Cassander

[Shmiggles]

Cassander
aka Kassandros Antipatros

Cassander (born 350 BC) was the the son of Antipater of Macedon. As a youth he had the privilege of being educated by Aristotle alongside Alexander, Hephaestion, Ptolemy, and Leonnatus. During Alexander's invasion of Persia, Cassander remained behind with his father, who was regent of Macedon. However in 324 BC Antipater was summoned to the court of Alexander, and sent his son Cassander in his stead. Upon his arrival Cassander find himself at often odds with his childhood friend Alexander, and developed a reputation for this among Alexander's other friends.

Following the death of Alexander, suspicion quickly fell upon Cassander due to the disagreements he and the dead King would often have. This, combined with the recent demise of his father in India, led him to leave Babylon and the public eye for years. He has recently made his presence known in Thespia.

Character Points: 54
Historical Person: +2 cp
Macedonian: +2 cp
Command Talent 11: -10 cp (+ 1 for victorious battles)
Personal Combat Ability 10: -10 cp
Administrative Ability 10: -10 cp
Cavalry General: -2 cp
Companion of Alexander: -2 cp
Distant Royal Blood: - 3 cp
2000 Well Armed Macedonian Veteran Phalanx: -6 cp
2200 talents - 11 cp

Legitimacy: 16
Macedonian: +1 legitimacy
Companion of Alexander: +2 legitimacy
Cavalry General: +2 legitimacy
Distant Royal Blood: +2 legitimacy
Champion (Successor) +5 legitimacy
Controls Macedon +3 legitimacy
Controls the city where Alexander was buried +1 legitimacy

[Shmiggles]

OOC: I was thinking I'd go with this layout and recruit the mercenaries as that's pretty much what the IC thread says happened, because Cassander currently can't recruit troops due to not controlling an entire region and his income is only 200 talents. He is pretty much going to need either to conquer some places quick or get a load of foreign funding to continue much past a year though. Any input is appreciated.

[Shakespeare]

OOC: Isn't Cassander and his mercenary army in Aeotolia? Just depose the governor, build troops, and promise them spoils after you conquer Macedonia (Antigonis is in no position to stop you), or Greece.

[Rebel Jeb]

I think he is in Thespiae.

I stand corrected. According to the war mod, apparently he has also seized the province. So...you have at least one province, Schmiggles. - Shakespeare

[Shmiggles]

OOC: Yeah I have the province, not the region. I need a region to recruit troops. So I can't recruit troops right now.

Edit: I'm also disinclined to attack antigonus because if I did all the royalists would squash me like a bug.

[Rebel Jeb]

Cassander,

I heard received word that you request my attendence along the border of Thespiae and Orchomenus. I can assure you that I will not leave the city to meet with a traitor to Macedonia who aligns himself with the Greek rebels. Somebody who aims to conquer and divide Macedonia for his own personal gain does not deserve to make such a request.

If you desire to solve our conflict through words, then you can ride alone to Orchomenus where I will welcome you to speak directly to me.

Antigonus, Regent of Macedonia

[Rebel Jeb]

Cassander,

Do you believe me to be dumb? You command an army of traitors who turned their tails and fled from my side during the battle. They are cowards whose actions cost many Macedonians their lives. You then ask for me to pay these men with money from my own lands? If you were here, I would spit in your face. You even claim Thespiae as your own land, and yet you try to approach me as if I am a friend who is weak and meant to serve you.

You admit to laying in the bed with Athens in your very letter! You are either ill in the head or a liar. Come and fight me if you wish. You are a traitor to Macedonia, that much is undeniable. You have sacrificed and betrayed your heritage for personal satisfaction. You take my hospitality for granted. You will realize that the men you command are looking for money alone, and they will turn on you as they did to me not long from now.

Antigonus

[cfmonkey45]

A Late Night "Meeting"

Cassander's siege had taken its toll on both the men's morale and Cassander's own spirit. To calm his lonely streaks, Cassander had made it a habit to pay for young Greek and Macedonian courtesans to come visit him in his tent. He had a preference for nubile women, though any beauty would suffice. His anxiety and frustration at the long campaign were quickly washed away in a ballad of ecstasy for about an hour each night.

As the months dragged on, he grew to collect favorites. One happened to be a young girl from Athens that Leosthenes had introduced to Cassander. She happened to go by the name of Aphrodite. They would make a usual act of copulation throughout the night, but Cassander insisted that her moans be kept quiet to prevent arousing suspicion from his men. Eventually, he grew tired, not of her, but of the limitations of only one woman. He had heard of a gorgeous Macedonian woman by the name of Europa who had recently travelled south to Athens. Cassander concluded that he must taste the fruit of this vine that Dionysius had clearly favored him with.

As he often did, he propositioned her to spend the night with him and Aphrodite in exchange for some coin. She obliged and the three drank heavily into the night. At roughly the fifth hour of the night, Cassander admitted his fatigue and demanded only one more draught of wine, which Europa gingerly obliged. However, before she could give it to him, Aphrodite, in drunken stupor, grabbed it from her hand and tasted its sweet pleasures (Roll: Failed). Scarcely a minute had gone by before Aphrodite foamed at the mouth and began convulsing.

Europa attempted to flee the camp, but was caught, naked, by the guards. Under torture, she revealed her employer: Leonnatus the Diadochi. After being subjected to the indignities of sexual abuse by the guards, her throat was slit, her corpse hung by the roadside, and her severed finger, bearing an ornate and distinctive ring, was sent back to Iconium for Leonnatus to see.

Cassander vowed to take an oath of abstinence for the remainder of the campaign.

[Shmiggles]

OOC: Best. Assassination. Ever.

[Shmiggles]

Betrayed.

All around Cassander there were traitors. It seemed being betrayed was to be his lot in life.

Alexander had betrayed him. Perdiccas and his friends had betrayed him. The Greeks had betrayed him.

He turned to look over the traitorous Achaens around him. Had they not betrayed him he would have had victory in this war against Antigonus. Had Perdiccas not betrayed him the Empire would still be in order. And had Alexander not betrayed him...

He grips the pommel of his sword tightly. Finally he turns on his horse and addresses his token force.

"We are done here. Go home."

The Greeks looked confused. They had wanted to do just that for a long time of course. But they didn't expect Cassander to do it while Antigonus still roamed free. But how could they expect otherwise? The Achaen league had deprived him of even the fourth of its army it had promised him, and for no apparent reason. What could he do against Antigonus with such an insult?

Slowly but surely the Achaens leave, scattering back to the south, until it is only Cassander and his Somatophylakae standing in an empty field. He turns to look at them, led by the the twin brothers Alkaios and Akakios. Perhaps his only friends left.

"Men of Macedon. This war is over. You have all fought for Macedon and served me well. But I am no longer of any use to Macedon now. I encourage you to seek out Lysimachus and offer him your aid. Perhaps some day I shall return and join you. But for now it is best if I disappear. It has been an honor having you at my side. I could never ask for truer friends.

You are dismissed."

With that he waves his hand. His men pause, nod, and then scatter.

He sighs and looks done at his purse. Just over a hundred talents remaining. Enough for him to be a moderately wealthy man if he spent it wisely...

"Perhaps I shall go see if Ptolemy needs a general." he muses to himself. With that he slaps the reins of his horse and rides off into the south.

Cassander leaves Thessaly and Macedon as well as all his remaining men to Lysimachus.
He disappears into parts unknown...