EMPIRE: Song of Peace and War [Archive]

seleucid empire

08-23-2012, 12:38

Chapter 1: Tidings
Winter 250 BC Antioch

In the underbelly of the great capital sat a small dimly lit inn and gambling house. Inside, one could purchase all manners of distractions, from the prized Greek wines to the whores, willing to satisfy any and every sexual desire for coin. It was a sanctum of decadence and lust, a den of filth, and visited by soldiers and thieves alike. Mardonious sat in a dark corner of the room, watching people entering and exiting, his face hidden by the shadows and his hood. The hood was nothing more than a precaution of course. As the youngest son of a minor Persian noble of Syria, he doubted anyone would have recognized him even without it. He often visited this place to purchase its pleasures but today he had a different purpose in mind. The establishment was a favourite of the soldiers returning from the frontier wars and Mardonious sat patiently, waiting for one or more to show up...

The door creaked open and two men entered, their faces weary from travel and their cloaks covered in dust. Although the sight of soldiers was very common here, the patrons still held their gaze in awe at these newcomers. The first to walk in was a giant of a man. He carried a large, curved bow and at his side was a short sword of exceptional quality. He wore a hardened leather tunic and strapped onto his left arm was a small round shield. A Cretan archer, concluded Mardonious. However, it was not the Cretan who held everyone's attention but his companion. As he walked in, every pair of eyes in the inn followed him and every pair of eyes showed the same emotion: fear.

He was of a much smaller stature than the Cretan but wore the full panoply of the elite companion cavalry, making him an impressive sight. But what set him apart was his helmet, on top of which sat a single black plume that marked him as a member of the Black Guard. They were the personal cavalry of Alexandros, cousin of the King and the most ruthless, brutal and cunning general in the empire, which earned him the epithet of Alexandros "The Black". There was not a single man or child from Illyria to India who had not heard stories of the black guard, who had never been beaten in the 21 years since they were formed and were especially notorious for the countless, horrific atrocities they committed. They had fought in every single corner of the empire, cutting a bloody path through Egypt, Greece, Asia Minor, Armenia, the East and even the North.

The two soldiers ignored the stares of the others and sat on a table in the centre of the room. They ordered wine and began to talk amongst themselves. Mardonious left his table and approached them cautiously. They didn't look up until he was right next to them.
'Greetings, I can see you two have just journeyed a long way and from the looks of it you two have just returned from war. Can I interest you in an offer?" asked Mardonious
"What kind of offer?" asked the large Cretan
"I will pay for your food and any entertainment tonight in exchange for any news from the frontiers."

The Cretan turned to look at his silent companion, who gave a small nod.
"Very well,"said the Cretan,"My name is Helioketes and my companion here is called Archimenes"
"And you are of the Black Guard?" Mardonious asked Archimenes
"Yes" he replied
"and you Cretan?"
"I was part of the Death Seekers before they were destroyed. Have you heard of us?"

Mardonious had. The Death Seekers were almost as famous as the Black Guard. They were a band of renegade Cretan archers who had pledged their services to Antiochus II Theodoros 20 years ago and were the greatest archers in the world. It was rumoured that they could bring down a man at 170 metres, almost double the killing range of any other archers. However, he was surprised to hear that they had been destroyed.

"They were destroyed? When?"
"Yes, nearly 10 years ago..." replied Helioketes solemnly. Mardonious thought he saw a glint of anger in the man's eyes
"How did this occur?"
"Our unit has been there since the beginning of the great reconquest, nearly 21 years ago. We marched under the command of Antiochus II Theodoros during the invasion of Egypt. When Theodoros marched to Asia Minor to support Sarpedon in his war with Pontus, he left us with Alexandros. We sailed to Greece and helped our new general achieve victory battle after battle with our deadly arrows. That was 14 years ago..We then marched on the Armenians, sweeping through their country as well. But Alexandros received pleas for help from the Bosphoran Greeks so we headed into the vast north. Under his leadership, we 'liberated' the cities of the Greeks, bringing them into the folds of the empire and achieved complete control over the Pontic Sea. Alexandros then marshalled more forces and formed the Legion of the North to defend against the Sarmatian counter-attack

But shortly afterwards, Alexandros received orders from the King to march east in all haste. He took the core of his heavy infantry and cavalry to the east, leaving us with strict instructions to stay in the cities and defend them. He left the north under the charge of a man named Herakleidies Atarneou.

https://img337.imageshack.us/img337/530/kingofthenorth.png

This fool saw himself as the Alexandros Megas of the North and decided to march the entire Legion of the North into Sarmatian lands to bring the war to them. However before we marched, Herakleidies decided that he would be much safer if he stayed within the walls of Pantikapaion and he's still sitting there now, growing fat while the bones of our brothers lie scattered over the northern plains. So anyway, he didn't accompany us in our expedition and instead appointed a captain who had bribed his way into his favour. In the cities we could have held off the Sarmatians behind the high walls, our arrows would have decimated any Sarmatians who came close and we would be able to hold indefinitely as long as supplies arrived in our ports. But in the open, we were ambushed...The entire legion of the north was destroyed along with most of our corps.

https://img716.imageshack.us/img716/9893/nrothernambushp1.png

https://img593.imageshack.us/img593/6110/northenrambushp2.png

I survived along with a handful of others and we travelled east on the invitation of Alexandros to train the garrisons of the newly conquered cities and there I have been for the last 10 years. Recently I was allowed to leave the army and was given a fortune for my service. Archimenes here also finished his service and we decided to make the journey back home. He has also been fighting since the beginning of the Great reconquest and he has been present in every major battle in the last 21 years. He saved my life once and we became comrades despite belonging to different companies."

"I am sorry for your loss" said Mardonious,"What news from the east?"
"Well as you probably know by now, the furtherest reaches of Alexandros Megas Empire has been reconquered. King Antiochus intends to march north and attack Chighu, the original lands of the Saka, afterwards I believe he will head west and continue until all of the Steppe bows before him. Now if you will, please tell us your name, for you have not introduced yourself to us yet."
"Very well, my name is Mardonious of Syria. The reason I am asking you for news is because I intend leave this place and make my fortune. You see, I'm the second born son of a minor Syrian house so I do not have many prospects when my father dies. My brother and I do not agree with each other so I intend to make my own fortune. I have already found a man willing to lend me the money I need to begin my slave trade. All I need now is the secret ingredient to a successful venture: War. And I wish to find out which frontier offers the most opportunity. I will need strong men to guard my goods as they are delivered to the cities. So now I have another offer for you. I know you are already rich with the fruits of conquest, but I ask you anyway..Will you join me?"

seleucid empire

08-25-2012, 03:05

Chapter 2: Fall from Grace
Winter 250 BC Antioch

Archimenes' excitement grew with every step he took. He had left the inn nearly half an hour ago saying farewell to Helioketes and thanking Mardonious for his hospitality. He had declined the young noble's offer of course. After all he was a member of the Black Guard and pledged his loyalty solely to Alexandros. He was not some mercenary who could be bought with the promise of gold and guarding goods for a trader was beneath him. Helioketes had accepted eagerly, reasoning that one could never had too much gold. Besides, Archimenes he did not need the work. He had claimed 6 wagons full of treasure during the conquests and was now richer than many Lords of the realm. All he wanted now was a peaceful life, away from the horrors of war. As he neared his home his heart leapt. The last time he had seen his wife was twelve years ago, when the army of Alexandros had briefly returned to Antioch for a few months to replenish their numbers, before marching to Armenia. He remembered sitting on his horse, looking back at his pregnant wife as she got smaller and smaller, before turning into a speck in the distance. He never forgot the look of sadness and worry in her eyes as he left for war once again. He had received letters from her, informing him of the birth of his daughter and the joy of the news kept him going throughout the remainder of the war in the east.

He smiled inwardly, knowing that he could finally meet his daughter. And meet her as a man, not a murderer, for Archimenes had refrained from the brutality which his comrades in the Black Guard had grown to love. He had never raped a woman on campaign or killed a child. In his mind's eye he could still remember the horrors which his comrades had partook in. The event which was most clearly etched into his mind, happened during the sack of Bactra four years ago. The beautiful, nameless girl had been dragged from her house, screaming and crying. A man of the Black Guard ripped off her clothes and began spoiling her in right in front of a jeering crowd. Twelve other men went after him and when they were finished with her they grabbed torches and tortured her before finally cutting her throat. She had looked no older than 15. Archimenes had turned away in disgust and that very same night, the nightmares began..

Archimenes reached his front door. He took a deep breath and walked in. The house was dark save for the candle light coming from the bedroom at the end of the hall. His wife must be up. He shed his armour and began to walk towards the light but he had not taken more than a few steps when he heard it: Soft sounds, the sound of a woman moaning followed by several sharp gasps coming from the bedroom. He quickened his pace and rushed into the room. His wife lay face up on the bed, her arms and legs spread wide apart. On top of her was a young man, his hand moving up and down her thigh while he pushed up against her.

Archimenes stood perfectly still...He could not move, could not think. All he could do was continue to stare at them. His hand began to shake...

His wife's eyes rolled around in her sockets as she moaned and suddenly she saw him. She screamed and pushed the young man off her

"Husband! This is not what it seems!" she shrilled.

Archimenes said nothing, but suddenly, found his sword in his hand. The young man stood up and began to address Archimenes with an air of superiority.

"You dare threaten me with your sword? I am Ashasavah, son of Vanara, the Lord of Phoenicia! Leave now and my father may yet spare your life!"

For his arrogant words, Ashasvah paid with his life. Before he had finished speaking, Archimedes had closed the distance before them and now clutched his throat. The young mans' eyes widened in fear as he realized that his threats meant nothing to this man and that he was about to die. The sword entered once, twice...Ashasvahs body went limp and Archimenes let go of the corpse. He then turned to his wife who was whimpering in the corner of the room.

"Archimenes please! Forgive me!" she wailed.

However her pleas fell on death ears. Archimenes lifted the blade and slashed his wife's throat, the red mist spraying across his face. He went into frenzy, slashing his wife's face into shreds. He felt the presence of a person moving behind him and instinctively lashed out with his sword, feeling it sink into flesh. He turned to see his attacker expecting a man from Ashasvahs’ entourage who had come to investigate but instead he found himself face to face with a young girl.

Her face was puzzled as she looked down at the sword protruding from her gut and the growing red stain on her dress, wondering what had happened. She looked up into the eyes of her murderer. Archimenes recoiled in horror when she lifted her eyes. They were his eyes staring back at her. All of his rage and fury disappeared in that moment as realisation hit.

"What have I done?!” he cried.

The girl's eyes went blank. Archimenes howled and lifted himself from the blood soaked floor. He ran out of his house and into the streets screaming.

Archimenes, the man who had just killed his own daughter and wife ran on and on, fleeing into the night...

seleucid empire

08-25-2012, 05:07

so how does everyone feel about this aar? its a lot darker than my previous ones and has more content but less pictures

SoFarSoGood

08-25-2012, 07:15

Seems to have started a bit late.

seleucid empire

08-25-2012, 10:08

I wanted to to start when the seleucids already had a massive empire, gives it more dimension than an aar about a kingdom strugglying to become an empire

seleucid empire

08-27-2012, 01:13

Chapter 3: Allies and Enemies
Winter 250 BC Antioch, The house of Mardonious

"So what can we do for him?" asked Helioketes
"Theres not much we can do about this" replied Mardonious, "He killed the son of a powerful lord."
"But Archimenes is also a noble, he is a companion of Alexandros 'the Black'."
"It is more complicated than that. I conversed with him the first night he came to me and he told me that he was bequeathed the title and lands of a Lord because of his friendship with Alexandros. Alexandros granted him the lands so he could meet the requirements for a member of the companion cavalry and join his retinue, but he has no noble blood and is not of the great houses of The Empire."
"What will happen to him?"
"Well, for crimes commited by a noble, there is a council of 11 Great Lords who oversee the trials. Do you know how our empire is organised?"
"Yes, Archimedes and I often talked on our campaigns and he seemed to have a thorough knowledge of these things. He told me that each province has a Satrap in charge of administration and raising forces."
"Yes they are Kings in their own right. What else did he tell you?"
"He told me that there were even more powerful figures. They are the Lords of entire regions of the empire. They are Satraps of a key city in the region and all other Satraps answer to them."
"Yes, There are currently 9 regions: The North, The Heartlands, the East, Asia Minor, Northern Arabia, Greece, Macedonia, Egypt, and Armenia. They rule from important cities. For example, the Lord of the East would rule from Bactra and control all of the empire west of Persepolis. Each of these lords have a seat on the council."
"what about the other two seats?"
"They are for the Lord commanders of the Army and Navy. In this case, Alexandros the Black and Lord Admiral Nikaratos. Sometimes the King will also preside, although that hasn't happened since the execution of Antiochus I's eldest son for treason."
"If Alexandros is presiding then he will surely pardon Archimenes."
"No, he will most likely not be present and will not hear of his execution until it is too late. In these trials rarely ever are all eleven Lords called to the council as they are usually too busy looking after the affairs of their regions. In a case like this, in which a minor noble like Archimenes is involved, the Lord of the region, in this case, crown prince Seleucus Kallinikos, can fill the empty seats of the council with local Lords."
"and the local lords.."
"Are under the influence of Lord Vanara" finished Mardonious, "and not only are they under his influence, he will most likely bribe them to ensure the death of your friend."
"We cannot let that happen."
"Even if the trial was fair, he will be found guilty."
"What are you talking abo..."
"Helioketes, he killed that man and he killed him for having an affair with his wife. He did not even challenge the Lord's son to restore his honour, he killed him in cold blood. And lets imagine that he does win the trial by some miracle, do you really think lord Vanara will stop there? He will send assassins after Archimenes. He will not be able to hide from them forever"

Suddenly Archimenes spoke. He had crept into the room several minutes ago unnoticed and had hidden in the dark listening.

'Lord Mardonious, I am grateful for your help. If you had turned me away at your door I would have been caught days ago, but I cannot risk putting you in danger any longer by hiding me. I will go today and turn myself in and pay for my crimes with whatever punishment they choose to give."

Mardonious looked at Archimenes taking everything in. He saw a man who had just lost everything, who had given up hope and whose life had lost all purpose.

"No, I have an idea. I will get you through this alive. And one more thing, I am no lord, my brother will take that title when my father dies" said Mardonious

Archimenes was silent for a moment. A ghost of a smile came to his lips

"Well Mardonious, it looks like we will be working together after all..."

moriluk

08-28-2012, 05:10

so how does everyone feel about this aar? its a lot darker than my previous ones and has more content but less pictures

I like it. Interesting starting at victory conditions. Less pics is fine, a good pic can say alot. Also, it doesn't feel tl;dr.

I have also toyed with realistic movement but ended up having reservations. I have manually moved it to about half way between realistic and default.

I was about to fire up a new campaign and saw this. Now I may do an AS, but the opposite of this campaign of yours. I have always wanted to do a migration with them. Not completely lay down or cheat, but just play kind of lax and half assed. THen a young smart general (probably makedonian or hellen) steals some money from his failing king, goes off (krete, maybe bosporia, maybe syracuse) and starts a new kingdom. Maybe then pahlava can finally have a huge empire without me controlling them. Anyway, nice aar.

seleucid empire

08-28-2012, 05:52

Firstly, thank you moriluk! It will keep writing it this way then

Realistic movement made my campaign so much faster. I reached the VCs in 25 years and I also went north of the black sea. It also gave me time to develop my economy since the loot from conquering cities came in so fast
For migration campaigns i prefer Epirus or KH. The reasons being, that historically they declined earlier on and never became a huge empire so if you move them, they wont make such a huge difference. For example, you cant really migrate with Carthage without having to write extra chapters on why there isnt an empire in north africa

Also KH and Epirus have better local recruitment options. The Seleucid empire doesn't have those subjugation resources scattered around the world like KH does. The best your going to get is a thoratkai based army in syracuse or a mixed army if your going to the bosporia. Good luck with your campaign moriluk ;)

moriluk

08-28-2012, 07:16

carthage is an irl phoenician migration, sort of. If you went back in time and told a phoenician that one of their small western trade ports would subjugate the lybians and become an empire going as far as iberia while phoenicia would be twice conquered, they'd probably laugh.

all campaigns are ahistorical due to the limits of the game engine. yours for example, completely ahistorical yet not unrealistic. And i think that is where the difficulty of the game lies; not in winning battles, staying alive, or acheiving victory conditions. But rather making a realistic alternate history. Even if you play a completely historica roman expansion, it will be very ahistorical. You will most likely be taking makedonia and dacia from epeiros and you will def be fighting far more battles against ptoly than the real romans did. So, realism over historical accuracy to me is the objective here. The end result is alternate history.

THis game has made me appreciate alternate history. Like that one book where germany wins ww2 and some guy writes a book about how he thinks the world would be if the allies had won. But my favorite all time sci fi is foundation. it was originally based on a book about the roman empire. I love the idea of (spoiler) an empire sending a small group off to create a foundation but then the foundation itself becomes an empire while the real/original empire crumbles. This game can represent that type of thing to an extent.

Anyway, I didn't return to derail your aar with my late night ramblings. I just wanted to point out that i like the map. It has your empire, rome, and nothing else. I am always compelled to create a world map and constantly update it. I like yours better. I will try it for aesthetics.

seleucid empire

08-28-2012, 07:35

SoFarSoGood

08-28-2012, 07:59

But my favorite all time sci fi is foundation. it was originally based on a book about the roman empire. I love the idea of (spoiler) an empire sending a small group off to create a foundation but then the foundation itself becomes an empire while the real/original empire crumbles.

The Asimov Foundation Series was indeed superb. I am also enjoying this AAR.

seleucid empire

08-28-2012, 09:40

Chapter 4: Flight from Antioch
Winter 250 BC Border of Syria and Assyria

The last snowflakes of winter were just beginning to fall as they reached the border of Syria. Normally a journey of a few weeks, it had taken the three almost 2 months to reach it. It had been Mardonious' idea to stay in the city a while longer. They will think that Archimenes had fled the city and send patrols out. If we go now, all of the other towns and cities in Syria will be searching for him, he had said.

After two weeks of waiting, the trio had finally left the city. Archimenes had wanted to avoid the major towns and cities but Mardionious reasoned that his pursuers would expect him to do that. He was right. The Main roads were free of soldiers and they had blended into the crowded cities. They always stayed for a few days in each city to give the impression that they were in no hurry.

However, their journey had not been completely free of trouble. One morning, the travellers had woken up to find themselves surrounded by 13 armed men. Although outnumbered, Archimenes and Helioketes easily overpowered the group and killed all of them except for their leader. Mardonious had asked the man who he was working for and told him that if he wouldn't answer, he would ask his friend to 'convince' him, indicating Helioketes. The man had taken one look at huge Cretan before spilling everything. He was part of a rebellion under the leadership of Philetairos of Bactria, a man who had lost everything in Antiochus II's invasion of Bactria and now sought revenge on the empire gathering 13 000 discontented peasants under his banner. He had sent 5 000 west into Syria under his right hand man captain Mysikos, to plunder the towns and now marched on Edessa, the capital of the Assyrian province, with his remaining 8 000 men.

https://img820.imageshack.us/img820/6742/philetariosbaktrianos.png

Afterwards, Archimenes had given the man a clean death. They continued with their journey, narrowing avoiding the forces of captain Mysikos before turning south and making for the border.

Helioketes rode up beside Mardonious. Archimenes stayed behind at a slow trot.

