Septimus stood atop the rampart on the allied camp. It was the night before the battle and just like every other battle he had fought in his life his stomach was in knots. The Magister per Oriens had fought in a variety of places and with a variety of forces. In Beglica he fought against the ‘Gothones’ with survivors from the tribal army and recruits he trained himself from the area surrounding Gesoriacum. In Britannia, he fought with his private bodyguard, a group of picked legionaries from VII Antiqua, Praetorians commanded by his brother Germanicus, an auxilia cohors of Germanic warriors, and an army of Durotriges, Silures, and Ancalities. Then in Armenia during the Persian War, Septimus put together the strategy and tactical plan that the entire northern army followed and led to the defeat of their Persian foe. Now, he stood in Nubia, far from those places with an army just as varied, awaiting the newest challenge that Mars put before him.


== Before Sunrise, Day of Battle ==

“He came at me like a berserker, there was no stopping him. Those boys don’t know how to wear armor, but they know how to fight for certain. When the horn blew and the other cohorts leaped up and charged the Immortal lines, I wheeled about and stuck the first one of those bastards I saw.” The legionaries of VII Antiqua were going through the same ritual that they partook in before every battle. The soldiers, whether they were from Antiqua or not, sat around camp fires inside their fortifications and retold story after story of braze deeds and brushes with death.

The young – compared to the grizzled veterans of Antiqua – legionaries of Legio III Virtutis began coming out of their tents as they heard the stories being told by the old men, some of whom were in their 60’s by now. They marveled at what these men had lived through and it gave them hope for what they had to face that day.


== Dawn, Day of Battle ==

A council of war had been convened the previous night. Orders were given and each commander knew what he had to do. On the extreme right flank of the army, Hyparchos Kleon had command of all the cavalry forces. Most of which was already Egyptian, but there were also nearly 100 heavy cavalry from VII Antiqua and another nearly 450 light cavalry from the legion. Mixed into the cavalry wing were 500 Egyptian light infantry and 1,000 Egyptian archers to support their mounted allies.

The Cohors II Libya – a cohors which Septimus placed special trust in because of the glory their unit commanded after their role in the Libyan Uprising – was under his personal command with his bodyguard of 200 men.

To the left of the cavalry stood 6 cohorts from VII Antiqua. The legionaries stood in a tight formation, each prepared to die for their brother from Sardinia to their left, right, front and back. This flank was commanded by Severius Genucius, the legate of VII Antiqua who had already led the legion on to victories in two separate Libyan engagements.

To their left there were nearly 3,000 Egyptian militiamen who guarded the flanks of the unit which held the center; 2,000 Thebian Taxis troops would stand tall and hold the center of the allied army. These men were veterans, and would do their job well as long as their flanks were protected. On the other side stood another 3,000 Egyptian militiamen.

And on the left of these militiamen stood another five cohorts from VII Antiqua and one cohort from III Virtutis. These six cohorts stood as the second anchor force on the left extreme of the allied line – with the exception of 1,000 Egyptian light infantry and 2,000 Nubian militiamen. They were commanded on this flank by Tribune Rufus Sabaco who Septimus had brought along on this journey to test the young man’s worth.

In front of this main battle line stood 9,000 Egyptian, Nubian, and Roman light infantry. The Roman light infantry were Libyan spearmen who were fleet of foot and wore lorica hamata armor, helms, carried oval shields, and spears but also carried – and were reasonably proficient in the use of – slings. For this reason, the 1,500 auxiliaries from III Libya stood in front of their Egyptian and Nubian counterparts. In the same skirmish line as the Egyptian and Roman light infantry stood 1,500 Egyptian archers as well.

In reserve, Septimus kept a flexible force of nearly 2,000 legionaries, 1,000 Egyptian heavy infantry styled something like Roman legionaries, 1,000 Egyptian archers, 500 light cavalry, 6,000 Nubian militia and 2,000 Nubian light infantry.


