Flight of Dragons - The Deeds of the Kings of the Sauromatae

[The General]

First of I have to apologize to those who dislike storytelling, and want more action and more screenshots. You see I tried hard to bring those forth, but the grand plan came first. I did try to limit myself... you see this part was actually about three times this size, and there were four more short narrative pieces I wrote before actually coming to my in game mistake I keep mentioning... I obviously hacked what was supposed to be the update to pieces, canned those other parts, and came down to this which I think is a manageable read.

Worry not! There will be action in the future, battles, blood, screenshots...(although probably not a lot in the next update - maybe 3 screenshots at the most - mea culpa - mea culpa) you name it. In fact I've played quite a lot in advance and my folder swells with battle screens, which is a bad thing because I'm getting confused about many of them... nothing like saying "oh yes, this is the flanking maneuver in battle X, when in truth it was more like the rout in battle Y" . I will try to make sense of it all though to be sure...

Oh, ask not for forgiveness, when we owe you thanks!

I happened to have some Agalloch playing in the background when reading the latest update, and it fit the story well, mhrm.

Eagerly waiting for more (whether it be battle and gore, or more about the storyline).

[Aaldaemon]

@General Appo: True enough. Motivation is key, but I feel like I might have to take motivation lessons from Chirurgeon or MarcusAureliusAntoninus. Very hard to emulate such aar longevity.

@The General: Thank you for your support mate! There will be more to be sure, because Abeakos isn't done yet... and I just love writing about him. You've seen the "official" history in the first three updates, the epic one in the next ones, now we're getting into the complicated reality behind the Dragon... and there's the twisted master plan that holds it all together.

[Aaldaemon]

Ok, update is coming later today. I did a bit of reshuffling of material to better fit my grand plan - which takes precedence over _all_ things. - so you won't get what I originally thought you will be getting this update -The last chapter might have looked as a pointless introduction of characters to some (who needs boys, princes and bodyguards eh? ), but trust me it wasn't. Some stuff going in it was quite critical to the story, bonus points if you figure out what part was truly critical. (although maybe you shouldn't get bonus points because it was beyond obvious - but still )

Anyway this next chapter is even more so...(critical that is) I would normally be a lot less obvious but I doubt people wish to read lots of pages hiding the important stuff... so it's going to be very revealing and to the point... I'm triming the material down to make it a manageable read, and solving some RL stuff too, then update will come.

[General Appo]

To me 10 chapters of mystic stuff is okay, but whatever you feel is right.

[Aaldaemon]

To me 10 chapters of mystic stuff is okay, but whatever you feel is right.

It seems to me, two or three chapters of mystic stuff will leave me with only a handful of readers hehehehe. But oh well, I shall not abandon my storyline now... The labors of the Dragon will continue very very soon - I'm almost done trimming this chapter.

[Aaldaemon]

Part VII: Workings of the Heart



The inside of the great ger is dark. The King lies alone on his mound of furs. Several men cluster around him, a respectful distance away. The King is drinking heavily, while his men remain silent.

Wine is a great evil, he tells his scribe, it turns men into beasts, and great kings into useless fools. Yes it does.

The scribe looks confused. He does not know whether to write the King’s words down or not. The King is in an odd mood, and his servants worry, as Abeakos continues:

Wine is a bane to many good things… but alas it has its qualities as well. Tell me Aspaurg, he asks the little boy sitting next to the scribe, what do you think is the greatest quality of wine?

The boy thinks for a second then answers the King boldly:

My Lord, I believe wine is good for taking away pain.

The King chuckles lightly, as he shifts to better look at the boy.

Who told you this foolishness? he asks, as his merriment subsides.

The Prince Alouthagos, my King, the boy answers hastily.

The King smiles now, amusement creeping in his tone:

The Snake can’t be that foolish surely. No, boy, no. He is a wise fool that one, a wise fool, the King mutters under his breath, then speaks aloud:

Know that the Dragon fears no pain… Pain? I spit on it… As if to make a point Abeakos spits towards his Babylonian physician kneeling to his left and hits him square in the face.

