Grand Campaign (Rome 2)

Welcome to the Grand Campaign, an ongoing series of adventures set in the world of Total War: Rome 2 (with liberal additions of myths and legends).The idea is a form of let's play where players are given choices during each session that are then transferred to the actual game campaign, with future adventures made based on the consequences of these choices and/or the independent actions and events made by the game's A.I.. This thread will serve as a timeline, tracking all actions and decisions made by The Guild and individual players/parties within the world as well as major events that occur on their own that may influence further decisions. Arrival Among the numerous barely coherent pleas for help from an unstable portal, Ansis Oris (Myron M), Molniya Dmitriiovna Guildsky (Alex), KT-80 (Xei Win Toh), Cadmus (Han S), Rolen (Thomas B) and Amir (Swami Monsoon) responded to the distressed voices of the people of the island nation of Knossos, stabilizing the only portal connection to this world, losing the weak links to the other locations. Upon arrival, they found the idyllic town of Hierapytna, but the people were in dire need of help. Some time before, an ancient temple had begun to draw in young men, mostly those with the spirit and mindset of adventure and travel, never to return. Not long after, people began spreading rumors and speak of sightings of large bull-headed men stalking the night, butchering cattle and harassing roads and small villages, to the point of paralyzing travel and trade within the island. Any attempts by the militia to get rid of this threat were met with fierce opposition and only a handful managed to return alive, the beasts not pursuing their broken foes, guarding the temple with unreasonable strength and determination. Learning of this, the party set out to confront this menace and, after a grueling battle, managed to neutralize the minotaurs, discovering the temple itself was forcibly transforming another young man, and forcing the minds of the minotaurs to be aggressive, the ultimate purpose remaining unknown. After disabling the cursed power, the surviving men became more sane, the curse on their bodies persisting however, and destroyed what remained of the temple, then settling in a remote part of the island to live out the remainder of their changed lives in relative peace. Eternally grateful for being saved from this threat, the leadership, recognizing the power and wisdom of the party and the Guild as a whole, decided to give them the right to decide the future fate of the island and its people, saying farewell to the battered heroes, eagerly awaiting the arrival of another group from the now enshrined portal.

Emergence After several months of inactivity, the portal leading to Knossos began slowly bursting with activity, until one day it grew restless enough to allow Khojini (Keledrath), Captain Gale (Ashley T), Officer Bryant (DarkDragon), Salora (Joshue P), KT-80 (Xei Win Toh) and Mayumi (Aaron G) to enter. Upon emerging from the portal, they found themselves in a lavish, recently constructed temple with royal guards stationed at the only entrance, who saluted the heroes and announced their timely arrival to the governing body. The council explained the situation as such - a ravaging group of pirates had taken up a base of operations not too far from the island and have been harassing the islanders trade and general sea travel, leaving Knossos virtually isolated from the world, and with a growing population and increased demands, this would lead to horrible disaster. General Zenobius and Admiral Bion introduced themselves and their military capabilities to the guild members: a meager yet zealously eager land force, composed primarily of infantrymen and some supporting javelin skirmishers; meanwhile, the fleet was nothing more than two fully manned ships, mightily built, but only two, with others still stuck in dry dock, using less durable materials for their construction as the imported ones have begun to run extremely low. Zenobius suggested to use the incredible power of the heroic party by drawing the pirate raiders in on the ships and wiping them out before heading onwards to eradicate their main base. Bion was skeptical and worried about losing, effectively, the entire fleet, but was convinced to go along, commanding the flagship himself. The plan was a complete success, with the party managing to secure one enemy vessel for use by the Knossos navy and capturing a few pirates, thus learning of their secret hideout. The raid on the place was no simple task, the pirates defending their ill-gotten gains to their last breath, but the resilience of our heroes proved triumphant, forcing the few surviving pirates to flee, who were captured by Bion's crew anyway. With the pirate blockade eliminated and the world once more open to exploration, Knossos took the suggestions of the departing party and will focus its efforts on exploring and advancing into the southern part of the world, locations and beasts they have only ever heard of in rumors. Now is the time to learn for themselves what the continent of Africa has in store for the island nation, all the while maintaining nominal relations with their relatively close allies in Sparta and Athens, and avoiding the brewing conflicts between Persia and all the surrounding nations as much as possible for the time being.

