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The next three days of the journey are monotonous, as the galleys sweep slowly north into the Gulf of Adramyttium, and then west. The winds are typical for midsummer – which is to say, they are constantly blowing northerly and against the efforts of the crews, necessitating that the galleys keep their sails lowered and packed. Rowing your way north to the southern edge of the Troad takes the better part of two days, but the pace accelerates once your crews are able to sail west along the coastline towards the city of Antandrus. The sloping ascent of Mount Ida looms in the distance off to the north, and the peak of the mountain, known as Gargarus, is clearly visible. It is no doubt the highest point in the Troad – you itch to summit it, even standing aboard the Salaminian galley.
As you pass by Antandrus, the Salaminian crew becomes nervous – the denizens of this city are known as the Leleges, you learn from them, and you assemble from the wild rumors flying about the decks that these people, neither of Luwian or Hellenic ancestry, are standoffish, warlike and prone to attacking passing vessels. Some of the wilder tales involve ritual sacrifice and cannibalism, but you’re not so naive as to believe such lurid tales from a naval crew. However, you inquire about them with Pollux and Castor, and Pollux is quick to poke fun at you:
“Nikandros, I may be old and wise, but I hardly know of every tribe along the Anatolian coast. Aboard the Argo, we missed the southern Troad entirely on the way to Euxine Sea…But now that I think of it – I recollect that Andrastus is a Lelegian colony – sent by King Altes of Mysia some decades past, although who rules in Andrastus, I cannot say. Altes was the father of Ancaeus, the Samian Argonaut I had mentioned to you before – funny that we've spoken of him twice recently. As for the Lelegians – it is said that they were present here in the Aegean long before the Hellenes.”
You thank Pollux for his wisdom and he brushes your gratitude aside, saying only – “Even Argonauts can grow bored at sea, Nikandros. Meet me on the sands when we next have the chance and we can find some excitement!”
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Despite the anxieties of the crew, Ajax and Menelaus determine that the ships should be hidden and nestled along the Andrastian coastline well before twilight falls on the third day of travel from Lesbos. The ships are tugged between two sheer hills – your strength is greatly appreciated by the Salaminians as you assist Ajax, each of you doing the work of a team of lesser men.
The night watch is a tense affair – no torches or campfires are permitted, and an extensive network of sentries are posted atop the nearest hills. Nearly half the crews are assigned to this duty, but you’re repeatedly assured that such precautions are wise – this part of the Troad has many shallow valleys and steep hills, and platoons of spearmen can stumble into one another unaware without diligent efforts.
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