A King's Vision.
Author's Note: The story is based on the ongoing events of a Himyar Grand Campaign in Rome Total War 2 using the All Factions Available mod as well as the Diplomacy mod and Radious mod, as well as sub mods.
Chapter One: Shifting Sands
"Bring Jugurtha." Two words was all it took, sending a wave of servants fleeing from his presence, bowing and scrambling backwards to please him. The display did not impress the king. Syphax took a deep breath, and then exhaled. He was a man of twenty nine years of age, and had a somber complexion. His dark skin complemented his hair, which was long and uncut. Jugurtha was an option. One out of three, but the other two were quiet, and hesitant, and not nearly as violent. Good for a spy, whose purpose was to scout, but he did not need that. He needed an assassin, and the demeanor of the two spies would have given off their intention long before they could strike. No, he did not need a passive and slow poison. He needed a quick flash of anger, the sinking of a blade into a stomach. He needed someone who was willing to die. With lighter skin but dark hair, he always thought Jugurtha could pass for an Egyptian. Jugurtha was much more volatile than his comrades, always making loud claims while his associates hung back in dogged silence. It was this trait, to the disgust of his advisor, that Jugurtha was hired. Not only that, but Jugurtha, in comparison to his comrades, had no family in Eudaemon, Himyar's city. Of course, the assassin still needed time to collect himself. He was being sent out tomorrow.
Wincing as the sun rose even higher, the king shielded his eyes. His father dead, he was called to lead his people to prosperity. All around him, he was surrounded by hostile people. All of the other kingdoms in his area had scorned Himyar for their religion, Judaism, which conflicted with their neighbors. No one wished to trade goods with his city, whose small port lay neglected, a worn down ship bobbing with the waves. He managed to eke out a trade with Drangiana, still loyal to the Seleucids, a powerful, yet scattered empire. However, the trade took money from his own coffers. The diplomat insisted upon the gold. He knew that Himyar's people would not survive without naval commerce, and he exploited it. When the diplomat left, he had one thousand extra coins in his pocket. Coins that did not belong to him, but were taken from a desperate kingdom, whose own military couldn't protect them from the savage Sabeans, who constantly loomed as a great threat near his borders.
But that was all subject to change.
In the last couple of months, Syphax had worked hard, relaying orders with his network of servants throughout the city that his people inhabited. Soon, the city revived itself in a motion of activity, as Syphax funded the building of the first infantry camp that their land had seen in ages. He knew that peace would not last. He was surrounded by Saba, and Ma'in, powerful nations in their own regard, who would show him no mercy. But he never expected mercy. He had polished up his diplomatic skills, and was renowned as impartial by his people when he judged, yet he lacked one thing. A true army. His entourage at the moment was pitiful. A small encampment filled with levied farmers with glorified sticks, some slingers, and a detachment of camel riders. This would not do. The infantry camp would allow for his people to finally get a foothold, and start fighting.
War was inevitable, but he knew he must get the preemptive strike on the Sabeans.
"Yes, my lord, a spice market. The Sabeans do not appear to be prepared for war. Instead, they carouse in their halls, reveling in their foolishness as if they are drunkards! Their King is even more foolish, and neglects his military, his entourage is the same as yours Lord, yet somehow more pitiful with their ignorance!" Jugurtha's report was both relieving and infuriating. On the one hand, the assassin was able to report these events to him. On the other, he was wounded, and could not operate for a short time. Even now, the stab wound was evident, though it was only a mark on his side. "Could you believe that the drunk guard tried to stab me?" Jugurtha spat out his words, his shame and disappointment over the matter showing. Syphax raised his hand, to silence him before he could speak further, "You have done well." Except you have not. In your wounds I find my own disappointment. If you cannot redeem yourself, then I will find another who will not waste my coffers on foolish missions. After Jugurtha left, Syphax massaged his temples, how hard was it to stay out of trouble? And yet he was injured on his first mission! It was truly pitiful.
