So, Hraban is going to start taking sides in the upcoming events, and does so with Nero Claudius Drusus. Oh, there will be many men and women falling in Rome, few of natural causes, but this is where we start from. The first Germanicus, a great general, apparently a good man, grandson of Augustus and avid believer in the Republic, is his lord, his friend, and his hope.
In this book, Drusus is a man reluctantly readying for civil war, but only after he truly rules the northern lands. Armin the Cherusci, who at this time was still a boy, but whom I made a young man, was hoping to combine the tribes to fight Drusus. Maroboodus, who hopes to do the same, but only to benefit Rome in the long run, does not like competition. So, we have a harshly cold puddle for Hraban to slip around in.
Nero Claudius Drusus fought with the various Germani tribes. In 12 B.C., he had built a river in the north to shorten his route to the North Sea, and ultimately to the rivers of Elba and Weser, backdoors to the Germani lands. He pacified the Frisii, Ampsivarii, Chauci, and others during the campaign.
In 11 B.C., he did take on the Lippe River tribes, as we see in this book. That meant war with the stubborn Sigambri, Marsi, Bructeri, Tencteri, and Usipetes. There is no likelihood for such a terrible battle as I describe in this book, where the Germani all stood together against several legions, but Armin had to start somewhere, and this was it. I quite simply did not wish for the Lippe tribes to fall one-by-one, alone and without a fight. It felt unworthy of them, so a great plan and a nasty gutter fight of a battle was what I created. After Lippe River, Drusus likely scrapped with Cherusci directly as well. From this time, there are several forts built along the river, Haltern, Oberaden, and Andreppen. In this book, he has not yet fully attacked the famed Cherusci, and has not fought the legendary Arbalo battle, and that is still to come.
Later, in 10 B.C. and 9 B.C., he would take on the Marcomanni and the Chatti, and also the Cherusci again, and this will take place in the following book.
Armin was likely one of the most intriguing characters of the time. His and Maroboodus's hatred for each other was legendary. Armin's aim was to thwart Rome. It is possible he also planned for something more than to be a mere war king and a hero of the people, and he aimed for the dangerous kingship, rather like Augustus in Rome. That he achieved so much in his lifetime meant he was truly an extraordinary man. Such a man is not necessarily an honorable one, as we have seen in this book, and I am sorry if he truly was. Yet, I do not believe one destroys Roman Legions or fights for long years against a world-renowned war machine that should not lose to ill equipped Germani tribes, if one was entirely honorable and unimaginative. So, I will not make Armin seem anything less than driven, devious, and brutal, but we will get to know his softer side in the next book, for he has honor and love in him, and he will find some dark deeds too much for even him to handle.
In this book, we see Hraban struggle with honor and fame. Not all things in life are possible to gain, no matter your valor and drive. One has to make choices. Hraban fails in many of these choices, yet finds new things to fight for. The book is rife with violence, betrayal, and murder as Hraban navigates his way through Armin's schemes, Maroboodus's vengeance, and Drusus's plans. By the end, he knows where he belongs, letting go of impossible dreams. He will be in love, with two women, one but a baby still.
In the next book, The Winter Sword, we will settle the prophecy once and for all. And Hraban settles his scores with Maroboodus as well.
After Godsmount, Hraban will visit Rome. It is a city of beauty and brutality. Wish him luck as I begin to write these stories.
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Raven's Wyrd: A Novel of Germania and Rome (Hraban Chronicles Book 2) Page 56
