In Britannia Salutem

[Lindseyman]

Urien

Urien stood on the wall at Camboglanna, looking northwards. Terrible stories of the slaughter of Lot and the subsequent capture of the Votadini Citadel had reached both Urien and Cunoval and they had both started sending patrols northwards bringing back any refugees that they found (although there were not many). Messages had also been sent south to the other Northern Lords and also to Artos. Interestingly the messages sent by Constantine had mentioned that Ebissa hadn’t continued on to attack Alt Clud but instead had set his men scouring the Votadini and Selgovae countryside. It was obvious that he was looking for someone and as there had been no mention of the fate of Morgause or her and Lot’s children Urien presumed that they were the focus of the search. His heart went out to them. Although he had little time for Morgause under normal circumstances, to be on the run in midwinter with two young children!

He shivered a little and wrapped his cloak around him even tighter. On days like today with a chill wind blowing from the sea and snow glistening on the hills to both the north and the south he felt every one of his sixty plus years. He could remember there being proper garrisons on the wall. His wife’s father still kept harking on about Theodosius and the scouring of north of the wall. However it had all fallen to pieces. Urien couldn’t put his finger on any one event but there had been a steady decline in fortunes since before Honorius had washed his hands of the province (damn Constantine to the deepest pit of hell, his attempt to become Emperor was even more stupid than Maximus’ and that was saying something!).

Suddenly, something caught his eye to the north. He squinted and thought that he saw three horses riding fast for the wall. Then he saw several more following them, obviously in pursuit. Urien wasted no time. He turned round and bellowed for a patrol to be sent to intercept the three horses and to bring them into the fort. Quickly his orders were followed and it was with some pride that he saw that it was his grandson Caius (although they all called him Cai) that led them. The patrol rode quickly north and reached the first party whose horses were foundering just before their pursuers reached them. Cai formed a screen between the two parties and waited whilst a couple of troopers led the three horses south to the fort. The pursuers didn’t push the matter they swung round and rode away as soon as they saw that they were outnumbered.

The gates were opened and the patrol clattered into the fort. Urien stood there waiting. There were two men, a young woman and two young children, a boy and a much younger girl. Urien recognised one of the men it was Gaheris the son of Garaidh, a local chief who was not above raiding his neighbours on occasion but had generally dealt fairly with traders in the Caer Lugul market. Gaheris saw him and approached and bowed.

“Lord, we beg for refuge. I have here Medraut and Morgana the children of Lot and my father’s sister Morgause.”

“Where is Morgause, and indeed your father?”

“They both died when Ebissa’s men attacked our hall. We don’t know how they traced Morgause to us. It might just have been blind luck as they have been ravaging across the countryside. It was indeed luck that enabled us to flee, although pursuit was always close behind. If your patrol hadn’t reached us, I doubt that we would have reached the wall.”

Urien didn’t know what to do with them and he puzzled about it all the way back to his hall in Luguvallium. (The fort was still Luguvallium although the town was now Caer Lugal). He talked it through with his wife Julia.

“I can’t keep them here it’s too obvious and Ebissa will send people to kill them. Cunoval and the others would have the same problems. Artos is too far and I’m not sending anyone to Catigern after the Rowena fiasco!”

Julia smiled

“What about my family’s old holdings at Galava? They’re near enough to keep an eye on them but far enough away to not be obvious. We can’t split the children up, they only have each other left and have already been through too much. You can appoint Gaheris as your representative with the children’s nursemaid as his wife.”

Here she broke into an open grin

“Not that either of them will take too much persuading about that. They’re obviously besotted with each other!”

Urien grinned

“Oh to be young and in love! Galava it is then. I’ll make the arrangements.”

 

[Lindseyman]

Myrddin

Myrddin sat in a chair in a small nondescript office whilst the man opposite him studiously ignored him whilst poring over some report or other. Myrddin was getting annoyed but didn’t let it show. He had too much respect for the other man’s intelligence and ability, it would have taken both to organise the “rescue” of Rowena and her two boys especially given how shrunken the Empire’s reach had become in the last decades.

The journey from Condate had been uneventful but Myrddin had been saddened to see the ruin into which Gaul had fallen. Italia wasn’t in a much better state but some reconstruction work was being undertaken, obviously Aetius had been successful in getting at least some senators to part with a little of their money. It had been the failure to do that which had caused the fall of Stilicho at least in part (the main reason was that despite his ability he was considered a barbarian unfit to run the Empire) earlier in the century. Unfortunately no one else who had seized the reins of power had a fraction of his ability until Aetius and he was having problems.

The man opposite finally looked up and deigned to notice Myrddin.

“Well, Guitolinus, you’re finally here. Ah, sorry you’re using the Myrddin alias now aren’t you?”

