The Royal Tent of the Aorsoi Confederation

~ THE AORSOI CONFEDERATION OF STEPPE TRIBES ~

Name of Faction: The Aorsoi Tribal Confederation
Government Type: feudal monarchy (tribal chieftains elect a king for life)
Official Language(s): Sarmatian, Scythian, and Greek
Official Currency: none. Bartering for goods is done instead.
Name of Capital: the Royal Camp (de facto) and the magnificent Town of Samandar along the Rha River (de jure)
Faction Leader: King Alexarthos III (age: 41)
Faction Heir: Crown Prince Zabandos (age: 16), Princess Mada (age: 12), and Prince Êlmanos (age: 40)
Official Religion(s): Sarmatian Pantheon of Gods and Goddesses (which is unknown)
Faction Symbol: a black drakon's rising head upon a yellow-green background
Color: Light Green (Red: 181, Green: 230, Blue: 189)

Faction History:

The Sarmatians were supposedly the descendants of Scythian men and Amazon women who moved east. Historically they arose in the lands between the Don and the Volga rivers sometime in the 200sBCE, where they were warriors as fierce and harsh as the steppe upon which they lived. A ferocity only magnified by their curious practice of deforming the skulls of infants by wrapping them in cloth, making them appear alien and terrifying to other peoples when grown to adulthood. The Sarmatians are actually a confederation of many separate tribes, but the most prominent among them is the Aorsoi. Nomadic horsemen, the Aorsoi’s lives revolved around their herds. The horse naturally being the most important to them, but they also herded livestock as well. Not only is the horse a source of mobility, but its hide is used for leather, its bones and even hooves used in armor and bows, and finally its meat can supplement the nomad's other sources of food. While the Sarmatians are indeed a nomadic people, it should be noted that the great plains are in fact the home of a great many settled peoples, primarily living along the many rivers that cut the steppe. For time immemorial these peoples have lived under the thumbs of the nomads - Sarmatian or otherwise - providing them with goods such as metal weapons and tools and even grain. In return the nomads allow them to continue living. It is not exactly a fair arrangement, but life on the harsh steppe is anything but fair. The Settlement of Samandar was chosen by the Aorsoi to supply them with tools and grain. In 272BCE, a strong Aorsoi king and queen, known as Mordos and Arite respectively, sought to absorb the entire tribal confederation under their banner. All the Sarmatians shall be led by the Aorsoi and they shall be known as the Aorsoi Confederation of Tribes. It is a very ambitious goal, but the old confederation has self-destructed with the tribes turning against each other. No one tribe was able to keep it together, but now one will. Once the Sarmatians have been united, they shall advance west upon the Greek Bosphoran Kingdom. And they shall continue moving west until all the steppes are under their dominion!

Military:

A life constantly on the move makes them a hardy people, one where men and women both have to be able to perform the same tasks in order to survive. Naturally this extends to warfare as well, and many Sarmatian women fight alongside their men as archers and lancers. Indeed, it is the Sarmatian women who are among the fastest and hardest-hitting of all Sarmatian warriors. These tribes are most likely the source of the Amazon myths in Greek mythology. Where other steppe cultures prize the compound bow above all other weapons, the Sarmatians ride a different path. While they are still superb bowmen and women, their signature weapon is the "Contus Sarmaticus" a great lance so large that it requires both hands to wield it. Along with this mighty weapon, they favor wearing heavy armor of scales, and sometimes even horse's hooves. Because of this they are first and foremost heavy cavalrymen, relying upon the shock of their charges to annihilate their foes.

