Ah, good to know, I eagerly await the next chapter.
Ah, good to know, I eagerly await the next chapter.
Chapter 144 : Forgotten Land
Arabia, a forgotten land. Although it lies between the important lands of Aigyptos and Persis, it is often overlooked by powerful states. The Arche of the Makedones and Hellenes had a long history of both fighting with and ignoring the lands of Arabia. Hardly organized into any form of state, the lands of Arabia had, for centuries, been dominated by the powerful cities in the south-western corner of those lands. Although, never did all follow the lead of any one of these cities. In the east the lands had almost a closer tied to Persis and often controlled by Persian or Mesopotamian powers. In the center there was only desert and nomadic tribes, closer to phantom myths than anything real. And along the western coast lived and independent peoples who did not like the southern cities.
The first time the Arche dealt with the peoples of Arabia was when they liberated the city of Petra from the grasp of the Ptolemaioi. For decades the Nabataioi and tribes living along the edges of Syria and Mesopotamia proved to be strong allies (for the right price) and troublesome when upset or not payed. The lands of southern Arabia proved to be far from the thoughts of anyone in the Arche until the Kingdom of Sab'yn came to dominate the western coastal areas. Not only did the Kingdom of Sab'yn challenge the Arche for control over the seas but also marched armies against colonies of Hellenes in southern Syria.
The Delphikos family waged war against the Kingdom of Sab'yn and her allies for years, just prior to the Makedonian Civil war. During the war they did not have any support from either side and lost territory to Saba-allied tribes. After joining the Pyrrhids, they took the fight to the Kingdom of Sab'yn and "liberated" the peoples of Arabia's western coast. At the same time, an army from Aigyptos invaded Saba territory from the sea, laying waste to the lands. They did not conquer any of the Saba core territories in the southwest. However, they "liberated" more cities along southern and eastern Arabia as they marched across those lands.
While the Arche was preoccupied fighting the First Persian War, the Kingdom of Sab'yn struck. Many new client kingdoms of the Arche fell and became garrisoned allies of the Kingdom of Sab'yn yet again. First the southern coast of Arabia, then the western coast fell. Only the lands around the Persian Sea managed to hold off against the Saba, mostly due to large amounts of monetary support from the Arche. However, armies of Saba and their allies continued every year to march against the "free" states of the Persian Sea.
When the allied city of Carna in Arabia came under attack from the Saba, the Arche promised assistance but the assistance was slow. An army under the command of Aidesios Thermaios was assembled in Syria but had only begun to march when the city of Carna fell. General Aidesios lacked the strength, equipment, desire to retake Carna and choose to remain in the cities and villages of minor allies and tribes of the Arche along the western coast. Fortifying the city of Macoraba, the army defended the borders.
The armies of Saba did not stop, they were intent on expanding their influence all the way to Petra and beyond. Several times the city of Macoraba fell under siege and was attacked. Several times already the army of Aidesios Thermaios pushed them back. Yet again they had to defend the city, even though there were no longer welcomed there by the people of the city.
Once again, General Aidesios' army of Syrians and allied desert tribal soldiers marched out into the desert to face their enemy. In this battle, it was the Saba army that determined the course of the battle. First they drew the attention of Aidesios' men by strangely positioning their cavalry in the center. These horsemen did not charge, they only throw spears from afar. With this, the two sides began to skirmish from a distance:
As Aidesios and his men would learn, the cavalry in the center was only a distraction. While the Saba cavalry and a small force of infantry drew attention to the center, the bulk of the Saba infantry attacked either flank of Aidesios' line:
The Saba army had assumed the flanks were weak and had hoped to break through them and encircle Aidesios' center, where the bulk of his men were. But the Saba underestimated the flank and it held long enough to be reinforced. However, Aidesios gambled not send all of his men to the flanks, only that which was needed. Instead, Aidesios used the Saba plan against itself, focusing on the center. When Aidesios broke through the Saba center, he chased their cavalry from the field, wiped out their auxiliaries, and broke their army in half. Victory came shortly after.
