545 B.C.

BC 545
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"The Word."

The God-Queen’s Horde Unleashed!

Beyond the dark gates of the Egyptian Wall, a great mustering began that would shake the very foundations of the world. The God-Queen, now confident that those speaking of the “decline” of Egypt had been finally and decisively quieted, wearied of the lands under her rule. Surely there were greater horizons to be found, more people to bring under her glorious rule. And truly, could Egypt’s detractors ever be silenced if all those who acknowledged her divine wisdom were solely concentrated in Egypt? Clearly, the situation was unacceptable.

Lenius, a Greek merchant who had long left his homeland behind, was waiting at the Dark Gates to the Great Wall of Egypt, where the line was almost as long as the name. The entire crowd of merchants was forced to the side by Egyptian enforcers as the ground began to shake. Conscious of the water only a short distance to both the north and south, Lenius was nervous of what such a violent shaking could do to the poor man trapped on the Sinai. And then he saw the soldiers.

The men of Egypt, in ranks twenty wide, stepped through the wide gates of the Wall and marched past the merchants. Afraid for his life, Lenius cringed from the oncoming soldiers, but they ignored him. It was now apparent that the soldiers were uninterested in the merchantmen waiting outside the gateway to Egypt. Instead, they marched on with blank faces turned east. Lenius concluded that the Egyptians were either marching forth to fight someone or to conduct training exercises in the stretches of sand and dirt to the east.

He continued to think this after they had been waiting outside of the gates for an hour, watching endless lines of Egyptians march by. This would make an interesting story to tell when his travels took him back north towards the hospitable lands of the north, perhaps he would be able to trade it for a drink or a meal at one of the numerous establishments he visited on his travels.

Lenius began to become concerned when, two hours later, the Egyptian soldiers, now interspersed with cavalry and supply carts, were still flowing out of the gate. Then, there was finally a pause. Lenius inched forward.

The light of the shining sun glinted off gold, and Lenius was amazed to see a gigantic and monstrous construction move through the gates, which could barely accommodate its massive girth. It was the size of a small building, with tiered steps leading up towards a well-shaded and sumptuously outfitted throne. Lenius at first thought the construction was rolling forward of its own accord, until he glimpsed the straining forms of the men beneath the throne. There were easily a hundred men underneath the gold-plated and jewel-bedecked throne in the garb of palace slaves. Lenius was surprised to see that many of them were lighter skinned than the rest of the swarthy Egyptians and realized, with a shock, that they had the look of Anatolians about them. Many of these men were citizens of the Western Empire, captured by the God-Queen’s fleet.

And yes, it was the God-Queen herself on the golden throne. Lenius instinctively cast his eyes down in a sign of submission as the Queen’s throne slid past. As the God-Queen passed by, flanked by members of her personal guard, the line of soldiers resumed their march out of the walls. Lenius, agape at what he was seeing, sat down with a thump on one of his dusty packs and watched in growing amazement as the soldiers marched past.

More than thirty hours later, the supply carts started to roll by.

As a traveler passes out of the Sinai, he reaches Judah, often called Judea, and the city of Jerusalem. While historically the land has been a powerful kingdom in its own right, in these modern times the men of Judah are ruled by the kind hand of High King Nabonidus. As news reached the Babylonian garrison in Jerusalem of the massive force assembling and rapidly approaching them from the southwest, fear began its work. The men had received no word from Babylon of any planned Egyptian march, and the High King’s men, while safely ensconced within the mighty Fortress of Jerusalem, numbered only 9,000. By all accounts, the army marching upon them was leaving a wasteland devoid of food or supplies in its wake, draining streams and rivers dry. The most sober minded witnesses that the Babylonian garrison commander could find was a Babylonian merchant who had been at the gates. The mathematically gifted man had multiplied the number of Egyptian men in each rank by the time the army had taken to move through the gates and concluded that the Egyptians had roughly 500,000 men.

Such an army of men was impossible. No one could assemble that many soldiers, let alone move such an army. The logistics alone were baffling. Yet, by all accounts, the Egyptians had done it. And now the men of Babylon, most of them in reserve and dispersed throughout the region were confronted with the dilemma of how to resist it. The garrison commander in Jerusalem was a brave man, even if he was no hero. But this was an army so large and so massive that it literally defied comprehension. His men were no cowards, but an ordinary soldier will only fight and die so long as he thinks he has a hope of victory, a chance to emerge alive from the chaos of battle. And these Babylonians were far from home facing the Destroyer of Worlds and a supply train that, alone, could supply an entire province for a year.

In the end, the Babylonian foot soldiers made up their own mind before their commander. His soldiers began to vanish into the streets of Jerusalem, discarding their arms and becoming ordinary merchants and farmers again. Many men simply failed to come back to the fortress when summoned. The garrison, fully mustered, could only find 5,000 men. Resistance was impossible, and the God-Queen was almost upon them. The Babylonians resolved to make a run for it. Abandoning Jerusalem, and the High King’s expensive fortress, the 5,000 men made a break for the trade roads leading north and east.

The God-Queen, ably supported by her massive cavalry screens and skirmishers, realized the situation almost immediately. The Babylonian garrison was no threat, but they also had no horses. They were hoping that the God-Queen would not interfere with their escape. Aneski was in no mood to be so generous. She dispatched a small portion of her cavalry and sent 50,000 men after demoralized Babylonians. As the horizon filled with horsemen, the Babylonians promptly surrendered.

Aneski entered Jerusalem unmolested save for a few religious fanatics who were quickly and easily put down by her personal bodyguard as a show of force. The army occupied the Babylonian fortress and set about consolidating the newest Egyptian province and organizing their forces. Sabgu of Egypt, a master of logistics, worked frantically to keep the army supplied from Egypt even as the army began to devour the countryside of Judah. The population of Judah had just doubled.

Persians Clamp Down on Lawlessness

Emperor Cyrus II of Persia, in reaction to the recent chaos caused by banditry intercepting Imperial tax collectors, launched a full-scale investigation and crack down. Witnesses were rounded up, miscreants apprehended, and pointed questions were… ‘asked’. There has been no word on any information that Cyrus the Great might have uncovered with this effort but, if nothing else, Persia’s tax collectors operated unmolested this year. By all accounts, those bandits who were not taken into custody or publicly executed quietly fled into Babylon and Armenia. In Babylon, the High King’s men then, in turn, arrested several of these miscreants. The whole business, with accusations flying in every direction, has caused quite a stir in the courts of the Kings.

Blockade of Western Empire Continues, Expands to Babylon?

While maintaining their blockade of the Western Empire, elements of the Egyptian fleet detached and sailed west towards the coast of Syria, where Babylonian merchants do a wealthy trade with the many residents of the Mediterranean. The Egyptians, joined by the Tyrrhenian fleet, completely shut down Babylonian seaborne trade, largely thanks to the lack of a Babylonian navy in place to defend the coast.