Diplomacy:

These are the current factions we know about and our status towards them: Kingdom of Greco-Baktria:very friendly, alliance (-1 for Greek culture, +6 for alliance with allies, +3 for alliance = +8) Kingdom of Parthia: very friendly, alliance (+4 for similar culture, +6 for alliance with allies, +2 for agreeing to border treaty, +5 for alliance = +17) Kingdom of Pontos: poor (-1 for Greek culture, +2 for agreeing to border treaty, +2 for alliance with allies, -3 for making treaties with enemies, -5 for breaking our alliance = -5) Kingdom of Scythians: very friendly, alliance (+5 for similar people and culture,+5 for alliance, +6 for alliance with allies, +2 for agreeing to border treaty = +18) Kingdom of Getae: neutral (+2 due to gift, +2 for alliance with ally = +4) Kingdom of Arverni: neutral (+2 for being at war with enemies) Kingdom of Boii: neutral (+2 for being at war with enemies) City State of Sparta: poor (-2 Greek culture, -2 previous war, -3 assisting enemies = -7) City State of Athens: neutral (-2 Greek culture, -1 assisting enemies = -3) Kingdom of Epirus: very poor, at war (-2 Greek culture, -3 assisting enemies, -5 at war = -10) Kingdom of Pergamon: very poor, at war (-2 Greek culture, -3 assisting enemies, -5 at war, -3 sending saboteru against us = -13) Kingdom of Egypt: friendly, alliance (-1 for Greek culture, +3 for alliance with allies, +3 for alliance = +5) Empire of Carthage: neutral (+1 for breaking alliance with enemies and +1 for trade) Kingdom of Suebi: poor (-4 for assisting enemies) Key: very poor: -10 or lower poor: -5 in total neutral: 0 friendly: +5 in total very friendly: +10 up

Send an ambassador onto the steppes and have him/her wait awhile. An Aorsoi scout shall soon see him/her and an entourage will be sent to take the ambassador to the Royal Tent, which is always on the move with the Main Camp. Most likely, our queen shall discuss matters of diplomacy with you since our king will be crushing our foes on the field of battle most times. Bow and say, "Greetings most noble one!" to our queen or king.

A NEW FOUND ALLIANCE!

Background:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Originally Posted by theworldstage

And finally, drawing a chalice of multicolored glass from beneath his robes, the emissary intoned:

"My king is delighted to have made the acquaintance of so excellent a queen. He hopes she will accept this token of his undying commitment to their new alliance. He is willing a ready for it to be public. He will leave the honor of declaring the arrangement to her majesty's court."

Stay classy,

Parthia

In Character: The Aorsoi Confederation has forged an alliance with the Kingdom of Parthia to the southeast across the Hyrcanian (Caspian) Sea. It was to be expected though, since both peoples have many similarities. Sarmatians and Parthians are nomadic peoples (though the latter is establishing more settlements) and rely heavily on the horse for their militaries. Our horse archers and cataphracts shall unite to ride down and crush our foes! All the world shall tremble at the sounds of our trumpets and horse hooves! A new era is about to dawn for the People of the Steppes!

Effects: The Aorsoi Confederation and the Kingdom of Parthia each get +3 Prestige Points.

A small group of riders, their silhouettes could have been seen by any inhabitant of the city Samandar in the setting sun, arrive at the borders of the city. Not wishing to defy the Sarmatians even more, they had already done so by entering the Sarmatian lands without permission, the riders chose not to enter before permission to enter was granted. When asked what business they had in Samandar, the leader of the small group, an aging man, his beard already grey, answered: "His majesty Pilurus the third, whishes, in prospect for a better future for all the People of the Steppes, for friendly relations with the Aorsoi."

“Welcome, friends!” Queen Aritê says to the Scythians when they arrive at the Royal Tent. Samandar is not technically the capital since that is not where the Aorsoi seat of power resides, but the “capital” to the rest of the world must be recorded as a permanent settlement within a region and so that is why it is listed as such. Nonetheless a Sarmatian entourage quickly redirected the noble people of the western steppes to the right place. “I am glad you have come. We must agree to a border treaty immediately so as to avoid clashes in the future.”

Servants come forth with a map. “This is what we, the People of the Eastern Steppes, propose to you, noble ones.”

