The route I'd prefer for the Dauni is we take the two cities eager to come under our hegemony, and invest in the saltworks. I'd suspect a combination of the prospect of facing Epulia with his own forces suddenly diminished by a quarter, and us already with footholds on his side of the river would be rather daunting, in concert with his vassal cities being unlikely to be fanatical about going to war to ensure their fellow Dauni cities obey the will of the King at all times.
It's then just a case of letting the same process that occurred with the Messapii and Peuketti happen, with the "free" Dauni seeing how much more the vassal Dauni prosper under our hand.
If we leave the Dauni partially free, I would be worried about them destroying whatever Saltworks we build at Salpai. They managed to destroy whatever the Dauni previously used and we're going to
massively expand the salt trade. They could destroy whatever we build and that costs us a significant investment on top of everything else.
The most significant parts of an ancient saltworks are vulnerable, however. They're stone 'trays' cut into the edges of the lake. Water is allowed to occasionally flow into the trays and then evaporates under the sun. That's not easy to break unless you're willing to waste tools and manpower to literally smash the ground. The supporting buildings and transportation infrastructure, that they can likely break.
Construction of the harbor of Byssos continues apace. It shall truly be an extraordinary harbor, and in fact I have been able to organize a deepening of the harbor in certain areas that shall expand its capacity even further (1d20+3=17, +5 Trade route capacity in finished Byssos Harbor).
Yes! Score!
However, I would also advise that citizens avoid the work camps during the summer months, as it has been reported that there are outbreaks of disease among the workmen due to what I am told by our esteemed physicians is an outbreak of blood imbalance brought upon by the heat.
This I am concerned by. Given how the workers are likely working at the waterline and becoming sick there, it's likely related to the fact that we do not currently have sewers to control disease. I think that building them is becoming more and more pressing.
There is movement among the Dauni, however, as it is rumored that King Ausculos is seeking to reconcile the cities of Herdonia and Salapia by allowing trade with the Eretrians once more, though little has come of this yet.
I think our window for the Dauni is going to start closing. Ausculos has realized that he can't force Herdonia and Salapia into line by force, instead he's going to compromise with them. If he does, that may be enough that it becomes impossible for us to stir up a rebellion as a pretext for subjugating the Dauni.
In Canosa, an Eretrian merchant witnessed a group of Peuketii farmers murdered for slaughtering a nobleman's ox. A most peculiar sight, though one that we have been told by Gorgas has been unfortunately commonplace as the common rabble has grown very excitable as of late...I will embark to investigate this next year when we embark to the Messapii. I have no instinct for such things, but it provides me the impression of grave unhappiness among the people in the Peuketii lands, much unlike that which was reported by Mnemnon years ago. We are unfortunately heavily reliant upon the barbaroi to report on their own affairs, a policy of kindness that clearly has its drawbacks.
Depending on how this blows up, we may have the option to increase oversight of the Peuketii or strengthen our hold on them otherwise. There's an obvious break here between the Hellenized Elites and the common folk. If the Peuketii nobles begin to sit unsteadily, then that means they become more reliant on us. Of course, a weak, internally divided vassal is one that's less effective.
[X] [Motion]
Leander's Amendment. The Xenoparakletor will have two deputies explicitly subordinate to them drawn from the two losing candidates.
[X] [Missions] Flexible diplomacy prioritizing breadth and the ability to address multiple issues over focus. [2 missions from winning Demos, then ability to choose 1 more from the losing slates per term].
[X] [Oligarchs] Kymai must be made anew and bury old hatreds [+400 Kymaians go to Nea Kymai, city may have more wealth and political conflict in early years].
[X] [Prophecy] A Sapling of Wood, growing in a primordial forest looming over waves lashing the crags of a rocky coast [+1000 Kymaians go to Nea Kymai, Sibyl will go Nea Kymai, Nea Kymai will become a new center of the Divine Marriage].
[X] [Oaths] Make Melaina Kerkyra and Epidauros swear oaths to the Divine Marriage [Cities will be unhappy but Epulian League oath will be preserved].
[X] [Lands] Grant additional lands to Melaina Kerkyra and Epidauros [Both cities will be granted new lands by Eretria and grow in population, both will be very happy].