I take this as a mark of honor Lord, the man says, not wiping his face, a slight tremor in his voice.

The King roars with laughter, his chest laboring under his great mirth. He then settles and sighs:

See boy, this is why I don’t have him speared… while his cures might be useless, and he might be the death of me in the end…he is quite the buffoon.

His eyes cloud for a moment, then the King returns to his original thought:

So boy, where was I? Ah yes, pain… he continues. No, no, think not of pain… pain is nothing to the Dragon. Nothing. He pauses, then asks:

You want to know what wine’s greatest quality is boy? Do you truly want to know?

The boy nods, awaiting his lesson quietly. He knows well by now that the King will tell him his mind, whether he wishes to hear it or not. The boy waits, but the King is silent. Shadows play in the King’s eyes, as he struggles to find his breath. The battle is long, but the King wins it, so his words come:

Wine dulls the mind, boy… and when the mind sleeps… some of the heart might come out… if there’s any left… The King says sadly, as he lifts his cup to drink some more of his wine.

As the King lifts his cup, a gust of wind animates the tent, his silver white hair taking flight in the sad light of torches. The door flap of the ger is opened, and prince Alouthagos enters, his faithful bodyguards behind him. The prince looks taller than ever, his pace assured, as light turns him into an approaching shade. Abeakos ignores his approach and drinks from his cup. He spills some of his wine, the drops of wine mixing with blood upon the floor.

Here comes the Snake, he whispers, to poison our mind some more.

The Prince arrives before the King, and bows.

The Yavanas are here father, he says. They wish to speak with you.

Of course they are, the King says, saliva dribbling from his mouth. His mind seems far away, while wraiths circle his heart. Yes, yes, why, what Yavanas are you talking about son? What Yavanas?

The mercenaries, Lord, the mercenaries, Alouthagos says a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Abeakos frowns, his face a mask a cheerless mask of shadows, then the King looks into his cup.

Ah, yes I remember now, he says, his voice a trail of heavy breaths. The King seems lost to his shadows, the tent silent, then at last he speaks:

Tell the boy why they are here, he needs your wisdom, doesn’t he?

Alouthagos darkens, but then the shadow passes, and an evil grin mars his face. He dutifully turns towards the boy and says, his voice as sweet as serpent venom:

Well, Aspaurg… the Yavanas are here because they are our enemy in truth.

Our enemy? Aspaurg asks, his eyes guileless, as he stares back at the prince. I thought you were going to hire them as mercenaries my Lord.

Quite so, Alouthagos agrees, a grimace darkening his features, but they are ever our enemy, forget that not.

Enemies everywhere! Everywhere! Abeakos laughs behind him, as he drinks another cup. I see them in my wine! He sees them in his blood! He proclaims, but his voice is cut short by coughing, and a wailing in his chest.

Alouthagos ignores the drunken King at his back and continues, a sullen scowl scarring his face:

You are Serpent blood boy… so you should know this well, he says.

Dragon blood! Dragon blood! The King roars chocking on his wine.

The Prince turns his back completely to the Dragon, his eyes locked on the boy:

You are a snake, boy. A snake. Wisdom must always guide you. Leave foolishness to your enemy, or to spent old men, he says, a mocking smile on his thin lips. The Yavanas out there are our enemy boy, and that is why they will die.

Die, Lord? Aspaurg asks uncomprehending. I thought we were going to hire them.

Die. Alouthagos answers with an evil smile, amusement stretching his grim features, only they will die fighting for us. Better to have them die in our service, than fighting us, no? The result is much the same on their part, only… we accomplish our goal.

The boy nods, seeing the prince’s ploy at last. The Dragon is quiet, wine streaming down his chest.

Remember boy, we are snakes, and it is the lot of fools to die doing our work. The prince plays with the boy’s golden and red hair, his hand a claw toying among flames.

