Of Iron and Fire (Ancient/City-State/Fantasy, OOC, OPEN)

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Still working on my profile and I have a couple of proposals! First of all - Tasuirin, I would indeed be up for sharing that island! Would you mind if that's the result of a couple of wars that the Thassaleans and Syriots fought as the latter truly began its ascendancy into a major power?

Secondly: Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States, would you be alright with a defensive pact between [insert future name of state currently referred to as Magna Getae here] and Syros, a 'we guard the sea, you guard the land'-type arrangement? I imagine that the Syriot aristocracy would be more than a little scared of their erratic inland neighbours and would feel that this would be a good way to neutralise them as a threat. On your side, Syros' trade links would be a very good way for Oneirophon to get access to the grain that he's using to hold power and I'm sure that the council would be happy to throw that into the deal!

[Andsed]

Right outta the gate with an ultimatum. Nice.

So coalition against Tahkt-i-Soh when?

[Tasuirin]

Still working on my profile and I have a couple of proposals! First of all - Tasuirin, I would indeed be up for sharing that island! Would you mind if that's the result of a couple of wars that the Thassaleans and Syriots fought as the latter truly began its ascendancy into a major power?

I like that, I like it a lot! Perhaps one of us had supremacy on land, one at sea, until we both eventually just said, "Yeah, let's both have this island. It's better that way". Though I can imagine it would still be somewhat of a contentious point even to this day.

[The Imperial Reach]

Right outta the gate with an ultimatum. Nice.

Go big or go home.

[The Hoosier Alliance]

So coalition against Tahkt-i-Soh when?

My professional opinion? Right about now lol

[Tasuirin]

Roster updated, all happy!

[Jade Confederacy]

Roster updated, all happy!

Do we have names for the geographical features such as the rivers, bays, and seas? Or is the naming all up to us?

[Tasuirin]

Roster updated, all happy!

Do we have names for the geographical features such as the rivers, bays, and seas? Or is the naming all up to us?

Each one is named by the city near to it, though I did take the liberty of also naming the strait near to the Western portion of Rheas near to Masroi, so... Ech...

[The Imperial Reach]

Roster updated, all happy!

*cough*

So coalition against Tahkt-i-Soh when?

My professional opinion? Right about now lol

You'd really rather fight an expensive, drawn-out war instead of just holding a beauty contest and giving the winner a one-way ticket to Lesbos 2.0?

I mean, whatever floats your boat...

[Jade Confederacy]

You'd really rather fight an expensive, drawn-out war instead of just holding a beauty contest and giving the winner a one-way ticket to Lesbos 2.0?

I mean, whatever floats your boat...

The right decision isn't nessaasrly the fun decision. We all need an enemy and you put yourself as the first target by implying threats. Always choose your words wisely

[The Imperial Reach]

You'd really rather fight an expensive, drawn-out war instead of just holding a beauty contest and giving the winner a one-way ticket to Lesbos 2.0?

I mean, whatever floats your boat...

The right decision isn't nessaasrly the fun decision. We all need an enemy and you put yourself as the first target by implying threats. Always choose your words wisely

Spoilsports.

[Reverend Norv]

The right decision isn't nessaasrly the fun decision. We all need an enemy and you put yourself as the first target by implying threats. Always choose your words wisely

Spoilsports.

Takht-i-Soh is also not a Telenian city. Shipping off citizens to terrifying barbarians is a touch different - and, potentially, a touch more catastrophically unpopular - than sending them to a more familiar neighbor.

[Tasuirin]

Roster updated, all happy!

*cough*

Sorry, did I miss something? Wouldn't be the first time, lol.

My professional opinion? Right about now lol

You'd really rather fight an expensive, drawn-out war instead of just holding a beauty contest and giving the winner a one-way ticket to Lesbos 2.0?

I mean, whatever floats your boat...

Also, does someone want to make a Lesbos 2.0? That could be fun!

[The Hoosier Alliance]

You'd really rather fight an expensive, drawn-out war instead of just holding a beauty contest and giving the winner a one-way ticket to Lesbos 2.0?

I mean, whatever floats your boat...

Not only the point about you being a foreign culture, but also the terms of the “alliance”. Would we be some sort of a subject or an equal partner?

[Jade Confederacy]

Do we have names for the geographical features such as the rivers, bays, and seas? Or is the naming all up to us?

Each one is named by the city near to it, though I did take the liberty of also naming the strait near to the Western portion of Rheas near to Masroi, so... Ech...

