Anthony's Rome: At the time of Caesar’s murder, the prospect of assuming power looked good for Mark Antony. But even after he drove the assassins Brutus and Cassius out of the city, he was forced to toe the line by a senate terrified of another autocratic ruler. With Octavian leeching support from the Caesarian senators, the accomplished general and leader found himself increasingly sidelined.In desperation, he besieged Brutus at Mutina, with the aim of seizing Gaul. Though Antony was defeated and subsequently outlawed by the senate, Lepidus joined him in response to Octavian’s threatened seizure of Rome, and helped stabilise the balance of power. When the three parties met and agreed to govern as the Second Triumvirate, it was Antony who received the lion’s share of territory, and placed in charge of the expedition against Caesar’s assassins.And now Anthony is at war with the people he once called alliance he must win the war not to save himself or his family but Rome itself.
Octavians Rome: Shortly before his death, Julius Caesar adopted young Octavian as his son and heir. The Senate expressed little interest in observing the dead dictator’s will, but when Mark Antony’s anger and thirst for power boiled over into a direct attack on Brutus, the Senate took note of Octavian’s popularity with his father’s troops. Fearing a power-play from Marc Antony, they empowered him with the legal authority to intervene.The senate then attempted to put Caesar’s legions into the hands of his very killers, but the soldiers’ loyalty to Octavian dictated events. Their fealty enabled Octavian to press ahead and enact edicts which outlawed his father’s murderers, reward the troops and proclaim himself Consul.This allowed Octavian to start a war against his fathers killers which shortly after ended with the death of both and not long after that Octavian formed a Triumvirate with Marcus Antonius and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, 2 of his fathers most trusted generals.Now Octavian must rise and fight against his enemies in order to lead Rome to prosperity.
Pompey's Rome: Sextus Pompey’s fortunes made a dramatic about-face after the death of his father’s enemy, Caesar. The Senate, desperate for protection from the power-hungry Caesarean successors, turned to the outcast sheltering in Sicily and placed the Roman navy in his hands. Now that the Senate has been hamstrung by the Second Triumvirate, Pompey remains the final hope for a Republican Rome. Already his navies have swallowed Sardinia and Corsica, disrupted the grain supply to Rome and repelled an invasion.And now Pompey has the chance to strike while the members of the triumvirate ,hungry for power, fight eachother bringing only shame to Rome ,weaking it against her enemies. Pompey’s domains may be small now, but no lands are out of reach for the Son of Neptune himself…
Lepidus' Rome:In Rome, to leave your fortunes in the hands of others is pure folly. This is the lesson which Lepidus learned the hard way. When Caesar was murdered, Lepidus held the position of Magister Equitum, or master of horses, which effectively made him second-in-command of the Republic. In the aftermath, he sided with Antony against Octavian, promising his authority and his troops in exchange for the position of Pontifex Maximus, or high priest. This led to the three generals negotiating the formation of the Second Triumvirate, which established him as one of the three absolute rulers of the republic.In keeping with his status, Lepidus received the second-best allotment of lands after Antony. Satisfied by this, he remained as administrator in Rome while Octavian and Antony set off to defeat the last of Caesar’s murderers. The success of this expedition proved unfavourable to Lepidus, as Octavian and Antony used the prestige they gathered to redistribute control of the republic at his expense.Instead of being rewarded for his loyalty, Lepidus was relegated to the fringe territories of Africa and Hispania by the union he had been instrumental in creating. But his dismissal may well be his foes’ undoing. While his ex-comrades menace each other, Lepidus is able to build his strength in the most fertile province of the republic. Freed now from any notions of loyalty, Lepidus could once again rise to the height of power by waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike…
Kingdom of Dacia: Brave, strong and zealous, the Dacians are descendents from the Thracian tribes that settled north of Danube, thousands of years ago long before Rome existed. The lands they lived in are currently habbited by their decendents, the Romanians who still have the same love for the land as their ancesters had. While their kins we're fighting south of the Danube for petty victories and small captures, making themselves weak against foreign countries, the Dacians progressed, for a time isolating themselves from the wars that lie down. They developed themselves in that time, practicing agriculture and craftsmanship beginning. As time progressed however Dacians grew hungrier....for blood. They began raiding the south of the Danube as well as the northen lands from the Carpathians, even lands of Germania. However as powerful as they seemed, like their ancestors they were not unified. This task fell upon Dacia's greatest king, Burebista to unite all the tribes under a single banner with the help of the highest priest Deceneus. Under their leadership Dacia progressed and expanded all in the south all the way to the Greek border, in the west all the way to the border with Illyria. With an army over 200 thousands troops, Burebista seeked to expand Dacia even more and attack the greatest foe at the time.....Rome. However his dreams never came true. He was assasinated and Deceneus took over the state after his death. Now with Rome weak Dacia must claim it's glory and strike with all it's might.
Ptolemaic Egypt: Ptolemaic Egypt was one of the most impressive cultural and economic powers in the Mediterranean.A general under Alexander, Ptolemy was appointed to govern Egypt after his king’s sudden demise. With Alexander’s empire fragmenting, Ptolemy declared his independence, securing Egypt against his power-grabbing rival generals during the Wars of the Successors (322 – 275BC).Embracing Egyptian religion and customs, the Ptolemies have since made themselves Pharaohs, continuing the long engineering tradition of great temple and monument building. Greek culture and learning are actively encouraged however, and an upper class of Greco-Egyptians has emerged. But things are not always harmonious; with Greek units garrisoned and veterans settling throughout the territory, the privileges of Greek citizens have led to frequent and bloody uprisings by the indigenous people.By combining local customs with the sponsorship of the finest minds in the Hellenistic world, Ptolemy married the grandeur of ancient empire with modern sophistication. However, Egypt’s power has waned since the expansion of the Roman Republic, and her rulers now court Roman support to validate their claims. Cleopatra has exploited this masterfully, ushering in a peace that maximises Egypt’s trade and agricultural might. With the right leader at the helm to marshal these resources, Egypt could even rise beyond the heights of its former supremacy!
The Parthian Empire:A confederation of tribes, Parthia is famed for its horses, nomadic horse-archers and heavy cavalry, the latter developing distinctive bronze or iron scaled armour which covers both horse and rider. For its infantry it relies on ethnic Persian/Iranian hillmen, spear and skirmisher units and sometimes mercenaries, armed and drilled in the Seleucid fashion.Blending Persian, Hellenistic and local cultures, Parthia’s religious practices and philosophies include veneration of both Greek and Iranian Gods, and the practice of Zoroastrianism. Over time, a noble elite has developed, holding key areas of agricultural land upon which the economy is based, while trade via the emerging Silk Road enables its agents to move easily throughout the ancient world.As an Eastern faction, Parthia profits from the rich heritage established by the Persian Empire both in its capacity for trade and in its cultural strength. A degree of tolerance for foreign cultures further eases Parthian conquest of new lands, but their Zoroastrian practices mean an aversion to slavery, which is detrimental to both the economy and to public order. In battle, their great marksmanship and mastery of cavalry makes them a force to be reckoned with when fighting on open ground. |