Left undefended, the Babylonian merchants, as well as a significant number of Western Empire traders who had relocated their operations overland into the Cradle of Civilization, were either seized or refused to travel on the ocean waves. Babylon does a huge amount of trade throughout the world, and the cut off of this vital flow, and the readjustment made by Babylonian merchants, damaged many kingdoms worldwide. Ironically enough, it was those nations who depend less on foreign trade who suffered the most. The isolated economies of the Spartans and Egyptians, for instance, produce little that they could use to profit from the Babylonian lapse yet still suffered from the sudden reduction in the wide variety of Babylonian goods. Other kingdoms, such as Carthage or the Phoenicians, benefited from this shift as their own goods helped replaced Babylon’s on the world market, which helped outweigh their losses. Scholars are still studying exactly how this particular phenomenon occurred, as common sense who seem to dictate that a loss of trade would have hurt those kingdoms more reliant on foreign trade, yet somehow those kingdoms with markets more invested in foreign kingdoms profited more than those who produced less.

In the Western Empire, all economic mysteries aside, the blockade continued and Egypt maintained absolute control of the seas. Notably, the Carians, who have maintained a small amount of sea trade throughout the crisis thanks to being left largely unmolested by the Egyptian fleets, had their last vestiges of a merchant marine crushed this year. The Phoenicians, in an apparent act of revenge for Carian tariffs placed on their goods for the first time in years, specifically began targeting Carian ships and seizing their cargoes. The last vestiges of overseas trade the Western Empire maintained have been finally shut down.

Spartan Port in Aegium

The Spartans, in may prove to be a well timed act, massively expanded port facilities throughout Aegium. This apparent turn towards encouraging trade in Sparta, an activity usually shunned as demonstrating greed and weakness of character, could help Sparta reconcile the problems caused by the surprisingly damaging dearth of Babylonian goods. Yet, many scholars in Sparta and her dependent poleis note that the Spartans would need to consider lowering taxes somewhat if they wished there to be anything even resembling real trade occurring. Whether the Spartans will go that far seems highly dubious.

King Anon of Troas Slain!

King Anon of Troas returned to his homeland this year with the Egyptian First Fleet upon receiving word that a group of loyalist nobility in Troas had formed agitating for his return and revolt against the Carians. Supported by the God-Queen of Egypt, Anon returned with his handful of remaining followers to Troas, although he left his wife and children behind in Memphis. Anon and his dozen retainers were quietly deposited on the shores of Anatolia by the Egyptians and from there he was smuggled into Ilium by local loyalists.

That was where everything went wrong.

Unbeknownst to Anon, the Carians had been quietly funding the rebellious loyalists and had infiltrated their ranks on every level. When Anon returned, the Carians were waiting and ready. The real loyalist rebels, who had supported Anon’s return, were rounded up and quietly executed. The Carians moved in to arrest Anon after overcoming the final remnants of the loyalist Troans. King Anon learned of this treachery moments before a squad of Carian guards arrived to arrest him in the dark of the night.

The Carians pounded on the door to his safehouse, brandishing torches and long knives, while King Anon’s loyal retainers barricaded the doors in an attempt to keep them out. Finally the Carians managed to burst into the house. A short fight ensued where several of the Carian enforcers were killed, but the Troans were quickly overwhelmed. The guards crept up the stairs to find that Anon, former King of all Troas, had committed suicide by driving a dagger into his chest. The “rebellion” was over.

The High King’s New Cavalry

In a stroke of luck for the Babylonian people, under assault by the God-Queen’s Horde, King Nabonidus wisely chose to establish a new corps of cavalry in Syria. By all accounts, this new cavalry army is composed of approximately 75,000 well-equipped new recruits. Even as these men were trained and armed, word spread of the new threat to the High King’s rule. Efforts to prepare themselves for battle redoubled in intensity as men pondered the likelihood of a full-scale war.

The Carians in Cappadocia, Purpose Revealed!

The small army of horsemen that the Carian King had dispatched to Cappadocia began training excercises this year as they began to patrol the trade routes leading eastwards through Cappadocia, apparently on the look out for any foreign kingdoms attempting to disrupt their new lifeline towards the kingdoms of the south and east. These soldiers operated with the Cappadocians‘ blessing and established quite a reputation amongst the locals as banditry was quelled almost overnight by the sight of the bravely bedecked Carians patrolling the roads daily as part of their training.

Anti-Spartan Sentiment Growing in Corinth

The Corinthian mob, fickle as one might expect, has been gradually turning against Lakedaemonia in recent days. Anti-Spartan graffiti has spread around the city and dislike of the Spartans is growing, even amongst a people who had formerly looked to them for protection from the Athenians. This souring mood comes despite a generous Spartan gift to the Corinthians to help them rebuild their army. The changing fortunes, evident in the poor reception given to Spartan emissaries delivering the gift to the Corinthian Council is seen be a combination of two factors. Firstly, Sparta’s growing military domination of the Pelopponesian poleis, including its recent invasion of Argos, is seen as inherently threatening to the Corinthians and they have recruited a number of mercenaries as well as funding a training for a new hoplite army. Secondly, there has been mounting pressure on Corinth from Greece’s other major city-states to resist Spartan entreaties. How Sparta will deal with this growing issue is anyone’s guess, although many doubt if they will even act on it at all. The Lakedaemonians are not known for spending much time worrying about what outsiders think of them or their activities.

Western Empire Assaults Smyrna

Despite heavy foreign tariffs and still dangerous levels of discontent at home, King Mursili of Caria marched forth from Halicarnassus in early spring, resolute in his intent to finish the job that the Western Empire had started last year. This year, however, things were to be dramatically different. Mursili’s battle-hardened troops would meet up with the Ionians, still blocking in the rebel Smyrnan army, and they would be further joined by 13,000 Mysians under the direct command of the famous Jason. And as the final touch, over 100,000 Lydians were marching up the coast from Lycia to join the gathering Imperial army. All told, there would be almost 200,000 Anatolians in the joint army at Mursili’s disposal, led by a truly stunning collection of famous heroes from the region over. This massive army came together with the patiently waiting Ionians west of the trade road and stared down towards the Valley of the Nymphi where, beyond the final pass, lay Smyrna itself.

It is impossible to conceal the movements of hundreds of thousands of men, and Phennox of Troas was well aware of the forces gathering against him. His own army had been bolstered by the addition of the 25,000 new hoplites he had to work so hard to raise last year, but it still left him with roughly 65,000 men against 200,000. And his new hoplites were green, untested and untried. Still there was reason to hope. The Egyptians had already begun shuttling over their own green recruits and were in the process of assembling a brand new army, roughly equal in size to the Western Empire forces assembling over the pass. But it would be some time before they were prepared for combat. He would have to play a delaying game again, and hope that the odds would turn in his favor.

The campaigning season began much as it had the year before. The scouts and cavalry screens would duel as both armies maneuvered around one another, with Phennox occasionally making a move northward, as if he was going to make a push for Ilium. Skirting the mountains to the east, Mursili struggled to keep his larger force moving at the speed necessary to intercept the Smyrnans. This aggravating duel continued for close to a month before King Mursili received the word that he had been waiting for. King Anon was dead and the burgeoning rebellion in Troas, which Mursili had so carefully nurtured, was completely destroyed. Now he could trust that the Ilium garrison could reliably wait out a siege if they had to. If Phennox abandoned Smyrna, with no real siege train to speak of, and struck out for Ilium, he would be exposing his flanks for little to no chance of gain. The hour for action had come.

