The Weighted Scales: The World of an Aborted Rome

[Zuvarq]

Very realistic and detailed.

[Errnge]

Prologue: A Blip In History
Part Three: The Rise of The Latins




In 502 B.E. (509 B.C.) the Latins, an Italic group living along the southern banks of the Tiber River, threw off direct Rasna rule. The city of Roma in particular came to the forefront, throwing out their Rasna King Tarquin the Proud and founded an Oligarchic Republic. These Latins, many of whom called themselves Romans, became the bane of the Rasna. These Romans quickly began waging wars with their neighbors as well as founding alliances, and proving worth as soldiers as well as diplomats.

Tarquin, however, was not going to let his thrown simply go. Gathering support from the Rasna cities of Tarquinii and Veii, he met the Romans at the Battle of the Arsian Forest. The battle concluded with the Veientes’ line breaking to the Romans, exposing the right flank of Tarquin’s army. The Rasna were forced to retreat, and the Romans claimed victory.

But still, Tarquin would not give up. He then went to the city of Cevsin [1], a very powerful Rasna city, and sought aid from the King Pursenas [2]. King Pursenas led his army to Roma, and the Romans feared him at his approach. It is said that the Romans went so far as to destroy bridges their own men fought upon to halt the Rasna surge across the river. Pursenas then determined that the best course of action would be to blockade the city. He sent raiding parties to the surrounding countryside, and blocked all river commerce. An assassination attempt by the Romans was made upon Pursenas in the night, but instead the king’s secretary was slain. Pursenas grew to admire the Romans’ bravery, and eventually offered peace. His request to restore Tarquin onto his thrown was denied, but the Romans returned the lands they took from the city of Veii.



The Romans made war with the Aequi and the Volsci under the leadership of a man named Cincinnatus. This expanded their influence along the Tiber River.

War with the Rasna ignited again and again between the two forces. The disunified Rasna usually were unable to work together in an effort to defeat the Romans, but on occasion they would, and the Romans feared such unified armies, for on several occasions Roman armies had been shattered by unified Rasna forces. The Rasna city of Veii, closest in proximity and a competitor for control of the Tiber, became Roma’s nemesis. The Rasna of Veii would raid almost constantly, but refuse open battle with Roman legions. The Romans now fought on two fronts, with Veii in the North, and the Aequi and Volsci in the East.

The Roman Fabii tribe attempted to rebuff the raids made by Veii. Three hundred and six Fabii with their clients made camp along the River Cremera near Veii. The Fabii initially were successful in halting Veientes raids, and won several battles against them. A truce was made between Roma and Veii, but the Fabii broke the truce. The Veientes continued to raid, but were time and again defeated, so much so, that Fabii began to raid the countryside around Veii. The Veientes, frustrated with these hoplites, laid a trap, scattering a herd as bait. The Fabii took the bait, and chased after the herd, but soon were surrounded by Rasna. The Fabii formed into a wedge and were able to push through and regrouped on a nearby hill, where they were able to repulse the Rasna, until hoplites from Veii came at them from behind, and slaughtered them. No Roman survived the Battle of Cremera.



While the Romans slowly expanded through Latin lands, the Rasna remained the dominant force in the region. But everything changed in 467 B.E. (474 B.C.) in the bay of Neapolis.

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[1] The Etruscan name for Clusium
[2] Known by the Romans as Lars Porsena

[Zuvarq]

This is quite well done.

[Cuāuhtemōc]

Well shit, you've impressed me, Errnge.

[Errnge]

Thanks guys! I'm going to post the last of the prologue later today. I figure the sooner I get that out of the way, the sooner things can get "interesting"

[RGB]

Lars Porsena is victorious. Interesting.

[Errnge]

Prologue: A Blip In History
Part Four: The Fall of the Rasna



Historians generally agree that the undeniable turning point in Rasna hegemony in Northern Italia occurred in 467 B.E. (474 B.C.) at the Battle of Cumae.

The Rasna had for centuries been locked in a struggle with the Greeks to the South. This struggle came to a head when the Rasna sent a fleet to attack the Euboan Greek city of Cumae near the city of Neapolis [1]. Aristodemus, the tyrant ruler of Cumae, allied with Heiro I of Syracuse met the Rasna fleet in the bay of Neapolis and defeated them. This battle brought to an end all southern expansion by the Rasna, and ultimately brought about their demise. The Rasna monopoly over the Ligurian Sea and Tyrrhenian Sea trade routes ended, but worse was still to come for the Rasna.

In 428 B.E. (435 B.C.) the Romans took the town of Fidenes from the Rasna at Veii. They then colonized the town, and Latinized it.



