Regnum Iudaeorum - The Lost Ten Tribes Of Israel

Soarom said:

יהוא

We want screenies!

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Thanks for sharing the proper spelling of the name in Hebrew, Soarom!

No screenies yet. This is a prequel right now. Everything that's happening now is taking place before AVC 474. I have a rather long story planned out for the prequel, but it will explain a lot, so that once the game starts everything will make sense.

Eber said:

Again, excellent update crusaderknight! If you ever need any help on your hebrew or anything, just send me a message. I'll be glad to help.

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Thanks, Eber! I will keep your offer in mind.

The lookout’s cheerful cry could be heard throughout the camp. “The Chief! The Chief and his men have returned!”

The camp was filled with anticipation, and some worry, too. Everyone was wondering if their husbands and fathers were returning with the Chief, or if they would never see their loved ones again. But fear was alleviated when the lookout called out that the men seemed to be in full number. Granted, at this distance, he could not account for every man, and certainly there must have been some casualties, but if their number still appeared to be close to 3,000 it meant that most of the men were alive and well.

Ezra went out to meet the Chief, and Jehu insisted on coming with him. As they drew near, Jehu ran up to his father and hugged him tightly, “Abba! I’m so glad that you are alright!” Ahaz smiled and ruffled his son’s hair.

The Chief then shook Ezra’s hand and said, “Thankyou, Ezra, for protecting our people and for protecting my son.”

Ezra smiled and said, “I am proud to do my duty to help our people survive. I am glad to see that so many of you have returned. Was the Skythian attack light?”

Ahaz shook his head, “No. Many of the Skythians came. Thankfully we were ready to leave by the time they arrived. However, they attacked the cart which carried our Menorah. It makes sense that they went for the Menorah, as it is the only gold in our people’s possession.”

Ezra’s eyes widened in horror, “They did not take the Menorah, did they?”

Ahaz bowed his head, “Do you remember Jonathan Bar-Pekah?”

“Yes, my Chief. He and I were friends.”

The Chief sighed heavily, “He was near the Menorah’s cart when the attack came, and he led his hundred in a valiant defense. In the end, only one of them managed to escape, with the Menorah in his hands. But Jonathan and ninety-nine of his men gave their lives to defend it.”

Ezra bowed his head in sorrow for his friend. But now was not the time to grieve. Though the loss of Jonathan and 99 of his men was sad, things could have been a lot worse. The rest of the men had returned un-harmed, and the Menorah was safe. The Skythians had done relatively little damage, and this was cause for celebration.

The camp was filled with cheerful songs praising Adonai for returning the men safely home. But the families of Jonathan and his men mourned for their loved ones. They tore their robes and put sackcloth on. Ezra went to join them and to comfort them.

After the celebration a memorial was held for those who had fallen. The worst part of it was that their bodies could not even be retrieved for a proper burial. The people prayed for protection of the bodies from the wild beasts which would seek to eat them. A large stone was found, and was erected in the centre of the camp. Some men took stones and carved the names of the fallen onto the rock, and finished with these words, “May they never be forgotten”.

_______________

It was the middle of the night when Jehu woke up. He looked around the tent and saw that his father was not there. He got up, got dressed, and crept out of the tent. There were lights in the tent to the right, and he heard quiet voices. He sneaked over to the tent, slowly went down onto his belly, and quietly poked his head under the tent to see inside.

He looked up and saw his father, along with Eleazar, and the heads of the tribes, standing around a table. They had not noticed the boy, and for that he was thankful. If he was caught, he would be in a world of trouble.

He knew the heads of the tribes well. His father, Chief Ahaz, was the head of the Tribe of Ephraim. Each of the other Tribes had their own chief as well, but Ahaz was the High Chief over the other chiefs. Jehu could see Chief Abijah of Manasseh, Chief Elihu of Reuben, Chief Obed of Simeon, Chief Dathan of Dan, Chief Lemuel of Naphtali, Chief Nadab of Gad, Chief Gemariah of Asher, Chief Bethuel of Issachar, and Chief Merari of Zebulon. Also, among the exiles was a small number of Levites who had left their fellow Jews to come with the Ten Tribes out of Persia. These Levites did not have a “Chief”, but the High Priest was the head of their small number. High Priest Mattaniah was at the meeting as well.