"Where do we go now? We surely can't go to Edessa with a rebel army camped between us and the city?" asked Helioketes
"I have been thinking about that ever since we found out." replied Mardonious, "Originally, I wanted to reach Edessa and stay there until the heat dies down."
"But you said Lord Vanara will never stop looking for him."
"No, but the Imperial forces will. Lord Vanara only has 50 men men looking for Archimenes. The Imperial forces assigned to catching Archimenes number 300. Without them, we have a better chance of escaping his clutches."
"Why not just go to Seleukeia?"
"The reason we have deliberately travelled slowly through Syria is to allow our pursuers to believe that we are ahead of them. They will think that we are trying to put as many miles between us and Antioch as possible and so far it has worked. However if we go to Seleukeia now, they may still be searching there and that's what I'm worried about."
"Why don't we hide in one of the other cities along the road?"
"Those cities are not big enough to hide a fugitive who killed the eldest son of a powerful Lord."
"We have done it before. We have hidden at cities on the road here."
"We never stayed for more than a few days. If we had stayed longer, we would have attracted the attention of somebody, maybe even the city guard."
"But Seleukeia is one of the biggest cities in the empire, surely they won't find us there."
"They will have the city guard looking for Archimenes as well and the city guard are 4 000 strong. But it seems we have no choice in the matter. We will slowly make our way to Seleukeia, and pray that, by the time we arrive, they will be gone..."

seleucid empire

08-28-2012, 11:58

Chapter 5: Edge of Civilisation
Summer 249 BC, Sai Yavuga, the former Saka stronghold of Chighu

https://img9.imageshack.us/img9/9516/theosarpedonalexandro.png

"Why are we still in this place brother?" asked Sarpedon,"I am tired of these endless Steppes"
"I have already told you, we have to stay and make sure the province is settled before we can leave. We also need to clear out the rest of the Saka armies in the region. We will move against the rest of their cities in the Autumn" replied King Antiochus II Theodoros.
"Why are we here at all? We don't need these lands. The empire will hardly benefit from the addition of these wastelands"
"If we don't bring the Saka to their knees they will keep raiding our eastern provinces and if we conquer all of their lands, then we can start a new eastern front against our Sarmatian enemies."
"We have brought two bright young generals here with us. They can continue this invasion for us. We need not be here for any longer."

Before Theodoros could reply, Alexandros came into the hall.
"Hello cousins, I have just received some bad news from the west."
"Well?" asked the King
"This is a letter from one of my companions. He is hunted by Lord Vanara for killing his son."
"That news hardly concerns us." said Sarpedon
"No, but it concerns me. He has always been loyal to me and saved my life many times. I intend to return the favour. However that is not the news I bring you. In his letter, he tells me of a large rebellion in the Heartlands led by a man named Philetairos of Bactria."
"He is in the Heartlands? How many men does he lead?" asked the King
"13 000, but he leads mostly armed peasants and has split his force in two."
"See brother? We need to return to Antioch. You have been away from the heartlands for too long, you need to go back and tighten your grasp on the lords and the people." exclaimed Sarpedon.
"I have a better idea. We will send instructions to Lord Artabazanes to raise an army and march to confront these rebels. When he crushes them, it will show the rest of the empire that my reach is long and make them think twice about making a move against me"

https://img411.imageshack.us/img411/7225/artabazanes.png

"After he crushes the rebellion. Then what?" asked Sarpedon
"I will send him north to replace Herakleidies Atarneou." replied the King
"Your sending him against the lord of the north?" asked Sarpedon,"Why?"
"Are you unaware that his actions led to the destruction of the entire legion of the north?"
"He is a fool. So what? He has still managed to keep the north from falling into the hands of the Sarmatians. You didn't replace him ten years ago when this happened, why act now?"
"Herakleidies Atarneou is not that much of a fool. He sent the Legion of the north on a suicide mission because they were loyal to cousin Alexandros. He destroyed them so he could raise his own loyal troops and has had free reign over all of the north for the past ten years. I will not let that kind of treachery go unpunished."
"Very well, but I still believe you should return to Antioch before it's too late..." said Sarpedon before marching out of the room

Alexandros turned to Antiochus.
"I still need one thing from you cousin. I have written this pardon letter for my companion but I need your seal."said Alexandros
"You are really willing to anger lord Vanara for this? He is a dangerous enemy to make." replied Antiochus
"I am more than willing. I already have many enemies in court. What difference is one more if I can save the life of my loyal servant."
"Very well," said Antiochus, reaching for his seal, "But if this man of yours has really killed Lord Vanara's son, I doubt even a royal pardon can save him.."

seleucid empire

08-28-2012, 13:49

Chapter 6: A Forked Road
Autumn 249 BC, Seleukeia

Mardonious and Helioketes were deep in conversation when the door opened. Archimenes came in and behind him was another man. He was of the same stature as Archimenes and wore a full suit of shining armour. Mardonious looked at the man, his gaze resting on the stranger's helmet: A helmet with a black plume. A another member of the Black guard.

"This is my comrade Hector. He came here to find me as I told him where we were hiding in my letter" said Archimenes, introducing the man.
"Alexandros has sent me to deliver a royal pardon to you and to give a second letter to Lord Vanara ordering him to stop with his chase." said Hector.
"That is good news, however, you know as well as I do that Vanara will not be stopped." replied Mardonious
"He will not be allowed to use the men or resources of his Satrapy to continue the chase and if his men are caught, he will be punished for defying a royal decree." argued Hector.
"Yes, but that man is capable of anything. He may not be able to use the army any more but he has plenty of servants of his own."
"I am no fool. I will not reveal myself to him, but at least I will not be hunted by the guards of every city any more." replied Archimenes
"There is one more piece of news. Lord Artabazanes is raising an army in nearby Babylon. He intends to crush Philetairo's rebellion and head north to displace Herakleidies Atarneou."
"Displace him?" asked Helioketes in sudden interest
"Yes, the King believes that Herakleidies Atarneou purposely led the legion of the north to destruction ten years ago and replaced them with his own men so he could gain absolute control of the north."
"What?!" exclaimed Helioketes, his face twisting into an expression of pure rage. He got up and flipped over the table.
"Calm yourself!" shouted Mardonious
"My brothers died for his petty schemes. I will not rest until that man burns! Mardonious, I know I agreed to accompany you in your ventures but I must finish this before I can join you. I will go to Babylon and enlist."
"I understand. This is something you must do and I will not stop you." replied Mardonious.

An hour later, Helioketes had said his farewells to the three men and left.

"Mardonious, I will stay with you. I have a debt to you now that can never be repaid" said Archimenes.
"You owe me nothing, but I would like you to join me. That offer is still open if you choose to take it"
"Where will you begin your venture?"
"Well, I will need to return to Antioch first and find the money lender before I can begin. I may have already lost my opportunity if he has changed his mind. We have been gone for a year."
"That will not be a problem. Hector has brought the spoils I have claimed on my campaigns here with him. I will help you begin your trade"
"I don't think your spoils will be enough"

Archimenes began to chuckle, puzzling Mardonious

"Come with us," he said,"I want to show you something"

The three men made their way to the Agora. They arrived at a ring of wagons guarded by no less than 8 members of the black guard. Mardonious looked inside and his jaw dropped. Each of the wagons were filled to the top with gold pieces and statuettes.

Seeing Mardonious' expression, Archimenes said,"These are the spoils of a thousand cities. There is enough for me to fund your venture and still be one of the empires' richest men."
"I see, well then we can begin."
"Where will we go?"
"Arabia."
"Arabia? Why there?"
"Because only in Arabia are we on the offensive. In the west and north, we are holding our ground against the Romans and Sarmatians. In Arabia, we are on the offensive, sacking and enslaving their cities. I will be able to find an inexhaustible source cheap slaves there. We will go in a week and go south to join general Seron Kydnikes of Antiocheia who is camped with a huge army in the desert of M'ain right now. We should be able to catch up to his army by the time he reaches the Sabaen cities."

Hector turned to Archimenes and handed him the parchment with his pardon written on it.
"My friend, I must continue with my mission now. My men and I will go to Sidon and deliver the King's orders to Vanara. Then I will go back to Baktra, claim my spoils and return to Susa to live the rest of my days."
"Farewell my friend, may Hermes keep you safe on your journey."
Archimenes then said his farewells to the other 8 Black Guards in turn.

As Hector and the other companions rode off, Mardonious had a feeling that Archimenes would never see these men alive again. He kept these thoughts to himself..

seleucid empire

08-28-2012, 13:58

I hope you liked that chapter. If your wondering
Mardonious is 15, Archimenes is 34 and Helioketes is 32 when the story begins

seleucid empire

08-29-2012, 06:50

Chapter 7: Acts of Treason
Winter 249 BC Sidon

The Great Port of Sidon was the largest port in the empire excluding those of Seleucia Pieria and Alexandria. A thousand ships entered and left it's harbours each day with goods coming in from Greece and even distant Iberia. On some days, such as this one, Lord Vanara, Satrap of Phoenicia would stroll through the bustling harbour with his guards. Vanara often liked to visit the port. It was his creation and would be his legacy. Ten years of his life he had dedicated to it and the result was spectacular. Whenever, he walked through the markets many people would stop with their work and show their respects to him. As he reached the piers, a man crept up beside him, keeping pace with the lord.

"Well Ennychos, I hope you are here to give me some good news, and that my men have found and killed that bastard who took my son away from me." said Vanara to his chief eunuch without looking at him."
"I'm afraid not my Lord, certain...complications have arisen."
"What complications?" snarled Vanara,"Don't tell me that captain Perikes has failed me again. You have been searching for a year already!"
"It seem our prey is much smarter than we thought. He has eluded us so far."

Without warning, Vanara lifted his hand and struck Ennychos.

"You disturbed my walk to tell me this?"
"No my lord," stammered Ennychos,"I have come to tell you that nine members of the Black Guard are here. They request an immediate audience with you on behalf of Alexandros the Black"
"Did they state the reason for their trip?"
"No my Lord but I have an idea."
"You think that they are here with a royal pardon for Archimenes from the King?"
"Yes I do my Lord."
"I feared this would happen. That was why I wanted him found quickly! Now the imperial forces will stop searching for him."
"You can still hunt him with your own men my Lord. If the King finds out you can always say that you could not find your men in time to give them the new orders."
"Yes, but without the imperial forces and the city guards of the Empire, I will never find him."
"They is another way my Lord...What if...the messengers were sidetracked, and you never received the orders."
"Make it happen Ennychos.."

moriluk

08-30-2012, 18:22

ohh ok, I see your point. Basically like the legend of Aeneas, he leaves the powerful troy and founds an even more powerful empire of Rome? So your going to keep playing as the Seleucids but focus more on your colony and let the empire slowly die?
Are you going to make an aar with your campaign? cause i would love to read that (i enjoyed your other aars immensely). Especially if you're going to britain because i have never seen an aar about a civilised faction migrating to the tin isles

I don't know. I started a migration aar of aedui to ireland a couple of months ago. fun start but i got distracted with irl and it is in stasis, plus the aar is about 40 years behind the actual game. I haven't posted it yet. I may not. Seleukids in Briton sounds interesting. I guess if it never happened, the idea of Celts in Anatolia would seem unlikely too, so Greeks in Briton may be fun. Either way, an aar of a crumbling seleukid empire would be fun. I wonder if it is possible to change Seleukid generals to syracuse hoplites..

Oh and this idea is nothing original, I am not claiming that. 2 things inspired this. An old incomplete arr of a bactria fm traveling to krete and starting a new kingdom (about 100 years into the campaign). And another incomplete aar of seleukids where everything crumbled save for syria (so around 250 bc seleukids are about like pontos/hayasdan/bactria 272bc).

My aars are a pimple on the ass of obelics. I will never have the time nor creativity to accomplish that sort of hilariousness and depth. But i am glad you like them. My carthage one crashed (the actual aar that is) and i was not about to redo 10 years. hayasdans last situation was about 30 huge armies of carthage circling around egypt like vultures.

Anyway, nice updates. This is a fun read, keep it up.

seleucid empire

08-31-2012, 05:24

Oh and this idea is nothing original, I am not claiming that. 2 things inspired this. An old incomplete arr of a bactria fm traveling to krete and starting a new kingdom (about 100 years into the campaign). And another incomplete aar of seleukids where everything crumbled save for syria (so around 250 bc seleukids are about like pontos/hayasdan/bactria 272bc).

My aars are a pimple on the ass of obelics. I will never have the time nor creativity to accomplish that sort of hilariousness and depth. But i am glad you like them. My carthage one crashed (the actual aar that is) and i was not about to redo 10 years. hayasdans last situation was about 30 huge armies of carthage circling around egypt like vultures.

Anyway, nice updates. This is a fun read, keep it up.

So thats what happened to your carthage aar. I wanted to see the civil war between the cretan kingdom and the empire. Too few aars have civil wars in them. And the ones that do usually end after one battle

seleucid empire

09-01-2012, 08:38

Chapter 8: A Murder of Crows
Winter 249 BC Sidon

The Door was pushed open and nine men entered. They were dressed in the signature black cloaks and plumed helmets of the Black Guard which, from a distance, gave them the appearance of crows. Their leader was man of rather average height and he introduced himself as Hector.

"Forgive me, Lord Hector, but I must ask you to leave your weapons outside. There are no weapons allowed in the hall." spoke Ennychos. He would have asked them to take off their armour as well but that would make them suspicious. The palace guards came and took their weapons before leaving the room.

"Now, what is your business in Sidon?" asked Ennychos.
"We have a message from Lord Commander Alexandros for Lord Vanara." replied Hector,"Where is he?"
"I regret to inform you that Lord Vanara is feeling unwell. I will receive your message in his stead."
"Very well, here is the message," said Hector, unfolding the scroll, "This is a decree validated by the King's seal. He has issued a royal pardon for Lord Archimenes of Green-shade Hall. He instructs Lord Vanara's forces to stand down and wishes him to stop his chase."
"Ahh, just as I thought." replied Ennychos.
"You were expecting this?" asked Hector.
"Yes, my master has anticipated something like this. He also said that if this was the case, then I should inform you that we find these orders unacceptable." said Ennychos, a wicked grin slowly spreading across his features. He gave the signal and 50 Jewish mercenaries sprang from their hiding places, surrounding Hector's men. They reached for their swords only to realise that they had been taken outside. The Jews cut down two of the Black Guards before they started fighting back. Even without weapons they were formidable and jumped at their attackers, weaving their way between spear thrusts and swords until they were close enough to break their opponent's necks. Ennychos watched in growing horror as they picked up their fallen enemy's weapons and began cutting their way through the mercenaries.

"Archers!!" screamed Ennychos, seeing that his men were losing the fight against these elite soldiers. Archers poured into the room and began firing into the melee, killing both the Black Guards and the Mercenaries.

Hector cut down the last mercenary just as the last of his men fell to the archers. He turned around as an arrow entered his chest. Dropping to one knee in shock, he looked up at the triumphant Ennychos.

"You..will..never..get away with this." gasped Hector.
"Oh but we will. We will dump your bodies on the side of the road. We will say you never arrived at Sidon. Goodbye Lord Hector, it has been a pleasure."

The archers drew their bows and fired. Hector fell to the floor, dead...

Ennychos waited until nightfall before ordering his men to dump the bodies of both the companions and the mercenaries a few leagues outside the city. They even killed a few horses and left them at the site. To whoever would discover the scene, it would look like the an ambush by Jewish rebels. That night, Ennychos slept like a baby...

seleucid empire

09-03-2012, 07:31

got exams coming up dont know when my next update will be

seleucid empire

09-09-2012, 07:25

OK everyone I had to start a new seleucid campaign and played up to VC again this time on VH/M

I will continue this AAR but I will change some of the dates and stuff so re-read the chapters and setting

In this second campaign I didnt go north of the black sea but I will pretend I did for the sake of this AAR

Begins in 250 Now with dates all changed. All the characters are younger aswell and the black guards have were formed 21 years ago instead of 25. So far the story has only encompassed Winter 250-Winter 249

seleucid empire

09-12-2012, 15:10

Chapter 9: The Hounds of Elissa
Winter 249 BC Sidon

"Well?" demanded Lord Vanara as Ennychos slinked into the room.
"It is done my lord," replied Ennychos,"We made it look a rebel attack."
"Yet neither the King nor his cousin are fools"
"No, they are not...What is your next move, my lord?"

Lord Vanara began pacing the room, backwards and forwards contemplating as he often did when difficult decisions were made. When he finally stopped, he turned to Ennychos and said, "I will send the Elissian cavalry to hunt him. They are a thousand strong, and this time, I will personally lead the chase."
"You will send the hounds?" exclaimed Ennychos in surprise.

The Elissian cavalry were named after the legendary queen Elissa of Tyre, founder of Carthage. They were a group of cavalry that Vanara had formed some 5 years ago. Each had sworn a vow to Lord Vanara and were fanatically loyal to him, which earned them their nickname of 'The Hounds of Tyre'.

"Yes, every day that passes, the prospect of capturing Archimenes decreases. I need my best men to catch him" Lord Vanara had spat out the name of his son's murderer.
"But my Lord, surely, with all of the wealth of Phoenicia you can raise a suitable force for pursuit. If it is speed you need, the cavalry of the Arabian mercenaries are nearly as fast. It need not be the Elissian cavalry! They were sworn to guard Tyre and it would be seem strange to the people if they left."
"They know I lost my Son to that bastard!"
"Yes but even so, to call the Elissian cavalry out of Tyre would imply you were desperate or running short of time. The other Lords will begin to wonder if something is amiss"
"I need my best men to catch him." Vanara repeated.

Ennychos could see that it was no use arguing further.

"Ennychos, you will ride out to Tyre tomorrow and give my orders to captain Abibaal."
"My Lord..Captain Abibaal is not fond of me or my presence."
"On the contrary I have heard that he is very fond of you my faithful Eunuch. It is said he prefers creatures who have lost their manhood over women." snickered Vanara

Ennychos sighed. So his Lord had heard the rumours. The Last time Ennychos had delivered a message to Abibaal, he had left the troop camp the next day with the sorest arse. So sore, he couldn't even sit on his saddle properly, falling off after his horse had taken a few steps and was greeted with the roaring laughter of every soldier in the camp. He couldn't even fight back the night Abibaal had come onto him. He had been humiliated and ridden on like a horse. Yet he had no choice now but to ride back into the hands of his tormentor, whom he was sure, would use him as his woman again.

"Very well my Lord," said Ennychos, sinking into despair..

seleucid empire

09-12-2012, 15:20

sorry that update was so short. I still have exams and dont have much time for writing long chapters atm

Jive

09-14-2012, 05:46

Chapter 9: The Hounds of Elissa
Winter 249 BC Sidon

"Ennychos, you will ride out to Tyre tomorrow and give my orders to captain Abibaal."
"My Lord..Captain Abibaal is not fond of me or my presence."
"On the contrary I have heard that he is very fond of you my faithful Eunuch. It is said he prefers creatures who have lost their manhood over women." snickered Vanara

Ennychos sighed. So his Lord had heard the rumours. The Last time Ennychos had delivered a message to Abibaal, he had left the troop camp the next day with the sorest arse. So sore, he couldn't even sit on his saddle properly, falling off after his horse had taken a few steps and was greeted with the roaring laughter of every soldier in the camp. He couldn't even fight back the night Abibaal had come onto him. He had been humiliated and ridden on like a horse. Yet he had no choice now but to ride back into the hands of his tormentor, whom he was sure, would use him as his woman again.

"Very well my Lord," said Ennychos, sinking into despair..

This is a scream, seleucid empire, a real scream!

seleucid empire

09-14-2012, 08:27

This is a scream, seleucid empire, a real scream!

Im not familiar with that phrase. did you like it or hate it lol?

Jive

09-14-2012, 14:24

Loved it :laugh4:! Keep up the good work.

seleucid empire

09-15-2012, 07:52

thank you!!! :D
I included that last part so you would feel sympathy for him despite the fact that he is a slimy, plotting eel. I wanted to show you some of the suffering he has undergone which made him the way he is. After all every every enemy is a hero on the other side. Thats why i gave more than one dimension to all my characters. even the main protagonists are flawed (e.g. Archimenes has rage, killing his daugter and wife, Helioketes is bound by vengeance and Mardonious is cold and calculating)

seleucid empire

09-15-2012, 18:02

Chapter 10: The Arrows Flight
Winter 249 BC Assyria

The Enemy approached steadily and silently towards their position. This fact alone amazed Helioketes. Were the enemy not composed of levies and peasants? Helioketes had seen levied peasants fight in battle before. They usually charged towards their enemy in a disorderly line, screaming obscenities at the enemy as if doing so would give them the courage they desperately lacked. Indeed, that was what had given their position away in many battles he had fought. In the battle of Alexandria all those years ago, the noise made by the enemy levies had alerted Alexandros 'the Black' to the flanking force that Ptolemaios II had hidden before the battle. This gave Alexandros enough time to wheel his Peltasts in place and prevent an envelopment, winning the famous victory. However, the enemy they faced today were utterly silent despite being armed like levies. He felt very uneasy.

