[Place-holder title]MAKEDONIA: An EB Inspired tale...

I love EB.

It has wasted so much of my time; It has twisted so much of my mentality; It has shaped a great deal of my hobbies.

This is one of them. I wish to share it with you all.

As some of you may know, I tend to write quite lengthy proses in a certain AAR. I've decided to post my EB inspired story here for all to read at their leisure. It's a draft, so feel free to give comments and suggestions, especially on certain terminology and historical background.

And do think of a good title for me. Enjoy =]

p.s. I may produce screenshots in later posts since certain bits of it can easily be replicated in the game itself....or somebody with a bit of spare time can give me a hand at it.....

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Prologue:

I hate this city.

Everyday the same thing happens again and again.

The pretenders only bring false hopes and more misfortune.

I hate this city.

I am not a rebel. I've never rebelled in my life, not even against my elders. Sure, there were plenty of arguments and disputes due to my relative inexperience and naivety...and the 'occasional' acts mischief of course. However, the so-called 'rebellious stage' that most young upstarts go through...it never seemed to have happened to me at all.

My homeland is but a shadow of her once magnificent past. Her lands broken, territories torn to shreds by self proclaimed heirs. When the great king lived, they fought like wolves in a pack, they brought down many barbaroi of Asia, they brought civilization to the ends of the world.

But he is dead, rumored to be poisoned, by the very wolves he reared as his pack. Wolves no more, his would-be heirs, they squabbled over his still-born realm like hyenas to a stolen carcass.

Worse off, like vultures, the Romaioi circles upon our kingdom. Using the most pitful of excuses, they divide our land, they take our riches....worse off, they take our honour.

This city, once the magnificent capital of my homeland, now lies as a mere husk of it's former days. Our lands divided into four 'provinces', each governed by tools of the Romaioi.. The clutches of their greed can be seen everywhere. My home is being bled dry, little by little.....

I hate this city.


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Next Chapter:
******** Uprising

Hmmm...this sounds like it could be set in the Levant? I'm curious, and can't wait for the next installment.

Excellent writing there, satalexton. You really have a talent for this:wink: I'll be following this closely and think of a title.

@Codyos: The city is more to the west (hint).

Maion

I wonder which faction it is. Interesting start~:)

I'm definitely going to following this AAR.

Korinthos Uprising (part 1)

“A word from our Consul Lucius Aemilius Paulus.”

A patrician, of a rather portly stature, steps onto a hastily built stage. Though his peers dub it as 'the glare of ambition', his eyes clearly gleamed of greed. Not even his tribunes can hide it however, as there are grumbling even amongst his own troops that they have not received enough loot. Their Consul had taken too much for himself.

“Bloody foreigners! They have to cheek to go to war with us! OR WORSE, telling other people to go to war for them! I'd say we should give these poltroons such a beating, that TEN YEARS from now, people will still speak of them!

The world is full of lies! 'One must not murder', 'one must not steal', 'one must not be dishonest'....These are all lies, deceptions. 'I do not want to be killed', 'I don't want to be a victim of theft', thats why they use lies such as justice and morals to protect their weak selves. The original truth is survival of the fittest. One must devour it all, whether it be other humans, wealth, power, OR THE WORLD ITSELF! Roma will destroy this world's lies and bring forth the truth! ROMA VICTRIX!!!”

“ROMA VICTRIX!! ROMA VICTRIX!!” The legions cheered. What made them cheer with further zeal, though, is what Paulus said next.

“We now go to Epirus! They are in suspect of supporting the Macedonian cause! Their towns and citizens will pay to price to cleanse off the suspicion!” Paulus reached for his gladius, wanting to wave it in the air in a majestic manner. He gave it several subtle tugs, the ornament refuse to move as much as an inch from it's hilt. Giving up, he held onto the hilt and waved with his left. The legion cheered again, eager for plunder.

70 towns were sacked, over 150,000 were enslaved. The Epirotes were left to bankruptcy...and a rekindled hatred...


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Thanks guys =] part 2 coming real soon.

YEAAAHHH! ROMA VICTRIX!!! :idea2: Or should that be...

ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! :smash:

Nice beginning there satalexton. I'm really interrested to see what this will be like:yes:

Korinthos Uprising (Part 2)

Eprius was in ruins. What was fertile farmland became dark, scorched earth. Villages burnt, men of fighting age crucified, women and young enslaved. Only the elderly and children remained. Wherever the romans tread, desolation and despair follows their wake like a tide. Such is the punishment for being the target of suspicion; such is the punishment for not being roman.

In the mist of destruction, a small party of men make their way south through what was the countryside of Ambrakia. Clad in brown cloaks, concealing their faces, they flank a small boy. Barely able to keep up with the men, the child huffed through the pieces of charred rubble with the resolve of more than double his age. He stumbled a little. The leader of the men, a grizzled veteran, old enough to be the child's grandfather, he bends over towards the child.

