Stories Thread

[Celtic_Punk]

The sun was high, baking the three men on horseback, heading West along the old Persian road.
"This is where it happened."

"What, sire?"

"Where those brave... no foolhardy bandits attacked us, Sennus." Cunobelinus sunk into his horse grasping his longsword. He glared around himself, watching the tops of the mountains, he was all but home, but despite good omen of perfect weather, he still felt uneasy

"Whats wrong Arrhenides?" Achaikos asked
Achaikos was Cunobelinus' closest companion, a friend from childhood, a friendship reinforced by battle.

"Got the chills again, brother. The same ones that hit me before they hit us."
A glint in the sky caught Achaikos' eye
"! an arrow!" The head sunk deep into the thigh of Sennus' horse, wining in pain, Cunobelinus sat back up drawing his blade, as 5 light cavalry charged out of the brush. One wielding a bow. He must not have been very good with it, missing all but the first shot.

"Into them! We face them head on!" Cunobelinus shouted,
As the three men crossed through the bandits charge, Cunobelinus sliced open the Bowman's gut, Achaikos clashed blades with another and came out unscathed, Sennus plunged his blade into another's chest, but lost grip of the hilt, and was cut down by another bandit.
"SENNUS!" A red mist covered the Galatian's eyes, his fallen comrade now at the back of his mind, survival at the front.
"There's three left! You take left, I've got the right, Cuno!"
Paying no attention to his friend Cunobelinus charged up the middle urging his horse on, decapitating the first man, parrying the second on the left, and ducking under the third's blade. Achaikos cut down the last horsemen as Cunobelinus ducked under the bandit's slash. The last bandit now realizing he has been outclassed took flight. Cunobelinus pursued, throwing his spear at the man. The weapon sunk deep into the horse's rear, toppling. The Celt dismounted walking up to the man now trapped under his wounded horse.
"You have no idea whom you quarrel with."
"Life is easy for a boy whom has been born with everything!"
With that Arrhenides sank his blade into the battered man's neck.

"If I'd spotted the arrow sooner We'd-"
"We'd have lost Sennus earlier. It doesn't matter. He's dead. He was just a slave."
"He was your friend. In light of his passing don't forsake his friendship. I'd hope if I fall beside you you don't do the same." retorted Achaikos,
"You aren't a slave."
"And you aren't a King."
"Regardless, we need to address this issue with the Satrap here. We need to increase the military presence here. If we had a larger garrison this never would have happened."
"You should know as much as anyone that you cannot stop bandits completely, Arrhenides. We cannot watch the roads all the time. Besides we need to focus our energies elsewhere. The campaign to the Southern coast approaches soon. And no doubt you are going to be on it."
"As if they'd leave my Celt ass to keep the books in Ipsos!" Laughed Arrhenides "just make sure that horse is looked after... The arrow cut deep, but he's a strong one."
"I hope you don't charge into Ptolemy's heavy cavalry, like you did here... You won't last long with foolishness like that, brother. You are too sure of yourself!" Advised Achaikos
"So was Alexander..." Cunobelinus glared towards Achaikos.
"Just watch the bushes and mountains... We don't need anymore bloody surprises today." remarked Achaikos.

[Chaotix]

Theodotas Termessou Pisidikes walked out of the council chamber, shocked and elated at the same time. He could not believe that he had been given command of an army. The great Basileus, emperor of all Seleukeia, had placed him in command of the newly created First Lydian Army. His task now was to strike at the Ptolemies' Cilician holdings, and take their land, in the name of his Basilieus.

To Theodotas, this all seemed too surreal. He had been born into a wealthy family in Syria, but all the same he was not a noble. From 18 years old and onward, he had fought as a Klerouchos in the Seleukid military, defending the city of Antiocheia, the city of his Basileus, from the Ptolemies. Because of his wealthy father, he had been given command of a single phalanx regiment under the Strategos that was in charge of the army.

His mind flashed back to that fateful day:

Theodotas had been serving in the military for 3 years. One day, late in the summer, the Ptolemaioi besieged Antiocheia again with a great host. For three weeks they stood outside the great walls, raiding farms outside and building rams and ladders. Then they attacked. Theodotas' regiment was guarding one of the main roads into the center of the city. He heard the ram all the way from where he was, pounding at the gates. Then, a huge crack as the gates were smashed open, and the enemy forces started pouring in. The strategos, who was with his bodyguard behind another phalanx in front of the gate, was impaled on a huge shard of wood as soon as he gates burst open. The battle soon devolved into complete chaos. The gate-guarding regiment as well as the forces on the walls were completely overwhelmed. Thousands of the soldiers of Ptolemaios started closing in on Theodotas' regiment.