He gave his men the signal and they moved to the front of the battle line. The hill that the army had deployed on gave his archers a huge advantage over the enemy archers. He had been placed in command of his own company of some 1 000 men almost a month ago. When he had arrived at the camp of Lord Artabazanes, he had immediately befriended two Persians, who were unfortunately, very prone to gossiping. The news that a member of the legendary Death Seekers and a survivor of the Northern Legion had arrived in camp spread through the ranks like wildfire. In the very same afternoon, Lord Artazabanes had called him to his tent and asked him if he would command and train some of the new recruits as he was desperately short of competent commanders who had seen battle.

Helioketes made a judgement of the enemy force spread out on the plains below them. Something was wrong. They had expected 8 000 men in the army of Philetairos but there was at least 12 000 approaching them now, maybe even 15 000. Still, despite this unexpected surprise, they had a good chance to win the battle. Lord Artazabanes had gathered 6 000 well trained Thureophoroi, the standard medium infantry of the empire, 2 000 Persian and Syrian archers and his personal retinue of 500 heavy cavalry. The army of Philetairos appeared to be primarily composed of Persian Archers and Peasants armed in the same manner as the Parthian spearmen of the east. Helioketes had seen these spearmen before in his time serving in the east and had observed that they broke very easily. However there was something about the way these spearmen marched in synch and they way they locked their shields together as they marched that suggested that today, it would not be so easy.

The enemy were now 250 metres from the base of the hill. If it were the Death seekers in place of these recruits, they would have began to fire already and gotten many devastating volleys in before the enemy even knew that they were in range. However these were not his old companions and he waited patiently until the enemy were close enough before he gave the signal. A thousand arrows arched into the air and showered on the enemy. Hundreds died in that first volley but they kept their pace, not even noticing their fallen comrades. They gave three more volleys before the enemy were at the base of the hill. They marched up steadily and Helioketes gave the order for his archers to fall back behind the main line.

The Thureophoroi lifted their javelins and at their captain's command, they loosened, 6 000 javelins falling on the enemy. Then, a second volley of Javelins followed. The enemy must have lost close to a thousand men by now but they still marched steadily. Then, a single loud note blew into the air. The first line of Thureophoroi charged down the hill using the slope as momentum. The two lines clashed and the sounds of swords clashing and shields breaking rang through the air. He ordered his archers to fire on the middle ranks of the enemy, who were crowded together, inflicting huge casualties. But they did not break. Helioketes realised that these men must have been the surviving veterans of the fallen Bactrian Kingdom, who had all followed Philetairos west to inflict misery in the heartlands of the empire that had stripped them of their lands and freedom.

He had ordered his archers to bring two quivers of arrows with them into battle and this proved wise as they could now shower arrows at their leisure inflicting mass destruction. but although they had killed hundreds and maybe thousands, many more men replaced each that had fallen and they never seemed to waver. The situation at the centre was not well. The Thureophoroi, despite being much better armed were beginning to be pushed back by the sheer force of numbers. The Second line of Thureophoroi now marched downhill to aid their brothers. At a signal, the first line broke off from combat and reformed behind the second line, which charged into enemy spear men. He saw a movement at the back of the enemy lines. They were moving their archers forward.

He ordered his men to concentrate their fire on the archers. Many arrows found their mark, but many hit the other infantry men. They were now in range to return fire. The sky darkened. Helioketes knew what was coming next. This was the hardest part of battle for any archer. When the enemy returned fire and each archer could do nothing but stand and watch as the arrows came and prayed that the arrows hit another man and not himself. They were at the mercy of pure chance in every battle. The fates decided who lived and who died. The arrows made a whistling noise as they approached. When they struck, there were horrible cries among his company.

Three loud notes rang through the air. Helioketes heard a thundering of hooves and saw the heavy cavalry charge into the flank of the enemy. Faced with a flank attack by the companions, their enemy, who had until now been resolute, suddenly broke and began running down the hill. The Thureophoroi ran after them, cutting many down. Helioketes ordered his archers to fire at any of the enemy who remained defiant and soon, they also broke. Helioketes watched as the cavalry and infantry hunted them down without mercy. Then, he saw it, a thousand cavalry men emerging from a cluster of trees and making for the retinue of Artazabanes. Artazabanes saw the threat and wheeled his cavalry around and faced them. The two companies met with the scream of dying men and horses.

Helioketes spotted Lord Artzabanes fighting in his beautifully gilded armour. His opponent was a much older man but he fought with the grace of a Bactrian noble who spent their lives fighting from horseback. Helioketes instantly knew that the man was Philetairos. Philetairos quickly gained the upper hand and with a swift and sudden motion, he slid the tip of his spear past Artazabanes shield and into his chest. Artazabanes fell off his horse and his cavalry panicked and broke. Philetairos quickly turned his attention to the Thureophoroi who were chasing after his men. His charge bought time for his men who had began to reform into lines. However, he had made one fatal mistake: He had come too close to the hill. Of course it was not Philetairo's fault. How could he have known there was a member of the death seekers on the hill? How could he had known that there was a man who could deliver a killing shot at that range? Helioketes only took a second to aim. Then he loosened. The arrow went swift and true, a blur across the battlefield and lodged itself in right in Philetairo's eye, the only inch of his body that was not covered in armour. He was killed instantly. Seeing this, those of his men that had reformed broke again and ran for their lives. The chase went on into the afternoon..

*****

Helioketes crept silently past the sentries posted at the camp. Earlier that night, he had been in a council with the captains of the army. The others had all agreed that to go on to the north without a leader after losing 3000 men was pointless and had voted to return to Babylon despite his protest. So he had silently left the camp. He would not rest until the spirits of his brothers had been avenged. With nothing but his bow, his short sword and a weeks worth of provisions, he began the long journey, into the north....

seleucid empire

09-16-2012, 07:50

well that was the first battle ive written about, I hope you like that. I auto-calced that one and for some reason my general died even though we won. srsly wtf????(this was before i started a new game on VH)

seleucid empire

09-16-2012, 12:39

Chapter 11: Discovery
Winter 249 Seleukeia

It had been a great past few months for Mardonious. He allowed himself to whistle happily as he strode through the Agora, ready to spend some of his gold. They had arrived in the camp of Seron just before he had taken the city of Maryab. Seron had been extremely bold. He had bypassed the Arabian army waiting near the fortress of Carna and went straight for Maryab, the heart of the Sabean Federation who were utterly unprepared for siege. Of all the would-be slave traders throughout the empire, only Mardonious had believed that Seron would actually survive his journey down the desert M'ain with his army intact. His faith was repaid when he was allowed to get first pickings of the slaves, since none of the other slave traders would arrive for months afterwards. He paid a quarter of what was usually paid because the soldiers were so eager to be rid of them. As a result, he had gathered 10 000 of the fittest slaves for a meagre sum and brought them back to Seleukeia to sell for twenty-fold the price he had bought them for. Some of his slaves were educated in mathematics and arts and these he had sold at Palmyra for a hefty sum. Now he was richer than even Archimenes

He stopped by a Merchants store and examined the wines imported from the west.

"Hello friend." greeted the merchant."May I interest you in some fine Greek wine, imported from Olympia?"
"Yes, three jars of your finest." replied Mardonious. Then he remembered the foul mood Archimenes had been in since yesterday, when he had been insulted at a tavern resulting in a fistfight, "Make it five jars... Do you have any news?"
"There have been some ill tidings these days."
"Oh?"
"Yes, just yesterday I heard that the 12th Army crushed the rebellion of Philetairos near Edessa. They say a lone archer made a near-impossible shot and brought down Philetairos."
"Interesting" replied Mardonious. Helioketes marched with the 12th and Mardonious wondered if it was his bow from which the arrow flew."But that is hardly bad news."
'Nay, but they lost a full 4 000 men and Lord Artazabanes lost his life!"
"That is shocking indeed."
"What's even more shocking is news from Arabia."
"Arabia? I have come back from Arabia not a month ago"
"Haven't you heard of the disaster that has befallen the 4th army?"
"The fourth army? Of Lord Seron? I have just returned from his camp after the sack of Maryab."
"You were lucky to have left when you did. His forces were utterly crushed near Carna."
"What!" exclaimed Mardonious.
"Yes, the poor general was too kind hearted I believe. He sold many of the men of Maryab as slaves but otherwise didn't harm them. That was his mistake. When he left to attack Carna, and finish of the Arabians in the north, the inhabitants of Maryab revolted and threw out the Garrison. Then the bastards called for help and the Sabean King arrived with a vast army. Trapped between the two large forces and unable to retreat to Maryab, the entire 4th army was annihilated. The few survivors of the disaster made their way back here in disgrace not a week ago"
"What happened to general Seron?"
"Well some of the survivors rode past Maryab in an attempt to evade the Sabaen forces. They saw his head on a pike on the city walls... But he will be avenged. The 5th army stationed near Homna has rallied under Seron's Brother-in-Law and now march on Ubar. It is said that their general is far more merciless than Seron."
"Yes, I have no doubt they will succeed," mused Mardonious, "The empire always wins in the end..."

seleucid empire

09-16-2012, 13:01

Interlude- The Armies of the Empire

The First/Royal Army: Lead by King Antiochus, Alexandros the Black and Sarpedon they are the veterans which created the empire and have never been defeated on the field. They currently roam the steppes, securing the borders.
Original Strength: 40 000 during the invasion of Egypt
Current Strength: 30 000 after the Eastern wars

https://imageshack.us/a/img51/5230/royal1starmy.png

Second Army/The Legion of North: Destroyed. Was originally composed of Mercenaries and the hoplites of the Bosphoran greeks as well as the legendary Death Seekers
Original Strength: 9 000
Current Strength: 0

Third Army/The Legion of Cyrene: Protect the city of Kyrene and are the last Bastion of defence against Carthage. Recruited among men of Kyrene and kept at constant 20 000 strength
Original strength: 20 000
Current strength: 20 000

https://imageshack.us/a/img440/4741/cyrene3rdarmy.png

Fourth Army/The Sand Raiders: Formerly commanded by General Seron. Destroyed near Carna when surrounded by 80 000 Arabians
Original Strength: 35 000
Current Strength: 0

Fifth Army/The Avenging Spirits: Making a perilous journey across the desert of Zafur to reach the Maryab heartlands
Current strength: 33 000

https://imageshack.us/a/img706/859/5tharmy.png

Sixth Army/Defenders of the West: Protect Greece and Macedonia against the Getai, Romans and Epirotes
Original Strength: 30 000 after the conquest of Greece
Current Strength: 20 000

https://imageshack.us/a/img24/638/6tharmy.png

7th/8th/9th army: Disbanded

Tenth Army/The Armenian Guard: lead by a feared and respected general however only numbers 11 000
Original strength: 11 000
Current strength: 11 000

https://imageshack.us/a/img593/9702/armenian10tharmy.png

Eleventh Army: Was a huge army of mercenaries and levies that conquered India. Although they succeeded they suffered tremendous casualties. Disbanded at Bactra
Original Strength: 75 000
Strength after conquest of India: 4 000

12th Army/ The Rebel hunters: Lost half their numbers as well as their general Lord Artazabanes in the battle of Edessa. Now march back to Babylon
Original Strength: 8 500
Current strength: 4 500

seleucid empire

09-25-2012, 11:23

Chapter 12: Whispers of the North
Spring 249 BC Edessa

The Patrons of the Chimera were an unruly lot. They shouted for drinks while grabbing at any of the serving girls who came into range of their hands. The serving girls, daughters of the matron of the tavern had learned quickly how to dodge their patrons' grasps. There were few nights where brawls didn't occur here, yet it was a good place for men to talk where they wouldn't be overheard. The racket of the drunk men made it impossible for anyone to eavesdrop without coming in too close and revealing themselves. On this night, Two men sat in the darkness, talking in hushed voices. They looked alike in feature but one man looked much older than the other. Had anyone noticed them, they would seem like father and son, although in reality, they were brothers, born not one year apart.

"Brother it has been too long." said one
"Aye it has." replied the other
"I can see war has taken a toll on you. You look 20 years older now although it has only been 5 since you left home."
"I have seen horrible things, and I must journey east to bring news to the King."
"What news?"

The first man hesitated and looked around before speaking
"The North has fallen to the Sarmatians..."
"What?! That's impossible! You said yourself in your letters that the northern cities were safe. You said the Sarmatians had no way to breach their high walls. What happened to the stalemate?"
"Lord Herakleides Artarneou, The Lord of the North was killed. He was hit by an arrow through the neck while he walked the streets of Pantikapaion"
"An Assassin?"
"Yes."
"Were there no guards?"
"There were many guards. That is the strange thing. I was part of his guard and I witnessed it myself. The arrow came out of the air from the direction of the Barrack towers. It was two blocks away. By the time we reached the tower, whoever had shot the arrow had disappeared."
"Thats an impossible shot. No-one can hit a man in the neck at that range! Especially within a city with buildings blocking the view"
"Yes, well, there are rumors. Some say it was a shade of one of the Death Seekers who died ten years ago, come to take his revenge."
"What do you believe?"
"I'm not sure what I believe. I thought I saw a figure running across the rooftops. He was a huge man but he moved as swiftly as a shadow. I dismissed it as a trick of the eye but now I am not so certain"

The first man shuddered before continuing "What happened next?"
"Lord Herakleides' son became the new lord. He believed it was the Sarmatians who had sent the assassin and sent messages to all of the northern cities. He called to himself a vast army, 80 000 strong and marched on Sarmatian lands. The army had a core of hoplites from the Greek cities of the North and many Scythian tribes who joined as archers or heavy cavalry. He even hired vicious Getai and Thracian tribesmen"
"80 000?! Surely then the Sarmatians would have been crushed?"
"Nay, it was a foolish idea to face Sarmatians in open land."
"But I hear the King is doing just that except he has even fewer men! He has taken settlement after Settlement from the Saka barbarians."
"His army may only number 30 000 but he has the veterans of the Royal army! He is the empires' greatest general along with his brother Alexandros. He also has 4 000 companion cavalry with him. Not even the nomads can stand against those men"
"Go on brother. What happened next?"
"We met the Sarmatian horde near one of their few strongholds. They numbered 15 000 horsemen, from three tribes of their Federation. They were led by the High King of the Sarmatians"
"So few!"
"Yes, that is exactly what our new lord thought. He ordered his 10 000 Scythian heavy cavalry to charge into the centre of the Sarmatian line. They simply retreated and fired arrows into the Scythians. He then lead his own bodyguard and 5 000 greek cavalry straight at the Sarmatian King. He didn't realise that the lighter Sarmatian cavalry had moved behind his forces. They surrounded his cavalry and destroyed them. Then they turned on the Scythians and routed them. Most of our cavalry was gone as well as our lord. The remaining men began to retreat orderly. The Sarmatians pressed us but our hoplites formed a rearguard and our archers drove them back each time. We slowly retreated, leaving a trail of bodies behind us. We nearly made it to the safety of the cities but then a second army of the Sarmatians arrived from behind."

He stopped talking for a moment, his face contorted as if remembering a painful memory. Then he continued.

"They crashed into our levies and caused an almost instant rout of our front ranks. The Sarmatians who were chasing us then attacked us from behind. The Greeks and Thracians fought almost to a man. I survived because I was part of the group who rode ahead to Pantikapaion to warn the governor. A few weeks later the Sarmatians attacked. Almost all of our men had died in the campaign and even the Sarmatians who were inexperienced in siege warfare managed to break through. I boarded a ship just in time and I left the harbour as the palace went up in flames. The other Greek cities were in the same situation as us. There were almost no men left to defend them and within 2 months, all of the north had fallen except the fortress of Uspe which is now under siege. I reached Armenia safely and I made my way to the camp of Lord Epikrates Syriakes, a distant cousin of Lord Herakleides and commander of the Armenian Guard. Along the Way, I heard news that the formidable fortress of North's Reach which guards the northern passage into Armenia has fallen to the hordes and they have spilled past into Armenia."

https://imageshack.us/a/img811/3528/epikratessyriakes.png

https://imageshack.us/a/img211/715/armeniainvasion.png

"If what you say is true then, the Sarmatians can take Kotais and use it as a base to attack the rest of Armenia!"
"Nay, have faith, general Epikrates has raised the Armenian Guard and now marches north to fight them."
"The Armenian Guard is only 11 000 strong. They will not be enough."
"I think it will. Epikrates is a very competent general, if not a popular one. And his stubbornness legendary. You have heard of the famous siege of Trapezous years ago haven't you?"
"Yes, as I recall, Epikrates took the city from the Tyrant of the city but before he had consolidated his control, a vast Hayasdan army besieged him in turn."
"Yes, outnumbered 5 to 1 and out of supplies, he still refused to hand over the city. He ordered his men to eat rats and vermin. Thus they held until Alexandros the Black arrived to relieve them."
"But these are Sarmatians..."
"They are having no luck against our canny general. They have only managed to move a few leagues south towards Kotais. Epikrates has been harassing them every step of the road. If anyone can end the threat right now it is he"
"Well I hope his luck holds."
"It has nothing to do with luck... I must leave again soon brother and tell the King of this news. When this storm has passed, I will return to you.."

The Empire after the fall of the North
https://imageshack.us/a/img341/1226/theempireafterthefallof.png

seleucid empire

09-25-2012, 11:49

I hope you liked that chapter. as always any criticism is welcomed

seleucid empire

09-27-2012, 09:04

For people who have read my other Seleucid AAR, Road to Immortality they may see some familiar characters return in this one ;)

seleucid empire

09-27-2012, 12:09

Chapter 13: Sandstorm Pt. 1
Spring 249 BC Zafur

"By Ares! Look at all that dust they're kicking up." muttered Draco,"Their army must be huge."
"Forty Thousand or more I would guess." replied Babak

The two men squatting next to one another made the unlikeliest of comrades. Draco was a small man of a lean stature with a very youthful face, who had just reached manhood. His comrades in the 6th squad of the 2nd Battalion had nicknamed him 'Lizard'. His companion Babak, a dark skinned Babylonian half-blood was a full 2 heads taller and had arms of steel. Both men however, had a number of hideous burn marks all over their bodies. In fact, many Peltastai in the 6th had similar burns but none had as many as these two. The marks were a result of years of service in the 6th Squad, who wielded a secret weapon to battle: Greek Fire

A few years ago, the Peltasts of the Second Battalion had served in the navy as marines and learned the power of Greek-Fire which allowed the small and fairly inexperienced navy of the Empire to win countless victories in the Arabian Gulf against superior opponents. In the years since, the 6th squad of the 2nd battalion had risen to infamy for using Greek Fire in land battles, which was extremely dangerous since no man could predict when and in which direction the wind would change. They had grown more and more adept at using the Fire and even created several devices which would allow them to concentrate it into a small area and cause an explosion. This proved very useful in the siege of Homna 3 years ago, when the 6th were placed at the front of every assault. They had become general Euphorion's favourites, who used them extensively for sapping, assaults and other dangerous missions. Everyone in the army respected them for their reckless courage and called them 'The Flame Breakers'

"They are marching in a very wide column. I think they mean to descend upon us in battle formation before we can react!" exclaimed Babak,"We must ride back and warn the army"

As they returned to the army, they halted at the vanguard where the Flame Breakers were marching and saluted a man wearing the helmet of a captain. The captain was only in his early thirties yet he had a huge scar stretching from his temple to his mouth as well as a limp in his left leg. Every man in the army had seen Captain Planck in action, leading the Flame Breakers. Stories of his missions were the stuff of legends and everyone, enemies and allies alike, held him in respect and awe.

