Wolves of Zalmoxis (Getai AAR)

[deadmeat36]

Hes doing better than me in the views to replys ration

Hes about 2:1 against me

[Zim]

Hes doing better than me in the views to replys ration

Hes about 2:1 against me

That's because when you actually comment on the lack of replies in your thread, people feel guilty about reading without leaving comments, and start replying. Then people reply to those comments, and sometimes it can snowball.

[deadmeat36]

and its rolling as I speak :P

but to get back on topic as I said before good AAR keep it up

[Laevex]

Chapter 3: The Prophet's Blessing

In the winter of 264BC the plunder from Singidunum had well and truly run out and the Basileus began to realise that in order to support his army, they must constantly be raiding other tribes and stealing their wealth. This was not a cost-effective way of raising money but Zamlodegikos was stubbornly set on eventually establishing a peaceful means of funding the tribe and saw this only as a phase, somehow thinking that if he invested the money raised by war in economic policy then eventually the province of Getia would be able to support itself and its army without these aggressive forays. Besides, the Basileus enjoyed the fear that other tribes were beginning to feel for the grim wolves of the Getai.

A large army was sent north to the cousins of the Getai - the Agathyrsi - with the intention of bleeding their rich land dry of its wealth. The forces were lead once more by Oroles, backed up by his son and another general. 600 of the 800 komatai were experienced warriors from the previous raids and had won great renown.A battle ensued at Sarmiszegethusa that would turn out to be a memorable day in the history of the tribe.



The battle was a disastrous defeat due to the enemy's superior cavalry and the lack of Getic spearmen. The Getic army, despite having fought like true wolves, was obliterated. Both Orodes and young Brasos joined their brothers and holy Zalmoxis in the afterlife that day, leaving the Getai shamed and without any military forces to defend their lands. Gyrazi - a hero of the Sarmiszegethusai and a giant of a man - was rumoured to have killed both Orodes and Brasos of the Getai in combat as well as single-handedly holding a pass leading to the town square for ten minutes. The Agathyrsi bragged to others that it was they who had put an end to the devastating raids of the Getai and had a statue built of Orodes cowering under the blade of Gyrazi in their town square to comemorate the day.

The only way the country could now afford to raise a new host of warriors was to risk attack by disbanding all its remaining warriors and building up its funds through trade. This was a dark time for the Getai.



The next few years passed slowly for the people of Getia as they lived in constant fear of attacks from their Gallic-governed neighbours with no hope of defence. However, the Averni king seemed not to realise the opportunity of conquest that lay to the east as he was preoccupied with the war against the rival Gallic tribes - surely a blessing from Zalmoxis.

The funds of the nation rose in these years, with markets being built to boost peaceful trade. The people became wealthier than ever before. It seemed that Zalmodegikos' ideas had finally worked to some extent, although only through peace could poverty be avoided.



At the age of 71, Zalmodegikos died peacefully in his palace. His funeral was a great celebration of the Basileus' life and many stories were told of the great battles earlier in his life, where he lead the brave wolves of Getia against the vicious Skythai and the proud Odrysai.

Koson, son of the bloody Oroles was crowned the new Basileus.



In his childhood his father had not been present, busy at war with the surrounding peoples and Koson had developed a disgust for the warlord's cruelty and bloodlust. Koson favoured peace over war, but had seen battle in the last years of Oroles' life and had proved himself a competant warrior nonetheless.

The new ruler agreed on the whole with Zalmodegikos' policies, but saw the discontent in the population with no army to protect them. He began immediately to raise an army of strong and brave warriors from the many honourable men of the Getai.

By the end of 259BC Koson had mustered a fairly numerous host of warriors but, as the previous Basileus had found, the army could not be supported by the money raised in Getia alone. To the north lay Sarmiszegethusa - the town that Oroles had failed to conquer. Koson marched his army towards it, openly declaring the attack as an act of revenge for his father's death. His real motives however were numerous. Firstly, the province of the Agathyrsi was rich with resources such as precious metals and stone which would be very useful to bolster the nation's funds. The area was also home to Kogaionon - the holy mountain of Zalmoxis. Koson was a devout man and believed that if the holy place was under his rule, his nation would be truely blessed by Zalmoxis and would flourish under his leadership. Koson's third reason for this attack was to prove to his subjects that he was a noble warrior and a competant general, contrary to the beliefs of the masses.



The battle was a grand success and the people of Sarmiszegethusa accepted Koson's rule relatively happily once Skorillo - their tyrannical Basileus - had been killed. The wolves of the army had earned respect for their new ruler, as had many of the people of Getia.



With the ample funds of Getia Koile flowing into the coffers of the nation, the Getai began to flourish as a nation reunited. Koson continued building the land's economic capabilities and established trade across the newly-expanded kingdom. Poverty was almost eradicated and the people were happy. The land was safe too, as Koson's honorable men could now be kept at arms to defend from any attacks on the Getai. The armies of the country spent their time as a now professional force training and defending Getia from small raiding parties and bandits and became well ordered and effective in battle. Soon the army was feared across the Balkans.

Zalmoxis had surely blessed Koson's nation and he devoted many days of the calendar to thanksgiving festivals to the great prophet-god as a reminder of the importance of religion, for the Basileus feared the populace would get complacent and forget who had brought them to this relaxed state of affairs.