Funeral 23

'I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep, I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion' - Alexander the Great

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Artaxerxes rode in the cool breeze of the Persian heartland, flanked by guards and followed by a large procession. Right now, Artaxerxes was burying his father in the royal tomb of Naqsh-e Rustam, the ancestral burial grounds of the Achaemenid clan.

Following Artaxerxes was an army of priests and Magi, all singing hymns of prayer, guiding Xerxes into Ahuramazdas sweet embrace. Ahuramazda had a priesthood known as the Magi, who served as official priests of the Achaemenids. They were responsible for guarding tombs, performing rituals for dead kings, chanting divine hymns appropriate to the acts of sacrifice, standing before fire altars with their mouths covered, and holding wands of barsum twigs to fan the sacred flames.

The priests would prepare a sacred drink from the haoma plant by mashing its twigs with a mortar and pestle. The paste was mixed with milk and was drunk by the priests, who quickly became intoxicated by its powerful hallucinogenic properties.

In a drug-induced ecstasy, the priests were able to communicate directly with the gods and hear their orders, desires, or complaints. This is how the cosmic order of the Achaemenid empire was upheld, through a group of high, drunk, men who reassured the people of their beliefs through visions and prophecies.

Along with priests and magi who dealt with the timeless ceremonies of the funeral, the Achaemenid clan members followed suit, with the men, including Artaxerxes, having shaved their heads in mourning for the previous king.

Arriving before the massive cliff of Naqsh-e Rustam, Artaxerxes gazed at the tomb his father would be put to rest, and one day, where he himself will be buried. The massive cliff face stood dozens of meters tall, and the legendary inscriptions of previous kings' reigns were engraved on it. On the tomb read the tale of Darius the Great's rise to power, and now, in Aramaic, Persian, Elam, and a dozen other languages was the life of Xerxes and all his accomplishments carved in cuneiform script on the Tomb face.

Guarded by a pair of fierce djins, a symbol of protection, a dozen slaves pulled open the entrance to the grand tomb. Inside, the procession could see torches lighting endlessly into a dark abyss. Inside stood a Magi guard stationed here to guard the royal tomb.

"Magus Ukpish, see my father put to rest with the utmost care," Artaxerxes said to a Magi beside him. This man was featureless, meaning his entire face was covered by a hawk mask. Dressed in red robes with cuneiform diagrams emblazoned throughout his person, the Magi screamed mystery and of the arcane.

Magus Ukpish, Haturmaksha, 'fire watcher', a title bestowed on the priest who kindled the sacred fire. This was the role of the man before him, as a man who kindled the sacred flame, what Persians saw as the embodiment of Ahuramazda himself, he carried considerable respect in the court.

"Of course, my King" Ukpish said with a bow, in his hands was a swinging incense candle, purifying the air of the 'Lie' and corruption. With these words, the priests carried Xerxes' coffin into the tomb, Artaxerxes and his retainers remained outside as it was seen as distasteful for the living to enter tombs (excluding priests specializing in the art of entombment).

Having enough of the gloomy atmosphere of the funeral, Artaxerxes and his family members hurried back to Persepolis, to plan for the coming storm.

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Artaxerxes stood in the great council chamber of Persepolis, known as the Triplyon. The Triplyon was where Artaxerxes first met his father as a child, once marveling at its beauty. A palace in its own right, the Triplyon was supported by 12 columns, each engraved with reliefs of mystical creatures and past kings.

The floor and walls were marbled tiles organized in hexagonal patterns, hypnotizing onlookers with their reflections. In the council hall, was a massive round brick table. On the table, the map of the known world was engraved, from the far reaches of the Indus Valley to the distant lands of Ethiopia.

On the map, markings were placed to identify armies, fortresses, key terrain, and other features vital for managing an ongoing war situation. The table had been designed by Artaxerxes, and quickly crafted for use in order for him and his advisors to be able to picture the grand schemes of the Empire's frontiers.

Pointing at a far eastern section of the empire, Ur, the head of intelligence and the EoK, spoke, "Reports from my eyes and ears put the Liar King's armies stationed in the fortress towns of Termez and Kunduz, guarding his southern border." Saying this, Ur moved two tokens representing armies of unknown size on the two towns.

Nodding his head in understanding, Artaxerxes asks, "Any word of the satraps who refused to offer earth and water?"

Ur, opening a piece of papyrus by his side, read aloud:

'The Areians, Chorasmians, and Gandarans, have all submitted to the Liar King. Pledging earth and water on the night of Nowruz.'

"This was the report sent to me this morning, my King."

Hearing this, Artaxerxes' thoughts began to turn, thinking of the possible ramifications this could have on the war effort.

'Very well, if it is war they want, it's war they'll get. At the very least after these leeches have been purged from the Empire, I can focus on other plans with peace of mind' Artaxerxes thought.

Turning to his other advisors and generals in the hall, Artaxerxes asks, "How has the recruitment gone? Are the armies ready to march?" Having heard this, Megabyzus stepped forward, "My King, currently 100,000 men have been mobilized, with half of them fully trained and ready to fight immediately, the other half are fresh recruits and will only be fully prepared after they've been bloodied."

Hearing this, Artaxerxes moves 100,000 soldiers worth of tokens onto the engraved table. Megabyzus then steps in and places them where the armies are currently stationed, mostly in the Persian heartland itself, such as Persepolis and Anshan. These armies naturally didn't include the thousands of garrison troops stationed throughout the empire to maintain public safety.

All the men in the room proceeded to stare intently at the figures on the table, almost as if willing for them to move into action and occupy the enemy capital of Zariaspa. Finally, Artaxerxes spoke, "In war, information is key. Ur, I grant all the resources you need in order to effectively quantify and identify the locations of enemy troops. Naturally, this applies not only to the Bactrians but the other satraps that have rebelled."

"Right now, speed is key. Should we wait for the newly rebelling satraps to train a sizable force, it will be disastrous." Artaxerxes said. Motioning for Parnakka, the royal family steward, who stood nearby to write something down, he said "Issue the following decree to all my armies:

I am Artaxerxes, Great king, King of Kings, King of Countries, King on this Great Earth Far and Wide, son of King Xerxes, son of Darius, the Achaemenid. Artaxerxes the Great King proclaims: The Liar King, Hystaspes, marches against our great motherland. Together with the gods, we will fight, we will fight and defeat the demons who want nothing but our demise. By the grace of Ahuramazda, we will be victorious!