"Hail Captain!" greeted Lizard.
"What news Lizard?"
"We've spotted the enemy up ahead. They are kicking up a huge cloud of dust. Babak thinks there could be 40 000 or more of them."
"Warn the general, he is riding in front of the 7th Battalion, a third of the way down the column. Go quickly!"
"Yessir!"

They spotted the general in his white war-horse, surrounded by his elite companions. They hailed the generals bodyguards, who parted to allow the two men in. The High General was a rather plain looking man but had the look of cold steel in his eyes.

High General Euphorion
https://imageshack.us/a/img29/111/euphorionasteriassyriak.png

High General Euphorion eyed the two men and their equipment before his posture relaxed and he gave a rare smile.
"Ahh Flame Breakers! You are the scouts Captain Planck sent out?"
"Yes my Lord. We have spotted a huge army marching in our direction at a fast pace. We believe there may be 40 000 or more. In any case they outnumber us by at least 10 000 men. They are also marching in a very wide column. I think they mean to come upon us in full battle order and attack before we can deploy"
"I see. Did you note the composition of any of their forces?"
"My Lord I believe they have a large regiment of heavy infantry similar to the brown coats we faced at Homna. We saw at least 4 large divisions of those men as well as 10 divisions of their regular skirmishers. The rest of the army we did not see."
"Very well, return to the vanguard. I will give the order to deploy."

The two men rode back to the vanguard. Draco glanced back. The General was smiling...

seleucid empire

09-28-2012, 12:40

Chapter 14: Sandstorm Pt. 2
Spring 249 BC Zafur

https://imageshack.us/a/img824/3268/batttleofzafur.png

The sun beat down on the army mercilessly. It heated the men's armour so hot that to Lizard, it felt like being in Hephastious forge. Babak shifted uncomfortably in his armour as did everyone else in the squad. The only one who seemed unaffected was captain Planck who stood absolutely still, his face a mask of seriousness. In front of them, the Arabian army unfolded from its columns and quickly formed into battle order. Babak's suspicion had been proven correct. The enemy army stopped on the opposite hill, hesitant. They had obviously not expected their enemy to be ready and waiting in lines. But soon they began to move again, their confidence in numbers showing. Fifty thousand Arabians would march against the 5th army today, and Fifty thousand would fall. High General Euphorion rode up beside the captain.

"Planck, move the Flame Breakers to the left wing, behind the Babylonians. Await my signal and then attack. You know what to do."

The 6th marched into position and waited. The enemy army was approaching at a steady pace.

"Look at all those horsemen. They must have 5 000 cavalry." exclaimed Lizard.
"As us?" asked Reudon, the newest recruit of the 6th
"I haven't seen any horsemen except those of the general's guard. Around 500."

That silenced Reudon. As the Arabian banners came into view, Planck spat on the ground and cursed. Similarly, all along the lines of the 5th army, men spat at the ground and shook their weapons threatening.

"Two Rams and a full moon. The Banners of Marek il Satar" whispered Babak

Marek il Satar was well known to the 5th army. It was he who had convinced General Seron to spare the citizens of Maryab and install him as a governor to keep the population under check. Seron had agreed and Marek had betrayed him by instigating a rebellion and sealing shut the city, thus dooming Seron and the entire 4th army to their bloody fate. General Euporion rode to the front of the lines and began his speech.

"Today we honour the memory of General Seron and our brave comrades of the 4th, who survived a march through hell, only to die because they put their faith in a snake! Do you see those banners? You know who they belong to! They belong to the bastard who betrayed our trusting general! He was unbeatable in battle so the enemy laid him low with the only weapon they have: treachery! Such a desperate act shows us how truly weak they are. Today we will crush them, and then we will continue onwards destroying every city until we arrive at the gates of Maryab. And when we arrive, we will show these Sabaens what happens to those who betray our mercy! Fight well today my Avenging Spirits so that when you meet General Seron in Hades, you can look into his eyes without shame and tell him of our bloody retribution!"

The men roared and their voices were carried by the wind to the enemy ranks. A shuddering motion passed through the Sabaen army. The Persian archers, 6 battalions strong, raised their bows. As the Sabeans reached the bottom of the dune, they fired. 10 000 arrows fell amongst the Sabaens who fell where they stood. The smell of the sweat and blood of cowards filled the air.

The Sabaen skirmishers reached the Seleucid pike line but fled after minutes, seeing the hopelessness of their situation. The rain of arrows continued to fall among the Sabaens shredding their ranks. On the right wing, the Sabaen noble infantry charged into the Thureophoroi, who held firm. The 3rd Battalion Peltestai rained arrows on the nobles and they fled. The Thureophoroi chased after them, seeing the threat too late. 5 000 Sabaen cavalry slammed into their ranks and one battalion broke instantly. General Euphorion charged with his personal guards into the fray. On the left wing, the Sabaen citizen spearmen fought ferociously armed with nothing but a spear and a simple shield. They were men defending their homes and fought bravely. These men stood fast, unlike the cowardly nobles who wore their shiny armour, bragging before battle of how many men they would kill only to run away after minutes of engagement. A real shame that these men would die today, but such is the way of war.

The Babylonians were holding but taking heavy casualties. Then, the signal came: 4 short bursts from the general's horn. Captain planck raised his sword and charged into the flank of the citizen spear men. The entire 6th squad, 300 men in total, followed their beloved captain. They fought furiously with their short-swords, stabbing and thrusting. A large explosion sounded through the air. Planck looked back and saw Lizard and Babak throwing their Greek fire charges everywhere and fighting like berserkers. They both cackled madly every time one of their bombs went off.

"For Ares sake!" cursed Planck.

Several loud explosions happened at once and the Sabaen spear men began to flee in terror.

Kill as many as you can

Those were his orders. He pulled out from under his Cuirass a smiliar device to the ones that Babak and Lizard wielded except instead of dry powder, a dark swishing liquid filled this one. He threw it hard. It arched over the fleeing Sabaens and landed in front of their fleeing ranks. An explosion rocked the dune. The contents of the charge spilled everywhere. Liquid fire spread from one fleeing Sabaen to another. All it took was a simple brush and it would spread from one man's clothes to the next. Soon the entire mass of men were aflame. They emitted inhuman screams and a few dropped into the sand rolling, in an attempt to smother the flames. But these flames did not smother. They burned until there was nothing left to fuel it. They burned until all flesh was gone.

The captain turned to survey the rest of the battle. The Sabaen army was completely routed. The 6th squad marched towards the the generals guard, who sat observing the slaughter of the enemy army. A few men were taking turns pissing on the captured enemy banner. The Flame Breakers walked past the bodies of the Sabaen warrior priest elite who laid sprawled in a large circle. These men were true warriors and had died to a man defending their cowardly and worthless lord. Captain Planck had a sad look in his eyes.

"Captain?"
"I am alright Lizard. It's just such a waste. These are men just like us. Willing to lay down their lives for honour. It is sad that they met this fate. I have seen as many good men die fighting for our enemies as I have men who fight for the Empire."

Lizard couldn't find the right words to reply so he stood in silence. In the distance he could see a man walking up to the general with a round object in his hands. As the general's guard saw the object they spat. The object was placed on a spike and lifted for the army to see. It was the head of Marek, now a trophy of war.

Another gruesome trophy for the empire...

seleucid empire

09-28-2012, 12:59

Your Favourite Characters?

I have already planned the next 10 or so chapters but for the readers sakes I will let you vote for your favourite characters and I mite put in an extra one of that character. (This includes characters that have been mentioned but not introduced yet)

Vote For:

Mardonious
Archimenes
Helioketes
Ennychos
Lizard/Draco
Babak
Reudon

Lord Vanara

Captain Planck
Captain Abibaal

Emperor Antiochus II
Sarpedon
Alexandros the Black
Prince Seleukos Kallinikos
Berenice
Laodice

General Epikrates Syriakes
General Euphorion

Grand Chancellor Oxatanies

seleucid empire

09-29-2012, 08:09

Chapter 15: The Twin Thrones
Spring 249 BC Antioch

https://imageshack.us/a/img194/4681/theprinces.png

"Our Stepmother is up to something, I know it." muttered Seleucus Kallinikos, prince of Syria and heir to the Empire
"That much is clear already, but what goals and how she plans to achieve them are still a mystery." replied Megasthenes, his younger brother.
"Berenice is gaining too much power. Grand Chancellor Oxatanies seems to be her new ally in whatever she is planning"
"I hear rumours that the Grand Chancellor is always present in the queens council chambers...as well as her bed chambers."

Seleucus reeled back,as if struck. "By the Gods! This insult to our father must be dealt with. I will go to the commander of the silver shields tomorrow and.."
"No, we do not have any proof. No man or woman can ever be convicted based on the testimony of a spy, especially not the queen."
"A spy?"
"Yes one of mine. Don't you remember? It has always been my wish to rise to the top of the Sphere of Shadow but father has remained adamant that I do not join them. He said something about 'princes needing to work in the light and not behind cloaks and daggers' which I find rather ironic since he uses the services of the Shadow Battalion frequently and he had no objections when our uncle Prince Sarpedon assumed control of it. I have followed father's wishes but I have nonetheless employed a few agents of my own."
"Ahh yes, you wanted the Throne of Shadow." replied Sarpedon, thoughts rushing through his head.

The Throne of Shadow, the highest seat of the Sphere of Shadow, the Empire's vast net of spies, agents and assassins which spread not just across the empire, but across the entire length of the known world. The men and women who served the Sphere were known collectively as the Shadow Battalion. The Throne of Shadows was a power that rivalled that of the Emperor himself and that made the current Shadow Lord, Sarpedon, the second most, if not the most powerful man in the empire. He was certainly the most feared and dangerous. The Sphere controlled the House of Cloaks, The House of Death, The House of Twilight and the House of Silk. The House of Cloaks were the imperial spies which provided valuable information to the Shadow Lord, who in turn passed it onto the King. The House of Death was the host of imperial assassins and they were more often successful against their target than not. The affairs of the House of Twilight was a mystery that only the Lord of Shadows knew. It was rumoured that they dealt with the supernatural although many who believed such a rumour also believed that the House of Twilight was filled with superstitious fools wasting the Sphere's time and resources. The House of Silk, despite its deceptive name was the most frightening and terror inducing sector of the Sphere. A mere whisper of its name would cause utter panic and fear because whenever their name came up, a trail of death would follow. It was no wonder that Megasthenes wanted to be the Lord of Shadows. He had always been subtle and cunning in that way, more like their uncles than their father.

"We should send a message to our father and uncle Sarpedon."
"Nah, there is no need. This may be a recent event but no doubt Sarpedon's spies are already on their way to bring him a message. He has placed many of his best in Antioch. He always called it the Viper's nest."
"Then we should send a message to our mother Laodice in Ephesus and warn her. If my worst suspicions are correct, then we may be dead very soon and then the queen will come after her."
"We must also escape now, before she makes her move."
"Nay, it is not the right time yet..."

seleucid empire

09-29-2012, 13:35

As of the last update:
Archimenes is 35 (Joined the Elite companions at the request of Alexandros when he was only 13 and fought for 21 years, making hiim 34 at the beginning of the story)
Mardonious is 16
Helioketes is 33 (Left Crete and arrived at Antioch at the age of 12 in 270 BC so he is 32 when the story begins)
Berenice is 26
Lizard is 19
Captain Planck is 31 (yeh i changed it)
Babak is 24

The Rest of the Characters have Pictures and you can deduce their age since its only been one year into my aar.

Some characters I have left them out because its not really necessary for me to include their age

seleucid empire

10-01-2012, 12:48

Chapter 16: Queens Gambit
Spring 249 BC Antioch

Two lone figures stood in the Great Throne Room of Antioch. The first was a man who had reached his fiftieth year, the first whispers of grey hair showing. He wore a robe of the finest silk, a great luxury which marked him as a powerful Lord. The second was a young and extremely beautiful woman of 26, her belly showing the early signs of pregnancy. On her head she wore a thin silver crown.

The queen stared around the familiar room. On the highest dais sat the Throne of the Emperor, A monstrously large chair of Silver and Steel. The back of the chair was adorned with etchings of 9 Sigils: The 9 Regions of the Empire. In the centre of them, a figure carved with the likeness of Alexandros Megas. Not a single piece of cloth or cushion sat on the chair for comfort. Next to the throne, raised on a smaller dais, was a chair of bronze. It had carvings of famous battles and attached to the top of the chair was a great bronze spear. The seat of The Lord Commander of the Army. An alcove was built into the left side of the hall. The alcove was built so that no light penetrated its depths and and a man standing or sitting in it would not be seen at all. Although it was not visible, the queen knew that there was another chair built into the Alcove. It was carved out of dense, dark ebony: The Throne of Shadows. Berenice shuddered.

"My Queen have you listened to a single word I've been saying?" asked Oxatanies.
"No, should I have?" replied the queen sharply

Oxatanies sighed.

"My queen, I was telling you how much I would like to **** you right now on top of the throne." replied Oxatanies casually.

That got her attention. She hissed.

"You idiot, the eyes and ears of the Lord of Shadows are everywhere."
"No need to fret about that anymore, I'm sure one of Sarpedon's agents is already on his way to inform him."
"How can you be sure?"
"We cannot keep any secrets from him"
"Then we need quicken our plans."
"As I was saying just then, but you were too busy lost in your thoughts."
"We need to get rid of my step-son Seleucus."
"If the crown prince dies, the news will spread like wildfire. He is popular with the people and the army. We cannot act so rashly yet. When we are ready, then we will kill him."
"What about Megasthenes? He is the dangerous one. He is clever and will have suspected something already if his older brother hasn't. He is so much like Sarpedon in every way that even I begin to wonder if the former queen Laodice was as faithful to her husband as they say."
"Yes, I agree that he is a bigger threat for now. Since he is not as well liked as Seleucus, killing him will not arose as much suspicion. However, no doubt he has already told his brother of his fears. We must act only when we are ready."
"How many mercenaries have we smuggled into the city so far?"
"Around 10 000 I would guess. That's barely enough to overcome the city guard and I don't even want to think about the Hypaspistai and the Silvershields right now."
"Then we are not ready. Keep in mind that we need to act quickly. We need to take Antioch and travel to Egypt to rouse the Egyptians to our cause."
"You are sure that the Egyptians will accept you?"
"Of course. I was taken away from Egypt only 12 years ago to marry Antiochus, they will not have forgotten me so quickly. I am the last Ptolemy! The child inside my belly is the heir to all of Egypt"
"Yes, but even with the support of the people, to take Egypt, we will need to bring an army to drive out the imperial forces and to make sure we arrive in Egypt without being stopped along the way. We must leave the mercenaries in Antioch to maintain Loyalty."
"We cannot raise an army quickly enough!"
"No, but alas, something has come up to our good fortune. Lord Vanara is here and I believe we have found our solution."
"Vanara?"
"Yes, he arrived this morning with 1 000 cavalry of the Elissian Guard and requests and audience with you. It would be good to make an ally of him. He controls the Satrap of Phoenicia. He can raise a sizeable army and he controls the fleet of Tyre, almost 300 ships strong. We can go to Egypt by Sea and bring his army with us to take Alexandreia. Then all of Egypt will quickly be yours."
"What does he want?"
"I do not know but he is a prickly man. It is safe to say he has guessed our plans and comes to offer us his support in exchange for something"
"Very well, tell him I will meet him now."
"He is weary from the journey, we can see him at night when less witnesses may be around. Meanwhile, I have a hunger that needs to be satisfied now.."

seleucid empire

10-02-2012, 06:44

Chapter 17: The Pact
Spring 249 BC Antioch

"So what is it you have come for Lord Vanara?"
"My Queen, I ask a simple request. I am hunting down the criminal that slew my son. I ask that you lend me 500 horsemen for pursuit and send a decree to all of the other Lords to make sure I am unhindered in my search."
"Really? Why should I do that?"

Vanara smiled. "I have heard things my queen. That you have made certain plans with the Grand Chancellor while you were...in your bed chambers together."

Berenice turned white with fury. "Guards!"
"That would not be wise." said Vanara,"My nephew is eating lunch with the Lord Commander of the Silver Shields. If I am not back by noon, he will tell him everything. Besides, you need me."
"What makes you think that?"
"I am no fool, if you are planning what I think your planning, then you will need me. My Satrapy lies between Antioch and Egypt and you must pass Sidon to reach it. If I choose not to help you, you will never reach it. I promise you that. I am not asking for much. Between you and the Lord Chancellor, you have enough power to give me this decree."
"Fine, but when I ask, you must be ready with your army and fleet to help me."
"Thank you my queen. It will be as you say..."

seleucid empire

10-03-2012, 09:45

Chapter 18: North's Reach
Spring 249 BC outside the Fortress of North's Reach, Egrisi, Northern Armenia

Epikrates, the High General of the Armenian Guard, surveyed the Fortress in front of him. The only path that led up to the fortress of North's reach was one that had been forcibly cut through the rock of the hill. The Fortress itself sat atop the hill which was round to allow the fortress a clear view in every direction. Clearly, it had been built to withstand attacks from enemies and treacherous allies alike. Looking over its walls, he saw no marks of siege. How then, had it fallen? Epikrates decided that the garrison commander must have baulked at the sight of the horde and surrendered the fortress without a fight. What idiots! They had passed the bodies of the garrison on the way and Epikrates had then believed that they had fought to a man and were dragged and dumped here. Now he knew. They had made a deal but the Sarmatians had turned on them and used them for shooting practice.

Epikrates pondered his options. He could order an assault against the mighty defences of Norths Reach which were built to easily withstand armies several times the size of the one Epikrates commanded now. His forces were veterans however, and he commanded several battalions of Georgian assault infantry. If he settled for a siege, he could destroy them with hunger. No armies would come to relieve them since Epikrates had destroyed the main horde several weeks ago. The Sarmatians really didn't have a chance to begin with. Armenia contained the largest network of Fortresses and Fortified mountain towns in the entire empire. Over 1 000 fortresses were built into the sides and peaks of mountains or built to guard the valleys. On top of that were around 5 000 fortified mountain towns which sat halfway up mountains and were inaccessible to hostile forces. Epikrates' scouts had discovered the trail of destruction. The Sarmatians had attacked several unfortified villages along a valley and had taken them with light casualties. However, when they had reached the first fortress in their path, their forces had broken like water on the rocks. The remnants of the horde had fled north with Epikrates in pursuit. He had caught up with them in the night and surrounded them. Come dawn, he ordered his archers to fire down into the Sarmatian camp and butcher them. The cream of the horde had been slain, the men who now garrisoned Norths Reach were vassals and slaves to the Sarmatians.

Epikrates gestured to one of his companions. The man rode to the gates of the fortress. He pulled from his pouch, the head of the Sarmatian chief and threw it hard over the walls. The he shouted so all the defenders could hear.

"My master, the High General Epikrates has destroyed your horde. Surrender this fortress and leave our lands and we will grant you your lives."

A speaker on the ramparts shouted something back. The companion rode back and proclaimed,"My Lord General, they have agreed. They ask you to give them time to gather their belongings and march out."

An hour later the gates swung open and a line of men began to march out of the gates in single file. Epikrates' men quickly marched into the fortress and took control of its towers and ramparts. The line of Sarmatian soldiers reached the end of the valley, before a unit of Thureophoroi appeared, blocking their way. The Sarmatians became fearful. They started wailing as Epikrates rode up with his elite cavalry. A man stepped forward from the throng and spoke in garbled Greek

"You promise us our lives." he said, staring accusingly at the general
"Indeed I did and so you will live, but you have raised arms against the empire and there is a price to be paid for that. You will each lose two fingers on whichever hand you use to draw your bow."

They rode past the Sarmatians as the first screams of pain began. They came over the edge of the valley and beyond they saw a vast plain meeting the foot of Caucasian mountains, which ended sharply. The plain stretched on in every direction with no signs of life.

