The Battles for Yayoi

Year 5255

Yayoi fell easily. Too easily for my taste. As I walked the Eastern perimeter and gazed over the hills, I had an uneasy feeling. There were barely two thousand Spanish forces in the city, and they fell easily before our swords, yet rumors of the massive military force at the disposal of the Spanish Queen were rife. Something was amiss.

The city itself was quiet: they had suffered at the hands of the Spanish occupation, and had little reason to believe our being there would be any better. Even the children cowered in the doorways, clinging tightly to the long, dark skirts of their mothers, avoiding the smiles and gazes of my soldiers. We would need to do something about that, later, once this unease has passed.

I turned along a palm lined street, headed for the lookout station at the Southeastern corner of the city. Smoke appeared on the horizon, but I didn't know yet if it came from the mines behind the hills, or from destruction leveled by the Spanish in retreat. I recognized the archer stationed at the bottom of the wooden stairway, standing at rapt attention with her eyes searching the middle distances.

"Greetings, Mara." Her gaze shifted, meeting mine.

"Greetings, Captain."

"Anything?" I asked, gesturing with my chin towards the hills.

"No, Captain."

"Good."

I moved up the stairs, wincing slightly. I had been nicked by a Spanish arrow in the initial siege, it's iron tip tearing through the back of my calf, just above the thick hide boots. Stairs were a bitch.

The lookout served as a temporary command post, and there were maps spread over most available surfaces, as well as spyglasses and, most importantly, a barrel of mead. I removed my bow and placed it against the wall, massaging my breast where the string had cut across it. There were rumors of a tribe in a distant island that cut them off in order to shoot better. Sometimes, I was tempted.

Kath was there, and didn't even look up from her maps. She was the best strategist I knew, and a dear friend. We had survived a dozen years in the desert together, and Yayoi was, even in the midst of war, a break of sorts.

I grabbed a mug from a shelf, filled it with the amber liquid. "You know they're trying to replace us?"

"Ya. I don't know. Maybe." There were stories from Carthage of a new type of bow, longer, thicker, able to shoot further, but also requiring much more strength to manage. Strength that some of my troops had, but strength more readily found in men.

She looked up. "Maybe, my ass. The swords are already all men. Now this. What the hell will we do, Cap'n?"

I drank deeply, then smiled, both at her and at the hot flush spreading from my throat. "Oh, I dunno. I figure we can always be nurses." She snorted, returned to her maps. I moved over to the table, placed a hand on her shoulder, and looked. "What do you think?"

"I think for damn sure they're coming. I think here, here, and here." She pointed to three routes through the hills, all coming from the South, all offering excellent cover until the forces were virtually at our doorstep.

"And?"

"And, if they come in force, I think we will lose the village here, but can protect the rest."

"OK. We can live with that. Any news from Michael?"

She took the mug from my hands, drained it. "Not really. His troops are all walking around with raging hard-ons from taking the city, but he's keeping them sober. He knows we're not done."

"They may need to wait quite some time." Kath smirked. "In the meantime, what are we going to do with those ... creatures ... in that barn? What did they call them? Kabaiyo?"

"Something like that. You did see the wheeled carts? When they attack, I would bet my ass they'll have them."

That was a worry. "You know Mara, below? Isn't she from Hadrumetum?" Kath nodded. I reached for a pen and an piece of scrap and wrote:

Your Majesty,

Excuse the lack of formalities: we remain in a state of seige. Three pressing matters:

* The spear regiments trained in H. all those years ago are needed. Immediately, if not sooner. Mara, who bears this letter to you, has separate instructions for them.

* Yes, the legends are true. We have seen them, we have killed them, and we will soon be killing more. None of us can pronounce the Spanish correctly: the best we can do is "Kabaiyo." I will send pictures soon.

* Yaiyo is yours. We lost all but one of the seige towers and (as of now) 1,104 proud sons and daughters of Carthage. Those that survived are healing, and will be even stronger for the counter-attack when it comes.

Yours in service and triumph,

Captain Uticus,
Desert Warriors

"Mara!"