“Should I instruct one of us to carry you, young Anastasius?” He inquired politely.
“No, I'm fine. We must hurry to Korinthos.” Although no older than 8, his eyes are more resolute than any man in their band.
“Yes, my lord.” The man gave a subtle bow.
“Deacon, where is Andriskos? I have not seen him since we left.” Young Anastasius asked, as he scorned at the unsightliness of the Roman atrocities. The Epirotes have long been docile, since the death of Pyrrhos. The Italiote barbaroi are more vengeful than the keltoi.
“He is on his way to Syria as we speak. In the name of Makedonia.” Replied the old hypaspist. He too sighs at the degree of destruction.
“I see...”
“HALT! Identify yourselves, travelers!”

A group of hastati approached them. Some of them are carrying pieces of gold ornaments, tying them to the fittings of their pectoral plates for ease of carrying. Their empty handed leader approached Deacon's party. The other hypaspitai slowly shuffled around their young prince. Bastard or not, he is the last bloodline of the Antigonid dynasty. He must be hidden.

“We're peddlers, traveling through the hellas in search for opportunities for trade. There is little we can find here, thus we move towards Thermon for better chance.” Quick witted, Deacon crafts his fibs. Slipping a piece of silver into the leader's hands, he continued, “and this is our proof, may you let us past, kind sir.”

Taken by greed, the romans left the party to their own accord and return to their own affairs of pillaging. With a breath of relief, the hypaspistai continued their secret escort. As they neared the woods...

“Wait!” The Romans changed their minds.
“Boy, come forth.”
Anastasius stepped forward, reaching for something hidden in his cloak, pleaded to the Roman, “Please sir, let me leave with my grandfather. We're but poor traders looking for a mouthful in this barren land.”
“We're keeping the boy, he'll make a good man-whore for the camps. We're sick of dancing hags.” The hastati reached for the boy's rear, with a lustful gaze.

A gentle thud, a severed hand landed onto the grass. Blood gushed from the stump, staining the prince's cloak with a new shade of crimson. Anastasius holds a kopis in his hands.

“Do it.”

Several javelins flew from the woods and tall grass, punching through the Roman's throats with deadly accuracy. The peltasts emerged from the shadows like specters with a stoic wrath, wielding their xithos with unrivaled skill. Within seconds, only the leader was left standing.

“Mercy! SOMEBODY!”

The Roman fell on his knees, cradling his bloody stump on his wrist. The prince raised his kopis.

“All. Hail. Makedonia.”

Silence returned to the countryside.

Barbaroi deserve no mercy.

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Thanks for the support guys =]

p.s. Somebody has clearly watched wayyy too much Code Geass =P

Another excellent update, satalexton. I like the way you write, it's like a good book. I'm very eager to see how this is going to unfold...

Maion

=P those who know greek may actually sniff out hints of what may come in the future =P....

Looks good so far:2thumbsup:. I agree with Maion, it's like a book. A very rare style among AAR's, and I like it ~:). I'm eagerly awaiting the next update~:).

*Stares directly at Satalexton*

Indeed... ;)

Korinthos Uprising (part 3)

“Thank you, Maion.”

“It is an honour, my lord.”

A thracian rhomphia pierced the hastati's skull, the blade sticking out through the barbarian's nose, pinning the body to the ground. Anastasius' hands gave way and dropped the kopis. The sword landed through another section of the barbarian's head with a weak crunching sound of irony. The prince said weakly, “He was suppose to be my first kill, in the name of Makedonia.”

“You are still too young for such an ordeal, my lord.” The leader of the royal peltasts replied, “Leave things to us until you're old enough.” He shouldered his shield and placed a linen cloak over himself. The other 5 peltasts followed. A young man at the age of 19, thin and agile, and well versed in most known forms of weaponry. Pledging fidelity to Anastasius since the prince could speak, Maion is the last remaining member of the Somatophylakes. What connects the two the most however, is the fact that both are bastards. Maion has Agrianian blood.

“A true Basileus does not need to raise a single finger to bring death to mere barbarians.” Deacon is less pleased with the show. The admission of a hetrogenes into the agema itself is an exception of exceptions, but for somebody so reckless and young... The old veteran gave a deep sigh. “It is unwise to leave the bodies as they are now. We must not leave any trace of our presence.” He warned. The rest of the hypaspists gently nodded to one other, “we should throw them down a well.” One suggested. Deacon shook his head, and turned towards Anastasius. The rigors of a day's endless marching finally takes its toll on the boy.