Stratagem I Nearly half a year after their last visit, the Guild, represented by KT-80 (Xei Win Toh), Taylor (Blooper), Makross (macr05s), Molniya Dmitriiovna Guildsky (Alex), Luke (Han S) and Tibalt (Zuvean), arrived just in time for a crucial strategic meeting. General Zenobius, along with a newly the minted and silent General Acessamenus, the timid Admiral Bion (now with a less pathetic fleet of 5 ships) and the local wrestling champion and drill sergeant Bardas, explained that the efforts to explore the southern reaches of the world have resulted in an encounter with Egypt, a fairly friendly nation, who has, as it turns out, existing good relations with Sparta and Athens, so, for now at least, the friend of my friend is my friend.   As the meeting progressed, the party learned of a consequence to economic, military and population growth - the need to expand. And soon - the people are getting a bit restless and the island feels a little cramped. However, before they could finish explaining and deciding on everything part from that Cyprus was a good target, an agent named Olympias rushed in and urgently stated that the Festival of Thesmophoria had gone out of hand. All the women at the main gathering place were acting far more irrationally and violently than years past, a hint of strange magic in the air hinted at outside influence. Heading to the place, our heroes found that the wine stocks had been twisted by some mysterious force, one not unlike certain deities. After a careful and vicious encounter, the being responsible made his appearance: Dionysus, the God of grape-harvest, winemaking and wine, fertility, ritual madness, religious ecstasy and theatre showed himself once his twisted wine was destroyed and the women partaking in the festival no longer mad. He explained that he merely wished to have some fun now that he was awake from the godly slumber. The party learned from him that the opening of the portal to other realms and the magic and godly powers being brought into this world have caused the local gods to take notice and begin acting in response to this perceived threat to their domain. As of note, during the excitement, Tibalt tapped into the powers of the dormant eldritch god Cthulu for assistance, who remains inactive, but did seemingly respond to the request.. This and the fact of the gods awakening across the world did not seem to fully penetrate the minds of the locals, and they will most likely leave the business of gods and magic to their patron protectors at the Guild. For the time being, the military council will double their efforts to improve the size and quality of their forces and take the island of Cyprus for the glory of Knossos.

Cyrenaica's Mistake War has befallen Knossos's ally of Egypt! A cowardly nation-state known as Cyrenaica has decided to swiftly assault them and Egypt calls on us for aid. Refusal not even a thought, the newly trained armies board our sturdy fresh fleets and head for the African peninsula where this foolish enemy lies in preparation. The call to arms does not escape the ears of The Guild, and many members enter the portal to Knossos just in time for the final strategic meeting before heading off. Nexcisa (Nikolai M), Chae Beastmistress (Wyatt), Bu'le Ghum (Aaron G), Yedion (Andy P), Ansis (Myron M) and Inanna with his trusty pet Patrick Richard Ambrose Wilfred Harrison catch a ride on the spear tip of the fleet, led by Admiral Bion, proud of the progress and size of his fleet, stricken with worry at the possible loss of his ships, and accompanied by the ever energetic and straightforward general Zenobios, eager for battle. This attack on our ally also proves to be a blessing in disguise, as the earlier plan to attack Cyprus would have revealed too late that they are Egypt's client state, potentially breaking the alliance, but now a war was unjustly thrust upon us and it is only fair we take what we desire, in the interests of self-defense, of course. As our fleet nears enemy waters, we snuff out our lights at night and sail at full speed at day for nearly three weeks with nothing but the crew and our heroes as company to each other. Then, on one mid-July morning, as the mist began to clear, we spotted an enemy transport fleet heading, at first, to the east, but changed course immediately upon spotting us, and we did the same. The fighting was fierce, the island nation soldiers were stunned by the strange animals employed by the enemy, odd humpback beasts ridden like horses and hulking gray tusked behemoths carrying several