Scandinavian leftovers

14

When Arvid arrived in Rome, seventeen refugees from the Venedae received citizenship after being inaugurated into Roman society by the civil court. The Venedae refugees heard that a king from nothern Europe arrived in Rome. The former refugees decided to seek out who this North European ruler was. The refugees hoped to use their silver in order to get access to the steal industry on the Rhine. The silver was money they robbed from a harbour in Macedonia. It was only 200 Denarii. 

At the same time, the Baltic tribes send a declaration of war to the capitals of Scandinavia. The occupation of the Northeastern Germanic forest region by the Scandinavians caused a blockage for trade between the Baltic peoples and the Romans. It was for this exact occupation that Rome wanted Arvid to make a deal with the Roman senate - in exchange for retreat of his troops in Greater Germany. The Baltic kings and chieftains were not aware of Arvid's presence in Rome. They perceived the presence of the Scandinavians are a step closer to annexation of their countries. The declaration of war was received by the prime minister. He immediately mobilised 30.000 men towards the Eastern shores of Scandia. The men were not skilled warriors, but they were skilled street fighters. They were considered the scum of society due to their predisposition to violence. The mobilisation took two weeks. In the third week the men arrived at the eastern shore. They were divided in 100 camps of 200 troops, each led by a 'captain' (a son of a nobleman). Further, there were 4 camps of 2500 men who were send in ships towards the Baltic shores. 

At this time (three and a half week after Arvid's arrival), Arvid agreed with the Roman senate to retreat his troops from Greater Germany. He also agreed with all the other demands of the Roman senators concerning the steel industry of Norway. Even though the treaties were ratified, the Roman senators remained suspicious of the Scandinavians. The military aggression was perceived as a act of rivalry towards the dominance of Rome upon Europe. 

Another three weeks passed, messengers arrived in Rome reporting of another invasion of the Scandinavians. A Scandinavian fleet of around 8000 men sacked around 50 villages in the Baltic kingdoms. They also killed around 1900 people. After that, another 10.000 men crossed the Baltic Sea and occupied the shores and harbours of the Baltics. Furthermore, there is also news of a gang of 1600 Baltics that clashed with gangs in the Southeast of Scandia. There aren't much certainty about the causalities. Even though the warfare of the Scandinavians isn't as advanced as the Romans, they are effective in enforcing fear on the people and causing much damage to their environment. The report alarmed the Roman senate. The senators decided it was enough. They wanted peace in Northern Europe in order to secure the interests of the Empire. The senators refused to tolerate rivals to their dominion. The senators agreed to invest another 1 million Denarii into Britain. They wanted more naval ports and a better administration of economy. The senate also offered aid of one million sestertius to the Scandinavians. Arvid accepted this. The senate didn't inform him about the war between his country and the Baltic tribes. They knew that it was not his fault. They didn't want to trouble their new ally. 

The seventeen former refugees offered themselves as bakers and tailors unto Arvid. He didn't want to bring them along, but his advisers recommended him to show hospitality to the Roman citizens. Arvid prepared himself for his return to Scandinavia. It has been three months (13 weeks) since he arrived in Rome. He felt that bad times were ahead. By this time, the south of Scandia had become a war zone, many civilians lived in guard all the time. Meanwhile, half of the Baltic clans surrendered to the Scandinavian troops. The other half, near the border with the Venedae, kept resisting. Some of the Veltae people planned a revolt. The prime minister of Scandinavia didn't foresee the escalation of this conflict. He considered a full annexation of the Baltic tribes. The nobles in Norway were horrified when they heard of the atrocities committed against the Baltic people. The Scandians were divided upon the issue. They agreed that they had to defend themselves against the declarations of war from the Baltics, but they were not sure if they handled the situation wisely. Some of the Scandian nobles supported a full annexation of the Baltic territory. The Baltics had a great abundance of food supplies and they provided access to the Silk Roads and the Greek city states in India. The other nobles were afraid that an annexation might overdo their fragile state capacity. They feared retaliation by Rome if they gained too much power in Europe. One of the nobleman states ''Scandinavia with a population of around 2 and a half million people, cannot manage another million across the sea''. Another one even stated that the German campaign was ''one big failure'' and ''waste of money''. Some of the Scandian rich noticed that despite the war, the Northern Scandian communities became more peaceful. The war has a positive side effect: the decline of crime and social tensions. 

Arvid and his crew entered a fleet on the Rhine, which would transport them all the way back to Scandinavia. They will arrive within 15 to 18 days. The 1 million sestertius were placed in large amphorae each containing around 3000 to 5000 coins. With a total of 275 amphorae they departed by horse relays towards the Rhine military base in Gaul. After Arvid crossed the Alps he and his crew lodged in a trade settlement called Abodiacum in the client kingdom of the Vindelici, which were related to the Rhaetians. This was five days into their journey. 

At this time, Queen consort Josephine burned incense to several Chinese deities. She was praying for the save return of her husband. She also received news from Britain that the Han embassy in Rome might be closed by Emperor Vespasian. It was only a rumour. She didn't fear the news. ''I'm a noble woman now'' she thought ''They can't deport me back to East Asia''. She did however realise that she was quite vulnerable. The war with the Baltic tribes broke out and she wasn't even aware of it, until there were some murders that occurred in the towns where she resided. The Scandinavian troops dealt with the Baltic invaders quickly. They were executed and their heads placed on stakes. Twenty other attackers, who assaulted children and women, were arrested and placed in dungeons. Josephine and her servants had auxiliary protection all the time. One the one hand this was pleasant, but on the other hand it restricted their freedom.