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Not pitying but relishing the terrible suffering of the Goth girl, Quintus proceeded to use three more powerful strikes to seat the spike firmly against her wrist and deep in the wood. While her draining energy caused her cries to wane, it was clear that the agony in her arms was immense. Nevertheless, the crowd cheered on each stroke as modern football fans would celebrate their team's shots on goal.

Finished with this brutal stage of the execution, Quintus stood up and surveyed his work. Blood oozed from Barbaria's wrists, where the iron spike heads were lodged securely. He directed the two legmen to remove the tight leather ties that had bound her arms to the beam. The heavy iron through her wrists would bind her to the patibulum for the rest of her little remaining life.
Barbaria's eyes were wide open, staring at nothing, tears streaming. Her mouth was twisted open, drooling, with gasping sounds of frantic breathing. The whole, once lovely face was a rictus of pain. However, looking down at her body, there was still the enticingly sexy display of a writhing, naked girl. Her breasts, perched high on her chest and shaking with her ragged breathing, presented her dark, erect nipples in all their alluring beauty. Twisting and clenching with her attempts to ride the pain, the little belly gave an enticingly sexy display. Desperately she tried to hold her arms immobile to avoid more shooting pains.

“Good job, Decane,” said Mogurix, slapping Qunitus on the back. “Eam stipiti astate (stand her by the stake)," ordered the Optio, enjoying every additional suffering of the Goth girl whom he hated so viscerally.
Two soldiers grabbed the ends of the patibulum and pulled Barb up to her feet. The sudden tugging on her pierced wrists worked the invading iron against bone and cartilage and shot new bolts of pain to her brain. This fresh torture tore another pitiful scream from her. They backed her up to lean against the stipes. However, her legs refused to support her weight, and they needed to hold the beam to keep her upright.

[Crucifixion practice varied widely throughout the Roman Empire, both with different geography and at different times. Factors such as local custom, innovation, and availability of materials went into the decision on the precise technology. While the "T" or tau (for the greek letter T) cross was the most common, in Gaul at this time, the “Latin” cross was the custom.
The advantage of the tau was the ease of fabrication of the parts and of the attachment and support. The patibulum was set into a groove on top of the stipes. This connection facilitated rapid and secure mounting and dismounting. However, where there were fewer (rarely multiple) crucifixions and the wood was of higher quality, greater skill could be used in forming the parts, and these parts were reused many times. In these places, like Narbo, the worked and joined pieces of the Latin cross were more popular.
The stipes and patibulum used in Narbo were formed from pinus sylvestris found on the foothills of the nearby Pyrenaei montes (Pyrenees), not far from where Mogurix was born.
Skilled carpenters carefully worked this fine, dense wood into cross half-lap joints. Wood on the back of the patibulum and the front of the stipes was chiseled out to match and allow the beam to be slid snuggly into the stake to provide adequate support. A substantial rope tie was used to hold the two together.]

Three standing boxes were brought, one for each end of the beam and one behind the stake. The soldiers holding the patibulum climbed on these while still steadying their victim. The Optio, as the most expert in this matter, mounted the rear box with a generous length of horsehair rope for securing the attachment.

When all were ready, Quintus counted down, "Tres, duo, uno, levate (three, two, one, lift)!" The soldiers pulled hard to lift the beam and girl from the ground; the sudden yank on her damaged wrists shocked her to another blood-curdling scream. As they raised her, Barbaria desperately tried to support her weight with her legs, her feet futilely attempting to maintain purchase on the ground. However, the soldiers heaved her beam up to the joining place, and her bruised and bleeding toes left the earth for the final time.
"... her bruised and bleeding toes left the earth for the final time ..." - Wow, now that's a line!
The only question now is - Would a sedile enhance or detract from the Goth Slut's suffering?

Great work as always PrPr ...
 
The men slid the beam into the joint on the stake with a jolt that drew another cry from the tortured girl. Mogurix proceeded to wrap the coarse rope around the joint, an X pattern on the front side, transformed to vertical and horizontal on the rear. He soon finished, with the cross secured completely. The men stepped down and removed the boxes.
Mogurix stood with Quintus in front of the Goth to observe their work. Barb's mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of the water as she struggled for breath in her sea of pain. Gasps caused her chest to rise and fall erratically. She hung from her pinned arms with her legs swinging slightly below. Mogurix smiled and turned to Quintus, "Clava pedites (nail the feet).”