Do not be a fool, boy. Use your mind first, always, in all things… then victory will be ever yours…ever.

When you abandon your mind… your end comes… fast, he says as his grin returns.

Enough! Abeakos roars. I tire of your prattle.

My King, Alouthagos says turning towards his father at last. Remember, the Yavanas wish to speak to you. You are the Dragon, are you not? He asks mockingly.

Abeakos shifts, his clouded eyes focusing on his son:

They wish to speak to the Dragon… yes they do… but this is serpent work, he says nodding to his ghosts. You go son, use that poisoned tongue of yours. Convince them to die for us, will you? Tell them I’m dying, he adds, that should help.

His words are stopped by a stream of heavy coughing, the pool of blood growing ever darker on his chest.

It’s true enough isn’t it? he seems to asks the prince as their eyes lock. The King’s eyes are blue as the open sky, the prince’s the cold silver of swords.

The Dragon never dies, the Prince says at last, averting his cold eyes, then bows and exits the tent, a trail of shadows in his wake. Abeakos watches the shades cavort in their soulless jig, then closes his eyes to embrace darkness.

Aspaurg, the King says at the last, his voice coming from far away. Come here my boy.

The boy comes to the King. The King opens his eyes and looks him over, and then nods:

You are a strong lad, Aspaurg, but soon you will be left tot the snakes. So listen boy, listen, and remember this well, swear to me you will remember what I will tell you.

The boy looks at the King, his eyes silver-blue, as the King pants.

I swear my King, he says in a solemn voice.

Good lad, the King says and his eyes cloud, but then the light comes back.

The mind is there to deceive boy, he says. It is there to deceive others, but also you. All Kings forget they are men…for they let their minds rule their hearts. That is the lot of our kind boy… to forget our hearts… but it must not be so… no it must not be so.

The King coughs blood, his voice but a whisper, as he pulls the boy closer:

Remember boy, and he points a blooded finger at Aspaurg’s heart. His finger touches the boy’s chest and leaves a crimson stain on his white shirt. Golden light plays on the surface of the blood, as shadows start to gather in the King’s eyes.

Do not let your mind rule over your heart, he whispers, as his breath fails him.

Your heart will set you free.

The King then falls on his mound, his labored breath, a keening dirge among the shadows.

Get out now boy, get out, he whispers to the boy. Go watch the snake do his work. Go watch the workings of the mind, when the heart has failed.

[Aaldaemon]

And now you can see who Aspaurg was - the name I was complaining about. Is it that bad, I wonder? Seeing that I played ahead quite a bit, I'm very used to it by now... it's kind of like the name of an old friend in my ears at this point.

Any comments are welcome, now it's time to take a break for a while, and let the dragon banners fly.

[General Appo]

Beautiful. The name is fine with me.
May the dragon banners fly forever.

[Lysimachos]

Great!

[The General]

Beautiful. The name is fine with me.
May the dragon banners fly forever.

What he said.

[Aaldaemon]

@General Appo @Lysimachos and @The General: Thank you gents, it's good to see you are still here.

As you have seen Abeakos is more complex than the early updates aka scribe written official histories have him to be. I was even thinking to add a Procopius style "Secret History" chapter to establish more depth to the goings on, but I would be entering story overkill. (I still think one such chapter might appear in the future) Maybe if I write another aar in the future, I might try something along the lines of alternating between "official history" and "secret history" style chapters... that would suit a "civilized" state more though.

[Africanvs]

Just caught up on the last two chapters. Looking forward to the next installment.

[Aaldaemon]

Just caught up on the last two chapters. Looking forward to the next installment.

Ah, good to see you again. I hope you will find time in the future for your Romans - still waiting on Scipio.

[Theodotos I]

Just found time to read this, been meaning to ever since I saw you over on my AAR. Good stuff. I'm not knowledgeable enough about the steppe peoples to judge your accuracy, but it sounds good and as a novelist that's half the battle. Fiction is all about the suspension of disbelief and you've accomplished that. All hail the Dragon King!
BTW, I think you should DEFINITELY try to recruit the Cretan archers!

