Diadochi Media

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since 1922, in Basiliochiea​

Supreme Tribunal lodges application for observer status to the Himyar Partnership for Peace​

Ephalaea, 7/25/12 – the Supreme Tribunal has decided to submit an application to the Frescanian-headed Himyar Partnership for Peace, wherein the Diadochi States would be admitted into the organization as an observer to its internal proceedings. With a great number of other Himyarite states having already signed and ratified the terms of the treaty by which the partnership was formed, Chief Tribune Giannopoulos feels it prudent for the Diadochi States to find a place for itself as well.

“It's an organization with great potential,” he was recorded as saying during the latest Tribunal session, “and we thus ought to have a hand in what goes on there.”

Even so, the Chief Tribune's suggested measure for a full signing and ratification failed to make it anyway, as neither Lysandria nor Tycheia proved willing to invest their votes towards such a venture. With those two cities taking the lead, all but Arkantos and Seleúcia voted against full membership in the organization for the time being. Nonetheless, the suggestion to apply for observer status was unanimously approved, and it was agreed that the Diadochi States will at the least attempt to familiarize itself with the organization's purpose and proceedings before making any proper decision on the matter.

“The stated goals of securing peace, security, and justice are all well and good,” Tribune Palaigou for Kassaíos remarked, “but we cannot allow international concerns to cloud and overshadow domestic ones. If admission to the organization results in diminishing freedom at home, than it's not worth it to become involved abroad.”

This sentiment has proven a popular one among the Supreme Tribunal, and even the Chief Tribune has concurred with Palaigou when that statement was made during the discussion stage of the Tribunal meeting itself. Concerns have certainly been raised in the past by both the cities themselves as well as a variety of popular institutions in regards to the issue of foreign involvement and “meddling” in the cities themselves, and the imposition of foreign regulations upon them. As it stands, both Giannopoulos and Damianakis before him have generally opposed the accession of the Diadochi States to any such large international groups, so even this willingness to participate in an observatory role is somewhat surprising to political analysts.

The Supreme Tribunal is scheduled to discuss the matter further in a year's time, a special session planned so as to discuss the organization and the implications of accession to the Diadochi State at that time, following a sufficient observation period.

Seleúcian-Lysandrian naval contract not extended, Cronigos and Acythopolis rush to fill void​

Seleúcia, 7/25/12 – the traditional agreement between the cities of Seleúcia and Lysandria, where the latter city has maintained an active naval presence in the former's sole dedicated military harbor since the disbandment of its own indigenous navy, has come to an abrupt end this morning with strategoi Philip Ouranos announcing that the Lysandrian Self-Defense Forces (LSDF) have “little further interest” in maintaining the military ties between the two cities. With Seleúcia having decided to scrap almost the entirety of its naval defense contingent nearly four decades past, and its finances still in shambles from the latest commercial bubble, it's very clearly in no position to reorganize such a standing force as such.

The crab of Cronigos and the stag of Acythopolis have thus both appeared outside the walls of Seleúcia's Patroclean Palace, both parties having begun talks with the city's government as it concerns a potential agreement between their respective cities with the terms offered being quite similar to those which previously existed in the treaty between Seleúcia and Lysandria.

Though neither Cronigos nor Acythopolis can claim to be as wealthy or powerful as Lysandria, both cities have quite active and well-funded naval forces, each having a great maritime tradition stemming back to antiquity. Though the Gulf of Glaucus is already well patrolled (with smuggling being an occasional problem) by Cronigoan sea forces, the Seleúcian Bay has never enjoyed their presence – and it would seem to be a mutually beneficial agreement for both Cronigos and Seleúcia to engage in, naval protection offered to the latter, and trade concessions (in the form of preferential status as it concerns Seleúcian exports) to the former.

“Acythopolis has yet more to gain,” commented Alycone Sicoides, a noted political analyst. “Though a war between two cities hasn't happened in near a half-century, it's still possible. Trade concessions from Seleúcia would be a massive boost, and naval facilities there even moreso – they'd be able to encircle Cronigos.”