She was up the stairs instantly. "I need you to take a small group--twenty-five to thirty at most--and go, as fast as you can, to Carthage. Take this to the Queen." I sealed the letter and handed it to her. "And, Mara. After that, you'll go to Hadrumetum." Her eyes widened: she was young and new, but it had still been close to a decade since she hade seen home. "We need the spears. You'll go by the barns outside town on your way out. Take Amelyssa of the 7th--she speaks a little Spanish--and find out everything you can about the kaba ... kabai ... whatever the hell those things are. Hug your family, then get back here as fast as you can."

Eyes still wide, she nodded. "Yes, Captain."

The attack came two weeks later. Just enough time for us to hope it wouldn't come. I was in that misty space between waking and awake when I heard the bell pattern. Three quick tones, a pause, and a louder, deeper tone. Repeated. I was up instantly, dressed just after, and at the stairs of the lookout station within minutes. Kath, damn her eyes, was already there.

"What kept you?"

"You win, Kath. You ever sleep?"

She turned, leapt up the stairs. I followed, and managed, with a well-placed elbow to her midsection, to beat her across the room to the viewing platform. We each grabbed a spyglass and aimed them towards the mountains, where we could see torches dancing in the distance, and a low rumble growing stronger.

"Kabaiyo. Thousands of them. And seige towers."

Kath grunted and shook her head. "No. Not seige towers--something else. And yes, thousands. But not many thousands--see, there, just by the second ridge. The torches stop." I looked again. She was, as usual, right. And, she was humming, which worried me: she only hummed when things got difficult, but I knew better than to interrupt her. Instead, I kept searching the flow of Spanish soldiers, but all I found were more and more kabaiyo, flags, and there, in the middle, hundreds of Spanish monks in brown cloth, carrying the crosses of their odd faith.

Kath stopped humming. I looked at her expectantly.

She smiled. "We'll make it. We dig in. If I'm right, those things are going to cause some major damage. Make our siege towers look downright puny."

"OK. You tell Michael, I'll get the women ready."

They tried later to explain how the new engines worked. I never understood. All I knew was that the stones came in hard and fast and big. Damn, but they were big. I never thought something that big could be used in war. The ground shook, and we huddled in the dark of the shelters and listened to buildings collapsing in an odd pattern of incredible noise punctuated by terrifying silence.

But, it ended. And when it did, I saw mounted archers, but no swords. And too few archers. Kath wanted to stay holed up, to let them break against the city like a wave dispersing into the sea. She was right: it would work. But there are times for strategy, and there are times for madness. And it gave Michael's men something to do.

Have you ever seen a Carthaginian beserker horde? They won't even tell us what they use, but before battle they all share a meal. Shortly after, they vomit, and then, glassy eyed and foul-smelling, they start to bubble like a cauldron coming to boil. We let them out of the city gates under a full moon, and could, above their yells, hear the surpised shrieks of the Spanish as they fell under their blades.

It only took a few hours until they returned. They came back in fewer numbers than they went out, but they came back with hundreds of Spanish prisoners. Some renounced their Queen and became citizens of Carthage, some did not, and were killed. Some amused Michael's men. We sent the priests home.

Yayoi was secure.

From "A Short History of Ancient Carthage"

The Desert Campaigns

The desert campaigns began with explorations into the sandy wastes surrounding Parthian, but soon grew into the largest military expedition in Carthaginian history up to that point. In the early years of exploration (ca. year 5,000), the desert was crossed for the first time, revealing the presence of both Babylonian and Barbarian settlements on the Southern plains. Clearly, if Carthage were to grow, the desert would have to be conquered, and could no longer serve as a buffer between the emerging empire and the rest of the world.

Scouts reported that the Barbarian city fell before the fury of a small Spanish force, possessed by the zeal of religious fervor in their never-ending efforts to spread Christianity. However, over time, no Spanish reinforcements arrived, making the city a tempting target. In 5,250, seven thousand Carthaginian soldiers were poised in the hills across the river from the settlement, waiting for the official order to charge the city.

War would mean generations of enmity with the Spanish, and would determine much of the course of later Carthage. These battles--claimed by some to be wars of aggression, by others wars of liberation--mark the end of "Ancient Carthage," as with them the empire was launched into the murky waters of international relations and diplomacy.

Myths & Legends

The queen narrowed her eyes and considered the man in front of her. Her chin rested on her left hand, the elbow on the softly padded arm of her chair; not a throne, really, just a large chair, with padding covering the hard, white stone beneath. A silver cloth embroidered with golden designs was wrapped over her shoulder, obscuring her right arm from view.

