A History of Briton
This is the writings of Asterix, a lowly bard following the travels of Belenus, son of Barrivendus the High King of Briton.
Chapter 5: The Dream of Barrivendus
270BC - Summer - Belenus has been charged with harassing the Gauls of the mainland to test their strength. We moved west from Samarobriva toward Condate Redonum with a small expeditionary force of several warbands, slingers and chariot archers. We camped on the border to the gauls by the time winter hit. Lannildut, our courteous diplomat, headed east along the shoreline to negotiate with the Germanic tribes. Hopefully they are in a more peacable mood than last winter. Barrivendus' dream of uniting the celtic nations starts with the island of Hibernia to the west. Prasutagus at the young age of 24 has been placed in charge of the uniting force in the north while Cynfawr handles the domestic responsibilites. Prasutagus has a little over a year to organise his force while the boats make their way into position. After studying a new line of thought developing in Greek culture, Barrivendus is adamant that unlocking the hidden power of trade will be the key to a stronger, united Briton.
270BC - Winter - Our move west into Gaul territory has been without opposition. Most villages along the way are bunkered down for the winter and have not impeded our force at all. We arrived at Condate Redonum by the end of winter and were amazed to see the township bereft of defenders. An amazing stroke of luck that Belenus praised the gods for. Our thoughts turn quickly to plunder.
269BC - Summer - Belenus has declared war on Gaul, stating that all mainland provinces bordering the sea are to be ceded to Briton. Their distasteful display of arse waving from the top of the palisades meant a possibly lengthy siege was in order. News from the homeland is that Barrivendus has built a port in Londinium to further trade and increase naval strength while the fertile lands of the north are cleared to help feed the nation. An old friend from Ritae has also sent word that he has been appointed as another diplomat to help garner trade alliances. In my mind he is a diplomatic genius, so he will represent our nation well.
269 - Winter - During the siege, a wolf-skin covered man snuck into our encampment, even inside Belenus' tent. Luckily his motives were benevolent as he offered his services as a master hunter. He also brought word of a relieving force to arrive in the summer, so the hastily prepared rams would need to be tested if were wanting to take the city. We punched through the main gates without loss and the chariot archers made short work of the men defending the town square. A foregone conclusion, possibly, but it is good to be sitting behind walls again. Preparations have been made to strengthen the army as we continue to press our luck.
268 - Summer - The relieving force turned out to be only a handful of warriors, barely a warband, so the expected retaliation did not come. News from the north is that the Hibernians have hunkered down in Tara, so a lengthy siege is expected.
268 - Winter - Cocolitanus of Luguvalium, a diplomat sent to work in our region, passed through on his way south. Even though he wishes to speak with the gallic emissaries, his knowledge of troop movements between here and Lemonum will be invaluable to us. He sent word from Cunobelinos, my friend from Ritae, who was on the same ship. He has been commisioned to talk to the great leaders in the Mediterranean in hopes of establishing trade, so he is braving the seas around to the Pillars of Hercules leading to the relative calm of the Mediterranean. I may never get to share a pint with him again.
267 - Summer - I have received sad news that the boat carrying Cunobelinos had been attacked just off the Armorican peninsula by gallic vessels. So much potential wasted. There has been sightings of Vindex to the south, a rather cruel gallic general. Cennianus, Cynfawr's son, has been sent over from Samarobriva to help with the push south and to also get him out of the city. Apparently he was doing more harm than good, so hopefully a stint on the front line will straighten him out a bit.
267 - Winter - News from the homeland is that roads have been built between the main townships to stimulate trade. Our isolation has been a godsend in the past to keep the wars of the mainland far from interest, but now under this new vision of trade it is a hindrance. Sea trade seems to be the only real worthwhile venture. There has been interest in our gold from Deva, so mines have been set up to exploit this natural resource.
266 - Summer - We have finally moved south toward Aquitania and met up with Cennianus on the banks of the Loire. There is a great deal of gallic activity south of the river with sightings of both Vindex and Brennus, the mighty warchief himself, marshalling forces in the region. Hibernia is finally united under our banner and Briton is now becoming an empire. Our focus can now be turned fully to uniting the celtic Gauls under Barrivendus' rule. Gallic naval power is still troublesome and has even extended their reach up between Hibernia and the homeland. Barrivendus is overseeing the construction of a larger fleet to combat this affront.