"Patience." Speaking out, his friend tried soothing the king's nerves, "All men have troubled starts, my lord." Exasperated, Syphax lashed out, "And yet, Amanikhabale, the first mission?" Amanikhabale was a young man of seventeen years of age, whose young face radiated with ambition. While young, he was cunning, and was in part the reason for why they were able to trade with Drangiana in the first place, after marrying a prestigious merchant's daughter from the area. It was obviously not of love, as she berated him every other second, and was insistent on having her way. He was a shrewd man, but was also passionate and utilized his silver tongue for the good of the kingdom. The day Syphax has called for the building of an infantry camp; Amanikhabale pounced upon the opportunity, raising the taxes with a fiery speech on how, "With your help, our tyrannical neighbors to the north shall finally be put to the sword! Your children and family safe from them forever! All we ask of is blood! All we ask of is dignity, honor, and bravery of our men! Can you do that!?" Riling up the crowd, Syphax estimated it would only be a few more months before the Infantry Tent was finally constructed. Of course, he was also wary. While Amanikhabale did not know it himself, Syphax's enemies were always looking for a way to undermine him, and Amanikhabale's silver tongue might just be what they needed.
"Are you satisfied only with this? Does this military seem impressive to you? Let me ask you, what is the price of freedom, what is the price of your loved one's life!? You ask me to remit the taxes, yet, I must ask, are you content with this? Are you content with a meager camp, waiting for our enemies to raid us? You ask me, 'Why must we build? We are not even at war!' Yet, even us, who are at peace, should prepare for war. Just yesterday, I had a terrible vision, of men screaming, charging into our glorious city, burning down your houses, killing your children, our defenders valiant to the last. Finally, I saw our king, kneeling down in surrender as the merciless Sabean king decapitates him. Once more, I ask, are you satisfied? Or are you angry? Come then, our work is not finished! The fields are white with grain, yet there are no harvesters! Let us continue, and let us conquer! Let us go forth, and bring glory to us, our king, and his glorious kingdom!" Such speeches were made every month or so now, ever since the infantry camp was built. The infantry camp was a huge disappointment for Syphax. The only supplies they could eke out were javelins. While deadly in their own right, the javelins were not the answer to their problem. However, Amanikhabale had found another solution. By turning the surrounding tents around the infantry camp as a military headquarters, they could expand the camp and gather more supplies, enough for them to field a massive military, and a vast array of equipment. Blacksmiths were only slightly affected by the infantry camp, as javelins only required an iron head, yet, in just a year or so, they would have a new military, one capable of standing up to even Egypt or the Seleucids!
"They're warring!? D-n Ma'in! D-n Mascat!" In a furious rage, the king grabbed the servant, and begun shaking him, "Where did you learn this!?" The servant, frightened for his life, hastily replied, "Jugurtha sir! He recovered and went scouting again, and this time he found that the Sabeans were making huge overhauls to their defenses, he wasn't even allowed in! They're preparing for war too sir, and they have a bigger army than us…." The king smiled, paused, and put the servant down. "I see." The servant was frightened again, this time by the sudden change of the king's demeanor, "Sir?" The king started laughing, "Finally! The Sabeans have a bigger army than us; they will not see us as a threat. When the time comes, and they move their main army out, Amanikhabale can move his forces out, and take the city, starve it if he has to!" The king settled down, and sat down in his chair, finally, good news. Initially, he was skeptical about rumors of war between Saba and their neighbors, but now it seemed as if they had come true. The arrogant Sabeans had underestimated their neighbor's pride, and no doubt their diplomat's sharp tongue infuriated Mascat and Ma'in! While Himyar's military might was not absolute, he knew that with the aid of coin and mercenaries, they could take over Saba.
"You're late." The king was standing up, straight, and arms crossed. His eyes scanned the face of his friend, as if trying to extract the truth from them. "In the interest of the building of our new infantry tents, I have went out and offered a gift to Mascat, of gold." The king suddenly seemed to spring to life, "You did what? Mascat diplomats are notoriously greedy; they'll keep on dogging you for money now. Why did you do that? You know that Drangiana disproves of them, and I wish to stay on good terms with them." Amanikhabale stood there, still smiling in the face of the king's confusion, "My liege, while you may scoff at their diplomats, do not scoff at their soldiers, Mascat's armaments are fine, and I have seen them myself when my father visited there for a trade arrangement. That gold was not given for nothing, no, the diplomats gave me a copy of the Mascat marauder combat equipment, which I'm sure our blacksmiths can reproduce, putting our own touch on it, of course." The king frowned, "We could have easily requested designs from Drangiana." Amanikhabale frowned as well at that, "With all due respect, if we were to rely entirely upon them we would be undone. We must think of other allies. Rely too much on one nation, and they will know it. They will pounce upon us, and tear at our throats with sharp teeth, like lions. I still feel the weight of the gold you gave Drangiana when I pass the streets and I hear our people's children cry."
