Tiberius pulled a pile of documents toward himself, already cursing the Antonys. Keeping up with them was a full-time job and he was too old for it now. Parthia had rejected all his nominees for Armenia, and all five Antonys had also stepped aside, sensing poisoned bait. Tiberius instead put forward Rubellius Blandus, his granddaughter's husband. Julia was an Antony through her mother, but she was his granddaughter. While the Parthians chewed on that, he could attend to other matters. The Germanic tribes were putting pressure on the main Roman base at Mogantiacum. This was a serious threat and General Aetius wanted his son and nephew back home. Tiberius agreed.
Meanwhile, the rest of the family was giving him an ulcer. One of Lucius Antonius' first acts as Governor of Syria was to demand the return of Young Marcus to Antioch to replace Gallinus in command of VI. Both Curio and Bassus were capable officers, but Lucius had the audacity to demand Young Marcus. His second request was for Pilate's recall. Tiberius had received a full report of the school prize fiasco and wanted to grant the dismissal. Just who he would get to serve in Pilate's place was anyone's guess. Tiberius directed Macro to put feelers out for anyone willing to go to Judea.
He brought his mind back to Young Marcus. If he had to name his top three commanders, Marcus Antonius would be a solid third place, after Crispus Aetius, Sr., and Lucius himself. For all his talent, though, Young Marcus was infuriating. He had rejected a throne the same way he had initially rejected the wreath, without a second thought. He had been sniveling to go back to Antioch ever since he had left. Like his great-grandfather, he cared only for himself. Tiberius had thought of him once as a possible successor, but not anymore. He had tried to give him those stepping stones, but no. Now, he drafted a meno to Macro. The Eagle of Antioch could fly home and rot there. Flavius would command in Judea, something sure to frost Pilate.
Another stack of documents caught his eye, and as usual there was an Antony involved in this mess. Cursing Antylla and Artos, he dragged the paperwork to his blotter. Locusta refused to crack despite the mounting accusations against her, but a merchant named Celanos, and his wife had plenty to say, and revealed a spider's web of covens across central Gaul. Appius was keen to wipe them out, and had a capable assistant in Artos. Now a full Tribune in command of a cohort, he had led several raids against these people.
Romans accepted most religions, but Caesar, Antony, Augustus, even Tiberius drew the line with druids and witches. Witchcraft was severely punished in Rome. Even a citizen could be crucified or burnt for engaging in it. Romans also loathed the idea of human sacrifice and cannibalism, which were part of Celtic belief. They had issued edict after edict outlawing druids, but without much succcess, aparently. In the aftermath of Caesar's wars in Gaul, many towns and villages were abandoned aling with their temples and sacred groves. Over time, the people reclaimed these old places of worship and wove together a newer version of their traditional practices, mixing Greco-Roman gods with Celtic deities, and focusing on lay practitioners rather than initiated druids. What few of them remained, like the elderly couple in Gergovia, quickly bought into the new ideas to stay relevant.
Other Celts disagreed and delved into the darker aspects of their religion, using abandoned temples, caves, and other isolated places to invoke the gods of death and destruction. Driven to the fringes of their society, their practices became more extreme, and the terror they created among their own people was beyond belief. It had surfaced again during the revolt twelve years ago, when two Gallo-Roman auxiliary officers revolted over taxation by Rome, with the implicit backing of the druids. Gergovia was nearly destroyed again before the rebels retreated to Aquitannia and were defeated there.
Now, panic and anger gripped Gallia Celtica. Opinion in Gergovia was split, with younger Celts in favor of the new ways, while older ones were adamantly opposed, and both sides dreaded a revolt for different reasons. Iolarix was the leader of the younger crowd, and he had a formidable consort in Antylla, who was showing more of Antony's temper and ruthlessness by the day. Appius had written to Castillus Bricius.
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Domina Victrix
Historical FictionDescendants of Triumvir Mark Antony through his little-known first wife, young cousins, Victoria and Marcus, have always known they were heirs to a mixed-blessing heritage. Roman men were expected to brutally dominate their families and the world a...
