1.00The Persian Wars #5 - The Emperor's Fist (5 missions) ˇˇ <« ¿¡¬√ƒ≈ ˇˇˇ œ ˇˇˇ dlg4 ˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇˇ; sù 0 The Emperor's Fist - The Queen of Caria (mission1) The Emperor's Fist - The Queen of Caria (mission1).scn †4 £® The Emperor's Fist - Retreat from Thermopylae (mission 2) The Emperor's Fist - Retreat from Thermopylae (mission 2).scn †m C› The Emperor's Fist - Athens in Flames (mission 3) The Emperor's Fist - Athens in Flames (mission 3).scn Îf „J The Emperor's Fist - The Wisdom of the Queen (mission 4) The Emperor's Fist - The Wisdom of the Queen (mission 4).scn ˘) Œ± The Emperor's Fist - The Battle of Salamis Bay (mission 5) The Emperor's Fist - The Battle of Salamis Bay (mission 5).scn 1.11~ ED≤5j Artemesia of Halicarnassus stood before the Emperor Xerxes with her full measure of royal authority.
The air was tense. Though the Queen of Caria had conducted herself and her men well in battle, she knew that Xerxes was desperate.
He needed her assistance.
On the beach of Thermopylae, the Emperor had ordered his Royal Throne set up so that he could survey the mustering, refurbishing, and reorganizing of his army. Off the coast of Thermopylae, the Persian Navy -- made up of Phoenician, Egyptian, and Ionian fleets -- was busy with repair and refitting.
But among the soldiers and sailors, rumor buzzed like a nest of termites.
Barely 2,000 Greeks soldiers had died at Thermopylae -- taking 20, 000 Persian troops to the grave with them! The fleet, wracked by storm and mayhem, had also been dealt a severe blow by the Greek navy -- especially by one Athenian commander, an upstart called Themistocles of Phrearrhos.
Such steep losses, incurred in their land and naval victories, was eating away at the morale of the Persian force and something had to be done to remedy the situation. Xerxes had summoned the Persian general Mardonius and the Greek traitor Demaratus to advise him.
Even now they stood at either side of Xerxes...
As Artemisia herself was called before the Imperial Throne.
Xerxes smiled easily as the Queen stepped down from her Royal Chariot. "Your majesty," he murmured in his silky voice, "We are pleased you have responded to our summons so quickly."
Artemesia smiled thinly to herself. This game of unctious politeness was one she had mastered long ago. "Sire," she replied,"I draw breath only to serve you."
Xerxes favored her with a nod of the head. Her words pleased him, and he continued without hesitation...
"These terrible rumors about the losses my men sustained at Thermopylae," he tsked half to himself, "They must be stopped. So I have invited every royal commander who wishes, to come and survey the battlefield in person. They're saying 20,000 of my men perished? Nonsense! Your own eyes will tell you the true story. Walk on the beach and you'll find no more than four or five thousand Persian corpses..."
His eyes narrowed as he came to his point: "Then return to your troops and tell them that the army of Xerxes in invincible. These loutish Greeks have barely scratched us."
And with that, the Queen was dismissed.
No more than 4,000 dead? Artemesia laughed to herself. Who did he think would buy this story? And as she considered the implications of it, she realized that Xerxes must have ordered the rest of the bodies dragged off the battlefield and concealed.
How incompetent was this "Emperor"? To imagine such a primitive ruse would deceive anyone.
And the desire to know the full truth suddenly became irresistible.
Her own safety, and the safety of her men, would depend on knowing exactly what they were up against -- both in the Greek camp and on the Persian throne.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
Ride from the Imperial Throne to your transport ship, Artemesia. In the north corner of the map your royal barge is anchored. When you arrive there, you can despatch a small recon force to determine the truth of Xerxes' claims -- and have them bring you proof one way or the other.
- Locate the mass grave where Xerxes has disposed of the bulk of his casualties from Thermopylae.
- There you'll find evidence of the deception being perpetrated by Xerxes (an artifact). Bring it to your royal barge. Be certain you are there yourself to view the evidence.
- Be careful, though: the local Greeks have made their peace with Xerxes and will treat you as an enemy. Xerxes has also posted guards to keep prying eyes away from the mass grave.
And remember:
As you walk on the Battlefield of Thermopylae, pay your respects to the men who perished there. The fallen Greeks are marked by yellow flags, the fallen Persians by red.
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As the words echo in the broad marble hall, not a sound is heard from the assembled representatives.
A great deed has been done at Thermopylae.
An act of heroism unlike any in the memory of the Greeks.
