History of the Getai

[Xtiaan72]

The Reign of Zalmodegikom ( 272 BC - 269 BC)


( 272 BC ) I am Grotes Per Drobata, noble of the court of Zalmodegikom. I have taken it upon myself to chronicle the story of our people. It is a time of great change. Zalmodegikom takes the crown by unanimous consent of the local tribes. He is a wise and formidable leader but he is advanced in age. Most of the tribes in Thrace are against us yet they are not in a position to challenge our military might.

We are faced with several immediate difficulties. We have a large number of young, warlike warriors eager for battle and plunder and no means to maintain them in the field. We have not enough land for our prolific clans and this must be remedied immediately. Zalmodegikom has decided to strike east at Kallatis. Dizo of the Rekidava will meet him near that country by the ocean. And I have brought the Drobata. We will sate our warriors blood lust.




( 271 BC ) Kallatis is ours and our warriors are satisfied. The Corbyzii survivors of Kallatis were eager enough to join our federation and we have doubled the size of our territory. The warriors were send back to their villages en masse and we have begun the gargantuan task of paying down the tremendous debts of the crown.

( 270 BC ) Zalmodegikom admires the Greeks and already the kingdom of the Getai is proving we are more civilized than our wild cousins. We have begun a program of road building. Organized farms are springing up throughout the kingdom. We have taken steps to build a port in Kallatis to trade with the Greeks. We covet their finished goods and sending them Amber is the way to get it. Trading rights have been secured with the Macedons and the Hellens.




( 269 BC ) Alas, old Zalmodegikom has succumbed to a winter chill. Dizo of the Rekidava has taken the crown. I am satisfied with the governorship of Kallatis. Dacians from the north have invaded my province. Our jealous cousins covet our lands and the wealth we are bringing to our tribes. They are afraid to attack and satisfy themselves plundering the hinterlands. I have sent a spy to watch them and if they move to block our roads I shall destroy them.

[Xtiaan72]

(269 BC - 263 BC) Rage of the Aphistamenoi

Not an entire season had passed after Zalmodegikos' death when the kingdom was immediately faced with it's first major crisis. A Dacian tribe from the north fell about our kingdom to challenge Dizo's right to rule. We rushed north to meet them before they could reach Kallatis.



It was a close fought thing. Although outnumbered,We managed to pin their flank with our lone spear band and harried their other flank with Sarmatian mercenaries. That gave us just enough time to get our heavy horse behind them. Many men were lost but they lost many more.



Dizo believes the Tribali put these rebels up to it. We have set into motion plans for an improved barracks in the capital. An attack to the south will not be possible without a more professional army. We will bring the fight to them and make them submit to our rule. The entire plain between the mountains to the north and south will be ours. Our trade routes will flourish and we can begin to think about a standing army.

[Aenos]

Ah nice, another Getic AAR. Interesting to see you took another approach to your conquests.

[Xtiaan72]

Aenos,

I'm enjoying your AAR a lot too. I wasn't trying to step on your toes. From my perspective The Casse, Saban, Lusitan and Getai are the best factions to role-play with because they start with one territory. But of those four Getai feel the closest to finished. They also have an interesting starting position with the potential for war with a lot of factions.

I intend to role-play with them and not try to conquer the whole world. Make realistic decisions that an enlightened kingdom would make. My premise is that the Getai nobles have been semi-hellenized. I made peace with Macedon so I'm going to introduce a plot line where by one of the royal sons is raised as a hostage in the Macedon court and thereby becomes obsessed with modernizing Thrace.

Your right, there are a couple ways to go with them in the beginning. They start out with some nice units that you don't have access to if you disband them. But you have to go into serious dept to keep them. i sent them home because I thought it was more realistic. I'm about to gather the tribes again though!

[Aenos]

A hellenized Getic kingdom, interesting. Truly something different from what I'm plotting to do, a 'barbaric' kingdom (from the Greek point of view) that just about hates everything Greek, except perhaps the phalanxes every now and then.

A son hostage to Antigonos? Goodluck, would be great to see that happening in an AAR.

