Journal of P. Licinius Crassus (pt. 3)

6 Aprilis 705 AUC

        I have not seen Tuar Tel-Quessir for over a month.  He left shortly after our dinner saying that he would tend to getting us permission to leave and work for his people.  I received a letter today from one of the King’s ministers in Ctesiphon.  He has asked Calvus to explain the offer to purchase us and take us to a distant land.  I consulted with Calvus and he wants the king to know that we have been approached and said that he passed the offer on to the king and that we are the dutiful slaves of the King and that our lives continue only so long as it is the pleasure of the King.  We have known that the King is not secure on his throne and this makes him more likely to respond negatively if we are not very careful.

15 Maius 705 AUC

        Spring is drawing to a close and summer will soon be upon us.  We have gathered a solid supply of grain and could march tomorrow if we felt the need.  The local notables have noticed our building of many carts and acquiring additional grain and have begun asking questions, answers of which will probably be sent to the King and his ministers.  Calvus placates them with plans for an eventual campaign to the north against the Dahae, a tribe of nomads north of the desert, assuming the king agrees to the plan of course.  Many of them have pledged additional troops and cavalry as well as funds expecting to share in the spoils.  I do not know how well that will work with the idea of a permanent relocation, or if they will insist on honoring their promises when we do leave.  They can be somewhat temperamental at times. 

4 Iunius 705 AUC

        Another letter from Ctesiphon arrived today.  Apparently the king has appointed a governor who will take over this fort and upon his arrival, with replacement troops, we are to march on the Dahae and add those lands to the domain of the king.  The minister ‘helpfully’ suggests that we march through the lands of the Khwarezm, along the Onyx river and ‘secure their friendship with the king.’  Well, it meets our needs and Calvus was unusually jubilant at the news.  We have had good relations with the Khwarezm king and his nobles.  We strongly respect their heavy cavalry; most of our own cavalry auxiliaries are Khwarezmites.  If we can march through their lands, it will greatly reduce any concern for water.  We expect the new governor at the end of summer.  I guess it is about time to have a long delayed conversation with my wife and her family…

2 Sextilus 705 AUC

        We informed the centurions today of the plan to take up a new commission as free mercenaries.  The reaction was surprisingly mixed.  While they welcomed the idea of their own villa and surrounding lands, the idea of leaving everything they had built for the last five years gives them pause.  Most of us have young children and a trek through the harsh lands to the north, while a challenge to a man may be lethal to women and children.  In the end they agreed with the plan.  I think the promise of triple wages and booty was more of an incentive than the promise of better farm land when they retire.    

9 Sextilus 705 AUC

        I have been inundated with local notables asking for more details.  They have of course withdrawn any promises of sending troops with us after learning that we are not coming back.  They have also been rather insistent that we return all the funds they have advanced us for grain and wagons.  They are uniformly opposed to the idea of us taking our wives and children with us.  I fear I have had to be rather firm in denying their demands, at least until I can discuss it with Calvus and the new governor.  I suspect they will just have to live with a bit of disappointment.

The merchant lords are most concerned about whether our patrols of the trade routes will continue.  I have assured them that the new governor would not be eager to see a return of banditry, that he is bringing a large replacement force so that the patrols will continue, and that we will not leave until he arrives so the patrols will not be interrupted. 

        I have my informants looking into the moral of the legionaries, and over all, the mood seems to be anticipation of the coming journey and the promise of new conquests.  I am certain that we will loose some legionaries who refuse to come.  They should only be the ones that we wouldn’t be able to rely on in the first place. 

14 Septembris 705 AUC

        The new governor and his army was sighted a few days ago.  Calvus has sent out orders to all the troops to assemble as soon as possible.  I have been in contact with my counterparts among the Khwarezm and they are open to the idea of us moving through their lands and may even provide us with additional cavalry against the nomads. 

We have had several messages over the last month or so as the governor has made his way here so there was no alarm when a force of nearly ten thousand troops appeared in the hills to the south and west of the town.  They are marching on the same road that brought us here almost five years ago.  Jupiter’s stones, has it really been five years since we arrived, survivors of a massacre and completely at the mercy of our captors?  We have built something very special here and I am starting to realize that I will miss this place.  I guess it is time to pack and to make final arrangements for the house and other property that my family can not take with us.  In all total, my wife, my two daughters and new born son, her brother, his wife, and their four children will comprise seed of the future Lucinii clan; a stronger beginning than the Trojans who founded our people in Italia, who had to acquire wives from the Sabines.

