A Tryst with Destiny

That also makes sense. I thought about that but I hadn't tried it and wasn't sure.

Thanks Spirictum, I recall doing this once when i was installing v 1.11 replacing v 1.10 . The idea works for me, I'll just rename the folders in the same mods folder. However, I will entrust the savegame (which you already have) with you till that time, if anything should go wrong... I will take it up with you then. I have not yet installed the game.

I actually have the previous one, you already updated more turns and didn't give me the new savegame

The month of the monsoons were notorious in the Eastern provinces for bringing pain and plenty in equal measure. The rains would bring fertility to the soil, but would also bring floods. This year however, the rains seemed tame. Samrat Vedistri stood upon the balcony looking at the rains that day "It all .. looks so sad" he remarked. The tropical rains had a certain life to it, but the rains today seemed uncharacteristically morose as though it was a sign of things to come. His scribe entered his chamber with a bag of letters "Samrat, the Amatya Chakravarty has received these letters from foreign lands. He would like you to read through them" "Put them on the table there". The scribe placed the scrolls on the table bowed and left. "News from Persia I would wager" samrat vedistri said to himself, as he went about opening the bag.

Persia was a hotly debated topic in the ministry, ever since the map of the empire was made official. The claims which samrat Vedistri laid down, extended westwards to the very edges of the Parada kingdom, and in the East, to the wild jungle lands of Brahma-desh. Amatya Chitragupt had warned the emperor of the possible troubles from Persia, but the emperor had not taken them seriously yet. Trade between the Empire of Magadh and the Empire of Parthia had reached great heights under his leadership, the Parthian kings have repeatedly assured their counterparts in Bharata of their enduring commitment to peace. However, that was before the empire of Magadh lay claim to lands in the Parthian empire. And that was before, the Parthians had reportedly settled a port city within the claimed zone.

The first letter came from the military base at Northern Sindh. The letter was made by a captain in the army of Magadh.



"Samrat Vedistri ki jay ho,

My emperor, earlier today an emissary came to us from the Parada kingdom. He claimed to come from the newly built city of Gwadar. A port city built on the Western edge of the Parad lands. It was said to us, that pirates from Sindh repeatedly raid these coasts and capture women and children for ransom. Within the city of Gwadar, raids from horsemen and bandits based on the hills East of Gwadar, are a frequent occurrence. We were thus asked to assist in the law and order situation.

Now, we knew of the territorial boundaries of the empire as well as claimed territories. A copy of the map of our realm had been given to us. We had not believed that the town of Gwadar to be within the Parad lands. These lands after all were within our claim, but stories kept coming to us of a new port town in the lands of the Parada. Most of our troops did not believe this to be true, that was until our archers ventured into the deserts.

The town of Gwadar stood before our men, like an insult in our face. The town was fortified with at least forty thousand armored infantry men, all of them mercenaries. Some among them were Dravidan from the southern reaches of our empire. There were kushan and Yavan among them as well. The army that Persia had settled in Gwadar was in every way foreign to the Persians. There was no wall built for the town neither did it have any infrastructure. The town seems to have little else but an agglomeration of brick shanties and the palisades that the mercenaries have built for their own defense.

There are other stories that we hear of, ones more unsavory. Refugees come to us from the Parada lands, people who adhere to our Vedic way of life. They tell us, the new emperor Phraates IV is a vicious and cruel man. He is as evil as he is ambitious and he intends to assert his claim to all lands West of the Sindhu river. He has embarked upon colonizing their lands with armed settlers from Parsa, when they resisted the emperor sent his mercenaries to smite them. We do our best to give them shelter and find a place for them within our empire, but these stories cannot fall on deaf ears. They look upon us as their brethren, and yearn for liberation from us. Yet every time, I must disappoint them with a negative answer. Our men feel indignation at this cruelty done by the Parthian emperor, now that he has openly defied us at Gwadar, I doubt I can hold my men back from taking matters into their own hands.

The question stands before you, O wise Chakravartin Samrat Vedistri, do we stand beside and watch our brethren being slaughtered by a foreign tyrant ? Or do we do what is just ?

In service, Lt. Kumbhar

Vedistri's eyes widened, the words of Amatya Chitragupt came back to him, "The Parthian emperor won't take this lightly". The day he had died, the emperor wept, the whole of Pataliputra wept, "Those were the last words he had said to me before his death. The words of a dying man are never false." the emperor said to himself, as he reflected over the letter. He then moved on to a second letter, this too was from Persia, sent by the exploration team in from the province of Mesopotamia.



