Arestium First Expedition

[Arestium]

Consul Ireneus stood before the group of gathered men. He had not planned a speech of any kind. He didn't plan on making one, actually. The men stood there, all of them would be the members of the First Expedition. The First Expedition was the mission to expand the culture and influence of Arestium, and to discover people in far away lands.

Consul Ireneus looked at the group of men, and saw that they were all prepared. He stood there and said as simply as possible, "To your ships!"

The navymen saluted and rushed to their ships. As they all followed one another into the modified warships, they prayed to Poseidon, and then waited for the signal of the Consul.

Consul Ireneus stood there, and then nodded his head. "Set off!" he said to the men. "May the wind and the waves be with you on your long journey!"

The ships started out of the harbor, and went north towards the sea.

[Arestium]

The Arestium Expeditionary Fleet was approaching Thespia. There they would stop for a short time to inquire about other nations around the world. Also, they would stock up on some more food from the local vendors.

Admiral Kai sat quietly aboard his ship. It was a standard warship. About half of his men were rowing away, while the other half were sitting and singing, for the wind was now with them.

As the fleet approached Thespia, they knew that their stay would be quite limited. Their orders were to continue on, and they should always be fairly close to the coastline. They knew that the days would be long, and hard... There would be many days.

Every few days, they would stop at the coastline and set up a temporary camp, and scout the surrounding land. They would leave the next day, that is, if there was no one... Or nothing there.

Admiral Kai was clearly bored. He had only been at sea for a short while, but it seemed like a very long time, to him. Finally, one of his men approached him. "Sir, Thespia is in sight. What are your orders?"

Admiral Kai smiled. "Tell the men to row straight towards Thespia. Our stay shall be short. How long until we arrive?"

The man stood there. "Not very long, now."

"Good. Tell the men to row as fast as they possibly can."

The man nodded, and spread the message to all of the ships.

[Arestium]

After a stay in Thespia, the men board their ships once more. Admiral Kai thanks the dockmaster in Thespia, and then boards his ship.

This is going to be a very long journey... he thought to himself. I do hope that we return, successful... Or return at all, for that matter. He looked up. The sun was high. Everyone was ready. Everyone except for two people... Two people unaccounted for.

"Where are Rokke and Fel?" Admiral Kai inquired. Nobody answered. "Nobody knows? They are unaccounted for. We shall not leave the city without them."

Everyone was joyed by this, but then, Fel came running towards the dock. "Sir! Admiral!" he shouted. "I have excellent news!" By this time, Fel was slowing down, and had finally come to a dead stop in front of the Admiral.

"What is it, then?"

"The Thespians have informed us of another civilization! On the eastern edge of the known world!"

"A civilization? That far out?" Admiral Kai was pleased. "It seems we have learned of another civilization, already! We have already fulfilled part of our mission!" After several moments, Admiral Kai asked, "Where is Rokke?"

"He shall return in only several minutes. He is slower than me, of course."

"We shall set off as soon as Rokke returns!"

(At this point, perhaps Emperor Adonai could come in and say a few things?)

[Emperor Adonai]

I suppose the Thespians told them about Phoenica. In that case, a Thespian merchant told them:

"There's a country, out on the edge of this landmass. They've sent a few ships out over the past few days, they appear to be a fairly stable nation."

[Arestium]

Rokke arrived at the docks.

"Glad that you could join us, Rokke," Admiral Kai said. "Please, onto your ship. We have not much time to spare."

Rokke bowed, and entered his small ship.

"Set off!" Admiral Kai said, and the ships all set off from the harbor, and were on their way to the open sea. Admiral Kai had a very good feeling. He was convinced that nothing could go wrong with the mission.

His ship took the lead, and the other ships followed behind. As they all filed out into open waters, the waves became higher and stronger. But it would not stop the expedition.

The fleet continued to head east. The expedition was already a success.

[Arestium]

As the fleet approached what they thought would be Phoenica, they headed towards land to look for signs of civilizations. They were actually several kilometers to the west of Phoenica.

The ships moved into more shallow waters, and the men got off and swam to the landmass. Several men would stay behind to take care of the ships.