With this in mind, negotiations have been fierce so far. The Supreme Tribunal has weighed the matter in its latest session, and has decided to send a representative east so as to observe the proceedings. Doubtless, the results of these negotiations will have profound impacts for the economy of Ephalaea just as much as it may for those of the Seleúcian Bay and the Icarean Rise [1].



Other headlines:

Two found dead in Ephassoan hinterland: two hikers were found dead late last evening seventeen kilometers from the city of Ephassos, having been located by a team of experienced Seleúcian and Ephassoan rangers. The two had been reported missing nearly a week earlier, and were found deceased at the bottom of a sizable river gorge a few kilometers into the Ioannian ridge. It is believed the two were caught in a rockslide and were forced into the gorge.

Rising water levels cause concerns: Rising water levels in and around Lysandria's outskirts have caused concerns among the farming community who reside in the region, prompting the city government to begin a program of canal and dyke renovation. Serving as the Diadochi States' breadbasket, along with the territory near Melechos-Elaeos, the Lysandrian city government has pledged that it will do what it can to stem and prevent flooding in the area so as to minimize damage to agricultural production.

Alynthoan Peninsula experiences surge in tourism: With the wet season having just passed in the eastern Diadochi States, Alynthos' economy has begun to boom of late with a sudden influx of tourism. Drawn to the country's warm, sub-tropical climate, thousands of people from northern and western Europe flock to the sandy beaches and pleasant blue waters of the peninsula's eastern shore.

[1] -- Icarean Rise: the peninsula, just east of the Seleúcian Bay, upon with both Cronigos and Acythoplis are situated.

 

[Tyvia]

Elaides' Herald
from 1877, Ephassos​

Agenian transfer concludes without issue, Alynthos cedes control​

Agenia, 7/26/12 – the city and territory of Agenia was formally handed over today by Alynthoan Prime Minister Acamadoukis. The flag of the territory, as well as the traditional wine and salt, were received by Tribune Vasilios Zappas of Ephassos, on the behalf of the city of Acythopolis.

With a contract having been agreed upon nearly a decade past regarding Agenia, Alynthos went through a process of preparation – as agreed – before finally now handing the city over to Acythoan control. The naval base operated there by the Alynthoan Naval Self-Defense Force (ANSDF) has been entirely dismantled near entirely, and several other defensive installations have also been removed. A great number of public assets have likewise been transferred over to the homeland, and several private companies had similarly decided to jump ship before the transfer – the formerly Agenian based Theaksatis Processing Company even relocating its headquarters to Demekliea until such time, corporate heads say, that a “more suitable location may be found.”

Acythopolis gains from this deal one of the Diadochi States' wealthiest and premier overseas territories, now finally having that stake in the wine and pharmaceutical market it'd been so desperately relishing. The ginger and guarana fields of the place will now be available for the first time to companies from as afield as Lysandria, as the Acythoans have made known their intention to make production as it concerns said fields a private as opposed to public affair. Though the Alynthoans had traditionally exercised public control over these fields, it would now be rented out, the Acythoans say, to private companies.

“This sets a positive precedent,” said Eudoxia Theodorakis, a Lysandrian economic analyst, “particularly for Acythopolis' dealings in the Seleúcian Bay and in Arkantos. A preference for de facto private control as opposed to direct government rule and production will certainly win it friends.”

“The Patroclean Palace may like one part of it, but they still acknowledge Acythopolis' willingness to expand its own influence,” one separate analyst disagrees. “There are worrying signs for the Acythoans, certainly, and though relations between Cronigos and Seleúcia have been traditionally tense, there's no guarantee that it'll remain the case. The latter party remains suspicious, and will not part with its wealth so easily.”

The territorial transfer was approved by a 67% vote done by the Agenian population, and a near unanimous vote by the Alynthoan Chamber of Ministers. It is expected that Acythopolis will attempt to mimic Alynthos and rebuild the expansive naval and port facilities which had previously been in place.

