Journal of P. Licinius Crassus (pt. 2)
We have finally finished the last stone
tower. For the last year and a half we
have torn down the old defenses of this town and rebuilt them. Now, I doubt five legions could take this
town if it were protected by mere children.
We have built a solid stone wall some 70
stadia in circumference to enclose the city.
Stone towers are spaced all around the walls so that any attempt to
assault the wall will be kept under constant fire by at least two towers. Each tower is strong enough to support two
ballistae which can pierce the armor of any siege engine that comes close
enough to threaten the walls. The tower
gates can each support five ballistae and two onagri. In short, this city would be extremely
expensive to take, even for veteran troops with the best siege weapons.
We patrol the outer regions of this
province with century sized patrols and have wiped out any form of organized
banditry. To aid in this process we are
constructing a series of smaller garrison forts, little more than fortified
barracks to provide a bit of rest after a long march for our patrolling troops. Each century takes a turn marching the circuit,
one day marching, one day working on improving the garrison buildings. After the completion of a circuit, the
century takes a few days leave.
Nearby
desert tribes have learned to not harass caravans approaching or leaving the
city alone lest we send out a force to teach them some manners. While we can not guard caravans too far from
our lines, if a caravan can get within a week or so of our outer forts, it is
as safe as my newborn daughter in the arms of her mother.
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A
most peculiar traveler came into the fortress today. In dress and manners he was no different than
any merchant prince or local lord but several points about him stand out.
First,
and perhaps most unusual, he was traveling alone. No attendants, no caravan, no bodyguards,
nothing. Even in the most peaceful lands
this is an exceptional event, in lands that was so recently heavily troubled by
banditry, it is sheer madness. He must
have some powerful gods protecting him to travel these lands with but a few
weapons and a camel.
Second,
when he approached the fortress and requested a private audience with our
legate, the guards did not inquire about his business but passed him on to
their superiors. Even when our
praefectus castrorum met with the traveler, learned no more than his name, Tuar
Tel’Quessir, a name unlike any of the known barbarians in the region, or of any
of the merchants I have heard of in the last four years in this land. Our praefectus castrorum, Gaius Horatus
Cocles, is a good friend and I trust his judgment but he is also a veteran who
would not normally pass on a visitor to me, the secretary of the legate, with
so few details.
Thirdly,
when I met with this man I was initial inclined to treat him as a local lord,
he was certainly dressed as a man of quality without being boorish, as is the
custom of these lands.
I
recount our conversation of this morning this night before I go to bed.
“Licinius, this man needs to speak with the
legate, his business is most urgent.” Horatius rumbled. Not his usual growl that would send a
legionary or tribune about his business but one that announced a very important
person was expecting my attention; certainly too much honor for a mere messenger
reporting an attack on a caravan.
I
looked up to evaluate this guest more closely.
His clothing indicated that he was someone of quality. It was very well made and well cared for, of
expensive, but not ostentatious, materials.
I judged him to be a very prosperous merchant, one who would be in
charge of several caravan routes.
“What
business does a caravan lord have with our legate? Has one of your caravan been attacked?” I respectfully asked.
The
stranger looked me over, much as I had done him, save I had the distinct
impression he was looking into my very soul.
It was most unnerving. For a
brief moment I could almost swear his eyes became like that of a cat’s but it
surely had to be a trick of the light.
“Publius
Licinius Crassus, I have a proposal from my people to your people, one that
should be heard first by your legate.”
The man’s voice was pure melody; with almost a feminine tinge to
it. It seeped into my skull and I could
feel a strong desire to introduce this man to my legate. I closed my eyes and
shook my head as if to ward off Hypnos, the god of sleep, and looked at him
again. I could almost swear there was a
very feint widening of his eyes, but if so it was gone before I could be
certain.
“Respectfully
noble sir, may I at least have your name?”
I knew I needed every scrap of detail about this man before I let him in
to see the legate.
“In
your language, my name sounds like Tuar Tel’ Quessir for I am merely the
servant of my people.” He bowed from the
waist with the grace of an athlete in finest form.
In
part to keep myself focused on examining this man, I sat down and took up my
quill, “What business do you need to speak with our legate about?” I had to struggle to be properly official in
tone, so deep was the desire to help this man with his every request.
A
very faint frown touched his lips at my question, it seems he was not used to
being questioned by mere underlings. “As
I said, my people wish to make a proposal to your legate.”
“With
deepest respects noble sir, if I merely tell the legate that someone has a proposal
for him he will shove it to the bottom of the list of the many things he needs
to pay attention to this day. So if you
could provide me with some details, I can make sure he gives appropriate
attention to your proposal.” The desire
I felt to help this man seemed to be fading quickly; almost like a summer
squall. I was starting to feel like my
usual self as the moments passed.