[Xtiaan72]

(269 BC to 259 BC) The Troubles With Tribali

Coin still flows across the borders to undermine the kingdom. We have beaten The Aphistamenoi so many times that most of them have been reduced to slaves in our fields. And yet they still rise up against us, disrupt our trade routes and our communications with the outside world. How will the Hellens take us seriously if we cannot even control our savage cousins within our borders. We take strong punative measures against the Aphistamenoi and it was on one such expedition that the unthinkable happened. King Dizo was struck down...



It was a heroic death but it troubled me greatly as the hopes of the kingdom now rest on my shoulders. I called for a war council to resolve how to deal with the Aphisamenoi and their Tribali masters. We must lay seige to Noisses and smash them. They choose to fight in the Greek manner so my son
Rhemaxos has devised a devious plan to reduce their prolific numbers. We will blockade their city and starve them until they emerge. Then we will pelt them with missles and retreat. We will do this over and over until they are demoralized and crushed. There is no reason to lose one brave Getai to such scum. We are outnumbered as it is.



Regarding my son Rhemaxos. Ten years ago when we ceased hostilities with the Macedons, Zalmodegikos arranged for a hostage exchange between several noble Getai families and the Macedons to keep the peace. Among the youths that were chosen to reside in Pella was my youngest son Rhemaxos. When I was raised to the throne I pleaded for his return and Pella complied. He is well schooled in the greek arts of philosophy and warfare. I have chosen him to lead the expedition against the Tribali. This was not a popular decision among the council. They think his demeanor is both strange and foriegn. But I see something different in him. Something strong and noble. We shall see.

[Olaf The Great]

I always thought of Thracians/Dacians becoming Hellenized, and once planned an AAR of it, but I'm bad at AAR's anyway.
Also Barbarian factions were so unrealistic in RTR, its nice to see that you tried it with EB.

I'm watching this AAR as of the Opposite Getic AAR, both peak my interests.

[Xtiaan72]

Thanks for the encouragement! This is my first AAR so I hope I'm not butchering it.

[Olaf The Great]

Thanks for the encouragement! This is my first AAR so I hope I'm not butchering it.

You're by no means are.

But when you are doing a picture of units, make sure the green triangles aren't there.

Makes it look nicer.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

"are *not* there" I think is what you meant to say Olaf.

[Olaf The Great]

"are *not* there" I think is what you meant to say Olaf.

...

Actually I meant Aren't
So HAH!

[Xtiaan72]

Yea..I just forgot the arrows on that one but I thought it was cool. I'm getting better at paint so I will post some cooler cropped photos as well...

I've got most of the next installment ready go but I've reached a huge obstacle. I'll set the stage for you and if anybody has some advice by all means I need it. I'm calling it 'The march of the 500'. It got really crazy.

I saved about 12,000 denari.....And I bought 500 Horse archers..In addition, I had 600 Dacian Skirmishers, One Archer unit and Rhemaxos' heavy horse ( a very small unit of 32). My plan is to move south against Tribali and wear them down with several running battles ( pelt them from a distance and retreat)

I move south and a Aphistamenoi unit is blocking the bridge with 1100 men. It was great becaue they were led by a 3 star general with the last name Kallitis. So I'm going to make him a Kallitis family member who sought shelter with Tribali.I absolutely annialated them. I lost a total of 7 men. Heroic victory.

Then during the Ai turn a full rebel stack comes out of nowhere and attacks. 2500 men. My horse archers turn them into mince meat ( what an awesome unit). Clear victory and famous battle!

Here's where it gets crazy I move south and siege the Trimbali. It's another full stack so I move down my king with 107 horse. And on the Ai turn I get attacked from behind by another full stack. 4500 hundred troops and I can't retreat!.

There is a hill in the corner of the map so I set up a perimeter up there. But I have no heavy troops to defend it. It's like The Alamo! If only I had more arrows! Anyway I figure I have a mulligan because winning this battle is almost impossible and I want to continue the AAR. So I'm determined to find a way to win it.



Any advice guys?

[Xtiaan72]

(254 BC) The Gathering of the Tribes


It is the summer of 254 and grave rumors spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom. Whispers of a great host gathering against us. There is talk that one of the sons of the Crobyzii king, conquered by Zalmodegikos a generation ago, is being sheltered by the Tribali. It has been decided that we must gather the tribes for the first time in twenty years.