The Imperial army traveled south briefly to reach the entrance to the Valley of Nymphi. Phennox, aware of his opponents’ move, despaired of the usefulness of his ruse. The time had come to fight, and the Egyptians were still mustering along the river near Smyrna. He would have to stand and fight, against a force more than twice his size with better equipment and better training. The only place where he might be able to neutralize the numerical advantage of his enemies was at the end of the Valley of the Nymphi, at the pass leading down to Smyrna itself. Phennox moved with all possible haste towards that choke point.

The Western Empire army took longer to reach the Valley due to its size, but Phennox had no time to prepare any sort of fortifications or preparations. It would be a straightforward battle on difficult terrain against a vastly superior foe. The terrain might prove to be an advantage, but Phennox laid out his plans for a strategic withdrawal with the assumption after some fighting he would be forced to make a run for Smyrna’s walls and the relative safety they afforded.

The two armies assembled, the Smyrnans anchored on a hill at the end of the valley while the Western Empire troops filled the valley before the pass. Despite their numerical superiority, Phennox’s men, with their equipment supplied equipment, were only at a very slight disadvantage in terms of archers. This was no small relief to Phennox, as it meant he could afford to sit still blocking the path instead of being forced to move to engage his superior foe himself. Mursili, inversely, found the situation to be extremely frustrating, as he had hoped to force his enemy to come to him where his flanks would be easily exposed to the vastly superior Imperial cavalry.

Mursili resolved to use his forces in two waves, given that each wave would still outnumber the Smyrnans will providing room to maneuver in the now crowded valley. He gave his orders accordingly, keeping most of the second wave’s cavalry in close reserve so as to have easier access to it. Grim faced Kandaules of Lydia was placed in command of the infantry, anchored on the veteran hoplites of Caria’s previous campaigns. The ever popular Hipponax was placed in command of the supporting soldiers, personally organizing the archers who would be so critical in allowing the army to advance up the slope to come to grips with the Smyrnans. Jason of Mysia, one of the most famous warriors the world over, also joined the infantry, fighting with the Mysian hoplites. Histiaeus of Ionia, a master of logistics, was largely placed in charge of organizing the army itself and keeping lanes open for new troops to run up to replace the wounded or exhausted. A hoplite push up an incline, even a relatively tame one such as this, was always a worrisome affair, and it paid to have alternates.

The archery exchanges began almost immediately. Both groups of archers, all of them properly trained and disciplined, wreaked havoc on one another, with the superior numbers of Western Empire being negated by the height advantage of the Smyrnans. Still, the duel gave Mursili exactly what he needed: a window to move his own forces forward. Phennox held off on ordering his troops to march forward, correctly reasoning that he could afford to wait until the enemy had advanced part way up the incline. The Western Empire advanced, the infantry in the center flanked by cavalry on both sides. The cavalry would be problematic on this terrain, but still useful. Regardless, the Western Empire had enough infantry to make the issue moot.

As the opposing army came within striking distance of the pass and the hill on which Phennox had anchored his defense, the Troan general let loose his Smyrnan soldiers. Phennox wanted to keep his green hoplites to the rear as much as possible, but with only 5,000 trained hoplites at his disposal, he was forced to use some green troops to fill holes in the front ranks. Hipponax, urging his men on to ever-greater feats of military prowess, was slowly breaking the Smyrnan archers’ formation. By switching some of their fire to the now advancing Smyrnans, Hipponax was able to open up several gaps in the Smyrnan line where inexperienced hoplites struggled to deal with the difficulties inherent in advancing under fire. Kandaules, at the head of the infantry, marched resolutely forward, keeping his trained troops in formation. Finally, the two groups of infantry came together with a clash.

From the beginning, the incline gave the Smyrnans a significant advantage. The numerically superior Imperial troops still lost ground at first. Kandaules pressed the attack, however, as Mursili and his lancers struggled to find an angle at which they could enact a charge that would break the Smyrnan ranks. The rocky hillside offered little opportunity for a classic lancer charge. At first the Imperial troops could make little progress. But Kandaules was relentless. As his men were slain, or fell beneath the trampling feet of the grinding phalanx push, he brought in fresh reinforcements. The Smyrnans had an advantage in the confines of the valley, but when an Imperial hoplite got tired, they could be pulled back and replaced with a fresh man. With the javelin throwers ducking and weaving through combat, harrying the opposing line, the Smyrnans began to feel the signs of exhaustion. The grinding battle, where the terrain and Phennox’s reserves could keep the enemy lancers at bay, was costing the Imperial troops dearly. Yet, as they struggled on, the momentum slowly began to shift. Gradually, the Smyrnans began to be pushed back up the hill, as the Imperial troops heaved corpses to the side to continue the advance.

Phennox knew the battle was lost. Yet he also knew that, if nothing else, he was very good at managing a retreat. Through forced experience, Phennox was a tactician who knew how to evade contact with an opposing force. With this in mind, Phennox slowly extracted his own men from the fight, avoiding a rout through careful shifts, good discipline, and hails of arrow fire. The Smyrnan army withdrew from the field in good order, although they were continuously harried by Imperial cavalry. However, the still intact corps of Smyrnan archers was able to drive off any determined forays and the Imperial infantry was, frankly, too exhausted to chase after them. Mursili reluctantly allowed the Smyrnans to retreat, although he refused to let it be easy for them. Phennox was driving his men towards the brink of collapse by force marching them after such a grueling battle. Mursili refused to let Phennox have an easy time of it.

The Smyrnans had left several thousand dead on the field, and the Imperial troops had captured the pass. Yet, by preliminary counts, there were some 10,000 Western Empire troops either dead or missing. It had been a costly battle. Mursili had the Carians move forward down the other side of the pass slightly to protect the others, reasoning that with their superior discipline and previous experience with this sort of warfare that his troops would be better suited to protecting the other, more exhausted men. And he was right in thinking so. The Lydians, with the largest component of the force by far, had taken the brunt of the casualties and the shocked men needed some time to recover. The following day, the Imperial troops got moving again, although Mursili still had them take it easy. Smyrna was not going anywhere.

Phennox had reached Smyrna and eyed the assembling Egyptian army. They certainly looked impressive enough, but they lacked martial discipline or any real concept of formations or strategy. Still, they had been sent to aid him and his men needed time to recover within Smyrna’s walls. Phennox made the fateful decision to deploy the Egyptian army, too large to fit within Smyrna, against the oncoming Imperial troops in an effort to further thin their numbers and give his own men time to recover. If there was to be a siege, Phennox wanted to at least have a chance, instead of suffering the normal fate of commanders in these circumstances who soon discovered that most of their army had deserted or melted back into the population.