Jehu could hear Chief Elihu speaking. Because Reuben had been the eldest son of Jacob, the Chief of the Reubenites was held in a place of honour. Only two men in all the camp were above him: High Chief Ahaz and High Priest Mattaniah. Because of his high position, Elihu was considered to be the representative of the people to the High Chief in all matters political, and to the High Priest in all matters religious. The other Chiefs often looked to him to speak for them. When Jehu had poked his head into the tent, he heard Elihu say, “We cannot stay in this land any longer. The attacks of the Skythians are growing more common. This was the third attack in as many months.”

Ahaz rubbed his forehead to alleviate the headache he was suffering. He said, “I don’t understand it. The Skythians have never been so aggressive before.”

“It is the way of things,” said Abijah, “It has always been the way of things. We are Adonai’s chosen people, and for that the world hates us. It was no different when our forefathers came to Canaan under Joshua. The Canaanites were just as hostile. The Amalekites attacked our people before they had even entered the Promised Land.”

“But our people have roamed this land for 40 years,” said Ahaz. “The Skythians have never been this aggressive before.”

Elihu replied, “40 years ago our people numbered close to 25,000. Now we have a mere 11,000. Our numbers have dwindled while the Skythians have grown. They are growing bolder because we are much weaker. We can only field 3,000 men now, where once we could put 7,000 in the field. Our manpower is less than half of what it used to be.”
“I am aware of that fact, Elihu,” said Ahaz. “But there must be more to it than that. Our numbers have been small for years. Why did the Skythians choose now of all times to attack?”

Eleazar waved his hand in the air, as though to clear out the argument like an undesired smell. “None of that matters now,” he said. “All that matters is what we are going to do now.”

“We cannot stay here, on the banks of the Chayyim. The Skythians will come, and we will be too vulnerable here,” said Ahaz.

Elihu scoffed, “And just where do you suggest we go, Ahaz?”

“I am open to suggestions,” came the reply.

“Cherson,” everyone looked in the direction of the voice. It was Chief Lemuel of Naphtali.

“Cherson?” asked Ahaz.

Lemuel nodded, “It is a Greek city on the peninsula called ‘Krimea’. It is just to the south and west from here. Typically, the Greeks have been kind to us Hebrews. Perhaps we can find some temporary refuge with the people of Cherson.”

Everyone listened carefully to Lemuel’s advice. Excepting Eleazar, whose age nobody knew, Lemuel was the oldest man in the camp. Indeed, only Lemuel and Eleazar had been old enough to remember anything of the Exodus from Persia over 40 years ago. Everyone else who still lived was either too young then, or hadn’t yet been born. Lemuel and Eleazar were revered as the wisest men in the camp. It was folly to disregard anything they said without first taking it into serious consideration.

Ahaz said, “Does anyone object? If so, let him present an alternative.”

Nobody said anything, though Elihu seemed less than happy.

“Then it is settled,” said Ahaz. “Go back to your tents now, brothers, and sleep. Tomorrow we will make the announcement to the entire camp, and the day after that we will leave for Cherson.”

Jehu quietly crawled away from the tent and rushed back to his own. He hurriedly undressed so that he was only wearing his loin cloth, and he quickly slipped under the covers of his bed. He must appear to be asleep when his father entered, or else there would be consequences.

He heard his father enter, speaking to Eleazar. He knew it was wrong to eve’s drop, but he could not help overhearing what they spoke about…

rcduggan said:

Jewish Britain! This is so awesome, I like the style so far.

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Thanks. I'm using everything I've learned about narrative writing to make this great! But I'm also always open to constructive criticism, too.

Enewald said:

Britain?

I thought they were wandering in Sarmatia... awwies...

maybe show a map of the movements of the tribes?

From egypt to canaan, and from persia to sarmatia?

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My mod begins in 474 with the Ten Tribes already in Britain, which is what rcduggan is referring to. This AAR is at present the backstory behind how and why they got there. But don't worry, you're right. At this point in time, they are in Sarmatia.

