GM NOTE: This scenario reflects the game style, ranks, and practices of the "Old Roman Legion" and may not accurately represent the history of the current game's storyline. Consult with a GM before referencing any component of this scenario.

It had been several months since the ferocious battle at Ostia. The City
itself was now drained of food and supply. The navy had laid its chips with
Antoninus Maxus, and so did most of Rome. The soldiers, it seemed, were
motivated by the showing of Marius. Marius had ordered a raiding party further
to the south which had returned with needed equipment and food. Even some new
soldiers were among them.



The words of Pertinax Veno echoed as if from a nightmare from his grave... "oh
foolish and idealistic Rome, can you not see that one is meant to rule, the
others meant to stoop!". Marius Aelius was bent on destruction of Antoninus



Maxus, a man he held great contempt for. Postumus Varro, who had resigned
himself to only political matters, and at that he was extremely diplomatic and
difficult to read. Postumus rode out with some of his friends under the flag of
the Owl, obviously intending to bear warning. Postumus had worn only plain white
clothes as had his friends, so they were clearly coming in a diplomatic sense.




Manlius Varro smiled and rode up to greet his brother. "You have come to join
us!"



Postumus' eyes were full of contempt for his brother, "no brother, I have come
to speak to Marius Aelius, should you permit me passage."



Manlius frowned and held his head low and motioned to his soldiers. They
snatched Postumus from his horse, and snatched his friends as well from theirs.
"They come unarmed and with no money General". One of the Centurions commented
gruffly.



"Then allow them passage, and see they meet Marius Aelius, when he is ready for
them that is." Manlius demeanor was no different than Postumus.



Marius was cautious of Postumus' arrival and took every precaution in preparing
himself for the every possibility of Postumus' reasoning. "Speak, and make haste
brother."



Postumus smiled and paced "True, brothers we are by my father's adoption of you.
True still, though, his manner you do not bear."



Marius narrowed his eyes and stood pointing vigorously "It is the nature of some
to be spat upon, and the nature of others to snatch up those who wrong them."



"And you have been wronged?" Postumus immediately dove into Marius' mind,
feeling for some kind of reasoning.



"I have." Marius was now more soft spoken, and reflective. "I have been greatly
wronged, that is no secret, but more than the insults which Rome has laid upon
me, are the insults of men who call themselves my friends who did nothing to
change the situation. Worse still is the one chosen to sit where I should have
sat."



Postumus face was strained as he searched for the words. "Its no secret how you
felt when Braeus selected him as champion, the man who would lead us all. I know
you don't believe in the words of the Cybil which predicted his reign, and I
know as well you believe you are the one of the strong and hidden blade who will
cut him down. You should have been Emperor. If my father and Augustus Aelius had
lived, you surely would have been. But you have pitted Rome in mortal struggle
with her own hands against her own throat choking her life away. The Empire
cannot withstand another Civil War."



"It MUST. It must..." Marius was not giving in. The situation is too far gone
Postumus. Save your pity, your sympathy, and your understanding for matters of
the Senate. You know nothing of the ways of war and the pulse of a General's
heart. Antoninus Maxus is an affront! A common plebian Emperor of all Rome, and
at that an incompetent one."



"But not an incompetent General..." Postumus provoked.



"Bravely spoken Postumus. I see the many faces you wear. You are and have never
been a friend to me."



Postumus looked to the floor then into Marius' eyes. "Then it is too far gone,
the dye is cast?"



Marius wiped a tear from his eye. "It is."



With that Marius called for his soldiers who came in and snatched the group of
Postumus and his friends. Safe passage back to Rome was provided. As Postumus
was upon his horse he looked into his brother Manlius' eyes "One of us, brother,
will surely perish by the choices we have made."



Manlius wondered "And who will it be?"



Postumus slapped his horse and began to ride off with his friends "The maelstrom
has only just begun to swirl..."

---------

meanwhile

---------

As the night grew darker, Verius knew that things were getting worse then he had
seen. Something needed to be done and there were few people that might have a
chance to finish this before Roman blood had to be spilled within the walls of
her Capital. Verius quickly composed several scrolls and with the ink still wet
they were sent in various directions to their given destinations.



Verius then called for his servants and protectors, being a member of the senate
had provided him with a bit of security so that he could still travel through
the streets with some amount of safety. On to the house of the Pius family.



