Faction descriptions for 270 BC

[Mausolos of Caria]

I will edit the faction descriptions for 280 BC, which are stored on TWC, and post the results for 270 BC here. Another link to the final faction list for 270 BC would be nice


1. THE ROMAN REPUBLIC


''They make a desert and call it peace.'' Calgacus

The history of Rome began with a she-wolf. She brought up the twin boys Romulus and Remus, of whom the first went on to found the city of Rome in 753 BC and kill his brother. These were the early seeds of violence in the story of a city that was allegedly populated by the descendants of Troy. In it's early days, Rome fell under the influence of the Etruscan League and developed into a royal society. However, at some point before the halfway point of the first millenium BC, the people of Rome decided that enough was enough and expelled their last king, Tarquinius Superbus.

The fifth century saw the first period of military expansion, including successful wars against their Latin neighbours, who also laid the earliest foundation for the famous system of Roman allies in Italy. Those years also witnessed the rise of the adjacent town of Veii as Rome's most fabulous foe. It took the Romans decades of war and frustration to finally win a decisive victory over Veii in 396 BC, which resulted in the Roman occupation of the town. But Fortuna was not all that gracious nine years later, when ferocious tribes from the lands of the Celts entered Central Italy and met the Romans in battle. At this meeting on the river Allia, the Roman army was emphatically crushed and the survivors had to run to the safe haven of Veii. Following on to that remarkable defeat, according to legend, a little group of heroes safed the besieged capital after most people had fled the town. But the Romans had learned from their mistakes and erected the impressive Servian Walls, which still form the main defense of the city now in 270 BC.

With Rome fortified and the Celts retreating back into the Northern plains, the Republic underwent crucial changes both internally and externally. The common plebs, which already held the positions of the tribunes, also got their first consul in 366 and gained exclusive access for the election of the censors in 339 BC. At the same time, Rome finally conquered all of Latium and went on to challenge the Samnites, a people from the mountainous terrain of Central Italy eastwards from Rome. The armies of Rome advanced steadily over these years, but their cunning foes eventually lured them into a deadly trap. But against all expectations, the Romans, encircled and defeated, were set free by the Samnite victors. While the Samnites hoped this would end the hostilities, the Romans felt it was an unbelievable act of humiliation. From that point on, both sides fough until the bitter end. In the third and final war (298-290 BC) it was Rome who won the dominance over Central Italy. Just three years later, the Plebs also won a victory to bring the the struggle of the orders to an end.

Rome's greatest test, however, was yet to come. In the 476th year after the foundation of the city, King Pyrrhus of the Molossians landed in Italy to wage war on the Romans. He had been called by Tarentum to aid the Greeks in their fight against Roman expansion and arrived with the reputation of a brave warrior and skilled commander. At Heraclea, he smashed the consular armies and incited panic among the ranks of the common soldiers, not least out of fear of the strange beasts called elephants he had brought with him over the strait of Hydruntum. But the Roman accepted this formidable challenge and received the support of Mars, the God of War, to eventually defeat Pyrrhus in a glorious battle and drive him back to Greece.

It is now, in the year 485 ab urbe condita, that we look back on these events. Rome now holds the supremacy over all the surrounding areas well into Southern Italy, has established a formidable system of allies and still keeps on expanding that influence successfully. The expansion into the central Mediterranean, however, has been observed with sceptical eyes in Carthage, the great commercial metropolis of Northern Africa. Roman imperial ambitions might eventually carry her into war against this former ally. Meanwhile, in the North, the Celtic tribes still pose a considerable threat and every Roman can tell horror stories about these wild and brutal people. But Roman weapons have proved their worth time and again, and slowly new reforms are starting to improve the citizen legions' lethal effectivity even more. Once again, Rome's fate lies on the shoulders of the common men...




2. THE SELEUCID EMPIRE


''Fortune favours the bold.'' Simonides of Keos


Roughly two decades before the battle of Chaironeia, a noblewoman called Laodike gave birth to her son in the small town Oropos in Macedonia. These days, one can hear the stories that Apollo himself, the god of music and god of the sun, was the true father of this child. But officially it was the son of Antiochos, a man of the army who hailed from the mountain area of Orestis. That boy was named Seleukos, and with his parents holding close relations to the royal court, he enjoyed a formidable education. Once Seleukos became a teenager, he served as a squire to king Philip II, and upon becoming a man, joined the new royal battle guard, the Hypaspists. After the battle of Chaironeia and the murder of Philip, the Hypaspists accompanied the demigod Alexander on his brave and magnificent adventures in the East. The red-haired hero brought down the empire of Persia, and the Hypaspists followed him through the endless deserts into India. Seleukos emerged not only as an impressive soldier, but also proved his abilities to command and organise. Thus it was no surprise when the godly Alexander elected him for his Elite companions, the Hetairoi. At the battle on the river called Hydaspes in the mythical land of India, Seleukos commanded part of the right wing of the army and defeated the enemy's monstrous elephants.

Upon their return to Susa, Seleukos married Apame, a woman whose beauty grandly excelled that of her native Sogdia, a rocky badland in the wild North East. Apame gave birth to Antiochos, the first and most beloved son of Seleukos. But at the same time, the gods on Olympus felt that Alexander had done enough in the world of the mortals and he died in the palace of Babylon. A most ambitious and very Greek competition between his generals emerged, and Seleukos took part in the early Diadoch wars on the side of the royal regent Perdikkas, but later found an esteemed friend in Ptolemaios, who had become the pharaoh of Egypt. Together they put up a fierce resistance against the mighty Antigonos Monophtalmos, who only had one eye, but the ambition to rule the whole world. They defeated his young son Demetrios at Gaza in 312 BC and Ptolemaios sent his friend eastwards, to reclaim his rule over Babylon. Accompanied by only a small contingent of elite soldiers, Seleukos was joyfully welcomed in that ancient city, and it was then whe he laid the foundation for his own empire.

When Antigonos heard of these events, he was furious and started a war against Babylon the following year. But the courageous Seleukos refused to give in and repelled the attacks of the One-Eyed time and again. After his victory, Seleukos advanced eastwards and was acclaimed as the new ruler of these Eastern people, also signing a worthy treaty with Sandrokottos (whom his own people call Chandragupta), the lord of the Indians. The brilliant Seleukos gave him deserts in return for 500 terrible war elephants. With those, he strengthened his army and then returned to the West, where he joined Ptolemaios and Lysimachos at the battle of Ipsos in 302 BC. In this heroic engagement, his elephants held off Demetrios Poliorketes' famed cavalry and Antigonos was finally killed. While Demetrios became a refugee and Seleukos was able to annex wide parts of Asia Minor and northern Phoenicia into his dominion, sadly a quarrel emerged between him and his friend, the Pharao. Both men, with only the best intentions, laid claim on the strategically important land of Koile Syria. For now, they settled their conflict peacefully, but that did not solve the problem in the long term.

In 286 BC he captured Demetrios and turned on Lysimachos, his last remaining foe, who ruled over his own little empire in Thrace. While Seleukos assembled his troops, rather cheerless news arrived from Alexandria, where the great Ptolemaois had died. His son Ptolemaios II. succeeded him as Pharao, but his elder son Ptolemaios Keraunos was expelled. Upon arriving in Asia Minor, Seleukos decided to take Keraunos with him, thereby establishing a rather disturbed relationship with Ptolemaios II. The Seleucid Army met Lysimachos in battle at Kouroupedion in 281 BC, and both kings, who had made the campaigns from Macedon to India and back, and then fought endless further wars over the decades, rode into battle as old men. Seleukos won a decisive victory and Lysimachos paid with his life, which ended after 80 exhausting years. Seleukos now only had one last dream: To return to his native Macedon and hopefully unite it with his empire in the East. But when Keraunos realized what the price was, he betrayed him. The murder of Seleukos, who died, 77 years of age, after having done and achieved more in his life than most men could ever dream of, sent shockwaves through the Hellenistic world.