Although this battle was a victory for General Aidesios Thermaios and his men, they could not hold the city of Macaraba any longer. Rather than risk running low on supplies and be forced to silence the protests of the people by force, General Aidesios chose to leave the city. He chose then to flee three hundred kilometers to the north to an oasis called Lathrippa:
On the far side of Arabia, the free peoples of Arabia were also defending themselves from an army of Saba soldiers and their allies. Unwilling to camp in the desert, the Saba army had chosen, unwisely, to assault the city walls and try to take it.
The Saba were met with mixed success. Only their ladders reached the walls. Once atop them, they found the defenders brave and strong:
When it became clear that they could not take the walls, the surviving Saba soldiers retreated from the city and returned to their closest allied territory.
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Next: Chapter 145 : Allies on the Far Side of the Persia
I like how you maintain them as a persistent threat, rather than wiping them out entirely. Good work MAA.
Great - again!
The Indo-Greeks? Or the Seleukids?Next: Chapter 145 : Allies on the Far Side of the Persia
Exegi monumentum aere perennius
Regalique situ pyramidum altius
Non omnis moriar
- Quintus Horatius Flaccus
Forgotten land? Just you wait, AtB will have some Nabatu and Saba up your snotty Makedonian...
Oh, btw, great chapter!
Europa Barbarorum: Novus Ordo Mundi - Mod Leader Europa Barbarorum - Team Member
"To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they make a desert and call it peace." -CalgacusOriginally Posted by skullheadhq
Real nice update MAA!
Chapter 145 : Allies on the Far Side of the Persia
During the reign of Aristotelis, the Antigonids and the Seleukids had waged war with one another, the spoils of that war being the lands of Mesopotamia. Because of Prince Bykoli and his friend/son-in-law Pefkolaos, the Antigonids had won that war and pushed the Seleukids all the way back to the Persian Gates. Soon after that war, tragedy struck both empires. In the west, the Arche Makedonia fell into civil war, and in the east waves of steppe horsemen invaded the weakened Arche Seleukeia. The invading army of steppe horsemen conquered all of Parthia, Iran, and Persia. The Pyrrhids replaced the Antigonids in the west and won the civil war, but in the east it had seemed that the Seleukids had been completely defeated and had gone from history.
The Seleukids ruled nearly nothing in an forgotten corner of the world. It was not until the rule of Antigonos III in the west that news came of Seleukid activity once more. With an army of loyal Gedrosioi and a small but elite force of Makedonian cavalry, a Seleukid Basileus for the first time in more than two generations engaged in an offensive war. Striking from Gedrosia, in coordination with the Indo-Hellenic Kingdom, the Seleukids attacked Persia.
For years, the Seleukids struck into Karmania, marching against the Persians every season and then retreating back into their own lands to rest when it was either too hot or too cold. After many years of trials, they rested the majority of the lands of Karmania from the Persians and established themselves a new capital in those lands.
In Baktria, the Persians held a strong front against the Indo-Hellenic Kingdom but the Seleukids continued to have successes. After fortifying Karmania, the Seleukid armies turned north and invaded the lands of Ariana. They marched all the way to the city of Alexandreia-Ariana but failed to take the city.
The dual-monarchy of the Persian Empire continued to find even more enemies. The constant problem with steppe nomads continued, they feared attack from the Arche of the Hellenes to the west, the Seleukids and Indo-Hellenes attacked from the east, and finally a new threat came from the northeast. The Persians had established control over the mountain passes and trade routes heading to the far east. Along these routes came news of displaced peoples heading west. They had been lifted up from their homelands and pushed to the edge of the mountains. Although the Persians treated them like a client for decades, they would not longer have it. When all Persian authority beyond the great mountains was lost, they knew this new threat was going to be yet another problem for them if they were pushed or chose to migrate further to the west.
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The known world during the second year of the reign of Basileus Hippostratos I (121BC):
Next: Chapter 146 : Troubles in Foreign Lands
Interesting!
Exegi monumentum aere perennius
Regalique situ pyramidum altius
Non omnis moriar
- Quintus Horatius Flaccus
Chapter 146 : Troubles in Foreign Lands
Arabia
General Aidesios Thermaios had fallen back with his army from Macaraba to the oasis of Lathrippa in order to avoid the armies of the Kingdom of Sab'yn. However, he was only encamped at the oasis for about half of a year before another army came marching against him. The city of Macaraba had surrendered without a fight and become a client city of the southerners. Once the city had fallen, its people told the Sabaeans where Aidesios had gone and lead the soldiers of Saba strait to Lathrippa.
