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BC
549
O Logos "The Word." Persia Invades Margiana After much preparation, the mighty 3rd Imperial Army, composed of 75,000 of Persia's finest men, left the province of Parthia and pushed north onto the plains of Margiana. The famous Darius, military governor of Parthia, was in command. Their orders were clear. To subdue to the territory of Margiana and the restless barbarians therein and add its lands and remaining people to the glorious nation of Persia. Darius was well funded and equipped and had laid out a detailed plan of operations. Darius' main force moved out from Susia in Parthia and left the mountains for the plains of Margiana itself. They encountered no opposition, at least at first, as they pushed forward. Margiana is not a heavily settled area and there were few population centers for Darius to contend with. When he encountered such an area, he killed any and all of the barbarians, mostly members of the Khwarazmian clans, who resisted him, and took one quarter of the remaining peaceful citizens as slaves. These slaves he gathered into groups and sent back into Persia. The subdued remainder were informed that they were the newest citizens of the Persian Empire. Finally, the Khwarazmians, close relatives of the Scythians to the north, organized a response in late July. The main force of barbarians fled north, apparently to rendezvous with more of their kindred before attempting any real resistance to Darius' army. Still, some of the more hotheaded tribal leaders left the army in disgust and headed south. Unwilling to allow their kinsmen to be wantonly slaughtered and enslaved, they mustered a force of approximately 20,000 of their clansmen. While outnumbered, their morale was high and they were resolute in their commitment to defend their homeland. Darius' had hoped for just such an opportunity. While a straight up fight between the two armies would certainly result in a Persian victory, Darius wanted more than that. A quick and complete victory here would make any later fighting all the easier as the barbarians would be held in fear of the power of Persia. Darius split his forces, sending out one group of 10,000 cavalry to the west towards the Caspian Sea and 10,000 cavalry east towards the river Oxus. These forces began to sweep through villages, continuing to enact the will of Cyrus. His remaining force of 55,000 soldiers, mostly infantry, he moved north towards the oncoming barbarian army. The Khwarazmians, realizing that the Persian army had only 5,000 or so cavalry in their army as opposed to their own 20,000 were ecstatic. They pressed forward quickly, as everyone knew that the real power of an army lay in its horsemen, not in any pathetic infantrymen. The two armies met in a part of the Margiana plains so barren there wasn't even a nearby town to bless it with a name. Darius wished to have room to maneuver, so he had led his armies away from any villages or towns. He had chosen ground, however, with a line of hills to the both the west and east, essentially creating a wide channel for the fighting to occur. The barbarians eagerly followed and set up camp nearby, preparing for battle the next morning. Unknown to them, however, Darius was renowned as a master strategist within the Empire and had calculated the meeting time of the two armies almost to the hour. The two forces of heavy cavalry he had sent out earlier had begun their swing around several hours before and road on through the night. As the Khwarazmians awoke in the early dawn of the new day, they found the Persian army already drawn up before them. The barbarians quickly mounted their horses, chewing a quick breakfast and nervously eyeing the Persians in the event that they launched an attack. The Persian infantry, however, merely sat and waited. Eventually, after several fiery speeches from the Khwarazmian clan leaders, the army got moving. The 20,000 horsemen assembled and made a proud sight despite their dirty leathers and unwashed skin. They roared their defiance at the Persian soldiers and, as expected, listened to the answering roar in return. The roar of their own kinsmen was louder to each man, Persian and barbarian, and both groups of men were heartened. Darius ordered his infantry to stand their ground and allow the barbarians to attack. The Khwarazmians obliged and launched their assault. The waves of horsemen descended upon the waiting Persian force, waving their weapons and shouting battle cries in the misty morning air as they charged down the funnel created by the two lines of hills. They fired an occasional arrow at the Persians and even scored a few hits, but there was no reply from the Persian lines. The soldiers standing opposed to them were holding wicker shields and spears, but none of them had a bow. The encouraged barbarians continued their charge, hoping to close to short range and tear the infantry apart with their bows while those of their fellow soldiers armed with spears closed in to break Darius' line. It was then that Darius' purpose became clear to them. The front ranks