His son Antiochos thus faced a more than formidable challenge to keep the empire together when he inherited the kingship. Revolts broke out in Syria and Asia Minor, Bithynia and Cappadocia asserted their independence and Keraunos ruled in Macedon. To make bad matters worse, the Gauls ravaged Greece and the Bithynian dastard king invited them into Asia. Not fearing the ferocious Barbarians, Antiochos rode into battle and trampled the Celts with his mighty elephants. Seeing his rival king busy in the North, Ptolemaios II seized the chance and betrayed the old friendship of their fathers to invade Koile Syria only a few months after the Elephant battle. Bold campaigns from both sides eventually failed and a year ago Antiochos had to settle for peace with his most powerful foe. Now Damascus and the adjacent regions have fallen into the hands of our enemies, Cappadocia and Bithynia had to be forfeited and the Galatians have settled in central Anatolia.

But Antiochos possesses the greatest kingdom in the known world, and an army made up of the finest Macedonian and Greek soldiers, including the Hetairoi and Hypaspists, but also a vast reserve of native warriors and- of course!- the big flock of elephants who carried the day against the Galatians five years ago. His son has just come of age, the merchants of Antiocheia often travel far into the lands of India to bring the finest luxuries of the world to the court and Antigonos Gonatas, a friend of Antiochos and rival to Ptolemaios II., now rules as king of Macedonia. The gods still hold a bright future for the Seleucid dynasty, but Antiochos must be wary of his enemies, internal as well as external, and wait for the right moment to strike and reclaim the lost lands in Syria and Asia Minor. May he be guided by Zeus to victory!




3. THE ANTIGONID KINGDOM OF MACEDON


''For famous men have the whole earth as their memorial.'' Perikles


Four centuries before our time Karanos of Argos was the first man to claim the crown of Macedon. His treacherous brother Pheidon had expelled him from the city of Diomedes and the stupendous oracle of Delphi, with the voice of Apollo himself, led Karanos into Macedon. There he reached the town Edessa in Emathia and renamed it Aigai, after the flock of goats he had followed to find the way during a terrible storm. Karanos united the tribes of Macedon and established the kingdom. Some of our historians might say this story is a product of mythology rather than actual facts, but who are we to foster doubts about the gods of Olympos?


Just North of the godly mountain itself the young kingdom soon began to flourish, albeit it lacked the dense population of Southern Greece. But the subjects of Macedon were not as refined as those Greeks I mentioned before, and their Barbarian heritage was responsible when they laid down to the power of Persia. The Macedonian kings became his vassals and paid regular tributes to the Great King. But at the end of his reign, Alexander I. (ca. 498- 454 BC) regained the kingdom's independence. During the years of the ogreish War between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians Macedon sided mostly with the latter. But it was after the end of that war, that Macedon began to enter the stage of the Greek World on more prominent terms. The great king Archelaos I (413- 399 BC) reformed the state and the army and improved Macedon's trade relations.


However, his successor Amyntas III (393- 370 BC) scarcely survived an Illyrian invasion at the beginning of his reign, but a formidable alliance with Sparta saw him defeat the Chalkidian League under their mighty leader, the city of Olynthos. Following the death of Amyntas, Macedon sunk into chaos. Disastrous wars against Athens and Olynthus over Chalkidike and Amphipolis were only exceeded when the gods decided to hand their favour to the Theban general Pelopidas. All on his own, only accompanied by his retinue, he walked into Macedon and conquered it with a bag of precious gold, which was enough to convince the miserable mercenaries of the Macedonian king. These years of embarassment only came to an end when the brilliant hero Philip II (359- 336 BC) rose to the throne. The gods and godesses of Olympos had benevolently endowed him with the grandest of skills and he reformed the poor crowd that was Macedon's army into a force to be reckoned with. Philip introduced the long spear we know now as the Sarissa for his phalanx, improved the royal company cavalry and added both the guard of the hypaspists as well as the feroucious Agrianians. These new troops showed their worth in the battle of Crocus Field (352 BC) before smashing the might of Olynthos once and for all in 349 BC. Philip the Great won victory after victory and in 338 BC his heroes crushed the armies of Athens and Thebes on the battlefield of Chaironeia. Now the lord of all Greece, he was on the apex of his impressive power. But the Moirai are always erratic and hardly two years after his greatest victory Philip was murdered.


Everyone knows what happened after the death of Philip, when his son was crowned as Alexander III. The red-haired young hero sackd the powerful city of Corinth before he went on to take on the big task of his life: His campaign into Persia. The little corps of brave, Greek heroes overcame both nature and the millions of men commaned by the Great King to defeat him several times and conquer his mighty empire. At the battle of Gaugamela (331 BC) Alexander earned the most brilliant of victories in the history of mankind and proved himself worthy of the favour the gods had granted him. But the restless demigod successfully pursued Dareios through the Zagrous mountains and into the Barbarian Northeast, where he subdued peoples the Greeks had never even heard of before. There he married the beautiful princess Roxane, but in Susa he also espoused Stateira and Parysatis, who were related to the last Great King. But again the Moirai thought that Macedon had got enough glory, and they prevented Alexander from conquering the Arabians and the Carthaginians by calling him up to Olympos. After the death of Alexander, his generals, called Diadochoi, began to tussle for his empire.


Among the Diadochoi was Antigonos Monophtalmos, who was also the most powerful and the most ambitious. When the regent Perdikkas had died, and Alexander's son, who was the child of Roxane, was still too little, Antigonos tried to gain the supremacy over Alexander's empire. The One-eyed was a formidable warrior and fought many battles against his multiple foes, crushing them here and there. To everyone's surprise, the secretary Eumenes of Kardia emerged as his brightest rival and Eumenes succeeded to inflict heavy casualties on Antigonos in the battle of Paraitakene (Autumn 316 BC). But the secretary's victory was to be to no avail, as the ruthless Antigonos followed him into the Persis, where both armies met again at Gabiene at the end of the year. Although Eumenes proved to be a sound commander again, he was eventually betrayed by his own men. Having get rid of Eumenes, Antigonos expelled Seleukos from Babylon and was at the height of his power. This prompted the other remaining Diadochoi, clever and able men themselves, to ally against the mighty One-Eyed. Althought Antigonos captured Phoenicia and Syria in the spring of 314 BC, which was followed by the occupation of Bithynia and Caria. But in the following year Ptolemaios, the pharao of Egypt, snatched Cyprus from under his rule, and together with Seleukos he defeated Antigonos fiery son Demetrios at Gaza (312 BC).


During this time, the treacherous Cassander held Macedon and ordered the murder both of the mother of the godly Alexander as well as the king Alexander IV. But young Alexander had ruled only in name, while Olympias had been a real rival for Cassander. In 306 BC the king was defeated by Demetrios at the battle of Salamis (Cyprus) and blended by the glory of the victory Antigonos and Demetrios proclaimed themselves as kings. The other diadochoi followed them in doing so, but it was Antigonos who paid for his hybris when the alliance of his foes defeated and killed him at Ipsos (302 BC). Demetrios survived, but fled into the unknown. However, five years later Cassander died of the dropsy and this opened the chance for Demetrios to reclaim the throne of Macedon. However, Ptolemaois, Pyrrhos of Epiros and Athens turned against him and Demetrios had to flee the country again before the relentless Seleukos captured him on campaign in Asia and the Besieger died in 286 BC.


Ptolemaios Keraunos, the oldest son of Ptolemaios, then made himself king of Macedon after his dishonourable murder of Seleukos. Antigonos Gonatas, son of Demetrios, only commanded a little corps of Macedon's elite troops at this time and seemed to be in no position to challenge Keraunos for the throne. But the invasion of the horrible Celts into Macedon and Greece led to the murder of the betrayer and Antigonos seized the moment. A swift attack brought the Barbarians to their heel and following the trek of the majority of the invaders to Asia, Antigonos faced little problems to recruit the remaining Celts in Greece into his own army. In Macedon, the people were relieved that the rule of their illegitimate king had come to an end and supported Antigonos as their new monarch.


