The current vote seems ill-advised to me. As it stands, it's looking like we're going to spread out our colonists all throughout Eretria and the Epulian League. This negates the stability advantage of sending out angry metics who are dissatisfied with their place in the city out to the colonies by renewing the supply of angry metics; actually, it substantially increases that potential fifth column population in some areas such as Ankon. Then they're present as a network that forces hostile to us may rely on in each of our cities for much needed information, much as the planned Peuketii slave revolt from the first chapter. Furthermore, we leave our colonies in a relatively vulnerable state by not maximizing the number of people who are on them, particularly as Pharos has a large and restive population of barbaroi inclined to fight against us, and the Liburni may yet raid them to squish out such a provocative city in its most vulnerable infancy if it seems that they can get away with it to discourage further colonization attempts. We will not really be in a position to contest this if our triremes are all tied up for the next several years in trying to ferry the inhabitants of Kymai to who-knows-where from clear on the other side of Italy, let alone if we're in naval conflict with Rhegion or trying to raid the Campanian pastures from the sea as some have suggested; furthermore, with the Antipatrids and Exorians in power, we're not really lined up for Adriatic adventurism until the next elections.
I'd rather settle the inhabitants of Kymai together, in the new colony of Pharos. As full citizens in a league rather than their families being broken up and inducted to an underclass, their hatred will be lessened by the most it is possible under the circumstances; our Epulian League cities are left more stable, and Pharos has the greatest Hellenic settling population possible to render the new colony as impossible to dislodge. I admit that there is a question about the loyalty of these citizens to Eretria after having been pried from their homes, but consider this. Kerkyra is now at about the weakest state it has ever been; it is in no shape to launch some expedition to coup the island, not while it still recovers from its civil war and must provide Athens its due as a new member of the Delian League. For that matter, calling in Athens is rather unlikely we have had positive relations and worked to our mutual benefit as occurred just now in Sicily; it would lose Athens a precious source of grain and our positive ties to coup Pharos for the sake of Kerkyra which is already indebted to them anyway.
Furthermore, our unfettered immigration policy will soon begin to dilute them once it is demonstrated that this island is in fact safe by having that large initial population to ward off barbaroi attack. Consider how it was described when enacted:
Our immigration policy is practically tailor made to minimize this as a problem. We'd be initially be at 600/1200 on Pharos and 200/600 on Issa being of Lykai, but over the course of 24 years of funding whoever wants to settle on the Adriatic Dodecanese from all of our League's lands (potentially the citizens of Kymai as well) they will constitute a small minority. Furthermore as citizens with full membership of the League it will take quite the offer to convince them to betray us and risk their privileges that could easily be lost, while if they are despised Metics they have little to lose.
Heck, even IF they did betray us, they'd still have to serve the purpose we established for the colony. We launched this expedition to create a fortified position near the Liburni from which to threaten them and dampen the piracy that has plagued Adriatic trade; the people of Pharos will inherently have to fight Liburni piracy to make that part of the world bearable to live in, heading off the threat before it can build up to a level to cause Eretia harm, and creating an Adriatic more hospitable to Greeks by minimization of piracy inherently benefit Eretria. Even if we lose in that case (which as I said looks quite unlikely with every potential party to do it being otherwise occupied in the limited window available before our settlement policy makes it a non-issue), we win.
If instead the people of Pharos get butchered, though, that discourages further colonization and means we'll have a more hostile neighborhood. It doesn't matter how loyal the people of the island are if they end up dead. As such, here is my vote:
[x] [Colony] Pharos. The excellent natural harbor at Pharos would make it a fine place for a central Adriatic port, even if it has a larger indigenous population. [-40 talents of grain and construction costs, 600 colonists found Pharos, -100 pop from Eretria, 400 colonists found Issa, -50 pop from Eretria].
[x] [Lykai] Settle them in the new Illyrian colonies [+600 settlers in primary Illyrian colony, +200 in second Illyrian colony].
[x] [Kymai] We cannot risk such an expedition [-10 talents per turn until city falls or the siege is relieved by another power, Eretria will provide grain shipments to the city and ferry refugees wherever they wish. Chance of picking up some of Kymai's citizens at random].
I'm not personally inclined to save Kymai because it's waaaay on out there and I'd rather have valuable foreign policy slots open for other stuff I care more about that's less zany.