Our coffers overflow with the fruits of our trade with the Hellens. Our stables and smiths are unrivaled in all of Thrace. And though we are few against so many, I take heart from the arts of war that Rhemaxos had brought back from Pella.

Among the scrolls that Rhemaxos brought from Pella was one about a Greek ambassador who had travelled far and wide throughout the land. The parchment tells tales of wild horsemen far to the east that fight with tactics that are unknown to our wild, belligerent cousins. There are also sketches of a Scythian bow that is far superior to anything we have ever seen.

We have gathered the finest horses in the land and five hundred superb horsemen to ride them. They are trained to use these Scythian bows and to stay just beyond the grasp of our enemies. I have decreed that they shall be called "The 500". They are our elite troops and all our hopes lie with them.

With them are 600 Komatai from allied tribes. For every three Komatai there is an Aphistamenoi slave with provisions for three weeks. Also 160 hunters to forage for the war party. Rhemaxos is to lead them with 32 armored Greek retainers that accompanied him from Pella. They are mostly second sons of nobles seeking adventure.




The advance of the 500. The pretender, Nosparaos Per Kallatis, defends the road to Naissos

[Xtiaan72]

( 254 BC - Spring) The Tribali War

Rhemaxos has ridden to the south with every available man. I fear he may not return and that all our men may not be enough. If he does not succeed, the end of the kingdom is nigh. Our debts are many and increasing with everyday that our host remains in the field. The war council is in an uproar over my choice for commander. It was a fateful decision, Rhemaxos has no experience in the field and wields scant influence within our clans. Some consider him no more than a Macedonian spy. If the war is lost, I will lose whatever authority I still have over the clans.

( 254 BC - Summer ) The March of the 500


A rider from the south has brought tiding from the field of battle:

'To be opened in the presence of King Oretas Per Rekidava'

Father,

Two weeks ago we were waylaid by a party of Crobyzii Aphisamenoi. They were led by the pretender himself, Notoparos Per Kallatis. We now have proof of our worst suspicions, The Tribali have sheltered him all these years. He said as much with his dying breath. The 500 were bloodied for the first time and proved their metal. His band of misfits and slaves were slain easily enough for the lost of only seven men. We continued to the south and camped within a days march of the Buridava Bridge.

There we were ambushed again by a large party of Tribali mercenaries. Imagine Tribali sell-swords on Getai ancestral lands! The 500 were truly tested for the first time. Two days of running skirmishes followed. Their heavy infantry tried to grapple with our host again and again but they could not catch our swift horses or our fleet footed Komatia. We showered them relentlessly with arrows and javelins. They surrendered in frustration, exhausted and demoralized.

Our new tactics are bearing fruit and the men are beginning to trust my decisions. Perhaps they see that almost all of them are still alive. The road to Naissos is open and we are continuing south with break-neck speed. Our scouts range out in all directions and there are signs of other large bodies of men lurking in the countyside. We will try to reach Naissos and strike the decisive blow before we are waylaid again.

Your Son in Name and Honour,

Rhemaxos


THE 500 : Fight and Flight!


Tribali Mercenaries, it looks like it should have been a fair fight!

[Xtiaan72]

Is anyone reading this. Should I continue?


I've gone back and edited a few passages for continuity. Changed references of books to scrolls or parchment.( I plan to make it clear that there only a few Getai that can read or write.) I also changed some references of Aphistamenoi to tribal names as it makes no sense that slaves or rebels would have a real 'King'.

I've enjoyed putting this together and will continue if there is any interest. I'm playing in .80 and of course I'm planning to move on to .81 soon. But I'm enjoying this campaign well enough, so if anyone is reading this, your comments would be welcome at this juncture!

[paullus]

i've enjoyed it, and i like the role-playing aspect of seeing the rebels as usurpers from unruly tribes. i also think you're improving over time.

[d'Arthez]

Do continue. It is very interesting. The roleplaying aspect is making it good.

[Xtiaan72]

We were three miles from the gates of Niosses when the first news of trouble reached our ears...A rumbling in the north and a huge cloud of dust that got louder and closer with each passing moment.

" Good Prince...It seems we have company.." My Greek spear carrier grumbled.

