Arkah, we salute you.

In the times of uncertainty ahead, you will lead us and the people look forward to your kingship! We are more or less free of Seleukid rule, but you should never count them as friends and allies. The nobles are awaiting your visit to their estates, and many a young Hay noble son is training in the arts of hunting, for when you will come and grace their estate by your visit. Our people are free, or freer than before. It is true we were a satrapy under Persia, but it was a good life then and we didn't feel any oppression. Now again we have our own king, and perhaps a new Greater Hayasdan will be born.

As our king you will lead the host to battle, or send your sons in your stead. The Nakharar and Azat nobles will provide you with the elite troops in your army, the armoured cataphracts. These men either fight solely as lancers, where their task is to punch a hole through a weak spot in the enemy formations, or as archers who pepper the enemy from afar and then close in when the battered enemy is either tired or tries to flee. The estates will also provide more lighter cavalry, made up of tough cavalrymen armed with javelins and tabar axes. They will serve you well in harassing the enemy flanks and pursuing a beaten foe. The lower classes, the shinakans, will fill the ranks of your infantry which can be relied to do their duty, but who sadly are no match for the phalanx infantry of the Hellenes. Remember Arkah that warfare is an art. You have to know what troops to use during battle and when to use which troops. No unit is a war-winning force in itself. Cataphracts alone against phalanxes is disaster, as is infanty alone against horse archers.

Our kingdom is either on the verge to expand and grow greater, or to fail and just be a footnote in history. Your rule only extends to all of Hayasdan proper, yet with cunning and good use of our armies that can change. To our north in the Caucasus there are small mountain kingdoms, who are allied to none and who can be conquered early. North of the Caucasus mountains again there are endless steppes with no strong rulers, but the Sauromatae are north of them again and they might impose their rule further south. Should you face them, then falling back to the Caucasus mountain passes would be a good idea to fight them on your own terms and where the hills will not give their cavalry an advantage. To our west in Persian nobles rule large estates, yet if we move in here we might come into conflict with the upstart kingdom of Pontos. They might consider us easier prey than the Seleukids, so do not leave your western border undefended. To our south, are our "lords" the Seleukids. Be polite towards them as their empire is large and so are their armies. Should they find the mountain passes between our homelands and Syria poorly defended, they might want to reduce your title to satrap and your height by the neck, by sending an army or two. Also be wary of rumours from the south. The Seleukids have many enemies, and should they wage war on many fronts, you might be able to 'grab' some lands from them. To our east there are more independent rulers, but across the Kaspia Thalassa, the Pahlava roam. They might not be an enemy to us now, but keep and eye on the coasts of Kaspia Thalassa to see if any Pahlavan army might come your way. Know your neighbours and understand your armies, and our people will be remembered in the annals of history.