“My
people wish to see about hiring your small army for a very serious long term
engagement. We need to know if your
legate is interested and what terms he might consider for undertaking this
engagement.” The man hid his displeasure
with great skill, but there remained just a trace that I could detect. Most nobles think they are Venus’ gift to
whomever they are speaking with and when some mere pleb like me is not
impressed, they are almost always beside themselves. I could tell however that this man was no
ordinary noble, more like a confident of a powerful king. He was not merely a spoiled brat but a
diplomat used to having other nobles tremble when he spoke.
“Noble
Tuar Tel’Quessir,” I rose and bowed, for the prudent man knows when to stop
teasing a lion, “I will speak with our legate immediately. I will ask him to meet with you for a few
moments later today if that is satisfactory?”
The
man smiled faintly and nodded.
I
had the man wait in the one of the hospitality rooms adjacent to the atrium
while I went and spoke with the legate.
Licinius Calvus agreed to meet with him, briefly when I described the
guest as a merchant lord of some sort.
One never knows about the people of this land. They can be quite unpredictable in questions
of honor.
The
visitor and Calvus met for a few moments and initially was his typical polite
but busy self. After a few pleasantries,
he seemed to take more interest in this stranger. The stranger was unusually cryptic about his
business, only that it was a proposal that would take some time to explain and
that it should be discussed over dinner with the tribunes present.
Despite
the cryptic nature of the request, Calvus agreed to the meeting but that it
would take a couple of days because one of the legates was inspecting one of
the outer forts and would be summoned with great haste. For Licinius Calvus to disrupt the normal
schedule he had assigned his tribunes is most unexpected … and disconcerting.
At
the end of the conversation, I showed the stranger back to the gate, curious to
see if I could get more information from him.
I failed. He did ask if I could
recommend a mansio where he could wait for a few days. I directed him to Biashim’S, a maniso that I
knew to be popular with many caravan leaders and merchants who pass through
this city on a regular basis. One in
which I have several paid servants who provide me with important information.
16 Martius 705 AUC
Yesterday after the stranger met with
Calvus and I had failed to get more information from him, I resolved to
question the legionaries who met him at the gate, as well as Gaius, in some
detail about their encounter with this visitor.
Gaius Pullo and Quintus Bruttius were on
that shift according to the duty postings.
There were no records of them ever being inattentive to their duties and
Bruttius had been cited for valor in one of the battles with the local bandits
about six months ago. I had them brought
to my office and questioned them, naturally they were most unnerved. Once I assured them that they were not in
trouble, they both recalled the stranger quite clearly. They had judged him to be a noble based on
his clothing, a reasonable assumption.
They both agreed that he was armed with a sword that was similar to our
horsemen’s spatha but guessed that it was better designed for use by a footman
with a small shield or dagger. They
described his bow as one similar to, but of much higher quality, than the type
used by some of the nomads far to the east of us. From his bearing and how he carried the
weapons, they were quite certain that he was well skilled in the use of those
weapons. Like all visitors he had
surrendered his weapons upon entering the fortress.
They both reported that initially they
were merely going to take a message and have him return the next day but when
they expressed that to him, they reported having a strange feeling of
drowsiness and yet warmth and trust for this man. When Pullo first mentioned this, the shock on
Bruttius’ face told me that his confirmation of the story was unrehearsed. It was only after they experienced that feeling
did they feel the need to immediately take the visitor to see praefectus.
I am most disturbed by the fact that
Horatus described, in almost the exact same words, a similar change in attitude
towards this stranger when he was reluctant to pass him on to me. I grow more concerned that this stranger
might not be protected by strange gods but rather might be a venēficus. I will have to speak with Calvus about my
concerns, and see about getting some form of amulet to ward against the
possibility.
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Calvus was unreceptive to the idea that
our strange visitor might be a venēficus until I described the strange feelings
that each of the people I questioned reported.
Calvus admitted to the strange shifting of opinion as he spoke with the
stranger. I told him that I had arranged
for the stranger to stay at a maniso where I had informants and he is looking
forward to my report on the stranger’s activities. He still wants to go through with the dinner
and dictated orders for each of the tribunes to be in attendance at the
dinner. He declined to invite any of the
local notables as he wanted to know what this stranger was proposing before he
made any decisions and local notables can be rather excitable at the most
inappropriate times. He also asked me to
procure similar warding amulets for himself and each of the tribunes, just in
case my concerns have some merit.
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I was able to talk with my informants at
Biashim’S today. The stranger has spent
the last two days exploring the city, inspecting various crafts and trade
goods. He has purchased a small number
of trinkets, each something that would be easily carried but each trinket represented
a different craft. Each night, to the
delight of the staff and fellow travelers, he has played a flute for a short
while after his evening meal. His meals
have been light and he never touches beer or wine. My informants reported that most of his time
has been spent in prayer and meditation in his room.