Motion for recognition of Zamosca denied by Supreme Tribunal​

Ephalaea, 7/26/12 – the motion put forward by the Kassaíoan Tribune Lazaros Palaigou to extend diplomatic recognition to Zamosca, the territory granted independence by the Treaty of Talemaniki, has been rejected by a vote of 10-3 in the Supreme Tribunal this morning; wherein only Kassaíos, Lysandria, and Melechos-Elaeos voted in favor of the motion. Having attempted to push a similar measure through the Tribunal only weeks after the area had been declared independent, Palaigou is once again denied, but to much greater uproar.

“There exists not a single sensible reason for this refusal to acknowledge the independence and sovereignty of any given peoples, Zamosca but one example,” Palaigou himself remarked. “As a people, they categorically desired independence; who are we, as free-cities ourselves, to deny them that right?”

Embarking on a small information campaign in the western cities, Palaigou has invested some funds into swaying Tribunal constituents in several other cities in an attempt to influence this decision. Having been doing so since the beginning of February, it would appear to have met only mixed success now – with only an extra vote from Lysandria, surprisingly, coming in on this attempt. “It simply makes sense,” the Lysandrian Tribune commented when questioned, “we need to simply acknowledge geopolitical realities and carry on. Business is tied to business, like it or not, and to carry on with the former we must thus address the latter.”

Chief Tribune Zeno Giannoupoulos disagrees with both sentiments: “It's an artificial state,” he claims. “This sets a terrible precedent, one where foreign powers have granted themselves the right to establish new states wheresoever it suits them.”

“This is done under the guise of morality or in the apparent interest of spreading democracy,” the Chief Tribune adds. “Yet suzerainty is not the same as independence.”

This viewpoint, that Zamosca is a foreign protectorate – an entity forcibly created by powers not even native to Himyar – is not a new one. It has gained widespread popularity since the signing of the Treaty of Talemaniki, and recent polls have shown a plurality of those surveyed to believe similarly. Giannoupoulos has stated that he will “block any further attempts” by Palaigou to obtain recognition by the Diadochi States for Zamosca.


Other Headlines:

Concerns amidst electrical failures in the east: with the most recent typhoon having ravaged Arkantos' hinterlands, several power stations have been forced to shut down as their grids have come under heavy strain. A number of lighthouses were thus likewise turned off, and this has prompted a great number of complaints from nearly all cities and various corporations which're involved in maritime trade and business in the east. The Arkantoan government has promised to return these lighthouses to full working order as soon as possible.

Tycheian millionaire under investigation: Tycheian millionaire Alexandros Ouranos is under investigation by the Diadochi Unified Bank, on charges of money laundering and a variety of other financial crimes. It is believed that he was able to embezzle funds from his company and others, and thus greatly add to his fortune.

Helot Summer Festival to begin: the annual summer festival in Helos is set to begin tomorrow, celebrating Pallas Athena and Damater at once. The city's magistrate-general has announced that it's the most expensive celebration to date, and is expected to also be the largest. A great many more visas have been accepted than normal for the summer season, and tourists are already flocking into the area.

 

[Catalina]

Department of the Dictator,

We fully support the Supreme Tribunal's decision regarding the acknowledgement of Zamosca. To recognize this puppet state is to help spread the wave of Neo-Imperialism.

Sincerely,
Markus Boyack

 

[Danmark]

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Udenrigsministeriet
Kongeriket Store Danskerne
​

Until present times, the Government of His Danic Majesty has held its counsel on the official recognition of the sovereignty of the Despotate of Zamosca due to the volatility of the northern Himyar and its endeavour to secure a long-lasting peace in the region with the sincere hope that the newly emergent Despotate may provide a positive role in this wholesale effort.

It has been with acute recognition of sensitivities that a final and binding decision by our government has been withheld though we are in recognition that whichever path is chosen - recognition or non-recognition - is a path strewn with thorns and will not please either side that retains its own position on the legitimacy of the Despotate - namely the Principality of Altai and the Talemantine Empire.

However, His Danic Majesty's Government has carefully weighed up the existence of the Despotate in its long-term propensity to contribute towards a long-term peace, alongside the role of the Treaty of Talemaniki, over considerable months and years since it came into effect. Both have been the object of careful examination and dissection within the Rigskabinet, the Folkehuset, and within the Great Danish public with opinions expressed on both sides of the vibrant debate.