Myrddin smiled in response

“Anthimus, how nice to see you as well, and you’ve had a promotion it would appear. What happened to your predecessor? Not food poisoning I hope?”

“Not unless you count a sword in the stomach food poisoning. He annoyed Valentinian once too often.”

“An occupational risk, especially if you keep bringing bad tidings to your ruler. Happens even in Britannia!”

“Hmmm, Britannia. What on earth possessed you to go there? If you had stayed it would have been you sitting this side of the desk not me.”

“You flatter me! We both know that I would have survived about as long as it would have taken you to arrange a suitable demise. Britannia in spite of all its problems was a much healthier environment for a man of my talents.”

“Quite so, but something intrigues me. You were obviously trying to set up Britannia to survive the Saxons and their ilk, but why Vortigern a tribal dreamer rather than Ambrosius who despite his over caution was at least a Roman in outlook?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me, I’m all ears!”

“Ambrosius despite all his qualities couldn’t get the tribesmen to support him. They wouldn’t support Rhiothemus and he was one of their own because he wanted to rejoin the Empire. I had to work with what was too hand and Vortigern was the best chance to unify the Britons. Ambrosius would have worked with him to drive the Saxons out but not the other way round. Unfortunately he let the power go to his head. First provoking Vortimer to rebel and then the disasters with Hengist.”

“I didn’t think that you would have organised the removal of Hengist that way. I was quite shocked when I heard of that and not surprised by the eventual outcome. It made getting his wife and sons (although I was only expecting one) slightly more difficult! At least Cador was intelligent enough to work his way around the problems. He’s one I shall have to keep an eye on in the future, if there is a future!”

Myrddin was surprised and made the mistake of letting it show.

“Oh, yes I had been planning that since Rowena got pregnant with Cerdic. Not because of Vortigern but to draw you out. I have need of you and your way of looking at things. Especially now Atilla is dead from the plague. Marcian and the East have quite nicely finished the Huns as a threat now. No there is a problem much closer to home!”

Myrddin sighed

“Valentinian, I presume.”

Anthimus nodded and continued

“The man is an idiot who believes that he can run the empire without Aetius. He’s swallowing that flattery from those senators who are afraid that Aetius might actually succeed in forcing money from them to rebuild the army and a fleet. We need both to retake Carthage and its grain from the Vandals. My contempt for those who believe otherwise is beyond words!”

Myrddin shrugged

“The more things change, the more they stay the same!”

“Spare me your platitudes, Myrddin. I need your help willingly or otherwise. If Valentinian removes Aetius there is no one else who stands a chance of pulling the Empire back from the brink. Certainly not Ricimer who would have the same problems as Stilicho despite his being a good general.”

Myrddin thought for a bit

“What about Majorian? He has the ability AND is Roman.”

“True, but he’s sitting in his villa stewing because of Aetius’ wife’s fear of him.”

Myrddin thought a bit longer.

“What would it take to reconcile Aetius and Majorian? If they worked together, perhaps with Ricimer, that would quite possibly give you the men with the ability in the right places. Aetius’ son is married to Valentinian’s daughter. Get rid of Valentinian, and you CAN arrange that, have the son proclaimed Emperor. Aetius stays as Magister Militum, Majorian organises the campaign to retake Carthage and have Ricimer in charge of the Limes on the Danube. He would enjoy putting the Ostrogoths in their place!”

Anthimus smiled

“I knew that getting you here was a good idea! What you have suggested has merit but Aetius’ wife might also have to go.”

“Leave her to me” replied Myrddin. “We have family connections. I can talk her round.”

“Make sure that you do!”

 

[Lindseyman]

A tavern in Venta Belgarum

Rufio sat at the back of The Golden Amphora, a slightly disreputable tavern, in Venta Belgarum but which still did get decent Gaulish wine and drank deeply. To his surprise Lucius, his brother, who served in the army came in. He looked around the tavern and saw his brother waved and came over.

Rufio frowned, there was something different about the way his brother walked and bore himself. Any way Lucius sat at the table having first swung the seat backwards.

“Hello Rufio. How are the wife and kids?”

“Fine better than they have been. The boys miss their Uncle Lucius!”

Lucius nodded

“I will try to visit this time.”

Lucius poured himself a small goblet of wine and sipped at it. He looked at it surprised and took another sip.

“This is Gaulish wine! Splashing the cash aren’t you?”

Rufio smiled

“Things have improved a lot over the past year since we last met. Our new lord Artos may be a soldier but he has given Decidivatus a free hand to run the economy. There is a lot more work for people like me. There are building projects again as the old ruins are cleared and new buildings put up. Old Enrix the cobbler has been overwhelmed with orders for new shoes for your army and has had to take on apprentices. You remember how run down the market was a year or so ago with hardly any produce apart from that produced locally?”

