The Will of the Senate - First Consul reports

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

13. Summer 257 BC

I, praetor Lucius Aemilius and the Field Army II arrive at Acquileia and liberate the town from the Thracian invaders.


Impressed with their resistance, I offered the survivors that had gathered in the village square a chance to surrender, but they boldy refused and were slain. They were buried with honour.



Next I pursued the remaining Thracian forces in Illyria and cuaght up with them in the deep dark woods of Illyria.


It turned out that they outnumbered us and outclassed us and it became a difficult battle where we lost many men, but eventually triumphed.


Our navy tried to prevent Carthagian fleet from landing more troops on Melite, but we were defeated by the more experienced Carthagians.



Servius Aemilius takes command a a new legion and takes ship for Melite, but I worry that he may not arrive in time to save tribune Gaius Rutilius, who is defending the island.
Quintus Naevius is assigned the Legio II Sabina Quintia banner and he and Augustus Verginius set up a fort outside Gergovia. Marcellus Aemilius sets up a fort outside Comata.

14. Autumn 257 BC

A Gaul spy is found in Massilia and in Jenuensis, but they both manage to escape our clutches.

Marliana is born, the daughter of Flavius Placuvius and his wife Placida.

The kingdom of Bactria declares war on the kingdom of Parthia
The Greek cities and the kingdom of Pontus (OCC: which was destroyed ages ago, but this is an example of horrible diplomacy AI. Often, when a faction refuse peace it is because you are still at war with an ally of theirs you have destroyed ages ago) cancel their alliance with the kingdom of Parthia.

Corinth and Elis finished construction of sewers, greatly to their citizens relief. Philipii finished construction of roads. Larissa, Ratiaria and Acquileia finished construction of a shrine to Mars. Thessalonica and Oduba finished construction of a shrine to Jupiter. Byzalora finished construction of a shrine to Saturnus. Comata finished construction of an occupation.

Roma and Corfinium recruit a cohort of italian swordsmen. Arretium recruits a cohort of principii. Arminium recruits a cohort of italian spearmen. Paestum recruits a cohort of funditori. Debeltos recruits a diplomat. Patavium recruits a gallic warband. Syracuse and Tarentum finish construction of a Corvus Quinquereme. Athens finishes construction of a superior light aphract.

As we rush together enough forces near Oduba to face the Thracian offensive, not all units manage to escape interception by the Thracian crown prince Arapeithes the Bloody-Handed in time and some of our troops are intercepted and destroyed.



In a friendly gesture, the Iberians make a financial deal with us, which is profitable in two ways. For one, we make a profit, and secondly, the Iberians will probably not attack us the next four seasons as then they would lose our tributes.


Near Oduba, the Thracians threw everything they had at us. They had amassed a consular army sized force, led by the crown prince of Thrace, Arapeithes the Bloody-Handed, as skilled a general as myself, praetor Lucius Aemilius.
One of our legion-sized forces, without a commander, was besieged in a fort by Arapeithes the Bloody-Handed south of Oduba. I arrived with all the troops I could scrounge together, also a legion-sized force, to relieve the siege. I was accompanied by legate Titus Vatinius and tribune Gnaeus Hordeonius.


After a desperate battle we manage to come of victorious, but we lose almost a legion worth of troops.


Praetor Tiberius Coruncanius and his Field Army I attack a Thracian army that had invaded our land by way of the territory of their allies, the Ptolemaic empire. He reported that the deployed numbers were 545 friendly, 581 enemy. Kills were 471, casualties 65. Ironically, the most casualties were suffered by our Thracian mercenaries. The Thracian army deployed in two waves, with the second wave covering the retreat of the first. As a result, 110 Thracians escaped back to Thrace.

Faced by another Carthagian invasion, tribune Gaius Rutilius attacks the invaders on the beaches and manages to come of victorious.



After the battle, I spend a fortune on mercenaries to reinforce him as help will not arrive for two seasons at least.

Tribune Numerius Aureolus and his Legio V Alaudae abandon Debeltos and march toward the Greek city of Byzantium.

15. Winter 257 BC

After the last soldiers have departed, riots break out in Debeltos.


Vibius Dornna marries Gratitdia, the daughter of Valerius Paulus.


Luvavum finished construction of an occupation. Sparta finished construction of sewers. Thessalonica finished construction of a shrine to Ceres. Kydonia finished construction of a minor temple to Jupiter. Philipii finished construction of a shrine to Jupiter.

Capua and Ancona recruit a cohort of Triarii. Arminium and Corfinium recruit a cohort of Italian swordsmen. Paestum recruits a cohort of hastati. Lilybaeum recruits a cohort of Libyan spearmen. Gergovia recruits a spy. Athens finishes construction of a superior light aphract.

After long and tense negotiations we manage to convince the Germans to ally themselves with us, and even to declare war on Thrace in exchange for military access.



After defeating the Carthegians three times in a row, tribune Gaius Rutilius is faced with unsurmountable odds and in a defiant attack he and his army perish. The town of Melite is burned to the ground to deny the Cartheginians the spoils of war.