ERE Write-ups thread

[Dutch_guy]

Spurius Flavius was sitting comfortably in his tent, in sight of the gates of Rome itself.

He had gotten word from he old emperor himself - who was getting older still in the far northern province of Campus Allani - to attack Rome this very summer.
At first Spurius had not believed his luck that he, and no other would get the honour of sacking Rome itself, but now that he saw the immense gates of the city of which he had so long ago when he was still a child heard so many great stories of, he wasn't going in to battle as enthousiasticly as he had done in the past.

It was probably around mid day when Spurius ordered his men to pull the siege equipment to the gates.
His men had been working many hours on these Towers, made to withstand the many arrows sure to be fired at them.
He had also added some ballistae to the top of the towers - silently thanking Constantine for the idea.

So it was that Spurius ordered his army to march on the city of Rome, once the greatest city in the known world.
He ordered 2 of his best cohorts - every single man hand picked - to scale the walls next to the main gate.
And open the gate for the other soldiers to enter.

The towers reached the walls, and were pleasantly surprised to find no enemy troops on the walls.
The Plumbitarii fired hail after hail of darts towards the enemy below - causing many of them to die.
After that they openend the gate for the rest of the army to march in.


Spurius himself also participated in the attack, and bravely fought against his Western Rivals.
He himself lead the charge breaking the Western Roman peasant on the center plaza.


Rome was conquered.

At the same time the attack of Rome was ordered Avitius Flavius ordered the march on Carthage.
He had already sent the main body of the forces ahead, but planned on catching up just in time for the attack itself.

However he needed to move fast, since his brother Sextus also started his march for Carthage.
Both of the brothers knew there was only one general who would go down in history as defeater of the Western Roman forces in Carthage, and both of them wanted to be that one man.

Sextus's force was larger than Avitius's army.
Sextus's problem was that Avitius had a great headstart, and he could never catch up before he reached Carthage.
His only hope was that his brother would fale in the task to take the city...he even caught himself thinking of his pleasure at his brothers untimely death...

Around this time, the winter of 393 AD, the Emperor sent another rider to order the building of an immense fleet in Constantinople.
When the rider was asked why the fleet was to be built he was only able to vaguely tell the governor that it was meant to ensure the transportation of constantinople's main garrison al the way to the Island of Britania...when asked if this was some kind of joke, the rider shifted uncomfortably in his sadle and shook his head.
The poor governor of Constantinople was left to decide how he could possibly realise these insane plans...

The summer and winter of 394 AD

Avitius Flavius, finally sees the grand city of Carthage on the horizon.All in all he was in a good mood ; the morale of his troops got better and better as they approached the city and his messengers had reported that Sextus's army had to deal with some Berbers and thus were delayed.
Avitius was looking forward to the time - not so far in the future he reconned - when he would welcome his brother in the palace in Carthage itself.
As the city was rapidly getting closer, he ordered his men in charge of the siege equipment to move foreward, to the front of the battle line.
He watched as the Romans, no His Romans marched to the walls of Carthage and halted about 50 meters from them.
He decided not to delay the attack and ordered his men, pushing the towers, forwards.



The enemy archers were however not idle, and the relentlessly fired fire arrows at the towers.
Deep down Avitius had know it might happend, but he had hoped not today....



both of the towers caught flame and in a matter of minutes were completly useless..
Avitius called the men pushing the now destroyed towers back and prepared to retreat. Since there was no hope at victory this day...

He was about to give the order when he overheard one of the hired mercenary Bucelarii talk to one of his companions how glad he was that they had not been ordered to dig- and use the sap point.

Avitius froze and quickly ordered the soldier to repeat and explain wat he had meant...the day was not lost after all.

He wasted no time and ordered the moving of the whole army , towards the section of the enemy wall which was going to be sapped.

Once the sapper were finally done with digging their tunnel under the enemy wall, Avitius wasted no time in ordering the bulk of his army to move forwards.
Rank upon rank of Comitatenses and Lanciarii cohorts moved to the gap in the wall.
The enemy Limitanii guarding the gap could only be amazed at the exeptional display of disipline in which the enemy soldiers moved, not showing any sign of turning back even when the Towers kept on shooting , and inflicting terrible losses on the advancing forces.

The limitanii quickly routed without the Eastern Roman cohorts sustaining substanial losses, and so Avitius ordered to march straight for the square, trying to minimize enemy tower fire.
No resistance was met during that march, but for the enemy general himself.
Avitius and his loyal bodyguard attacked the general himself and inspite of being outnumbered considereably he managed to slay the general.

And he triumphantly marched towards the now empty plaza.

He however did not now, that the back of the colum was being attacked by the enemy forces who were originally on top of the walls.
These enemy comitatentes were not going down without a fight. and managed to kill lot's of unaware Lanciarii and mercenari camel units , before they were eventually surrounded and destroyed.

Carthage was taken, the population decimated, and while that happened , Avitius enjoyed a well earned massage and a cool drink.



A day afterwards Avitius was told that our troops had caught a Western Roman delegation, who said they were discussing matters of the christian church in the city at the time of the attack, and demanded their immediate release.
Avitius ordered their execution, of course not in his name , but in the name of his loving brother.
He was overjoyed when the populace demanded his brothers head when they heard that this ''council of Carthage'' was brutally interupted by Sextus Flavius. The Carthaginians never knew that it was not Sextus but their own Governor Avitius who ordered the killings.
Avitius was always fond of telling this tale in private company, when a little drowsy of the exesive use of imported Frankish wine,his company was always equally disturbed by this display of brutallity.

This was however not the only memorable thing to happen in the winter of 394 AD.
For a young ambitious Roman general was planning the conquest of Sarmatia...