"Samrat Vedistri ki Jay ho,

We have completed my explorations in Mesopotamia, and now head back to Herat. My travels took me to far off lands to the very heart of what was once Babylonia. The once grand city of Babylon had fallen to ruin as the Parthian and Roman empires waged a proxy war against one another. Several factions had divided the city among themselves, one diadochi and the other Persian. It was a strange and confusing state of affairs. The city itself, burnt every day, the smoke and fires could be seen rising up several feet into the air every day. It was not advisable to enter this hell hole and so me and my men kept our explorations to the mainland of Mespotamia within the boundaries of Susa.

During our travels however, an interesting news came to our ears. The villagers who brought us this news were elated. They said, after a generation of living like nomads, his family could now return back to their homeland. Babylon had come to peace at last. The peace of course being that the Parthians had won the proxy war and taken control of that vital city between the rivers. A Parthian governor shall take his seat there now, and it will be ruled like most provinces of this empire.

The Parthians and the Romans remain at war, however, with the fall of Babylon to Parthian hands, it has given them a direct border with the Phoenicians. Distant rumors speak of a large and powerful Grecian army stationed in Yadushalyam(Jerusalem), which has moved North and has begun besieging the Phoenician capital. Punters wager on when that city shall fall to this massive army, and a few of my persian friends seem to have made some quick money in this shameful wager. Regardless, this region is gearing up for war. The defeat that the Romans have felt in Babylon will not go easily in their senate, and I do not think it will be long before the great army of legionaries we hear about from the West will come East to lay claim to these lands.

Our men continue their trek back to the city of Herat. The atmosphere is not good in Persia anymore. Though the empire has grown wealthy through expansion and trade with us, stories from the Parad lands have made the Bharatiya very unpopular. At Susa I was at an inn where I heard the story of a man who had lost his cousin and his cousin's family to raiders on their way to Gwadar. He blames the army of Magadh stationed at Sindh for supporting these insurgents. When his eyes fell on us, they were full of suspicion and hate. We made our way out before any further trouble ensued. This is not unique to Susa, all across the Parthian empire, we are told, there is a wave of anger emerging against us. The new emperor Phraates IV has the support of his ministers, and they have been inching for war against us.

Just as we have claimed all the Parad lands for our realm, the Parthians claim the lands north of Persepolis right up to Herat. Phraates intends to fight both the Romans and the Indians (as they call us) and extend a grand empire from the Mediterranean sea to the banks of the Sindhu. He is a megalomaniac, and everyone knows him to be cruel, but as one Persian friend said "Better a cruel king than a weak one".

The days pass quickly here, our team has seen all that we wish to see. We shall head home, and await further instructions.

In service, Meghraj"

The last message gave the Samrat a severe headache, "Gods be good, they crave for war !" the samrat decided to rest for sometime before he would read the other letters. There were only two remaining letters and they came closer to home. One was from the town of Herat and the other from the emperor's ancestral land of Avanti.



"Samrat Vedistri ki jay ho,

I come to you with good news o samrat. For decades, the vicious barbaric hordes of the Kushan had threatened our people and plundered the lands North of Kambojadesa. Under the wise guidance of our last Senapati, the defense of Herat was strengthened. Since then, no Kushan horseman has dared to lay eyes upon us.

Our people had been living in peace and security because of your wise decisions. Two weeks ago, we have heard a news that has sent the entire Kamboja desa into a celebratory mood. The Kushan hordes who had threatened us have moved away, they are now unseen.

They have moved far North to fight whatever barbaric enemy these tribes face. Never again shall Kambojadesa be in peril. Our people have honored this day in your name and have conducted a yagya for your well being. May your rule be strengthened o emperor.

In Service, Governor Baldev, Governor of Herat, province of Kambojadesa."

At avantinagar :



Samrat Vedistri ki jay ho,

My emperor, today is an auspicious day at Avantinagar. The priests from Pataliputra who had set out on their mission to the South arrived at our fair city today. As you would know, for sometime Avantinagar had been the target of pirates from Sindhudesh. They have seen departed for Western waters. However, the unexpected aftermath of that has been the extension of agriculture along the Narmada river. The worker guilds have finished extending the farmlands North of the river and now we have two extensive farmlands for our peasants to cultivate on.

