OOC: LOL, we don't have all of the historic Thrace and yet we have western Anatolia. Weird. Guess I'll have to explain that...
Barbarians coming?
IC:
There was an ancient legend in Thrace, that once the lands of Anatolia were reigned by an empire named Troy, and that it has enslaved some of the locals, the Greeks, and the Trojan emperor, Priam, was arrogant and harsh. So once, the Thracians and King Operaziz were gravely insulted, as an ancient relic, the Sword of Wind, was stolen by Trojans. But Thracians had no way to get to the other side of the Marble Sea near Byzantium, while the Trojans had strange, long wooden boats that could somehow travel despite the harsh winds that ruled supreme there - these were the triremes.
And so it was that aedor came to the site of Byzantium, in front of Operaziz and the chief priest and wind-knower, Eroxiz. Aedor was genderless and ageless, and appeared as a face in the wind, and it spoke to Eroxiz and Operaziz. It said that the winds will let Thracians cross the Marble Sea, if the chief priest of the aedor would become the chief advisor to the king, so that the aedor would speak through him to the king. Impressed and amazed, Operaziz agreed, and since then the chief priest had gained much power of advice, and that advice was always heeded.
And so the Thracian boats, despite the scepticism of the warriors, were put on the sea, and landed on the other side of Marble Sea, bringing with them the best Dacian horses (the Trojans never used horses for combat). And Operaziz led the army to face Priam's legionaries, armored infantry that defied aedor and claimed that no wind could stop them.
And there was battle to the north from Troy, that was fought for three times nine days, and the Trojans won, wounding Operaziz and driving back the Thracian horsemen, though many Trojans, including the heir to the empire, Paris, have died. Legionaries marched not noticing the wind, insulting aedor itself, and they pursued the Thracians, who were more fast. But the Thracians had to slow down as the king was heavily injured.
And so they got lost, in the mountainous and large Anatolia. Trojans, however, knew this land better, and their legionaries marched in a chess-board formation towards the Thracian camp.
And so another battle took place, and again the legionaries prevailed. But they still marched not caring of the wind, and aedor was infuriated. And as the Trojans advanced slwoly towards the camp, suddenly a horrific whirlwind came from the west, throwing the Trojan troops at the mountains and barren ground, killing and injuring many, and Priam's chariot fell trapping the tyrant. And the Thracians charged, and the wind disappeared. All the surviving Trojan legionaries including Priam were seized, and since then those Trojans who remained in Anatolia are slaves to the Thracians for their defiance of the aedor.
And the Trojans in their city were grasped by fear, as the Greeks rebelled, led by an unnaturally-strong slave and gladiator, Achilles. And so the Trojans led by Endius have fled to faraway lands to the west, never heard from again.
But the Greeks were not much better then the Trojans. After burning Troy, they met the dying Operaziz, and thanked him, but refused to believe in aedor. Fearing that Thracians will attack them, the Greeks stole the remaining triremes instead of telling Thracians how to use and build them, and fled west, to a land not as far as that of Trojans.
And thus the nations of Rome and Greece appeared, and thus the Thracians did not have triremes, and reigned over Anatolia, and despised the Greeks and Romans for their arrogance, pagan religion and treacherousness.
Orders:
- Grow army.
- All forces are to expand to the north, northwest and west (in Europe).
- Start building shrines to aedor.
- The chief priest will now be the chief advisor to the king as well.
- Start crossbreeding the best Anatolian and Dacian (Balkan) horses, to get even better horses for our cavalry.