Hey every one I’ve decided to have another crack at story’s since my last story didn’t go so well... But oh well, we can’t all be successful the first time can we? All right I’ll start us off with a crash course on the history of my world. (Sorry if it sounds like a history book but I’m just going to nail down what I feel is going to be useful information for easy reference with the story)
Prologue, A short history on whats happend since my first attempt at a story
My first series, Clash of the Titans Parts 1-2, centered on what became to be called the Great Mediterranean War. Its story is about the Seleucid Emperor, Antiochus the Great, Invading Rome shortly after the end of the Seconded Punic War. Though winning many great battles (though often just barley and sometimes thanks to interventions by allies like Hannibal Barca) Antiochus was defeated in Rome’s seconded invasion of Judea. That was were I stopped writing the story. After Rome’s victory in Judea at the Roman commander, Julies Caesar then marched on Antioch but failed to take the city. After that the Roman Emperor Africanus recalled Caesar and the shattered remains of his army back to Italy to begin the retraining of Rome’s legions (Known in RTW as the Marius reforms). Antiochus then set about the task of raising a new army and remade the Seleucid Guard into the Hellenic Guard. After that he and his remade army along the new Hellenic Guard marched out of Syria and into Greece to meet with Hannibal and his army and to fight Africanus and his army under Mt. Olympus there a titanic battle erupted in witch more than half million men fought and died. Though it is rumored that something else had happened there to count for the fact that only Antiochus survived the Battle. This is marked as the effective end of the Great Mediterranean War. My new story will take place about 280 years later.
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A short history of the major nations of the world after the Great Mediterranean War
The Seleucid Empire: The Seleucid Empire little benefited from the war and in many ways it suffered. Because of large losses of life, the siege of the capitol and the huge finacial cost of the war it had been largly unpopular with the masses and by its end many peoples within the empire revolted such as the Bactrians, Parthians, Armenians, Egyptians, and a large number of Indians in the Empires far eastern provinces. Antiochus quickly raised a large army and with a brand new Hellenic Guard set out to rebuild the Empire. After quickly subduing the rebels he set out on a long campaign of militarily and administrative reforms.
First he re-organized the military so that the standing army would include no less than 1.2 million men, all of witch would be professionally trained buy him and veterans of the war. The standing army would then be supported be 4.2 million auxiliary troops recruited and trained in there provinces native style, and on top of this empire would at all times keep 100000 mercenaries on call. After reforming the military Antiochus began vast numbers administrative reforms. First he destroyed the old Bureaucracy and remade it into a new and highly efficient system with dozens of departments. He brought many Roman engineering styles to his empire as well including highways, city pluming, and plantations (latifundias). He reconstructed the tax and trade systems making them more efficient and profitable, greatly increasing Seleucid income. He loosend the Empires tight grip on the many provinces by allowing the locol populations a more active control of them and allowing them to live more freely, and grouped together many of the provinces, ending with a total of 25. He also established a senate that was capable of running the empire in case there was no Emperor.
His death in 150 B.C.E. at the staggering age of 91 was the end of his glorious 75-year rule. Because his only son, Leonidas, Died in the Great Mediterranean War at the Battle of Sparta, he left the empire with no male heir to the throne. And so the senate ruled for 57 years until a distant nephew, Seleucus IV Philopator took the throne and headed the Empire. Antiochus successors ruled the empire as he left it partly because after him the empire was so powerful and efficiently run that it didn’t really need a strong and gifted Emperor, and partly because after him none of the Seleucid rulers showed the incredible abilities he had as an administrator or general. The Current Emperor is Seleuces V Philotas Nicator. Seleucus IV Philopator's great, great, great, grandson.
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The Roman Empire: Rome was nearly destroyed by the war. Nearly one whole generation of Romans perished in it. Though it entered the war as a republic halfway through it General Africanus seized power for himself and established a monarchy with him at it's head. Though he died at the end of the war during the Battle of Mt. Olympus, Julies Caesar, using his immense popularity with the people and the strength of his own army defeated several power-hungry generals and held a splintering Rome together. After consalidating his power he finalized the peace treaty with Seleucia.