King Pyrrhos of the Epirotes, however, returned from Italy at this time and quickly invaded Macedon without warning. Only with the help of the Greek cities did Antigonos survive, and when Pyrrhus died in the streets of Lakedaimon, the rightful rule of Antigonos over the kingdom was finally secured. Antigonos Gonatas is not content with just Macedon, however, and despite controlling the garrisons of Demetrias, Eretria and Akrokorinthos, the king still wants to expand his control over Hellas. Will he be able to succeed and finally squash the indepence of both Athens and Sparta? Or will the mighty Pharao of Egypt, Ptolemaios II., intervene and stop the ambitions of the Antigonid ruler? With an army of Macedonians, Greeks and Celts at his disposal, Antigonos is well equipped for the war in the South. But he must never forget the threat of the tribes of Illyria and Thracia, who are looming beyond his border. Now is the time to prove if Antigonos Gonatas is a worty successor of the crown of Philip and Alexander...






4. PTOLEMAIC EMPIRE


''The past is certain, the future obscure.'' Thales of Milesios


In the beginning Ra wept, and from the tears he wept, came man. Ra created Egypt, and when he travelled sky on Mandjet, the Eye of Ra spent warmth and light on Egypt. Every day Apophis the serpent tried to stop Ra when he was on the Mesektet, but Ra would always return with the help of Osiris. Now the foreigners who call themselves Greeks tell us to believe in their gods, but we can see that the god they call Dionysos is actually our ancient deity Osiris.
But long before the Greeks were graced by the light of the Eye Egypt had already become a majestic kingdom, led by the sublime pharao. Dozens and hundreds of dynasties led Egypt through a long history of brilliance and glory. Which mortal has not heard of the victory of Ramses the Great, son of Sethos, over the Barbarians at the battle of Quadesh (1274 BC)?


However, with splendid power and unimaginable wealth came Hybris, as our Greek friends would say. The court of the pharao started to degenerate and from infinite might Egypt fell down under the sway of the Persians. The rules of the Achaemenids was harsh and unpopular, but a number of revolutions by the people of Egypt failed to expel the foreigners from our godly country. But after years of torture Ra smiled on Egypt again and sent Alexander, whom the Greeks call ''the Great'', to liberate the country of the Nile from the Persian Barbarians. Alexander was the son of Amun and he destroyed the supremacy of the Persians over the people of the East. When Amun-Re decided to take his son back to the Great Pesedjet of Heliopolis, his generals where deceived by Apophis and Alexander's empire broke apart.


One of these generals, who enjoyed the protection of Horus the falcon, was Ptolemaios. He had been among the troops who accompanied the brave hero into Asia and was promoted to be the king's edeatros (taster) and later to a position among the somatophylakes (bodyguards). Ptolemaios continued to impressive and rose to the office of a general when Alexander was campaigning in Sogdia and Bactria. He excelled in India and at the time of the demigod's death Ptolemaios was among the most important of Alexander's generals. Seeing the splendour of Egypt, Ptolemaios chose the country of Amun-Re as his new residence. When the regent Perdikkas ordered the corps of the demigod to be brought to Aigai in Macedon from Babylon in the East, Ptolemaios insidiously assailed the convoy and abducted the corps to the godly city of Memphis. Perdikkas was raging, but Ptolemaios was just in his action since Alexander himself had declared before his demise that he wanted to be entombed at the Oasis of Siwa. To underline his power and his immortal legimitation Ptolemaios decided to bury him in Memphis.


During the wars of the Diadochoi Ptolemaios fought together with Seleukos, who claimed Babylon and built his own empire in the East. Together these two fine Greek officers stood against the mighty Antigonos and eventually defeated him after a series of wars. Ptolemaios, whose power had risen every day like Mandjet in the morning, followed the example of Antigonos to make himself king, and as he was in Egypt he became the new Pharao, celebrated by the people of Lower and Upper Egypt equally. When Antigonos died at the battle of Ipsos (302 BC), his renegade son Demetrios disappeared for a while before entering the fray again in Greece. He deceived the people of Macedon to steal the throne and subdue the other Greeks under his sway. But the sly Demetrios had underestimated the power of the sublime Pharao, and when Ptolemaios sent a huge fleet, bigger than the number of boats on the river Styx in Hades, he was able to help the clever men of Athens to overcome the army of Demetrios. The Pharao forged a superior alliance with Pyrrhos from Epiros and Lysimachos and together they defeated Demetrios, who was later captured by Ptolemaios' old friend Seleukos.


At the end of his reign Ptolemaios built a new, glorious Mausoleion in the city of Alexander for the corps of the great demigod general. All the people from Egypt and the Greek world came to see this wonderful piece of Egyptian culture and Greek architecture. Ptolemaios died shortly after and his remnants were also entombed in the new Mausoleion to prove his divine connection with Alexander and Ammon-Re. His eldest son Ptolemaios Keraunos was banned from the empire and Ptolemaios II., his younger son, was crowned as the new Pharao.


Ptolemaios II. had proven himself as a  wise and cautious man, and soon after he became the ruler of our ancient land, he put his parents among the gods and brought the tomb of Alexandros Megas to Alexandria to show all of his subjects the connection between these former mortals, who had been blessed by the gods. In ignorance of the omniscience of the Pharao, his wife betrayed him and was sent into exile. Eventually, Ptolemaios chose his sister to become Arsinoe II of Egypt. The siblings ruled well and the two Egypts prospered, but Magas, son of Philippos and the divine Berenike and thus half brother of Ptolemaios, soon grew jealous of the power of the king. Having been appointed governor of Kyrene in his younger years, he rebelled from the rightful rule of Egypt during the fifth Peret of the Flood after the ascension of Ptolemaios II. And then Antiochos, the son of Seleukos, companion of the divine Ptolemaios I., joined him in his treachery by giving his daughter Apame to him so she could become his wife and an illegitimate queen of Kyrene.


Thus challenged, the Pharao could only react by making war on his enemies. At the time of Akhet he assembled the royal forces and marched into the lands of the Macedonians, taking Damascus and large parts of Palestine. Antiochos was rightfully defeated, while Magas tried to invade Egypt in the absence of the pharaonic army. But now Seth came to the help of the Egyptians for once and made the Libyan tribe which is known as the Marmaridae rise up against usurper Magas. Both of the pharao's enemies had to submit to the peace conditions offered by our Kingdom of the two Egypts and the war was successfuly concluded.
The struggle with the Seleucids might not be over yet, however, and Magas still sits on the throne of Kyrene. The people of Egypt must raise to the cause once more and support their Pharao with every possible means in the fight against the Barbarians. Ptolemaios II., our Pharao, will unleash the power of the Greeks and the ferocity of the Carians and the deadliness of the mercenaries on his enemies, and the most ancient empire in the world will rule once more!




5. CARTHAGE


''From Africa always something new'' Aristoteles/Plinius the Elder

Phoenicia. A small, but rich land in the East, home of our ancestors. More than half a millenium ago (between 825 and 813 BC) a little expedition from Tyros set out to found a colonly in the West. Our recors don't tell if they were searching for precious metals, or if the population of the country was becoming too big to feed, or if it was just the will of the gods that led them to the rocky shores of North Africa. But in any case, they founded our wonderful city Carthage. In the time of only a few decades we became the lords of the North African coast and began to found colonies on Sardinia and along the western Coast. Shortly before the Greeks began to settle Sicily, we built trade points on that island as well and afterwards connected them with roads and forts into a system called the Epikrateia.

