How the Pavo Family Changed the World (Rome AAR)

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

1000th Post
Appivs Cvrtivs Pavo


My name is Galligos moc Taximagulos. I have lead the Aedui for the bulk of my life. Long have we struggled for control of our own lands, ignorant of the usurpers at out borders. But now, with the lands of our fathers free from Arverni tyranny, we turn to those who have murdered, raped, and stolen lands that belong to us and our brothers.


(Gaul c225BC)

To the north, Belgae submits to my will. To the northeast, the hordes of raiding tribes flee before the might of Aedui power. To the east, our brothers cry out for salvation from raiders and their own savagery. To the south, the Arverni hide behind their alliances - alliance with anyone, even those who seek their very destruction. But the Arverni are not what they used to be, not longer worth my attention.

Finally, south, across the mountains, lie the lands of our brothers. For years they have sought our assistance in liberating themselves. Now is the time, my spies tell me that armies of the city of Rome march on distant lands far east, while others destroy their own alliances and weaken themselves in Iberia. I will send general Panda to the Po Valley to free our brothers. The foolish Romans have only left peasants to defend their borders. Even those who rule in occupation are peasants, sons of dirt farmers. Nothing stands in our way, by winter my armies will sack Rome.



(The Armies of the Aedui)



Two Years Later
Panda retreats!?! This farmer, unaccustomed to war, this Appivs Cvrtivs Pavo defeated my army? But Panda didn't think that was failure enough and decided to lose to these weaklings again! This time against a boy! Now with defeat after defeat, Panda crawls back to me for his punishment.


(Two legions defend Mediolanivm - Nvmerivs sets up an ambush)

With the failure of Panda I must contend with two Roman armies, as well as an army of German cavalry led by a wild boy Roman. Raids now fall on me by German soldiers with Roman silver.


(Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo and Germanian allies)

But it would take the entire might of Rome to challenge me...challenge the Aedui on our own lands. And I have sent word to both my Egyptian and Babylonian allies. The combined strength of the Greeks and Aedui will crush Rome and they will be the ones murdered, raped, and enslaved.

So sayeth Galligos moc Taximafulos: Leader of the Aedui, Defeater of the Arverni, Subjugator of the Belgae, Pride of the gods

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo
Days in the Cisapline

Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo, the man who conquered Gaul for Rome. The desendant of a farmer, who became first consul of the Roman Senate. The man who changed the way the social structure of Rome had been for hundreds of years. The patriarch of a family, who lead his kin to high standing and respect. But few know of his youth. How this ordinary, plebian governor's son became the most powerful man in the known world.

Nvmerivs was born in the summer of 239BC, son of Appivs Cvrtivs Pavo. There were no signs of greatness at his birth, nor did any wisemen see anything in him. Nvmerivs was named for the founder of his family, his great grandfather (biological), who had died in the war with Pyrrhus. Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo was born in the house his grandfather had helped build, when he became governor of Mediolanivm. His grandfather Oppivs, adopted by the Blasio family, and his father Appivs had been governors of Cisapline Gaul and the same fate seemed to be instore for Nvmerivs.


(Roman territory and allies at Nvmerivs' birth)

Rome was in a state of great change during Nvmerivs' childhood. In 239, Greece was still in termoil. After saving the Greeks from Macedon, Rome was betrayed. The great General Victor had swept through Greece with a single legion and unified it under Rome. But still, Carthage was the greatest threat to Roman security.

By the time Nvmerivs came of age and began his military training, Carthage had fallen. Scipio Africanvs had surrounded the last of the Carhaginian senate in Carthage itself. After a two year seige, Carthage was burned to the ground and the site rededicated to Iovis. Elsewhere, a trade route through Illyria had been secured and Iberia pacified. Around this time, Nvmerivs' uncle Spvrivs made a exploritory expedition to Pannonia and brought back though Germanic mercenaries.

But war still lingered in the northern reaches of Roman control. Just prior to Nvmerivs' coming of age ceremony, his father had defeated an army of Aedui Gauls who had finally finished their Gallic Civil War. The Arverni, long time Roman allies, had surrendered the bulk of northern Gaul to the Aedui and sued for peace. In 221, at the age of 18, Nvmerivs fought his first battle and won his first victory. In the 'Battle of Longvs Pass', Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo led LegioIII to victory over a superior number of Gauls who had the high ground.


