Six years had gone by since Athens' victory at Marathon, yet all around him he watched Athenians return to their everyday lives of bickering, trading, and chasing after young men.
Did the people of Greece truly believe that Persia had been defeated once and for all? That there was no longer any danger of an invasion from the Empire?
In those same years, Themistocles -- a citizen of humble origins, born without wealth or privilege -- had immersed himself in politics, or "politismos," as his people called it -- the lifeblood of Greece. Increasingly dismayed at the lack of vision in those around him, he had argued in vain that Athens was still exposed to the wrath of the Persian Emperor. Yes, Darius had died -- but his son Xerxes had resumed his father's preparations for conquest. A massive army, a vast navy, were being assembled....
And still Athenians refused to raise their eyes to the horizon.
Sitting astride his horse, gazing out on the new harbor at Piraeus, he felt the sting of the salt air, and the cold Aegean breeze.
He watched the young oarsmen aboard their triremes and pentaremes, listened to their rough, friendly conversations. Men who worked with their hands and their backs, born with nothing more than stout-heartedness and the irrepressible spirit of true Athenians.
He himself had come into this world with little more.
For although Themistocles was descended from aristocracy, and so was qualified to hold high office in the state, his family was poor and of little regard. Truth be told, he felt a greater kinship with these stalwarts, these hard-working, hard-playing young men of the galley bench, than he did with the pampered leaders of the city.
A nation can be built on these honest, simple sailors, he thought to himself. A city can be created in which the humblest Athenian will hold his head up as an equal to the wealthiest oligarch.
But it will only happen if Athens turns her eyes... to the sea.
And now is the time to lead her there. A rich vein of silver has been struck in the state-owned mines of Laurium. A great debate is about to begin at the Pnyx, the hill of public assembly. In this debate the people of Athens will decide whether to divide the windfall of silver among themselves -- or spend it to build a great fleet of triremes for the city.
Your old mentor, the Philosopher Mnesiphilus, has arrived at the Academy in Athens. He will go to the Pnyx to argue your cause. Arrayed against him in the debate will be your political enemies: Cimon, son of Miltiades; Aristides, who fought at Marathon with Miltiades; and the populist rabble-rouser, Epicydes. But before the philosopher tries to convert your enemies to your cause, it is advisable to marshal support for him. Several daunting tasks face you:
Cimon has obtained the support of the Oracle at Delphi. You have slightly less than two and a half days (2,000 minutes!) to ride to Delphi and persuade the Oracle to become neutral again (get control of the ruins there). In addition, you can gain the assistance of a temple in your family district of Phrearrhos where Mnesiphilus' abilities can be upgraded.
However, you'll need gold to do this. Your father left you a small lumber-trading business, but his ships are tied up in Epidaurus. Get his ships operating to raise the gold you need.
Move quickly. Argue brilliantly. Be inspired, Themistocles. It is a pivotal moment in the "politismos" of your native land.
The future hangs in the balance.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
Convert the three "priests" at the Pnyx. Then deliver Themistocles himself there.
Exercise caution. Cimon has his paid assassins on the prowl for you. Mnesiphilus could be won over by your foes. Or worse, you yourself could be converted.
Remember: A leader of the "demos" will find allies in unexpected places, even in humble coastal villages...
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Themistocles of Phrearros was the product of an astonishing new culture that had emerged in the Eastern Mediterranean region in the early 5th Century before Christ.
It was a culture that embraced conflict, the inevitability of struggle, and the seemingly limitless capabilities of the individual human being. A culture which taught that the individual human is the most extraordinary thing on earth. That we are endowed with dignity and capabilities rivaled only by those of the gods. A culture so in awe of our abilities as men and women that it could imagine the gods having no other form.
And Themistocles was steeped in this culture. Either in war or politics, Themistocles believed he could undertake and accomplish anything.
Thus far, in politics, he had been proven right, and with war against Persia imminient, he knew that he would soon be tested in that arena, too. Confident of himself and his gifts as a Greek, consequently, Themistocles plunged headlong into a wholly different realm:
Management.
