Calendar and Timeline for the Alexander game (v.11/11/06)

Olympiad CIX Year IV

Spring: Three Macedonian cavalrymen (Deukalos, Kallisthenes, and Leocharis) and their Thessalian friend Larissaeus accompany a royal courier across the mountain passes to Epirus, where they encounter bandits and a headless ghost.

Summer: King Philippos is assassinated by his huntsman, Pausanius. Alexander secures the support of the army, and succeeds to the throne.

Olympiad CX Year I

Autumn: Alexander travels to Corinth to secure the continued support of the Greek city-states for Philippos' plans to invade Asia.

Winter: The three Companions and their Thessalian comrade are contacted by Alexander's treasurer Harpalus and initiated into Alexander's Coin. They are soon asked to accompany the young strategos Perdiccas on a payroll boat to Byzantium to relieve the strategos Attalus (later implicated in Philippos' murder). While in Byzantium, Kallisthenes cripples the pankrationist Hallius of Samothrace in a spectacular nighttime bout at water's edge. Days later, the boat is successfully defended against an attack at dusk by the walking dead. Deukalos demonstrates that, in fact, you can use spears against zombies, if you know what you're doing. It is later determined that the boat had been necromantically marked with a severed hand.

Early Spring: While the army prepares to ride north, our heroes are sent to Paeonia to meet with Damiskos, a Thessalian priest of Hades who has been trailing the necromancer Taxodoros. Taxodoros is tracked to a Paeonian iron mine, where zombies and the necromancer himself meet their doom. Damiskos summons gnomai to collapse the mine and bury whatever Taxodoros had been seeking. Taxodoros' daughter, Hermaia, is captured for questioning, and catches the Larissaeus' eye; the two of them accompany Damiskos back to Thessaly for Hermaia's rehabilitation. The Macedonians return to the summer palace at Aegae to rest before they catch up to Alexander and the army, now in Thrakia. In Aegae, they find to their horror that in Alexander's absence, Olympias has had Eurydice's children murdered; Eurydice herself commits suicide.

Late Spring: Returning to the army, the three Macedonians become acquainted with Meriones of Pella, the man-mountain and fellow member of Alexander's Coin. The army successfully cows the Thracians, beats back Scythian and Illyrian threats to the northern kingdom, and befriends the red-haired Galatae clans, who enjoy hunting very large wild bulls (aurochs).

Summer: Returning to Macedonia, Alexander hears of the revolt of Thebes, and races the army down to besiege the city before the pass at Thermopylae can be held against them. After a short siege, Thebes is captured due to Perdiccas' risky but brilliant capture of a postern gate, and Philotas' charge from the beleaguered Macedonian citadel within the city. The 4 Companions are tasked with locating an ex-servant from the House of Pindar, and are successful after locating his friend Kerkion. The city is razed and its inhabitants sold into slavery. Leocharis takes Kerkion as a servant.

Olympiad CX Year II

Autumn: Mainland Greece is secured by Macedonian garrisons. A shipment of Persian gold, intended to fund intrigue and rebellion against Alexander, is intercepted by Alexander's close friend Niarchos, with the help of the PCs.

Winter: Preparations made for the invasion of Asia. Our heroes are promoted into the Royal Companions and receive their purple helmets.

Spring: The army moves through Thrakia to Byzantium, and crosses the Bosporus at two locations. The ruins of Troy are visited. Our heroes are tasked with guarding an expedition that turns out to be a search for the concealed tomb of none other than Priam and his family, to return the bones of Andromache and Helenos, and fulfill a bargain made on Alexander's behalf by a priest of Hekate, Xenokratos. Upon locating the tomb, the expedition is attacked by Rapazus the animal mage, the archer Charxos, 2 magically enlarged lions, and 5 Cappadocian assassins. After an epic battle in which Deukalos saves the life of the Thracian prince Lysimachos, the lions and assassins are defeated, but the mage and archer escape. The attack is discovered to be a mis-targeted assassination attempt on Alexander.

Early Summer: Three of the western Persian satraps gather their forces and take a defensive position behind the river Granikos. Alexander's first attempt to cross the river is thwarted, fortunately with light casualties. After secretly conversing with the river's spirit, Alexander leads a nighttime fording of the river downstream, and engages the Persians at dawn. Alexander leads the Companion cavalry into the thick of the Persian noble cavalry contingent, and is badly wounded by the satrap Spithridates and nearly killed. The stroke poised to take Alexander's life is interrupted by Kallisthenes, who heroically leaps from the saddle and severs Spithridates' arm. Spithridates' brother Rhosakes cleaves Kallisthenes' helm in two, killing him instantly, but is himself spitted by Leocharis. The Thessalian cavalry, led by Parmenio, roll in on the Persians' right flank, and the battle becomes a rout. Only Arsamenes, satrap of Kilikia, and the Greek naval adviser, Memnon of Rhodes, escape the battle. After the battle, Persian forces in the west are badly depleted, and Alexander captures western Phrygia and the rich Lydian capital Sardis without a fight.

