Annals of Albion - A Casse AAR

[johnhughthom]

Annals of Albion - A Casse AAR

Prologue:

Barae sat on the High Chair in the Lords Hall of Camulosadae, savouring the power he had just won. His victory in the election of the Bren of the Casse Confederation had been close and he would need to show strong leadership in the coming months to secure his position. He had been elected due to his business acumen, leadership skills and prowess on the battlefield, he would need all these abilities and more to be a success in his new position.

He was young for his position, the main reason his election had been such a closely run victory. Nobody doubted his abilities, his experience had been called into question many times though. The main bone of contention had been the fact he had actually been born in Britain, how could someone who couldn't even remember the tribes being driven out of their homelands in Belgae lead? This angered him, just because he had not been part of the migration didn't mean it wasn't part of his heritage.

His main opponent had been Sentata, head of the Menape tribe of the Confederation. He was six years older than Barae and constantly told stories of how as a child of five summers he had helped row the boat which took his family over the sea and vowed he would row them back before he died. It was obvious to everybody though that he didn't have Barae's skills, so he fell short of taking the throne.

The third most powerful man in the Confederation was Margorix, he took Barae's former position as head of the Casse tribe and would be his trusted leiutenant governing the city in Barae's absence.


The Bren studied the faces of the expectant men before him, the strongest, cleverest and richest of the tribes. He would lead them now, if he failed they would die. Or get rid of him.

Men, you have elected me your King. I thank you for the honour and promise to repay the faith you have shown in me. A generation ago we crossed the sea to this land, driven from our home we tried to make a new life here. This city, the richest and grandest on this island has been constantly attacked by those who envy our strength, our riches, our honour and wisdom. We have defended ourselves and beaten the savages off. No longer will we be the defenders, constantly looking over the hills and forests for our enemies approach. No, we will be the feared men our enemies look for, we will take the fight to the savage beasts who inhabit this land. We will rule Britain and we will return to our homelands as conquerers, not homeless wanderers. This is my pledge to you men of the Casse. This is my vow to the Gods!


Coming soon: Annals of Albion - A Casse AAR part one.

[Hax]

A Casse AAR. I like it. Good luck!

[the man with no name]

Glad to see one of these again. Good Luck!

[johnhughthom]

Annals of Albion - A Casse AAR Part One - Growing the group

The Coritanes tribe, raiding from their stronghold in Ratae, were the Casse's most persistant aggressor. Barae knew the only way to bring about peace was to absorb them into the confederation. The only way to do that was through war. Every able bodied man was drafted to form a warband who marched immediately to Ratae, the Coritanes had a larger army, and were in strong defensive position, Barae knew he was the superior warrior and was confident of a great victory.

Vs

Vs

As Barae's army approached the city he saw the enemy waiting for them by an open gate. A challenge, come and show us how tough you are, typical of the Coritanes. Barae was brave, but he was not stupid, he knew how many men he would lose forcing a way through the gateway. Instead he ordered his slingers to pelt the enemy through the gate and over the wall. The defenders fled under the hail of stones leaving a free path for the Casse army to enter the city.

His spearmen rushed into the city and formed a defensive posture just as the midland spearmen attacked.

The midlanders were beaten back and Maudamoros attacked with his chariots.

Unable to break through the Coritanes chieftan withdrew and sent the bulk of his forces to attack the Casse spear.

Barae and his Champions threw their spears from behind their lines, then charged forward to join the fight.

The battle was going Barae's way, his men started to force the enemy up the hill toward the town square.

The final enemy forces were surrounded in the town square and slaughtered, not one enemy soldier survived the assault on the town.

Every enemy soldier was slain, the majority of the settlement sold as slaves. A glorious victory, Barae's reign had begun exactly as he had planned. The settlement was given over to the control of Sentata and the Menape tribe, some of his advisers thought it foolish to give his rival more power, Barae was more concerned at keeping his Menape allies close.

His first victory won, Barae moved his army south out of the city, Sentata and his champions could control the tiny population left behind as the new Menape population moved in. The Dumnones to the south west and a number of hostile smaller tribes needed to be subdued before the south of Brittania could be declared Casse territory.