The king hesitated, then nodded, "Very well, arrange for the blacksmiths to reproduce the marauder's armament. We'll need them for our war with Saba." Amanikhabale nodded, then added, "They know of Jugurtha's presence. He's not very subtle. I fear what may come next." Without waiting for a response, Amanikhabale left the tent.
It was night, and it was quiet. The only sound was the sound of a shifting guard's foot, as he watched over the darkness and the night. He was guarding a tent, the tent of a new Sabean noble, Arimyar, who had been commissioned by their king to raise a new army by any means necessary. Suddenly, a disturbance appeared in the darkness as a drunken man stumbled forward, obviously oblivious to his surroundings. "Halt. Citizen, allow me to escort you away, our Lord Arimyar is currently busy." The guard was stern, and signaled for another guard to take his place while he escorted the drunken man away. The drunk man's mind, however, was not inebriated at all. Jugurtha had hidden from the king, failing to answer summons to his tent. He was ashamed. He had failed, and he had been wounded. But now, he had his chance to redeem himself. As they walked away, as the dark sands swallowed them, a flash in the moonlight was the only warning the guard had before he was silenced permanently.
Taking his uniform, and his armament, he went back to the tent. However, he already knew that there was a new guard, he heard him call for a replacement. Shrouding his face in his turban, he proceeded forward.
"Drunken sod still out there?" The guard was tired, and evidently wanted him to continue guarding the tent so he could sleep. He only nodded, his voice would give him away, and the guard sleepily nodded his assent as he stumbled back into his company's tent. Inside, Arimyar was busy discussing terms for recruiting mercenaries. The mercenary captain in question was small, and cautious, but well known for honor. If he mysteriously showed up dead in Sabean territory, they would have less success with mercenary contracts in the future. However, new mercenaries would show up, as gold is a powerful force. No, he didn't want the mercenary captain to die.
Jugurtha's real target was Arimyar himself. If he could at least kill HIM, then he would be redeemed! He must be redeemed, even if it kills him. He refused to live without his honor.
"Aye, your father will be out for a while, our king has commissioned for a new defensive force to guard our borders. As you know, Ma'in and Mascat have declared war upon us, and lurk around our borders as hungry sharks." Smiling softly, he tousled his daughter's hair. "Fajr, I will only be patrolling around the city, and I will be dealing with an honorable man. No harm will come to me." His daughter was seven, but she still felt danger in the air, "Father, do you not worry about assassins from other nations? While we are currently at peace with Himyar, mother said that you should be careful. Ma'in and Mascat have the money to afford assassins. Contemplating these words, Arimyar's smile broke out again, "Worry not, little one, I will be fine. I have my own contingent of guards to guard my tent, and they are loyal to the last. If they wanted me dead, I would be in the sand, and I would have never had you, Fajr." Glancing up at her father one last time, the young girl wondered if her father was telling the truth. Or if this truth would weaken him to a greater threat.
Dropping his spear and shield to signify that he had no weapons, Jugurtha entered the tent. "Sir, with all due respect, may I request a bite to remain conscious? This duty is killing me, and I wouldn't mind a cut to my pay." Arimyar smiled, and beckoned him forward. He was a friendly, open man, with a wife and three daughters. His only aim was to end Saba's wars, so that they could peacefully exist as a trading kingdom. Already, he tried to send diplomats to Himyar, yet they never returned. He never learned that Jugurtha had killed and robbed them. "Come in, friend! Worry not about the fruit, nor the pay, we are all brothers here, who wish to end this horrible spectacle called war!" The mercenary captain, on the other hand, was not so convivial, and had a hand on his saber. He was wary of assassins, but Arimyar held up his hand, "I have known these men for many years, and while I must confess I do not know them all individually, I am indebted to them." The assassin smiled, "My thanks, my liege." Settling down, Jugurtha picked up a small grape, and plucked it into his mouth, the fruit popping at the same time his hand reached into his shroud.
