The Lion & The Owl

[CURRENT 2023] A vengeful legionnaire enslaves the druid who murdered his father, bringing chaos to his household in the Lepontine Alps.

༒	THE INVASION ARC
I	The Lion: Handsome heir and cavalry officer Lucius Scipio Servius fights alongside his friends and father in Caesar’s bloody Gallic War.
II	The Owl: Off the coast of Britannia, creepy druid-in-training, Aedan the Ancalite, replaces his father in a sacred ritual.
III	The Calm Before: Scipio and the Legio X Equestris winter over in Belgica before setting sail for Britannia.
IV	The Set Stage: Tempers flare when Aedan confronts his uncle during a meeting with tribal leader Cassibelanus.
V	The Stour Reeds: Scipio leads his scouts ahead of the legions and encounters the God of Death.
VI	The Retreat: Aedan makes a new friend, but his morale plummets when his new lover, Kelr, fails to meet his violent demands.
VII	The Lost and Found I & II: Scipio rides out to rescue his father and comes face-to-face with the painted druid who stole his horse. Later, while out scouting with his father, Scipio encounters a lanky native with violent promise.
VIII	The Sacrifice: Aedan is poised to take what the gods promised, but his mother’s desire for vengeance gets in the way.
IX	The Slaughter Arena: The Owl attacks a Roman foraging party, but his victory feels hollow after a brutal legionnaire with a lion’s mane on his head gets the better of him. [Web Draft]
X	The Price of Pain: Planus and Titus get no aid from Castor after confronting the bitter Scipio over his savagery against the druids. [Web Draft]
XI	The Tamesa Encounter: Caesar’s legions confront the forces of Cassivellaunus at the river Tamesa. [Web Draft]
XII	The Graticule: Cassibelanus gathers the four tribal kings, while Aedan’s infiltration of the Roman camp proves disastrous. [Web Draft]
XIII	The Ancalite Wedding: Scipio heeds Caesar’s advice to reclaim his sanity, but on the eve of his return to Comum, a betrayal among the Gallic elites threatens that recovery. [Web Draft]
༒	THE HONEYMOON ARC
XIV	The Month of Honey I: Captive druid Aedan departs Britannia with his Roman bride, Lord Skipio, and the rest of the Alpine-born equites. [Web Draft]
XV	The Month of Honey II: Aedan and his Roman bride board another ship and encounter two unexpected guests. [Web Draft]
XVI	The Month of Honey III: Leashed like a dog, Aedan boards a merchant trireme called the Portuna Harena and covertly begins learning Latin. [Web Draft]
XVII	The Month of Honey IV: The ship goes from port to port, with oarsmen supervisor Gauda witnessing Servius Tribune and his Celtic captive test each other’s resolve. [Web Draft]
XVIII	The Month of Honey V: The Comum-bound equites land in Genua, but Scipio’s homecoming plans are complicated when the druid sniffs out some traitors. [Web Draft]
XIX	The Month of Honey VI: Political intrigue binds Scipio, Planus, and Titus, as they question Castor’s loyalty. [Web Draft]
XX	The Month of Honey VII: While Scipio and his men infiltrate Mediolanum, an emotional Aedan escapes during the city’s busy Plebian Games. [Web Draft]
༒	THE COMUM ARC
XXI	The Spectator: Heartbroken and bitter, Aedan the Ancalite arrives at the Lepontine stronghold of Lucius Scipio Servius. [Web Draft]
XXII	The Lady of the House: Lucia Vita Servia’s autonomy is threatened by the return of her brother, whose violent relationship with his druid prisoner rekindles her trauma. [Web Draft]
XXIII	The Major Domus: Welletrix the Veragros finds his lofty position changed by the return of Villa Servi’s new master, Lord Skipio. [Web Draft]
XXIV	The Morning Task: The enslaved Welletrix takes one step closer to freedman status when Lord Scipio elevates him to manservant, but his last task as housekeeper involves bathing that wretched druid. [Web Draft]
XXV	The Meat’s Bath: Welletrix performs his first duty as a manservant and finds that his new employer isn’t the cruel legionnaire he remembers. [Web Draft]
XXVI	The Hurting: Welle’s busy day ends with a proper Roman meal, but his night begins with a traumatized Lady Vita. [Web Draft]

CHARACTERS – THE INVASION ARC

Lucius Scipio [ske-pee-o] Servius (29) – a decurio in the Legio X Equestri, a swordsman antesignani, architect, and heir to the Servii of Novum Comum. Known to the druids and Gauls as ‘The Lion.’

Áedán [a-dawn] the Ancalite (21) – a Briton born on ‘Small Island,’ an abortionist, druid, and warrior; his countrymen call him ‘The Owl King,’ while Romans call him ‘The Owl.’

Lucius Vitus [vee-tuss] Servius (the late 50s) – A prefectus of the Legio X Equestri, cavalryman, cartographer, plantation owner, and head of the Servii of Novum Comum. He is Scipio’s father. Ciniod [chin-ood] the First (late 40s) – a Belgae king’s daughter, widow of the arch-druid Fintan, and sister of arch-druid Taran. She is Aedan’s mother.

Gaius Planus [play-ness] Caesar (29) – a decurio in the Legio X Equestri, engineer and scribe, born of the Julii in Rome but raised in Comum. A childhood friend of Scipio.

Crassus Titus [tie-tuss] Flavius (29) is a decurio in the Legio X Equestri, archer and accountant, born to the Flavii of Novum Comum—another childhood friend of Scipio.

Marcus Castor [kas-toor] Junius (27) – is a lancer in the Legio X Equestri and an accountant, born of the Junii in Mediolanum—a classmate and former lover of Scipio.

Strolo Actus [Ak-tuss] Ursius (25) is a swordsman in the Legio X Equestri, a mason and artist born of the Ursii of Novum Comum. He is Scipio’s second.

Kelr [Kell-are] the Cenimagni (22) is a Brittonic Celt and swordsman in service to the warlord, Cassibelanus. He is the only son of Lady Avalin of the Catuweluni.

Avalin the Sixth (50s) is the last surviving royal of the Catuweluni, now under the control of warlord Cassibelanus. She is the biological mother of Kelr and the foster mother of many.

CHARACTERS – THE COMUM ARC

Luna (loo-nah) (6 – Horse Years) – is a former mare of the Legio X Equestri. She belongs to Lucius Scipio Servius, but during Rome’s second invasion of Britain, she belonged to the druid Owl King (Aedan) and he named her Looir (lew-er).

Aedan [a-dawn] the Owl (23) – a former Brittonic druid captured during Caesar’s second invasion of Britannia, he currently lives as an concubino to a patrician of the Servii family named Lucius Skipio.

Lucius Scipio [ske-pee-o] Servius (30) – Paterfamilias of House Servii, and a Tribune under a disenfranchised Caesarian governorship. Covertly rebuilding the military garrison at Comum in Cisalpine Gaul.

Lucia Vita Servia [vee-tah] (28) – unwed daughter of the deceased Lucius Vitus Servius. Vita serves as procurator of Servio Poma et Pira, a family business of apples and pears, fruit wine, and seasonal walnuts.

Welletrix Veragros (vel-lay-tricks) (30s) – an educated Celt of Veragrī lineage captured during the battle for Octodurus. He currently serves Villa Servi as a slave overseeing the household staff.

Nikonidas Orobius (nee-koh) (28) – is the surviving son of a freedman employed to cook in the Servii household. He resides where he grew up, in an apartment over the villa stores, and is the current head of the kitchen.