The Roman Empire, AD 193. Pertinax has been murdered, Didius Julianus has bought the throne, and rival commanders are claiming the purple. Marcus Valerius Aquila and Scaurus escape Rome and enter the service of Septimius Severus.
Their new allegiance takes them towards the eastern armies of Pescennius Niger. Civil war turns former comrades into enemies and forces Marcus to fight not for revenge against one emperor but for survival in an empire where legitimacy now belongs to whichever army wins.
The Year of the Five Emperors shows how imperial legitimacy has become inseparable from military command. Septimius Severus can claim the throne because the Danubian legions support him, while rival armies elevate their own commanders elsewhere. Marcus and Scaurus are therefore serving in a civil war where the language of loyalty changes according to which emperor a soldier believes will survive.
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