Gallio Aebutus

Second Lorenzen War

Gallio Aebutus is a well renowned military general and politician in the Nirvan Republic, known for his accomplishments in the Arenian Campaign, Zelan Campaign and the Second Lorenzen War. He later took over as leader of the Calenus Faction when Vibius chose to step down in **490PR**.

## Background

Gallio Aebutus was born in **447PR** to Octavian Aebutus and Floronia in Julius.

Much of his early life is lost to history, though it was known that his family moved him to Nirva for a better education and a chance to enter the political field. While his parents wished for him to become a student at the Octavian Institute, he was unable to pass their entrance grades, instead joining the Nirvan School of Excellence.

## Military Career

When Gallio reached the age of 20, he became a military tribune, starting a 10 year service under Kaeso Ivmarus. While he wished to become a thick striped tribune, his qualifications and influence was not enough, instead becoming a thin striped. Under his general he spent most of his time fighting Lorenzen Raiders and some of the violent tribes between the Arenian and Nirvan borders. During this time it is believed that he became good friends with Vibius Calenus, who was another thin striped tribune.

In **478PR**, Gallio was picked to be a part of Gaius’s council in the Arenian Campaign, meaning that he, Gaius and Vibius would be the ones leading the Nirvan army. At the head of their 6 legions, the trio marched towards Aren in **479PR**.

### Arenian Campaign

*See: Arenian Campaign*

The Arenian Campaign was met with some early success for Gallio and the Nirvans, succeeding in their first goal of pacifying the tribes between the two nations. After passing the Arenian border, it didn’t take long for the Nirvans to meet their enemies resistance led by Aleardo in the Battle of Palebasso.

#### Battle of Palebasso

*See: Battle of Palebasso*

Gallio’s contribution for the battle came at the end of it, when he and his soldiers alongside Gaius moved up the hill to attack what Arenian soldiers remained after the rest left through the tunnel system created. Requiring the action to be quick, he even led the troops from the front, striking the first blow.

#### Battle of Liorni

After the battle and the Arenian retreat, Prince Aleardo and his troops set up for another battle, on a river near a stream. On the Nirvan wings were Gallio and Vibius, Gaius taking the centre.

The battle itself was a good showing for Gallio, who was able to injure and capture one of the Prince’s officers, Amone Pisani. When the Arenians withdrew, Gallio and his soldiers followed but quickly stopped their chase after taking some volleys from the Arenian archers.

#### Siege of Durolipons

*See: Siege of Durolipons*

Prince Aleardo eventually retreated to the city of Durolipons, hiding behind the large walls of the city.

It didn’t take long for the Nirvans to catch up, preparing for a dangerous winter siege.

Gallio was involved closely with the siege, leading the ground forces during the initial assault. While he did not do much during it, he was able to successfully lead his men, using the testudo formation to reduce the damage.

On the second assault, Gallio led the forces attacking one side of the city. He was able to make his way onto the wall, opening the enemy gates and allowing his troops to flood in. Though he saw the Prince and the Arenian forces leaving, he did not let it distract him. When the city was defeated, Gallio was able to stop his soldiers from damaging it any further.

#### Battle of Acela

*See: Battle of Acela*

In the Battle of Acela not much is known of Gallio’s early actions, only when he was surrounded by Prince Aleardo.

Whilst surrounded, Gallio fought valiantly with his men, leading the way with his sword, letting them cut their way out and withdraw from the battle. Only after the battle was it realised that he had also received wounds in the fight.

#### Arenian Decline

In **481PR** Gaius placed Vibius in full command of the Nirvan troops, instead taking leadership of a small regiment of soldiers with the goal to use the same Arenian tactics against them.

This change of command meant that Gallio became second to only Vibius. With their new positions, they began scouting Aren. Soon, they discovered that the Arenians no longer used the scorched earth tactic, which was effective against the Nirvans, as it was too disruptive to their economy.

When Gaius died not much later, Vibius and Gallio led the Nirvans out of Durolipons with a new sense of vigour, hoping to find and defeat the last remnants of the Arenian troops.

