Parcel From Greece

The Foreign Affairs Department has recently received a parcel from our Ambassador to Greece. I'd like to share the contents of this package with the citizens of Phoenatica and applaud the great work of our embassador. The FA Dept is in the recruitment stage of more ambassadors via PM or FA Dept thread.

Phoenaticans:

We refueld in Ganges and crossed the hindu-greek border two days ago. I visited the town unescorted (against the wishes of Gimtesh –he wants this on paper, wishing to avoid a reprimand from Falcon02...) “Ganges is a typical hindu town” or so a lonely orphan boy told me, as I have never been to a “typical hindu town” or any hindu town for that matter <sigh> and have no way to acertain this. The streets are mostly empty, being so far from their homeland has it’s disadvantages: they ignore the fact that the war between Phoenatica and Greece is over, they expect and attack any minute from our immortals and fear it may leak into their homes and lives. Those that walk the streets belong to the lower classes, street urchins and beggars that just don’t find their place in this pretend ghost town ...democracy has still a long and melancolic road to travel...
I would have given them money, but phoenatican coin is seen with suspicion, as the first girl I gave some gold told me, or rather showed me, when she ran screaming –they’re here!- -they’re here!-
I left without fully wandering its streets and sheds, Gimtesh granted me only a couple of hours, and besides, Alexander is waiting.
I have never felt so alone inside as when we embarked and Ganges was left behind, looking at us with her suplicant eyes and empty hands scorn and hardened by decades of neglect.

The sky was clear and the wind at our back. Troy could be seen in the distance. A lonely hill crowned by a wall protected citadel. No marine patrol, not even canoes. As the immortals don their pilgrim cloaks the crew docked on the beach south of the city, close to the border in case we needed to do a hastly withdrawl from Greece. The walk to the city was short but tiresome nontheless. We did not posess knolledge of the area and the maps I barted in Ganges are sketchy at best, usefull only to swat the mosquitoes and bugs that desperetly cling to our skin, as if they knew only we could give them safe passage out of the island.

It was night when we reached the outskirts of the hill. Huge pires of smoke could be seen rising from within the city, I feared the worst –Rome has taken the city..!- my heart sank and Gimtesh was unable to contain a sigh of disapointment. We ran up the hill and stopped at the wall doors, -unscratched- said Xircser, second in command of the escort, as his fingers ran across the wood- how could the romans take the city without destroying the walls? or even opening the doors- as there was nor stone nor splinter out of place. We did what came naturally, we struck the gates...no answer, we waited and then strucked again as hard as we could, this time an old man in hipolyte armor answered:
-Who are you and what do you want with us?
-Honorable sir, we have seen your smoke and feared an attack. I replied.
-Attack?! who would dare attack Greece? – obviosly his memory was not at its prime.
-then why the fires? is something a ma....
-Hold it now! who are you?!
-Oh, forgive us, we come from afar, ambassadors from the west and wish to speak to your king, Alexander.
-<sigh> you are too late I’m affraid. Our king no longer shares in our troubles... come, come..

He widened the entrance so we could pass and whe were affronted by a surreal scene: the funeral of Alexander. The entire city must have been there, huge crowds rallied in sorrow around his pire. Incense was slowly making its way into our bodies and chocking our senses with its sweet self. Women could be heard weeping in such a way our hearts swelled by their pain. Men, bodies hunched and head lowered to avoid being seen, faces filled with tears. Children not fully grasping the sence of what was happening, but crying still as they saw their parents distraught. It was then that hit me, Alexander had been their hero, their leader and savior. They did not see the mad man we saw, they saw their father in that pire, being consumed by the flames as the stars above lay silent, witnesses to their unending grief.
We were not able to stay since the old man guided us along the crowd. I was allowed but a glimpse at Alexander’s body. A once triumphant king now laid inert, his flesh being consumed by the flames as his spirit emmerged in his people’s heart. I remembered our own kings and leaders that have passed before us and wispered a small prayer in their memory.

We walked what seemed to be forever, and stopped in front of a large piramid, flat at the top with stairs leading up, there was a man sitting there his face emotionless and dry, at his right there was a woman, much older than him and crying.
-Ambassadors...may I present to you Prince Alexander the second, son of Alexander the Great, heir to the throne and ruler of the great greek empire.
I fell silent... empire?! one city is an empire? ... ... these people don’t know what happened! they have been kept in the dark all this time!!

What followed next was a short uninteresting talk with the prince, we told him where we came from, Phoenatica, and whe were given rooms to spend the night. Our interview will take place tomorrow...

Ehecatl Atzin

I still wanted his head on a pike...

Ehecatl Atzin, I want to complement you on your excellent writing skills. The story was riveting.

we should publish a link there in the weekly cfc-news of civ3demo.

wow!!
must be that great Asphinxian education :grad:
'tis a rare thing indeed to get dispatches form our diplomats which are so emotive and interesting!! If we don't get Ehecatl Atzin back unharmed, it will be a valid pretext to re-declare war!!

Thanks! the interview is coming up, probably gonna have it ready by tonight or tomorrow in the afternoon.

Ehecatl Atzin

The Domestic Department is requesting information from Foreign Affairs on the where abouts of our ambassador to Greece. It has been 4 days since we've heard from him. Is this another Greek tradegy? Has young Alex taken Greece into a situation of demanding ransom for our well-spoken author/diplomat? Are they under such attack from their enemies that word from EA can't get through? Please dispatch messengers to show our concerns about the where abouts of EA!

Communications have been difficult between Greece's capital and ours. We have not heard from our embassador through the war-seiged territory. FA will let everyone know if new information comes in. Right now, I can't even get through to Alexander's office (he isn't exactly friendly to us anymore).

We should send a copy of this to Hiawatha.:flamedevi

For the next instalment, look here