RR’s Report: Zeus and Europa

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Thebes, Greece, 1147BC

Only 3 years after the foundation of the city, Thebes is now a flourishing urban centre containing over 1000 people, despite the founder only having 5000 drachmae to play with, and the fact that there is a Hydra menacing the area containing the marble quarries. The city was founded on the fortune made by the sale of fleece, and it is also thought that there was some creative accounting, with money being requested from Greek allies and deposited quietly into the treasury under the guise of it being cash taken in taxation. Finance Minister Priam was unavailable for comment on this matter.

To prove that this is the stuff of epics, the fledgling city even survived a tremendous assault in only its second year from its more powerful and older neighbour, Mount Cithaeron. The citizen army of Thebes, despite the fact that it was only raised months before the assault, managed to fight off the hoplites and horsemen, losing about three-quarters of its own number in the battle. Mayor Rodentos ordered that a monument should be erected to those brave farmers who gave their lives so their sons and daughters may live in peace.

Thebes 2, Greece, 1144BC

4 years on, the city of Thebes continues to grow. The Hydra who had been terrorising the area for nearly half a decade has now been slain by the hand of Hercules. When asked what prompted him to come to the city’s aid, Hercules replied that he had been impressed by the:

  • Excellent culture access
  • Victory in a pan-Hellenic game
  • Excellent city-wide gymnasium access
  • 1500 brave souls within the city
  • 32 amphorae of wine

When asked how Thebes had been able to provide Hercules with the wine he needed, the city’s Produce Minister Demosthenes responded that Calydon had been kind enough to gift it; even if it did take a couple of years to get the requisite 32 amphorae. Upon arrival, Hercules proceeded straight to the Hydra; onlookers were said to be impressed by the raft which he whipped out when he came to a stretch of water, thereby eschewing the bridges which had been unnecessarily built the previous year.

After the Hydra had been slain by the hand of Hercules, Thebes was finally able to exploit its extensive (inexhaustible, in fact) resources of marble. Trade was established with Calydon and soon, 115 pieces or marble was coming off the production line every year.

Thebes 3, Greece, 1140BC

A Sanctuary to Area, God of war, now stands proudly over the town centre, dwarfing the area of elite housing which has sprung up over the past 5 years. A probe is expected, however, into the cost of building the temple, which was allegedly much higher than it needed to be. According to a well-place source in the Palace, wood and bronze was imported at great cost to the city, yet it was offered only a couple of months later as a free gift by the ever-helpful Calydon. Trade Minister Pericles rejected calls for his resignation, but calls seem to be growing all the time. It is doubtful whether even Pericles’s dutiful setting-aside of 30 sheaves of wheat and 25 amphorae of olive oil, which is due to be taken on an expedition leaving tomorrow bound for Crete , will save him. It is equally unlikely that his assertions that he was able to satisfy requests from allies Mount Pelion and Calydon for food and fleece respectively will satisfy the populace.