Kalkriese woodland, Germania · 9
After the Legions Fell
In the alphaCan you get out of Germania alive without letting the first people who claim to know you decide who you are?
You wake badly wounded among the dead, carrying Roman military kit, a Germanic amulet and a letter you cannot read. You need shelter and a way home, but people here may see a kinsman, a Roman, or a traitor—and the chance to choose whom to trust will not stay open forever.
You are at the wagon-ground of the lost column, in Kalkriese woodland, Germania, in year 9, after the defeat of three Roman legions. This is Cheruscan country: kin, household, and oath matter more than a stranger’s account of himself. Guests may be sheltered, but people watch whether they respect household boundaries; Roman survivors and traders are regarded cautiously, and ritual places with quiet respect.