Abandonment of the Antonine Wall
Centurion Marcus oversees the final preparations for the abandonment of Rough Castle, ordering his men to dismantle key defenses and pack essential supplies. Auxiliaries watch uneasily as the Romans p
Setting
Rough Castle, a Roman fortification along the Antonine Wall in central Scotland. The scene is set on the northern ramparts overlooking the rolling hills and dense forests beyond. The fort's wooden palisade and earthen defenses are still intact but show signs of neglect.
Characters
Centurion Marcus
primary
A middle-aged Roman officer with a weathered face, deep-set eyes, and a scar running from his left temple to his jawline. His short-cropped hair is peppered with grey, and his muscular build bears the marks of decades of military service. His sun-darkened skin and calloused hands speak of countless campaigns.
Optio Lucius
primary
A rugged Roman soldier in his early 30s with a muscular build from years of military training. His face bears a faded scar across the left cheekbone, and his short-cropped dark brown hair shows the first signs of gray at the temples. His hands are calloused from handling weapons and tools.
Auxiliary Scout
secondary
A wiry Briton in his late 20s with sun-darkened skin, a close-cropped beard, and sharp grey eyes accustomed to scanning horizons. His frame is lean but muscular from years of patrolling the northern forests. A faded blue warrior's tattoo peeks above his collar.
Legionary Drusus
secondary
A weary Roman legionary in his late twenties, with a lean but muscular build from years of marching and combat. His face is weathered from exposure, with a short-cropped beard and deep-set eyes that frequently dart toward the northern tree line. A fresh scar runs along his left forearm from recent skirmishes.
Camp Slave
background
A young Gallic man in his mid-20s, lean and wiry from hard labor, with short-cropped dark hair and piercing blue eyes that betray his northern origins. His face is smudged with dirt, and a recent scar runs along his left cheekbone.
Dialog
Centurion Marcus
By Jupiter's thunder, Lucius! Have the men strip the palisade bare—leave nothing but kindling for those northern wolves.
Optio Lucius
The Ninth Cohort's already burning their bedding, Centurion. Should we torch the granaries too?
Auxiliary Scout
Smoke... north beyond the old yew grove. Many torches moving—more than Selgovae raiders would carry.
Centurion Marcus
Hah! Let them feast on ashes then. Lucius—double the watch on the north gate until the last mule train clears the ditch.
Optio Lucius
Drusus! Get those lazy bastards moving—I want every pilum shaft broken before sunset!
Auxiliary Scout
The river ford... it's still passable. My people could hold it—if the legions left even three score arrows.
Centurion Marcus
Your people? You swore an oath to the eagle, scout. The Emperor's orders leave no room for sentiment.