Chronica Antiqua & The Mediterranean Inquirer

No Peace for Greece (Эльф ушастый) and Persia (Kowalski): The Ancient Vendetta Continues

Augurs interpreting the flight of birds on the sacred hill declare that the conflict between Greece (Эльф ушастый) and Persia (Kowalski) has persisted across 8 campaign seasons, draining treasuries and leaving frontier fields fallow. Neither sovereign will stoop to sue for peace while an army remains in the field. The legal justifications offered by imperial rhetoricians are as ornate as they are thoroughly unconvincing. 'Words and treaties are merely the garments with which force clothes its naked ambition,' remarked a neutral diplomat.

The Imperial Vanguard: Carthage (MonsterSerg) Sets the Pace

According to couriers riding hard from the frontier, Carthage (MonsterSerg) has pulled ahead of all rivals, maintaining garrisons in 12 fortified cities as the campaign season closes. Although 6 additional centers remain to be won for total supremacy, the court clearly holds the master hand. 'The historians will make it sound far tidier than it was,' predicted a scribe, sharpening a reed. Fortune-tellers at the crossroads are doing excellent trade; they predict victory for everybody, in turn.

Unbroken Line: Carthage (MonsterSerg) Weathers Storm of Greece (Эльф ушастый) at Crete

Despite assembling vast support for the operation, Greece (Эльф ушастый) failed to dislodge the steadfast cohorts of Carthage (MonsterSerg) from Crete. The defenders stood their ground through hours of grueling hand-to-hand combat, keeping the standard flying over the acropolis. 'Such bold campaigns permanently redraw the maps of the known world,' remarked an envoy in the court of Carthage. Auction houses in Carthage reported a sudden boom as captured spoils were put up for sale.

The Ramparts Stand: Rome (Luis Rodriguez) Holds Punic Sea Against Carthage (MonsterSerg)

In a heroic display of fortitude, the garrison of Rome (Luis Rodriguez) has firmly held Punic Sea against a heavily supported offensive mounted by Carthage (MonsterSerg). Outnumbered defenders locked their bronze shields across the breaches and shattered the assault columns. In the amphitheatre of Rome, the crowd rose as one to cheer the returning standard-bearers. 'The sacred chickens fed greedily before battle; the triumph of Rome was ordained by the gods,' noted a temple augur.

The Trumpet Sounds in Carthage (MonsterSerg): New Armies Assembled

War trumpets echoed across the drill fields of Carthage (MonsterSerg) as magistrates inspected 1 newly raised cohort. Smiths have worked through the nights hammering greaves and spear-points for the marching columns. Bakers across Carthage baked honey-cakes stamped with the eagle, and the poor ate for nothing. 'Carthaginians would call it luck; we call it drill,' sniffed a drill-master of Carthage.

Endless Blood-Strife: Carthage (MonsterSerg) and Rome (Luis Rodriguez) Refuse to Yield

There is no softening in the hostility that pits Carthage (MonsterSerg) and Rome (Luis Rodriguez) against one another, sustained now through 2 unbroken years of campaign and counter-stroke. Envoys who attempted mediation have retired in despair. The Rhodian shipowners met in their guildhall and voted to keep their vessels in port until the quarrel cooled. Local tavern keepers remark that advancing cohorts and retreating phalanxes possessed an identical thirst for untaxed vintage.

Sacred Concord: Harmony Between Carthage (MonsterSerg) and Persia (Kowalski)

Envoys from Carthage (MonsterSerg) and Persia (Kowalski) have sealed their brotherhood over smoking altars, demonstrated by 1 concerted operation in the field this season. Officers of both realms shared rations and battle plans in high spirits. Barbarian chieftains beyond the frontier were seen counting their spears and watching the roads. 'The fishing was good today, which is more than the generals can say,' reported a fisherman at the quay.

Carthage (MonsterSerg) holds firm along the marches, maintaining an unchanged tally of 12 cities.

Rumors persist that Carthage has promised to support the maritime claims of Persia in exchange for regular shipments of grain.

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

FOR SALE: Sound bronze cuirass and crested iron helmet, slightly dented by sling-stones. Suitable for an ambitious centurion or mercenary officer.