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Lex Arcana RPG Antiquitates Arcanae
Lex Arcana RPG Antiquitates Arcanae
ARCANAE
AB URBE CONDITA USQUE AD LEGEM ARCANAM
TIMELINE OF THE EMPIRE FROM THE FOUNDING
OF THE CITY TO THE LEX ARCANA
ROMA CONDITA EST legend that says he was punished by the gods for trying to perform
a secret ritual from the Commentarii of Numa Pompilius.
(753 BCE) REIGN OF ANCUS MARCIUS,
112-174 AUC (641 - 616 BCE)
Founding of Rome
The twins Romulus and Remus decided to found a new city on the Expansion of Rome Towards the Sea
banks of the river Tiberis. At the dawn of the 21st of April, Romulus Tullus Hostilius’ successor made the Commentarii of Numa Pompi-
read the auspices in the sky and founded the city under a favorable lius public, to prevent the rituals from being badly performed and
omen, but as a fight erupted between him and his brother Remus, unleashing the gods’ fury, as was the case with his predecessor.
he was forced to kill him. Of this fatal moment, few details have Many, however, are still convinced that the published Commentarii
survived the passing of the centuries. It is said that it was right after aren’t the real ones, as they’re too precious to be given to inexperi-
this first divination and the tragedy that followed it that Romulus enced, or worse, evil people.
established the College of Augurs. On the other hand, the Vestals
keep an ancient document that attests that Romulus also founded REIGN OF TARQUINIUS PRISCUS,
the College of Vestals, in honor of his mother Rea Silvia, who was 137-174 AUC (616 - 579 BCE)
a part of it in Alba Longa. With these, and other acts of religious
piety, Romulus allegedly established the Pax Deorum, the alliance Construction of the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus
with the gods that has always been Rome’s strongest weapon. The Tarquin the Elder was the first Etruscan King of Rome and carried
first king also took care of the safety of the city by creating a Custos with him the ancient magical knowledge of his people. His wife Tan-
Urbis that, according to the legends, recruited the first six Custodes aquilla, expert seer, advised him to build a solemn temple dedicat-
to defend it from the supernatural dangers that menaced it. ed to Jupiter on the Capitol, as protection for the City. The King
was murdered by the eldest son of Ancus Marcius, who considered
Tarquinius an usurper and hoped to take the throne. However, Tan-
aquilla made sure that the people of Rome would elect her son-in-
law, Servius Tullius.
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244 AUC (509 BCE) it was carved on twelve bronze tables affixed in the Forum. These
laws, in addition to legal measures, provided a more modern and
Expulsion of Tarquin the Proud, Last King of Rome understandable version of some ancient religious rites. The young
The reign of Tarquin the Proud was stained by his shameful conduct, Republic, in a perhaps excessive race towards change, disbanded
which offended men and gods. The divine dissatisfaction manifested the ancient order of Custodes established by Romulus.
through many signs, and Tarquin started to fear for his throne. One
particular dream unsettled him: a snake came out of a column of the 357 AUC (396 BCE)
royal palace and wrapped around a statue of the King. He thus decided
to send his sons to consult with the powerful Oracle of Delphi. The The Taking of the City of Veii
Oracle revealed that the throne would be safe and steady in the hands This was the defeat of the last Etruscan enemy. With the conquest
of the first to kiss his mother once back in their homeland. The two of the right bank of the Tiber (which, until that moment, was
sons of Tarquin, as brutal as their father and incapable of interpreting Etruscan), the Roman expansion in Italy commenced. This also
the prediction correctly, waited to be back in Rome to kiss their moth- sanctioned the “defeat” of the Etruscan magic, definitively incorpo-
er. However, their cousin Lucius Junius Brutus was also part of the ex- rated by the Romans into their magical knowledge.
pedition, a young pious man and skillful interpreter of the divine will.