Late Summer: At Sardis, the three Companions, accompanied by a Pythagorean adept of air and movement magic, Demolion of Corinth, investigate a house said to belong to Rapazus. There they find frightened servants, frighteningly mobile plant life, and a transmogrified chimera. Proceeding onward via Ephesus, the army finds that Miletus remains garrisoned by Greek mercenaries in Persian employ, and requires a siege. Demolion proves himself useful at scaling walls. As the last citadel is overrun, a devastating mental blast stuns the storming Macedonian forces, and nearly half of the mercenaries, along with Memnon, escape the city with the assistance of a sea monster of prodigious size. Leocharis beseeches Apollo to intervene, but is rewarded only with the knowledge that Apollo himself has heard his entreaty. At Deukalos' urging, Demolion is inducted into Alexander's Coin.

Olympiad CX Year III

Early Autumn: The mountain stronghold of Ada, the exiled Queen of Caria, falls silent, and our heroes are dispatched to discover why. Perdiccas' ruse (involving blunted arrows being fired at their backs) gets our heroes past the Persian cordon, and into a panorama of horror. Huge ogre-like demons of terrifying strength and hunger have laid the mountain fortress low, and roam its interior freely. Many broken bones later, our heroes kill the last of the demons, and are led by a friendly gnome to the location where Ada is trapped. Ada meets Alexander, and not only allies with him, but declares him to be her adopted son and heir. Meriones becomes Harpalus' personal bodyguard.

Late Autumn: Alexander and Ada besiege the Persian-occupied Carian capital, Halicarnassus. A nighttime sally by Memnon's Athenian mercenaries succeeds in destroying many of the siege engines, and when it is followed up by a general counterattack, nearly succeeds in sandwiching the unprepared Macedonian forces. A heroic stand by Leocharis, and the timely intervention of a shield wall of older veterans from the camp, prevent the battle from turning against Alexander. With the tables turned, many of the Persians and mercenaries are slain when the drawbridge over which they are retreating collapses, and the city gates are shut against them. The next morning, the bulk of the Persian forces leave the city by ship, leaving three manned citadels behind, and the city in flames.

Early Winter: Our heroes are sent to Samos to retrieve a small but heavy chest from an enchanter and silversmith, and make short work of some common thugs. The army separates into two halves to simplify its provisioning. Parmenio takes half of the army, plus the siege equipment, back to Sardis and the Royal Road to complete the subjugation of Phrygia. Alexander takes half of the army, and marches it along the coast to subdue Lykia and Pamphylia. The plan is to meet in Gordium in the spring.

Late Winter: A party from Parmenio's half of the army arrives with a Persian prisoner, Sisines, who clams that Alexander of Lynkestis, commander of the Thracian horse, has been bought off by Darius. Our heroes are sent by Alexander to return the prisoner to Parmenio with orders about who is to investigate the claim, and also to transport the small chest to Parmenio. On the road, they are ambushed by a chimera, Rapazus, Charxos the archer, and eventually a large gryphon, who nearly tears Deukalos' arm off. They emerge from the battle with Rapazus' head, and Charxos as a prisoner.

Early Spring: Our heros successfully deliver head, casket, and both prisoners to Parmenio's half of the army. Parmenio takes Gordium, and begins organizing provisions for the summer campaign and the overall governance of Phrygia.

Late Spring: Memnon of Rhodes and Pharnabazus recapture Chios and Lesvos, threatening Macedonian control of the Hellespont. Alexander's weary half of the army finally emerges from the mountains, and encamps around Gordium. Alexander cuts the Gordian Knot, and is enveloped in swirling energy. That night, thunder rolls through the town.

Summer: Memnon of Rhodes falls ill on the night the Gordian knot is cut, dying the next day. Darius recalls the Persian navy to Phoenicia. The Macedonian army collects reinforcements from Macedon, and makes its way over the Royal Road through Ankyra to the Kilikian Gates.