General Aidesios took up the defensive on the top of a hill, while the the Saba army readily moved on the offensive against him.
Aidesios' forces were split into two groups, with the largest atop a large hill and a small group to the west on a separate hill. The Saba army marched up the slope and attack Aidesios' main army while ignoring the smaller force. While the two armies fought, the smaller force of Syrians to the west watched and waited.
Since the smaller group did nothing, the Saba soldiers continued to ignore them. As the fight when on, both sides began to tire and the smaller force saw their moment to attack. The light infantry charged down their own hill to the base of the larger hill where the main battle was taking place. Seeing themselves surrounded, the western flank of the Saba army broke and fled. The rest were soon to follow.
Although General Aidesios Thermaios continued to win battle after battle, he lost the ability to hold his ground. Low on supplies and under constant attack, Aidesios retreated from Macaraba and Lathrippa and back into friendly territory of allied Arab tribes who had yet to be subjugated by the armies from the Kingdom of Sab'yn.
A few months later, in the lands on the far side of Arabia, a small kingdom repelled another attack against one of their cities.
The Hellene-built towers around the city managed to repel the first wave of attack and do damage to the Saba seige equipment.
Yet, many siege towers made their way to the city walls and the defenders were forced to push back the Saba invaders who made their way atop them.
After a considerable fight, the Saba soldiers were repelled. With the walls defended, the local king decided to risk his army and grasp a resounding victory from the situation he had been given. He gathered his men and marched out from the city to chase down the remaining Saba soldiers and slay all of them in the field.
The Saba army obliged him and met him in the the open ground outside the city walls. The Saba force made up of mostly horsemen threw themselves at the Arab defenders.
When the dust had settled, the daring move proved successful. Thousands of Saba soldiers lay dead, including their general, with very few friendly losses. The city was defended and time was bought, for it would take time before the Kingdom of Saby'n could completely replace that army.
Around the Arche
Within the Arche but outside of the lands of southern Hellas, very little happened during this continued era of peace. News spread across the Arche that there were riots in Athenai and a possiblity of a dynastic change, but news quickly followed of the restoration of order and the ascension of Basileus Hippostratos I. Very few places in the provinces and satraps even reacted to this news, for it meant no changes for them, save maybe a new governor in a place or two.
The one exception was in the lands of Raetia and Noricia. These lands still bore a barbaroi culture and the population was one that felt occupied. They took the news of riots in the the capital as a chance to rebel. The rebellion had no organization and was quickly quelled. This episode was but another sign of the weak grip the Arche held on the un-Hellenized frontier lands.
Around the same time as the riots in Athenai, a large plague broke out in southern Mesopotamia. It was reported that Laandros, the last surviving son of Pyrrhos II was badly ill and that death filled the streets of the cities in that region.
The plague in Mesopotamia came and went, with many thousands dead. Laandros, despite his advanced age recovered and resumed his command of the frontier armies in Mesopotamia and Elymais. He would live many more years.
About a year into the reign of Basileus Hippostratos I, ironically, a great port was completed on the Propontos. This port was quite impressive and added to the continuing shift of the economic center of the Arche from Hellas to the immediate east. It is said that not to long after, Basileus Hippostratos began considerations to move the capital once again. This time to somewhere in the east.
The era of relative peace that had lasted since the end of the First Persian War in 133BC was beginning to seem like it could not last. The war in Arabia that had been ignored was beginning to push its way to the borders of the Arche. In Iran, the Persian Empire was building up forces on their borders with the Arche while waging war with the Hellenized peoples on her far side. And in Gallia, the Aedui Confederation had nearly united the lands and defeated the Arche's Arverni allies. While the Aedui were not hostile with the Arche, the concept of a powerful neighbor to the northwest was undesirable to the Arche's leadership.
As the era of peace started drawing to a close, another plague broke out. This time it was in the lands of Africa. The twin city of Karchedon and the lands around her filled with death and suffering.
With the Arche secure and his son fully in power, Antigonos III gathered the royal army of Makedonia and a fleet in the port. Once again, he was prepared to march to war. During the second year of joint rule with his son, he would set sail once more for war on his Arche's borders.
