EB AAR: The Parni

The Parni: a Europa Barbarorum After Action Report

Prologue: The Funeral

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The four men stood around the funeral pyre, Arshak the new Sharhdar of the Parni following the death of his father, his son and heir, also named Arshak, his younger son, Tirdad, and finally his father's Captain of Horse, Harasp. All four men were lost in their thoughts as they watched the flame consume the great Sharhdar, Phrapates.

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Arshak senior was contemplating his father's last words on his deathbed. "Son, show the Greek King the honour he deserves. Be true Parni." Honour and honesty had been the guiding principles of Phrapates life and his son wanted to continue that tradition. He had a different view on the relationship between the Greek Basileus to the west and his people from his father however, they had had many arguments on the subject and it had blighted their relationship in recent years. To Phrapates the Parni had been a bulwark against tribes hostile to civilization, he saw the Greek Empire as a continuation of the great Persian Empires, and the Parni as a loyal and trusted ally. Arshak saw the relationship as one between great Empire and useful servant, as soon as the usefulness was gone the Greeks would turn on them. He feared the recent Parni occupation of the lands of the rebellious Satrap of Parthyaia would bring hostility from the Basileus in Mesopotamia. His father had seen it as retaking lands in the name of the Empire, no doubt the Greeks would see it as a threat to their power. His father's last words had left him unable to act first however. He was broken from his thoughts by the sight of a group of horsemen approaching, it seemed the Basileus representatives had finally arrived.

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Arshak junior's thoughts were similar to those of his father. He had marched with Harasp against the Parthyaian Satrap and watched the local Greeks as they welcomed their liberators into their cities. He had seen contempt and disgust in those faces, the Greeks had seen them as conquerors not liberators, a people beneath Greek culture and learning. He saw shame that a people like the Parni, and their Dahae allies, had come to the rescue of good Greeks. He knew his father's thoughts, his feelings on the Greek Basileus, how could he persuade him to "rescue" more Greeks?

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Tirdad's eyes were not on his grandfather, rather they were on his brother. The heir to their father's crown. Tirdad was not a man to stand aside and allow fate to bypass him, he wasn't looking back to his grandfathers reign, or to the immediate future and his father's reign. His thoughts were solely occupied with how he could better his brother show their father the younger son would be a better Sharhdar. Or perhaps therer would be a way to take the decision out of his father's hands...

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Harasp was the oldest man of the group, well past his fiftieth summer he still loved life in the saddle and vowed to stay alive so long as there was an enemy of the Parni yet to fight. He had led the Parni horsemen into the lands of the Satrap of Parthyaia after the rebellion and won battle after battle. Peace had reigned in the six months since the war had been won, already he was growing restless.


The horsemen reached the mourners and Arshak saw that it was Harasp's sons who had come to pay their respects, not the representative of the Greek Basileus. His eyebrows narrowed, messengers had been sent to every major Greek city informing them of the death of Phrapates, inviting representatives to pay their respects, an important part of Parni tradition. Representatives from the Saka and Sarmatian noble tribes had come, each bearing messages of condolence from their masters, and gifts for the new King. Even a messenger from the Indians, far to the south had come to show respect at the passing of a great leader.

The day went on and no Greek ambassador came. As he watched the dying embers flicker in the air, standing alone Arshak spoke to his father for the final time. "I will honour your last request father. I will show the Greeks the honour they deserve." He turned away to his horse and joined the rest of the group to return to Nisa.

Chapter One: East of Nisa...

Tirdad took a long swallow from his goatskin canteen, waiting for his scouts to return. Ever since he was a boy he had patrolled these plains, watching for bandits and hostile tribes. Now he was watching for the people he had been protecting, he was certain that they were arrogant enough to march west on foot, expecting numbers to win over ability and honour. The scouting party crested the top of a hill to his north and shot a flaming arrow in an easterly direction, they were coming then...

Rather than split his forces up to flank the enemy, Tirdad kept the group together and rode to the hill where his scouts were waiting. He wanted to have a look at the enemy himself, numbers and troop types, before he committed to a course of action. The scouts were sitting around, drinking from their own canteens, eating fruit and berries they had collected, clearly the enemy weren't close enough to be a threat.

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As the main force reached the top of the hill the scouts remounted their horses, the enemy were closer than Tirdad had imagined, the scouts had simply been showing their disdain for the Greeks with their nonchalant attitude. "You better have some of that forage left for after the fight." Snarled Darman, Tirdad's second in command and son of Harasp.