I ordered a company of 'The 500' to shadow the movements of the newcomers and halted the march of the column to await the reports of my scouts. Some of them returned not a quarter of an hour later and with them was a company of 100 heavy horse flying Getai banners!

The leader of this new body of men trotted along side me and removed his dusty helmet.

" Well met, my son....You did not think I would let you take Naissos without me did you?"

We had a moment for a brief but joyous reunion. My father looked road-weary and older than I can ever remember seeing him. But he still carried himself with the bearing of a king. The king of the Getai.

" We have no time for pleasantries Rhemaxos....A large host of Tribali are hot on my heels."

It was at that exact moment that my scouts returned from the south with grave tidings. A huge army of Tribali was pouring through the gates of Naissos
and spilling out onto the road ahead of us. The Tribali had sprung their trap. And now they had us, The Getai king and one of his princes no less, trapped between a hammer and an anvil with no means of escape.

There was no question that there would be a pitched battle. Now the only question was where. That we were outnumbered four to one mattered not. My father took the lead as was his perogative. We found a small hill west of the road and gathered our meager forces upon it.

A thin line of Komatai fanned out on the crest of the hill in a semi-circle. Lightly armored, with their ranks depleted from the weeks of running battles we had fought on the road to Naissos. Behind them was a single company of Getai Archers. They were not professional soldiers but good Getai huntsmen none the less. Behind them, spilling over the slopes of the hill, we arrayed 'The 500'. Experienced with horse and bow, They were lightly armored to allow freedom of movement.


Wait till you see the whites of their eyes!

The host from the north reached us first and began clamboring up the western slope. We instructed our archers not to waste more than an arrow or two on the waves of light infantry scrambling up the hill. Still that was enough to give their Komatai doubts about whether they really wanted to keep climbing. The King led our two companies of heavy horse on our first exhilirating charge down the hill and we dispersed the first wave with great slaughter. My arm still aches with the memory of the battle.

They thought better of trying it again until they were joined by the massive horde of Naissos troops arriving from the south. Then the combined armies joined in a boiling swarm of steel at the foot of the hill and began the assault in earnest.


Bunker Hill!

They rushed us from all sides at once and our archers peppered them again. But this time their infantry managed to reach the crest and smashed into the Komatai. Again we charged in on our heavy horse to hold the line and again they scurried like rats back down the hill to evade our heavy blows.

It continued on and on until the sun was low in the western sky and the slopes were so slick with blood that the Tribal could hardly advance without falling on their faces. Several of our men lost their lives when they were thrown by horses that had lost their footing in the bloody swamp.

Finally near dusk...They gathered for one last desperate attempt. How frustrated they must have been to see the Getai king...Their mortal enemy... just beyond they're grasp. The Tribali were willing to pay a terrible price to win the day.


The Last Charge of King Oretes of The Getai

With all the hundreds of men they had lost, They still had more by three than we who remained on the the hill. And their finest men had been held in reserve. They climbed one last time. Heavy infantry with long, savage curved blades. The '500' poured the last of their arrows into them and then rushed forward on their mounts to bolster the Komatai. The Tribali wavered and the battle slowly moved down the slopes of the hill.

The '500' began to take heavy casualties as enemy Komatai threw javelins into their flanks and for the first time in their history, it seemed they might break. My father raised his lips to his horn. 'BBBRRRRRRRRRHHHH' BBBRRRRRRRHHHH'. As if to say to 'The 500', " We come...If you are to die...Your king will die with you"

Down the hill we charged, one last time, on our exhausted chargers. We reached 'the 500' and cut a path through the surrounding enemy infantry. Still we charged on until we were on the plain in the heart of the Tribali host. Swinging our swords with inhuman fury to buy 'The 500' enough time to make a break up the hill. When they sprung free, We spun our mounts and coaxed our beleaguered horses to follow them with whatever strength they had left.
It was near dark. I took my helmet off and tried to hand it to my shield-bearer. But he was dead. I looked in vain for my father but he was no where to be found. The troops were assembled back into some vague resemblance of their former ranks. Some of the men were grumbling "Where is the king?"

" Silence!!!!...If he is alive.....He is down there in a heap of dead countrymen. If he is dead...He is dead so that you may live."