The Epikrateia stands strong against the Greeks in the East, but it has been challenged many times over the years. The powerful city of Syracuse, led by it's cruel tyrants Gelon, Hieron, Dionysios and others, those cursed scourges of Sicily, have brought chaos into the Epikrateia time and again. But protected by the mighty Senate of Carthage and the great power of the gods above, Melquart be praised, the Epikrateia has survived and remains a constant source of precious revenue for our Republic. Then, 270 years ago we defeated the brazen Greeks off the coast of Corsica at the battle of Alalia (540 BC). Once the Greeks had retreated, we began to colonise the island in full and equally controlled it's bigger Southern neighbour Sardinia. A number of ancient Phoenician towns like Nora had existed there before (since the 9th century BC) and since that time three centuries ago we built up a fine infrastructure even Baal- Hammon is surely proud of. The native Nuraghic (Sardinia) and Torrean people (Corsica) were satisfied as long as we kept to the coasts. But the vast plains of Sardinia offered fertile ground, surely a present by Tanit, and today Sardinian bread is always popular among the urban population of Carthage.

Our expansion also incorporated other Phoenician colonies like Gades near the Pillars of Melquart. Since Phoenician curiosity is as insatiable as our shredness is boundless, famous sailors also explored the lands on the edge of the world. The great Hanno discovered fire-breathing mountains in the South, down the endless coast of Africa, while Himilko travelled to the North to find a land where air and water amalgamate. Carthage thrived economically and we began to dominate the Western Mediterrenean. Bust just four decades ago (310 BC) our hegemony was challenged again by Syracuse. After a lenghty war the gods bestowed the fortune upon us to besiege Syracuse. However, the sly Agathokles, our greatest foe and tyrant of Syracuse, shocked all Carthage when he landed a force in Africa itself. After landing at Cape Bon, he captured two of our towns and crushed our civic army- Baal- Ammon may be merciful to them! To gain the favour of the gods we made luxurious presents to Tyros and the following year our glorious leader Hamilkar stormed the fortress of Syracuse. But once again, the false Greek gods had deceived us and Hamilkar died in the attack, losing his army and the hopes of Baal- Ammon's people. A great weeping and praying took place, and to make matters even worse the Ptolemaic Greeks in Egypt sent reinforcements to Agathokles (308 BC). We were looking at the end of our proud civilization...

But one year later, the gods finally answered our calls and Agathokles himself returned to Sicily, leaving his son Archagathos behind in charge of the Greek warriors in Africa. With our new forces, animated by the spirit of Baal- Qarnaim, we celebrated two impressive victories over the foreigners and saved our home. Shortly after these events (306 BC), we signed a splendid peace with the Greeks of Syracuse. While our city and land recovered quickly thanks to the many talents of our people, Agathokles proclaimed himself king like his Greek equals in the East, emulating their hero Alexander who had destroyed the Persian Empire and brought our native Phoenicia under the sway of the Hellenes. Eshmun smiled upon us when Agathokles died nineteen years ago (289 BC) and the threat of another invasion faded.

We thought we would finally live in peace, but not even a decade later, Pyrrhos of the Molossians invaded the Epikrateia. We were pushed back against the wall once more, despair arose amongst our ranks again and we had to trust on the gods to save us again. Lilybaion, however, was too strong for the Greeks once more and Pyrrhos was forced to eventually retreat back to Italy. We have become used to these invasions, but with Melquart's strength on our side we will always survive!

But we need to be wary of the power of Syracuse. The restless Greeks of this magnificent city will never stop their attacks against us and with Hiero the Younger yet another tyrant has risen to the their throne. The Senate shall therefore support those Greeks on Sicily who are enemies of Syracuse at all times to keep the Greeks apart, and these people really only need little reason to be split and fight against each other. In the North East, the Campanian mercenaries who call themselves the Mamertines have seized the town of Messana, and across the strait our former allies, the Romans, might become a threat in the near future. However,the Gold of Carthage is it at your disposal and with the blessing of Baal- Ammon, we shall retain our position as the foremost power in the Western Mediterranean!


6. THE GREEK CITIES

"Stranger, tell the Spartans that here we lie, obedient to their laws." (Epigram at Thermopylai)

In the beginning Prometheus descended from Olympos and gave fire to mankind. From then on, many tales happened and many more have been told, stories about the glorious heroes Perseus and Herakles, just to name a few, legends of the fights between the gods and how they affected the lives of men, and myths from far distant lands in the North and the East, of men who travelled to the Columns of Herakles and to the edge of the Okeanos, of the great war over Troy or the fates of tragic couples like Orpheus and Eurydike. But we do not want to speak about myths in these days of wars and oppression. What has happened to us, the Greeks, to our heroes and tales?

Truth be told, the gods have justly decided that we had to be punished for our mistakes. The war between the Peloponnesians and the Athenians brought hatred and mistrust over Hellas. This was proven to all by the so called King's Peace, which was presented as a just solution to our internal wars, but in truth- Zeus may forgive us!- it only led us back into the Persian Slavery. Then the king of the gods bestowed a great fortune on us, when Alexander the Heros, the Great, the Semi-God, rose to the throne of Macedon and began his adventure in the East. He brought down the Barbarian Empire and spreaded Greek glory and genius all over the world! But his destruction of Thebes would also live on in the memories of the Hellenes and remains a warning to all of us who love freedom.

Alexander was a fair and mighty king, but the gods, inconsistent as ever, took him away from us mortals and left his empire to be divided between his greedy generals. Ever since then, wars have ravaged the Oikumene and Hellas in particular. Hades has come over us, but Antigonos and Demetrios also promised all of our cities freedom and independence. But these two were defeated in the grand battle of Ipsos (301 BC) and others rose to power. Ptolemaios, it has to be said, established a great and just rule over the Egyptians, which is worth the praise from every true Greek. Seleukos, meanwhile, built up another huge empire on the remnants of the Persian rule in the East. He was a close and faithful friend of Ptolemaios and backed by his friend in Egypt, he expanded to the West and eventually defeated both Demetrios and Lysimachos. However, after the battle of Kouroupedion (281 BC) the murder of Seleukos by the coward Ptolemaios Keraunos plunged the Greek World into chaos once again.Worse was to follow when the Celts invaded Hellas. Oh, the terrible disaster! Pain and sorrow was brought to the Greeks. The blonde Barbarians their trousers pillaged our farms, ravaged our homes and sacked our towns. Neither respect for the Gods nor for our families could stop them, and the Kingdom of Macedon fell prey to their ferocious attacks. After Keraunos was killed, the Aitolian League assembled the Greeks in the time of need and won a glorious victory over our foes. Delphi was saved and the Galatians were forced to leave Hellas once and for all. Praise to the Aitolians! Praise to the Gods!

But now the time has come to shake off the Macedonian burden and to show their new king Antigonos Gonatas of what a true Greek is made! The benign king Ptolemaios II. offers aid to Athens and Sparta and Chremonides, Son of Eteokles from the Aithalidai has demanded an alliance against Macedon. To him we must listen! The time has come to claim back our freedom and lead Hellas back into an age of glory! For this we must unite and finally put the quarrels among us aside! Old and new rivals alike, Aitolians and Achaians, Athenians and Lakedaimonians, must end the bloodshed and turn against the tyrants who rule our world. Our Hoplites must be armed, our skirmishers must be trained and our finest warriors will already be eagerly awaiting the start of this epic battle.

Yes, fight and you may die. Run and you'll live - at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!!! May Athena protect us- Greece will be free!



7. THE PARTHIANS

''Being assailed by the Romans, also, in three wars, under the conduct of the greatest generals, and at the most flourishing period of the republic, the Parthians alone, of all nations, were not only a match for them, but came off victorious'' Justin

We are the Parni. Our tribe has dwelled on the coast of the Daryā-i Xazar as long as humans can remember. We have seen the rise of the Assyrian and the Babylonian Empire, the coming of the Median Empire and the conquest of the Achaemenid Empire. We have witnessed the campaigns of dozens of usurpers and that of Alexander, the divine boy from the West. All of them have vanished into the shadows of history by long, but the Parni are still there.

The Gods haven given us strength and the ability to ride the horse like no other people on Earth. The Nisaian horses are superior to all of their fellow races and we have become their masters. From the back of the horse we fire our arrows into those who are foolish enough to dare to cross into our lands. Over the decades of centuries, many a mighty military man has come from beyond the Zagros mountains, but none of them succeeded. None of them was able to destroy the tribe of the Parni, and we are still here to watch the world around us.