[johnhughthom]

The Siluri bandits

Leaving Sentata in Ratae, Barae moved toward Ictis, the only rival to Camulosadae in the south of England. Unfortunately another tribe, the Siluri, had the same idea and attacked Barae en route. Barae felt frustrated as he watched the enemy approach, he didn't fear defeat but knew if he lost too many men he would be unable to assault Ictis. He would have to return to Camulosadae and disband his army, it would be at least five summers before he could raise a warband again. His success at Ratae meant he would be able to return without shame, defeating the Siluri would also raise his popularity, but he had wanted to subdue the Dumnones this season.

Vs
Vs

Barae set his forces in a defensive line, hiding some in the trees letting the enemy come at them.

As the Siluri approached Barae's slingers unleashed a barrage of stones.

The numbers in Casticos' forces meant that the Casse were still outnumbered when they reached Barae's lines. The battle was a close run affair with the death of Casticos the turning point, with his fall his men turned and ran the Casse army chasing and killing all they caught. Few made it from the field of battle to tell the tale.

Barae's advisers told him heavy losses for their side gave little choice in what to do next, but he retired for the night undecided on whether to march on toward Ictis.

Ictis

Barae awoke the next morning with a renewed sense of purpose and vigour. Gather the men he ordered his swordbearer. Men, we march now onward to Ictis. All the lands ruled by the Dumnones will be ours, wealth and power for all. Let's Go!

Vs
Vs

Barae barely had time to set up his forces on reaching Ictis before the enemy attacked. The Casse spearmen bore the enemy attack, soaking up pressure to allow the rest of the army to engage the enemy forces attempting to flank.

Barae's champions on one flank and the swordsmen on the other routed their opponents and returned to help the spearmen who had valiantly held the centre. Attacking from both sides they surrounded the Dumnones forces.

The routing enemy were chased to the town square, where Drustan had held his chariots. The entire Casse army fell upon the chieftan, who was swiftly slain completing his defeat. As at Ratae the enemy was slaughtered and most of the town sold to slavery. Barae disbanded his forces, giving each man lands in the area they had won for the Casse Confederation.

[Fixiwee]

Casse is a fine choice, your screenshots (position/angle) are great. Barae and Santata could be the beginning of an interessting rivalry and political intrigues (sp?).

The only thing I'm really missing is a political map and locations of the tribes.

[johnhughthom]

The rivals

Sentata sat glumly picking at his teeth with a chicken bone, his servants scurrying around quietly, knowing to keep out of his way when he was in this sort of mood. He had been governing Ratae for almost ten years, waiting for a chance to take the Menape out from under the Casse yoke. No such chance had offered itself, his power was weak, his tribe too few and needed to keep his territory under control. Barae had made no mistakes, after conquering Ictis he had disbanded his army and given land and titles to his men, the entire confederation was loyal to him, Sentata had only trusted his closest men with his plotting. Not that he actually had any plots, just the will to actually carry out any that may come in the future. As time passed Barae's position was only growing stronger, he had two sons just grown into manhood and another son-in-law, all three had a loyal group of Champions attached to them. Despite taking the most beautiful woman in Ratae as his bride, a maiden a full twenty summers his junior, Sentata still had no children, he knew there were whispers about his virility, his manhood and these would have to be silenced if he was to grab power. He had tried Druidic magic, witches and all sorts of herbal potions but still no luck, and it certainly wasn't for the lack of trying. He consoled himself with the knowledge Barae was about to attack a much larger, better equipped army in the north. All over the previous year he had heard whispers of a gathering to the north, late in the winter a spy finally brought confirmation the Brigantes intended to attack Ratae. His number were to few to defend himself so he needed help from Barae, if Barae defeated the northerners his position would be even stronger. If not the Brigantes would pour south and ravage everything Sentata had built. Surely something good would happen to the Menape soon?

Barae was gathering his army for the march north. The Brigantes, who were gathering their forces at Caern-Brigante, were his target, Sentata had sent word they were gathering to attack Ratae. Barae didn't believe a word of it, but it gave him a chance to gain power in the north of Brittania. Without a threat to Casse holdings his nobles would have been unwilling to risk a confrontation. Sentata probably hoped Barae would lose, indeed the army he was taking with him was a shadow of that with which he subdued southern and central Albion, but Barae was as confident as ever. He had his fierce Champions to fight beside him, and his two sons were going into battle for the first time. He had no doubts he would take the region. What to do with Sentata was a much more complex question however...

