Savage City

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Authors: Sophia McDougall

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Also by Sophia McDougall from Gollancz:
 
Romanitas
Rome Burning
 
SAVAGE CITY
SOPHIA M
C
DOUGALL
To my family
[
CONTENTS
]
 

Cover

Also by Sophia McDougall

Title

Dedication

Maps

Recent History

Epigraph

I CORONATION

II SUCCESSION

III EXUVIAE

IV MANOEUVRES

V BORDERS

VI BEGGING, BORROWING, STEALING

VII COLLABORATION

VIII FIAT JUSTITIA RUAT CAELUM

IX RESTRAINTS

X ARENA HOUNDS

XI NEW YEAR’S DAY

XII ALEXANDRIA

XIII RECRUITMENT

XIV COMMILITII

XV BATTLEFIELDS

XVI TWO DESERTS

XVII SURIJIN

XVIII ONAGER

XIX
ANANKE

XX NOVIANA, NOVIANUS

XXI PANTHEON

CHARACTER LIST

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Copyright

THE MAP OF THE WORLD
 
 
 
 
 
ROMAN AND INDEPENDENT AFRICA, AND THE NEAR EAST
 
MAJOR ROUTES IN THE RHA REGION
(Venedia, Sarmatia, Armenia and Persia)
[ RECENT HISTORY ]
 

CE

AUC

 

1943

2697

Titus Novius
Faustus
born in Rome.

1949

2702

Lucius Novius Faustus born in Rome.

 

 

Prince Atsuhito, later the
Go-natoku Emperor
, born in Cynoto.

1957

2710

Delir
born in Aspadana, Persia.

1958

2711

Tertius Novius Faustus, later ‘
Leo
’, born in Rome.

1962

2715

Ziye
born in Shandong province, Sina.

1969

2722

Titus marries Julia Sabina.

1971

2724

Novia Faustina (‘
Makaria
’) born to Titus Novius Faustus and Julia Sabina.

 

 

Ziye is sold into slavery, and begins intensive training in martial arts.

1975

2728

Prince Atsuhito succeeds to the Chrysanthemum Throne of the Nionian Empire.

1977

2730

Lucius marries
Drusilla Terentia
.

 

 

Caius
Varius
Ischyrion born in Rome.

1979

2732

Drusus
Novius Faustus born to Lucius Novius Faustus and Drusilla Terentia.

 

 

Ziye debuts as a gladiatrix in the Roman Empire.

1981

2734

Lucius succumbs to hereditary madness – the Novian Curse.

1982

2735

Gaius Novius Faustus Rixa dies. Titus succeeds as Emperor of Rome.

 

 

Tertius Novius posted to central Terranova.

 

 

He quells an Aztec uprising and his courage gains him the agnomen ‘Leo’. He is hailed as hero, but sees hundreds of previously free Aztecs enslaved and is shocked by the experience.

1983

2736

Faustus divorces Julia.

 

 

Princess Noriko
born to the Go-natoku Emperor and Empress Reishi in Cynoto.

1984

2738

Leo marries
Clodia Aurelia
.

 

 

With Senatorial approval, Faustus names Leo as Caesar and Imperial heir.

 

 

Dama
born to unknown slave parents in Rome.

 

 

Clodia’s disgust at slavery crystallises Leo’s own doubts, and he plans to abolish slavery on succeeding to the throne.

1985

2739

Prince Tadahito
born to the Go-natoku Emperor and Lady Akiyama.

1988

2741

Marcus Novius Faustus
Leo born to Leo and Clodia in Tusculum.

 

 

Sulien
born to a slave mother and free father in London.

1989

2742

Una
born to a slave mother and free father in London.

 

 

Princes Kaneharu
and
Takanari
born to Empress Reishi and Lady Himura respectively.

1990

2743

Lal
born to Delir and his wife in Aspadana.

1996

2749

Sulien and Una’s father dies. Under the terms of his will, they and their mother are freed. She, however, is unable to support herself or adjust to freedom and allows her children to be sold again to Rufius, the owner of an eating house.

1997

2750

The children are separated when Rufius sells Una off. Little is known about her history between this point and the autumn of 2757 AUC.

1998

2751

Sulien’s healing ability manifests and he is sold to a wealthy London doctor called Catavignus. Catavignus treats Sulien almost as a son, but attempts to locate his sister are unsuccessful.

2000

2753

Faustus marries Tullia ‘
Tulliola
’ Marciana.

 

 

Varius begins working for Leo as a cubicularius, or private secretary.

 

 

Dama murders three citizens he held responsible for the death of a fellow-slave, and is crucified.

 

 

Delir
, a Persian merchant travelling through Rome, sees the dying boy from his car and rescues him. Dama survives, though he is left with disabilities and continuing pain.

 

 

Now a fugitive, his own citizenship and that of his daughter Lal having been rescinded, Delir establishes a secret refuge for fugitive slaves in the gorge of Holzarta, near the Vascone village of Athabia in the Pyrenees. Ziye escapes slavery and arrives at the slave refuge.

2002

2755

Varius marries Gemella, a cousin of Clodia’s.

 

 

Drusus visits
the Sibyl
at Delphi.

2003

2756

Leo and Clodia make contact with Delir and donate money to his slave refuge.

2004

2757

Sulien begins an affair with Catavignus’ daughter,
Tancorix
. Her mother catches them in bed together. Sulien is convicted of raping a citizen’s daughter and sentenced to crucifixion.

 

 

Leo and Clodia secretly visit Delir in the Pyrenees. Leo and Clodia are killed in a car crash in the Gallic Alps.

 

 

On the day of the state funeral, Una escapes her owners and sets off to rescue her brother from a prison ferry on the Thames. The pair flee into Gaul. Using her ability to perceive the thoughts of others, Una supports them by working as a fortune-teller. Varius and Gemella tell Marcus their suspicions concerning his parents’ deaths – and their belief that his life, too, is in danger from an anti-abolitionist conspiracy.

 

 

Gemella dies by poisoning in an assassination attempt on Marcus. Varius sends Marcus into hiding, instructing him to make his way to Delir’s refuge in the Pyrenees.

 

 

Varius attempts to reach Emperor Faustus to tell him of the conspiracy and the reasons for Marcus’ disappearance. However before he can do so the conspirators realise the threat he poses; he is intercepted by Cleomenes, attempting suicide during the arrest.

 

 

Agents of the conspiracy attempt to force him to reveal Marcus’ location. Gabinius, a construction magnate, eventually succeeds after threatening to kill Gemella’s younger sister.

 

 

Una and Sulien meet Marcus in Tolosa, and decide to turn him in and claim the reward, and freedom. Realising their intentions, he persuades them to accompany him to the Pyrenees instead. Once there, Sulien is able to reduce Dama’s disabilities and pain. After attempts to penetrate Holzarta and kill Marcus fail, Gabinius and the other conspirators decide to draw him out of Holzarta by charging Varius with Marcus’ and Gemella’s murders. Marcus successfully avoids the agents sent to kill him and reaches Rome. He reveals himself and the existence of the conspiracy in public, but, before the Emperor
can speak with him privately, the conspirators drug him in order to convince Faustus that his nephew has succumbed to the family curse of madness. Una and Sulien follow Marcus to Rome. Dama and Cleomenes assist them in rescuing Marcus from the Galenian Sanctuary, but Dama disappears afterwards.

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