Interactive history: the Second Dacian War (105-106 AD)
Take up the role of Diurpaneus Decebalus, the dacian king . Will you be able to save the already weakened Dacia ? Will you be able to stop the 200 000 man army of the roman Emperor Trajanus, using little more than 20 000 troops of doubtful loyalties, and a clever dimplomacy ?
Before anything goes, i reccomand for those who whish to participate to search a bit on Wikipedia about it, also read as much as possible about the dacian civilisation (believe me, they where deffinetly NOT like the "dacians" depicted in RTW)... i know this war , its geograpahic settings and its odds are rather unknown to the western audience.
I. THE BREAKUP OF HOSTILITIES...
It is the winter of 105 AD.Decebalus has rejected the roman ultimatum which was asking to him to stop reparing his fortresses and to give all the dacian weapons to the Roman Army.It was pointless to accept... romans where threacherous... they would have attacked anyway.
Howewer, the situation seems farr more worse than the one from the first dacian wars. Some roman troops left over from the previous wars, numbering in the thousands under the command of Cneus Pompeius Longinus ex-guvernor of Moesia Superior and Pannonia, control a number of forts in south-western Dacia at Tibiscum, and also in Getia (*corresponding roughly to southern Romania).The line of the Danube is secured by roman forts on the Moesian side of the river. The most powerfull roman fort (*castrum) is the one from Drobeta, effectively guarding the bridge of Appolodurus, built between 103-150 AD.
The Iazigy from the Pannonian Plain, allies of the Romans, raid often the western fringes of Dacia.They are more than a nuissance, especially whith they raids on Ziridava and Zurobara.
To the east, the Bastarne seem unwiling to join another failed anti-roman coalition. Further, the Roxolani Sarmatians are still recovering after the devastating defeat suffered in the Moesian Diversion of 102.
In his palace from Sarmizegetusa, king Decebalus is thinking about a plan to save Dacia. The future seemed to be sinister... there where rumours that Emperor Trajan was assembling a 200 000 men army from almost all the known world... the famous archers of Palmyra, the dark cavalrymen of Numidia dressed in theyr long valueums having theyr faces covered, the fearless Arabians, the cruel and savage barbarians from the northern forest , all where part of this huge army, together whith the most powerfull fighting units the ancient world has ever seen to this moment - the famous Roman Legions... Dacia must resist... they should not bow again in front of the Roman Empire, oh, never... .Only the fait in Zamolxis... he might save Dacia, he and the bravery of the Comati, the warrior-peasants, the one which worked the fertile fields always armed... the mighty cavalry of the Tarabostes, the invincible and brave Sarmatian mercenary Kataphractoi, the fanatic falxmen...
The high priest Vezina, entered into the hall of the palace:
"Noble Decebalus, the people of Dacia ask you to lead them against the romans... they want to see the earth saturated whith the blood of these murderers"...
"Wasn`t enough roman blood spilled in the narrows of Tapae, where`t the rocks and walls of our fortresses filled whith the dead of the romans... ? How many dacians did meet theyr end.. how many have went in the sky to our lord... "
Suddenly, the gate oppened, and Diegis together whith a young greek slave, entered into the hall:
"My king, whe have received news... spies from Rome report that in the Roman Senate war has been declared against us... we must act quickly, my noble king"
"Than whe should urgenly attack all the roman garrisons whithin Dacia and capture Longinus" "If whe do not kill the romans whithin, how shall whe handle the ones which will come ? Also, the roman garrisons whithin Dacia can be at anytime reinforced by the romans from Moesia, so whe should hurry" said king Decebalus.
"My great king", replied Diegis "my advice is to attack in the first place the the Iazigii.. if whe leave them alone, they will be a thorn in our side, and they will continue raiding our western borders.What if they will attack our rear ?"
"Whe should be wise", said Vezina, "and not to rush attacking whith only a 10 000 men army. Instead, why not wait a couple of months until the spring, and in the same time build up the forces here at Sarmizegetusa... The romans will not attack in the winter. Maybe the Costoboci tribe from the north might join us... maybe even the Sarmatians will decide to join in our side".
SO, IT IS UP TO YOU TO CHOOSE :
1) DO LIKE DECEBALUS THOUGHT, AND ATTACK URGENTLY ALL THE ROMAN GARRISONS FROM DACIA
2) LISTEN TO THE ADVICE OF DIEGIS, AND GIVE A DECISIVE BLOW TO ROME`S ALLY, THE IAZIGII
3) LISTEN TO THE ADVICE OF VEZINA AND WAIT A COUPLE OF MONTHS WHILE GATHERING MORE TROOPS.
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