266 - Winter - Vindex attacked as we were crossing the river, bringing mayhem and panic to the troops. We fled back to Condate Redonum in disarray, losing over half our army to the callous Gauls. Reinforcements have been called for from Samarobriva and new warbands are being enlisted to prepare for the anticipated siege. Belenus has not taken the defeat well, drinking himself into a stupor each night. Prasutagus and the uniting army are making their way down through Brittania as they could not trust the ocean voyage with gallic boats running amok. Our fleet in the English channel is growing larger, so hopefully we can put an end to this embarrassment.
265 - Summer - Calpornus, Belenus's son has come of age and looking a confident leader, very level headed for one so young, but still lethal with an axe in hand and brave beyond measure. He has been sent with the uniting force across the channel to help bolster Samarobriva. The city is looking decidedly vulnerable with spies in Germania Superior reporting gallic movement toward the Belgican capital. The defenses are also lacking here in Condate Redonum, and the call to arms has not gained as much support as we would have hoped. Brennus has joined with Vindex, but are satisfied in holding the Loire bridge to the south. We are content to claim the land we have now, so if they do not wish to attack then we won't provoke them.
265 - Winter - Brennus has sieged us! While passing time in Condate Redonum, Brennus finally made his move north to reclaim lost territory. Our forces are comparable, but with the whole northwest at stake and a defeat still fresh on Benelus's mind, there is no need to risk trying to break out of the siege. Calpornus is mobilising our way and will be here in the summer with a force equal to ours, so hopefully we can catch Brennus unawares and crush him between our combined armies. The gallic navy has been sent to the bottom of the sea, so we are once again able to move freely across the channel. Our navy may also come in handy attempting a lighting strike on Lemonum to the south.
264 - Summer - Brennus must also have a good spy network as he lifted the siege to head off Calpornus along the shores of the channel. His fate may still be sealed as we are mobilising to cut off his retreat and annihilate him.
Benelus lined up to the South west of Brennus' position with 4 warbands, 2 mercenary warbands, 2 woad warriors, reduced archer chariots, and the help of Cennianus. Calpornus held the hill to the east with 5 warbands, woad warriors, slingers, druids and a regiment of mercenary cavalry. Prasutagus took the chariot archers and lined up to the northeast, directly behind Brennus. Brennus himself had 5 warbands, skirmishers, druids, cavalry and the help of Vindex and Benelus the Gaul (soon to be removed from history). Brennus, caught in a gully, turned on Benelus and charged, eager to break the encirclement. With the slow moving forces of Calpornus and no reaction from Prasutagus, the move seemed to even the fight somewhat. Benelus still had a slight advantage of numbers and a superior position, but Brennus had the more battle-hardened troops that may be able to pull it off.
Leading the charge were the secondary generals Vindex and Benelus the Gaul. Both aimed their cavalry at the warbands 2nd in from the end of the line, attempting to punch a hole through the line or drag the testy mercenaries from their line. The depleted chariot archers circled around behind the charging troops and harassed the skirmishers to keep them out of the impending battle. Benelus' line took the charge of the heavy cavalry, but the units toward the side rushed in to help their beleagured allies and cut the generals from their mounts. The charge of the gallic warbands caught the flanks of the rescuing units and folded the line once again. The 2 reserve warbands behind the frontline were rushed into position to bolster the weak points of the warping line and Benelus himself wheeled his chariot back and forth barking orders and rallying troops faltering under the massive charge.
Brennus himself then followed in with the druids aiming at the woad warriors who were encircling Vindex. Our brave warriors were cut down from behind, but some managed to turn and take on the general's heavy cavalry. The news rang across the battlefield, a woad warrior had felled Brennus! Our warriors, feeling that defeat was imminent, were glad to see the backs of the gallic army as it broke and fled. Benelus ordered the pursuit to put all the gauls to the sword, and by the time the battlefield was clear Brennus and his army were no more. Vindex and Benelus fell in the mayhem too, and although a few units managed to escape, they dispersed without leadership.
Benelus' warbands took the brunt of the casualties, with 30% of the total troops left on the battlefield. The woad warriors also took heavy losses, but their bravery on the battlefield had surely saved the day.