The lieutenants were on the field and aware of the situation. Tribune Sabaco commanded the left flank of the army (encompassing the legionaries and light infantry force by the river), Taxiarkhos Onesiphoros commanded the center (with his hardened Taxis unit and the militia bands on either side of it), and on the right flank stood Legate Genucius whose sole responsibility were the legionaries under his command. The entirety of the cavalry was under the direction of Egypt’s senior cavalry commander, Hyparchos Kleon. Even the skirmishing line was following the direction of the Roman Prefect Appius Vedius.

Magister per Oriens Varro, Basilios Theophanese, and King Teqerideamani of Lower Nubia all sat with their private bodyguards behind the lines of troops to watch, and when need be move reserves into the fray.


== Battle Lines, Day Of ==

Severius went over the plan of battle in his head. During the council of war the previous night, Magister Varro had pointed out that when the battle began, there would be large amounts of dust kicked up into the air, making pre-battle planning a must. And the allied force planned on using this to their advantage.

When the light infantry went into combat in front of the main army, and the cavalry began to skirmish along the right wing, all would be still on the main line for awhile as they watched the battle unfold. But as the dust began to rise, the advance would be sounded and the main army would move up. Now there was no way to keep the enemy from knowing of the main army’s advance, the sound of horns carries through the dense clouds of dust. However, while the light infantry was retreating back through the center of the formation (mostly through the militia units flanking the Taxis unit) the wings – consisting of 3,000 Roman legionaries each – would adopt a wedge formation and charge into the enemy flanks. With the blessing of Mars and Venus Victrix the enemy wouldn’t realize – with their wings in the thick of the dust – that they were in jeopardy.

Septimus looked to the Pharaoh and then to the King who sat beside him, “Shall we begin?” asked the Magister Militum.

“Very well Strategos,” said Theophanese, “begin your battle.”


== Allied Skirmishing Line, Day of ==

The horns had sounded and the advance had begun. Prefect Appius Vedius stared into the oncoming enemy lines with dismay. This was his first large scale battle and it was his first time fighting at all with his new command, Cohors III Libya.

As the line approached the enemy, 200 yards away, Appius looked to the cornicen and gave him a nod, “Sound the alert and discharge” he said. When the two notes blew concurrently, the Libyan soldiers pulled out their slings and began whirling them above their heads and each when he thought appropriate began sending his projectiles towards the oncoming enemy infantry.

The slings were deadly and as the enemy drew within 150 yards the archers who were lined up amongst the Egyptian light infantry began firing their ‘gifts’ to the Ptolemies and Southern Nubians as well. The front ranks of the enemy line were pelted and many of the un-armored militia began falling to the wounds. But from somewhere above men of III Libya began to fall to the ground. Appius looked up to see skirmishers atop the ridges that the enemy army had formed themselves into. As if it was inevitable, the Nomadic slingers let loose a barrage of their own. It fell upon the men of Cohors III Libya, inflicting a few casualties. Immediately, the mercenary slingers began to prepare themselves to let loose another barrage.

“Send for the archers to target those ridges!” shouted the new prefect.

One hundred yards out, the line was closing with the enemy and the barrage intensified. Each man in III Libya moved with super-human speed, as if the more of the enemy they brought down before they engaged them in hand-to-hand combat the better their chances of survival. The archers had diverted their attention from the enemy’s main force to the skirmishers atop the ridges and were proving fairly effective, though the confusion wrought by the slingers above did no good for Allied morale. From their position behind the Roman and Egyptian light infantry, they were relatively free from the main barrage of sling stones, but as their fire began to hone in on its targets, some of the enemy skirmishers began to turn their attention to the archers, while others continued to target the men of III Libya.

Fifty meters, Appius looked worriedly at the ridge, still swarming with skirmishers. He looked at a messenger beside him, “Tell the centurions to focus their fire on the ridge, one barrage on my order. The man nodded and ran off, shouting the order to the centurions he spotted. The slings ceased firing and when Appius knew the force was ready he looked to the cornacen, “Fire!” as the note blasted a swarm of stones, nearly 1,000 of them at once moved with a buzz that was faintly audible over the sounds of the light infantry marching.

The stones hit the enemy skirmishers with a deadly effect. Men fell from the ridges and stones pelted the formation, causing some confusion on the ridge. Officers attempted to restore order and get the men firing once more, with little initial success.