The world in 263 BC

Just before he left Camulosadae on his quest to subdue the central and southern tribes Barae had sent an envoy to seek friends from the mainland. His goal was simply to make contact with and, if possible, forge friendly relations with any civilizations he came across. As he travelled he made a map of the world as it was described to him by those he came into contact with.

[johnhughthom]

Burying the Brigantes

Barae arrived at the gate of Caern-Brigante just before winter fell, if the inhabitants are wise they will leave us outside for the winter freezing our tackle off he thought. There was a good chance they would attack immediately though, his army was much smaller than theirs and was mainly young levys with little battle experience. A quick and easy win then holing up for the winter would be a mighty tempatation for the Brigantes. As he marched his men up to the gates he looked with pride to either side as his sons marched alongside their bodyguard, he knew both would serve him well in the coming fight and the battle would decide who governed the city afterward, both would be eager to impress. As he neared the city he was surprised to see the gate open and the enemy begin to pour out, he gestured to his officers to set the lines for battle and took his sword from his swordbearer. Let's go!

The battle:

The enemy:

If Barae felt Sonae was rash in attacking now rather than waiting for spring, his next move was positively reckless, he charged his chariots well ahead of the main body of his army into Barae's eldest son's unit. They held their ground hacking at horse, man and chariot, tearing riders from their mount and butchering the horses to stop the charges. The Brigante chieftan was slain and Barae's army was roused by the bravery of the champions, Barae had been concerned how his levy spears would react to the chariots, his adversary had thrown away his main advantage and lost his life. The battle was as good as won, the only question was how many men would Barae lose routing the enemy.

As the few surviving charioteers fled the field the main brigante army moved forward, despite the loss of their general.

The brigantes put all their focus into breaking the levy spearmen, knowing ths was the weakpoint in the Casse force, they would need to hold until the champions could defeat their opponents on the flanks.

Barae's younger son was engaged in a furious battle with fierce axewielders on the right flank, it was imperative he defeated them to relieve the center.

The axemen were routed from the field and the champions were able to flank the enemy attacking the levys.

As his brother came on from the other flank the young noble helped rout the entire Brigante army, the city surrendered to Barae and the battle was won.

It was another glorious victory for Barae who was fast becoming a hugely popular king, and a feared enemy of the other tribes of Brittania.

Barae rested through the winter, then immediately marched out of the plundered town, leaving one of his sons in charge. A Caledonian band plundering the region was cornered and destroyed, then the army marched west toward the dark island, home of the druids. The town of Ynys-Mons was the scene of a battle between Barae and an army of local tribesmen and druids more than twice as large as the Casse forces. Another crushing victory for the Bren led to the druids proclaiming Barae King of Albion. Barae disbanded his forces, giving all who fought with him large estates in the region, and returned to Camulosadae, contemplating the Caledonian band he had fought and wondering if he could subdue the entire north of Brittania.

[Fixiwee]

So many updates in one day? I wish I could pull something off like that. :)

[gamegeek2]

to john for his work

[johnhughthom]

to john for his work

Thank you very much, my first ever balloon here. Nice that it came from a fellow AAR writer, still waiting for a worthy sequel to Of Mail and Men you know. You can't spend all your time on Atb. Speaking of which, haven't checked the thread in a while time to check on your progress.

So many updates in one day? I wish I could pull something off like that. :)

Most of the actual playing and screenshots were done over a couple of days, just sat down and wrote most of it yesterday.

[Cute Wolf]

Wow

A really nice Casse AAR..... I'll following this too...

[gamegeek2]

Yeah, maybe you're right. I have been spending a bunch of time recently just playing a Seleukid game.

If I do write an AAR, it will be on the nomads again. And I mean REAL nomads.

The installments would come slowly, though. But I'll just be starting classes up again, so yeah, I may have some time.

[johnhughthom]

The Caledonians

Barae watched proudly as his son led the Casse army out of Camulosadae. He was proud of his first born, leading his peoples warriors to war, his fine soldiers and the fact that they could afford to send this army to face the Caledonians without bankrupting his country. It had been a tough decision for him to send his son in command of the army, he would have loved to take them himself, he had to take a long term view though. Mowg was a popular young man among the Casse and a fine warrior, his administrative skills and financial acumen were sorely lacking though. Camulosadae had stagnated while Barae was at war and Mowg was in charge and he was not thought of as a potential king. There was plenty of time to change that though, and Barae wanted to start by emphasising Mowg's strengths. The Caledonians were feared throughout Albion and if Mowg could pacify them he would gain great renown in the kingdom. He led the Casse's largest ever army, enrolled from Ictis and Ratae as well as the centre of power at Camulosadae.