"The plains of Dahyu Siraca" muttered Epikrates.
"My lord we are to march into that??" asked his companion
"Yes Crotus, the Fortress of Uspe lies there and we must relieve it before it falls."
"But my Lord, those are the Steppes. Just like the Sarmatians we have defeated, we would be fighting in land that is ill suited for our army and advantageous for our enemy. We could be wiped out."
"I have fought on the steppes before."
"My Lord?"
"Ahh, I forget that you have only come into my retinue recently. Ask you comrades in the companions. I was the one who conquered Dahyu Siraca and brought it into the empire in the first place."
"But Lord Alexandros the Black.."
"No, he conquered the Greek cities near the coast and expelled their Sarmatian garrisons. That was an easy enough task. I was the one who had to march inland on the steppes to Uspe and then fight the main Sarmatian horde. I lost a lot of good men in that campaign, and Alexandros got all the credit."
"I'm sorry to hear that my Lord."
"Well, the past is the past. I think it best if we focus on the present. We will march out there and we will defeat them."

Crotus began to see his general in a new light.

Epikrates the unpopular, Epikrates the harsh, Epikrates the Stubborn, Epikrates the Conquerer...

seleucid empire

10-08-2012, 03:49

aww crap i just realised i wrote son in chapter 17 instead of nephew

it shoulde be :My nephew is eating lunch with the Lord Commander of the Silver Shields.

seleucid empire

10-08-2012, 04:42

Chapter 19: The Black Citadel
Spring 249 BC Elymais, The Black Citadel, Headquarters of the Black Guard

Archimenes found Mardonious on the highest walls of the citadel, staring at the distant ground, nearly 700 metres below them.

"Impressive isn't it?" asked Archimenes
"That is an understatement. Seven sectors with seven rings of defences and the lowest one is 200 metres off the ground. This is the largest and most impressive fortress I have ever seen."
"Then you haven't seen Tempestfall."
"Tempestfall?"
"Yes, the largest fortress in the Empire, and the World. The Black Citadel is the second largest but Tempestfall is 5 times as large and can garrison 150 000 men."
"That would make this fortress look like a hovel."
"Nah, tempest fall may be the largest fortress but The Black Citadel is a far greater challenge to take. It's built into a mountain and seven rings of defences would stop any army."
"And with the black guard guarding it..."
"Millions would not be enough to take it."

"So where are the black guards Archimenes?"
"You have seen them already. They opened the gates for us. They are everywhere."
"Those men? They are not companions."
"No, the companion cavalry regiments of the Guard are all with Alexandros. The Infantry regiments have been stationed here, around 5 000 strong. They may not be as famous as our cavalry but they are deadly in combat."
"I see, so we are safe here from Vanara."
"Yes, but I do not intend to stay here. I'm going to travel to my own lands. I'm going to return to Green Shade Hall "

It had been several weeks ago when they had received the news from a merchant, that Lord Vanara was travelling along the Royal Road escorted by 1 500 cavalry, including the Elissian Guard. There was only one possible reason for his trip. The hunt had resumed. The fact that Vanara had not been questioned or stopped along the way, meant that Hector had not succeeded in his mission and was probably dead. No doubt Vanara had a hand in it.

"You plan on luring Vanara into a trap and avenging Hector." stated Mardonious with a sigh of acceptance.
"Yes."
"You do not even know if Hector is dead or not. He may have been delayed somewhere or reached Sidon after Vanara had left already."
"Do you really believe that Mardonious?"
"Alas, no.."
"I will avenge Hector and strangle that snake."
"Then I will come with you..."

Imperator Invictus

10-09-2012, 13:59

seleucid empire

10-09-2012, 14:55

The Gods blessed us with our brother in war with the ephitet "Seleucid Empire". There is a better Rome Total War player, Europa Barbarorum player, or even an EB Seleucid campaign player, but a better AAR Author there is none!!

thank you! This is probably the best praise (If i interpreted that correctly) I have ever gotten from anyone in the forums :D

seleucid empire

10-10-2012, 12:30

Chapter 20: Storm Clouds
Summer 248 BC Gava-Aursa, the Steppes of Dahyu Aursa

The Warlords hold was a shabby hall of wood, poorly constructed. However, it was probably the largest building in the steppes for hundreds or even thousands of leagues. The former nomad city of Gava-Aursa was nothing more than a town compared to the great cities of the Empire. As Sarpedon approached, two guards quickly stepped aside to let him in. Inside, he found Alexandros and Antiochus hunched over a map of the Sarmatian territories. They both looked up as he entered.

"Brother, cousin, ill news has reached my ears." stated Sarpedon
"Well?" asked Antiochus.
"Queen Berenice has declared an open rebellion and taken Antioch."
"What?!" exclaimed both Alexandros and Antiochus.
"She is also pregnant with Lord Oxatanies child."
"By the Gods!" exclaimed Alexandros
"How did she take Antioch?" asked Antiochus.
"She smuggled 15 000 mercenaries into the city. When the time came, they lured the hypaspistai and silvershields to a feast and slaughtered them. Then they fell on the unsuspecting city guards. It was all done in a day. In addition, five hundred noble families have been killed on her orders."

Antiochus turned visibly pale.

"And my sons?" he asked, shaken.
"My sphere agents helped the entire Royal family escape out of the city and brought them to Ephesus where you exiled queen Laodice. They are now raising an army to fight back. Our sons and relatives are safe for now."
"Thank the Gods" said Alexandros. Then he turned to Antiochus and said, "Cousin, I told you years ago it was a bad idea to marry that Egyptian *****! Laodice was a good queen and you cast her out."
"It was a necessary action. I needed Berenice to claim Egypt. If I had not, we would still be fighting rebellions up and down the Nile to this day! Laodice understood my actions and only made me promise one thing: That our son Seleucus will ascend the throne after me!"

"What is done is done, we need to focus on what to do now." interrupted Sarpedon.
"Just cut her throat!" roared Alexandros."Surely you have one agent capable in the sphere."
"I have many capable agents!" snapped Sarpedon, "But she will be prepared. She has Neoptolemus of Karia, the greatest warrior in the empire as her personal bodyguard. You, yourself gave him into her service"
"Neoptolemus is loyal to me.." said Alexandros
"Was loyal to you, but I'm guessing that its changed now. After all, I don't think that Oxatanies is the only one who she spread her legs for..."
"Neoptolemus was never trained as a bodyguard, he may be the greatest warrior but surely he has never faced assassins of the same calibre as those found in the sphere."
"Yes, I have plenty of assassins who can easily kill them both, however, they are unavailable. You asked me to send my best to Roma to assassinate the members of the senate who oppose making peace with us. In between missions, they are unreachable. Such is the way of the sphere. However, I will try and get the word across to Flashblade or maybe Quicksilver..."

Antiochus flinched when he heard the name.

Quicksilver, Sarpedon's best assassin. Memories came flooding back to slaughter he had witnessed nearly six years ago. The Siege of Bactra was at an end. Only the palace remained, held by those desperate soldiers still loyal to the Bactrian King Diodotos. Four days they successfully held off Antiochus' forces. On the fifth, the Empire's forces rushed to gates again, only to find them unguarded. The assault force made their way cautiously to the throne room where a horrific scene greeted them. The room was filled with bodies. 400 elite warriors of the Bactrian Guard lay dead, their limbs and intestines scattered everywhere. All of them had their throats cut and a few had lost their heads completely. Sitting calmly on the throne was quicksilver, and he was Smiling. In his hand was a spear with Diodotos' head on top of it. All that slaughter, done by a singe man. Antiochus had not asked how he had managed to achieve it. He had not wanted to know..

"No" whispered Antiochus."No assassins. She has the support of Egypt behind her. If we assassinate her, then Egypt will continue to resist us. We will wait for her to raise the Egyptians to her cause, and then crush her in open battle. This resentment has been building up for far too long. An assassination will not stop Egypt from rebellion."
"My spies tell me that the population of Antioch is hostile towards her." continued Sarpedon,"But the presence of 15 000 mercenaries will keep them from troubling her."
"What does she plan to do next?" asked Alexandros.
"Well she has seized the treasury and hired another army of Mercenaries. They are on their way to Ephesus to put it under siege and kill the prince. Berenice has lead the Phoenician army down to Egypt and taken Alexandreia as well. Naturally, the population welcomed her as their rightful queen. Our loyal Satraps have fled down to Nubia and Ethiopia. They control Meroe, Axum and Ptolemaios Theron and are raising an army to counter-attack."

"Phoenician army?" asked Antiochus
"Vanara, that snake.." hissed Alexandros.
"We will return to the Heartlands immediately, marching through Armenia on the way" said Antiochus." I have received word from High General Epikrates that he is on the march for Uspe. If he succeeds in relieving the fortress then we will meet them halfway. I will hand him control of half the royal army so he can continue the campaign in the north and continue south with my core of cavalry and infantry."

Sarpedon nodded approvingly. "As I have told you countless times, we should have returned years ago. Now we face a massive rebellion."

"Not for long..."

seleucid empire

10-10-2012, 12:46

Interlude

blue = territory under Berenice's control
black = territories under the Emperor's control

https://imageshack.us/a/img141/1226/theempireafterthefallof.png

Imperator Invictus

10-10-2012, 20:54

wow, civil war. But I think that Berenice's rebels are doomed, unless Carthage helps them or/and High General Epikrates changes sides or claims the throne for himself.

Imperator Invictus

10-10-2012, 21:01

seleucid empire

10-10-2012, 21:36

wow, civil war. But I think that Berenice's rebels are doomed, unless Carthage helps them or/and High General Epikrates changes sides or claims the throne for himself.

ahh well, she controls egypt and Syria, two key provinces and the rest of the empire is newly conquered. The King only holds a portion of the heartlands to draw his best troops. He is also cut off from Macedonia and Asia Minor

seleucid empire

10-10-2012, 21:36

So far, my favourite is Helioketes, the Cretan archer, I'm curious what happened to him after the episode in Crimea

Haha I wont give too much away but you will definitely be seeing him around ;)

seleucid empire

10-13-2012, 09:35

Chapter 21: Greeks and Nomads
Summer 248 BC Dahyu Siraca

The outriders sent by the General days ago had finally returned. They had confirmed that the Sarmatian horde was no longer besieging Uspe and was now heading in their direction.

"How many?" asked Epikrates
"16 000 or more, all horsemen. They will be here by early afternoon" replied the scout.
"Good work, get some rest soldier."

Crotus turned to Epikrates, "My Lord, perhaps we should find a more suitable position. Surely we cannot best them in these open plains. There isn't a single mound or hill in sight."
"What would you have me do Crotus? March our army for days and days in search for a better position? As you said before there is not a single hill in sight. Besides, they will be here by afternoon."
"Our infantry cannot hope to catch their horse-archers in the open. This was how the Great Northern Host fell only months ago, and they had 80 000 men!"

"The Great Northern Host was not a real imperial army like ours." replied Epikrates.
"What's the difference? They had plenty of heavy infantry and cavalry and all kinds of troop types yet they still lost because they were stupid enough to face the Sarmatians in the open"
"But they were not an imperial army." repeated Epikrates

Seeing Crotus' blank expression, he explained further.
"Crotus, do you know what the most dangerous thing in the world is?"
"No.."
"The most dangerous thing in the world is an Imperial Seleucid army. Do you know what sets it aside from armies of any other nation?"
"Our Generals?"
"Every nation has some good generals. It is our Organisation.."
"Sir?"

"Our organisation, training and chain of command is the epitome of military perfection. High Generals, Legion generals, commanders, captains, sergeants, lieutenants, regiment commanders, troop commanders file commanders and so on... No civilisation in the world has even a fifth of the different officer ranks that we have in our armies. Our armies are organised down to the last man, so thoroughly that they become like living organisms, like a body able to move any of its limbs as soon as the brain commands it. Even Romans with their ability to recruit huge armies quickly and their flexible maniples have nothing nearly as complex as our military systems. We may still use the outdated phalanxes in our armies, but the organisation and training provided for imperial armies ensures that they far outshine anything the Romans have. I once saw a company of levy phalangites, fresh out of the training ground who wheeled their entire unit around within seconds to meet the charge of a group of cataphracts. That kind of manoeuvre and discipline would not have been possible for any other Kingdom, especially not with phalangites. Also, our chain of command means that only capable men are allowed to command imperial armies. It is promotion based on ability rather than noble birth, allowing our armies to be commanded by the best generals and leaders possible. It is because of these factors that the empire has bested every enemy it has faced so far despite facing huge numerical disadvantages every step of the way."

Before Crotus could respond, cries of alarm sounded from the ranks. Epikrates wheeled his horse around and scanned the horizon. In the distance a large mass of horsemen had appeared.

"It appears that they have arrived much quicker than we anticipated..Don't look so gloomy Crotus, if nothing else I say has settled you then at least remember that the empire has bested many nomad nations before. The Sakae and Parthians come to mind."

Crotus managed a weak smile and turned to survey the rest of the army. The Infantry formed up into ranks, 8 000 infantry and 3 000 archers deploying in a strong and flexible crescent. They had recruited several thousand mercenary steppe horsemen along the way, lesser tribes like the scythians and alans who had lost their lands to the Sarmatian onslaught and now sought vengeance. These men formed up behind the infantry in the safety of the crescent, around 4 000 in number.

The Sarmatian horde approached and began to scream their war cries and the Steppe mercenaries responded to the challenge, howling. The infantry of the 11th were perfectly silent. As the horde came closer, the archers let lose a volley into their midst. Horses toppled and the Sarmatians returned fire, the first volley hitting the shields of the hoplites. A group of Sarmatians horse archers broke off from the horde and wheeled to the left. Epikrates lifted his sword in the air and the entire cavalry arm of the 11th began to charge. The Sarmatian horse archers retreated, leading the cavalry in a fruitless chase. Crotus looked back and saw the majority of the Sarmatian horde crash into the crescent.

What is the general doing? Why would he send all of our cavalry on this chase and leave the infantry unprotected?

The Crescent was tightening, the infantry pushed back by the onslaught. Suddenly, Epikrates blew his horn and the charge stopped. He shouted new orders and the entire cavalry force wheeled around and charged into the backs of the horde. The Alan mercenaries dropped their bows and pulled out their heavy lances. The companion cavalry lowered their spears. The impact was devastating. The Sarmatian horde broke instantly, 15 000 tribesmen fleeing in terror.

"Chase them down!" ordered Epikrates. The Steppe cavalry dispersed into smaller squadrons and began to methodically hunt down the fleeing Sarmatians.

https://imageshack.us/a/img836/9061/battleofuspe.png

At the end of the day, the bodies were tallied. The Sarmatian horde was destroyed at the cost of 3 000 infantry and 2 000 cavalry. Crotus approached Epikrates.

"That was some brilliant tactic general. You let the Sarmatians believe we were foolishly chasing their light cavalry and wheeled the cavalry around as soon as the Sarmatians had attacked."
"The simplest of traps Crotus, nothing more.."

Both men turned at the sound of the horns. A company of Greek cavalry, not part of the 11th, was approaching their position. One of the riders urged his mount forward.
"General! The Emperor and the first army are a days march away. He sends his congratulations for this victory and wishes to converge at Uspe."

The Generals face showed worry at these words. "If the Emperor is this far south, something must be amiss..."

seleucid empire

10-14-2012, 06:33

Chapter 22: The Ghosts of Green-Shade Hall
Summer 248 BC Elymais, Green-Shade Hall, the Seat of Archimenes

As Mardonious passed through the gates of Green-Shade Hall, a feeling of desolation overcame him. The fortress had witnessed so much death and horror within it's walls that the black stones themselves cried out. No wonder Archimenes had moved his wife to Antioch. Even the pissed-stained walls of the capital were preferable to this place of death.

"Archimenes...What happened here? Why do the spirits of the dead hang over this place?"
"It is said..that Green-shade Hall was once a place of beauty and abundance and was called the Green Palace. A Persian Nobleman owned these estates and his servants and people loved him. All of that changed when Xerxes ascended the throne of the Persian empire, the same accursed Xerxes who invaded Greece with a host of millions. Xerxes took away the nobleman's son for the war. The son was killed in the battle of Thermopylae and when the Nobleman heard, he went mad with grief. He lured all of his subjects into the hall for a feast...and then set fire to the place with them inside…"

Mardonious took this in silently. Finally, he asked, “What happened to the nobleman?”
“He locked himself inside the hall with his people. He also died in the flames.”

On the main steps, a group had gathered to greet the entourage. In the front was an old man, his beard white with age. He stepped forward and spoke with a crooked smile on his face.
“So, the boy who set out all those years ago, returns as a man to claim what is his.”
“Hello Aristomes. I see old age has not made you any less poetic,” growled Archimenes.
The old steward chuckled. “So my Lord, have you truly come to reside over us or does your visit have another purpose.”
“I am afraid it is the latter, and one that may cost my people dearly.”
“Ahh I see now, you bring a large armed host with you. You mean to bring war to your own lands.”
“I have 300 members of the black guard infantry with me. Behind us are 1 000 Galatian mercenaries which were stationed in the Black Citadel. Further still, are the forces of Lord Vanara, come to kill me.”
“I see. You mean to set a trap for this Vanara. Hiding your galatians in the countryside and then using them to sweep behind his forces while they are attacking Green-Shade Hall.
“One day Aristomes, you will have to tell me something of your history. You have always surprised me with your knowledge of warfare.”
"Some day I will" he replied, then his face became serious. “My Lord, although we have not seen you in 20 years, we are still your loyal subjects. We will stand by you and not betray you. You have sent us many gifts from your campaigns and we have used the gold to expand our trades and flourish. There is not a county in a hundred leagues as prosperous.”
“That may change; no doubt Vanara will loot the land around us if we do not manage to defeat him quickly.”
“I see, well you had better be ready by the time he arrives…”

seleucid empire

10-15-2012, 10:24

Chapter 23: Quicksilver
Summer 248 BC Armenia

Helioketes was exhausted. Months of running and hiding on the vast steppes had taken its toll on him. The Sarmatians were not the only ones he had been avoiding. Two weeks ago, he stumbled on an imperial army and had narrowly avoided detection. Guilt racked his very soul. He had not fathomed the consequences of his actions and now 80 000 soldiers lay dead as well as the hundreds of thousands of civilians who had been butchered in the north. He had slain Herakleidies Atarneou and the spirits of his vengeful Death Seekers would finally find peace. But now the souls of hundreds of thousands would haunt him in turn.

The sound of wolves filled the air. Large Armenian beasts who hunted packs. They were closing in. Helioketes did not care anymore. If his fate was to be ripped apart by wolves, he would welcome it. It would bring an end to the guilt at least. He lay down on the hard ground, resting his head on a boulder and closed his eyes...

****

He was awakened by the smell of roasted meat, its scent filling the air. He opened one eye, and then two and the world slowly came into focus. Beside him was a camp fire with a Deer roasting on a spit. Next to the fire sat a man, his face covered by his black hood. The man seemed to be staring at something in the distance. Helioketes slowly reached for his bow..

"How rude of you Helioketes, to even think of killing the man who saved your life from vicious wolves." the man said suddenly.

Helioketes snatched his bow and reached for an arrow, only to find his quiver missing.

"Looking for this?" asked the man, lifting Helioketes quiver. In his other hand was Heliokete's shortsword.
"Who are you?"
"Ah yes, I'm afraid now I am the one being rude. I should have introduced myself. My name is Quicksilver."

The name rang a familiar bell in Helioketes' mind but he could not quite remember where he had heard the name before. That is, until the man pulled out two long knives and began to polish them.

Oh Gods! Not that Quicksilver. Not the master assassin who's name was a whisper in the wind. An urban legend, told to kids to make them more obedient...