The lands of Avanti are our ancestral lands, but for long our line of emperors have forgotten the poor and barren lands from whence we came. Not anymore. Our people are content at the new found prosperity and productivity that these projects have brought. The missionaries could not have chosen a better time to arrive, nor a better time to spread the vedic faith. They performed a yagya calling upon the god of prosperity to shower us with rain and fertility so that our farmers may be blessed with plenty. Lo and behold, the rains came. Many of our farmers hold this to be a miracle, though it might just be that the gods blessed us with a bountiful rainfall this season.

A small math has been built at Avantinagar for the holy men which has since become an important congregating point for our citizenry. For many decades, the ban on state funding to Buddhist sanghs and monastic orders had resulted in a decline in cultural activity at Avanti, but with the new math it seems as life has returned to this dreary city.

This cousin of your's has not been more happier than today, Vedistri. I am proud to have you as the samrat of Bharatvarsha.

In service, Ramanuj Maharathi, governor of Avantinagar, province of Avanti.

Persia had never been as powerful as it was now. An empire stretching from the banks of the Tigris to the the banks of the Indus. It lorded over the lands between Europe and india. Seated on the throne of the largest Persian empire in history, was the Parthian emperor Phraates IV , the lion of Persia.

The lion was ambitious, he devoured his own father before devouring thirty of his brothers and cousins, to secure his place on the throne. He was a hotheaded man, quick to anger and he was not known to forgive easily. Even those who counted themselves among friends kept a safe distance from him.

For decades now, sporadic conflicts around the border lands of the East would erupt between the empire of Magadh and the Parthian empire. Successive emperors on both sides kept the peace by disowning these petty conflicts, but anger and resentment had already grown to a boiling by the time Phraates had seized the throne, but it was Phraates who would light the tinder box.

"These upstart indians think they can provoke the might of Persia !? We will show them our resolve. They claim the region of Balochistan ? Then we shall challenge their claim. I shall build a settlement there, this shall be the port to Persepolis !" thus declared emperor Phraates IV. None could stand before the roar of the lion, and none would. The ministers and elite of Persia felt that after a long line of weak kings, a man of power, a man of resolve finally sat upon the throne of Persia.

Settlers came in from Persepolis and the towns around it, attracted by the prospect of trade with india along the sea routes. These settlers were sent to their deaths in the arid lands of Balochistan. In an age before history, Balochistan along with Gandhar had been the lands of Aryavart, or so the legends say. These lands belonged to the vedic faith, which is why the Empire of Magadh claimed it as its own.

It was a claim that the natives of the land had acceded to. The Parada kingdom, in fact a chiefdom of several nomadic tribes who dwell these lands, practiced the vedic religion and identified with their kin beyond the indus much more than the alien invaders from the West. The settlers were seen as encroaching on land which was justifiably their's since millennia ago. "If anyone must come to these lands and settle, they must be those who share the culture and language of the vedic aryans. We must dispel these alien settlers from our soil !" declared the Paradraja, and thus began a dirty war where many thousands of innocents lost their lives.

Emperor Phraates already embroiled in a war with the Romans, did not want to waste time with "desert rats and sand rabble", so he sent three foreign mercenary companies to defend the settlers at Gwadar. The mercenaries, which were sent decades ago when Phraates' father sat the throne of Persepolis, were mercenaries once under the pay of the Great Indian empire to the East. Now they were tasked with killing Indians. Among them were Dravdian spearmen from the distant South, whose cities and kingdoms the Northern armies of Magadh had laid waste to over a century ago.

The shrieks and cries of this dirty war would not go unheard beyond the Indus. Soon, Phraates would be confronted with the empire of Magadh.

That Winter day, the courtiers of Persepolis sat covered in heavy woolen garments to keep out the cold. Phraates IV, the lion of Persia, quenched his thirst with rich wines while enjoying a performance by a troupe of dancers. It was a day he chose for celebrations, when Persia had finally succeeded in casting out the last of the Roman proxy governors from Babylon, the city had at last fallen to Persia. His day of merriment would come to an end the emissary arrived, "Your eminence, a messenger comes from the empire of Magadh. He wishes to convey the Indian emperor's message." "Why o why must these Indians annoy me at my moment of pleasure ? Bring this messenger to me, let us see what the Indians have to say." the chief of the military spahbod Behram sought to answer "Perhaps emperor Vedistri wishes to convey his displeasure at our settlement of Gwadar" all the ministers shared a laugh, it was a belief among Persians, that indians were weak and pacifist, a lesser stock of aryans who bred with the impure dark skinned natives of a forsaken land, the message would dispel these myths.