[There is even less certainty about the form of foot nailing used in crucifixion than of the type of crosses. A few skeletons have been unearthed, which indicate how feet were nailed. Still, the paucity of these, along with the almost total lack of contemporary description, leaves the subject most obscure. Methods most commonly proposed include one nail through both feet with one foot positioned on top of the other, or two nails through the ankles securing the feet to either side of the stipes, or two nails through the feet placed side by side. Based on minimal evidence, the author has chosen the third approach.]

Quintus approached the girl with two more spikes and his hammer. He went ahead with the gruesome task of nailing her feet, one after the other, to the upright. Several brutal blows, breaking and crushing bones and flesh and nerves, and many horrible screams later, the Goth girl was fully affixed to the wood, her tortured arms supporting her weight while her knees were bent at forty-five degrees from straight.

While this mounting was taking place, the Centurion was holding a private discussion with the Governor. In the end, Antonious gave an enthusiastic nod of approval and a small sigh of relief. Calixtus turned and descended the stair to the arena floor and went to speak with the Optio, who was rummaging through the tool sack.
“Fine job, Mogurix. Your efficientia (efficiency) is to be commended.”
Gratia, Centurio.” the huge Gaul replied. “Should I employ the sidile aut cornu aut ambo (the seat, or the horn, or both)?”
Neque (neither),” answered Gaius. The Optio looked confused. The Centurion put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You have done a commendable job so far. The Goth had been dragged through the mud and punished severely.” He turned them both to gaze at the hanging girl. Blood was oozing from her wrists and running down the bottom of her arms to her armpits and then beginning to trickle down her flanks. More was dripping from her pierced feet. Her chest was shaking with painful breaths.
“However, at this time, the Praeses and I wish this whole sorry affair to be brought to an expeditious end. We will let her hang without any support to hasten her last breath. Understand?”

Mogurix, suppressing any discontent, reverted to military obedience, saluted, and said, "Ita ut, Centurio!” Calistus returned to the Box, and the Optio had his men police the area, cleaning up the equipment and any trash littering the arena floor. The precise officer would ensure that he left the space as clean as he found it (with the unavoidable exception of bloodstains, here and there in the dust).
 
Little disappointed to see the story ended so abruptly with no further torture.
The progress here is determined by an attempt to make the action and plot believable and somewhat true to nature as well as fitting a good narrative.
1. Seriously, Barbaria at this point should be hardly alive. That is why her lashes from the flogging were reduced and the scourge was a slightly milder type.
2. To add much additional torture after the nailing would likewise stretch the reality of her strength. The blood loss from the nails may have been minimized, but would still be significant. I would point out that hanging, nailed to a cross, naked under the July afternoon sun in the south of Gaul, with no water, is no bed of rose petals. More like a bed of rose thorns!
3. With so many invited guests and spectators, the storyline would be badly stretched if the ending was drawn out until the middle of the night or the next morning. Therefore, the decision on the sedile/cornu.
4. The end is indeed coming soon. I guess the last post will be this coming weekend. However, as always, I warn all to keep from assuming that they know the outcome. I may still have a few tricks up my sleeve.
 
The men slid the beam into the joint on the stake with a jolt that drew another cry from the tortured girl. Mogurix proceeded to wrap the coarse rope around the joint, an X pattern on the front side, transformed to vertical and horizontal on the rear. He soon finished, with the cross secured completely. The men stepped down and removed the boxes.
Mogurix stood with Quintus in front of the Goth to observe their work. Barb's mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of the water as she struggled for breath in her sea of pain. Gasps caused her chest to rise and fall erratically. She hung from her pinned arms with her legs swinging slightly below. Mogurix smiled and turned to Quintus, "Clava pedites (nail the feet).”

