Tiberius Aurelius Cotta
07-13-2008, 22:10
A Ptolemaioi AAR
After seeing so many great AARs on this site, i've been inspired to start my own. Although i'm kinda following in the footsteps of others by doing the Ptolemaioi, Chirgureon especially, i hope i can at least entertain some of you :) that said, keep it nice - this is my 1st one, and also, l'm playing for the 1st time on M/M. I know, I know, I suck, lol, BUT, that'll mean it doesn't always go my way and I'm able to let the epicness of EB take the wheel :D. i hope you enjoy :)
Oh, and i'm not going to be playing nice: in the words of John Cleese in Rat Race: "..lie, cheat... Play dirty... It's the opportunity of a lifetime..."
HOUSE RULES
As mentioned above - don't play nice
Rebuild governments of different cultures.
I'm playing on vanilla EB 1.1 on M/M with the RTW exe.
Prologue
We are the greatest people on earth. Even though they say nothing good comes from the desert, we stand defiant, and tough, where weaker men fall. We come out of the desert...
Without a doubt, we are the greatest people on earth. On the banks of this great river, civilization was born. Great pyramids stand as a testament to our power, and as monuments to our strength. In the time of our ancestors, they stood, and when we die, they will stand. Those who follow in our footsteps will know that we stood here. because these monuments will stand. We have every right to be as proud as we are.
It has been fifty years since Alexander the Great crushed the Persians and united the Hellenes under one banner, and more since he brought the dreaded phalanx to our sands. Truly, like our ancestors he was great, and the Gordian Knot is enough to show that. His generals, though, lack his intelligence and passion.
Seleukos wrongly believes that Babylon is the key to Alexander's empire, but he is wrong... Alexandria, the city of our great hero, is the key. The empire of Seleukos is a tottering giant; a great bear; deep in slumber, and slow to wake. With speed and cunning, we can pick it apart, and partake in the spoils of our victory.
His failure lies in one simple problem. The east is barren, empty and bare - Alexander showed us that. So we must look to the west - to the lands of Antigonos and Pyhrros Aikades.. And as the axes of our forefathers went before them, so the tips of our spears shall go before us, and proclaim our strength to the world.
The eyes of the Sphinx, the gods, and our ancestors are upon us. With the legacy and the knowledge they have given us, we shall surely see victory... For it is our destiny, and our birthright. These desert sands have seen their share of blood, and the blood of many more will be spilled before our destiny is fulfilled. And we will stand - the creators of a legacy as old as the Nile itself...
Tiberius Aurelius Cotta
07-15-2008, 08:59
^ lol... Just LOL...
no pics yet - i would have uploaded this and them yesterday but there was a power cut... and i'm on a slow conn. They should come soon, though.
1st off, major props to the EB team for making this a COMPLETELY different experience to the Romani; music, culture, and even faction advisor picture, along with all else :D. Yet again, i was shocked, in a very good way. The dates and information on family members is of course their work, and I do not take credit for finding it, only incorporating it into this AAR. Here we go...
Book 1: the early years
Chapter 1: Familial Dissention
272 BC, otherwise reckoned as the 14th year of Ptolemaios II.
From the annals of Agiathokles Phillipos, advisor & retainer to Alexandros Thraikikos, in Alexandreia.
With Soter Ptolemaios dead, there has been dissent within the Ptolemaic family. The heir apparent, Leontiskos Thraikikos was Ptolemaios' choice, but also the youngest and most capable of leading our armies against our foes. Menelaos, while holding the name of the hero at Troia, is not nearly as strong as his predecessor, and is quickly approaching death. This he knows, it seems, and it weakens the benefits of his age in the eyes of the younger family members, who seem to be gaining more power with each passing month.
The elders know this... I have overheard the conversations between Menelaos and the rest of the old guard: the words passed between them are not words of pleasantries. There is a growing feeling of war between the aged captains of Alexandros, and the young princes and sons of Ptolemaios left in his stead. The old feel they are too dissident, disrespectful, and disregarding of the ways of the gods, both Hellenic and Aigyptian, and the young feel the old are too weak, and rigid, and unable to move with the sands of time. Most notably is the gulf between policies on what to do with the Arche Seleukia. Predictably, the captains of Alexandros' army wish for unity, and peace with Antiochos Syriakos and the Seleukids, while the generals of our current army want war, plunder, women, and prestige. The claims of both parties had merit, though, and I am caught the middle
I fear this seemingly minor familial conflict will play out on the world stage, and cost us greatly..
The bones of Alexandros himself lies entombed in our great capital: the city of his namesake. I honestly wonder what he would think, and do, if he still yet lived. No doubt they turn in his grave, bidden by some force unknown to us mortals...