He, Like Antiochus, pursued many reforms. He remade the entire military into a full time professional force, and initiated many government reforms (Much like the ones Augustus made during his reign in real life). The Roman Empires treasury, depleted by both the Seconded Punic War and the Great Mediterranean War, was in bad need of replenishing. To pay replenish it Caesar invaded Carthage. Starting the Fourth Punic War (the third was one of the theaters of the Great Mediterranean War). His superior army and tactics quickly defeated the shattered Carthaginian kingdom. And by using the enormous wealth he seized in the capture of the Kingdom he reversed the Empires debt and was able to pay the soldiers in the army and navy, many of which hadn’t been paid in years.
He then led an invasion into Gaul which had been all but destroyed both finacialy and militarily by the war. After quickly dispatching what little resistance he meet he quickly turned Gaul into a massive recruiting ground for his armies. He would have also conquered Germania but a rebellion in newly the captured Africa and the slaughter of three legions in the Teutoburg Forest promptly changed his mind. He spent the rest of his reign keeping peace within his empire and pursuing an active expansion policy later incorporating most of Iberia into the Empire.
He died shortly before Antiochus at the age of 85; a local Briton assassinated him 153 B.C.E. shortly after landing in Britannia. His adopted son Augustus took the throne after his death and continued were his “father” left off in reforms and expansion. The current Roman Emperor is Maxamillian Flavius Caesar. But many top ranking officials though are starting to suspect he is a mere puppet for powerful unseen force hidden in the shadows. They may just be right.
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Germania: Germania didn’t suffer like the other nations of the world did. It stayed in tact despite the wars between the various tribes and its participation in the Great Mediterranean War. After the victory in the Teutoburg Forest the Suebii Confederation became a major military power in central Europe and became a major threat to Rome.
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Sythia: Sythia though an ally of Seleucia participated little in the war. So it was affected little. 20 years after the war ended the Sythians lost the northern part of their empire to the Sarmations who then set up there own empire.
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Carthage: Carthage was destroyed by the war its vast mercenary population was depleted and with Hannibal’s death in the war it had lost it’s strongest and best leader. Though it could and did recover economically this seemingly good fortune proved to be its downfall.
With massive amounts of gold in its coffers and its growing weakness it proved to be an irresistible target to foreign nations. The first invasion was undertaken by Numidia, but the Carthaginian forces led by the semi-capable general Hasdurable defeated them and in 168 B.C.E. sacked the Numidian capitol of Cirta. After this Carthage seemed to have revived, but this “revival” was destined to last only a few years and in 163 B.C.E. Caesar the Great invaded Carthage and quickly captured the city and put an end to it’s existence.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Numidia: Numidia was an ally of Rome during the Great Mediterranean War and as a consequence it lost power and prestige when Rome surrendered. In an attempt to restore the nations honor and glory they invaded Carthage in 168 B.C.E. but were promptly defeated. Their capitol was even sacked. After Carthage fell to Rome Numidia’s glory had revived. They quickly seized back the lands Carthage had taken from them and invaded and seized Libya they then expanded south into equilateral Africa, braving the vast Sahara desert.
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Illyria: Illyria was a late contestor in the war. Its armies and wealth though, proved invaluable to the Seleucid cause. After the war ended Illyria became a major power and often contested with Rome for the territory between there two nations.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Also shortly after the end of the Great Mediterranean War the famous philosopher, Theodosius the Wise, made the famous prophecy,
When the bloodless night turns to bloody day,
A war shall start unprecedented by all previous in scale,
A kingdom shall rise while another falls,
An Empire will die while its King cries,
The hordes of Oblivion will pour out of their dark forests,
And the north shall be engulfed in the flames of war,
Brothers will turn on brothers and mothers will weep,
An Empire will fragment and ancient enemies will battle once more
A merciless warrior will fall to the savior of Helena,
The heir of Antiochus will reclaim his rightful throne and a General will betray his king
And the world shall burn in never ending flames,
When the bloodless night turns to bloody day
Just after making this chilling prophecy Theodosius the Wise died of a sudden heart attack.
-----------------------------------------------------------
This has been my crash course on the history of my alternate universe. Feel free to post plot ideas, characters, and anything else you can think of to aid me in my story. To write this story im using many historical sources, like wikipedia, along with both RTW and RTR.