A map might be a good idea. I will see what I can do.

stnylan said:

So to the Crimea. Interesting things coudl happen there.

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gis said:

I like! I really do... When I was reading it, I translated the conversations into Hebrew, just for the point of it.

Just they didn't speak Modern Hebrew...

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Wow, that's awesome!

Jehu peeked his eyes out from under his blanket and saw his father enter the tent along with Eleazar. He heard Eleazar say, “You cannot blame yourself, Ahaz.”

“Can I not?” asked the Chief. “Look at our people, Eleazar. They are weary. We’ve been wandering for forty years now, just like our ancestors did after the Exodus from Egypt. Only now we don’t have a Joshua to lead us to the Promised Land. We have no home. It is the duty of the Chief to find his people a home but I have failed.”

“We are in this mess because of your father, not you,” said Eleazar.

Ahaz shook his head, “My father wasn’t Chief for very long. I have ruled our people for most of my life, and it is my fault that we are so weak.”

“Ahaz,” insisted the old man, “You father left you in an impossible position. He got himself killed along with many of our warriors. We became easy targets for the Skythians and other raiding peoples. You cannot call yourself a failure. While it is true that since you became chief over half of our number has been slaughtered or captured by the Skythians, the fact that after forty years there are still 11,000 people is a testament to your endless determination as our leader. Under a lesser man, we would all have died or been enslaved long ago.”

“I cannot go on like this, my friend,” said Ahaz, “I don’t want to lose Jehu like I lost Rachel…” the Chief’s eyes began to water, and his voice cracked as he said his wife’s name.

Eleazar sighed, “You do not still blame yourself for Rachel’s death, do you? Ahaz, my friend, you are too hard on yourself. There was nothing you could do to save her.”

“If I had been in the camp instead of riding to speak with the leaders of Tanais…”

“Then you would have died defending her, and that would have left Jehu as a two year-old Chief. Imagine the chaos that would have ensued then. You know that Elihu has long desired leadership of the Tribes. That would have been the perfect time for him to take over. Ahaz, you must remember that Adonai works in mysterious ways that we cannot always understand. But take comfort in the fact that Rachel is now in a better place. You will see her again, someday. But until that day, you must remain strong. For Jehu, and for your people. Lead them to Cherson and hopefully we will find some rest in the shadow of her walls. From there… it is in Adonai’s hands.”

Ahaz nodded his head, “You are right, as always, my friend. What would I do without you?”

Jehu missed the rest of the conversation. Exhaustion at last overcame him, and he fell asleep. He dreamt of his mother, what few memories he had of her. And then he dreamt of Cherson, and the wonders he would find there…
_______________

The next day was spent in prayer for Adonai’s protection over the march south to Cherson. The day after that, the camp was packed and the people began their journey. The tents were packed and then carried on the backs of the Levies, while the Warriors wore all of their armour, so as to be ready in case of a surprise attack. The women pulled carts filled with the belongings of their families. The youngest of children rode in the carts with the possessions, but most of the children walked alongside their mothers. The Tribal Chiefs led the way with Ahaz at the forefront.

The journey was a solemn one. It meant a leaving behind of everything they had once known. For forty years they had wandered in the region between the Chayyim and the Don. For forty years they had lived in fear of the Skythians. But now they would find refuge in the Krimean peninsula. The Greeks had typically been kind to the Hebrews, especially in the Colonies. The people hoped to find some respite in the city of Cherson.

They marched westward for days, until they came to the banks of a mighty river. They did not know the name of this river, and few had ever seen it before. But they knew that this was the sign for them to turn south. And so they marched south.

Occasionally they would see small bands of horsemen riding in the distance. Jehu asked Eleazar if the horsemen were Skythians. His teacher replied, “Not quite. They are called the Rhoxolani. They are a nomadic race of people, much like we have been for the past forty years. They can be a violent people, but they do not have the same bloodlust as their Skythian cousins. They do not like people taking their land, but they will not harm travelers. I believe these horsemen are keeping an eye on us, making sure we are just passing through their land. So long as we keep moving every day, and do not stay in one place for more than a night, they should not attack us.”