The Egyptian force was entirely green except for the Marines who had deployed to Anatolia last year. Consisted primarily of archers, some 100,000 strong, the force still provided several unique challenges to Mursili. With the archers, and 80,000 other infantry, there were some 10,000 men with strangely large shields but carrying no significant weapon. Furthermore, behind the assembling Egyptian force, there were 20 strange looking wooden contraptions that Mursili, frankly, did not understand. Still, these troops were green and he knew how to handle that. He deployed once again in the standard “eagle” formation, keeping the infantry in the center, flanked by light cavalry, and then in turn flanked by the heavier lancers. The archers began their deadly exchange once more, with the shield bearers having mixed success in preventing the Imperial troops from hurting the Egyptian archers with their return fire. Still, with no training, they were nowhere near as effective as they might have been otherwise. However, facing so many archers, Mursili knew that, once again, he would have to advance. He sent Kandaules forward with his infantry once again.

The purpose of the wooden constructions to the rear of the Egyptians was now revealed. Using some sort of lever and gear system, the wooden objects began to hurl large rocks through the air down onto the advancing Imperials. Occasionally, one would attempt to launch some flaming pitch or some such onto the field, but for the most part these were extinguished in flight. At first, the attacks sowed immense dismay in the Imperial ranks. Thanks to Kandaules, however, the ranks held. Kandaules took personal command of the veteran Carian hoplites and pushed forward with them himself, refusing the acknowledge the frightening new machines. As the army took heart at Kandaules’ determination, they became aware that these devices were not actually causing much damage. For the most part, the inexperienced crews and crude nature of the construction meant that the hurled rocks were hitting mostly ground.

Now the fighting stepped up in intensity. As the Egyptians saw that their machines were not working, and most of them aware that the merchant vessels they had commandeered to travel to Smyrna were not waiting to pick them up and go home, they began to fight much more frantically. The arrow barrages became less precise and the formations scattered and cracked. When Kandaules and his infantry crashed into the Egyptian line, the warriors were already wavering. Mursili resolved to push the matter to a successful conclusion and unleashed his cavalry. Charging the Egyptian lines, the cavalry scattered archers in every direction who, if only they had maintained ranks, could have cut them down with their deadly arrows. The Egyptian army began to fold in on itself and the Imperials began to wreak a terrible slaughter.

As the Imperials finished their clean up after the battle, they began to tighten a cordon around Smyrna. Mursili’s attempts to deploy archers to stop ships from coming in and out of the harbor failed due to organization opposition and the shape of the harbor itself, which meant that the city could still be supplied by sea. But with only that one, tenuous life line, Mursili was comfortable in formally besieging the city.

Two months later…

Smyrna was slowly collapsing. Western Empire loyalists within the city were causing havoc and Phennox found that his soldiers were gradually melting away into the populace while the governing Council of Nobles took no action to resolve the crisis. Instead, they sat and watched and waited until, as Phennox knew would happen, King Mursili decided that they had weakened enough and then unleash his well-equipped and numerous siege engines upon the city. Already the Imperials were probing the walls more and more frequently. Phennox’s army was a shadow of its formal self, their morale broken and shattered. Furthermore, the surviving Egyptians who had made it back to the city were not on very good terms with the Anatolians huddled inside the city. Scuffles and conflicts broke out with increasing regularity.

Finally disgusted beyond what he could stand, Phennox dismissed the nobles and the God-Queen alike. Gathering some of his closest friends to him, Phennox hatched a plan to escape. The city would dissolve into chaos until someone smart enough to do the math decided to open to gates for the Imperials outside. The people would be safe enough, and at this point they were the only ones Phennox cared about even a little bit. He could do nothing more for them with the resources he had, so there was no logical reason to stay. This was not, after all, even his polis.

Outside the city, King Mursili was debating risking his valuable siege engines in what might be a futile assault while, by all accounts, Egyptian survivors were fighting Smyrnan rebels who were all fighting Ionian loyalists being stirred up by Lydian and Ionian agents. It was only a matter of time before someone opened the gates. Still, there was no sense waiting if they did not have to. And Mursili doubted that the soldiers left inside would be able to mount a vigorous defense of the walls. He decided to try an attack.

In the harbor an interesting scene was unfolding. An armada of ships had sailed in to the harbor and, after being permitted passage by the watching Egyptian warships, docked at the Smyrnan Harbor. Off the lead boat stepped a man from the other side of the sea. Prince Huergon Auclina of Veii, self-styled Savior of Rome, looked around the stricken Smyrnan city in disgust. The other ships began to disgorge their cargo of Tyrrhenian soldiers and their requisite equipment. The Prince had brought with him over 20,000 fine Tyrrhenian hoplites in order to join up with the Smyrnan army, but it appeared that the pathetic Anatolians had already given up and folded before he had even arrived. He supposed that he should not have been surprised. The Prince immediately sent out runners throughout the city to try and determine the situation while the rest of his soldiers established themselves at the dock and beat back those few Smyrnans foolish enough to think they could use the transport ships to escape the city.

The Imperial attack began to go forward as the siege towers approached the walls and carefully shielded men heaved the heavy wooden ram against the gates. Mursili’s scouts informed him that new ships had landed at the harbor. Still, there was little resistance on the city walls to his advance, so King Mursili resolved to press the issue. The attack continued in earnest, well shielded by parties of archers who let loose a volley at every moving figure that they spotted on the battlements.

Back at the harbor, Prince Auclina’s scouts returned to him and reported that a massive Imperial army was sitting outside the city and were, even at this moment, beginning an assault against the lightly defended city walls using a great mass of siege engines and battering rams. The Prince sighed. The cowards had lost the battle before he had even arrived. It was truly disappointing. He dispatched squads of fully armed hoplites throughout the city immediately with torches, pitch and flammable oils. As they began to set fires throughout the city, beating aside city residents who sought to stop them, others dropped Tyrrhenian poisons into every well they could find. When they ran out of poison, they would simply kill the nearest person and dump them in the wall.

Soon the city was well alight, the sounds of faint screaming filling the air and cries of alarm coming from those residents of the city who hadn’t realized that something was wrong until they saw the flames or smelled the pallor of smoke. The Prince, still cursing the ineptitude of Anatolians, climbed back onboard his ships and set sail. He would travel to Crete for the time being, where he his men would be deposited while the various transport ships he had “borrowed” for the trip would sail home to their respective masters. It had been a disappointing stay in Smyrna to say the least. At least, he concluded, the Imperial scum would get little joy of their conquest.

Outside the city, King Mursili called off the attack as the Western Empire’s finest troops looked on in horror. From where they were standing, outside the walls, it looked as if the entire city was alight. A great cloud of smoke rose in the air above the stricken city while an entire chorus of screams seemed to spread and grow in intensity. Thinking quickly, Hipponax realized that the main city gates had been damaged badly enough by the battering rams to prevent them from being opened. He ordered the rams forward again, trusting that King Mursili would see the wisdom in his decision.

As the fires spread ever further within the city walls, the gates were finally broken open with a mighty crash and the soldiers forced the ragged pieces aside. Almost immediately, a great stream of humanity came bursting forth from within the city, many with burns upon their body and soot on their clothes. The soldiers did what they could for the survivors, who continued to trickle out of the city for hours, but there was little more that they could do.

Smyrna burned.

Great Road of Africa Complete!