Sincerely, The Greek Master
Spartans do not ask how many but where they are.
Leonidas II of Sparta
Prologue, A short history on whats happend since my first attempt at a story
My first series, Clash of the Titans Parts 1-2, centered on what became to be called the Great Mediterranean War. Its story is about the Seleucid Emperor, Antiochus the Great, Invading Rome shortly after the end of the Seconded Punic War. Though winning many great battles (though often just barley and sometimes thanks to interventions by allies like Hannibal Barca) Antiochus was defeated in Rome’s seconded invasion of Judea. That was were I stopped writing the story. After Rome’s victory in Judea at the Roman commander, Julies Caesar then marched on Antioch but failed to take the city. After that the Roman Emperor Africanus recalled Caesar and the shattered remains of his army back to Italy to begin the retraining of Rome’s legions (Known in RTW as the Marius reforms). Antiochus then set about the task of raising a new army and remade the Seleucid Guard into the Hellenic Guard. After that he and his remade army along the new Hellenic Guard marched out of Syria and into Greece to meet with Hannibal and his army and to fight Africanus and his army under Mt. Olympus there a titanic battle erupted in witch more than half million men fought and died. Though it is rumored that something else had happened there to count for the fact that only Antiochus survived the Battle. This is marked as the effective end of the Great Mediterranean War. My new story will take place about 280 years later.
-----------------------------------------------------------
A short history of the major nations of the world after the Great Mediterranean War
The Seleucid Empire: The Seleucid Empire little benefited from the war and in many ways it suffered. Because of large losses of life, the siege of the capitol and the huge finacial cost of the war it had been largly unpopular with the masses and by its end many peoples within the empire revolted such as the Bactrians, Parthians, Armenians, Egyptians, and a large number of Indians in the Empires far eastern provinces. Antiochus quickly raised a large army and with a brand new Hellenic Guard set out to rebuild the Empire. After quickly subduing the rebels he set out on a long campaign of militarily and administrative reforms.
First he re-organized the military so that the standing army would include no less than 1.2 million men, all of witch would be professionally trained buy him and veterans of the war. The standing army would then be supported be 4.2 million auxiliary troops recruited and trained in there provinces native style, and on top of this empire would at all times keep 100000 mercenaries on call. After reforming the military Antiochus began vast numbers administrative reforms. First he destroyed the old Bureaucracy and remade it into a new and highly efficient system with dozens of departments. He brought many Roman engineering styles to his empire as well including highways, city pluming, and plantations (latifundias). He reconstructed the tax and trade systems making them more efficient and profitable, greatly increasing Seleucid income. He loosend the Empires tight grip on the many provinces by allowing the locol populations a more active control of them and allowing them to live more freely, and grouped together many of the provinces, ending with a total of 25. He also established a senate that was capable of running the empire in case there was no Emperor.
His death in 150 B.C.E. at the staggering age of 91 was the end of his glorious 75-year rule. Because his only son, Leonidas, Died in the Great Mediterranean War at the Battle of Sparta, he left the empire with no male heir to the throne. And so the senate ruled for 57 years until a distant nephew, Seleucus IV Philopator took the throne and headed the Empire. Antiochus successors ruled the empire as he left it partly because after him the empire was so powerful and efficiently run that it didn’t really need a strong and gifted Emperor, and partly because after him none of the Seleucid rulers showed the incredible abilities he had as an administrator or general. The Current Emperor is Seleuces V Philotas Nicator. Seleucus IV Philopator's great, great, great, grandson.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Roman Empire: Rome was nearly destroyed by the war. Nearly one whole generation of Romans perished in it. Though it entered the war as a republic halfway through it General Africanus seized power for himself and established a monarchy with him at it's head. Though he died at the end of the war during the Battle of Mt. Olympus, Julies Caesar, using his immense popularity with the people and the strength of his own army defeated several power-hungry generals and held a splintering Rome together. After consalidating his power he finalized the peace treaty with Seleucia.
