Magna Graecia: Titanomachia (A City State Quest)

Cetashwayo said:

Every Eretrian with any degree of experience in the public eye had learned to be a strongman because of the demands that being a lifter placed on even the most pampered aristocrat. To be in the public eye meant one could lift heavy stones, and so around this culture had also arisen a physicality that, though known among all Hellenes, had been finetuned in Eretria. Discus-throwing, running, fighting and riding were all popular among the wealthy classes, and those middling men who could afford leisure on festival days enjoyed it as well in the gymnasia of the Ekdromoi, a plain but large collonaded courtyard, or the Pasture of the Exiles, where the Kleos Exoria kept their stables and spoke of politics or love, depending on the mood and the heat of the day (politics was less popular on hot summer days where tempers could easily flare, and the sight of men glistening with sweat also did much to lubricate discussions of love).

Among the most popular of Eretrian sports, besides the stone toss, was wrestling. Eretrian men had been winners of wrestling at the Olympic Games three times since landing, and the city had developed a Mediterranean reputation for the broad shoulders and rough disposition of its frontiersmen.

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"If you can't squat ten for ten by your twentieth summer, my boy, you don't have a future in politics..."

(This is legitimately the best thing.)

Cetashwayo said:

The bout was over quickly. Gorgos was heavier and larger than Mnemnon, but Mnemnon had the experience and ability to use this weight against him, ending their spar with a suplex that plummeted the king down to the ground to the cheers of his supporters and the roaring of the Peuketii. To soothe the tension, Mnemnon helped the king up, who embraced the xenoparakletor like a brother and lifted up his hand; from this day forward the two would become inseparable friends. This was a legendary match, to be immortalized in song, of the xenoparakletor who felled the king, but it is said that among the women of Eretria that the match was a peculiar example once more of the strange ways in which Hellene men work, where fights end in friendships but symposia in brawls. Obander called it an 'unnecessary display of absolute manliness', and few could figure out if he meant that in a positive or negative way.

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oh my god

this is the most adorable thing ever

BROS FOR LIFE

Portec said:

@Cetashwayo If the confederacy king gets to weak what trouble would we face? Beside a chance to get more control of the closer cities?

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Well obviously there could be infighting between Messapii cities.

I think it's a mistake to look upon the insurance itself as a direct profit centre for the city. We want it to be as available and as cheap as possible, to spur increasing amounts of Eretrian maritime trade, not strangle the trade in order to try and skim insurance premiums.

The Temple of Ploutous using its vast sacred treasury to branch into insurance opens the door to some really interesting things, which I really think we would like to pursue. Temples in Ancient Greece were basically the biggest holders of huge stable reserves of capital, which they have an interest in expanding. They can also afford to take a fairly long view, compared to assemblies or individual merchants.

If you were going to write a plausible alternate history on how Ancient Greece might develop rudimentary banking, this is how you would write it. The priests, especially of the god of trade, are by far the best placed of anyone to break into it, especially with the benefits of sacred tradition. Doubly so in Eretria right now, given our fairly mercantile stance.

The benefits to Eretrian commerce of fostering and encouraging this development could be immensely lucrative in the long run, and very exciting to watch unfold.

Ironanvil1 said:

The Eretrian Temples are kinda inherently part of Eretria. Having Ploutos handle the insurance defrays the direct risk to the polis finances of a bad run, and I'd suspect that ship owners are going to be a bit more hesitant to try and commit fraud on the gods than on the boule.

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That is a fair point, and the hazards (in the insurance sense) are not to be judged lightly.

Admiral Skippy said:

The Temple of Ploutous using its vast sacred treasury to branch into insurance opens the door to some really interesting things, which I don't think are being fully appreciated. Temples in Ancient Greece were basically the biggest holders of huge stable reserves of capital, which they have an interest in expanding. They can also afford to take a fairly long view, compared to assemblies or individual merchants.