And then there was...... silence. A great shiver seemed to pass through the Tribali host. As if they finally realized that the strength of their nation had been spent in a futile effort to take a hill. The host began to break apart. Drifting away in every conceivable direction and dropping their weapons as they melted into the darkness.

[Xtiaan72]

Prince Rhemaxos- Viceroy's residence, Naissos...252 BC

A Restless Peace (252 BC - 249 BC)

Here I toil in the Viceroy's residence in Naissos. The Tribali stronghold fell without a fight after the epic battle I have recounted. It is a tolerable city by Thracian standards. By contrast, our capitol in Buridava seems little more than a collection of thatched huts.

We found my father's body on the slopes of the hill where the great battle was fought. He is buried there along side his fellow countrymen as he would have wished it. A stone marker sits upon the summit to commerate his brave deeds that day.

' Oretas Hill; Brave King Oretas Per Dropada was slain upon this hill defeating our ancestral enemies, the Tribali. His name will live on in songs and deeds '

There was hardly time to grieve. In any case, He was a man I harldly knew. I was sent to live at the court in Pella when I was only six years old. Of graver concern is the unpleastant side effect of my father's untimely demise. My indolent brother Koson sits upon the throne of the Getai.

It is a testament of the emnity between us that I have been considerably safer here in Naissos these past months, surrounded by my enemies, than I would be if I spent even one night in my brother's palace in Buridava. He hates me for what I am and I hate him for what he is not.

Koson has not left the palace since he was crowned. He is surrounded by a collection of sycophants and unkempt barbarians that he calls a court. Endless drinking bouts in his vapor baths and fornication with his slaves are his only past-times. His idea of a royal function is to watch two of his slaves fight to the death and then to drink and feast until the crow calls. They only stop long enough to purge themselves into the nearby buckets that they keep handy.

For all this, he is loved by the people. They love him because they wish nothing more for themselves than the life he lives. To drink and fornicate and spend an endless pile of treasure till the end of their days. These thing are considered good and noble in this strange land. And that is what is wrong with Thrace.

It is for these same reasons that I am hated. Koson and his like, hate me for my foriegn aires and my beautiful Greek wife. They despise my education and my willingness to point out their short comings. But most of all they hate me for my army and my victories. That it is I, and not Koson, that defeated the Tribali and brought true power to The Getai is a source of unending ire between us.

At least I can take solace in the fact that his wife is a barren whore and it is my progeny, not his, that will wear the crown of the Getai for generations to come. There is that and the fact that he can't touch me. For even as the people hate me, I am beloved by my soldiers. And with them behind me his crown means little. Koson is well aware of who wields the real power in Thrace.


Getai Royal Line ( 252 BC)

My responsibilities are much greater than they were while my father still lived. Most of my time is spent constituting a provisional government here in Naissos. It has been easier than one might think. The Tribali do not love me but they fear me and that is enough. Being feared is even better than being loved among these Thracians.

I have also conducted the first census of the holdings of The Getai. Every horse, cow and chicken has been counted. The greatest discovery was the secret mines of The Tribali. They are located high in the mountains and we were completely unaware of them until we gained control of the province. Alas, only now do we know how our enemies paid for their adventures against us!

The wealth of these mines has been enough to allow our seasonal army to become permanent and to lower taxes throughout the land. The mines have also made me one of the wealthiest men in Thrace!

I have appointed a new commander for 'The 500', Karnoban Per Rekiva. His older brother Brasos is the governor of Kallitis ( A rare Getai that can read and write!). Karnoban does not have his older brother's wits unfortunately. His lack of imagination will keep him from being a great general. His energy and loyalty make him a good officer none the less. He is a green youth of sixteen. The veterans of 'The 500' have not been quick to follow his leadership but there are no great threats to the kingdom at the moment so he has time to win them over.

[Ower]

Nice reading, keep up the good work

[paullus]

wow, that looks like it was a pretty intense battle! its also nice to see a hill battle that isn't on top of a freakin mountain. cool post.

