This system also helps highlight just how fucked it would be to fight the Romans. You defeat their army, and it was a desperate fight, but you did, it was a total slaughter. Sure, you lost 10% of your citizens, but you did it!
Too bad the Romans just raised another army and they're coming back. Better hope to fuck you win this battle too. And the next one. And the next one. And the next one.
As was noted sometime earlier in the Quest, Rome was a huge game changer in terms of being to expand its concept of citizenship much more readily than other classical Mediterranean cultures centered around cities were able to, as well as their various "tiers" of allied status or semi-citizenship. The demograhic advantages are enormous, even if it can also bring tensions like those that errupted in the Social Wars. Roman use of Allies as a crucial part of their military success is probably the single most under-appreciated facet about them in popular consciousness, IMO.
Eretria's extensive engagement with and slow Hellenisation of her barbaroi allies, and our policies of being so open and accepting of metics, and creating almost kind of second class citizen status for them, are also helpful in this vein. But we'd have a long way to go to rival someone like Rome, if it's even possible at all. Honestly it may not be.
One reason I would like to do the League meeting earlier is because Leagues actually represents maybe our best chance to find our own model that could compete with something like this. A united League capable of more effective cooperation and real ties would have a much deeper financial and demographic well to draw on, and give us an authentically Greek route towards our own kind of state-formation.
The greatest skill of the Romans was finding allies to cover their weaknesses. Auxiliaries, aside from being a source of manpower, served the romans where they were weakest, as cavalry and skirmishers. The Romans were never masters of the horse, but the Gauls were, and so the Gauls rode alongside them to war.
But it cannot be overstated how dramatically effective they were at inspiring not just loyalty, but a fervent desire to be Roman and receive the protections of Romans. The Social War, when the Italian allies rose up against Rome in a massive rebellion, was caused not by a desire to be free from Roman hegemony, but rather out of a desire to gain Roman citizenship, to belong to the city for which they had so long bled. If they could not have this, then yes, they would rebel — but the Social War came to an end only when Rome extended citizenship to all the Italian allies, making all of Italy 'Roman'. That was the exact moment the Roman Empire became inevitable: when the fiercely independent tribes and peoples of Italy gave up their independence, their identity, and their cultures to be Roman. With their manpower and support no longer just guaranteed, but inherent to Rome herself, her hegemony was unstoppable.
In context, this is like the Epulian League declaring war on Eritrea for Eritrean Citizenship. It's an almost outlandish idea, and only the cultural, military, and economic dominance of Rome made it possible. Rome grew so great that it's allies would rather be Roman than not — a problem, ironically, that would hound her through all her days.
So if we wish to master the Mediterranean, to cow the powers of Latium and Hellas and Africa, then we cannot do it alone. The Spartans tried, but their fierceness and strength meant nothing before the numbers Alexander — and later the Romans — could marshal. To master the world, you must first master Italy or Hellas. To conquer those who are not like you, you must first master those who are.
That's really the point of my post. Giving them things for free just won't cut it as gratefulness won't get us much in return.
Reminding them that there are other powers out there that won't be so benevolent on other hand...
That's really the point of my post. Giving them things for free just won't cut it as gratefulness won't get us much in return.
Reminding them that there are other powers out there that won't be so benevolent on other hand...
In short why bully them when bullying is not needed. They are loyal subjects, we asked them their concerns when they gave them. I don't see much of an issue here.
According to Wiki, Sparta used battering rams against Plataea during the Pelopponesian war, which is this year in quest. Do other Hellenes also know the usage of battering rams in sieges?
How about mining? And I remember you already showed the usage of siege ramps in Magna Graecia when Metapontion and Taras besieged that one Messapii city.
Also, does Eretria's collective memory still remember that time we warred with the Peuketii and the strategos lost? As in his Zulu style battlefield maneuvers?
According to Wiki, Sparta used battering rams against Plataea during the Pelopponesian war, which is this year in quest. Do other Hellenes also know the usage of battering rams in sieges?
How about mining? And I remember you already showed the usage of siege ramps in Magna Graecia when Metapontion and Taras besieged that one Messapii city.
All of these are possible to use but hardly compare in sophistication or capability to later engines. The Plataeans fucked with Sparta several times and a siege of Taras will last years and require maintaining constant naval superiority in order to make it stick. It is possible but it is far more difficult and expensive than sieging the small towns of the Iapyges. Taras is a big town situated on a natural harbor and peninsula which will make it a difficult siege to pull off, and requires you to defeat the Tarentines at least once in pitched battle.
In short why bully them when bullying is not needed. They are loyal subjects, we asked them their concerns when they gave them. I don't see much of an issue here.
We aren't bullying them really, we even listened their concerns and gave them consessions, but it ultimately ended with them asking for more while not giving nothing in return.
For now it is fine but in the future as they ask for more things we should be ready to ask for something in return.
[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] Promote King Artahias as a strong leader for the Confederacy to lead it against Taras and keep the peace with Eretria [-15 talent fee].
Adhoc vote count started by Godwinson on May 25, 2019 at 11:36 AM, finished with 253 posts and 59 votes.
[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] USER MOTION: State-Supported Naval Marines
-[X] To better protect commercial shipping, naval marines shall be recruited and a new building constructed
-[X] On high-risk routes Eretrian traders, if they so desire, may be lent out a unit of said marines to serve as security
-[X] Non-Eretrian merchants and factors may request to hire Eretrian marines for a price comprising of the marine's salaries for the duration
[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].
[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].
[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] USER MOTION: Promethion (Musaeum?)
- [X] Glorify the Gods through patronage of the arts.
- [X] Build a temple to the Muses, where copies of scrolls, plays, poetry, and music may be stored.
- [X] Invite philosophers, artists, playwrights and scholars to Eretria -- provide those fleeing conflict on the Peloponnese a safe haven in our city, alongside the many other exiles who have found a home here.
[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] USER MOTION: State-Supported Naval Marines
-[X] To better protect commercial shipping, naval marines shall be recruited and a new building constructed
-[X] On high-risk routes Eretrian traders, if they so desire, may be lent out a unit of said marines to serve as security
-[X] Non-Eretrian merchants and factors may request to hire Eretrian marines for a price comprising of the marine's salaries for the duration
[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].
[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].
[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] USER MOTION: Promethion (Musaeum?)
- [X] Glorify the Gods through patronage of the arts.
- [X] Build a temple to the Muses, where copies of scrolls, plays, poetry, and music may be stored.
