Smoke on the Horizon

You take stock of the countryside around you. Beautiful rolling hills and green fields surround you. A single, Roman road runs along the top of one of these hills snaking from one horizon to another. This road brings your attention to a plume of thick, black smoke from over the horizon. Having played video games and watched tv shows, you know that the smoke could only mean a town was burning down. You make use of your god power to bound across the countryside until you in sight of a quaint Roman town. The town would have been rather pretty, if not for the fact that it was on fire and it’s citizens were fleeing in terror from a group of mean looking barbarians.

As you watched, you noticed that, down the main street of the town, a man in full military gear had organised some of the townsfolk into some kind of shield wall, likely attempting to buy time for the women and children. He wore the typical late Roman equipment, hamata or chainmail, helmet, sword, oval shield and a spear. While the soldier stood out, his ‘army’ did not, the boys he had marshalled were equipped with old shields, planks of wood lashed together, or bits of furniture they’ve cut into something resembling a shield. Their weapons were just as good, with many having sharpened sticks instead of actual weapons.

Seeing this as your opportunity, you stride forward, walking right through the makeshift formation to stand between them and the oncoming barbarians. You noticed a few of the barbarians were wearing armour but it didn’t matter, your sword would cut through it all. You give yourself extensive knowledge of HEMA and draw your sword, slipping automatically into guard stance.

You grin as you notice that the Barbarians aren’t having fun anymore, now they’re presented with a heavily armoured enemy. They aren’t stupid though, they fan out and level their spears to hit your from multiple directions. The action is lost, however, when you simply cut the heads of their spears off and stride forward as they fumbled for their secondary weapons. Not even their thick shields stood up to your magical sword as you laid into them, cutting them to pieces where they stood. Upon seeing their comrades cut down, the men at the back turn tail and book it.

“Who are you?” came a gruff voice behind you. You turn and see the soldier you had noticed, holding his spear level at you and a stern ‘I’ll take you’ look on his face. You also notice that he wasn’t young, possibly in his late fifties with a thick grey beard.

“Solus Augustus” you reply as you take stock of the man’s ‘****’, the kids were literally shaking in their boots. One of the kids even dropped his spear the moment your gaze swept over him. “You know a Roman once said that it was not a brave man who knew no fear but that a brave man was terrified, shaking in his boots and still took to the walls” you say, “These cowards ran at the first sign of an enemy they couldn’t beat, while you stood knowing it would be your end” your words had their effect, the boy who dropped his weapon picked it up and they all stood taller.

“I thank you for your aid stranger” the soldier said “My name is Marcus Strabo and these are my Militia” he informed you, raising his spear and resting it on the ground. Strabo looked around him at the buildings. “The town is lost, we would never get this flame out” he sighed “and Odacer’s hordes will come in **** now that there’s been resistance” he continued before taking a good long look at you “Lead by a bronze plated warrior no less”

“Then to the countryside” you say “It would be a simple matter to bounce from town to town, getting recruits as we go” you add.

“We’ve no weapons and few provisions, there isn’t any way we can just make an army to match the Federates” Strabo grunted, sounding as if he were scolding a young child.

“Leave that to me” you tell the man, channeling a little bit of Darth Vader.