The Dance of Civilizations [Diplo Game] [Story Thread Pt2 - October 2009]

[OzzyKP]

[Byzantium (DoC)]

No idea what happened but somehow it didn't notice my end of turn or I messed it or something. I have ended my turn and will not log in again this turn. When I can, and if Voula hasn't gone yet, I will log in and end turn, to make it straight. But Voula if you want to get in now, do, and I promise I will not log in afterwards. I have finished my turn.

[Robert]

Does this mean the war has officially started?
I'll then extent the turn-timer to 22 hours.

[Byzantium (DoC)]

Yes I reported it in the org thread, though with a suggestion that we might not need to extend the timer.

[Byzantium (DoC)]

The phoney war finally came to an end.

At night under cover of darkness and a fierce storm the Greece Phalanxes and auxiliary bowmen pushed across the river Orentes which marks the borders of the Byzantine City of Antioch cutting through the rich farmland, racing for the hills threatening the newly opened mines (and the engineers still on site) and seeing to establish a dominant position above the city.

The nobles sitting in Constantine’s council sat impassively listening to the scouts reports. What would the great leader do? Would his religion, his desire not to destroy the weak, continue to stay his hand, threatening the whole province of Antioch? Was it not obvious by now the Greeks would listen to nothing but the blade of an axe, and they pushed deeper into Byzantine land.

Silence fell, then with an explosive groan of range and frustration, Constantine thundered “Destroy them. The people of Antioch – the herdsmen, the farmers, the miners, the engineers, the women and the children – their safety is our duty. Today we begin the extermination of the Greek invaders, and may god have mercy on my soul.”

The day dawned heavy and damp, the mud a poor fighting surface for the charioteers. Voula’s army formed up on the banks of the Orentes trusting it to protect them from being outflanked by the Byzantine chariots. Constantine knew that he was outnumbered. But it would still be some time before the reinforcements from Constantinople reached Antioch. He had to act now, to risk for the safety of the city. The Greek Phalanxes were famed for their strength – the chariots horses reluctant to close with them.

All day the battle ranged. At first the Byzantine’s had it their way, their chariots driving back the Greek archers, encircling them, cutting them off, driving back behind the Phalanxes for protection. But they could not challenge the Phalanxes. Finally as the sun grew high in the sky, Constantine ordered his guard from their chariots, took up axes and took the frontline among the axemen and ordered the advance to combat to be sounded. Grim but inspired by Constantine in the front rank, the Byzantines axemen approached the Phalanx.

All day the blood flowed. The stronger Greeks assisted by the chariot defying mud. The Byzantines fighting for their homes. Chaos reigned. But in the dying light of the sun, the truth emerged. The Greek invasion force was shattered, but a group of Phalanxes still held on against the river. The land strewn with the bodies. In the falling light Callimachus the commander of the Northern forces circled in his chariot trying to locate the Byzantine axemen, to escort them back to camp, when the truth gradually dawned on him. They have been destroyed. To a man. In defence of the fields, the mines, the woman and children of Antioch they had thrown themselves again and again in to the Phalanx until they had ground themselves into nothing. Seeing a knot of bodies, he summoned his guard and drove forward, unable to touch the remaining decimated Phalanxes but safe from them. There in the knot of bodies he saw Constantine, still holding his axe, multiple wounds piercing his body. His blood has already drained from him. They bore the body back from the field of destruction.

That night Callimachus took council with his fellow officers. The invasion force has been shattered, but Greek reinforcements had been sighted in the woods approaching the Orentes. There was little to be done. Constantine had fallen here, on the banks of the Orentes, they were not going to abandon this ground so hard bought.

Callimachus send messengers to the garrison of Antioch to split, half moving into the hills to prevent any further Greek attempts to outflank the city, and seize the high ground. Half coming to him, to mount the final defence of the Orentes. Further messengers east to urge the reinforcements to make better speed through the hills; west through the secret woodland paths to Nicaea, summoning its garrison to the defence of Antioch.

“Time” muttered Callimachus “soon the Greeks will be cut off, helpless, between the garrison of Nicaea and the reinforcements from Constantinople. But until they came …” he looked round, hearing the sound of the wolves gorging themselves on the dead and shuddered.

[Greece (DoC)]

"Voula we have news.... the army in the north was attacked.... They killed a archer unit, but they only hurt the phalanx garrison. Should we send more to the north or should we get them south."

