Favoured by the Gods - a character-based AAR

Hi EB-Players

This is my first AAR. I’m role-playing a character in “Will of the Basileus” (https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/forumdisplay.php?f=262 , feel free to join) and I’m loving it. To role-play an avatar in such a long-term game as authentical as possible you have to create a history of this person and write down the moves and thoughts you made, in order not to forget it. I already created some chapters in the “Stories-Thread” of WotB but now I thought why not make an AAR based not on a faction but on a character and maybe arouse one or anothers interest to take a closer look to WotB.

As I said, this is my first try. I am no native english speaker, so please be indulgent to me. If you find horrible mistakes, please correct me so I can learn.

This AAR will be based on the rules of WotB:

1.1 Game Settings


RTW with the 1.5 patch
Europa Barbarorum v1.1 with WotB mod (permanent fixes are included)
Hard Campaign, Medium Battles
Large Unit Size
Show CPU Moves Off
Battle Timer Off
Manage All Settlements

In this thread you will find all useful information, if you want to learn more about the detailed rules of this game:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showthread.php?t=107308


How periodically I can update this AAR depends also on the advancement of WotB itself and of course the quality of the events that happen. I’ll try to proceed as constant as possible.

If a long time nothing interesting (like a battle) happens, i'll tell his road-trip story on the way to these interesting events, accentuated by screenshots made in custom battle mode. Real battles of course are only shown in original pictures.. you'll see what i mean.

The history of the faction will be told too in the margin, because of course the fate of the main character is bound to the factions fortune. The other players are only mentioned in the direct context of the main characters or factions history. If I want to tell more about one other character I’ll demand permission of its player first.

The location where this tale takes place is the east of the known world, where the Arche Seleukeia controls a great empire. It’s in the year 266 BC when my character enters the stage of history, and it begins in the City of Seleukeia itself….


....the Story of

Nikarchos Asterias Syriakes

https://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6522/wotbls0.png



Chapter 1 - Overview

Nikarchos, born 291 BC in Seleukeia, was young and had yet to prove his valour. He studied philosophy and mathematics at the great Akademia in the capital of the Arche, Seleukeia. Soon it turned out that he was a very intelligent man, sharp and charismatic. Though he was not of great vitality he grew up to a sinewy man, able to swing a sword and bend a bow.

At the age of 25 Nikarchos was appointed by the Basileus to the rank of Strategos. The Empire was at war with the strong Ptolemaioi, whose power had been underestimated for too long. These “egyptinated” Hellens put pressure upon the southern border of the Arche Seleukeia near Syria and Phoinike and all able men are needed to face this threat.

In the year of 266 BC Nikarchos stepped through the gate of the royal council and faced the dignified upper class of the Seleukoi. He was not a very tall man and as slender as a withy, but still a man grown. Altough he seemed not to be the healthiest man on the disc of earth, his charisma and intelligence were well known among the other Strategoi. Being of makedonian descent, his ancestors lived in Pella and his father and grandfather fought side by side with Alexander the Great and Seleukos I Nikator, anywhere across the world.


In Arkadia at Megalopolis they defeated the unconquerable Spartans.

https://img372.imageshack.us/img372/...lis331bym0.png


In Ioudaia at Raphia they put the insolent Ptolemaioi in their place

https://img401.imageshack.us/img401/...raphia2jn9.png


At Tyros they battered down the gates of this important phoenician city and wrested it from persian dominance

https://img300.imageshack.us/img300/5830/random1qj9.png


and in Phyrgia in the Massacre of Ipsos Antigonos I. Monophthalmos died at their hands.

https://img253.imageshack.us/img253/3018/random2oz2.png





This was his first visit to the Royal Council. The eyes of famous and experienced men were focused on him when he greeted them all in the most respectfully way, sat at his place and looked around. As the newcomer he was here, he did not yet dare to speak among these wise men and waited and listened intently to what they had to say.

