Roman Times - The First Taming of the Lands

The land was once an unkempt and wild place infested with the paultry holdings of the Gaul tribes. Then the Romans came. Upon the hill that dominated this particular tract, a young Legate would drive the barbarians from the countryside and lay the foundations for a new settlement for the glory of Rome.

Legate Titus Vorenus swung down from his horse, feeling fresh and virile in the crisp autumn air. It had been weeks since he had been with a woman and he was spoiling for a fight. As he approached his legion's column, his staff approached him. Quintus, his first friend and advisor, gave him the lay of the land; They were outnumbered three-to-one and outflanked as well. It would be a hard battle to push past this army and continue the campaign through Gaul. Vorenus relished the challenge however. There was a reason he had achieved his rank at a young age beyond his family's political connections. Now the push north depended on him and he knew he could have it.

Ordering a few terse commands, his legion formed into battle lines, moving into a defensive formation using the relative advantage of a small incline. Vorenus himself unsheathed his sword and moved to the front, standing next to his battle-hardened soldiers. His legion had been fighting under him for the past months and trusted his judgement despite his youth.

Looking across the field, he saw the enemy advancing in an unorganized mob. He felt the men around him tense as the horde descended upon them, warcries echoing across the hills. After a few volleys from his archers, cutting down the most eager warriors, the two armies clashed in a vicious melee. Vorenus slashed his gladius across the face of his first opponent, taking him down in one swing. Two more took his place and the Legate soon found himself on the defensive, barely guarding against the attacks from both sides. Noticing a weakness in one of the Gauls defenses, he slipped his blade past the guard and dispatched the hulking man easily. With this temporary respite, he chanced to look at the battle raging around him. His lines were holding but the of numbers was forcing his men back and wearing them thin. Vorenus needed to intervene. Smashing through the blocks of his final opposition, he drove his gladius through the warrior's chest and retreated back through the Roman formation.

The Legate raised his blade high over his head, signalling Quintus who charged out of the woods with an extra detachment of men, crushing into the flank of the enemy horde and causing the Gauls to route on the left. Immediately, the battle turned in the Romans' favor, the legion sweeping the enemy down the hill until they were good and soundly defeated.