[X] Commit a large force [80% of Levy is devoted to the war].
[X] Yes, let us take King Harpos and a large contingent of Peuketii [+500 men for campaign, mostly skirmishers and light cavalry, and Harpos].
[X] No, the Epulian League should stay at home [No Levies from Epulian League].
[X] Herodion, a man with the experience and expertise suited for the position.
I, Deinokrates of Eretria, vow before the Sacred Marriage and the gods of Olympus that I will fight in the coming battles with honour, temperance, and bravery enough to make Eretrian spirit known to all Sicilians!
[X] Commit a small force [50% of Levy is devoted to the war].
[X] Yes, let us take King Harpos and a large contingent of Peuketii [+500 men for campaign, mostlyskirmishers and light cavalry, and Harpos].
[X] No, the Epulian League should stay at home [No Levies from Epulian League].
[X] Herodion, a man with the experience and expertise suited for the position.
Anyway, while it may not be relevant to ancient Greece, today is the Eastern Orthodox (the denomination that most of Greece follows) celebration of Easter, known in Greek as "Pascha."
[X] Yes, let us take King Harpos and a large contingent of Peuketii [+500 men for campaign, mostly skirmishers and light cavalry, and Harpos]. Number of voters: 50
[X] No, the Epulian League should stay at home [No Levies from Epulian League]. Number of voters: 50
[X] Herodion, a man with the experience and expertise suited for the position. Number of voters: 49
[X] Commit a large force [80% of Levy is devoted to the war]. Number of voters: 38
The procession as the war against the Dorians of Sicily commenced was extraordinary. Rarely had been there been much since to prepare so well for war. Rather than allowing volunteers- which Herodion feared would only leave the old, the very young, and the infirm behind, he used lots to determine who went and who stayed. He made Eutropios and Antipater his deputies, to honor them, and then selected from among his best for the other strategoi. The people of Eretria had spoken and spoken loudly. Almost all wanted to march abroad, to support their allies. Kallias spoke of the need for helping their compatriots and Ionian friends. Other citizens spoke in favor of it, although some warned that to be so long away with so many would endanger the polis. Herodion listened to these advisements and assigned Drako to defend the city, along with Eusebios, who was given command of the navy once more and told to be ready to fight against any intrusion to the city.
Then they were off. The procession had religious overtones. Before the shrine of the Divine Marriage, a bull was slaughtered and the Miser, Pydamon, read the future from its entrails. He said that he foresaw the sun rising after the end of a mighty battle, the field smeared with the blood of the ox. It was interpreted by Herodion and many citizens to mean the Krotonians, who were known to be athletically fit and famed Olympic athletes. Although the battle was clearly going to be bloody, as Pydamon warned, many had faith that the blood would be inflicted upon their enemies. Eretria had seen stalemates and it had seen victories, but defeats were unknown to it. Not in the arena of warfare. The young and the old thus, as the procession progressed, brimmed with pride and confidence. Young wives and smiling mothers learned how to weep for the first time as they wished their men the best of luck. Some issued stern, spartan warnings that they ought to come back with their shield or not at all, and then giggled and kissed their young husbands, unable to maintain the joke, holding them close. Then the army departed, leaving the city by the south gate, and marching onto the road.
They first came to Sannape, where Harpos greeted them with a marshaled complement of his men. Horsemen and skirmishers were his soldiers- there were no heavy footmen in evidence, for as Harpos said, they would be no match for the Greeks. He had discovered that first-hand. Herodion thanked him and they shared a feast of mutual respect, where a stag was sacrificed to Artemis, the favored Goddess of the Iapyges. All was good and merry, and although some of the men and the Peuketii came into argument, they were in good spirits. The Peuketii by and large did not know Greek, and kept to themselves, but those that did exchanged words with the Eretrians, speaking on matters common to them, such as women and wealth. All expressed a hope to gain from this war, whether in glory or in loot, for all men on the earth lust for the proceeds of war, even as they fear its cost.
