In an ignominious end to imperial ambitions, Egypt (Xenonic) has been completely erased from the theater of nations. Neighbors who once trembled before its phalanxes now divide its lands without fear of reprisal. 'A tablet costs two obols, a war costs a province; I know which I would rather buy,' remarked a stationer. 'Our walls were built for the last war, not this one,' grumbled a master mason.
A coordinated assault by Greece (Эльф ушастый) in Miletus has routed the stubborn detachments of Carthage (MonsterSerg), compelling them to cast aside heavy shields and seek refuge in adjacent valleys. Observers consider the maneuver exemplary. 'The sea-lanes and provincial revenues now answer to Greece,' proclaimed an ambitious harbor prefect. Trumpets and bronze cymbals echoed through the streets of Greece as magistrates declared a festival of thanksgiving.
A determined defense by Persia (Kowalski) in Damascus has completely frustrated the grand plans of Greece (Эльф ушастый), whose supported assault broke against stubborn resistance. The ditch before the main gate remains littered with shattered scaling ladders and abandoned shields. Horsemen galloped out from Greece with pleas for reinforcement, and found only shut gates in the neighboring cities. 'Fortune favors the resolute, but disciplined cohorts turn fortune into certainty,' noted a seasoned legate.
The approaches to Arabia became a scene of absolute deadlock as advancing columns of Egypt (Xenonic) and Persia (Kowalski) collided head-on in an inevitable bounce. The territory remains unoccupied by either claimant, preserving an uneasy wilderness. In coastal trading colonies, harbor masters recorded the movements of foreign fleets without taking part. Whether the subjugated citizens will greet their conquerors with garlands or poisoned wine remains to be seen.
Pilgrims descending from the oracle road relate that the council of Carthage (MonsterSerg) has expanded its armed might by commissioning 1 additional formation on land and sea. Shipyards and drill grounds have been bustling day and night to equip the levies. 'I have mended sandals for three legions and never seen them march so fast,' boasted a camp cobbler. Experts of the rostra are unanimous that the outcome was inevitable, now that it has occurred.
An impressive display of military readiness unfolded in Persia (Kowalski), where heralds announced the completion of 1 new military formation. Crowds cheered from the ramparts as the cavalry rode out in gleaming bronze breastplates. Children in Persia ran beside the returning cavalry, flinging myrtle sprigs beneath the hooves. 'Make room on the wall of fame,' laughed a mason of Persia, 'I have a new name to chisel.'
The fraternal concord of Carthage (MonsterSerg) and Egypt (Xenonic) has ended in bitter strife at Petra, where cohorts of Carthage assailed their erstwhile comrades. Envoys from neutral city-states watch the unraveling of the pact with quiet apprehension. It is generally agreed that the only undeniable victors of the campaign are the vultures wheeling above the battlefield. The agora buzzed with animated debates as philosophers and travelers dissected the strategic shift.
Warfare between Carthage (MonsterSerg) and Rome (Luis Rodriguez) has spanned 5 straight years without a single treaty or festival truce to interrupt the slaughter. Both treasuries are strained to the breaking point, yet pride forbids any concession. Reports brought by grain merchants docking at the harbor reveal that fresh levies are already being marshaled. Wise men agree that the matter will be settled by the next war, as the last one was.
Tax rolls of Carthage (MonsterSerg) lengthen by 1 town, bringing the total to 11 holdings. Egypt (Xenonic) suffers severe contraction, forfeiting 1 city to hold a diminished total of 0. A bleak ledger for Greece (Эльф ушастый), falling to 7 strongholds following the loss of 1. Silver arrives from the new holdings of Persia (Kowalski): 1 more centre in the books, 6 centres altogether.
Talk among the harbor stalls claims that Carthage offered to yield an entire coastal anchorage to Greece to settle private silver debts. Whispers in the port taverns claim an emissary from Persia was seen slipping from the residence of an envoy of Carthage disguised as a grain merchant.
An earth tremor shook the lower town at dawn, cracking an aqueduct pillar; priests offered bulls to the earth-shaker.
REWARD OFFERED: A runaway horned goat with a notched ear strayed from the temple pastures. Deliver to the chief sacrificial priest.
| Power | Centres | ± |
|---|---|---|
| Carthage (MonsterSerg) | 11 | +1 |
| Rome (Luis Rodriguez) | 10 | 0 |
| Greece (Эльф ушастый) | 7 | -1 |
| Persia (Kowalski) | 6 | +1 |
| Egypt (Xenonic) | 0 | -1 |