Lucius nodded

“Well” continued Rufio “We now have twice weekly markets with traders overflowing with produce from all parts of Britannia. It’s as if traders are no longer worried to travel about the country and the old networks are functioning again. It’s taken less than a year and we’re all far more prosperous.”

“So people are no longer worried about the Sea Wolves?”

“Na. Ambrosius, Artos and even that idiot Vortigern have seen to that. The army does have a use after all apart from keeping us in line!”

Lucius stretched his legs

“I have to admit even this place looks as if there is more money around. Perhaps people are spending rather than hoarding!”

“Sa, even my father in law is expanding his metal working business. You know how careful he is about parting with money. If he is investing in the future then we are in good times!”

Lucius smiled and drank some more wine. He looked thoughtful

“Nothing has really changed over the past year. The island is still fragmented and there are still Sea Wolves coming over.”

“True, but people like us now have hope. We can see things improving, more luxuries, more money, more jobs. The island may be fragmented, but at last it is stable and peaceful. Long may it continue this way!”

“Any way where have you been Lucius?”

“Ah, I’ve been in Lindum, up in the northern wastes! There are so few people left up there apart from Aelle’s Angles. I do wonder what happened to them. The Angles say that they found the lands deserted when they arrived. Even to the extent of there being intact farm buildings with no farmers but animals which were obviously descended from the farm’s original stock. Any way although Lindum itself was a town full of Ghosts, the old barracks were a gold mine. In old store rooms we found arms and armour some of which might date back as far as Hadrian!”

“I thought that there was something different about you! You’re wearing armour!”

Suddenly Rufio was silent and then said tersely

“Why are you wearing armour when off duty?”

“I’m not off duty” replied Lucius “now please for our family’s sake drink up and leave quietly. We have business with Falerix the owner and it is not going to be pleasant for those caught here.

 

[Lindseyman]

Vortix

Vortix sat in his son’s chamber and wept openly. His last remaining son had just died, not from war or disease but from being gored by a boar on a hunt near Abona. He had been with some of his companions and they had wounded and then cornered a boar in a thicket. Instead of waiting for the dogs, his son had gone in after the boar. It was a mistake that no experienced huntsman should make! His horse had been spooked by some birds and had thrown him. He had broken his leg in the fall and the enraged boar had attacked him.

Vortix now had no heirs. He had been an only child so had no siblings and his daughter had died giving birth to a stillborn child. His other sons had been killed by the Saxons in their ambush of Vortigern. He had ridden on with the main body of the army as ordered by Vortigern and would never be able to forgive himself for not being there to save his sons.

He dried his eyes and started to think long and hard about his lands and who should succeed to them. Much as he hated to admit it there was really only one choice he could make, especially since that choice already controlled over half the lands which were his by right and would likely take control of the rest in the next campaigning season. No, he would have to leave his lands to Artos. Well at least his people would be well looked after.

Decidivatus might be an opinionated and self-righteous prig but he could run an economy. The lands that Artos had inherited from his father had never been as prosperous as they were now and Vortix really wanted his people to share in that prosperity.

The tribal dream was finished. Catigern was not a tenth of the ruler that his brother had been and he had no Guitolinus to advise him. No, the safety of his people now was firmly in the hands of Artos and the Roman Party (which in actual fact they always really had been, he admitted wryly to himself). Vortix dried his eyes and sent for a scribe. He wanted this to be written so that there could be no misunderstandings especially after his death.

After he had finished with the scribe, Vortix sent messages to summon the local chiefs to Glevum and started to make arrangements for what should be an interesting meeting.

 

[Lindseyman]

Decidivatus

Decidivatus leaned back in his chair and yawned. He had spent most of the day ploughing through reports on conditions in eastern Flavia Caesariensis. It was going to be easier to integrate into the administration than he had at first feared. Oh, there were going to be problems especially as local laws had drifted slightly according to locality but these were all still similar enough that integrating them should only be a matter of time and smoothing a few ruffled feathers! Then there was the little matter of the Falerix smuggling operation. That had spread a lot further into what remained of civilian administration than he liked. However a little house cleaning, a few redeployments and then a raid on the Golden Amphora should have sorted that out. On top of that there were all the mundane things to oversee. He had finally got the council to agree on spending money on rebuilding and also enabling what few skilled builders remained to expand their businesses and relearn how to repair the water systems. So many skills had been lost in the last 50 years and had to be relearned from scratch. However the new stability, even though at the moment it had been only a few months, had worked wonders. The economy was finally expanding rather than contracting and there were even people coming back from Gaul!