“We strip the bodies, take everything. The wolves will handle with the rest.” Deacon picked up the prince onto his back. Anastasius rubbed his drowsy eyes. “We should give offerings to the gods.” He suggested.

Maion retrieved the 2 swords. Half expecting to have any filth attached to his weapon, he gave the rhomphia a slight wave. Realizing that the heads of Romans are truly empty, he returned the weapon back to it's sheath. “To Apollo or to Zeus?” He handed the kopis to Deacon.

“We cannot afford any detours, we must hide the prince in Korinthos” Deacon protested. The child is fast asleep. “Must you always goad the young boy, Maion?” He hissed, glaring at the halfbreed's thracian weapon.

“We'll pass through the two places anyways, we'll offer the weapons to Zeus, the plunder to Apollo.” Maion said meekly, “You take our lord to Korinthos.”

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I just had to use that name :smash:

Another good update!:wink: No problem about the name, it actually honors me that you use it. Funny thing is, while Maion is my forum name, my real name is Anastasios, which you also use in your AAR:laugh4:

Maion

This AAR is really like a book. And I mean like a really good book.:beam:

^ thats cuz it's the first draft of a book ^^;;

I need to do some more research for more material...In the meantime, help me think of ways to get rid of pesky romans. =]

Well, tha'd be a tad difficult, especially with a destroyed Epeiros and a weakened Makedonia. Not to mention the ever-sideshifting southern Hellenic poleis. Maybe some intervention from the east? A battle of Magnesia that didn't go wrong? Or Hellenes going to the Delphoi and finding a hidden secret pre-cataclysmic supertechonology weapon of mass-destryction like the ones used upon the Keltoi when they invaded Hellas?

Maion

P.S.: I'm obviously kidding about that last one:laugh4:

actually, this story follows our history.....at least up till the sack of Korinthos....

=[ so the roman problem is a very big problem.

here's my song:

In my kingdom there's a problem,
And that problem's the romans,
They rape all our young men,
But they never give it back...

THROW THE ROMAN DOWN THE WELL~
So our kingdom can be free!!!
You must grab him by his horns!
Then we have a big party!

Alright, I've haven't researched enough material yet, but i feel compelled to give an update once every day or two so some of you won't stretch your necks waiting for it...

sry this is a bit short...

Korinthos Uprising (Part 4), the memory of a traitor.

While our small party of no more than 20 split off their respective ways towards Korinthos, a Makedonian named Andriskos, sneaks his way through the Makedonian countryside. As the puppet ruler of Adramyttios, crossing the Hellespont without attracting the Roman Senate's eyes and ears is not easy. Ruler in name, Client in reality.

The Makedonians curse him. They curse him to pieces. Old women dropping roof tiles are one of things he worries the least. Although he's not the only traitor, he is one of the four Makedonians that any Greek would want to get their hands on...to kill. Roman eyes are one matter, Greek swords are a completely different matter.

Andriskos was part of the Agema, an order of Makedonian elite that constitute the basileus' royal army. He betrayed his kingdom not for power nor gold talants, the Romans won't ever give him either, but for out of loyalty. The sky around him gradually darkened as the sun sinks behind the hills, he took a deep breath and glanced back towards the fields, a lump forms within his throat.

“All hail Makedonia! All hail Makedonia!”

That wasn't so long ago, he thought. He smiled bitterly, the memory of the Battle of Kallikinos still fresh in his mind....


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ok, i'm not overly sure with the spelling of the names, perhaps some greek speaker would give me a hand...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by satalexton

THROW THE ROMAN DOWN THE WELL~

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I know, I know! Something like: THIS. IS. PELLAAA!!! Just kidding:2thumbsup: Nice update by the way, satalexton. I'm eager to see how you're going to deal with those filthy Romaioi dogs:wink:

Naion

I just read the all of it. Great story so far. It will be interesting to see where it goes.

omg~ MAA teh Earl of AARs...what an honour.

I've written the next section up on paper in a coffee shop (them and their crappy interwebs). I'll type it up soon!

Korinthos Uprising (part 5) The battle of Kallikinos

"Move out!" Perseus exclaimed. He and his hetarios galloped forward. The thraikioi followed and whipped their mounts after the basileus. Andriskos watched pensively as the cavalry advance from their respective flanks. Some of them readied their cornel wood javelin, preparing to throw them at maximum range, thus allowing a follow-up volley before starting the sword-play. Andriskos is one of the Agema, the Makedonian elite in both society and military. The Basileus' sword.