16 Septembris 705 AUC

        There will be a few days while we finish gathering the outer patrols and the new troops take up their positions.  We are doing the final checking of supplies and provisions as well as a head count for those who are traveling.  We had to limit who could come with us as just about every family of locals has several members of their family willing to strike out for new lands.  In total we have eight thousand legionaries, their wives and children, sixteen thousand civilians and their families.  Most of the civilians are the youngest sons of farmers and their wives and children.  We have a good number of artisans and craftsmen and their families.  In all total we have at least fifty thousand people, with all their animals, carts, and so forth.  I have sent letters to the Khwarezm of our numbers and plans to move further north and not just stop with a campaign against the Dahae. 

19 Sepembris 705 AUC

        The new governor is not pleased that so many people are leaving.  He had expected the legion and perhaps some camp followers, certainly not one in ten of the entire population for this province.  He is demanding a lot of gold in trade for us to take ‘his people’ from him.  I am not privy to the discussions between him and Calvus but I have heard him yelling at Calvus over the matter. 

Fortunately, he saw our legion drawn up in parade formation and he knows that his troops are no match for us if blows came to be struck.  I am worried that if he has second thoughts about letting us leave, and if he decides to give chase, we would be very vulnerable to raiding parties while marching.  We have some cavalry, enough to detect any serious force moving in pursuit but not enough to adequately guard against raids. Perhaps our alliance with the Khwarezm will help.  If it holds; a mass migration of this type can strain or even break relations.  I do not expect any answer to my letters before we are on the march. 

20 Sepembris 705 AUC

        A deal has been struck between Calvus and the governor.  We will leave on 3 Octobris, the fifth anniversary of when we arrived.  Apparently, Tuar Tel-Quessir has been with the governor and made promises for golden compensation sufficient to ease the governor’s concerns.  His people must either be exceptionally rich or exceptionally desperate to spend so much gold on a tribe of mercenaries. 

Where he came from and when he arrived no one seems to know.  He wasn’t with the governor originally but now he is here.  I am very glad that I still have that amulet I purchased for the dinner.  He is not alone either.  He has twelve companions, each could be his brother so closely do they look alike.  They will be our guides on our journey.   

They are checking our supplies for the journey and speaking in their own language.  Communication with them is difficult as they only speak fragments of the local language or our own.  They actually suggested that we tie all our people together in a single rope line so we wouldn’t get lost on the journey.  I am not sure if they are joking or they are really believed that we would get lost.  As if it would be possible to tie fifty thousand people together in the first place. 

They were surprised by our numbers.  Apparently they were only expecting the actual legion and a few camp followers, much as the governor seemed to have in mind.  I do not know if they are pleased or displeased at our numbers, only that they had a sharp discussion among themselves.  They would not speak about the subject after that sharp conversation.   

25 Sepembris 705 AUC

        Most of the good byes and fair wells have been said; now it is just the mustering of the troops and getting everyone moving.  With a mass of civilians with us, we will move very slowly.  I wonder how long it will actually take us to get to these new lands.  The Iastae are about the same distance as where we were captured if my sources are to be trusted.  There is little information on Iastae because there is little reason to trade with nomads that far north.  A force used to marching could probably cover the distance in a couple of months but with all these civilians and we will be heading into winter once we get beyond the Dahae lands. 

I have not been able to find out much about Tuar Tel-Quessir’s people.  His companions have taken over Biashim’S and strictly keep to themselves; they do not speak beyond bare necessities with the servants and answer no questions.  I can not shake a suspicion that something much stranger than I can imagine is a foot.  While I have reported this to Calvus and he has told me to keep probing for information, he doesn’t seem too concerned with it.  He did mention that Tuar Tel-Quessir has a much greater amount of money with which to buy our services than he had previously believed but wouldn’t say how he came to believe this.  Such concerns are going to have to wait. 

3 Octobris 705 AUC

        We started out today.  At first light the horns sounded and we began to march.  We barely covered five miles today and it doesn’t look like we will ever cover much more than that if we are to keep everyone together.  I’ve dusted off the old writing desk that I purchased before leaving Roma.  I am surprised that it is still in good condition. 