He looked back to the same man, “Sound the halt. Draw weapons.” As the new notes blasted each man in the cohors retied his sling to his armor and then in one fluid motion pulled the spear that was his main weapon out from behind his shield. They lined up and looked into the face of the approaching enemy. Appius looked down the line at the men who readied themselves, then behind him and saw the Egyptian infantry drawing their blades. The eques drew his spatha blade and held it above his head, then with his scutum in the other hand, he dropped his arm as he shouted for the charge. His voice was drowned out by the horns blowing and then the war-cry of the massive formation of light infantrymen, Egyptian, Nubian, and Roman each trying to outdo the other and gain glory for their state and for their leaders who were all watching from the rear.


== Extreme Right, Kleon’s Cavalry ==

Hyparchos Kleon surveyed the scene he was watching. His orders had been to use the cavalry advantage of the allied force to provide as much support as possible to the light infantry screen while still keeping a sizeable portion of his cavalry in reserve for any “what ifs” that might come up. From his position he could see that the enemy’s cavalry was staying as far away from the allied contingent as possible. The small unit of Nubian nobles, nomadic mercenaries, and Ptolemaic cavalry would have a difficult enough time holding the army’s flank, much less launching any offensives.

He looked out into the fray of light infantry that was just beginning and then looked towards his own light skirmishing cavalry, “Send the light skirmishers forward to draw away or inflict whatever casualties possible on the enemy cavalry.” The messenger nodded and kicked his mount into a gallop across the line of awaiting cavalry. The orders were carried out.


== Right Flank, Legio VII Antiqua ==

Severius Genucius watched from atop his mount just behind the 1st line of legionaries. The battle had been waging for nearly two hours now. For the first half hour there was perfect visibility and the main fighting line watched as the light infantry and cavalry worked away at the enemy force. The infantry lost no ground, though their force was steadily being depleted by a now reformed batch of skirmishers and the push of the enemy infantry line. The cavalry had been and was still – according to reports – harassing the enemy cavalry and inflicting minor casualties with bows and spears. The enemy had responded by focusing some of their own skirmishers fire to attempt to draw the enemy cavalry away, a decision which yielded hardly any results.

But now the center of the field and the eastern side (the allied left) were completely covered in dust and the allied right was hardly visible as a giant cloud of the Nubian earth drifted towards the east from the cavalry engagement.

From behind the main line, Severius heard the horn blow to signal the withdrawal of the light infantry. Immediately afterwards he heard the sound calling for the advance of the main fighting line. The horns blew and the standards around him inclined forward as the legionaries, militia, phalanges, and light infantry all stepped forward with a remarkable thud. After a few minutes of marching the light infantry was finally within sight. It was time…

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The Upper Nubian Center
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King Adikhalamani looked upon the battlefield before him with a steady gaze. His men were holding, though not quite as he had wished. Enemy cavalry skirmishers had been harassing the only real cavalry contingent he had, and because of that he was forced to further withdraw them behind the infantry line on his Right. It was of no consequence though; he relied on the natural barriers of the rocky, arid land surrounding the Cataract and the ridges to shield the men on his flanks.

“The enemy line is pulling away, your Majesty.”

The young King nodded, “Yes… Make sure the line is steady. No pursuit. Keep the men contained.”

The rider nodded, “Yes sir,” then kicked off to relay his message to the officers.


== Rear of Allied Army, Commanders ==

It had been hours since Septimus could actually see the battle unfolding before him. But messengers continually rode up to the three leaders and delivered dispatches on the army’s progress or lack thereof. But it was minutes ago when the main line began to march and they were still just within sight, especially the right flank where the dust was somewhat less dense.

“Sound the formation and charge,” stated Septimus calmly. The cornicen took a deep breath and issued the order to the army, and it was immediately passed on by other cornicens throughout the army. Septimus watched with a smile on his face as the right wing’s legionaries formed into a giant wedge, the base flank of which was flush with the formation of Egyptian militiamen. The whole army dashed into a double march with the exception of the Roman legionaries who went into an all out sprint to gain as much momentum as possible before colliding with the enemy line.