Despite opposition from the elders, Thraikikos the younger has been established as heir: a bridge between the worlds of the old and the new, if only a tenuous one at best. I do not think that this is such a perfect solution, but it seems to be the best one possible at this time, not to mention it is not within my place or authority to suggest a more suitable heir.
http://img.techpowerup.org/080726/new faction heir.jpg
Meanwhile, Polyxenos Salaminios has been sent to secure peace with the Arche Seleukia if it is at all possible. It may be against the wishes of the younger leaders. but it seems apparent to all that the time is not yet ripe for war.
http://img.techpowerup.org/080726/diplomat.jpg
Ploutos Saliminios has also discovered new cities east of Hierosolyma that could be assimilated into our empire. Of most interest is Bostra, which seems to have a large gold mine nearby. However, we are at the moment unable to exploit this opportunity, as the city is too well defended, and even so, we cannot afford the money for the mines, nor the time it will take to construct them.
http://img.techpowerup.org/080726/spy.jpg
Instead, our own public buildings are being constructed: a new road system at Salamis, and some upgraded port facilities in one of the southern cities - Diopolis Megale, if my memory serves me correctly. We will need the money: the army is in desperate need of expensive retraining, not to mention a decision needs to be made as to which troops to field...
http://img.techpowerup.org/080726/retraining.jpg
In the summer, Thraikikos the elder and Thrakikos the younger were both entered into the Olympiad, and this, while potentially useful, has repercussions on the army, and what looks like the plans to attack Seleukia... Unfortunately, from what can be gathered from goat herders and merchants travelling between our lands, the Seleukid capital, Antiochea, is not well defended, and could easily be captured, securing a land route to our northern holdings and reducing our military overhead by way of trade. However, money is running into our coffers and soon we should be able to retrain an army in aid of this planned war. Construction of a new mercantile harbor has commenced at Alexandreia, and it will do well to boost our funds when the project reaches completion.
http://img.techpowerup.org/080726/thraikikos olympians.jpg
Word has come that the Romani peoples have declared a ceasefire with their lifelong enemies, the Aedui. I think it will not last, but if it does, Epeiros, our ally, will likely be in trouble.
Word has also arrived that indicates that Eunostos Kypriakos has become a proxenos. This could be a good omen, and a sound opportunity for us to gain peace and influence with the peoples of the west, but he remains close to death, so it is unlikely that this will be exxploited well enough for any advances to be made.
http://img.techpowerup.org/080726/proxenos.jpg
Meanwhile, a small detatchment of troops from Memphis has met those from Alexandria, and they wll march to reinforce the levy at Sidon.
In the winter, Polyxenos Salaminios arrived in the Seleukid capital, but the satrap in charge refused the offer of trade rights and a ceasefire, and a second offer including 6000 Mnai and information on our lands we know of. I personally am of the opinion that Polyxenos Salaminios should return to Aigyptos and train some more in one of the schools: perhaps with more influence he could become a better ambassador. With his failure, he has been sent to the lands west of Side in order to seek new allies. Ploutos, his relative, goes with him to keep him company, and aid in this effort.
I know not what the new year will bring, but I do hope it will bring peace.
271 BC, otherwise reckoned as the 15th year of Ptolemaios II.
From the annals of Agiathokles Phillipos, advisor & retainer to Alexandros Thraikikos, in Alexandreia.
Ptolemais has found a worthy suitor: however the traits of this man seem to work against him as a general, and even as a governor, though he professes to be a good taxman... I have suggested he be granted governorship of a lesser province - with time he could prove useful while staying out of the dissident that is pulling the Family's policies asunder. This suggestion was not, however, followed, and he has been given governorship of Tarsos - a city that will rise in importance along with our coffers...
Sadly, word was received that Agathokles Thraikikos is dead, and Sidon is without a governor. That should not pose much of a problem but the issue is that it is wiely regarded that Sidon is key to the plans of the family: with Sidon, a bulwark lies that can defend the Empire from the Arche Seleukia. Not to mention that he was staunchly allied with Menelaos and Eustonos in advocating peace...
As for the political conflict, little has changed. One would think that the death of Agathokles Thraikikos, there would be a time for mourning and perhaps a touch of peace. However, it is not the case, and it seems very apparent that the balance of power has shifted permanently in favour of the younger leaders. If they are not stopped, they will surely bring us to war, and if the great Bear to the north is awakened, they will surely slaughter us without mercy. It is thus that i find myself caught iin the middle of a rock and a hard place: I have tried to caution the younger leaders to take the path of patience: a mighty empire is not forged in a short space of time, but with many hours of diplomacy, consolidation, and a firm hand in matters of war and peace. In my mind the Kart-Hadastim have it right: peace is the way forward, and trade can only benefit all who partake in it. They have a fighting legacy, and though we occupy their ancestral homeland, they have a lot to teach us. If only the younger ones would listen, but, alas they do not, and there is no hope of dissuading them...
