"The Caesariad"

[stevep]

[QUOTE=EdT;4518279]Chapter 3

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(Taken from Book 1 of the Caesariad)


“First, Caesar Pompey: a juster lord,
Or nobler warrior, never drew a sword;
His eyes aflame and beamy bright;
So shines a cloud, when edg'd with adverse light.
Stalking he strides, like Achilles of yore:
Sabine ferocity matched to Caesarian valour!
Compos'd of mighty bones and brawn he stands,
A goodly tow'ring object on the sands.
If yet he lived, and drew vital air,
Never could his friends, of safety despair!”

{/Quote]

Ugh!!

So to sum up Quintus is on the verge of megalomania and Gnaeus is totally out of touch with what's actually going on. I now know the question about the slave and it's not good. Sextus might be able to rescue the Pomparian situation but his older brother has the authority and his younger one the prestige.

Octavian has a very awkward situation. He has the claim to be Caesar's successor and has made a good start politically but now has a very awkward choice as neither major faction seems to want him and seeks to place him in the opposing camp. He could manoeuvre and manage to escape serious attention until he can build up his own military base aided by Agrippa. However does he now declare for either camp and risk being crushed between the two or seek to avoid attention.

Antonius and the two Bruti are a powerful faction but how long can they stay united. 'Until the death' can easily have a different interpretation and if at any point they think their opponents are defeated the knives will come out. Interesting that Antonius seems to be a lot subtler than the oaf he's normally depicted as.

Also the scandal in Mesopotamia and resultant disorder while it's isolated could be a factor in the longer term as it could prompt unrest there and also disputes over what should be done with the killer.

Steve

[Ares96]

Originally Posted by Magnum

I seem to have mixed up my Brutus'.

I believe the proper plural form would be Brutii.

[EdT]

Next post tomorrow everyone, btw...

Originally Posted by Magnum

I seem to have mixed up my Brutus'. There was all this talk of Brutus this, Brutus that, Marcus was even mentioned at some point, so I kinda thought this was all about the more famous Brutus (I was also pretty tired when I wrote that). Btw, what is good ol' Marcus up to in the story anyway ?

Ok, basically, there are two Brutii. The first is Marcus Brutus; he's the famous one, who IOTL was one of Caesar's assassins. Marcus has only been mentioned once so far ITTL, but will turn up in a speaking role later; it's his money that bankrolled Antonius and the other Brutus' march on Rome. He seems to have been a shy, rather unmartial type, probably because of his bad acne and overbearing mother, Servilia, who incidentally was Caesar's mistress. What he did have, however, was pots of money- partially thanks to his ancestry and marriage, partly down to his own financial skill.

The other Brutus, who is more prominent so far ITTL, is Decimus Brutus. Decimus was a distant cousin of Marcus, and was a childhood friend of Mark Antony; he was handsome, outgoing, a rather good general and blonde; pretty much the exact opposite of Marcus Brutus. Decimus is the Brutus that marched on Rome with Antony.

FWIW, at one time or another both of them were rumoured to be Caesar's illegitimate son.

Hope that helps! And I'm afraid that as things move on you'll see that the Caesariad starts confusing the issue even more, ascribing the deeds of one to the other, for dramatic reasons. Sorry about that...

Originally Posted by stevep

So to sum up Quintus is on the verge of megalomania and Gnaeus is totally out of touch with what's actually going on. I now know the question about the slave and it's not good. Sextus might be able to rescue the Pomparian situation but his older brother has the authority and his younger one the prestige.

All true, except that arguably Gnaeus has rather more time to watch proceedings in the Senate these days now his head has been stuck on a spear on the rostra .

[stevep]

EdT

Finally caught up and looks very intriguing.

I'm guessing the third son of Caesar is going to be Antonius as Brutus's position looks fairly vulnerable. He's going to face up against the main Pompian forces with only 4 legions plus recent recruits. Given that Quintus/Sextus are both decent commanders [the 1st possibly a military genius] and that if they strip the German border and concentrate forces they can get a lot more veteran forces than Brutus that could go very badly for him. Not to mention he has to worry about the threat from Octavian in the south. Furthermore if he won quickly in the west then Antonius would immediately be his main rival. Which wouldn't fit in with 3 main factions two of which being Quintus and Octavian.