- [X] Invite philosophers, artists, playwrights and scholars to Eretria -- provide those fleeing conflict on the Peloponnese a safe haven in our city, alongside the many other exiles who have found a home here.
That's really the point of my post. Giving them things for free just won't cut it as gratefulness won't get us much in return.
Reminding them that there are other powers out there that won't be so benevolent on other hand...
Giving secret treaties means we would be partitioning the Messapii with Taras, but would leave Taras and Eretria as neighbors. Yes, Taras might be bloodied, and digesting gains, but we want more.
Instead, if we were to provide the Messapii with a leader, we'd still be cleaving off some cities as payment, but we'd now leave the Confederacy much more competent in facing off against Taras. They may even succeed in fending them off or scoring a victory.
Win-Win for us either way. We get new tributaries and a strong buffer rather than a meal for Taras to consume.
The other benefit is that it gives us more time needed to conquer and digest the Dauni.
If the Messapii Confederacy has a strong leader who knows what he's doing, isn't it fairly likely that he'll figure out about our secret treaties and respond by, say, overthrowing the governments of the cities that are thinking of bailing on him?
Weak allies are a liability, not an asset. Perhaps Artahias will turn on us later; that is a problem we will deal with then. We know how to handle traitors– and if if we suspect Artahias is wavering in his loyalty, we can remind him of that. Right now, our problem is Taras, not the Messapii.
The difference between a strong Messapii league with Artahias and a weak one without him isn't just in how powerful an ally the Messapii are, it's in how feasibly they can pursue an independent policy separate from, or contrary to, our influence and interests.
So...assuming that we defeat Taras and then besiege them...
Is the tactic of digging under the walls something that is already known? As for battering rams...the Spartans are supposedly the first Greeks to use a battering ram, at Plataea during the Peloponnesian war. Which is this year in quest I think? And the Romans are already using them at least five years before Eretria's landing in Italia.
The Assyrians were doing both these things, and more, centuries ago, so it's likely that we at least have a concept of what a battering ram is. The problem with battering rams and siege tunneling is that there's a huge amount of detail knowledge that goes into making them work.
Like, OK, you have the idea of slamming the enemy fortress's gate repeatedly with a huge iron-shod log, like the ram of a trireme, to knock it down. Great plan. What happens if all your ram crews get shot by the enemy archers in like 5-10 minutes, which is what you'd normally expect? Oh, you're going to build some kind of shelter to prevent that? Cool. How does that work exactly? Does it move? How do you make it move? Can you knock the gate down faster than the other side can do something hilarious like pile up dirt and bricks on the back side of the gate to stop you? How do you get all your heavy equipment that close to the wall?
OK, you want to tunnel under the city. Do you have a sizeable workforce of men experienced in making tunnels? How do you make sure your tunnel remains the correct depth below ground level? Once you succeed, how do you ensure that the tunnel does anything meaningful in terms of damaging or collapsing the wall? How do you do this while keeping your own crews safe?
And obviously all these questions have answers, answers even we probably know mostly, at least in broad. But we're sitting on the other side of two thousand years of advances and developments in pre-gunpowder siege warfare. At this time, the only people who've ever really figured all this stuff out are the Assyrians, and they were largely exterminated by their enemies (though the Assyrian ethnicity still exists, and indeed exists in the present day in IRL).
I would rather not beat the Romans by being the Romans. Let us find our own way - League building, for example, is promising. It didn't work IOTL, but that's the challenge, innit?
Well, the problem is making sure your league is united enough that people have an incentive to stay in it rather than joining, what is in effect, the Romans' league. Which requires offering your league strong incentives... the way the Romans offered their allied cities the opportunities of Roman citizenship... oh... right.
No, the point is that the Eretrian League really doesn't give the lesser cities very much in exchange for their money and promises to support the Eretrian military. The League cities feel that things are highly unbalanced in their favor, and frankly they're probably right. How much would we, the quest-voters, vote to sacrifice for a League city, versus how much would we expect them to sacrifice for us?
"Gratitude" in the sense of "I, the all-powerful person, have told you what to do and told you I can take your stuff and I am taking your stuff and now you want rights, how ungrateful!" is not a realistic basis for international relations.
People expect to get something in exchange for giving something.
"Gratitude" in the sense of "I, the all-powerful person, have told you what to do and told you I can take your stuff and I am taking your stuff and now you want rights, how ungrateful!" is not a realistic basis for international relations.
If the Messapii Confederacy has a strong leader who knows what he's doing, isn't it fairly likely that he'll figure out about our secret treaties and respond by, say, overthrowing the governments of the cities that are thinking of bailing on him?
WoG is that the cities will immediately defect to our hegemony as the price of our support. This probably goes down before we subsidize the king and elevate him.
Plus, he'll have to weigh up pissing us off and blocking our ambitions and obtaining support to actually beat back Taras.
He simply can't afford to turn on us. The Messapii are completely surrounded by Hellenes. Their only lifeline is Eretria and Athens.
The difference between a strong Messapii league with Artahias and a weak one without him isn't just in how powerful an ally the Messapii are, it's in how feasibly they can pursue an independent policy separate from, or contrary to, our influence and interests.
Eudoxia had loved Eretria once. Long ago, when she was a girl, she pored over piece of news, every new feat, every extraordinary victory that the city achieved over the Iapygians, dreaming of some dashing Eretrian horseman or brilliant captain to sweep her off her feet and rescue her from her dull Sallentine estate. When particularly outlandish, she imagined herself as in their legends of love, with her as Athene and her rescuer as Apollon. They would sail half the world and conquer the other, sing and dance and kiss and grow old together. In the end, of course, it was all just children's dreams, and she was married instead to a modest cavalryman. Aristeides was no great adventurer but he was kind to her, and they respected each other. He told her stories of his estates and fighting barbarian raids, and she told him stories of plays and stories that she had imagined. He had always loved her imagination; and told her every now and then that had she been born a man she would have made a fine playwright.
Still, despite her good life a bit of her still yearned for that adventure, and when war against the Messapii came, she was delighted by the news of Eretria's eager support. Fair Drako the Elder was ever a friend of Taras, and handsome Kallias the diplomat who had visited the city to greet the king was very popular. At last the twin cities, both exiles, both surrounded by barbarians, both heroic in the feats of their cavalry and both wise in the quality of their leaders, would join together like Caster and Pollux against the terrible Messapii and vanquish them once and for all, as brothers should.
