Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt (The Artorian Chronicles)

Soldier of Rome:

The
Sacrovir Revolt

Book Two of the Artorian Chronicles

James Mace

Legionary Books

www.legionarybooks.net

Electronic Edition Copyright ©
2012 by James Mace

All rights reserved as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the publisher.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are based on actual events, but are used fictitiously.

Legionary Books

Meridian, Idaho 83642

http://www.legionarybooks.net

First Edition: 2008

Revised and Reedited Edition: 2012

Published in the United States of America

Legionary Books

Courage which goes against military expediency is stupidity; if it is insisted upon by a commander, irresponsibility.

Don’t fight a battle if you don’t gain anything by winning.

-
Erwin Rommel

The entire Soldier of Rome series
is dedicated to the men of Company C, 2
nd
Battalion, 116
th
Cavalry

“Cobra Strike!”

The Works of James Mace

The Artorian Chronicles

Soldier of Rome: The Legionary

Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt

Soldier of Rome: Heir to Rebellion

Soldier of Rome: The Centurion

Soldier of Rome: Journey to Judea

Soldier of Rome: The Last Campaign

Artorian Novellas

Centurion Valens and the Empress of Death

Empire Betrayed: The Fall of Sejanus

The Great Jewish Revolt

Kingdom of the Damned: Rebellion in Judea

Kingdom of the Damned: Vespasian’s Fury

Napoleonic Works

Forlorn Hope: The Storming of Badajoz

I Stood With Wellington

Courage, Marshal Ney

Preface

It has been three years since the wars against Arminius and the Cherusci. Gaius Silius, Legate of the Twentieth Legion, is concerned that the barbarians
, though shattered by the war, may be stirring once again. He also seeks to confirm the rumors regarding Arminius’ death. What Silius does not realize is that there is a new threat to the Empire, but it does not come from beyond the frontier; it is coming from within, where a disenchanted nobleman looks to sow the seeds of rebellion in Gaul.

Legionary Artorius has greatly matured during his five years in the legions. He has become stronger in mind; his body growing even more powerful. Like the rest of the legion, he is unaware of the shadow growing well within the Empire’s borders, where a disaffected nobleman seeks to betray the Emperor Tiberius. A shadow looms; one that looks to envelope the province of Gaul as well as the Rhine Legions. The year is 20 A.D.

Cast of Characters

Soldiers:

Titus Artorius Justus
– A young legionary serving with the Twentieth Legion

Magnus
Flavianus
– Artorius’ best friend and fellow legionary, he is of Nordic    descent

Statorius
– A decanus (sergeant) of legionaries and Artorius’ section leader

Flaccus
– Tesserarius of the Second Century

Camillus
– Signifier of the Second Century

Marcus Vitruvius
– Optio of the Second Century and Chief Weapons Instructor, he is Artorius’ mentor

Platorius
Macro
– Centurion of the Third Cohort’s Second Century

Valerius
Proculus
– Commander of the Third Cohort

Calvinus
– Commander of the Fifth Cohort

Flavius Quietus
– Centurion Primus Pilus of the Twentieth Legion

Pontius Pilate
– Military Tribune of the Twentieth Legion

Gaius
Silius
– Senatorial Legate and Commanding General of the Twentieth Legion

Felix
Spurius
– Legionary Recruit

Praxus, Decimus, Valens, Carbo, Gavius
– Legionaries

Noble Romans:

Tiberius Caesar
– Emperor of Rome

Livia Augusta
– Mother of Tiberius and widow of Emperor Augustus Caesar

Vipsania Agrippina
– Former wife of Tiberius and mother of Drusus

Germanicus Caesar
– Adopted son and heir of Tiberius / defeated the Germanic tribes under Arminius four years previously

Drusus Julius Caesar
– Son of Tiberius and his first wife, Vipsania Agrippina

Claudius
– Brother of Germanicus / suffers from lameness and speech impediment

Livilla
– Sister of Germanicus and Claudius / wife of Drusus

Antonia
– Mother of Germanicus, Livilla and Claudius / daughter of Marc Antony and widow of Tiberius’ brother Drusus Nero

Agrippina
– Wife of Germanicus and half-sister of Vipsania, she mistrusts and despises the Emperor

Lucius Aelius Sejanus
– Commanding Prefect of the Praetorian Guard, he is Tiberius’ most trusted advisor

Claudia Procula
– Betrothed to Pontius Pilate, she is also a distant cousin of Centurion Proculus

Diana Procula
– Claudia’s older sister and domina of the Proculus family’s Gallic estate

Gauls

Julius Sacrovir
– A Gallic nobleman, seeking to incite rebellion in the province

Julius Florus
– Sacrovir’s deputy, he is deeply in debt to Rome and sees rebellion as a means of salvaging his fortunes

Heracles
– A mysterious Greek who offers his services to Sacrovir and Florus

Taranis
– Chief of the Sequani tribe

Belenus, Broehain, Lennox, Kavan
– Gallic Nobles

Farquhar
– Son of Lennox, he is a student at the Augustodunum University

Kiana
– Daughter of a Gallic noble, she is the love of Farquhar’s life

Alasdair
– Son of Kavan and best friend to Farquhar

Radek,
Ellard, Torin
– Escaped slaves who join Sacrovir’s rebellion

Roman Military Ranks

Legionary
– Every citizen of the plebian class who enlisted in the legions started off as a legionary. Duration of service during the early empire was twenty years. Barring any promotions that would dictate otherwise, this normally consisted of sixteen years in the ranks with another four either on lighter duties or as part of the First Cohort. Legionaries served not only as the heart of the legion’s fighting force, they were also used for many building and construction projects.