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

“What say you to this, ambassador? If you agree to this, shall we forge an alliance? If the two great peoples of the steppes fought together… my goddess, no one would be able to oppose us! The Aorsoi would be willing to assist you in your wars to the southwest. In return we just want access to the Pontos Euxinos.”

Remus Red-Beard son of Kiril the Great, king of Dacia, has arrived at the capital city of the Aorsoi.
"I demand an alliance between our people as our borders will be near and my desire is small. Getae will only have deals with romans and greeks! (Sarmatians were also allies to the Dacians in their wars with the Romans) So what do you say, Queen Aritê?"

"I think his majesty will agree with borders such as these. An alliance with the glorious Aorsoi would be more than his majesty could ever have hoped for. The world will tremble in the might of the People of the Steppes united, not as friends, no, as brothers and sisters. His majesty, the king of all Scythians, will send another envoy to the Aorsoi once the great city of Gelonus is completed."

OOC: So we are allies now no?

@Lenin Cat: “You demand an alliance?” the Sarmatian queen says, surprised. “Well we refuse. You are too far away to be helpful to us and we are afraid you’ll advance east upon the steppes. What’s funny is that we were planning on destroying you, hopefully with the assistance of our Scythian brothers. After you have now demanded something from us with no benefits, our hordes will destroy you! Now be gone!” she waves her hand.

Aorsoi guards in brilliant scale-armor escort the Getae ambassador out of the tent. Queen Aritê prepares to go hunting.


@Ciloron: “I am glad you have agreed to this arrangement,” the beautiful Aritê smiles. “We are already cousins, but now we shall indeed be brothers and sisters! Let the world tremble before our might! The Scytho-Aorsoi Alliance shall be official!”

OOC: yes, since we both agree to it. I shall announce it in the diplomacy thread so Rogue General can add our Prestige Points asap. Cheers!

IC:

ANOTHER NEW FOUND ALLIANCE!

The Aorsoi Confederation has forged an alliance with the Scythian Peoples to the west across the vast steppes. This too was also to be expected since the two people are practically cousins and their culture virtually the same. Both are masters of the horse and bow, and the northern grasslands are their dominion. Soon our horse archers and heavy lancers shall ride down and crush all our foes! The entire world shall tremble at the sounds of our trumpets and horse hooves! A new era is about to dawn for the People of the Steppes!

Effects: The Aorsoi Confederation and the Scythian Peoples each get +3 Prestige Points. WC

Another Dacian diplomat arrives with tears in his eyes .
"Oh my dear Lord we never said anything about no benefits for you ! We never want to expand in the steppes. Our men can not compare to yours (in that kind of battlefield)! We do not wish war ! Please forgive our heir's words if he insulted you just please let us alone "
The diplomat leaves a chest of Carpathian gold at the feet of the Queen.

@Lenin Cat: Gold always seems to draw mighty warriors to it. And mighty warriors... why they are the start of an empire! The Queen of the Aorsoi accepts the gift from the ambassador, hoping it will aid the war effort. Relations between the Aorsoi and Getae have gone from poor to neutral as shown here: --> . “If our new allies, the Scythians, have good relations and do not war with you, then we shall leave you be,” the tall golden-haired Sarmatian queen states.

The Queen has Given Birth to an Heir!

In early 267 B.C.E., Queen Aritê of the Aorsoi came to be with child. Nine months later, while on the move north, she went into labor. The entire Royal Camp had to stop and set up as its queen gave birth to a daughter. She was named Tamura. Once King Mordos crushes the rebels to the north, he will return to take up the duties of fatherhood. And maybe have more children… Meanwhile, Warchief Badas is groomed to be a mighty general who will take over the horde after Mordos goes on paternity leave.

The Aorsoi Confederation has an heir now: Crown Princess Tamura. Ambassadors from friendly nations may come to present gifts.

OOC: all these names are real authentic Sarmatian names. So yes, Badas is indeed a name. I just hope that he lives up to it.

The Confederation Enters into a Power Bloc!