The Battle:

The enemy:

Mowg arrived just as winter had come, and it looked like it was going to be a bad winter. Most of the Casse army were from the south and were unprepared for such weather, an immediate attack was Mowg's only option.

Two battering rams were swiftly constructed from trees in the forest surrounding the Caledonian settlement. The shortswordsmen pushed these toward the walls as the skirmishers rushed forward to pelt any enemy who attacked the rams.

The rams made short work of the ramshackle defences, the skirmishers unloading volleys of javelin over the walls.

Spearmen rushed through the gaps to take up defensive positions in the settlement, the Caledonian nobles on their ponies rashly attacked the spears.

Having left the rams behind, the shortswordsmen poured in and attacked the nobles from the flank.

The nobles fled toward the rest of the Caledonian army in the town square, Mowg ordered his men forward attacking the defenders from the front and the side. The bulk of the Caledonian force had stayed back and furious fighting erupted in the settlement.

The death of the Caledonian chieftan signalled the end, the rest surrendering and the settlement falling into Mowgs hands. It wasn't the glorious against the odds victory his father excelled in, but it was a victory and the Caledonians would fear him and his tribe. Indeed there was already a whisper running through the region, if this is what the son can do to us, what would the great man do?

Leaving his brother in law to govern Caledonia, Mowg moved back south with the army after resting for the winter. A rebel force of midlanders had risen near Ratae and Sentata had called for help.

A time to consolidate.

Brittania was united under one banner, that of the Casse Confederation. Barae ruled the entire island from his base at Camulosadae, the only true city on Brittania, though Ictis was fast catching up with it's parent city. His power was unmatched and untouchable, the latest rebellion brutally crushed near Ratae, not one man, woman or child from the guilty tribe survived. There was no tribe left that didn't offer allegiance to the Casse overlords, fear of the consequences and awe of Barae saw to that.

As he supervised the building of his new palace in Camulosadae Barae reflected on the future of his people, he had the manpower to call up great armies. The skillful warriors to train them. The forges and metals to arm them. And more then enough money to pay them. He wanted to conquer the barbaric island to the east, he wanted to return to the homelands, take back what was his peoples birthright. Yet he was unable to do this and he was frustrated. To run a country he needed people loyal to him to govern, these people needed to be nobles that would have the respect of the merchants, artisans and lesser nobles. The only people he could fully trust in these positions were family and he was fast running out, he only had one grandchild, a daughter he could marry off to gain the loyalty of a noble from another family, but he needed more. Had he realised his plans were being frustrated by the exact same circumstances that prevented Sentata openly defying him he would surely have found it amusing. As it was however, he was left powerless to expand his realm, he feared he would be unable to return to Belgae and conquer it in his lifetime, his main focus now was to ensure Mowg gained the skills and influence to become his succesor.

Mowg's victory in Caledonia and crushing of the midland rebellion had gained him renown for his valour and skill. The aim now was to improve his trading and governance skills, after disbanding and rewarding the army who fought under Mowg, Barae sent his eldest son to the Dark Island to learn from the Druids.

His other son, Massorias, governed the region and had spent time under the druids, learning much that benefitted him as a leader.

[johnhughthom]

Interlude: The death of Barae was a defining moment in the history of the Casse Confederation, he had united the Island of Brittania and brought all the tribes together under one banner. The death of Sentata, childless, a few years prior enabled Barae's eldest son Mowg to take the throne unimpeded. Mowg had prospered in has father final years growing a sleepy fishing village into major trading port and showing the financial acumen necessary of a Casse King, having already shown his military prowess. Virtually every settlement across Brittania dedicated a hero shrine to Barae after his death, within a few years prayers asking for their old king's blessing were more common among Britons than prayers to the old gods. And it seemed Barae heard the prayers for his land prospered after his death as it had during his life, several cities rivalled Camusoladae as genuine great cities. Mowg is able to enact somethng his father could only have dreamed of, a regular standing army, changes to the relationship between noble and vassal made this possible and the ragtag levy armies Barae made do with were a thing of the past.