She had come out to see them marching towards the city from the walls, handkerchief in hand. Aristeides was with her. Oh, how she wished she could bottle that feeling like Pandora had bottled hope, to keep it close to her and never let it escape. How she wished that the ships had not come over the horizon, that the Kerkyrans had never intruded on her fantasy. How she had begged the Eretrians not to leave, how she had pulled at their tunics and been shoved away screaming. Don't leave us here. Don't leave us to die. Hysterical, she was called. Taras would fight alone, and be victorious. They didn't see like she did. They didn't think like she did.
Still, she was young and stupid then and thought in terms of sentimentality when it was simple practicality for Eretria to do nothing. The Kerkyrans were too powerful and the Eretrians too weak. It was an easy, an excusable calculus to make. When the Messapians slaughtered her father in his olive grove and carried away her mother, Eretria was nowhere to be found. When she prayed and prayed until her knees were raw that her husband would come home to her because she was afraid, Eretria was nowhere to be found. When she received a bloody tunic and a widow's pension instead and cried and cried until her eyes were sore, Eretria was nowhere to be found. When she barricaded her house and hid inside while the people killed each other on the streets, Eretria was nowhere to be found. Such was the power of simple practicality.
She had so wanted Aristeides to come home. Such a shame. She had so wanted him to hold her and wish away the despair that was building in her gut, for her city, her life, that she could not speak of for she was a woman. But in her grief she received inspiration. In time, she began to think of a story she could tell, of a monster hiding behind a hero's mask. It was all she had in those days besides her son, her stories. The story grew, and expanded, and soon enough she had begun to recount it to others. In it, the monster hides in plain sight, praised by all in Italia and seen as glorious and wise. When a young hero points to the monster's true form, he is laughed out. How could he speak such? The monster is a hero to all Hellenes. But in the end, the story ended beautifully. In the end, the monster's true form was discovered, and the web of lies it had spun was pierced. The hero, jumping over a dolphin like fair Taras had, impaled it with trident and cut off its head, like Herakles did the Nemean Lion. At last it was felled, never to bother the world again.
Oh, Aristeides would have loved it.
She contented herself by telling it to her son instead. Little Myron, brave boy that he was, sharp and funny, the kind with a shine in his eye that could inspire men to acts of glory. She made sure he would. The best education that she could purchase with her widow's pension and the lands of her husband. The finest teachers, the best of friends, the greatest instructors in war and love. And he had grown, how he had grown. And all the while, he had listened to her story, fascinated, thinking through it all. He had grown now, into a man that his father would have been proud of and a statesman besides, with family and land and respect among all Tarentines. He was ready now to play his part.
It was a spiteful business, but in the end In the end Eudoxia had enjoyed it all. The rough and tumble of politics, the secret plots of symposia, the quaint jostling of ordinary democracy...it had all come to bountiful fruition, these years of work. Taras was stabler, wealthier, and stronger than it had ever been. It had recovered from the depredations of the Messapii and defeated them in battle. The city had become beautiful where Eretria had stayed dirty and rough, closer to the barbaroi they lorded over than the Hellenes they professed to be. It was a hub of commerce and had conquered new lands from the Messapii, with more to come from new and righteous conquest. Best of all, they had done it alone. The twin had been abandoned, but learned to live alone, and now emerged better than his brother. Of course, she knew it was not her place as a woman to care about such things, but she had never fussed much about convention. Like her husband had wanted her to be, she was a playwright now, and the city were her actors, her son her shining star. The Eretrians had played their part perfectly, too, vanquishing those counseling peace in an instant, sending Myron's star straight towards the sky. No one could deny their ill intentions after they had agreed to encircle Taras with their new Messapii pups. And now, now, with all the actors in their positions, the play was about to begin.
The time had come to slay the monster wearing the hero's mask.
[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
Goings on from around the Mediterranean, presented by Xenoparakletor Mnemnon Keylonos of the Demos Exoria
MNEMNON: Citizens, war on the Horizon. Myron Aristeides, Proboulos and first citizen of Taras, has delivered to us an ultimatum that is unacceptable; full withdrawal from alliance with the Messapii, admittance in our guilt in betraying Taras to Kerkyra all those years ago, and an indemnity for the insult. They mean to provoke us to war, and a war they shall have. This is no mere battle between rivals but a battle between true demokratia and its twisted twin. We must slay the Tarentines and vanquish their armies until they have accepted that they are an inferior group of Hellenes who must bow and accept our hegemonia; once they have done so we can once again accept and embrace them as friends and brothers. After all, what happened to the Tarentines all those years ago was an ill omen, but we must not allow it to cloud our judgment. The Taras of today is a different Taras than the ones we were once allied to; they have become so bent in their hatred towards us that they would rather go to war with our superior forces than stomach the simple reality that the Messapii are a people who are not theirs to subjugate and exterminate, but are instead to be protected, nurtured, and raised like sons by the Hellenes, as is our responsibility and duty.
As war will begin as soon as winter turns to spring, I have dispatched emissaries hurriedly to Salapia and Herdonia in order to ascertain the strength of the Dauni and whether there is any weakness we can exploit to distract them. I admit I had hoped, when my term began, to make war against them and bring these rebellious curs to heel, but as we have now pivoted our attention to the Messapii, we must instead secure our border Similarly, I have dispatched emissaries to Metapontion to ascertain their intentions and see if I can secure some kind of deal with them either to allow the army of Thurii to come to Eretria, or at the very least to avoid a confrontation should they begin to fear us in the case of victory.
Thurii is with us, but the Sikeliote League has said they cannot contribute forces as Syrakousai could strike at any moment. This is an unfortunate piece of news, but also one I see as true; there has been growing tension on their mutual border and soon they may come to blows. Better that the Sikeliotes keep their men at home and do not allow Syrakousai victories in their distraction which the accursed city could use as a springboard to assisting Taras. We have called the Epulian League to Eretria and with hope we can convince them to support our war effort, given that if all the cities of Epulia are opposed to us they can veto the war and refuse to participate, depriving us of their precious hoplites.
Now, onto general news from around the Mediterranean.
News from Hellas! The 88th Olympic Games have been held. Eretrian men have won 3rd place in Wrestling, 2nd place in the horse race, and 2nd in the Hoplite Race. There are no champions among Eretria this year at the games, but there shall be on the battlefield! The city of Mylitini on the isle of Lesbos has revolted against Athenai and they have dispatched a force to put down the rebellion. The Spartans have invaded Attike once more, this time with Boeotian cavalry. In response, the Hippeis Eskhata, still under Erasmos Dion's control, have raided in Boeotia as far as the walls of Thebai. The siege of Plataiai by Sparta and Thebai continues.