He had to admit that Artos had exceeded all his expectations as leader of the Roman Party in Britannia. Despite being a far more proactive military leader than his father, Artos had shown an unexpected grasp of what was needed to enable his lands to equip his expanding army. He had quite surprisingly let Decidivatus run the economy and civilian matters and also listened to Marius especially about logistics. The upshot was that the country could support Artos’ planned expansion of the army and still prosper. Unlike his father he had even regularly attended council meetings during the winter months. It was evident that he was impatient with how long civilians could take to agree to the obvious but he had smiled and restrained himself even when people disagreed with him. The upshot was that Artos was becoming more popular than Ambrosius even with those who had to have their arms twisted to pay their taxes.

There were some clouds on the horizon. Cador in Dumnonia was sailing his own path although he kept making the right noises. A very close eye would have to be kept on him. There were extremely disquieting messages coming from the north about the carnage that Ebissa was creating north of the wall. Guitolinus had been seen in Dumnonia; somehow he had survived the massacre on Watling Street. However he was keeping very low which was just as well. He was highly intelligent and could cause no end of trouble if he so wished. Then there was the last message which had reached him from Ravenna. Valentinian had died from food poisoning and Gaudentius had been proclaimed Emperor. That was actually good news especially as it seemed that Aetius and Majorian had settled their differences and were pulling in the same direction. There might actually now be some hope for what remained of the Empire in the west.

There was a commotion outside his office. Decidivatus pulled himself out of his reverie as Artos charged in.

“Read this message from Vortix!”

Decidivatus took the message from Artos and read it. His eyebrows raised as he read what the message contained.

“So Vortix is relinquishing all claims to Flavia Caesariensis and has made you his heir! He must have had an interesting time getting that agreed by the local landowners!”

Artos nodded

“Sa, but it makes this summer’s campaign a lot less fraught! It is now just a reclamation exercise rather than a military campaign. We can spend this summer just countering any raids from the Sea Wolves and Hibernians and training. We have to prepare to be able to counter Ebissa. He’s not just going to sit north of the wall. Once he’s consolidated his hold on Valentia he will try his luck with at least Urien and Cunoval. I’m considering leaving Marius in charge of countering raids and heading north to aid Constantine in Alt Clud. Ebissa has to take Alt Clud to maintain his hold otherwise he has an exposed west flank.”

Decidivatus nodded

“Sa, makes military sense but the council will need some persuading. Valentia is a long way away in their minds.”

 

[Lindseyman]

Somewhere in Eastern Deira

Ecgfrith looked proudly across his land. They had just ploughed the fields ready to plant the barley and oats. He leant down and picked up a clod of earth and rubbed it through his fingers. This was superb soil and land. It had obviously been farmed for years before he and his family had taken possession of the abandoned farm and above that had been well tended.

Ecgfrith sometimes wondered what had happened to the Parisii who had lived in this land before the arrival of the Angles. It was obvious that they hadn’t left because of the land being unable to support them, the last harvest has surpassed even his wildest expectations, but left it they had.

He shook his head and focussed on more practical matters and started to decide in which areas he should plant the crops and which areas he should lay fallow. After a few minutes deciding Ecgfrith started to walk back to his hall. He much preferred to walk even though he owned horses for riding. It gave him time to think (wool-gather as his wife put it!). Suddenly he sniffed, he could smell burning. It was very faint but it was there. He could see his hall and it was intact but the smell was becoming slightly more intense. He hurried back along the track.

When he got back he found several of his neighbours milling around. They all tended to look to him for leadership. His furthest neighbour Ceolwine ran to him and breathlessly told him

“They’re back!”

“Who are back?”

“Our old foe the Suetids”

“What, they fled east even before we left the old country!”

“They may have done. However there is no mistaking the helms, banners and armour of those who attacked and burned Aldwith’s homestead.”

Ecgfrith thought hard and fast.

“Send a message to Eadberht in Petacaster. He has got to raise the war banner. Then contact all the outlying farms and homesteads. They have to leave and move either to Petacaster or failing that to Elmet or Ebrauc.”

After a moment’s thought he added

“We’d better send messages to the Britons as well. If it is the Suetids we are going to need their help!”

After the messengers had been sent Ecgfrith turned to the others.

“Get your arms. We are going to show those Eastern scum what it means to attack Angles. It appears that they have forgotten!”

 

[Hecatee]

You get too little feedback, but this is a really nice TL, thanks for it. I gather from the latest update that Arthos' cavalry might have to fight alongside the Angles to settle the region ?

 

[altwere]

I am greatly enjoying this TL.
I am interested it what a Romobritishanglo culture will end up looking like.

 

[Lindseyman]

Quintus

Quintus rubbed his back gingerly. It always ached when he had to make a forced march. The news from Deira had not been good. Despite having the sense to send messengers to both himself and Lucius asking for help (as well as his uncle south of the Abus) Eadberht had not waited for them to arrive with their troops but had marched to face these Suetids as soon as he had assembled his fyrrd (what the Angles apparently called their local militia). Whoever commanded these latest Sea Wolves had a sound understanding of tactics and strategy. He had feigned a retreat and had then hit Eadberht hard near a boggy area a day or so east of Petuaria. It had been a massacre!

