A loyal legate who expected to be awarded a consulship for his part in Sulla's campaign, he was executed when he tried to defy his master's dictate.
Apparently a trusted and talented general, Sulla entrusted the siege of Praeneste to him during the campaign, confident that Afella could defeat Marius the Younger, trapped inside the city's walls.
Afella settled down to await the city's eventual surrender, confident that Sulla would win the rest of the campaign.
This proved the correct decision, as Sulla, ably assisted by Marcus Licinius Crassus, had won the battle and the city.
Sulla, in control of the city and the Senate, forced them to appoint him dictator and continued his campaign to crush the last pockets of resistance.