After suffering a devastating defeat at the hands of the Cimbri, Rome is in a panic, and fears of a barbarian invasion grip the city. With no legions to defend the mountain passes, all of Italy is now open to the Germanic tribes, but the Cimbri inexplicably turn away and disappear back into the mysterious north. Four years later, reports of their rampage in Gaul reach Rome, and when the Cimbri and their allies threaten to destabilize Gallia Narbonensis, Consul Marcus Junius Silanus is sent to intercede. For a second time, the Cimbri petition for land in return for military service, and when the Senate rejects their request, the German tribes are prepared to hand Rome another catastrophic loss.