Zentmeister

The year is 407 AD and Rome is at the precipice. In the West, a usurper by the name of Flavius Claudius Constantinus has declared himself emperor. By doing this, he and his traitor legions have fractured the Western Roman Empire into two. At the same time, the north bleeds! Countless germans swarm across the borders of the Empire and pillage its lands in their ruthless raids. Alaric, King of the Goths, rises to a position of prominence and threatens the ancient capital of the dying Empire with his barbarian hordes. As if things weren't bad enough, rumors from the east state that a mysterious power rises within the fogs of war, threatening to drown the Empire in a river of blood.

As a response to these threats, the indolent emperor Honorius has given orders to his supreme commander Flavius Stilicho to reclaim the province of Gaul from the usurper. However, should he leave the heartland of the Empire undefended, undoubtedly Alaric would invade. Thus, under the threat of barbarians at the gates, Stilicho dispatches a young roman general by the name of Titus Claudius Marcellus to bring an end to the reign of the usurper. Will Rome fall to the tides of barbarians and traitors alike? Or can Marcellus restore a world collapsing around him? Find out in Heir of Aurelian!

Heir of Aurelian

Marcellus stood within the brush of Gaul. By his side was his young nephew, Theodosius. The two of them had bows in hand and quivers on their waists. An armed escort of Palatini Cataphracts kept a nearby presence as the Imperator and his ward searched for a buck to hunt.

There was a wide grin on Marcellus' face as he crouched down and observed the footprints left behind by a stag. He placed his finger into the prints, and determined by the composition of the soil, that they were indeed fresh tracks..

"You see this, Theodosius, these footprints are new, at most a few minutes old. We're getting close to our prey. Now come with me. Tread lightly, and don't make too much noise. You don't want to scare the buck."

Theodosius nodded his head as he gripped his recurve bow with an intense anxiety in his heart. He followed his uncle through the bushes and out to a clearing where three red deer were grazing on the grass.

A Boy's First Kill