Septimus watched with growing interest as the legionaries began to take the lead of the rest of the army and it began to trouble him. “Send in the rest of Virtutis’ cohorts and the remainder of the Egyptian heavy infantry to cover the gaps that might form between the legionaries and the militia.” The messenger galloped off to carry his message and within moments the Egyptian heavy infantry was heading towards the right flank and the cohorts from Virtutis towards the left.


== Left Flank, Tribune Rufus Sabaco’s Line ==

Rufus waited for the signal, feeling a bit nervous. This was his first taste of combat. He looked at his who stood in perfect formation and felt reassured. These were the best soldiers in the world, all he had to do was lead them to glory.

Suddenly the horns were blown. Rufus quickly ordered his men to advance. The legionnaires began marching steadily towards the left flank.

“Come on men, let’s show these dogs the might of Rome.” The distance between both armies was rapidly closed especially when the sound to charge rang out.

“Throw Pila!” The men raised their hands over their heads and in unison threw their pila at the enemy, killing many of the militia soldiers and disrupting a number of their formations, though inflicting very light casualties on the enemy Phalanx and Nubian regulars. The ones who died were quickly replaced by those behind though.

“Charge men, get in there!” shouted Tribune Sabaco. The legionnaires thrust their swords and rushed the enemy with their shields in front, deflecting the weapons of the enemy light infantry. The main point of the wedge ran into the majority of the Nubian forces on the right flank of their army. The Nubian infantry braced themselves, and those who had spears stuck them forward. Impact was a bloody mess, as both legionary and Nubian alike fell upon the dry ground. The fairly unseasoned legionaries of the Allied army stuggled initially the Nubian infantry on the enemy’s immediate Right, but eventually cut into them as the Ptolemaic phalanx moved forward to the allied right.

It didn’t take long for the full weight of the enemy right flank to fall upon the legionary formation. To their right and left, unseen through the dust, was a formation of Ptolemaic Phalanx in Nubia. Almost 1,000 Macedonian style hoplites stood against the overwhelming number of legionaries. As the Nubian militia began to falter, the Nubian regulars began to close in on the legionary left in an attempt to do as much damage as possible.

Rufus looked horridly at the approaching disaster. It didn’t take him long to figure out what to do and he began barking out orders to one of the legionary cohorts to follow his lead. With support from the Egyptian light infantry and militiamen which had pulled in tight to the Roman formation from the pressure of the Ptolemies, Rufus began pushing his way onto the enemy’s flank, just behind where the wedge stopped on the extreme allied left.

The pressure from this new attack began to turn the enemy phalanx’s attention from the Roman wedge to the new threat on their flank. Without the heavy spears to put distance between them and the new onslaught of legionaries and light infantry, the Ptolemies had to begin resorting to their short swords, with which they were far less proficient. Rufus shouted encouragement as his men began to turn the tide of the battle, “Come on men. This is your duty to save your brothers, now don’t let them down!”

Meanwhile, the legionaries inside of the wedge did as they were ordered in the event of running into the Ptolemaic phalanx. They halted their push with the wedge formation and began moving back into the traditional rectangular formation to deny a hard fought and costly battle with the Ptolemies. The tactic worked to preserve the lives of Antiqua’s men and not needlessly throw them away on a direct conflict with a strong phalanx formation. The hollow interior of the wedge – made by the reduction of one cohort by Tribune Sabaco – made it easier for the legionaries to pull backwards.

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The Upper Nubian Center
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“Excellency, the enemy is breaking through the Phalanx and wreaking havoc on the Right. What orders do you wish me to relay, sire?”

Adikhalamani hesitated at first, fixing his gaze upon the mess to his Right. If he did lose his Right, there would be no chance of victory on the field. Though his reserve was made up of poor quality militiamen only, a veritable mess of Meroan rabble with hardly any combat experience.

“Commit half the reserves to the Right!” Adikhalamani commanded, careful not to let his posture wane. Still, the rabble of militiamen would hardly be enough to hold back the onslaught, “Spread the center of the Phalanx and attempt to repel their Right. Go!”