News from the West! Thurii defeats a large Bruttii raiding party, crushing their aspirations of gaining new territory for their herds. In Sicily, a dispute over a sacred grove has almost exploded into war between Syrakousai and the Sikeliote League. This time the Sikeliotes, weakened by the distraction of their allies against Taras, have been forced to pay an indemnity. Krotone and Lokri have made peace over a prior land dispute, with the land awarded to the neutral city of Hipponion. Etruscan merchants in Campania have sent a delegation to Veii in order to request help against Samnite raiding but have returned home empty-handed. There are rumors that Carthage has made war with Spanish tribes for the rich silver mines of Tartessos, but has not been successful.
News from the North! Illyrian pirate raiding is now harassing shipping from the Enetoi. A successful expedition led by one of their fleets has put an end to some of the raiding by the Liburnians, but the Iapodes have begun raiding as well, making the problem worse. Eretrian shipping has been mostly untouched this year, although merchants have begun hiring rowers in order to protect their ships in more dangerous regions. With the defeat of his campaign against Makedon, Sitalces has decided instead to make war against the Triballi, a Thracian tribe.
Goings on from within the city, presented by Proboulos Kyros Gennadios of the Demos Antipatria
KYROS: Citizens, it is a dark day for the development of the city's temples. As the wise citizen Phokion foretold, the war has brought a disruption to our construction. The laborers we need to continue, and the coin to pay them, must instead go to funding the war against Taras, and so we hope the Gods will understand. As a result, we have been stalled in our completion of the Hill of the Divine Marriage and instead seek to preserve the treasury for the army and navy. When the war is over we will continue development of the Hill, and hopefully, flush with the loot of victory, we will be able to sanctify the Gods all the more. In this year we are also fielding a proposal from the Chief of Public Lands, Arsenios Hermagoras. Hermagoras is a wise and good man, and even if we have our difference belonging as we do to different demes, I believe that his proposal will assist the city and the war while also granting our poorest citizens the opportunity to share in the bounty of our soil.
In terms of finances, I will give only a short explanation of our finances were we not to go to war, so that citizens who choose between the strategies and ideas available to us are aware of what we have to spend. Through my careful spending the city is left with a treasury of 383.4 talents, a formidable war chest that allows us to conduct war for several years without ever even thinking of defiling our sacred treasury. Our public upkeep has been raised by two due to the expansion of the festival of the barbaroi and we can expect further miscellaneous costs this year due to the current emergency. Our allies are not capable of fielding large armies, though as with our own levies, it is advised we do not spend them all at once but carefully use portions of our allies levies to avoid depopulating them in the instance of defeat, as well as to preserve our revenues and solvency of supplies.
Finally, I would like to speak on the discussion from the prior year which was both hearty and vigorous. I would ask that citizens, however, ensure that their discussion is on the topics presented, rather than proposals to be given on elite units or special skirmishers which distract us from the urgent business of war. Nevertheless, the citizens have elected from among them the most prominent speakers, who have received a cash reward. Leukos the Accountant, Ajax son of Lalage the Ekdromos, Erastos son of Nikodemos, Sarpedon son of Sarpedon, Arktos son of Arktos Arkadios, Methodios son of Pelagios, Phokion son of Aristedes, Nikephoros son of Lysandros, Hermesdora Eretriazenis, Skantarios the Hoplite for his fine suggestions on the matter of marines, Kyrillos the Salt-Lover for his fine suggestions on the matter of temples, and Heliodoros son of Giorgos. Special reward is given to Methodios, Phokion, and Arktos for their reasoned and well-spoken discussion on the matter of war.
We thank you citizens, and all those who spoke. Let us pray now for success in war and prosperity in peace!
Demography & Culture
Eretria Eskhata - 348 OL
Adult Freemen: 21,721 (Census of 345 OL) Citizen Ratio: 45.0% Adult Male Citizens: 9,774 Adult Male Metics: 11,947 Total Free Population: 75,683
Patron Gods: Divine Marriage of Athene & Apollon Other Major Gods: Poseidon & Demeter, Zeus, Ploutos, Artemis
Political Offices
Next Election is 349 OL.
Proboulos: Kyros Gennadios (Demos Antipatria) Xenoparakletor: Mnemnon Keylonos (Demos Exoria) Lead Strategos: Only appointed in times of war. Metic Prytanis: Timotaios Herais (Demos Antipatria).
Agoranomos: Arkadios Ambrosios (Demos Antipatria). Assembly of the Mint: Paramonos Diokles (Demos Antipatria). Chief of Public Lands: Arsenios Hermagoras (Demos Exoria). Grand Mantis: Polykarpos Lykos (Demos Antipatria). Elder Ekdromos: Alexandros Hilarion (Demos Exoria).
Great Works
Wide Walls: Proud stone walls that protect the city from enemies. Sea Wall: Protect the city from any sea-based attack. Arkadion: A small temple to Demeter & Poseidon (Under Renovation). Temple of the Divine Marriage: A modest temple to the Divine Marriage of Apollo and Athena. (Under Renovation). Naval Barracks: Where the city's rowers train. Hill of the Divine Marriage: Under Renovation. 2/5 years completed, postponed due to war.
Treasury & Income
Treasury in 347 OL: 383.4 Talents Income: 269.6 Talents Taxation: 168.3 Talents Commerce: 69.8 Talents League Income: 8.7 talents Tribute: 11.8 Talents Public Revenue: 11.0 Talents
Total Levy: 7,011 (50% of all Adult Freemen minus men in special units and navy)
2,804 Hoplites (40% of available levies)
526 Cavalry (7.5% of available levies)
3,861 Psilloi (all remaining available levies)
Deployed Levy
Standing Army (Eretria Eskhata)
500 Sacred Ekdromoi (deployed at all times for 38.5 talents a turn)
50 Kleos Exoria (deployed at all times for 5.5 talents a turn)
1 Staple Trade Route to Athenai (Grain)
1 Staple Trade Route to South Italy (Anchovies & Wine)
1 Staple Trade Route to Sicily (Olive Oil)
1 Staple Trade Route to Southeast Illyria (Olive Oil)
1 Staple Trade Route to Northeast Illyria (Wine)
1 Staple Trade Route to North Italy (Olive Oil)
1 Luxury Trade Route to Athenai (Byssos Cloth)
1 Luxury Trade Route to Etruria (Pottery)
Subjects & Subject Levies
Epulian League Members: Eretria Eskhata, Sipontion, Pylona, Garnae, Barletos, Ankon, Monopolis, and Aufidenos Tribute: 8.7 (10% of yearly income of each city) Epulian League Levies: 816 Hoplites
Peuketii Kingdom Ruler: King Gorgos (son of King Batavorta) Capital: Sannape Tribute: 9.8 Talents a turn Levies: 2,092 Peuketii Skirmishers, 523 Peuketii Cavalry
City of Thurii: Full alliance with the city of Thurii cultivated in opposition to potential ambitions by Taras or other Italiote powers like Krotone. Estimated Levy: 4,000 Men
Sikeliote League: Full alliance with the Sikeliote League cultivated in opposition to the main power in South Sicily, Syrakousai. Maximum Levy: 8,000 Men
Messapii Confederacy: Defensive Alliance with the Messapii Confederacy developed in opposition to Taras. Maximum Levy: 3,000 Men.