However, it has become increasingly apparent that neither have, or will, secure a long-lasting peace. Indeed, both act as hindrances and sap the life from the Himyar, events and developments having not proven otherwise. The existence of both contribute, in varying degrees, to the fact that this realm with 32,000 of its forces in Altai, and the Republic of Kyiv which lends its considerable weight and for its own independent reasons, have been forced into the positions we take in order to secure the peace.

The situation was also the spur for the development of the increasingly successful Himyar Partnership, which counts several proud nations amongst its membership of which we count ourselves as an original and proud Observer Member.

His Danic Majesty's Government has been compelled in light of these circumstances to propose, before Folkehuset, a full parliamentary debate with the result that a motion was passed, binding upon the Rigskabinet and with direct implications upon the foreign policy of this realm.

The motion stipulates that Folkehuset, and therefore the Government, formally reject recognition of the Despotate of Zamosca. The Kingdom shall henceforth recognise the legality of Zamosca, to use its proper title, Zamosk, as a sovereign territory of the Principality of Altai, the latter of which is legally recognised as holding full and legitmate jurisdiction over it. As such, the Despotate of Zamosca is an illegal entity.

Regarding the Treaty of Talemaniki the conclusion of the Folkehuset vote, and therefore of the Government, stipulates that the Kingdom shall withdraw recognition from it and calls for its immediate replacement with a comprehensively watertight treaty. As previously outlined, it is of our immense concern that the treaty is a hastily devised victor's treaty and has no place in a legitimate peace of the future and is, as such, rejected as legitimate by the realm.


Hr. Henrik Westerveld

His Majesty's Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of the Great Danes​

 

[Tyvia]

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since 1901, Ephassos​

owned by the Doukatris Publishing Company, Lysandria
sponsored by the Ephassoan Chamber of Commons​

Editorial Special: Vasilios Doukatris
We were all no doubt shocked when we first heard reports of the cataclysmic storm that hit Arkantos and its surrounding area – the first such typhoon to actually reach our coast in nearly a century. It has inflicted upon the city an estimated 1,04 trillion drachma in damages as well as close to 2,000 fatalities. Thousands more have been displaced by the storm, left homeless and hungry in the typhoon's wake. It is the deadliest and most costly such storm in documented history, a true disaster.

With Arkantoan finances having been in shambles even prior to this event, it was widely believed by politicians throughout the twelve cities that the House of Tydeus would be obliged to take out loans and/or accept aid from either the unified government in Ephalaea or the other cities directly. It is thus surprising that, contrary to reason itself, this did not in fact come to pass. The House of Tydeus has instead stalled on the matter, entirely refusing to negotiate with the Unified Commissary Commission in any manner at all in regards to the topic of reconstruction. UCC officials in the city have been wholly ignored, and the federal representative from Ephalaea also went unacknowledged. There's no shortage of funds or motivation in the rest of the free cities, yet the white boar would rather have none of it. In Arkantos alone, there is simply no money available, end of, for any sort of final and proper reconstruction project. Costs to support the suddenly impoverished and decrepit population will likely exceed that of simple property damage, and this will need to be paid for directly by the city itself too as opposed to by landowners. Maintaining law and order will likely also prove troublesome in the wake of the storm, and we've already been hearing reports of looting and isolated rioting in the city's more heavily hit districts.

Why is it then, that the House refuses any and all support? Is it a failure of pride? Are the aged bureaucrats so inordinately conceited so as to value their own prestige and reputation above the well-being of their city – of their very people? No other answer immediately springs to mind, for their decision certainly defies logic. Any claims that the city can see itself through this crisis without “foreign meddling” (these being one of the favorite phrases among the xenophobic crowd in the Supreme Tribunal too, coincidentally) can easily be dismissed as pathetic and foolish vainglorious posturing. 2,08 trillion drachma deep in debt, with this year's income likely to be significantly lower than ever before, there is no source of relief at hand domestically.

