The Artorian Dynasty Series

It's been forty years since the Roman conquest of southern Britannia. The hostile western regions are at last subdued and twenty years have passed since the cataclysmic Iceni Rebellion in the east. With tribal kingdoms assimilating into Roman culture and the province at relative peace, Imperial Governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola turns his attention north. The once-allied, now hostile Kingdom of Brigantes is divided between factions loyal to Rome and those of the usurper king, Venutius. Following a series of raids, and compelled to flee from imperial retribution, Venutius seeks the aid of a Caledonian chieftain named Calgacus. Calgacus hopes to use a conflict with the Empire to seal his claim as high king of the northern highlands.   In the southern coastal city of Portus Adurni, Gaius Artorius Armiger's term as governor-mayor is coming to an end. Ten years have passed since Gaius' last campaign during the Siege of Jerusalem. Ever the soldier, a summons to Londinium leaves him with an intriguing proposition. Knowing his reputation as a military leader, Governor Agricola offers Gaius a return to active service with command of the legendary cavalry regiment Indus' Horse. Despite trepidation about leaving his wife and children and the lingering effects of old battle injuries, Gaius Artorius dons his armour once more as a soldier of Rome.

In 89 A.D., following a failed insurrection by the governor of Upper Germania, the disgraced Legio XXI, Rapax, is dispatched to Pannonia, on the River Danube. The legion is purged of its senior officers; Emperor Domitian appoints the venerable Lucius Flavius Silva as the new commanding legate. Silva was a revered general. During his previous command, twenty years prior, he famously captured the Herodian Fortress of Masada at the end of the Great Jewish Revolt. Three years later a young staff tribune, Tiberius Artorius Castus, arrives at the legion's fortress of Carnuntum on his first duty posting. Idealistic if a touch naïve, he aspires to live up to the martial legacy of the Artorians who came before him. Acting as his chief mentor is Centurion Primus Ordo Gavius Lucifer. A decorated veteran who rallied a band of loyalists during the Germania revolt in support of Emperor Domitian, he is one of the only senior officers to survive the legion's subsequent purging. Within months of Tiberius' arrival, indigenous Marcomanni and Quadi tribesmen openly rebel, supported by thousands of their kinsmen from north of the Danube. Aiding them is a large contingent of Rhoxolani heavy cavalry, led by a Sarmatian general who survived Roman crucifixion and now seeks revenge against the Empire. Cut off from the rest of the province, Legio XXI finds itself in a bitter struggle for survival. The emperor orders his best general, Marcus Ulpius Trajan from Hispania with a large army to crush the rebellion and save the embattled legion. Knowing that reinforcements must travel more than a thousand miles on a trek that will take months, Silva orders Legio XXI make its' stand against their overwhelming adversaries. They either march to victorious redemption or the cold embrace of oblivion.

Since the reign of Emperor Tiberius, an uneasy peace has existed along the Danube frontier between the various Sarmatian tribal kingdoms to the north and the Roman Empire to the south. Now, a new threat has emerged in Dacia, as the aged King Duras seeks to unite his people; a feat not witnessed since the legendary King Burebista more than a century before. With great audacity, Duras sends his heir, Prince Decebalus—whose name means strength of ten men—into Roman Moesia. Pursuing more than glory and spoils, Duras hopes to win back some of the disputed territories south of the Danube and halt the increasing encroachment of the Roman Empire. Early Dacian victories, coupled with the death of the imperial governor, find Rome engaged in an unexpected war it was ill-prepared for. Unlike most 'barbarian' peoples the Empire has faced over the centuries, the Dacians are better equipped, organised, and like the Romans, possess a professional army. With great duress, Emperor Domitian orders vast numbers of reinforcements to the Danube. Thousands of miles away, across the seas in Britannia, Gaius Artorius Armiger's tenure as prefect of the legendary cavalry regiment, Indus' Horse, is coming to an end. Now in his early forties, with his children coming of age, Gaius is eager to relinquish command and either take up a civilian posting or, perhaps, retire to his family's manor in Londinium. His hopes are dashed following a despatch from the emperor, extending his command, while ordering Indus' Horse to make for Moesia with all possible speed. Thousands of imperial soldiers from across the Empire converge along the Danube with Indus' Horse but one element of the British contingent. Gaius bids an emotional farewell to his wife and children before taking to his horse, in what he hopes will be his final campaign as a soldier of Rome.