The emissary from Magadh walked in with a parchment which he unrolled and read out, "Samrat Vedistri, sends his greetings. It has come to our attention, that a settlement has been established along the coast of the Parada kingdom. These lands are by the laws of Bharat the rightful claim of the Chakravartin Samrat who rules Uttarapath and Dakshinapath. It is his sovereign right to govern over and settle these lands with colonists from within the lands of Bharata. It is therefore demanded, that you relinquish your right over the port of Gwadar and hand it over …" the ministers start shouting violently, interrupting the messenger "Let him Speak !" Phraates roared silencing his ministers, the emissary continued shaken, "… h hand it it over to the control of the throne of M..m..Magadh. Failing which, … we shall be forced to wage war to defend .. our claim". The emissary meekly folded the parchment and bowed.

Phraates rose up slowly, his face had a look of intense anger, he walked slowly down the steps of the lion throne, "Guards ! Seize this man!" the emissary was caught by two armed guardsmen, Phraates looked the emissary in his eyes and gave a slow sly smile, "Darius and Cyrus are hungry, feed him to my cats" with a snap of the fingers, the death of the emissary was announced. The ministers stood watching in fear as the emissary was dragged out of the hall and into the lion's den where Phraates feeds his enemies to his pet lions.

More than a week later, the bones of the emissary was sent back to Magadh, with a note attached "It is for India. to bow before Persia, not for proud Persia to bow before India. Behold the fate of the enemies of Persia" . Samrat Vedistri had ruled the realm for many years, his son prince Pulovami sat beside him in the diarchy. The samrat had wished it would not come to this, the samrat had wished there would be peace, "Would I be known as the ruler who brought war upon his people" the emperor lamented, in his lamentations, he felt his strength weakening. Prince Pulovami however, sat quietly with steepled fingers, in his mind he thought " So now it begins ".

Oh boy war time!

Nicholas woke up to the sounds of scampering. The night was still young. He perked his head up, but tired and in no mood to get up for anything, he placed it back down on the bed. Tomorrow, Nicholas knew, the diplomatic mission would end. They would board a ship at Antium, where they would start the dangerous return journey back to Pataliputra. Nicholas was anxious for tomorrow to come. For instance, compared to the rich and vibrant cuisines of places like India or even his ancestral home of the Philippines, Roman food was outright bland.

His head snug in his so-called pillow - not really a pillow, compared to modern standards, but better than nothing - he tried to go back to sleep. Paradoxically, however, he became less and less and tired as the minutes dragged forwards. The more he tried to force sleep by clamping his eyelids shut, the more they wanted to open. T constant howling of the light breeze of the Mediterranean and the periodic creaking of the inexplicably open door, as quiet as they were, were loud enough to keep his mind distracted. Finally, he decided that sleep was simply impossible, and got out from under his warm, sweaty bedsheets.

The full moon lit the canopy of stars above Rome a deep blue color. The reach of the moonlight made its presence felt the Marian villa as well; it tinted everything it touched, from the beds to the corners of the walls to the outline of the doorframes, in a beautiful azure hue. It was enough light for Nicholas to see that the door was open. The rusty hinges continued to creak as the door pulsed back and forth in the light wind. Scanning in the room, he saw that several things were missing. A toga - Nicholas' favorite one, incidentally - was pilfered from his closet. A canteen of water, purchased at a stall in one of Rome's many poor neighborhoods, was also nowhere to be seen. But the most disturbing disappearance was that of Nicholas' AK-47.

Without even changing from his night clothes, he scampered down the hallways in order to alert William of the presumable robbery. He muttered curses and profanities as he did so - a robbery, it had to be done the day before they left for India! But as he made his made dash, Nicholas noticed something else strange - another door was creaking. He stopped and turned. He slowly walked to the open door and pushed it a bit in, only to get a peek inside. His sweat froze as he mentally recorded the fourth disappearance.

Sebastian Kapoor had disappeared.

* * *

The cool breeze tickled Sebastian's beard as he crawled through the bush. The Marian summer villa was nominally on the outskirts of Rome. But when on the ground, a labyrinth of trees, cropland, and grasses, the distance was much longer. The fear of being discovered only lengthened the amount of time contained in each second. Sebastian was not an adventurer at all; the mixing of the hormones circulating in his cauldron of humors was an unfortunate experience for him, to say the least. His pulse rate was up; he was sweating profusely, even though the outside seemed to be just above freezing. The vertigo and disorientation he experienced only complicated his already terrible vision situation.

