The Universal Record & Senatus Gazette

Sacred Oaths Forsworn: Rome (MapMaker) Strikes Greece (tof tof) in Chersonesus

Pledges of brotherhood were cast into the dust when legions of Rome (MapMaker) turned their swords upon unsuspecting garrisons of Greece (tof tof) in Chersonesus. The betrayal was executed with ruthless precision before the defenders could sound an alarm. Within Greece, the old quarrel between the generals and the senate flared up again before the hour was out. The senate has voted to thank the gods, with a note that the thanks may be redirected.

Rome (MapMaker) Leads the World with 9 Strongholds

At the close of another arduous campaign year, Rome (MapMaker) stands foremost among all contending nations with 9 cities under its command. While 9 strongholds still divide the court from the 18 strongholds required for victory, its preeminence is undeniable. Children in Rome ran beside the returning cavalry, flinging myrtle sprigs beneath the hooves. 'Carthaginians would call it luck; we call it drill,' sniffed a drill-master of Rome.

Fortune Turns in Sinope: Rome (MapMaker) Drives Out Persia (goldplasma) Once More

The revolving gate of Sinope turns yet again: Rome (MapMaker) has driven Persia (goldplasma) from the stronghold, notching 2 changes of banner. Exhausted burghers swept sling-stones from the temple steps and prepared for a new garrison. The strike originated in Chersonesus, which the defenders had thought secure. In foreign ports, merchants and grain dealers adjusted prices with dispassionate speed upon hearing the news. Priests report that both armies sacrificed bulls to the same war god, leaving Olympus to resolve an awkward celestial dilemma.

Triremes in Formation: Persia (goldplasma) Convoys Host to Miletus

A seamless seaborne operation has carried the warriors of Persia (goldplasma) from their camp in Sidon directly to Miletus. Quartermasters accomplished the embarkation and landing with remarkable efficiency. In the forum of Persia, crowds cheered wildly as victorious wreaths of laurel were laid upon temple steps. Sculptors of the forum are said to be carving all new statues with detachable heads, to save time later.

Seaborne Crossing: Armies of Persia (goldplasma) Reach Sidon from Isauria

Biremes and heavy transports belonging to Persia (goldplasma) crossed the open gulf from Isauria, discharging cavalry and infantry onto the plains of Sidon. Local fishermen fled inland at the sight of the bronze rams cutting through the shallows. The Rhodian shipowners met in their guildhall and voted to keep their vessels in port until the quarrel cooled. The sellers of laurel wreaths report an excellent season, and have not yet decided for whom they are rooting.

Rome (MapMaker) Calls Up 1 New Host for the Campaign

A lavish muster has been proclaimed across Rome (MapMaker), adding 1 disciplined unit to the imperial roster. Foreign ambassadors watched the military review from the forum portico with visible unease. Scholars in the great library copied the dispatch twice, once for the record and once for the argument that would follow. Philosophers in the agora note that glory is eternal, but replacing lost baggage mules and broken oars proves ruinously expensive.

Dagger of Persia (goldplasma) Pierces Egypt (Mitch Cackers) in Crete

Urgent dispatches borne by naval dispatch-galleys report that Persia (goldplasma) has perfidiously broken its covenants, assaulting the cohorts of Egypt (Mitch Cackers) at Crete after marching beside them as comrades. Sentries of Egypt were slain at their posts before realizing their allies had turned foe. 'Words and treaties are merely the garments with which force clothes its naked ambition,' remarked a neutral diplomat. Sailors in the harbor of Egypt refused the night watch, saying that the sea was safer than the land.

No Peace for Greece (tof tof) and Persia (goldplasma): The Ancient Vendetta Continues

Neither time nor exhaustion has softened the bitter rancor dividing Greece (tof tof) and Persia (goldplasma), whose armies continue to trade slaughter across scorched boundary ditches. Blood has also been spilled at Aegean Sea this year. At Delphi the priestess was asked the same question by both camps and gave both the same riddle. 'Ask me again when the snow has melted and the roads are open,' advised a courier changing horses.

Fortunes wane for Egypt (Mitch Cackers), whose realm shrinks by 1 city, leaving them at 7. Ledger-keepers of Rome (MapMaker) write a happy line (+1) and total the realm at 9 strongholds.

Gossip in the public baths suggests a dynastic betrothal between an influential patrician of Egypt and a noble daughter of Rome. 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 Rome.

Violent squalls buffet coastal anchorages; port prefects report several galleys grounded upon sandbars and oarsmen drenched.

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