With Octavian how much of a fleet can he assemble quickly? Also I would presume that the main armies would have supporting naval ships so I can't see him getting any form of naval dominance quickly. However could see him being able to seriously disrupt supply routes while owning both Sicily and Africa would automatically cut off the main 'Roman' controlled grain sources from Rome.

However I think that he's not out of it by a long way. He probably has the best political brain, coupled with the claim on Caesar's inheritance, the success of his brief consulship and Agrippa's military brilliance. Not to mention being the weakest of the three factions currently he will tend to be under-estimated by the others.

As others have said he has a position similar to Sextus OTL but markedly stronger as he is attracting a lot less attention, has a wider power base with Africa and also greater political support and probably political skill.

I think actually Gnaeus's death has probably strengthened the Pompaians position. It's removed their single greatest weakness, i.e. him, while at the same time making him something of a martyr for any opponents of the Caesarians. If Sextus can keep Quintus reasonably rational they could well quickly dominate the west. Given it's resource base, especially in terms of the best manpower, that should be a game winner, especially if they can take Rome and Italia but you can never tell for sure.

With Antonius he has a long way to go but should, other events permitting, be able to smash Dollabella in Mesopotamia but events further east could make it less than easy for him to head west again. If he decides to keep Mesopotamia, which is very wealthy, it's location makes it very difficult to defend while trying to wage war in Italy and further west.

With Egypt I could see either Antonius or Octavian possibly trying a play for influence there. Both Octavian and Cleopatra were smart enough to see the advantages of an alliance provided the latter could be persuaded that Octavian is a winner. Which would set up some interesting potentials. However given the propaganda Octavian used against Antonius OTL and the links with Egypt, it might be a weakness against a wily political opponent. Hence probably Antonius is more likely to team up with Cleo. [I think some link is likely as Egypt is too wealthy, economically important and military weak to keep out of the maelstrom.

Fascinating TL and looking forward to seeing more.

Steve

[EdT]

Chapter 5
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(Taken from Book 1 of the Caesariad)

“The last in order, but the first in place,
Owing to the beauty of his face,
Is Caesar Brutus, whose golden form,
Like a precious jewel, did Rome adorn.
Like polish'd ivory, beauteous to behold,
Or Parian marble, when enchas'd in gold:
A glitt’ring cuirass enclosed his manly breast;
His helm of massy gold, and crimson was his crest.
Above the rest his beauty shines,
His stature mighty; his face divine.”

****

Nemausus (Modern Nimes)
The Province, December 37BC

Sextus Pompeius scratched absently at the unaccustomed bulk of the family signet ring on his finger, and surveyed the gathering in front of him. To his right sat his younger brother, hardly able to sit still with excitement at the prospect of the forthcoming campaign; to his left, his father’s veteran legate and former consul Lucius Afranius; opposite, Gnaeus Ahenobarbus, the three Atia cousins, and the wizened form of Marcus Petreius.

The new Paterfamilias did his best to conceal his disappointment. The ranks of the committed Pompeians were far thinner than he had hoped; too many men whose loyalty he had depended on had instead elected to stay in Rome. The only ones to rally round are decrepit old retainers, children and nonentities, he thought. If I had been in charge, rather than my brother, I would not have let our support fray around the edges like this. He felt a pang of grief. But then, you always were the overconfident one, Gnaeus. And now it’s cost you your life, just as I warned you.

He shook off the thought, knowing that he needed to radiate confidence if he was to rescue the situation, and stood, smiling broadly.

“Friends, we all know what has happened. We all mourn my brother.” Sextus glanced at Quintus, who did not even bother to look solemn. There’s one that doesn’t mourn in the slightest- he’d happily see anyone die if it meant an exciting campaign.