"I know what you are. What are you doing here assassin? How do you know my name?"
"Assassin! No, no, please, I am merely a servant to a man of nobler blood than mine. Gods know I have less pure blood in me than a stray mongrel." said quicksilver. He had chuckled at the last part of his sentence as if it were an inside joke. "I am merely passing through this place. As for how I know your name, that's simple. You don't kill powerful warlords such as Philetairos and Herakleidies without someone asking questions. I am a...fan...of your work archer. Both generals killed by impossible shots fired from even more impossible distances. That is impressive Helioketes."

Oh ****, he means to recruit me into the sphere...

"No" said Helioketes
"Excuse me?" asked Quicksilver, whose lips turned upwards into a smile.
"I will not join your house of assassins Quicksilver. Your intentions are clear to me now."

At this, quicksilvers grin became even broader.

"Ahh, but you see my dear friend. You are already serving my cause and you have been for the last 20 years in your campaigns. Sphere agent or not, you will continue to serve our cause."
"No I will not kill any Lords for you or the Sphere."
"But who said the Sphere wanted you to assassinate Lords? The Sphere have plenty of assassins who can do that. You serve us in a much higher way as a soldier. After all, my father's realm holds no distinction for those who enter. Lord or slave, they are the same to my father. He prefers quantity, that greedy bastard and you have made him very happy with your recent actions. His realm is now crowded with a few hundred thousand more occupants."
"Your father's realm?"
"Yes, yes, a great realm which you will eventually see. Alas, I must be off now, I leave you your weapons and there is sufficient meat left on that deer to last you until the border of the heartlands, if that is indeed where you were headed. Farewell, I'm quite certain we will meet again and I am looking forward to it!"

Helioketes watched the man walk away in silence, pondering over the assassin's words.

What was he talking about? He must be mad. He probably isn't even the real quicksilver. He's just a madman

But his gut feeling told him otherwise... Then, realisation hit him like a hammer.

A realm which I have sent people. A few hundred thousand more occupants. But not occupants. Souls. Souls of the northmen who were butchered by the Sarmatians. And there is only one place that souls go: To the Underworld. To the Realm of Hades.

And that would make Quicksilver...the son of Hades...

seleucid empire

10-18-2012, 08:34

Chapter 24: Unexpected Surprises Part 1
Summer 248 BC Elymais, Green-Shade Hall, the Seat of Archimenes

The gates swung open for the lone Galatian rider. Even before he dismounted, Archimenes could see there was something wrong. The man's expression said it all.
"My Lord!"
"What has happened?" asked Archimenes calmly.
"Our company has been destroyed!"

Archimenes took a deep breath. He had suspected as much from the scout's hasty arrival.
"How?"
"Lord Vanara caught us between his infantry and cavalry and we were ripped to shreds."
"Infantry?" asked Archimenes, frowning.
"Yes my Lord. Vanara's forces number 10 000 or more, not just just the 1 500 horsemen we expected. I saw a large number of mercenary companies marching with him before they were upon us. The Hounds of Elissa split into 3 groups and slowly drove us into the arms of their infantry. We were crushed. Not more than a quarter of our men survived."
"When did this occur?"
"Two days ago my Lord. Vanara's army will be here by tomorrow morning."

Archimenes slowly turned around. The eyes of 300 soldiers were on him. They had all heard. He started to speak.

"It seems we are alone now. The odds look poor, 300 against 10 000. If anyone has any second thoughts and wishes to leave. They may do so now.."

He waited. No one made a move. Archimenes continued.

"My comrades of the Black Guard. Your devotion brings strength to my own heart. I say this: We are outnumbered...but not outmatched! I would rather fight beside you than a hundred thousand mercenaries. Tomorrow we may die, but we won't die without a fight! We will make them pay tenfold for every drop of our own blood! WHAT ARE OUR VOWS?!"

The Black Guard replied in unison,"NO RETREAT! NO SURRENDER! NO MATTER WHAT!..."

seleucid empire

10-18-2012, 12:22

Chapter 25: Unexpected Surprises Part 2
Summer 248 BC Elymais, Green-Shade Hall, the Seat of Archimenes

Mardonious watched from the ramparts as Vanara's army deployed. Men marching in large blocks assembled just out of arrow range and engineers were pushing forward the catapults. Around him stood the black guards wearing heavy plate mail covering suits of chain mail. Their aspis shields protected a good portion of their body and they were armed with a unique xiphos that was nearly a metre long. Heavy infantry in truth.

A rider from the besieging army approached the walls.
"Defenders! Lord Vanara offers you a choice. Give up Archimenes and you will all be allowed to return to the Black Citadel unharmed. If you refuse you will all be dead by noon."

Mardonious drew back his bow and launched an arrow at the messenger's horse. The horse toppled and flung the messenger from its back. The Black Guards roared with laughter and a few came up to pat Mardonious on the back.

Archimenes emerged from the hall wearing only a light metal cuirass. He was however, armed to the teeth. On each hip rested a curved kopis sword. His aspis shield was strapped to his back and he carried a spear in one hand and a long xiphos in the other.

Mardonious sighed.
He knows that the deaths of these men will be on his head. Thus he will fight the hardest of them all.

"You have enough weapons on you to arm a garrison." said Mardonious light heartedly.
"Finally some humour from you. I thought I would never see the day." growled Archimenes, "Mardonious, I don't want you on the walls."
"Why not?"
"As soon as the enemy come over the walls, you will get yourself killed. Besides, the black guard can double up as archers. It is part of their training. I want you to support us from the courtyard. I have assembled every peasant willing to fight and given them bows. You can use them to cover our escape if we need to fall back from the walls or you can use them to relieve some pressure if a part of the wall gets overrun."
"Fine."

The catapults began to launch their projectiles. Under the cover of the barrage, the Mercenaries began to move up towards the walls, hastily assembled ladders in their hands. The Black Guard drew their bows and fired a volley. Almost every shaft found a target. Scores of lightly armed mercenaries dropped. The mercenaries quickened their pace and lifted their ladders onto the walls. The Black Guard dropped their bows as the mercenaries began to climb. The first mercenary over the walls was dispatched by Archimenes, who thrust a spear into the man's gut. More ladders reached the walls and soon the wall was crowded with men fighting. Mardonious watched as Archimenes killed one man after another. A large mercenary champion appeared over the walls and killed three Black Guards before Archimenes launched his spear at him. It went straight into the giant's chest and he toppled, dead, from the walls. A cry of dismay was heard from the mercenaries below.

The Black Guards cut down entire companies of mercenaries but there were too many. Eventually, the attackers got a foothold and more of their brethren poured into the gap. The Black Guards still had 250 men left standing but more and more gaps appeared. Mardonious looked over at Archimenes and gasped. His squad lay dead around him and he was defending an entire stretch of the wall by himself. His xiphos had been discarded and now he fought with a kopis in each hand. Thirty mercenaries closed in on him from both sides. He spun, one kopis cutting into an opponent's neck and the other beating away a spear thrust to his back. He continued his sword dance, twirling, ducking, sliding, jumping and spinning, his hands and body were blurs of movement.

He fights with the Speed and Grace of Achilles. He fights like Ares himself,thought Mardonious.

The mercenaries were helpless against his inhuman speed and strength. They continued to swarm over the walls..and they continued to die. Mardonious watched, amazed as Archimenes swiftly cut down more than a hundred mercenaries. But more came. Mardonious ordered his archers to fire at a knot of the enemy who had gained another foothold on the walls. The Black Guards were down to 200 men now and they began to fall faster as more gaps opened up for the enemy. The tide of enemies near Archimenes' section of the wall slowed, and then eventually stopped. The Mercenaries were now afraid to approach him.

A captain of the mercenaries climbed onto the central ramparts. His men surrounded a group of Black Guards. Archimenes spotted the captain and fought his way through to him. With a scissoring motion of his Kopis's, the captain's head fell off, splattering his troops with gore. The frightened men panicked and were cut down without mercy. Archimenes was covered in blood now, a red apparation, a demon, frightening to behold. The assault had been repelled. Mardonious walked up to the ramparts. The stairs were slick with blood and bits of limbs and the defenders were now in the process of throwing bodies over the side of the walls.

Perhaps 3 000 mercenaries dead and 150 Black Guards left standing, concluded Mardonious. They will attack again, very soon so we will not have time to recover. Oh Gods, We won't be able to stop them this time..

*****

"Useless bastards!" screamed Vanara. Ennychos had never seen his master's temper flare so high.
“My Lord, you must calm down.” said Captain Gorgios
“Calm down?! No, I am furious! Your men are useless Gorgios.”
“They are veterans of the Asia Minor and Greek Wars.”
“Yet they failed to take a fortress when they outnumbered the defenders 10 to 1.”
“Those are Black Guard Infantry, some of the best infantry in the empire. My men were medium infantry.”
“Sheer numbers should have done the job, unless your men are nothing more than peasants in armour.”
“My men refuse to go near the east section of the wall. I questioned one of the men who survived from the last repelled attack and he claims to have seen a man covered in blood, wielding two kopis’s, twirling and slashing a bloody path through my mercenaries. This man cut his way through hundreds of men effortlessly. He fights with a style and grace that my men have never seen before and many say he moves like Achilles himself.”
“That must be Archimenes, I have heard stories of his prowess in battle…yet…hundreds of men....the speed of Achilles? I find that hard to believe.”
“It matters not my Lord, we still have 7 000 men left. This next assault, I will place my heaviest infantry at the head. The Black Guard are still tired form the last assault. We will overwhelm them.”

*****

The rows of men moved closer. This time, Mardonious noticed that most of the mercenaries were heavy infantry. They would not be able to hold this time. He turned his head to look at Archimenes. The warrior was a truly frightening visage with his blood soaked face. All the surviving defenders were looking at him in fear and wonder.
“My men…” rasped Archimenes, “Our time is near. What are our vows?”
“No retreat…” said one man.
“No surrender…” said another.
“No matter what!” cried the rest in unison. But it all sounded weak to Mardonious.
The Heavy infantry reached the walls and climbed up the ladders. A furious struggle began as the heavy infantry quickly gained the advantage against the tired defenders. However, Archimenes fought just as vigorously before. Wherever he stood, the men held. He was their standard, not made of silk or cloth but of flesh and blood.

But they were slowly falling. Soon, only 30 defenders remained, a tight knot of men fighting beside Archimenes. A group of mercenaries reached the gate and opened it. But no one came in. Mardonious gave the signal and from their hiding places, the peasants charged out, swamping the few mercenaries with pitchforks and arrows. They closed the gates and joined the fight on the walls.

What was going on, why did the enemy not rush through the gates?

When the last mercenary was cut down, Mardonious looked over the walls. To the East, a large group of horse-archers had appeared and were loosing arrows into the midst of Vanara's army. The heavy infantry who were attacking the walls had withdrawn and now stood facing the endless onslaught of arrows. The Elissan Guard moved to counter this new threat but were cut to pieces when a regiment of companion cavalry appeared and counter-charged. Vanara's infantry moved in to help their decimated cavalry but from behind them, another unit of companions crashed into their ranks, causing mass confusion. A third, larger group of companions now rode towards them to finish the encirclement. At the sight of these, the remaining defenders cheered.

"The Black Guard Cavalry! Alexandros has come!!"

*****

Mardonious and Archimenes rode side by side towards the victorious army. Behind them trailed what was left of the defenders. A hastily rigged tent stood in the middle of the battlefield and when the two men approached, the guards stepped aside without a word. They entered and when they saw the tall, broad shouldered man with a crown on his head, they immediately dropped to their knees.

"You may rise." said Antiochus.
"Ahh Archimenes my friend!" said Alexandros the Black."I am very surprised to see you here."
"My Lord...How did you know we were in trouble?"
"I didn't. We were on our way to Seleukeia when we heard news of a large army in the area. We suspected it might be the queens."
"Th-The Queens army?"

Alexandros' face grew serious."Yes, alas, I'm afraid we have another war to fight..."

End of Act I: The Gardens of Paradise

seleucid empire

10-30-2012, 09:54

next act coming after the 9th

seleucid empire

11-09-2012, 04:04

Intermission: The Great Generals of the 1st Era

It is almost impossible to bring up the subject of the 'First Golden Era' without first discussing the rise to power of the empire. Instrumental to these efforts were the great generals of the first era, who burned their names into the pages of history forever.

Emperor Antiochus II 'Theos'

https://img685.imageshack.us/img685/2820/theos9star.png

The Emperor of the first era and the greatest general the world had seen since Alexandros Megas. He not only reunited Alexandro's empire, he also expanded it to twice the previous size, creating the largest empire the world had ever known. What is even more astonishing is the fact that he was not only a military genius, he was also a legendary administrator, reformer and a master of politics.

By reforming the army, he created the finest command structure in the world and increased training requirements for all troops, forcing generals to drill their troops to absolute perfection. In the political arena, he was a formidable opponent, often outmanoeuvring lords who wished to place him in an ill or compromising position. Like Alexandros Megas he was adept at winning the friendships of conquered peoples. In fact most historians agreed that the only reason it took him 20 years to create his empire while Alexandros only took 8 was because of the advancements in warfare. Troops could now be raised faster and were equipped in better equipment than before. Instead of a few large armies in his path, Antiochus II had to fight through several hundred.

He astonished the world by showing what a single man could accomplish. He was truly the most powerful man in the world and his achievements in all areas of rule would not be matched by any single person for nearly a thousand years.

Alexandros the Black

https://img832.imageshack.us/img832/5995/alexandros6star.png

Alexandros the Black, cousin to King Antiochus was one of Antiochus' key generals. He was Lord commander of the Imperial armies, meaning he could overrule any general or High General on military matters except for the Emperor himself. Became Infamous for showing calculated brutality against particularly stubborn enemies and earned the Epithet of 'The Black'. He was very military minded and probably the second greatest general of the era, although some historians argue otherwise

Sarpedon

https://img818.imageshack.us/img818/4513/sarpedon5star.png

The Younger Brother of Antiochus, and Lord of the Sphere of Shadow. He was possibly the most feared man in all of the history of the Empire. Most people remember him as the dark spy master but it is known that he was also a great tactician and some say he was an even better general than Alexandros the Black due to his subtlety and extreme intelligence (matched only by Antiochus). He commanded his most famous battles in Asia Minor and Greece, laying low several armies despite a severe numerical disadvantage. Most famous of all was the Battle of Sinope, where his small army of 10 000 men was trapped between two huge Pontic forces. Sarpedon managed to outmanoeuvre and destroy both forces, killing 70 000 men and ending the Pontic Kingdom in a victory that was believed to have been "impossible".

Although master of the most dangerous organisation in the Empire, he was utterly loyal to his brother the Emperor and never attempted to take the throne.

High General Euphorion

https://img802.imageshack.us/img802/7999/euphorion6star.png

High General Euphorion would eventually become known as the Scourge of Arabia. He butchered millions of Arabians in his war against the Sabaen Federation and turned South Arabia from a thriving civilisation of 2 million people to an empty land of less than 100 000.

High General Epikrates 'the Stubborn'

https://img138.imageshack.us/img138/8800/epikratessyriakes4star.png

Disliked by the nobility but well liked by the soldiers serving directly under his command. He was known for his legendary stubborness, his utter lack of mercy, his unwavering sense of justice and punishment and he was often at odds with other nobles because of this. A very competent general who was particularly skilled at catching and destroying nomad armies (an impressive feat). Fought his first wars in Armenia before fighting in the north. He then returned to Armenia and guarded it until the fall of the North, when he was forced to march north again.

Although he was an unimaginative general, his victories were important and contributed greatly to the rise of the empire.

High General Apolloniketes

https://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1435/apolloniketesalexandria.png

Perhaps the least well known of the great generals, Apolloniketes' rise to power are akin to legends of old. Abandoned in the Hykranian hills at the age of 8, he survived and eventually reached the minimal age for service into the army (12 at the time), his only chance of creating a better life. He quickly rose through the ranks and became a legion general at the age of 16 (the youngest in history), leading a legion of the 11th army through India. Despite successfully conquering the Indian cities, the 11th suffered horrendous casualties. The price of the conquest were the lives of 70 000 mercenaries. Only Apolloniketes legion survived intact and he was noticed by the King immediately, who promoted him to high general, sending him to Macedonia to stem the tide of the Romans in the first Roman-Seleucid War. In the war he led the rag tag forces of the Regional Macedonian army to no less than 6 great victories over the superior Roman forces. Eventually his rag tag army was recognised as an imperial army and named the 6th, the defenders of the west.

"The Imperial Histories of Mardonious, Volume 4"

seleucid empire

11-10-2012, 05:31

ACT II: The River of Flames

Prologue: Fall of Ancient Heroes
Summer 1300 BC, the Entrance to Hades

https://img15.imageshack.us/img15/9899/riverofflames.png

The bare earth around the river was scorched black by heat. Rocks cracked and released hot vapours into the air, covering the entire basin with sulphurous fog. Within the fog, a woman walked unseen, slowly making her way to the edge of the river. Her face was a vision of beauty and youth, with an inhuman perfection. She wove her way between the rocks barefooted, seemingly unaffected by the burning ground and in her hands was a bundle of cloth, wrapped around her most precious possession. She made her way to the edge of the river, a river whose surface was alive with flames. The Styx.

She stopped, cocking her head, and listened for a moment. Then she cursed. The outlines of other shapes appeared in the fog making their way towards the woman.

"Thetis!" the first horsemen called out. The fog parted before the riders, revealing a young man and his companions. "My Love! What are you doing here?"
"Leave me be Peleus. I am doing what is best for our son." replied Thetis. At that moment, the bundle in her arms stirred, and the baby inside began to cry.
"Wha-? This is the Styx! Are you planning to walk into the river of flame with our child?!"
"I am a water nymph. No waters of any rivers or oceans will oppose me or my son, who is of my blood. Not even the Styx."
"But why?"
"Because I have had a vision...which told me that one day, Apollo's arrow will pierce the bloodline of Peleus.."

She turned around before Peleus could reply and waded into the river. Two of Peleus' Myrmidons dismounted and made their way closer, stopping at the edge of the Styx. Thetis kept walking until the water reached her hips. Unwrapping the bundle, she stared at the face of her son. Her mortal son. She hesitated for a second longer, then she lowered the baby into the water holding him by the heels...

seleucid empire

11-12-2012, 08:29

Chapter 1: Crucible of Dreams
Summer 248 BC Seleukeia

His dreams brought him back to that fateful day, when everything changed. The day his life had plunged into darkness. Up until that moment he had been so sure of his path. An honourable path....or so he thought. That mirage had died along with the Baktrian girl, raped, tortured and murdered in front of his eyes. It had not been the first time he had seen slaughter of innocent women or children but this time it had been different. While his comrades had been raping her, she had descended into unconsciousness. But as Archimenes watched, she woke up and her eyes wandered, ignoring the jeering faces of Archimenes' companions until they settled on him.

When her eyes met his, he recoiled. Those eyes were full of accusations and he was suddenly filled with shame. It was true he had refused to join in and it was true that he alone among his companions found no joy in the suffering of the girl, but those eyes filled him with guilt nonetheless and Archimenes had understood the word-less message the girl had given him.

"Do you think you are so honourable warrior? Free of guilt just because you did not join them? By not helping me, but not standing up to these men, you are just as guilty as all of them.
"This..this is the fate...of the conquered." he tried to tell her.
"You know it is wrong. You can help me. They will listen to you, because they know you are the best of them. They know you can kill them all."
"No...I can't they are my friends...This is the normal way. I cant deny them what they desire. I do not have that kind of influence.."
"You are weak warrior, to not stand up to something you believe... something you know is wrong.."

The girl's mocking laughter rang through his head...

Archimenes woke up shivering, covered in sweat just as Mardonious rushed into the room.

"Archimenes! Are you alright? We heard moaning and shouting."
"Just a dream Mardonious, just a dream..."

seleucid empire

11-12-2012, 08:35

Is anyone still reading this? If not ill stop posting here..

Hotseat_User

11-12-2012, 10:34

i'm in every now and then.

Jive

11-13-2012, 01:49

Is anyone still reading this? If not ill stop posting here..

