H5

Agathocles and I retired to the more intimate confines of my Palace where we sat across from one another at a table in one of the many private rooms Pyrrhus had put into his Ambracian Palace without ever really using most of them. A hearth burned in the corner of the room as we sat and ate bread slathered in olive oil, sardines, and thrion. Wine was poured as Agathocles spoke of his recent campaigns in the Ionian Islands and of happenings in faraway Italy.

"The Romans seem to have finally met their match after expanding drastically for some time. First, they were fighting the Samnites again, then the Rasna intervened, now I hear that a large force of Umbri and Gauls have decided to throw in against them. Just this spring the Romans lost a whole field army to a Sennones attack up near Clusium in the Rasna lands and now the Samnites are advancing and attacking any Roman force they can find in Campania. It seems the Latins have pissed off the whole of the peninsula with the constant expansion. Most of the tribes and city-states finally grew some balls and said that enough was enough." Said Agathocles, between sips of wine.

"I am not so certain. Do not the Rasna and Umbri despise one another? I would think that old enmities would hamper an effective campaign without strong leadership, and the Rasna have been without a strong figure to rally around for many years." I replied. I knew damned well that Rome would pull a miracle out of her hat thanks to Etruscan turncoats giving away the battle plans for the Battle of Sentinium. It wouldn't be long in coming, actually, given how close to Autumn it was.

"You think the coalition will break down into pointless bickering on the eve of victory?" Asked Agathocles, astonished.

"I think stranger things have happened. The fates make fools of the best of us at times and with no strong leadership to compel the allies to stick together it would be just like Eris to throw her apple among the allied camps at this time." I hedged.

"I didn't take you for a pessimist, boy." Scoffed Agathocles.

"I'm not. As someone with experience with campaigning, I simply recognize weakness in alliances when I see them and am used to expecting the unexpected." I shrugged, popping a piece of thrion into my mouth. The fig leaf stuffed with sweet cheese was quite good and I washed it down with a sip of my wine.

"I see. I've also learned to expect the unexpected, which brings me to the reason for my offer. I suppose you're wondering why I would offer so much, not just Korkyra, but Paxoi, Leukos, and the smaller islands off your coast as well?" Asked Agathocles.

"It had crossed my mind. Korkyra alone would be a suitable dowry for a princess, Leukos and Paxoi as well would be more than I thought you would be willing to part with, let alone the various smaller anchorages in the archipelago." I asked.

"Around a month before I made the offer, my son Archagathus and his nursemaid were returning from a trip to Korkyra by sea when tragedy struck. A fleet of 7 hemiolas overtook them as the sun set 3 days into their journey. Understand, I sent them with a Quadrireme, a proper warship. I believed that would safeguard my son from pirates. The bastards ground down the ship through numbers. They took my boy! My sole surviving son! My heir! The dogs brought him back to Lissos in the Labeatae lands and sent me a ransom demand! They demanded I pay them 35 talents of gold and silver or they would sell my son into slavery! I cannot afford to pay so much in ransom and have delayed the Illyrian dogs, asking for time to gather the ransom. Thus far it's worked." Growled Agathocles, growing agitated as he continued his story.

"I see, and you cannot attack them yourself because you believe they would kill him if you did?" I asked.

"I wouldn't put it past them, but then I heard that Pyrrhus of Epirus was preparing a campaign, but had somehow resolved his main border dispute. You're planning on marching into Illyria, aren't you, boy?" Asked Agathocles.

"I wasn't aware that word of my preparations had gotten out of Epirus." I replied.

"Oh, probably not to anyone else, I have tricks that most don't to get news. That isn't important, though. Save my boy, I'll give you my daughter and the islands, just save my son." Implored Agathocles.

I thought about this for a while. Lissos wasn't too far north from the Taulantii territory where I planned to campaign against the Dardanii invaders. I could smash Bardyllis and grab my Taulantii Client Kingdom, then march north to take Lissos while the Monunii were squabbling over who got to rule Bardyllis' Kingdom after he died, then smash them again on the way back south to break off some of the iron and copper-rich Parthinii lands from the remnants of Bardyllis' Kingdom. Optimistically it shouldn't take me more than 2-3 years even with the detour to Labeatae lands to retrieve Archagathus. I'd control all of Epirus and the bottom 3/4ths of modern-day Albania from Lissos in the north down to the Gulf of Patras, along with Korkyra, Leukos, Paxoi, and the smaller islands around them. It would be a solid base, especially if I managed to take bits of Thessaly from the Macedonians afterward. It might even be enough to take on Rome, which was why I was here, to begin with.

In the end, though, the decision wasn't much of one at all. I couldn't afford to pass on the opportunity. "Very well, I'll do it. I will retrieve your son." I replied, agreeing to Agathocles' conditions. The old man sat back on his chair, seeming like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. We spoke for a bit longer that night, mostly on other, less weighty, topics. Trade of olive oil, wine, and byssus cloth for Sicilian silver, trading tactical insights from various campaigns, that sort of thing. Eventually, we both retired for the evening to sleep off the wine. When I awoke the next day, I had a renewed sense of urgency in my planning.

After all, I was now committed to a course of action. . .

XXXX

AN: And now we see why Agathocles was willing to offer more islands.