Quintus’ troops had been meeting survivors for the past two days as they had marched east. Eadberht, when he realised that he had lost the battle, had formed up his household troops and had launched a desperate attack at the Suetid centre in order to buy the fyrrd time to retreat. It had worked but had cost Eadberht his life and the lives of his household troops. That was a pity as though they lacked the discipline of even Lucius’ army, Quintus knew from experience how well they could fight.

To add to his worries, none of the scouts that he had sent out had returned. He really had no idea where this Suetid force was or where it was heading. Luckily he had found a defensible position and had set his troops and those of Lucius to fortifying it as much as they could in the time available. This he suspected was not going to be long enough. He was proved correct when at daybreak he was awoken with the news that there were two armies approaching! Quintus cursed, how had these invaders managed to land so many so quickly? It wasn’t a raiding party it was a full scale invasion! He really hadn’t got enough troops to counter an invading force. Still no use wishing for more troops he would have to do the best he could with what he had got.

He quickly issued orders and his men formed up in formation. He was immensely proud of his infantry. Although it couldn’t match an old legion it was as good as he could make them and that was more than good enough so far. However as he watched the approaching Suetids, he became less sure that that would be enough. These Sea Wolves were disciplined! Battle was joined within the hour and Quintus’ fears were realised. These Suetids were superbly disciplined and maintained it even when forced back. The battle raged all day and Quintus was being hard pressed to stand his ground. Even the arrival of Aelle and the Lindsey fyrrd had only eased the situation not markedly changed it.

Quintus was beginning to think that he would have to stage a fighting withdrawal when his ears picked up a sound from the north that he never thought that he would ever hear. It was horns, not just any horns but buccina! Who on earth? None of the Northern Lords still used buccina and Aelle certainly didn’t. He had his answer within a few minutes. A large cavalry force charged across the open ground from the north and crashed into the rear of the Suetid forces. What had been threatening to turn into a massacre of the Northern troops was turned instead into a rout of these invaders. The Suetid forces turned to deal with these new attackers and Quintus saw his chance. Their line was breaking so he sounded the advance and his troops formed up and advanced into the disintegrating opposing troops. What had looked like a defeat was instead going to be a crushing victory.

From where on earth did this cavalry come? More importantly who commanded them? Quintus was soon to have his answers.

 

[Lindseyman]

Lucius

Lucius limped over to Quintus’ command tent. He had been supremely lucky in the battle and had managed to avoid being killed despite being caught in the Suetid’s last desperate charge to try and break out. The battle had turned into a massacre of these invaders after the fortuitous arrival of that cavalry. Lucius had recognised some of the cavalry’s banners but was still slightly in shock at its timely arrival.

On arriving at Quintus’ tent he found both Quintus and Aelle present together with two other men. One he recognised as Marcus, Ambrosius’ aide, the other young man he did not recognise at all.

“Ah, Lucius” greeted Quintus “not too badly wounded I hope?”

“Na, it was only a glancing blow, but it hurts like Hades!”

“Good. Now meet our saviour”

At this the other younger man looked surprisingly embarrassed.

“I didn’t…”

“Don’t be so modest lad” interrupted Aelle. “Without your arrival it would have been all we could do to pull out in any sort of order. Your arrival changed the battle completely. I hadn’t realised that there was such a force here in Britannia. It’s bigger than anything Ambrosius ever fielded.”

At this last statement the denarius dropped in Lucius’ mind.

“You’re Artos, Ambrosius’ son!”

The young man nodded

“Sa, I am.”

“How did you arrive in such a timely manner? I know that we sent messages but you arrived well before any force which could have been sent on their receipt!”

“I was on my way north to aid Constantine of Alt Clud against Ebissa. Something made me come via Eboracum rather than through Deva. It was as well I did. On arriving at Eboracum Aquila told me about the incursion and also that a second fleet had landed. This couldn’t be left unchallenged so I rode east. We defeated a force two days march from Eboracum. I left Marius to mop up the landing beaches and swung south with most of the cavalry. Just who were they?”

Aelle grimaced

“They are the Suetids. We have fought them on and off for the past hundred years or so. Their original home was well to the north of the Geats. But they had been drifting south due to the failure of their crops. My father decisively defeated them twenty years ago and we thought that they had fled back to their homeland. It would seem not! Also somebody has taken them in hand. They were never that disciplined! Fearsome and brave warriors yes, but never drilled to follow orders!”

Artos nodded

“Rodmunt of the Geats hinted that something had driven his people over to Iceni territory but didn’t say anything about it being this disciplined a force. Are there more of them?”