Queen Aritê in her hunting gear. She was instrumental in increasing the Confederation’s prestige by her decisions.

In early 269 B.C.E., the King of the Greco-Baktrian Kingdom sent ambassadors to Parthia and our glorious tribe. He proposed the creation of an ultimate alliance: the Iranian League of the East. Parthia accepted quickly, but Queen Aritê of the Aorsoi took time considering the consequences before responding that she wished for the Scythians to be allowed in as well. The Baktrians quickly sent an ambassador to our cousins in the west, who accepted, and then the Aorsoi Confederation agreed to enter into this powerful alliance. The bows of Scythia, the horses of Sarmatia, the armour of Parthia, and the wealth of Baktria shall surely form an unstoppable force in this world! All should tremble before our might!

The Royal Family Grows!

In 265 BCE, our queen came to be with child again. Queen Aritê soon gives birth to a son who is named Êlmanos. He will be a prince among the Sarmatian people. King Mordos is a happy father and the Queen is a caring mother. May our gods and goddesses continue to watch over and bless the Royal Family.

The Arveni request an alliance between our two great nations.

"The Arverni? Who are you people? You must come from very far away since you are not a people of the steppes," the Aorsoi queen states. "The alliance is refused as we see no benefit in it. You could not possibly provide us assistance."

Diplomat Zeuxis arrives on his black horse armoured in gold with 3 syrian armoured elephants as guards in the lands of the steppe tribes, He speaks friendly towards an important aorsoi member,
'Great Leader, we come from far, we have heard that you created a special league with other kingdoms, we are worrying that you have claims in our lands, therefore i make an proposal to your leader
-Trade rights between our nations
-Non agression pact for 25 turns.

What is your answer?' states Zeuxis

Seeing the great war beasts, the Aorsoi thought they were being invaded. Thousands of horse archers and lancers swarmed around the Seleucid entourage. After learning that it was an ambassador, the tribes’ people escorted the Greek man to the Royal Camp.

After listening to Zeuxis, Queen Aritê rolled her eyes at this man’s stupidity. “We have no desire to send are hordes across the dangerous Caucasus Mountains, and therefore have no claims on your far away lands. If any member of the Iranian League has claims on your lands, it would be our glorious ally of Parthia. I suggest you talk to them if you have concerns about the Iranian League encroaching upon you.

We, the Aorsoi Confederation, refuse your requests of trade and non-aggression pact. Now be gone!”

'Bah, clearly those barbarians haven't received the words of Athena for civilization, Fine let them be barbarians...... Come guards let us leave from this strange land and never return to these unfriendly people' states Zeuxis

Kingdom of Pontos: friendly (-1 for Greek culture, +2 for agreeing to border treaty, +4 for alliance with allies = +5)

Errr, our culture is persian-hellenic. 70% Persian and 30% Hellenic.
the hellenic culture comes from the greeks settler and the invader who comes to our land hundred years ago. we adopt some of their culture, but even so we are more persian than greeks.

That's why it's a -1 and not a -2. -2 is for completely Greek factions while -1 is for part-Greek factions. Cheers! WC

251 BCE – The Crown Princess Has Come of Age!

Crown Princess Tamura of the Aorsoi has reached sixteen years of age and is officially considered a woman by her people. She has learned much in the ways of war and administration from her father and mother respectively. Tamura is given command of the Royal Horde on the Homefront by her father, King Mordos, before he departs to do battle with the Greeks in the west with the Royal Horde of Doom. She and her horse, Abaziôn the Swift, faithfully lead patrols of warriors along the borders of the Confederation. Any rebels or foreign incursions are put down quickly and decisively by her command!

248 BCE – The Prince Has Come of Age!

Prince Êlmanos of the Aorsoi has reached sixteen years of age and is officially considered a man by his people. He has learned much from his father about warfare. He now oversees the training of new recruits as well as patrolling the borders of the Confederation now that his older sister has gone off to the Great War…