Worse yet, any “foreign” (insofar as fellow Diadochi might be considered foreign) aid is likewise unavailable. The Helicoan valley, cradling the long highway which leads northwest to Ephalaea – the only overland route to Arkantos – has been garrisoned by elements of the Arkantoan Army in an attempt by the House of Tydeus to maintain the facade. Though the Arkantoan strategoi resigned in protest, the standing orders to these thugs in olive drab remained the same: to prevent UCC convoys from entering the valley. This is a bluff, surely, one would think. It would be best for them if they had simply allowed the UCC to arrive without an agreement and assist regardless of an agreement, as that would spare them any potential blow from having to negotiate with a federal institute. Did this happen? Not at all, and instead the convoy was stopped and seized in its entirety by the two Arkantoan regiments positioned at the valley's northern end. Federal personnel were arrested and federal materials seized by Arkantoan troops.

How is that permissible? It's been near a day now since said seizure, and what have we here in in the west heard about this from Ephalaea? The Supreme Tribunal hasn't even convened since then, and the Council of the Strategoi has been locked in a closed session for the last two days.

Some would construe this act as a declaration of war, as a gesture of open rebellion – a flagrant display of disregard for the Treaty of Abjuration. We must remember though just what desperate straits Arkantos finds itself now, even though its leadership, in all their hubris, apparently fail to realize it. There won't be a war, I'm confident to guarantee, for Arkantos can't fight a war. It isn't a rebellion, for Arkantos cannot rebel now. It may be a breach of the treaty, and one for which the bureaucrats in that damned House most definitely ought to be punished for, but present circumstances dictate that some leniency and some understanding need be required.

So, the issue: there are potentially upwards to a hundred thousand to two hundred thousand people currently living within Arkantos with little in the way of water, food, housing, and medicine. This will likely remain the case for the foreseeable future so long as the Arkantoan Army remains occupied on denying aid rather than actively providing it itself. This is a direct consequence of the House of Tydeus' willful inaction and plain disregard as it concerns the plight of the city's beleaguered population, and its failure to at all acknowledge the problem.

What would I do? Well, let's pretend for a few moments that I'm the Archstrategoi. We already know that there can't be a war, simply because Arkantos can't actually fight one in its current state, and so we know that the only thing preventing us from doing our damn jobs is the Arkantoan Army – itself operating under a very shady rationale and for uncertain reasons (it being a mystery as to why common troops would be willing to deny their kinsfolk in the city proper supplies and aid). There's an obstacle, and so we needs must simply remove it. Ephalaea and its allies are capable of mustering a force great many sizes bigger than the Arkantoan one, after all, and it will provide the necessary leverage to finally force through a solution.

It might seem tough, but that's all I'm seeing as the sensible solution. Arkantoans don't want to do things the easy way, so we're gonna have to be decisive about it. There's always a justification for it, as I'm sure the House's treatment of the situation is by any objective standard– criminal.
​

---​

Diomedes Group Contract Attracts Flak
penned by Dimitrios Zappoukis, EH; DPC, Lysandria​

Alynthos, 7/27/12 – The Alynthoan based Diomedes Group's most recent contract with the Yujiner so-called “Zhi Clique,” has come under fire by humanitarian and isolationist lobbies. Well-known in the free cities themselves and in the orient as a reliable aerospace and defense corporation, the Diomedes Group has managed to secure an agreement with said clique's leadership wherein it will provide a number of attack and transport helicopters of unspecified variants and numbers to one of the rival political factions within Yujin.

Detractors have been quick to cite the increasingly unstable political climate in Yujin as a reason for concern itself, with the landscape quickly changing based on the relative strength of each given faction. The Diomedes Group has thus been accused of “fueling an arms race,” most prominently by Tribune Zappas, a noted isolationist. Zappas went on to claim that by supplying arms and machinery to these factions, that they [the Diomedes Group] “are fanning the embers.”

“Soon,” he went on to say, “there will no doubt be flames.”

