The Defiance of Etrusca

Military action

The Defiance of Etrusca encompassed a 55 day siege of the township of Etrusca, after it had been overwhelmed by insidious Secessionist forces and its Loyalist garrison brutally slain; their bodies grotesquely spiked on display for the forces of Acerbo to witness upon approaching what was thought to be a secure township.

Etrusca, the jewel of Ager and the gateway to Rozan, as well as the rest of the southern Empire, was a town bustling with trade, minor academia, fine craftsmanship ranging from simple linen weavers all the way to skilled whitesmiths. Loyal to the Republic since its first foray across the Tiberia, Etrusca was thought to be nigh impregnable and a sure-footed spot from which the forces of Acerbo could launch their campaign into the untested grounds of the Valley of Bone & Sun. With their fifteen freshly raised legions in hand, Acerbo and Felix set across the Tiberia; despite protestations from the latter that their forces had not been fully equipped, trained or indeed fully manned. The campaigning season was coming to a close and the old men of the senate, as well as the powerful political faction of the Serranians, placed heavy pressure upon the esteemed Dictator Acerbo to display a show of force in order to remind the regional governors of their respective cities that defection would be a futile effort. After the defection of Saxum, the unusually limited communication from Aramathia and no word from much of the minor townships, mining outposts, waystations or indeed any traffic from the southern reaches of what would become the Empire, many were eager to reassert control over the Republican holdings.   With the political pressure placed upon him by these factions, as well as the restlessness of fifteen legions of men totalling 75,000 men, there was little choice but to move lest they run out of resources or should lawlessness take the ill-trained recruits. Progress was slow but with missives received from the town of Etrusca, Acerbo and Felix banked on resupply from the town's grain stores, as well as a freshly raised legion offered by the Praetor of the town. Indeed, it was this confidence that led Acerbo in to the first trial of his military career and, were it not for the legendary military prowess of Mallea Tempus Felix, what became a speedbump in their road to Aramathia surely would have become a campaign destroying calamity.   On approach to the township of Etrusca, scouts reported to the esteemed Magister Militum Felix that sentries manned the walls of the town but did not respond to attempted hails, its gates were barred and its ditches filled with water, seemingly prepared for siege. Despite repeated attempts at hailing the sentries, they did not speak with the scouts and did not allow them in to the town. A particularly daring scout by the name of Marcus Lepidia Intrepidus, found his way in to the town and reported his findings, namely that the streets were empty save the presence of soldiers or conscripted townsfolk who carried themselves with an unusual speed, vigour and with a fire in the eyes that struck chills in to the heart of the scout. Further investigation found that resistance to the Republican army was expected, though its purpose was not clear.   Armed with this information, Felix dispatched scouting parties to the nearby hills and minor forests that surrounded the township of Etrusca. Their subsequent reports indicated a moderate force of well-armed mercenaries, perhaps totalling 15,000 men in total, enough to deal serious damage to the Republican army should its advance come unimpeded. With an unclear purpose, it was decided by the Magister Militum that 10,000 men would approach the township and lay immediate siege, whilst the remaining 65,000 men were divided into a rear guard totalling 25,000 men and a relief force totalling 25,000, with 5,000 held in reserve.   Once the besieging army had laid out its siegeworks, constructed their fortified encampment and dispatched a negotiator to the township, they settled in for the evening watch. As expected by the Magister Militum, a force of these strange mercenaries were spotted, estimated to be 3,000 strong, approaching the siege camp. With forces marshalled and their advance covered by the fabled Evocati, the assault force fell upon the 3,000 mercenaries with ferocity and routed them swiftly, capturing many and slaying those who ran. Unfortunately, a particularly zealous cohort of Equite cavalrymen chased a group of mercenaries out of supporting range and were ambushed by their reserves, causing 300 casualties of fine cavalrymen and allowing the enemy valuable noble hostages. In what should have been a decisive blow to the enemy, the famed Rozani arrogance had caused this victory to be soured by the taste of defeat.    With the element of surprise gone for both sides, the strange mercenary army retreated across the Tiberia and towards a clearly occupied Arbiter's Rest. Unable to combat the problem posed by this contested river crossing, the Magister Militum deployed a strong garrison of 10,000 men to prevent a repeat crossing by the mercenary army and turned her discerning eye to the siege of Etrusca.    Once again, the Velites and Speculatores proved invaluable to the war effort, as a joint force of Speculatores and Velites discovered a disused aqueduct leading in to the township. Not enough to funnel a whole army but enough for a small strike force to overwhelm a gate guard and allow the army in to town, which is exactly what occurred. However, an honourable streak that would define the highs and lows of Felix's career, bade her dispatch another messenger to the town's Praetor in an effort to coerce their surrender. Not taking their message at face value, the messenger was sent back to his masters empty handed, without ever seeing the town Praetor or making it past the gate.    During the commando raid on the western gate, the fighting was tougher than expected but the vaunted Paladins of Dwindal and the green Legion recruits proved overwhelming for the town militia, unable to defend both the front and rear of the wall. Slaughtered to a man within minutes of the raid starting, the army poured in to the town and fierce street to street fighting began, with the clear goals of taking control of the town's grain supply, arms depot and governor's quarters. The first two goals fell easily, with the loss of one grain tower to fire and minimal casualties to the attacking force. However, the defiance of the governor's quarters, freshly fortified and garrisoned by freakish mutated soldiers, proved to extend the siege by another ten days.   Accounts differ on the assault on the governor's quarters, though all agree on its success, the nature of the enemy faced within has been much suppressed and indeed, many a soldier who was found discussing their findings in the governor's quarters were quickly censured or reeducated by the Speculatores. As a result, few accounts exist, save from the diary of a young Hastati by the name of Ibia, which documented the horrors seen within. Descriptions of fleshy masses hanging from the walls, naked men and women strolling through the governor's halls seemingly oblivious of the assault, soldiers that did not bleed when cut but instead spouted shadow from their would be wounds, a beast with four arms standing 10 feet tall lashing spells into the disorganised mass of Legionnaires, Evocati combining to destroy it and yet their spells proved only to inconvenience the beast without the aid of the Paladins of Dwindal. The account describes much of the aftermath, with the collapse of the building, a heinous cackle heard echoing throughout the town and the death of all who did not escape the folding walls of flesh in time. Indeed, a harrowing account of the events, however the official reports of the Magister Militum and her associated aides indicate that a powerful sorcerer had seized control of the town's Praetor and had slain the governor, placing the citizens of the town under a spell that made them fight with an inhuman zeal. No mentions of beasts, fleshy masses or collapsing buildings is made, but the casualty report indicates that 347 men were killed in the siege; a most unusual number compared to the battle outside the walls of Etrusca, where just 19 men were killed, excluding the foolish cavalry charge.   With the fall of the governor's quarters, the horror of Etrusca and its defiance had ended. By order of the Paladins of Dwindal and the Magister Militum its formidable walls were torn down, leaving it only with a curtain wall for the defence of the once multi-layered defence of the town.