Pact Dissolved in Blood: Persia (Jaxson301) Attacks Greece (MapMaker) at Minoan Sea
Centurions returning on leave to the city swear that Persia (Jaxson301) has turned its weapons upon Greece (MapMaker) at Minoan Sea, repudiating the close cooperation the two realms displayed in the prior year. The quarrel spilled over into Byzantinum and Miletus, where villages were burned. Surprised garrisons scrambled to man the breastworks before the banners of their former allies. Sculptors of the forum are said to be carving all new statues with detachable heads, to save time later. At Delphi the priestess was asked the same question by both camps and gave both the same riddle.
Dispatches from the Legions
No Respite for Vindobona: Rome (goldplasma) Wrests Stronghold Back from Greece (MapMaker)
For the 2 occasions in living memory, the fortress of Vindobona bows to a new master as Rome (goldplasma) turns out the garrison of Greece (MapMaker). Local merchants simply turned over their ledgers to register another set of requisition orders. 'The spear decides what the assembly debates, but hunger outlasts both,' noted a cynical market overseer. The augurs of Greece found only ill omens in the entrails and refused to name the next day's sacrifice.
Dispatches from the Legions
The Trumpets Sound Victory: Persia (Jaxson301) Gains 2 New Strongholds Across the Border
Fortune has favored the arms of Persia (Jaxson301) beyond all expectation, resulting in the acquisition of 2 provinces in a single sweep. Triumphal arches have been decreed to honor the legates who directed the marches. Children in Persia ran beside the returning cavalry, flinging myrtle sprigs beneath the hooves. The poets, as is their habit, will compose odes for whoever pays the better fee.
Dispatches from the Legions
Grim Retreat: Egypt (Mitch Cackers) Stripped of 2 Provinces
Wine-sellers on the Via Sacra, never short of gossip, assure us that Egypt (Mitch Cackers) has endured a punishing campaign season, forfeiting 2 fortified cities to coordinated enemy assaults. The high command has recalled all distant detachments to shore up the vulnerable home heartland. 'Send for the Sibylline books; there may be something about this,' urged a worried pontiff. 'The stars say nothing of this,' admitted an astrologer, 'which is itself a sign.'
Dispatches from the Legions
Reversal of Fortune for Greece (MapMaker): 2 Cities Lost
Dispatches delivered by mounted messengers report that an alarming retreat has forced Greece (MapMaker) to yield 2 cities to encroaching adversaries. Panic has begun to spread through commercial quarters as grain supplies dwindle and taxes soar to cover the disaster. The bakers of Greece found their ovens cold at dawn, for no one had the heart to light them. The senate has voted to thank the gods, with a note that the thanks may be redirected.
Dispatches from the Legions
Seaborne Crossing: Armies of Egypt (Mitch Cackers) Reach Cyrene from Sinai
Sailing with favorable winds and steady oars, the fleet of Egypt (Mitch Cackers) bridged the sea between Sinai and Cyrene, depositing a formidable host upon the beaches. Admirals in neighboring ports expressed astonishment at the audacity of the voyage. Neutral envoys watched the tidings with guarded expressions, dispatching swift messengers to their respective masters. Fortune-tellers at the crossroads are doing excellent trade; they predict victory for everybody, in turn.
Chamber of Envoys & Alliances
Vengeance Unquenched: The Ceaseless War Between Carthage (Spacewielder) and Egypt (Mitch Cackers)
Bronze shields and broken spears litter the boundary passes where Carthage (Spacewielder) and Egypt (Mitch Cackers) renew their irreconcilable quarrel each campaigning season. The two have now been at war for 3 years. The agora buzzed with animated debates as philosophers and travelers dissected the strategic shift. Stone carvers in the capital are already growing weary of chiseling new names upon conquered boundary stones.
Chamber of Envoys & Alliances
Swords Never Sheathed: The Unbroken Feud of Carthage (Spacewielder) and Rome (goldplasma)
Through 3 unrelenting years of bloodshed, Carthage (Spacewielder) and Rome (goldplasma) have traded atrocities until neither side remembers what sparked the initial conflict. Camp scribes have run short of wax tablets to record the tally of fallen hoplites. The Egyptian priests, who have watched empires come and go for three thousand years, merely noted the date. 'A tablet costs two obols, a war costs a province; I know which I would rather buy,' remarked a stationer.
The Sovereign Ledger of Cities
The granaries of Carthage (Spacewielder) are filling: 1 new province pays tribute, and the realm now stands at 8 centres.
A bleak ledger for Egypt (Mitch Cackers), falling to 6 strongholds following the loss of 2.
Tribute diminishes and garrisons falter in Greece (MapMaker), which drops 2 provinces to retain just 5.
Persia (Jaxson301) grows by 2 garrisoned cities and boasts 9 cities in all.
Ledger-keepers of Rome (goldplasma) write a happy line (+1) and total the realm at 6 strongholds.
Forum Gossip & Port Omens
It is muttered among the forum colonnades that Persia sent a gift of pure Cretan wine and fifty amphorae of olive oil to the magistrates of Carthage.
Civic Decrees & Oddities
A cold drizzle has seeped into every tent along the frontier, and campfires hiss and sulk in the damp.
Civic Decrees & Oddities
MOSAICS laid to order: dolphins, gladiators or your own family crest. Free sketch for senators.
