Re: The Kings of Land's End: A Lusitani AAR
Chapter 1: From the Ashes, Part 2 - The Turduli
Tantalos sat upon his horse as it slowly began climbing yet another hill. As he made his way to the largest city among the Turduli in the West, Tantalos couldn't help but be amazed at how far he had come. A lot had changed in the ten years since that eventful raid on his village. His father's predictions had proved right, his rule was contested as several men rose up in contention of Tantalos's claim tot he throne.
Thankfully Tantalos's family connections, and the experienced soldiers of his father ensured that the inevitable fighting which ensued went largely in his favor, and after a year, he found himself in command of his entire village. Once his rivals had been dealt with, he could finally get to business with what he had envisioned.
His first order of business was to improve the village. He established a system in which the local villagers were to be trained in the art of fighting, so that every day there would be sentries posted on the outskirts of town. The villagers were not happy about this suggestion initially, but came around to it once Tantalos promised them a means to care for their farms and flocks while they were away.
Tantalos's next order of business was to provide for proper defenses within the town. To do this, he ordered a wall built around the perimeter of the town. While this was being done, Tantalos began personally traveling to the local villages trying to garner support and extend his influence.
Some villages came willingly into the fold, impressed by stories of the young chieftain's exploits, and eager to obtain the assurances of protection which he promised. Others were not so easy. There were a few villages which demanded something. Maybe a few slaves here, some gold there. Whatever the cost, Tantalos was always provided, and the local chieftains respected him for it. Not every village went so smoothly, however. Some were not so willing to part with the influence and power they had come to enjoy. These villages, unfortunately had to be coerced by force, and, although he was successful, and the fighting whipped his soldiers into a well-trained fighting force, he did regret the loss of lives on both sides. However, Tantalos also found that by taking villages by force, others were further awed by his power and came into the fold more willingly.
All this had taken him ten long years. It wasn't easy work; he knew it wouldn't be from the outset, but he felt that now it was all paying off, for now The Lusitani were a force to be reckoned with. No longer was his home town of Oxtraca an lone seed, exposed to the whims of nature, but a well covered nut, powerful enough to withstand anything which came his way. No longer were his people subject to the desires of others, forced to do as ordered or suffer consequences. Now the tables had turned.
Tantalos smiled as his mind shifted to his family. He thought of his son, Latronos, now ten years old. He could see the boy running through the fields outside of town with other children his age, fighting one another, aspiring to be what their fathers were. Tantalos chuckled hesitantly, for he knew that in a few years the games would be real. He had seen plenty of parents lose their children to war over the years, and now feared that one day he would be that parent.
Tantalos's thoughts then turned to his wife. Although ten years had passed since their wedding night, she hadn't lost a speck of her beauty. She had conceived almost immediately, Tantalos believed that it may have even been on that very night before everything had changed, for surely enough, nine moths later, the happy couple was blessed with Latronos. Although Tantalos was discouraged that they had been unable to conceive again since then, Tantalos was admittedly relieved; Latronos had caused his mother so much trouble and pain. Tantalos dreaded having to see her go through that again.
Tantalos was suddenly snapped from his reverie by a tugging on his leg. He peered down to see a member of his retinue, Caro. Tantalos smiled, acknowledging his servant's presence. "Sire, we're almost there", he said, "Just over this hill we should be able to see the city of Olisipo." Tantalos nodded, and then shifted uneasily on his horse; he was nervous.
He had been feeling this way since he started his long trek to the sea and the Turduli. He tried several times to shake it off, but knew he couldn't. The reason for his nervousness was obvious: in the past he had dealt simply with small chieftains, men who feared and respected him, men he could normally push around. But the Turduli were different. Here now was a kingdom, a kingdom which encompassed an area as large as his own kingdom's. These were a people who were secure, who didn't need the simple protection of a rural thug, a proud people who would not part with their freedom easily. "No," Tantalos thought to himself, "this is a group that needs to be treated with respect. And by the time I get to those city gates, I sure as hell better have a few good reasons why they should join with me."
So Tantalos retreated back within his mind. He had always used meditation like this to keep his mind off the looming problem, and he often found that by meditating on the intricacies of a problem, the bigger parts tended to be solved with them. And so, as the party reached the crest of that final hill, Tantalos's mind raced and found several reasons. They weren't excellent, he felt, but they would do. "Yes," he whispered to himself.
He opened his eyes and was struck by what he saw. The party reached the top of the hill, and now Tantalos could see down the hill into the valley of green below. He followed it further down until his eyes met the city itself, it was the largest he had ever seen before. He reckoned that he could fit at least two or three villages within the confines of that wall. Within the wall was thousands of little buildings which, while seeming small now, Tantalos knew must be considerably larger in person. He took a few minutes to trace out the streets of the city with his eyes, watching the hustle and bustle of the inhabitants as he would ants in an anthill. Finally, his eyes moved further out into the horizon where he saw the vast, limitless extent of the ocean glimmering in the sun. It was a sight he had never seen before, a sight so moving he could not put it into words, or if he did, it would take him a thousand years to describe completely. Suddenly his mind shifted back to the task at hand, and he snapped the rest of the men from their awestruck trances and led them on towards the city. "My very future," he thought, "lays down there, and with their King. The future fortunes of both myself, and my people lays in the hands of one man." It was a thought that Tantalos did not like at all.
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Originally Posted by Vasiliyi
from me.
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