Bactria
The history of Greek Bactria has been short so far. An ancient country in the far East, Bactria is surrounded by gigantic mountains as high as Olympos on three sides. On the tight, but fertile plains the mighty Alexander founded a number of cities when he came here to claim the province from the defeated Persians. The city of Baktra became the region's capital in the administration of his vast empire. After Alexander died, Bactria was claimed by his successors, because of the legendary Gold of Bactria. Merchants from the rough North trade their products here and thus all Gold flows through Baktra.
Alexander's general Seleukos gained the rule over Bactria and India, but he gave the latter away in exchange for a terrible squad of 500 elephants. He found the province easier to control than he thought, since in the past the sly Persians had settled many Greeks here far from home, who had insulted the Great King. These Greeks hail from Ionia and Kyrenaika. But once Seleukos turned westwards again, separatists arose who had to be handled with and Nomads from the North make the borders very much unsafe. Following the murder of Seleukos I. one year ago, which shattered the world, his son Antiochos now governs the vast empire, and he has declared his intention to regain his power in the East.
But for now, we are isolated from central authority, Nomads are raiding the borders and the power of India looms in the East. But Bactria is a land of a thousand cities, where masses of gold are traded and many civilians have become wealthier men than most of us can imagine. With the equipment of Macedon and the Illyrian cavaly of Alexander at our disposal, we must fight for the future of the Greek rule in Bactria. So let us pray to Zeus, use the Gold reserves and mobilize the natives and the power of Bactria will flourish!
Epiros
The impressive Pindos mountain range reaches as high as the sky, while the river Acheron flows directly from Hades into Epiros. But Epiros is not only the entrance to the underworld, but also a place of wisdom, as the oracle of Zeus at Dodona has already answered the calls of the Greeks before Apollo graced Delphi with his now much more famous oracle. Not far from there, the Vikos gorge forms the deepest of its kind in the world and every man who has stood on the top and looked down into the endless depth can feel how unimportant we mortals are and how near we are to the Asphodel meadows. This land is Epeiros.
Our land has always been on the edge of the Greek world, but settlers from Corinth founded their colonies up here to trade with the natives. Among these towns, Ambrakia became a center of trade and manufacture. Many Greeks from the South claimed we would not belong to them, and thus for long times we were not invited to the Olympian games and other Panhellenic events, only the inhabitants of Ambrakia gained these favours. But even the most arrogant Athenian or Lakedaimonian would concede, that prince Helenos of Troy was the founder of our kingdom. The Aiakids of the Molossian tribe, who can count their lines back to the hero Neoptolemos, have ruled as hegemons of Epiros and kings of their tribe for more than two centuries now. During the war of the Peloponnesians and the Athenians they sided with the former, but the families of the Chaonians still held a great power, while the Thesprotians controlled the oracle at Dodona.
But the favour of Zeus is unsteady and soon the Molossians gained control over Dodona and forged an alliance with Athens, which brought an increase in our wealth and influence. Many towns were founded, among them Phoinike in Chaonia and Passaron in Molossia. Ninety years ago (370 BC) Alexander I. was born and when he had become a grown man, he had become king of the Molossians and hegemon of the Koinon. Five years before, his older sister Olympias had already been married to Philip II., the rising king of Macedon. Since Alexander had still been an ephebe, he had accompanied her to Macedon and only became king once Philip marched into Epeiros to defeat the rivals of Alexander's mighty uncle Arybbas. Alexander followed the glorious rule of Arybbas, which had been ended by the intrigues of the sinister Eris.
Fourteen years later, after Olympias had spent a short while in her home, Alexander married Kleopatra, the wonderful daughter of Philip. But a treacherous conspiracy led to the assassination of Philip during the festivities and his son Alexander, whom we know as The Great, took over the reigns over the people of Macedon and started the campaign into the East to crush the Persian Empire and write his name into the memory of all mortals forever. Meanwhile, Alexander was busy fighting dastard pirates off the course, when the oracle of Dodona told him he would die at Pandosia on the banks of the ominous river Acheron. Appalled by this news, Alexander was only too happy to answer a plea from Taras in Magna Graecia. They had been attacked by the Samnites from the Northern mountains, who had captured many of their bases and colonies. Alexander gathered his troops and landed in Italy. Greek bravery and Molossian iron vanquished the enemy, as the king advanced to take Herakleia, the pirate base Sepius, Consentia and Terina.
But when he recruited Lucanian warriors for his army, the elation of Taras turned into anger. Alexander tried to strike an alliance with the warlike Romans, when the Bruttians and Lucanians ambushed him at a little village. A bloody battle began, but when Alexander learned that the name of the town was Pandosia and the stream near it was called Acheron, he was petrified with horror and was killed by one of his Lucanian allies. Thus, the oracle had spoken the truth once again. But the death of the energetic king plunged Epeiros into chaos once again. Not even the king Aiakides, who was distinguished with the divine name, could stop the internal fights and once again Epeiros disappeared from the stage of history, while major events in the East unfolded. It took until 17 years ago (297 BC), when Pyrrhos, the son of Aiakides, twenty-two years of age and with red hair like his relative Alexander himself, finally secured the throne and established the symmachia of the Epirotes.
Pyrrhos made Ambrakia his capital and fostered the relation to his friend Demetrios Poliorketes, who had received him well during his ephebe years and helped him to win the throne of the Molossians. But it was Ptolemaios who had eventually sent him to Greece and Pyrrhos supported his ally Alexander V., son of Cassander, to become king of Macedon. But Alexander was ousted by Demetrios the following year (293 BC) and the former friends became rivals. Pyrrhos took the initiative and allied with the Boiotians to attack Demetrios, but the experienced general recovered quickly to defeat the invaders. But the clever Demetrios was content with that for now, while Pyrrhos married three women from Paionia, Illyria and Syracuse each, although the latter left him two years later because she felt she should be treated better than the two Barbarian girls. Soon, Ares took over the minds of the two kings again and they met in battle, where the Macedonians, who felt that Demetrios had been a cruel ruler and saw that the brilliant Pyrrhos was a relative of Alexander the Great, deserted Demetrios, who escaped from Greece.
The Macedonians therefore chose Pyrrhos as their new king, and he ruled over Epeiros and Macedon and liberated Athens. But the diadoch Lysimachos, who had supported Pyrrhos against Demetrios, betrayed him and also expelled Demetrios' son Antigonos Gonatas from Greece. While Demetrios was captured by Seleukos and died in the East, Pyrrhos concentrated on his native land. One year ago, ambassadors from Taras arrived once again, to ask for help against the Romans. While Seleukos and Lysimachos died at the same time, Pyrrhos resisted that new opportunity and gathered his forces for a campaign into Italy. The other diadochoi know how dangerous he is and have given him additional soldiers to have him leave for Italy. Antiochos I. has given financial aid, while Ptolemaios Keraunos has sent thousands of warriors. Ptolemaios of Egypt has been even more generous and transported 5000 Phalangites, 4000 horsemen and 50 monstrous war elephants to Ambrakia. With the genius and boldness of Pyrrhos and such a faboulous army of the best soldiers Greek can offer, is there any doubt Pyrrhos can be stopped? Epeiros still remains a rather poor country- true glory and proper wealth can only be obtained abroad. May Poseidon protect our king when he crosses the strait to Italy - he shall go there and save Taras, to become a new Alexander....