If you were going to write a plausible alternate history on how Ancient Greece might develop rudimentary banking, this is how you would write it. The priests, especially of the god of trade, are by far the best placed of anyone to break into it, especially with the benefits of sacred tradition. Doubly so in Eretria right now, given our fairly mercantile stance.

The benefits to Eretrian commerce of fostering and encouraging this development could be immensely lucrative in the long run, and very exciting to watch unfold.

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Yeah, that's a fair point.

I think in-character Leukos the Accountant would be strongly in favor of a very complicated arrangement nobody else can follow that would probably work better with some math that isn't scheduled to be invented for a thousand years and that Leukos has not a glimmering of.

Erastus, son of Nicodemus stands slowly upon his rock to speak, feeling the early pangs of a cough. He would rather a cup of honey and lemon than to speak. But speak he must...

[x] [Insurance] Allow the Shrine of Ploutos to handle merchant insurance with state support [-20 talent one-time fee to Shrine of Ploutos].
"This matter of insurance could be delegated to the Temple. Who, if not those who know the will of the gods, would lay silent the greed of scrupulous men?"

[x] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
"It is all very well and good to pull coin rightfully owed from unwilling hands, but if I am to be frank then I will say that I would rather see Peuketti auxiliaries on the battlefield. The Illyrians grow arrogant, the Syrakousi grow truculent, and the Tarantines are war-hungry... I would rather raise six hundred men to our banner than count ourselves wealthy by dint of a few talents!"

[x] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
"Let the Peuketti come to us. Let us remind them of the bonds that bind us, and overawe them as we always have."

[x] [League] We have already conceded much to the Metics. The league can afford to wait a few years [Special League policies in 349 OL election platforms].
"Our Epulian kinsmen can wait a while, until we have our own house in order. We have not minded our neighbors as well as we have our own family, that is true. But no man is best served with haste, and neither is the polis."

[x] [Alliance] Better to conclude secret treaties with some cities without raising the specter of war with Taras.
"A pox on Taras and all who dwell within it! And yet… the time of war has not yet come. We must make allies, and make them in secret so that those horse-fuckers do not find cause to war early."

[x] [King] Better to keep the Confederacy weak and potentially reliant on Eretrian direction.
"The Messapii serve better cowed than strong. They have not yet earned the privileges of the Peuketti, and that is a fault of their fathers' doing. I will not let them piss our gold as they wish."

Most of the "public" lands of the city will also be administered in a similar fashion in the name of the gods, so it's a pretty natural fit.
Though I wonder at the temple of Posiedon not wanting involved.

Ironanvil1 said:

Most of the "public" lands of the city will also be administered in a similar fashion in the name of the gods, so it's a pretty natural fit.
Though I wonder at the temple of Posiedon not wanting involved.

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Too busy setting up an earthquake insurance fund, I bet.

[X] [Insurance] Allow the Shrine of Ploutos to handle merchant insurance with state support [-20 talent one-time fee to Shrine of Ploutos].
[x] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
[X] [League] We have already conceded much to the Metics. The league can afford to wait a few years [Special League policies in 349 OL election platforms].
[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Better to keep the Confederacy weak and potentially reliant on Eretrian direction.

[X] [Insurance] Accept full responsibility for the insurance of merchants against the loss of their ships [-4 public upkeep per turn].
[x] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
[X] [League] We have already conceded much to the Metics. The league can afford to wait a few years [Special League policies in 349 OL election platforms].
[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Promote King Artahias as a strong leader for the Confederacy to lead it against Taras and keep the peace with Eretria [-15 talent fee].

Hear me O Eretrians! We have assembled today to hear the testimony of the xenoparakletor and proboulos in regards to the issues that face us this year. Pirates as of late have begun to rear their ugly heads, threatening the trade of the city and the livelihoods of some of its best men! It is only fitting that the city as a whole seek to insure these men of arete for as they lead from the front and spill blood for the city, so shall the city then pay them back, so insuring that they may stand in the phalanx and lead us to victory. On the subject of our Pueketii subjects, better over 600 fighting men, barbaroi though they may be, than a further 2 talents a year, especially given that Italia is a land of conflict and war. Onto the subject of the League, as others have stated, not only have we given much to the metics, but also the polis requires time to evaluate the situation and from there, determine the best course of action for reform. If we are to jump headlong into such things at a time when we are probably going to be in conflict with the Tarentines, then what will result?