The Assembly of Athens has voted to use the surplus profits of the silver mines in Laurium to build a new fleet, but now you must make sure the mines are operating smoothly and efficiently.
Bandits infest the area and the local tenant miners are pocketing large quanties of silver for themselves. The future security of Athens depends on putting a stop to this at once.
Ride down the road from Athens to the harbor at Piraeus. Recruit a team of villagers, and embark for Laurium. Landing at the docks of Sunium, where the great Temple of Poseidon overlooks the sea, proceed into the hills to take charge of the mines.
Management, of course, is not like war or politics. There will be problems that simply won't yield to the sword or to the arts of persuasion. You'll have to puzzle them out yourself...
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
- Stockpile 4,000 units of gold..
- Convert 10 units
- Bring Themistocles to the Temple of Poseidon at Sunium, to give thanks and pray for the blessing of the God of the Sea.
Note: The mining operations already exist. You're not going to open mines, but get the existing ones under control. Consequently, storage pit building and town center building have been disabled.
The Priests at Sunium will provide you with help, but take care for their lives. If they die, you lose the game.
This is a problem-solving scenario, and you may have to devise ways to use your limited units that you haven't thought of before.
The night had overtaken King Leonidas when he finally leaned back from his work.
The rough-hewn table was littered with sheets of parchment, quill nubs, and wax shavings. The wick, floating in its kylix of lamp oil, had burned low. Soon he would have to sleep. He sighed, and his craggy eyes pierced the moonlit night that was just visible through the window.
War, he ruminated to himself -- it's more about organizing than fighting.
Weeks, months, of preparation had to be done to lay the groundwork for what might only be a few hours of brutal contest. But without that preparation, one might as well go into battle armed with wet reeds.
And of course, the task laid out before him now was not even preparation for war. No, it was the "preparation" for the preparation for war.
In other words: diplomacy.
Seeing that the inevitable must occur, and that young Xerxes was determined to impose the will of Persia on Greece, the men and citizens of Sparta had taken the steps to do what must be done. Leonidas had called a great meeting of the city-states, and all were enjoined to send a representative to Sparta.
An alliance must be formed. An Alliance of All Greeks. For it was clear to Leonidas that Hellenes could only remain free if they put aside their differences, and stood as one against the Emperor.
But having called the meeting, now he had to make certain the representatives reached Sparta safely. His eye fell once more on the list of names. One of them perplexed him the most:
Themistocles of Phreahhos.
A young aristocrat of undistinguished birth, chosen by the people of Athens to lead them in the upcoming war. Leonidas could only shake his head at the folly of his neighbors to the north. What did they call this new method of government? "Demokratia"? Nothing but disaster could come from it.
It seemed that Athenians were never happy unless they were experimenting, tinkering, changing the past, altering tradition. It was in their Ionian blood, of course, and no one could blame them for that.
Alas, not all men could be blessed with the solid Doric heritage that had shaped Spartan culture.
Reliable. Unwavering. Rooted in the great traditions.
All Greece knew these were the hallmarks of Sparta. And it was why Sparta would be chosen to lead the Alliance.
As for this unschooled upstart, Themistocles. Well. Let him come to Sparta.
Perhaps he will learn what leadership is.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
Bring the six Greek Representatives safely to Sparta.
And in the midst of it all stood the Spartans, with their unmistakeable air of superiority.
This is what rankled Themistocles most of all.
Greeks everywhere admired Athens for her victory at Marathon, yes, but it was still the Spartans who were regarded as possessing true military prowess. So the Greek people turned to Sparta for leadership in this time of crisis.
Greeks. They can never see beyond next month, Themistocles thought to himself. If Sparta is allowed to lead us to victory, then Hellenic Civilization will suffer for it. These soldiers, these camp-dwellers and slave-keepers have no art to speak of, no philosophy, no architecture, and no science other than the Science of War.