A Carthaginian laborer placed the last symbolic stone into place this year, along the Libyan coast. The massive road, well made and carefully designed, links the great western city of Carthage to the populous lands of the Nile. The custom generated from the feeding and caring of all the workers required for the construction brought substantial benefits to both parties, but the explosion of trade that is predicted to follow along the road is expected to be even greater. Already, several small villages have literally relocated themselves, sometimes over relatively large distances, to settle closer to the road and benefit from serving the merchants and travelers expected to make use of the construction. Larger settlements are building new roads of their own accord to link up with the great causeway. Carthaginian and Egyptian fame has spread throughout the world at this unique “wonder”, as unlike most peoples they did not create something of any real beauty. Instead, the utilitarian and sturdily built road has literally remade an entire region of the world. Standing around the finished construction, the workers from both Carthage and Egypt stared down the road to the west and then to the east, wondering what their masters would have them build next. It seemed impossible that any greater achievement could be asked of them.

Rioting in Lycia

Long social spending in Lycia precipitated a series of riots, with local militias turning against King Croesus and rumors of discontent growing amongst Lycian nobles. Lydian officials were quick to point the finger of blame at outside agitators, although they produced no evidence as of yet. Significant discontent with the actions of “mad” king of Lydia, coupled with growing resistance to the idea of a “Western Empire” accompanied acts of violence through the region. The departure of the Lydian army from Lycia, leaving the province unoccupied, helped encourage and spur on the rebels. Still, luckily for Croesus, shortly after his army’s departure, the Mysian 2nd Army arrived with explicit orders to secure the province for Lydia. These soldiers, largely worrying about an Egyptian landing on the Lycian coast, instead deployed to root out and destroy the nascent rebellion, easily crushing the handful of hoplite militia who had assembled at the behest of the local nobility. Some of those men escaped into the countryside, or traveling to the more crowded cities in disguise, but most of them were rounded up by the able Mysians and shipped off to join King Croesus for what are sure to be an interesting series of “chats”.

King Mago Gives Speech in Balearic Islands

King Mago the Kind of Carthage traveled on one of Carthage’s many and beautifully designed ships to the Balearic Islands, a small land peopled by descendants of Phoenician colonists. The Balearic Islands are small enough not to arouse much notice in the outside world, but they are strong enough to have remained independent and stable over many years. The people there are generally simple folk, aghast at the stories of barbarity and senseless violence coming so often from the Far East. To these islands traveled King Mago, the notably kind spirited ruler of Carthage.

Mago appealed to the people of the islands, as well as their leaders, to join him in a spirit of brotherhood, promising them protection and friendship. Mago declared that if they wished it, the Balearic Islands could form a union with Carthage as a fellow Phoenician state appalled at the flame of war that has consumed so much of the rest of the world. This union was not compulsory, and King Mago brought no army or threat of force with him. The noble King’s detractors sourly noted what they called “bribes” arriving with prominent leaders within the Balearic communities, but they largely went unheard. Such things are necessary amongst the nobility, the farmers and merchants noted, and were hardly to come as a surprise. Largely thanks to King Mago’s stirring charisma, the offer of union was enthusiastically accepted and the Balearic Islands formally joined with Carthage. The full text of Mago’s speech, conveniently spread by local storytellers and historians, is attached below.

People of the Balearic Islands,

From distant Carthage I have traveled to these Islands in the spirit of Phoenician brotherhood and respect during a time in world history when such attitudes are severely lacking amongst the other peoples of the world. Though the great empires of the world have forgotten you in their thirst for power over one another, Carthage has not! Though even our Motherland, Phoenicia has abandoned you for other persuits, a great bastion of civilization in these feral Western lands, Carthage has not! And rest assured; Carthage never will

Our status in the world differs greatly from yours in the current age, however Carthage was born from the same roots as you; a colony of traders and persecuted subjects seeking to create a better, freer life politically apart, but culturally tied to our Motherland. However, it was only through courage and struggle that we have broken our status as a mere colony to attain the respected stature that we now hold. In the process of our transformation, we have created a society and culture born of the unique circumstances of existence in the lands of the West. Like the Balearic Islands, Carthage too is on the edge of civilization, and though our traders have visited nearly every port in every land, we are conscious that many of these lands are inhabited by hostile barbarian tribes that would sooner see bastions of civilization, such as our two great states, blotted from history in a flood of violence and terror the likes of which we, in the Civilized world, could barely begin to comprehend. And the worst part of it all is that the great powers of the world, with eyes only for each other, would stand aside and let such a fate befall you, and even Carthage, for they care not about their civilized kin across the vast seas, well beyond the horizon, in positions that will never affect them.

Carthage, however, shall not allow this to happen. As you well know, the power of Carthage is great, and the benevolence by which we use this power is greater. Across the seas we have provided much needed support to the Western Anatolian Islands, which were threatened with extinction by cataclysmic war, and have worked to protect them, despite the fact that they are not Carthaginian or Phoenician. And today, I offer this protection to our Phoenician kin living in the Balearic Islands! With Carthage by your side, we shall ensure that you shall not only survive in these dangerous lands, but grow and prosper, and together we shall reap the rewards of cooperation that will result with the establishment of a western, united Phoenician state.

Understand that Carthage seeks not to dominate the Balearic Islands, but desires only to aid our brethren and instill within all frontier bastions of Phoenician civilization that they do not stand alone, and that together, we all can create a better environment for our people to live in peace and harmony; a haven for all that is civilized and great, and a defense against the barbarous hordes who would seek to dismantle, through force or deceit, all that we have worked so stridently to accomplish.

The choice is yours as to whether or not to accept our offer, but know this; whether you join with Carthage in the creation of a greater state or not, you shall have an everlasting friend in your Carthaginian kin. It is our hope that you will give this proposal due consideration, and in the end do what is right for both of our peoples.

Zoroastrianism Counters Unrest in Persia

Despite a continued mood of unease and unrest within Persia, Cyrus the Great has countered the spread of discontent, at least somewhat, through his sponsorship of Zoroastrianism. Linking the strength of the Persian Empire to the spread of this eastern religion, Cyrus has restored order throughout much of the Empire by countering the presence of dissidents with the establishment of churches of the faithful, who usually tend to be invested in the continuing prosperity of the Empire. It is helped prevent a full on uprising, particularly in Media, but there is still considerable unease through the region. While the situation has certainly stabilized, everyone is well aware that all it might take is a small spark to ignite the entire region in bloodshed, much as happened in Ionia thanks to the interference of the God-Queen. With this in mind, merchants in Persia have been keeping a close eye on local events even as Persian enforcers have dutifully stepped up their patrols.

Order Restored in Ionia

In a welcome respite for the people of Ionia, the servants of King Thrasyboulos have finally restored a measure of order and peace to Ionia. Ionian soldiers marched into Ephesus, finally crushing any hope the remaining dissidents had of a resurgence re-establishing the polis’ independence. Extensive social spending finally eradicated the basis of discontent that had allowed the rebels throughout Ionia to garner so much support, although many warn that King Thrasyboulos will have to maintain high spending if he hopes to completely undue all the damage that has been done. To improve the situation even further, Thrasyboulos relaxed taxation and returned a substantial amount of gold to the people while paying off a small portion of the massive amount of debt the kingdom’s treasury incurred last year. Still, several well-respected nobles and merchant families are quietly forecasting a new threat. The King took out another massive loan this year and the money houses are worried that only a little more stress on the Ionian economy will prove too much for the still fragile kingdom to bear. Several members of the King’s court have taken to quietly floating the idea that perhaps Ionia should seek some of the now infamous subsidies that have been so common within the Western Empire in the past and use those to pay off its record-setting amount of debt.