That day, Theodotas had managed to hold back and exhaust the Ptolemaioi until reinforcements from Aleppo arrived and saved the city. Upon the return of the Basileus, Theodotas was proclaimed a hero and granted the title of Strategos. The 21 year old Syrian son of a merchant , now a Strategos of Seleukeia!

Now, almost eight years more had passed, and Theodotas, who had fallen into obscurity, was being given command of an army. He was to strike down the hated Ptolemies who had haunted his dreams for years. Theodotas would not fail his Basileus. He was sure of it. He returned to his horse, and began the long journey back to Ipsos, where he would be hailed- a true Strategos.

[johnhughthom]

Two men strode out of the Council Chambers, the smaller man looking thoughtful and his companion slightly anxious.

"Where to then sir?" the larger man asked, expecting the reply to be a brothel or an opium den.
"East."
"Excuse me?"
"East"
"Is that the name of a brothel?" Heronius asked, genuinely perplexed.
"Not very learned for a Greek are you? It's the opposite of west."

Heronius didn't reply, wondering what was going through his patrons mind. The two had travelled to Seleukeia with the rest of Lykikos' bodyguard and all the Babylonian had spoken of was what great plans the Basileus must have for him. Heronius had thought the fact that he was totally overlooked for any position, and that the other Strategoi seemed to have no idea who he was, would have either angered or depressed him. This calm and almost purposeful reaction surprised the Greek.

"Why did the old fool invite me?" murmured Lykikos, more to himself than the old soldier.
"I had hoped he planned to sacrifice you to the gods."
Lykikos surprised his companion with a chuckle. "I'll bet you did, and perhaps I may have deserved it. Still, what was the point of calling me here? I was in the same room as the Basileus yet I gained nothing. It made me realise something, if I want power, position, glory I shall have to take it, it will not simply be handed to me. So we go east."

Lykikos plans dawned on Heronius,exciting and amazing him at the same time. Most of the talk in the chamber had been about the eastern territories, some even talking about abandoning part of the Empires holding in the northeast. Out there a man could make a name for himself, and perhaps, far from the eyes of the Basileus, carve out a semi-autonomous Kingdom for himself. That his drug addled, wine soaked, lazy and not very bright paymaster had come to this conclusion on his own, and actually planned to go and try it, made the native of Corinth realise anything was possible.

"One more thing Heronius, who was that idiot who had the temerity to vote against my proposal?"
"That was Andromachos Syriakos, the nephew of the Basilieus" Herenius replied, strangely glad to hear Lykikos sound more like his usual self.
"I shall remember that name, and give him cause to remember mine."

[The Celtic Viking]

"Where do you think you're going?" Hilarion caught Sarpedon's shoulder. "You still have lots of paperwork left." Sarpedon sighs. "I know, but I need a break. Despite all my good intentions to increase the intellect by building schools and to reform the farming, many are angry at me. They're ungrateful bastards, only giving me for not doing what I can't do due to lack of funds."

"While that's true, you still can't give up on them. You're still new as a satrap, and the people know it. Once more time has passed, they will cool down and realize how lucky they are, and they'll thank you for your devotion. In fact, I think the time will come when..."

"Yeah, yeah, but that's then. Have my assistants handle this work; I need a holiday. Speaking of which, we never celebrated my becoming a satrap, did we?"

"No, I don't think we did."

"Then it's settled! We'll take a holiday, you, I and our concubines. We leave first thing tomorrow morning, so go make yourself ready. I will see to it that my slaves prepare everything else."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea..."

"Ah, hogwash! It's a great idea. It's a long time since we had anything like that anyway."

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

OOC: This is the last thing I write before I leave. I'll be back on Monday.

[Rodrico Stak]

Somewhere east of Ipsos.

Strategos Attalos Peragmou Mysiakes and his faithful servant Iskender are riding down the road. A group of heavily armored cavalrymen follow behind.

"Attalos, we've been riding east for days. When are you going to tell me where we're going?" demanded Iskender.

Attalos responded, annoyed, "Were you anyone but Iskender, I would be never tolerate such a tone from you. But, you are Iskender, and so I will tell you. We are going to Apameia."

"Apameia, sir? Where is that?"

"It is a small town to the east."

"And you would leave your home in Sardis for some town to the east, so small that I have never even heard of it? Why would you do this!" Now it was Iskender's turn to get angry.