Hi SE. Yeah, I take a gander from time to time, although I must confess I'm not an avid reader. Mostly looking for tips, hints, or indications from gameplay that can be used in my own campaigns.

It's evident you're a talented, inventive writer with a knack for character development. Would that I could fully appreciate your skills, but alas the most I can be is an amateur critic, and a poor one at that.

Have you considered putting your AAR's into book form? There's a fair amount of ancient historical fiction out there, including McCullough's Rome series, a trilogy on Alexander by an Italian whose name escapes me, Pressfield's Gates of Fire and Tides of War, etc. You're certainly better than McCullough, at least as good as the Italian guy, and within shouting distance of Pressfield IMHO. Why not whip up a manuscript and try your luck with a publisher or--even better--a literary agent? Cheers and happy writing!

seleucid empire

11-13-2012, 10:12

Hi SE. Yeah, I take a gander from time to time, although I must confess I'm not an avid reader. Mostly looking for tips, hints, or indications from gameplay that can be used in my own campaigns.

It's evident you're a talented, inventive writer with a knack for character development. Would that I could fully appreciate your skills, but alas the most I can be is an amateur critic, and a poor one at that.

Have you considered putting your AAR's into book form? There's a fair amount of ancient historical fiction out there, including McCullough's Rome series, a trilogy on Alexander by an Italian whose name escapes me, Pressfield's Gates of Fire and Tides of War, etc. You're certainly better than McCullough, at least as good as the Italian guy, and within shouting distance of Pressfield IMHO. Why not whip up a manuscript and try your luck with a publisher or--even better--a literary agent? Cheers and happy writing!

well this has certainly helped me decide to continue this aar.

As for getting my work published. I doubt it. I am nowhere near as good as even the worst professional writer. When I read over my aars I notice a staggering amount of sentences and paragraphs that dont fit well together and dont roll off the tongue well

I cannot write long chapters very well and tend to choke when I am describing the physical characteristics of a character.

I take the easy way out and build my characters through dialogue but when I really need to describe the appearance of characters, it takes me forever to write a single sentence.

But thanks for the encouragement anyway :)

seleucid empire

11-13-2012, 11:39

Chapter 2: The Stone Grave
Summer 248 BC Armenia

The trio had been on the run for weeks. Ever since their escape from the disaster at Green-Shade Hall, Ennychos, Abibaal and Lord Vanara had been hunted ceaselessly by the steppe barbarian auxiliaries of the Emperor. Hiding by day and moving by night, they had lived like animals among the Caucasian Ranges. Abibaal signalled for them to stop and make camp. Ennychos bent over, slowly unhooking his master's arms from around his shoulders and lowered him to the ground. Vanara was a sickly pale colour and Ennychos feared that this night would be his master's last in this world. Vanara had been injured by an arrow during his escape, a wound which slowly began to fester. Hunted by the steppe warriors, they were not able to stop in towns to receive medicinal aid and were now making a desperate trek through the Caucasian ranges to the safety of the Queen's territory. It had been five days since Vanara became too weak to walk and Ennychos had dutifully carried him since then. It seemed now that it was all in vain.

Vanara's eyes fluttered open.
"Ennychos my faithful servant..."
"Master?"
"Where are we?"
"We have made it my lord, we are in the Queen's land. We will find help soon.." Ennychos lied, tears streaming down his face.
"You are terrible liar." said Vanara weakly, a soft smile on his lips.
"No..my Lord..it...is the truth..." blubbered Ennychos, unable to control his flood of tears.
"Listen to me, my old friend. Whatever I may have called you, however badly I have treated you at times, know that you were the one man I could truly trust."

Ennychos could not muster a response and continued to weep. Vanara spoke again.

"Now is not the time for crying Ennychos. My death is only the beginning. Save my family Ennychos, my daughters, my nephews and nieces. Save them. Take them far away from this empire of ashes. Build them a life in a far away land; Iberia, the Emerald Isles. Somewhere peaceful, somewhere that has not been destroyed by war. That is my last request."
"I will do as you say."
"Thank you..."

With a satisfied smile on his face, Vanara, Lord of Phoenicia, drew his last breath... and died.

Abibaal returned from scouting the area to find Ennychos weeping over the body of his master.
"It is finished then." said Abibaal "We will travel a lot faster now without him slowing us down."
"SHUT UP YOU BASTARD!"

Abibaals eyes flashed in anger and he grabbed Ennychos by the throat.
"I'm going to teach you a lesson Eunuch. I have missed your flesh far too much in the last months."

He slapped Ennychos across the face, knocking him over and pulled down his trousers. Ennychos fought against him to no avail. Abibaal was simply too strong for him. As he was flung to the ground he reached out with his hand, and came across a rock. He turned, throwing the rock at Abibaal's head with all his strength. The captain screamed in rage and stumbled backwards giving Ennychos enough time to grope around and find another object: the sword of Vanara. He unsheathed it and charged at Abibaal. The blade slid quietly into the captain's ribs.

Abibaal's screams of rage cut off into a terrible choking sound as blood filled his lungs. Ennychos kicked him in the leg and the captain fell over. Ennychos walked up slowly, the sword trembling in his hands. He stood over the dying captain and raised the sword above his head. The sword came down, stabbing the captain through the hand. Abibaal made gurgling noise.

"Feel these hands Ennychos, they are my instruments of pain." said Ennychos tonelessly, repeating the words Abibaal had said to him the last time he was forced into humiliation.
"Feel my **** Ennychos, it will be the only pleasure you will ever receive." chanted Ennychos, slicing off Abibaal's manhood.
"FEEL MY LIPS ENNYCHOS, THE ONLY WARMTH YOU WILL EVER KNOW!" screamed Ennychos, stabbing at the captain's face.
"DO YOU FEEL PLEASURE? ARE YOU NOT GRATEFUL FOR MY COMPANY ENNYCHOS?!" he continued to scream, stabbing at the captain until he resemble a hunk of butchered meat.

Ennychos left Abibaal's corpse to the wild animals and returned to the body of his master. He picked at the dirt with the sword throughout the night, until he had made a hole large enough for Vanara's body. He gently placed his master's body into the hole, cradling his head on a pillow of rock and then filled the grave with his bare hands. Finding a suitable rock, he began to slowly chip at it with the sword. By early afternoon, his handiwork was done. Roughly carved letters spelling the words: HERE LIES VANARA, LORD OF PHOENICA, A MAN WHO WAS BORN TO BE A KING BUT BORN IN AN UNFAIR AGE. HE NOW LIES FOREVER UNTROUBLED IN THIS TOMB OF STONE.

Picking up whatever supplies he had left, he took one last look at the grave. A single tear rolled down his face. Then, he turned around and continued on his path, leaving his master behind him...

seleucid empire

11-13-2012, 15:28

Chapter 3: Fires of Ubar
Summer 248 BC Zafur

Death has always been a part of war. No matter how kind hearted the conqueror, how noble the generals, war will always breed death. Out of necessity. The tools used to deliver death are the common soldiers and while some of those men will live with a guilty conscience for all of their lives, others will find ways to forget. That was the hard truth of war. That was also the reason Captain Planck was neither surprised nor angry when he discovered his new recruit Reudon drunk and sprawled on top of his capsized tent. He bent down and picked up the empty jar on the ground and sniffed it. Ghost Wine. Not Good..

"Shit! Lizard! Babak! Get your lazy asses over here!" shouted Planck.
"Awww crap" exclaimed Lizard when he saw Reudon.
"Help me get his tent set up and get him inside before the High General sees. Where the **** did he get that Ghost Wine anyway?"

Lizard and Babak exchanged looks. A gesture that did not go unnoticed by the captain.

"For ****s sake, this is exactly how we Flame Breakers get our reputation. The other battalions seem to think we are a bunch of rough necked hooligans who beat each other up all the time and charge into the thickest part of battle like insane men. On top of that, they now believe we have a hidden stash of ghost wine up our asses."

"That's exactly what we are captain. Besides we only sold it too him cause of what he saw. To see slaughter on that scale would break any new recruit. What was the general doing anyway? To slaughter Two hundred Thousand civilians? Two hundred Thousand! How on earth is the general going to win the support of these people when he kills all of them? And what was he thinking, moving the army out of Ubar without leaving a garrison and letting that Bedouin tribe take over? Those men have probably cut down the rest of the civilians and burned the city to the ground by now!"

"I don't think the general wants to win them over Lizard... He doesn't want to conquer Arabia just yet. He wants to break it first, to destroy it's people completely. We will have a lot more blood on our hands soon..." said Babak.

"Best not to think about it" said Planck quietly.

At this, the three soldiers simultaneously turned their heads to the north. A distant spark of light lit the night horizon. Lizard broke the silence.

https://img59.imageshack.us/img59/5439/ubarburningandrioting.png

"We've been marching for 3 weeks." he said.
"Yes." replied Planck
"We can still see the flames. Ubar is still burning."
"Yes."
"So what Babak says is true. We are not here to destroy a nation, we are here to destroy a peoples. We are here to commit the greatest genocide ever seen in history.."
"Yes Lizard," sighed Planck "I know..."

Ludens

11-13-2012, 16:25

As for getting my work published. I doubt it.

If you do decide to publish this, drop me a PM. The publishing industry is a very confusing place for newcomers, and there are a couple of scammers about as well, so it's not a good idea to Google "find a publisher" and go with the first link. I am no expert myself, but I can point you to the websites of people that are.

Jive

11-14-2012, 03:40

well this has certainly helped me decide to continue this aar.

As for getting my work published. I doubt it. I am nowhere near as good as even the worst professional writer. When I read over my aars I notice a staggering amount of sentences and paragraphs that dont fit well together and dont roll off the tongue well

I cannot write long chapters very well and tend to choke when I am describing the physical characteristics of a character.

I take the easy way out and build my characters through dialogue but when I really need to describe the appearance of characters, it takes me forever to write a single sentence.

But thanks for the encouragement anyway :)

You're welcome SE. Sure it needs some polishing but since you're writing this "on the wing" it's to be expected. The very fact you realize certain weaknesses means you can analyze yourself objectively without cringing. That's an essential element for self-improvement and adaptability.

Ludens' advice is well taken. Don't have any experience myself--except for a rejection slip from Sports Illustrated decades ago--but I've heard from a published author (Richard Hoyt) concerning some of the scams. Unfortunately Hoyt and I have had a falling-out owing to our mutually opinionated natures, so I can't do a follow-up with him. However if you contact him yourself via Facebook and mention me (Jive) as a reference he should know who you're talking about. I don't think he'll hold that against you!

Anyway you should know the odds are against you, but if you manage to break through it would be an immensely satisfying achievement, n'est-ce pas? So have fun and good luck, whatever you decide.

seleucid empire

11-14-2012, 04:53

Chapter 4: Dusts of Sabata
Summer 248 BC Sabata

https://img547.imageshack.us/img547/6536/siegeofsabata.png

The army had kept up an astounding pace, covering the 300 leagues between Ubar and Sabata in 4 weeks. The defenders in the city had clearly not been expecting them for some time and now 30 000 soldiers of the 5th were at the gates. Whatever reinforcements the Sabaen's had expected were now too late to save the city.

"We attack tomorrow on the High General's orders." announced Planck to Lizard.
"First in again?" asked Lizard.
"Yes, we will spearhead the assault, followed by the Babylonian battalions."
"Sir..about what we discussed last week...This city, is one of the Sabaen's core cities. There will be even more people living here than in Ubar. I'm worried...Reudon..."
"I will order him to stay in his tent for the duration of the assault...and the aftermath..."

Both soldiers glanced over at the recruit. Reudon had a bowl of stew in his lap and was spooning it into his mouth like a machine, not even noticing the bits of meat and gravy that fell out of his mouth and onto the front of his tunic. His eyes were staring off into the distance, and Lizard knew immediately that those eyes did not take in a thing.

"He's truly broken." whispered Lizard.

Reudon looked down into his bowl.

"Cap'n." said Reudon suddenly.
"Yes recruit?" replied Planck.
"There's something green in my stew sir."
"Those are vegetables.."

Lizard began to weep, weeping for another mind, destroyed by war....

Jive

11-14-2012, 13:10

Taking Sabean cities is easy; holding on to them is another story altogether.

And if you're Pahlava, taking just about any city--Seleucid, Ptolemoid, whatever--presents its problems. Been kicked out of settlements by civil revolt maybe 20 times so far, and it looks like Ankyra's next. Public order stands at 0% at the moment, and there's nothing to be done except hope the masses' rage flames out after taking on my troopies in street warfare.

Enslaving doesn't seem to make much difference either. Cities with only 2,000 or so remaining will still rise up, even with maybe 500 guys in the garrison. Life ain't always easy in the EB world!

seleucid empire

11-14-2012, 13:34

Taking Sabean cities is easy; holding on to them is another story altogether.

so true, in my actual campaign I have destroyed the saba already and conquered maryab at least 4 times before moving my army out.

So I left a single unit of arabian slinger mercs in the city and roleplayed the rioting as the "Bedouin tribe" wrecking the city

seleucid empire

11-17-2012, 14:10

A rating of 3. Ouch

eliad91

11-24-2012, 21:09

Jive

11-25-2012, 03:21

A rating of 3. Ouch

Dunno about the other two, but when I gave you an "8" just now your average went from 8 to 7 :shrug:. Go figure. Anyway enjoy your writing and keep on truckin'.

seleucid empire

11-25-2012, 11:55

Chapter 5: The Shadow of Achilles
Summer 248 BC Seleukeia

Archimenes woke up late during the day, most of his night's sleep having been denied by his nightmares. He dressed with no hurry, afterwards making his way into the kitchen and pouring himself a drink. He turned around to find a young stranger sitting on a chair, staring wide eyed at him. Archimenes blinked.

"Who in Hades' name are you?" asked Archimenes.
"I'm your new aide sir." replied the man
"Wha-? I don't need an aide! I'm not an old man.."
"Every Battalion Commander gets one sir. I am to be yours."

Archimenes choked on his drink.

"Battalion commander?!"
"Yes sir, the Generals agreed to give you that rank this morning, so here I am."
"I-I..why?"
"Because of your exploits sir. Is it true you killed five hundred men single handedly and Green-Shade hall?" asked the man with some excitement.
"I don't know..wasn't counting" grumbled Archimenes, "and I would rather not be reminded of that battle."
"Is it also true you are Achilles reborn?!!"

Archimenes scowled. Ever since the surviving Black Guards from the battle of Green-Shade Hall had been enlisted in the Royal army, ridiculous rumours had arisen and spread through the entire force. Some soldiers believed that Archimenes was a demi-God. The majority of them believed that the ancient spirit of Achilles lived in Archimenes. It had become uncomfortable for him to see both recruits and the hardened veterans of the Royal army giving him looks of awe every time he passed one of them. What was worse was the generals seemed to encourage the Rumors, especially Sarpedon.

Whatever game he is playing, I will have no part of it. thought Archimenes.

"No, I am not Achilles reborn..What is your name soldier?"
"Patroclus sir!" said the soldier, beaming.

Archimenes groaned.Well thats just ****ing great. Now I'll never get rid of those rumors. Why the **** did I have to receive an aide named Patroclus, out of all the other men in the army?! Unless of course....

"Who sent you to be my aid?"
"Lord Sarpedon."

Archimenes cursed. What was that man playing at?...

seleucid empire

11-25-2012, 11:58

Dunno about the other two, but when I gave you an "8" just now your average went from 8 to 7 :shrug:. Go figure. Anyway enjoy your writing and keep on truckin'.

thanks for that

I admit to getting a bit touchy about getting a 3 since I have put in quite a bit of effort and I have had to refrain from actually playing my campaign until I write up to that portion. I know my writing isn't great but 3 was a bit of a nasty surprise tbh.

seleucid empire

11-25-2012, 12:03

SE,my friend,I don't post much in this forum but I must say:this is the most amazing AAR I've ever seen.
I've been reading every line and was immediatley hooked to the story,imagining every sentense in my head as a movie.
The amount of details,the plot,the characters...its just unbeliveable!

Please don't stop writing,I'm sure there are many silent voices as I were that read the AAR and can't wait till the next post.

Hope to see the next chapter soon,can't wait!

Thank you!

If you like this AAR, you should get your hands on a copy of 'The Malazan Book of the Fallen' series

No one can write more interesting plots of characters than him. In fact my AAR style is based on his books although the plot is different of course

Vlad-Tudor

11-25-2012, 16:36

Damn, you really are a story teller. Nice AAR beautifully written. Pity I don't like the grey death machine that much, though. I will just leave books aside, this is much better read.
You really do a great thing with this work, thanks! :)

seleucid empire

11-25-2012, 22:16

Chapter 6: Council
Summer 248 BC Seleukeia

The war council had gone on for the better part of the morning and afternoon before Sarpedon finally appeared. The commanders crowded around the map table looked up as one when he entered.

"Where have you been?" demanded Alexandros.
"I have been meeting with my agents, who bring several important pieces of information." replied Sarpedon coolly.
"And?" asked Antiochus.
"It appears the queen has found new allies, or rather, the Lord Chancellor has. A Carthaginian fleet landed in Tyre with 30 000 Carthaginian warriors to reinforce her armies."
"That brings her forces up to 120 000 men if your previous intelligence is correct." said Alexandros
"My information is always correct." snapped Sarpedon, "There is more. The Lord chancellor is playing a rather dangerous game right now. He has located a Roman spy and turned him into a double agent. He sent the double agent back to Rome to "report" to the senate of our civil war. The Chancellor hopes to manipulate the Romans into attacking Macedonia and ultimately attack Ephesus, where the crown prince and his loyalists are holding out."
"And have the Romans attacked?" asked Antiochus
"No, but they have amassed 25 legions and their auxiliaries near the Illyrian-Roman Border."

https://img685.imageshack.us/img685/9179/25legions.png

"So the Lord Chancellor and the Queen are willing to lose Macedonia and Asia Minor in order to succeed in their coup." muttered Alexandros with disgust.
"They may never reach our borders. There have been some....strange developments."
"The Illyrians?"
"Yes, it appears the old Epirote nobility no longer controls the kingdom of Illyria. Their position has been usurped by a council of some kind and their mysterious leader. These new rulers have cancelled the Military access treaty with the Romans and now there is a rather tense situation between the two Kingdoms. They have in turn, offered us a ceasefire but nothing more. It seems that these new rulers want nothing to do with us or the Romans."
"That is...interesting...but what's to stop the Romans from simply marching their legions through Illyria anyway, or worse, conquering Illyria and thus gaining a new and closer base to attack us from."
"Well, whoever these new rulers are, they have an army of 100 000 blocking the Romans."
"What?! Since when has Illyria ever had that kind of manpower?"
"The Illyrian Kingdom is experiencing a kind of rapid growth that should be completely impossible. Some of my agents report that their capital of Dalminion can now rival Syracuse whereas seven months ago it was a collection of hovels. Whatever it is, its not normal. Even the Romans are hesitating. We should keep a closer eye on that Kingdom in the future."

"Yes, we should... For now though, we need to discuss the state of our own troops. Alexandros?"
"Cousin, we have 33 000 men of the Royal army, 6 000 auxiliaries and 4 000 new recruits. We have sent messages to the east calling for the 7th, 8th and 9th army. With them, we can expect our forces to number around 100 000"
"The 7th, 8th and 9th have been disbanded, how long will it take for them to muster their men and march here?"
"At least half a year cousin."
"And where is the queen now?" asked Antiochus, turning to Sarpedon.
"She is still in Egypt, recruiting ever more men to her cause." he replied
"She is a fool, if she marched against us now with the 120 000 she has already, we might have no chance at all." said Alexandros
"She fears us, and will not feel safe until she has gathered every single man available to her cause. She doesn't seem to realise that numbers have never meant much to the three of us. On top of that, we are the most experienced generals in the realm and the commanders she has available to her are pathetic generals."
"I hope you're right Sarpedon, for all of our sakes..."

seleucid empire

11-25-2012, 22:21

Chapter 7: Hubris Part 1
Summer 248 BC Pannonia Illyrica

Senator Lucius Cornelius felt his smugness dissipate when he saw the size of the Illyrian army approaching. Row upon rows of men, stretching to the horizon on every side. Still, he was not too worried. His legions were disciplined, well armed and most importantly, they were made up of true Romans. Men who had been undefeated in against every enemy. Well almost...Every enemy except those damn Seleukids...