Phoenician Phestivals!

As the world went to hell and their neighbors prepared to drown one another in blood, the Phoenicians took the street in a large series of festivals largely inspired by a series of generous gifts by King Hanniel of Tyre. The ecstatic people took to emulating their King by drinking profuse amounts of wine. The revelers took to laying gifts of flowers at the feet of the mighty statue of Melqart, and then went to attend the widespread religious ceremonies afterwards. The temples swelled in attendance, although most of the individuals who came were drunken men and women off of the street. Still, the priests did not mind as sleeping drunks are usually quiet and, when awakened, can often be convinced to donate more than their soberer counterparts.

These religious festivals were marked in similar fashion through all of Phoenicia’s old colonies, leading to a similar orgy of entertainment in Carthage. The Carthaginians attributed much of their ebullient mood to their King, who is growing in stature and popularity every year. Good fortune seems to be with the Phoenician peoples this year, and to the average farmer or fisherman, this good feeling is primarily being attributed to local leaders.

Sparta Invades Argos… Again!

In early summer, King Anaxandridas II of Sparta led the men of the 1st Mora into battle once again. This time, the Lakedaemonians marched for the Greek polis of Argos. Traveling south-east from Aegium, the Spartan army headed for their long-time regional rival who they had fought a war with only three years previously. The exact impetus that caused Anaxandridas to order the attack is unknown, although it is believed that the revenge-minded men of Argos may have rebuked a Spartan offer of alliance through military hegemony, much as the Corinthians did last year. The Argives were not totally unprepared, although they were still nursing their wounds from the great defeat they had suffered at Anaxandridas’ hands only a short time ago. Mustering against the 34,000 veteran Spartan soldiers were 12,000 trained soldiers and militiamen of Argos along with a further 6,000 mercenaries from Croton in Magna Graeca. These mercenaries, rumored to be been purchases with foreign gold, served at the beck and call of the Argive Tyrant Agamemnon and significantly augmented his own force. The men of Argos began to think that they could make a fight out of it.

Anaxandridas was direct in his advance. The Spartan army, moving at a good pace, rapidly closed the distance with Argos itself. Argive scouts, of the sort usually shrugged off by armies, were chased down and, in large part, slaughtered, as the Spartans seemed to be intently focused on inspiring fear in the Argives themselves. After news of these killings spread ahead of the army, local farmers fled their plots of land, afraid of being mistaken for a spy and summarily executed. The crimson-clad Spartans had a grim look about them. This year the Spartans had returned to Argos to finish the job.

The skirmishing started as the two armies maneuvered for position, but Anaxandridas proved to be the superior tactician and refused to be drawn into any distractions manufactured by his Argive opponents. The skirmishers clashed, but did so perfunctorily, while the two armies assembled within striking distance of one another on the fields outside of Argos. Anaxandridas, accompanied by his new battle-priests Polydorus and Leonidas, moved amongst the men and did the true job of an officer: keeping fear from the hearts of his men. The Spartans, despite their grim intensity, were jovial, trading dirty jokes and reminiscing of the homes they had been away from for well over a year now, even as they dressed their hair and prepared to fight. They eyed the assembling ranks of the Argives and their mercenary allies and pondered the disposition of the enemy troops. Assembling in their ranks, their flanks secured by their skirmishers, the Spartans focused their attention on Anaxandridas, Leonidas, and Polydorus standing before them. The sacrifices were made, the rituals complete, and the prayers offered up to the heavens. Each man clutched his weapons, offering silent wishes to the Gods.

Across the field, the Argive soldiers roared, but there was an element of unease in their yells. They knew the Spartans would not respond, and they had the wits to wonder if perhaps that meant that the Spartans knew something they didn’t. The men of Croton, standing in brilliant bronze in the Argive center, issued no cry either. They knew of the Spartans and the true measure of the test about to befall them.

The Argives, almost hesitantly, began to advance on the motionless Spartan lines. The Spartans did not move. The braver Argives moved forward purposefully as their officers urged them on, well aware that momentum in a hoplite battle could decide the entire affair in the first few minutes. Still, the more fearful Argives held back and advanced far slower, while the Spartans grew in stature in their minds with every step. The mercenaries from Croton were the only unit to maintain their cohesion on the battlefield, as the Argives strung out across the field. Finally, Anaxandridas having judged the effect of the pause to be sufficient, the Spartans moved forward in perfect formation. These were all veterans of numerous battles, and they had been worked hard and worked often by Anaxandridas in his campaigns. They knew exactly what they were doing, and it showed. As the two armies— the Argives and now the men of Croton issuing their war cries, while the Spartans stayed silent— closed, the two opposing ranks lowered their spears. The Spartan spears came down in such perfect unison that it sent a visible shock through the advancing ranks of their enemies. The Argive line strung out further.

The two armies crashed together, the Argive left and right folding in under the pressure of the Spartiates while the Crotons managed to hold their ground in the middle. Awaiting the proper moment, the Spartan cavalry, which outnumbered their Argive enemies by a factor of two, finally charged forward, sweeping down the flanks of the engaged army of Argos. Picking off lighter armed infantry, the men harassed the sides of the hoplite formation, causing both edges of the Argive army to curl in even further. Finally, a hole opened up on the Argive left under the persistent pressure brought by the Spartan Knights, led ably by King Anaxandridas himself, Polydorus, Leonidas, and the brothers Idotychides and Iatrokles. Polydorus immediately pressed forward, cutting through the Argive ranks with grim professionalism. As the Argive left buckled completely, the right quickly began to follow suit. It is hard for fighting men, whose only veterans are survivors of a great defeat, to stay and fight a battle that they think they will lose. Ironically enough, this very attitude insures their own defeat.

The men of Croton fought on with surprising tenacity, even as the Argives began to thin out and retreat around them. They fall back in good order towards the city walls of Argos, their men falling with wounds of honor on their front rather than the wounds of shame the Argives received on their retreating backs. Still, their discipline was for not, as the Spartan cavalry wheeled around the army and attacked the rear even as the Spartan wings closed in on either side. The Spartan battle plan was very specific, and had been enumerated to all of them before hand. No mercy and no escape. They closed in with brutal precision.

The Argive army was vanquished a second time, this time completely extinguished and the city of Argos left helpless. The remaining Argives still had their walls, but what good were walls when the only people inside to man them were old men, women, and children? When the Spartans demanded surrender, they received it. Anaxandridas moved into the city with his men. They were systematic in their movements, but Spartan discipline warded off the grim specter of a sack. Instead, the Spartans rapidly moved to seize control of the city. The Tyrant Agamemnon was dead, slain by a resentful courtier seeing his chance for revenge for past slights, and the people prostate before them. Anaxandridas moved quickly to establish a pro-Spartan faction within the city and then took the unprecedented step of moving from house to house rounding up the youngest boys of the city. Despite the wailing of the helpless Argive mothers, the Spartans were forcibly entering the children of Argos into the agoge, Sparta’s brutal military academy.