In some small way, my hope for peace has come to pass; a ceasefire with the distant lands of Pontos has been arranged, as have trading rights for our merchants and theirs. However, their lands are too far away and it seems this adds fuel to the fire which the younger ones hope to add the Arche Seleukia.
With the levy from Alexandreia & Memphis arriving in Sidon, the decision to invade the Arche Seleukia, and take Antiochea has been passed and the armies of our leader now march to the Seleukid capital.
Thraikikos the younger, unfortunately, is the one in charge of the army, being as he was, in Heirosolyma and closest to the front. From this i am guessing it was a poor idea to name him as heir.
However, I think I am beginning to understand why there has been such pressure - Polyxenos sent word that there is nothing worth capturing in the north: only rebel lands, although the town? city? settlement, of Kotais, rebel-held though it may be, has been discovered for the first time, although it is being besieged by an army of unknown size and heritage.
Whilst i speak of settlements, our Pharaoh has decided that, whilst we are presently lacking funds, it will be a good idea to give land to the people, and establish farming estates which can both be taxed and boost food production for money. It seems a pretty radical strategy, and only time will tell if it will succeed, or result in failure. With the lack of funds we currently face, anything is worth a shot, and there is really nothing to lose.
According to the reports of Ploutos, even the great cities of Pergamon and Halikarnassos have fallen to the Eleutheroi: the so-called 'free peoples.
270 BC: otherwise reckoned as the 16th year of Ptolemaios II.
I fear the omens that this year is a bad one. Thraikikos the younger, has it seems, made a mistake in calling for too few reinforcements, and this has delayed the departutre of the army to Antiochea. If he had sent out for the reinforcements to follow him then time would not have been wasted. However, it is no use crying over spilt milk: there is a low likelihood that Antiochea, precious though it may be, will be reinforced, and if it doesn't, then the opportunity will not have been lost.
Also, Arsinoe II's death has shocked the land. sister and queen of our lands, she was adored by all and I hope she is remembvered by our peoples as the benevolent queen she was.
Polyxenos has sent word that the army besieging Kotais is an army of the peoples who call themselves the Sauromatae. They have large numbers of mounted troops, and according to the herald who passed his message, sadly, they declined to accept our overtures of peace, and information, and reportedly did not even wish to discuss trade negotiations.
He did find another peoples west of the Sauromatae: the Hayasdan, and these peoples invited them into their capital and treated him as a guest, whilst also giving him a tour of their army facilities and entertaining talks. It pleases me to know that we have been able to secure trading rights with them, for the seemingly minor cost of knowledge of out lands, and whilst they do not seem read to discuss an alliance, i feel it is possible that with more time and perhaps a bit of money, one can be arranged.
In fall, word was sent to Sidon that the army of Thraikikos the younger had reached Antiocheia, and was preparing to breach the city by way of a sapping point to bring down the large and obtrusive walls of the city.
In winter, the Romani, we were told by emmissaries from Epeiros, have been able to secure a ceasefire with the Arverni. I fear for the fate of Pyhrros and his peoples, as it would seem that the northern border of the Romani peoples is secured, and they now seem to be able to send troops south to attack the Epriotes' last major city in Italia: Taras. This sad news is compounded by the death of yet another death in the family: this time that of Eunostos Kypriakos. I take heart in the fact that he died at peace, though, and lived a long and satisfying life. We shall need to find an adept governor to ship to Salamis now...
In Antiochea, during the same season, talks were held between the army captains to decide whether or not to leave the Antiocheans to starve inside their walls. However, the nearby merchants who frequent the city have told us that they have large granaries, and should be able to hold out for close to two years: much more than enough time for a large army to come from every corner of the Seleukid empire to vanquish our attempts at war. Clearly this is too long, and the attack has been ordered. As our heir apparent is amongst the army, leading then on, I can only pray to Zeus Ammon for his safety, and our new army's victory..
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Winter 270 BC: otherwise reckoned as the 16th year of Ptolemaios II.
Mithrades Stellinikos, of the Machimoi Phalangitai of Sidon.
My love, l write this letter to tell you the story of the great batte we fought today: the battle for the riches of Antiochea, and the proving grounds of out new army.
Although we outnumbered them vastly, there were reports that the men garrissoning the city were veterans of previous wars, and would give us a pretty decent run if we did not fight well. Given this information, it was decided that the captains would not lead the army instead of the general, but rather that our general would personally lead us.
We were arrayed in front of the sapping point in a loose bowl formation, but there was a stronger right flank as the phalanx on that flank was closest to the wall, but far enough to be out of range from the arrows of the towers. I personally am beginning to think it was merely for show, as we wold likely break fromation when entering the town anyways.