of the Persian army slipped back behind their fellow soldiers and revealed the waiting archers. Counting the Immortals who had come with the army, Darius had 35,000 archers in his army. These now revealed forces stepped forward and let fly a huge volley of arrows at point blank range. The world was suddenly filled with screaming men and dying horses, and the Khwarazmian charge stuttered and slowed. Even as the archers pulled back for another volley the Persian heavy cavalry, which had ridden through the night and stopped for only a couple of hours to rest the horses, crested both lines of hills to the west and east. They charged, beginning to gain speed as they came onto flatter ground, and charged into the thick of the mob of barbarians. Any hope of victory left the Khwarazmians at this point and they began to retreat even before their commanders sent out the call. To make matters worse, most of the men who had led the army had, in traditional tribal style, led from the front in order to inspire bravery in their troops. They had been slaughtered in the first volley. Disorganized and confused, the barbarian forces tried to scatter even as the Persian archers fired volley after volley into their exposed backs and the Persian heavy cavalry threw a volley of javelins into their lightly armored foes before closing within reach of spear and sword. With nowhere to run, the Khwarazmians finally turned and fought, but were quickly overcome. As the fighting wound down, Darius ordered all of the wounded and still living enemy men killed and confiscated the horses for the use of his army. Before the fighting was completed Darius dispatched messengers east with the orders sent by Cyrus. They were to offer peace and friendship to the Massagetae people living north of the Oxus River. In the meanwhile, Darius consolidated his hold over the southern half of Margiana and began to push north while sending parties of soldiers to the west to brush aside any more resistance from the mostly defenseless villages. The slaves and plunder continued to flow south even as Darius took more and more territory. With most of the plains under his control by late August, Darius hoped to seize a last few villages and then establish an Imperial camp in which to winter his well provisioned troops before completing his task the next year. He was interrupted in his push, however, by the arrival of his messengers to the Massagetae. Half of them were missing and the leader of the group explained that the barbarians beyond the Oxus had killed them. Apparently messengers from the Khwarazmians had reached them first. The Massagetae had already chosen sides and had selected their cousins in Margiana. Darius immediately ordered the army to halt and sent out scouts to the north and east. Darius waited for two weeks before his scouts returned. The forces of the enemy were still far away, but there was rumor that the Khwarazmians, perhaps reinforced by their Scythian cousins to the north, were assembling a huge army near the coast of the Aral Sea. In the east, the word was that the Massagetae people were assembling their own army near the mountains halfway between the Oxus and Yaxartes rivers. Darius concluded that neither force would be ready to launch a campaign at the onset of winter and ordered the encampment of his army where they were. They would winter in Margiana and face this new challenge in the following year. In the meanwhile, Darius dispatched the final convoys of treasure and slaves to Cyrus in Persia. He would leave any decisions on grand strategy to his master. Armenians Encounter Nasty Surprise in Persia In an uncharacteristic move for the restive Armenian tribes, who are technically ruled by one King but seldom show it, a horde of Armenian warriors descended into the Persian province of Media this year. The move was surprising, as King Tigranes of Armenia was an ally of Cyrus during his war against the Medes, but there are rumors that Tigranes may, in fact, no longer be in power. Whatever the case, it is unclear what, exactly, inspired the barbarians to assault the empire of Cyrus, but they did so in full force and in fury. At least 60,000 of the barbarians came charging over the border in early April, taking a handful of border garrisons by surprise and burning several villages near the border before word had even gotten out. Most of the Armenian warriors were on horseback, although few were armed with anything more imposing than a spear or a bow and a leather shirt. Led by a ferocious clan leader and barbarian 'noble' by the name of Anduver, the Armenian horde had been readying itself for several months. They poured over the mountainous border and began to put Western Media to the torch. The various clans soon split off and began to pillage and burn their way in separate swaths through the province. A Persian soldier by the name of Shariat Kahani escaped the destruction of his outpost and fled over the mountains on horseback. Riding day and night to escape the hordes, his horse dropped dead three miles from the main encampment of Persian soldiers stationed in