Xenoparakletor Mission: Securing the Borders
The emissaries of Mnemnon raced to get ahead of the spring thaw when the beginning of the campaign season would bring with it war with Taras. Those who went to Metapontion were greeted coolly. Metapontion, now a democracy, had been following the development of war between Taras and Eretria for some time. It had not been impressed with the Eretrians, who they felt had become too close to the barbaroi, and now felt were using that closeness to undermine the Tarentines. At the same time, Metapontion feared that if Taras conquered the Messapii, they would become so strong as to pose a threat to all Italia. Former ties of friendship and mutual sympathy for one another still animated some in Metapontion, but the city had become a stranger to Eretria in part because the city had shifted its focus away to Sicily, where Syrakousai remained an everpresent danger, and to Illyria, and so in both aspects had forgotten its former camaraderie with the Metapontines, and given them little reason to maintain them. Among those negative about Eretria were those who argued that the city's hubris and extreme pride in itself would destroy it in a war with Taras, as they believed themselves so superior to all other Hellenes that everyone deserved only subjugation in Eretria's expanding "family".
Nevertheless, there remains an opportunity. The proboulos Niketas Phaidros would be interested in meeting with Eretria's xenoparakletor and potentially hashing out some kind of deal or proposal in order to secure Metapontion's neutrality. Without it, Niketas suggests, Metapontion may intervene in favor of whatever party comes out weaker in order to preserve the balance of power in the Sallentine, as it fears that if one grows too strong then its neutrality will be threatened by a power now capable of fighting the entire rest of Italia on its own. However, this must be done by the xenoparakletor and xenoparakletor alone; Metapontion will not negotiate with emissaries and wishes for a sacred pact in order to ensure that no matter the outcome of the war the city will not be threatened.
At the same time another group of emissaries raced northwards, rowing across the cold Aufidenos river and braving the winter snows of the Dauni land to arrive in Salapia. Disguised as Peuketii, and with a few Peuketii among them, they managed to gain entry to the council of the Salapians, who were delighted to see them. For years they had been quietly nursing a grudge against King Ausculos, who, in his attempt to deny the Eretrians a crucial resource, had destroyed the saltpans of Lake Salpi. The scorched earth policy may have prevented Eretria from gaining access to the excellent quality salt of the lagoon, but they also destroyed the economy of Salapia's wealthiest citizens, and so alienated the city. Herdonia, on the other hand, feels put upon by the amount of expense the king has placed in building fortifications facing the Samnites who have not invaded in many years, and has extracted heavy expense from the town to fund it.
Both cities have grudges against the Dauni and were dismayed to find out that Eretria would not be able to help them in a rebellion against King Ausculos, given that both had hoped to come under Eretria's control in exchange for deals on salt and fair tributary contributions. However, when the emissaries explained the nature of their mission, they instead demanded that the xenoparakletor ride to them and treat them personally, because they doubt the intentions of the Eretrians and are afraid that if they are not given explicit guarantees by Mnemnon that they will be unable to oppose the war. However, if given money and support from Eretria, they could convince enough cities to prevent Ausculos from making war on Eretria.
If Mnemnon does not come, however, they will not put up a challenge as they fear they could not sway the rest of the cities. Ausculos, the emissaries discovered, is a sly and treacherous king, whose front of stability and justice hides a man who has assassinated the leaders of many of his subject cities and rules by fear and intrigue. If Mnemnon works with the cities of Salapia and Herdonia, he would be afraid to strike at them, but if he is not there, the presence of mere emissaries will not be enough to intimidate him into thinking he faces outright rebellion and he may pursue a war.
These reports left Mnmenon with much frustration. Why did he have to choose? But the truth of the matter was that although it was possible for Eretria to dispatch emissaries to both states, they would not have the respect necessary in order to sway their leaders in order to commit to backing Eretria's position. Without that crucial intervention by a respected and well-known figure explicitly confirmed to represent Eretria by the people of the city, there would still be a chance to succeed in both missions, but the chance would be far lower.
The choice is now left to the assembly to decide.
Where should the Xenoparakletor go before the war begins in order gain advantage or security for Eretria along one of its potential fronts?
[] [Diplomacy] Metapontion. The Metapontines are cordial with Eretria but have no love for the idea of us being victorious in war with Taras. We must move to keep them neutral, and if possible, to allow Thuriian infantry through their lands to assist us against Taras [-20 talents for bribes, Mnemnon will attempt to negotiate with Metapontion].
[] [Diplomacy] The Dauni. We cannot allow the Dauni to create a two-front war. Our spies have revealed opposition to a war with Eretria among the Herdonians and Salapians. We must bribe and convince them to push the rest of the Dauni Confederacy into opposing a war with Eretria even it looks momentarily advantageous [-20 talents for bribes, Mnemnon will attempt to convince the Dauni to stay at peace].
Land Policy: Emergency Redistribution
Arsenios Hermagoras speaks before the ekklesia. He does in a rushed, urgent tone. The time has come for war, but the city has allowed the number of hoplites that defend it to fall far too much. It has not respected its citizens, who expect land for their duties and service to the state, and it has not respected the Gods, who expect great temples. But now, with this emergency, there is a chance to use the city's reserves of lands to enrich its citizens. The public lands, many of which are on land which is quite wealthy but had never been provided in prior distributions, is mostly worked by tenant farmers and is a profitable additional source of revenue for the city. However, it is also a source of ire, as many citizens feel that instead of providing them with the land they need, the city has instead decided to keep it for itself and to fill its coffers. This unpopular policy put forward by the Demos Drakonia has had many advantages, but has now come to a head; with the war approaching the city needs more Hoplites to match Taras and the public lands can help achieve that.