[Xtiaan72]

Thanks guys. It was an awesome battle. That's why I gave it a whole chapter. I was attacked from two directions by a combined force of 4500 men. I had about 1000 and none of them could be called heavy except my two generals units. And one of those only had 32 horses. It was definately one of best challenges I've had playing Rome ( Thanks EB!). I did not have the option to retreat so it was a puzzle I had to figure out to continue the story. It was like Rorke's drift. To win I had to conserve and concentrate each and every arrow volloy and charge the cavalry at the right moment.

To be honest it took me three times to actully win and I still lost my king! But all and all that was good for the story anyway.

It's been interesting playing a campaign while writing this. I'm trying to base each characters decisions based upon their traits. That's taken the actual game play in directions I wouldn't go.

For instance, Rhemaxos will be loath to attack Greeks since he idenitifies with them. And Kason will be motivated to form his own body of men because of his fear and jealousy of Rhemaxos.

On top of that something really wacky and unexpected happens in the next chapter. The game threw me a complete curve-ball that I wasn't expecting! It has changed the whole dynamic of the kingdom. So even I don't know where this story is going to go from that point.

[keravnos]

Very nice AAR!

[Xtiaan72]

A Storm from the East ( 249 BC to 246 BC)


( 249 BC) A few years of relative calm can do much for a kingdom. The work of modernizing central Thrace has begun in earnest, fueled by the wealth in the mountains of Naissos. Amber flows down the rivers in barges toward Kallatis where Greek traders load it into ships bound for the south. The internal strife that has plagued us for the last twenty years has ceased and our war-weary people have returned to their farms and trades.


The wealth of the kingdom grows ( 249 BC to 257 BC )

( 247 BC) Strange tidings have reached us from the south. In the spring of 247, large groups of refugees began flooding across our southern border. They are Odrysai, a Thracian tribe that hails from Tylis. Luckly for them there are many villages in Naissos province that remain virtually empty, depopulated when the most troublesome Tribali clans were sent north to Buridava in slavery... So for the moment we have been able to treat our southern neigbors with kindness.

More troubling than the presence of the Odrysai was the news from the south they brought with them. A satrap from across the eastern sea has invaded southern Thrace and occupied all the lands between us and Macedon territory. These foriegners are from a land called Pontus. The Odrysai beg us to intervene and help them take back their lands.

Although the Odrysai are not Getai, it pains me to see foriegners treating Thracians like dogs, to be thrown from their lands at will or sold into slavery across the sea. However, I do not believe we yet have the strength to throw these strangers back into the sea.



I have taken the measured response of supplementing 'The 500' with an additional 300 light cavalry lancers. This new body of men is called 'The Army of the Southern Reaches'. Karnoban has been sent to patrol our southern border with this significant military deterrent. Let us hope it has the desired effect.

[paullus]

is this with .8 or .81? Didn't see that sort of Pontic expansion much in .8 but it seems a bit more common in .81.

EDIT: though I guess this has been going on longer than .81 has been out. DOH!

[Dooz]

Hey, very nice X. Just started (and finished) reading this one. Enjoyed it a lot, looking forward to more. Especially love the fact that you're using the traits to play, very cool. Could you give some more examples you can think of as to how your doing this? Specific things here and there.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Great AAR!

[Xtiaan72]

Paullis, Pontis surprised the hell out of me. Didn't expect to have to deal with that. It really threw a wrench in my plans.

Wonderland, Well for instance both Rhemaxos and Koson are selfish and disloyal. So I've portrayed that as them hating each other. Constantly jealous about the others accomplishment.

Or later in the story Karnaban gets really sick because I had to force march him all over the place. So I will work that into the story. Karnaban is also showing some command talent even though he is not very smart. So I will portray that as a grim determination to better himself.


Thanks for reading this and for the comments. I hope the story is getting better as it goes along. I Think I'm improving!

[Olaf The Great]

Before you tackle Pontus, I would recommend attacking the Crimerian Greeks with your Anti-Greek Guy(forgot name...) Would probably add to his hate for Rhexamios .

[Xtiaan72]

( 245 BC ) Two Unexpected Visitors

It was a bright, sunny day in the early summer when we received our first unexpected visitor at the court in Naissos. He was an Epirate General named Pyrrichos Aiekides. A likeable enough fellow but it was hard to believe that he had marched into our lands with three thousand men just to talk. Yet for all the military bluster it turned out to be a diplomatic mission.