[There is even less certainty about the form of foot nailing used in crucifixion than of the type of crosses. A few skeletons have been unearthed, which indicate how feet were nailed. Still, the paucity of these, along with the almost total lack of contemporary description, leaves the subject most obscure. Methods most commonly proposed include one nail through both feet with one foot positioned on top of the other, or two nails through the ankles securing the feet to either side of the stipes, or two nails through the feet placed side by side. Based on minimal evidence, the author has chosen the third approach.]

Quintus approached the girl with two more spikes and his hammer. He went ahead with the gruesome task of nailing her feet, one after the other, to the upright. Several brutal blows, breaking and crushing bones and flesh and nerves, and many horrible screams later, the Goth girl was fully affixed to the wood, her tortured arms supporting her weight while her knees were bent at forty-five degrees from straight.

While this mounting was taking place, the Centurion was holding a private discussion with the Governor. In the end, Antonious gave an enthusiastic nod of approval and a small sigh of relief. Calixtus turned and descended the stair to the arena floor and went to speak with the Optio, who was rummaging through the tool sack.
“Fine job, Mogurix. Your efficientia (efficiency) is to be commended.”
Gratia, Centurio.” the huge Gaul replied. “Should I employ the sidile aut cornu aut ambo (the seat, or the horn, or both)?”
Neque (neither),” answered Gaius. The Optio looked confused. The Centurion put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You have done a commendable job so far. The Goth had been dragged through the mud and punished severely.” He turned them both to gaze at the hanging girl. Blood was oozing from her wrists and running down the bottom of her arms to her armpits and then beginning to trickle down her flanks. More was dripping from her pierced feet. Her chest was shaking with painful breaths.
“However, at this time, the Praeses and I wish this whole sorry affair to be brought to an expeditious end. We will let her hang without any support to hasten her last breath. Understand?”

Mogurix, suppressing any discontent, reverted to military obedience, saluted, and said, "Ita ut, Centurio!” Calistus returned to the Box, and the Optio had his men police the area, cleaning up the equipment and any trash littering the arena floor. The precise officer would ensure that he left the space as clean as he found it (with the unavoidable exception of bloodstains, here and there in the dust).
The logic underpinning the 'no cornu' decision makes sense. The erotic spectacle would be enhanced should the Goth Slut's ass or pussy be impaled, however the torturous aspect would be reduced given the additional support available to her.

She will die soon enough. The end is no longer nigh ... it is upon us ... Great work!
 
Is this the beginning of the end?

After the soldiers finished fixing Barbaria to the cross, many in the audience made their way out of their seats, up the steps, and out through the vomitorii. They had satisfied their blood-lust with the rapes and nailings. These spectators had no interest in sitting through the hot afternoon, even with the shades fully deployed, to see the Goth slowly die. Most of the eager attendees at crucifixions were more fans of the gory brutality than lovers of the mental anguish of a slow lingering death.
The remaining fans had varying reasons for staying. A few shared Acaunissa's visceral, racial hatred of the Germans - fear of the stranger. A few others had come to feel pity for this girl, who so bravely faced her end. Some were just curious, never having seen someone die on a cross. The large majority of the die-hard 'remainers' were there to watch the erotic spectacle of sex, a naked young woman writhing on a tree.
Whatever their reason for staying, they took advantage of the departures to shift their position to take advantage of seats with a better view, and soon the arena had fewer than two hundred spectators in a close arc on both sides of the Imperial Box. This gave them the best angle to drink in Barb's sexy curves and see the expression of pain and despair on her face.

The guests with the Governor were bound by courtesy and custom to remain as long as their host did, and the Praeses felt duty-bound to see the gruesome spectacle to its inevitable conclusion.
Tertius Aemilius spent most of the time during the nailing with his head buried in his hands. Now, he snuck occasional short glances at the still enticing girl hanging naked on her cross before again veiling his sight.
Centurion Calixtus stood stiffly at military attention with no discernable expression on his face. Inside, though, he was filled with disgust at the injustice of the Goth girl's punishment. In his opinion, it would have been a far better use of his soldiers' afternoon to have crucified that pig Galerius rather than a harmless girl. But, the opinion of a soldier did not matter.
Marcus Lycus and Septimus Silva had long since lost interest in the extended torture of the girl and were becoming more and more bored with the proceeding. They continued to drink too much wine and discuss the disturbing rumors of a mutiny by the army in Britannia, proclaiming their general, Magnus Maximus, Augustus (Emperor). Magnus was a hero for his victory the prior year over the Picts and Scots. But a rebellion against Augustus Gratian, though he was unpopular, was a disturbing thought to these wealthy merchants who valued, above all, peace and stability.
Marcus Claudius and Lucius Piso sat by the Praeses and engaged in harmless small talk. Both were feeling some guilt at having been part of the decision condemning this girl. Though neither was prone to much pity of lower-class persons, the unjust and terrible suffering of the girl sparked unpleasant feelings in both that minimized their conversation.

