Game of Romes

[UNFINISHED]

A campaign run in 2017, DMed by KJ Boyce. Note: events described here have been adapted from the original campaign, and thus do not follow that campaign exactly.

In the early months of 449 AP, the barbarian Orc tribes of the province of Gaul united under one banner, and the vile Orcish commander Vercingetorix began leading a conquest. His goal: to conquer as much of the Empire as he could. The Empire had been stretched thin after devoting an abundance of resources and troops in thier attempt to recapture the rebellion state of Ireland. It took weeks to cobble together the manpower, but eventually over 100 legions led by by revered military leader Magus Tiberius II, marched north to put an end to the orc threat. The Roman response was completly unprepared for the might of the newly formed Orc horde. Vercingetorix had foreseen the use of Roman Dragonriders, and put together a team of engineers to craft a special ballista. With it, he slew the eldest of the battle dragons, leading to a loss of composure of the Roman forces. The retreat was sounded minutes later. Thousands of legionnaires perished in the Battle of Tiberius' Folly.

Among the retreating forces was the remainder of the 9th Legion, led by Lieutenant Magnus Tiberius III (the son of the general in command). After finding refuge from the orc horde, they made thier way to Kundrakar, a Dwarven stronghold in the mountains near Leon. There, another member of the 9th Legion, Flint, found the fortress ransacked, and his people dead or absent. An army of orcs had ransacked the compound, causing the survivors to flee. After clearing out the straggling invaders, and finding the surviving dwarves, the 9th Legion departed for the city of Leon, the rendezvous point for the legions in case of defeat.

...

The horde marched on the city fortress of Leon, utterly destroying its defenses, murdering its people, and burning every building to the ground.

...

In the midst of this darkness and bloodshed, a band of surviving members of the Ninth Legion, led by Lieutenant Magnus Romanus, formed an alliance with the Dwarven city of Kundrakar and the magically protected port of Marseille. They called this new militia The Knights of Leon. At the legendary Battle of Marseille, the Knights stopped the orcish horde, and slew Vercingetorix, ending his reign of terror.

The Knights were quickly recruited by the Roman Empire as a branch of its military dedicated to protecting the outer provinces.