On that note, it is only logical that we align ourselves with the Messapii and elevate Artahias. The barbaroi are of no use to us against Taras if they are divided, and given that, Artahias represents a strong leader we can treat with and shares common interests in warring down the Tarentines.

So speaks Sarpedon, son of Sarpedon.

[X] [Insurance] Set large limitations on state insurance and have merchants pay a fee for insurance. [-2 public upkeep per turn].
[X] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
[X] [League] We have already conceded much to the Metics. The league can afford to wait a few years [Special League policies in 349 OL election platforms].
[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Promote King Artahias as a strong leader for the Confederacy to lead it against Taras and keep the peace with Eretria [-15 talent fee].

[X] [Insurance] Allow the Shrine of Ploutos to handle merchant insurance with state support [-20 talent one-time fee to Shrine of Ploutos].
[X] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
[X] [League] Let us listen to the concerns of our Hellene allies [League Synedrion will be called next year].
[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Better to keep the Confederacy weak and potentially reliant on Eretrian direction.

Fellow citizens, trust is the thing that binds together all the fragile works of men. If it were not for trust, we would be nothing more than naked beasts in the field, digging for our supper. It is because we can trust one another to fulfill our obligations that we may finance ships, build leagues and make alliances.

There is no storehouse for the security of our trading ships and intrepid merchant captains more trustworthy than the sacred treasury of the Shrine of Ploutos . To claim otherwise is blasphemy! Moreover, it is foolishness, for the Priests of Ploutos are bound by sacred oath, and have every interest to see such a venture succeed. A pious city shall also be a prosperous city.

So too with our Peuketii friends. Long has our alliance prospered, and both we and these hairy butter-eaters have grown strong and wealthy on peace. When our bold Xenoparakletor Memnon went to see their King Gorgos, and bested that giant in an honourable contest of strength as Patroclus might Achilles, did the noble savage show resentment? No, he acted with great dignity and friendship, and when it was pointed out that their tribute was underdue, he was only too happy to offer to make up the difference with many stout Peuketii spears!

Trust and good faith on their side should be met with trust on our own; this is the soil in which true friendship and camraderie blooms. If the Pueketii do attempt to deceive us, they will be found out within a few years, and they must know this, so they would be fools to try. But it is churlish to think of such things. Let our alliance grow ever stronger, like the manly friendship of Memnon and Gorgos!

As for the complaints our fellow League cities, it is true, we have listened to many entreaties from foreigners in our lands in the last few years, and it is easy to grow weary of such talk. Yet there is merit in some of what they say. If our League is to become a true family, binding together all the Hellenes of Italia together in strength and prosperity, with Eretria sitting atop the table as the pious father and protector, then it must be a true family! Like a stern but devoted father, we must make time to hear our children's endless nagging, even though we are weary.

Lastly, we come to the Mesapii. These people have not been our friends in the past, and we must remember this. Yet we must also remember that Taras will never be our friend, and is the more fearsome. It is tempting to wish to wait, or to nibble Mesapii cities off at the edges like cheese crumbs. But the contest with Taras is inevitable, and waiting will not make the task any lighter! Let us seek the contest on our terms, with Mesapii allies, whilst we are not distracted!

We will humble Taras if they attempt further agression, and then the Mesapii cities will all look upon us as their protector, as it is right that they should.

This King Artahias though, however silver-tongued he may be, is not a trustworthy ally. It is clear that he is a man who serves more than one master, whether Athenai or his own design. Such men cannot ever be bought, only rented, and often for a steep price. Suppose we unite the Mesapii under an ambitious King, and subdue Taras, only to see that King then turn on us, with a united Mesapii league! Would that not be the height of folly, and executed by our own hand? A man gripped by hubris will dare any thing, and so I say, no.