(Site of the Battle of Longvs Pass, relative to Mediolanivm)

The battle wasn't clearly won, though. The Third had taken great losses and was sent back to Rome to replace the old, injured, and dead. A second legion was sent to defend Mediolanivm, but the Senate refused to risk leaving the city undefended. The Gauls had invaded twice, and Nvmerivs knew that they weren't going to give up now. With his own family's money, Nvmerivs hired Gallic mercenaries, both allies from Cisalpine Gaul territories and from tribes north of the mountains that were apposed to Aedui control.

In 220, Nvmerivs raided into territories north of the mountains and suffered a close defeat due to the incompitance of his Gallic horsemen. Though Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo had one more secret left to unleash on the Aedui. With a new combined army of Gallic horsemen and his uncle's superior Germanic horsemen mercenaries, Nvmerivs began raiding the Aedui anew.


(Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo and Germanian mercenaries)

This was a defining moment in Nvmerivs' life. He rode with Germans and Celts, living off the land, ambushing, and raiding villages. For a year he lived this way. Many Romans would have been discussed with the company and living conditions, but Nvmerivs was not. He learned with the Germans and learned from the Gauls. Before too long Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo had learned the secrets of how the Gauls fought and how to defeat them. Even the Senate took notice and gave comindation for his victories of the Aedui.

---

In 219, the aging Avlvs Manivs Cotta, who came from a family of managers - not warriors, attacked the tribes of Aquitae and conquered the city of Burdigala. This unsanctioned act was seen as an act of war by the Arverni. The Arverni had long struggled to take Aquitae and even though they were allies of Rome, twice saved from extermination, they marched against Cotta. Cotta defended Burdigala, but the Arverni needed to be punished for their insult against Rome.

Since all of the presigious men of Rome were fighting elsewhere, the Senate turned to the next best thing, a compitant man. So, in 219BC, Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo marched two legions and an army of mercenary horsemen over the Alps and into southern Gaul...

[Warmaster Horus]

Nice update! How often do you think you'll be able to update?
There's more to come about Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo, right?

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

There's more Nvmerivs coming. He still has two or three major events and and a couple name changes (only 1 ingame). My updating is spuratic (there has been other stuff I needed to do [that also didn't get done]), but I was thinking about the next part and I might post as soon as before morning. I was trying to use different forms for each entry, but 1 and 3 ended up the same boring style. I have an idea for my next one(s).

For anyone who is interested in "house rules", I posted the general rules I play by in the first post.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo Gallicvs
The Battle of Oltis


(Gaul c219BC)

Dearest Mother,

This is the first time I've been able to write you in quite some time. I hope
the gods find you, Honoria, and the baby all well. I still quietly greave father,
but know he would be proud of me now.

I have been assigned to the Seventh Legion and escaped the fate of the
Eighth Legion. Consul Asina seeks glory in the wastes of Iberia but I fear
that neither he nor the Eighth will ever be seen again. There are madmen in
those dark places. And no good civilized person knows anything about those
wild peoples. But that is not my fate

But the Seventh is a good group of men. The young men, like myself,
make up the Hastati, who fight in the first line. In the few months away, I
have already made good friends. Caivs, Titvs, Vibivs, Gneo, and I have
sworn an oath of friendship and swear to protect eachother in battle. Gneo
is a bit odd, but a good man. Perhaps he's had too much sun, farmer's son
after all. Our centurion is Tiberivs Alleivs, and he is quite the grizzled
soldier. Expects a lot from us too, sometimes pushing us to near breaking.

Our General is Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo, who leads LegioIII and LegioVII. He
is a pleb, but of high standing. They say he spends much of his time in the
company of mercenaries and barbarians. He even has a celtic 'prophet' who
knows the way of the woods. The stories I heard, of a pleb who defies the
ways of the world and rose to high standing, before I got here and the
stories I heard, of this wild man, total controdict eachother. The one time I
saw him, he rode with Germanics horsemen and was bearded. They say it
was a rarity to see him bearded, but for any Roman to go out like that is
indeed odd.

We assembled in Mediolanivm, but soon marched east toward Gaul.
General Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo didn't want to risk supply problems so he split
us up when crossing the great Alps. The general took the Third over the
mountains and the Seventh was sent along the coast. We followed the
coast and passed the mountains. As soon as the mountains began to shrink
away we beheld a strange sight. There in this barbarian land was a walled
Greek city.

