[Epeiros/Pergamon AAR] Philetairos' Gift

[QuintusSertorius]

I checked out Amantieus' Traits, and the man is a really tightly-wound and Spartan sort. Yet he's got massive influence and management so I figured he's one of those difficult sorts who's actually really good at what he does - which is primarily being a leader.

Messaneos on the other hand blatantly cares about nothing but combat (well as his family, but often they're an afterthought). I think the roleplaying justification for the conquest of the Bosphorous will be him, on the run, causing trouble somewhere even further away from Pergamon.

I'm going to have problems with the next generation, all the great men of Messaneos' generation (like Larruos who has three sons), most of whom were marriage candidates or adoptees, have had useless children (only one of Larruos' is useful, one salvageable, the other hopless). Unlike the way I disposed of Hellenos and Pyrrhicos, I can't just get rid of all of them. A few will make alright governors, and one or two reasonable generals, but I might have to start making more use of mercenary generals. I'm going to dispatch two of Larruos' sons to the Bosphorous as governors, they'll at least manage that.

Talking of FMs, I think in the 15 years I was at war with the Seleukids, I killed about eight of their nobles. Four just in the last year. Including their Faction Heir, who died during the siege of Ipsos. He wasn't young, mind, unlike mine who's in his early 30s. Ptolemaios hasn't got long left, he's already in his early seventies. His cousin Alexandros died recently.

Still it means the original Epirote line is gone now and I can make a complete break with that history.