Braden
03-20-2006, 13:43
Taken from the current turn of the "Heirs of Alexander" PBM campaign (Seleucids).
The battle for Illyria
This saga started when Zoilos assaulted Segestica early in 226BC. It should have been so simple, Zoilos’s elephants would batter down the gates and his far superior force would enter and swiftly quell any resistance from the small garrison. However, it all went hideously wrong….
Zoilos’s elephants did indeed batter the gates down and they entered the town, however as his first phalanx went to get through the gates….they slammed shut again!! His infantry could not enter…..his elephants could not get out. The assault failed.
Having been handed a rest the Romano forces had time to gather their forces. Nearly surrounded and outnumbered at least 4:1, Zoilos retreated towards the army of Amopaon to the South.
So, some 200 miles South of Segestica he camped near to his old collegue and their gathered forces – some 1200 warriors awaited the arrival of the Julii armies.
Both seasoned Generals were in for a shock however when news arrived that not only was the Julii armies of upwards of 3,000 men approaching but also a Brutii army of smaller size, some 1,000 men, was also in the area. Amopaon and Zoilos had to move and splitting their forces up again they struck out at the Julii armies approaching from the North.
First Amopaon met a large Julii contingent and put them to flight killing 1,195 Romans for the loss of only 17 warriors, then Zoilos, his partner, caught another Julii army in the field near the coast of Dalmatia killing 906 Romans to his 33 deaths.
Then gathering their forces back in Illyria, equal distance between Segestica and Salona they were finally encircled and attacked by the remaining Roman coalition forces.
It fell to Amopaon to take on the Romans as the Julii army found his encampment. Secure in the knowledge that his partner Zoilos was but 30 miles East of him, Amopaon did battle. His force of near 800 awaited the Julii near the top of a hill, rolling forest before them. Sending his two squadrons of chariots to engage and harass the enemy early on, they managed to disrupt the enemy formation and although most of the chariots were lost, by the time the Julii army hit Amopaon’s Phalanx’s they were tired and already plagued with casualties. They started to break and run, Amopaon had seen this many times before and as usual ordered his Cataphract forward to chase them down. Shortly afterwards he also joined the fray and both his bodyguard and the Cataphract unit chased down most of the enemy army as it ran…….
Suddenly a horn from Amopaon’s army sounded and looking back he saw a large formation of troops cresting the rise behind my men….his first thought was that it was Zoilos’s forces but looking closer at the way they marched, the absence of Phalanx pikes….the realisation came that it was Romans!
“Cataphractia! On me!” At a gallop the already tired horses charged towards the leaderless troops on the hillside.
“BEHIND! Turn! Damn you, turn that formation!” The captain frantically barked out orders to the troops around him. They were outflanked, the Brutii army had appeared suddenly from behind them. There was no warning, Amopaon hadn’t told them to expect this. The only thing behind them was meant to be Zoilos and his men…
The Phalanx desperately turned round and, painfully slowly, dashed up the hill to meet the on-rushing Romans.
Amopaon arrived just as the armies clashed, his Phalanx’s had barely time to form and lower their pikes when the Romans crashed into his lines. He was being outflanked by several units of light cavalry also…spurring his horse down the slope he charged the units, he would not let his men die so easily. Hopelessly outnumbered he fought to hold the light horsemen back, weaving in and out of spear thrusts a sound behind him caught his attention and out of the corner of his eye he saw his Cataphract unit charge into the fray.
Amopaon disengaged and turned his troops back up the hill. It was clear that his left flank was rapidly collapsing. Leaving his Cataphracti to hold the right flank he charged again into the enemy, this time infantry. Wheeling he re-charged but his lines were faltering rapidly. Another charge…a Gladius caught him on the leg and he drove his sword down upon the Romans helm, another Roman tried to grab his saddle, a swift downward strike with his sword severed the infantry mans arm and all hope he’d have of unseating the General. All about him was chaos, utterly gone was the co-ordinated Phalanx lines as Greek and Seleucid warriors fought for their lives against the heavily armoured Roman Infantry.
“Back again! Pull out and we’re charge again” Amopaon spurred his heavily lathered horse out of the combat, his bodyguard following and wheeled round for another charge. “Form the line!...Form the…” Amopaon stopped there. Around him there was but three men….his bodyguard had all but fallen. He looked to his lines, saw his archers engaged in melee, his front line starting to collapse and smiled. If he was to meet the Gods this day he would do it saving his mens lives.
“Again my friends, again into the lions maw! Our children need our help!” With that he and his three guards charged into the Roman army again.