Olympiad CX Year IV

Early Autumn: At the Kilikian Gates, Alexander leads a flying column of light-armed troops on a night attack of the Persian forces holding the pass. The Persians collapse and retreat toward Tarsus, with the Macedonians in hot pursuit. By midday, Alexander's exhausted forces have captured Tarsus intact. Alexander bathes in the river Kydnus to cool off, is attacked by a water spirit, and takes ill. The Persian mind mage Aristeion dominates Meriones into helping him subdue and abduct Harpalus by ship, but is thwarted and slain by the PCs. Deukalos and fellow Coin member Kabrios (priest of Castor & Pollux) help Alexander to free his soul from the water spirit. The next day, the PCs are tasked to journey to Aristeion's estate in Kypros, and investigate it. They find it a shambles, assaulted by a handful of Insatiables (the same demons found at Queen Ada's fortress) and an Armenian wraith named Peirtho who reveals a few details about his master before he is slain. Our heroes recover some documents, a powerful crown, and a young Kypriot washerwoman who had been dominated by Aristeion. Harpalus goes incommunicado and leaves Tarsus, in hopes of confusing Aristeion and Peirtho's master about his fate.

Late Autumn: After resting a few weeks at Tarsus, the army moves along the coast toward Phoenicia. Darius manages to mislead Alexander as to his actual position, and unexpectedly crosses a northern pass into Alexander's rear with a large army. The outnumbered Macedonian army returns north to engage the Persians at the river Issus, and prevails after a sharp and deadly struggle. Darius flees back over the Taurus mountains, leaving both his wife and his mother in camp to be captured by the Macedonians.

Winter: The army marches into Phoenicia. The cities of Marathus, Byblos, and Sidon all capitulate without bloodshed. Our heroes courier a message to Parmenio in Damascus, and return with Lady Barsine (Memnon's widow, and a childhood friend of Alexander). Tyre prevaricates, and casts its lot in with Persia when the Macedonian envoys, including the royal courier Mesaulius, are publicly executed on the Tyrian seawall. Alexander orders a mole to be built, connecting the island of New Tyre with the mainland.

Spring: The mole is destroyed by a Tyrian attack with two fire elementals. Alexander orders a second mole to be built. The second mole is attacked by a huge sea monster, but is driven off by Demolion's lightning and an Apollo-blessed arrow from Leocharis.

Early Summer: Alexander gains the support of the Sidonian and Cypriot navies, who form the bulk of the remaining Persian fleet in the Mediterranean. Tyre's ships are now blockaded in her two harbors. The mole reaches the Tyrian seawall, and Alexander's army attacks using two large siege towers. A fierce fight on the battlements results in a Macedonian retreat. Deukalos saves the life of Krateros, but falls from a siege tower and shatters his shoulder. Leocharis also displays considerable gallantry, as the last man on the Tyrian battlements.

Late Summer: Alexander's ram-barges create a breach in the southeastern wall, and a night attack results in the capture of the city. Ares clouds the army with a red fog of wrath, and Tyre is subjected to a night of slaughter. Our heroes navigate through their rage and through the blockaded city streets to the Temple of Melqart (Tyrian Herakles), where they find the High Priest has declared sanctuary. Leocharis stumbles across a white bull for Alexander's long-delayed sacrifice to Herakles, which results in the collapse of the altar through the foundations, revealing a sea cave with an obelisk fragment. This reads “the grandson of Horus will go to Siwa”.

Olympiad CXI Year I

Early Autumn: Our heroes are promoted within Alexander's Coin, and tasked to return to Macedon, and bring Olympias' Egyptian scribe, Tikrit, to Alexander, meeting him at the western edge of the Nile Delta. Their return to Pella takes them through Halicarnassus (where they have a bittersweet reunion with Queen Ada, whose health is failing), and Samos (where Demolion spends thousands of other people's drachmas to obtain esoteric scrolls). In Pella, they brief Antipater, then travel to Aegae for an uncomfortable dinner with Olympias, Tikrit, the Dionysian priest Astyanax, and their old commander Bolon (now in charge of the queen mother's residence at Aegae). Far too much wine is consumed, but Olympias is eventually convinced to allow the PCs to leave with Tikrit, and without her. Returning to the ship with Tikrit, they sail south, island-hopping to Crete, where they rescue a girl who has fallen in with two minotaurs.

Late Autumn: Continuing to Egypt, they set in at the fishing port of Rhakotis, where they are met by Niarchos' man Onesikrates, who has been waiting for them with a chest of gold, and some Rhodian mercenaries. He also brings news from Gaza, where Alexander's advance has been stalled for two months.