The march across Messapii land was eerily silent and without incident. They did not provide any kind of impediment, and in fact the land was largely empty besides a few shepherds. One of them was Lucani, and he spoke to the Eretrian forces. The Peuketii roughed him up a bit, but Herodion stayed their hand, and explained to them that they had no quarrel with the Lucani. The Peuketii spit and said they had plenty, but Harpos spoke to them in his own tongue and quelled their fears. After that, the countryside grew less desolate and empty and the army arrived at Vyde, a small colony of the Metapontines. They were greeted there by the small populace and used the occasion to purchase grain and food for the men. It was appreciated by the locals, although upon meeting the Peuketii they were struck by fear, and there was an incendiary incident where a citizen was mistaken for an Illyrian and insulted. Otherwise, all was smooth.
Metapontion greeted the Eretrians with curiosity and fanfare, and with its position further away from the frontier, was more inquisitive than afraid of the barbaroi. Citizens streamed out of the city to speak to and fraternize with their Eretrian allies, and the army of Metapontion and its strategos Lykos Demetrion met them with much happiness. Herodion and Lykos spoke about a common strategy, and in his understanding and authoritative way of speaking Herodion greatly impressed Lykos, who listened to his every word with rapt audience. However, many of the Metapontine generals were less happy, and were frustrated with Lykos' interest in Herodion's authority, attacking his expertise or questioning his claimed successes. They said that every word from an Eretrian's mouth was questionable, and they cited the Battle of the Fifty Masts as evidence. Lykos apologized for their behavior, but still they persisted, causing Herodion to break out into a tremendous speech that citizens gathered around to hear, explaining the victories of Eretria. Still, however, the generals sneered, and Kallias, who was with the camp, informed Herodion that there was vicious political competition in Metapontion for the post of strategos, and that the reigning Proboulos had opposed Lykos, who was claimed to be an inexperienced and populist commander, better with speech than spear.
Herodion noted that and the brows of his forehead creased, but he was not much worried. The armies met together and agreed to march southwest to relieve Rhegion. Herodion proposed that they should burn the lands of Krotone, not Lokri Epixephyrii, to breed mistrust between the two and force Krotone home, and Lykos agreed. As they approached Krotone, however, they were much harassed by the Oenotrians, skirmishers and cavalrymen from the interior hills of the region who had been subjugated by Krotone. Herodion allowed Harpos to unleash the Peuketii against them, however, and they were soon dispatched, their cavalry and skirmishers inferior to that of the Peuketii. Lykos was much impressed again, and spoke briefly with Harpos, who happily granted him audience and discussed military matters in fluent Ionian Greek.
Unfortunately, Krotone did not return despite weeks of burning the olive groves and wheat fields of the city, and so the armies proceeded south again, passing by Lokri without torching so much as a single olive grove. Some of the Metapontine generals complained, and Herodion realized they sought to undermine Lykos through him. Angry at their lack of patriotism and self-serving nature, he nevertheless deflected or answered their questions with ease. The Peuketii rode far ahead, picking out outriders and scouts, so that the Krotonians and Lokrians had hardly any knowledge about the advance of the Eretrians and Metapontines. Their only source of information were boats and triremes, which trailed the coast in an attempt to catch sight of the Ionian army, so Herodion ordered they move further inland, so that when they attack the Krotonians and Lokrians they shall have the element of surprise.
At last they arrived before the walls of Rhegion. Herodion and Lykos met with the strategoi of Lokri Epixephyrii and Krotone. The men exchanged words and heated barbs, as well as ultimatums. The Krotonians and Lokrians, knowing that they could not keep up their siege of the city, instead disembarked from the walls and formed their lines for pitched battle. All the while, however, to their outrage, the Peuketii nipped at their lines and killed scouts and slaves, causing some of the Metapontine generals to accuse Herodion of being contemptuous of the rules of war. Herodion simply shrugged and told them a story about his time and Sicily, and again they were hostile. Privately, he spoke to Antipater about his worry that the Metapontines would not be able to fully coordinate and secure their front lines, and so assigned Antipater to lead the Hoplite forces. Eutropios was assigned to lead the Hieros Ekdromoi, which he did with much jubilation.