Aelle frowned

“I know not. However we had better prepare as if there were! I shall send ships back to the old country to try and pick up information. What worries me is that they didn’t try for our old lands, which would still be much better than their homeland but came straight for Britannia. It is as though somebody had invited them! It wouldn’t have been Ebissa, the Saxons hate them as much as the Angles!”

Lucius thought for a moment

“Could it have been Lot? It is the sort of daft thing that he would have done to distract us whilst consolidating his hold on Valentia. Not that it did him much good with Ebissa taking such direct action!”

“Doesn’t really matter now if it was Lot” added Artos. “However Aelle is right we need more information and quickly. Did any of the Suetid leaders survive?”

 

[Cymraeg]

More please!

 

[Hecatee]

More please!

Seconded

 

[Lindseyman]

Utha

More please!

I'm in shock! Thank you. (Oh and apologies for a character in this post. He's been in my mind from the start but this is his first appearance)
........................................................................................................

Utha read about the recent hostilities in Deira again with increasing worry. He had received reports from both Quintus and Lucius and also, much to his surprise, from Artos. Although the Suetid force had been crushed through the fortuitous arrival of Artos and his forces from the south it had been very close. Too close for Utha’s liking. These Suetids had been nearly as disciplined as Quintus’ troops and everybody had thought Quintus had gone overboard on insisting on Roman discipline and training including himself! Well thought Utha, Quintus was right! If it hadn’t been for the discipline of his troops the Northern forces wouldn’t have held long enough for Artos to save the day.

He would have to up the training of his own troops. Utha smiled, his commander had been trying to persuade him to that end for years but Utha had always resisted believing that British courage would always win in the end (albeit with some training). Well now he would be pushing at an open door. Utha sent a message to the barracks, Caddo was always there fretting about equipment or the rawness of recruits!

After half an hour Caddo appeared and saluted. He still used the Roman style of salute for his superiors even if no one else did. He must have been modelling himself on his father, mused Utha. Caddo’s father had served Utha’s grandfather and then his father during the civil wars that had followed Constantine’s stupid attempt at becoming Emperor and had died in the final battle that had established Vortigern’s father as High King. Caddo had stayed loyal to Utha even though in his heart he had really supported Ambrosius, for this Utha was grateful. It had ensured his own survival in difficult times.

“Well, old friend, it seems that you were right all along. We need to ensure stricter discipline and training in our troops.”

A smile briefly flickered on Caddo’s normally serious face.

“What has changed your mind after all these years?”

Then he noticed the reports on Utha’s desk.

“Ah, you’ve read about the battles in Deira.”

“Sa, now what did Marius include in his report to you that the Lord’s didn’t in theirs to me?”

Caddo had the grace to look embarrassed.

“Caddo, I’ve known for years that you maintained contact with Marius even after I broke with Ambrosius. I never stopped you because we needed to keep in contact even indirectly. Our break was for show, to convince Vortigern that I was fully loyal to him. Now what did Marius say?”

Utha and Caddo spent the next hours comparing the reports. They were all similar enough that Utha was convinced that the others hadn’t left anything out deliberately. However Marius’ report on the landing beaches was horrifying.

“The women and children were starving!” Utha exclaimed.

“Sa” replied Caddo “it would seem that most of the food was given to the men who would be the soldiers and most of all to their leaders! It would seem that they thought that they would be able to feed the women and children from captured stores. Things must have been really desperate in their homeland.”

“That explains why they accepted the invitation to settle in eastern Britannia. However it would seem that the only ones who knew who invited them over are still where they came from or were killed in the battles.”

Caddo looked thoughtful

“I’ve never wished an Angle luck before, but I really hope that the ships Aelle has sent back to their old country manage to find out the required information. It is a terrifying thought that there may well be more of them yet to make the attempt, even though we will now be ready for them. Marius reports that they are manning the old Roman beacons all along the east coast to try and provide an earlier warning.”

Just then one of Utha’s servants burst in

“Apologies My Lords, but messages have come. There is a large fleet of ships sailing towards Deva!”

 

[Lindseyman]

As mentioned in "Northumbria more successful?" no more posts until August (Family holiday etc). Please feel free to add comments, especially thoughts on that fleet approaching Deva. Also Myrddin is going to have problems extracting himself from Ravenna. Anthimus wants him under close scrutiny (neither trusts the other as far as they can throw them) but he really does find Myrddin's slightly different take on the situation useful.