Other concerns have involved foreign perception of these sales, some having raised the point that other nations might view these sales as being approved by the unified government (in the form of either the council of strategoi or the supreme tribunal itself), or by one of the free cities themselves. Whilst the Alynthoan Prime Minister has vehemently denied any previous knowledge or part in the deal, it has nonetheless been claimed that the Diadochi States might as a whole be perceived internationally as willing to profit from another state's instability.

“We might be viewed as war profiteers, given some time,” a spokesperson for the Theokrassis Corporation stated. “The implications of which are undoubtedly negative.”

It is notable that other companies and businesses with holdings abroad and Yujin have similarly condemned the sale alongside what are essentially traditional rivals in the humanitarian and isolationist lobbies. There is a widespread belief among many such Diadochi corporations that business will become much more difficult in Yujin should either it be seen as the case that they're becoming directly involved in the politics of the state – something which may be construed from weapons sales.

Zappas has promised to bring the issue up in the Supreme Tribunal, and to potentially raise the idea of a domestic arms embargo on the zone.

 

[Tyvia]

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since 1901, Ephassos​

owned by the Doukatris Publishing Company, Lysandria
sponsored by the Ephassoan Chamber of Commons​

Council of Strategoi agrees to deploy Tagmata
penned by Nikolaos Sakelloukis, EH; DPC, Ephalaea​

Ephalaea, 7/31/12 – the archstrategoi Diomedes publicly pledged to end the “crisis” in Arkantos today, having secured unanimous agreement from the Council of Strategoi (the Arkantoan strategoi not being in attendance) on a unified plan of action so as to end the humanitarian disaster.

With UCC personnel having been seized by Arkantoan Army personnel whilst en-route through the Helicoan valley – illegally, according to the archstrategoi – the Council of Strategoi has agreed that the Unified Defense Forces must be utilized herein so as to disarm the Arkantoan Army and force compliance from the city as it pertains to this issue. Calling the House of Tydeus' and the city's handling of the humanitarian disaster both “criminal” and “reckless,” Diomedes has also called for the current House to be dismissed and new elections to be held.

Ephassos and Acythopolis have already volunteered troops from their respective themata[sup]1[/sup] forces to temporarily serve in the tagmata[sup]2[/sup], alongside active servicemen in the actual Unified Defense Force. The latter city has agreed to provide the bulk of the manpower for the operation, and the Acythoan Tourmarches[sup]3[/sup], Ioannes Gregoriou, has been tasked by the archstrategoi to lead the Unified mission to Arkantos as such.

When asked as to the rules of engagement active for the soon to be deployed tagmata, both Gregoriou and Diomedes were quick to address the point in what they believed to be the most succinct manner: “we are not looking for another inter-city war,” Diomedes claimed. “Unless the Arkantoans vehemently insist on bloodshed, we will avoid it ourselves. Our goal is to help the people of Arkantos, not to fight its themata,” he added. Nonetheless, there have been concerns raised (as they have been since the beginning of UCC intervention and the start of this incident) that the intervention of Ephalaea in the affairs of a single free-city may lead to just that; wherein some may see a precedent and/or trend of centralization.

Though the Council of Strategoi has made an attempt to dissuade both the media and public from that assertion, it is nevertheless one which has taken root among politicians in some cities. Seleúcia's Patroclean Palace shot down a measure proposed by one of its more radical members (84-4-12) to withdraw from the Treaty of Abjuration, and a similar such bill is being similarly voted upon today in Alynthos.

Adding to the uncertainty surrounding the Arkantoan affair is the silence of the Supreme Tribunal on the issue. For all intents and purposes, it would appear that Chief Tribune Giannopoulous is content to leave the handling of the crisis to the archstrategoi, with the Supreme Tribunal entirely failing to provide any sort of ruling or decision on the issue despite consistently meeting in both closed and open sessions.

Tourmarches Gregoriou is hopeful that this problem will be resolved “within the next two weeks.” He believes that this show of force by the tagmata and the UDF will be sufficient to force a decisive breakthrough in negotiations between the UCC and the House of Tydeus, and thus finally bring an end to this “humanitarian disaster.”