I think it'll be best if we at least settle the names for the major features and regions. It makes coordinating posts and doing worldbuilding much easier. It would also be nice if we know the topographical layout of the continents.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

And that's just about done! Might create an image for the emblem later (though if you prefer to do that, Tasuirin, don't let that stop you).

OF IRON AND FIRE APPLICATION

NS NAME: (The Nexus Wardship of) Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
CITY NAME: Syros
POPULATION: ~120,000 (total, permanent [actual population at any given time inflated by presence of traders]) – ~1,000 aristocrats, ~30,000 citizens, ~40,000 non-citizens, ~50,000 slaves
SYMBOL OF CITY: A stylised depiction of the great lighthouse of Syros (complete with rays of light), flanked by dragons which appear to be flying/swimming past it (downwards in symbol form).
LOCATION OF CITY:

MAJOR COLOURS OF CITY: Silver, wine-red
GOVERNMENT TYPE: The Syriot government takes the form of an aristocratic council known as the Hetairoi, ‘the companions’, made up of the adult male descendants of those who originally founded the city, and which votes on matters of importance. Men are elected, predominantly from their own number but after significant pressure from the citizenry at large from that group as well, to various positions of importance; these officials have executive autonomy but may have any of their decisions vetoed by the Hetairoi. Of particular note are the following:

• Four strategoi, the generals to whom control of Syriot armies is given whenever they are levied. When this happens, three take command of the navy and one of the land army. Two of the naval commands are set aside for non-Hetairoi.
• Ten dikastai, responsible for the maintenance and running of the courts. Two of these are set aside for non-Hetairoi.
• The apodektes, responsible for keeping track of Syros’ wealth, debts (in both directions) and taxes. Past abuse has resulted in this position being given over to the citizenry in its entirety.

Elections to the offices are held each year, by the Hetairoi for their positions and by a gathering of non-Hetairoi for theirs; they lack term limits, however.
CULTURE OF CITY: Like many Telenian colonies, Syros has a hero-cult around its founder, Talos. It also notable for its festival to Mira, which culminates in the launching of an unmanned ship filled with Syriot goods, a small amount of silver coinage and works of poetry, composed for and performed at a competition earlier in the festival, praising the city, with the idea being that if it sails under her protection it will reach foreign lands whose people had not yet heard of the city.

CIVIC SPECIALISATIONS: Syros is utterly gifted in two ways. Firstly, it has one of the most strategic locations of all of the Telenian colonies, possessing control of the strait through which the vast majority of ships travelling from Rheas to Sidonia pass and practically funnelling them to its island port right at its mouth. Secondly, the island is in possession of a large galena deposit, providing plentiful lead but, perhaps more importantly, valuable silver. The confluence of these two factors has arguably made Syros the fastest-growing trading power in the Pelagian Sea; Syriot coinage, bearing the head of Talos and the city’s emblem, is known in cities across the world. Other than these, the inland also has a small pine forest, half of the pine/fir combination which is ideal for ship-building, and access to the sea obviously provides a source of fish. Socially speaking, Syros, being a colony, has a fairly diverse population by Telenian standards and is perhaps more accustomed to new ideas and philosophies than most, particularly outside the aristocracy.
MILITARY SPECIALISATIONS: Syros is, for obvious reasons, a naval powerhouse; Syriots are masterful sailors and their triremes among the best-built in the Telenian world. This is true of many Telenian poleis, of course. What isn’t true of nearly so many is a tradition of using the sling; the original population of Syros were consummate slingers and their skills were readily adopted by the colonising population, especially after training with the sling was made legally mandatory for all of those who could not afford hoplite panoply during the Makrean War. What has evolved from all of this is a unique form of marine warfare; after ramming, slingers bombard any hoplite defenders on the enemy ship and only after their retreat do the Syriot infantry perform a boarding action. Other than that, the nature of Syros as a city built upon an island makes it incredibly defensible, especially after its walls were strengthened as tensions rose first with the Thassaleans. Periclean strategy is a possibility.
COMPOSITION OF ARMY:

• ~400 noble heavy cavalry
• ~1,000 local heavy cavalry
• ~7,000 hoplite militia
• ~5,000 hybrid slinger/medium swordsmen militia
• ~11,000 slinger skirmisher militia

NUMBER OF SHIPS: 100 triremes; number of merchant ships varies depending on sailing season but typically sums to a few hundred