Our sacred native land we must defend, but the neighbouring tribes in the North and the East have to be watched carefully, despite being tied to us by the bond of common blood. From the South, the foreigners have brought to us the doctrine of Ahura Mazda, the superior God who has created the Geti. Now we have been illuminated and worship the fire, the strongest and most divine of the elements. The Gods will show us wisdom, and we will carry the Farahavar into battle. What lies ahead for us, the Parni, and our Chorasmian brothers? Will we destroy each other in war, or will we migrate to another place? In the South we can find the wealthy and mighty Empire of the Macedonians, who might not pay too much attention to this region they see as remote. This can be a chance for us, the Parni, to rise to glory. We have survived many a war, and now Ahura Mazda will lead us and show us the way to the truth and the wisdom of the Geti!

[Vrosivs Avgvstvs Rakvs]

Great job mate! 

[Tomas259]

Nice bits of history, cheers!!

[master412160]

Keep it up!

[Mausolos of Caria]

Thanks guys, I have added Carthage and the Greeks 

[Mausolos of Caria]

I have added the Parthians above, but now the message is too long and I'll have to continue here. First up, Pontos:


8. KINGDOM OF PONTOS


''The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.'' Epicurus


We are the Kingdom of Pontos. We have come from the shadows, from the chaos, from the remnants of the empires of the Achaemenids and of the demigod Alexander. We are the Mithridatic dynasty, blessed by the gods on Olympos, who bestowed the lands on both sides of the Pontic Alps to us. The first Mithridates was given rule over the Greek city Kios by the Great King, the King of Kings Ŗtachschaçā II., who was known as Artaxerxes II. in the West. His son Ariobarzenes reached the rank of a royal satrap of the grand area that is known as Phrygia. But he was struck by Hybris and rebelled against the heavenly king, allying himself with the sly Athenians. For this he was righteously killed by his son Mithridates II of Kios.

This second Mithridates was a brilliant exponent of our dynasty. When Alexander the Great came to the East, guided by Zeus himself, to destroy the Achaemenid Empire to punish the Persians for their neglect of Ahura Mazda in recent years, Mithridates' rule survived. This clever man realized that he had to align himself with the mighty Antigonos Monophtalmos once the time had come. But even honest men can fall prey to destiny, and that is was happened to him as well. Cassander, the treacherous enemy of Antigonos, created the impression that Mithridates wanted to join his side and betray Antigonos. Despite Mithridates' desperate pleas, Antigonos decided to kill him and also set after his son, who was also called Mithridates. The dynasty was in danger of being wiped out, but Demetrios Poliorketes, the son of Antigonos, warned the younger Mithridates in time to flee eastwards. Together with six loyal retainers, Mithridates rode through the mountains to the hill fortress of Kimiata. It was there where the history of the Dominion of Pontos started, and Mithridates became Mithridates I Ktistes of Pontos.

Starting from Paphlagonian Kimiata, Mithridates reached Amaseia in Cappadocia. The gods of the West and the East had equipped him with multiple impressive talents and skills, and the Founder quickly gathered local troops and magistrates around himself. He gradually built up a rule over the Pontic Alps region, gloriously defeated the general Diodorus just before the Battle of Kouroupedion and crowned himself king to establish the Kingdom of Pontos. In the following year his son, prince Ariobarzanes, captured the city of Amastris on our western border, an important port on the Friendly Sea. Our Kingdom had now secured a stable revenue, thanks to the ingenuity of our praised dynasty. However, after the battle of Kouroupedion, the new king of the Asian empire, Antiochos, had sent Aphrodisias to become satrap of Phrygia. This Aphrodisias threatened the Greek city Herakleia Pontika, which was already in a war with the Bithynians. The Herakliots thus came to our wise king to seek for help and had to allow us to keep Amastris when Mithridates answered their call in the times of need. This is how the Northern League was formed, and soon Nikomedes I. became new king of Bithynia and joined our alliance together with Byzantium.

It was at this time that the Galatians were on their way to Asia and laid siege to Byzantium. The Herakliteans and Bithynians sent help, but the mighty Nikomedes thought it wise to hire the Galatians for his purposes and the trouser wearing Barbarians became allies of our league. They soon proved their worth, when the grand king Ptolemaios II. sent his forces to Phrygia and made war on our kingdom. He had been a benefactor of the league before, but soon betrayed us and started a great war against Antiochos in Syria. Our men fought valiantly and with the help of the Celts, the enemies were driven into the sea! The Galatians, however, are unreliable allies as well and nothing can stop them to plunder and pillage the land. Ptolemaios has now concluded his war against Antiochos, but we must decide where our future will lie. Can we maneuvre between these empires, shall we remain in the Northern League with Bityhnia, Chalcedon, Herakleia and Byzantium? A war might come, and the heir apparent Ariobarzanes is eager to prove his worth- now that his father has become old. We can rely on the Citizen Hoplites recruited from the Greek cities under our sway and the troops based on the old Persian army to defend our borders. But we should be open to anything the future might hold, open for new alliances and new possibilities...




9. SAKA - The description is already in game and I don't have the text in hand. But I don't think there is a quote in front of it and I suggest to add the following one:


,,Everything flows, nothing stands still.'' Herakleitos of Ephesos


(Since they are nomads and roam around the world)




10. NUMIDIANS


Magnentius will write a description for them- thanks!

And here it is:


''But if the Numidians came nearer, they then showed their real quality, charging them with the greatest fury, routing and scattering them.'' Sallustus


The desert devours all life; we, too, devour life. The lives of those who are inattentive, who dare to enter our countries, wander without permission and do wrong to our brothers and sisters - we leave them disappearing on the endless plains of our sandy home.

The desert also creates life. We are alive and we will still be alive if there is destruction and doom elsewhere. Our civilization is more powerful than many people might think, for when we get together, ride our horses and ride against the enemy, we are irresistible.

In our towns of bright clay and burnt red bricks, rare oases, scattered throughout the vastness of the desert, colorful bustle prevails in the bazaars and markets. There we offer the splendid products of our seemingly so poor home, and even if they might not match the goods of the peoples on the coast, they are the most precious gifts of our gods, which they give us in their grace and wisdom.

Long ago, the coast was part of our home. Our fathers and their fathers caught fish there, dried and salted it, and sold it to their brothers and sisters in the hinterland.
It was a simple and hard, but also a good life ... until the Phoenicians came.
They forced our ancestors into the interior, and built great cities which quickly absorbed the fertile meadows. They bound the land through endless paths of hard stone, which hurt the hoofs of our horses and tamed the stormy sea on the coast through winding harbor docks.

The Carthaginians are the most hated of all the Phoenicians. Their fabulous Queen Elissa fled from her brother Pygmalion from Tyros and landed on our coast. The stories of their insidious conspiracy are still told at every camp fire across Africa today:
A Numidian chieftain promised her as much land as she could mark with a piece of cow skin, and he was rubbing his hands already, hoping to be able to lead her into his tent as his prisoner.
But the Phoenicians are sly people, who travel far on their ships and see a lot of the world. Elissa cut the cow skin into thin stripes, spanning an area that was big enough for her people. Within a short time this "New Town", Qart-Hadašt, rose to dominion of the Phoenician cities in Africa.
Against their walls, against their innumerable ships, and against their wily leaders in the Carthaginian Senate, our ancestors could not prevail.
The Carthaginians remained near the water, but their disastrous influence pushed the hinterland to the edge of the great desert. Their sweet promises deceived many a chief, and brought him under their rule. Our brothers and sisters suffered greatly from the greedy Carthaginians.

But now we are finally united under a king and can throw the enemy back into the sea.
With our fast horses, we will crush their rigid armies of steel. Like a hammer, we will blow them up, let countless spears rain and before their slow hoplites can react, we will already be gone again – back amongst the sands.
We are not afraid of their mighty elephants, they are animals from our homeland and we know their weak spots.
Because our best weapon, the warrior on horseback, combines speed and deadly precision. From little on we learn the warcraft and the way of the javelin, and no people of the world is like us.
The Carthaginians will pay for the injustice of the past and we will return to our country.