After a few weeks of marching south, the Hebrew Tribes came upon a great sea. Eleazar explained with glee to his young pupil, “That is the Pontos Euxeinos, as the Greeks call it. It means ‘Hospitable Sea’. The Greeks have built many colonies along the coastlines of this great sea. From Trapezous in the south, to Tanais in the east. On the western coastline are cities such as Tyras. And along the northern coast, there are many colonies, mostly located on the Krimean peninsula to which we are headed. Chief among those colonies are: Pantikapeum, Nymphaion, Kimmerikon, Theodosia, Kerkinitis, and Cherson. Once we reach the Krimea we will not have to fear attacks, and once we reach Cherson we can at last find rest.”

The Hebrews now marched west again, along the coastline until the land at last stretched south in a small isthmus. The people followed it south, and were at last in the Krimean peninsula…

stnylan said:

Let us hope for better times for these wanderers.

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Indeed. But, in most cases, things must get worse before they can get better...

There was a general feeling of relief among the people now that they had arrived in the Krimea. They were beyond the reach of the Skythians, and they had made it safely through the lands of the Rhoxolani. Many people sang songs of praise to Adonai for delivering them safely to this new land.

On the first Sabbath day after entering the Krimea, the people stopped to rest. The begged for Adonai’s forgiveness that they had not rested on the Sabbaths since the attack, but rather had continued traveling. After begging for Adonai’s forgiveness, they rejoiced by singing. High Priest Mattaniah led them in singing an old Psalm of rejoicing:


The next day their marching began again. They had not marched long when Chief Ahaz called for a halt. Standing there on the path in front of them were three men. They were clad in bright coloured cloth and worse bronze breastplates and helmets which covered their faces. Sticking out from their helmets were colourful plumes of horse hair.


Chief Ahaz was among the few Hebrews who could speak Greek fluently, and he stepped closer to the men, stating, “I am Ahaz Bar-Caleb, Chief over the Ten Tribes of Israel. Who speaks for you?”

The men seemed shocked at first that Ahaz spoke such perfect Greek, but very soon regained their composure. The one in the middle took a step forward and said, “I am Nikodemos, son of Orestes. I am a servant of Iason, Tyrant of Kerkinitis. What business brings you, and the thousands of people with you, into our lands?” Nikodemos’ voice had a deep metallic ring to it as it left his helmet, and the sound sent a shiver down Ahaz’s spine.

Ahaz took a deep breath and said, “We have been fleeing from the Skythians for weeks now, and have only just made it safely through Rhoxolani territory. We are headed for the city of Cherson on the south of this Peninsula. We do not mean to trespass, and we mean you no harm. But we are weary, and ask only that we be allowed to pass through this land on our way to Cherson.”

“That is a matter for the Tyrant to decide. If you are willing, you may send an emissary to him to seek his favour. Iason is a good man, and if he judges you to be righteous, he will let you pass.”

“I will go myself,” replied Ahaz.

A jovial laugh could be heard from Nikodemos’ helmet. When he had finished laughing, the Greek removed his helmet to reveal a handsome face and long blonde hair. Nikodemos said, “A Brace gesture indeed, Chief Ahaz. Iason respects courage above almost all other virtues. Only honesty is valued more by him. If you wish, you may bring an escort. No more than two men, though.”

Ahaz agreed. He then returned to the people to tell them of his decision. The Chiefs were not at all pleased. Things were only made worse when Ahaz announced that his escort would not consist of two elite soldiers, but rather his son, Jehu, and Ezra Bar-Jonah. Chief Lemuel gave the greatest protestation, “Ahaz, what if this is a trap? If this ‘Iason’ should take your life, or hold you as a hostage, then not only will we have lost our Chief, but we will lose your son, Jehu as well. And Ezra Bar-Jonah is still a youth. There are many better soldiers who could come with you.”

Ahaz shook his head, “Lemuel, though I highly respect your opinion, the decision has been made. I want Jehu to come with me because I believe this will be a good learning experience for him. He will be Chief when I am dead, and he must learn the ways of diplomacy. And as for Ezra, he is Defender of the Innocents. If he can be trusted with the safety of our women and children, then why can he not be trusted with the safety of me and my son?”