"Their Little pony army makes me laugh. We will eat pony tonight....."

[Rome (DoC)]

You built the lighthouse just so you could tell that story!

not entirely

[Greece (DoC)]

Let there be light, long live MAD!!!!!

congrats ROME....

[Byzantium (DoC)]

Not a single Greek invader ever emerged from the forests of Antioch to tell the tale.

The end came quickly for the murderous greek phalanxes.

Perhaps they could have survived if they had withdrawn while the Byzantines mourned Constantine, and the garrison of Nicaea was still far distant. But they were driven on by Voula's crazy belief in her own strength and Byzantium's weakness.

As the remnant of the Phalanxes shattered by Constantine's axemen withdrew into the forests, the new Phalanxes tried to push across the Orentes into a hail of Byzantine arrows, those who reached the bank easy pickings for Callimachus' chariots before they regained their formation. In places the Phalanxes did manage to form up, forcing the archers into costly hand to hand fighting. But the Phalanxes could not establish a proper foothold on the Antiochene side of the Orentes, and eventually fell back into the western forest.

The Greeks still arrogantly assuming their own superiority began to fortify their positions on the west bank of the Orentes, believing that the forest would protect them as they regrouped and prepared for another assault on Antioch.

But they did not count on the bravery and speed of the garrison of Nicaea. In response to Callimachus' messengers who had slipped through the encircling Greek lines, the whole of Nicaea had been emptied, ever man and boy determined to avenge the death of Constantine. They came on the Phalanxes from the west unexpected. The hail of arrows shattering the will of the phalanxes which broke apart and were cut down by the chariots as they fled, byzantine foresters hunting down the last fugatives.

[Byzantium (DoC)]

Meanwhile in the south, Aristus watched as the Greek phalanxes started to descend from the desert hills onto the land bridge towards Hellespontos.

The marched, arrogantly, steadily across the desert lands. The points of the Phalanxes shining in the sun. But Aristus was ready. Letting them sweat across the desert he alloewd them to come closer and closer to the port and great canal of Hellespontos and then he struck. Axeman, bowmen, pouring out of the city. The phalanxes fought bravely, taking a terrible toll among the Byzantine axemen at close quarters, but the end was never in doubt. There in the desert within sight of the great canal of Hellespontos the Greek southern army bled into the desert sand.

[Byzantium (DoC)]

The council of Chieftans in Constantinople rejoicing at the news of the utter destruction of the Greek invaders, send two messangers.

The first to Guru FarAz, the fat worshipping tyrant across the sea. A simple gift: with the message "some dogs both bark and bite".

The second to Voula, or whoever is in charge in Greece: "Your invading armies have been annihilated. Soon your own cities will fall. Silence and arrogance has served you badly up to now, it will serve you worse in the future. Speak for the future of your race depends on your wisdom".

[Greece (DoC)]

Dear Constantine,

It's nice to see that you slave all your people..... I hope your people can forgive you when city by city your culture will fall. Please give up the killing of innocent slaves and hand over Nicaea....

[Byzantium (DoC)]

The scholars were shocked.

The laughter echoed through the marble halls of the library of Constantinople shattering the normal silence. The council of chieftans, called after Constantine's martyrdom defending the people of Antioch, meeting in the central hall had normally been sombre. But now its laughter was filling the hall, erupting into the library proper.

Snatches of the conversation could be heard ....

"slaves ... but they have been building libraries, lighthouses and granaries ... Greek puny culture ... hand over Nicaea ... Voula the Mad ..."

[Inca (DoC)]

[India (DoC)]

Citizens of Delphi are celebrating the new palace. The Parthenon will be the new home of the God, the magnificence of this building will inspire greatness from our people all over the country.



Meanwhile eager missionaries are spreading the words of Tao in our cities and in our neighbour's.
The book of Sha'Tao teaches: the forces of good and evil are in eternal battle in the world. They reign in cycles and all pain in our life comes from the impending age of darkness. But there is hope: the mercifull God, Sha'tur came to protect us in the world and our souls in the afterlife. With his help the darkness can be avoided, but only if all people of the world accept the light into their hearts and worship Sha'tur and the Tao.
Those who don't follow the path are helping the forces of evil thus they are evil themselves.


missionary converting the people of Djenne, a Mali city