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The known world during the second year of the reign of Basileus Hippostratos I (121BC):
Next: Chapter 147 : War!
Yes, finally! The era of peace is over!
My guess it's going to be a war in the forgotten land.
Last edited by Horatius Flaccus; 04-27-2010 at 12:45.
Exegi monumentum aere perennius
Regalique situ pyramidum altius
Non omnis moriar
- Quintus Horatius Flaccus
Those Dacians have been very complacent...
But why would he 'set sail' for Dacia?
Exegi monumentum aere perennius
Regalique situ pyramidum altius
Non omnis moriar
- Quintus Horatius Flaccus
It would be a good time to invade Dacia, even though they are good allies. My economy, however, is strong and the gold mines of Dacia don't really seem necessary. The peace with the Neo-Persians has allowed for a trade with the east. I've managed to lower taxes and have been building everything I can. The era of peace and stability has been great for the Arche's economy. That said, Dacia is a wealthy prize and something I've wanted since the death of Antigonos II. You shall see where the Alypios Antigonos III is going in the next chapter...
I had started working on the next chapter and was planning to put it out this weekend, but my keyboard died. The Q through Y keys just stopped working. Since I can't type on my computer (I'm borrowing this one to use the internet), I'll continue to be delayed.
And he just keeps on being delayed...
I eagerly await an update of this epic!
Hello again. Due to writing a large paper, dealing with uni graduation, then going on a trip, I have not been around the fora. I haven't been doing anything with RTW, EB, or this AAR for nearly six months. I had the next chapter half written but haven't touched it in months. Since I don't have much time, this AAR is probably finally dead.
If you're wondering, the next chapter was to beSpoiler Alert, click show to read:
I want to thank everyone who read this AAR and those who commented. Maybe when I get a job and get bored I'll start playing TotalWar again and write another AAR in the future.
I will remember it as the most epic AAR I've ever seen.
Thank you, MAA.
Never really commented (except once) but I would like to thank you for the time and effort you dedicated to this work. It inspired a lot of people (for example the civil war exploit using the Baktria faction has become a must for every Macedonian campaign since then) and set a new standard for any future AAR. That is the magic of human nature right? To invest so heavily on things that are rather fictional and not useful in any practical way, such as a story based on a modification of a computer game concerning an era long gone. In other words our ability to imagine.
Ps. Those screenshots of your multiple fullstacks invading Persia have stuck into my mind ;-)
Πόλεμος πάντων μέν πατήρ εστι, πάντων δέ βασιλεύς
καί τούς μέν θεούς έδειξε, τούς δέ ανθρώπους
τούς μέν δούλους εποίησε, τούς δέ ελευθέρους.
This truly was THE aar. You've inspired a lot of people and really, this could be made into some sort of alternate history book. That said, its good some closure has come to this thread. I was sorta hoping it would go on but of course school and careers take precedent.
BTW can I just say that its amazing that you played for so long and the Getai never attacked you. Mind boggling!
Last edited by Brave Brave Sir Robin; 08-19-2010 at 17:12.
From Frontline for fixing siege towers of death
x30 From mikepettytw for showing how to edit in game text.
From Brennus for wit.
This AAR's predecessor was actually the first AAR I read and played a part in making me start mine. It has been all the time I visited this forum and now it feels weird to imagine it is over.
Read about glory and decline of the Seleucid Empire... (EB 1.1 AAR)
from Satalexton from I of the Storm from Vasiliyi
this awsome ARR was one of the things that conviced me to play my Macedon campaign which I've been having endless fun in. Despite a few losses in the units roster that AS has against Macedon its location in the campaign is endless fun once you kick Eperious out of Pella.
I have never commented, I read till after the civil war and just kept watching the updates but not always reading them for the numerous amount of time required for reading it. I will say though this is the most impressive story I have ever seen made by anyone of us and that it has gone on for so long shows your dedication to the story.
"Don't let the voice of the people be filled with anger"-Polybius
What the people above said
I love the smell of bronze in the morning!
Campaigns completed: Vanilla Seleucid, EB 1.2. Carthaginian, RSII Pergamon
This AAR is epic. I remember before registering here that I read through this AAR and really enjoyed it even though I never really played the makedonians (Their starting position is too hard). This is easily the best EB AAR on the org though.
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