In the aftermath, Prasutagus headed back to Samarobriva alone to keep the eastern end of the empire under control, while Calpornus pushed on to Condate Redonum with fresh troops. We stayed at the battlesite for a couple of days healing the wounded and burying the dead. We built a massive cairn over the bodies on the site of Brennus' fall. The local villiage, not seeing one of these sturctures before, was then known as 'Cairn' or 'Caen' in their native dialect.
264 - Winter - Moving back south we found a band of gauls led by Captain Enemnogenus that had strayed over the Loire, so we formed an attack with Calpornus and wiped half of them away before they retreated across the bridge. Calpornus moved down to guard the bridge against any other incursions and to prepare for a push to Lemonum.
263 - Summer - Gaul are rising to the fight, with Lugotorix and several other piecemeal gallic armies sighted moving up from the south. Calpornus had the pick of the combined armies from the defeat of Brennus, with chariot archers, druids and woad warriors bolstering a battle-hardened front line of warbands. Calpornus siezed the opportunity to take on the minor armies before they could be formed together in a more formidible force. Lugotorix had managed to gain the support of several warbands, but retreated to Lemonum when forced into combat. Captain Enemnogenus also retreated to the township when Calpornus moved south. With superior numbers Calpornus laid siege to Lemonum, but their resolve will make it a long siege indeed. Calpornus' name as a great leader is gaining support from the local celts, and has drawn a famous warrior to his cause.
Belenus has scouted another small gallic force moving west from Alesia into Armorica, and even with the remainder of the army that fought Brennus we were able to push them back to their capital. Tasciovanus, another of our enlisted diplomats working in the Central Gaul region, was able to convince the retreating gallic force of our destiny to unite the celtic tribes. They put down their weapons and moved north to settle in a more peaceful Belgica, a province where Prasutagus had been dealing with any rebel insurgence with an iron hand.
Roman money has been flowing in as Lannildut greets them with trade agreements and maps of northern Europe. Britons in the homeland are living in luxury and wanting for nothing save the vision of a united celtic nation.
263 - Winter - To deter any more sorties from the Gaul capital we built watchtowers along our side of the Loire. From these vantage points we can also keep an eye on troop movements through to relieve the sieged Lemonum too. The siege is anticipated to last several years, so Belenus is moving down to try and keep clear any building forces that might try to help break the siege.
262 - Summer - Captain Vortigern the Gaul, leading a large force of warbands and druids, was spotted heading north from Narbonensis to help break the siege of Lemonum. Calpornus has decided to attack with the current troops available rather than risk being pinned from behind. Even though the losses were heavy, at the end of the day Lemonum was flying Briton colours. Calpornus' many victories has made him popular with the general population as his legend grows. We headed south across the Loire to rejoin with Calpornus and re-organise the army's deployment. There will definitely be defence needed of Lemonum with such a strong force moving up from the south.
262 - Winter - Cocolitanus has come to our aid, as Captain Vortigern's army was now approaching 16 warbands and was razing southern regions of Aquitania. His glib tongue and the promises of riches and land in the new empire were enough to convince the army to disband and settle into Brittany, the new name for mainland Briton. Calpornus has agreed to hold Lemonum against attacks from the south as Belenus and the rebuilt army make their way east toward Alesia, the Gaul capital. A quick strike to claim the capital would lower their spirits even more and solidify Brittany.
261 - Summer - A rebel warband had set up camp between us and Alesia. Belenus tried to convince Captain Aneirus to join us to help overthrow the gauls, but they were deviod of all sensibility. Brigands to the core. We met them on the battlefield and hid the main army in the forests to the west of their position while Belenus, Cennianus and the some mercenary horsemen approached from the open. Once Belenus was behind them, the main army revealed itself and put the rebels in disarray. They were easy prey for our chariots and horsemen. We camped at the upper crossing of the Loire and expect to reach Alesia by the Winter. Prasutigus has led some raids into central Gaul to thin the number of potential opposing gauls. He has now gone back to Samarobriva as Mabon of Arbeia, his son-in-law, brought a fresh band of swordsmen and woad warriors from the homeland down to help with the siege.
261 - Winter - We moved in on Alesia without incident and placed the capital under siege. Mabon joined us and has camped to the north of our position, sealing off the western boundaries of the city. Our combined army consists of 11 warbands, 4 woad warrior bands, swordsmen, druids and the mounted mercenaries. There is a feeling that we outnumber the defenders by 1.5:1, but it is hard to tell what they have. Cocolitanus has sent word that another massing army has been convinced the grass is greener on the other side. The gods surely must be favouring our dream.