[Aaldaemon]

@Theodotos I: Thank you for reading.

I studied history at the university, but not this time period - I'm more of a medieval fan. (or was) I'm not aiming for accuracy here, although I'm using historical information for some things and will continue to do so. I'm always much more interested in telling a compelling story than historical realism - that's my credo seeing that after finishing my studies rather than going for a PhD I decided to start writing, and I'm working on a trilogy now.

[Lysimachos]

I decided to start writing, and I'm working on a trilogy now.

Wow, i'm impressed

[Aaldaemon]

Wow, i'm impressed

Gah, don't be. Writing is 90% work, 9% inspiration and 1%(maybe) talent... and to top it all you could probably earn more working at McDonalds if you count all the hours you put in... well unless you want to write the next Harry Potter. It's also quite a mind breaking exercise if you happen to be an insane perfectionist, good thing there's games and forums to provide some relaxation.

[Aaldaemon]

Ok, update will arrive most likely later today. It's HUGE...no I mean HUUUUGEEEE, so I will have to see how I hack it down to a manageable size... I think that I'm not going to go overboard and cut it into three distinct updates but rather, I shall only give you the essence of it all... Poor Abeakos, to see his story cut so short.

Oh, well, off to do some running, mens sana in corpore sano, hopefully, the best way to trim it down will come to me...

[Theodotos I]

@Theodotos I: Thank you for reading.

I studied history at the university, but not this time period - I'm more of a medieval fan. (or was) I'm not aiming for accuracy here, although I'm using historical information for some things and will continue to do so. I'm always much more interested in telling a compelling story than historical realism - that's my credo seeing that after finishing my studies rather than going for a PhD I decided to start writing, and I'm working on a trilogy now.

I've got a novel going myself. What are you writing?

[Aaldaemon]

I've got a novel going myself. What are you writing?

Yes, I saw you say that on your aar thread. I'm writing about... dragon banners. While, I'm being in a joking mood, in all seriousness my book(s) contain them aplenty. I'm writing fantasy done right (TM). My childhood was ruled by visions of Dune, (all praise Frank Herbert) while in my college years I found Cherryh's well written aliens (see the Atevi for instance)... add countless history books on top, and some historical fantasy such as that written by Gavriel Kay, and the formula for "fantasy done right" came to me at the last. So I'm slavering on a trilogy that I hope will be quite amazing to those used to the more conventional Tolkienesque inspired drivel, and will hopefully do well enough in a slugfest with better written stuff, such as Martin's Saga of Ice and Fire. Besides my "fantasy done right" stuff, I'm also working on a historical fantasy novel, much like this aar in many ways , (with 10x the polish and 100x the length) but that one will most likely never find a publisher... more's the pity.

========================
And update will come after the Romania - Netherlands game tonight... I'm off to watch it now. Haaai Rooomaaaniaaa!

[Aaldaemon]

Part VIII – Failings of the Mind

The boy follows the prince and his guards through the ordered maze of tents to the place the Yavanas wait. Aspaurg has never seen Yavanas before, but he has heard countless tales of their wicked ways. These Yavanas do not appear particularly impressive to his young eyes, as they seem to be both hornless and tailless at first glance. They carry spears and the largest shields he has ever seen, larger than even those of the Aorsi.



Beware of men, who would hide behind shields, the King had told him once, and he remembers now. Beware of cowards, for they are often the death of brave men. Trust not in men who hide from death, for in their hiding they know no honor and forget the ways of true men. Your spirit must be your shield boy, your spirit and your arm. You are dragon blood, and dragons do not hide when battle comes.

Having remembered the words of the King, Aspaurg watches the Yavanas with different eyes. There is something wrong about them to be sure, something abominable, a lack he can not place. Then his mind sees it at the last – they have no bows. What kind of men, if men they are, would come to war bowless? Beasts, he thinks, beasts, who masquerade as men.