So speaks Arktos, son of Arktos Arkadios.

[X] [Insurance] Allow the Shrine of Ploutos to handle merchant insurance with state support [-20 talent one-time fee to Shrine of Ploutos].
[x] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
[X] [League] We have already conceded much to the Metics. The league can afford to wait a few years [Special League policies in 349 OL election platforms].
[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Better to keep the Confederacy weak and potentially reliant on Eretrian direction.

Just to make it clear, the only "downside" to letting the Temple of Ploutos do the insurance is that any profit will accrue to the temple rather than the city directly.
In exchange we divest the city of responsibility for any losses.

But since it's still an Eretrian temple, the worst case scenario for the "downside" is we wind up with the blingiest Temple of Ploutos in the world.

I would propose that if the Temple of Ploutos be made the arbiter of merchant insurance, as they request, that the Mint be made responsible for ensuring their good faith. While I would never dare gainsay the Gods, for I am a pious man and am fearful of their wrath, the priests are but men as I am. While the priests today propose this in good faith, who can say of the priests of tomorrow. Perhaps one day they might bring in a deceitful man who would trick them, stealing from the Gods and those who are cultists of the Gods, in order to make themselves wealthy. The wrath of the Gods would be swift, but how would they not avenge our Polis, for being lax in our diligence? Permitting such near-do-wells from stealing from what is theirs.

Let the Mint be given oversight over these endeavors, ensuring their good faith, and the accuracy of their accounts and ledgers, so that no man may trick them and steal that which is theirs.

Who would lift my stone?

So say I, Demetrius son of Arkadios the Fisherman.

[X] [Insurance] Allow the Shrine of Ploutos to handle merchant insurance with state support [-20 talent one-time fee to Shrine of Ploutos].
[X] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
[X] [League] Let us listen to the concerns of our Hellene allies [League Synedrion will be called next year].
[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Better to keep the Confederacy weak and potentially reliant on Eretrian direction.

Professor Vesca said:

I would propose that if the Temple of Ploutos be made the arbiter of merchant insurance, as they request, that the Mint be made responsible for ensuring their good faith. While I would never dare gainsay the Gods, for I am a pious man and am fearful of their wrath, the priests are but men as I am. While the priests today propose this in good faith, who can say of the priests of tomorrow. Perhaps one day they might bring in a deceitful man who would trick them, stealing from the Gods and those who are cultists of the Gods, in order to make themselves wealthy. The wrath of the Gods would be swift, but how would they not avenge our Polis, for being lax in our diligence? Permitting such near-do-wells from stealing from what is theirs.

Let the Mint be given oversight over these endeavors, ensuring their good faith, and the accuracy of their accounts and ledgers, so that no man may trick them and steal that which is theirs.

Who would lift my stone?

So say I, Demetrius son of Arkadios the Fisherman.

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I, Ajax would like to point out to you brother, that the Mint has already given assurances they would strive to avoid the controversy visited upon the Temples by the impiety and greed of the Priests who served our forefathers.

Ironanvil1 said:

@Cetashwayo would the Temple of Pluotus have oversight from the Mint, given that the huge financial scandal of the Eretrian Temples was only a generation or so ago?

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Cetashwayo said:

1. Yes.

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Let us not forget that even those who are supposed to serve the gods are but men, that I can agree with you upon, but also let us not forget that we are not fools, and the Mint's service and common sense should not go unrecognised!

[X] [Insurance] Allow the Shrine of Ploutos to handle merchant insurance with state support [-20 talent one-time fee to Shrine of Ploutos].

Fundamentally, the role of the polis is to spend money, not to preserve it; any money not spent is merely being held so that a greater amount can be spent later. This insurance money, ideally, would never be spent and would simply accumulate without end; thus, it would properly fall into the domain of the God of Wealth, whose treasures are not spent willingly but rather are extracted by his own ill luck that mortal men can discover and empty his hidden hoards. And what else can produce a payment of insurance but ill luck?

[X] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].