He was a small man, clothed in a simple brown tunic tied around the waist with a deep red rope, attached to the end of which was a small silver medallion. He was on his knees, shaking, and she chould see the sweat on his forearms. Evidently, her reptuation preceeded her, and this pleased her mightily. She began to speak, softly at first, but growing not louder, but sterner as she went.

"You know, we hear all sorts of legends here. All sorts of fictions are brought before me. You did see the bodies that line the road to Carthage, did you not? All of them, liars. All of their blood strengthening the road to Carthage. All of them dead." Her voice turned cold, the sound of gray steel glowing in a dim light, "Are you lying?"

"N-n-no, Queen Hannah, no, please, I'm not."

"Have you seen these beasts?"

"No, I have not."

"Then how can you be so sure."

The man was silent, staring straight ahead, aware that no answer could possibly appease her. The Queen stood up, and approached him. She reached out a hand to his chin, and lifted it so she could gaze into his eyes. Slowly, she unwrapped her right arm, bringing her hand up to his cheek.

"Do you feel that? Do you know what it is?" she asked.

He fought to keep his head from jerking away, as the thick scar tissue of her right hand moved across his face. He gulped, and nodded.

"Good. Then you know we have no distaste for blood. Guards!" Instantly, five muscular figures were by her side. "Take him away to the spire. Make sure he is comfortable, and fed. If he tells the truth, he shall live. If not, the ravens will feed on his eyes."

It was, to be honest, the best he could hope for.

The queen carefully re-wrapped her arm, raising the hem to her lips as she finished, then returned to her seat and struck up a conversation, although nobody else was present. "Preposterous. Four legged beasts that can be ridden at great speeds for great distances, some with massive teeth curving out of their mouth? Absolutely preposterous. If there were such a thing, we would have heard of it--nay, we would have some." Her eyes dropped. "Still ... We cannot be too careful, can we?"

* * *

"She can't be serious."

For the fifth time, Hadrumetum's Captain of the Guard read the paper she held in her hands. She focused on the seal at the bottom, trying to find the mistake that would reveal it s a forgery. There was none. She sighed, and pushed herself back from the desk. "Ianna!"

A thin woman with shortly cropped red hair entered into the room and stood, ramrod straight by the door.

"The Queen has spoken. We are to train two thousand women as ... " She glanced down at the paper again. " ... spearwomen. They are to take five foot sections of strong wood and attach sharpened knives to the ends." Ianna's eybrows rose almost imperceptibly, but she knew better than to respond. "These are to be used to defend against large, four footed beasts, some capable of great speed, others weight as much as a dozen men."

Ianna couldn't stop herself, and turned to the Captain. "Cows, Captain? We're supposed to fight cows?"

The captain took a deep breath, and lowered her voice: "No, Ianna, not cows. The Queen has heard of beasts in foreign lands like this, and fears an invasion. More importantly, the Queen has spoken. I believe I said that once already. Do I need to say it a third time?"

Ianna stiffened back to attention. "No, Captain."

"Good. Go. We have six months to have the first five hundred ready for royal review. If they aren't ready by then, we'll both be food for the birds on the road to the palace. Dismissed."

After Ianna left, the Captain leand against her desk, shaking her head. "Cows, indeed."

The rise of Arabia

The next 2500 years in Arabian history constituted the biggest period of expansion in its history. Beginning with the founding of Medina in the hills to the southwest of Mecca, the Arabians proceeded to fill their small island with cities in the years to come, including Damascus in 1160, Baghdad in 540 and - after almost 1000 more years, Najran in 350 ACE. Many other great successes filled this period, ranging from a wealth of new technologies, building a network of roads to fighting off a Barbarian assault on Damascus. Truly memorable milestones include the discovery of a huge new continent, which they called الآخرو, to the northwest of the modest Arabian isle in 960 BCE and in building of the Temple of Solomon - the spiritual center for Judaism - by the Great Prophet Zoroaster in 680 BCE.

More, during the exploration of الآخرو, the Arabians began encountering new and foreign powers including, in order, the Mayans, the Spanish, the Egyptians, the Babylonians and the Sumerians. During this era the Mayans and Babylonians became trusted friends, while the Spaniards and Babylonians adopted a hostile posture.