But he knew he had to do this. He knew that he had to assassinate Gaius Marius. It was the last chance for him to rescue his wife.

Closer, Sebastian thought as he ran across the fields, tenuously clutching to the stolen AK-47. It was strange, he thought, how holding the most powerful weapon in existence, a genuine weapon of mass destruction with the power of Jupiter's thunderbolt or Shiva's trishula, made him, if anything, less of a deity.

Closer. The city of Rome was less than a mile away now. More specifically, he had Marius' chief residence in his grasp; Marius himself was practically in his sight. His heart raced even further as he, physically and temporally, reached closer and closer to the climax. The moment of truth was upon him. In only a couple minutes, he would've crossed the line of no return. He knew the risks. He could be killed; so could his wife. Rome and India might be in a state of war by next morning. But it was worth it. All worth it.

Closer. Sebastian could now see the faces of the guards. He moved his hands closer to the trigger. Ever closer. It was almost time. Almost time.

The soggy sound of horse on wet grass came out of nowhere; it sent a chill up Sebastian's already shivering spine. He froze in place, helpless as he could only imagine the reaction of the guards finding him after the horseman exposed his location.

"Sebastian," the horseman whispered. It was a familiar voice. Slowly, he turned his head around. It was William, dressed in full riding clothes; Nicholas was only a short distance behind him.

"Sebastian, you cannot do this," William whispered as he dismounted from his horse. Nicholas looked pleased that the guards have not made special notice of them. But that did not diminish his concern for Sebastian, nor that for Sebastian's mental well-being.

"Listen," William continued as he kneeled to Sebastian's eye level. "You simply cannot do this. We, as high-level diplomats, have a responsibility to establish and maintain cordial relationships between our country and the host country. This is evidenced that we were treated like emperors during our stay; they treat us well in the expectation that we will treat them as well as possible, in return. Our responsibility of maintaining relations will decide the fates of many. If we screw up, as you nearly did here, a war could easily start, and thousands can be killed. I know that you are upset about your wife, and have been ever since you arrived in Rome, but you have to recognize the consequences. Using this - " William pointed at the barrel of the gun - "has serious consequences.

Sebastian refused to stay anything. As tears welled in his eyes, he looked back upon the Marian mansion.

William sighed. "Point is, we will not allow this under any shape or form. Just come home. We brought a third horse." He stood up, and reluctantly, Sebastian did too.

"You, I, Nicholas, and your wife - we are all immortal. With all the time in the world, we will find a way. Promise."

Now she must find a way to endure... alone.

Nice story Atlantic, as always!

A good solution for Sebastian could be that you leave him with the Indian emissary at Pompei . That way at least he won't be a million miles from the one he loves.

adhiraj.bose said:

A good solution for Sebastian could be that you leave him with the Indian emissary at Pompei . That way at least he won't be a million miles from the one he loves.

Click to expand...

Sounds like a great idea!

Are you saying Pompeii wouldn't be a volcanic date

No city is ever destroyed in a volcanic eruption, or any kind of natural disaster, in this game .

I like how the random event hints that it could, it is a shame it isn't

There was a volcanic eruption in the Himalayas though, interestingly enough it coincided with Satakarni's coup . Nothing happened to Indraprasth though the mines in Kumaon were destroyed.

Warning : Explicit content

Disclaimer : The details of the rituals described herein are based on my reading of the description of the Ashwamedh Yagya on the wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashvamedha of the same name as well as depictions in the movie Antarmahal and the description of the yagya in the Mahabharat. I do not make any claim to authenticity or accuracy in the depiction.



The white stallion had roamed for a year. Following it were hundred of the most elite guards of the Magadhan empire. The white stallion would bring prosperity and glory for the Magadhan empire, for this would be the steed of the Ashwamedha Yagya . The horse had ridden out from Magadh westwards, to Kashi, to Kuru, to Matsya, Avanti, Gandhar and then to the Parthian empire. Where ever the white stallion went, the army of Magadh would strike for that was the way of the yagya.

