Noviomagus

During the Black Winter War the attack on Noviomagus by a mixed hoard of Germanic barbarians came as a shock to the Empire as it was the first time that the Germanic tribes had used the much feared gauus stones to kill the bloodmorphs which the Roman frontier forces depended on for defense.

Over a thousand legionnaires of the elite XII legion were lost in the successful defense of the city, which during the course of the battle was reduced to ruin.

Only the heroic efforts of the Centurion Valerius stemmed the tide. Rallying his men like Horatius at the bridge, he held off horde after horde of Germanic barbarians. Relying on the ancient ways of fighting and weapons from out of Rome’s past, the outnumbered triarii held their ground. Though they fell slowly and their ranks diminished, Valerius and his men stood and fought until the morning sun rose.