After a pause, he continued. “We have gathered our strength. It is now time to return to Rome and restore the rightful order of things. Petreius, Gaius Atius; your job, as you know, is to hold Spain for us. Quintus and Publis Atius will keep Gaul and Germany settled. The rest will march on Italy. I think we can spare six legions for the campaign; that leaves us two in Germany and one in Spain. Tight, but doable!”

His eyes scanned the room; nobody questioned his dispositions. “Brother; I have a job for you. You will go with Ahenobarbus-“

At that, Quintus Pompeius threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t need a nursemaid, Sextus! Why can’t I have a truly independent command?”

And you’ve just proved why you do need an eye on you, Sextus thought. “I’m Paterfamilias and you’ll do as I say! Ahenobarbus is there to support you, not to nurse you. You should be grateful! There’s been many a time when I’ve been thankful for him getting me out of a tight spot.”

Next to him, the legate beamed at the compliment. “Now, Quintus, Gnaeus- you have an important job to do.” Sextus pointed at the map rolled out on the table. “I want you to take two legions, ahead of me, across the Alps. I don’t care which way you go. I don’t want you to try and defeat Brutus and Antonius! Not at first, anyhow. Instead, I want them off balance. Appear from somewhere unexpected. Run rings around them! And then, find somewhere defensible and let them butt heads with you. While they’re distracted, I’ll cross into Italian Gaul myself. You’ll have them pinned down; we’ll smash them between hammer and anvil.”

He leaned back, pleased. “Any comments?”

His younger brother, sulk forgotten, already had a smile on his face. “When our father obtained his command against Sertorius and marched to Spain, he knew he would face too much opposition if he went the conventional way. Instead, he used the Poeninus, as Hannibal had before him- nobody expected that! I think I’ll follow in his footsteps. The cunni will never expect us to come from that far north, and the Salassi up by the pass have been begging for a sound thrashing ever since they humiliated Galba back in Caesar’s day. It’ll give the men something to warm up on!”

Sextus nodded, impressed. “Good choice, Quintus.” He gathered up his cloak. “Now, I have an army to gather. Let’s go to avenge our brother!”

****

Dertona (Modern Tortona)
Italian Gaul, April 36BC

Decimus Brutus scanned the letter from Antonius, cursing his colleague’s inability to follow Caesar’s revelatory innovation of placing a dot above each word in the missive. Gaius Trebonius watched the Triumvir’s face for any hint of the contents. “Good news, Brutus?” he finally ventured.

Brutus exploded. “While we’re freezing our arses off in this gods-forsaken little shithole waiting for the Pompeius boy to get off his nursemaid’s tit and show his face on this side of the mountains, that cunnus Antonius is getting relaxing back-rubs from the whores of Ephesus- back-rubs, I might add, that he describes in great, loving detail!”

He threw the scroll to the ground.

“If we haven’t heard from Pompeius by the Ides of May, he isn’t coming. And I, for one, will relish going to him. Not by the coast road though; that’s too obvious. No, we’ll call his bluff and cross the Alps the way he clearly intends to try; via Castra Taurinorum. I think we can catch him with his pants down.”

There was a commotion outside, and after a muttered conversation by the tent-flap Publius Canidius Crassus rushed in, looking pale. He passed Brutus a scroll; “You’ll want to read this”, he said.

Brutus unrolled the parchment, scanned its contents, and smashed his fist on the table. “Cacat!” The message joined Antonius’ letter thrown on the floor.

The Triumvir was already up and moving. “That fucking homunculus has somehow appeared in Vercellae. Vercellae! He must have crossed the Poeninus- who does he think he is, Hannibal? Trebonius, get the men ready, I want to be on the march within the hour! His men will be tired from the mountains; if we hurry, we can head him off before he crosses the Padus, otherwise we’re the ones with our pants down and he can give battle on ground of his choosing. Go!”

As his legates fled, Brutus sat heavily back at his chair, mind whirling with dispositions and potential battlefields. I underestimated you, you little cunnus, he thought, bitterly, but nobody tricks Decimus Brutus twice.