Alarmed, the mercenary captain shouted and grabbed for his sword, only to be laughed at by Arimyar jovially as Jugurtha pulled out a small scroll. Acting surprised, Jugurtha inquired if he didn't know that soldiers could read as well, given proper training. Relaxing, the mercenary captain sheathed his sword. At the same time, Jugurtha sprung, quickly shaking the scroll, a thin dagger fell from the inside, and he threw the dagger at the captain's throat before he could draw his saber. Gasping in surprise, the captain clawed at his own neck, causing more blood to gush out as he fell. Arimyar, alarmed, fell back; he had tears in his eyes. "Harm me if you must, but please, do not kill me brother! I will swear off the warpath forever, I swear, just please, do not kill me!" As his eyes conveyed the terror of a caught animal, his mind was racing. "I-I…Spare me for my wife! Spare me for my children!" Jugurtha sneered down at the man, he was weak. He was foolish, and he actually believed that he wouldn't kill him. Jugurtha calmly walked to the mercenary captain and pulled his dagger out, a spurt of blood following it. As he walked back to Arimyar, he pulled the dagger up slowly, tormenting the man with visions of his own death. "I…I…." But he already knew it, when he saw Jugurtha's true face, he saw no man, no friend, no brother, but a monster. "…" Nimat, Nuha, Shakila, Fajr. I'm sorry. Your father was a foolish man. I love you all. The blade descended, taking another life that silent night.
"Congratulations, Jugurtha, you have reclaimed your honor by killing this foe of ours!" Gathering up the jubilant spy in a bear hug, Amanikhabale welcomed him with a smiling face, "Go, tell the king! You must let him know that you can be trusted now!" The assassin, puffed with pride, walked to the king's tent, and was admitted respectfully by the guards, and bowed before Syphax. "Well done. You have redeemed yourself, with the blood of this most certainly violent man." The assassin bowed before him, before racing out; he had another mission to do, and he would keep on wounding, keep on failing, and keep on going, as long as he could please the king and live with his honor and reputation.
"Aye, it was a success! The Mascat diplomats were surprised we could recreate it so effectively! They were stunned!" Amanikhabale once more spoke fast, excitedly chatting about their new units of marauders, trained from the Himyarian people. "Yes, yes, they are all well trained and have decent equipment. Now that Jugurtha has disrupted their mercenary contracts, we can start moving your forces into the Sabean lands. Hopefully, we can expand into their territories, and indoctrinate their military into ours, and create a foothold for further expansion." Gravely, he looked into Amanikhabale's eyes, "Never forget this, every victory is a defeat to another, and Arimyar's death will no doubt spark rage against us."
In Marib, a widow was weeping. Saba's provincial capital was the home to the wailing of men, women, and children. Friend to all, enemy to none, Arimyar had been assassinated. Fajr was speechless, and screeched in refusal, diving into their family's tent, and tried to kill herself. Shakila and Nuha had to restrain her. Arimyar's wife, Nimat, was a dark skinned woman of fierce temperament, who had initially married Arimyar only for her father's benefit, who had been an influential merchant. But his kindness eventually won through, and they had lived a good three years in harmony, raising up their beautiful children. But now, the light in her life had gone out. War strikes all.
"Aye, our military is shaping up fine. With the marauders, we are also training spearmen within our own walls, and we hope to eventually utilize them to their fullest for the cavalry that the other Arabian kingdoms are undoubtedly establishing. We ourselves must establish a cavalry force at a later time, my liege." Aristenyesbokhe was nineteen, and a powerful figure. Now a year younger than Amanikhabale, the young noble was arrogant, and a glutton, shown in his fat belly, and his short hair seemed to Syphax to be constantly soaked in wine. He was supported by a low number of nobles, but those that did often led him to being able to contact noble trained swordsmen, or other such troops no doubt invaluable to their takeover of Saba. "Jugurtha has indeed confirmed that Saba is building a military stable, yet we have no spear units other than locally trained units to counteract them." The king himself was trying to get around this issue, with a lack of cavalry; their army lacked the speed advantage the Sabeans now help over them. "Ah, but Syphax, you neglect the other key component. Skirmishers, and I would not be wrong in surmising you only have six of them. Worry not; I will get together a group of skirmishers trained by my father. He has been preparing for the conquest of Saba all his life, can you believe that?" Syphax actually could believe that, given how Aristenyesbokhe's father lost his wife to Sabean raiders. "Very well, carry on with recruitment of forces, war is coming, and we will bring it to them, we will not wait for them to strike." The young noble lazily saluted, "Aye."