Themistocles of Phrearrhos exhaled a long, deep breath. In silence, he rose from his seat and crossed to the open portal of the Congress Assembly Hall. From here he could catch the barest glimpse of the towers of Athens, his home city, across the Saronic Gulf.
The Persians were coming. And there was nothing the Alliance could do to stop them. The assembled armies of the Greek Congress were not yet ready to engage the forces of Xerxes, and even if they were --
It was doubtful such a battle could be won on land.
And admiration crept through the mind and heart of the young Athenian. If only all Greek soldiers could fight like Spartans, then -- then the battle could be fought and won on land! But this was not the case. No, a different strategy would be needed. One that called for unprecedented sacrifice on the part of the Greek people.
And especially on the part of Athenians.
Themistocles knew that in order to ask for such a sacrifice, he would have to command political respect and moral authority of the highest order.
He turned to the sweat-soaked, battle-stained messenger who had ridden from Alpeni. What of the hoplite divisions that were ordered by Leonidas to retreat, he asked -- where are they now? The young man stared at Themistocles, confused. They should have arrived here at Allied headquarters in Corinth already.
A concerned murmur went up among the gathered strategoi. What could have gone wrong? Were the retreating forces ambushed by Xerxes? Could they have lost their courage and gone over to the Emperor?
Could they have "medized?"
The word burned like bitter salt in the debate of the generals. It was the worst insult one Greek could hurl at another -- for "medizing" meant cutting a deal with the government in Media, the government of Xerxes.
Themistocles raised his hand to silence them.
We should not be hasty to brand any Greek with so vile a word, he murmured. Yes, many of the villages are even now making seperate deals with Xerxes -- we are surrounded by "medizers." But no one should be accused, or condemned of it, without proof.
A small force should be sent to make contact with the retreating hoplites from Thermopylae. They could be cut off and in need of assistance. They could be debating their best course of action: to report to Corinth or to return to their native homes. Leadership is called for, Themistocles added, not recrimination.
And with the consumate timing of a great statesman, he declared that he himself would personally take responsibility for locating the lost units and leading them back to Corinth.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
The Congress has assigned you a small force. Pick them up at the Greek Congress headquarters in Corinth. Additional aid can be recruited from villages that are still loyal to Greece.
You're looking for 9 hoplites and 3 bowmen. Their commander is a longswordsman.
1. Bring the longswordsman to the Greek Congress government center in Corinth.
2. Keep the Persian Advance Guard from killing more than 4 of the hoplites.
3. Return safely yourself to the Greek Congress government center.
Your time of trial is only just beginning. In the weeks ahead, more will be asked of you than of any other Athenian in history.
Ø΄Ün4màˇ·Ï‘˛gó͡‚ˇ÷ãΩÏx 28≈P/émÀ˛˝‹î„¯ˇ√fiˆáo¨ìb ub Òüh¸ZkZèˇß˛◊ 1.11ı *9≤5· The People of Athens must take refuge behind a wall of wood.
So spoke the mystic Pythia at Delphi.
To you, Themistocles, the meaning could not be more clear: the "wall of wood" is the fleet of triremes Athens had constructed in a crash ship-building program initiated by you two years ago. Now the time has come to put your belief to the test.
By hook and by crook, by argument and persuasion, by every means available to you, you have finally persuaded the Athenians they will have to abandon their glorious city. It cannot be defended against the oncoming horde of Persian soldiers. The Assembly has voted to support your resolution: The city will be evacuated. Every able-bodied man will be put to handling the oars in the fleet. Every woman, child and elder will be taken by transport to the island of Salamis.
You have arrived at the harbor of Piraeus with a small force to assist in the evacuation. One transport is with you, but more available at Salamis harbor. Now you must move swiftly to gather together the frightened citizens, bring them to Piraeus, and ship them to safety -- even as the Persians attack and the city burns around them.
It is a day of anguish like none Athenians have ever known.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
1. In 5 different areas there are district leaders, Long Swordsmen. All 5 of them must be brought safely to Salamis.
2. Out of the 100 villagers, the Persians must not kill more than 30.
Athens -- the Mother Land of the Ionian people -- had been put to the sword by Xerxes.
Halicarnassus, her own city, was filled with the same Ionic architecture as Athens. The slim, tapering columns; the invisible swelling of the foundation, the free interplay of metope and triglyph -- all of them, charged with vitality like the blood that courses through human flesh.
To see all of this, now a ruin of ash and shattered stone, made her heart break.
And as Artemesia stood in her Royal Chariot, numb at the destruction around her, she felt a kinship with the Greek people like never before.