However, the moment history best remembers occurred in 310 BCE. The Arabians completed one of their most cherished creation, a Jewish temple in the heart of Mecca. And that night an enormous hurricane struck Mecca and destroyed only a single building: the new Jewish temple. The religious debates and lamentations from this certainly God-ordered turn of events would continue through the entirety of Arabian history and become among the most important myths in the both Arabia and the Judaic world. Still, during these years Arabia rose to a point of tremendous might.

From Al-Jabidaya's "Les Histoires Des Infidels du Nord"

Translated, albeit awkwardly, from the original Franco-Arabic.

The Carthaginian heretics of the far Northern mountains and woodlands risked their very existence for several millenia. But for the grace of the one true God they had been destroyed by it! Their economy was drawn repeatedly to the brink of ruin, and their knowledge of the miracles of God's creation lagged far beyond the rest of the world. Expansion came through a mixture of settling new cities and conquering existing independent states, many of which resisted assimliation to their barbaric and pagan ways. We will cover those developments in later chapters, including the renaming of several settlements which are referred to here by their original designations. All glory to the one true faith!

Dates of early Carthaginian settlements

3283 AvIE. Carthage
537 ApIE. Parthian
607 ApIE. Hippo
947 ApIE. Kerkouane
1297 ApIE. Leptis
1322 ApIE. Sakae

Interestingly, Al-Jabidaya, usually the most fastidious of historians, omits the second and third cities of early Carthage, Utica and Hadrumetum. Exact dates of settlement are unknown, but both were established well before Parthian was conquered. The resons for these notable omissions remain unknown, although a close examination of the folios reveal a tear in the original ms. that may be the cause.

Year 3700: The City of Sand

It was a small group, designed to move quickly through the forests, a mixture of military and a core group of people needed to settle the new city: ironsmiths and priests, adventurous families and farmers, courtiers and courtesans. They had left Hadrumetum and its pleasant lakeside life months ago, following the maps provided by the scouts. At first, they were jubilant, singing songs as they moved through the trees, but over time the hardships of the voyage took over, and the reality of all they were leaving behind settled in.

The landscape grew more sober with them: the forests were thinning, more and more space appearing between the trees, and the ground slowly changed from the rich, familiar loam of home to a fine, brown dust. They had been warned that, just beyond the hill scattered with the reddish-orange dust, the desert would appear, but nothing could prepare them for the shocking reality of it, the vast expanse of nothingness, stretching southwards to the horizon. Dirt, dust, and sand and beyond that, more sand, with an occasional splotch of green dotting the landscape.

A tall woman at the front of the group suddenly threw both hands high over her head, her dagger held parallel to the ground in her left. Instantly, the other captains did the same, and the rest of the group froze as well, with all conversation ceasing. The woman turned, motioned to three other armed figures, and took off at a loping run towards a higher ridge to the East. As they neared the top, she turned to the other two.

“Did you see what I saw?”

The other two looked at each other and shook their heads.

“Maybe I was wrong. Let’s go.”

They reached the top of the ridge and, using a large boulder as cover, examined the valley below. They were well trained, and remained silent, but their eyes showed shock.

“There’s a city there! How?”

“No idea. But Queen Hannah will not be pleased.”

From "A Pocket Guide to Carthage"

Built roughly 3000 years after Carthage's fouding, The Pyramids tower over the plains to the East of the city proper. Constructed of stone overlaying an intricate lattice of ancient wood harvested from what are believed to be extensive forests that surrounded Carthage for the first two millenia of its existence, the six four-sided structures are laid out in an inverted "L." The noted early geographer, Basil Gruene (436 - 483, NCE) was the first to point out that the pyramids exactly echo, at a smaller scale, the positions of the six peaks of the Curtain Range Northeast of Utica. Why this would be so, and the original purpose of these mammoth wonders of early engineering, remains unknown.

That hasn't, however, stopped an entire industry of speculation from growing around the site, and the street hawkers on the Avenue of Wonder will be happy to invent any answer you wish to hear--for a price, of course. For the more scientifically inclined, tours of The Women's Tomb are available each day at 10:45 AM ($6 cC Adults, $2 cC Children 4 to 14): gather by the blue obelisk in the Women's Courtyard, South of the largest pyramid (reservations recommended). Tours may also be arraned on an informal basis with the locals who hang around the Memorial Square (see map). Look for the grey scarves worn by potential guides. Prices will vary, but if you negotiate well, a group of six should receive a three hour tour for under $8 cC.