Media to keep watch on the restive Medeans. The man walked the rest of the way and informed his kindred of the assault on the Persian Empire. Wasting no time, the Persian General Xeramikses put out the call to his troops and assembled the Persian garrison. As soon as a comfortable majority of the soldiers had arrived at the mustering point, the army set out to the west, with the remainder of the soldiers directed onwards to catch up with the army as they arrived. In western Media, the Armenian army continued to ravage the countryside until advance scouts, stationed to the east for explicitly that purpose, rode in to tell their leader, barbarous Anduver, that Persian forces were descending from the mountainside in force. It was here that Anduver began to think he had made a mistake. The best estimates of his scouts put the advancing Persia force at 75,000 men. It appeared that the entire 2nd Imperial Army was moving against him. Anduver still thought the battle could be won, however, and began calling in all of the forces at his command and setting up at the burned town of Ganzak. By the time the Persian army, which was indeed as big as his scouts had reported, had assembled, Anduver had all 60,000 of his men in place. The army mostly consisted of light cavalry and some regular infantry, although there was a contingent of 5,000 Armenian bowmen who arrived at the last minute. Against them were 25,000 Persian heavy cavalry, 15,000 infantry, 15,000 archers, and 20,000 Immortals. As Anduver had been led to believe that the Persian Immortals were permanently kept at a complement of 10,000 he found this to be surprising to say the least. As the armies assembled, however, Xeramikses sprung his trap. In his wisdom, Cyrus the Great had left two armies in Media. The first, the 2nd Imperial Army, was already here outside Ganzak. The second, which Anduver's scouts had only just discovered, had slipped between the Armenians and the border with their own homeland during the night. This army, the 1st Provincial Army of Media, was lighter armed than their Imperial brethren but still 60,000 men strong. The combined armies totaled 135,000 men, outnumbering the Armenians by more than a factor of 2:1. Anduver immediately sent scouts out to map a route for his withdrawal, but Xeramikses' timing was excellent. He pushed the assault, led by the Persian heavy cavalry while the 1st Provincial Army sent out a screen of 20,000 horsemen behind Ganzak to force Anduver to split his forces if he wished to attempt a withdrawal. Anduver concluded that his only hope of escape was a quick defeat of the 2nd Imperial Army and spurred his men forward. They were met at first by a wall of arrows fired by the innumerable Persian archers, who outnumbered the Armenian bowmen by a factor of 3:1. The Persian heavy cavalry, charging in on the Armenian forces, was at a slight disadvantage as they had no light cavalry to help screen their approach and allow them to charge unmolested, but it proved to be of little impact. The sight of the 25,000 charging horsemen, filling the field from end to end and seeming to go on forever, coupled with the presence of the large, unchallenged army at their rear, had already been at work on the Armenians. Their morale broke before they even attempted their countercharge and the battle was truly over almost before the advancing Immortals reached the Armenian lines. The Armenian clansmen attempted to flee both on horseback and on foot, but the 2nd Provincial Army advanced in good order and cut off their retreat. When the smoke had cleared, the battlefield was littered with the dead and dying. Approximately 45,000 of the Armenian barbarians had been killed, most of them with arrows and spears in their backs as they were cut down attempting to flee. 15,000 of the Armenian horsemen had managed to break through the Persian picket line to the north and escape back across the border into their homeland. All in all, the Persians had lost 2,000 men. Anduver had escaped the clutches of the Persian army, but he had been completely and utterly humiliated. Xeramikses withdrew from the border to shorten his supply lines and sent word to Cyrus for further orders. The Armenian King, expecting an easy target in Media, had provided the Persian Army with an interesting live training exercise. Pirates Devastate Ionian Shipping The Ionians, whose King Thrasyboulos is the Navarch of the newly constituted 'Western Empire', experienced an embarrassing and devastating series of raids on their merchant shipping this year. Early in the year, a large fleet of hostile ships began intercepting Ionian merchant vessels and trading barges. The King of Ionia had no effective way of countering this threat, as there were no Ionian or allied ships in the area. The pirates descended upon vessel after vessel, confiscating the cargo and tossing the crew overboard. The attackers showed remarkable compassion, however, in allowing the sailors to swim to freedom, although they were always sent to shore naked and without any of their possessions or, in the case of simpler sailors, even their