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Looking over at Tirdad, Darman nodded his head toward another hill to the left of the approaching Greeks. Tirdad nodded assent and half the horsemen moved down the hill, out of sight of the approaching army, and galloped to the hill.

Tirdad was now able to see the force approaching him, around three hundred men, most of them infantry with maybe a quarter light cavalry. A small number were heavily armoured spearmen, the rest amateur warriors taken from their fields to die. Tirdad felt a sudden anger at the arrogance of the Greeks to think such a force could take Nisa.

He forced himself to stay calm, rash action would see him lose men today, these Greeks would be defeated with the bare minimum losses to his forces. Just then he saw Darman reach the hilltop to his right, he was in arrow range of the Greeks and he sent volleys into the tightly packed spearmen. As they turned to their left to move toward Darman they came into Tirdad's range, he raised and lowered his arm to signal his men to fire. Two volleys hit the spearmen, who stopped in panic. They couldn't run or they would be shot down from behind, so the entire force charged at Tirdad.

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His men waited until the enemy were almost upon them, then swung right and rode away, shooting at them as they ran. The infantry were unable to keep up, and Tirdad wheeled his men back and charged the Greek light cavalry. The heavy Parni horsemen smashed right through the Greeks and wheeled around for another charge. The enemy cavalry were running from the field. As Tirdad looked back to Darman he saw the remnants of the Greek infantry steady itself for Darman's charge. He urged his men forward and charged the Greek rear as Darman hit the front. The Greek army, already shattered by the volleys of arrows and seeing their own cavalry swept from the field so easily, was unable to resist and tried to flee. They were cut down by sword, lance, axe and arrow. The only Greeks who left the field alive were the cavalry who had fled minutes before. Tirdad sent word back to his father in Nisa and moved further east, toward Greek land.

Nisa.

Arshak prayed before the holy flame in the temple of Ahura Mazda, asking for a sign of how he shoudl proceed against the Greeks. Was he to be the instigator, or should he would for the inevitable betrayal? He received no answer, and was reminded of his father's belief that the Gods don't tell man what to do, rather they support the bold and decisive man who interprets their desires himself. Leaving the temple he noticed a filthy horseman riding into the city, he had clearly been on the road for many days.

"My Lord!" The man exclaimed, having seen his King. "A message from your son!" Swiftly dismounting the man told Arshak of the Greek attack and Tirdad's victory."Good man, go get yourself something to eat and a bath. You have earned it my friend."

Back in Arshak's tent a meeting of the great men of the Dahae confederation took place.

"The war begins then, I have waited many years for this." Said Harasp, he expected to be given a large force of men and free reign to attack the enemy as he saw fit in the old Parni tradition. He would be disappointed.

"This is a new war for our people," began the King, "we cannot fight in the old style against this enemy. They have cities, cities teeming with men they can throw against us. To defeat them we need to take their cities, and our old way of fighting will not let us do this. We need to be clever, fight them hit and run, harry them until we have an army that can take cities and bend the populace to our will. This will take time."

Keyarash, first minister of the Dahae confederation spoke next. "My Lord, I haven't yet made you aware of one of your father's great secrets. Every city within twenty days ride of our lands has a spy within it's leadership, working for us. Your father wasn't quite as naive as you may have believed, he understood this day may come and made sure he would be ready for it. No Greek army will get into our lands without our knowledge, you can be assured of that."

The King turned to his eldest son, "I want you to gather up as many able bodied men as you can. The blacksmiths have been making spears for the last few weeks. Arm them, train them. I need them in the field within six months, we need to learn how to fight like these heirs of Iskander if we are to win this war."

Arshak I: The early years

The first four years of the reign of Arshak I saw his small bands of horsemen mount hit and run raids on Greek forces. The Basileus was desperate to create a large eastern army to crush the resistance of the nomads, every detachment that was sent east from Mesopotamia was ambushed and decimated by Arshak's men. The forces raised in his isolated eastern territories dared not move against the Parni due the the threat from Sakae tribes.

The entire situation in the east was chaotic during these years, apart from the conflict between the Greek Basileus and the nomads of the Parni and Sakae there was also a bloody conflict ongoing between the Sakae and the Indo-Greek Baktrian Kingdom. Arshak feared being brought into the conflict, he had cordial relations with both groups but the conflict had reached a stalemate and he was worried that he would be seen as the man who could tip the balance.