== Allied Center ==

Taxiarkhos Onesiphoros breathed easily as he watched his men keep the enemy back with minimal casualties to themselves. The Nubian militia were no match for the elite phalanx of the Egyptian army, but the near 2,000 Phalanx deployed in the center had the Egyptian army at an even match. He scoffed at the audacity of the Ptolemaic phalanx to assume that they could continue to spread their line out – with one end fighting the Romans and the other end keeping back the Taxis unit – and still keep back his men at the same time.

The veteran commander breathed easily in the dust-covered air as he leaned up on his mount and surveyed the enemy phalanx and the militia in front of him. He called an order out to his lieutenants, “Prepare to push the phalanx into the enemy center.” He then quickly turned to a messenger rider near him, “Go, tell Strategos Varro that Taxis is charging forward. We require a number of units to seal its flanks.” The young boy sprinted off.


== Rear of the Lines ==

Septimus nodded at the notice from Taxiarkhos and looked out onto the forces available to him. The 1st Cohort of VII Antiqua stood ready to go into battle. The veterans of the Moesian war, the Civil war against Justius Julianus, many of them fought in Britannia with Septimus, the Eastern war against Persia, twice victors in Libya, and those who fought pirates in the Mare Internum were now preparing to face another foe. And for their aging frames, the constant upkeep of battle was not something they could easily do. This is why Septimus had kept them back, their expertise he wanted to throw into the fray at just the right moment.

“Give Primus Pilus Spurrius the order to move into the center. He’s to engage the Ptolemaic phalanx but deny an outright melee. Tell him ‘Protect the flank of the Taxis and don’t squander the lives of our men.’”

The battle was completely beyond the sight of Septimus at this point. If he could not see the enemy formations, there was no chance that the enemy generals could see what he was doing. So Septimus decided it was time to put his biggest gambit yet into action.

“Form the archers and Nubian infantry, Cohors II Libya, on your commander,” he said with a voice full of determination, “Nubian militia to follow the column.” The said units began to move from the positions they had kept since the beginning of the battle. The Nubian infantry were the most fleet of foot in the army and they would provide excellent aids to the cavalry wing Septimus was preparing to throw into action. The archers did not have to be in the thick of the fighting, but they would do very well to harass the enemy.

The formation began moving out towards the right flank of the allied army. Septimus sent messengers into the cavalry fray to find Strategos Kleon and inform him of the movement. The cavalry commander knew that this was coming and so dispatched his picked heavy cavalry from the Egyptian army and a number of other close combat troopers to join the Magister Militum’s column.

Now, the column was nearly 8,000 men strong. Nearly four thousand Nubian light infantry, 2,000 Egyptian archers, and nearly 1,500 picked cavalry. Not including the 6,000 Nubian militiamen who were following along. Septimus wheeled his horse around, the group was still protected by cover from the right flank’s cavalry engagement, “Men! Soldiers! We have one purpose and one purpose alone! We are going to end this engagement here and now. We are going to end this war here and now. Nubians!” he said in Kione Greek for the learned within the militia’s ranks to understand better and therefore translate the words to their men, “Do your part well and you will have earned your place here with the victors,” he turned towards the cavalry, still speaking in Greek, “Move with purpose and skill, the man who brings me back the head of the enemy king will be given 10 times his years pay by me! Let us save our brothers who are fighting bitterly on the front lines, let us carry this battle!” He kicked his mount, followed by the 200 heavy horsemen who followed him everywhere, and moved towards the men in Cohors II Libya, “I have shown you favor during your enlistments” he finally said in Latin, “and I will continue to do so. I have great trust in you men” he said looking straight at the leather clad figures who were survivors of the horrific siege during the Libyan Uprising, “and I have great trust in your prefect. Do not let me down and you will reap the benefits.”

Septimus kicked his mount into a canter and lifted his blade into the air. The standard bearer that carried the silver scorpion of Septimus’ house followed closely along, letting all know where the Magister Militum was.


== Respite, Journey to the Heavens ==

Venus sat in the middle of a group of lesser deities and looked towards the one exception, “I think he’s going to be victorious,” she stated confidently to Mars.

“If he is, then all of Rome will sing his praises,” then the god of war looked back to Italia, “and conflict will spread from this area to the whole of the Empire.”