All about them the remaining warriors of his army fled, whist Amopaon and his friends dodged and weaved on their horses desperately trying to hold back what Romans they could from chasing down their running men. Then another horn sounded, clear and cold in the heat of the day. Amopaon winced as he heard it, another Roman army? Tired and weary beyond anything he had experienced before Amopaon clumsily blocked a jabbing Gladius but the point bit into his side despite his efforts but this was forgotten…there was no pain as tears of frustration welled up in his eyes.
That horn again! This time Amopaon looked towards its source and immediately all thoughts of the Romans around him vaporised. “Zoilos! Zoilos is here!”
His shield bearer, his most trusted companion had arrived. “Companion Guard! To Zoilos!” Ignoring the swipes of the Romans, Amopaon spurred his horse through the throng of infantry around him, pushing past bodies, swiping with his sword as he passed, finally breaking out the other side of the Romans and charged down the hill towards Zoilos’s men.
Looking up the hill Zoilos started to pale. All he could see was a storm of Roman soldiers crawling over Amopaons position. He could see a very few phalanx men and archers run from the fray and a glint of bronze……it was moving down the hill towards him. Then he saw it clear, the sun shone and reflected on the helm of his Amopaon….he was accompanied by only three of his body guard but it was clearly him and although he was driving his horse down the hill towards Zoilos he was being chased down by a troop of Roman light cavalry, he would never make it.
“Phalanx line, fast, form up!” Zoilos spurred his own horse on up the hill, closely followed by his bodyguard.
All about him he saw Roman cavalry, he ducked as a spear was thrust at his throat. His horse faltered at the sudden change in weight on its back. There was no way Amopaon was going to make it down the hill, so near yet so far from his Zoilos he would be struck down. The wounds he’d received hung heavy at that moment, the strength that the appearance of Zoilos had given him leached away almost as quickly as it had came.
“My own Amopaon WILL NOT die this day! With me!” Zoilos thundered into the on-rushing Roman horsemen.
At that moment. That brief flicker of a moment between life and death, the world around Amopaon stopped. In a heartbeat he saw the face of Zoilos hidden in his bronze helm, those eyes, burning with fury but also a look of horror and doubt. The spear came from his right this time, but Amopaon barely registered the movement. Utterly intent on Zoilos’s movements, in those last moments of life Amopaon wondered what Zoilos was shouting? Why was his arm moving forward so fast? Worse still his sword had left his hand….
Zoilos could see the end of Amopaon the spear moving in, in an unstoppable motion towards him. Zoilos did the only thing he could. Drawing back his arm he threw his sword towards the spear wielding roman cavalry man, putting all his venom, his vengeance, his sorrow into this arm. The sword spun in the air, end over end.
Amopaon followed the trajectory of Zoilos’s sword as it few in the air. Almost with lazy intent it spun past Amopaon’s head. Then the world started again! Aghast, Amopaon looked at the spear point, a palm width from his side, half a heart beat from death. It had stopped. He looked up the spear to the arm of the Roman, then further up to see the mans eyes…..dead eyes. Then, slowly, with Zoilos’s sword embedded deeply in his upper chest the Roman slid from his saddle to the grass below.
Zoilos charged past Amopaon drawing another sword. He cast Amopaon a glance as he thundered past but Amopaon continued down past Zoilos’s men.
Moments passed and Amopaon leaned forward in his saddle. Zoilos caught him as he fell, and Amopaon struggled to stand.
“Where were you?” Amopaon said weakly
“The Romans managed to get between us. By the time we realised what they had done it was too late, it was all we could do to get to you as fast as we could.”
Amopaon slumped into Zoilos’s arms, and taking comfort from his firm grip on him he stood again.
“My men are putting the remains of the Roman army to flight now. You did it Amopaon, YOU did. The Romans were already in flight as we got here. It was you and your honour that took this day.”
“Aye, but it was your eyes that saved me from the brink of death my dear Zoilos”
With that Amopaon was taken by the orderlies. The day was won…..
Zoilos sat at Amopaon’s bed side. Almost absently he turned to his captain “So, how did we fare this day?”
“We have counted the Roman dead and it numbers nearly 1,700.”
“and of Amopaon’s men?”
“His army is effectively crushed my lord, he has lost 689 souls this day. How does the Lord Amopaon fare?”
Zoilos looked back at Amopaon’s face “I am told he will live, that his wounds are shallow and clean.”
“Erm…I have other news my lord. A letter from Antioch, our beloved Emperor Demetrius has died, Achaeus has been declared uncontested Emperor and Amopaon….Lord Amopaon has been named as Heir to the Throne of all of the Seleucid Empire.”