As soon as he disembarked, he fell to his knees and kissed the Tellus, 363 AUC (390 BCE)
the Earth, mother of everybody, and in this way he bound his destiny
to the prophecy. Tarquin was doomed: one of the King’s sons violated Sack of Rome at the Hands of the Senones Gauls
a noble matron, Lucretia, who answered the violence by killing herself Led by Brennus, the Gauls ravaged the City. The only place that
in the ritual of devotio, thus consecrating her blood to the Underworld remained safe was the Capitol, thanks to the warning of Juno’s sacred
gods in exchange for the defeat of the Tarquinii. The people rebelled geese, who woke up the sentinels. The Vestals escaped to the nearby
and expelled the whole family from the City. city of Caere, saving the sacred fire thanks to the help of Lucius Al-
binius, a simple plebeian they met in the street, as if he’d come out
of nowhere. Today, some speculate that Albinius might have been an
incognito Custos, suggesting that the force established by Romulus
had continued to operate secretly, even after the disbandment.
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End of the First Punic War and Establishment of the Province of Sicilia Conquest of Achaia
This was the first Roman province outside of the peninsula. The consul Lucius Mummius conquered Corinthus, and Achaia
became a Roman protectorate. The Empire was flooded by the
537 AUC (216 BCE) Greek culture, and it incorporated completely the Greek cult in
the Roman religious practices. Many wise men and scholars were
Battle of Cannae critical of the Hellenization of the Roman religious system, and
During the Second Punic War, Rome was defeated on Italian soil warned against the risk of forgetting the ancient gods to whom the
by Hannibal, the skillful Carthaginian commander. Again, Rome glory of Rome was owed. The College of Pontiffs thus compiled the
was faced with a supernatural threat. Hannibal came from a family first official list of Indigitamenta, the rituals for summoning the Di
of sacred commanders, and he carried in his name the god Baal, Indigetes, the most ancient deities of Rome.
to whom he was consecrated as a child, along with his brother
Hasdrubal. By virtue of this protection, the two brothers not only 670 AUC (83 BCE)
fought excellently, but also had extraordinary foresight skills that
helped them in their war strategies. Fire in the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus
The Libri Sibyllini had been kept in the building for centuries. A
542 AUC (211 BCE) great desperation spread across Rome after the destruction of the
most ancient sacred building of the City. A terrible vulnerability
Conquest of Syracuse caused by the loss of the prophetic texts was feared, and some sug-
During the Second Punic War, Rome seized the Sicilian city inhabit- gested that it had not been an accident.
ed by the great inventor Archimedes. Unfortunately, the scientist was
killed by a legionary during the last offensive, apparently by mistake. 698-699 AUC (55-54 BCE)
It’s said that, on that occasion, several artifacts he had made were
recovered and brought back to Rome, in secret, to be studied. Julius Caesar Lands in Britannia
For the first time, the authority of Rome expanded onto the an-
548-549 AUC (205-204 BCE) cient island of Albion, land of the Britons. The counteroffensive of
the local tribes exploded immediately, and they used rituals of dru-
The Magna Mater Comes to Rome idic magic that had been unknown until that moment to oppose
Alarmed by unfavorable omens concerning the war against Hanni- the newcomers. The augurs in Caesar’s following advised against
bal, the priests consulted the Libri Sibyllini, who ordered them to proceeding with the conquest until they had adequate protection
head to Pessinus, Phrygia, and bring back to Rome the Needle of rituals. Caesar retreated to Gallia, but planned to go back.
Cybele, the black stone fallen from the sky, representing the Sacred
Mother. The stone arrived in Rome on the 4th of April 549 aUc, 700 AUC (53 BCE)
and it was initially placed in the Temple of Victoria on the Palatine
Hill. Later, it was moved to the temple of the Magna Mater, specif- The Persians Defeat Rome for the First Time
ically built for it on the Palatine Hill. The first encounter between Rome and the Persian Empire ended
with the victory of the Persians. The troops of general Marcus Li-
551 AUC (202 BCE) cinius Crassus were destroyed by unstoppable forces in Carrhae,
Mesopotamia. Eye witnesses affirmed that they had seen Persian
Victory of Zama knights mounted on griffins attack the Romans from the sky.