****

Fidentia (Modern Fidenza),
Italian Gaul, April 36BC

Quintus Pompeius turned around and scanned the western horizon as his men wearily began to file across the bridge that spanned the Sesterio River. He caught a thin smudge of smoke in the distance, and nodded to himself, pleased. The Selassi, tenacious foes of Rome, had been surprised and massacred in a battle that his two legions had treated almost as a casual stroll; with the Poeninus so easily penetrated, six hard days of relentless marching had brought his force from the peak of the Alps to the endless flat expanse of the Padus Valley, the Apennines looming distantly in the south. As he had hoped, Brutus had placed himself too close to the coast, and had been outmaneuvered. Pompeius had beaten him to the Padus crossing by just over twelve hours and was now free to stop and choose battle at any time while Brutus had only just made it to Placentia, twenty miles to his rear.

With a practiced eye, the young commander surveyed the nearby countryside. A few hundred yards in front of his legions lay the newly-founded colony of Fidentia; in every other direction lay endless fields of wheat and millet, broken only by the sluggish water of the Sesterio and the arrow-straight line of the Aemilian way piercing it at a right angle. Pompeius studied the low bridge, and saw Gnaeus Ahenobarbus, his legate, doing the same thing.

“Here then, do you think? Pompeius asked. Ahenobarbus grunted assent.

“There is another good spot in about five miles, at the crossing of the Tarus, but this is as good a place as any. Plus, we’ve worked the men hard. They’ll need a chance to rest their legs before the battle.”

Pompeius chewed his bottom lip, thinking. Then, finally, he turned and gave the order to halt. “Fortune favours the bold, Gnaeus, so where better to fight then at Fidentia?”

He smiled to himself at the pun. My grandfather would approve, he thought.

****

“Imperator! Imperator!” the men cried, drowning out the cries of the wounded as the sun began to set over a field littered with bodies. Gnaeus Ahenobarbus winced; that’s the last thing we need, he thought, as he wearily sat on a discarded sarcina and watched Quintus Pompeius, spattered in blood and wreathed in smiles, passing amongst his adoring army, patting arms, sharing jokes, and generally earning the intense love they felt for him, their lucky mascot.

In truth, the battle had not been a victory; it had been a hard-fought draw, an achievement in itself given the far larger force at the enemy’s disposal, but a draw nonetheless. Decimus Brutus had clearly under-estimated the tenacity of the Pompeian army. On three separate occasions that day, his five legions had tried to storm across the Sesterio, some using the bridge, others wading through the muddy water; each time, the Pompeians had managed to stave them off, inflicting heavy casualties in the process. By the late afternoon it was clear that the defenders were impossible to dislodge, so Brutus had withdrawn back along the Aemilian Way to lick his wounds and prepare another attempt.

The best course now, Ahenobarbus knew, was to stall still further; now that Brutus was bloodied and frustrated, the Pompeian force could make a dash for Parma or Forum Novum in the Appenine foothills and allow themselves to be besieged, holding the enemy in place while Sextus Pompeius’ legions crept up behind him.

Unfortunately for his legate, Quintus Pompeius had other ideas. Beaming with absolute pleasure at what he regarded as his victory, he motioned to two passing legionaries, who, after a moment’s discussion, knelt and raised their shields above their heads to create a makeshift platform, on which he clambered. “Boys!” he yelled, again and again, until silence fell.

“We just gave the cunni a whipping, and they’ve retreated to Placentia to lick their wounds!” There was a great cheer. “Now, unless I’m mistaken, Placentia is behind us. And what lies to the south, completely unguarded? Rome! Rome, ripe for the plucking! Now, some people here-“ he gestured towards Ahenobarbus, who had suddenly realised what was happening and was frantically motioning him to stop- “don’t think we should go to Rome. Instead, they want us to hang around by this bridge with our thumbs up our arses until my big brother gets here! Now, I’m always one who’s keen to hear the views of my beloved boys. So! Which is it? Do we stay put or go for Rome?”

“Rome!” the shouts were ragged at first, but quickly picked up into a rhythm. “Rome! Rome! Rome! Rome!”

