Contested Ground

Following the destruction of the Arverni armi north of Viennos we advanced towards the town and lay siege to it, confident in the knowledge that Consul Regillus would be doing the same to Gergovia; if we captured these cities then the Arverni and Aedui would be expelled from southern Gaul. It was imperative for us not just to take the cities, but hold onto them and launch offensives from them.

The very same year we lay siege to both settlements we had enough siege equipment to assault the walls by winter. Fearing that a relief army might show up or supplies would run short the Consuls each decided to take the cities, in what proved to be a disastrous loss of life.




These two battles showed us the ferocity of the Gallic tribes, and finally showed they had strength enough to fight well

After a few weeks Cotta decided that the Legion had taken so many losses that it was safest to send them back over the Alps for training than to simply let them be destroyed in the battles to come, and so Regillus, who decided to follow Cotta's example, also sent his depleted Legion back over the Alps, leaving both cities desperately vulnerable. My unit was one of the only ones to stay in Viennos, and soon we received worrying reports from Regillus. He informed Cotta that two huge armies of Arverni warriors were massing on the Western border of our newly conquered provinces, and would undoubtedly come to retake their cities.
And so it was that both Consuls hired local mercenaries to help bolster the garrisons, with only their pay to stop them from overwhelming us. Tensions were running high, but we were Romans, and we would not stoop to fearing our own comrades.

Two years later something truly unimaginable happened; instead of laying siege to Gergovia, their old capital and the city closest to the raiding armies, one of the Arverni armies, led by Meriadoc moc Vertico, laid siege to Viennos instead. We had men to defend the walls, but the garrison was weaker than the hired defenders of Gergovia. Still, we would not fear combat. And the thought that my true brothers in arms would soon be returning from their retraining helped strengthen me, and I could tell that the others were eager to be reunited.
"I wonder if Antonius still has that ridiculous stubble?" Pullo said to me as we patrolled the walls. The Arverni army was huge, but looking at it somehow calmed my nerves.
"Probably. The boy thinks it makes him a man." I mused, rubbing my own stubble with a feeling of pride: in the time we had garrisoned inside Viennos I had become stronger and was developing a slight beard, a testament to my age. Pullo started.
"Vorenus! Go to Cotta, NOW!" He barked. As I slid down the ladder I asked what was wrong.
"Battle formations! They've got rams!!"


The two armies formed up as Meriadoc ordered the attack

The Arverni came with the rams and made three breaches in the wall. My Triarii unit protected the furthest breach to the left, Helvetii spearmen protected the gate in the middle and Samnite spearmen guarded the third breach to the right of the gate. The fighting was fierce and our Leves hurled volley after volley of javelins into the masses of men seething through the collapsed walls. At one time it seemed as if we might be overcome: the Arverni were enveloping our Helvetii, and if any one unit broke the others would flee with them. But from what I heard Cotta charged his bodyguard headlong into the combat, pushing back the Arverni and even routing some of them.
For my part I was too busy fighting to notice this. Gallic swordsmen were slashing away at our round shields, but we were holding firm against us, and we were refreshed whereas they were exhausted. Suddenly we heard a cheer come up from the Samnites on the eastern breach: Meriadoc was dead!! Without their general to guide them the Arverni warriors broke, and the entire garrison hounded after them, spearing and stabbing every one we could. Once again Roman arms triumphed against the barbarians and we established our control of Viennos.