Sextus Pius was an up and coming politician and the descendant of a long lost
friend to Verius. “Sextus, we need to talk and it needs to be somewhere where
there are NO ears that can listen. These days there seemed to be an ear on every
wall."



Verius and Sextus together planned and discussed what needed to be done, but was
this possible and was it the right thing to do? The messages were already sent,
so it must be done.



“Sextus, you are going to be placing yourself in harms way. The chances that we
will survive is not good, but I believe this is what needs to be done.”



Sextus sat back in his chair and looked towards the ceiling of the small room.
With a sigh he looked at Verius, “We must do what we must do, there is a reason
we were brought together tonight.”



"Marius doesn't realize new elections have been called in Rome. We will throw
the pretend support of the Senate to Marius. Marius will, in the end, believe
it. I will make sure he does. Its the only plan that can turn the gate in our
favor" Verius spoke with deliberation.



Sextus was sharp "And who is the swinging gate?"



Verius poured some wine and offered figs and honey to Sextus "Tomidius Varro!"

---------

Meanwhile

---------

Marius Aelius was planning the next step in his plan to dethrone Antoninus when
one of his men came rushing in



Marius looked up from his planning...the situation in Ostia was grim and
Postumus' recent victory gave no good feeling. "Yes, what is it?" Marius was
hasty.



The Legionnaire saluted. "General this scroll comes with the seal of the senate"



Marius snatched the scroll out of the soldier’s hands and began to read it.
After reading it, he looked at the messenger and said, "do you know the
implications of this scroll?"



"No sir, I do not, is it good news from Rome?"



Marius began to stride about the Room with a glib look upon his face holding the
scroll aloft. "YOU SEE Manlius!" Marius called out to his most ardent opponent,
"You see how even the senate realizes the pathetic rule of our so called
Emperor. Emperor! He is not fit for a slave!"

The room burst into laughter.



With that the look on the messenger’s look turned to disgust.



"You do not share in my joy, why is that?” inquired Marius.



"On my way to deliver this to you, I was given another scroll. This one came
from one of the posts you set up between Rome and Tomidius to intercept messages
between the two."



Marius opened the scroll and began to read, "Dear Tomidius. My old Friend. Tis
been too long since we have spoken to one another. Things are bad, worse then I
have seen before. I fear that Antoninus has caused these problems. He is a
tyrant and a liar. The only good he looks out for is his one. I know that you
have always been loyal to him and I am sorry for what I am about to do. I
believe that it is best for me to join Marius and help him from a non-military
point of view. Things need to be made right and Antoninus is not the right man
to do that. Please forgive me as I know you cannot understand this. Signed, your
friend Verius Thrax "



Upon reading this the look of delight grew even greater on the face of Marius.
It was confirmed that at least part of the senate was coming around...finally!
Marius was gleeful, even Tomidius Servo was being told by the Senate of their
support of Marius' cause. The end of Antoninus' reign seemed imminent and Marius
Aelius sent scrolls, without his seal, to Tomidius Varro.



-Tomidius, all is successful. The Senate has thrown me their sword and we shall
plunge it into the heart of Rome. The 200,000c I had promised you can be found
with my servants in the house of Aelius.

~MA

---------

Meanwhile

---------

Livia Julia Agrippa was uneasy, and her heart and soul could find no peace in
this terrible and accursed conflict. At the temple of Venus she prayed for hours
on end for days. "Please, beloved and noble Venus, guide my heart to dull the
blade of vengeance, and put peace into the hearts of men who have hardened"



On the fourth day of prayer, her aloud prayers were heard, not by Venus, but by
Verius Pollio. Verius put his hand on her shoulder without her noticing he was
approaching. She quickly whirled around and her eyes shot to his and immediately
came to her feet. "I am most sorry, I did not intend to speak aloud." She turned
to leave.



Verius smiled "You have nothing to fear from me."



Livia stopped and looked back at Verius. "In these times everyone has reason to
fear."



"Soft words and a kind heart...often dull the blades of angry men."



Livia smiled at Verius and the two shared a moment together. "It is a shame you
are already marries Verius, your wife is very lucky."



Verius nodded "Perhaps, but so will be some husband some day"



Livia thanked Verius for his kind words and understanding. The normally aloof
Verius perhaps was more honey than salt after all...