From his vantage point atop the two troopers, Pompeius flashed an angelic smile at his appalled legate. “There we are, Ahenobarbus- can’t spark a mutiny now, can we? So. To Rome!”

****

Asculum (Modern Ascoli Piceno)
Picenum, April 36BC

The howling of the Pompeian informant had long since turned to a gargling splutter by the time that Titus Labienus finished his ministrations. Pausing only to wipe the spots of blood from his face, the legate turned to an appalled Titus Sosius, who had already resolved to flee to his estates in Campania and sit out the rest of the conflict as soon as decently possible.

“So the little bastard is marching on Rome is he? Well, let’s see how he fares against a real man. Sosius, strike camp, we’re leaving!”

He stalked away into the darkness, smiling at the prospect of the fight to come. “Oh, and Sosius?” he asked- the legate was doing his best not to look at the sorry remains of the man in front of him, and gratefully turned back to his superior- “I’m Picenene myself, I know how they think. The second we leave, they’ll go over to the enemy.” Particularly the way you’ve tortured your way through the population, Sosius thought. “So, before we march, you’re to burn the town. All of it.”

****

Forum Gallorum (Modern Castelfranco Emilia),
Italian Gaul, May 36BC

Sextus Pompeius clapped his hand to his forehead in disbelief. “He did what?” He growled, on the verge of fury.

Quintus Dellius blanched, and moved back a pace. “I can’t be sure, Pompeius, but my sources conclusively put your brother’s army as far south as Florentia as of a week ago. It seems like he’s trying to march on Rome.”

Inepte! thought Pompeius, struggling to contain his frustration. He fights one little miserable draw unsupervised and he thinks he’s the new Gaius Marius! He pursed his lips. Caesar would never have acted like this. Maybe there’s more of my father in him than I thought?

With an effort, he put thoughts of his abominable brother aside; let him gallivant off to Rome! The task now was to salvage the real war effort in the north. Pompeius turned to his informant, and tried to keep the contempt out of his voice. Dellius was a shameless opportunist, but he had useful contacts in every quarter of Rome- for a price. “So then. Where’s Brutus?”

Dellius beamed. “Until a few days ago, Brutus was shadowing your brother through the Futa Pass. I think he hoped to catch him between his army and Labienus’ force somewhere north of Rome- but it seems that he was informed of your own presence and is now rushing north to meet you.”

Yes, probably informed by you, you little turd, Pompeius thought. “So Brutus is somewhere south of Bononia marching through the Appenines?”

Dellius nodded. “Excellent,” Pompeius said, moving to his maps and stabbing his finger at a spot in the Appenine foothills. “We’ll take him here.”

****

Arretium (Modern Arezzo)
Etruria, May 36BC

Just south of Arretium, the Cassian Way passes through a short valley, formed by the edge of the Appenines to the east and an isolated double hill, covered in trees, to the west. It was here that Titus Labienus set his trap for Quintus Pompeius. Half his legion hid in the dense forest on the hill, while the rest of his men, bolstered by local militia and drawn up to appear like a small reinforcement party tired from a frantic march north, deployed across the road. The legate knew that the small force would be too tempting a target for the Pompeians to ignore; when they tried to sweep the obstacle aside, his other men would emerge from hiding and take the attackers in the flank. This little tyro needs a lesson from a real man, Labienus thought, with a predatory smirk.

And certainly the first part of the battle went entirely according to plan. By the time Pompeius’ force arrived at Arretium, whose population whose population were hiding behind their walls, the sun was beginning to sink over the horizon. With no desire to begin a long siege, the Pompeians simply ignored the city and swept on, apparently intending to establish a camp on the plain by Lake Trasimene. The two lines moved closer and closer. Labienus was just about to signal his trumpeter to bring his reinforcements rushing down the hill, when from the tree line above came the sound of screams and clashing arms. He snarled a curse- the mentula’s sneaked men of his own up there!

