Interactive history :The second dacian war

[Gurkhal]

I think that IV is the way to go. We shouldn't provoce the Romans into retaliation actions by send heads of implaing their comrades, their retaliation would also most likly to be directed towards civilians and future captured Dacians so I don't think they'd make any rash moves like that. Thus we shouldn't kill anybody, not yet. They did surrender fairly easily, so a bit of "over-mercy" might be in place to hopefully encourage future Romans to surrender quickly in a hopeless position rather than fight to the end.

Having a few hundred Roman prisioners, including legioneries as well as a Roman nobleman might also be a fine prize to show to our nobles and possibly allies against the Romans. And as I said: we can always kill the prisoners later if such should be necissery.

[Rodion Romanovich]

I also think IV is the best. The romans know how to use propaganda, and unnecessary cruelty benefits them more than us at this stage. Not killing them would also give us more options in the future, we can always kill them later. But killing should be avoided, because those who surrender must be rewarded, if we want romans in the future to be likely to surrender. What should be done now is probably to send the prisoners to some appropriate place in Sarmizegetusa where they can be held, but have guards who are ready to kill them at the slightest sign of any enemy approaching to try and free them. As for the roman auxiliaries, offer them a chance to join our side with good wage and free right to pillage any roman soldiers they kill or any roman city they raid if they join the dacian forces. For those who refuse, keep them prisoners under the same conditions as the roman legionaries - kill them if the romans advance too far and threaten to be able to free them. If possible in the future we should find a way to play on the card that the romans let the auxilia do all the dirty work while the legions are staying back, like at the battle of Tapae, but I see no such possibility at present.

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

SOME HISTORICALL INFO (take it like commercials in a TV show )

A little history !

I tried to make the story as plausible as it is possible. I am very curious about its outcome. Up to this moment, believe it or not, things happened in the same way as in real history : The dacians stormed the iazigii, but did not attacked panonia. The differences start in the story of Longinus. Altough Tibiscum was assaulted and taken, Longinus was captured trough threachery.

In the story, it is still winter. Many interesting things will come until the late spring, as i will insert and adapt to the story some really interesting plots from the history. Trajanus did not attack only but in the late spring. The reasons are obvious... to avoid snow, and bad weather which probably made him withrdraw in the first war, when he was just at the gates of Sarmizegetusa.

The ruins of Sarmizegetusa, altough very little known to the world,are in the list of the World Heritage by UNESCO. The city was located at around 1000-1200 meters above sea level, deep in the mountains of Sureanu, together whith many more other fortresses. Sarmizegetusa was more of a religious center, whith a unique calendar and a temple complex. The fortress Sarmizegetusa, altough defended by solide walls, it was not ment to be a military settlement, as it was not that strong compared to the neighbouring fortresses. In an around it, lived aproximately 25-50 000 people, in terasses, across the mountains. You can ask yourselfs how this man made a living at such a high altitude where snow is around 6 months/year... they did manage to make a living theyr, carving those terasses in the hillsides. They could practice agriculture, or growing out sheeps (traditional practice).A complex system of canalization (hundred of kilometers of clay pipes), brought fresh water to the theyr houses and the settlements.Some of them still work (i visited the area this summer).

Historically, the romans advanced on 5 columns , whith ~200 000 men. The major column attacked at Drobeta, went to Ad Mehadiam, Tibiscum, Agnaviae, Tapae, then straight to Sarmizegetusa. The other columns crossed the Danube at 4 different points, using pontoon bridges or boats, following other directions, invading the centre of Dacia (Transilvania), trough all the known passes of the Carpathians.

The dacian fortresses , built whith the assistance of greek and roman engineers, where very strong, as they where located on the hilltops, but had one major flaw : they lacked water ! In rainy months, this was not much of a problem as they had water collecting system, but in the summer months it prooved to be critical. This, the threachery and the might of Trajanus led to the demise of the Dacian state in august 106, when the last pockets of resistance where whiped out, and king Decebalus commited suicide to avoide beeing captured by the romans alive and humiliated.

In 106, the independence of Dacia ended, forever. It was a terrible blow from which the dacians never recovered. A new chapter started in the dacian history which would radically change the dacian culture: the romanization.

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

THE FATE OF LONGINUS 106 , early January


The night fell upon the lands of Dacia, dark, cold, and sad. The hills darkened theyr faces, and melted into the night, while the sun went to its sleep in an seemingly endless sea of fire.
"The skyes are full of heavenly lights ", said Vezina."Windy days shall come... "

His hearth was sad... more than one thousand of the best dacian warriors where taken out of the combat, either lost theyr lives, either fell badly injured in the siege. The injured ones, whispered theyr wounds to the darkness, will the dead ones, put on large funerary piers made of wood, awaited the moment of rise into the heavens.

"This night there will be lights in the forest, lights in the plains... " said an old woman from a nearby village.