Thinkers and Engineers Thrive in Carthage

Carthage is rapidly earning a name as a place of innovation and grand construction. Even as the construction of the Great Road of Africa was being completed, King Mago has apparently commissioned a study into the construction of a Great Harbor for Carthage. Furthermore, despite the grumbling of Mago’s more conservative Generals, a wide range of new experiments and training have begun that many are claiming could very well revolutionize the Carthaginian military. Details are still sketchy, of course, but it is no secret that King Mago seems mad for anything new and is willing to entertain any new scheme that comes to mind. With a less popular King, this would be widely regarded as madness. In Carthage with this King and at this time, however, the people are prepared to give their magnanimous king some slack. While there has been much smiling and shaking of heads in Carthaginian taverns, people are at least willing to allow Mago his indulgent fancies.

Boeotian League Expands Into Doria

Polynikes of Thebes, accompanied by his friends and companions Thorakides and Agrippas, led the Army of Boeotia north again this year. The army moved into Doria, passing through the Hot Gates of Thermopylae and brushing aside what little resistance the locals could offer. The population of Doria, dominated by a ‘tetrapolis’ of villages which is as close as the region comes to a proper polis, is approximately 5,000 people. The Army of Boeotia maintains an active strength of over 55,000. Outnumbered 11 to 1, the people of Doria chose submission, although small bands of militia would occasionally require the Boeotians to muster a force and sweep them aside.

The only issue of note, applying also to the behavior of the Spartans, is that with the territory of the Boeotian League stretching further and further, Polynikes is relying significantly on local hoplite militias, which are not particularly loyal to Thebes, to maintain order. If sentiment turns against the Boeotians, these militias could easily coalesce into a force that might seek to regain control of their native poleis. A few hundred men in a garrison would be enough to deter such behavior, but the Greeks have, as of late, shown an interesting obsession with no dividing their forces. If these new, much larger conglomerations of city-states are going to last, garrisoning troops may well be a necessity.

Carthaginians Hold Military Parades

Apparently believing that there can never be too much of a good thing, King Mago of Carthage celebrated the visit of the famous Arkadios of Thessaly with a massive series of military parades honoring both their noble visitor and Carthage itself. Arkadios, his muscle bound and slightly foreign-seeming Greek appearance intriguing many of the local ladies, was apparently well pleased with the demonstration of martial acumen. Arkadios, according to rumor, has traveled to Carthage to help the Carthaginians train their cavalry, although many are speculating that this might cement the start of a new, long distance friendship. Arkadios also cordially invited representatives of the Carthaginian court back to Thessaly, as well as exchanging customary gifts with the notables present.

The parade itself was a spectacle that will long remain in the memory of Carthaginians and, it is presumed, Arkadios himself. The Sacred Band and Crimson Shield military orders took center stage. Both groups of citizen-soldiers wear white tunics under their armor, the only units allowed to do so. White is the Carthaginian color of death, and by clothing themselves in it, these special soldiers of Carthaginian have gained a certain reputation for themselves, as well as maintaining an almost religious aura to their doings. The Sacred Band’s helmets are also adorned with white horsehair crests, running from front to back. The Crimson Shield Lancers, mighty horsemen all, have crimson dye on the linings of their tunics along with crimson crests on their own formidable helmets. These remarkable, and impressive, uniforms are reported to have truly impressed Arkadios in particular, as the Greeks seldom go in for identical gear or matching tunics. The only group that Arkadios had encountered who employed such practices were the Spartans, and even they had not taken it as far as King Mago. Arkadios resolved to take word of the impressive sight back to his Philosopher-King in Thessaly and see if his lord might make anything out of it.

Thessaly Ascendant

The men of Thessaly, and their Philosopher-King Demetrius, issued a palpable challenge to the Greek world today, as they continued their rapid work in turning Larissa into a true 'metropolis' through the absolute exhaustion of Master Architect Phidias. The construction of a new military academy, a huge complex of buildings on the outskirts of the city, complete with training grounds for horsemen and foot soldiers, thrilled the martial minded Greeks. The academy has received notable acclaim for the fact that famous Arkadios, the Olympic horseback riding hero, was appointed head of the academy. The academy itself is a beautiful construction, with marble and sculptures of famous Greek heroes and soldiers throughout the complex. Furthermore, in a sign of King Demetrius’ scholarly nature, the academy has been equipped with a fine library of military literature, including translated texts all the way from Babylon and Persia.

Demetrius’ great projects then expanded to include Larissa's new Grand Lyceum, built as an expansion next to the recently erected Grand Agora, established as a center of philosophic thought and education. The Grand Lyceum has enough capacity for 1,500 students, with dozens of beautiful atriums and study and lecture halls. Already the grand construction has attracted many of Greece’s notable scholarly minds. Many of them were formerly based in Athens, widely regarded as the center of Greek culture. However, with Athens’ lackluster approach of late towards the gentler pursuits, the center of Greek culture may in fact be moving to a place that many Greek consider to actually be outside of Greece itself. As Greece squabbles and wars with itself, Larissa is flourishing as a center of the humanities, as the great minds of Greece seek a peaceful place to get on with the serious business of thinking.

The crowning achievement, however, was the new Great Library, given the astounding mandate to “seek out all knowledge”. The Great Library is itself a beautiful structure built in a columnar style, with walls and arches of the finest marble. King Demetrius is said to have installed a study room for his private use, as well as setting aside several rooms for visiting philosophers to use for their research and private pursuits. This new building, coupled with Demetrius’ other commissioned projects, has transformed the center of Larissa into a truly impressive sight. The Library awaits only funding and time to stock its spacious interior with accumulated knowledge before Thessaly can truly boast of having the single finest library in the world.

These new constructions have had the added effect of setting off a remarkable boom in Thessaly itself. The construction, and the following flourishing of Larissa, has fueled growth and encouraged trade, helped along by agreements signed by Demetrius with his neighbors. Thessaly’s status as a peaceful, stable, and flourishing polis has also started something of a population boom as refugees from the wars of Greece and Anatolia find haven in Larissa. To accommodate this new influx, King Demetrius has allocated temporary sanctuary within his own palace, earning him a reputation of magnanimity worldwide. There was a spontaneous attempt by many of notable families of Larissa to grant King Demetrius a honorific celebrating his greatness, but the Greek poleis rarely, if ever, embrace such trappings of “nobility,” and Thessaly proved to be no exception in this case. As a further result, of course, many have taken to calling the King “Demetrius the Humble,” but it is yet to be seen if it will actually catch on, given the proclivity of the fractious Greek people.

As if all of this was not enough, King Demetrius is said to be preparing for marriage with the daughter of King Alketas of Macedonia, which firmly secure Thessaly’s northern border. The only apparent problem in Thessaly this year a certain amount of discontent amongst Thessalonian merchants thanks to high Persian tariffs, an event firmly out of King Demetrius’ direct control. Only ten years ago, the uncultured horsemen of Thessaly were looked down upon by their more “refined” Greek neighbors. Now, Thessaly can make the honest claim to becoming the center of all that is fine and great in Greece.