#### Battle of Brindicci

*See: Battle of Brindicci*

In the battle, Gallio led from the centre, allowing Vibius to take direct control of the cavalry and lead their charge when necessary.

While in command, Gallio continued to fend off attacks from Prince Aleardo, who tried to push back the weaker Nirvan right. At one point, Gallio even had to leave his position in the centre to go and help them, ordering a group of triarii to block any attempts of the right being encircled.

#### Surrender

In **482PR**, the Arenians surrendered in the city of Aren, welcoming both Vibius and Gallio into the city to begin negotiations.

### Zelan Campaign

*See: Zelan Campaign*

In **484PR** Gallio made a political alliance with Consul Mettius Ordius, the two making plans to invade, campaign and capture Zela. The duo would use Mettius’s governorship over Bhirn as a staging ground, granting them 4 legions to use to attack the region.

#### Battle of Hunan Pass

*See: Battle of Hunan Pass*

As the duo and their soldiers marched on Zela, they met early resistance. Under command of Tymur Brecht and Emdrum, the Zelans made their first stand at the Battle of Hunan Pass.

Gallio contributed to the battle by leading the Nirvan left ring, advancing with a strong contingent of soldiers with cavalry and slingers nearby. When they were ambushed by the Zelan archers hiding in the grove, Gallio kept his soldiers calm, still pushing ahead on the wing and forcing them to withdraw.

Later, Gallio called off the chase of the Zelan troops, instead regrouping with the main body so they could advance.

#### Battle of Bhirn River

*See: Battle of Bhirn River*

After their withdrawal, the Zelan forces once again gathered for battle only days later, situating themselves behind the Bhirn River.

When the Nirvans arrived, they took a day to rest before fighting in the morning.

Again, Gallio led the left wing. As the Nirvans advanced, Gallio was right beside them, weathering the hail of arrows that met them crossing the river. Once in range, the Nirvans threw their javelins into the enemy and charged.

It didn’t take long for Gallio and the Nirvans to find cracks in the Zelan forces, being better equipped, experienced and commanded. On Gallio’s wing, he pushed through at a resounding speed, blocking any attempts from Emdrum to turn it around. When a gap was created, he called for the cavalry to enter the battle, hitting the enemy on the flank.

#### Siege of Zela

Gallio did very little during the siege of Zela, though not from lack of trying. Using his experience as Aedile, he simply kept the morale of the troops up, alongside keeping good hygiene in the camps.

When the city surrendered at the start of **486PR**, Gallio and Mettius were the first Nirvans to stop foot inside.

#### Battle of Zela

*See: Battle of Zela*

After the capture of the city, the remaining Zelans made their stand near the Bhirn Grove, forcing the Nirvans to come and fight them.

When the Nirvans reached them, Gallio once again led from the wing, advancing up the hill in a testudo formation with his troops. To deal with the shield wall, the Zelans sent some of their supply carts tumbling down the hill, slamming into the Nirvans. Gallio narrowly avoided one of these carts, which led to the death of severe injury for many of the soldiers around him.

After the effectiveness of the carts were witnessed, the Zelans charged down the hill into the enemy. As is tradition, the Nirvans were able to throw their javelins before preparing their line for the enemy.

The melee was fierce, the Zelans pouring every ounce of themselves into the fighting. Gallio, knowing that they could lose more troops than they liked, feigned a withdrawal down the hill. At the same time, Nirvan slingers, now with a clear view, threw what projectiles they could at the bloodlusted Zelans, though to little effect.

Gallio, seeing the slingers dealt little damage to the Zelan momentum, commanded more troops to hit the Zelans on their flanks. Later, Mettius commanded the cavalry to go up the hill and completely surround the Zelans.

The battle continued on, with the Zelans fighting ferociously to the last, each of them already taking a wound or two by this stage, before the cavalry even made their charge. Gallio continued to fight valiantly, using whatever at his disposal to stop the Zelans.

## Political Career

At the end of his term as Military Tribune in **477PR**, Gallio was elected into the office of Quaestor alongside Vibius, with the help of Gaius and the Calenus Faction. His tasks included mostly accounting, acting as a civil servant to the city of Nirva.

