At this juncture, the Roman empire was convulsed by its first major civil war since the Battle of Actium exactly a century earlier: the Year of the Four Emperors (69-70 AD).
However, legionary diplomas were exceptionally issued after the Civil War of 68/69 AD.
The setting alternates between chronicling the career of General Black (and his daughter's career as his aide-de-camp) during the 2270s and 2280s and his attempt to seize the Imperial throne in the 2290s during a multi-party struggle resembling the Year of the Four Emperors and the Crisis of the Third Century.
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After assuming the imperial throne during the civil war, Otho campaigned to secure the passes in the Alps bordering Gaul, as well as those territories whose loyalties toward him were in doubt.