Restless Natives in North Western Britannia (126AD)

[dadlamassu]

I have not posted for a long time due to illness, hospitals and a series of bereavements.
In this post I have taken a number of historical liberties and added a good measure of fiction.  But here is a picture heavy wargame - it may be more Hollywood than Tacitus but we had fun playing it.  

North Western Britannia (126AD)
It is early autumn, just before harvest season, in this part of Britannia and the local tribes have been mostly peaceful for a few years.  Last night a Briton came into the fort with a tale of violence, murder and destruction.  The strangeness was both in the tale and in the fact that the normally resentful and warlike Ordovices asked for help.  So the Prefect called upon you as the Centurio Regionalis to deal with this.  The Briton told this tale in almost perfect Latin.
“I am Vitriolix, headman of my village.  Two nights ago our watchman awakened me calling out that a woman from across the river had arrived.  This was not usually a reason to waken me but as the man was clearly shaken I asked to see her.  She was a young woman of about 15 summers.  She told that wolf skin changers had attacked her village killed all the men and carried off several women and children.  She had escaped by hiding in the branches of a tree in the forest as she had been tending the watch fire beside the tribe’s goat pen to keep the wolves at bay,” he paused to call in the girl.  She is a thin little thing probably younger than 15 summers.  She is wide eyed and obviously in awe of the arrayed might of Rome!  “If it please your, sir, she will tell her story.”  The girl entered with the Legate’s wife.
The waif spoke (in Brythonic translated by the headman for the Prefect though you understand the language) shakily at first but gained confidence as we looked on in silence, “I am Ursala, daughter of Liofar the blacksmith.  It was my turn to tend the watch fire at the goat pen.  In the night I heard the wolves howling and getting closer.  I called on the watchman and he told me to climb the tree while he went for some men.  He never returned.  The wolf skin changers attacked as he went into our village.  They came out of the forest leaping and howling like wolves.  I was too frightened to move.  I heard the screaming and fighting.  Then women crying and calling out as they were carried off.  I heard my older sister calling for our mother but she did not answer. Then silence.  I hid, hardly moving until morning.  I was too frightened to go into the village but I could see bodies in the open spaces and the forest wolves feasting upon them.  So I ran and ran until I reached Vitriolix’s village.”
Vitriolix spoke again, “The night attacks by wolf skin changers are told in folk tales to frighten children.  They are talked of by the oldest men and women in the village as tales of the Old Times but not in living memory.  The folk tales tell of warriors from the deep woods, Skin Changers they called them for they lived and behaved like wolves.  They even worshipped Cu Sith a Green Wolf.  In the tales they drove away all those they did not kill until the forest and land was empty of people.  Those people who fled the wolf men attacked other tribes and red war raged for many years.”
The Prefect looked around his officers as the girl left with his wife.  “What we have been told may or may not be true, there may or may not be wolf men.  But what is clear is that many Britons believe it.  Even so it may be the usual tribal raiding for women, slaves and cattle.” He looked at Vitriolix who nodded.  “And that being the case means that we could be seeing a tribal war starting that we will have to fight.  It is my intention to put a stop to this immediately.  And so, you, Centurion Maximus Bonus, will lead the expedition to wipe out these wolf impersonators.  If you can, bring back a few for interrogation and you can sell any captives as slaves.  You will take some of your famous garrison of Batavian cavalry and infantry commanded by Decurio Marcus Vindictus and Junior Centurion (first posting) with his detachment of Legio VI Victrix and some Thracian archers.  Vitriolix and a couple of his kinsmen have said they will also go as guides as far as the tribal boundary. They do not want to go into a rival clan’s territory as “Romans”.  (NOTE Batavians were famous for being able to swim in full armour either mounted or dismounted)
And so at first Bugle Call (dawn) you set off with every man carrying 7 days rations.  You arrive at the girl’s village at about the tenth hour a day later.  It is quiet and deserted, a few wolves scurry off at your approach leaving only crows to watch you. A quick look round reveals that there are indeed many dismembered and partly eaten bodies.  Unusually the village huts are intact and have not been ransacked.  The three Britons scouted round the perimeter and found a trail to follow.
NOTE:  The Romans divided daylight into 12 hours and darkness into 12 hours.  So summer daytime hours are longer than night hours or winter hours – particularly in Britannia.
As it is late you decide to camp near, but not in, the village and move on in the morning.  A good decision as it turned out as next morning your tame Britons found signs that the raiders and the wolf men or others had returned and rummaged through the huts.
All day you marched through wealthy farmland and a forest until the Britons scouting ahead ran back to tell you that there was a wide clearing a few miles ahead and a large village.  In it they could see about twenty warriors.  There were some women and men tied together in an animal pen that was guarded. At the Consilium you decide, as is usual practice, to make a camp for the night.  With two Centurions Odius Barfus and Marcus Vindictus you decide on the split of forces. The mules are to be kept loaded in case of a hasty retreat.  It will not be a proper camp, just enough to be a rally point.  The Britons said they would accompany you to seek revenge for the child’s parents.
So do you attack now, at dusk, during the night or at dawn?  Do you loot the village as a signal to others that harbouring raiders or making raids will not be tolerated under the Pax Romana (Roman Peace/Law)

The column advances with the cavalry leading

A local woman foraging is spotted and tells the Scouts (Exploratores) and Decurio that there are Cu Sith (men who dress as wolves) on the hilltop. 

Impetuously the Decurio charges off and and his troopers follow.  Two troopers and a scout suddenly stop terrified when they come upon a Werewolf as well as the Cu Sith. 

Meanwhile the column encounters two young women out collecting mushrooms.  They either don't know anything about the captured villagers or at not saying anything.

Up on the hilltop the cavalry charge and are spectacularly successful against the Cu Sith.  (NOTE:  the werewolf was actually a large warrior.  The Scout rolled poorly (Superstion result) and saw what he expected to see - a giant werewolf. When engaged the figure was replaced by a warrior figure.)

Recklessly charging on towards the village the cavalry crash into slingers and a warband.  Riding down the surprised slingers, showering javelins onto the equally surprised warband.


The Infantry are ambushed by slingers and a warband.  Those women must have known about them!

A downhill charge and the tribal warband is broken.  The cavalry only take a few light wounds in return. 

The infantry drive off the ambushers taking a few casualties and the Centurio Regionalis takes a very deep and nasty gash in his right leg.


Cavalry to the rescue!

And the Infantry too!

The rescued villagers were escorted back to their homes.  The booty from the villages was shared out according to custom and a portion alloted to the family of each dead and wounded Roman and Auxiliary.  A successful foray into the dark druid infested lands.

[Robert Vermaat]

Nice!