A new age has dawned for Rome. Following the brief reign of Emperor Nerva, Marcus Ulpius Trajan inherits the mantle of Caesar. A revered general and statesman, the senate a people of Rome greet his rise with an optimism not seen since the reign of Vespasian. Tiberius Artorius Castus, whose tenure with the Vigiles of Rome is ending, is summoned by Trajan to the Rhine. The emperor offers him a return to active service with the newly raised Equites Singulares Augusti, more commonly known as the Imperial Horse Guards. Rome eagerly awaits the arrival of its new, charismatic Caesar, yet Trajan must first secure the Rhine and Danube frontiers. He musters a division for an expedition against the Marcomanni in retribution for their invasion in support of the Pannonia Revolt, six years prior. For Tiberius, the campaign offers a chance at redemption, as the Imperial Horse Guards accompany Trajan across the Danube, into the land of his endless nightmares.

Three years following the destruction of Legio XXI in Pannonia, former Tribune Tiberius Artorius Castus and retired Centurion Primus Ordo Gavius Lucifer arrive in Rome. Their political fortunes rest in their letters of introduction from the revered general and Governor of Pannonia and Upper Germania, Marcus Ulpius Trajan. Tiberius and Lucifer return to the Eternal City as growing turmoil engulfs the imperial court. Emperor Domitian's paranoia remains unabated, his spies ever watchful for any sign of disloyalty. Despite his loathing and fear of potential usurpers, danger lurks not within the halls of the senate, but at the very seat of power. As the two former soldiers embark on a life far removed from the Danube frontier, they remain ever mindful of Trajan's cautionary advice; that Roman politics are deadlier than the most fearsome enemy warrior.

For twelve years a disgraceful pall has hung over the Roman Empire. Trouble along the Germanic frontier forced an abrupt end to Emperor Domitian's war against King Decebalus of Dacia. The terms were an embarrassment to Rome and a drain on the imperial coffers, with two million denarii paid to the Dacians every year. Now, a new Caesar is firmly ensconced upon the imperial throne. Emperor Trajan vows to subjugate the Dacians, humble their king, and restore honour to the Empire. A massive force numbering over 100,000 soldiers, one-third of the entire might of Rome, gathers along the Danube. It is the largest Roman army assembled in over a hundred years. Tiberius Artorius Castus has matured into his position as Deputy Prefect of the Imperial Horse Guards over the past three years. Still a young man, he is a world away from the naïve youth who first came to the capital nine years before. The Pannonian Revolt and loss of his legion hardened his soul. His tenure with the Vigiles of Rome improved his cunning. Any delusions of winning personal glory on the battlefield died long ago with his innocence. His duty as an imperial bodyguard is an immense honour, wrought with danger. He knows Trajan is a fighting Caesar, never one to shy away from battle. With war against Dacia inevitable, it is only a matter of time before Tiberius must once more draw his ancestral blade in defence of both Emperor and Empire.

The year is 104 A.D. Two years have passed since King Decebalus knelt in submission to Emperor Trajan. The recent war between Rome and Dacia was brutal and costly for both sides. The graves of many thousands lie between the River Danube and the gates of Sarmizegetusa. With peace finally come to the frontier, Trajan returns to Rome in triumph. Yet Decebalus' feigned surrender was but a ruse. With echoes of the previous war, the spirits of vanquished warriors crying out for retribution, and the humiliation of kneeling before the Emperor of Rome, the King of Dacia renews the call to arms. Tiberius Artorius Castus' tenure as Deputy Prefect of the Imperial Horse Guards is ending. But before he can begin the next chapter in his life, perhaps returning to his native Britannia, the emperor asks he remain for a time. Tiberius accepts the offer, just as renewed war with Dacia becomes inevitable. Outraged by Decebalus' flaunting of the treaty between Dacia and Rome, Trajan orders an even greater army across the Danube. Rather than subjugating the king, Trajan declares peace will only come with Dacia's fall and Decebalus brought to Rome in chains.

After decades of strife and a pair of bloodily savage wars, the Kingdom of Dacia is no more. With King Decebalus dead, and the surviving members of the royal family in captivity, an uneasy peace descends upon the new Roman Province of Dacia. The senate and people of Rome eagerly expect the return of the victorious Emperor Trajan. With equal eagerness, the people await the legendary great Dacian treasury, said to equal hundreds of tons in gold and silver, making its way to Rome. Like Vespasian before him, Trajan's intent is twofold: to use the newly-won hoard for the benefit of all Romans, while leaving monuments that will echo across the ages. For Tiberius Artorius Castus, his nine-year tenure with the emperor's Imperial Horse Guards is about to end. His thoughts return to Britannia, the land of his youth and home of the Artorians for the past sixty years. While Emperor Trajan celebrates his triumph, Tiberius returns home to begin the next chapter in his life of service to the Empire.