"...As Autumn's chill heralded the wane of the campaigning season around the Mediterranean, Emperor Justinian's soldiers guarded vulnerable frontiers or probed enemy ones. In the Alpine passes, they struggled against the northward surge of the Vandals, while behind them, an embattled detachment strove to keep a supply line open in the Dalmatian hills in the face of a Lombard invasion. In the south, the garrison in Achaea defended themselves against another Vandal fleet. Far northwards, a Byzantine expedition once more plunged into the Slavic woods. Byzantine gold lured the Basques into continuing their assault on their former allies, the Visigoths. Meanwhile, the Lombards attacked the last outpost of the Bavarian kingdom, while the sly Gepids waited for the Lombard army to march, then galloped into their undefended province with fire and sword. The end of Summer's heat allowed the Persians to finally launch their invasion of the Arabian desert..."
"Vandals Driven from Venetia"
The two armies met in a series of narrow, steep valleys. The Vandal army had been hurrying north to seize the Alpine passes before the snows set in, while the Byzantines had been eying the rich plains of Tuscia. With their superior light troops, Theodora's Byzantines seized the heights and pelted the Vandal heavy horsemen with missiles. Unable to close on the steep slopes, the Vandals suffered terribly, until their warlord Ammatas ordered a withdrawal. The retreat quickly became a rout in the hilly, confused terrain, with the Vandals fleeing back into the plains.
"Valley Stand Doesn't Stem Tide"
It was in a wider valley in the hills of Dalmatia that the Exarch Ambrosius chose to confront the Lombard invasion. He knew unless he could stop their advance, the armies of Theodora and Maurice would be cut off, unsupplied, in the Alps. Though the Lombards were more numerous, the rocky hillsides covered Ambrosius' flanks and allowed him to deploy on equal terms. Fortune did not smile on each army equally, though, as a column of Lombards forced its way through on the left. His infantry on the right fled from the Germanic warbands after short resistance. His cavalry soon gave way in the center, too, and soon Ambrosius' army was streaming down the valley in retreat. Winter would be grim for Theodora and Maurice.
"Pirates Seize New Base"
A season did not go by without Justinian cursing the Vandals capture of the Western Roman fleet, years ago. The mounted raiders had slowly learned seamanship and had become adept sea borne pirates. The Greeks of Achaea were learning to dread the sight of their sails as yet another invasion force disembarked on their shores. Still weakened from driving the Vandals off in Summer, the garrison was defeated. The coastal province of Achaea was now in Vandal hands, opening up the Eastern Mediterranean to their piracy.
"Victory Beneath the Trees"
General Diogenes was beginning to feel like his post was an exile. Condemned, it seemed, to fight hordes of barbarian Slavs year after year. First, would be the Slavic invasion, with Diogenes driving them off of imperial farmland, then the inevitable counterthrust into their forests. Then, expulsion back across the Dneister. Diogenes was weary of this, and recruited large numbers of lightly-armed and mobile auxiliaries to fight them in the woods. When he met the Slavic army in the forests of Dneister, he overwhelmed its left with these troops, while horsemen cut off their retreat. Flank turned, the tribal mass was slowly driven from the field by the Byzantine spearmen and cavalry. Diogenes was elated, and knew to savor a rare success against the Slavs beneath the trees.
"Treachery Repaid"
The veteran cavalrymen of the Visigoth warlord Iadoric were angry. They'd heard of the Basque treachery -- how after years of alliance, they had succumbed to Byzantine gold and seized the province of Narbo when the Visigoth's backs were turned. Now, they had launched another attack up into the Ligurian foothills, where Iadoric's army had been poised to strike into Italy. Postponing their invasion, the Visigoths swore they would teach these oath-breakers a lesson. The Visigothic advance caught the Basques by surprise, and in the open, where they quickly succumbed to mounted charges. The Visigoths followed them up mercilessly, leaving a trail of slaughter all the way to borders of Narbo.
"Bavarian Kingdom Crumbles"
The warlord Ragnaris knew his kingdom's days were likely numbered -- surrounded by more numerous and warlike peoples on all sides. However, when the day came, his warband was ready, and advanced boldly to meet their Lombard foes. Ragnaris' ploy was to deploy in attack quickly on the left, while arcing his battleline back towards a hill on the right. He had to defeat the Lombards on the left before their faster troops swarmed around his open right. The battle initially went his way, with the Lombard right breaking, and the center beginning to flee, company by company. However, the Lombard warleader Ildigisal charged into the fray, stemming the retreat, and buying time for his light troops to swarm around and destroy the Bavarian warbands on the opposite flank. By the nearest of margins, the Lombards won, and the Bavarian kingdom absorbed.
"Back Door Left Open"
When the Gepids heard of the Lombard attack on the Bavarians, they struck at undefended Moesia. The Lombard noble Garibald gathered a hodgepodge force of fort garrisons, young men and mercenaries to oppose them. With little training together, Garibald knew their morale would be brittle. He charged into the front line, hoping to inspire them as stories of Lombard heroes of old did. The Gepids slaughtered his untrained men, though, and Garibald paid the price for his bravery with his life. The bitter age-old war between the Gepids and Lombard simply gained another batch of blood feuds and vows of vengeance.
"Arabs Pinned Down in Desert"
Long-planned, the Persian invasion of the Arabian Desert proved less grueling than General Nabedes had figured. He was able to locate and pin down the elusive Arabs with his light cavalry, then advanced upon them, elephants in the forefront, trumpeting their terrible song. Although his cavalry initially faltered on the right, he soon punctured the Arab left and center. The tribal Arab foot were vulnerable outside of their sand dunes and rocky areas, and ridden down by his mounted troops or driven off by his spearmen. The Persian Empire had lain dormant too long, Nabedes felt, and he hoped this new spirit in the King of Kings would continue.