Arshak the younger had raised the standing army his father requested, a motley bunch of men too old or poor for horseback, criminals hiding from justice and mountain tribesmen, they were stationed in the northern steppes, a days ride from Khiva, ready to defend Parni lands if necessary. In reality they simply existed to deter any Baktrian or Sakae ideas of marching into Arshak's lands, enabling him to concentrate on the Greeks to the south.

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Darman also patrolled the region with a band of veteran horsemen, nobody would enter unseen. A number of bandit goups from the mountain tribes had been harrasing Dahae tribes over the previous few years, lightly armoured and armed with axe and shield they had frustrated most efforts to catch them. Darman's men caught up with the bandits after shadowing them for a few days, trapping them on a hillside. The horsemen fired volley after volley of arrow into the bandits killing most of them and leaving the rest wounded. Darman watched the pile of corpses and injured men for movement, seeing none he ordered on final volley into the group before leaving the scene.

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Arshak II: A new King

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The great temple to Ahura Mazda in Nisa saw a massive crowd gather for the funeral of Sharhdar Arshak, he had lived over sixty years and stabilised the fledging Parni Kingdom. The Greek Basileus had thrown army after army against his forces and each had been beaten back convincingly, the forces coming from the west had never been able to join with the remnants of his eastern Satrapies. In the latter years the men coming from the west had changed from numerous levies to smaller number of heavier armed phalangites, it was clear the Emperor was realising this new enemy would not be defeated easily. Arshak I hadn't brought any new territories into his control during his reign, he knew taking the isolated eastern pockets of Greek control would bring him into the Baktro/Sakae conflict in the region. Parni expansion would be south and west, let others bleed themselves over the east.

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His son was now Arshak II, he had led many of the victories over Greek forces in the southern territories. Just before his father funeral an emmisary had arrived from the Greek Basileus with on offer of peace if Arshak swore fealty as a vassal. The letter had referred to his Kingdom as "Parthyaia" the name of the Satrapy they had taken from it's rebellious governor. It was a name the Indo-Baktrians, themselves a former Greek Satrapy, also used in reference to the Kingdom. Arshak had spent many years ruling the city of Hekatompylos, capital of the former Greek Satrapy, and learnt much of it's history. He was fascinated with the old Achaemenid Kingdom that had been overthrown by Iskander, that overrated Greek conqueror. None of his ancestors had had any effect against the Parni horsemen, Arshak doubted the "Megas Alexandros" would have done any better. He made Hekatompylos his new capital, the old northern steppes could look after itself, he was looking south and west. Hekatompylos was a fine city, but there were others he wanted. Next was Persepolis, he wanted the great Achaemenid cities in the region under Parni control, the Greeks used the name of Iskander to show their greatness, he would revive the memory of Cyrus as a banner for a reborn Empire, ruled from the east with the Greeks vassals and subjects of a great eastern ruler.

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Tirdad had lost most of his ambition for Kingship in his latter years, time spent ruling a city had bored him and left him desperate to return to patrolling the vast extants of the Kingdom. Killing Greeks from horseback was all he wanted from life, and it was something he was good at. He had been promised even more horsemen by his brother, and he would be free to lead them his way, his fathers obsession with trying to build a Greek style army would not be imposed on him.

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In the northern steppes Tirdad roamed with his band of grizzled, veteran horsemen. Few Greek forces dared to attack here now, he was mainly patrolling against the threat of other nomads trespassing on Parni lands. On hearing of the death of Arshak he had taken the city of Antiocheia Margiane, the main source of the Greek threat to Arshak II's northern lands. The last Greek controlled region was to the north east, they were too busy defending against Sakae raids to threaten the Parni.

First Minister Keyarash presented a large goatskin document to the new King after the ceremony, laying it down Arshak looked at it baffled and asked Keyarash what it was. It was a map of the Parni Kingdom, and the lands surrounding it, garishly coloured. It had been commisioned by his father and men had ridden many miles to gather the information needed to create it. Arshak took it with him to Hekatompylos, he would use it to direct the focus of the expansion of his Kingdom

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Arshak II: The Persian expedition

Three months after his accension to the throne Arshak II began his quest to take Persepolis for his Kingdom, he took his new army south, the largest group of horsemen the Parni had ever sent forth. The Basileus in Mesopotamia had gotten wind of the build up in Parthyaia and had sent a lage force to engage Arshak. Less than a day out of Hekatompylos the King spotted the Greeks on a hill to his south, he was able to ride around them, keeping them at bay with a constant barrage of arrows, forcing the Greeks to follow him rather than engage from the advantageous position their general had sited his forces on.