Zoilos hardly moved, a single tear streaked down his right cheek
“Hear that Amopaon? One day you will be Emperor, bringer of peace and joy to our people, and I….I will be at your side. As always…”
The battle for Illyria
This saga started when Zoilos assaulted Segestica early in 226BC. It should have been so simple, Zoilos’s elephants would batter down the gates and his far superior force would enter and swiftly quell any resistance from the small garrison. However, it all went hideously wrong….
Zoilos’s elephants did indeed batter the gates down and they entered the town, however as his first phalanx went to get through the gates….they slammed shut again!! His infantry could not enter…..his elephants could not get out. The assault failed.
Having been handed a rest the Romano forces had time to gather their forces. Nearly surrounded and outnumbered at least 4:1, Zoilos retreated towards the army of Amopaon to the South.
So, some 200 miles South of Segestica he camped near to his old collegue and their gathered forces – some 1200 warriors awaited the arrival of the Julii armies.
Both seasoned Generals were in for a shock however when news arrived that not only was the Julii armies of upwards of 3,000 men approaching but also a Brutii army of smaller size, some 1,000 men, was also in the area. Amopaon and Zoilos had to move and splitting their forces up again they struck out at the Julii armies approaching from the North.
First Amopaon met a large Julii contingent and put them to flight killing 1,195 Romans for the loss of only 17 warriors, then Zoilos, his partner, caught another Julii army in the field near the coast of Dalmatia killing 906 Romans to his 33 deaths.
Then gathering their forces back in Illyria, equal distance between Segestica and Salona they were finally encircled and attacked by the remaining Roman coalition forces.
It fell to Amopaon to take on the Romans as the Julii army found his encampment. Secure in the knowledge that his partner Zoilos was but 30 miles East of him, Amopaon did battle. His force of near 800 awaited the Julii near the top of a hill, rolling forest before them. Sending his two squadrons of chariots to engage and harass the enemy early on, they managed to disrupt the enemy formation and although most of the chariots were lost, by the time the Julii army hit Amopaon’s Phalanx’s they were tired and already plagued with casualties. They started to break and run, Amopaon had seen this many times before and as usual ordered his Cataphract forward to chase them down. Shortly afterwards he also joined the fray and both his bodyguard and the Cataphract unit chased down most of the enemy army as it ran…….
Suddenly a horn from Amopaon’s army sounded and looking back he saw a large formation of troops cresting the rise behind my men….his first thought was that it was Zoilos’s forces but looking closer at the way they marched, the absence of Phalanx pikes….the realisation came that it was Romans!
“Cataphractia! On me!” At a gallop the already tired horses charged towards the leaderless troops on the hillside.
“BEHIND! Turn! Damn you, turn that formation!” The captain frantically barked out orders to the troops around him. They were outflanked, the Brutii army had appeared suddenly from behind them. There was no warning, Amopaon hadn’t told them to expect this. The only thing behind them was meant to be Zoilos and his men…
The Phalanx desperately turned round and, painfully slowly, dashed up the hill to meet the on-rushing Romans.
Amopaon arrived just as the armies clashed, his Phalanx’s had barely time to form and lower their pikes when the Romans crashed into his lines. He was being outflanked by several units of light cavalry also…spurring his horse down the slope he charged the units, he would not let his men die so easily. Hopelessly outnumbered he fought to hold the light horsemen back, weaving in and out of spear thrusts a sound behind him caught his attention and out of the corner of his eye he saw his Cataphract unit charge into the fray.
Amopaon disengaged and turned his troops back up the hill. It was clear that his left flank was rapidly collapsing. Leaving his Cataphracti to hold the right flank he charged again into the enemy, this time infantry. Wheeling he re-charged but his lines were faltering rapidly. Another charge…a Gladius caught him on the leg and he drove his sword down upon the Romans helm, another Roman tried to grab his saddle, a swift downward strike with his sword severed the infantry mans arm and all hope he’d have of unseating the General. All about him was chaos, utterly gone was the co-ordinated Phalanx lines as Greek and Seleucid warriors fought for their lives against the heavily armoured Roman Infantry.
“Back again! Pull out and we’re charge again” Amopaon spurred his heavily lathered horse out of the combat, his bodyguard following and wheeled round for another charge. “Form the line!...Form the…” Amopaon stopped there. Around him there was but three men….his bodyguard had all but fallen. He looked to his lines, saw his archers engaged in melee, his front line starting to collapse and smiled. If he was to meet the Gods this day he would do it saving his mens lives.
“Again my friends, again into the lions maw! Our children need our help!” With that he and his three guards charged into the Roman army again.