 

[Lindseyman]

Urien

Urien looked at the messages that he had received from both his grandson in Camboglanna and the Fort Commander in disbelief. The Damnoni had abandoned Alt Clud, which had been their fortress for generations, and had come south. There was a large proportion of Damnoni nobility and their people currently camped just outside Camboglanna and they were requesting refuge and resettlement south of the wall! This was unprecedented. Ebissa had camped outside the fortress and had prevented any crops from being planted. The Damnoni had resisted but eventually they had had to surrender because their food had run out. Ebissa had accepted their surrender but his terms were that they leave their ancestral lands. North was out of the question as the Picts were again becoming restless so Constantine had loaded his family and retainers onto whatever boats that were to hand and had sailed south. The remaining Damnoni had packed up what they could and under the leadership of Constantine’s brother Garaidh had marched south under Ebissa’s watchful eye.

Much to their surprise Ebissa had not attacked them at all but had relentlessly shepherded them south to the wall. Urien had to admire what Ebisssa had done. He had secured his west flank by taking Alt Clud and by turfing the Damnoni out of their lands had both reduced the chance of revolts and had given those south of the wall a massive refugee problem to solve!

He sent urgent messages to his fellow Northern Lords and to Artos. This was the last thing that they needed! There were enough worries about the Suetid invasion and no one was sure whether there were yet more to try their luck at seizing land on the east coast. The last message from Aelle had not been reassuring. None of the ships that he had sent back to the Angle’s old lands had yet returned. Indeed they were overdue especially as the weather had been kind to sailing across that sea.

Urien and his advisors had pondered long on the problem with the Damnoni and had come up with a temporary solution. There was uninhabited land on the border between Urien and Utha in the Appenines. The Damnoni would be moved there in the first instance. It was quite similar to the land that they had left and there was still time to plant crops which could be harvested that autumn.

Garaidh had been happy with this news when Urien met with him on having let the Damnoni through the wall and thanked him profusely. However on departing to what would be their home, however temporarily, Garaidh had warned Urien that Ebissa’s eyes would be turning southwards once more if not next year, then the one after. He will deal with the Picts this year, Garaidh had ventured, I’m not sure if they realise what is going to hit them when they try to subdue the Picts. You think that you’ve defeated them and then yet more turn up!

A few days after Garaidh had left, Urien received a message from Utha. Constantine and his fleet had turned up at Deva making the same request. Luckily Utha had thought of the same land as Urien so the Damnoni would be reunited. However Utha had decided that the situation was such that not only would he call a meeting of the Northern Lords but a full meeting of all leaders south of the wall. They would meet at Viroconium at the first full moon after the Autumn Equinox.

 

[Hecatee]

Well the Damnoni's move can only strenghten the south in the long run, if only by creating a debt of gratitude toward those who welcomed and fed them south of the wall, especially as one may consider that the rather well ruled southern lands means that not too many abuses will be heaped upon the refugees' heads. And while they might be too weak to fight this year alongside the others, they may proove to be just the kind of numbers needed to defeat the northern threat when it appears later on.

 

[Lindseyman]

Aelle's boats

Hussa, Oswui and Ethelred, who had commanded the three boats that Aelle had sent back to their old country, stood together on the beach near what had been Frithhaven, the major Angle settlement. It had been burnt to the ground and although there were still bodies lying where they had fallen there had been no signs of any survivors.

It was the same at every settlement that the boats had visited. Hussa had swung around the north of the peninsula, Oswui had concentrated on the isthmus and Ethelred had sailed south up to the old borders with the Saxons. The first undamaged settlement that Ethelred had reached had been in the Old Saxon lands and he had been met with a storm of arrows and so had sailed back to Frithhaven. All Hussa and Oswui had found were burnt out remains.

“This has happened since last summer” said Hussa “I sailed back here on a mission from Aelle at the last midsummer solstice and this was still a thriving settlement. Indeed a boat trading Amber arrived in the autumn.”

Ethelred scowled

“The bodies are all of the old or of young men bearing arms. There are no young women or children. If it was not that all the settlements are this way I would have suspected slavers!”

“Ja” agreed Hussa.

Then Hussa looked at Oswui.

“What is it?”

Oswui was silent for a minute or two and then spoke

“I just wonder” then he shook his head. “Na, they’ve been too thorough he couldn’t have survived.”

Hussa looked puzzled and then shook his head in agreement.

“Na, not even old Freawine would have survived this!”

Ethelred looked at the other two

“Who?”

Hussa grinned

“Freawine was touched by Loki and lived in the woods to the east of here. He’d been around since my grandsire’s days. We all used to go and poke fun at him when children but in the main he never bothered us so he was left alone.”

Hussa then frowned

“Mind you it wouldn’t hurt to go and look where he used to live up in the woods. Oswui, you come with me he’d know us both. Ethelred, get the boats ready to sail. We need to get this news back to Aelle.”

Hussa, Oswui and five men picked their way carefully through the burnt out ruins and headed into the woods. After an hour or so Oswui sniffed.

“I can smell a cooking fire.”

