Casca’s Timeline, Part 1

This is Casca’s history, from birth, through the time he was cursed to immortality by Jesus on the cross to the present day. Where novels in the series have been written, they will appear in title as published. In places where no book has yet been written, the timeline will appear as theoretical. In other places, where a novel has mentioned an incident or place that Casca has partaken but no story has yet been written, it will appear in italics.

AD 2-AD 33 PRE-CURSE LIFE

  • AD 2 – Birth of Casca (?) in village in Tuscan hills
  • AD10 – Growing up in village (Casca 1 page 56)
  • AD20 – Pestilence takes the lives of his family (Casca 1 page 57)
  • AD21 – Enrols into the 7th legion at Livorno (Casca 1 page 57)
  • AD30 – Casca joins 10th legion
  • AD33 – Assigned to execution duty for the condemned Jesus

AD 33 – AD 165. Casca 1: The Eternal Mercenary

Casca spears Jesus on the cross and is cursed to live forever until the Second Coming. Sentenced for murder to the Copper Mines of Greece, he spends years underground until he manages to earn his ‘freedom’ to the surface. His slavery is replaced for a life as a gladiator in Rome and he’s trained to be the best. Eventually he earns his freedom from the Emperor but almost immediately falls foul of Nero and is once more sentenced – this time to a life as a galley slave on a ship. Shipwrecked, he finds his way to the lonely Neda and enjoys his first real love, but time forces his hand and he leaves to once again fight for Rome. Partaking in the battle against the Persians outside Ctesiphon, he wonders if all his life will be is blood and slaughter.

Main Points between AD 33-165

  • AD33 Casca spears Jesus and is cursed to immortality (page 18) and is condemned as a slave to the Copper Mines (page 76)
  • AD40 Casca is sent underground for the first time (page 76)
  • AD50
  • AD54 Start of Nero’s reign
  • AD60
  • AD61 Mine cave-in allows Casca to return to the surface (page 78). Casca is bought by Crespas and becomes a gladiator
  • AD63 Casca gains his freedom but is arrested again and sentenced to life on the galleys
    (page 203)
  • AD68 End of Nero’s reign
  • AD70
  • AD80
  • AD90
  • AD96 Galley is wrecked – Casca is free. (Page 210) Casca spends the next few decades wandering, partly a pirate out of the Kilklades, or a Causasian chief.
  • AD100
  • AD110
  • AD120
  • AD130
  • AD140
  • AD145 Casca rescues Neda and lives with her on her farm (p 211)
  • AD150
  • AD160
  • AD164 Casca leaves Neda to join the Legions again (page 213)
  • AD165 Campaign against Persia – battle of Ctesiphon. Casca tries to commit suicide but fails due to Curse (page 238)

AD 165 – AD 252. Casca 5: The Barbarian

After deserting the legions Casca spends a little time in the Empire before crossing the Rhine and joining up with Glam, a Germanic warrior. Together they arrive in Helsfjord and eventually Casca takes over as Lord, killing the evil Ragnar and marrying the lovely sightless Lida. He fights off marauding Saxons and builds a hold that is the envy of his neighbours. He stays until Lida dies of an illness.

Main points between 165-252

(note, God of Death overlaps in some places)

  • AD165 Casca deserts the legions and travels west (Barb p3)
  • AD166 Has a number of jobs until he gets to Massilia
  • AD170
  • AD180
  • AD190
  • AD200
  • AD209 Travels up to Rhone to Lugdunum (Barb p27)
  • AD210 Crosses the Rhine and meets Glam (G of D p11)
  • AD211 Glam and Casca arrive at Helsfjord
  • AD212 Ragnar imprisons Casca and blinds Lida (Barb p90)
  • AD214 Casca escapes, kills Ragnar and marries Lida (Barb p98)
  • AD220
  • AD230
  • AD236 Casca buys Corio off a merchant (Barb p130)
  • AD240
  • AD250
  • AD252 Death of Lida ‘after 40 years’ (Barb p183)

AD 252 – AD 268. Casca 2: God of Death

After Lida’s death Casca decides to sail away from Helsfjord and takes a company of Vikings with him. They sail far out into the ocean and eventually cross to a strange land inhabited by the Teotec. Casca is captured and earmarked for sacrifice, but his immortality means he cannot die and the Teotec hail him as a God. Casca takes a Teotec woman, Metah, as his, but the neighbouring Olmecs invade and Metah is captured and left for dead. In trying to save her life and give her immortality through a blood transfusion, Casca discovers his blood is poison. Casca and the surviving Vikings then set sail for home.