He, Like Antiochus, pursued many reforms. He remade the entire military into a full time professional force, and initiated many government reforms (Much like the ones Augustus made during his reign in real life). The Roman Empires treasury, depleted by both the Seconded Punic War and the Great Mediterranean War, was in bad need of replenishing. To pay replenish it Caesar invaded Carthage. Starting the Fourth Punic War (the third was one of the theaters of the Great Mediterranean War). His superior army and tactics quickly defeated the shattered Carthaginian kingdom. And by using the enormous wealth he seized in the capture of the Kingdom he reversed the Empires debt and was able to pay the soldiers in the army and navy, many of which hadn’t been paid in years.
He then led an invasion into Gaul which had been all but destroyed both finacialy and militarily by the war. After quickly dispatching what little resistance he meet he quickly turned Gaul into a massive recruiting ground for his armies. He would have also conquered Germania but a rebellion in newly the captured Africa and the slaughter of three legions in the Teutoburg Forest promptly changed his mind. He spent the rest of his reign keeping peace within his empire and pursuing an active expansion policy later incorporating most of Iberia into the Empire.
He died shortly before Antiochus at the age of 85; a local Briton assassinated him 153 B.C.E. shortly after landing in Britannia. His adopted son Augustus took the throne after his death and continued were his “father” left off in reforms and expansion. The current Roman Emperor is Maxamillian Flavius Caesar. But many top ranking officials though are starting to suspect he is a mere puppet for powerful unseen force hidden in the shadows. They may just be right.
--------------------------------------------------------
Germania: Germania didn’t suffer like the other nations of the world did. It stayed in tact despite the wars between the various tribes and its participation in the Great Mediterranean War. After the victory in the Teutoburg Forest the Suebii Confederation became a major military power in central Europe and became a major threat to Rome.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sythia: Sythia though an ally of Seleucia participated little in the war. So it was affected little. 20 years after the war ended the Sythians lost the northern part of their empire to the Sarmations who then set up there own empire.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Carthage: Carthage was destroyed by the war its vast mercenary population was depleted and with Hannibal’s death in the war it had lost it’s strongest and best leader. Though it could and did recover economically this seemingly good fortune proved to be its downfall.
With massive amounts of gold in its coffers and its growing weakness it proved to be an irresistible target to foreign nations. The first invasion was undertaken by Numidia, but the Carthaginian forces led by the semi-capable general Hasdurable defeated them and in 168 B.C.E. sacked the Numidian capitol of Cirta. After this Carthage seemed to have revived, but this “revival” was destined to last only a few years and in 163 B.C.E. Caesar the Great invaded Carthage and quickly captured the city and put an end to it’s existence.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Numidia: Numidia was an ally of Rome during the Great Mediterranean War and as a consequence it lost power and prestige when Rome surrendered. In an attempt to restore the nations honor and glory they invaded Carthage in 168 B.C.E. but were promptly defeated. Their capitol was even sacked. After Carthage fell to Rome Numidia’s glory had revived. They quickly seized back the lands Carthage had taken from them and invaded and seized Libya they then expanded south into equilateral Africa, braving the vast Sahara desert.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Illyria: Illyria was a late contestor in the war. Its armies and wealth though, proved invaluable to the Seleucid cause. After the war ended Illyria became a major power and often contested with Rome for the territory between there two nations.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Also shortly after the end of the Great Mediterranean War the famous philosopher, Theodosius the Wise, made the famous prophecy,
When the bloodless night turns to bloody day,
A war shall start unprecedented by all previous in scale,
A kingdom shall rise while another falls,
An Empire will die while its King cries,
The hordes of Oblivion will pour out of their dark forests,
And the north shall be engulfed in the flames of war,
Brothers will turn on brothers and mothers will weep,
An Empire will fragment and ancient enemies will battle once more
A merciless warrior will fall to the savior of Helena,
The heir of Antiochus will reclaim his rightful throne and a General will betray his king
And the world shall burn in never ending flames,
When the bloodless night turns to bloody day
Just after making this chilling prophecy Theodosius the Wise died of a sudden heart attack.
-----------------------------------------------------------
This has been my crash course on the history of my alternate universe. Feel free to post plot ideas, characters, and anything else you can think of to aid me in my story. To write this story im using many historical sources, like wikipedia, along with both RTW and RTR.
Sincerely, The Greek Master
Spartans do not ask how many but where they are.
Leonidas II of Sparta
[This message has been edited by Greek Master (edited 06-26-2007 @ 10:40 PM).]