Of Mail and Men

[gamegeek2]

Chapter III: Yavana: Friend or Foe? (Maybe Both...)

- Winter of 270 - (Somehow there's not much snow...)

Baktra truly is the "golden lighthouse" that was promised. But the Yavanas, despite their obvious technological advances, were strange, especially their treatment of less wealthy folk. The miners at least got paid in portion of what they extracted from the earth. A slightly more level society was established, where nobles were not so far above the people as they were before. While we tried keeping the town as a sort of vassal, reforms were clearly needed. The "Baktrioi" didn't mind our new reforms too much, except that the natives were their equals now (socially, too), and so were we. They said it reminded them of their "poleis" back in "Hellas" (sounds like "hell." I hope they're different...)

The guys here are kinda rude. Sexist at least, comparatively, women are (usually) equals in our society, despite them rarely being as good warriors as the men; their abilities are equally as important to our society, and we recognize this. Many of them were "klerouchikoi" from Hellas and brought old-style armour with them, with six-packs specially molded in the stuff. At least it's nice bronze protection; they use it for war also. The guys parade around in the streets once they're done with their daily work on the farm or in the shop, and fight like "hoplitai" with each other. Some of them come in on horses, with similar spears.

One day, they came around to our area and started drooling at me. Geez, haven't they ever seen long, red(-dish) hair before? Well, I figured I'd better write down what they said for my Yavana language studies.
"
"Ezetάste τe mαkriά kόkkine trίcha tes!"

"Apό Zeus, tes prοkletikeis!"

"Pairno ten prote dokimei!"

"Hochi, e pόrne mου!"

And they started fighting. I figured I'd better talk to them in the little Yavana I knew...

"Tύpoi, edo!"

They didn't listen. I had to just rip off from other Yavanas now.

"Εlate edo ean thelete na erthete se sexoualike epaphe me me" I said in a 'sweet' voice, not knowing what it meant, but knowing it always got men's attention.

It worked. Now the plan was in place...

They came over here with shouts of "Tha me pantrepsete?" 'Pantrepsete' meant '[you] marry.' Geez, I'm only 14. When do these people marry anyways?

"Εan me thelete, prepei na me nikesete!" Atalanta's challenge. 'If you want me, you must defeat me.' "Eton agona, enas se enan chrono," I said, to specify that they must beat me in combat, one at a time.

"Tes akribos ena kοritsi!" they said, and they wrestled to see who went first. Meanwhile, I grabbed my armour, bow (Finally, I can pull it! Those Yavana gymnasia helped alot...), and (blunted) xiston (didn't want to kill these guys and I can't use a kontos yet; they're too heavy...). I also fitted a scale covering ("kataphraktos" style) over his body and chest, and his head got some metal protection. My armour was specially made oversized, so I could grow into it, and for a female; my helmet was of an evolved "Boiotian" style.

It was an amusing scene when I returned to the agora/plaza complex to battle. The guys were all naked, dressing in their armour, and immediately dropped what they had. Some laughed at my armour, which was probably unfamiliar to them; it had scale and (literally) breastplate, along with lamellar armguards, etc. Others wolf-whistled or fainted. One of them, who was clearly first, said (I brought my Yavana translator this time) "Whatever. I can fight just as well mounted." The loser mounted some 'Makedonian' horse and grabbed a blunted spear intended for practice. He pulled his helmet ('Korinthios' style) down. It was rather outrageous, with a plume running from top to the bottom of the back. I laughed at him, and pulled out my bow.

It was like those love chases that you hear of in stories, except the girl is shooting arrows at the guy. He was dumbfounded, shouting "No Fair!" as arrows bounced off his shield. Finally, one found its mark, landing on the knee, and he fell off of his horse. Sucker.

The rest of the guys suffered a similar fate, and the street was soon strayed with KO'd teenage boys. Seriously. Then, someone emerged from his house, and said "Fine, I'll fight you, Asysaninu." How'd he know my name?

He stood on foot, with spear and - bow? Very un-Yavana. Just like mine, too. He winked at me, and hit me on the arm with an arrow. I was tired and jumped down, saying: "Whatever. But just a date."

It turned out the guy wasn't one of those opium-smokers lying KO'd or in the Asklepion. He called himself 'Andronikos' and he was rather nice, and conversed with me on the difference between our two cultures. We had to use lots of hand gestures to properly communicate, but this fostered our knowledge of each others' tongues. He said that the 'Hellenic' (Yavana) culture often downplayed women as inferior to men, and that, after he met nomads like us (before we conquered Baktria, too!) that he didn't understand why the couldn't be social equals. We discussed war, military tactics, history, etc. and even played a game where different-colored rocks represented different types of soldiers. He apologized for the wound as well, but he said that he wanted to meet me.

I had come that night armed and unsure. I left with a new friend.