men as a walking tower, yet this did not deter out heroes one bit, and the front-line enemies were decidedly beaten and those that survived the plunge into the sea or the cunning brutality were captured. Interrogation revealed a large island fortress the fleet was based at, and it is located right in the middle of the optimal paths towards the enemy city of Cyrene. Leaving such a heavily armed installation a dangerous prospect, it was decided to assault the fort and take it for our own strategic benefit. A sneak attack from the back by our band and a distraction by Innana certainly surprised the enemy, including the fort's commander, General Sagdodonacos, and his elite force, who brazenly call themselves The Spears of Ares. The god of war was not on their side, and by the time our fleet saw the signal to engage, the fighting was all but finished when they arrived to assist. With control of the sea in the region wrestled from Cyrenaica, our forces have a moment to rest and devise the decisive blow on Cyrene. They know we are coming and will be preparing for many possibilities, but it was decided by a majority vote that a surprise night attack on the city, led by members of The Guild, would have the highest rate of success. In the meantime, our heroes rest, the rear-end of the fleet gathers at the fort to take the place of the battered but victorious vanguard, and Cyrene is left to await its fate.

Fate of Cyrene After securing the fort and welcoming the remainder of the fleet, Nexcisa, Yedion, Chae and Ansis decided to ensure no surprise attacks by our enemy would occur by providing assistance to the scouting fleet. Their efforts provided valuable information for Bu'le Ghum (Aaron G), Inanna (Han S), and Macross (macr05s), Nahazar (LNG), Officer Bryant (DarkDragon) and Red (Ashley T), who joined the main assault forces after arriving a little late on one of the later departing ships from Knossos. The two armies, Athena's Faithful under Zenobios' control and The Titanes under Accesamenus would bear the brunt of the attack, with our heroes piercing the main gate. The coastal city was well protected, according to the reports, but striking at night in small vessels proved to get the jump on them as most of their mobile defenders were caught off-guard and in poor positions. Zenobios and his troops were left to deal with the flanks and prevent the main force from being caught in a concave. Meanwhile, fierce fighting ensued as our heroes and Accesamenus swiftly attacked. Our fleet was stationed just outside range to allow for this surprise, but the enemy siege defenses were nonetheless well prepared, however, in an act of great heroism, Bryant single-handedly prevented one from ever acting, while everyone else dealt with the forces on the ground. As the battle raged on, more of the enemy, but, more importantly, more of our allied troops disembarked on the shore and joined the fray. The arrival of some of Zenobios' most fanatical zealots signaled that the enemy was routed on the weaker flanks and that the front gate would not hold out for long under the mounting onslaught. Victory at the gates was assured, with some expected casualties on our side, which only further invigorated the soldiers whose friends and comrades were now dead. The city of Cyrene would know Knossian furor this night. The gate has been taken, our siege ships pummeling the wall and inner city defenses now, Cyrene is set ablaze, its defenders scampering towards the inner palace, and our forces lead the charge towards their leaders. The last of the enemy forces gather what strength they have to halt our wave of destruction, but to no avail. Zenobios and his madmen charge forth, never relenting, dying in droves, but taking at least three of the enemy for every one of them down to Hades. Accesamenus and his disciplined troops march in lockstep, systematically clearing the alleys and passages from routing soldiers, and providing an unshakable bulwark of shields and spears. Macross, an unstoppable force, plows forward at a steady pace with the soldiers, never yielding ground, protecting them from what few dangers manage to get past the others. Nahazar and Inanna handle the hastily awakened and fast approaching war elephant unit, directing the beasts to slaughter their own with brutal efficiency, and scaring off any survivors from the outer wall to flee for their lives instead of rejoining their men at the palace gates. Bryant proves himself to be a human artillery - boulders, pillars, thousands of lances and spears become lethal