Not surprisingly, the only person in the Box to honestly enjoy the gruesome spectacle was young Galerius, who savored each gory piece of torture meted out to the girl. Every few minutes, he would yell out encouragement to the soldiers as they slowly destroyed her body. The sight of her suspended on the cross was like heaven to the lad, who surreptitiously rubbed his crotch in arousal while shouting obscene comments.
Praeses Gaius Antonious, of course, continued to perform the duties of a gracious host, watching to see all of his guests were well taken care of. He was giving up hope of hearing a reply to his appeal to Vicarius Flavius Jovinus, his direct superior. Gaius understood that the vicar was traveling in the area and had sent a messenger to him early this morning.

Just then, the girl let loose a stream of piss. She had held as long as she could, but the pain in her damaged cunt and her spread, unnatural position sapped her resistance. A yellow stream came forth to land and splash on the dry dirt floor. Galerius, along with many in the crowd, whooped in glee at the Goth's embarrassment. Even engulfed in bodily agony, the shame of this action cut deeply into the girl’s pride.

Now a servant approached Galerius and handed him a wood plaque. He smiled and showed it to his father. He, in turn, displayed disgust. However, Galerius spoke urgently, insisting on something. As usual, the Praeses would indulge his son. Eventually, he nodded reluctant approval.
 
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Is this the beginning of the end?

After the soldiers finished fixing Barbaria to the cross, many in the audience made their way out of their seats, up the steps, and out through the vomitorii. They had satisfied their blood-lust with the rapes and nailings. These spectators had no interest in sitting through the hot afternoon, even with the shades fully deployed, to see the Goth slowly die. Most of the eager attendees at crucifixions were more fans of the gory brutality than lovers of the mental anguish of a slow lingering death.
The remaining fans had varying reasons for staying. A few shared Acaunissa's visceral, racial hatred of the Germans - fear of the stranger. A few others had come to feel pity for this girl, who so bravely faced her end. Some were just curious, never having seen someone die on a cross. The large majority of the die-hard 'remainers' were there to watch the erotic spectacle of sex, a naked young woman writhing on a tree.
Whatever their reason for staying, they took advantage of the departures to shift their position to take advantage of seats with a better view, and soon the arena had fewer than two hundred spectators in a close arc on both sides of the Imperial Box. This gave them the best angle to drink in Barb's sexy curves and see the expression of pain and despair on her face.

The guests with the Governor were bound by courtesy and custom to remain as long as their host did, and the Praeses felt duty-bound to see the gruesome spectacle to its inevitable conclusion.
Tertius Aemilius spent most of the time during the nailing with his head buried in his hands. Now, he snuck occasional short glances at the still enticing girl hanging naked on her cross before again veiling his sight.
Centurion Calixtus stood stiffly at military attention with no discernable expression on his face. Inside, though, he was filled with disgust at the injustice of the Goth girl's punishment. In his opinion, it would have been a far better use of his soldiers' afternoon to have crucified that pig Galerius rather than a harmless girl. But, the opinion of a soldier did not matter.
Marcus Lycus and Septimus Silva had long since lost interest in the extended torture of the girl and were becoming more and more bored with the proceeding. They continued to drink too much wine and discuss the disturbing rumors of a mutiny by the army in Britannia, proclaiming their general, Magnus Maximus, Augustus (Emperor). Magnus was a hero for his victory the prior year over the Picts and Scots. But a rebellion against Augustus Gratian, though he was unpopular, was a disturbing thought to these wealthy merchants who valued, above all, peace and stability.
Marcus Claudius and Lucius Piso sat by the Praeses and engaged in harmless small talk. Both were feeling some guilt at having been part of the decision condemning this girl. Though neither was prone to much pity of lower-class persons, the unjust and terrible suffering of the girl sparked unpleasant feelings in both that minimized their conversation.