Jugurtha wasn't completely honest with his mission's report, and he omitted a detail. While he was able to stop a Sabean noble named Gauda from recruiting men for the Sabean cause, Gauda was much more cautious than Arimyar, and had a three man guard to the entrance of the tent. He had to resort to poison in his drink, which couldn't kill him, but it only wounded him. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to report merely on wounding people. He wanted to kill him. He wanted praise for eliminating Himyar's rivals and foes, not mild appreciation for briefly disrupting them. He wanted the joy he felt when he murdered Arimyar, who begged for his life so pathetically.
"Dry summer, eh?" No matter what Syphax did, he could never drown out Amanikhabale's banter, which threatened to consume his mind with thoughts of suicide. "Yes, luckily our crops are imported. We have no threat of starvation from the lack of rains, considering how we live in these unfavorable lands." Aristenyesbokhe was gone, presumably to hire more skirmishers for their army to counter the growing cavalry threat. Jugurtha was, as usual, missing; he could never tell where the assassin went. Amanikhabale frowned solemnly, "Yet it was not always like this. Times past, we would grow our crops, and they would flourish in our city. Your father was a man who loved agriculture, and who loved the thought of food for all of his people. He was a kind man, and it is a shame he had died." Syphax nodded, the memory of his father's death used to haunt him, but now it is only a solemn reminder to his legacy. Himyar had adored his father, and they expected Syphax to expand the kingdom, and lead them to glory. Syphax was ready to do this, but he had another thought plaguing his mind. His heir. He had discovered that he was sterile. He could not have offspring, and he was his father's only surviving male heir. Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair as he thought of his next move. Adoption seemed obvious, but it was clear that Amanikhabale would refuse; he was deeply loyal to his own father. And the thought of appointing Aristenyesbokhe as the heir of the Himyarite kingdom appalled him. His mind straying, he thought of his assassin, no doubt, Jugurtha was having luck in his next mission.
Jugurtha's next contract. This time, he wanted a kill, not just a wound. Entering the city under the disguise that the guard from that night had been so generous to lend, the assassin crept in, and started casually walking about, acting as a guard. However, out of the corner of her eye, one woman caught that the guard was off. "Um! Excuse me sir, could you please direct me to where the spice market is? I haven't been there in a while; I've had to tend to my children." The assassin frowned, more annoyed than anything; he had scouted the city before, he knew where the spice market was. Silently, he pointed eastward. Immediately, the woman's face took on an odd look, as if she was scanning him. Uncertain, he reflexively took a step back. Jugurtha never knew that the Sabeans moved their spike market north in order to keep it more centralized, and to make room for the stables. Swiftly, the woman revealed a dagger in the arm of her dress, and attempted to stab Jugurtha, who nimbly leapt away and raced out of the city. Before he could run, however, the woman ripped the veil from his head, revealing his face. "That's the man! Guards, catch him, if you can't remember that face! That is the face of the Himyarian assassin! That is the face of the man who killed my husband, Arimyar!"
As he ran, the name struck. Arimyar. His first kill. His mind racing, he put two and two together; Arimyar's wife, Nimat, just tried to kill him. So occupied with his thoughts, he never saw the guard's spear crash down into his temple. Apparently dead, the guard turned for a split second, and Jugurtha sank a dagger into the guard's foot while he was occupied, and slipped away in the confusion as a crowd of people gathered around. He was wounded, humiliated, and his assassinations would be much harder now, since they now knew what he looked like. As he ran, he looked back once, and saw the same woman. She was glaring at him, holding a young girl close to her, Fajr. At that moment, Jugurtha swore revenge, and he swore to his honor that the woman and her children would die.
