Awakening
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"None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear."
Some claim that the kings of Brittania were fools. Other claim they were just ignorant of the world. But the fact remains the same: due their lax preparations, the kingdom was pillaged for some three months- somehting against the will of the world. But they all agree that it was a cold awakening for the kings to the facts of the world.
At the time of the Great Pillage, Arius I was the king of the grand kingdom. The old man, in charge over twenty years, was confident in his armies and refused to listen to the warnings of stange tales. He was much more concerned about Birtannia's position on the isle, so much of his rule was focused around expanding- a big mistake.
The babrbarians arrived to find the security of the borders extremely lax, almost to the point of nonexistance. Most of the army was occupied with guarding the northern border against raids from the scots and other small tribes- leaving the western borders unprotected. Despite warnings from the population of the landing area, the king refused to formally send an organized army, rather depending on the local militias to defend.
Only after the barbarians closed onto Caer Troia, the capital, did Arius make a move. Judging the barbarians to be of a greater threat than that of the scots, he moved three-fourths of the nations spearmen, along with around half of the archers and axemen to the south to protect the capital. This managed to deflected the barbarians away from the capital, but it also managed to postpone the actual battle.
The said battle took place in the far western lands, only after the army had managed to corner the barbarians on a smallopen patch of land as the barbarians were about to disembark. It was one of the most terrifying battles in the young history of the people, with charging barbarians wielding axes meeting the disciplined spears and bows of the brittannians- even with some brittanian axemen. Despite the ferocity of the battle, both armies were forced to retreat after heavy rains bombared the battefield. So the brittanians watched from afar- seethering with anger- as the barbarians took their loot and dismebarked.
By this time Arius had been weakened from a disease and forced to abdicate the throne in favor of his youngest son, Rius. While his father had gone a tad mad in his old age, Rius was determined to prevent another invasion of the kingdom. He immediatly took control of the fledgling navy and organized it into an effective counter-invasion force and expanded it greatly. Rius, unlike his father, knew of the threat other nations could pose- and thus prepared for it.
Under his rule the Great Darkening[1] occured throughout the lands. the direct result of this was the people's turn towards religion. Under him the religion- which was dying off- took off again as temples to Lugus, Teutates, Esus, and Teutates were built throughout the lands.
[1]Great Darkening- the volcanic eruption.
. If not, Sunday 