The assembly of gods watched through the white clouds at a small representation of Nubia on a floating globe. Magister Militum Pompeius Septimus Varro was eyed by the assembled deities as his cavalry wing swung around flank of the Ptolemaic – Nubian Army. The Nubian militiamen did their job and turned hard into the enemy’s wing, putting a great amount of pressure on their horse units.

When the Roman general cleared the front line, the column – looking more and more like a spear to the gods – headed straight for the lightly armed mercenaries that fired their missiles and sling stones from behind the front line, but before making contact and therefore slowing down their charge before they made it to the enemy king, Septimus wheeled the column right while 4,000 Nubian light infantry and 2,000 Egyptian archers burst out of the cavalry formation and slammed into the awaiting missile troops.

“Go my son,” said one of the deities, almost under his breath, “Venus, protect his standard and carry him to victory,” asked the concerned man with pleading eyes.

Venus looked at her servant who had been always faithful, “I will Pompeius.”


== Rear of the Enemy Army ==

In an all out gallop now, Septimus and fifteen hundred picked cavalry charged headlong towards the Upper Nubian king’s bodyguard. The enemy had appeared by complete surprise and as they bore down onto the king, his chariot driver began to turn the war machine around.

Septimus rode in the midst of the cavalry spear but wanted to better see what was happening so he began to maneuver his horse to the right of the flying column of troopers. Once he and his bodyguard were outside of the enormous cloud of dust kicked up by the thundering horses he could make out the Nubian King moving away from the engagement that had just begun between his bodyguards and the Egyptian heavy cavalry. The elite bodyguard of the King of Upper Nubia fought ferociously but they soon began being overwhelmed by the elite Egyptian cavalry.

In a fit of determination, Septimus Varro, his bodyguard, and most of the 500 men in II Libya ran headlong for the king, knowing that this could end the battle for them and perhaps the war. The son of the Divus Pompeius spurred his horse to move faster and faster. They closed the distance rapidly and the men fell upon the king with a voracious appetite for his blood. In seconds the King of Upper Nubia fell to numerous wounds from Libyan light horsemen and Germanic heavy cavalry.


== Aftermath ==

After the enemy king had fallen, the battle had turned to the worse for the Ptolemies. Septimus had immediately sent his entire bodyguard – save only a couple troopers – and II Libya as well as the Egyptian cavalry who were now catching back up to the Roman Strategos into the remainder of the reserve Nubian militiamen. The locals, barely armed or armored had just witnessed their king be cut down by the Roman force and now as that same force came to bear upon them.

Septimus sent the men from II Libya and a portion of the Egyptian cavalry to cut off the route of the Nubian militiamen who now ran for their lives. The rest of the force he led to the enemy’s right, towards the Ptolemaic phalanx. Septimus was amazed to see that the Taxis unit had broken through the enemy’s center and was in the process of surrounding the Ptolemies and further down the line Tribune Sabaco was in the same position.

The advance of the Allied Army and how their formations ended up cutting the enemy army into sections had apparently sealed the enemy in from retreating through the 5th Cataract. Many of the enemy troops were taken prisoner. Most of the people who escaped were Nubian regulars and militiamen who ran early in the battle and mostly all of the nomadic mercenaries, who had fled the field far earlier than the rest.

The Ptolemaic Phalanx that was supported by the Upper Nubian regulars on the enemy’s Right was utterly obliterated. As the militia broke, the Right was completely cut off from the army. The line of phalanx that had been so thinly spread cracked under the pressure of the Egyptian phalanx. Every man on horseback did what he could to save his own life. In time, the enemy dropped their weapons as those who continued to offer resistance were utterly slaughtered.

As the sun started its retreat into the horizon, the Allied Army surveyed the field of battle. A decisive victory had been won in the name of Rome… Ptolemy XII would not be pleased.

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Scenario Results:

The Romano-Lower Nubian- Egyptian Army have won a victory over the Ptolemaic-Upper Nubian Army.

Prisoners Taken:

2,200 Nubian Militiamen
1,750 Upper Nubian Regulars

900 Ptolemaic Forces

Casualties: Still being counted.

King Adikhalamani fell on the field, leaving Upper Nubia without a King.

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By: Pompeius Septimus Varro, GMs (SI)
Edited by: GMs (SI, JOM)

AD 128