Interactive history :The second dacian war

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

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.

[IrishArmenian]

I would say number 2. Just because it is much harder to focus on two enemies as opposed to just one. Get the IAZIGII out of the piture.

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

II HUNTING THE IAZIGII

After much thinking, King Decebalus listened to the advice of viceroy Diegis. AS soon as possible, the dacian army under the leadership of Decebalus left Sarmizegetusa and went out of the mountain strongholds heading towards the valley of the river Maris. Then, the dacian army turned westwards heading towards Ziridava and Zurobara.

On the road, men from different villages mostly peasants and shepherds joined in the ranks.

After a week and a half of marching , a currier came from the west, saying he has to speak something whith Decebalus.

"My great king" said the rider, "the Iazigii have sorounded Ziridava and are preparing to storm the dava. Unfortunately, the city is protected only by a wooden pallisade and by the bravery of our forces.The enemy number in theyr thousands, mostly cavalrymen, but also many infantry, including troops sent by the roman guvernor of Pannonia to support the Iazigii".

"Then whe shoud urgently relieve the siege", said Decebalus. "Whe should march imediatelly, as fast as possible".

While the dacian army hurried to relieve Ziridava, news came from the local shepherds that the enemy encampment is somewhere nearby, but the data given by the locals turned out to be very controversial.

The next night, not farr away from the besieged ziridava, a fight erupted between the vanguard of the dacian army and some iazigii cavalrymen. There is no clear report about how many iazigii forces are acctually engaged in this fight.

Dacian cavalrymen fighting in the vanguard howewer, seem to have suffered quite some casualties, and need to be either retreated, either reinforced.

Diegis the viceroy, suggest to engage more forces:

"My great king, the night advantages neither us, neither the enemy. I am sure theyr troops where at least as suprised like ours when they started the battle. I suggest engaging the army in an all-out attack"

Vezina howewer, had a different opinion:

"Wise Decebalus, better listen to the advice of an old man, an old men who fought many battles and have seen many things in his life. Retreat the engaged cavalry, and do not launch an attack against the enemyes. Wait for the sunrise. You know that our god Zamolxis is a lover of light and wisdom, and he hates the deep darkness of the night... "

SO,

1) WILL YOU LISTEN TO DIEGIS AND ENGAGE ALL THE FORCES IN AN ALL OUT ATTACK ?

2) WILL YOU LISTEN TO VEZINA AND RETREAT THE ALREADY ENGAGED VANGUARD, ATTACKING AT THE SUNRISE ?

[AggonyDuck]

I'll choose option:

2) WILL YOU LISTEN TO VEZINA AND RETREAT THE ALREADY ENGAGED VANGUARD, ATTACKING AT THE SUNRISE ?

We have no clue what's out there, so better we pull back and do proper reconnaisance during the morning.

[Rodion Romanovich]

option no. 2, better to be safe

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

III BATTLE OF ZIRIDAVA

Decebalus listened to the advice of Vezina. In the early dusk, dacian scout cavalry went out of the dacian camp to scout the seemingly endless plains of Pannonia...

Very quikly, they returned in the camp whith the news that the camp of the Iazigii is situated not to farr away from the city of Ziridava, at about on hour march. These informations , said the scouts, where confirmed by some local dacians also.

Quickly, Decebalus assembled the army. A decisive bloody strike was necessary against the Iazigii.In front, the dacian Tarabostes cavalry would lead the attack.

Howewer, at sunrise, the dacians where closing in, when the Iazigii horse archers quickly sorrounded the dacian army and launched a storm of arrows.The reliable comatai and the fanatic zamolxianists where of no use here. Diegis, rushed in and ordered the light cavalry to engage the enemyes, which proved to be a good decision. The small and quick dacian horses, raised in the northern mountains by the Costoboci where much faster and reliable then the now-weak horses of the Iazigii, not to forget the dacians light cavalrymen knew well to use theyr curved swords.

The light cavalrymen charged in loose formation towards the iazigii horse archers, and managed to engage and kill many of them in quite a short time. Howewer Zizais, theyr leader and king, signalled the wawering horse archers to retrat back into the camp and sent in the heavy cavalry to cut down the dacian light cavalrymen, which at theyr turn quickly fled the field at the sight of theyr enemyes, in great disorder.Some of them where caught from behind by Iazigii and killed. The nephew of Diegis was among them, but he was lucky enough to escape whith slight injuries.