When Gaius and the Calenus Faction began preparing for the invasion of Aren, it is believed that Gallio played a small task, planning and drafting a lot of the legislation they would need to enact.

After the Arenian Campaign, Gallio made his way back into politics. He became Aedile in **483PR**, leading as the host of many of the festivals, this included some of the games, the Calenus Games paid for out of his own pocket as an honour to Gaius.

In **484PR** Gallio made a political alliance with current Consul Mettius Ordius, who was to become governor of Bhirn after his term finished.

At the end of **486PR**, Gallio was elected into the office of Praetor. As Praetor, his most famous cases were dealing with a corruption scandal, judging over the case and sentencing some of the potential Quaestors and Consuls into exile.

### Consul

In **490PR** Gallio was elected as consul alongside political rival Aulus Sellic. Gallio did a fair amount during his term as Consul, adding more to the Crimes Act, including a small unpopular tax reform that was still necessary, and preparations for Vibius and himself to begin their invasion of the Lorenzen Kingdom. The duo decided to frame the war as defensive, citing that the first Lorenzen War would have wiped out Nirva if it wasn’t for the Octan Reforms. Having the power of the Calenus Faction, they were able to successfully pass their legislation through without much resistance.

Outside of his consulship, Gallio became leader of the Calenus Faction when his brother-in-law Vibius chose to stand down and hand it over to him. As leader, Gallio began regaining the influence they had once lost in the Senate, stopping the reformer faction from splitting off.

It was around this time that the duo of brothers began to change, Gallio becoming the political mastermind and Vibius becoming the military commander.

## Second Lorenzen War

*See: Second Lorenzen War*

In **491PR**, Vibius and Gallio crossed the Junak Stream with their 7 Nirvan legions, accompanied by Arenian, Bhirnian and Thurim allies. Bringing their total to 37,000.

### Steen

The first target of the duo was the hold of Steen. So, the two divided their army up. Gallio would take 3 legions, a total of 14,400 troops, and move up on the Western side of the hold. He would take his right-hand man Decimus Auxilius with him to deal with any problems.

The goal of Gallio was not to fight the enemies but instead take the land, bringing all the attention to Vibius. If they were to run into a sizable enemy force, they were to retreat back to Orolan or connect up with Vibius.

### Johansen

After conquering the hold of Steen, Gallio and Vibius united again, pushing into the hold of Johansen. This time they took things slow, hearing about a Lorenzen army in the hold of Ludvigsen.

The hold went without much resistance, though was a painfully slow process, taking every march with caution and waiting to hear scout reports daily about the movements of the enemy. When the campaign season ended, Gallio returned back to Nirva to deal with the political side of things.

### Clemmensen

Gallio returned to the army in Marcu **492PR**, joining his brother-in-law again. This time their tactic had changed, they were going to force the Lorenzens to fight. Achieving this objective required the hold of Clemmensen.

Marching ahead, the Nirvans took a lot of the land in the hold, provoking the enemy out to fight. Hearing the scout reports of their movements, Vibius and Gallio set up on a suitable battleground.

#### Battle for Clemmensen

*See: Battle for Clemmensen*

Gallio was given command of the right half of the Nirvan army, commanding his own personal legion in the reserves. The battle went relatively well for Gallio, unlike his right-hand Decimus who dealt with the charge from William Clemmensen.

Instead, Gallio took things slow, using his cavalry to flank the enemy Knights on the right. When Vibius killed the noble Clemmensen on the other side of the battle, the Lorenzens withdrew, letting Gallio have a sigh of relief.

### Ilakan Deal

After the Battle for Clemmensen, Gallio decided to make a permanent return to Nirva, to deal with the political side of things. As head of the Calenus faction, he had significant influence and control over all matters.

In **493PR**, Gallio’s stay at Nirva turned out to be a blessing when the Ilakans decided to declare war on the Lorenzen Kingdom. Needing money now that they had lost a significant portion of their Kingdom to the Carto Empire, King Ilias decided that the weakened Lorenzens would be an easy target for raiding and new farmland.