The odds were in his favour. One hundred thousand disciplined legionaries and thirty thousand Auxiliaries against ninety thousand barbarians from a nation that had never even bested the Epirotes or Macedonians. They stand no chance against us today thought Lucius, reassuring himself. But his hands began to twitch nervously, a feeling that was completely unwarranted given the circumstances.

"Senator, a small detachment of Illyrians are riding up towards us." reported his tribune.
"Very well, we will go and meet them."

A guard of 30 men was quickly assembled and the company set out to meet the opposing party in the kill zone between he armies. The foremost figure of the Illyrian party was dressed in a strange garb, more akin to a temple priest's robes than a battle uniform.

"Greetings general of Roma, I am Pactius, 3rd Septum of the New Illyrian Kingdom, Priest of the twin goddesses of Maniae and Lyssa, the queens of madness."
"I am Lucius Cornelius, Senator, Legate, and commander of this expedition."
"What is the purpose of your visit here senator, and oh my...with such a large force too?"
"Enough games Illyrian, you know why I am here. I do not wish you or your kingdom any harm. My targets are the Seleukid holdings in Macedonia. I only need to cross your lands to get there and we will trouble you no more."
"Ahh, yes but we have already sent emissaries to Rome have we not? We cannot allow another nation to cross our borders out of nothing more than greed."
"Have you gone mad?! How dare you insult Rome."
"Alas I am not blessed by the twin goddess with Madness."
"Yo-You insolent fool! If you do not allow us passage, we will crush your forces today along with your tiny kingdom."
"That is yet to be seen."
"Look around you Septum. I have brought 22 legions here. What do you have? Ninety thousand barbarian warriors? We will sweep your forces aside without breaking a sweat."
"It is clear these negotiations are over.. I suggest we use swords to decide what words cannot."

With that Pactius and his party rode away. Lucius turned his bodyguard around and rode up to his own lines fuming.

"Tribunes! Prepare your men to attack!"

https://img850.imageshack.us/img850/186/illyraaa.png

https://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8237/romanaaa.png

Lucius watched as the Illyrians quickly marched into formation. He smirked when he saw how disorderly the Illyrians seemed. However, when they were finished manoeuvring, their formations were perfect. Lucius hestiated, and then gave the order for the march. Fourty Thousand hastati moved forward as one, behind them, forty thousand Principes followed by twenty thousand Triarii, the backbone of the legion. On the flanks were the Greek and Gallic heavy auxiliaries, 15 000 on each wing. As they approached, the details of the Illyrian army became clearer and his Tribune Marcus Levitus groaned.

"What is it Marcus?" asked Lucius.
"Look there...Agrianian assault infantry..." said Marcus pointing.

https://img853.imageshack.us/img853/4726/illyrianagrianinans.png

"Yes, so?"
"Fought against them when I was just a lad and Pyrrhos was rampaging in Italy. They were the toughest and most vicious group of warriors I have ever met."
"All barbarians fight like that."
"But these are different sir. They have a measure of control and combined with a barbarians skill in fighting they are a formidable force. If I remember correctly, they were also very quick and were able to run rings around the legions"
"Well, that doesn't seem to be a problem. There is no way that they can run around our lines today. It is too long. Even if they did, they will be too tired to lift their swords."
"They use axes general..."

seleucid empire

11-27-2012, 07:16

Chapter 8: Hubris Part 2
Summer 248 BC Pannonia Illyrica

The Illyrians were only a few score metres from the front lines now and close enough for Lucius to hear the enemy make a most dreadful noise. From the throats of ninety thousand Illyrians, came the sound....of laughter. Not a mocking laughter but a hysterical one. The sounds of mad and twisted men. From his own lines he heard only silence, a weak challenge to the enemy's psychological assault.

The Illyrians stopped marching and screaming, standing thirty paces away from the main lines, within javelin range.

What in Pluto's Kingdom are they planning? wondered Lucius.

"Ready Pillae!" barked Marcus, who had ridden up behind the lines of hastati.

"Aim!"

"Throw!"

Forty Thousand Javelins flew and before they struck their targets, most of the hastati had their second pilla ready.

"Ready!"

"Aim"

"Throw!"

To his dismay, Lucius saw that few of the Illyrians had gone down. He squinted to get a better look and then his eyes widened in shock. The Illyrians in the front lines were studded with javelins. Some men had up to a dozen javelins embedded in their bodies. But they still stood. The confident faces of the Hastati turned into expressions of pure horror.

Oh.

"Marcus! Sound the horn for a fighting retreat!" screamed Lucius but Marcus just sat there, staring dumbfounded at the Illyrians.

As if responding to some silent command, the Illyrians began to scream again and they rushed forward all at once in a huge wave. The Lines clashed, and the screams of his own men filled the air, mixing with the bestial sounds of the Illyrians...a morbid chorus of madness and terror. The front rows of Hastati stabbed repeatedly at their opponents but very few fell. The madness continued to shine in their eyes even after limbs were cut off.

These Illyrians...are no longer men at all..

An aide rode over to the general.

"Commander! The right wing has been outflanked! What are your orders?!"

https://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5250/theclashrightwing.png

"I...I...don't know..." stammered Lucius.

From the left wing the same cry for help arrived. Soon, even the centre was buckling under the pressure of these madmen, men who felt no pain and continued fighting until their blood had leaked completely.

"General..I think its time to make amends for these men...for leading them here to this hell..." said a voice next to him. Lucius turned around and saw Marcus' grim face beside him.
"Yes.." said Lucius slowly."We must save as many as we can...Marcus, sound the retreat."

He unsheathed his sword and urged his horse onwards. Nine hundred horsemen followed, riding into certain death. Marcus blew three sharp notes from his horn and then rode after Lucius. The centre disengaged at the sound of the horn and the Illyrians raced after them. Lucius' cavalry crashed into the Illyrians just as they were about to overtake the legionaries. The leading Illyrians vanished under hooves, the sounds of bone crunching and spears puncturing chests. Their momentum carried them far into the Illyrian masses, where a newly formed line halted their charge. Bogged down and surrounded, they fought desperately, in a fight they were never meant to win. Lucius looked back and saw two battered legions retreating off the battlefield.

Oh Gods, so few...2 badly mauled Legions...out of 22. Jupiter forgive me...

He turned his head back around just in time to see an Agrianian javelin enter his chest...

https://img267.imageshack.us/img267/4559/surrounded.png

seleucid empire

11-27-2012, 07:22

just a question, and this may affect where my story goes. Which of the storylines do you enjoy the most?

- Archimenes, Mardonious
- Helioketes
- Alexandros, Antiochus and Sarpedon
- The Flame Breakers
- High General Epikrates

eliad91

11-30-2012, 11:16

seleucid empire

12-22-2012, 17:47

Chapter 9: Dance of Blades
Summer 248 BC Seleukeia

When Mardonious arrived at the training fields, he saw most of Archimenes' recruits sprawled out on the ground. The captains and sergeants were barking orders at the unresponsive recruits while Archimenes himself was standing silently, his face darkening.

"How am I supposed to turn these recruits into soldiers. We've only been training for an hour and they can't move!" exclaimed Archimenes.
"You need to inspire them, to draw out their hidden strength." replied Mardonious
"How?"
"Try using a speech."
"Ah, a speech. I wrote one, but I have not said it yet." replied Archimenes handing Mardoinous a slip of parchment.

Soldiers of the Seleucid Empire. Let these trials be a lesson on the harshness of life. If you do not succeed in the training grounds, you will be the first to die on the battlefields!

"By the 12 Olympians!" exclaimed Mardonious
"What?"
"That is the worst speech I have ever seen. You're supposed to inspire them, not make them desert!"

Archimenes scowled at this, made to say something, then promptly shut his mouth. It took Mardonious a moment to realise that Archimenes was looking at something behind him. He turned around and saw a man standing at the edge of the training field dressed in a distinct silver armour. Mardonious recognized him immediately: Abbadion, Blade of the Emperor, the bodyguard of the most powerful man in the world.

Although Neoptolemus of Karia was officially recognized as the greatest warrior in the empire, few men in the royal army believed it. Those who had seen Abbadion fight were forever humbled and if the two warriors should ever meet, no one doubted that Abbadion would be the one who walked away in the end. No one knew where Abbadion had come from, who he had been trained by or how old the man was. They only knew that by the time he reached adulthood, his skill in the sword was unmatched. So the question now was: What was he doing here?

"Greetings Blade of the Emperor. May I ask what the purpose of your visit is?" asked Archimenes
"I am here to check up on this battalion. I must say I am appalled to see your incompetence in dealing with these recruits."

He's trying to bait Archimenes, thought Mardonious. He opened his mouth to warn his friend but saw from his friend's expression that Archimenes already knew.

"I am sorry to disappoint you." replied Archimenes reaching for his sword.
"You have not disappointed me yet." said Abbadion, drawing his own. It was made of fine Galatian steel and was the same length as a two handed Gallic sword but it was curved, a foreign style of swords that Mardonious had never seen before.

All the recruits were watching the two men now, and silence hung over the entire field. The two men closed on each other in a blur, too fast for Mardonious to follow. For the spectators, the duel resembled two whirlwinds battering each other and breaking apart in a repeated succession.

A dance that would awe the Gods themselves..

Suddenly, the two men broke apart. Abbadion was the first to sheath his sword. Mardonious saw a small cut on Archimene's face while Abbadion was completely untouched.

"I have never faced a man who has lasted so long against me. You are the best I have ever fought Lord Archimenes." said Abbadion, who then turned around and departed the field without another word.

"He was so fast..." stammered Archimenes, sinking to his knees.
"Look at the recruits!" exclaimed one of the captains.

Archimenes and Mardonious turned their gazes towards the recruits and saw them standing in lines, a new spark of life in their eyes.

Well done Abbadion, thought Mardonious,well done....

https://img692.imageshack.us/img692/3756/rakep.png
(Abbadion)

seleucid empire

12-22-2012, 17:48

Intermission: Organisation of the Imperial Armies in the Early Period

Phalangites

File: 10 men. Commanded by a Sergeant with the help of a corporal
Line (2 files): Commanded by a Bronze Officer
Square (5 files): Commanded by a Lieutenant
Battle Regiment (10 files): Commanded by a captain
Phalanx Regiment (25 Files): Commanded by a Silver Shield Officer or Hypaspistai captain
Phalanx Battalion (250 files): Commanded by an Archon

Regular Infantry (excluding elite units)

10 - squad (sergeant)
20 - platoon (staff sergeant or in rare cases, master sergeant)
50 - troop (Troop officer)
100 - contingent/squadron (Lieutenant)
200 - Regiment (Regiment Commander/Lieutenant)
200-300 - company (Captain)
300-500 - brigade (Brigadier General)
1000-1500 - Battalion (Battalion Commander)
2000-3000 - corps (Colonel)
4000-6000 - legion (Legion General)
10 000 - division (Division/Field General)
20 000-30 000 - Field Army (General or High General)
50 000 - Campaign Army (High General or Lord Commander)
100 000 - Grand Army (High General or Lord Commander)

Regular Cavalry (excluding companions and elite units)

10 men: Wedge/squad (scout sergeant)
50 men: squadron (squad leader)
100 men: Troop (Companion officer)
200 men: Regiment (Lieutenant)
500 men: Company (Captain)
1000 men: Battalion (Outrider General)
10 000 men: Division (Master of the Horse)

Navy

1 ship - Ship (Captain)
5 ships - Squadron (Commodore)
10 ships - Wedge (Commander)
20 ships - Group (Group Admiral)
50 ships - Command (Vice Admiral)
100 ships - Division (Admiral)
200 ships - Fleet/Navy (Fleet/Navy Admiral)
200-500 ships - Grand Fleet/Navy (Grand Admiral)
500-1000 ships - Empire Fleet (Lord Admiral)

seleucid empire

12-22-2012, 17:49

10 points for the first person to find all the firefly quotes in the next chapter

OH and double points for the person who also finds the famous movie quote ;)

seleucid empire

12-22-2012, 17:50

Chapter 10: Blood in the Sand Pt. 1
Summer 248 BC Saba

The hot gales of the desert's currents mingled with the cool breeze from the numerous large oases surrounding the city, a combination which soaked the soldiers' tunics with sweat and tepid condensation. The dam of the Sabaen Maleks, conceived and built aeons ago, was visible in the distance, a titanic wall of stone, flanked by the cliff sides. Dwarfing even the great dam was the city of Maryab itself, the shining heart of Arabia. Also visible was the Palace of the Kings, built on ancient dunes and rising above the city like a colossal monument, a tragic remembrance of the golden age of Arabia, now occupied by lesser men.

"If we take this city, the Sabaen will never recover. We win here and the war is all but over!" High General Euphorion had said to them on the march. Easier said then done, thought Sergeant Urban of the 7th squad of the Flame Breakers. He stared at the army of one hundred thousand Arabians marching out of the Great City. These were no tribesmen either. The wily Sabaen King Halik Il Watar had saved his best till last. However, it was fortunate that the commanders in charge of the army were unable to rally their battalions quickly enough or manage a cohesive marching pace and now their forces were split in two. The first Half of the army was a few hundred metres away from the Seleukid lines while the second one was leagues away. Idiots...

https://img13.imageshack.us/img13/2639/mayrabinthedistance.png

"Make them pay dearly for this mistake. We must rout the first army before the second arrives or we will be overwhelmed." Those were the orders, and the reason that the entire company of the Flame Breakers were once again isolated from the main army and hiding among the dunes, waiting to spring yet another trap.

Urban crawled over to where Captain Planck and the man he knew as Lizard were lying.

"Captain, do you a have plan yet?" asked Urban.
"Yes, we wait for them to engage our lines and then charge their centre from behind. That's where they keep their elites. When the elites break, so will the rest of the army..hopefully. Oh and we throw a few Greek Fire munitions for good measure." replied Planck.
"Greek fire munitions? After they engage with our line? Surely you can't be serious."
"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."
"But what if we accidentally throw them into our own?"
"You won't, unless you're telling me that you can throw further than a imperial catapult."
"Sir, I think you got a problem with your brain being missing."
"Sergeant, Do you know what the chain of command is here? It's the chain I go get and beat you with to show you who's in command. Now go ready your squad."
"Yessir."

Urban returned to his squad and found Six-Inch, his corporal, waiting for him, a questing look on his face.

"Things are gonna get ugly corporal." grumbled Urban
"Really? What did the captain say exactly?" asked Six-Inch.
"We are gonna use the fire, despite the risk. Wipe that grin off your face Six-Inch or I'll beat it off for you."

Every Soldier in this damn company is Insane! I tell them that their task has become more dangerous and they smile?!

The sounds of the battle joining, filled the air. Steel rang on steel and the screams of dying men echoed across the battlefield in a morbid chorus.

"Well, that's our que," muttered Urban,"Time for some thrilling heroics."

seleucid empire

12-22-2012, 17:51

Chapter 11: Blood in the Sand Pt. 2
Summer 248 BC Saba

Dust swirled around the two armies, locked in deadly combat. Under it's cover the Flame Breakers crept cautiously towards their enemy. All around them, was a wall of moving sand, obscuring all vision further than 20 paces. Planck had decided to split the company into individual Platoons, reasoning that it would be almost impossible to keep a company intact under these conditions. So now Urban's 7th squad and the 9th, Planck's original squad before he had attained the rank of captain, found themselves alone and without bearing. Planck signalled for them to stop. Sergeant Urban and Sergeant Xenop moved to the front of the group.

"I sent Lizard ahead to scout." said Planck, shouting to make himself heard over the clamour of battle."We are very close now and I don't want to stumble into their rear lines."

"I thought that was the plan?" replied Urban

"Yes, but this dust storm they've kicked up means we now have a better one. Since they can't see us, we will throw our munitions into their rear. Our own lines won't be affected since they are familiar with the sound and concussion of the munitions but the enemy who don't get blown up first will assume that we have 20 catapults aimed at each of their squads or that we have enough horsemen heading in their direction to make the ground shake. They will be terrified."

"Sounds like another crazy plan Cap'n"

A figure appeared in the sands in front of them and Urban's hand went instinctively to his short-sword before he relaxed as Lizard's face became visible.

"Cap'n." said Lizard."Their lines are only 30 metres away."

"Good job Lizard, we move forward 10 more paces and throw."

"What about the other squads?" asked Urban.

"They are aware of the new plan. They wait for my signal first."

"And what signal is that?"

"Why, the sound of detonations of course."

The Platoon moved up 10 paces and saw the rear ranks of the enemy. Planck pulled out a charge.

"We throw one after the other, is that understood? I don't want all of us getting blown to Hades."

He pulled back his arm and threw the small clay ball. A column of sand and body parts flew into the air as the charge detonated. To his left and right, Urban heard a series of explosions and felt the concussion of scores of munitions hitting their targets. Urban threw his charge next and the second wave of munitions cracked in the distance. All of a sudden, there were men running towards them, and most of them, having dropped their shields and weapons, we unarmed.

"Form a long line, I don't want them escaping!"

The dust had settled down and Urban risked a backwards glance.

"Err, cap'n, we have a problem."

Planck turned around and cursed when he saw it. The vanguard of the second army had arrived...

seleucid empire

12-22-2012, 17:52

Chapter 12: Blood in the Sand Pt. 3
Summer 248 Saba

The ridge of the dune was now crowded with Arabian horsemen, forming ranks in anticipation of charging down the hill and destroying the isolated Flame Breakers, the soldiers who had single handedly turned around every battle the two nations had fought.

"We need to get behind the main lines!" exclaimed Urban.

"We will hold our ground here." said Planck, firmly.

"Against five thousand heavy cavalry?"

"Haven't you wondered where Babak has been all this time?"

"Babak?" asked Urban. He looked and saw that indeed, the infamous soldier was missing from the group.

The Sabaen cavalry had formed up now and as they prepared to charge, Urban saw a figure rise from the sands near the hill and run into full view of the Sabaen horsemen screaming profanities at them. Babak.

"I'm over here! You want me? Yeah you do!" screamed Babak, "Come get me you camel lickers! By the Gods you're an ugly bunch! I'll bet that if Medusa had seen the faces of you lot, she would have strangled herself with her own snakes while simultaneously cutting her own eyes out with a piece of stone the size and general shape of your mother's play toys. Then right before she dies of suffocation she would have thrown herself into pit full of scorpions and blessed Hades' testicles for giving her a way out of that horror." Then Babak turned towards the Flame Breakers and began running. As one, the horsemen raced after him, a wave flooding down the hill.

"He'll never make it!" shouted Six-Inch.

"Oh don't you worry about Babak," replied Lizard,"He's survived much worse than this."

The horsemen were closing in on the running figure that was Babak, their lances lowered, and then...chaos....as the entire dune erupted. Men were flung off their horses and others flew high into the air. Babak had dived onto the sand at the last minute and now he rose and began running again. The Sabaen cavalry had been utterly annihilated, those horses that were not caught in the explosion had been flung around by the concussion. Bones had broken, hoofs had crushed skulls and not a single horse was fit to ride. Urban stared in shock. The bastard had mined the entire dune....

Babak arrived out of breath and saluted Planck.

"How come you always get the fun jobs?" moaned Lizard.

"Because I'm better at everything." replied Babak

"No you're not!"

"Name one thing you're better at than I am."

"I'm faster than you! You couldn't dodge a sword swing of your life depended on it. Which it does."

"Yeah. Thanks for the advanced combat lesson Lizard..."

"That's enough!" said Planck,"We need to make our way back to the army. The High general has another plan to deal with the second force..."

The platoons converged and the Flame Breakers began to make their way back into friendly lines, a hostile, lumbering army in their wake...