At this Chief Elihu of Reuben spoke up and said, “I agree with Ahaz. Young Jehu will one day be our Chief. His education is paramount. I would not want a Chief who did not know how to conduct diplomacy with our neighbours, especially if we are to remain on this peninsula for a long time. Greeks do not have a reputation for being trustworthy, and I, too, want Jehu to know how to deal with them. And Ahaz’s assertion of Ezra is also correct.” Elihu then smiled to himself. If things went as planned, then, being the representative of the people and the chiefs, he would be given control of the Tribes in Ahaz’s absence. The power would be his…

Ahaz nodded to Elihu and said, “Thankyou for your support and understanding, Elihu.” Then, to all of the chiefs he said, “In my absence, Chief Lemuel of Naphtali will govern the people, as there is no one with greater knowledge and wisdom than he, and no one I would trust more with the safety of our people in my absence.”

Lemuel humbly accepted the honour, and all of the chiefs agreed to support him, though Elihu silently despised Ahaz even more now…
_______________

The march to Kerkinitis was quiet. Very little conversation passed between the six travelers. Jehu watched Nikodemos and his men with awe. He had never seen anyone who could look more frightening than his father in armour before. But in their heavy bronze equipment, the soldiers of Kerkinitis were ten times as frightening as Ahaz was in his battle armour. And yet, curiosity drew the boy stronger than his fear repelled him.

He had never seen a horse hair plume before, and that was the most exciting thing of all for him. It made the helmets even more frightening, and made the soldiers who wore them look much taller than they actually were. And the spear which one of the men carried was much longer than any spear Jehu had seen before. The spears of the Warriors were little more than six feet tall, barely taller than a man. But this spear, it had to be taller than two men combined!

When night came, Nikodemos ordered the men to make a camp. Ofcourse, none of them had tents with them, as they were just a day’s journey from the city. One of the Greeks made a fire, while the other, along with Ezra, cleared the land around the fire to be a sleeping area. Nikodemos would stand first watch. The others were to get some sleep. But Jehu was too excited to sleep. So many thoughts danced in his mind.

At last, he got up, and overcoming his fear, he walked over to where Nikodemos was standing watch. The boy had learned Greek from Eleazar years ago, and kept in good practice, as his father had commanded. Now was a perfect time to test his Greek, on an actual Greek! Mustering all of the courage in his veins, Jehu managed to say, “Hello, sir.”

Nikodemos jumped at the sound and drew his sword. He spun around towards the source of the sound and pointed his blade. Then he saw it was Jehu and sighed. He sheathed his sword and said, “It is only you. You gave me such a start. I hope I didn’t frighten you too much.”

Jehu shook his head, “Nope. I’ve seen Skythian swords come closer to my head before.”

“You must have lived a very dangerous life then,” said the Greek.

Jehu shrugged, “Well, that’s what happens when you don’t have a home, I guess. We’ve been wandering my whole life, and for most of my father’s life, too.”

Nikodemos shook his head, “I could not imagine having no home. My family has lived in Kerkinitis since the earliest days. We were among the first settlers from Miletus almost three hundred years ago. And I doubt you could find a Greek anywhere who would feel differently than I. For a Greek, your city-your polis- is everything. It defines who and what you are. A Greek without a city is… well… nothing.”

The boy smiled, “It must be nice to have the same home to go to every night. Tell me, what is Kerkinitis like? I can’t wait to see it!”

“Kerkinitis is the most beautiful polis in the world, my boy,” said Nikodemos with awe in his voice. “At least, that’s what I think. Ask any Greek and he will tell you his home city is the most beautiful in all the world. Ah, but you want to hear why Kerkinitis is beautiful, don’t you? Her walls stand taller than four men, and are made of stone. We have beautiful baths, amphitheatres, and agoras there. Our buildings are supported by columns of all types, though mostly in our traditional Ionic style. However, some of the aristocrats, including the Tyrant, have Korinthian style columns supporting their homes.”