HISTORY OF CITY: Syros was one of the last cities in the wave of Telenian expansion out into the Pelagian Sea. Much of that time has passed into legend; of what the Syriots themselves say, their city was founded by a sailor named Talos, who supposedly received a prophecy from his mother polis’ oracle to found a colony ‘to guard the dragons’ gateway’. Puzzling over this for several years, he eventually came across a rock at the very tip of Rheas the waters that the locals referred to as ‘Dragonflight Strait’ based on the legend that the last of the dragons fled through them after their final defeat at the hands of Irphos. Drawing the obvious conclusion, he surveyed the area, returned to his home, petitioned for an expedition and led the first group of families to colonise the island itself and the actually arable land inland from the coast to the East, naming the new polis after the local name for the island, ‘Syros’.

After Talos’ death (along with the customary burial in the agora and foundation of his hero-cult) there are perhaps two events in Syriot history worthy of note. The first is the Makrean War, triggered by the diplomatic incident resulting from a group of Syriot merchants taking refuge on the island of Makre after a storm mistaking the Thassalean expedition to the island for angry natives and butchering the lot of them with a few volleys of slung stones. In truth, of course, hostilities had been building between the two sides for some time, aided by the construction of high city walls and the mandate that all non-hoplites become slingers on the Syriot side along with their rise as a trading power more generally with the growth in North-South trade through the Dragonflight Strait fuelled by the colonisation of Sidonia. Two forces raced to claim the island and, while the superior yet still well-coordinated numbers of the Thassalean navy proved decisive in the waters off the coast, their army found that all the numbers in the world meant nothing if their slow, compact hoplites were drowning in a tide of lead. The result was that the island fell into Syriot hands but was immediately blockaded and supplies cut off to the occupying force, which began to starve. Nonetheless, without contact to the main force and the one message that did get out to the remnants of the Syriot fleet begging for either relief or surrender being deliberately destroyed by its three strategoi, the Hetairoi refused to capitulate. Eventually, with Syros itself deemed near-unassailable, the Thassaleans sent a second force to clear the island in the hope that the Syriot army would have been sufficiently weakened as to be easy to roll over; said hope was crushed, as was its army, when it was ambushed and, again, cut to pieces in a hail of lead sling bullets. That brought the Thassaleans to peace terms – which was fine by the Syriots, whose navy was on the brink of revolting after rumours spread about the message’s destruction. The two powers agreed to share the island, while the Dragonflight Strait was taken under exclusive Syriot control and those straits to the West of Thassalos held exclusively under theirs.

The second event was the Rising of the Epibatai (marines), which took place immediately afterwards. With the general surge in wealth and population in Syros, the sub-Hetairoi Syriots had been growing increasingly discontent with the political situation, which handed essentially all control to the aristocracy, regardless; the callous disregard for the army shown by the three strategoi ignited the tinderwood of rebellious feeling and, when the navy returned to shore, the flames of sedition began to spread. The final catching of the fire came when it was discovered that the apodektes of the time had been siphoning off war funds to finance a collection of luxuries from Masroi. The resulting revolt shocked the Hetairoi, causing the deaths of several and serious damage to the property of far more and only dying down when its leaders were promised concessions of citizenship for all non-slave Syriots (the numerous slaves of Syriot society played no part in the revolt and gained nothing from it, in spite of their valiant service as rowers during the Makrean War) and non-Hetairoi access to and elections for several official positions, including the apodektes and two of the strategoi.

That was several decades ago. Since then, Syros’ rapid growth has only accelerated; the majority of those made citizens by the Rising’s settlement and their descendants are now of the hoplite class when many were merely slingers beforehand, enriched by trade, but free non-citizens now outnumber citizens again as colonisation from Rheas has continued, fed by tales of prosperity and opportunity. Moreover, the slave population, made up of the slaves brought with those colonists in addition to those transported in by merchants to be sold in Syros’ markets, has quietly risen to be greater than either. The potential for disharmony abounds.

All of this, of course, isn’t even considering the coming storm. Prophecies do tend to have double meanings. A city ‘to guard the dragons’ gateway’ might be trying to ward off an enemy far greater than it can face - and far more imminent than it supposes.

#OIAF app - DO NOT DELETE

Have I just deliberately put my city in the firing line against the incoming dragonic threat on numerous levels?

Yes. Yes, I have.

(On the other hand, just under half of the adult male population knows how to use the hand weapons most likely to be effective against said dragons, so there's that.)