260 - Summer - Meriadoc snuck up behind us and disrupted our siege camps, but it turned out he was alone and a deception for Lucco sallying forth to lift the siege. Cennianus and the chariots headed off to deal with Meriadoc riding up the valley from the west, while our main force ran up a ridge to gain the high ground over Lucco's approaching army.
Belenus assessed his strength at 6 warbands with the backing of 2 slinger groups and a smattering of woad warriors and druids. Lucco, with 4 bands of swordsmen, 4 warbands and support from slingers and cavalry were caught out by the speed of Belenus' reaction and formed up in the valley where the road exited the capital. Wheeling to the left, Lucco ordered a charge with his heavy swordsmen up the hill to take the fight to us. Belenus, riding freely at the back of the army, circled around the top of the army over the ridge and charged into the ranks of the oncoming Gaul. The warbands assembled in the frontline also picked their targets and charged down the hill. Our slingers remained at the bottom of the valley harassing the second line of gallic warbands who were wheeling toward the hill, but caught out of position to our oblique attack.
Meriadoc fell to the blade of Cennianus, and with the western threat dealt with he headed back up the valley to help the main force. Mabon moved in from his encampment to the north on the other side of the valley. Belenus looked pleadingly for the help of Mabon's more solid swordsmen and woad warriors, but they seemed an eternity away with the battle already joined.
Lucco charged our engaged ranks toward the top of the hill after chasing Belenus through the rear of his army. Belenus had caused even more disruption to the gallic formation, but at a cost of several loyal bodyguards. He managed to unsettle the back of the gallic warbands engaging toward the middle of the battle line and caused a minor rout as our warbands pressed downhill. The whole bottom half of Lucco's army gave way under the weight of numbers and fled back toward Alesia. A depleted band of woad warriors and druids were sent in to try to take Lucco down while he was pinned fighting with his swordsmen at the crest of the hill. Belenus had made it back behind our lines and was rallying troops when Lucco fell, a scythe through his back.
The rout was complete with the general slain, and many gauls perished fleeing from the battlefield back to Alesia. Defeating a superior army without the help of Mabon's force will be a story told many times around the taverns. Belenus' quick thinking had saved the day.
We continued to chase them to the gates of Alesia and set ourselves to attack the town. We had made 3 battering rams over the winter and chose to attack the northern gates. Vallisius, a 19 year old member of the gallic royal family, arrived to our rear when the battle started. He fell quickly to Cennianus who is getting remarkably efficient in dealing with opposing generals.
The northern gate and several sections of the northern wall were broken down by our battering rams and we flooded the capital, woad warriors leading the way. The westernmost breach had no defenders behind it so our cavalry and chariots poured through the opening and hit the flanks of the defenders of the openings to the east. We crushed the wall defenders under weight of numbers and pushed on to the town square where only 2 warbands remained.
Mabon's army also came through the fallen gate and proceeded to mop up a solitary band of skirmishers to the eastern side of the city. Marbon was slain on approach with a lucky stone shot from the slingers before they were run over. Even though the victory seemed inevitable, this unfortunate stroke of luck kept Belenus and Cennianus out of the fight for the city centre in case another bizarre accident should occur. The gauls stood to the end, taking many of our brave warriors with them to their grave. Alesia has fallen!
While we were preparing the funeral pyre for Mabon, news came in that Brycham of Durovigutum, Mabon's brother-in-law, also perished while supressing brigands in Belgica to the north. Prasutagus has headed back to Samarobriva to grieve with his daughters over this terrible tragedy.
Captain Caradog has followed us through from Lemonum across the Loire and has camped in a natural choke point between the river and the forest, defending the western part of Brittany from any remnant armies. Alesia has a blacksmith and advanced missile training facilities, so we are solidifying our army for the next push south.
260 - Winter - The Audei have held Lugdunum from the Gauls for the past 50 years, but today we set off to reunite them under the one celtic banner. We have the first wave of retrained troops under our command and have a spring in our step as we march through the snow of Sisalpine Gaul. Seniannus stayed back in Alesia to supervise the training and rebuilding of the rest of the army. Lets hope his newfound spartan attitude will help his decision making as governor too.