Rhegion's men stormed out of the city and joined the encamped Metapontines and Eretrians. For three days they rejoiced and planned whilst the Lokrians and Krotonians awaited the pitched battle. Finally, all were agreed, and Rhegion's de facto leader, the regent Mikythos, ordered that the men of Rhegion line up with the rest of the Greeks for the sake of the battle. The Metapontines formed the center, the Eretrians the left flank, and Rhegion the right. Although there was much confusion about the Ekdromoi, Herodion explained their use to some appreciation and some disdain by the allies. All were skeptical, but still listened, although Herodion's decision to lead as a cavalry commander caused much consternation. Mikythos joked to Herodion about being a Thessalian, and Herodion smiled and said that he wished he were as good a cavalryman as a Thessalian.
Krotone and Lokri formed their lines separate to one another opposing the three allies, and then prepared to fight. They slightly outnumbered the Ionians, with 9,000 men to the Ionian 8,700, but there was much faith in the arete of the Eretrians by Lykos, and although Mikythos was more skeptical he still did not reserve much fear for the battle. Soon, it began. Herodion started with a characteristic but shocking cavalry charge, leading both Peuketii and Greek cavalry directly against the Krotonian and Lokrian cavalry. Unprepared for a direct attack, the Krotonian and Lokrian cavalry began to retreat back, and when the fast horses of the Peuketii caught up them, began to die in large numbers. Others scattered off the field. However, this mattered little to Krotone or Lokri, who maintained their attack in the thought that the cavalry battle was a sideshow. They would be wrong.
At the same time, the Ekdromoi led up the left flank, the Hoplites in the center. Antipater was confident, but Eutropios moreso, and he pushed the Ekdromoi ahead of the Hoplites in order to immediately pressure and push the Krotonians back. The lines crashed, and the Krotonians were taken aback by the speed and mobility of the Ekdromoi, who quickly began to encircle their flank and attack their weak side. Elite warriors, the Ekdromoi despite their less intimidating and armored appearance performed extraordinarily, keeping the heavy hoplites back with their longer and lighter spears and inflicting casualties on the brash Krotonians who tried to rush ahead and stab the less armored Ekdromoi.
However, trouble started.
Hoplite warfare is not like Barbaroi warfare. Where barbaroi hoot and holler much before a battle, baiting each other to fight and confront before a fast crash and rout of one side, Hellene warfare is far more grueling in the moment of combat. For twenty three years Eretria has not experienced warfare against hoplites. Indeed, their losses against the Persians were due to the vast and excellent cavalry that the Persians could deploy. In the Italian wars, the Eretrians only had to push, and push, and then the enemy would break. Here, however, the Eretrians pushed. And they pushed. And they pushed. But still the Krotonians, atheles and fine Hoplites, did not break. They began to push back.
There are few fears worse than when a man sees his fellows begin to break and run. When the comrades he has had for a lifetime begin to throw down their shields, or emit a trill, inhuman scream when the point of a spear embeds itself in the foot of their neck and the blood gushes freely, it is the people behind him who hold him steady. They push him forward even when he wants to flee, and give him courage in the heat of battle. But for the Eretrians- who had never faced infantry who had pushed back for a generation, who had devoted their best and fastest to the ekdromoi, this was an unnatural feeling. Long stretches of fighting in Italy against barbaroi had made the Eretrians more attuned to crushing barbaroi. When they met Greeks, real hoplites, and not just any but some of the finest in all of Italy, it was natural for some to break. Antipater knew what was happening and chastised his friends and neighbors. He called them to move forward and they had great humor. They laughed as they rallied forward the men and pushed back once more against Krotone, shield against shield, spears thrusting towards the enemy. The rout was held.
Then disaster struck.