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The Parni scouts were far superior to the Greeks, Arshak knew the enemy position at all times and the Greeks found themselves coming over a hill top to face a hail of arrows from a small detachment of horsemen who then retreated before they could retaliate.

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As the armies moved south, through forested lands, the Greeks found themselves coming out of thick woodland to see the entire Parni army in ready and waiting. A number of volleys were fired, causing panic amongst the Greeks, before Arshak once again withdrew. Greek morale was at breaking point by this stage, it seemed magical how the Parni knew where they were at all times and materialised as if out of nowhere.

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The decisive battle came deep within Greek territory, Arshak sent Tirdad with a small detachment of veteran horsemen to flank the Greeks and held position on a small hill. It was a good defensive position, but not a great one, he wanted the enemy to think he had made a mistake. He knew he could rely on his brother to keep hidden until the enemy were within range of the main force, then come from behind and cause confusion and panic among the Greeks. The plan worked flawlessly and the much larger Greek army was destroyed with virtually no Parni losses.

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Before he could attack Persepolis Arshak needed to bring the region of Gabiene under his control, his victory in the region had given him support amongst the locals and taking the city of Gabai would strengthen Parni control. The network of spies built up over the preceding three decades came into it's own as a Parni sleeper agent opened the city gates for Arshak. The horsemen rode in and took the city, slaughtering the small Greek garrison.

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Moving on to Persepolis would have to wait however, the agent told Arshak that two large armies were en route to the city, each around the same size as the army he had defeated a few days before and both composed of soldiers from the Greeks wars in Asia Minor and led by veteran Greek nobility. It seemed the Basileus would not give up his connection to his eastern holdings without a fight.

Interlude: State of the Kingdom 235 BC

The known world:

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Diplomacy:

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Finances:

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Cities and nobles of the Kingdom:

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Khiva, on the northern steppes; governed by Spaniyasp, son of Harasp, of the Dahae

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Nisa, on the northern steppes, capital of first Parni King; governed by Dadmehr, son in law of Harasp, of the Dahae.

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Antiocheia Margiane, between Baktria and the Parni steppes; governed by Vardanshah, son in law of the Sharhdar, of the Zand.

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Asaak, in the mountains; governed by Bardan, son in law of the King, of the Zand.

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Karmana, in the southern Persian desert; governed by Surenmehr, son of Harasp, of the Dahae.

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Zadrakata, on the Caspian Sea; governed by Vardan, son in law of Tirdad, of the Dahae.

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Apameia on the Iranian Plateau; governed by Baghabigh, son in law of Tirdad, of the Dahae.

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Gabai, north of Persepolis; governed by Arshak, Sharhdar.

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Hekatompylos, capital city; governed by Ariyamehr of the Arshkanig Royal family, son of Tirdad, second in line to the throne.

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Darman, son of Harasp, Warden of Parni steppes of the Dahae.

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Tirdad, of the Arshkanig Royal family, first in line to the throne, Captain of Horse.

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Haushyangha, brother in law of Arshak and Tirdad, Warden of Parthyaia, of the Dahae.

Diplomacy & Espionage:

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Arshak II: The Persian expedition part two

The first of the armies Arshak had been warned of approached Gabai a few months after it fell to Arshak's forces, the King awaited them with his main force, while Haushyangha the Warden of Parthyaia approached from the north. The three armies came together in the hills west of Gabai, terrain not at all suited to the heavy infantry of the Greeks. Shervanshah, recently married to the daughter of Arshak was with the King, Arshak intended to leave him as governor of Gabai when he marched on Persepolis.

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The Greek forces found themselves on a steep hillside as the three armies met, Haushyanga was waiting on the plain below and Arshak coming over the hills from the east.

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Haushyangha quickly sent his light horse archers south to a hilltop overlooking the Greek forces. The Greek general saw what was happening but had no cavalry he could use to deter the Parni from taking the hill and surrounding his army.

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Arshak sent his own swift horse archer north to the plain to cut off the only avenue of retreat, the Greeks found themselves boxed in under a constant hail of arrows.

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The decisive moment came when Shervanshah saw the Greek general isolated from his spearmen, he rushed down the hill into the generals bodyguard. There was nowhere for the Greeks to flee, few left the battlefield alive to return word west to Mesopotamia.

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There was another army coming from the west, larger than the one just defeated. If it was as incometently led as this one numbers would be irrelevant.

It arrived the within a few months, Arshak's information was incorrect for once, the army was actually smaller than previously. It was however an army of veteran soldiers, most professionals over thirty summers old. The battle took place on the same hills, with the same result.

