Orichalcum
First Post
Alea Iacta VII: Lux et Veritas, First Chapter: Paperwork
A few days after the Triumph, Lucretius receives the following report:
Report on the Incident at the Triumph of the most noble L. Mamercus Aemilianus Cimbrus Britannicus on the Ides of Maius, in the consulship of L. Mamercus Aemilianus Cimbrus Britannicus and G. Servilius Procopius:
by G. Atilius Faunus, Second Centurion of the First Cohort of the Vigiles.
Relevant sections (it's a very long document)
....As the Triumphal Chariot approached the mid-point of the
Circus Maximus, the section of the parade containing the XXXVII important
Celtic prisoners was turning the corner at the end of the Circus in
preparation for rounding the Palatine Hill and then proceeding northwards
through the Forum Romanum. At this point, some commotion began to occur.
The first noted incident was movement and arming of weapons by Auxiliary
Engineer of the VIth Legion G. Tacitus Llyr, who was on board one of the
floats directly behind the group of prisoners. It is my judgement that
this movement should not be interpreted against him, as he shortly
thereafter demonstrated extreme courage in attacking the escaping
prisoners, but his potentially hostile action, particularly given his
previous criminal rccord [ See Report on Armed Theft at the Temple of
Mercury, IV days before the Ides of Maius, VIIth Watchhouse, Via Sacra],
should be noted.
The prisoners then seemed to stop marching in the parade and begin
fleeing southwards and westwards; several witnesses claim to have seen
their chains falling off them. The aforementioned Auxiliary G. Tacitus
Llyr moved forward to engage them in combat, as did other nearby standing
guards; meanwhile, the Triumphal Chariot halted, and protective forces
moved in around it. The Praetorians claimed to have special protective
forces guarding Cimbrus, although I couldn't see any of them, but I'm sure
the gods were looking out for him.
Many of the prisoners appeared to escape fairly readily into the
crowds (three of my men claim that they disappeared practically within
arms' reach, but I fear that they had begun imbibing before the triumphal
banquet, and they have been duly flogged for their incompetence.) In
total, XIV of the prisoners escaped into the crowded streets of Rome; V of
these were later apprehended on the island park in the middle of the
Tiber, where the Praetorians had suggested we place guards; particular credit here goes to the British smith Heilyn, who despite his highly suspicious record [See previous Report on Armed Theft and Assault on Religious Officials] valiantly both spotted the escaped prisoners and prevented their flight. XII of the prisoners, including all the captured Druids, were killed in combat during the triumph, most particularly by the aforementioned G. Tacitus Llyr; the remaining XI as well as the V recaptured Celts were executed immediately after the triumph's end, as per standard procedure. Those that were recaptured claimed to have no knowledge of their rescuers and went so far as to bite their own tongues out rather than respond to gentle questioning.
The remaining IX escaped Celtic prisoners include a large, red-bearded man who gave his name only as Tarbh Kiannort, which according to our native informants means Chieftain of the Bulls. He should be regarded as extremely dangerous, having previously tried to break out of the prison camp and throttled three vigiles into unconsciousness with his bare hands. Most of the others seemed to be fighters, although two of the women had fought in the battle yet were not captured with weapons larger than the long, sharp Celtic daggers. Units should be informed to expect that the five women will prove to be equally deadly combatants and should not be shown mercy. All vigiles are currently on the lookout for suspiciously behaving Celts, but given the large foreign-born population in the city, both slave and free, a detailed search will be difficult without good evidence of their likely hideouts. However, given the extra patrols at the gates, it is my belief that it is most likely that the prisoners remain in Rome and have not successfully fled the city.
The most mysterious incident during this attack involved the supposed aerial assault. Various of the extra guards which the Praetorian Lucretius had hired began, during the combat, pointing up at the air and shouting something; surprising meteorological conditions then began to occur, which is after all not unusual in Maius. A large number of witnesses claim that they saw a female figure appear hovering in the air and then fall dead to the ground; while two elderly women without visible wounds were found dead in the Circus Maximus after the incident, it seems probable that their deaths were due to natural excitement given all the chaos. Certainly, this is the official account of the vigiles, as there is no need to spread panic among the populace by confirming dubious accounts of hags plummeting onto the triumphal chariot, particularly as the most-noble Cimbrus remained unharmed.
On tips from G. Tacitus Llyr, a squadron of vigiles went to search a deserted villa on the Aventine Hill, but found no present inhabitants, although evidence of recent fires.
Vigiles have also been instructed to be particularly on the lookout for a tall, thin red headed man, wiry in build, going by the name Sycorax, but such a man was not noted during the Triumphal incident.
More trustworthy Celtic speakers would aid in the further investigation. Our reports also indicate that an abnormally large number of Celtic-origin slaves, around LXXXV according to our latest account, have been registered as running away from their rightful owners within the past month, with a particular spike around the time of the Triumph. Attempts are being made to keep tabs on current Celtic slaves, but given the approximate population of 15,000 slaves of Gallic, Britannian, or Germanic origin within the city of Rome currently, such a task is difficult.
Assistance from the Praetorians is always welcomed, of course.
