[Mkguild] New Story Part 1

[cokane8116 at aol.com]

   Here is a story I've been working on for a long time. it has nothing to do with Metamor Keep. It is an ongoing project that is set in a Roman Empire settings,


COOL TITLE Goes here

    People always ask me “How did you get involved with Bitilus Aeturitis Brachaidhe?”A good question. Although I am Clan Brachaidhe I never gave much thought tosome long dead ancestor. I must admit that the clan history classes I satthrough as a child bored me to no end.   Then I took my family on a trip to the middle east. It was the journeyof a lifetime. We got to see the many ruins and wonders there. We wereexploring the ruins of an old empire fortress when my daughter asked one ofthose questions that parents dread. “Who is Bitt?”   Turning to her I found my daughter Jennifer staring at a wall on whichwas scratched words obviously put there by some bored legionnaire, long ago. MyLatine was a bit rusty but I recognized a fairly decent sketch of the ClanFlower emblem and the words “Bitt was here,” in old Latine.   That started it. A quick call home and they emailed me Bitt’s biography.I was up all evening reading it and it was fascinating.   When home I found about Bitt’s Journals and eagerly read the onlypublished edition. I found it was over 300 years old and sadly lacking. So atrip to the clan fortress was in order to see the original papers. I found theywere several THOUSAND pages, scrolls, codex’s and pieces of parchment all kepton shelves. One trip become two, then four and finally we moved to Senaloca! Istarted organizing them all and translating them into modern languages. Thatled to a website and several books, then a multivolume set and the TV series.And suddenly I was being called THE expert on Bitt and that age. The journalsbrought Bitt and his world back to life! It’s given us all a rare glimpse into anage long lost. To cities long destroyed and people forgotten. Till now.   Bitt was born into a time of great change. Social, political, religiousand economic. Everything was changing. For people like Bitt who traveledextensively they saw extensive social changes. He saw old things crumble andnew ones rise to take their places. He saw heroes rise to the occasion andvillains who sank to the depths of depravity. He saw the past and the future.Living in the ancient world he got a glimpse of the modern one.   It’s taken me to all the places he visited. I’ve been to the middle eastmany times and made many friends. On all those visits I was ably helped by mygood friend Professor Amar Rashid. The lion put up with my countless questions.You can imagine our delight when we found our families shared an unexpectedconnection.   It’s been a wild ride learning about Bitt. I have enjoyed it. I hope youdo too. I know Bitt did.   Welcome to the 7th century.           Christian Philip Brachaid                 Clan Historian
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    The newest group of recruits was certainly a motley bunch.
   The leopard had the thin, worn look ofsomeone who had to choose between the Legion and starving to death. His clothesseemed to be in no better shape. Just a battered and worn tunic that hadweathered to a dull gray. They’d have to put some extra food into him to add onthe flesh and muscle he’d need.   The mongoose had a long, old scar down his muzzle and most his left earwas missing. He held himself with an aggressive stance. Probably some streetthug who thought he could escape punishment in the Legion. He would be aproblem. They’d probably have to knock that attitude out of him.   And the dog looked painfully young. An image not helped by his wearingclothing that was too large for him. The shirt and pants had the look of abattered clothes handed down from an elder sibling. He was probably a fourth orfifth son who decided to join the Legion to avoid a life of menial labor. Whichwas not a bad idea. It would probably be a few years before he reached hisadult size.    The one who really caught his eye was thefox. The Tod was short – barely five feet tall. It made the Centurion wonderhow the vulpine had passed the entrance requirements. He also wondered what anorthern species was doing this far south. Still the vulpine looked to be ingood shape. He wasn’t excessively fat or starvation thin. Which was not thecase for some of the others. He held himself with a calmness that was differentfrom the rest. Perhaps this one had seen the elephant already. He would bearwatching.    All of the Tiros (recruits) were assembledin a group on the training ground in the middle of the castrum. The fortressthat was the home of the 76th legion of the empire. It was centrallylocated in the province of Mauritania Ceasariensis next to the city of Jerah.The capital of the Imperial province.    This massive fortress was the headquartersof the Legion and was the home of Legio Legatus – Commander of the legion.Although vexillationes (detachments) of legionnaires were scattered all overthe province in small castrum all eventually came here and took their ordersfrom here. It was where the bulk of the Legion was stationed. This was thelocation where all tiros came to be trained.    “GOOD MORNING!” Thewolf shouted in an overly loud voice. “I AM CENTURION DECIUS BRUCCIUS FERIOLIUS! Of theFifth Cohort, Seventh century, seventy sixth legion to who you now belong!”    He pointed at the fox. “And who are you?”    “My name is Bitilus Aeturitis,” the foxanswered.    “You’re the transfer from the 10th,”the centurion said plainly.    “Yes centurion,” came the answer.    “What are you doing here?” The Wolf askedbluntly.    “I was assigned here,” Bitilus responded.    