This is an on going series. This is the first episode. Use the links below to navigate.
The Godspeaker — Prologue
Many winters ago, on these grounds of Earth, the Roman Empire crawled to its demise. They suffered a disastrous loss against some domesticated barbarians who settled in a northeast frontier with the East Roman Emperor’s blessing. They were supposed to be the frontline when the Huns finally left the Asian steppes to loot roman lands. It was a sound plan, and the Empire could only profit from such a decision.
But one can never trust men, and barbarians were the manliest kind of man in that place and time. They rebelled to the surprise of their naive Emperor. Rumor has it, a local count robbed them using his evil corruption schemes. One should know better than to trust such gossip. It’s barbarians we are talking about here. There is no such thing as a benevolent, innocent one among their entire kin as you will soon learn by my words.
The Emperor paused his warmongering in the Orient to turn his eyes and troops to that rabble of dirt. The same one who once asked his permission to settle in the glorious Roman lands. His soldiers were veterans, well versed in the arts of war. Legions they were, more than ten thousand of them. Since they last left the stony roads of Rome years ago, many joined along the way. There were farmers disgraced after bad harvests and young ones trying to prove themselves. Others were adventurers seeking fortune, fame, or ears to hear prodigies from times past. Upon hearing the news, the Emperor had doubled his men count already.
They could be thrice or more if so many hadn’t perished in the last battles. Rome was wealthy, but the chests were drier than ages ago. One could see mighty roman rectangular shields only in drawings, jars, and tapestries. It was a thing of old men’s tales almost. The Empire fought with oval and circular small ones now, like the barbarians or Sassanids. No more gladius, the legendary weapon gladiators yielded. In its place, the Espata, a long sword like the ones Visigoths or Ostrogoths used.
Even with 20.000 men, the Emperor couldn’t risk fighting barbarians with so many soldiers ill-equipped. He asked his nephew, the West Roman Emperor, to send some men and crush those rebels once and for all. And so, 30.000 men marched to face the barbarian encampment.
Opposing the Romans, the Visigoths who occupied the land by law. Roman law. They made alliances with Ostrogoths, Allans, and some Huns. All waited for the clash in a huge settlement. They were half as much, but many were on horses, and this was the Emperor’s undoing. The cavalry. The Romans marched forward, it was mid-summer. A big block of footmen sided by a rank of cavalry on each side. The left horses moved to attack the place while the right stayed to protect their flanks.
History says the moment the left rank moved away from the main army, the Romans lost the battle. A group of barbarian horsemen hid on the outside rear of the circular wooden walls. Their appearance took the attackers by surprise and forced them to retreat. Meanwhile, the barbarian cavalry inside camp moved to the outnumbered horses standing behind. The roman horsemen had failed in their duties. The main block marched unprotected and the mounted rebels massacred them. The war was not over, but this battle decided the victor early. Other battles followed, but, in the end, the Emperor died along many of his officers and soldiers.
After this unexpected turn of events in 378 A.D., the Empire was never the same. It was the beginning of its downfall.
***
On higher grounds, and I don’t mean the mountains in the northern frontiers, another battle raged. It was silent to the mortals below, except for occasional thunderstorms or earthquakes. Gods disputed their place in people’s belief. Yes, I mean the Gods with a capital G. No, I didn’t believe in such nonsense myself, but things happened to me. Things which made me not only believe it, they made me know. Deities are out there lurking in the in-betweens of the worlds and fighting a fight of their own. But we are getting way ahead of ourselves here, let me go back to their politics.
The Catholic God decided to come down here and convert people to His cause in the flesh. They joined the, until now, closed and selected group of His chosen ones. This made some pantheons outraged. Pantheons, that is how we call a group of gods in a religion, or mythology if you don’t mind the term. Zeus, for example, couldn’t care less about the Catholic God, or the One, as people call him up there. The One was always a role player in the deities game. Everybody knew He was there, I mean, he was there since the dawn of mankind. He was famous as the “Guy” who played tricks on the Pharaohs, which were Egyptian gods taking a vacation on Earth. And the One never did anything, but convince one random person to get some others and do his bidding. Well…there are accounts He parted a sea in two or made rain food from the sky. Yes, but people take things too literally here on Earth. The stories up there tell he built his entire religion by whispering in people’s ears. That is, until he decided to play Pharaoh centuries ago. That made many Gods irate, Zeus included. Not at first, you see, because he came to a corner of the world, a little province in the Empire called Judea. Yes, it’s famous now, because all this already happened. There is a Catholic church in every corner now. And there is always a priest filling anyone who may listen to all the petty little details of Jesus’s life. But back then, Judea was nothing.
Well, you are forcing me to diverge from my path here, let me get to the point I intend. The One pissed many gods after his descent to Earth. Among them, Zeus. So, Zeus decided ‘who is this minor deity to steal my flock? He’s going to pay!’ And there went Zeus scheming with as many Gods in his Pantheon as he could. The truth is, they were not so influent here anymore. Do you know who Hermes is? Or Athens? Fair, there is a damn huge city named after her, but do you pray for her help at night before going to sleep? I didn’t think so. That’s what they meant by “not so influent.”
Still, none could pacify Zeus’s anger, calm it that is. He tried to gather forces with his kin until He noticed it was not enough. The One affected them as well. Look at how much of the barbarians converted to Catholicism, many of them are Goths in name only. Put a Goth and a Roman born in the same province side by side and you can’t tell one from the other. I can’t tell and, mind you, I’ve lived with them for a good time…but where was I? Ah…
Now, the two pantheons had a common enemy in the One. Thus, they made a pact. Zeus and his kin were powerful and experienced but lacked influence. At the same time, the Pagan Gods were without unity, but their influence was high in many of the barbarians’ minds.
For decades in Earth’s timeline, they worked in the shadows in the deeper and wilder tribes. After many rituals, Zeus gave his blessings through the Pagan Gods to the barbarians. A foul act for any Entity up there. Very, very rude to use a lesser word. But they were desperate and did so anyway.
I told you about the Emperor’s death and the defeat of his army. It was one of the largest armies in the history of the Empire! How come he lost to a bunch of barbarians? How Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Huns got together to part their bread and sing songs in a bonfire? Really strange, don’t you think? A group of barbarians so different from each other united in the same goal? Yes, to you, they are all the same. Yet, as I already said, I lived among some of them. I tell you, there is nothing in common with a Goth and a Hun, or an Alan for that matter. They are as vicious against each other as Romans are vicious against them. The only way to make them work together is in small numbers and with a lot of gold involved, that is, as mercenaries.
The only other thing that could make them shake hands was a miracle, I tell you. Humph, what are the Gods most famous for, I ask you? Miracles! Can there be any doubt Zeus and his friends planned the whole thing, so the mighty Roman army succumbed that day? I have no doubts. They did that and much more. I wouldn’t believe if I were you, but what I’m about to tell I saw with my own eyes. No more no less, and may Zeus strike me with a bolt or the One send me to Hell if I’m lying on any of it.
It all began on a summer day after the new East Roman Emperor claimed the title of the West Roman Empire. In hindsight, I call tell why the gods were so angry. It was a year after the Emperor banned the pagan rituals from the Greek Olympics. Zeus wouldn’t take this last insult. No. Not from the man who proclaimed Catholicism the Empire’s official religion. So, it was a summer day…I already told that? But it was a freaking summer day, how do you wish me to begin my story if not by its beginning…
—
This is an on going series. This is the first episode. Use the links below to navigate.
