, they all have in common a religious oath of fealty sealed by sacred rites. They are fanatical about keeping their honour and are granted land, cattle and arms as a reward for their services. They protect themselves with good quality chainmail. They also use their trademark bronze helmets with the "bucula" ("facemask") along with the standard steel falcata and caetra known of other Iberian warriors. They, however, fight with a degree of élan and ferocity that is not often matched by any enemy. Besides all this, they throw the "gesso" before melee, which is a long range light javelin suitable for picking enemies off at a great distance.

Historically, the Ambakaro were the elite infantry of the Lusotannan and the personal foot guard of the Lusitanian chieftains. They were bound by religious oaths of fealty and usually defended their lord to the death being praised by Julius Caesar himself. When their lord died, they would often kill each other in ritual combat as part of the funerary rites so they could accompany him to the afterlife.

Equites Devotionum (Consecrated Horsemen)
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...It was the custom among the Iberians for those who were stationed about their leader to die with him if he fell, and the Barbarians in those parts call this a "consecration." Now, the other commanders had few such shield-bearers and companions, but Sertorius was attended by many thousands of men who had thus consecrated themselves to death. And we are told that when his army had been defeated at a certain city and the enemy were pressing upon them, the Iberians, careless of themselves, rescued Sertorius, and taking him on their shoulders one after another, carried him to the walls, and only when their leader was in safety, did they betake themselves to flight, each man for himself... (Plutarch, Life of Sertorius).
This is the bodyguard unit of the Sertoriani. A superbly equiped, loyal to the death cavalry unit, these men are the finest horsemen in this part of the world. They are armoured from head to toe, with even the face being under a mask, in order to cause fear in the hearts of the enemy. Along with the Elite Celtiberian Spearmen and the Ambakaro, these men were the fiercest warriors of the Sertoriani, a cause of great fear for the Roman generals sent to fight against Sertorius and his followers. There are numerous reports of Sertorius with his followers being in the thickest part of battle, with all odds against them, and still winning, or at least finding a way out. Nothing can stand in the way of this men if they are used correctly, and winning in the Sertoriani campaing may very well depend on your use of these devoted soldiers.


Disclaimer : Everything you just saw is still WIP. Expect some things to change, yet not drastically. Here are some of the great Signatures that FinnMacCumhail made so you can show your support for our mod

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