I´ve tried with the screenshots, but I just can´t get it to work good. How do you pros edit your screenshots? When you delete a part of a screenshot, how do you remove the white shit that comes up behind it? I can´t even make the one screenshot I put in smaller. ve been trying to for 2 hours and I´m damned tired of it all, so I´m sorry for the lack of screenshots. I had some damn nice battle ones. I guess I really should use Photoshop or something like it, but I don´t have it right here. Maybe in a week I will.

Chapter 2: The Battle of Yrtakina

After procuring some Samnite and Brettian mercenaries Pyrrhus prepares to defeat the Spartan army. His scouts report that only the personal bodyguards of the armies general are of the famous Spartan kind, the rest are normal soldiers from Sparta´s allies and subjects. Also, his scouts reports that this general is no other then Areus Agiados Lakedaimonios, the King of Sparte. His death will surely resonate thoughout the entire Hellenic world, and perhaps at last remove Pyrrhus from his position as the laughing stock of the entire Mediterraenean.
Near the old city of Yrtakina the two armies met in battle. Equal in numbers, Pyrrhus intends to use his superior cavalry to first defeat the supporting troops and then use his heavy infantry and phalanx to defeat the enemy hoplites.


Pyrrhus arranges his army and moves towards to enemy, who eagerly awaits him. His Kretans begin to fire upon the enemy skirmishers who have strayed to far from the main line, and Pyrrhus his sons ride them down with ease. As Pyrrhus maked his way back to his infantry he is shortly pursued by the Spartan hoplites, and when these turned to get back in line the Kretans unleashed a volley right in their back, killing several and wounding more.
As the Spartans and their allies struggles to reform their lines to face Pyrrhus advancing infantry the Kretans continue to deal horrible casualties to their ranks, and the Akontistai runs forth to throw their javelins. Pyrrhus leads his cavalry behind the enemy lines and rides down the enemy Kretans while the Samnites and Brettians falls upon the Spartans left flank engaging the hoplites there. The Spartans pursues the Akontistai until suddenly these unarmoured men shows courage unheard of for many years, and turns and charges the legendary Spartans, cutting with their small knives.
Inspired by this act of heroism the phalanx comes to the aid of the Akontistai and starts pushing their long pikes into the Spartans line.
Seeing all this Pyrrhus splits his cavalry, sending Ptolemaios and Helenos to aid the Italians while taking his own bodyguards to charge the Spartans.
The Kretans have now run out of arrows, and drawing their short swords attacks the hoplites on the right flank, renewing the Italians spirit. As the cavalry falls upon the hoplites backs they flee but are chased to death. Only the Spartans still stand, honoring their mighty ancestors. But soon enough the last Spartan is cut down, and a member of the Akontistai slits Areus throats while he still fighting. Truly a great victory, Pyrrhus loses few men, and most of these can be easily replaced amongst the local population. The Spartan army however, had been completely eradicated.

Pyrrhus victory does indeed sends shockwaves across all of Hellas. Not only had the Spartans and their allies lost their king, but a great deal of their army, including many of the precious hoplites from Sparte, those who had undergone the Agoge. Coupled with the Makedonians conquest of Athenai and recent succeses in Ione this boaded ill for the city-states of Hellas, but things were about to get even worse.
After returning to Kydonia and replenishing his forces as well as his wine supply, Pyrrhus announces his next act of genius. Firstly, the he releases the Samnites and Bruttians from his service, but as he refuses to lend them any boats and not merchant vessel would take such unruly barbarians aboard, they reluctantly agrees to settle near the mountain Koutroulis in the western part of the island, where they form a small village named Calbisidoi, but commonly reffered to as "The Black Hole" by the locals, for anyone who approaches the village dissapears and is never heard of again, though how a black hole could do this remains unknown.

Shortly after, Pyrrhus declared his intent to conquer the island of Rhodos, which he has heard is the center of winetrade for the entire Aegean. After training some new spearmen that has begun spreading in Hellas he sets out for the island. Behind him however, he leaves his firstborn son Ptolemaios, who after the battle of Yrtakina has shown himself a responsible young man. Naturally Pyrrhus could not allow this, and tried to drown him in wine and women, but gave up after Ptolemaiois refused to relax, constantly pointing out that half the city was on fire, the wine was strangely green and bubbling, that there was something wierd about the women Pyrrhus offered him, particulary her beard, and other such petty matters.
So Pyrrhus left his firstborn son to govern the island of Krete and instad appointed his youngest son and the only one still following in his fathers footsteps Helenos to his heir. Shortly after, Pyrrhus, Helenos and their army sets ashore on Rhodos.

Quickly surrounding the city, they learn that it is only defended by a an old man, rumoured to be near 100 years old. Pyrrhus dismisses these rumours with a fart and by scratching his mistress beard, and orders the construction of siege machines. Off shore, Pyrrhus fleet spots a few small ships and approaches them for the required questioning and raping, but soon realises that these ships are not ordinary trade ships, but transports shipping a small army to Rhodos. The ships are quickly sunk, and the army relocated to the bottom of Poseidons kingdom. Pyrrhus fleet continues around the coast to blockade Rhodos harbour, bur finds it alrady sealed off by a Seleukid navy. These Diadaochi or whatever they call themselves offers to ally with Pyrrhus, but Pyrrhus still have fond memories of his time in Egypt, where the wine came easy and the women were cheap, or was it other way around? Anyway, Pyrrhus refuse to even see the Seleukid diplomats and continues to wait for the siege machines to be finished.

Before they are however, great news reach Pyrrhus. The old man ruling the city has apparently died of a minor flu, apparently multiple stab wounds in the chest is a side-effect of that horrible disease.
Without the old man to hold them togheter, the Rhodians surrender the city, and promising to deliver 50,000 amphoras of the finest wine within two weeks, Pyrrhus decides to spare them the usual killing, looting, raping and eating.
The loss of Rhodos is terrible news for the Greeks, now only the city´s of Lakonike remains free. Shortly after other bad news reach the Spartans, the small kingdom of Pontos has attacked the Spartans allies in Sinope, obviously seeing their weakness and inability to react in any other then harsh words and useless threats. In Syrakousai Alexandros continues to rejoice in his new life, but is increasingly worried about the Poeni army camped outside Lilibeo growing ever larger. So far he has not forced any of the locals to serve as garrison, but soon it will perhaps become neccessary.

The whole world eagerly awaits Pyrrhus next decision, or at least so he likes to believe. Where will his small army set sail next, what unlucky region he next set his pigeyes upon?