Annals of Albion - A Casse AAR, Part Two.

Prologue

The Casse were now in a position to strike back into their former Belgae homeland, it had been many generations since they were ousted but the stories had been passed down. Every Casse man and boy knew their destiny was over the water, they just needed a great leader to take them there. Unfortunately their King was an on his deathbed, Mowg knew he was too old to lead such an expedition, it would have to be his successor who took the first step across the sea.

It seemed likely the next king would be of the Brigante tribe, the first Barae had subdued. They had become a loyal part of the confederation and married into the royal family, indeed how close you could trace your family tree to Barae was more important than tribe, wealth, strength or intelligence nowadays. The king was still chosen by election though and there were a number of Brigantes with close ties to Barae's family.
As well as Brittania the island of Hibernia was now tied to the confederation. Tired of being lobbied by different tribes Mowg marched an army into Hibernia and won three great victories, opposition melted away as the locals realised they could not defeat him. Rather than occupy the island, Mowg allied with two local tribes, letting them govern the island and promising to send troops for his army. Over time the benefits of the arrangement began to grow on the Gaels, trade was making many of the chieftans wealthier than they had ever imagined and the Britons had little interest in interfering in day to day Gaelic life.

In Gaul a new power was rising, from the south the Romans had come and pushed aside all who opposed them. Only two years ago the Aedui confederation had been the most powerful in Gaul, now they were almost extinct. If a new king was going to reclaim an old birthright he would have to defeat an enemy the likes of which Casse armies had never fought. The stage was set for an epic war, with the Celtic world at stake, between Celt and barbarian invader.

[Cute Wolf]

GO! GO! KILL THE ROMANS!!!

seriously... you've made an excellent AAR... keep it up!!!

[johnhughthom]

Election

Mowg walked the well trodden path with one of the few men in Brittania older than him, his oldest druidic servant who had also served his father. He looked across the sea to the lands of his peoples ancestors, he would never tread those lands but he knew his successor would reconquer what had once been theirs. I have an idea my Lord his companion started. Hmmm? The older man continued, The problem is you are too old to take an invasion party, chances are you will die early on and the war will be unable to continue with an election. We would lose focus and probably also lose any gains. Mowg nodded, We have spoken of this many times, nothing has changed so what is your idea? The druid walked a while before continuing, he knew Mowg understood the importance of collecting your thoughts before saying something important. We can't send somebody else in charge of the armies as that would be seen as an endorsement of him as next king, the nobles would never accept that. So, what if the issue of the next king was settled before we sent the invasion force? Mowg stopped suddenly at this. How? A thin smile, We hold the election now, before you die. The winner knows he will be king in a few years and takes the army across the sea. You stay here as king, keeping order as you have all your life and ensuring the losing candidates don't take advantage of the winners absence. After the war he comes back a new king, a hero with his right to rule unquestioned. Mowg started walking again. Men, we return now to Camulosadae!

A few days later in Camulosadae Mowg called an assembly of the clans, all the most important men of the kingdom came to Camulosadae and were stunned by the proposal. Such a novel idea had to be agreed upon by all the tribes and a vote was taken, many chieftans were itching at the prospect of war and the booty it would bring, especially when that war was far from their own lands, so the vote carried quite easily. The assembly was dissolved for a few days, to return and put forward nominations for the kingship. This was actually the most important part of an election, candidates met with different tribes to gather support, those with few friends to vote for them quickly dropped out to support more popular candidates. Lands, slave, money even towns were traded for support and after three days it became obvious there were only two candidates, both from the resurgant Brigante tribe and both related to the king.

Great men of Brittania, this is a proud day for me. Not many kings get to know who will follow them, we also choose the man who takes back our birthright. So choose carefully, you have narrowed yourselves down to two, both of whom I know well and either way I will be able to go happily to the afterlife, knowing the kingdom my father created will be in safe hands. So my friends will you choose Cunobelin dy'Alyncundau,

or Mawg yr Trinovantae?

You have six hours to deliberate. Then return here and cast your vote. Choose well my friends.



I am opening the choice to the readers at the org and TWC, voting is open until 6 hours after this post. (3PM GMT).

[Cute Wolf]

Cunobelyn.... he has better face

[johnhughthom]

One vote at the org for Cunobelin and one at TWC for Mawg, next vote will win it.