The Basileus, Antiochos Syriakos, welcomed him and explained him the reason why he was appointed to this rank and what options he had. Some Strategoi proposed him to go eastwards, others to go south.

Finally the Kleronomos Basileion, Sarpedon Syriakos, invited him to join his army in Phyrgia and his planed campaign against Pontos, who were officially allies at the moment, but this status was obviously not meant to last. Nikarchos wasn’t a friend of the pontic people anyway. A few months later, he will be sending a letter to the Council in which he explains why Pontos should be conquerd as soon as possible:

https://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1870/lettervn9.png

However, greatly honoured Nikarchos set out for Ipsos, looking forward to serving his lord and hoped he could prove himself in battle against the enemies of the empire.

Instantly he started with the preparations of his journey.

And so begins the story of Strategos Nikarchos Asterias Syriakes.............


End of the first chapter

Those are some really, really good screenshots.

Thank you penguinking. They are edited with the "Micr. Off. Picture Manager" or in "Paint".




The Story of....

Nikarchos Asterias Syriakes

https://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6522/wotbls0.png



Chapter 2 - Preparation for the voyage to Phyrgia


Nikarchos walked trough the gates of the royal councils' residence and squinted his eyes due to the scorching sun. Divine Marduk meant it almost too good with his worshipers and let the sun burn down remorselessly.

https://img520.imageshack.us/img520/2430/palacebm5.png


Nikarchos rambled through the park, buried in thought, and planned his journey to Ipsos. He thought about being accompanied by all of his bodyguards and of course his servants. The journey through Kilikia an Phyriga was very dangerous, so he could use every able man available to be on his side.

And not only the men but also the gods of course! Shortly after reaching his mansion and giving all orders to his servants, he left heading the Temple of Marduk. But not the one in the City. He prefered the great Megas Naos Mordekou out-of-town. A place built by one of his ancestors.

https://img262.imageshack.us/img262/...rtemis3yi2.png


Marduk, Lord of the Gods and master of the sky was the protector of Mesopotamia and Babylonia, where his greatest temples have been built many generations ago.

The temple guard already awaited him. So Nikarchos went to the shrine of the father of the gods and begged him for a secure voyage to Phyriga. And he hoped to find out more about his future.

https://img371.imageshack.us/img371/...rtemis2bp3.png


For at least 2 hours he just sat there on his horse and waited for a sign of Marduk. Everything around him was silent, he didn't apperceive the noise the temple guard made nor the soft breeze on his face. There was just him and his thoughts.

https://img152.imageshack.us/img152/...rtemis1sn7.png


He felt the presence of the divine at this place. He tried to absorb it with every fibre of his body.
And then, suddenly... he saw a dazzlingly white light in his head and a picture appeard in his mind. He had a vision...

He stood on a battlefield like a ghost with one of his bodyguards. It was a field of death, a terrible sight. Tens of thousands soldiers lay dead on the ground, there were disembodied extremities widely scattered and here and there heavily injured men screamed theirselfs hoarse. When he saw macedonian ensigns on the ground he became frightened.

https://img116.imageshack.us/img116/...lefieldmb6.png


What does this sign from Marduk say to him? Should it be his fate to defeat the macedonians in the west and merge them into the Seleukid empire? Or was it a sign of his own fall? After all he was of makedonian origin! Maybe he was about to become a betrayer and fight the Arche Seleukeia on the Macedonian side in order to re-establish Alexanders empire? Nay, he could not imagine that, there was no man more loyal to the Arche Seleukeia than him. It must be the first one of these cases...

Whatever his fate was, the future will show .....


End of the second Chapter

While many of your screenshots are quite epic, some are just TOO garish and bright, you know?

I will unfortunately not be following this AAR, because I promised to myself that i would never read anything related to WotB. Don't ask why.