[Tasuirin]

Each one is named by the city near to it, though I did take the liberty of also naming the strait near to the Western portion of Rheas near to Masroi, so... Ech...

I think it'll be best if we at least settle the names for the major features and regions. It makes coordinating posts and doing worldbuilding much easier. It would also be nice if we know the topographical layout of the continents.

It actually already does have topographical layout. The beiger the colour, the higher it is, going up to brown (which isn't on this map, but it is on a wider map beyond this). But yeah, some basic names for other features would be good.

And that's just about done! Might create an image for the emblem later (though if you prefer to do that, Tasuirin, don't let that stop you).

OF IRON AND FIRE APPLICATION

NS NAME: (The Nexus Wardship of) Former Citizens of the Nimbus System
CITY NAME: Syros
#OIAF app - DO NOT DELETE

Very good! ACCEPTED! (Though hmpf about being less monopolising on trade! HMPF! )
I'll also add Makre to the map, denoting it as the condominium that it really is.
But yeah, good to have you aboard!
Oh, and I don't mind however you want to do it, if you want to design the symbol or I.

[Robo-Nixon]

Tasuirin, I'm planning on my next post involving seizing a Thassalosian (I hope that's the demonym still) trade ship, accusing the crew of spying on Salenippean military. This should hopefully bring forth an escalation. Any idea on what the cargo should be, spices maybe?

[Tasuirin]

Tasuirin, I'm planning on my next post involving seizing a Thassalosian (I hope that's the demonym still) trade ship, accusing the crew of spying on Salenippean military. This should hopefully bring forth an escalation. Any idea on what the cargo should be, spices maybe?

Thassalian. But yeah, that sounds like an awesome idea! Though for trade goods, I'd suggest tools, pottery, wine and wood.

[Skarten]

Okay, i finally have time, so now i'm going to explain here my idea. I think that's what i'm supposed to do instead of simply doing an app right?


Anyhow, here's my idea.


So, have any of you heard of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom? Or The Graeco-Indian Kingdom? Essentially, they were the easternmost parts of the Hellenic World, being located respectively in, well, the region of Bactria and India, although that's a bit obvious. They had a great deal of power actually, with the Bactrians achieving their highest territory circa 180 B.C., owning a great deal of land in Central Asia, together with power and a great economy. Another thing that's important to note is that they just had the best horses. Simply, just the best. Their horses were so good that the Chinese Han Empire went to war with them just to be able to get them (War Of The Heavenly Horses).


Essentially, my idea is that i would have an city-state with a culture based on Bactria, being essentially an mix between the more eastern tradition and the Telenian Influence which, of course, every city-state would have. This would not only solve my problem about not being able to write Phalanxes efficiently, it would also allow me to develop my city-state's customary beliefs and lifestyle, making it more interesting while remaining within the realm of the Telenian World, so i would not be an complete stranger.


I could go more into details about how exactly i would make this cultural difference between the common Telenian city-state and that of mine, but that's probably not important. The point is, this is the best way i could describe my idea in a simple way without getting too much into the stuff that would belong in the app.


So, what do you think?

[Tasuirin]

Okay, i finally have time, so now i'm going to explain here my idea. I think that's what i'm supposed to do instead of simply doing an app right?


Anyhow, here's my idea.


So, have any of you heard of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom? Or The Graeco-Indian Kingdom? Essentially, they were the easternmost parts of the Hellenic World, being located respectively in, well, the region of Bactria and India, although that's a bit obvious. They had a great deal of power actually, with the Bactrians achieving their highest territory circa 180 B.C., owning a great deal of land in Central Asia, together with power and a great economy. Another thing that's important to note is that they just had the best horses. Simply, just the best. Their horses were so good that the Chinese Han Empire went to war with them just to be able to get them (War Of The Heavenly Horses).


Essentially, my idea is that i would have an city-state with a culture based on Bactria, being essentially an mix between the more eastern tradition and the Telenian Influence which, of course, every city-state would have. This would not only solve my problem about not being able to write Phalanxes efficiently, it would also allow me to develop my city-state's customary beliefs and lifestyle, making it more interesting while remaining within the realm of the Telenian World, so i would not be an complete stranger.


I could go more into details about how exactly i would make this cultural difference between the common Telenian city-state and that of mine, but that's probably not important. The point is, this is the best way i could describe my idea in a simple way without getting too much into the stuff that would belong in the app.


So, what do you think?