Despised, the roman prisoniers where taken like cattle, in the centre of the dacian camp, well guarded. Some looked forward, whith bravery, defying theyr fate... these where the legionaires, 47 in theyr numbers.The rest of them, aproximately 250 where auxiliaries, a few ubians but mainly palmyrans.The dacians knew them well, as travelers from Middle East often came to theyr lands, mostly for trade .40 years before, one of those travellers caming from the south started spreading a new religion in Scythia Minor, and got in the attention of king Scorilo and the priesthood of Sarmizegetusa and Kogaion, howewer no action was taken against these man who turned away from the path of rightousness. Howewer as the romans hated them, especially Trajan, they where welcomed into Dacia, often given key posts.

"Maybe these auxiliaries will join our cause... and tell us more about the plans of the romans... or maybe we could get more from the roman legionaires", thought Decebalus.

The Ubians, few in numbers, looked boldly to the dacians. They where indeed brave man, taken from the forests of Germania. The dacians despised them and looked at them whith disrespect, but not once the Germans and Dacians fought together for a common cause.

"Gold", whispered one of them in latin.

The dacians heard and laughed of him.

"All of them just want the gold, our gold... but let them take it.For a price, of course.They should join us... as few as they are , but they should join us. They knem much about the roman troops".

"What about the orientals, my noble king Decebalus" said Diegis.

"Same offer. If they are wise, they will accept".

The palmyrans started debating in theyr own tongue about something. Finally, the one who seemed obviously the leader of the group, came in front:

"Decebalus, great king of Dacia, and supreme ruler. Give us something of value, something precious... oh yer, maybe gold, and whe will fight for you, in our way, but we ask that after the war is over and you defeat the army of Trajan, by the name and will of Iaghribol, whe should want to go into our land"

"You will return to your land then, pagan.But you shall fight for me before."

"I feel threachery in the voice of this men, my noble king", whispered Vezina.

"I sometimes do feel threachery even in the voices of my friends, wise one".

The legionaries stood brave. They knew what kind of ill fate could awayt them...They tought of nothing more than a hopefully quick and painless death

"What about Longinus and the legionaries, my king" , asked Diegis.

"Longinus.... the tarabostes will decide his fate ! The gathering of the nobles, like it always was, from the times of Dromihetes ! The same for the roman legionaries"

IMPORTANT


THE FIRST 3 MEMBERS WHO WILL POST WILL BE THE "TARABOSTES" , AND THEY WILL CHOOSE THE FATE OF LONGINUS AND THE FATE OF THE ROMAN LEGIONARIES. UPON THEYR OPINIONS AND ADVICE, THE DECISION WILL BE TAKEN ! ONLY THE FIRST 3 POSTS WILL BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

First of all, I would like to say that we can't allow these roman soldiers to live. While they live we must use vital troops to guard them. I suggest that we test the loyalties of our new allies by telling them to execute the Roman Legionnaires. Also the Roman Leader, Longinus, should be kept alive for bargaining perhaps for some of our own nobels if any are under Roman control. Firstly we need information from him and I doubt that the legionairres will know anything but the roman leader will so interrogation will be required.

[CountArach]

First of all, I would like to say that we can't allow these roman soldiers to live. While they live we must use vital troops to guard them. I suggest that we test the loyalties of our new allies by telling them to execute the Roman Legionnaires. Also the Roman Leader, Longinus, should be kept alive for bargaining perhaps for some of our own nobels if any are under Roman control. Firstly we need information from him and I doubt that the legionairres will know anything but the roman leader will so interrogation will be required.

This certainly sounds like the best course of action. Get the new men to do it with their swords. Let the new guys do it for us!

Longinus should be put ot the question, then executed when we are about to enter a battle with the Romans. His entrails should then be put on a anner so that our men will become inspired.

YEs I am somewhat sick... What?

[Gurkhal]

I disagree with the two posts before me on the Romans. There are only 47 Romans, with Longius 48. Guarding them would not in any near way have a real impact upon our army's capability for fighting. Nor would the frontline soliders be needed. I think that the local city watch is enough to keep them under controll. While the Romans probably don't care to much about their pay-swords the legioneries might have worth to them. To have the turn-coats slay their former comrades would not be an act of loyalty, not with 19 000 Dacian warriors around them. It would merly be an act of intelligence and survival instincts, an act which they have already past by accepting to go into our service. We can kill them anytime we wish, however once killed, we can never use them for anything.

As for Longius, we didn't kill him and provoced the Romans at the fort simply to do it here. While he should be interrigated to allow us information into what the Romans have planned, we shouldn't do anything rash like kill him or submitt him to severe torture...yet. Nor should the Romans be provoced into an esculating spiral of violence, which we will suffer far more from than our enemies. Like GiantMonkeyMan I think that the Roman should be kept alive for potential bargin in the future, something which will make us have to abandon the thought of permanent injury to his person.

Longinus should be put ot the question, then executed when we are about to enter a battle with the Romans. His entrails should then be put on a anner so that our men will become inspired.

Or more like it the Romans will be inspired to a "no prisoners or mercy" mentality. We should not provoce the Romans. Nor give them free ammunition for their propaganda.

Our new reinforcements should be handeld like this, divide them up into small groups, say 50 at maximum and mix these groups along the Dacian troops. When divided through our army they won't have the oppertunity to turn upon us in force so to switch the balance of a battle. Insteed, with being divided throughout the army they'll be slain in a matter of minutes if they should try to betray us.