Move In to Danger.
Day Seven of Nine.
No rest on the seventh, as the Roman plans kick-start.
While these wheels begin to move the revolt both spreads and, in places, runs up against loyal septs. There are now clear "boundaries" to the revolted area in the north west and north east (red zone "border boundaries" on the map).
A leader named Tewdrig appears in the hills above Serovium and begins rallying the septs there.
North of the Black Mountains Caeog (now joined by Buan) STILL hesitates to commit, but in the central hills Twrch has raised some 900 men, and now leads them south, burning the farmsteads of their Loyalist neighbours in the Bagadiffa Valley.
Day Eight:
Made aware of Twrch's movements the garrison commander at Difforum puts the fort in readiness against attack, and sends out pickets, but stays put. The commander at Serovium is equally hesitant.
However, at Fort Nidenum the Tribune commanding (Burriena), acting on his own initiative, decides to probe the rebellious area II up the Nida Orientalem valley and through the loyal tribal zones north west of the target. He reaches friendly Hillfort Cluster XVIII in the late afternoon with his depleted unit (2 Turmae and 4 centuries - the remainder having been left in garrison at the fort itself or being on detached duties at Leuca), ending the day's march in a friendly hillfort.
On the evening of the 8th Caesetius's vexiliation arrives, footsore, at Fort Firmium.
Twrch himself moves down to the main Diffa Valley, to arrive outside Fort Difforum itself (!) where he is joined during the day by 100 more tribesmen.
Tewdrig raises 100 tribesmen, but remains still. In the neighbouring mountains another leader pops up - Cyfwlch.
In the north, Caeog seems to have got wind of the Roman troops moving towards Firmium, and withdraws westwards, further into the hills.
There is still a risk the revolt could spread into the Isca (blocking the Firmium road) and Diffa Valleys or down the Serrova corridor (hills and Ebuna river valley) towards the sea - which would threaten Roman east-west communications, but there seem to be no issues with The Plan itself.
Day Nine:
Which looked like it would be producing the first serious clashes.
[Again, all the decisions below are dice-led - including those of detached Roman officers - "I" am still at Isca...]
Caesetius is static, as expected, sorting things at Firmium and sending out patrols, but Albinius is due at Fort Difforum during the late morning/early afternoon, where Twrch, the rebels' most active leader so far, is camped outside the fort.
In addition, Burriena is getting ready to move his cohort into hostile, rebellious Area II.
However, Twrch, clearly alerted to the Albinius's force headed for Difforum, slips back up the valley down which he had recently come, so no action there.
Meanwhile, Cyfwlch raises 60 men in his mountains, and marches to join Tewdrig. Perhaps they both intend to meet up with Twrch somewhere west of Serovium...? Perhaps Twrch intends to draw Albinius after him into some kind of planned ambush..?
Caeog remains up in the hills. He is giving the impression that he is NOT the dynamic leader men took him for... OR is he planning a sweep down the weak western part of the district, though the collaborating zones, and down to Leuca?
In the central highlands when Burriena pushes into Area II the locals fade into the hills. He then decides to advance, scouts out, into newly revolted Area III. Here the locals decide to make a stand. However, only the folk of THIS area are present (the guys from Area II clearly didn't scamper here).
The locals in Area III can muster about 150 men of warrior age. However, as things are desperate, they also drag out the old men and beardless boys, so about another fifty or so. The Romans would seem to have the advantage.
Remember, however, I still don't know how under-strength Burriena's cohort is. This will be our first clash, "The Battle Between The Rivers", and covered in the next post.
Finally, at the end of the day Caninia and his units from the Leuca area arrive at Nidenum - to find most of the garrison has gone up into the hills. NOT what he was expecting...
And whether they are coming back is anyone's guess....
As always, comments, queries and thoughts welcome...
No rest on the seventh, as the Roman plans kick-start.
While these wheels begin to move the revolt both spreads and, in places, runs up against loyal septs. There are now clear "boundaries" to the revolted area in the north west and north east (red zone "border boundaries" on the map).
Day Eight:
Made aware of Twrch's movements the garrison commander at Difforum puts the fort in readiness against attack, and sends out pickets, but stays put. The commander at Serovium is equally hesitant.
However, at Fort Nidenum the Tribune commanding (Burriena), acting on his own initiative, decides to probe the rebellious area II up the Nida Orientalem valley and through the loyal tribal zones north west of the target. He reaches friendly Hillfort Cluster XVIII in the late afternoon with his depleted unit (2 Turmae and 4 centuries - the remainder having been left in garrison at the fort itself or being on detached duties at Leuca), ending the day's march in a friendly hillfort.
On the evening of the 8th Caesetius's vexiliation arrives, footsore, at Fort Firmium.
Twrch himself moves down to the main Diffa Valley, to arrive outside Fort Difforum itself (!) where he is joined during the day by 100 more tribesmen.
Tewdrig raises 100 tribesmen, but remains still. In the neighbouring mountains another leader pops up - Cyfwlch.
In the north, Caeog seems to have got wind of the Roman troops moving towards Firmium, and withdraws westwards, further into the hills.
There is still a risk the revolt could spread into the Isca (blocking the Firmium road) and Diffa Valleys or down the Serrova corridor (hills and Ebuna river valley) towards the sea - which would threaten Roman east-west communications, but there seem to be no issues with The Plan itself.
Day Nine:
Which looked like it would be producing the first serious clashes.
[Again, all the decisions below are dice-led - including those of detached Roman officers - "I" am still at Isca...]
Caesetius is static, as expected, sorting things at Firmium and sending out patrols, but Albinius is due at Fort Difforum during the late morning/early afternoon, where Twrch, the rebels' most active leader so far, is camped outside the fort.
In addition, Burriena is getting ready to move his cohort into hostile, rebellious Area II.
However, Twrch, clearly alerted to the Albinius's force headed for Difforum, slips back up the valley down which he had recently come, so no action there.
Meanwhile, Cyfwlch raises 60 men in his mountains, and marches to join Tewdrig. Perhaps they both intend to meet up with Twrch somewhere west of Serovium...? Perhaps Twrch intends to draw Albinius after him into some kind of planned ambush..?
The locals in Area III can muster about 150 men of warrior age. However, as things are desperate, they also drag out the old men and beardless boys, so about another fifty or so. The Romans would seem to have the advantage.
Remember, however, I still don't know how under-strength Burriena's cohort is. This will be our first clash, "The Battle Between The Rivers", and covered in the next post.
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