I knew Massilia was a Greek city and Arverni protectorate. And that both
Massilia and Arverni were allied to Rome a few years ago. But I had no idea
that there were civilized people, though Greek, in a place like this. As we
neared the city, we began to see people travelling on the roads, to and from
farms. The people reminded me of the civilized Gauls near Mediolanivm but
with smug Greek attitudes. Outside the city walls stood the camp of the
Fifth Legion. About the time we were setting out on our campaign, General
Cotta had taken the city with little effort. Keep in mind this is not the one
everyone calls "Mad Cotta", who started this war, but his young cousin.

We spent a month near Massilia and Arelate, where we rejoined by General
Pavo and the Thrid Legion. Titvs nearly lost his entire ration in a game of
chance with a local Greek one day. Caivs claimed the Greek was cheating
and was ready to kill him, but Titvs stopped him, saying he was stupid to risk
his bread and it was not the Greek's fault he was out done. Caivs gave in
and the Greek ran off as fast as his old legs could carry him. I think he
needed that bread, and I think Titvs thought so too, most of the city's
stores were going to the Legions and the locals seemed to go wanting. I
expected to only encounter savage barbarians and didn't expect to see good
folk suffer as well.

We had planned to spend more time in the area and then have all three
Legions march on Gergovia, capital of the Arverni, but there was no time.
General Pavo received word that an Arverni army was gathering and about to
march on Narbonensis. So General Pavo took LegioIII and forced marched
east with LegioVII lagging behind.

And so near the Oltis river, General Nvmerivs Longvs Pavo met the armies
of the Arverni. LegioIII fought in open combat, both side not giving an inch.
The battle was a going nowhere and both sides tired. Then General Pavo
saw the right moment. He reenforced the line with the Triarii, fresh and
strong. Then he personally led the cavalry into the Arverni right flank. The
right flank broke and ran. Then the Gauls slowly peeled away until the whole
army was fleeing. The Third gave chase but were tired and many Gauls
escaped. When the Seventh arrived, it was all over and thousands of Gauls
and Romans lay dead or dying in the field of battle.

This next part I write you with hesitation. After the battle, devisions of
the Seventh were sent to find any lingering Gauls who had fled. Due to
Caivs' loud disturbances in camp the previous night, the five of us were
assigned to a group of five Germanic horsemen to scout out routed men.
The horsemen scouted on a tacking path while the five of us walked
straight. We had been at it most of the night and it must of been near
morning when the horsemen came to us. They said they had seen a fire and
believed it to be a dozen or so Gallic spearmen from the battle. So we
sneaked up, Germans on foot as well, and surrounded the small camp, where
nine hairy men huddled. Only one man had a shield, another a spear, but
they all seemed to have at least a blade. One man was on watch, but his
eyes looked like they had long since glazed over in deep thought or
regret...or maybe it was a deep fear like nothing I can amagine.

On the signal of the head scout, we jumped into the small clearing and
charged the huddle of men. A German on the other side threw a spear and I
saw the spearhead come out the back of one of the Gauls. I saw another
Gaul fall to a German just before a blade came down at my head. I was quick
enough and raised the small cavalry shield I carried to block. Then, without
thinking, I followed my training and stabbed. I could hear the Gallic blade
slide off my shield and to the ground. Slowly I lowered my shield and saw
the man's face. He looked directly into my eyes, blinked, and fell to the
ground...motionless...

I must finish now, for tommorrow we take down the camp and march north
to Gergovia. The Third is depleted and will say in Narbonensis, but General
Pavo will lead the Seventh north and I will get my first taste of true battle.

General Pavo says that he will endevor to keep mail routes open as
often and as long as he can, so please write me back and tell me of home.
And of what you will name the baby.

Your son,
Servivs Placidvs, 2nd Cohort, Hastati, Seventh Legion



EDIT: Small change. I got the time of the Gallicvs naming wrong. One battle too early.

[alatar]

Great read. I like the varition of the story telling.

[CaesarAugustus]

I was worried for a while that you weren't going to update this anymore, Marcus. I like how you vary the perspectives of the story each entry.

P.S. Why don't you turn off the green arrows?