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Persepolis

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At first glance the city of Persepolis was heavily defended, Arshak's espionage continued to prove invaluable in his war. He knew the vast majority of the men were peasants conscripted and handed farm equipment or old rusty spears to fight with. If they were lucky, many were armed with no more than their hands.

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His forces were positioned on a rise outside town, some moved forward, peppering the beseiged defenders with arrows and then moved back to be replaced by those behind. This continued for hours, thinning the defenders and sapping the morale of the garrison and townspeople. Eventually some of the inhabitants opened the town gates, allowing Arshak's men in to slaughter the poorly equipped levies defending it. It was over quickly and Arshak kept the looting from his men to a minimum, he wanted to be seen as a liberator not a conqueror.

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A few days afterwards he travelled to the old Achaemenid palace at Parsa, as he walked through the ruins desecrated by Iskander he grew angry at the wanton destruction wrought by the barbarian so revered by so many. The Empire he had left behind was crumbling, Arshak wished he was young enough to see Iskander's legacy whither and die.

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Moving on he went west to Pasargadai, to visit the old Achaemenid capital. He was toying with the idea of moving his own capital to Persepolis, he knew Hekatompylos was in a better strategic position however, and he had the loyalty of the populace there, he couldn't be sure of the loyalty of Persis. As he knelt at Cyrus' tomb he wondered if history would remember him as kindly as the creator of the greatest, most civilised Empire the world had ever seen.

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Ariyamehr: The young King

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Arshak II died in Persepolis after a life of over sixty summers, respecting his uncle's wishes the new King took the royal court south to Persepolis for the lavish funeral procession. The succession question had been settled a few months previous to Arshak's passing, Tirdad was the obvious choice as the King's brother, however he was only a few years younger and felt allowing his son to take the throne now, rather than waiting a few years was the better option. Tirdad had lived his life in the saddle and was now governing the easternmost province of the Kingdom, he had no desire for the crown and wanted to live out his final days without the heavy responsibilty Kingship would entail, simply killing a few more Greeks before he died would be enough for him.

Persis had seen much heavy fighting over the previous few years as the Basieus fought to regain lost dominions. Arshak had been content to let Haushyangha beat back the advances, the new King had different plans however. Haushyangha was charged with mopping the remnants of Greek resistance in and around Persis, then move east against the city of Susa. This might take a few years, in the meantime another city was targetted, this one in the Persian Sea, with maritime trade flowing in and out of the city, it's loss would be a huge blow to the Basileus. Charax.

Ariyamehr had decided that the governors of the steppe province be in charge of the defence of the region and called Darman south, he was to lead the attack on Charax. Charax was a sprawling metropolis, with huge stone walls to defend against assault, not an easy target for a force of horsemen outnumbered by the defenders. Darman was counting on the arrogance of the Greeks to help him though, and his faith was rewarded as he approached the city walls and saw the garrison move out to meet him.

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Darman smiled at the folly of the Greeks, out here in the open plains they were nothing but arrow fodder for his experienced men. The first regiment of levy spearmen were annhilated by a few volleys from the horsemen, a unit of light cavalry steamrollered by the Darman's guardsmen and the heavy nobles. The final group were heavily armed spearmen, they were surrounded and arrows reigned in at them from all directions, only when the arrows ahd been spent did Darman order the charge on the beleaguered defenders.

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The battle was as good as over by that stage.

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Darman marched in and took the city for his new King, he knew he would be in for some hard fighting now however. The reason for taking the city had been to divert Greek focus from Persis, now it would all be focused on him. No matter, he thought, nobody lives forever.

Ariyamehr: Westward expansion

The early years of the young King proved that his youth wasn't going to be a barrier to doing things his way, many things that had been taken for granted in previous years as the only way to do things changed. The biggest change was one of necessity, regional governors under his predecessors had always been related to the royal family, or to Harasp, kin to the frirst King. This gave the King a small pool of people to use and had prevented expansion in the past, Ariyamehr was not going to let that be a barrier to him. He ordered Darman to move out of Charax and appointed a governor from outside the royal line, and a Warden of the region also not of Royal blood.

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Ariyaramna, governor of Charax.

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Ariyahakha, warden of Arabia.

Ariyahakha was ordered to form an army from the local region, a Persian he was not used to the nomadic way of fighting and the force he gathered was more Greek than Parthyaian. As the army was in training north of Charax a Greek force came upon the encampment.