Although the hoplites won't be of immediate impact, they can cushion the blow from any casualties at a battle with Taras or allow for the creation of additional armies of hoplites to face other threats. However, Athenagoras has loudly said that this would be a massive loss to the city's coffers, draining them at a time when war requires coin just as well as men to succeed. Obander and Mnemnon are supportive of the policy, seeing it as a matter of virtue as well as practicality; what kind of city is it that is democratic but guards land jealously from its own citizens? Without time for the land to yield before war begins, the city will cover the cost of panoplies for the new hoplites for this year, with the understanding that with their new land they will be able to maintain the panoplies themselves in all succeeding years.
With debate between notables ended, matter is put before the ekklesia.
Should the city distribute public lands to its citizens, gaining hoplites but losing revenue?
[] [Land] Distribute the public lands [-10 Talents start-up cost for hoplites, permanently lose 9 talents per turn in public revenue, +351 Hoplites, Hoplite Ratio to 45%].
[] [Land] We cannot afford to lose so much revenue [Maintain Hoplite Ratio at 40%, lose no public revenue].
League Policy: The Veto's Shadow
As soon as it became clearer that war was on the horizon objections to calling the league Synedrion, which had been many, fell away in favor of a general acceptance that the league had to be placated if its hoplites were go to war, despite some complaining about the ungratefulness of the league cities to demand things from Eretria. The Synedrion, held by Mnemnon at a time when he was desperately juggling several different responsibilities in order to ensure Eretria did not go to war, were mostly led by Pylonos, aptly named for the city of Pylona from which he had been sent. Pylonos was a man of great speaking ability constrained by the small city he had been born and raised in, and saw the League Synedrion as an opportunity to amplify his voice and those of his compatriots across the league. What Mnemnon had assumed would be a matter of a few simple proposals was soon spun into a convention on reform, handled cordially and kindly by Pylonos who was able to rally many members of the league to support fair and common reforms that would improve the league and improve Eretria, in his argumentation.
The reforms Pylonos ended up presenting divided some of the league members. The older league members, such as Garnae, Pylona, Barletos, and Sipontion were for them, but Aufidenos, Monopolis, and Ankon were not. Concerns were raised that the reforms would push Eretrian patience to the breaking point. Among them were:
A proposal to create a new league strategos responsible for leading all non-Eretrian cities in times of war and presiding over annual meetings in times of peace, elected by all the cities
Panepulian games held outside the walls of Eretria on a four year interval
Common weights and measures across the entire League
The establishment of sacred League ceremonies and the standardization of meetings
Veto over League decisions changes from unanmity of League cities to super-majority of delegates from cities
The last proposal was particularly contentious. Eretria needed the support of the League's hoplites if it was to succeed, especially if it wished to expand the league and make it attractive for other cities to join, but by transforming the veto from a consensus proposal to a super-majority, Eretria would suddenly face real opposition to its proposals in the foreign policy realm from the league, and might not be able to count on the league in all its wars. For some citizens like Mnemnon, this was a step too far. He had argued that the league was formed to serve Eretria and it should continue that way. Athenagoras and Obander, now working together, argued that it was absurd that the city consistently expected the league cities to shed blood for it but treated them worse than the cities of the Athenian Delian League by not even bothering to involve them in ceremonies or having the pretense of equality between itself and the cities. If the league was to grow, to say, encompass the former dependencies of Taras, it must expand beyond its former boundaries. However, some citizens were outraged when Pylonos suggested that if these reforms were not passed, the league would simply not support Eretria in its war against Taras, abandoning the city to fight alone.
If the city wished not to even entertain these proposals or undermine league solidarity, there were options. The city could provide kindly cash proposals to certain members of the league to break up their coalition and prevent the veto reform from passing, or they could bribe the delegates from Ankon and prevent the use of a veto altogether. Each option, of course, had consequences for how the league would see Eretria in the future.
The matter was now left to the assembly.
How should the city respond to the Epulian League's proposals?
[] [League] Accept the Pylonos' Reform Proposal [New League Strategos elected by the cities, power to preside over annual meetings, new League Games every four years, common weights and measures, veto reformed to super-majority of delegates from cities].
[] [League] Go under the table to prevent the veto reform from passing [-10 talents in bribes, All League Reforms pass except for veto reform, League divided].
[] [League] Reject the reforms and bribe the delegates from Ankon to prevent the use of a veto [-15 talents, Eretrian war against Taras is now veto-proof, League in disarray].
War Policy: The Battle for Sallento
War with Taras is here! With the spring thaw finally arriving the moment that so many citizens have been dreading or waiting for in equal measure has arrived. Many young men who have yet had the opportunity to see war on land are overtaken by the joy of finally being able to show their ability and glory. Indeed, Isokrates Hypatos, the young merchant who ran for Proboulos in the previous election, has already volunteered for a position on the heroic and honorable far-right of the Eretrian phalanx. Many are now jostling for the position. Others have vied to be chosen as strategoi from among the generals in the city's council. In the tradition first started by Herodion, in a time of war there is a single strategoi, two deputies, and seven subordinates, representing the ultimate strategic mind, the major commanders, and the lower officers. In peace, there are always three senior strategoi, one from each of the three demes, but in war one among them is elected to become the city's prime strategos, to lead it in war and achieve glory for it. Failure is not an option; it will result in recall, or exile if the situation is particularly disastrous.
The city can call upon its ally of Thurii, which it will do so, but Thurii is blocked by Metapontion which does not want armies marching through its lands. Meanwhile, the Messapii, due to the city's decision not to support a leader from among them, have fallen into political and factional infighting even as it becomes increasingly clear that the Tarentines are preparing for war. The Sikeliote League is otherwise occupied, but Taras, owing to its isolationist position among the Italiote Greeks, has few allies of its own, only friends in Hellas such as its mother city, Sparta, and the Korinthians. However, Mnemnon does not expect intervention by either unless the situation in the Korinthian Gulf gets significantly worse for Athenai, as at the moment they have complete naval dominance in the area. More concerning would be support from Syrakousai or Lokri Epixiphyrii, but Syrakousai is absorbed by a potential war with the Sikeliotes that will also likely drag the Lokrians in, given the Sikeliote League counts Rhegion among its allies.