Antipater was born a poor farmer's son in old Eretria. They had been forced to the margins and the hills of Euboea by aristocrats who monopolized the land, and his father had gotten himself terribly in debt many times. Young Antipater wanted nothing less than to make his life better for his family. Ironically, when the Persians came, life became much better for him, but his father died in battle against him and his mother was not among those lucky enough to flee to the shore. Antipater arrived in Italy alone, searching for security. When he could not get it because of the barbaroi, he volunteered for the front, to rush the barbaroi, to kill them all, and distinguished himself at Bare Road, the first battle of Italia. He rose up, became a statesman, even a leader, but he never felt he had been given the due he wanted. He never felt secure. He helped make the city secure, made it peaceful, but Drako turned against him, his enemies outmaneuvered him. They were better statesmen, better speechwriters, and Antipater knew that, which was why it was so terribly hard. He tried so much to measure up, he tried so hard to be among the greats, but although many called him The Ox and praised him mightily, it was always for his martial feats, never for what he wished: for making a home, for security. In that sense he admired his wife, who had passed away soon after the founding of the city, after which he never remarried. He admired her because she built a home, and was appreciated for it, while he could only be appreciated for his destruction.
Antipater knew many like him, the small farmers and the smallholders and the little men, who he loved much. He was suspicious of the landless who dwelled like vagrants in the city, or the aloof and pompous rich, but he loved the hoplite, the man with whom he could sit in the sun beneath the olive tree for hours on end. Those were his men, which is why he felt so familiar on the field of battle beside them. Not with the prideful and professional Ekdromoi, not with the focused cavalry, but with the Hoplites, who in all their confusion and contradiction and amateur nature, held within their hearts what he thought was the true spirit of the city, men who gave everything for their brothers and sisters even when they were not skilled warriors. And they loved him in return. Unfortunately, the hope he had, the dreams he had, for his future, for the future of Eretria, would never be realized. Antipater would not return home a hero, he would not be among friends. Instead, because of the cruelty of war, the cruelty of men, he would die.
And so, when Antipater, while rallying the men forward, was suddenly struck in the neck by a spear of the enemy the hoplites were shaken. At first they did not believe he had been injured, and then when he grasped the spear of the man who had shoved it and pushed it back, they thought he was fine. But the blood was flowing freely, and when one of his comrades looked at him his mouth was full of it. He grew dizzy, and then collapsed. There was a great collective cry of shock, and then the men began to encircle him. For Antipater was not just a leader of a general or an orator- he was a friend and a man they had much loved, who had been funny and extraordinary to them, who spoke like them but better, who understood them better than they understood themselves. They rallied around him and pulled him from the battlefield, but as news began to spread the line began to quake. Antipater had died! They killed Antipater!
Eutropios heard the news with grim horror, and tried to devote Ekdromoi to shore up the line, but he was hard-pressed by the Krotonians. Herodion, embroiled in fighting with enemy cavalry, was too far away to hear. A request was sent out to the Metapontines to send more hoplites to fill the gap, but they were unresponsive. After the battle it would be revealed that a Metapontine general had ignored the request and sent the messenger back. With no reinforcements and a growing demoralization, the Eretrian line buckled and then gave way under the Krotonians. They were beginning to rout.
It was at this decisive moment that the horns of hades blew from behind the Krotonian lines. Having driven away the enemy cavalry, Herodion descended upon them with a viciousness worthy of Sicily. No one had expected it- Krotone and Lokri had hardly been prepared for a skillful wheeling of the cavalry behind them. Such a thing was not done among Greeks for few had the ability. Indeed, it had taken Herodion much effort to coordinate the inexperienced aristocracy's cavalry to do so, taking him longer than he had hoped to arrive at the scene. The Peuketii also came down upon the enemy, after their skirmishers had harassed the Krotonians terribly from afar. The result now was carnage. The Krotonians and Lokrians at first tried to hold their ground, but were pressed from all sides and began to break. The Eretrian hoplites were rallied again and most corralled back into position, but did not chase after the fleeing forces. That was the job of the Ekdromoi and Kleos Exoria.