---------

meanwhile

---------



Qaestra Vespa Pius read the letter once more. Now that it was committed to
memory, she threw it into the fire, just as she had done with the previous one.
It was time to make a move. She walked to the Temple of Venus as if everything
was fine, and luckily she ran into her brother Dominus Maximus.



"Maximus, I need to speak with you urgently," she said, looking calm and
friendly as not to attract attention. He followed her into her home, where she
related the story.



"Q. Marcus Agrippa sent me a few letters. I have responded of course. We both
feel that it is necessary to attempt peace with Marius Aelius. He is recruiting
Faricus Servo, my fellow Servant of Venus. Tonight we are meeting at the Temple
of Venus to leave for Ostia. I need you to know this so that should some ill
come of our meeting, at least one will know of our intentions."



After a bit of discussion, he decided to accompany her. They would make their
move that night, at the Temple of Venus.



Upon reaching the gates of the city, they couldn't believe it...Antoninus was
launching the attack on Ostia! Without proper training to the recruits...why?
The group of them made their way back to Agrippa's house not knowing what could
possibly be happening. One thing was for sure, there would be new of battle...if
Marius lost perhaps peace could be reached?

---------

meanwhile

---------

Marius soldiers assembled with the news of Antoninus' march. Antoninus had
replenished the losses of his earlier battle to an extent, but with barely
trained but fully equipped auxiliaries. Marius troops had been forced to plunder
to keep themselves fed and were very salty and veteran at this point. The
thought of the conquest of the position for Marius gave them great pleasure as
they knew they would be fat from the wealth that would be theirs.



By twelve in the afternoon the Emperors army was formed for attack. Some 57,000
or more.



"Who is the commander? I cannot see" Marius desperately tried to identify the
commander.



"It is Tomidius Flaccus Tomidius Servo. There is no doubt." Dominus Carus was
sure.



"Why does he go against me if the senate has thrown support for me!? The war is
over!" Marius' mind went into motion.



"Praetor!" an officer began shouting. "Tomidius Varro approaches from the south
he is here to aid us!"



The Emperor's legions were now approaching the somewhat fortified Ostian
outskirts.



Marius turned to Dominus Carus who turned to Marius Aelius. "By the sake of the
GODS! The senate has NOT thrown us support! Get a message out to the southern
flank immediately! Attack Tomidius Varro all out attack break through his legion
and encircle the right flank of the Imperial Army!" Marius was frantic.



"By the Gods...that worthless Verius Thrax..." Dominus couldn't believe his
misfortune.



The warning arrived to Manlius Varro on the southern front. "Attack them?
Preposterous they are here to help."



"Praetor Aelius says to strike now!" The centurion continued to plea the
Praetor's demands.



Manlius Varro tore off the white tie that he and all those fighting in the color
of the old Republic and flung it to the ground. "TO HELL WITH MARIUS AELIUS!"
Some of his soldiers cried out with cheers, others with cheers to kill the
defiant Varro. "I will not strike down my own cousin whilst he is in service of
OUR Emperor and obviously our Senate!" Manlius' blade came down against the
Centurions collarbone and cut him a grievous wound from which blood spilled out
against the green grass beneath him. Manlius Varro's legion erupted into fights
amongst its men.



Marius Aelius did not know the situation in the south for twenty more minutes.
By the time he knew, Tomidius Varro's troops already were mopping up the
rebellius factions of Manlius Varro's legion. Manlius did not survive.



Dominus Carus presented himself in front of the Praetor Marius Aelius "The
Imperial soldiers will be to us in fifteen minutes. Tomidius Varro approaches
from the south."



"How could this be..." Marius was in shock "We will retreat north, to Aquitania.
That is our only hope."



ROME (Imperial) - 2,200

ROME (rebellious) - 4,000 (legion IX converts to Antoninus Maxus)



---------------------------------------------------

Marius Aelius, Postumus Varro, Tiberius Dio, Verius Thrax, Sextus Pius, Nero
Daia, Tacitus Dio, Actius Carus Dio, Decenaeus Aelius, Hadrius Septimus Thrax,
Quintillius Marcus Agrippa, Faricus Servo, Livia Julia Agrippa, Justius Didius
Alus,