All about them the remaining warriors of his army fled, whist Amopaon and his friends dodged and weaved on their horses desperately trying to hold back what Romans they could from chasing down their running men. Then another horn sounded, clear and cold in the heat of the day. Amopaon winced as he heard it, another Roman army? Tired and weary beyond anything he had experienced before Amopaon clumsily blocked a jabbing Gladius but the point bit into his side despite his efforts but this was forgotten…there was no pain as tears of frustration welled up in his eyes.
That horn again! This time Amopaon looked towards its source and immediately all thoughts of the Romans around him vaporised. “Zoilos! Zoilos is here!”
His shield bearer, his most trusted companion had arrived. “Companion Guard! To Zoilos!” Ignoring the swipes of the Romans, Amopaon spurred his horse through the throng of infantry around him, pushing past bodies, swiping with his sword as he passed, finally breaking out the other side of the Romans and charged down the hill towards Zoilos’s men.
Looking up the hill Zoilos started to pale. All he could see was a storm of Roman soldiers crawling over Amopaons position. He could see a very few phalanx men and archers run from the fray and a glint of bronze……it was moving down the hill towards him. Then he saw it clear, the sun shone and reflected on the helm of his Amopaon….he was accompanied by only three of his body guard but it was clearly him and although he was driving his horse down the hill towards Zoilos he was being chased down by a troop of Roman light cavalry, he would never make it.
“Phalanx line, fast, form up!” Zoilos spurred his own horse on up the hill, closely followed by his bodyguard.
All about him he saw Roman cavalry, he ducked as a spear was thrust at his throat. His horse faltered at the sudden change in weight on its back. There was no way Amopaon was going to make it down the hill, so near yet so far from his Zoilos he would be struck down. The wounds he’d received hung heavy at that moment, the strength that the appearance of Zoilos had given him leached away almost as quickly as it had came.
“My own Amopaon WILL NOT die this day! With me!” Zoilos thundered into the on-rushing Roman horsemen.
At that moment. That brief flicker of a moment between life and death, the world around Amopaon stopped. In a heartbeat he saw the face of Zoilos hidden in his bronze helm, those eyes, burning with fury but also a look of horror and doubt. The spear came from his right this time, but Amopaon barely registered the movement. Utterly intent on Zoilos’s movements, in those last moments of life Amopaon wondered what Zoilos was shouting? Why was his arm moving forward so fast? Worse still his sword had left his hand….
Zoilos could see the end of Amopaon the spear moving in, in an unstoppable motion towards him. Zoilos did the only thing he could. Drawing back his arm he threw his sword towards the spear wielding roman cavalry man, putting all his venom, his vengeance, his sorrow into this arm. The sword spun in the air, end over end.
Amopaon followed the trajectory of Zoilos’s sword as it few in the air. Almost with lazy intent it spun past Amopaon’s head. Then the world started again! Aghast, Amopaon looked at the spear point, a palm width from his side, half a heart beat from death. It had stopped. He looked up the spear to the arm of the Roman, then further up to see the mans eyes…..dead eyes. Then, slowly, with Zoilos’s sword embedded deeply in his upper chest the Roman slid from his saddle to the grass below.
Zoilos charged past Amopaon drawing another sword. He cast Amopaon a glance as he thundered past but Amopaon continued down past Zoilos’s men.
Moments passed and Amopaon leaned forward in his saddle. Zoilos caught him as he fell, and Amopaon struggled to stand.
“Where were you?” Amopaon said weakly
“The Romans managed to get between us. By the time we realised what they had done it was too late, it was all we could do to get to you as fast as we could.”
Amopaon slumped into Zoilos’s arms, and taking comfort from his firm grip on him he stood again.
“My men are putting the remains of the Roman army to flight now. You did it Amopaon, YOU did. The Romans were already in flight as we got here. It was you and your honour that took this day.”
“Aye, but it was your eyes that saved me from the brink of death my dear Zoilos”
With that Amopaon was taken by the orderlies. The day was won…..
Zoilos sat at Amopaon’s bed side. Almost absently he turned to his captain “So, how did we fare this day?”
“We have counted the Roman dead and it numbers nearly 1,700.”
“and of Amopaon’s men?”
“His army is effectively crushed my lord, he has lost 689 souls this day. How does the Lord Amopaon fare?”
Zoilos looked back at Amopaon’s face “I am told he will live, that his wounds are shallow and clean.”
“Erm…I have other news my lord. A letter from Antioch, our beloved Emperor Demetrius has died, Achaeus has been declared uncontested Emperor and Amopaon….Lord Amopaon has been named as Heir to the Throne of all of the Seleucid Empire.”
Zoilos hardly moved, a single tear streaked down his right cheek
“Hear that Amopaon? One day you will be Emperor, bringer of peace and joy to our people, and I….I will be at your side. As always…”