-- G. Atilius Faunus
A few days after the Triumph, Lucretius receives the following report:
Report on the Incident at the Triumph of the most noble L. Mamercus Aemilianus Cimbrus Britannicus on the Ides of Maius, in the consulship of L. Mamercus Aemilianus Cimbrus Britannicus and G. Servilius Procopius:
by G. Atilius Faunus, Second Centurion of the First Cohort of the Vigiles.
Relevant sections (it's a very long document)
....As the Triumphal Chariot approached the mid-point of the
Circus Maximus, the section of the parade containing the XXXVII important
Celtic prisoners was turning the corner at the end of the Circus in
preparation for rounding the Palatine Hill and then proceeding northwards
through the Forum Romanum. At this point, some commotion began to occur.
The first noted incident was movement and arming of weapons by Auxiliary
Engineer of the VIth Legion G. Tacitus Llyr, who was on board one of the
floats directly behind the group of prisoners. It is my judgement that
this movement should not be interpreted against him, as he shortly
thereafter demonstrated extreme courage in attacking the escaping
prisoners, but his potentially hostile action, particularly given his
previous criminal rccord [ See Report on Armed Theft at the Temple of
Mercury, IV days before the Ides of Maius, VIIth Watchhouse, Via Sacra],
should be noted.
The prisoners then seemed to stop marching in the parade and begin
fleeing southwards and westwards; several witnesses claim to have seen
their chains falling off them. The aforementioned Auxiliary G. Tacitus
Llyr moved forward to engage them in combat, as did other nearby standing
guards; meanwhile, the Triumphal Chariot halted, and protective forces
moved in around it. The Praetorians claimed to have special protective
forces guarding Cimbrus, although I couldn't see any of them, but I'm sure
the gods were looking out for him.
Many of the prisoners appeared to escape fairly readily into the
crowds (three of my men claim that they disappeared practically within
arms' reach, but I fear that they had begun imbibing before the triumphal
banquet, and they have been duly flogged for their incompetence.) In
total, XIV of the prisoners escaped into the crowded streets of Rome; V of
these were later apprehended on the island park in the middle of the
Tiber, where the Praetorians had suggested we place guards; particular credit here goes to the British smith Heilyn, who despite his highly suspicious record [See previous Report on Armed Theft and Assault on Religious Officials] valiantly both spotted the escaped prisoners and prevented their flight. XII of the prisoners, including all the captured Druids, were killed in combat during the triumph, most particularly by the aforementioned G. Tacitus Llyr; the remaining XI as well as the V recaptured Celts were executed immediately after the triumph's end, as per standard procedure. Those that were recaptured claimed to have no knowledge of their rescuers and went so far as to bite their own tongues out rather than respond to gentle questioning.
The remaining IX escaped Celtic prisoners include a large, red-bearded man who gave his name only as Tarbh Kiannort, which according to our native informants means Chieftain of the Bulls. He should be regarded as extremely dangerous, having previously tried to break out of the prison camp and throttled three vigiles into unconsciousness with his bare hands. Most of the others seemed to be fighters, although two of the women had fought in the battle yet were not captured with weapons larger than the long, sharp Celtic daggers. Units should be informed to expect that the five women will prove to be equally deadly combatants and should not be shown mercy. All vigiles are currently on the lookout for suspiciously behaving Celts, but given the large foreign-born population in the city, both slave and free, a detailed search will be difficult without good evidence of their likely hideouts. However, given the extra patrols at the gates, it is my belief that it is most likely that the prisoners remain in Rome and have not successfully fled the city.
The most mysterious incident during this attack involved the supposed aerial assault. Various of the extra guards which the Praetorian Lucretius had hired began, during the combat, pointing up at the air and shouting something; surprising meteorological conditions then began to occur, which is after all not unusual in Maius. A large number of witnesses claim that they saw a female figure appear hovering in the air and then fall dead to the ground; while two elderly women without visible wounds were found dead in the Circus Maximus after the incident, it seems probable that their deaths were due to natural excitement given all the chaos. Certainly, this is the official account of the vigiles, as there is no need to spread panic among the populace by confirming dubious accounts of hags plummeting onto the triumphal chariot, particularly as the most-noble Cimbrus remained unharmed.
On tips from G. Tacitus Llyr, a squadron of vigiles went to search a deserted villa on the Aventine Hill, but found no present inhabitants, although evidence of recent fires.
Vigiles have also been instructed to be particularly on the lookout for a tall, thin red headed man, wiry in build, going by the name Sycorax, but such a man was not noted during the Triumphal incident.
More trustworthy Celtic speakers would aid in the further investigation. Our reports also indicate that an abnormally large number of Celtic-origin slaves, around LXXXV according to our latest account, have been registered as running away from their rightful owners within the past month, with a particular spike around the time of the Triumph. Attempts are being made to keep tabs on current Celtic slaves, but given the approximate population of 15,000 slaves of Gallic, Britannian, or Germanic origin within the city of Rome currently, such a task is difficult.
Assistance from the Praetorians is always welcomed, of course.
-- G. Atilius Faunus