Author's Note: Thanks for taking the time to read this! I'll be recording the events of ten turns every now and then, so I hope you guys are ready! Unfortunately it's a bit slow right now, as I can't attack Saba yet without them murdering me L, hopefully soon I can show you guys some action, so for now I hope you'll accept the trials of Jugurtha, my zealous assassin!
Ah yes, before I forget, I'm using the Politics overhaul mod, along with the Kaziels Roman Pack, TTT Radious Mod Pack, Playable Factions Mod, Ancient Sea Empires Unit Pack, Ancient Splendor Unit Pack, AUM Rome Mod Pack, Dresden's Sack, Liberation, and Diplomatic Options, Pergamonium Radious Pack, Radious Total War Mod, Radious TWH pack, and the Client States and Satrapies Will Like you Maybe mod! Himyar's a bit of a tough start, as they only get decent melee at the third tier military building, and so I've had to cut down on the battles I wanted to write for this chapter. Sorry guys, but, thank you once again for reading this, please leave a review if you think I need to change anything or add anything, also things I need to fix, as it's my first fan fiction!
For those of you curious, Himyar's faction bonuses and culture bonuses go as follow:
Arabian Kingdoms: Desert Warriors: +10% morale for all units fighting in the desert
Arabian Trade Heritage: +10% wealth from all commerce
Himyar: Roman and Iranian Relations: Judaism neutrality gives it a major diplomatic boost with all Latin and Eastern factions.
Incense, Spice, and Ivory Exports: +20% wealth for all manufacturing and sea trade.
Pagan Arab Backlash: Due to Himyarite Judaism neutrality, substantial diplomatic penalty with all other Arabian factions.
Now, there are some rules I adhere to, if you're interested in reading them:
I can only recruit units that are either not unique, or gained from a 'unit agreement' I get from another faction, or fancy for me saying giving them two sums of money. I cannot get a unit agreement for factions that are in the red, though I can for the yellow, green only needs one sum of money for their units. For example, the Maas Gat Marauders were from Mascat, so I paid them two sums, but Nabataea, which I think is in the red, would not sell them to me, which means to get them I have to pay them A LOT to get them in yellow, or I have to conquer their areas to get access to their troops. Which I really want, because two generals are Nabataean units. All Household members/items must be obtained by the general before they can use them, so I can't just transfer households willy nilly, to be able to 'give' one household member/item away to another character, they must be near each other on the campaign map.
For everyone interested in the game information, here's my current game info: I hold Eudaemon in Arabia Felix, my settlement's buildings are:
Trade Settlement: +2 public order, +2 growth, 80 wealth from subsistence, 120 wealth from local commerce, and +2% wealth from all sources
Provides garrison of: 2 Levy Spearmen, 6 Levy Skirmishers, 1 Tribes People, and unlocks the recruitment of slingers
Harbour: 80 wealth from local commerce, 130 wealth from maritime commerce
Provides garrison of: 2 Raiding Hemiolia, Tribes People, unlocks recruitment of Pursuit Trihemiolia, Tribes People
Infantry Tents:
Provides garrison of: 4 Levy Spearmen, and 3 Levy Skirmishers. Unlocks recruitment of Maas Gat Marauders, Qidria's Swords, Noble Swordsmen, Arabian Light Spearmen, Qidrian Light Spearmen, Indo-Kush Spearmen, Indo-Kush Swordsmen, Tabriz Peltasts, Kardakes Sparabaras, Kardakes Swordsmen, Citizen Spearmen, East Coast Levies, Desert Spearmen, Desert Swordsmen, Levy Peltasts, and Arabian Light Infantry
My armies currently consist of Amanikhabale's Heralds of Allatu, who consist of:
Amanikhabale: Armoured Camel Riders
Ten Maas Gat Marauder Units
Two Citizen Spearmen Units
One Levy Spearmen Unit
Four Levy Skirmisher Units
One Camel Spearmen Unit
And One Slinger unit
Syphax is just governing the city; he has no army other than his bodyguard, which is a unit of Noble Swordsmen.
Aristenyesbokhe's Warriors of the Sun consists of:
Aristenyesbokhe: Noble Swordsmen
Two Noble Swordsmen Units
Five Levy Peltast Units