Is this to be our future? When glorious Athens could endow the Hellenes with genius, greatness, and spiritual magnificence beyond their wildest dreams?
Athens must be the city who leads us into the future, not Sparta.
But to do that, Athenians must distinguish themselves in this upcoming war with Xerxes -- and then move forward to take command of the Greek Alliance.
As the generals -- or "strategoi" -- from the member states confer, the first military plan of action is hatched. In order to secure wavering Thessaly's membership in the Alliance, an expeditionary force will be dispatched to that northern region. Their mission: to determine if the advancing Persian army can be bottled up in the Valley of Tempe, between Mount Olympus and Mount Ossa.
If the Persians can be held at Tempe while the Allied armies are assembled, then Thessaly will be rescued from the iron fist of Xerxes.
If not -- Thessaly will be make a separate peace with the Emperor. And the only source of high-grade cavalry will be lost to the Allies.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
You, Themistocles, have been assigned to reconnoiter a group of mountain passes in the Ossaian Mountains. You have been delivered to a small coastal town in Thessaly by swift Athenian war galley. To complete your mission successfully, make contact with the Thessalian forces waiting in the city of Larisa.
Then you must build two sentry towers in each of four areas on the northern side of the River Peneus.
The areas are mountain passes, marked by regular patterns of rocks.
You have a limited supply of stone with which to accomplish this, although you may find small supplemental amounts in the area. You also have a limited labor force. Guard them well -- if the Persian Guard kills them, your mission is lost.
Finally, once you've built the eight sentry towers, you must rejoin your war galley on the Aegean coast.
The reputation and the glory of Athens rides with you, citizen.
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The famous Spartan king, Leonidas, gazes at you.
His massive black eyebrows lend a cruel power to his startling, clear gaze. You comported yourself well -- for an Athenian -- in the mission to Tempe. But now you have the audacity to stand before the Council of Greeks and bring up old issues, issues already decided upon by the gathered "strategoi"?
Leonidas says nothing -- but shakes his head with a terrible eloquence. Only an Athenian would be so arrogant.
Yet you know that for the sake of Athens, for the sake of all Greeks, you must press your cause:
True enough, you admit. A decision was reached on this issue before: Command of all the allied forces is to be under the Spartans. But was it the best decision? Athens is the most powerful naval force among the Greek cities, you continue -- fine, let the Spartans command the land army. Athens should command the navy.
The prestige you gained at Tempe holds you in good stead here and you see the council members considering your arguments. If most of the sailors are Athenians, then an Athenian commander might best inspire them, lead them to victory.
With a patient sigh, the Spartans finally agree to a compromise. The Allied forces have chosen to take their stand, trireme and phalanx, at a narrow straits just north of Attica. While Leonidas attempts to hold the coastal pass through which Xerxes must march his army, the Allied navy will hold the Euboic Straits west of Artemesium.
Army and navy must work hand in hand, and the Spartan general Eurybiades has already been given charge of the fleet.
However -- and again, that great, heavy sigh utters forth from Leonidas, as though a tragic weight rested on his hair-matted shoulders --
Themistocles will be permitted to command the Athenian contingent.
A smile of success pierces your lips. The Council has decided... and it is good.
Now all that remains, Themistocles, is to justify the Council's faith in you.
Perform well at Artemesium and the future of Greece will be within your grasp.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
The Spartan and Athenian navies have taken their position outside the Gulf of Pagasae. Xerxes has marshaled his navy inside the Gulf. The battle for access to the Euboic Channel is about to begin.
You, Themistocles, have been scouting enemy positions in the north. You must rejoin the allied fleet quickly. Then you must pick up the last fifty Athenian triremes arriving in the Euboic Channel, and lead them into battle.
In order to win the laurels you need, you must:
1. Ensure the destruction of at least 16 Persian Triremes, and
2. Escape to Athens, by means of the northern coast of Euboea.
Whatever else happens, you must prove once and for all, that, at sea --
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