Diegis , seeing the turn of events, angrily ordered the Roxolani mercenaries and the Zamolxian knights to enter the fight. Payed out of the royal treasury of Dacia, the Roxolanii knew to fight well, and even more, they disliked very much theyr Iazigii kin. The Zamolxian knights howewer, where known for theyr fanaticism. They where a brotherhood of wolfs, knew not to neither death, neither suffering. They where the Sons of Light and where to defeat the armyes of Darkness and its numerous evil spirits, or rather die, like Zamolxis has shown to the Dacians more than 1400 years ago.The reward was not gold, but imortality.There was nothing to be gained on earth... life was just a test, just a passage.The true martirs will earn a place near Zamolxis. The knights where not numerous at all, but whith theyr thick armours and strong lances, where more than a match for any enemy. They charged towards the Iazigii in wedge, pointing whith theyr sharp spears towards the enemy, while having the sun from behind. The flag, the mighty Dracones was raised... Blinded by the sun, shivered by the eerie sound of the Dracones, the Iazigii wawered, and crumbled in front of the Dacians.Once again, the Wolfs have tamed the bane of the Western plains.

Seeing the defeat of his heavy cavalry, Zizais fled the field together whith the roman reinforcements.Altough beeing chased downd by the regrouped dacian light cavalrymen and by the Tarabostes, they where able to escape back into theyr camps, farr in the Pannonian Plain.

It was a victory, but it wasnt decisive. The Iazigii knew how to flee a battle much to well...and their losses where farr from beeing serious.

In the afternoon, all was over, and the dacian army camped just outside Ziridava. The man and women of Ziridava came to aclaim theyr victory, bringing water, wine, bread and salt to the exhausted troops.Music, the beautifull sound of pan flutes, cymbals, horns and the ancient brynka, was to be heard all across the shores of river Marissus.

In the main hall of Ziridava, built out of strong wood, having a richly decorated entrance, Decebalus together whith Vezina stood in silence, when suddenly a young man entered:

"My noble king", said the young man "my name is Preda and i came in the name of the southern man of Getia"

"You have made a long journey, you must be brave, my son , to cross in the winter the mighty Carpathians. What news do you bring to me ?" said Decebalus.

"My king", "Mighty Barsan, the tarabostes from Arcina, sent me her to ask you to attack the roman from Tibiscum, while he will raise an army and clear the roman presence from Alutania and Deserta Getarum. He also says to you, that you should hurry. Cnaeus Pompeius Longinus has requested additional reinforcements from Moesia, and it would be not wise, as Barsan sais, to let any more the romans have a foothold in Dacia even before the arrival of Traian..."

A debate started between Decebalus and Vezina. In the first dacian war, knowing the fact that the dacian army has no chance in open field against the romans, Decebalus abandoned southern Dacia (including Getia, Alutania and Deserta Getarum) to the invading romans. The area was already suffering. Not so long ago, over 150 000 dacian peasants where moved to the south of Danube by the romans in quick action. The rest of them which remained in the area around the first war, where helpless... many of them joined the romans, and showed the road to the moorish-roman captain Lucius Quietus, which marched whith his cavalrymen across the hidden paths of the mountains to strike Sarmizegetusa from behind, to help the main roman armyes. Only the heavy losses incured by the romans at the battle from Tapae and Trophaeum Traiani saved Dacia from an early conquest, altough it plunged her into an uneasy peace, which now was already shattered.

"My old friend, by the name of Zamolxis i would go and clear southern Dacia of the roman plague, but if i remember well, in the first war, the men of Alutania where the first to betray us... how could have found out the romans of Quietus the secret road to Sarmizegetusa ? I would rather launch an attack into Pannonia... slaughter the romans of Aquincum, enslave theyr women and children and touch them whith the hot iron mark of slavery.Let them know our whrath !"

"Decebalus" , said Vezina calmly "threachery was and will be in our nation. Zamolxis dislikes it, and he will strike the threacherous whith his divine tunders,throwing them deep into the depths of the earth.... Let Zamolxis judge them. And , my noble king, may i remind you that in the first war the royal army of Dacia did not fought a single battle to defend those regions... that the dacians of Alutania and Deserta Getarum payed the worst price, theyr fields where destroyed by the romans, and theyr houses burned ? Forget about pillaging Pannonia when the enemyes are so deep into the country, my king... and turn back to help our brothers to clear our land...help them this time.. never let enemyes behind you ! "

SO, here are the choices:

1) LISTEN TO VEZINA AND GO INTO THE SOUTHERN DACIA, TO CLEAR THE ROMAN GARRISONS

2) GO TO ATTACK THE POORLY DEFENDED PANNONIA AND PILLAGE AQUINCUM