The Treaty of Naissos is signed with Pyrrichos Aiekides

"Hail Rhemaxos wisest and most learned of the Getai. We come in peace. These men are here for my protection. Eastern dogs are about and they dare to call lands west of The Bosphoras their own."

" Hail Pyrrichos...What you say is true and if you indeed come in peace then you are welcome. Take these gifts for your king and let it be known that Thrace wishes friendship with all of Greece. Let trade and cooperation flourish between our nations for many years to come."

With those words the conference of Naissos was born and after many days of feasting and discussions deep into the night an agreement was reached. A treaty of trade and mutual defence. There was must joy throughout the land that the tenuous peace we were enjoying yet held. And much consternation in Buridava that even The Greeks knew who the real power in Thrace was. Not Koson but Rhemaxos.

Later that summer we received a message by horse from our southern border. Although Karnaban was unschooled, he had expressed interest in learning to read and write so I had assigned him several of my most trusted Greek retainers to teach him.

' An armed Pontic colomn moves towards Naissos. They claim to be a diplomatic mission. I am shadowing their movements with 'The Army of the Southern Reaches'. I am inclined to take them at their word unless they show otherwise or you have new orders for me'

- Karnoban

If these Pontic dogs intended to intimidate us with their 'Army' it had quite the opposite effect. Although their numbers were impressive, most of their host were half naked Galatians with shortswords and Hellenic pellist sell-swords. Not a force that would fair very well against 'The 500'. So we were content to shadow them and hear what these aggresive strangers from across the sea had to say.

" Greetings from my master, THE HIGH AND EXHAULTED ONE....We come to claim our property"

" And greetings to you, I am Rhemaxos and I speak for the Getai and all the free peoples of Thrace. Who is this master that has no name and what is this property you speak of?"

" My master is THE HIGH AND EXHAULTED ONE....Lord of all he desires. His name cannot be spoken even in his presence and to speak it in such a barbarian land would bring certain doom to the one who dared to speak it and to all who heard his name. This is forbidden. You have in your possession many of our slaves. They are Odrysai and they fled unlawfully into your lands. We demand their return and also monetary compensation for the great insult you have given to my master by harbouring our property."

" We cannot give you these people. They are Thracians with many ties to the Getai. The Odrysai are welcome here.... They are living in peace and working the farms left vacant after our war with The Tribali. Many have married free Getai men. To return them would bring us great dishonour. We do not seek conflict with your mysterious king but let it be known that he claims to possess lands that are Thracian by right. I offer the wieght of five men in gold to your master to leave our lands in peace. Perhaps an understanding can be reached that will be mutually beneficial."

The Pontic envoy hissed in his displeasure. His beady eyes could not hide his disdain for our entire nation.

" To utter your words in the presence of my master would bring me certain death. I will accept this gold as a down-payment on our property and I will leave you to think upon the wisdom of your position."

And with that the miserable sychophant left our court and began the long journey south with his host in tow. Karnaban continued to shadow his movements. We began to receive reports of other Pontic columns in out territory. And on the third day the envoy's column turned and fell upon Karnoban. Perhaps the despicable cur really could not give a report of such defiance to his master. Or perhaps his appearance at court was merely a ploy to get more troops into our territory safely. In any event their decision to make make war upon us was a disasterous one.


Pontic scouts get more than they bargained for.

Their lightly armed foot-soldiers were completely unprepared for the tactics of 'The 500'. Karnoban surprised even me by easily defeating column after column of their hapless troops. Two of his victories were so decisive that markers we left on the fields of battle to commemorate the terrible blows we inflicted upon our enemies. Karnoban's defence was stalwart and his attacks so relentless that our enemies were forced to retreat beyond our southern borders.

Karnoban paid a high price for his aggressive tactics. He fell deathly ill in the winter of 244. Still he wished to continue the attack. The battle hardened captains of 'The 500' would have none of it. The constant forced marches had finally taken their toll on the youth and 'The Army of the Southern Reaches' was compelled to build a winter fort on our southern border and confine their defiant commander to his bed. There they camped opposite a Pontic force that guarded the road to Tylis. And they prayed that their beloved young general would return from the brink of death.