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The battle was a sign of the changing face of the Parthtyaian Kingdom, a pitched battle unlike the usual sign between the two enemies. The Persian general on a victory, but his casualties were on a much higher scale than the King was used to.

As the new Parthyaian army was being blooded in it's first battle, Darman joined up with Haushyangha to take the city of Susa, the city was ill defended and it was conquered quickly with the aid of Parthyaian agents in the city. Another man who was not a member of the royal family was appointed governor and Darman took his force north, while Haushyangha moved back south to assist Ariyahakha.

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Spitramehr, governor of Susa.

Ekbatana, largest city in Media was the obvious next move for the King, he instructed Darman to move further north however to attack the city pf Phraaspa, lightly garrisoned as the bulk of the Greek forces in the area were at Ekbatana.

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The assault was quick and brutal, in less than an hour the entire defending garrison law dead in the narrow streets. Darman moved in and took control of the city.

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Two events took place in the final months of the year that shook the King. Darman died of illness in Phraaspa a few weeks after taking the city. Much more grave however was the news from the east, the Indo-Baktrian Kingdom had attacked a Parthyaian city. They had been beaten back with ease but Ariyamehr new there would be more fighting, a new eastern front had been inevitable he knew, he had been hoping to have moved into and secured Mesopotamia beforehand though. Orders were sent from Hekatompylos to all corners of the Kingdom to levy freash troops. The biggest question he had to answer was where Haushyangha would be best utilised, he had won victory after victory over the western Greeks, should he be brought east and command of the western front given to Ariyahakha?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I'm not too sure how much longer I'll be continuing this if anybody is reading, I have a very frustrating lack of FMs and the game simply isn't marrying off my daughters. If the Baktrians start sending a lot of armies against me I won't have enough people to lead my own. I've got four daughters of marrying age, hopefully they'll all get hitched soon...

I have been reading! I hope you marry your daughters off soon! Your AAR has been an interesting read thus far!

Ariyamehr: Worries of a King

Hekatompylos, the Royal Palace built by Arshak II

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We follow Ariyamehr as he walks through the lavish entrance hall of the palace built by his uncle, decorated in Assyrian style it was designed to show visiting dignitaries that these were no mere nomads he was dealing with. Past the hall he walked past the statue of his great-great-uncle, King Phrapates, the first great Parthyaian King.

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He had thought of having it painted as it was already showing it's age, he decided having it look older than it really was would add to the awing effect of the entrance hall and make his Kingdom appear older than it really was. The Parthyaian Kingdom was accepted as one of the great Kingdoms these days, even the latest Greek peace offer had only demanded the return of Susa and Charax in return for peace, and Parthyaian acceptance of Greek overlordship. Like he would bow to a people he had defeated countless time. It was unfortunate there were always more to replace those he killed...

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Reaching the throne room he gazed up at the hole in the roof and whispered a prayer to Ahura Mazda for his negotiations to go well today. Beset with war on two fronts he could ill afford a third and had invited nobles from all of the prominent Sarmation tribes in the region, a similar meeting with the noble of Sakae clans had gone well the previous year.

The war against the Baktro-Indian Greeks had seen little action so far, not for the first time he wondered if it had been a diversionary attack under the influence of the Basileus to pressure Ariyamehr into making peace in the west. The war in the west would end on his terms, as would the war in the east. His unbroken run of success had seen a few setbacks recently. First the Persian general Ariyahakha had been killed in a battle against a superior Greek force. Then, to his great lament, Haushyangha had been killed in skirmish by a stray arrow. Spies in Mesopotamia told him of lavish celebrations to celebrate the death of a man who had destroyed so many Greek armies. Both battles had actually been won, the loss of the leaders was much more harmful than losing a single battle in a war which had seen hundreds of battles, large and small.

He was still reorganising his forces, he needed two strong leaders to lead both wars, frequently he decided to travel himself and take the reigns himself, his son and heir was still a boy however and his advisors talked him out of it each time. He had proven his leadership and bravery on the battlefield before, his throne was secure and his place was in the Palace directing both wars from a distance.

As the Sarmation nobles entered he hoped buying their friendship would not be as expensive as their Sakae cousins' had been.

Interlude: State of the Kingdom 216 BC

The known world:

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Diplomacy:

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Finances:

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The King:

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Spahbed of the eastern army:

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In the east Surenmehr had been given control of the war against the Baktrians, the previous year had seen a new foe arrive on the battlefields, Baktrian Cataphracts, modelled on the Parthyaian's own heavy cavalry. Armour alone did not make great heavy cavalry however and the new Baktrian units were swept from the field by Surenmehr's experienced horsemen.