The desert devours all lives, and we Numidians are the true sons of the desert!





11. GERMANIC TRIBES


''All of them have fierce blue eyes, red hair, huge frames, fit only for a sudden exertion. Heat and thirst they cannot in the least endure; to cold and hunger their climate and their soil inure them.'' Tacitus


We are the Germani. We live in the North, from Scandza to the river Rhenus, in the lands given to us by Tuisco, the earth-born. Through the Hercynian forest we roam, over the Scandian Sea we have sailed. We are few, but the tribes are many. Life happens because Tuisco wanted it so, and we live for the tribe. The blood of Mannus units us, but strife and hatred divide us. Be loyal to the tribe, and loyal to the gods!

In the North, the Gotoni withstand they colds of Scandza. They are as strong as bears and fear not even the winter, as their lands are often covered in Snow and the weakling will soon become a prey of the weather or the wild beasts who dwell in these lands. On the Cimbrian peninsula, the Cimbrians and the Teutones enjoy a rainer climate, though the land is barren and opportunities are few and far between. However, they are as brave as wolfs and will go to any length required to find the rare riches Germania can offer.

Among the trees of the Hercynian forest, the Chauci, Cherusci and Bructeri are at large, living in scattered villages or leading a nomad life. They are as sly as foxes and will always find a way to survive. These men fear neither the brutal animals of the forest nor their Celtic neighbours, who are weak and love the luxuries. There are more tribes in the East whose names are unknown even to most of their neighbours, but they must be strong and bold since beyond them one will find the man eating Sarmatians and the one- eyed creatures.

In the South, more Celts live in the countries adjacent to Germania, dwelling from the plains of the river Moenus to the snow covered mountains and beyond. The have many tribes, well fed nobles and fertile women. If we want to survive the harsh climates of our home, we will need to go there and pillage their homes, taking the riches with us back to our homes so our families can survive. The tribe will thanks us, long live the tribe! The time of war has come once again and with spirits on our side, nothing can stop us! Always be wary of the enemy, strike them when they expect you the least and take home everything you can find. We are the Germani, men of the forest, and we will surive. Winter is coming...




12. GETAI (written by Magnentius)


''War is the father of all.'' Heraclitus


Dense forests, impassable mountains and a harsh climate have always protected these countries, which we call our own.
In the last centuries we saw many intruders coming and going ... yet only we remained, the tough people of the Getai.

Once the Persians came here, powerful people led by their great king Darius. We lured them into the steppe and there they almost all died from thirst. They had to retreat and never again would we see those warriors in their colorful pants.

Then came the Greeks with thousands of settlers on their powerful ships and settled down on the coast. Their intrusion into the interior of the country was successfully repelled by our ancestors, and they entered into commercial relations with the inhabitants of the new cities on the coast.
Occasionally we invade their cities, together with our allies, the Scythians, from the vast steppes beyond the great rivers. However, peace usually prevails between us and the Greeks.

This does not apply to the lords of the southern countries, the Macedonians. Under their great King Alexander they successfully invaded our homeland. He destroyed the army of our ancestors near the great river Danube through his superior skills as a general, and so they were compelled to make peace.
Ten years later, however, we were able to avenge ourselves, and killed his governor Zopyrion.
And the greatest victory we won against one of Alexander's companions, the new king of Thrace, Lysimachus. We captured him and his son when they tried to prevent our attacks on their territory. Our noble King Dromichaites, however, honourably released the defeated king- wanting to prevent more powerful men than Lysimachos to return.

The greatest danger to the people of our time came not from the south or east, but from the north-west. Celtic tribes had united and devastated the homeland of our neighbors in search of loot and land to settle. They moved to the south, pillaged the Greek lands and even crossed the sea with the help of the Bithynian king to get to Asia Minor. There and in nearby Thrace, they still spread fear and terror.

But now the Getai also rise again. We assemble, united under a strong king and will rob and plunder the rich cities and temples of the Greeks. For they lie scattered on the coast, and are weak and disunited. We will take sword and shield, march southwards against their walls of stone, tear them down and rob their treasures.
And then we will once again come back to our wild home, which has seen many peoples come and go. But only the Getai will stay here forever...





13. ILLYRIANS (written by Magnentius)


''The Illyrian people fought boldly both on land and on sea, and they were confident in their terrain as well as their fortifications.'' Livy


We Illyrians encompass a multitude of free tribes, who dwell from the mild coastal plain on the Adria to the rugged mountains. This country is more suitable for livestock than agriculture and so our large herds are grazing all year round on the green meadows of Illyria.
But we live not only from  livestock, but also from the riches of the sea, as our land stretches along the Adria for many a distance. The tribes on the coast are capable sailors, and catch large quantities of fish, which they trade for other goods. We live a hard and simple life, but are we are free and strong.

The Greeks on the coast in their cities with walls of stone and temples of marble are soft people. They care about undisturbed trade and are eagerly looking for the treasures of our mountains. There are abundant deposits of silver and gold, and the wood of the mountains is also of interest for their enormous construction projects around the Mediterranean.

But they fear us and contemptously call us Barbarians. They fear our fast and agile ships, so masterfully championed by the Liburnian tribe that no Greek merchant ship can escape them. We Illyrians are the real pirates of the Mediterranean and have already travelled to many foreign shores, plundering the towns, robbing their women and selling their men on the slave markets in the East.
The Greeks are mighty masters in their own countries, but in ours, they are inferior to us. They fight in densely packed formations, which is detrimental to them in the mountainous landscape of Illyria. We know our country, every path, every forest and every mountain. Many a Greek army has invaded Illyria and has never been seen again.

Only the Macedonians have inflicted much suffering on our people in the recent past. We used to invade their land now and then and often made rich booty, when the Argeads were still weak. Under our king Bardylis we took their wealthy lands and even killed one of their kings in a great battle against thousands of Macedonians.
Then came Philip... and he conquered us by cunning and sword. Bardylis had to submit to him and we had to give up our newly claimed borders. Not only that, but Philip even annexed our Southern tribes and ruled over them with an iron fist.

Philip's son, the great Alexander, crushed the resistance of our new king Kleitos, son of Bardylis, in a brilliantly led campaign, and subsequently went on to become ruler of the world. Kleitos fled to Glaukias in that part of Illyria, that still remained free. There he waited for the death of Alexander, and at the time when Cassanders was king of Macedon, Kleitos reclaimed his kingdom. A great victory against the Macedonians reestablished our powerful position of old- the age of Macedonian rule in Illyria was over.

The hilly land to our immediate South is home to the Epirotes, a people which is both Illyrian and Greek. We have often had friendly relations with them, and intervened in their affairs when we deemed it necessary. Very recently, we aided King Pyrrhos against the thief Cassander, who had usurped his kingdom.
To the North, the ferocious Celtic tribes have troubled us in the decades gone by, but they have now largely wandered further to the East and rumour has it that some of them have even made it to Asia. Thus they pose no danger to our mighty people anymore.

Our king Monunios, from the tribe of the Taulantians, has now been the lord of Illyria for ten years, and he has finally united the tribes into a powerful new kingdom on the shores of the Adriatic. The crafts and the commerce a flourishing and to a "Golden Age" for our people has begun.
As the road to Greece is now open again, we will plunder their cities of marble, send their inhabitants into slavery and return - ladden with immeasurable booty.
We Illyrians will teach the peoples of the South to fear us, just like our ancestors did centuries ago.




14. SARMATIANS (written by Magnentius)


"When the prince of Scythia treated the Sarmatian queen Amage  with contempt, she marched against him with a hundred and twenty men of tried courage and extraordinary strength, each of them provided with three horses. In one night and day she covered a distance of twelve hundred stades, and arriving unexpectedly at the palace, she slew all the guards, rushed into the building, and slew the Scythian, along with his friends and relations. " Polyainos


We are the Sarmatian people, who inhabit the wide grasslands in the north-east of the Oikumene. Far away from busy trade routes and blooming cities, we live a simple and hard life in the steppe. Having divided ourselves into different tribes, our people have nevertheless developed a rich common culture.

