Wax tablets carried by the imperial post confirm that the collapse of Rome (Базослав) is total and irreversible. Without a single redoubt left to rally its broken forces, the realm passes into the memory of historians and poets. 'My shop sold more black wool this morning than in the whole of last year,' noted a weaver. The sellers of laurel wreaths report an excellent season, and have not yet decided for whom they are rooting.
With 16 provinces already sworn to its eagles, Carthage (Kowalski) presses forward to claim the final 2 strongholds necessary for undisputed supremacy. Scribes and chroniclers already prepare the rolls that will record the culmination of the war. 'My son stood in the first rank and writes that the enemy never found their courage,' said a sail-maker of Carthage. Citizens across Carthage thronged the sacred way, singing hymns of triumph to the gods of war.
A crushing frontal assault by Carthage (Kowalski) shattered the shield-wall of Persia (Эльф ушастый) in Illyria. The routed garrison fell back in confusion before the steady thrust of bronze-tipped pikes. The routed troops found shelter at Epirus. The sculptors of Carthage were commissioned that very evening to carve a triumphal arch. 'The surgeons say it was a clean victory, with few wounds to sew,' reported a physician attending the wounded.
The defensive line held by Persia (Эльф ушастый) in Epirus crumbled under a sustained bombardment of javelins and heavy stones hurled by Carthage (Kowalski). Abandoning their baggage in the camp trenches, the defenders beat a disorganized retreat. The assault was launched from Dalmatia, where baggage trains had been gathering all spring. Wise men agree that the matter will be settled by the next war, as the last one was. The granary wardens of Persia sealed the doors and posted guards over every sack of wheat.
Pilgrims descending from the oracle road relate that extensive military preparations came to nothing at Dacia when rival armies of Carthage (Kowalski) and Persia (Эльф ушастый), each reinforced by allied support, met with equal momentum. The resulting bounce left the contested territory entirely empty of an occupier. Stone carvers in the capital are already growing weary of chiseling new names upon conquered boundary stones. Travellers at a roadside inn near the border argued the matter over bread and olives until the lamps burned low.
Blacksmiths and shipwrights across Carthage (Kowalski) have labored without pause, outfitting 1 new combat detachment for immediate deployment. Officers boast that the host has never appeared more resplendent or disciplined. 'The sacred chickens fed greedily before battle; the triumph of Carthage was ordained by the gods,' noted a temple augur. Centurions returning on leave to the city swear that supply trains are already rolling toward the frontier.
A relentless cycle of raid and reprisal continues to consume the resources of Carthage (Kowalski) and Rome (Базослав). Sages and priests have long ceased their appeals for concord, resigning themselves to endless enmity. Fighting this year ranged over Massila as well. At Delphi the priestess was asked the same question by both camps and gave both the same riddle. It is generally agreed that the only undeniable victors of the campaign are the vultures wheeling above the battlefield.
According to couriers riding hard from the frontier, the enduring vendetta between Carthage (Kowalski) and Egypt (Tim4egg) flared afresh this season, with frontier pickets skirmishing without respite. Old treaties lie forgotten while fresh battlements are thrown up along the riverbanks. Skirmishes were reported at Cyrene, Libyan Sea and Memphis, where both sides claim to have won. Sculptors of the forum are said to be carving all new statues with detachable heads, to save time later. Patricians in neutral city-states observed the unfolding conflict with cold, calculated detachment.
Carthage (Kowalski) counts its gains: 1 city more in the census, 16 centres in all. Tax-gatherers of Rome (Базослав) return with lighter bags, for 1 province has been lost; 0 remain.
Gossip in the public baths suggests a dynastic betrothal between an influential patrician of Carthage and a noble daughter of Greece.
Heavy snowfall seals the mountain defiles, forcing marching legions to winter in fortified camps until spring.
WANTED: Sturdy Thessalian draught oxen for baggage trains. Must be accustomed to long marches and unfrightened by war elephants.
| Power | Centres | ± |
|---|---|---|
| Carthage (Kowalski) | 16 | +1 |
| Persia (Эльф ушастый) | 6 | 0 |
| Greece (Luis Rodriguez) | 6 | 0 |
| Egypt (Tim4egg) | 6 | 0 |
| Rome (Базослав) | 0 | -1 |