For once it had been heard that Antipater had been killed, a wailing cry broke out among the Kleos Exoria and the Ekdromoi, and they committed themselves to avenging him upon the enemy with such brutality as had been visited upon the barbaroi. Even once the Metapontines stopped, and Rhegion stopped, Eretria continued, running down the enemy, trampling them beneath their hooves, spears and goring soldiers who tried to run. The terror was much noted afterwards, and Eretria was feared and hated in Krotone and Lokri. At last, Herodion ordered the men to stop, and took stock of the casualties. Krotone and Lokri had been defeated, and had fled to their cities, but there was bad news from Sicily: Himera and the Sikeliotes had been routed by Phaleron of Syrakousai, and Leontini was under siege. The Ionians convened to discuss the matter, but before that, the Eretrians called an impromptu meeting of rage.
Antipater's body had been found, but all were unsure whether to give him a burial or carry him back home. It was decided he would be carried back home, and so he was preserved in salt from Rhegion. There was much horror at the events, which had left many of those around Antipater and the front line of the Hoplites dead. Also evident was arguments. Many accused Herodion of failing to arrive in time, forgetting that the Hoplites were the city, and that he had neglected them. Others blamed the Metapontines, who had been divided during the battle and nearly broke themselves against the Lokrian lines. Only Rhegion escaped blame, for their disciplined and well-trained hoplites, who had fought against Syrakousai, had no issues to speak of. Eventually the whole matter was called to a vote, because the outrage in the city was bubbling. Few had expected a clean victory, but no one had expected Antipater to die. The shock was such that the tremendous victory had been overshadowed, the wholesale slaughter of Krotonians and Lokrians in such a manner that neither city would be capable of fighting for the rest of the year ignored, and all other matters subordinated to asking who had been to blame for the death of Antipater. Some said that Pydamon, in his augurs, had failed to warn the city. In general, the atmosphere was bad and gloomy, and it had to be rectified. Herodion even offered to step down if the city thought it was just. At last, with much argumentation, the ekklesia of those formed in the army had to come to a vote. Only through their decision could the bad feeling be calmed, even if it was at the cost of morale and happiness if it was accepted that it was simply the will of the Gods that Antipater die and that the city must accept such situations.
As voting commenced, someone said that they had seen a man with black armor in the Krotonian lines, ahead of Antipater, and that he had been the one to kill the Ox of Eretria. That simply increased the consternation, as all wondered if Antipater had been killed by Ares. It demanded an answer.
Despite a heroic rallying of the Hoplites against the superior Krotonians, Antipater has died, a spear to the throat killing him almost instantly. Who is to blame for this grave disaster?
[] Herodion, the strategos who was not there in time [Herodion will step down as strategos to be replaced by Eutropios].
[] Metapontion, who was unwilling to aid Eretria's best man in his time of need [Metapontion will take this as an insult, and although it will not break the alliance, relations will be strained].
[] Pydamon, the scapegoat, the miser who failed to account for Antipater's doom [Pydamon will be shamed into stepping down as head seer, this will greatly weaken and embarass the priesthood and the piety of Eretria].
[] The Gods themselves, who saw it fit to dispatch Ares to cut Antipater down for their own purposes [-10 Civic Tradition for five years, the Gods see something wrong with our great city].