The sharp lance, the heavy iron chain shirt and the tough horses of the plains are our weapons against the sedentary peoples on the borders of our tribal regions.
For generations, we have been plundering their cities and selling their inhabitants into slavery. The rich Greek cities on the shores of the Black Sea fear us as do the kings of the great and powerful empires in the south and east.

Not a long time ago we heard of an invincible Greek king, who annihilated an army of our worthy ancestors in the East, who had been lured by the promises of an Eastern usurper before they were defeated together. This new King Alexander, however, died soon after this triumph, leaving several smaller empires, who were constantly fighting each other.
They weakened each other and neglected their borders in the north. Our friends, the Getai, used this to their advantage to raid those regions. At this time they won a great victory over one of these successor kings.
The Getai were followed by the savage Celts, who produced only chaos and destruction on the Balkans, apart from the small and unstable Kingdom of Tylis. Since then the countries on the far side of the great river Danube have been a rather messy affair.

They are powerless against our armies of armoured horsemen, who command the lance so skillfully and powerfully that none of the Southern warriors can match their thrust. Our horses are protected by impenetrable sheds of leather and metal. They are thundering unstoppably, and they break effortlessly through every wall of men and shields.
But we also know how to destroy our enemies from afar. The art of archery is taught to every Sarmation warrior to absolute perfection from the youngest age on. At first for hunting in the steppe, and later also for the war against our enemies.
The merciless steppe shapes our people. They are as tough as the steppe grass and as rough as the cold winds from the east.

We are the Sarmatians, a people of many skilled horsemen on hardy horses. Our brave warriors control the lance so deadly and the bow so accurately that no other people can stop us on our raids. We will teach them again to fear our name, just as our ancestors from the endless steppe have done before.




15. THE HELLENIC KINGDOMS (Shouldn't it be Hellenistic?  )


''One more such victory and we are undone.'' Pyrrhos of Epeiros


In the first year of the 156th Olympiad, when Elpines became archon of Athens and Iphikrates, Timotheus and Menestheus were chosen as strategoi, during the second consulate of Marcus Fabius Ambustus and Marcus Popilius Laenas, at the time of the rising of the Pleiades, Olympias, Queen of Macedon, gave birth to a son, her first born: Alexandros. He was born as the son of Philippos, the King of Macedon for twenty three years, but also as the son of the thundering Zeus Olympios. The Gods had destined the boy for greatness, and his story is well known to all mortals! From the taming of the wild Bukephalos to the conquest of Asia and the battle on the Indus- he alone of all humans crossed the Oikumene, crushed the Barbarians and became king of all!

From the point of history, fifty three years have passed since the death of the divine Alexander. After his conspicous death at young age in Babylon, his empire was split between his generals. The Gods had taken Alexander to Olympos, and the mortals were left among themselves to fight for his heritage. A huge war broke out between West and East, between the Greeks and the Macedonians, between those who favoured Perdikkas and those who favoured the blood line of Alexander, which lacked a suitable heir. However, this was only the first clash of the wars of the Diadochoi: Hundreds and thousands of bronze clad Hoplites and Pikemen, myriads of Barbarian warriors and hundreds of squadrons of the noblest horsemen fought and slew each other valiantly to fulfill the wills of their mighty commanders.

The old and experienced Antigonos Monophtalmos soon emerged as one of the finest successors of Alexandros ho Megas: His foes to the West and the East crumbled and fell one by one, and those who resisted were attacked by his vengeful son Demetrios, who stormed every city that dared to oppose the rule of his father- upon which he became known as ho Poliorketes- the Besieger. And it was at this time that Antigonos adopted the royal diadem and became basileus- a true and noble King. But even these two commanders depended on the good will of the Gods on Olympos. And when Demetrios became too haughty for a man, the Rhodians punished him. Unable to take their island, the Antigonids suffered a backlash and were eventually forced to face all their enemies at the Battle of Ipsos in the 55th year after the birth of the divine Alexander. There, on the dry plains of Phrygia, Antigonos' dreams of an empire as grand as Alexander's came to a premature end as his army was crushed and scattered among all of Asia and the Aegean. Demetrios survived, but he would spend most of his remaining days as a rogue commander, running from his own shadow to suffer for his own Hybris he had shown.

However, among the victors at Ipsos was Seleukos, who had secured control of Babylon and its vertile valley. In no time, he controlled Mesopotamia and Persia, and his empire grew until it reached the borders of fertile India, where King Seleukos concluded a worthy truce with the quaint Barbarians. Seleukos became one of the most famous king, and he ruled over Asia while his old friend Ptolemaios made himself Pharao of Egypt. Together, they were worthy successors of Alexander the Great both in battle and in politics, but also in their love and support of Hellenic culture. In Macedon, on the other hand, the perfidious coward Lysimachos had murdered the Argeads and plunged the kingdom into chaos. And all the world learned of his recreancy when the Getai, a poor Barbarian tribe who dwell in Northern uplands of the Balkans, abducted Lysimachos the unworthy king.

Seleukos took it upon him to punish the cruel traitor, but when he finally met him in battle at Kouroupedion and won a famous victory, another traitor, the dastard Ptolemaios, who is known as Keraunos, the Thunderbolt, murdered the faithful king. Soon, he was slain himself by the brute Celts, who overran Greece and could only be stopped by the bold Aitolians. The monarchy had failed, and it was up to Demetrios' son Antigonos Gonatas to take the reigns of Macedon in his hands. One of the rivals to the throne had been Pyrrhos, the brave ruler of the Molossoi. Much has been said and written about his great campaign in Italy, his spectacular victory over the iron clad Barbarians who call themselves Rhomaioi, the Romans, and his successes in Sicily. Ultimately, however, the Erinnyes lost faith in Pyrrhos, who had fought for the crown of Macedon for most of his life, and he died in a fight on the streets of Lakedaimon- the death of common thief.

And now we must rest and lay our gaze on the present world. In the East, Seleukos' son Antiochos is vying for the supremacy of Syria with Ptolemaios II., son of the great Pharao. This gave his brother Magas the chance to seize the throne of Kyrene, and rule independently of the king of Egypt. Will Magas be able to prevail, or will the Gods decide to grant Ptolemaios II. his revenge? Meanwhile, among the varios satrapies of the Empire of Seleukos, turmoil is rising again. From the far away country of Bactria to the people of Greater Armenia to Philetairos, the treasurer in Pergamon, many potential enemies and usurpers surround the Seleucid king.
In Greece, Antigonos Gonatas has strengthened his rule over the poleis, the city states of the South and the Aegean, while in Epeiros, the descendants of Pyrrhos may be weakened, but are far from defeated and still remember the wounds and the pain infliced on them by the Antigonids in the past. On the fringes of the Mediterranean, in Syracuse, Massalia and among the cities of the Kimmerian Bosphoros, the last of the free Greeks are still at large as well and ready to face the new challenges of our time. Only the Gods and the Oracle know the future, but the Greeks must beware of the warlike Romans, who defeated the noble Pyrrhos and beware of the savage Celts, who even dwell in the center of Asia now. Now is the time for a new general to rise, to take the throne of Alexander and make Zeus Olympios proud...

