EXT. - MID MORNING

SUBTITLE: " North-western Germania - Cheruscian Territory. "

CLOSE ON the face of a wolf's head mask made from a wolf skin, with polished jet eyes and real teeth set in its jaws. We hear a loud howling scream followed by a heavy thumping of drums beating out a complex, rhythmic pattern.

SLOW PAN BACK to reveal that the mask and wolf skin are worn by an otherwise naked warrior, who lifts his head to revea his face under the mask and headress and begins moving and swaying to the beating of the drums.  His body has a sheen of sweat and is painted red with his arms and legs black.  His eyes are half closed and slightly rolled back in his head and he carries a spear in each hand.  We can see other figures behind him.  He lets out another chilling howl and begins to shuffle forward in a dance to the beat of the drumming.
 
 

WIDER ANGLE on the wolf-skin dancer, showing that he is leading a long line of other warriors who dance in step with him. A few are also naked and painted, though most are simply bare-chested. Only a couple of the others wear the wolf-skin masks, though all have their hair braided, pulled into tall top-knots or knotted tightly at their right temples.  They keep time with the masked leader, stepping forwardand occasionally shuffling backwards in time with the drum beats. All of them also carry two spears, which they clash together in time with the beat as they dance.  Many appear to be in an almost trance-like state.

WIDER ANGLE AGAIN revealing that the dancers form a wide ring around a tall carved post at the centre of a forest clearing - the trees in the distance are bare andd tthere is still some frost and patches of snow on the ground.  Beyond the ring of swaying, shuffling dancers is a broad crescent of several hundred seated Germanic warriors, all armed and beating their spears on their shields in time with the drums.  Beyond them, at the base of a the slope that leads up to the edge of the forest in the distance, sit the nobles and tribal chieftains.  All are watching the ritual dancers intently.

OPPOSITE ANGLE - looking down the slope over the heads of the chiefs and the seated warriors.  The top of the post at the centre of the dancers is carved with a crude human face.  Beyond the dancers stand about a dozen Germanic priests - each wearing a tunic of bleached linen and a silver neck ring.  Behind them stand attendants with young bulls on tethers.  About ten drummers, their bodies also sweaty from exertion and their breath steaming in the frosty air, sit in a line in front of the priests.

CLOSE ON the priest GUDAMERAZ - a young dark haired man holding an large drinking horn.  Two attendants carrying a bronze cauldron approach him from behind.  He turns from the dancers and holds out the horn to be filled from the cauldron.

CLOSE ON the cauldron's mouth as one of the attendants ladles some dark liquid into the horn.  Red fly agaric mushrooms float in the cauldron as the horn is filled with the steaming brew.

WIDER ANGLE as Gudameraz carries the horn past the drummers towards the ring of dancers.  One moves out of the line to take the horn from the priest and drinks deeply.  He wipes his chin and gives the priest a wide-eyed but vacant look before rejoining the dance as another takes his place to drink from the horn.

ANGLE ON the chieftains and their escorts of warriors. In the middle of this group sits SEGIMERUS/Sigimeriz, chief of the Cherusci. He is about sixty with a short grey-white beard and his long hair pulled back into a knot behind his head and secured with silver-tipped bone pins. His tunic is of red wool and decorated at the edges with a geometric embroidered pattern and he wears gold and silver arm rings with a heavy Celtic La Tene-style gold torque around his neck.  He sits cross-legged on a fur with his long sword lying sheathed across his knees.

The warriors behind him, members of his personal retinue, are also more richly dressed, fully armed and several wear mail shirts.  Beside him is his war-band leader and first warrior DAGAMERAZ, who leans across to say something to the chief.  Segimerus listens and then nods without taking his eyes off the dancers.

ANGLE FROM behind the priests.  Five attendants now lead one of the bulls forward toward the priests as the drums pick up their tempo and the dancing gets more frenetic.

CLOSE ON an elderly priest who needs to be supported by a younger man as he moves up to the bull with a bared single-edged dagger in his hands.  Two of the other priests take the bull by its horns and the attendants hold the frightened animal tightly.

CLOSE ON the bull.  It's face has been painted with broad red and black stripes and it wears a garland of holly and ivy.  We see the old priest's hand holding the dagger as he brings it up to the bull's throat.

WIDE ANGLE from up the slope, looking back over the seated chiefs and warriors, past the dancers, and see the priests in a knot around the bull.  A sentry at the edge of the grove moves into shot and, over his shoulder as he watches, we see the bull slump to the ground and hear its dying bellow echo from the surrounding forest.
 
 

ANGLE ON a Roman Auxiliary cavalry officer.  He is seated on his horse just inside the forest cover at the top of the slope above the grove, looking down into the clearing and watching the sacrifice.  The noise of the drums and the clashing spears is much fainter as he keeps a tight rein on his restless mount.

CLOSER ON the Officer's face - we see he is in his early twenties and boyishly handsome, though with at least one sword scar across his slightly stubbled chin.  He is in full field armour and watches the scene below with pale blue, rather cold-looking eyes.  Out of focus beyond him we see more Roman cavalry troopers moving up into line, still within the cover of the forest.

WIDER ANGLE on the officer and down the Roman line.  At least 500 cavalrymen are moving silently up from deeper in the woods to the edge of the forest and forming up ranks just inside the trees.  We hear another series of shouts from the warriors in the clearing below and the continued thumping of the drums - the Cherusci warriors are still unaware they are being watched.

DIFFERENT ANGLE ON the Officer as another horseman reins in beside him.  He looks to the Officer who nods to him.
 