Upwards of 1,000, inflicted by all parties, many of them deaths rather than injuries
147 Krotonians captured, 98 Lokrians captured (in addition to casualties)
Result: Hard-fought Ionian Victory, thanks to Eretrian cavalry superiority, followed up by a slaughter thanks to the cavalry and Ekdromoi running down men
Population & Military
Eretria Eskhata - 310 OL
Population: 35,173 (3.25% growth per turn) Triremes: 10 Total Raisable Levy: 3,450 men Hoplites: 1,925 Men Sacred Ekdromoi: 500 Men Cavalry: 375 Men Kleos Exoria: 50 Men Psilloi: 600 Men Maximum Levy: 3,600 men
Eretrian Army (Camping near Rhegion for 310 Campaign)
Strategos: Herodion Total Forces: 2,760 Greeks, 500 Peuketii Hoplites: 1,540 Men (150 Casualties) Sacred Ekdromoi 400 Men Cavalry: 300 Men Kelos Exoria: 40 Men Psilloi: 480 Men Peuketii Skirmishers: 400 Men Peuketii Light Cavalry: 150 Men
Under Construction
Stone Wall [Tier III, Fortification]
--Sea Wall [Tier III, Fortification Extension]
--Wide Walls [Tier III Fortification Extension]
Will finish at end of 312 OL
Expenses: 149.3 Talents Navy Upkeep: 33.0 Talents Army Upkeep: 66.8 Talents (Army deployed for four months) Trade: 16 Talents Construction: 0 Talents Theater Subsidy: 10 Talents Sacred Treasury Contribution: 23.6 Talents Misc: 0 Talents Treasury at End Turn: 202.7 Talents
Trade
Imports
1 unit of Metals from Kymai (-10 talents per turn due to tax)
1 unit of Metals from Canosa (-6 talents per turn due to tax)
Exports
2 units of Smoked Anchovies to Taras (+20 talents a turn)
1 unit of Lumber to Greece (+10 talents a turn)
1 unit of Grain to Athens (+7 talents a turn)
Modifiers
Weights and Measures: 10% Trade Bonus Agora: 25% Trade Bonus
Dependencies
Epulian League Relations
Pylona: 135
Barletos: 150
Garnae: 120
Sipontion: 115 Total Tribute: 3.4 Talents Maximum Levy: 685 Men
Peuketii Relations
King Harpos of the Peuketii: Good Relations
Total Tribute: 6.6 Talents Maximum Levy: 1,007 Men
Alliances & Diplomacy
Gnatia: Full Alliance with the Messapii city of Gnatia, offered to Eretria after they were saved by Eusebios of the Fifty Masts from a pirate fleet. Maximum Levy: 350 Men
Kerkyra: In a defensive pact with Eretria after forcing Eretria to abandon its alliance with Taras. Maximum Levy: 2,000 Men, 70 Ships
Metapontion: In a mutual full alliance with Eretria Eskhata against the Dorian cities of Sicily and Italy Maximum Levy: 2,500 Men, 20 Ships
Messapii Confederacy: Under Oath of Peace with Eretria sworn on the Goddess Artemis.
Wars:
The Great Sicilian War (Eretria Eskhata, Metapontion, Rhegion, Himera, Sikeliote League versus Syrakousai, Krotone, Lokri Epixephyrii)
Overall good, though we did suffer for our lack of fighting against other hoplites. I do not want to blame Herodion as it was his stratagem that broke the enemy.
If the world would be fair we would blame the Metanponteses. We where their allies, they insisted to have us fight here, and they treated us with contempt in a moment of great need. Despite all that we essentially won the battle for them.
The world is, however, not really fair: we are here to make allies so blaming them would be counterproductive. I'll wait for more arguments to be put forward before voting. Whatever we do, lets not blame Herodion: as always he tought his stuff trough and came up with a successfull strategy.
@Cetashwayo we know what our ennemies think of the slaughter we inflicted during the pursuit but how are our allies feeling about it?
[X] The Gods themselves, who saw it fit to dispatch Ares to cut Antipater down for their own purposes [-10 Civic Tradition for five years, the Gods see something wrong with our great city].
Even if we do not blame the Metanponteses, I think the matter should quietly be brought up to them so that they can get their shit together, this kind of attitude simply cannot stand. I don't want to lose people because of their shit.
Mikythos gives his condolences for Antipater and simple congratulations for the battle. Lykos heaps praise on Herodion but it feels like he's doing it more for his own position than for the Eretrians.
Fellow citizens, it is clear enough that mighty Antipater was felled by the hand of Ares himself. For what purpose of the gods was can only guess at, though perhaps he alone was able to hold the fright of war off from the hearts of our comrades. We have won the laurels of a victor on the battlefield but we have lost a dear friend and a wise leader and I would think we have the worst of it.
Yet we might remark that the kleos of Antipater will remain ever afresh within our polis. He has achieved a noble death fighting in the front ranks in defense of his city and for the liberty of our Ionian kinsmen. We should honor his death with the fullest rites and dedicate his deeds to sacred memory, as we pray that bloody-handed Ares is content with this sacrifice he wrenched from our ranks this day.
