Took pics from my old Thracian campaign. It's vanilla with an expanded map and personal modifications. I made a migration to the Crimean peninsula right at the start, took a settlement, utterly destroyed it, migrated a couple thousand citizens from Thrace to it, renamed it, and rebuilt it. Pytropolis is now full of ethnic Thracians and is the capital of the greater Thracian empire, which is composed of Thracians and Hellenes, as well as various subservient barbaroi. I enjoy roleplaying, especially with colonization. You'll notice that I settled large Thracian and Hellenic populations in various settlements throughout the empire, in what I like to think as a way to firmly entrench myself in the conquered land.
THE HEARTLAND. I recently put down a major Hellenic revolt in two heartland settlements. Ungrateful Greeks; the Hellenes in Olbia would have revolted too, if they hadn't been suddenly struck down with the plague. It's a mixed blessing, as the Macedonians are invading my south-western borders. Defending the river there is bad enough, but with Olbia full of diseases, the future looks bleak. The recent rebellious attitudes amongst the heartland Hellenes makes me question the loyalty of all Hellenes throughout the empire.
NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES, the southern portion. Though a nearby colony of strong Thracians stand proudly at Russapolis amid the frigid hinterlands, their land is wrecked with indigenous rebellions. The nearby territories which have had the fortune of not being subject to colonizing efforts from the Heartland must instead suffer from Gallic and Germanic incursions, as well as the plague which is spreading throughout the empire. The whole of the western Thracian lands are insecure from both within and without. Not exactly a good place to live at the moment.
NORTH-WEST TERRITORIES, the northern portion. Unlike the Thracians to the south who struggle against both indigenous and foreign enemies merely to survive, the Hellenic colony to the north at Hezbeneia has prospered in relative peace. There have been minor indigenous rebellions in the past, but they were easily put down. The Hellenes have since then focused on their economy through trade with the nearby conquered settlements overland and with barbaroi through the Baltic Sea. Their prosperity, which spreads to the local indigenous peoples, leaves the entire area content.
COLCHIS REGION. Thracian settlers were quick to claim Colchis for themselves upon its bloody conquest. To the south, the people of Pontus war with the Armenians over the land. Though the Thracians and their local subjects are left in peace for now, they maintain a heavy garrison to intimidate any Pontines from replicating in the empire what they did in Armenia. By sea and by land, the Colchis Thracians, settled primarily in and near Commodopolis, retain close ties with the Heartland, and the region is considered an important asset by the Thracian Great King.
NORTHERN TERRITORIES. In the early days, Thracian Crimea was quick to conquer the southern portion of these lands, and have been settled here for a couple generations now. They are, however, unhappy with their lack of recognition as a core region of the empire; their young men have marched and fought together with the Crimean Thracians throughout the empire's vast expanse of land, and have contributed immensely to foreign conquest and colonial gains. The patriots must be appeased soon, lest a civil war break out at the time when the western borders look as if they will crumble from external pressure. The local indigenous cities, though, are well on the way to hellenization, and appear quite content with their place in the empire.
EASTERN FRONTIER. The local subjects on the eastern border stubbornly cling to their ancestral way of life, refusing hellenization. Though they accept Thracian dominion for now, their loyalty would be suspect if the Heartland should be greatly endangered. It is the locals' friendship with the Parthian nomads to the east that prevents any wild excursion from the horse tribes beyond the Thracian border. The Thracian Great King, however, sees the poorly-developed eastern frontier as the gateway to wealth and glory. If the troubles in the west can be overcome, the vast lands to the east lay waiting for the mighty Thracians to fulfill their manifest destiny. It is his dream to unite the long-lost Hellenes in Bactria under the shining banner of the Greater Thracian Empire.
The Thracian Great King, however, lies on his deathbed in Pytropolis. The empire is, in practice, under the leadership of his grandson and heir, Mukazenis Russadir, who is currently raising an elite army in the Heartland to combat the advancing Macedonian and Gallic armies. One day this royal Thracian may inherit the kingship of the Greater Thracian Empire.
And finally, the Thracian garrison at Dacian Crete. The wild Dacians must be kept on a short leash. The garrison commander is no member of the royal family, but simply a warrior-aristocrat. Family members are deliberately few in number. Most commanders are, in actuality, various aristocrats and landowners who have something serious to lose should the empire suffer a setback (hired generals, lol; i like to trim my family tree and keep it small).
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