Second, when choosing a younger brother, it was said that we would never surpass Alexander. It turns out that we can push Alexander to expand his boundaries with the help of our own reinforcement?
I assume that the first opportunity is learning from the mother, the second from Aristotle, and the third is experiments on prisoners (which are blocked because of compassion)?
I assume that the first opportunity is learning from the mother, the second from Aristotle, and the third is experiments on prisoners (which are blocked because of compassion)?
Speaking of difficulty in messing with canon, how easy would it be for us to prevent Alexander from meeting Diogenes? Would it be easy enough that we might do so on accident? If so, how do we avoid that? The meeting with Diogenes is something I would very much like to happen.
Speaking of difficulty in messing with canon, how easy would it be for us to prevent Alexander from meeting Diogenes? Would it be easy enough that we might do so on accident? If so, how do we avoid that? The meeting with Diogenes is something I would very much like to happen.
Ranks mostly go from untrained to Legendary, they do not give much in the way of bonuses yet, until we reach the point where we are going to be in battle.
By the way, a question about Alexander. I remember hearing somewhere that his mother had been telling him about his divine origin since childhood, after his successful conquests, he became convinced of his divinity, which, against the background of everything else, strongly undermined his rationality. Will this kind of mother influence be the canon for your quest?
By the way, a question about Alexander. I remember hearing somewhere that his mother had been telling him about his divine origin since childhood, after his successful conquests, he became convinced of his divinity, which, against the background of everything else, strongly undermined his rationality. Will this kind of mother influence be the canon for your quest?
Yes… kinda. See with Neos birth there was a change.
See because Neo was neglected and has poor self esteem, with emotional abuse on the side from their mother….
Good ole Alex is not only angered by the divinity that his mother has forced upon him… but by keeping his own younger brother out of it, it has made him think less of her and that itself has led to the brothers close relationship, which has only grown stronger since Philip has decide that Neo cannot be babied any more and Neo has found something he is truely good at, that being his legendary horsemenship.
Now both boys have no reservations that they are destined for great things and that the gods themselves are seeing their destiny with great interest.
The only problem there is… will Neo actually gather the confidence to follow his brother to the ends of the earth.
And if he does, will he lose that closeness that he has with his brother due to his conquests.
Without detracting from Alexander's rhetorical skill, but didn't he do it practically by deception?
This should probably slightly reduce the impression of this feat of eloquence.
Without detracting from Alexander's rhetorical skill, but didn't he do it practically by deception?
This should probably slightly reduce the impression of this feat of eloquence.
While the Princes Were Away, the Paeonian Was Training
It burned at Diomedes that he had been left behind while the King's army marched to war. Watching from the walls as the columns of men and horses marched north to make war against the hated Thracians. In times past, the Agrianes were subject to the Odrysian Thracians, but joined hands with Makedon to throw of the Thracian yoke in exchange for their strength of arms. Diomedes could not help but be disappointed that he had been excluded from sating the ancient grudge of his people, but Bampas had been clear. "It is not your time to see battle, my son."
In lieu of war, Diomedes would train with the other youths left behind. As the primary weapon of the Agrianians, the javelin was the most practiced. Bampas had a special kind of training that he said was passed down from father to son through the generations. "Time for training, everyone! If we want to be ready to see battle, we must train!"
"AWOO-AWOO-AWOO!"
The aspiring warriors begin to pair off to practice with shield and axe, while a few begin hurling javelins at straw targets.
"Hey, you two, come here! I've got a special training method from Bam- I mean, the Logachos. You get to practice throwing against moving targets, and I get practice catching javelins. That's why he's in charge, he got so skilled no one else could match him!"
"Diomedes, that's crazy! The Logachos would hang us by our balls if we killed you!"
"Who do you think taught me this? Anyway, it'll be fine, I've practiced catching javelins from him for months now! Are you saying you're better than him?"
"No, but it's still crazy talk! Who would want javelins thrown at them if it's not in battle?"
