The Butcher's Bill, and the Way Back...
Burriena counts the cost of the skirmish. Twenty four casualties, all among the foot.
Eleven men were killed outright or died shortly after the battle of their wounds.
Another ten have serious wounds and will need transport and treatment back at base. Nineteen men have minor wounds.
Of the officers a centurion and six NCOs have been lightly wounded, and a standard bearer killed.
The locals came off much worse. Some 50 of them lie dead on the field; killed outright or in "mercy killings" during the clean-up. Forty four others have been captured, all seriously wounded.
(Note: another 36, lightly wounded, were taken off by kin, managed to hide till the Romans left or staggered from the field).
[Technical Note; all dice tests as covered elsewhere.]
Flushed with victory Burriena is feeling generous. Gwaednerth, son of Gwaednerth addresses those locals captured, telling them left again that resistance is pointless and the future of their families lies in coming to an accommodation with the new world. He says that, as a token of goodwill, they will be released, to go down to their people in the Aman Valley.
Once the prisoners have staggered away a pile is made of the captured shields, clubs and spear shafts, and they are set ablaze. Discarded weapons and spearheads are collected, and those which cannot be transported, damaged/bent where possible, concealed by being buried in a pit dug in a nearby stream-bed and covered with stones.
Burriena now has to decide where to go. His men have already marched some thirteen miles over rough ground, and fought a battle. Going back the way he came will be too long a march. He plumps for risking crossing the hostile Caenona Valleyand and into the friendly hills to the west. His badly wounded can be put on horses or carried in makeshift litters from captured spear shafts.
On the map the distance to be travelled is about three to four miles. However, in reality, with doubling back, it is more like six. His exhausted men make a rough camp in the early evening in friendly territory. They remain unmolested on their march and overnight, and the next hard day's slogging takes them back to Fort Nidenum (end of Day Ten).
[Technical Note: I used an online walking route planner website for movement in the hills. Very useful. Dice tests for any interference etc.]
Meanwhile:
Day Ten and further Zones test for revolt. The Ronda and Isca Valleys remain loyal, as do the hills north east of the Ronda.
The hills north east of Nidenum remain undeclared, but the news of the Roman victory, and the increased garrison in the area, will no doubt affect future tests.
The revolt is now pretty much contained (the central hills and the north) and, assuming no break-outs, it should just be a case of bringing the Romans' superior forces to bear.
At Fort Firmium Caesetius assumes the offensive, sending a Legion cohort and an auxiliary cohort on a "pacification swing" of around fifteen miles or so through the two nearest districts. Overwhelmed at the sight (and by the numbers) of the cohorts the locals disperse.
Albinius, at Difforum, marches up the Diffa with his full cohort, subduing the lower valley and the hills to the west, again with the locals fading back to their homes. Here he learns, from local tribesmen, of Burriena's swing through the zones to the north. He then returns to Difforum, again, a round-trip of some 15 miles.
However, at Nidenum, Canina seems off-balanced by the disappearance of Burriena and his command, and takes no action at all.
[Pacified areas marked in grey. As usual, all leader decisions etc. are down to dice tests.]
On the Silurian side Caeog actually does something, advancing into the Loyalist zone in the north west corner, burning homesteads as he goes.
Meanwhile Twrch marches north east to join up with Cyfwlch. They both then move to pick-up Tewdrig, and their combined force of 1,160 warriors marches on Fort Serovium, manned by III Bracari and 2 detached centuries from 8th Cohort II Augusta. Arriving towards dusk, they rest overnight. They were spotted by any patrols, but no messenger leaves Serovium to inform Isca or Firmium .
And so another day comes to an end.
Eleven men were killed outright or died shortly after the battle of their wounds.
Another ten have serious wounds and will need transport and treatment back at base. Nineteen men have minor wounds.
The locals came off much worse. Some 50 of them lie dead on the field; killed outright or in "mercy killings" during the clean-up. Forty four others have been captured, all seriously wounded.
(Note: another 36, lightly wounded, were taken off by kin, managed to hide till the Romans left or staggered from the field).
[Technical Note; all dice tests as covered elsewhere.]
Flushed with victory Burriena is feeling generous. Gwaednerth, son of Gwaednerth addresses those locals captured, telling them left again that resistance is pointless and the future of their families lies in coming to an accommodation with the new world. He says that, as a token of goodwill, they will be released, to go down to their people in the Aman Valley.
Once the prisoners have staggered away a pile is made of the captured shields, clubs and spear shafts, and they are set ablaze. Discarded weapons and spearheads are collected, and those which cannot be transported, damaged/bent where possible, concealed by being buried in a pit dug in a nearby stream-bed and covered with stones.
Burriena now has to decide where to go. His men have already marched some thirteen miles over rough ground, and fought a battle. Going back the way he came will be too long a march. He plumps for risking crossing the hostile Caenona Valleyand and into the friendly hills to the west. His badly wounded can be put on horses or carried in makeshift litters from captured spear shafts.
On the map the distance to be travelled is about three to four miles. However, in reality, with doubling back, it is more like six. His exhausted men make a rough camp in the early evening in friendly territory. They remain unmolested on their march and overnight, and the next hard day's slogging takes them back to Fort Nidenum (end of Day Ten).
The hills north east of Nidenum remain undeclared, but the news of the Roman victory, and the increased garrison in the area, will no doubt affect future tests.
The revolt is now pretty much contained (the central hills and the north) and, assuming no break-outs, it should just be a case of bringing the Romans' superior forces to bear.
At Fort Firmium Caesetius assumes the offensive, sending a Legion cohort and an auxiliary cohort on a "pacification swing" of around fifteen miles or so through the two nearest districts. Overwhelmed at the sight (and by the numbers) of the cohorts the locals disperse.
Albinius, at Difforum, marches up the Diffa with his full cohort, subduing the lower valley and the hills to the west, again with the locals fading back to their homes. Here he learns, from local tribesmen, of Burriena's swing through the zones to the north. He then returns to Difforum, again, a round-trip of some 15 miles.
However, at Nidenum, Canina seems off-balanced by the disappearance of Burriena and his command, and takes no action at all.
[Pacified areas marked in grey. As usual, all leader decisions etc. are down to dice tests.]
On the Silurian side Caeog actually does something, advancing into the Loyalist zone in the north west corner, burning homesteads as he goes.
Meanwhile Twrch marches north east to join up with Cyfwlch. They both then move to pick-up Tewdrig, and their combined force of 1,160 warriors marches on Fort Serovium, manned by III Bracari and 2 detached centuries from 8th Cohort II Augusta. Arriving towards dusk, they rest overnight. They were spotted by any patrols, but no messenger leaves Serovium to inform Isca or Firmium .
And so another day comes to an end.
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