Main points between 252-268

  • AD252 Casca sails with the Vikings into the ocean
  • AD254 Casca is sacrificed but rises as a god (page 144)
  • AD260 Emperor Valerian taken prisoner by the Persians (page 175)
  • AD268 Victory over the Olmecs; death of Metah

AD 268 – AD 328. Casca 3: The Warlord

 

After falling overboard, Casca is rescued by a Roman trading vessel and ends up in Britannia. Returning to Rome, he is saddened by the decay and corruption, and moves on to the east, where he joins with a youth called Jugotai who is returning to his homeland near the Himalayas. Casca falls foul of a sinister Christian sect called the Brotherhood of the Lamb and discovers that they are persecuting him for killing Jesus. Escaping their clutches, he travels to Khitai – the lands of Chin. Becoming a warlord of the Emperor Tzin, Casca saves the Emperor’s life in battle. But the Empress Li Tsao arranges for Casca to be buried alive for not passing on his secret of immortality. On his escape, Casca decides to return to the west.

Main points between 268-328

  • AD268 Casca picked up out of the sea
  • AD270 He travels east with Jugotai. Valerian is emperor (p34)
  • AD271 Arrives at the Jade Gate (p109)
  • AD273 Battle of Chong-Ye; saves Tzin’s life
  • AD274 Casca is made an officer in the Imperial Guard (p152)
  • AD280
  • AD288 Empress Li Tsao poisons Casca and buries him alive (p157)
  • AD290
  • AD300
  • AD309 Shapur II made king whilst still in the womb
  • AD310
  • AD320
  • AD326 Earthquake frees Casca from the tomb
  • AD328 Finally leaves China via the Jade Gate

AD 328 – AD 337. Casca 6: The Persian

After arriving in Persia, Casca impresses the King Shapur II and soon is made commander of the army. But the vizier Rasheed, a member of the Brotherhood, begins to plot against him. He takes a woman, Anobia, and frees her from slavery. He also wins battles against the Huns and once more meets Jugotai, now an old man. But Rasheed’s intrigue condemns Casca to be branded a heretic and burned at the stake. An Egyptian, Imhept, takes his body and tends it and Casca eventually recovers and leaves Persia, once more bound for the Roman Empire.

Main points 328-337

  • AD328 Casca arrives in Nev-shapur and is made a commander of the Persian army by King Shapur II
  • AD330
  • AD337 After being burned at the stake for heresy and black magic, Casca is rescued and nursed back to health by Imhept. Casca leaves for the Roman Empire.
  • AD338 There is a large unexplained gap now from this year until the start of The Damned.

AD 400 – AD 453. Casca 7: The Damned

also Casca 37: Roman Mercenary

37 Roman Mercenary

and Casca 45: Emperor’s Mercenary

casca45cover

Falling foul of the new Christian laws, Casca is made a gladiator and has to fight for his freedom. Captured once more, this time by Alaric’s invading Goths, he witnesses the sacking of Rome and realizes that the days of the Empire are drawing to a close. Taking on mercenary jobs he tries to fill what feels like an empty void within but fails. He flees to the haven of Helsfjord but finds it an abandoned ruin, and sinks into a half feral depressed state. Years later a chance encounter brings him back to awareness and he returns to find the Empire under threat from Attila the Hun. Joining the last of the Roman armies he helps to defeat Attila in a climactic battle. Afterwards he tracks the surviving Huns across the Alps and marks where Attila is buried.

Main points, 400-453

  • AD400 Casca arrested for pagan practices
  • AD402 Roman capital moved from Milan to Ravenna
  • AD404 Last gladiatorial games
  • AD408 Death of Stilicho (page 41)
  • AD409 Casca captured by Alaric’s Goths (page 42)
  • AD410 Casca witnesses the fall of Rome (page 49)
  • AD410 Events of Casca 37: Roman Mercenary
  • AD411 Events of Casca 45: Emperor’s Mercenary
  • AD412 Takes odd jobs between Africa and Spain (The Damned, page 76)
  • AD420
  • AD430
  • AD435 Approximate date Casca crosses Rhine and finds an abandoned Helsfjord (page 76)
  • AD440 Wanders Helsfjord in a crazed half feral state
  • AD450 Regains mind, returns to the Roman Empire (page 96)
  • AD451 Helps with defence of Orleans. Attila defeated.
  • AD452 Catches plague, sees Leo’s meeting with Attila (page 184)
  • AD453 Witnesses burial of Attila (page 203)

The timeline is continued on timeline page (2)