“That sounds nice,” said Jehu. “Tell me about your leader. You keep calling him a ‘Tyrant’. What does that mean?”

“Well,” began Nikodemos, “We Greeks are not a united people. Most of our poleis are completely independent, and have their own unique constitutions. These independent poleis have varying degrees of representative or authoritarian governments. The more authoritarian governments are called ‘Tyrannies’, and the more representative governments are called ‘Democracies’. A Tyranny is ruled by a Tyrant, who holds his office for life, and will typically pass on his power to his son…”

“Just like my father, the Chief!” said Jehu with excitement. “He will pass on his power to me one day!”

Nikodemos smiled, “Exactly! However, in a Democracy, the ruler does not keep his power forever, but only for one year. He is called an Archon, and each year he must win the vote of the people. If he does not, then a new leader is elected by the people for the year.”

“That sounds really silly,” said Jehu. “How can a leader get anything done in only one year?”

“I don’t know,” said the Greek. “But I wouldn’t call it silly. You see, we Greeks live for diversity. Different people have different ideologies. One is not necessarily better than another, they are just different. There is nothing to say that Tyranny or Democracy is better than the other. Both have their positive traits and their negative. Both have reasons for existing, and reasons why they should not exist.”

“So are all Greeks ruled by either a Tyrant or an Archon?” asked Jehu.

“Not all,” replied Nikodemos, “Sometimes, the ruler of a polis conquers many others, and he builds for himself a nation. Although in principle he rules much like a Tyrant, a Greek leader who governs many poleis is called a King, because he is lord of many poleis, and not just one polis.”

Jehu bowed his head sadly, “My people have not had a King in a long time. Our last King was my ancestor, Hosea. He was defeated by the Assyrians about five hundred years ago, I think. Since then my people have been slaves until my grandfather, Caleb, led us into Skythia. But for some reason, my grandfather and my father, even though they are our leaders, and descended from King Hosea, they are not called Kings. Why is that?”

“I cannot say for sure, as I do not know much of your history,” said Nikodemos, “But if I had to guess, I would say for the same reason the absolute ruler of only one polis is called a Tyrant and not a King. It is because they have no Kingdom. Your father may be Chief of ten tribes, but your people have no homeland, no place to call their Kingdom. And without a Kingdom, there can be no King. Perhaps once your people find a homeland to call their own, you will have a King.”

“I hope so,” said Jehu with a yawn.

“You seem tired, my boy,” said the Greek. “You should get some sleep. We still have quite a ways to travel tomorrow before we finally reach Kerkinitis.”

“Okay,” said Jehu as he went over to where the others were sleeping and joined them. Nikodemos continued the watch for the next few hours. As he did so, he thought of what different worlds he and this boy came from, and yet they had become friends already, he felt. Tomorrow young Jehu would learn all about Nikodemos’ world. Perhaps one day, Nikodemos would get to learn all about Jehu’s…

etycaj said:

Nice, i still want more!

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I would be happy to accomodate if I can. Could you expound upon what "more" you want?

Eber said:

Jehu is learning. Great update and I am beginning to really like this Greek.

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Yeah, I like Nikodemos, too. He was a fun character to write, and I hope to use him later on in the story, too.

Enewald said:

Btw, what language are the greeks speaking with those tribes?
They seem to understand eachother well... but let's hope one day they shall have their king and eveyr tribe has its own province.

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They are speaking Greek. I mentioned in the update that Ahaz and Jehu can understand and speak Greek. But most of the Hebrews don't know the language yet, however.

That is the plan. A King for the people and a province for each tribe. The first goal is far more easily attained than the second, however.

stnylan said:

There seems to be a certain amount of sympathy - hopefully that bodes well.

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Indeed. The Hebrews need friends in these troubled times.




By the way, to all my readAARs, I should have the next update in a couple of days. In the mean time, I've made a "teaser" trailer advertisement for this book, and I plan to make more when the time comes to write later books of the AAR. The link to the video can be found on the first post of this AAR. Check it out and tell me what you think!
(Bear in mind that it is only the second video I have ever made, so if it isn't too good, that's why )