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Spahbed of the western army:

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The loss of Haushyangha and Ariyahakha had been blows in the war in the west, the King had not had time to appoint a new commander. Luckily for him a young noble took matters into his own hands and took over the remnants of Ariyahakha's forces, repelling Greek sorties into Parthyaian lands. The pitched battles involving few horsemen and many spearmen was a new method of war to a people who were only three generations off the steppes. Verahramshad was determined to master it however, and give his people another dimension in the war. The Greeks could not live with Parthyaian cavalry, if the infantry could match up the war would surely be won soon. Nothing in life was that simple however and the battles involving two lines of men marching toward each other soon descended into an unseemly chaotic mess. What barbarians these Greeks were to fight this way.

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Ariyamehr continued the transformation from steppe people to civilized Empire amongst the Parthyaians. His court now had a number of scribes who kept a written record of events in the Kingdom, they moved from a people who kept their history through word of mouth to a literate society. Schools were founded in major cities, and children of nobles were expected to be able to read, write and count to govern cities more effectively.

The Royal Annals of the Great Kingdom of the Parthyaians

The tenth year of the reign of Ariyamehr

Spring:

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From the northern steppes an army of the Baktrian Kingdom besieged Antiochea-Margiane, the governor sallied forth with his men and defeated the enemy with little loss of life amongst the defenders.

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On the south eastern border of the Parthyaian Kingdom the state of Arachosia was in turmoil. Greek, Baktrian and Indian overlords had ruled and been toppled in recent years, the King of Kings decided the region should be brought under his influence to allow peace and prosperity to return. The small band of Indians holding the city against the residents will huddled in the city centre, terrified of the horsemen of the Parthyaians.

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Skillful leadership saw them seperated in the streets however, and the brave Parthyaian liberators defeated the foreign invaders.

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The great city of the Medes, Ekbatana, was the last obstacle to the Parthyaian people before they marched into the Greek heartlands of Mesopotamia. The King's new appointee as Spahbed of the western army, Ariyavand, was in command of the army beseiging it.

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A attempted ambush from a Greek army was spotted, and the enemy within the walls sallied forth to join their comrades.

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Both armies were comprehensively defeated and the land of the Medes fell back into the hands of friends of the Persians.

Summer:

The summer months of the year saw the armies of the Parthyaians take a rare opportunity to rest as the western Greeks and the Baktrians had been put on the back foot by springs defeats. The piety and faith of the Parthyaian people was shown as a number of large temple were completed throughout the Empire, clearly the Gods had shown favour on us by allowing us to devote ourselves to worship

Autumn:

Autumn brought another period of peace, though enemy forces were spotted on the move in the west and the east. It was a period of rejoicing as the King had a second son, who he named Harasp, after the great Spahbed. It was a year of great fertility, as no fewer than seven children were born into the extended royal family.

Winter:

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The period of peace did not last long as two Baktrian armies approached Antiochea-Margiane, the first was engaged outside the city walls and beaten back easily.

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The second was on the march to Nisa, the Antiochean garrison swiftly caught up with th Baktrians and made sure they would never bother a Parthyaian city again.

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The newly liberated city of Ekbatana was also attacked this season, the Basileus men were harried from the city walls all the way out of Media back to Greek lands. Almost half were killed in skirmished on the way.

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Verahramshad had been overlooked by the King for the position of Spahbed of the western army, but he still commanded his army of spearmen under the overall command of Ariyavand. He had been warned of two Greek armies approaching Charax and positioned his forces to intercept both before the could join up.

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He was able to defeat the first army, gather his men again to repel the second. His army was growing in confidence and they would need all that confidence for the coming year as a heavily armoured Greek force was being sent against him, the Kings spies in Babylon had seen the army leaving the city.

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It had been a good year for the King and spirits were high throughout his lands.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by A Nerd

I have been reading! I hope you marry your daughters off soon! Your AAR has been an interesting read thus far!

---

Thank you, my FM situation is much improved. My daughters all married and the Parthyaian people must have discovered viagra around this time as I've had four or five kids born every turn for the last three turns.

The Royal Annals of the Great Kingdom of the Parthyaians

The eleventh year of the reign of Ariyamehr

Spring:

Early in the new year Verehramshad was attacked by a Greek army of veteran spearmen led by an experienced Banylonian general, his approach had been spotted by Parthyaian spies and the battlefield was chosen by Verehramshad.