Samrat Vedistri had stepped down after relations had broken down with Emperor Phraates, he blamed himself for being unable to keep the peace between nations. Now the crown had passed to his ambitious son, the new Samrat, Pulovami. This Ashwamedha Yagya was organized by him, it was his wish to begin his reign with the ritual sacrifice for war and glory. " This day shall be remembered for generations " the emperor boasted as the final rituals of the yagya were being prepared.

The stallion re-entered Pataliputra with the gilded chariot yoked to it, the guards followed closely. The Great City had not been as beautiful as it was today, on this grand occasion, samrat pulovami had left no stone unturned to make this event as grand as possible. For the whole year, the palace of Pataliputra was graced with the vedic chants as long as the stallion roamed the provinces of the empire and ventured into the borderlands of the Parthian empire. Now would come the final ritual of the Ashwamedh yagya, a grand sacrifice of the sacred stallion along with six hundred and nine other sacrificial animals.

Queen Nayanika awaited the arrival of the stallion in fear. It was a day she had dreaded for a whole year, the memory of that horrible night came back to her when the samrat had announced his decision to conduct the Ashwamedha Yagya " I .. can't do this " the queen pleaded, the emperor responded with a slap to her face "You will do exactly as you are commanded woman ! I will not be mired by your intransigence !" another slap had fallen upon her, "When that stallion returns you will copulate with it as is the ritual. Am I clear", the queen would never dare to question Pulovami after that night. Every day had been a nightmare pondering over what would happen when the Stallion returns and the final, brutal ritual of the yagya would be conducted.

" The stallion has returned Maharaani, the stallion has returned" the attendant announced, Nayanika's turned, her eyes widened and her face turned pale, she could not utter a word. She finally rose up gathering whatever strength was in her, "Prepare me" she said in a meek and nervous tone.

The first phase of the ritual involved the sacred stallion being driven into water and bathed along with three other horses, then the stallion must be anointed with ghee by none other than the elder queen herself. She must anoint the fore-quarters and her royal consorts the hind-quarter. Queen Nayanika performed these rituals garbed in her ritual attire. The horse's neck, head and tail were embellished with gold ornaments. Samrat Pulovami now entered with the remaining grains from the night's oblation and offered it to the sacred stallion.

"Bring in the sacrificial animals" the priest announced . Following the stallion, a wild ox and a hornless he-goat, are bound to a sacrificial stake. Seventeen other animals brought from across the realm were tied to other stakes, near the fire. Six Hundred and Nine other animals, both wild and tamed, were brought in one after another, to be tied to the sacrificial stake. Then the priest chanted from the Yajur Veda, :

"Steed, from thy body, of thyself, sacrifice and accept thyself.
Thy greatness can be gained by none but thee."

Queen Nayanika grew more nervous as the ritual proceeded, the priest chanted more vedic mantras, then stopped. "Now the horse must be slaughtered" .

Blades were brought forth and the slaughter of the beautiful creature began. The stallion neighed violently, blood splattered everywhere. The stallion was cut in four parts by the three executioners. Queen Nayanika had turned away and started to weep at the sight of this brutality, she held her hands close to her breasts cowering nervously. She had been told every night for one year, every detail of the Ashwamedh Yagya. 'Here it comes..' she thought to herself, then the words she dreaded were finally said "Now the chief queen must plead for the dead horse then copulate with him" .

The queen was fear struck, "nn nn nnn no..I I won't do it nn no" Samrat Pulovami looked angrily at her, then grabbed her by her arm tightly "Pleeease.. I can't do this" she said as tears welled up in her eyes. "You will do it" he unsheathed a dagger "Or I will flay you alive" , Nayanika dreaded what was to come, but her fear of her husband was far greater. Meekly she walked to the dead horse, The emperor's two younger queens stood by the side of the priest, Nayanika then began her ritual act of pleading for the dead horse , "please.. " she whispered, "Louder !" Samrat Pulovami roared, "Will no one have pity for this steed ? Will no one weep ?" , it was a ritual practice. "Now the queen must copulate with the dead horse" the priest said. Nayanika froze at the thought, Pulovami stared angrily and frowned. He began unsheathing his dagger.

Nayanika took a long breath and then began her copulation. It would go on for fifteen minutes before the queen finally gave way. "Shame on you !" "Whore" "Slut" "vile disgusting woman!" the other queens yelled, it was yet another part of this macabre ritual, for the queens must ritually utter obscenities. Nayanika ended the ritual copulation and felt devastated, she could not move on her own, as though she had become lifeless. Her attendants had to rush in an carry her away.