I was in the middle with my phalanx, the general just to the left of me, and his voice was loud and clear as he gave his speech to inspire us to great deeds. As I looked al the great walls, I was awestruck at their majesty, and began to fathom why this prize was deemed so important to our Pharaoh. Even so, i thought we should have fabricated siege towers to scale the walls, rather than sapping points. I and all the men in my phalanx, could see the enemy staring back at us defiantly up on the wall, waiting for us to make the first move, and I wondered what thoughts were passing through their heads, and if they had been assured of victory by their general.
Before i could enter deep into musing, the Toxotai were sent to the sapping point, and quickly began the work of completing the destruction of the wall, which was achieved without wasting much time, since preparations had already taken care of most of the work before the battle.
I did see two enemy phalanxes on the walls, though, and realised that if we had used a Siege Tower, we would have had to face them on the wall: an area of combat where we lacked experience, either from training or from war. Like a worm, our men walked closer to the sapping point, and as the wall fell, our general ordered the closest phalanxes to the city wall: our first line, to cross the breach in the wall, along with the Toxotai. some were lost to arrows but it was felt running would disrupt the formation too much, and so they endured it.
Once they had crossed into the town, the second line was called up and told to secure the road to town, while the first line would move ahead to engage the troops in the centre of the city.
I was the last before the general to go in, and like the other troops entering before us, we were pelted with missles from the nearby towers, losing some men in the process before the battle had begun.
Many men fell when entering the city, but we held, and soon the Toxotai were ordered to attack the Kleruchoi Phalangitai in the centre of town, in the hopes that we could thin their number before engaging them directly.
However they foolishly ran in front of our phalanx, and were charged by the enemy general's cavalry.
Quickly, they retreated behind the still-moving phalanx, who stopped and braced for the cavalry charge.
Despite the rows of spears arrayed against them, the cavalry were heavily armored, and using their superior speed, they crashed headfirst into the phalanx. Many of our men were killed, and quickly some men decided to flank the cavalry, tipping the fighting in our favor.
As the situation seemed good, the two enemy phalanxes on the walls decided to run down, and the opportunity to trap them as they exited the tower was lost. Nevertheless, trapped between our approaching second line and the backs of those of us attacking their general, they took the choice to assault our men and save their general.
Too late, their effort came, though, and he was killed before either they or Thraikikos the younger could enter the fray. Predictably they routed,
When speaking with some of my comrades after the battle, I was told that while we in the second line engaged the men who had come down from the walls, the men fighting for control of the city centre engaged the enemy phalanx from 3 sides, while those Akontistai and Toxotai remaining both alive and with missiles hurled them into the enemy lines.
We on the other hand, continued to battle the phalanxes before they could reinforce the troops in the centre of the city. Choosing the right moment, we charged at them and held them back, and our general did the same from their rear, causing massive casualties.
Before we could celebrate this victory and run to the aid of our comrades in the city centre, though, those attacking the front of the enemy phalanx turned tail and fled! Our general urged his guard onwards and ran full speed to the running troops, trying to rally them, but they refused to listen to his cries, even though they could see us coming to their aid. In their eyes was too much fear, and i myself felt angry that they would betray us so easily, especially since we had been trained to hold out against all odds, and reminded of that even during the general's speech.
He managed to run around their backs, though, and attack them from their left flank, and whilst not doing much in the way to injure their numbers, their morale did falter, as we of the second line ran to attack and envelop them.
Amidst the chaos, though, our general was trapped, and seeing his plight, we fought all the harder in order for them to not add his name to their vanquished. I will swear that this day Ares himself gave us strength, and thankfully, our brave general was able to escape the clutches of death and retreat to the city centre, while we took heart at this and pressed onwards, laying more of their men beneath our spears..
As their numbers lessened, some report to have seen Apollo among them, giving than sharglh and a golden sheen. Or perhaps it was Ares, giving them courage in their last moments and enjoying the spectacle of us mortals fighting yet more.
It was not enough, though, and our general knew it. Ordering our Toxotai to secure the centre of the city, he charged one last time into their flank, and remained with us to kill the last stragglers.
The black condor flies over the gates of Antiochea, and it, like this city, is indeed a pleasant sight.
The decision was made to keep the people in the land, rather than enslave or expel them. I am guessing that the general wishes to tax these new peoples under our control, and perhaps establish a stronger military base from which we can retrain and requip, before marching out and laying siege to Damaskos. So long as those traitorous troops are no longer trained, I am pretty confident that we will see victory.
I eagerly await the day when i may see you again, my love.
Yours, Mithrades.
Phew... That was fun, and cool. Stay tuned for Chapter II; The Black Condor :D
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