Mypathian Column

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Settlements and Fortresses


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Samadin


Mypathian Column}

Let all who enter this city see what happens to those who challenge Samadics at sea. Let them see the folly of the mighty Kanodite Empire. Let them see that few stood against many and won.

The Mypathian Column is an honourary column situated in the port of Samadin, built to remember the Battle of Mypatha won in 97BSF during the Andistani Revolt. The column looked out over the Samadic harbour, adjacent to the military wharf. After its creation, it was customary for declarations of war, statements of victory and the sharing of war booty to take place next to the column. After the victory at Mypatha, several of the captured triremes were beached and had their bronze prows removed which were then brought back to the Samadic Kingdom as part of the victory spoils. Four of these prows adorn the sides of the marble platform on which the bronze column itself stands, made from the melted-down remaining prows. The column was topped with two shark heads, made of silver.

Etymology

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The Mypathian Column is named after the Battle of Mypatha, a naval battle won decisively by the Samadic Kingdom and their Andistani allies. Prows from the captured Kanodite ships were melted down to be used as the metal for the column and the marble and construction costs were covered by Aplaa Libaya Kanodari, the victorious admiral who commissioned the column.

History

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For most of Kanodite history, the Samadic Kingdom has found itself in either open war with its neighbour or regularly plundering their trade routes or ungarrisoned cities. The creation of the famous Great Chain of Faravar was predominately justified to protect the Kassia from Samadic incursions and avoid a protracted and expensive conflict. This rivalry shaped Samadic policy and ensured that their navy was kept ready for any punitive expeditions that a Kanodite Great King might order. At the beginning of the Andistani Revolt, the newly crowned Andistani King Sina sent out messages to the surrounding cities and kingdoms asking for aid. 50 triremes, a portion of the Samadic naval power, was dispatched to aid the Andistani and potential fragment the Kanodite Empire, making the power disparities tip more in the favour of the Samadics. A major victory was won by the combined Andistani-Samadic fleets at the Battle of Mypatha, by Aplaa Libaya Kanodari, where over 130 Kanodite triremes were captured and sunk, crippling the eastern Kanodite navy. Samadic involvement in the revolt ended shortly after the battle however significant amounts of loot were taken during the conflict, including several bronze prows from captured Kanodite triremes. A majority was confiscated by the Samadic King, Hiyani III, on the pretence of covering the cost of the conflict however many felt it was done to placate the Samadic nobility who had become increasingly distrustful of the victorious Aplaa, a pirate turned war hero. It is believed that Aplaa first heard of the confiscation at the point where the column currently stands. With a portion of the remaining funds and the bronze prows from the captured warships, Aplaa ordered the construction of a victory column in the harbour of Samadin. Most of the bronze was melted down for the column but four were kept to adorn the marble base. Specific pieces of plunder, in particular the breastplate of the defeated admiral, were placed at the bottom.

Those stalwart few of Aplaa dedicated this
having stood against tyrants and conquerors.
— The inscription underneath the Mypathian Column

The column has continued to stand in Samadas since construction as a reminder of the Battle of Mypatha. It also serves as the point where the current Samadic Kings greet returning ships, share declarations of war and hand out spoils and booty to the admirals and generals who have returned from their conflict.

Function

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Having taken spoils from their involvement in the Andistani Revolt, the Samadic campaign had been both a military success but also a strategic success, showing that the Kanodite Empire could be beaten by a smaller power (despite the overall failure of the Andistani Revolt by 95BSF after Samadic involvement ended). The Mypathian Column was primarily built as a trophy to celebrate the conflict and the victory at Mypatha. At a personal level, the column was paid for from a portion of the spoils, by the victorious Aplaa Libaya Kanodari who had led the campaign. An imperial decree by the then reigning Samadic King, Hiyani III had taken most of the booty from Aplaa into imperial hands. The location of the column is believed to be where Aplaa was informed of the decision as he oversaw the unloading of his loot. Standing prominently in the harbour of Samadin, the column is used as a meeting point for foreign dignitaries, a place for the Samadic royalty to see off and welcome back departing fleets, a typical stage for the announcement of new wars and finally a traditional point for the symbolic sharing of loot amongst commanders who have returned from a victorious campaign.

I celebrate you. You took by spear and sail. You who followed the wind to victory. I celebrate you. Before this column, you have returned arms laden with riches having faced the risks. As only a true Samadic would. It is I, who celebrates you
— A speech by a member of the Samadic royalty, lauding a return raiding fleet

Architecture

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The bronze column, without the marble base, stands eight metres high and is comprised of two parts; two bronze intertwining pillars, mirroring a section of rope, and the silver toppers smelted in the shape of a shark head. The shark was the symbol of Aplaa Libaya Kanodari, the admiral that oversaw the victory at the Battle of Mypatha. The base of the column is made from a rectangular piece of white marble on which four bronze trireme prows are fixed. A top this is another piece of marble shaped like a flat-topped egg, engraved with four tiers of imagery. Each tier shows a stage of the battle. Of note are the scenes showing Bijam taking the Kanodite fleet to sea in pursuit of the Andistani-Samadic fleet, the collapse of the Kanodite right wing and the last stand of the Kanodite admiral, Bijam, aboard his flagship.