Okay. That could have been explained, I think, quite easily beforehand. But we already have one state similar in concept to this, so as long as the Telenian influence is retained, I don't see too large of a problem with this should you want to make an app for it.

[Skarten]

Okay, i finally have time, so now i'm going to explain here my idea. I think that's what i'm supposed to do instead of simply doing an app right?


Anyhow, here's my idea.


So, have any of you heard of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom? Or The Graeco-Indian Kingdom? Essentially, they were the easternmost parts of the Hellenic World, being located respectively in, well, the region of Bactria and India, although that's a bit obvious. They had a great deal of power actually, with the Bactrians achieving their highest territory circa 180 B.C., owning a great deal of land in Central Asia, together with power and a great economy. Another thing that's important to note is that they just had the best horses. Simply, just the best. Their horses were so good that the Chinese Han Empire went to war with them just to be able to get them (War Of The Heavenly Horses).


Essentially, my idea is that i would have an city-state with a culture based on Bactria, being essentially an mix between the more eastern tradition and the Telenian Influence which, of course, every city-state would have. This would not only solve my problem about not being able to write Phalanxes efficiently, it would also allow me to develop my city-state's customary beliefs and lifestyle, making it more interesting while remaining within the realm of the Telenian World, so i would not be an complete stranger.


I could go more into details about how exactly i would make this cultural difference between the common Telenian city-state and that of mine, but that's probably not important. The point is, this is the best way i could describe my idea in a simple way without getting too much into the stuff that would belong in the app.


So, what do you think?

Okay. That could have been explained, I think, quite easily beforehand. But we already have one state similar in concept to this, so as long as the Telenian influence is retained, I don't see too large of a problem with this should you want to make an app for it.

You meant similar as in influenced by Telenian Culture, or similar as in someone already made an City-State with Bactrian Culture

[Tasuirin]

Okay. That could have been explained, I think, quite easily beforehand. But we already have one state similar in concept to this, so as long as the Telenian influence is retained, I don't see too large of a problem with this should you want to make an app for it.

You meant similar as in influenced by Telenian Culture, or similar as in someone already made an City-State with Bactrian Culture

Well, all city states are supposed to be somewhat influenced by Telenian culture. Telenian culture is the main focus of the RP. What I mean is that we have a somewhat Indic-inspired city state already. Though not entirely Bactrian, there are similarities.

I will also rephrase - the culture is to be mainly Telenian. You can add some flair from other cultures, but I've already stated before that I don't want too many more exotic cultures this early. I'm trusting you to make an app that does not go so far towards the Bactrian that you're neglecting the Greco. If the Greek culture is not prominent, I'm afraid I will have to decline.

[Skarten]

You meant similar as in influenced by Telenian Culture, or similar as in someone already made an City-State with Bactrian Culture

Well, all city states are supposed to be somewhat influenced by Telenian culture. Telenian culture is the main focus of the RP. What I mean is that we have a somewhat Indic-inspired city state already. Though not entirely Bactrian, there are similarities.

I will also rephrase - the culture is to be mainly Telenian. You can add some flair from other cultures, but I've already stated before that I don't want too many more exotic cultures this early. I'm trusting you to make an app that does not go so far towards the Bactrian that you're neglecting the Greco. If the Greek culture is not prominent, I'm afraid I will have to decline.

Don't worry it is. Plus, Greco-Bactrian is not exactly Indian. It's different from it. Very different, actually. But don't worry, it'll still be remaining as Telenian-like. The rulers, too, will be Telenian (Greek). To be honest, Bactria was very greek, so it's not like i would have to decrease too much the eastern influence.

[Tasuirin]

Well, all city states are supposed to be somewhat influenced by Telenian culture. Telenian culture is the main focus of the RP. What I mean is that we have a somewhat Indic-inspired city state already. Though not entirely Bactrian, there are similarities.

I will also rephrase - the culture is to be mainly Telenian. You can add some flair from other cultures, but I've already stated before that I don't want too many more exotic cultures this early. I'm trusting you to make an app that does not go so far towards the Bactrian that you're neglecting the Greco. If the Greek culture is not prominent, I'm afraid I will have to decline.

Don't worry it is. Plus, Greco-Bactrian is not exactly Indian. It's different from it. Very different, actually. But don't worry, it'll still be remaining as Telenian-like. The rulers, too, will be Telenian (Greek). To be honest, Bactria was very greek, so it's not like i would have to decrease too much the eastern influence.

I won't get into a whole discussion as for my reasons for saying such, but I'll await the app before judging.