The Yavanas take no notice of the boy watching them, as the serpent offers them words:

I return to you with good news, good news indeed, he hums. Your services to us will be greatly appreciated and rewarded. You shall grow rich in the service of Dragons.

The Yavanas do not appear convinced, and one of them speaks:

Lord, we have considered your offer, but the men have heard grim tales of Olbia and…

Grim tales? Alouthagos interrupts him, seemingly amused by the man’s courage. Why, tell me of a war without its share of grim tales? I can not think of one, my good man, I can not think of one because there is no such thing, and never will be.

He pauses, as he shakes his head, as if talking to an audience of little boys.

Grim tales… grim tales doubtlessly spun by those who know nothing of truths, but only hatred of Dragons…

So tell us your truths then, the mercenary says interrupting the prince once more, tell us your truths, and we shall listen.

Alouthagos is taken aback by the interruption, but only for a moment, and the Yavanas do not see it. Aspaurg does, but he remains silent, as the serpent smile comes forth and the prince speaks:

Why, what happened at Olbia was greatly exaggerated in the telling, he purrs. Do you want to hear a truth? I shall tell you a truth. The great Dragon of the northern steppes you Yavanas so fear, grew up among your kind when he was a boy. He is more Yavana than you would think, or dream. He even carries a Yavana name, one few men know.

The Yavanas stare at him in disbelief, as his words sink in, and Alouthagos continues:

Yes, friends, trust not what you hear in the South. The King is not as black hearted as some would paint him… no, not at all. It is most unfortunate that the men of Olbia chose to defy him, for you see a King brought up among Yavanas has to prove himself to the Dragon riders. You can not forge an empire out of the riders of the steppes if you appear to them a weakling… a Yavana loving weakling at that.

The prince has them now, Aspaurg sees it well. The Yavanas are creatures of reason and logic, boy, he hears the old King’s words in his mind. They hide behind rationalizations of their own deeds and those of others. But logic is much like a sword boy, it can have two edges… and it can bend. Bend logic to your will boy, bend it to your advantage. Men who believe in reason are fragile beings, so shatter their own reasonings, and provide them with your own, and they shall break boy, they shall break. Beware though boy for logic can bend you too, and too much reasoning will turn you into a serpent. The boy remembers the sadness in the King's voice and for a moment forgets about the prince’s words. Beware the failings of the mind, the King had said, beware the failings of the mind.

The sea of grass is a harsh mistress, my friends, the prince was saying, playing to his rapt audience. Show weakness in the face of your enemies, and all who called you friend will soon join their ranks. The King did what had to be done, and those men who whispered against him, made sure that their whispering became cries of hatred in the far South, where truth is easily clouded by a sea of lies.

Aspaurg only half hears the Serpent do his work, but he can see the Yavanas agree with the prince, and hears their leader ask:

So then Lord, when shall we see your father?

At this Alouthagos frowns, and then a mask of sadness veils his friendly face:

I fear that it will not be possible. You see… he says almost regretfully, the King is dying.

The Yavanas seem confused by this news, but the Prince continues before they can speak:

Fear not my friends. Fear not. When my father passes from this world, I shall be King, and I shall remember your service. I shall remember you as the first Yavanas to fight besides the Dragon kings, and as such you shall be first in riches among your kind, first in riches and in glory.

Alouthagos offers his hand, as his eyes stare into the Yavana leader’s eyes. Aspaurg knows the power in those eyes, only too well, and sees the man break before the prince’s will. His hand is taken and the serpent uncoils. Aspaurg watches the bowless men and wonders at their folly. Beasts, beasts, in truth.



The boy sits quietly near the fallen King on his mound, at the center of the great ger. Abeakos is drinking heavily once more, oblivious to the world of mortal men, as his son approaches in the shade.

My King, the prince says, his voice that of a dutiful servant, the Yavanas are ready. Their ram is complete, we wait but on your word to commence the assault on the city.