What should have been a simple ambush quickly degenerated into a grinding battle between two broadly equal forces; on more than one occasion, Labienus, who was constantly dashing back and forth along his line in the growing darkness to prevent a panic, contemplated ordering a general retreat. But in the end, the long days of constant marching took their toll, and the tired Pompeians began to give ground. When cheers went up from the hillside and jubilant Caesarian troops began to mass for a charge down into the valley, Labienus’ opponent did the sensible thing and ordered his men to disengage.

Afterwards, as Labienus wiped the blood from his sword and ordered his men to pile up the dead for burning, he forced himself to admit the truth. The little cunnus ran me close, he thought. He might only be a boy, but I will never under-estimate him again.

****

Sesto (Modern Pianoro)
Italian Gaul, May 36BC

Decimus Brutus, caked in dust and dried blood, looked out on the Pompeian army in the valley floor below and cursed his rotten luck. It had all been going so well, he thought. From the very beginning, there had been little scope for subtlety or tactics; the opposing armies were of a roughly equal size, eager to come to blows with each other, and knew where the other was located. Sextus Pompeius’ choice of battlefield also dictated a straightforward approach. Just to the south of Bononia, the ground sharply rises from the floodplain of the Padus into the Apennine foothills. The rising ground is broken by a broad, high-sided valley with a small river and the Cassian Way running down the centre, and this was where he drew up his legions to fight.

For hours, the two lines had hacked at each other, with no room for maneuver, simply the knowledge that the side to break first would be destroyed. By a couple of hours after noon, it had seemed as if the Pompeian force was losing heart, and Brutus had felt victory to be in his grasp; then, Gnaeus Calvinus, who commanded the Caesarian left, had been cut down by the enemy. Within minutes, the entire Caesarian flank had collapsed, and only a virtuoso display of command skill by Brutus- plus the disappearance of many Pompeians to loot the enemy camp- enabled the Caesarian force to conduct a fighting retreat up the side of the valley, more or less intact.

Now, the remains of the Caesarian force were strung out along the hillside, daring the Pompeians, who were busy picking over the dead and hurling insults, to come up after them. What to do now? Brutus wondered, his eyes wearily passing over the heaps of corpses below. Gaius Trebonius snapped Brutus from his reverie. “They don’t appear to be following us up the valley,” he observed, “shall we withdraw further into the hills and make camp? We might do better up here than down on the valley floor.”

Slowly, Brutus nodded. “Yes, that would be the best option. But we’ll march to the East, not the South. I’m sick of mountains; Ariminum is friendly, and there are enough rivers crossing the plain for us to do to Pompeius what his brother did to me.”

Trebonius nodded briskly, and left to make the necessary arrangements. Brutus returned to gazing bleakly at the battlefield below. After a while, his eyes were caught by the crimson flash of a paludamentum on a figure moving through the throng, a figure which suddenly stopped and looked back up towards the hillside. Pompeius, Brutus thought. You might have won this round, but the war isn’t over yet.

[EdT]

...and here are the maps. The first shows the course of the northern part of the Italian campaign of 36BC, wheras the second shows the battles mentioned in the text.

[RyuDrago]

It's astonishing the fact you made a map adherent to that historical period... I'm talking about the Ravenna sector. I guess there aren't many to keep in mind this kind of geomorphological conditions.

[MerryPrankster]

Very good update. Keep up the good work.

[Julius Vogel]

Good update and great map

[stevep]

EdT

Good update and shows the chaos of war. Sounds like Quintus blew the best chance for a quick victory and this could now become a long and bloody slog. With the Caesarians in charge of most of Italy it would depend on how secure the Pompaian hold on Gaul and Spain is and how many recruits they can get from there as Italy was such a resource base, especially for troops it will give the Caesarians a huge edge if they can use it. Although Titus's bloody methods might come back to haunt him.

From the main map it sounds like Sextus will manage to clear most of Italian Gaul and Ravenna, which would give a useful resource base but will it be in time? Also potentially how isolated will Quintus be?

The other questions would be what the other contenders do? Does Octavian wait and build up resources or seek to interfere somewhere for some advantage? Does Antonius stay in the east or possibly head back west.