[Vasiliyi]

might aswell post now. Mawg gets my vote. Hes blooded, and will do better on the field right away. Good Aar John. Ive been lurking it at work and have finally had time to comment.

[johnhughthom]

Glad you had the deciding vote Vasiliyi, Mawg it is. Sorry Cute Wolf.

[johnhughthom]

The Next King is chosen

King Mowg sat on his throne as the druids counted the stones throne into the ancient helm, black for Cunobelin and white for Mawg. The election was obviously very close, the two druids looked at each other, nodded then started recounting to make sure. The tension in the room was palpable, this was a truly unique moment in all their lives, in Celtic history. The king watched the two candidates, their wives were cousins and close friends, he knew the men were friends also and believed that the winner would be supported fully by the loser. He had been lucky to have been elected unopposed and had no jealous defeated opponents to worry about, he remembered how his father had been constantly worried by his former rival's plots and schemes.

Both men were excellent candidates, superb traders and administrators, Brittania would flourish under either. In terms of battle leadership Mawg was the obvious superior, if only because he had more experience, he had fought with Mowg in Hibernia and spent a lot of time there as the king's representative giving him excellent diplomatic abilities. His becoming king would also strengthen Gaelic loyalty to the confederation. He did have a reputation for being slightly depressing though, a tendency to dwell on the negatives was not a trait of great leaders and this could easily lead to his defeat.

Cunobelin was certainly his equal in admistrative ability, one of the few men in the kingdom who could claim that. In military and diplomatic ability he was no match for his rival however. His one advantage was his personal charm, he could win this election through personality against the sometimes dour Mawg.

Once again the two druids looked at each other, the man counting the black the stones sat and his counterpoint stood. For a moment he looked confused, the ancient ceremony called for him to crown the new king, he obviousl couldn't do that with the current king sitting on his throne. After a slight hesitation he walked over to Mowg and whispered in his ear. Mowg smiled, despite knowing either man would make a good king he had of course his personal choice. Cunobelin was his son in law and he knew his daughter would be disappointed, the good of all the tribes was more important than family desires though and Mawg was the correct choice. He stood.

Mawg, approach your king.

Mawg stood, unsure whether he was about to be crowned or be commiserated on his defeat. He looked toward Cunobelin who nodded, he looked downhearted. Mawg's heart soared. Had he won?

Kneel.

Mawg knelt at the king's feet, overwhelmed with emotion at this moment. He remembered fighting alongside the king in Hibernia, he had never imagined back then he would be next on the throne.

You have been selected by your peers as the next Bren of the Casse Confederation of Belgae, Briton, Caledone and Gael. You will lead our people to glory and honour, you will fill our purse with coin, our stories with glory and honour and our enemies with dread. Our armies stand ready for you to lead them home, to reclaim the lands form which our father's father's father's were driven. You will fulfil our people's vows. You will be Bren, rise my friend.

He rose and looked around him, Cunobelin was the first to move toward him and embraced him. Congratulations, brother. I envy you the glory you will earn. Moved by this, Mawg gave a rare smile and replied, I know my lands will be safe in my absence with you here.

At that the the nobles moved forward to congratulate their future king, smiles, handshakes and bearhugs the order of the day. As the crowd thinned out Mawg looked back toward his king.

Don't you have work to do? Asked Mowg.

[johnhughthom]

War with the Arverni

Aulus Cornelius Blasio was an angry man. With good reason he would tell you. He had been tricked, betrayed by the wicked Gauls and now he was paying the price. It wasn't fair.

He had been with the second legion north of Massalia when it was attacked by an Aedui warband, the consul in command was killed and as Legate Blasio had taken command. He took the initiative and attacked the Aedui army wiping them out and regaining the glory lost in the previous defeat. After the battle a group of Gauls had came to the camp and asked to speak with him. He was offered a kings ransom in gold and treasure to take his army north and defend an Arverni town against the Aedui, Blasio accepted and swiftly orderd his army to march north. When he came to the town it was winter and it had already fallen, the Aedui had ransacked the town and taken slaves and all the wealth to their own lands. Blasio had no choice but to assault the town, his men would starve on the march back south. The assault was long and bloody, he lost almost half his army and more starved through the winter in the city as the stores had been emptied by the Aedui. Early in spring he had received a letter from Rome, demanding his return, he knew he could not go back so he stayed in the town with his small band of men. That had been five years ago, his army was even smaller now, most had deserted and tried to return to Rome. Rome was bent on his punishment, their armies had been conquering gallic towns in an inexorable drive north, their sole purpose his capture and punishment. He knew a cruel fate awaited him in Rome, it was so unfair.