Scipio the African defeated Hannibal and brought the Second Pu-
nic War to an end. 699 AUC (52 BCE)
556 AUC (197 BCE) Julius Caesar Definitively Defeats the Gauls
In Alesia, Roman forces trampled the Celtic coalition led by
Iberia Becomes a Roman Province Vercingetorix. The support of the druids that accompanied the
Following the defeat of Hannibal, Rome gained access to this fer- Gallic chiefs in battle served no purpose. They cast a collective
tile land, which was previously under the control of Carthago. The curse: there shall never be peace between Rome and the Celts, war
Empire reached the fateful border of the Pillars of Hercules. shall cross the lands and the centuries, and no warrior spirit shall
never sleep until Rome is defeated.
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the City. A section of the encampment accommodated the special 817 AUC (64 CE)
unit of the Custodes created by Augustus.
Neronian Fire
790 AUC (37 CE) A disastrous fire ravages the City. A supernatural cause was as-
sumed, and many rumors spread. Some stated that the fire had
Gaius Caesar, Known as Caligula, Becomes Emperor broken out after the rites of the Christians, others that Emperor
Despite the fact that the omens were not entirely positive, nobody Nero was guilty of trying to perform forbidden rituals with the fire
opposed the ascent to the throne of Augustus’ great-grandson. of Vesta. Once the fire had been extinguished, Nero consulted the
Libri Sibyllini and announced to have restored the Pax Deorum.
794 AUC (41 CE) This proclamation, however, didn’t relieve the most attentive peo-
ple, as they wondered when and how it had been broken.
Caligula is Killed by the Praetorians
Caligula’s death was necessary in order to save Rome. In the four years 821 AUC (68 CE)
of his reign, the Emperor had been completely alienated from the
favor of the gods. In addition to his dissoluteness, the assassination Nero’s Death
of illustrious personalities, and the incestuous relationship with A series of dissolute actions, increasingly more uncontrollable,
his three sisters, he even declared himself greater than Jupiter, and seemed to indicate that the Emperor’s mind was being consumed
built three temples dedicated to himself. Too many signs indicated by a recondite madness. Some remembered the cursed sealed in
that the gods were furious. Cassius Chaerea, officially a tribune of blood by Boudicca, others that of the Emperor’s own mother,
the Cohors Praetoriana, but likely a Custos Arcanus, took on the Agrippina, whom he had murdered. His madness finally ended
responsibility of fulfilling the gods’ will and killed the sacrilegious with his suicide, which was followed by a civil war between four
Emperor. Claudius, Caligula’s uncle, then became Emperor. Emperors. The one to prevail was eventually Flavius Vespasian.
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to death dozens of innocents, and establish a reign of terror. He was 876 - 885 AUC (123-132 CE)
finally killed in a conspiracy of senators. Nerva, who succeeded him
on the throne for a short time, was part of the plot. Frequent Travels of Hadrian throughout the Empire
The Emperor visited all provinces, took many notes, and spoke
851 AUC (98 CE) with sages and simple peasants alike, especially with the villages’
elders. He acquired every ancient text he could find on the cultures
Trajan Becomes Emperor that had blossomed in the various regions before Rome’s conquest.
Nerva’s adoptive son, Trajan, started the tradition of the adoptive
Emperors, a custom in use for many centuries in the Empire. 893 - 896 AUC (140-143 CE)
854-859 AUC (101-106 CE) Antoninus Pius Builds the Antonine Wall
The Emperor, known as pacific and disinclined to war, surprised
Trajan undertakes the Dacian Campaigns everybody by pushing the Britannic border even further north than
The Emperor advanced into dark and dangerous territories, ac- the previous Hadrian’s Wall. He didn’t want to reveal the reason
companied by the favor of the gods. His feats were then gathered for such a decision, but well-informed sources reported that in the
in the decoration of the majestic Trajan Column. previous months he had received many times the Salii priests, the
keepers of the Ancile, Mars’ sacred shield.