Most disturbingly, my informants report
that efforts to find out more about him have been met with vague answers about
seeking new trade items and if pressed about his business, they reported the
same strange feeling of drowsiness and trust but this time coupled with a
definite loss of interest in his affairs.
I have secured eight warding amulets
from the local priests of Mithra. They
should be sufficient since he is the deity of law and contracts in this
area. I hope. Even with the amulets, I look forward to
tomorrow night’s dinner with a great deal of concern.
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Last night’s dinner was most
interesting. It was a quiet affair with
just the legate, the six tribunes, our guest, and myself. Despite the apparent nobility of our guest,
Licinius did not invite any of the local notables, he felt that Tuar
Tel’Quessir wished privacy for his proposal.
And with good reason.
After each guest had been seated on
their respective lectus triclinaris, with Tuar Tel’Quessir being placed in the
most honored seat, the gustatio was served, and we got to know each other a
bit. Tuar Tel’Quessir was extremely
curious about our ways and customs. He
confessed that he heard of our fighting skills from other sources and knew
little of us beyond the rumors. Rumors,
he said, were so impressive that he felt compelled to travel several months
from the distant north to come and see if they were true. While we dined on the primae mensae, we had
a very deep discussion of our tactics against barbarians and how we would fight
different strange foes. Many of these
foes seemed drawn from Tuar Tel’Quessir’s very creative mind. Some of the foes were the size of small men
and weak in strength and organization but vast in number while others were the
size of three men but slow of mind and few in number. In all it was a very interesting conversation.
When the secundae mensae was served,
Tuar Tel’Quessir made his proposal. I
recount the words as best I can remember after a full meal and several strong
drinks.
“Legate…” Tuar Tel’Quessir began as he
reached for another apricot.
“Please call me Lucinius, most of the
local lords do so.” Lucinius sipped from
his goblet.
Nodding in agreement, “Lucinius, what
would it take for you to march your army to my land and permanently enter the
employ of my people?”
“Tuar,” Lucinius stopped when Tuar
Tel’Quessir stiffened ever so slightly.
“ahem, Tuar Tel’Quessir,” Lucinius quickly continued, as his guest
relaxed, “we are technically slaves to the Parthians. True they give us wide latitude but they
still own us so for us to rebel and leave this land would not be easy.”
“Forgive me Lucinius, I mean no
disrespect is a mild form of slavery preferable to freedom?” Tuar Tel’Quessir sipped from his own
goblet.
“Certainly freedom is preferred, but if
we were to suddenly leave the city, the Parthians would suspect rebellion and
send an army after us.” Lucinius also sipped from his goblet.
“I am sure that if they knew you would
be marching far beyond their lands and posed no threat to them would they not
be willing to let you go?”
“While they might, they have a long
history of regional rebellions and are quick to suspect and quicker to respond
forcefully. While we are an impressive
force, eventually they would follow and catch up to us. Moving through the desert that surrounds this
river valley we would have to have an extensive supply train and that would
slow us considerably.” Lucinius picked up a slice of apple from the center
table.
“Not to mention we would have to take
our families for they would be suspected and probably be put to death or held
hostage.” Legate Petronius Aemilianus added.
“Naturally I had assumed your wives and
their families would come with you. And
you are right, it would be a slow force that would be possible for the
Parthians to overtake but surely it would take them several months to assemble
a force and march.” Tuar Tel-Quessir nodded in Aemilianus’ direction.
“We have to make preparations, secure
supplies, and convince our wives and their families to come. All of which would alert the Parthians and
give them time to raise the troops for a quick pursuit.” Legate Modius Zeno added.
“This of course begs the question of
where is your land and how long will it take us to get there,” Legate Marcus
Fadius began, “assuming that we are interested of course.” Fadius took a quick sip from his goblet under
Lucinius’ sharp stare.
“The best way to reach our lands is to
march north beyond the lands of the Iastae.
It would probably take you, with your families and necessary supplies,
at least three months to reach the lands we have in mind for you.” Tuar Tel-Quessir
took a couple of grapes from the center table.
“North means that we will have to carry
fewer supplies and might be able to replenish supplies from the local nomads if
we are well coined in advance.” Legate Titus Postumius mused.
“I think some of that could be arranged
but it would take a bit of time.
Probably by the time you had assembled your wagons and other supplies, I
could have sufficient coins to see to your safe passage through the nomads. We have some dealings with them and have found
that they can be reasonable for the right price.” Tuar Tel-Quessir popped one of the grapes in
his mouth.