[Mausolos of Caria]

Next up are the Celtic Tribes- once again, thanks to the magnificent magnentius  


16. THE CELTIC TRIBES


"The Celts rushed at their enemies like wild beasts, full of rage and temperament, with no kind of reasoning at all, and the blind fury never left them while there was breath in their bodies; even with arrows and javelins sticking through them they were carried on by sheer spirit while their life lasted." Pausanias


At the camp fires, the elders often tell us the stories of the migrations of the Celtic people as they spread over the known world and took their rightful place among the peoples of the Mediterranean.
Our oldest ancestors lived a simple and free life on the banks of the great rivers Rhine and Danube. From there, however, large groups of men, women, and children moved to seek new land when they outgrew their small and narrow home countries. Some of these great migrations ended in peaceful settlements of a new home, but in other cases the newly arriving tribes had to conquer the areas by sword. Their superiority in bravery, skills and weapons secured fertile lands and thus the future of the new tribes. The stories of these events have been passed down the generations by oral tradition, and our common language still bonds us together.
In the course of time, we colonised vast areas in the North and the West, and only a few hundred moons ago we began to pushed into the rich world of the Greeks. There we were called "Barbarians" because they could not understand our language. Yet, soon we had taught them fear and became the nightmare of the entire Hellenic world.
Only Alexander the Great, a mighty king from the Northern upland of Macedon, stopped our ancestors from moving further south. His successors succeded in continuing this for a further two generations before several tens of thousands of warriors invaded Hellas under the powerful Brennus, and instilled the Greek civilisation with fear. The Hellenes, however, were eventually able to defeat our ancestors in an insidious and honourless way, and so divided the hordes of the Celts. Some settled down in rough Thrace, where they founded the empire of Tylis, which has incessantly tormented the Greek cities on the Black Sea with their raids ever since.
Others were admitted into the service of wealthy kings from the countries beyond the sea of Byzantion as mercenaries, and their wars for power in the eastern empires led to further bloodshed. Many of these nearly 20,000 people settled in the heart of Asia, From Ankyra, their main settlement, these Galatians plundered the rich cities of Asia and continued to be recruited as mercenaries, as their ferocity  and prowess in battle remained to be renowned.
Some tribes, such as the Boii, became a prey for the savage Germani, and divided into groups, some of which remained in the old territory while the others went to find new homes. And thus the Boii moved into northern Italy, where they founded the mighty Bononia. They mingled with the people of the country, and soon found themselves in cruel wars against the Etruscans and Romans. When the Senones marched against Rome, many of their Boian brothers joined them, and they would remain a potent threat to the rising power on the Tiber for many a year.

In the North, our ancestors settled the distant islands of foggy Britannia. On a large number of sea vessels they at first crossed the stormy sea and soon seized posession of the best places the land had to offer. They remain in constant competition with each other and thus war is omnipresent. The bloody rituals of their Druids might seem savage to some, yet the Britanni are famous as fearless sailors and masterful champions of the chariot.
In the heart of the continent, the Arverni and Belgae have established their kingdoms and, together with many other tribes, form the core of the free Celtic world. They live together in small hill settlements or scattered farms and choose the best and strongest men to be their leaders. They benefit from the proximity to the peoples of the Mediterranean by trading with them profusely and by accessing the scientific, military and political achievements of their southern neighbours. Thus the Arverniare one of the leading tribes of Gaul, while the Belgae possess great power in the North, favored by their position on the Rhine, on which they are reached by boats from the South. Their military power is based on the local production of lethal iron weapons and the intrepid attitude of their warriors.
In the West, some of our brothers and sisters settled in Hispania during the earliest days of migration, where they mixed with the local inhabitants. Their strength lay in the production of high quality weapons and their mountain home, where the fight without formation and make the most of the almost inaccessible terrain. The Carthaginians love to recruit men of these wild tribes as warriors since they are dependent on tough and powerful mercenaries to fight their own wars.

The rest of the world should never stop fearing us, since we Celts are not only powerful in the old stories of our tribal elders, but since we still have capable leaders, countless warriors and the best iron weapons around at out disposal. Our men contempt death, and thus nothing can stop them- they may hate us, yet they rightfully fear us!

[Jubal]

I threw a quote from this into this month's Exilian newsletter, hope that's OK

(Link: http://exilian.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5231)

[Mausolos of Caria]

That's cool, cheers! But the Celtic description was actually written by Magnentius, who is not on this forum. To be fair to myself, I always edit them a lot because his English is not that great (as he admits himself all the time) AND I find the opening quotes 


And here is his next description, for Bactria


17. BACTRIA


''They call us inferior, they call us betrayers, but the Thundering Zeus will strike them with his thunders!'' Anonymous Bactrian



I, Diodotus, have now been a Satrap of Antiochos I. for many years, and in his name I reign the province of Bactria.
The empire of the 1000 cities, as the region in the north of the Hindukusch was already called by the Persians, is famous for its immeasurable wealth, the fertility of the plains and the high quality of the horses.


The great king of the Macedonians, Alexandros, conquered these lands in the course of his hunt for the last Persian king, Dareios. When the latter was murdered on his flight, his subordinate Bessos rose to the rank of King, and continued to resist the Macedonian invaders. However, Bessos eventually suffered a string of defeats and was ultimately captured by Alexander, who led him to his just punishment.
From then on, the Macedonians called themselves masters of the world and founded many new cities, not only in Bactria. But here they served the veterans as a new home and became centers of Greek culture in the foreign East.


The Macedon Seleukos conquered the provinces of the East during the Wars of the Diadochi, and bequeathed a great but unstable empire on his son Antiochus, who is half of Macedonian, half Iranian stock. Antiochus gave me this province as a satrap, and I moved into a residence in Bactra, the largest and most powerful city in all of Bactria.


From Bactra, I have to supervise the long and open borders in the North and the East, and to protect the province against the incursions of nomadic barbarians who ride on their fast and tough horses, and come to rob Bactria of its riches and to bring them away into the steppe.
The Macedonian garrisons are the most important support to me, and in combination with the excellent bactric cavalry, I have a powerful military instrument for defending the satrapy.


The Empire of the Seleucids is, however, difficult to govern from its capital, Antiocheia on the Orontes, and thus in many provinces separatist movements are in progress. Our western neighbors, the Parni in the province of Parthia, are close to an open revolt against the sovereign masters of Syria.
And here in Bactria, too, those voices are the loudest who demand to be released from the chains of the distant Seleucid rulers, and to make this province into a powerful kingdom of the East.


My counsellors tell me about the inability of Antiochos to resist the Egyptian attacks against his empire in Asia Minor and Phoenicia. He has already lost some important areas to the Egyptian king and Pharaoh Ptolemy II. And the small empire of Pergamon in the west of Asia Minor has also successfully risen against the once most powerful of the successors of Alexandros Megas.
The great empire of the Seleucids begins to crumble on all of its edges...


Why should I continue to swear on such a feeble ruler, await orders from afar, and carry away great riches to Syria at his will?
Should I not assure the loyalty of the subjugated nations, would I venture the open revolt, and conquer with my own army a kingdom in the east?
Should I,  assured of the loyalty of the peoples under my command, not dare to rise up, and conquer myself my own kingdom in the East?
Who could stand in my way? The Seleucids in the West are in serious danger of losing everything they have, the Parni stand in open rebellion and the few faithful satraps in the South I will force aside.
Then nothing would stand in the way of  the establishment of a Bactrian kingdom under Macedonian leadership anymore.


Still, it remains to be seen whether the weak Antiochus can not yet still be able to contend with the multitude of his opponents. For if the great resources of the empire were mobilized, capable counsellors and generals were at work, and the opponents were disunited, the empire of the Seleucids might consolidate again in the West, and then turn to the rearrangement of the East.


Then it would have been good to have avoided the open revolt and continue to serve faithfully until fate once again turns against the masters of Syria.


I, Diodotus, the satrap in the northernmost province can quietly wait in my residence and see where to the Moirai will lead the fate of Bactria in the future...

[Jubal]

Edited that in, thanks!

And nice stuff

"the Thundering Zeus will strike them with his thunders" sounds like such a silly repetition-quote it feels like it probably actually happened!

[Mausolos of Caria]

I actually can't find the original source anymore, one of our former members posted it when we collected quotes back then, and google can't find it either. Anyway, thanks, that one was written by Magnentius and edited by me once more

[Jubal]

Aye, good good It's ages since I did any RTW modding, I wonder if I still know my way around the files OK these days...