        We are planning on following the trade routes to the Onyx and then move north along it until it reaches the Onyx Sea.  We will move along the western edge of the sea until we come to the eastern lands of the Iaste at the north end of the Onyx Sea.  From there we will have to rely on Tuar Tel-Quessir and his companions for guidance. 

5 Octobris 705 AUC

        We were met by the merchants carrying a reply to my letters to the Khwarezm today.  My counterparts tell me that their king will allow us to travel through their lands but we must move as quickly as possible lest we cause concern.  A force of several thousand heavy cavalry will accompany us to the north end of the Onyx Sea and maybe even help us fight the Iaste if there is sufficient pay involved.  Will Tuar Tel-Quessir wish to add these troops to our new tribe? 

        Each night as we camp, his companions pitch their tents in a perfect circle and study the stars with strange instruments.  Being very interested in the stars, Legate Nigidius Figulus has tried to make conversation with them about their doings.  I do not know if it was the insult he gave to Tuar Tel-Quessir at the dinner, the companion’s lack of skill in our language, or Figulus’ somewhat brusk manner at time but they refused to explain any more than that they were too busy to speak with him.   After I tried, Tuar Tel-Quessir asked Calvus to instruct us to stop bothering them and that they were charting our course to their land.  I know that mariners often navigate by the stars but to do that while traveling by land is novel.  Usually land features make such navigation unreliable.  Maybe their strange tools have a way of compensating for those problems. 

21 Octobris 705 AUC

        The last couple weeks have been hard travel.  We have been joined by the heavy cavalry of the Khwarezm.  Two thousand warriors with a like number of camp followers now flank our long column on the march.  We reached the Onxy River and are now moving along it.  I have felt itchiness under my skin for the last couple days, something my eldest daughter has shared, making her rather irritable.  The medicus gave me an ointment for both of us but told me that they have had a number of people complain about it.  There is no rash and it seems worst at the deepest of night.  It has been enough that I have had to take walks in the middle of the night and have had trouble sleeping.  Tuar Tel-Quessir’s companions stopped studying the night sky and have started what they call a prayer or religious observation each night.  Their description doesn’t seem to translate very well across the language barrier but as usually they are rather reluctant to share information.  Their music is extremely beautify and somewhat haunting.  They only play it in the deepest hours of the night and softly enough that anyone who wishes to listen must come within a child’s stone throw of their tents to hear it.  It has been going on for about a week now and now that I think of it, the itchiness that my daughter and I have been suffering from started about that time.  I am sure it is mere coincidence, but I am going to start sleeping with that amulet of mine and see about getting another for my daughter.  

        During today’s travel a heavy set of clouds, dark with rain appeared on the western horizon and have moved quickly towards us.  Even now the late rain pounds upon our tent and I fear that we won’t be able to make much distance over the next few days. 

22 Octobris 705 AUC

        I have written this passage a dozen times and still I can not believe it.  I have managed to omit most of my panic and terror at the events of today but I am still terrified to my very core.  I have managed to put on a strong face for my wife and children but inside, the terror I felt as a boy who had invoked his father’s greatest wrath by childish deeds is but a shadow of what I feel. 

There can be no doubt that Tuar Tel-Quessir and all of his companions are venēficus and very powerful ones at that.  Today when we awoke to the morning horns, we found ourselves not where we expected.  Rather than find ourselves in the lands of the Khwarezm and closing on the Onyx Sea, we are in a deep forest adjacent to a deep and strong river.  Tuar Tel-Quessir said that via the magic of his people, we have arrived and that we are free do settle anywhere we wish and that all the lands along this river and any rivers flowing into it belonged to us now.  He urged us to make a fortification as quickly as possible and to not spread out too much until we had secured the area for several days journey in all directions for there would be some of the weaker enemies of his people in the area. 

        Most of today was spent mastering our terror at the sudden change.  Horatus’ discipline and that of his centurions was probably the only thing that kept us together.  Upon discovering the change, he sent for Calvus and quickly issued orders.  They quickly brought the legionaries into order with a bit of sharp discipline and calmed their fears with quick orders to make a fortified camp.  Seeing our troops moving to make a more permanent structure, the civilians have started to calm themselves.  We will have to calm our own inner fears in the days to come and figure out where we are and where we go from here.  By Juno’s landīca, I am terrified.  What sort of infernal pact have we made?