There is a disturbing trend of brigands emanating from the forests around Caen so Prasutagus had to once again request additional troops from the homeland to deal with the rebels. An uprising to the eastern borders of Belgica is also underway, but not as serious a threat as this new band of brigands led by Captain Tancogeistla. There was an ominous wind when Prasutagus led the suppression force from Samarobriva.
259 - Summer - We continued south and laid siege to Lugdunum with an overwhelming force. With Seniannus backing us up we should force our way in before winter. Prasutagus eliminated Tancogeistla and found some disturbing news. Tancogeistla was bankrolled by Roman spies to cause disruption in the Northeast. We captured a roman turncoat to help us work out the depth of their involvement.
259 - Winter - We gave the Audei an opportunity to surrender, but even in the face of overwhelming odds they still resisted. We battered down their walls and rained arrows down on them until the defenders were no more. It felt more like a target practice session than a war. The new chariot archers have been impressive with their upgrades from Alesia. I feel that they will make an important part of our attacking force in the future as well. Belenus's name is now revered by the warbands and he is now being hailed as "Belenus the Conqueror". The feeling is euphoric in the newly conquered city of Lugdunum and we cannot wait to head wherever Belenus leads us next.
The gallic navy attacked us again in the channel, but we defended well and won a clear naval victory. We pursued them over to the German coast and destroyed the ships remaining. Hopefully that will be the end of their folly. The Germanic tribes are getting restless and have told our diplomat that we have transgressed during talks, but gave no indication of what we did wrong. I feel they are jealous of our nation and look toward expanding themselves. The watchtowers placed along the borders by young Drustan over the past few years have reported troop movements of what may be an invasion. They have camped on their border for now, but are possibly only waiting for summer, or reinforcements. Seniannus turned back northward to help defend Alesia in case Germania pushes through.
258 - Summer - Barita, our queen, has passed away and we have had a week-long wake to remember her passing. Barrivendus himself is getting long in the tooth at the age of 62 this season, so Cynfawr has moved down to Londinium to support the ageing king.
Drustan has reported that the Germanic buildup on the northern borders of the mainland have vanished, so he has used the lull to finally remove the brigands of the area. Nothing like rebels to train a fledgeling army.
We have moved down toward Narbo Martius, the final gallic settlement this side of the Alps. Lannildut has reported that there are still some surviving Gallic settlements above Rome far to the east, so the quest for full celtic reign is far from complete. There is even reports of celts on the Iberian Peninsula! With Narbo Martius in our grasp though, it will feel like the battle has been won.
Captain Tincomnius of Gaul has moved out from Narbo Martius to engage us as we crossed the hills to the northeast of the city. He marched over the hill through the forest with 6 warbands and 3 swordsmen, more or less equal in numbers to our army, but not as diverse. Belenus moved the 3 warbands and swordsmen and 4 slingers into the forests on the western side of the battlefield, far away from the approaching force. His chariot archers were then sent in to break up and thin out the enemy. While the chariot drivers wheeled their steeds around in front of the gauls, our trained archers sent volley after volley into their ranks. 2 warbands were coaxed over to the hidden troops in the forest to the west by Belenus himself, while the depleted mercenary cavalry created more havoc to their formations by attacking weak points from behind.
Their army had spread out like a fan trying to catch up with the chariot archers who were dealing great amounts of damage. Even through the forest the chariots still maintained their killing range. The 2 warbands drawn off were then met with another barrage, this time stone from 2 groups of slingers. They had found their mark and reduced their numbers to half before they broke and ran. Belenus and the infantry chased down the routed enemy while the slingers moved over to the main gallic army to inflict more ranged damage.
The mercenary cavalry attempted one too many charges and got caught between 2 warbands. One solitary rider escaped carrying the flag of the unit. He headed up behind the army to deal with retreating troops. The chariot archers also came under attack trying to get back out into open territory, but the few losses were nothing compared to the slain bodies marking the path of where the gallic army went. The slingers arrived to help out the chariot archers, and under sustained fire the first ranks out of the forest were slaughtered before they turned and ran. Because the gallic force had been spread out all over the forest chasing the chariots, they emerged one by one into the murderous volley. When Tincomnius emerged from the forest there was only half an army left to command, and his unit of swordsmen fell to the same fate. Our warbands and swordsmen had made the distance across to the slaughtering grounds and blocked their escape back north up the hill.