oar. After the crew was thrown off the ship and the cargo hold emptied, the ship in question would be burned. The pirate vessels would scatter and leave the area as quickly as they came, confounding the small number of private merchant ships which were dispatched with a large compliment of armed guards to attempt to apprehend the fleet. It is unknown exactly how much the pirates actually stole, but Ionian sea-borne trade ground to a halt. Their neighbors in Caria, Lydia, and Mysia, as well as the trading city-state of Athens, all experienced losses as merchant vessels refused to sail in the area or deliver goods in Ionian waters. Interestingly enough, many vessels with already laden cargo holds sailed to the new port facilities of Larissa in Thessaly in order to try to earn at least some profit. Others went down the Greek coast to Sparta, where they were handled politely by helots and went through the difficult of attempting to exchange their goods for lead currency. Other traders, mostly from Caria, set their course for Phoenicia and helped fill the coffers of the drunken King of Tyre. As the year continued, the pirate fleet appeared to have filled its own holds with precious stolen goods and departed from Ionian waters, easily losing the mercenary vessels that the Ionian merchants had hired when it proved evident that there were none of the King's ships to send. The pirates were remarkably elusive and very well coordinated. It is unknown whether there is some sort of pirate-king newly arisen on a remote island of some kind or whether another empire or city-state sponsored the attacks. Ionian agents uncovered a variety of rumors about the ships. The only thing that the assembled 'witnesses' (in many cases simply rumormongers) could agree upon was that many of the ships were at least based on Phoenician designs. However, this was less than conclusive as every state with a port on the Mediterranean, including Ionia itself, uses some ships that are based on the Phoenician template. The pirates themselves, when boarding the Ionian merchant vessels said little and wore only the loincloths preferred by most sailors on the Mediterranean. Their skin tone was a normal healthy bronze and their mannerisms were nondescript. One piece of interesting information that surfaced, but was not confirmed by the investigators, was a wide spread rumor amongst many of the sailors and merchants of Ionia that the attackers might have been Carthaginian pirates. The Carthaginians, direct descendants of the Phoenicians, use a large number and variety of Phoenician designed ships in their large fleet, which would fit the evidence uncovered previously. Still, when the investigators pressed further they were unable to uncover any actual witnesses willing to swear on any testimony that would conclusively have identified the Carthaginians as the guilty party. Furthermore, Carthage is a very long and very dangerous ways across the ocean, especially when heavily laden with the amount of goods and wealth the pirates appropriated. Many within Ionia are clamoring to their King and demanding action, regardless. A handful of already angry nobles, leery of the creation of the Western Empire, have begun to inquire politely why the Imperial Navarch does not seem to have any fleet to command. They have taken to publicly asking whether the generous Emperor in Lydia might be willing to subsidize the creation of an Ionian fleet to protect 'his' people. The Madness of King Nabonidus? In a move that has the upper and lower echelons of Babylonian society reeling, High King Nabonidus has apparently contracted with the Lydians to bring a company of hoplites to Babylon for consultation and training for a new military unit. The arrival of the Greeks alone would cause a huge spectacle, but the very idea that High King Nabonidus, beloved of all the Gods, is himself seeking the help and advice of Greeks is a scandal. Rumor has it that the only possible reason why the High King would be seeking this assistance would be because he intends to somehow emulate the Greek hoplite tactics or even, incredibly enough, their armament. The complaints run the gamut from the generalized riots of the Babylonian mob to warnings from certain Babylonian military leaders. The common people, and many members of the religious establishment, generally view the idea as dangerously heretical and damaging to Babylonian military and cultural prestige. The military leaders, finding much support from the Imperial Treasury, are quick to point out that the cost of any such unit would be prohibitively high as there is no established system in Babylon whereby individual militiamen, as in Greece, could purchase and maintain their own weaponry. Furthermore, the few men of import in Babylon who might qualify as experts on things foreign point out that the Lydian hoplite tactics are not designed for purely heavy infantry, they are designed for work in conjunction with companies of Lancers. A Lydian hoplite is armed the same as a Theban one, but their tactics are significantly different and to really gain much of an advantage