Battle of Philippi (second engagement)
The second engagement at the Battle of Philippi is reaching its climax. Brutus, realizing his forces are outmaneuvered and outnumbered by Octavian and Antony's legions, makes a desperate final stand.
Setting
The battlefield of Philippi, a wide plain surrounded by low hills. The ground is uneven, littered with broken weapons, shields, and the remnants of previous skirmishes. The nearby marshes add a damp, oppressive feel to the air.
Characters
Marcus Junius Brutus
primary
A Roman senator in his early 40s, with a lean but wiry build. His features are sharp, with a prominent nose and deep-set eyes that often appear weighed down by thought. His hair is dark and slightly unkempt, a sign of days spent in the field rather than the Senate.
Gaius Cassius Longinus
primary
A lean, wiry man in his early 40s with sharp, angular features and piercing gray eyes that seem to miss nothing. His skin is tanned from years of military campaigns, and his short-cropped dark hair is beginning to show streaks of gray. His posture is upright, betraying his patrician upbringing, but there's a restless energy in his movements.
Legionary
secondary
A grizzled Roman soldier in his late 30s, with a muscular but lean build from years of campaigning. His face is weathered by sun and wind, with deep-set brown eyes that have seen too much battle. A jagged scar runs from his left temple to cheekbone, and his hands are calloused from gripping weapons. His short-cropped hair is streaked with gray.
Standard Bearer
secondary
A young Roman soldier, perhaps in his early 20s, with a lean but muscular build from years of training. His face is smeared with dirt and sweat, and his short-cropped hair is damp with perspiration. His hands grip the standard tightly, knuckles white with tension. His eyes dart frequently between the battlefield and his commanders, reflecting his inner turmoil.
Slave Runner
background
A lean young man in his late teens, with sinewy muscles built for endurance. His dark hair is cropped short and damp with sweat, his olive skin streaked with dust from the battlefield. His bare feet are calloused and dirty from running across rough terrain.
Dialog
Marcus Junius Brutus
Jupiter's thunder, Cassius—look how their cavalry masses upon our left flank. If Mars favors us this day, we must hold that ground or perish.
Gaius Cassius Longinus
Spare me the gods' names, Brutus—those are Antony's veterans reforming behind their siege engines. We need the Fourth Legion shifted now, not prayers.
Legionary
Dominus, the Third Cohort reports their pila exhausted. They're forming testudo with what shields remain.
Marcus Junius Brutus
Then let them stand as the Republic's living wall—better men than we have died for lesser causes.
Gaius Cassius Longinus
Living wall? By Dis Pater's beard—they'll be a corpse wall within the hour unless we—
Legionary
Mars' balls! The right flank buckles—Octavian's vexillations press hard from the marsh.
Gaius Cassius Longinus
There—you see? No more pretty words now, Brutus. Steel and blood decide this.