The wolf stepped closer and pushed his faceright up into the vulpine’s. “No.” he said in a surprisingly soft tone. “Whydid the 10th send you across the full length of the empire? There isno war going on here. No need for troops from elsewhere.”    “Well,” the fox stuttered unsure of what tosay. So he lied. “How was I supposed to know she was the Governor’s niece.”    That got a round of laughter from everyone,including the centurion.    “I should know better than to hope but Iwill ask anyway,” the centurion started. “Do any of you have any training inhow to handle a weapon?”    Bitt was still a moment before raising ahand. “I have been clan trained.”    “In what?” The Centurion asked.    “Sword, bow, javelin, spear and seax,” thefox explained.    The centurion looked the fox over for amoment.  “All right. Let’s test you. Graba sword and shield from the racks.”    On one side of the field stood a wooden rackwhich held a variety of weapons and shields. The fox looked at them for amoment then pick up a shield. “I need a shorter shield,” Bitt commented.    “No,” the centurion answered. “The scutumhas been shield of the Legion for centuries. It will be good enough for you.”    Bitt didn’t speak but simply held up hisscutum and stood at the ready. The only part of the fox visible was the tip ofhis ears. In order to see he had to hold the shield lower. The lower edgealmost dragging on the ground.    “We just aren’t getting the good recruitsanymore.” The centurion sighed loudly. “Just how did you get into the legion inspite of being so short?”    “Personal request of the governor,” was theshort vulpine’s answer.    “You really pissed off the governor,” thewolf commented with a laugh.    “Mom and Dad suggested I travel far away,”Bitt commented. “The governor made sure I traveled REALLY far.”    “I suggest you stay away from the localfemales,” A bystander said. “They use castration as a punishment.”    The whole group winced reflexively.    “I still need a shorter shield,” Bittresponded.    “All right. I’ll see what I can do.”    “Try this one,” the legionnaire ordered andhanded the fox a different scutum.    “Better,” Bitt commented. It was better –slightly. This time in addition to his helmet and ears the fox’s eyes peakedout over the rim. That was better. A legionnaire didn’t want too much of theirbody being exposed in combat.    “Let’s see how you fight,” the centurionsaid. “Then we’ll teach you the right way.”    The fox carefully put the scutum down,leaning it against the rack. He picked up another shield, this one was oval andsmaller. Easier for him to wield.     For a weapon he picked up a spatha sword witha three-foot-long blade. This was the type of blade most of his people used.But experience told Bitt it was too long for him. He put it back and picked upone of the short-bladed swords called a gladius. The weapon the legions werefamous for. Legionnaires had used it to conquer the known world.    He stepped up to the centurion and took aguarded stance.    The Legionnaire studied the vulpine amoment. He held the shield up at the correct attitude. Not so high as toneedlessly expose his lower legs or so low as to drag the ground. It was alsoheld close to the body and not too far out. A common mistake many tiros made.The sword was held at waist level point aimed straight at the legionnaire’schest, head or legs.    A crowd was starting to form of Legionnaireswho were off duty and looking for something to break the boredom of garrisonlife.    The fox stood there a moment, trying to sizeup his opponent. The sword was short but the shield covered most of his bodymaking it hard to hit the wolf.    Hesidestepped to the right, trying to get around that massive shield. The wolfstood in place and simply pivoted as the fox moved around him.    What was clear to the Centurion was this foxhad been trained well. Unfortunately, it was not in the way the legion fights.    “Why are you inthe Legion?” The centurion asked as he fended off a lunge by the fox. “Mostsmaller species like yours go for the Exploritori or the Sagittari.”    “I wanted to be a Legionnaire,” Bittexplained proudly. “Not just an Auxilia. My ancestors were warriors. Fighters.”    The Centurion nodded. “Now that I canbelieve. Show me how you fight with a seax.”    The fox placed his shield back where he hadgotten it from and put the sword next to it. He examined all the weapons on therack – wooden copies of real killing tools. “There’s no seax here.”    “Let me see one,” the Centurion ordered andextended his hand.    Bitt reached behind himself, into the smallof his back. When he pulled his hands back he had a weapon in each one.    “Let me see one,” the Wolf ordered.    The fox hesitated a moment then placed one,hilt first into the Legionnaire’s hand.    Eachhad a narrow blade some twenty inches long with sharp point. They were attachedto hilts made of a fine, polished red wood that was just as wide as the blade.What was unusual was there was no guard. The piece that separated the hilt fromthe blade.    “The blade is steel?”    “Yes sir,” the fox replied proudly.“Imported from the east.”    The weapon was light and well balanced. Theblade was of a high-quality metal and was very sharp. This was not an openbattlefield weapon. It was meant for personal protection. Still, in the righthands it was a deadly weapon.    “Use two of the training gladius,” he saidas he handed the real weapon back.    Bitt nodded his head. “Yes sir.” He did aflourish with the blades, spinning them around and then tucking the weaponsbehind his back. When he brought his hands out, they were empty. 
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