Abeakos takes a long swallow, his mind far far away:

The ram you say, the ram? He asks, not looking at his son.

Yes Lord, the ram, to shatter the gate, remember? Alouthagos answers him, as he struggles to keep annoyance from his voice. He half succeeds, Aspaurg thinks, as the prince fidgets with his cloak.

Yes, yes, I remember now. Abeakos agrees after he takes another sip. His eyes are swirling with dark flames, as the King stirs on his mound.

I remember the ram, he says speaking to his ghosts. We shall offer it forth as sacrifice to our God above.

He laughs, a dark cackle animating his sunken chest, as his words leave no echo in the darkness.

Why, rams… rams make better sacrifices than grain, do they not? Do they not? He seems to ask his wine, as blood trickles softly on his breast.

Alouthagos darkens, and is about to speak, but the Babylonian physician hiding to his left whimpers in his ear:

He is delirious Lord, he is delirious! He’s had too much wine.

The prince would speak, but the Dragon bellows:

Wine! More wine! Bring forth my wine! Wine, wine to drown the ram! Then he collapses on his mound, his hair and beard tainted with running blood. The King struggles to rise, but he fails, a crimson weeping crushing him as his voice fades.

Father, Alouthagos says after a long silence. The assault… We await your order… if you can give it still.

Abeakos seems to hear and he nods, then his words come out slurred:

Why your assault will fail son, it will fail.

Fail? The prince asks, seemingly to humor a dying drunk.

Fail. Abeakos agrees, his voice now stronger, as his eyes are fixed on his son.

Fail… Alouthagos sneers, as his hand grasps the hilt of his sword. How do you know this father? You’ve seen it in your wine? he asks, a tinge of mockery in his tone.

I know because I am the Dragon. The old King answers him sadly. And this is why you are not, serpentling. Now go, bother me no more, he says as he chokes on his blood.

Alouthagos watches his father now, searching for his eyes. They are closed, and the old man’s face is a melted mess of blood and spittle. The prince hesitates, but the King speaks:

Will you stay and drink some wine with me then? Abeakos asks as he drowns on his own blood. Alouthagos would answer, but the King does not let him:

Go sacrifice that ram, go! He bellows, a stream of blood erupting from his throat. A drop of crimson hits the prince’s brow, as the dragon roars. He makes no move to wipe his face but watches silently as the King shouts:

A true God asks not for grain, but blood! Abeakos proclaims to his wordless son.

He is delirious again my Lord, the Babylonian physician whines towards the Prince. He’s had too much wine, too much wine by far!

The Prince nods silently and leaves the ger, unwilling to waste more of his time. Abeakos opens his eyes when he is gone, the wailing in his chest subsiding in the gloom.

Go watch them fail boy, go watch them fail, he tells Aspaurg throwing his cup away.

Why let them fail my King? Aspaurg asks. Why let them fail? Why don’t you stop them now?

The King’s eyes turn to the boy, and they shine silver in the dark.

There are many reasons boy. Many reasons. Abeakos tells him, as he waves a bloodied hand.

The most obvious of reasons being that sometimes it is better to appear weak and foolish, boy. Why, I am naught but a dying drunken old man, am I not? He asks his laughter now the sign of mirth, not fury.

The boy nods in understanding, his eyes wide to see such clarity in the fallen king.

But then again boy, obvious reasons are often quite wrong. Abeakos says, his voice a whisper among ghosts. A silence comes upon the ger, as the King fights with his wraiths.

Maybe it amuses me to see my son sacrifice his ram, he whispers at the last. Better to sacrifice a ram, do you not know? Do you not know? He asks again, a sudden shade clouding his eyes.

Trust me boy, you will, he sighs as he closes his eyes, you will before the end.

Now go watch them fail boy, go! The King commands as darkness comes.

The boy exits the tent, to see the failings of the mind.

The ram, the ram, the ram… the King’s voice trails into shadow at his back.