Now the news came of more savages, from across the sea. Coming to his town. How dare they? At least before his death he would get to punish them for their gall. Either that or Rome would be thwarted and somebody else would get to kill him. Just imagine how angry Rome would be if they were denied their revenge! Ha, for the first time in months Blasio was happy, he would die at the hands of these barbarians just to spite Rome.

[johnhughthom]

A new kings first victory.

As Mawg sat in his tent outside the beseiged city of Bratosporios two messenger rushed to the entrance at the same time. I have an important message, both men panted at the same time, out of breath. The guard informed Mawg, who motioned for both to enter, Well? He asked.

My lord, the first messenger began. Enemy forces are massing in the city, we think they are about to attack.

Already? Thought Mawg, surprised. He had expected to be beseiging for the foreseeable future. Gather the army, move out immediately. Mawg ordered his officers, grabbing his sword and preparing to put on his armour. Looking up he saw the second messenger, filthy from a lengthy journey. Well, what is it? He demanded.

My lord, King Mowg died in Camulosadae two weeks ago, you are now Bren. He reached into a fold of his cloak and brought out the royal crown, handing it to Mawg. Mawg took it, looked at it briefly then set it aside. We have work to do, I will be king later. Right now I have a battle to win. He donned his armour and marched out to meet his army.

The battle was loud, bloody and short. The few Romans remaining in the town had charged suicidally at the Casse and been slaughtered, the Gauls inside had welcomed their "liberators". That evening a local druid elder crowned Mawg Bren of the Belgae, Britons, Caledone, Gael and Gaul. Calling himself King of the Gauls was one thing, he had an almighty fight on his hands to enforce it.

[Vasiliyi]

3 more updates, very quick. Reminds me that I have much playing to if im to write anytime soon myself...

I just cant help it that my Mak campaign is too much fun.

[johnhughthom]

The Great Celtic Council

Bratosporios 212 BC


Mawg sat with the representatives of the Arverni and Aedui Gallic Confederations and the Lusotannan, who ruled over the Celtic tribes of Iberia. Diplomats had spent the previous three years running back and forth trying to bring a united front against the invading Romani. This meeting was to bring about a lasting peace between the groups.

The Lusotannan ambassador began. My King has asked me to deliver this message to you. Fellow enemies of the foreign invaders I bring greetings. My people know all about foreign people trying to take our lands, for generations my people were enslaved by the Poeni, brutal men from across the seas. We fought them and beat them off, now our lands are our own with no strangers telling us our ways are wrong. These Romani are even worse than the Poeni, they will try to take our customs, our laws, our Gods and force their ways upon us. We must fight, we must drive them out, only together can we do this. We must ally together, Lusotannan, Aedui, Arverni and Casse. We must send the foreign dogs back to their homes.

The Arverni diplomat stood. My King has sent me here, despite it being held by the usurpers, to pledge the Arverni's support to this union. We cannot stand against the Romani unless we are united. We will accept Casse control of the region, and ally with them, if they promise to recognise our other holdings in Belgae. Our wars with the Aedui are in the past, we have no quarrel with them and will fight alongside them, despite their godless ways.

It was the turn of the Aedui representative. I stand before you, voice of a once proud people, as a begger. These animals from over the mountains have slaughtered our women and children, burnt our crops and stolen our livestock. We have almost nothing left and can only offer our lives to support the cause, you have nothing to fear from us. Please, stop the Romani from wiping us from the songs forever.

Mawg pondered awhile, letting the others wait. He cared little for the fate of Aedui or Arverni, he was to rule all of Gaul and these people would stand in his way. However the Lusotannan were an old ally of the Casse, and they were strong. He did not fear them, but he knew their help against the Romani was vital. He had heard of the anger in Rome at his killing of Blasio, they had wanted to make an example of him and had been thwarted. A number of Romani spies and agents had been killed by Mawg's men and Rome knew it. Officialy they were at peace, and normal trade was engaged in, however relations were far from cordial and war was inevitable. He had little choice in the matter, not for the first time he almost wished Cunobelinus had won the election and he was sitting comfortably in his expansive home in Camulosadae.