Money does not bind men together. Oh, it may provide splendid toys with which to play, and splendid goods with which to craft feasts and follies alike, but without trust between men a coin of gold or silver is no more than a particularly shiny pebble which can be stolen or altered at one's leisure. No, that which binds men is the sharing of sweat and labor, be it in the spirit of harmonious cooperation or splendid rivalry. Let these bonds spread ever further among the Peuketti, and they will not dream of casting off their ties to us, for a man who turns away from the enemy to strike down his own brothers in arms is no true man at all. And barbaroi though they may be, the Peuketii are also true men.

[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].

Shackles forcibly imposed are a constant reminder that you are a mere slave to the one who chained you. Shackles freely taken are a constant reminder that you chose to put on bracelets that morning. One of these is much more likely to induce a sense of contentment with your place in the world than the other.

[X] [League] Let us listen to the concerns of our Hellene allies [League Synedrion will be called next year].

If the foremost concern of our fellow Epulians is that they feel less like members of a Hellenic league and more like satrapies of a Median kingdom, I suspect that telling them to wait in silence while the demes of Eretria decide what to do with them will have as its primary accomplishment the conversion of their suspicions into certainty. Given the conflagration presently engulfing all of Hellas and the varied threats nearer to our home, convincing our fellow Epuliotes that their only hope for freedom is rebellion against our city seems distinctly unwise.

As for the potential complaints of our fellow Eretrians at making concessions to our League, well... my recent visit to Salapia has given me some thoughts as to how to placate them.

[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.

Better to bring the whole loaf into our pantry now than to scrabble for whatever crumbs the Tarentines leave in their wake.

[X] [King] Better to keep the Confederacy weak and potentially reliant on Eretrian direction.

I have at least as much faith in our strategoi to guide the Messapii against Taras as I do in any Messapii king that might stake such claim. More importantly, I have far more faith in our strategoi to not attempt to guide a knife into Eretria's throat.

Thus speaks Methodios, son of Pelagios.

"Kallias, renowned in the polis for his wisdom, once said that a truly great city is stingy only with the lives of its citizens. By this my grand-uncle meant the true wealth of Eretria was to be found in its people. Gold and silver will come and go out of the treasury as needed. Citizens bring in that wealth with their efforts, and citizens use that wealth to the benefit of our city. And still the more, free citizens fighting to prove their arete in our phalanx are the solid foundation of our glory and security. Ten talents of gold are not to be missed so much as one stalwart citizen.

I speak thus as it is true among the barbaroi as well. And so we should take their levies rather than their gold. They are a proud people, though much humbled through our strength. To hand over the wealth of tribute rankles them. To increase the amount of wealth they must surrender will rankle them further. But to offer their brave young men a chance to earn glory and spoils at our side? This will appeal to their manhood. And should we suffer a reverse, they too will suffer that reverse.

And we must consider the situation surrounding us. To the north, we face the Dauni. To the east, pirates threaten our trade. In the south, Taras has no reason to wish us well. To the west, we have the obligation of maintaining the freedom of Hellene cities against Syracuse. And in the seas around us we find the Corinthians ever present. We face uncertainty, save that Ares will bring war to us sooner or later. When that comes six hundred Peuketti auxiliaries will be worth far more than two talents a year in extra tribute.

Thus does Phokion son of Aristedes think best."

[X] [Insurance] Allow the Shrine of Ploutos to handle merchant insurance with state support [-20 talent one-time fee to Shrine of Ploutos].
[x] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
[X] [League] We have already conceded much to the Metics. The league can afford to wait a few years [Special League policies in 349 OL election platforms].
[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Better to keep the Confederacy weak and potentially reliant on Eretrian direction.

[X] [Insurance] Accept full responsibility for the insurance of merchants against the loss of their ships [-4 public upkeep per turn].
To fully supply insurance will give us a better reputation abroad, and create a competitive advantage feedback loop as more and more merchants feel safe docking with us. In addition it further increases investment in this sector by our own merchants.