“Once we begun preparing, word would
reach the Parthian king and he would be most uneasy at our sudden leaving; we
have defended this province and have suppressed local banditry and he would
have to find replacement troops, assuming he didn’t send an army to kill us
before we could complete our preparations.”
Legate Marcus Sulla added.
“Perhaps I am negotiating with the wrong
party? Should I seek your master’s
permission and pay him rather than you for your services?” Tuar Tel-Quessir raised an eyebrow.
“No, you are right to deal with us
directly Tuar Tel-Quessir. We Romans
just like to plan things very carefully and think through all concerns before
we take action. Some agreement with the
Parthian king will be necessary but I am sure that we can arrange that,” Calvus
held his goblet up to be refilled by a slave.
“The only real question is how much gold and silver will he want to let
us go. As Marcus Sulla pointed out, we
are providing him with a valuable service right now and if we leave these
strong defenses without his having time to move replacements in, the local
lords will probably rebel and cause him grief.”
Tuar Tel-Quessir looked most unhappy at
the apparent mounting costs of convincing us to come into the employ of his
people. “This wine is most
delicious. I am usually not fond of …
local drinks,” he mused. “Some of my
people are in his court and can handle the matter to his satisfaction and make
sure that you are free to leave. We can
take care of that while you make your preparations.”
“One question that has been in my mind
most of this evening if I may Tuar,”
Legate Nigidius Figulus began.
Even though Tuar Tel-Quessir stiffened, this time quite noticeably,
Figulus ignored the gesture, “you have asked a lot about our fighting skills
and how we would handle a number of different mythical enemies. This leads me to believe that you wish us for
more than mere garrison duty in some frontier area of your lands.”
Relaxing back into his lectus, Tuar
Tel-Quessir pinned Figulus with a slightly chilled look. “There is a large frontier area of our lands
where savage tribes are currently living and increasingly they are raiding into
our lands. We are planning on settling a
large number of mercenaries and their families in the area so as to act as a
buffer zone. We have approached your
legion as the first of these groups because of your fighting and building
skills. We believe that you would be
strong enough to build a city in the area and expand it, over time, to become a
full client state able to secure our boarder.”
Calvus chuckled, “So you are asking us
to become a new Aeneas and his followers?
Or perhaps you would have me assume the role of Romulus
Tuar Tel-Quessir looked puzzled, “I do
not know those men; I assume they are heroes of some importance?”
“They are demigods and founders of our
people. Aeneas lead our people from the ruins of Troy
to Italia and Romulus built city of Roma
Tuar
Tel-Quessir laughed a deep musical laugh, unearthly in its beauty. “In short, yes. That is exactly what my people are asking you
to do.”
It was our turn to be astounded by his brazen suggestion. Over the last five years we have built a life here and most of us had taken wives and had children. My head swam with the idea of suggesting to my father in law that he abandon the land of his fathers and carry off his family to some distant land, for I knew my wife would not leave without her parents and probably not without her siblings. Hopefully her brothers won’t want to come.
It was our turn to be astounded by his brazen suggestion. Over the last five years we have built a life here and most of us had taken wives and had children. My head swam with the idea of suggesting to my father in law that he abandon the land of his fathers and carry off his family to some distant land, for I knew my wife would not leave without her parents and probably not without her siblings. Hopefully her brothers won’t want to come.
Calvus
was the first to recover, “If we accept this idea, what will your people
provide us? We know that you need our
military skills and will provide us with land; and while good land will provide
a solider with a retirement, it does not pay his wages while he is under the Standard.”
“I
can offer three times a soldier’s pay to each man for up to twenty years as
well as good farm land upon retirement. For each centurion, the land necessary
for a villa overseeing the farms possessed by the men he commanded for at least
ten years. For each tribune and for
yourself we can work out an appropriate sum of either gold or silver in
addition to what ever land you might consider necessary.”
“And
the costs of the preparations for the journey.
Wagons and supplies will be expensive.” Calvus added.
“Done.” Tuar Tel-Quessir nodded.
The
rest of the evening was spent discussing other matters, such as the lay of the
land we would be heading to and more discussions about the enemies we will
face. While I am inclined to believe
some of the stories, others I find to be unlikely at best. A savage foe that is numerous and filthy
which are barely beyond the level of animals, and even the idea that they have
tamed some form of large wolf to work as a war steed are believable. The other ideas such as beasts as tall as
three men and able to throw stones like an onager or men with the head of jackals
like some Egyptian god I will reserve judgment about.
21 Martius 705 AUC
The next few weeks will be exceptionally
heavy work as we make plans, decide how many of our families will come, will we
take just our wives and children or will we include the parents, siblings, and
whole clans? Will Tuar Tel-Quessir be
able to make arrangements with the Parthian king as he has promised?
Thousands
of details to attend to in the next few months.
