The Getai, a struggle for unity and freedom.

[Aenos]

The Getai, a struggle for unity and freedom.

House Rules:
-Only 1/3 of the army may consist of mercenaries.
-May only retrain a maximum of 2 units per city, per turn.
-Not allowed to stand at a bridge for longer then 1 turn.
-May not recruit any units whatsoever in towns without a governor.
-Generals must stay in the capital until the age of 20.
-May not use very-high tax setting unless I’ll drop into the red if I don’t/am in the red.
-Must roleplay with general’s traits unless this isn’t practically possible to add to the story in a logical way.
-Played on VH-H.

Introduction:
The Greeks had always looked eastward and, squabbling over tiny shreds of land, they nearly forgot about the many tribes that inhabited the lands to the north of Hellas. Over the centuries those lands had been a gateway into ‘civilized’ Europe for the nomadic tribes that came from the east. A mighty mountain chain rose from these lands, meaning the abrupt end of the steppes and plains of ancient Russia. With every new tribe that came new ‘kingdoms’ were created. Only rarely would a previous rulers be able to fend off the newcomers.

But not all danger came from the steppes. It was only a short while ago since part the mighty Keltoi from Gaul had migrated eastward. There enormous force being nearly unstoppable, crushing most of the towns and strongholds of the regions. Harvests were taken and all those who resisted were put to the sword. But the survivors of the tiny kingdoms that had tried to make a stand were in the slow process of regaining their former power.

A few of those tribes, mainly those of the peoples called the Ordes and the Kostobok, now banded together and formed the small kingdom of the Getai. The future of this tiny country was still uncertain, but one thing was clear, the only way to avoid destruction was to be found in unity.

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As you can see the House Rules are nearly the same as in my previous AAR, which sadly ended due to technical errors. I know, it's quite a short introduction and no, I'm not a great writer. Let's hope this one outlasts my previous ones.

[Lord Gruffles]

-Must roleplay with general’s traits unless this isn’t practically possible to add to the story in a logical way.

What do you mean by that rule, specifically?

[Fondor_Yards]

If he has the "Zealot of Zalmoxes" he will charge enemy head on, coward traits avoid meele at all costs, agressive attacker always attack rather then defend, etc etc

[Lord Gruffles]

Gotcha. Thanks ol' TWC bretheren.

[paullus]

WOOT! Getai AAR! I've started writing one myself, but then classes this term are heavy duty, so I'm not sure how it'll go. Good luck with it Aenos!

[Aenos]

Chapter 1:
‘Don’t stray to far!’, the farmer shouted towards his son. The boy ran through the fields, playing, enjoying the sun’s warmth on that fine day. A smile came to his father’s face, watching the innocence which only exists in children. The both of them lived in a tiny farm, a few hundred meter to the east of Naissos. This town was the ‘capital’ from where Diales ruled over his small kingdom. It was located south of the Getai lands, separated from them by a river, and slightly north of the Makedonian mountains. But the fate of the tiny country hung in the balance.

Horns were blown in Naissos, the sound rolling over the town, warning the people. A group of horsemen had come charging through the fields that covered the fertile land, meeting Diales and over a thousand armed villagers at the eastern watch-post. ‘My king, the Getai army, led by Dizo per Rekivada, is within two hours march from here.’, the commander of the scouts reported to Diales. A frown came to the king’s face, two hours. ‘How many of them are there, have they been reinforced since they were seen crossing the main bridge?’, he rapidly posed the question to the tired horseman. When he answered their numbers had swelled to over a thousand Diales’ hope on a quick victory was crushed. Now that their armies were equals he feared Dizo, who was known to be a good tactician, would be able to take his kingdom.. and his live.

The farmer looked up as he heard the sound of a bow-string being released. Moments later he felt great pressure on his chest, terrible pain spreading through his body. He fell and, his hands still grasping for the arrow, was dead. The smile on the boy’s face changed into a look of fright, pale and cold. The Getai had come into sight of Naissos. ‘So that tiny town rules over all this land?’, Dizo grinned as he said this. ‘If their armed forces are as pathetic as their defenses, we should have an easy fight.’ It was then that Diales, clearly weakened by the lack of a wall, ordered his forces to split in an attempt to hit his enemies from two sides. But there was a flaw in his plan. When he decided to keep back a few hundred guards on the town’s small hill, his attack force became smaller than the Getai army. Forced to fight against Dizo’s phalanxes, with arrows raining down upon them, many of them broke within moments.


