the Great Jewish Revolt and Year of Four Emperors Soldier Rome

Bol

The year is 68 A.D., and the vast Roman Empire is in chaos. Provinces are in rebellion, while Emperor Nero struggles to maintain the remnants of his political power, as well as his last shreds of sanity. In the province of Hispania, the governor, Servius Sulpicius Galba, marches on Rome. In his despair, Nero commits suicide. Galba, the first Emperor of Rome from outside the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, is at first viewed as a liberator, yet he soon proves to be a merciless despot, alienating even those closest to him. A member of the imperial court, and former favorite of Nero, Marcus Salvius Otho seeks to become the childless Galba’s successor. When he is snubbed for another of the new emperor’s favorites, Otho decides to take the mantle of Caesar by force. At the same time, the governor of Germania, Aulus Vitellius, is proclaimed emperor by his legions, leading Rome into civil war. In the east, the empire’s fiercest general, Flavius Vespasian, has been embroiled in suppressing the rebellion in Judea over the last two years. With nearly one third of the entire Roman Army under his command, he wields formidable power. At first attempting to stay above the fray, and with the empire fracturing into various alliances, Rome’s most loyal soldier may soon be compelled to put an end to the Reign of the Tyrants.

Bol Partner

It is April of 69 A.D., and Rome’s first civil war in a hundred years has ended. Emperor Otho, who violently overthrew the tyrannical Galba just three months before, is dead. The triumphant armies of the Rhine coerce the senate into ratifying their governor, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. While there is an uneasy hope that peace has returned to Rome, Vitellius’ cronyism and utter incompetence soon alienates most of Rome’s patricians, along with many of the provinces. After just two months, the imperial armies in the east, along with much of the populace, have had enough of corrupt despots. The legions in Egypt, Syria, and Judea rebel, declaring the venerable general, Flavius Vespasian, emperor. Support for his rule quickly spreads, as soldier and citizen alike demand that he put an end to the reign of the tyrants. The Roman Empire is now divided, with Italia and the western provinces still loyal to Vitellius, while every province east of Pannonia has declared its allegiance to Vespasian. Brothers Gaius and Lucius Artorius unwittingly find themselves on opposing sides of this hateful conflict. Fathers will make war on their sons and brother will slay brother in the blood-soaked cauldron of civil war.