"Me and my ancestors, that's who! And if you can catch or dodge a javelin, you can better survive the shower of projectiles on the battlefield! Sure, you might panic the first dozen times javelins are thrown at you, but once you get used to it, you're more prepared for actual combat! Trust me!"
"Fine, fine, but I still think you and your ancestors are mad for doing this."
"I'll tell the Logachos that you made us do it, if only to save my balls!"
The two trainees back off to twenty paces before gently tossing the javelins at their junior.
Diomedes traces the paths of the lightly lobbed javelins with his keen eyes, lunging forward to catch the first with his right hand. He then pivots back on his right foot, whipping his left arm out to brush the shaft with his forearm before clasping his fingers around it. Directing its momentum downwards, he buries the tip of the javelin in the dirt of the training field as he strikes a pose before his flabbergasted seniors. The din of the training field fades away as more and more of the trainees point and whisper at the feat performed by young Diomedes.
"Don't softball me, you damned cowards! If you don't take this seriously, I'll make you catch these javelins! Throw it harder, or give up being warriors! Are you going to take it easy on your foes, or are you Agrianes! Hurl them like you mean it, or I'll come over there and kick your asses!"
Appropriately chastened, the warrior trainees set their expressions and cast their javelins once more with feeling at Diomedes. No longer do they see a precocious child, but a fellow warrior aspirant. Younger, perhaps, but further along the path to being a fully-fledged warrior. The other trainees whisper "touched by Ares" or "a warrior born," but what carried the most along their lips was a word, now a name: "drimysion."
Diomedes Drimysion heard none of this. He was fully focused on the javelins hurtling at him, hands and body moving to intercept, his face bearing a serious mien, as if carved from stone. Nothing touched him but the rays of Helios' chariot as it blazed across the sky.
I had a couple ideas for omakes after the previous update, so I asked @Magoose what Diomedes' father would do. So Diomedes gets left behind for the campaign rather than coming along like Alexander's Hetairoi.
"While you were X, the draugr were training."
The Agrianes were subject to the Odrysian kingdom, but became allies of Philip in 352 BC, likely because they were conquered by him. They earned the right to self-governance in 335 BC after they launched a spoiling attack that prevented Alexander's army from being ambushed while on expedition against the Illyrians.
"Spartans! What is your profession?"
"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!"
"Come at me with the intent to kill."
While I have no historical evidence that the Agrianians practiced such, I do know that "Spear Catching" was a sport practiced by Hawaiians. Kamehameha I (the name means "the great lonely one" (and not turtle destruction wave from Dragon Ball) due to being raised in exile as the younger brother of the high chief of the island of Hawaii. He later conquered the rest of the island, then began conquering the other islands as the high chief/king of Hawaii, hence, the Hawaiian Islands, rather than the Mauian Islands) was skilled at it, and there are paintings of him as a youth catching spears from three people at once.
Diomedes isn't quite at that level yet, but he'll get there. I felt it was an appropriately madlad training practice as befitting the proto-Severins.
While I may be better at dialogue, I am attempting to work on my descriptive prose, sorry if it's too purple.
Hopefully, he gains the attention of... Many important people.
[]The Panonian is Training (Diomedes is now a legendary Javelin thrower)
[]The Panonian is victorious (Diomedes' father is leading an expedition that has led to many victories)
[]The Panonian is Insane (Philip learns of a boy who has people throw spears at him.)
[X]The Panonian is Training (Diomedes is now a legendary Javelin thrower)
Phillip is a busy man, a single madlad (literally) should be beneath his notice. And as much as DiomeDad being recognized as a good leader would be nice, getting a potential future officer to legendary skill would be a more reliable long-term investment for Alexander's campaigns. Besides, the Agrianes are already a loyal ally that historically committed to an all-out assault against an enemy that threatened to ambush Alexander's expedition in Illyria. The second option is more of a prestige thing for their family line.
Besides, the Agrianes are already a loyal ally that historically committed to an all-out assault against an enemy that threatened to ambush Alexander's expedition in Illyria. The second option is more of a prestige thing for their family line.