Going to be a pain waiting a week for the next update.

Steve

[Arachnid]

It looks like Decimus gets chased into Ravenna by the Pompeians and loses a battle but does he survive? If he goes down things are looking a lot better for Sextus.

[Space Oddity]

What interests me is that Antony isn't considered a Caesar. Now, that suggests he's going to get sidelined somehow--though how is the big question. (I can't help but think that easy time in the East is going to go very bad for him, in a little while.)

[Ares96]

Originally Posted by Space Oddity

What interests me is that Antony isn't considered a Caesar. Now, that suggests he's going to get sidelined somehow--though how is the big question. (I can't help but think that easy time in the East is going to go very bad for him, in a little while.)

If that is strange (I know about as much about this period as I do about late 19th century parliamentary politics, but I'm enjoying myself immensely nonetheless), then he probably isn't mentioned simply because he didn't lead a major faction in the civil war.

BTW, I wonder how the translation of 'via' as 'way' came about. It would seem 'road' is a closer translation. I'm not ranting, nor do I expect an answer, it just seemed strange.

And finally, great update! Only too bad Octavian wasn't featured at all. Oh well, I guess this means we'll see more of him next time!

[Umbric Man]

Originally Posted by Ares96

BTW, I wonder how the translation of 'via' as 'way' came about. It would seem 'road' is a closer translation. I'm not ranting, nor do I expect an answer, it just seemed strange.

In at least Classical Latin pronunciation 'via' would be pronounced more 'wee-ah'. Easy enough to slur into 'way-ah'... and THAT evolved into the English word 'way'. Which we finally can end with remembering 'way' was the original English word for a road of any type.

[stevep]

Originally Posted by Space Oddity

What interests me is that Antony isn't considered a Caesar. Now, that suggests he's going to get sidelined somehow--though how is the big question. (I can't help but think that easy time in the East is going to go very bad for him, in a little while.)

Space Oddity

Good point. I missed that on my 1st read. Possibly he ends up getting bogged down in the east, either militarily in Mesopotamia or otherwise in Egypt. At this point the political and military centre of the empire is overwhelmingly in the west and if someone wins Italy and holds the rest of the west, including Africa he has everything that really matters. The east has more wealth but at this point was militarily much weaker and also anyone holding it would be continually looking over their shoulders at threats further east.

The other point is that the titles refer to this as the 1st book of the Caesariad. Possibly the current reference to three caesars refers only to that and Antonius comes into much greater prominence in a later book. [That it EdT, you already have demands for a sequel].

Steve

[Space Oddity]

Except that it's made very clear--Caesar has three "sons". There are three factions. So far, Antony has been THE driving force for the Caesareans. And yet somehow, in the popular memory, it is Decimus Brutus who is seen as the leader. Now, it may be that Antony finds himself bogged down in the East, while Decimus Brutus winds up having all the exciting battles in Italy and Gaul. But something must happen that causes Decimus to displace Antony as the leader, in people's perspective, if nowhere else.

[Shadow Knight]

Outstanding work Ed! Love the maps as well.

[Admiral Matt]

Originally Posted by Space Oddity

Except that it's made very clear--Caesar has three "sons". There are three factions. So far, Antony has been THE driving force for the Caesareans. And yet somehow, in the popular memory, it is Decimus Brutus who is seen as the leader. Now, it may be that Antony finds himself bogged down in the East, while Decimus Brutus winds up having all the exciting battles in Italy and Gaul. But something must happen that causes Decimus to displace Antony as the leader, in people's perspective, if nowhere else.

Not so. EdT's already said that actions by one Brutus are going to be conflated with the other's. All we need is for one of the Brutii to get up to something; it's not required that it actually be Decimus....

[Space Oddity]

Which would pretty much be the whole 'popular memory' thing I'm talking about. The point is--why is Antony being pushed into the background?

[CaptainAmerica]

It could be that this Brutus Caesar is Marcus Brutus and it is merely an insult/satire to call him Beautiful