In 389 B.E. (396 B.C.) the city of Veii fell to the Romans and was sacked by them under their dictator Camillus. The Latins had been laying siege to the city for ten years, but to no avail. Finally, they dug a tunnel beneath the city. When the moment was right, the Romans camped outside the city assaulted the walls, seemingly recklessly. At that moment, the Romans in the tunnel beneath the city emerged, apparently from beneath the Temple of Juno, and overran the city. Camillus offered to spare all who surrendered their arms, and so the city of Veii fell prostrate to the Latins. But, unfortunately for Camillus, this act of generosity earned him disfavor with the oligarchy in Roma, and he was exiled shortly thereafter.

Alas, the Rasna still lingered on, and remained powerful enough to be considered a threat to the Romans regardless. But pressure was applied on their proverbial spine from another wave of invading Gauls called Senones around the year 393 B.E. (400 B.C.) when they migrated into Italia, through Rasna lands, and finally settled along the Adriatic coast of Italia, ousting the Umbrians living there as they did so. They made a small village known as Sena [2], and made it their capital. Indeed, when it broke in 384 B.E. (391 B.C.) and the Senones laid siege to the Rasna city of Clevsin, they had no one to turn to for help but the Romans.

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[1] Naples. Means literally in Greek “New City”
[2] Known today OTL as Senigallia

[RyuDrago]

And the prologue is going to its conclusion... It gave me for a moment the dream the title of the TL was wrong.

[Monopolist]

Great job with the prologue Errnge! Can't wait for the "interesting" stuff!

[Xgentis]

Good start.

[Cuāuhtemōc]

You impress me again Errnge. You might beat me in the Turtledoves.

In all seriousness, this is good and I'm glad to be reading this. It gives me more motivation to dish out my stuff.

[Berserker]

Reads like a great book
subscribed

[Rudi Maxer]

How far are You going to go with this TL? Up to the modern times?

[SavoyTruffle]

So far so good. Waiting for the good stuff however.

[Errnge]

Originally Posted by Rudi Maxer

How far are You going to go with this TL? Up to the modern times?

not sure. i thought it would be poetic to take it to either OTL 476 AD or 1453.

And thanks for all the support guys!

[Magnum]

very very very very nice. I will be following this with great interest.

Although I hope (probably in vain) that, unlike in the original timeline (which I have yet to read to its conclusion) you don't kill off everyone I'm rooting for (Romans, Epirotes, Macedonians and Seleucids )

Anyway, I'm really enjoying it and awaiting more.

[Errnge]

Originally Posted by Magnum

very very very very nice. I will be following this with great interest.

Although I hope (probably in vain) that, unlike in the original timeline (which I have yet to read to its conclusion) you don't kill off everyone I'm rooting for (Romans, Epirotes, Macedonians and Seleucids )

Anyway, I'm really enjoying it and awaiting more.

well........ it says in the title there will be no Rome

[Ahab]

It is great! magnificent! Fantastic! Douze points!
continue pleas, although I liked the name Barbaria...
All praise Carthage!

[Errnge]

Originally Posted by Ahab

It is great! magnificent! Fantastic! Douze points!
continue pleas, although I liked the name Barbaria...
All praise Carthage!

I liked the name Barbaria too, it took me forever to find a TL name that would suffice, and I don't like the 2.0 thing, i feel like it doesn't allow as much freedom for something to become its own.

Glad to see you like it!

[Errnge]

The Weighted Scales: The World of an Aborted Rome
By Errnge

Chapter One: The Reign of the Senones
Part One: Roman Tension



In 384 B.E. (391 B.C.) Brennos led the Senones to lay siege to the mighty Rasna city of Clevsin, intending to negotiate land rights. The king of Clevsin, desperate and fearing the Senones, called for Roman intervention. So the Romans sent three men from the Fabii [1] clan to help negotiate peace.

But negotiations broke down, and the Rasna sent out their army to oust the Senones from their lands. The Roman ambassadors took up arms with the Rasna, and broke their neutrality in the affair. In the following battle, one of the Roman ambassadors killed a Senone chieftain. Upon realizing that the ambassadors’ neutrality had been broken, the Senones retreated and discussed their next course of action.

In response to the death of a chieftain by Roman hands, the Senones sent ambassadors to Roma, demanding that the Fabii ambassadors be handed over and have justice dealt upon them for their treachery. In response, the Romans promoted the ambassadors to the highest position attainable in their Republic, military tribunes and consuls. The Senones obviously did not take this well. Insulted, the ambassadors returned to Brennos at Clevsin to inform him of the disrespect brought upon them by the Romans.

Brennos, enraged at the Romans, took his army, and marched them south toward Roma. Surprisingly, however, the Senones did not attack or raid a single village or farm along the road to Roma. In fact, they shouted along the way:

“We are marching on Roma, and declare war only on the Romans, but you are our friends!”



Upon hearing news of the Senone horde marching on their cities, the Romans gathered their forces under a general named Quintus Sulpicius. Quintus Sulpicius lead twenty-four thousand men in phalanx to check the Senones’ advance.

And so, along a creak named Allia, Brennos met the Romans in battle.

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[1] Clearly not descended from one of the 306 Fabii who were massacred by the Etruscans.