Time flies on dragon wings as the great ram inches ever forward towards the city gate. He sees it burn, and the Yavanas driven back… He sees the Serpent’s mask shatter, a Dragon rage upon him at the last. The King bellows in his tent, as Dragon banners ride the wind. He sees it all and takes it in, his eyes the silver blue of Dragons, as the ram burns, a sacrifice to the God above.

[General Appo]

Yet again, beautiful.

[Aaldaemon]

Yet again, beautiful.

Wow! Now that was a fast reply. Thanks mate, although I'm quite unhappy with it. I did a hatchet job of cutting this down to size, blowing away descriptions (a given since I have to post in short aar format), fluff dialogue and details... and most importantly the ram scene... but that one I will adapt and use elsewhere... no not in this aar, I'll steal it for other purposes.

Aar writing is still fun though, because if you want to maintain briefness, you have to stick to the essence of things... On some level I rather dislike the fact I have to renounce fluff dialogue and padding at times, because it makes the obvious even more obvious... but oh well, I assure you that even those who think they know what's going on with the Dragon King might still be _greatly_ surprised.

Shock tactics are still to come.

[General Appo]

You don´t have to renounce anything. I´m quite satisfied with big AAR´s. But, to each his own.

[Aaldaemon]

You don´t have to renounce anything. I´m quite satisfied with big AAR´s. But, to each his own.

Thank you General Appo, I wish I could clone you. But, the reality is I want to keep a balance while writing this, and hopefully provide an appealing format for as many people as I can. I'm not going for the quick explanation + screenshot route I was contemplating in the beggining, which seems to be the most appealing of aar formats - but rather for a complex story told with as few words as my rambling ways will allow.(few is ever relative) I'll give you an example of something I'm prone to do, and I do not want to do here: imagine a 15 page + chapter of characters bonding, with one/two poignant lines of dialogue hidden in there as part of the greater epic plan... all just to build up for the distant future, with little immediate payout.

My current format seems just about right to me - and while I regret several things, it still seems to do the job. I find it challenging to keep a story short, with little fluff and to deliver important pieces of the story(although it might not seem so yet to some) every single update. Having said that you never know when I'll decide to deviate from the current format in any direction I so please at the time... anything can happen.

/and now good night, it's 2am here, and my brain is already going into meltdown.

[Aaldaemon]

Is it just me, or all my screenshots have disappeared? I can't see any of them...

[Lysimachos]

Is it just me, or all my screenshots have disappeared? I can't see any of them...

I can see three pictures in Part VIII: The Mercenaries, the yurts and the shot of Chersonesus and the army.

[Aaldaemon]

I can see three pictures in Part VIII: The Mercenaries, the yurts and the shot of Chersonesus and the army.

Strange, I can't see any pictures in the entire aar, and the photobucket site looks messed up... for one I can't log into my album... Oh well, maybe it will sort itself out.

[Justiciar]

Just had a long read through of this AAR.

Top notch stuff, sir! Fantastically written. And is it wrong that I want Alouthagos' reign to be a long one? Cold, calculating, and arrogant - my kind of guy!

[Aaldaemon]

Just had a long read through of this AAR.

Top notch stuff, sir! Fantastically written. And is it wrong that I want Alouthagos' reign to be a long one? Cold, calculating, and arrogant - my kind of guy!

Thank you for the appreciation, it's always heart warming to see a comment like this. I'm glad you liked the story so far, and I'm happy to see there's someone else besides me actually liking Alouthagos.

Alouthagos and Abeakos are both very complex characters, and while there's been some very revealing interplay going on so far... there's much more to come, something quite shocking in fact, if I get to continue this story that far into the future.

Next chapter will probably deliver mild shock tactics - I promise it will get epic.

============================================================
And I have a question for anyone who actually read this with a moderate degree of attention - what do you think is the Greek name of Abeakos? I'd be very impressed if anyone figured it out already... beyond impressed.