long range projectiles in his hands, hammering and bombarding the last of the defenses of the inner wall. Bu'le Ghum, unknown to the foe, sneaks behind enemy lines, silently crippling their futile efforts to coordinate and gathering intelligence on what awaits them in the palace. And Red cunningly infiltrates the palace itself, seeing the enemy general Mastanabal and his hired mercenaries, apprising their strength, and forming a plan of attack. Finally, the palace gate is in view, the armies continue to surround the city from all sides, forcing the enemy to surrender or die defending their home. Our heroes, meanwhile, approach the palace and learn of what Red has discovered. Mastanabal awaits, his elite soldiers protecting the nobility of Cyrene, and the Greek mercenaries, rather famous for their time in the Roman Coliseum, await with certain excitement. Helaphontix the Slayer, Immortal Derakorsis, and The Shroud, Jakobi. A gruesome fight, it takes our heroes all they have to bring down the general and these monstrous men. Yet, once they were dealt with, the general on his knees and the elites taken care of, the nobility surrendered, and control of the city was granted to Knossos. The wealth of the city was distributed to the weary men and our heroes as just reward for such mighty exploits. The generals enacted martial law until order could be brought back to the city, the last of the resistance fighters subdued, workers brought in to rebuild what was destroyed, and a sense of normalcy returned to the wounded city and its people. Our heroes, the generals and admiral, and all of their men, both the living and the dead, returned to Knossos to a glorious celebration and honorable burials. Already, measurements were taken and marble blocks prepared to carve statues of the mighty heroes from The Guild, some even customized by request: Bryant shall be depicted holding a massive broken pillar in one hand, ready to throw it in a majestic achillean pose; Inanna would have to wait for a massive block for the elephant he wants to ride to arrive, but the beast shall be a spectacular sight with the rider on top; Red was posed in an unimaginably badass way, depicting her true awesomeness, with a massive plaque beneath describing her incredible exploits, with room to spare for future ones; everyone else would be depicted in a similar wondrous fashion according to what their most worthy exploits are like. The shrine around the portal is expanding, every hero deserves a statue to be remembered for. Currently it houses 22 statues. A moment of rest for Knossos would not be allowed, however, as news from the north arrived that their most vital ally - Sparta, requests assistance with a different war. Certainly, Knossos will aid Sparta, no doubt with The Guild there as well, but for now, it is time to rest and recuperate loses and enjoy victory, if only for a brief moment.

War Games Many months had passed without incident on Knossos. The armies train hard, the cities expand to the horizon, the people flourish in safety. Yet the results of events past have to catch up one day. The call for aid was once more answered by the Guild. Zeral Belid (Shadowm4ge), Omar (Swami Monsoon), Hans (Kamil M), Houyi (Han S), Nick Bryant (Darkdragon), and Floopy (macr05s) emerged unto a city in chaos.The great generals of the Knossian forces gone mad. Zenobios and his Faithful rampaging through the docks, trying to steal Admiral Bion's ships, no doubt dooming themselves to a watery grave, and Accesamenus systematically rounding up any worthy soldiers not already turned to silent hostility by whatever force invaded their minds. The latest addition to the army, General Cosmas and his gifted Scions of Rhea, stood ready to assist, but their power still developing, Accesamenus and his tactical expertise overwhelmed them, while the docks turned to smoldering rubble as our heroes pacified the uncontrollable zealots. With the city proper secured, Cosmas led the party to a forgotten place - ruins of a once great place of worship to the old gods and their deeds, deeds that members of the Guild reenact whenever they arrive. Lost to time, ancient plaques for crumbled statues lay along the path, the eerie force growing ever stronger. But a curios sight along the way - a pristine statue of Dionysus in place of dust, just marble, but too perfect for the hands of mortal craftsmen. Finally, the temple in sight, the troops standing firm, ready to protect another statue. But something was amiss, more so than just the dark cloud over their minds - ghastly visages of mythical beasts all around, flailing and fighting an unseen foe. Their form unreal, yet they leave clear impacts on the ground, and all this stemming from a statue of the old god of war. Another sight laid bare, hidden by the grueling struggle between those who should be allies - a boy sleeping by the statue, a nightmare washing over his soul, until the body gave in and was reborn as an avatar of war itself. The statue kept growing as the boy kept fighting, feeding each other in a cycle of madness and muted rage. One final blow to bring him to rest, the dust of his friends drifting in the air. He lives and wakes, and so does the god. Ares smells war, yet it is too small. The end times still far away, he decides to act to hasten them. His dreams fueled the destruction, may they power it some more in the hands of those he deems worthy, at least for mortals. War is ever present, Ares approves, however, greater wars are required, and only mortal actions can awaken the rest for the final battle, again. Ares made himself known to the world, no doubt ripples will turn to tidal waves. Knossos is now a threat. One of unknowable power. Certainly, in the eyes of the generals and the people of Knossos, they must prepare themselves, preemptively if need be. Alas, tired and battered, our party returns to recover, to ponder such decision another time, perhaps, leaving them for others to make.

Status Report For internal use by the Senate of Knossos Ever since the appearance of the portal connecting the Guild and our island, unknown forces have begun permeating the land and sea around us. If our spymaster's sources are accurate, strange events have begun occurring at a far greater rate throughout the entire world - invisible armies in the deserts where Alexander the Great once marched and fought; mysterious songs and empty ships far to the West; oracles getting visions of indescribable beasts and great warrior gods of old; and odd nights filled with howls of the damned, followed by mornings of slaughtered cattle; and many more. Given the recent sighting of Ares on our very own soil, we must assume all of these to be true. We face challenges on all sides, and we shall heed the wisdom of The Guild to focus eastward and strike the brutal Medians and the warring tribes in that region. Generals Zenobios and Accesamenus are still recovering from the exposure to the raw strength and willpower of the god of war, however, their forces appear to have assimilated some aspects of this power, particularly the most zealous among the Athena's Faithful, less so for The Titanes. General Cosmas and his Scions of Rhea continue to struggle to fill their ranks to similar levels of either force, not unexpected due to the requirements of heightened connection with the strange powers used by the members of The Guild, but still disappointing. Bion's fleet has not seen significant action recently, so the replenishment and repair of his ships has been deprioritized. Having a significant control of the eastern Mediterranean trade routes and alliances of varying degrees with Sparta, Athens, Egypt, and Cyprus has resulted in the partially accurate perception of immense wealth - this has revealed numerous opportunistic factions that try to gain access to it by means of show of force along their borders while offering treaties and alliances, but only if we provide an often unreasonable payment for this "privilege". Preliminary reports and rumors indicate that the landscape has changed dramatically to the East and North, meaning our strategy may have to be adjusted on the fly once our armies are deployed; and some tribes near our holdings in Africa are already planning to raid them, but the local garrisons should be able to hold the line if not push them back entirely. Still, we must ensure numerous sea routes are always ready to ferry Guild heroes to the front lines should we need them. Final note: while the temple around the portal can house up to two hundred statues in honor of the victories and deeds of might by the extremely diverse (and often complicated to sculpt) members of The Guild, we must consider further expansion above and below, and to arrange them in chronological order, so they should be seen in this order from the entrance: Ansis Oris Amir Molniya Dmitriiovna Guildsky KT-80 Cadmus Rolen Khojin Captain Gale Officer Bryant Salora Mayumi Taylor Makross Luke Tibalt Nexcisa Ilavina Tral Ecillia Chae Beastmistress Bu'le Ghum Yedion Inanna Thalendar Nahazar Red Zeral Belid Omar Hans Nick Bryant Floopy