The strategoi are divided on a strategy, which is common enough. Normally, however, there are rarely three different strategies to be pursued, as in matters of war the factions are far more willing to compromise for fear not only of inciting the anger of each other but of weakening the city's war effort. In this case, Exoria and Antipatria's generals, Xanthos Irenaeos and Theron Zosimos have formed a coalition and agreed on a common strategy that they call "the storm of iron". Seeking to preserve the city's revenues, and to achieve glory for the city in warfare, Xanthos and Theron have suggested that the city meet Taras in a pitched battle, defeat its army, and besiege the city. By comparison, Epiktetos Linos, Demos Drakonia's general, has a different plan. Seeing Taras' situation as fundamentally endangered on both land and sea by superior numbers, he'd prefer to avoid a battle on land that could shock Italia into acting against Eretria and preserve its manpower in the case of an attack from another direction. Instead, the city ought to harass the Tarentines and make their supplies so tenuous that they flee back into the city, employ an aggressive naval strategy inspired by Eusebios to weaken the support of its allies, and then raid and besiege the city.
Although both plans end with a siege, Epiktetos argues that it is dangerous to directly confront the Tarentines with men that have not experienced war against other Hellenes for many years, and that it would be better instead to pursue a more moderate strategy that seeks to bottle up rather than crush Taras until the city is surrounded by Eretrians and their allies. He also argues that assisting the Messapii in this way will better get them under Eretria's grip and establish it as being able to protect their lands. However, Xanthos and Theron both point out credible problems in the plan. In the first place, it will still require casualties by Eretria's cavalry and skirmishers, as well as those of the allies, to destroy Taras' own skirmisher screens. Further, not only will it be a more expensive way of making war but also make the chance of a sally by the Tarentines against the siege works more likely, as their manpower is preserved in their city rather than being dead on the field.
To this Epiktetos has countered that there is also great danger in Xanthos' and Theron's strategy. If Eretria were to lose the battle it would of course be a catastrophe, but if it decisively wins, it will cause an instant reaction in both Hellas and Italia, with fear emerging that Eretria will become hegemon of the entire region, encouraging coalitions against the city and its allies. On the other hand, settling in for a siege while leaving the Tarentine army entirely whole could also give time for Taras to shore up its position and reach out for allies if it is able to break out of the siege or even send emissaries. It will be impossible to hide the fact that the siege is blockaded and besieged the pressure to rescue it in either case will build across the Greek world.
To this Mnemnon interjects. Who would intervene? Sparta and Korinthos are in a hopeless position at sea and Syrakousai is distracted by the Sikeliotes. The Italiotes could, but they would have to fight through Thurii first just to get to Eretria. It is difficult to imagine a danger coming from the siege, though in the long-run it will certainly weaken Eretria's diplomatic position as an equal to its neighbors rather than a potential hegemon threatening them. But such would be the reality in any case.
The generals argue for some time longer, laying out their cases and the costs of their plans for all to see. Dispositions are also raised; Taras can raise more hoplites than Eretria even if Eretria raises its league hoplites. At the same time, it has less cavalry and fewer skirmishers, and while their cavalry is of equal quality to Eretria's their skirmishers are noticeably worse than the Peuketii. It has about 20 ships, but they are poorly crewed and Taras has little naval tradition. Thurii can contribute 10 of its own poorly crewed ships, and a maximum of some 4,000 men, but in reality it will be closer to 2,000 overall, with the vast majority being hoplites, and unless the way to Metapontion is cleared, mostly concerned with besieging Herakleia Lukania, a Tarentine dependency.
Now, with that out of the way, all that is left is for the assembly to discuss.
Strategy: The Storm of Iron
Supporters: Demos Antipatria, Demos Exoria
Goal: Confront Taras in pitched battle and end the war quickly.
Specifics: March on Taras with the army while the navy is dispatched around the Sallentine Peninsula. Defeat the Tarentine Army on the field of battle and then burn its olive groves. If Taras will not surrender, besiege the city from land and blockade it from sea. This plan does not rely on support from the Messapii. The goal is to defeat Taras quickly in a way where they'll be weakened and more willing to make peace.
Cost: 142.8 (Naval Upkeep), 103.8 (Army Upkeep), 35.9 Talents (1/5 of Army maintained in Siege), 10 Talents (Building a Siege Wall) = 292.5 Talents
Strategy: The Serpent's Vice
Supporters: Demos Drakonia
Goal: Humiliate Taras and isolate it diplomatically.
Specifics: Dispatch a massive number of light troops into Messapia and work with the Messapii to overwhelm the Tarentine cavalry and skirmisher screens, forcing their army to either end up without supplies or retreat back into the city. Deploy the navy with Ekdromoi and raid both Hydrus and Kalliopolis, embarrassing Taras as it is unable to defend its allies. Attack Taras' harbor and burn its ships, using Eretria's overwhelming naval superiority. Only then, march on the city, avoiding a pitched battle, and besiege it. The goal is to isolate Taras and bottle its forces in the city without receiving heavy Eretrian casualties.
Cost: 176.8 (Naval Upkeep), 95.1 (Army Upkeep), 51.1 Talents (Cost of Maintaining 1/3 of the army in a siege), 10 talents (Building a Siege Wall) = 333 Talents
Who shall Eretria appoint as the chief strategos for the city in the war against Taras?
Known for his friendliness which he uses to lead men to battle, as well as his courage. A man of moderate glory who won recognition as an Ekdromos defeating Illyrians in battle as well as Messapii as a young man. Known for being freewheeling in his tactics, genial and inspiring in battle, and innovative in his tactics.
Known for his glory and his courage gained in charging at Messapii cavalry as a young rider, saving a unit of poor men who had been trapped. Among the most courageous men in the city, he is known for his rash and exhilirating bravery that leads men to praise him as the best of all the Eretrians in combat.
A man of much moderation, known in the past for his leadership against pirates in the Adriatic. Wealthy and kind, he has devoted much of his life to assisting the Eretrian poor rather than building great works. He is known for his preference for avoiding battle in favor of more methodical and careful tactics, but this has sometimes earned him the title of craven among men who do not know him and his careful plans.
Supports The Serpent's Vice plan.
As this is a vote with many moving parts I am opening it up to plan votes. You will present a vote with your name, or a catchy name, in order to find the optimum combination of choices, as in this case some choices simply mesh better with others. It is recommended that voters wait some time to discuss before voting given the momentous importance of the decisions made.
