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 sat in a villa within the city of Lugdunum with his nephew by his side. Together they had butchered the deer which the young boy had slain during their hunting trip. Currently, the meat was roasting over a fire, while Marcellus prepared other portions into jerky, and sausages.

Theodosius had a stern expression on his youthful face, while watching the meat cook. At first, he was rather soft about his first kill. However, now seeing its flesh being cooked over the fire, he felt nothing but pride.

Pride that he had taken up arms and provided food for his household. Make no mistake ,the boy had done this. What remained of the beast would be smoked, salted, and preserved so that it could make the trip back to Rome, where his sisters would be able to taste the fruits of his labor.

When Marcellus saw the haughty smirk on the young boy's face, he could not help but question what had made him so prideful.

Creating a Puppet Part I