"No ! The ritual is not yet complete !" The head priest declared, "The queen must spend the night with the stallion" , "Take her back" the emperor ordered, "please samrat… have mercy" "grrrhaah!" the emperor had no patience for the queen's pleas, he grunted and unsheathed his dagger "Would you rather be flayed woman ? I will have this ritual conducted exactly as it must be ! Now go and sleep with the horse!"

Nayanika now had to sleep and copulate with the dead horse, for a whole night. She would remember this night for the rest of her life, and remember it with dread. "Why ? Oh why must the gods be so cruel ? " in the solitude of the night, at the sacrificial altar, she would cry and wail in self-pity. She cried on her humiliation till all the tears dried out of her eyes and all the life within her had drained away.

On the next morning, the priests came to raise Nayanika from the place where she slept with the dead stallion. They chanted the Dhadhirka verse from the Rigved to purify her after the obscenity of the night. Her attendants took her away after that, "take me home, I don't want to live anymore" she whispered before beginning to cry again.

Samrat Pulovami had a content expression on his face, at the successful execution of the first phase of the final ritual. The younger queens came forth with a hundred golden, silver and copper needles to conduct the next part of the ritual. "Now the queens must mark where the horse is to be dissected", the corpse would now be dissected along the lines marked by the queens, then its flesh roasted and offered to the gods. The priests chanted mantras while offering parts of the Stallion to the Gods with utterances of "swaha" . They then recite the Ashvastuti, an eulogy of the horse concluding with the hymn:

" May this steed bring us all-sustaining riches, wealth in good kine, good horses, manly offspring,
Freedom from sin may Aditi vouchsafe us; the Steed with our oblation gain us lordship!"

Thus ended, the Ashwamedh yagya, now would begin the final concluding act of the yagya. Samrat Pulovami summoned his ministers one by one, giving each and every one of them a lavish gift in gold, but the most precious gift of all was reserved for Amatya Aditya, the minister for explorations, "To you Amatya Aditya, I gift this stone, that was found by my ancestor, the Great Chakravartin Samrat Satakarni" the stone shone brighter than the sun, firing a hundred brilliant rays in the seven colors of a rainbow. To see it was to be astounded by it, it was the largest diamond known to man, and now, it belonged to Amatya Aditya. After every minister and official of Magadh was given gifts, the priests were gifted gold and silver, which had been accumulated over a year by the wandering Stalliion and its band of protectors.

The priests would reciprocate this reward with conferring the title of King of Kings to Samrat Pulovami , " For your great and generous deeds samrat Pulovami, the gods are pleased. To you, we the bhoodevatva offer the title of Maharajadhiraja" a bottle of vermillion was brought forth from which the priest anointed the Samrat, the ministry and all attendants at the site of the yagya chanted in unison "Maharajdhiraj Samrat Pulovami ki Jay !" (Victory to the king of kings Samrat Pulovami), the cheers went on for two minutes before Samrat Pulovami arose and began to speak.

"Today I have brought forth a new age in the history of Bharata, from this day forth, not only would this country stand dignified and proud before the world, but shall stand upon it as its ruler ! All empires of the East shall bow before us ! Let it be known that I Maharajdhiraj Samrat Pulovami, shall not stand by and tolerate any slight to our honor and glory. A year ago, my father, the then samrat Vedistri had sent a messenger to the court of the Parthian king. We had gone to seek only that which is by rights ours. The right that the ancients had bequeathed on our people, over the lands that our ancestors had roamed. The Parata desh is our's by right ! But how does the Parthian emperor respond ? He sends back our messenger as a bag of bones and dead flesh. This insult shall not go unanswered ! I invoke the wrath of Goddess Kali, may she give our soldiers strength, that we may smite our enemy in the West ! We will show them no mercy, we will spare none ! Phraates wants war , then he shall have it ! On the first moon of the month Karthik, the army of Magadh marches to war and Glory ! "

The cheers began again, louder than before,

"Maharajdhiraj Samrat Pulovami ki Jay !" "Maharajdhiraj Samrat Pulovami ki Jay !" "Maharajdhiraj Samrat Pulovami ki Jay !"

But somewhere in the palace of Pataliputra, a humiliated queen cried in solitude.

All I can really say is "what"

Well... that ceremony was rather..... subtle.

I'll go get the bleach.

Incredible! Now that's a great prologue to the War Against Persia.

And now I got a big diamond


Persia will burn