 

The other cavalryman turns and waves the troopers forward.  The whole line begins to move out of the tree cover in a disciplined series of lines.

WIDE ANGLE ON the sentry at the edge of the gathered warriors.  The drums are loud again as we look over his shoulder at the lines of Roman cavalry emerging from the tree line at the top of the slope above him.  He is still watching the dancing as more and more troopers form up in the open on the hill behind him, the bright winter sun glittering on their bronze helmets and mail shirts.  We hear a sudden shout, and he turns and sees the Roman formation.

ANGLE ON Segimerus and his retinue.  There is more shouting, this time from the sentry, and many of the warriors around the chief are jumping to their feet.  The drumming stops abruptly as Segimerus rises, his hand on his sword hilt.

WIDE ANGLE from behind the priests, taking in the dancers as they stop and look past the warriors and up the slope to the Romans and we see most of the warriors are now on their feet and begining to form up into a defensive line with the chieftains at their centre.  One of the naked dancers gives a screaming yell and begins to run forward, brandishing both his spears.

CLOSE ON the screaming warrior - his eyes bulging as he tries to rush towards the Roman formation.  Several warriors catch and restrain him with some difficulty as he continues shouting incoherantly.

ANGLE ON Segimerus and Dagameraz looking up the slope at the Romans.  We hear one of the Roman cavalry mounts whinny loudly from the hill above.  A younger warrior of Segimerus' retinue, GUDAFRITH, moves into shot.

WIDE ANGLE looking out above the spears of the Cherusci warriors and up the slope to the Roman formation.  The young officer is at the centre of the front rank, with the unit's vexillia borne by a trooper beside him.  There is a moment's silence as neither side move or speak.

Then one of the troopers near the officer kicks his mount forward and begins to slowly ride down the slope towards the warriors.

OPPOSITE ANGLE - from the Roman line, looking as the trooper gets half-way between the two formations and pauses.  He reins in his horse, takes off his helmet and shakes out long dark-blond hair.

CLOSE ON  the trooper raising his helmet and shouting
 
 

ANGLE ON the Cherusci warriors.  They break into smiles as they realise this 'Roman' is one of their own and return the shout.
 
 

CLOSE ON Segimerus, Dagameraz and Gudafrith as the other warriors surge forward around them, laughing and shouting.

CLOSE ON the Roman Officer, ARMINIUS/Ermanameraz as he also removes his helmet revealing Germanic blond hair, but cut short in the Roman style
 
 

WIDE ANGLE on the whole formation of cavalry auxiliaries, moving down the slope with him

WIDER ANGLE on the now disordered auxiliary formation as it reaches the warriors moving up the slope to greet them.  Most of the troopers dismount and many embrace relatives and friends amongst the warriors as the two groups move together.

ANGLE ON Arminius as he dismounts amongst the warriors.  He takes his horse's reins and walks forward, smiling and greeting many of the warriors around him by name.  His smile becomes broader as he recognises Segimerus in the crowd.

CLOSE ON Segimerus, Dagameraz and Gudafrith as they greet Arminius

CLOSER ANGLE on Segimerus over Arminius' shoulder as he embraces his son

WIDER ANGLE on the four men as HILDIRIKAZ, the cavalry trooper who first rode down the hill, moves into shot.  He is now dismounted and is without his helmet, spear or shield, but otherwise in the full armour and equipment of a Roman cavalry auxiliary, though with his long hair around his shoulders.

DIFFERENT ANGLE as all five move back towards the dancing enclosure.  We hear the drumming start up again.

CLOSE ON Dagameraz and Hildirikaz

WIDE ANGLE - Segimerus, Arminius, Dagameraz and Gudafrith take their seats on or around Segimerus fur.  Most of the other warriors and cavalry auxiliaries are also sitting down, but the dancers are taking up position in their circle again, and some of the auxiliaries are joining them.  Hildirikaz sees this, picks up two spears from the ground and rushes to join in.

CLOSER ANGLE ON Segimerus and the others, now seated and watching as the dancing begins again.  Somone out of shot hands Arminius a drinking cup and he drinks and then passes it to Dagameraz.

DIFFERENT ANGLE ON all four men - behind them we see warriors talking and laughing with the newly arrived troopers and admiring their Roman-made war gear.

CLOSE ON Arminius as a hand claps him on the shoulder - he looks up.  The young priest Guudaameraz sits down beside him.

ANGLE ON Gudameraz and Arminius

WIDER ANGLE ON  the whole group

DIFFERENT WIDER ANGLE ON the group of men

Gudameraz looks down and does not reply

CLOSE ON Arminius

CLOSE ON Segimerus, looking at the priest

WIDER ANGLE as they watch the priest leave

CLOSE ON  Arminius as he turns to watch the dancers, looking thoughtful

WIDE ANGLE from behind the priests, looking out past the dancers towards the seated warriors.  The drums are much louder again.  In the foreground several priests are butchering the sacrificed bull while two are moving towards the dancers with a blood-stained iron cauldron.

ANGLE ON Gudameraz standing close to the shuffling ring of dancers as the two priests carrying the cauldron between them move into shot.

CLOSE ON Gudameraz as he dips a tied bundle of birch twigs into the cauldron full of blood and then begins to sprinkle the blood on the passing dancers.

CLOSE ON  the dancers, still in a trance, as they move past the priest - the blood sprinkling over their faces and bodies as they dance.  As the drumming thunders loudly, Hilidrikaz moves into shot, dancing with his eyes closed, and the sprinkled blood spatters across his Roman mail shirt and stains his face and hair.
 

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