The Eleutheroi, or Independents. You know them well. Indeed, they are your most common enemy. The many small nations and regional powers you will face in your initial expansion all belong to the Eleutheroi. But not only in your rise to power will you come across this myriad of peoples, but wherever you choose to expand, independents will stand in your way.

It is impossible to name every single tribe and people which will resist your dreams of conquest. From the great western ocean to the peaks of the Altai, you will encounter these little empires and proudly independent tribes. One thing binds this great band of enemies: their fear and revulsion of your wish to expand your borders.

But don’t expect the great collection of Eleutheroi to be pushovers. They will resist you with all their heart and spirit once you decide the time has come to incorporate them into your rising empire. You are a threat to their very existence, and they will not give up until you have completely destroyed them - or convinced them that it isn’t that bad being under your suzerainty.

It depends on your guile and willpower how much of a problem the Eleutheroi will be. Watch out! An army of marauding Scythians has assaulted your city! What will you do? Will you let them have a go at your walls, while you bypass them and take their settlements? Will you bribe them? Or will you lift the siege of your bastion? The choice is yours - just remember that while you think, they move. Indecisiveness will play you right into their hands.

But, then again, you might not be just another power struggling for a place in the sun. You might be the great leader of the greatest power on the face of the earth. Who, then, are the Eleutheroi to you? Surely they are just little rodents trying to gnaw away at your extensive borders? Perhaps - but that does not mean you should treat them as such. There are many that want to be independent - and a big pack of rodents can bring the sturdiest of trees to come crashing down.

However you choose to treat the Eleutheroi, remember one thing: for every one you strike down, there are a hundred more waiting from where that one came from. Beware!