Politics -- and the survival of her own people -- required her to cooperate with the Persians, but in her bones she knew she would always be Greek.
She frowned, focusing her thoughts, as the smell of ash made her horses shift and flare their nostrils.
Themistocles of Phrearrhos, the man who had the vision, and the courage, to make so bold a move -- to surrender his city without a fight. To inspire his people to follow him down such a dangerous road. This man was no fool.
Themistocles would never have made a sacrifice like this, unless he knew that he had within his hands the power to defeat Xerxes at sea.
It's the only reason he could have allowed his home to be burned.
The realization struck Artemesia like a cold winter wind.
For even now, Xerxes was debating the question among his generals at Pireaus: Should the Persian fleet attack the Greeks in Salamis Bay?
And Artemesia knew she had to warn him.
It was a trap.
If we fight Themistocles at sea, we will be destroyed.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
You must reach Xerxes at Piraeus and warn him against this imminent sea battle.
Your personal guard awaits you near the entrance to the Acropolis, but be careful: Hydarnes, Captain of the Immortals, knows that you intend to council against the attack. Jealous of the influence you have with Xerxes, he has ordered his troops to stop you -- and he has sent out assassins as well.
Also, displaced Greeks are still hiding in the countryside. Some of them have medized and are eager to offer assistance. But many are looking for revenge.
A great catastrophe can be avoided, Artemesia -- but you must reach Xerxes first.
ˆ Ω≥• Út(éˇ/ |6…O◊Ç0t®œ‚Z¨,∞ñÂãΩÌ∏=ÏóíÂ∑^fI ¸¯8>ˆ∂„ fø`2ª]iĵYI~≥¿öflˇ{€q{⁄/≥bÙfi4øi‡m]€4ˆ∂„ˆ≤_BØ∞&Õoí"¸s[q”ÿˇ˜ˇ 1.11% —@≤5 The September air was warm, almost humid.
Themistocles paced the deck of his ship restlessly.
After initially choosing to make a united naval stand in Salamis Bay, the Council of Greek Generals had reversed itself. The Allies were breaking up, sailing off to defend their home ports, despairing that the Greek fleet could ever defeat the massive Persian Armada in open combat.
The old man Mnesiphilus watched his young protege chaffing against the impossibilty of Greek politics. He had guided his young friend through the debates and arguments he'd faced at the Pnyx two years earlier, and now his advice was no less pointed: Do not allow this to happen, Themistocles. Take whatever measures are necessary to keep the fleet united. You must make your stand in Salamis Bay.
The former archon had taken the advice to heart -- but he'd been unable to sway the majority of the Greek generals.
Although that could change.
For an unusual guest had been brought by swift transport from Aegina and was standing even now on the deck of the sleek flagship.
It was no less a man than Aristides, son of Lysimachus.
The same Aristides who had fought beside Miltiades at Marathon ten years earlier.
The same Aristides whom Themistocles had had exiled from Athens.
Violating that exile to bring an intelligence report to the Allies, Aristides now stood before his old political opponent in the clammy September night. And his news was of the utmost urgency: the Persian Fleet had taken up its position to attack. Come dawn, there would be a naval war like none the Aegean had ever seen before -- but would the Greeks be prepared to stand together and fight?
Themistocles narrowed his eyes. Whatever enmity has existed between us, he murmured, we both know it grew out of our love of Greece -- and of Athens. Now. Let us go together to the Allies. The sight of two opponents such as we, uniting together, may be exactly what the Greek people need to inspire them.
Aristides -- thin, beginning to show the signs of advancing age but still holding his aristocratic carriage like the unbowed nobleman he was -- met the younger man's eyes with a nod.
For Athens, he said.
For Greece.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
Aristides is right. The Persian fleet is poised to attack. But the Greek Allies have already begun to disperse and sail for home.
Themistocles, the Athenian fleet awaits you off the eastern coast of Salamis. But you must locate the fleets of the Spartan general Eurybiades and the Aegenitan general Aecus.
Bring them together and find a way to inflict as much damage as possible on the Persian Armada.
Specifically: Destroy 15 Persian triremes and 10 Phoenician triremes.
During the battle, squadrons of conscripted Persian ships may defect to your side and provide assistance.
But, finally, a cautionary note, Themistocles:
The Carian Queen, Artemesia, has a contingent of three triremes fighting with the Persians. This Queen is a warrior of increasing reknown and popularity. Many of the Greeks have begun to admire her sharp judgment and her shrewd abilities as a commander.
If her triremes are destroyed, the loss of goodwill among your Greek allies will be insurmountable. Avoid killing this remarkable woman.
After all, at a later date -- you may need her assistance --