As the Makedonian cavalry and light infantry ran out to start the battle with their (self-proclaimed) roman counterparts, The main infantry force swiftly spanned into a battleline from their previous marching formation. The front line shuffled to the 2 sides as the second line marched forward, branishing their briskling rows of sarissae. Some kestrospendonetai formed up behind the 16 rows of phalangitai. Peltasts, armed with spears, sword and javalin marched to the left, along with some thraikioi peltasts. Andriskos and his comrades marched to the right flank and met with the royal peltasts, young men of noble blood in their prime age. Their captain however, caught Andriskos' attention. He is an aging man in his 40s, but that was not uncommon. The captain of the peltasts wore neither a kopis nor xithos on his hilt, but a rhomphia. Andriskos gawked at the captain for a few more seconds before Deacon smacked him back into place with the back of his spear.

The romans had sent out their Italian cavalry and their keltoi auxiliaries to meet the Basileus. The basileus halted, unable to discern the numbers of enemies through the clouds of dust. The thraikioi light hurried forward in aid of the Perseus. They fought like wild beasts set from their cages, snapping off the spear points of the Italians and hacking at the legs of the horses with immense ferocity, they then would strike at the flanks with spears and javelins, bringing down the rider. The Italians fell into complete disorder, trampling many of their keltoi allies.

Grasping the opportunity, Persus and his heteiroi charged at the centre, dislodging their foes upon first onslaught. They continued to press upon them with their xyston and kopis as they fell back. Emboldened by their Basileus' heroism, the phalangitai rattled their sarissae against their shields. Deacon ordered the infantry to march forward with a swift wave of his arms. The standards pointing forward, drums thundering the marching rhythm, the pezoi lowered their sarissae. The battleline pushed forward steadily towards the romans, singing their marching chords in high spirits. Shouts of "Roman Scum!" and "Italiote Barbaroi!!" can be heard from now and then.

The romans tried to hack at the rows and rows of pikes. Jeers of taunting laughter can be heard as one after another, the legions tried and fail to attack the phalangitai. One tried to hack at the spear points with his gladius, only to have several holes poked through his chest as 6 of the pezhetairoi thrust their pikes forward. Another tried to throw his missile from a distance, only to see it deflected by the rows of sarissae, landing upon the ground with a soft thud before being trampled into atoms by the marching phalangitai.


Faced with an endless wall of pikes, the legions could bear no more. One by one, the cohorts deserted the frontline, intolerant of the fruitless and one-sided attrition. The Auxiliaries, seeing the imbecility of their masters, swiftly fled the field to save their own skins. Only the veterans stood their ground with their spears, owing that to the their experiance...and the fact that they're in a safe distance from the carnage.

Victorious, Perseus ordered the standards be reversed and his cavalry to retire. He did not want to risk the cohesion of his men in the ensueing rout chase, he knew the base cur still carries a mean bite. Also, bearing the title "slaughter of romans" would not fare well on the negotiation table.

At the end of the day, more than 200 horse and 2000 men were killed. The Makedones on the other hand, only lost 20 cavalry and a handful of light infantry in the trade. A very good start for Makedonia, Andriskos himself slew 2 keltoi warriors. Their torqs would yield a good fortune...

Cheers of "ALL HAIL MAKEDONIA!" and "MAKEDONES NIKATOR!!" were heard everywhere. Everyone were in high spirits. The thraikioi were the most ecstatic of all, they returned to the camp singing and dancing, carrying the heads of romans on the top of their spears. A truly artistic sight with a gruesome and barbaric twist. Many passed out from drinking, in honour of Makedonia and their fallen kin. The sight, smell and voices of that night's celebration would be eternally etched into Andriskos mind....for they intend to finish the Romans once and for all in Pydna.....


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Much thanks to Livy for providing such details...

is it me or the lack of pictures' killing this thread ._. It's not really an AAR so there's no screenshots, but i can sketch some character designs and battle scenes if you guys desire...

Personally I like it with or without pictures. The story is what really matters to me and I like it so far~:).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by satalexton

is it me or the lack of pictures' killing this thread ._.

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You're probably right. Including pictures would help. Most casual readers only get interested in an AARs/stories when those have pictures.

EDIT: That is if you want a lot of people to read your story. If you don't really care about the "popularity among the masses" of your story and would prefer just a few dedicated followers, than you could continue on doing the same.

I have to agree with the rest. Your AAR has a unique style, you should keep it. Nice battle description there, by the way:wink: Hope you kick 'em Italoi out of Hellas for good soon.

Maion

OK, this story is NOT dead.

The good news is, I've drafted out the next chapter..and some of you may begin to understand why this 'volume' is called korinthos uprising...BUT.

...I don't have the time to type this down in word format yet, thanks to the festivities and general annoyance of real life.

Sorry to keep your necks long waiting...=[ hope you still bother about this thing here....

I'm still subscribed:tongue:. Good to see your back:smiley:.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by julius_caesar_the_first

I'm still subscribed:tongue:. Good to see your back:smiley:.

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Likewise:yes:

Maion