869 AUC (116 CE) The construction was afflicted by many strange accidents: legionar-
ies disappeared without a trace, infernal hounds were sighted in the
Trajan Conquers Ctesiphon moor, and nocturnal presences were felt. The work was finished, at
The conquest of the magnificent Persian capital, called the “white last, and at the suggestion of the Salii a temple was erected on the
city”, unleashed in the Persians a terrible vengeful rage. A dreadful shores of a lake hidden in the mountains between the two walls.
curse was cast by the magi who managed to escape the city, swear-
ing hate and eternal war between Persia and Rome. 918-933 AUC (165-180 CE)
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thanks to her affinity with the army, which greatly admired her. At armies that left the borders undefended. The discord was foment-
last, she consigned the throne and the Empire, safe and sound, to ed by Rome’s enemies, who very much welcomed a civil war. Huge
the successor Marcus Claudius Tacitus. quantities of Persian gold were found in each of the four parties.
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1163 AUC (410 CE) troops were finally vanquished in a dramatic battle, in which both
armies lost thousands of men. However, Attila’s body was not
The Goths Invade the Illyricum and March upon Sirmium among them, thus his death could not be ascertained. His prodi-
Under the command of Alaric, the barbarians besieged the capi- gious sword was not found either. The decisive charge of the battle
tal of Illyricum, but they backed off, given offerings and hostages, was led by the general Marcus Severus Maximianus, who conse-
among which was the Princess Galla Placidia, who was paying a quently took the cognomen “Victor” (Victorious).
visit to some relatives in the city. She lived many years among the
Goths as “agens in rebus”, even marrying King Athaulf for the sake 1208 AUC (455 CE)
of giving as much information as possible to the Empire.
Assassination of Emperor Valentinian III
1178-1190 AUC (425-437 CE) The Emperor fell victim to a palace coup, plotted by the veteran Flavius
Aetius, who was hostile towards Galla Placidia and her family. A civil war
Regency of Galla Placidia ensued, and Aetius was killed during it. At last, from the chaos emerged
Back in the Empire after many vicissitudes, Galla Placidia put on the general Marcus Severus Maximianus Victor, acclaimed Emperor by
the throne her son, Emperor Valentinian III. As he was still a child, all the troops that had survived the long campaign against the Huns.
she governed the Empire in his name for fourteen years.
1209 AUC (456 CE)
1192 AUC (439 CE)
Marcus Severus Maximianus Victor Ascends the Throne
In Thessalonica, the Future Emperor Theodomirus is Born One of the first acts of government of Maximianus Victor Augus-
tus was to associate his son, Lucius Severus Theodomirus, to the
1195-1203 AUC (442-450 CE) throne, even though he was just seventeen.
The Huns Plunder Illyricum and Thracia 1219 AUC (466 CE)
A new menace coming from the East, the Huns were relentless
raiders and bloodthirsty warriors who practiced barbaric rituals of Emperor Maximianus Víctor Augustus’ Death
rare power. They claimed that their King, Attila, was in possession Death found him in the heart of the night on the summit of the
of a prodigious talisman, the Sword of War, which allegedly was the Palatine Hill, while he was drawing omens through the ritual of
source of his incredible fortune in battle. Those were years of suffering Sideratio, a habit that had accompanied him all his life. Nobody
for all peoples exposed to the pillaging of the Huns, who left behind witnessed the sorrowful event, because the Emperor had always
them a trail of corpses, horribly mutilated in unspeakable rituals. preferred to perform his divinatory rituals in solitude. Although his
The troops of the Magister Militum Flavius Aetius and his right death appeared entirely natural, a fact remained inexplicable: his
hand, Marcus Severus Maximianus, father of the future Emperor lituus, the augural staff of the Emperor, was found broken and sev-
Theodomirus, fought the barbarians with courage and selflessness, eral steps away from the spot in which he lay. Following his death,
but nevertheless without ever succeeding in prevailing conclusively. his son Theodomirus was proclaimed Emperor.
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TITLE OF THE CHAPTER
K
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