The Pyramid Museum and Research Institute of Carthage (PMRIC) (10:00 AM to 10:00 PM Daily, closed National Holidays. $5 cC Adults, Children Free) remains the best source of information on the Pyramids, and a visit to their public exhibit behind the two Northern Pyramids is strongly recommended. Here, you will find historical information on the Pyramids, as well as the requisiste gift shop. Children will find hands-on activities, including a replication of the process used to age and strengthent the wood and a presentation on the forests believed to originally surround Carthage.

Mired in the mind, propelled by the soul

Despite the galvanizing effects of religious thought on the Arabs, they continued to remain confined in their small coastal city. Nature had an ongoing impact, and the beautiful open plains that their city was located within was becoming surrounded by wild jungles that brought sickness and instability to Mecca. Still, buoyed by their intellectual explorations into religion, the Arabs made research their top priority. By 3130 BCE they had learned how to efficiently cull fish, crabs and clams from the surrounding waters. By 2580 BCE they learned to build galleys, small boats that would enable movement and exploration of their surrounding waterways - when they had the courage to venture out. By 2300 they learned pottery, providing the ability to preserve food and water, build new structures, and otherwise spur expansion. But still, as if paralyzed by generations of fear - other than small teams of fishermen venturing out into the shallows outside of Mecca - the people did not use these newfangled technologies to their advantage. They contented themselves with debates on religion and experimentation with new ideas.

Around 2200 BCE the activities of the Talif family became of interest for the first time since the earliest years of Mecca. When Mecca was first founded, the Talif matriarch had a vision of a structure that would enable people to speak directly with the Gods. While initially intrigued by the sketches and rock samples gathered by the Talifs, nothing was coming of their efforts and people stopped paying attention. Even though the Talifs were instrumental in the polytheism's taking the day during the Great Religious Debates, by that time their project was completely forgotten and, even for the few who would periodically show interest, no meaningful progress seemed to be made. So it was quite a surprise when the populace learned that the Talifs had finally - after almost 2000 years - reached a point where the vision could be shared and appreciated.

The Talifs had managed to move more than a dozen enormous stones into a large clearing by the eastern edge of Mecca. Once a stretch of plains that stretched for many kilometers in to the east and south, the land was now encroached by jungles to the south. Still, it seemed impossible that the Talifs - or even hundreds or thousands of people - could have found and moved all of these massive stones to this spot. Yet there was no denying what the eyes could plainly see.

Over the next 30 years the Talif's vision became the first major national project of the Arabian Empire. Learning from the Talif's techniques and bringing the manpower of thousands of people to bear, in a relatively short period of time the Arabian Empire lifted, arranged and positioned the many assembled stones to the precise specification of Yasmine Talif, the young and charismatic leader of the Talif family. In 2170 the project was completed.

"This we shall call Stonehenge," Yasmine proclaimed. "From here the people of Right can commune directly with our many Gods who inhabit the stars, remembering Yahweh most of all. Certainly, no other peoples could be capable of speaking directly to the Gods, and with their divine guidance we will depart beyond Mecca. Arabians, we must unite, reproduce, spread and prosper. It is the will of the Gods, and it is the destiny of us all."

Yasmine Talif was taken up upon the shoulders of the government leaders and paraded through the streets of Mecca, her name reverberating off the buildings in every corner. Over time, her leadership, the fulfillment of the Talif vision and the era of greatness it presaged for the Arabian people would prove among the most important times in the entire history of the Empire. The Talif family would go on to lead or participate in the power centers of Arabian government and produce many important and capable people. The most beloved of them all was and always would be Yasmine Talif.

From "A Short History of Ancient Carthage"

The early matriarchy was, from all available evidence, a strongly controlled oligarchy, one that may be seen as brutal by today's standards. At Carthage and several other early city sites, physical evidence of mass graves has been found. Interpretations differ, but most archaeologists suspect either large-scale ritual sacrifice or the extreme and prolonged use of forced labor. Modern dating techniques reveal no steady pattern in the killings, but at least eight distinctive strata of human remains have been found, with gaps of at least two to three hundred years between. Estimates of the total buried in Carthage's mass grave alone vary widely, but even the most conservative historians estimate at least one hundred fifty thousand, with others claiming close to half a million.