from studying the Lydians, the Babylonian army would have to completely modify its traditional tactics. The complaints have only stayed as muted as they are since details concerning what the High King is actually planning on doing have not become public knowledge. The situation is delicate. The Babylonians, like all people, are fearful of change in the best of circumstances and it will require a good deal of patience and skill for the High King to enact any change as far reaching and dramatic as he is rumored to be planning. The Western Empire In a move that will confuse Carthaginian and Tyrrhenian mapmakers, the kingdoms of Ionia, Mysia, Caria, and Lydia declared themselves to be the 'Western Empire'. The four kingdoms will administer themselves as if they were still independent states as princedoms, making some question whether this is simply a glorified alliance. Of course, it is often the way of men to criticize those who have accomplished something mighty while they have done nothing comparable. Whether or not the Western Empire will flourish and deepen as the plan progresses is a matter of speculation that will not be entirely decided for many years to come. The Empire itself will be administered as follows (quoted directly from the decree): "The Emperor Panarch will be the supreme sovereign of the Western Empire. The first Emperor Panarch is Croesus I, King of Lydia. The Navarch will be the supreme commander of the Empire's navies. The first Navarch will be King Thrasyboulos of Ionia. The Terarch will be the supreme commander of the Empire's land forces. The first Terarch will be King Mursili of Caria. The Hierarch will be the high priest and religious administrator of the Empire. The first Hierarch will be King Teuthras of Mysia." As might be expected, the Lydians were ecstatic about the announcement, believing that King Croesus, rumored to be the richest man in the world, had essentially bought himself new subjects. Lydians took to the streets in celebration and, there being no better word for it, strutted. The response in Ionia, Caria, and Mysia was, as might be expected, something more muddled. Predictably, as they saw the encroachment of 'foreign' influence in their respective professions, Ionian generals and priests were furious while Mysian admirals and generals marched down to the palace together to protest. In Caria the admirals teamed up with the priests to make their voices heard. All in all, throughout the four kingdoms people were uneasy about the entire arrangement and unsure of what to think. The eventual consensus seemed to be that 'not much is actually happening' which many credit with diffusing any potential riots or uprisings. The only exception to this state of affairs was in Ionia. Ionian almost dissolved into chaos this year, although the government was able to maintain control over the capital and then restore order throughout the rest of the kingdom. The level of disruption and destruction was so intense that many wonder if much of it was the result of outside interference. The protests dissolved into unpredictable chaos, but the seeds seemed almost systematic. The first breach of public order occurred after it became obvious that the Ionian government was unable to stop the rampant piracy going on off its coast. Disgruntled sailors and merchants protested throughout the streets of Miletus although the riots did not begin until the rumor that the Carthaginians were at fault spread throughout the street and drunken mobs took to attacking anyone they thought looked Carthaginian. As few of the poor, inebriated men on the street actually knew who a Carthaginian was or what he looked like, these degenerated into random attacks against city residents who were disliked by members of the mob. When the city guards stepped in to restore order, they were attacked as sympathizers. Still, the competent Ionian guardsmen managed to disperse these crowds in good time. Almost immediately after these riots subsided however, a new set sprung up in the religious quarter of the city. The announcement of the formation of the Western Empire had worried the Ionian clergy, but apparently several religious leaders, afraid that Mysian appointees would displace them, tipped off the mob and began to spread the word throughout the city. Egged on by these religious leaders, mobs of the faithful took to the streets just as the beleaguered city guardsmen were finishing cleaning up after the sailors in the merchant quarter. As all this was going on, a rumor began to spread through the city's nobility that the Ionian King was going to be bringing in Lydian nobles to take up positions of power in the city. Furthermore, word spread that Carian generals would be brought in to take the place of the old established military families in Miletus. These disaffected nobles did not actively seek to encourage the violence in the city, but they sat back and allowed it to happen, refusing to step in and help quell the riots or negotiate with the clergy. While the King was able to eventually restore order, there is clearly something wrong in Ionia. Carians