I will come here occasionally to look at the pretty pictures, though.

mh yeah, these are just the off-game gap-filler screenshots ^^ the char has yet to come to a battle

these garish and bright screenshots are meant to show something that has happend out of the timeframe of the Story or that happen our of the real EB-Campaign and are invented by me to fill the gaps in the story, things like Memories, Visions, private life and stuff. The change of colour etc. into unreal should show that it's not a picture of the things that happen but of the "unreal"...you know what i mean.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by penguinking

Those are some really, really good screenshots.

---

I argee. Very well done pictures.
I'll be waiting to see where this goes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by desert

I will unfortunately not be following this AAR, because I promised to myself that i would never read anything related to WotB. Don't ask why.

---

OK im gonna be the idiot and ask. Why u hate WotB?

Excellent start, SwissBarBar! I'll be following this one closely, as I love Seleukid AARs!

Maion

Never read WoTB, but this is some seriously good stuff right here! Man, those pics are masterful! I'm really in love with them, great creds to you for them! Which program do you use to edit them? I know that.. I think, atleast, that in Photoshop you can edit pictures to make them resemble mosaic-paintings, would be cool if you tried doing that with those pictures, atleast I think! They look like really good paintings/depictions of ancient battles, and turning them into a mosaic-painting.. Damn. If anything, if you're willing to, you could always do that and send them to me privatly, just so that I can look at them :yes:

~:cheers: thank you very much, maion and socy ^^

Unfortunately I have no photoshop, i edited only contrast and colour in the Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Just try to change those features, its quite easy even with no knowlege of professional picture editing to achieve great effects

In the next chapter i will put some pictures together to one. This will be made in the Standard "MS Paint"-Program.

looks pretty good man, Take a look at my AAR aswell, A Spartan Future! I just made an update yesterday

the Story of

Nikarchos Asterias Syriakes

https://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6522/wotbls0.png



Chapter 3 – The taste of blood


https://img246.imageshack.us/img246/...esidenzpy4.png


Nikarchos was still confused and thinking about his vision at the Temple of Marduk when he arrived at his manor house outside Seleukeia. He still did not know what the god intended to say to him, but he came to the conclusion that whatever his fate ought to be, he would find the answer in the west. Nikarchos walked in the gardens of his mansion while his servants and Somatophylakes prepared whatever was necessary for the long journey.

Two days later the fellowship left the manor and were heading for Assyrie, in other words Nikarchos followed Sarpedon Syriakos’ invitation to Ipsos. The journey was quite eventless and so the men enjoyed the beauty of the countryside and Nikarchos used the time to write messages to Seleukeia, where his messenger Galaktíon represented him in the royal council.

https://img517.imageshack.us/img517/2703/bridgenr8.png

They crossed Assyrie and went towards Karkathiokerta, where they intended to overwinter. Karkathiokerta was a small town at the border to the lands of the Hay, who were good friends and faithful allies of the Arche Seleukeia. There they would be save and could get some rest. Though the journey passed quietly, it was very strength-sapping and the men could use a proper bed to sleep in. And maybe some pretty girls keeping company with them. Just in time, when winter announced himself by laying a white coat over the land, Nikarchos and his men arrived.

https://img155.imageshack.us/img155/...iokertadf0.png

As anything but the gods must pass, spring displaced winter and the fellowship could move on. They followed the mountains westwards till they arrived in Mazaka. There Nikarchos learned that the Kleronomos Basileion could no longer wait for him, already started war with Pontos and already gained great victories. Nikarchos had missed the first strike. So he decided to stay a bit longer in Mazaka and let his men rest. Though in the first place he was quite sad about the fact, that the pontic war has been started without him, because he was eager for learning about the art of warfare from Sarpedon Syriakos, this coincidence turned out to become his chance to prove himself. Only a few days later, peasants from the countryside went to town and brought bad news. A looting and plundering army of the Haikh, a people living in the lands of Hayasdan and Armenia, were laying waste on the lands near the border to the Kingdom of the Hay. An army of the Hay was chasing them, but the pillagers already were on seleukid lands, so the commander of the Hay, captain Koyroun asked permission to march on Seleukid territory. Nikarchos allowed it under the term that he would be the one leading the allied Armies. 264 BC he left Mazaka with 27 Somatophylakes and rode to the border to Pokr Hayk.