[X] [Tribute] Talents. Better to receive coin and kind from the Peuketii in order to help fund the city's ventures [Peuketii tribute increases to 13.1 talents per turn].
And this covers the upkeep of the insurance.

[X] [Collection] Dispatch inspectors to them. Better for our agents to be among them in order to catch any sign of suspicion or plotting than to hope the barbaroi will always keep us in good stead [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].[/QUOTE]
Dispatching inspectors allows us to better monitor the situation, and if need be keep troublemakers away.

[X] [League] Let us listen to the concerns of our Hellene allies [League Synedrion will be called next year]
By doing so we look magnanimous, and foster traditions of settling things peacefully, at least with other Greeks. Doing so gives us a freer hand to deal with barbaroi more aggressively.

[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Better to keep the Confederacy weak and potentially reliant on Eretrian direction.

Which puts us in the position of kingmaker later on, particularly if our economy remains strong and the bribes are ready.

[X] [Insurance] Allow the Shrine of Ploutos to handle merchant insurance with state support [-20 talent one-time fee to Shrine of Ploutos].

While I wasn't the biggest fab of focusing on trade that heavily and still think it could easily leave us in quite a difficult situation in a conflict with other naval powers, of which there are many, it seems pretty clear to me that sea-trade has become a central element for the prosperity of our city. Therefore it makes sense to strengthen the trade and perhaps even develop some new economic ideas regarding risk etc. which could be nice. A state supported efforts makes some sense and wouldn't be the worst idea, especially since it would probably gives us/whoever is in power an additional lever to steer trade, but the temple idea seems both more fitting to the era and also being a way to strengthen the rather desolate cultural output/position of our city. Plus with it at least normally being out of our hands it might be easier to expand the insurance to our other league members or metics plus makes direct political meddling somewhat harder.


[X] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].

Money would be nice but with turbulent times coming up I suspect that the soldiers will be worth more and they are certainly less of a burden on our italian allies, hopefully giving them fewer reasons to think of rebellion or the like.



And I am torn on the Messapii question, an alliance with them secure our southern border in the near/medium future but I am unsure if an open conflict with Taras is worth that price. As the post says there is the possibility of a two front war, especially since any conflict with Taras is unlikely to be a short one, and while the news from sicily seem good so far I really fear that the two front war could escalate into a three front war or even four front war if the pirates or somebody else capitalises on our weakness which could be the end of our ambitions or at least political independence since we would probably need to make another costly political deal with one of the other major greek factions to survive such an encirclement. Therefore as much as I dislike it I would rather focus on getting what cities/allies we can get and hopefully have enough time to deal with the dauni and co before taras has finished dealing with the Messapi.

[X] [Alliance] Better to conclude secret treaties with some cities without raising the specter of war with Taras.

[X] [Insurance] Set large limitations on state insurance and have merchants pay a fee for insurance. [-2 public upkeep per turn].
[X] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
[X] [League] Let us listen to the concerns of our Hellene allies [League Synedrion will be called next year].
[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Promote King Artahias as a strong leader for the Confederacy to lead it against Taras and keep the peace with Eretria [-15 talent fee].

Another important aspect of the inspectors vs festivals thing is that the inspectors would be absurdly vulnerable to corruption.

[X] [Insurance] Set large limitations on state insurance and have merchants pay a fee for insurance. [-2 public upkeep per turn].
[X] [Tribute] Levies. More Peuketii allies in the cavalry and light infantry will serve to augment's the city's armies [+2.5% levy from the Peuketii, +654 Levies].
[X] [Collection] Have them come to us. We can maintain a bond of trust with the tributaries without impinging in their private affairs and expand the festival of tribute to build fraternal feeling. [-2 public subsidy upkeep per year].
[X] [League] Let us listen to the concerns of our Hellene allies [League Synedrion will be called next year].
[X] [Alliance] Accept a full defensive alliance with the Messapii Confederacy.
[X] [King] Promote King Artahias as a strong leader for the Confederacy to lead it against Taras and keep the peace with Eretria [-15 talent fee].