and Mysians in Troas? There have been reports of agents of the 'Western Empire', specifically Caria and Mysia, sending men into Troas and actively spying out the fortifications and encampments of soldiers therein. Simultaneously, Troas has seen a suspicious rise in internal pressure against the reining nobility and often in favor of the newly formed Western Empire that surrounds them. The kingdom appears to be teetering on the line between order and chaos, and the small kingdom's military commanders are growing nervous. There has been no word if any representatives from the Western Empire, or any of its component King-Princes, has actually sent word to the King of Troas regarding their entry into the Western Empire, but it appears there is significant pressure mounting for them to do so. The East Mobilizes The states of Babylon, Persia, and Egypt have all begun an extensive and impressive campaign of mobilization. Exact figures are hard to come by, and none of the respective leaders have volunteered any information, but is clear that a large-scale recruitment effort is going on throughout the region. In Babylon alone rumor speaks of tens of thousands of men being marched into training camps as the Empire's armories work to supply enough weaponry to equip the High King's new army. Some estimate that more than 100,000 new soldiers might be added to the Imperial ranks before the year is done. Interestingly enough, the Persians have simultaneously launched a similar drive of their own. Farmers and poorer men unable to find a way to defer their call up have joined the armies of Cyrus in numbers that are said to exceed 150,000. The most startling case, however, comes on Babylon's western border via Judah; there the new Pharaoh of Egypt has called up an army of volunteer recruits, many inspired by the religious movement spreading across Egypt. Witnesses and merchants in Egypt have put the number of new recruits around 200,000. The new God-Queen, replacing her now deceased husband as ruler of Egypt, has moved rapidly to consolidate her hold on Egypt. As gifts from numerous nations around the world flood to her door, she has funded a massive increase in the size of Egypt's already sizable military. Interestingly enough, there are rumors that several thousand Tyrrhenian mercenary Equites have been hired by the God-Queen as well, travelling from their homes in Tyrrhenia all the way to Thebes to serve the Pharaoh. It is unknown how handsomely the Tyrrhenians have been compensated for this service. New Rulers in Egypt and Tyrrhenia As has been noted previously, there is a new Pharaoh in Egypt. Acting quickly, the God-Queen Aneski I has consolidated her hold on Egypt and promoted the ancient religions of the Egyptian people, establishing herself as the leading figure in the Egyptian pantheon. Aneski, Womb of the World, is now in control of one of the oldest people in the world. The Egyptians have long been considered to be in a state of decline, but Aneski seems to have given the Egyptian people new energy. The change has notably upset many people and caused some concern amongst the poorer Egyptian farmers, who believe they are seeing a lot of promises but a lack of any real assistance or support, but those loyal to the God-Queen have established a firm hold over the nation. Many Egyptians have fallen willingly into the old traditions of Pharaoh-worship and the state of Egypt, long caught in limbo somewhere between monarchy and theocracy has returned firmly to the camp of the extremely religious. In a much more secular ceremony, Larce Karkana of Clusium has risen rapidly in power in Tyrrhenia. The confederation of city-states in the far west has often experienced shifts in influence and power, but many see the young King of Clusium as the future of, perhaps, a reinvented Tyrrhenian state. The young King, widely considered dominant among the Kings of the various city-states composing Tyrrhenia, has made no open moves that would seem to indicate that he desired to change the status quo, but one cannot help the imagination of peasants. There is considerable excitement in Tyrrhenia regardless, although the recalcitrant Romans still seem to be intent on spoiling everyone else's good fun with their constant complaints. Babylonian and Persian Envoys Accidentally Cross Paths at the Indus During the middle of the year, a caravan of Babylonians who had been quietly sent from Babylon by the High King arrived at the mouth of the Indus River. In an extraordinary and startling coincidence, the disembarking Babylonian emissaries and their party spotted a large group approaching from the west. The two parties sent out scouts that met cautiously half way between the two groups. The approaching party was quickly identified as representatives of the Persian leader Cyrus. They were traveling in equal splendor as the Babylonian party and had roughly the same number of armed men with them. As the Indus River does not lie within the domain of either party, neither felt they had any obligation to forcibly dislodge the other. Both did immediately send word back to