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Foolishly, the Babylonian general charged up a hillside toward the Parthyaian forces.

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The result was a foregone conclusion from the moment the Greeks charged up the steep hillside.

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Summer:

The summer saw a new addition to the burgeoning Parthyaian Kingdom, the city of Pura was taken and the passages east to India were now open to the Kings armies.

Autumn:

Another Greek army was spotted attempting to enter Parhyaian lands, Spahbed of the western army, Ariyavand, gathered all his forces in the region and ambushed the enemy as they were fording a river.

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The ford was narrow and the horsemen waited until hundreds were wading across before moving out and unleashing a rain of arrows upon the enemy. Many thousands of Greeks were slaughtered this day, a great blow against the Basileus.

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Winter

There was great joy as the days grew short and the year drew to a close, a third son was born to the King. The royal family was expanding and Ariyamehr's legacy was secure.

The Royal Annals of the Great Kingdom of the Parthyaians

The twelth year of the reign of Ariyamehr

Spring:

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The Baktrian governor of Marakanda foolishly took his army out on a hunting trip and left the city undefended. The governor of Antiochea-Margiane took the opportunity to attack and plunder the city. After he had left a local warlord took control of the city before the Baktrian garrison was able to enter the city.

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In the west Ariyavand was scouting around Arbela when when he heard reports of a large force moving to garrison the city.

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Positioning himself between the apporaching army and the city he ambushed the Greek force, a runner made it to Arbela however and the small city garrison sallied forth to help their comrades.

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The approaching army was tired and ill disciplined, and were swiftly swept from the field. Ariyavand moved his army into position to attack the sallying garrison from Arbela and chased the tattered remnants back into the city. The few survivors failed to make it back in time and Ariyavand took control of the city, selling thousands into slavery and destroying many Greek landmarks.

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Summer:

The summer saw Ariyavand grow bolder and march south against Seleuceia, the great Greek city of Mesopotamia. The gruelling war had left a tiny garrison to defend against the Parthyaian horsemen, they were disptached easily and the city fell under Parthyaian control. More were sold into slavery, and most of the great architecture of the city was destroyed by Parthyaian soldiers and residents after the horsemen left as the city fell into rioting and looting. The huge theatre and great school were both razed to the ground during the chaos.

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Autumn:

Yet a fourth great city was plundered during the autumn, the ancient metropolis of Babylon. Ariyavand had become fabulously wealthy after the years devastating assaults on Greek holdings in Mesopatamia, a great statue that had stood in the marketplace of Babylon was sent to the King as a gift, as well as the usual slaves, gold and treasure.

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Winter

Winter saw Ariyavand pull out of Mesopotamia, the Basileus had sent forces from Asia Minor to attempt to retake his holdings. Ariyavand had not intended to try to hold what he conquered, he hoped the locals would attempt to repel Greek attempt to reinstate their dominion in the region. Their hold on Mesopotamia had been severely weakened however and they would not be in a position to attack Parthyaian territory for the next few years.

The Royal Annals of the Great Kingdom of the Parthyaians

Year thirteen, fourteen and fifteen of the reign of Ariyamehr

For three years relative peace reigned over the great Empire of the Parthyaians. Minor skirmishes in Mesopotamia were common, the Greek Empire had been severely weakened by Ariyavand's raids however and they were half-hearted and beaten back easily. The Baktrians were occupied with the Sarmatian tribes and posed little threat at this time.

Alexandreia:

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A Pathyaian embassy was sent to the Ptolemaic Pharoah in Alexandreia. The aim was to broker an alliance and to open up another front in the war against the Greek Basileus. The Ptolemies were of Makedone descent like the regime of the Basileus, but there was little love between the two succesor kingdoms. The alliance was agree and gift were exchanged between the two great leaders. A beautiful ancient statue was sent to Hekatompylos to further increase the opulence of the King's residence.

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Hekatomylos:

Not long after the alliance with the Ptolemies had been agreed an ambassador arrived from the Mauryan Emperor Salisuka in in India. The western provinces of the Mauryan empire had rebelled against his rule. He was involved in a bitter civil war against his brother and wanted a friendly power on his western flank. Ariyamehr was offered an alliance with another great state and invited to invade and conquer the rebellious provinces. As well as new territory and a new ally the Parthyaians would gain a new advantage in war, Salisuka promised to provide Ariyamehr with war elephants if he made the border secure. A great pillar came with the ambassador and was placed at the entrance to Ariyamehr's palace. Surely there were few places on earth as grand as Hekatompylos?

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