These terms are agreeable. We will send a force to defend the Aedui lands to the west, our forces will make no move against Arverni holdings. We are united against the foreigner.

Mawg returned to his hall, wondering how long this alliance would last.

[johnhughthom]

I just cant help it that my Mak campaign is too much fun.

I've never managed to get far into a Mak campaign, I wish they could just make up their minds about whether they are alcoholics or not.

[johnhughthom]

The Great Celto-Romani War

The city of Cenabum was home to the Great Gallic Council, it had recently been conquered by the Romani and a great blow had been dealt to Gallic unity with it's loss. Mawg knew control of the region would strengthen his claim as king of the Gauls, and could he would gain influence and trust with the Gauls if he reclaimed it.

Mawg needed to stay in Bratosporios to direct the Celtic alliance so he sent Calpornos dor Berdic in command of the army until he was able to leave. He was young and inexperienced, but Maw trusted him to keep the army safe until he could take over.

Unfortunately for Mawg, Quintus Cornelius Blasio, a man who had triumphed in Rome for his victories over the Gauls, returned to Cenabum and attacked the beseiging Celts. Calpornos would need to take command for the battle.

The Roman was not to repeat his success against this new celtic enemy. Foolishly allowing himself to become detached from his main force, he was surrounded by Briton and Gaelic cavalry and cut down, leaving his army leaderless.

His death left the Romani directionless and they came at the Casse army piecemeal, the archers and slingers at the front able to get many volleys off before retreating behind the lines.

As the archers and slingers retreated the Caledonian skirmishers pelted the frightened enemy and it wasn't long before they were routed from the field.

It was a convincing victory and the city was back in Celtic hands.

The main force of the Casse moved south to a strong defensive position near a bridge, feeling the Romani would not be foolish enough to attack. They were wrong and a large Romani army was destroyed moving north toward Cenabum.

Despite success for the Casse, the war was even at this stage. Arverni forces had been defeated and lost their capital just as Cenabum was being retaken. Mawg decided he couldn't rely on his allies and sent orders back to Brittania to raise another army for the war.

[Cute Wolf]

Really good updates so far....
I Love your portayal of those Roman Dogs

And about the Celtic united front!!!


Just keep up your excellent work!!!! Here's a balloon for ya -> Red with Roman Blood!!!

[johnhughthom]

Betrayal

The Celtic Alliance held for five years, Aedui and Arverni had the pressure taken off them as the Casse armies took the fight to Rome. For too long the Romani had been dominating in Gaul and the tide began to turn. It was obvious they had spread themselves too thinly and progressed too quickly, the two armies destroyed at Cenabum were by far the largest fielded by the Romani in the war so far and the small detachments garrisoned in Gallic towns were incapable off withstanding an assault from a large force. The balance of power in Gaul was shifting and it seemed the Romani were on the run.

This was Gaul however, and it is never that simple. The Aedui confederation had controlled most of the country less than a generation ago, now they were left with the north-west tip, some of the poorest land, and surrounded by Casse controlled territory. Gallic chieftans had always exploited what they saw as weakness and believing the Casse army that had just taken Lemonum had marched on to Burdigala, they moved against their former town. Unfortunately for them the Casse army was still encamped within the city and marched out to meet them, the battle would be fought right ouside the walls of the city.

The skirmishing went on for nearly an hour, with each side testing each others bravery by seeing how close they would come to the main lines.

The cavalry was also playing a game of cat and mouse and a group of Aedui nobles got trapped by the Casse spearmen and flanked by Gaelic and Briton horsemen. Unable to escape they were brutally hacked down with spear and sword.

The age old dance continued and the two lines moved closer together, the meat of the battle was

now imminent.

On the flank another group of Gallic nobles engaged the Gaelic nobles and were bogged down in heavy fighting. This gave the shortswordsmen time to get behind and flank the horsemen. Another bloodbath ensued.

Still the two lines hadn't engaged, the Aedui obviously reluctant having had by far the worse of the goig so far.

The Casse line surged forward, taking the fight to the Gauls.

Almost instantly upon engagement the Aedui army turned and ran, harried off the field by the victorious Casse army. The betrayal had turned out very badly for the Gauls and Mawg would surely seek revenge when word reached him of the treachery.