Not surprisingly, the only person in the Box to honestly enjoy the gruesome spectacle was young Galerius, who savored each gory piece of torture meted out to the girl. Every few minutes, he would yell out encouragement to the soldiers as they slowly destroyed her body. The sight of her suspended on the cross was like heaven to the lad, who surreptitiously rubbed his crotch in arousal while shouting obscene comments.
Praeses Gaius Antonious, of course, continued to perform the duties of a gracious host, watching to see all of his guests were well taken care of. He was giving up hope of hearing a reply to his appeal to Vicarius Flavius Jovinus, his direct superior. Gaius understood that the vicar was traveling in the area and had sent a messenger to him early this morning.*

Just then, the girl let loose a stream of piss. She had held as long as she could, but the pain in her damaged cunt and her spread, unnatural position sapped her resistance. A yellow stream came forth to land and splash on the dry dirt floor. Galerius, along with many in the crowd, whooped in glee at the Goth's embarrassment. Even engulfed in bodily agony, the shame of this action cut deeply into the girl’s pride.

Now a servant approached Galerius and handed him a wood plaque. He smiled and showed it to his father. He, in turn, displayed disgust. However, Galerius spoke urgently, insisting on something. As usual, the Praeses would indulge his son. Eventually, he nodded reluctant approval.
Great chapter @Praefectus Praetorio ! Good idea, going round all the characters to compare their different reactions.
die-hard 'remainers'
Hmm yup, that's me :rolleyes:
 
Is this the beginning of the end?

After the soldiers finished fixing Barbaria to the cross, many in the audience made their way out of their seats, up the steps, and out through the vomitorii. They had satisfied their blood-lust with the rapes and nailings. These spectators had no interest in sitting through the hot afternoon, even with the shades fully deployed, to see the Goth slowly die. Most of the eager attendees at crucifixions were more fans of the gory brutality than lovers of the mental anguish of a slow lingering death.
The remaining fans had varying reasons for staying. A few shared Acaunissa's visceral, racial hatred of the Germans - fear of the stranger. A few others had come to feel pity for this girl, who so bravely faced her end. Some were just curious, never having seen someone die on a cross. The large majority of the die-hard 'remainers' were there to watch the erotic spectacle of sex, a naked young woman writhing on a tree.
Whatever their reason for staying, they took advantage of the departures to shift their position to take advantage of seats with a better view, and soon the arena had fewer than two hundred spectators in a close arc on both sides of the Imperial Box. This gave them the best angle to drink in Barb's sexy curves and see the expression of pain and despair on her face.

The guests with the Governor were bound by courtesy and custom to remain as long as their host did, and the Praeses felt duty-bound to see the gruesome spectacle to its inevitable conclusion.
Tertius Aemilius spent most of the time during the nailing with his head buried in his hands. Now, he snuck occasional short glances at the still enticing girl hanging naked on her cross before again veiling his sight.
Centurion Calixtus stood stiffly at military attention with no discernable expression on his face. Inside, though, he was filled with disgust at the injustice of the Goth girl's punishment. In his opinion, it would have been a far better use of his soldiers' afternoon to have crucified that pig Galerius rather than a harmless girl. But, the opinion of a soldier did not matter.
Marcus Lycus and Septimus Silva had long since lost interest in the extended torture of the girl and were becoming more and more bored with the proceeding. They continued to drink too much wine and discuss the disturbing rumors of a mutiny by the army in Britannia, proclaiming their general, Magnus Maximus, Augustus (Emperor). Magnus was a hero for his victory the prior year over the Picts and Scots. But a rebellion against Augustus Gratian, though he was unpopular, was a disturbing thought to these wealthy merchants who valued, above all, peace and stability.
Marcus Claudius and Lucius Piso sat by the Praeses and engaged in harmless small talk. Both were feeling some guilt at having been part of the decision condemning this girl. Though neither was prone to much pity of lower-class persons, the unjust and terrible suffering of the girl sparked unpleasant feelings in both that minimized their conversation.