https://img117.imageshack.us/img117/9268/map2km7.png

Very soon they detected the enemies and challenged them to fight. The Hay warriors did outnumber the Haikh, but Nikarchos was still quite nervous. This would be his first battle at all. And as if this wasn't enough he was the leader of this army. On the other side of the hill, an army of over 600 men assembled, and every single one of these skilled warriors wanted to kill him. Not very encouraging thoughts, but still he made up his mind to ride into the battle and fight at the very frontline.

https://img352.imageshack.us/img352/...ebattlebh1.png

When the warriors were ready and Nikarchos had finished his little speech about protecting countries and families, he sent forth the skirmishers

https://img222.imageshack.us/img222/...rmisherec0.png

and followed them with his cavallery on the right flank, while the armenian and caucasian spearmen marched behind the skirmishers.

https://img141.imageshack.us/img141/...rmenhayfk2.png

The Haikh archers sent a deadly rain of arrows, but they were to few to make a great difference.

https://img153.imageshack.us/img153/...archersrt1.png

When the armies crashed into each other the armenian spearmen of the Hay could hold the line against the caucasian spearmen of the Haikh. Both sides proceeded with a barbarous cruelty Nikarchos has never dreamt of. When its about theirs lives, men brutalize beyond example!

https://img360.imageshack.us/img360/...nvscauccq0.png

After getting past the first shock, Nikarchos decided to interfering the battle and attacked the rear of the Haikh spearmen with his Somatophylakes, retreated and attacked again. Once he had killed a man, he was not afraid anymore. It seemed to him, that not himself lead his body into battle. He watched himself slaying enemies and spilling their blood, heard them scream from far away and watched their bodies being crushed by horses.

https://img201.imageshack.us/img201/...ofthespdd1.png

Under this pressure the enemies soon began to seek refuge in flight. The Haikh commander tried to turn the fortunes of war himself, but died by the spears of the Hays caucasian spearmen.

https://img116.imageshack.us/img116/...pproachxr5.png

Also the Haikh skirmishers, more peasants than warriors, were no match for the heavily armed Somatophylakes and were slain quickly.

https://img74.imageshack.us/img74/52...hehorsenq8.png

Many fell by the very hand of Nikarchos himself.

https://img92.imageshack.us/img92/79...attacksyh4.png

All in all it was a pure massacre. When the fog of war vanished, Nikarchos’ riders had killed over 200 enemies. No Somatophylax died in this battle.

https://img255.imageshack.us/img255/...victoryvi5.png

https://img243.imageshack.us/img243/...rbattleed1.png

Nikarchos let his men set up a camp. It was too late in the evening to go back to Mazaka and he wanted to rest here and return the next day. This night Nikarchos dreamt of blood and death. He had killed men for the first time in his life, and he was sure that this was not the last time.

The Hay army returned to their lands, thankful for the help of their seleukid friends. This battle was an event that should deepen the relationship of these two nations.


End of the third chapter

Hi EB-Players

I’ve decided to restructure my AAR. Every chapter will start with the current trait-list of my character and a map of the known world.. From now on the chapters will be differentiated into several parts:

- Nationwide events
- The way of the character himself
- Foreign affairs

hm, what else, do you have other suggestions?

I think its a great idea. I like to see AARs who combine in-game stuff with story telling. So I'd like to see how your character develops in-game! I think this AAR is going to be great - hope you will keep this thing updated! :)

- since WotB progresses very slowly at the moment i have to put this AAR into cold storage -

How do u get the maps that u use.

From the Europa Barbarorum main website.

Maion