Admiral Kai trudged through the water onto land. It was their first stop. "Set up camp," he yelled to the men. "I'll take a scouting party to search for anything that might be around here." Admiral Kai selected nine men to accompany him, and then they headed southeast, towards what they hoped would be the nation they seeked.

Admiral Kai's party continued on for about an hour. They then headed further east, towards the coastline.

In only about twenty minutes, Admiral Kai spotted something on the horizon. It appeared to be a building of some sort... Perhaps it was just a hallucination. But the others saw it, too.

"You there, head back to the fleet," he said as he indicated one of his men. "Tell them that we have found civilization along the coast."

The man nodded, and was off. Admiral Kai walked quickly towards the buildings. More and more were visible, now. But the men didn't know what to expect from the people of this land. They continued, swiftly, but cautiously, towards the town.

[Phoenica]

The settlement happened to be one of the newest towns, set up recently by settling farmers in response to the food crisis. Located in far western Phoenica, it is also one of the furthest away from the Capital.
When these men were first spotted, word quickly spread without anyone yet approaching them. Phoenicans are used to seeing people from strange lands on the streets of the major trading cities, but not in a small village like this.
Determined to make the best of the situation however, the local mayor talks with the group of men and offers them as much quarter and refreshment as could be expected from his meager town.
When it is made known that these men are from a distant country not yet known to Phoenica, the mayor loses his composure and stares at the men in astonishment. A messenger is imediately set to inform the government. As the town is so far away however, a proper welcoming party cannpt be expected from Slavinica for at least a few days.

[Arestium]

Admiral Kai and his scouting party are very thankful. They did not expect a very warm welcome; but the Phoenicans seemed to be very kind to them. They explain that they are from Arestium, which is located very far to the west, near Thespia.

Admiral Kai explains that they would be willing to open trade negotiations with Phoenica, if they are willing to do so.

The men would stay just a little bit longer in the small town, for they would not want to take advantage of the Phoenicans, and the little food supply that they have.

[Phoenica]

The mayor, in his excited state, informs Admiral Kai that Phoenica would most likely be very receptive to a trade deal with Arestium, even though he would obviously have to meet with the proper figures to reach such a settlement.

Now recognized as friendly explorers - although very exotic ones - Admiral Kai and his men are presented with adequate maps of Phoenica with the locations of all the cities of interest because the local people understand that such a grand expedition would not want to stay in a small town for long.

[Emperor Adonai]

News reaches Thespia about the new trade deal, and they quickly forward the news to the expedition's home in Arestium. The information will reach Matros and Nazim in a day, and Edhassa in two or three.

[Arestium]

Admiral Kai and his group of men are very thankful for the maps, and prepare to head back to the fleet. They shall leave a group of a few merchants and soldiers, with their own ship, of course, to negotiate the trade deals with the Phoenicans.

Admiral Kai and his group of men return to the fleet. They inform a group of men that they shall be staying behind to negotiate terms of the trade, and leave them with a map. Then, the rest of the fleet sets off, heading back for Arestium.

[Phoenica]

The welcoming party from Slavinica finally arrives and learns of the progress thus far. Guiding the Arestium men left behind, the Phoenicans travel to a nearby town better suited to their needs.

They then proceed to hack out the details of the trade deal. When they were almost done, one member of the envoy brought up the need for accurate maps for Phoenican traders to successfully navigate the treacherous northern coast and find the Arestium port. As it stands now, no one in Phoenica knows exactly where these mysterious men from the west had come from.

[Arestium]

The group from Arestium show them the map of their lands that they brought along with them. They explain that they are near Thespia, and are at the base of a river that runs to the sea.

They explain their government and legal system to the Phoenicans, just in case they are interested. Then, they try to work out some of the finer details of the trade agreement.

They give the map to the Phoenicans, for them to study, and then they continue the negotiations.

[Phoenica]

After finishing the details, the Phoenican delegation presents Arestium with a gift of silver and precious metals to show their appreciation for their expedition and the knowledge they have freely shared.

Afterwards they are told that they are free to explore in and around Phoenica more or, if they wish, return to their ships.