their respective rulers- the Persians via the road they had taken from Susa and the Babylonians by ship- but as they would have had to wait many weeks for a reply, they instead carefully maneuvered around each other. The Babylonians, by tacit agreement, continued with their mission, which they kept secret from the Persians, along the southern banks of the Indus while the Persians skirted the river and traveled much farther to the north. Neither party was able to discover the purposes of the other despite the exchange of a large number of clever inquisitive missives. Mob Rule in Athens? Archon Aristophanes of Attika, widely regarded as the man who is as close to a leader as the Athenian democracy truly has, implemented a variety of new measures this year. Notably, the government was able to markedly reduce the chaos that has gripped the streets of Athens in recent months. However, while the streets are certainly safer and there is some measure of control over the city again, the good Archon was unable to win over the hearts and minds of the volatile Athenian mob. Government in Athens largely depends on the whims of the mob, and before the situation in the city can be stabilized, the mob will have to be dealt with. Traditionally, authorities have established calm simply by bribing the mob. Free bread or entertainment can disperse the crowds and reestablish confidence far quicker than force of arms. The city is functioning, but there is still significant work to be done. Ionian Agents Discovered in Persia Persian security forces apprehended Ionian agents in late autumn crossing the border from Persia into Armenia. While the Persians were able to apprehend a significant number of the Ionian agents, who had run out of funding to maintain their cover while abroad, it is believed that a handful managed to escape into Armenia and out of the reach of Persia's agents. While the Persian Empire has an excellent intelligence corps, Cyrus the Great had focused much of his funding on the large call up of new Persian troops and the invasion of Margiana. Furthermore, the invasion of Media by the Armenians caused significant distraction. As such, local magistrates had few resources to work with and were unable to organize quickly enough to secure the border to prevent the escape. Whatever information, persons, or items the Ionians had been ordered to retrieve from Persia are believed to have disappeared with the fleeing Ionians into the Armenian wilderness. Barring any unfortunate incidents on the way home, the Ionian agents successfully completed whatever mission they had been sent on. Persian officials arrested the captured men from the convoy and are believed to have interviewed them 'strenuously', so it seems likely that they at least know what it was the Ionians were after. While Ionia has secured a lucky intelligence coup against the Persian Empire, it is unknown how Cyrus the Great and the mighty armies at his disposal will react. King Mago of Carthage Creates 'Sacred Band' Travelers from the Far West report that the Carthaginian King Mago has created two new military Orders. According to rumor, one is named the Sacred Band- the name bears no relation to the Theban military unit- consisting of elite, well-armed infantry. The second Order's name has not yet filtered out of Carthage, although it is not believed that the Carthaginians are attempting to keep their existence secret. The formation of these two new Orders, composed of loyal Carthaginian citizens, would make a remarkable departure for the Carthaginian Empire that has traditionally relied on handsomely compensated mercenaries for its defense. There has been significant public excitement in Carthage, by all accounts, over the creation of these new orders and it is doubtful that King Mago will have any trouble finding recruits. Training Spartans Apprehend Messenian Dissidents The 1st and 2nd Spartan Mora were sent out into the wilds surrounding Lakedaemonia this year for a series of drills and mock combat scenarios. Accompanied by King Anaxandridas II, a warrior and one of the two full-Spartiate Kings, the deployment took the form of an extended series of the famous Spartan eight-day combat drills. These drills, requiring a level of concentration and devotion towards military preparedness unseen anywhere else in the world, were coupled with manuevers which pitted the 1st Mora and the 2nd against a variety of obstacles as well as manuevering for advantage against each other. These training excercises, however, took an unexpected turn when members of the Spartan Krypteia, the equivalent of the secret police, arrived to inform King Anaxandridas that they had significant evidence that a small group of Messenian helots, who largely served as slaves to the full-blooded Spartan warriors, were organizing a rebellion. The Krypteia had caught wind of the brewing dissent in its early stages and believed that the revolt might have been precipitated by interlopers from another, outside faction. The training manuevers were transformed immediately into a new exercise. The King authorized the Krypteia to