Not wishing to fight another nation while still currently fighting the first, Gallio began negotiations with King Ilias Kostides to work out a deal. The negotiations were difficult and exhausting, King Ilias originally wanting none of it before realising he could waste less time fighting the Lorenzens if the Nirvans had defeated them first. So he finally opened up for discussions. After extensive talks, the two finally came to an agreement. If the Nirvans were to defeat the Lorenzen army, then they could have anything East of the battle.

Once he sent the news to Vibius, he decided to stay in Nirva, dealing with any repercussions from either the war or the negotiations.

## Late Career

### Second Consulship

In **500PR** Gallio successfully ran for a second term as Consul at the age of 53. His term was very minor in the grand scope of things, simply building some of the provinces out of the new lands they had conquered from the Lorenzen Kingdom.

It was actually his co-consul Quintus Balbillus from the conservative faction that garnered most of the fame, putting a lot of effort into the farmland and stopping many monopolies. This caused him to get a lot of heat, especially from his own faction, but would be too popular with the people to turn down.

### Hilan Plague

*See: Plague of the 5th Century*

The Hilan plague hit the Nirvans hard initially, putting a lot of pressure on Gallio, leader of the Calenus Faction, to act. By the next elections in **502PR**, Gallio had made a deal with the conservative faction that let them have a joint Consulship, putting up Gnaeus Grumio from the Calenus Faction and Gallus Aluredes from the conservatives. The two would work together with Gallio to add legislation that increased the sanitation and hygiene of the city, using many ideas from Arruns Calenus during his time in the Bhirn Campaign.

**503PR** became the worst year for Nirva in the plague, with people dying all over the streets. With the consuls unequipped to deal with such a disaster, the Senate passed the Ultimum, placing Gallio as dictator until the crisis was over. Gallio immediately began to write up legislation that addressed a few things:

* Any citizen experiencing any type of illness was to remain in doors. If sick citizens were found away from their homes, they would be exiled after a warning.
* Labourers were hired to deliver food and supplies to the people of Nirva, towns and cities that weren’t the capital were given funds to do the same.
* An influx of Clerics, Doctors and Priests were hired to make rounds and tend to the sick.
* Citizens must be fully clothed at all times, including a mask that covers their face.
* Cities, Towns and Villages are to close, letting only Government Officials or suppliers inside.

By **504PR** the Plague had been mostly dealt with in the Nirvan Republic, using the military to enforce the laws when necessary. While he was still dictator at this time while the Plague ran rampant outside of the Nirvan Republic, Gallio acted like he had returned to his old position of Ex-Consul, avoiding a lot of chaos.

When the plague ended in **507PR**, Gallio’s reign as dictator officially ended, though he had only used his powers for a year.

Gallio retired from public life in **512PR**, shortly after the Asger War began. The leadership of the Calenus Faction was transferred to Oppius Balbillus, one of Vibius’s Legates during the Thurim War and Second Lorenzen War.

## Death

Vibius died on Febtuary 14 **516PR** in his sleep, he was 68 years old. He had been dealing with an unknown heart condition for the past 4 years, impeding his work. His funeral is still the largest funeral ever held for a Nirvan politician, honoring him for all the success he brought to the Republic and the city. Nirva had 3 days of mourning after the funeral.

He was entombed in the Calenus Tomb with Arruns and Gaius, a huge honor given his last name as Aebutus.

## Personal Life

In **471PR** at the age of 24, Gallio married Dexsia Calenus, daughter of Gaius Calenus, becoming his official son-in-law.

After their successful wedding, Gallio and Gaius began to form a close bond, similar to that of Vibius but not as deep.

The couple would welcome their only child, Arruns Aebutus, in **475PR**, honoring Dexsia’s grandfather.

When Gaius died in **481PR**, Gallio was shocked but held to his duty. Marching out and fighting the Arenians. He would shed tears at the funeral back in Nirva, stating he would carry on his legacy where he could.

He was very close friends with Vibius Calenus, the two acting like blood brothers and were attendants at each other's weddings.

After Vibius lost the Battle of Lamion in **508PR**, criticism from the Senate and the people began mounting. Gallio quickly came out publicly in support of Vibius.