Not surprisingly, the only person in the Box to honestly enjoy the gruesome spectacle was young Galerius, who savored each gory piece of torture meted out to the girl. Every few minutes, he would yell out encouragement to the soldiers as they slowly destroyed her body. The sight of her suspended on the cross was like heaven to the lad, who surreptitiously rubbed his crotch in arousal while shouting obscene comments.
Praeses Gaius Antonious, of course, continued to perform the duties of a gracious host, watching to see all of his guests were well taken care of. He was giving up hope of hearing a reply to his appeal to Vicarius Flavius Jovinus, his direct superior. Gaius understood that the vicar was traveling in the area and had sent a messenger to him early this morning.*

Just then, the girl let loose a stream of piss. She had held as long as she could, but the pain in her damaged cunt and her spread, unnatural position sapped her resistance. A yellow stream came forth to land and splash on the dry dirt floor. Galerius, along with many in the crowd, whooped in glee at the Goth's embarrassment. Even engulfed in bodily agony, the shame of this action cut deeply into the girl’s pride.

Now a servant approached Galerius and handed him a wood plaque. He smiled and showed it to his father. He, in turn, displayed disgust. However, Galerius spoke urgently, insisting on something. As usual, the Praeses would indulge his son. Eventually, he nodded reluctant approval.
... the shame of this action cut deeply into the girl’s pride ... - Testimony to the Goth Slut's commendable stoicism even under such extreme duress! And now it appears she is about to be labelled in a (presumably) humiliating and degrading manner ... wonderful!
 
Just then, the girl let loose a stream of piss. She had held as long as she could, but the pain in her damaged cunt and her spread, unnatural position sapped her resistance. A yellow stream came forth to land and splash on the dry dirt floor. Galerius, along with many in the crowd, whooped in glee at the Goth's embarrassment. Even engulfed in bodily agony, the shame of this action cut deeply into the girl’s pride.
:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:
 
In today's post, there was a reference to a Vicarius. Some may wonder what that is. Therefore, as part of this thread's ongoing attempts to provide education in the basics of the Roman Empire:

Roman Provincial organization in the Late Empire.

After Constantine, there were usually separate Emperors (Augustus) in the Eastern and Western halves of the Empire. The Western Empire had been subdivided under Constantine into two Praefectura Praetorio (praetorian prefectures – an excellent name, if I do say so!), each headed by a Praefectus Praetorio (praetorian prefect – again, a fine choice). The Praefectura Praetorio Galliarum, was, in turn, divided into four parts: Dioecesis Galliarum, Dioecesis Brittania, Dioecesis Hispania, and the Dioecesis Septem Provinciarum (also known for its capital - modern Vienne, France - Dioecesis Viennensis) of which our province, Gallia Narbonensis, was a part. Each Diocese was under the rule of a Vicarius (Vicar – formally, vices agens praefecti praetorio (the deputy of the praetorian prefect). The Vicarius controlled the provincial governors (variously titled Consulares, Correctores, or Praesides) and heard appeals of cases decided at the local level.
800px-Roman_Empire_with_dioceses_in_400_AD.png

The Prefect of Praefectura Praetorio Galliarum at the time of our story was Flavius Mallius Theodorus. Augustine (later Saint) of Hippo knew Theodorus. When he converted to Christianity, Augustine wrote a book, On blessed life, which he dedicated to Theodorus. Theodorus, who at the time had retired from the court, was one of the Christian platonic intellectuals that Augustine met in Mediolanum (Milan, Italy).
 
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We are indeed moving rapidly toward some kind of ending. I am wondering how many of the readers will rush for the exits when the going gets rougher. Or how many are at heart, die-hard "remainers" who will stay to the bitter end?
I would be very surprised if anyone runs at this stage PrPr ... we're all redoubtable remainers I think, with you until the very end!
 
We are indeed moving rapidly toward some kind of ending. I am wondering how many of the readers will rush for the exits when the going gets rougher. Or how many are at heart, die-hard "remainers" who will stay to the bitter end?
Whatever the eventual ending,
It’s bound to be truly mind bending.
So say the omens,
And we, friends, Romans,
And countrymen our ears will be lending.
 
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