The turn is not over; after the vote is closed for this update, there will be a follow-up post with updates to the diplomatic choices and to the campaign.
"I am in agreement with Skantarios. We must now herd kittens to fight a lion, but what is done is done. We must strike with the gift of Eusebios and humble mighty Taras.
Given our sacred treasury we can ultimately deal with significant costs in gold, but a major loss in man power would be absolutely crippling. The naval and skirmisher based plan plays to our advantages more effectively and risks less.
I actually like the proposals made by our league members, most of them just seem like a good idea. Even the last one might actually be a good idea because it makes our league more attractive to other cities.
Jesus Christ. These guys give us 300 Hoplite's, what do they expect their Strategos to do in war aside from get in the way? Why do they think, when they contribute about 10 Talents overall and less than even 10% of troops, they should be allowed to have an independent military command. It's like giving a general to a single Regiment. It's just pandering that causes issues with the command chain. Unless it's a toothless position in practice, at which point it's just a prestige thing that could potentially grow teeth one day and cause issues.
Jesus Christ. These guys give us 300 Hoplite's, what do they expect their Strategos to do in war aside from get in the way? Why do they think, when they contribute about 10 Talents overall and less than even 10% of troops, they should be allowed to have an independent military command. It's like giving a general to an single Regiment. It's just pandering that causes issues with the command chain. Unless it's a toothless position in practice, at which point it's just a prestige thing that could potentially grow teeth one day and cause issues.
They don't want separate command, they want a united command. As it is each league city has its own commander for its forces under Eretrian command which is confusing. They're not asking to go off and not follow Eretrian orders.
I won't open a formal moratorium but I would recommend people discuss this before they start putting out votes. The vote will be open for some time, allowing people to switch their vote and argue.
Adhoc vote count started by Admiral Skippy on May 25, 2019 at 10:41 PM, finished with 133 posts and 28 votes.
[X] Plan The Greatest Glory Is Lasting Victory
-[X] [Diplomacy] The Dauni. We cannot allow the Dauni to create a two-front war. Our spies have revealed opposition to a war with Eretria among the Herdonians and Salapians. We must bribe and convince them to push the rest of the Dauni Confederacy into opposing a war with Eretria even it looks momentarily advantageous [-20 talents for bribes, Mnemnon will attempt to convince the Dauni to stay at peace].
-[X] [Land] Distribute the public lands [-10 Talents start-up cost for hoplites, permanently lose 9 talents per turn in public revenue, +351 Hoplites, Hoplite Ratio to 45%].
-[X] [League] Accept the Pylonos' Reform Proposal [New League Strategos elected by the cities, power to preside over annual meetings, new League Games every four years, common weights and measures, veto reformed to super-majority of delegates from cities].
-[X] [Strategos] Epiktetos Linos (Demos Drakonia, The Serpent's Vice)
[X] [League] Accept the Pylonos' Reform Proposal [New League Strategos elected by the cities, power to preside over annual meetings, new League Games every four years, common weights and measures, veto reformed to super-majority of delegates from cities].
[X] [Land] Distribute the public lands [-10 Talents start-up cost for hoplites, permanently lose 9 talents per turn in public revenue, +351 Hoplites, Hoplite Ratio to 45%].
[x] [Diplomacy] Metapontion.The Metapontines are cordial with Eretria but have no love for the idea of us being victorious in war with Taras. We must move to keep them neutral, and if possible, to allow Thuriian infantry through their lands to assist us against Taras [-20 talents for bribes, Mnemnon will attempt to negotiate with Metapontion].
[X] Greater Iron Storm
-[X] [Diplomacy] Metapontion. The Metapontines are cordial with Eretria but have no love for the idea of us being victorious in war with Taras. We must move to keep them neutral, and if possible, to allow Thuriian infantry through their lands to assist us against Taras [-20 talents for bribes, Mnemnon will attempt to negotiate with Metapontion].
-[X] [Land] Distribute the public lands [-10 Talents start-up cost for hoplites, permanently lose 9 talents per turn in public revenue, +351 Hoplites, Hoplite Ratio to 45%].
-[X] [League] Accept the Pylonos' Reform Proposal [New League Strategos elected by the cities, power to preside over annual meetings, new League Games every four years, common weights and measures, veto reformed to super-majority of delegates from cities]. -[X] [Strategos] Xanthos Irenaeos (Demos Exoria, The Storm of Iron)
[X] [Diplomacy] The Dauni. We cannot allow the Dauni to create a two-front war. Our spies have revealed opposition to a war with Eretria among the Herdonians and Salapians. We must bribe and convince them to push the rest of the Dauni Confederacy into opposing a war with Eretria even it looks momentarily advantageous [-20 talents for bribes, Mnemnon will attempt to convince the Dauni to stay at peace].
[X] Plan The Inevitable Consequences of Our Follies
-[X] [Diplomacy] The Dauni. We cannot allow the Dauni to create a two-front war. Our spies have revealed opposition to a war with Eretria among the Herdonians and Salapians. We must bribe and convince them to push the rest of the Dauni Confederacy into opposing a war with Eretria even it looks momentarily advantageous [-20 talents for bribes, Mnemnon will attempt to convince the Dauni to stay at peace].
-[X] [Land] Distribute the public lands [-10 Talents start-up cost for hoplites, permanently lose 9 talents per turn in public revenue, +351 Hoplites, Hoplite Ratio to 45%].
-[X] [League] Reject the reforms and bribe the delegates from Ankon to prevent the use of a veto [-15 talents, Eretrian war against Taras is now veto-proof, League in disarray].
-[X] [Strategos] Epiktetos Linos (Demos Drakonia, The Serpent's Vice)
[X] Plan Ferrous Tempest
-[X] [Diplomacy] Metapontion. The Metapontines are cordial with Eretria but have no love for the idea of us being victorious in war with Taras. We must move to keep them neutral, and if possible, to allow Thuriian infantry through their lands to assist us against Taras [-20 talents for bribes, Mnemnon will attempt to negotiate with Metapontion].
-[X] [Land] Distribute the public lands [-10 Talents start-up cost for hoplites, permanently lose 9 talents per turn in public revenue, +351 Hoplites, Hoplite Ratio to 45%].
-[X] [League] Accept the Pylonos' Reform Proposal [New League Strategos elected by the cities, power to preside over annual meetings, new League Games every four years, common weights and measures, veto reformed to super-majority of delegates from cities].
-[X] [Strategos] Theron Zosimos (Demos Antipatria, The Storm of Iron)