It is unlikely that we ever really know what life was like in early Carthage before the widespread use of written records, as such, the mass graves remain a troubling, yet inexplicable, mystery.

The darkness and the light

Beginning in 3700 BCE a dark age swept over the Arabian Empire. With Mecca struggling to rise to prominence and the populace frightened by what happened to their initial war party, the Arabs regressed into an inwardly focused, hermit-like existence. 200 years passed with little sign of progress or inspiration. However, around 3500 BCE, people began to question the limitations of their native pagan religions. The Great Religious Debates began within the Empire between the proponents of monotheism - the belief in only one God - and polytheism - the belief in multiple Gods. For 100 years this ideological war raged until finally, in 3400 BCE, a compromise was reached. Control of the government was given to the followers of polytheism, while the Arabian Empire as a whole founded a new monotheistic religion - Judaism - and declared it the Empire's only true religion. While seemingly unlikely, this compromise actually worked and would prove to serve the Arabs for literally thousands of years. Finally, after centuries of darkness, the centering point of religion provided great light.

Year 500: The Curtains

It seemed routine: every few months another small group of scouts would return to Carthage with news of the surrounding land. The previous group would set out to meet up with the larger scouting party, and slowly, ever so slowly, what we knew of the outside world grew. It all seemed endless: deep forests and rolling hills, the salt of the sea and winding rivers finding their way to it.

And then, a party of scouts returned, wide eyed and breathless.

"We've never seen anything like it. These are bigger than any hills we've seen, and they go on and on. We can't climb them, but we've gone around them." Gestruing to the hills to the South of the settlement, the scout continued, "They have foothills like these, but from those, towering bulks of rock and snow."

The priestess listened, nodding slowly. "What did you name them?" The scout smiled. "Our oracle climbed as high as he could, and sat all night. In the morning, he returned to camp and said their name was the Six Curtains."

"So be it. We shall settle in their shadows, and protect ourselves by their mercy."

Attempting to expand

Heading to the southwest, the war party quickly discovered a small group of hills, before reaching the shore and being forced south. After being attacked by a wild pack of wolves they quickly reached a tiny mountain range that ran into the ocean, pressing them back east and then south. During this trek they met a small group of indigenous peoples whom they taught how to use a sling, receiving a bounty of gold for the service. Resuming their trip the war party reached the southern shores and turned to the east, before long seeing what appeared to be the eastern shore and suggesting what appeared a very small island. Unfortunately, they attempted to befriend another, much larger, group of natives and were ambushed by their home guard, consisting of warriors outnumbering Saladin's regulars by some five-to-one. Although they fought valiantly, to a man they were slaughtered. There would not be another attempt to explore for more than 2000 years.

The founding of Arabia

In 4000 BCE the progenitors of Saladin founded the city of Mecca on an island Somewhere in the World. They chose a spot near the northern bank, in a large field with a forest to the west, a jungle to the south and ample supplies of fish and crab in the surrounding waters. While not the most attractive or promising of spots, it appeared to have abundant food supplies from which to spawn a growing populace. From among the original settlers a small group of warriors formed a war party and began scouring the surrounding countryside. Modestly, the Arabian Empire began its path toward world domination.

Year Zero

So tired. So very tired. This will do. Lots of fish, the smell of hogs mixing with the sweet smell of myrrh. This will do.

At the rise of the full moon, the small group of nomads gathered in the valley between the the river and the surrounding hills. A woman came forward and removed a small chip of dark stone from her belt, and with her eyes closed lifted it above her head so the moonshine glowed off the jagged edge.

"Hawm," the crowd murmered in approval and assent.

The woman reached up and took one large matted dred from atop her head, and sawed at it until it came free in her hand. She then made three short cuts in her palm, letting the blood mix with the severed hair. The crowd opened, creating a passage leading to a small hole to the South. She walked slowly, blood dripping from her hand, knelt on the grass and placed the hair in the pit. Two young boys started piling the dirt atop the offering.

Turning to the crowd, she made eye contact with as many of the crowd as she could, took a deep breath, and, in a surprisingly deep voice, declared, "We are settled. Forevermore, we shall live in this valley. Welcome to Carthage, your new home."

"Hawm."