Getai phalanxes advancing towards Naissos, defenders fleeing ahead of them.

It wasn’t an equal battle. The Getai, now outnumbering the villagers nearly one-to-two, marched in through both the eastern and the western road. Diales however, refused to go down without a fight. Rallying what little remained of his forces he charged down the eastern road in a final attempt to take down as many of his adversaries as he could.


Diales’ final stand.

In the end only 150 Getai lay dead, whilst over a thousand of the defenders had perished in the heat of battle. It had been a slaughter.

[Janius]

Very nice reading, keep up the good work

[Imperator]

great first update! I've got a good feeling about this AAR...

[Aenos]

Thank you both. Sadly, haven't been able to write anything this weekend. But if all goes right I'll be able to make the second update somewhere during next week.

[Aenos]

Chapter 2:
There he lay, wrapped in a long, brownish cloak. Zalmodegikos per Buridava, the warrior king, had died at the respectable age of 64. A lot had changed since he had assumed command of the Getic kingdom. Greatly expanding during the last decennia, the conquest of Naissos, the sack of the once-Greek colony of Kallatis. A grim smile came to Dizo’s face, much had changed indeed. Why the grey old king had chosen the Kobostok general, Oroles, as his heir still remained a mystery to him. Most people had thought Dizo would be the next king. He was an experienced and wise governor, he had constructed the rich mines in Naissos, and though he might’ve been a little lacking of skill in warfare his victory over king Diales had shown he was a capable tactician, enhancing the confidence of his forces in him. ‘Why Oroles?’ The thought kept going through his head, had he somehow displeased Zalmodegikos? But even still, choosing a northerner, a Kostobok, over one of the Ordes..

Oroles stood slightly bowed over the old king’s lifeless body, paying his respects to Zalmodegikos. As he rose he saw the eyes of the chieftains had turned to him, silent, waiting for the future king to speak. ‘Here lies a great man, a worthy king. He has lead our tribes to glory and triumph! Under his wise rule the door to the world has opened for us. No longer are we just one of the many tribes who live in these lands, faint traces of blood still connecting us, but divided, warring between each other. Now we are a true kingdom, one that has been seen even by the overly-proud Greeks. We shall remember this great king and take heart from his memory.’, Oroles said to the silent chieftains. Moments passed silently as they mourned the loss of their king until one of listeners spoke: ‘And may Oroles per Drobeta continue his reign in glory!’ A cheer rose from the mouths of all but one of the chieftains, all but Dizo.

The Getai kingdom at the end of Zalmodegikos’ reign.

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Yes I know, it's only a small update sadly. Not to much happened (yet) in my campaign and I didn't have too much time either, sorry.

About why I chose Oroles, who was quite a loser in comparison to Dizo, well, it was actually a mistake.. I forgot to put Dizo as the heir.. But may lead to an interesting situation in the future.

[Quirinus Kuhlmann]

Very nice work Aenos. This Dizo was kind of an evil one from the start, killing all this poor people in Naissos without mercy. Now, as he has not become king, he could probably get even more evil. I'm looking foreward to the next update.

[Aenos]

The next update is planned and I might be able to pull it off today, otherwise probably tomorrow. However, Dizo died.. Alongside with my major army just before a war broke out.. Well, you'll read it when the next update arrives.

Oh, and thank you. Must say, your AAR is one of my favourites (as is it of most people here I think).

[Aenos]

*sighs* As always, as soon as you think you have some time the teachers find a way to fill it up with work again.. I won't be able to write on with the update, however, I have to write something for Dutch class and am doing it from the perspective of Dizo's son. It's about Dizo's live and, though I will have to translate it, fills 'the gap' between what's currently happening in my campaign and what happened a few years ago. Will translate and post it when I'm done writing it.