Attalos seemed unpreturbed by Iskender's response. "What is there for me in Sardis, Iskender? The comfortable house that my father left me? I can find another one. Perhaps it is close to my rightful kingdom of Peragmon? It can be taken back later. I went to the meeting of the Strategoi, and gained nothing of it! I had hoped for the Satrapy of Mikra Asia, a place from which I can take back Peragmon! But a more capable man was appointed in my place, and I sincerely wish him luck.

"What this has made me realize is that I cannot simply get by on being the son of the exiled King of Peragmon. That is the only reason that I have anything!" Attalos began to get angry from his frustrations, "I can see that I will have to make a name for myself. I cannot rely on my heredity! And the best place to do that is in the vast East. That, Iskender, is where I will get noticed. Someday, perhaps, I will return to retake my rightful place as King of Peragmon, second only to the Baselius of the Arche Seleukia in the governance of those lands, or perhaps my son will, or his son. One day my family will rule in Peragmon again, but first I will have to become great in my own right."

Attalos' rant was interrupted by a soldier on horseback. "I have a letter fo you sir. Its from the Baselius."

Suddenly, Attalos calmed down. Perhaps, he thought, I achieved something in the council after all. He opened the letter. "Dear Lord Attalos," he began reading, "I have appointed you as the commander of my Royal Army. It will be stationed near Antiocheia once it has been fully recruited."

"Well, Iskender, it seems we're going to Syria instead."

[Celtic_Punk]

"I'm not going through that same bloody passage..."

"Oh yeah? and how are you going to stop me?" chuckled Cunobelinus

"By not coming with you." replied Achaikos

"You DO realize the only other route is through Ptolemy's territory. I'd rather face a bunch of buffoons covered in , then a full army of Ptolemy."

"You have a point."

"Would people quit saying that, I already know that... I wouldn't open my mouth if I didn't."

"You have a point!" Achaikos was giggling by this point
"Just shut up and help me with my armour, we are going through that same pass and thats final... Its the only way we'll make it in time. We only have 2 seasons to make it in time. I am not missing it because you are a coward!"

Achaikos helped strap Cunobelinus' breastplate on

"Lets just hope that the infantry does its job on the walls. 'Else we won't be even getting inside them."

"Have faith. This is the stock that stood at Thermoplaye."

"The age of the Greeks is over, Achaikos a new people will rise and conquer. We are just slugging ourselves to peices... You will see."

"And who is this people? The Galatians?" Achaikos gave a hearty laugh "Brennus ran out of energy that's why you are settled where you are!"

"I didn't mean my people. I am not that conceited. Who knows what the west holds... Alexander never conquered the North... We don't even know what is out East, past the Indus, and Himalayas. Where the silk comes from. To create such exquisite textiles must require technology we have no knowledge of. There must be a great civilization across those mountains. We are but a small blip in history. We will be forgotten."

"With that attitude yes. You should be more positive. Hell, we are about to go to battle, a battle you had no need to enter... but you wanted to see action! And now we are! By the way.. Like I said earlier. Don't be reckless, I won't be at your side one hundred per cent of the time."

"I want to see those mountains." Cunobelinus' eyes widened as he spoke of the mountains

"who?"

"Those mountains. Where Alexander and Ptolemy stood, when they finally realized that our world is much greater than ourselves. I want to stand where they stood. It must have been magnificent. To see such an impassible wall of nature before you. I've heard that people actually live in those mountains. Can you believe that? Mountain people! The East sure harbours strange peoples. There is a whole world to discover on the other side of the Himalayas."

"Have you been smoking sativa again? Get your head out of your ass and into gear. We need to be ready for anything." Achaikos said sternly

"Shut up... And help me find my greaves."

[johnhughthom]

In a mountain pass under clear blue skies around a dozen men are sitting around a fire readying themselves for another days marching. A messenger gallops up to the camp.

"Strategos, a message from the Basileus!"
"What is it man?"
"The paperwork confirming you as Satrap of Parthia!"
"What! The old fool actually has a brain then. Give me that.... Wait a minute you ******!! This is addressed to Phanias Laodikeias Lydikes!"
"Is that not you?"
"NO YOU ******* ******"
"Whoops"
"GET BACK HERE, MEN CHASE THAT FOOL DOWN!!!"

Polyxenidos Lykikos stands shouting after the messenger, who speeds away from the camp as fast as his horse will carry him, while around him Heronius tries to get on his horse to chase the messenger but can't as he is laughing too hard. The rest of the men can't even stand, some of them close to tears as they laugh at the Strategos.