Decanus
– Also referred to interchangeably as a
sergeant
in the series, decanus was the first rank of authority that a legionary could be promoted to. Much like a modern-day sergeant, the decanus was the first-line leader of legionaries. He supervised training, as well as, enforced personal hygiene and maintenance of equipment. On campaign he was in charge of getting the section’s tent erected, along with the fortifications of the camp.

Tesserarius
– The first of the
Principal
ranks, the tesserarius primarily oversaw the fatigue and guard duties for the century. He maintained the duty roster and was also keeper of the watch word. On a normal day, he could be found supervising work details or checking on the guard posts.

Signifier
– The signifier was a man much-loved on pay days. He was the treasurer for the century and was in charge of all pay issues. On campaign he carried the century’s standard (signum) into battle. This was used not only as a rallying point, but also as a visual means of communication. Traditionally, he wore a wolf’s hide over his helmet, draped around the shoulders of his armor. Because of his high level of responsibility, the signifier is third-in-command of the century.

Optio
– The term
optio
literally means
‘chosen one’
for he was personally chosen by the centurion to serve as his deputy. He would oversee all training within the century, to include that of new recruits. In battle, the optio would either stand behind the formation, keeping troops on line and in formation, or he would stand on the extreme left, able to coordinate with adjacent units.

Centurion
– In addition to being its commander, the centurion was known to be the bravest and most tactically sound man within the century. While a stern disciplinarian, and, at times, brutally harsh, his behavior is borne out of a genuine compassion for his men. The centurion knew that only through hard discipline and sound training could his men survive in battle. He was always on the extreme right of the front rank in battle; thereby placing himself in the most precarious position on the line. Mortality rates were high amongst centurions because they would sacrifice their own safety for that of their men.

Centurion Pilus Prior
– Commander of a cohort of six centuries, the centurion pilus prior was a man of considerable influence and responsibility. He not only had to command a century on a line of battle, he had to maneuver his cohort as a single unit. Such men were often given independent commands over small garrisons or on low-level conflicts. A centurion pilus prior could also be tasked with diplomatic duties; such was the respect foreign princes held for them. At this level, a soldier had to focus not just on his abilities as a leader of fighting men, but on his skills at diplomacy and politics.

Centurion Primus Ordo
– The elite First Cohort’s centuries were commanded by the centurions primus ordo. Though the number of soldiers under their direct command was fewer, these men were senior in rank to the centurions pilus prior. Men were often selected for these positions based on vast experience and for being the best tacticians in the legion. As such, part of the duty of a centurion primus ordo was to act as a strategic and tactical advisor to the commanding general. Generals such as Caesar, Marius, Tiberius, and Agrippa were successful, in part, because they had a strong circle of First Cohort Centurions advising them.

Centurion Primus Pilus
– Also referred to as the
chief
 or
 master
centurion
.
This is the pinnacle of the career of a Roman soldier. Though socially subordinate to the tribunes, the centurion primus pilus possessed more power and influence than any, and was, in fact, third-in-command of the entire legion. He was also the commander of the elite First Cohort in battle. Upon retirement, a centurion primus pilus (and possibly centurions of lesser ranks as well) was elevated into the patrician class of society. He could then stand for public office, and his sons would be eligible for appointments as tribunes. Even while serving in the ranks, a centurion primus pilus was allowed to wear the narrow purple stripe of a patrician on his toga; such was the respect Roman society held for them.

Tribune
– Tribunes came from the patrician class, often serving only six month tours with the legions. Though there were exceptions, many tribunes stayed on the line only long enough to get their “ticket punched” to a better assignment. Primarily serving as staff officers for the commanding legate, a tribune would sometimes be given command of auxiliary troops if he proved himself a capable leader. Most were looking for a career in politics, though they knew they had to get as much experience as they could out of their time in the legions. In
Soldier of Rome
, Pontius Pilate is an example of a tribune who elects to stay with the legions for as long as he is able; preferring the hard life of a soldier to the soft comforts of a political magistrate.

Laticlavian
Tribune
– Most commonly referred to as the
chief
tribune, he was a young man of the senatorial class starting off his career. Second-in-command of the legion, his responsibility was incredible, though he was often aided by the master centurion, who would act as a mentor. A soldier’s performance as chief tribune would determine whether or not he would be fit to command a legion of his own someday. Given the importance of military success to the future senator’s career, he would no doubt make every effort to prove himself competent and valiant in battle.

Legate
– The legate was a senator who had already spent time in the legions as a laticlavian tribune and had proven himself worthy of command. Of all the possible offices that a nobleman could hold, none was dearer to a Roman than command of her armies.

Legion Infantry Strength (estimated)

Legionaries – 3,780

First Cohort
Legionaries – 700

Decanii – 610

Tesserarii – 59

Signifiers – 59

Options – 59

Centurions – 45

Centurions Pilus Prior – 9

Centurions Primus Ordo – 4

Centurion Primus Pilus – 1

Tribunes – 6

Chief Tribune – 1

Legate – 1