Acythopolis wins Seleúcian defense treaty bid
penned by Vasilios Zorgas, EH; DPC, Seleúcia​

Seleúcia, 8/04/12 – the traditional agreement between Lysandria and Seleúcia wherein the former party would provide naval protection and support to the latter was broken late in the last month, with Lysandria and its themata deciding that a further investment of both funds and troops into the region was of “little further interest” to them. With Lysandria thus pulling its eastern fleet out of the Seleúcian Bay, Cronigos and Acythopolis, traditional rivals, both stepped up in an attempt to take its place.

After nearly two weeks of deliberation on the manner, the Patroclean Palace has finally proclaimed that Acythopolis would be party with Seleúcia to a treaty with terms similar to those the latter once enjoyed with Lysandria. There would be certain military co-operation as it concerns defense, and law enforcement, as well as various privileges granted to Acythoan merchant vessels and businesses operating in Seleúcia. This agreement comes in the wake of Acythopolis' acquisition of the Agenia overseas territory from Alynthos, wherein many political analysts believe that Acythopolis' positive handling of businesses and existing interest groups may perhaps have granted Acythopolis a sufficiently good reputation so as to win over the Seleúcians.

The vote in the Patroclean Palace, though nowhere near unanimous, was still overwhelmingly in favor of the Acythoans over Cronigos. Sixty-four for Acythopolis, twenty-two for Cronigos, with the remaining fourteen decidedly abstaining.

For Seleúcia, this deal means that it will once again enjoy direct foreign investment for its domestic development, as well as military aid. For Acythopolis, this is a potentially amazing strategic breakthrough, wherein the city now possesses naval facilities effectively ringing Cronigos – a threatening prospect for the city's Lord-Reaver Simeon, no doubt.

Most interesting however are the claims presented by some analysts, particularly in Ephalaea and Seleúcia, as to the true political impact of Lysandria's departure from the region. With Lysandrian naval and ground troops having been present in Seleúcia since the Alynthoan Rebellion[sup]4[/sup], the region has enjoyed a period of general peace and prosperity. Historian and political analyst Lukas Papakostas believes that this era of stability is, in fact, directly due to the continued Lysandrian presence.

“If you look back at history, even as late as the mid-20h century, you'll see a recurring trend of conflict between Cronigos and Acythopolis,” Papakostas reminds us. “They fought between one another and would often drag the neighboring free cities into the conflict as well. Seleúcia, Melechos-Elaeos, and Alynthos are no strangers to the trade wars between the two Icarean cities, but they have been generally content to let them have it. No foreign power or greater city had seen fit to intervene until the Alynthoan Rebellion – when the Treaty of Abjuration itself was threatened.

“But then, when Lysandria stepped in, they could no longer war or compete as they wished. Suddenly, there was a bigger child in the playground, one whom neither wished to tangle with. Mutual fear of the western cities lead to peace in the region,” Papakostas claims, going on to state that he believes that Lysandria's departure from the Seleúcian Bay will thus prove disastrous in the long-term for diplomacy and business in the entire region.

As it stands however, Cronigos, despite voicing its disappointment in the Seleúcian decision, has remained otherwise quiet and recognized the agreement. Neither Ephalaea nor any of the other cities have deemed it fit to comment as of yet.

---​

1 – themata: the term generally used to refer to the respective independent militaries of each of the free cities. They are all subservient to the tagmata, and to the appointed strategoi of said cities.
2 – tagmata: the term generally used to refer to the Unified Defense Force, which is composed of troops forwarded from the various thematas as well as independent volunteer formations. There are 13 tagmatas, just as there are 13 thematas, each of them stationed in or near one of the free-cities. As it stands, only seven are active at this point in time – the Arkantoan one not being one of them.
3 – Tourmarches: the leader of a tagmata, appointed by the archstrategoi.
4 – Alynthoan Rebellion: a war in the 1940s between Acythopolis, Cronigos, and Alynthos which culminated in the latter declaring itself free from the Treaty of Abjuration and thus independent of the Supreme Tribunal's jurisdiction. Lysandria and Tycheia stepped in to preserve the union, and put an end to the conflict.