Idanthyrsus

Age: 35

Faction: Saka

Appearance:

Idanthysrus measures up at 6'1, but is rather lean from life on the steppes, and weights around 180 lb. He keeps his hair to slightly past shoulder length, and has it braided. His body is covered with scars for a life of warfare, but most is covered by his long sleeves and pants. Also wears a long pointed cap when cold, but will remove it for most of the time so his hair can flow freely.

Personality:

Idanthyrsus seems to be a spring of energy. He is always active doing something, simply sitting there and waiting is the bane of his existence. He is slow to anger but does not forget past wrongs, and is quite fierce once roused. As well, he hostile and distrusting of strangers, but if you can earn his friendship, it is a bond for life. He takes his greatest joy from riding and warfare, which he often partakes at the same time. Like many nomads, he is in love with gold and gems. He is also very ambitious, looking to expand his power.

Occupation: King of the Saka tribes

Weapons: Sagaris Battle Axe, Gilded Long Sword, Composite Bow Armour: Lamellar armour, high armoured neck guard, a round iron helm, steel brassarts, greaves, all overlaid with gold

Clothing: long sleeved shirt, pants, and long pointed hat with gold and gems covering all of it. Wears different jewelry, including rings, earing, neckring.

History: Born into the Saka Haomavarga tribe, Idanthyrsus was born into a rich noble clan. As one of the more wealthy tribe, he and his warriors were able to equip their troops with some real weapons and armour, rather then the bow and cheap spear that most troops only had. By leading numerous raids against fellow nomads and neighboring Iranians and Greeks, he was both able to increase his wealth and the declining power of the Haomavarga. Soon both he was the head of the tribe and the tribe was rapidly rising in influence in Saka politics.

After being chief of his tribe for ten years, he married into ruling family of the Saka Rauka, the royal family of all the Saka tribes. The circumstances of this rise to power are rather murky, as there were several other nobles who were likely to be chosen first disappeared or have an accident. But all is fair in love and war.

But indeed all is fair, and Idanthyrsus was not immune to its effect. During one of the typical spring raids, Idanthyrsus and the rest of the royal family was ambushed by the Daha. While the large guard they had with them was able to beat them off, most of the family died. In fact Idanthyrsus was one of the few to make it through, and that was with an arrow in the gut among other things.

Because of the events of his marriage, many people were suspicious of this, since he was now king, only two years after being heir to the throne. But he was king now and there nothing they could say about it in the open.

It was this last attack that made him realize something. All these petty raids and counter raids, were just that, petty raids. This stupid squabbles in the steppe was just a waste of time and people. Just to the south, in the borders of the Yavana gold flowed like their mighty rivers. And to the south and west, in their homelands and beyond, such stories were repeated. The past had shown they were more then a match for the settled people, why fight for a barren wasteland, when you can fight for a golden paradise?

So for the next five years, Idanthyrsus set about reorganizing his people. He consolidated his power, bringing some of the wilder border tribes that had been only under control in name into full control. Several other tribes in the west were either subdued or made into vassal states. Gold mines in the eastern mountains were finally completed, bring in a new large source of revenue. And with the extending of his influence over the eastern trade routes, this meaning there was an increasing number of nobles, and rich nobles. While the process was very slowly coming along, in the long run it would mean a bigger, better army. While by modern standards it was still a backwater state, Idanthyrsus would take any gain where he could get it.