Hussa sniffed and nodded his agreement. He signalled his men and they split up and carefully worked their way around towards the smell. They pulled up short when they saw the fire. There was a group of about twenty children gathered around a deer roasting over the fire. An old man was wrapped in blankets and was being fussed over by a girl of about twelve. One of Hussa’s man stood on a dry twig and the sound echoed across the small clearing. Immediately the older children gathered the younger ones together and a couple of the older boys picked up spears and tried to look threatening.

Hussa sighed and walked into the clearing with his hands held up.

“It’s all right we’re here to help”

At the sound of his voice, the old man perked up

“It’s young Hussa isn’t it? Have you come to torment me again?”

“Na, old man. This time it’s to bring you to safety!”

“There is nowhere safe anymore. Not if people attack in the middle of winter. They should be concentrating on keeping warm not killing.”

Freawine rambled on for a few minutes. However from what he said Hussa and Oswui were able to piece together what had happened. The Suetids had attacked just after the winter solstice and had burnt and pillaged their way over the entire peninsula. They burnt all the settlements to the ground, killed the old and those who resisted and marched the rest back to the east. Freawine had gathered together all the children whom he had found wandering in the woods and had tried to look after them, hoping against hope that boats would come across from Aelle in the spring. However none had come and then he had fallen ill.

The oldest boy, Edwui had backed up Freawine’s story as did the oldest girl Eadflyth.

Hussa sighed

“Right, you’d better come with us. We’ll take you all back to Aelle in the new lands. Ja, even you Freawine. I somehow don’t think that you’ll ever be teased again after this!”

 

[Lindseyman]

Constantine

Constantine had set up his residence at the old abandoned Roman settlement at Bremetannacum. There had only been a few hardy souls still living in the ruins and they had readily accepted Constantine’s rule, especially as the arrival of the Damnoni had brought supplies into the area as Urien, Utha and Cunoval had sent what they could spare to enable the Damnoni to survive until the harvest. They had managed to plant some crops but none of the farmers had thought that it would be a big harvest as it had been so late when they were planted.

Urien and Utha had basically handed over the land on their border between the Lunum in the North and the highlands to the south of the Belisama to the Damnoni refugees. One of Constantine’s first instructions to his brother Garaidh was to conduct a survey of their new lands and to find out who, if anybody, still lived there. Garaidh had reported that there were a few hill farmers near the border with Elmet but otherwise the land was unoccupied. Glad that he was not pushing anybody out, as Ebissa had done so brutally to his people, Constantine set about organising his new lands.
His major worry had been that the leaders of the Damnoni would want to replace him with Garaidh. He had after all lost their ancestral homelands to Ebissa and Garaidh had performed wonders in getting their people to the wall and then to these new lands. However Garaidh had categorically stated that the only way that he would become Chieftain was if both Constantine and his son died in non-suspicious circumstances and that he was a war leader and that he did not have the skills that the Damnoni needed to settle in their new lands whereas Constantine did have those skills.

Garaidh had confided to Constantine that he dreaded even the prospect of being more than the Damnoni war leader and that he hadn’t done such a good job of defending their homeland! So the brothers would carry on in their previous roles. Admittedly it had helped that there had been a raid by Hibernians soon after they had arrived and that Constantine had led the forces that defeated them (Garaidh had been off on the survey at the time). The Hibernians had expected easy pickings from a dispirited group of refugees not a counter attack from a war band who wanted a victory to help ease the pain of their defeat by Ebissa and they had been cut down only a couple of miles inland and only one boatload of Hibernians had escaped back to their own lands.

The only major disagreement that the two would have was over who should attend the meeting at Viroconium! Both thought that the other was better qualified, Constantine because he was the Chieftain of the Damnoni (Garaidh’s argument), Garaidh because he had a better idea of Ebissa’s tactics and strategies (Constantine’s argument). In the end the other leaders of the Damnoni insisted that both should go as after all it was after the end of the raiding season!

So the Damnoni slowly settled into their new lands which were so like yet unlike their old homelands.

 

[Hecatee]

Still too few comments on this amazing story. I wonder if occupying the ruins of the old roman town and the need to keep defenses might make the Dumnonii somewhat more urbanized (eventually making hilltop cities for defense) ?

 

[Lindseyman]

Still too few comments on this amazing story. I wonder if occupying the ruins of the old roman town and the need to keep defenses might make the Dumnonii somewhat more urbanized (eventually making hilltop cities for defense) ?

Thank you for your kind comments.

I'm not sure if the Damnoni will become more urbanised but they will become more like the other Northern tribes south of the wall as the years pass.

Real life intrudes again this week so it will be Bank Holiday weekend at the earliest for the next post. However a certain British leader is in for a bit of a shock and changes attitude accordingly.