Tincomnius called a general retreat, but was soon slain by the swordsmen standing in his path. Other units met the same fate with only one survivor allowed to flee the bloodbath to tell the gauls defending Narbo Martius what happened. We march on them in the morning.
258 - Winter - Narbo Martius seems to only have a few warbands defending the city, so our siege should hopefully be over by the end of winter when we have enough battering rams to get past their only defense, the wall. Calpornus has headed down from Lemonum to join our army while some remaining warbands have been put to work repairing villiages and fields pilliaged earlier by the Gauls. I think Belenus is looking forward to seeing his son, although disturbing rumours that his drinking habits have gotten out of hand have even reached us on the march. He and his uncle are regularly drunk before midday and the affairs of the city are largely ignored. Maybe a stint of action in the frontline can bring back the spark of brilliance we had seen earlier.
257 - Summer - Gaul has signed an alliance with Germania! How can the Gauls favour those barbarians instead of us? War on our eastern borders is looking inevitable now. A gallic army has made its way across the alps too. They were laying siege to Massilia, but have moved toward our position once news reached them that we were seiging Narbo Martius.
At dawn at the start of the second month we moved against Narbo Martius. The siege didn't last long with Corinnus and 2 warbands standing guard of the gallic town square while we pushed down the eastern gate. We flooded the city with virtually the same force we took lugdunum with, and it fell in much the same manner.
257 - Winter - Gaul has also signed an alliance with Spain. Continuing our pressure on Gaul is becoming increasingly dangerous as we now face sizeable armies both east and south of our mainland expansion.
The gallic army from across the Alps split up on the news of Narbo Martius's fall, with one group of 3 swordsman and 2 warbands heading past Narbo Martius toward Lemonum, while an equally sized force returned to continue the siege of Massilia. Calpornus did not have the force needed to face up to the gallic army standing in his path, so we sallied forth to meet the gallic army from behind. With both our combined forces we outnumbered them 2:1, and once again had the flexibility of ranged troops.
Our chariots and slingers pelted the opposition with arrows and rocks and broke up the formations. Calpornus had also brought some chariot archers so they aided in the initial onslaught. Even with toughened gallic swordsmen leading the way, they soon turned and fled once Belenus and Calpornus charged their chariots through them. With the enemy was on the back foot, Calpornus's infantry closed from behind to cut off the retreat. The Gaul's blood stained the snow from the massacre while we suffered minimal losses again. A clear victory indeed. Belenus's name must surely strike fear into the Gauls as his tactics and combined arms are making short work of many brave warriors.
Our next move seems uncertain. There is no real need to press on to Massilia as we may as well leave Gaul's troops tied up attacking the Voconti city. The new threat from Spain may as well be countered at Narbo Martius itself if it does actually eventuate, and Calpornus has been installed there as warchief for the time being. Alesia and Samarobriva still seem relatively safe with no declaration of war from the germanic tribes yet, although there is significant numbers amassing directly east of Alesia. We headed back toward Lugdunum and Alesia for now, centering our force to be able to react to whichever front is attacked first.
256 - Summer - Vannius, a gemanic general, created a delicate situation for the defense of Alesia as he chased some germanic brigands across the border. Do we leave the brigands alone and let them be a pseudo barrier for our lands? Do we fight the brigands and run the risk of weakening our force ? Will Vannius chase them across the border and then turn on Alesia ? With no war declarations made yet, Cennianus decided to remove the brigands; more to eliminate the situation rather than the threat caused by the rebels themselves. He met them just inside our border with 3 chariot archers and 2 swordsman, more than enough to see off the peasant army. They would not engage him though, and fearing for leaving Alesia unguarded, he left them and return to the city. Over 40 germanic units can now be seen from our watchtowers along the border. They are still moving back and forth between the border and the cities, but the troop buildup is noticeable and worrysome.
Reports of another brigand uprising between Narbo Martius and Lemonum has delayed our progress north. We have returned to Narbo Martius to regroup and hold the city while Calpornus has rushed nothward to deal with the uprising.
256 - Winter - Massive brigand uprisings in our homeland between Ebacurum and Deva meant funds were quickly diverted to raising an army capable of dealing with the threat.
Spain is not building up anywhere near as much as Germania, so we are back on the road north to Alesia in the expectation of war on the german front. Gaul managed to take Massilia, but it can be a blessing as they should develop the city into a more celtish mindset before our thoughts turn back to uniting all celts.