descend upon the leaders of this would-be rebellion as quietly as possible while the army moved into position around the villages where the rebellious sentiments had taken root. The Krypteia sent word to its agents, already in place, to take action. With brutal efficiency the rebellious Messenian leadership were arrested, hauled away, and stood before immediate and specially assembled tribunals. All were executed for conspiracy against the Spartan state. Their followers, attempting to flee the villages after word came down that the Krypteia was rounding up dissidents and traitors, made a poorly organized rush into the heart of the encamped 1st Mora. They were quickly rounded up and executed with the exception of a few dozen men of note who the King ruled could be salvaged for future service to Lakedaemonia. No foreign agents are believed to have been recovered, although information is exceedingly scarce. Greek Olympics in 547 BC The Greek Olympics, which by tradition represent a time of peace and festival where athletes from throughout Greece come together to compete in a variety of events, are scheduled to begin two years hence. Held every four years, the Olympics represent a chance for Greeks from throughout the region to earn prestige for themselves and their home polis in a mandated time of peace wherein no Greek is permitted to raise spear against one another. The men of Thessaly and Thebes, Argolis, and Corinth have already begun extensive pre-Olympic training programs, although there has been no word from Sparta or Athens in regards to their plans. Both city-states traditionally take the Olympics very seriously, although Sparta at least usually mixes their Olympic preparation in with their ordinary military maneuvers and training. It is unknown whether any of the semi-Greek member-states of the Western Empire will make a bid to join the Olympics either, but it would not be wise to count any of them out as a Greek-descendant of any allegiance is usually permitted to take part in the games. Thessaly Centralizing The winds of change are sweeping the rugged city-state of Thessaly, located in the mountainous area of Thrace sandwiched between Greece proper and the barbarian states of the north. The King of Thessaly commissioned the construction of a series of massive new port facilities that made the capital city of Larissa into a major hub of trade almost overnight. The construction of the new port facilities helped spur the creation of a number of new businesses embracing the traders and merchants seeking to make their fortunes in the new port of Larissa. This has drawn in numerous farmers and herders from the hills as well as increasing revenue throughout the city-state. This has drawn the loose confederation of city-states, villages, and hamlets that comprise Thessaly closer together. Simultaneously with the opening of these new port facilities, the government of Thessaly also commissioned the construction of a series of new roads throughout the region. The new roads, which were highly expensive and exceedingly well made, have dramatically improved transportation in the undeveloped region. These new developments have given some of the local clan leaders cause for concern, as they believe it could be the first step in an attempt by the King to rob them of their traditional rights and centralize the city-state of Thessaly. To the average Greco-Thracian, however, any concerns over any such developments have been more than balanced out by the remarkable amounts of new wealth flowing into Thessaly. Tariff Report: (state: target of tariff / amount) Attika: Persia / 2.6%; Babylon: Persia / 5% Corinthia / 5% Delphinium / 5% Epirus / 5% Scythia / 5% Armenia / 5% Argolis / 5%; Caria: Babylonia / 1.5%; Carthage: Attika / 2.5% Egypt / 2% Ionia / 2% Babylonia / 1% Tyrrhenia / .94%; Egypt: Scythia / 5% Troas / 5% Corinthia / 5% Attika / 4% Lakedemonia / 2% Caria / 2% Lydia / 2% Ionia / 5% Carthage / 2% Boeotia / 2% Delphinium / 5% Argolis / 5% Mysia / 1% Epirius / 5%; Ionia: Persia / 3%; Lydia: Persia / 3.33333%; Mysia: Persia / 1.3%; Persia: Attika / 5% Babylon / 5% Caria / 5% Lydia / 5%; Phoenicia: Tariff Free; Sparta (Lakedaemonia): Tariff Free; Thebes (Boeotia): Lakedaemonia / 5% Attika / 3%; Thessaly: Persia / 1.2%; Tyrrhenia: Attika / 5% Ionia / 5% Caria / 5% Special Report After the God-Queen invited the other leaders of the world to a meeting to discuss the possible creation of a 'free trade' treaty, a brief debate was sparked when some ambassadors announced their opposition to this treaty. What made these discussions of note was the brief retort by the characteristically brief Lakedaemonians. After blithely commenting that matters of trade were for lesser men, the Spartans flatly refused to take part in the discussions regarding the treaty and excused themselves from any tariff-limiting agreement. Then, this year, the Spartans quietly proceeded to not bother tariffing anyone. While many of the Kings and Princes from abroad found this behavior exceedingly confusing, most of the Greek poleis reported an extreme amount of amusement. |