[X] The Gods themselves, who saw it fit to dispatch Ares to cut Antipater down for their own purposes [-10 Civic Tradition for five years, the Gods see something wrong with our great city].
[X] Metapontion, who was unwilling to aid Eretria's best man in his time of need [Metapontion will take this as an insult, and although it will not break the alliance, relations will be strained].
This is not the only battle. We need them to understand that we must stand together if we want to continue this victory, especially since they called on us.
[x] Metapontion, who was unwilling to aid Eretria's best man in his time of need [Metapontion will take this as an insult, and although it will not break thealliance, relations will be strained].
Despite the bloody appearance of his panoply, and uncaring of the dried tear tracks on his face for mourning one of the greatest men Eretria-Eskhata has had since its founding, Alexandros son of arete Philoctetes stands on his rock carried by his mourning attendants.
The Eretrians look at him with attentive sadness, the Peuketti looks in bafflement amd the Metapontines look on with a mixture of confusion, amusement and contempt excepting their Strategoi on an arete doing... something.
Thus Alexandros son of Philoctetes speak:
Friends, Eretrians, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Antipater, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them;
The good is oft interred with their bones;
So let it be with Antipater. The noble Metapontines
Hath told you Antipater could not be helped:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Antipater answer'd it.
Here, under leave of thei and the rest–
For the proboulos is an honourable man;
So are they all Strategoi under Lykos, all honourable men–
Come I to speak in Antipater's funeral.
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But the Metapontimes proboulos says he had ambitious;
And the proboulos is an honourable man.
He hath brought many wise words home to Eretria
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Antipater seem full of hubris?
When that the hoplites have cried, Antipater hath wept:
Wisdom should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet the bickering generals says he lacked arete;
And they are honourable men.
You all did see that on the ekklesia
That he has championed the cause of the hoplites,
That he stood vigilant over the rights of the farmers and in the middle class
Yet the others says he was ambitious;
And, sure, they are honourable men.
I speak not to disprove what the Metapontines spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?
O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Antipater,
And I must pause till it come back to me.
And thus spoke Alexandros, son of Philoctetes as he hoped that the eulogy would prove fitting to a wise man that had left for Elysium.
This is like the Magna Graecian world war right? We can make allies with plenty of other Ionians and Sicilians (starting with Mikythos of Rhegion), screw the weakness of Lykos and the internal factions of the Metapontese. Besides as long as Taras and Krotone are threats they will be motivated to eventually get over the insult.
[X] Metapontion, who was unwilling to aid Eretria's best man in his time of need [Metapontion will take this as an insult, and although it will not break the alliance, relations will be strained]
[X] Metapontion, who was unwilling to aid Eretria's best man in his time of need [Metapontion will take this as an insult, and although it will not break the alliance, relations will be strained].
The Metapontines are the closest of the allied cities to Eretria, and the only one to share another common interest in restraining the Messappi and the Lucani from becoming a threat to us both. Alienating them over this, however deserved, is not a very good long-term choice.
[X] The Gods themselves, who saw it fit to dispatch Ares to cut Antipater down for their own purposes [-10 Civic Tradition for five years, the Gods see something wrong with our great city].
Because our City does need to be punched in the dick a little now. We were clearly on the path to Hubris.
Yeah, the more I think about it and no matter how much I want to give to the Metapontese the crap they deserve its simply not a good idea. Besside, it might backfire and lead to Lykos replacement with some of the very mens responsible for it. Thus, I have to vote:
[X] The Gods themselves, who saw it fit to dispatch Ares to cut Antipater down for their own purposes [-10 Civic Tradition for five years, the Gods see something wrong with our great city].
How much can we trust those so-called allies, if they do not answer a call for help in the middle of pitched battle, leaving our brave Hoplites to die? I, Alypius son of Abascantus, believe that if they are unable to even accept such a justified reprimand for their conduct, they would make for rather poor allies no?
[X] The Gods themselves, who saw it fit to dispatch Ares to cut Antipater down for their own purposes [-10 Civic Tradition for five years, the Gods see something wrong with our great city].
Those of Metapontion suffered just as badly for the spiteful among them. We'll let the matter lie for now.