Two-Sword King Invades Thrace

Mighty King Alketas of Macedon, known as the “Two-Sword King” broke the characteristic quiet of Macedonia and led 25,000 of his men into Thrace, seeking to conquer that large land and add it to his already substantial lands. The Thracians, while being heavily influence by Greek culture, are not a typical polis of group of poleis on the Greek model. Rather, the Thracians are still divided into tribes, representing a sort of half-step between barbarity and civilization. The numerous tribes of Thrace were unsure how to react, but Alketas’ invasion provided them with the stimulus they had always lacked to join together in common cause.

In a meeting in eastern Thrace, even as Alketas advanced eastwards along the coast, Rhascuporis the Axe solved the problem of unification neatly by slaughtering the five other assembled chieftains who had gathered to dispute the question of leadership. Rhascuporis, an imposing figure of a man known primarily for his fondness for the broad axe, then approached the heirs to the respective tribes and “argued” very convincingly that Rhascuporis should lead the army due to his personal valor and might. When the war was over the tribes could go their separate ways again. Nobody was inclined to disagree with him.

Thus Rhascuporis gathered a large army of tribesmen from across Thrace, or at least as many as could reach him before the Macedonians were upon them, and largely held together through his own force of personality and the threat of violence. The Macedonians were well advanced along the coast, but Rhascuporis, with an army 20,000 men strong, now felt confident in his ability to meet them in battle. Surely, regardless, when the spineless men of Macedonia caught a glimpse of a real man, they would turn tail and flee regardless.

The two armies came together with little maneuvering being required in a large patch of open space along the Thracian coast, approximately one third of the way from Pella to Byzantion. Unsure of exactly how to proceed, Rhascuporis the Axe assembled his men in a formation that at least looked something like an army as opposed to a mob and waited. Shortly, a man rode out from the Macedonian ranks. He was a large man, clearly a well-built warrior, and the Axe viewed him with approval. Perhaps the Macedonians did have real men after all.

The man called out, asking for the Thracian leader, or leaders, to step forward. Rhascuporis did so immediately, striding forward purposefully, and comfortably noting that he stood slightly taller than the imposing Macedonian warrior did. The other man sported a much more impressive beard, however, and Rhascuporis found himself feeling slightly envious of the other man’s good fortune. All in all, they seemed about equal.

The messenger met the Axe’s gaze and asked him, “Are you the leader of these men?”

Rhascuporis replied, “For the time being.”

The Macedonian nodded. “Very well. I bring a challenge of single combat. If you triumph, we shall withdraw from the field. We will recognize Thracian sovereignty despite our superior numbers.”

Rhascuporis grinned widely. Perhaps this was some deluded Macedonian custom where the enemy was supposed to refuse the challenge. Little did this Macedonian realize, Rhascuporis had no such cowardice in his blood. “I accept this challenge. But I will fight your King only, I will not fight,” Rhascuporis looked the Macedonian up and down, “his champion.”

The Macedonian raised a bushy black eyebrow. “Duly noted. Shall we start immediately or would you prefer to wait?”

Rhascuporis smiled. “We can start now. Where is your king?”

The Macedonian smiled now too. “I have no King. I am Alketas of Macedon, and I rule these men. This challenge is my own. Will you fight me or will you not?”

Rhascuporis cast an eye back towards his waiting tribesmen. He could not back down here even if he wanted to. This man must surely know that. “I will fight you now.” He moved backwards and lowered his stance somewhat and shifting his grip on his broad axe.

The Macedonian drew two long swords and squared up opposite his opponent and with a nod, the fight began.

Both sides watched transfixed as the two giants circled one another. Rhascuporis had the reach by an inch or two, but Alketas’ two weapons surely evened the odds somewhat. Man to man, the two were relative equals.

After another tense second, Rhascuporis finally stepped forward and swung his axe in a large arc, forcing Alketas backwards. The Macedonian King countered quickly with a lunge with his sword but Rhascuporis, with the larger weapon and the longer arms, was able to lean back and bring his axe around again for another swipe.

They continued in this way for what seemed like an age to the onlookers. Rhascuporis would attack, and Alketas would struggle to find a way to shift the momentum, only to be driven back again.

Finally, as both combatants grew visibly tired from the exertions of the fight, it seemed that Rhascuporis was gaining the upper hand. Alketas was struggling more and more to parry and evade his opponent’s strokes and Rhascuporis was closing in for the kill. Alketas was being forced backwards more and more rapidly, in several instances almost losing his footing. Rhascuporis pressed the attack and reached back, swinging his mighty axe around from his right side in a huge slash. As it passed him by, missing by only a few inches, Alketas, his clumsiness apparently forgotten, danced forward and side stepped the still swinging axe. Bringing his own blades up, he pierced Rhascuporis once through the throat and brought his other sword slicing down upon the Thracian’s extended arm. The axe, with hand still attached, fell violently to the ground and the disbelieving Thracian warrior fell slowly to his knees and crumpled at Alketas’ feet.

Alketas stepped forward and seized the shocked silence that had descended over the field. “Thracians,” he bellowed, “I recognize your bravery and the formidable skill of your great warriors. Even in defeat, you are worthy of being our brothers. And be defeated you will, for if I alone can defeat your greatest warrior, what will the great numbers of my Macedonian brethren at my back do to your smaller army? There are two paths diverging from this place. On one path, we fight. You kill Macedonians, but we kill most of you and we go on to occupy your lands and slaughter those who resist us. The other path is much simpler. Those of you who are warriors by trade and by inclination may join me. No slaves will be taken no villages pillaged. You recognize me as your King, and I will afford you the same rights and protections as I give to any of the men standing behind me.”

Even as the King spoke, the Cicone tribesmen had left the army, moving back down the path on which they had come. The Edone followed suit soon after. The army started to disintegrate and leave, and Alketas wisely allowed them to do so, even as he stood over the dead body of their champion.

A few months later, the Thracian chieftains had made up their minds and had largely submitted to Macedonian rule. The few remaining resisters were, most people, simply holding out in the hope that they might be able to extract a concession or two from the new Macedonian King in exchange for their cooperation.

Tariff Report:

(state: target of tariff / amount)

Athens (Attika): Tariffed Only NPCs;
Babylon: Persia / 1% Carthage / 5%;
Caria: Egypt / 5% Carthage / 1%;
Carthage: Western Empire States / 5%*;
Egypt: Ionia / 5% Lydia / 5% Mysia / 5% Caria 5% Persia / 3.5%;
Ionia: Egypt / 2.16%;
Lydia: Egypt / 3.82%;
Macedon: Egypt / 1% Phoenicia 2.5%;
Mysia: Egypt / 2.3%;
Persia: Babylon / 1% Attika / 5% Sparta / 5% Thessaly / 5% Macedon /5% Phoenicia / 2% Carthage / 2%;
Phoenicia: Caria / 5%;
Sparta (Lakedaemonia): Attika / 5%;
Thebes (Boeotia): Lakedaemonia / 5% Tyrrhenia / 2.5%;
Thessaly: Sparta / 5% Persia / 0.36%;
Tyrrhenia: Ionia / 5% Caria / 5% Lydia / 5%

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