Event Six - The War of the Four Basileis

[TinCow]

Event Six
The War of the Four Basileis

As a new century dawns, the Last Empire of the Romans is beset by internal strife and discord the likes of which have not been seen for ages. With four men claiming the throne at the same time, the Byzantines have once again proven that they remain the true heirs of Caesar. As with the Western Empire, the throne of Byzantium will never be secure until one of these men triumphs over his opponents. Whether there will be anything left worth ruling when this war is over has yet to be determined. The only thing that is certain is that the victor will truly be the Last of the Romans.

Rules

1. All players must declare neutrality or swear fealty to one of the four Basileis: Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax), Ioannis Komnenos III (Ignoramus), Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs), and Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX). Players may swear fealty to any of the Basileis, regardless of any oaths of loyalty they have previously sworn. All declarations must be made in this thread. Players who declare neutrality may not join in the war later on, their role in the game is over and they will become simple spectators. Anyone who swears fealty to a Basileus will be considered an ally of that Basileus and will join any nearby battles on the side of that Basileus. All players who swear fealty to a Basileus must also state whether they are willing to fight multiplayer battles and whether they prefer Abbreviated Tabletop Battles or regular Tabletop Battles.
   
   
2. Every movement round, all players will submit movement orders by PM to TinCow indicating where they want to move their avatar on the game map. In-game movement rates will be significantly expanded for this Event, so instead of stating the exact spot where you wish to move, instead indicate the destination you are marching to and the route you would like to take. TinCow will determine, according to his judgment, how far each army will be able to move each 'round' depending on the circumstances, but in general movement will be increased by approximately 2.5 times the normal in-game movement rate. All movements will be considered to take place simultaneously after all PMs have been received. TinCow will move all units in the game himself.
   
   
3. Players may choose to gather all of their military strength by not moving for a single turn. When this turn is complete (after any battles have been fought), any player who chooses this option will have every unit that he owns on the entire map gathered into his army. This includes all units in all city garrisons, forts, and fleets at sea. This does not include any units owed by vassals or allies. As this may result in armies larger than 20 units (the maximum size of a stack), the normal rules allowing a player to control only a single stack are abolished. Any units in excess of 20 will march alongside the avatar's main stack and will participate in any battles the main stack fights.
   
   
4. No recruitment, construction, diplomacy, or other such typical TW in-game activities will occur during the Event. It will consist exclusively of movement of military units and battles. The game year will not advance during the Event, and all movements will be made using console commands.
   
   
5. Battles will be fought whenever TinCow determines that two or more armies loyal to different Basileis have entered into the same general area, even if they have not moved adjacent to one another in-game. All battles will be fought according to the normal rules PvP Battles, with the following exceptions:
   
   
   
   • (A) The type of battle (Multiplayer, Abbreviated Tabletop, Tabletop) will be determined by the preferences of the participants, not a general vote.
   • (B) All players must tell the Umpire at the start of the battle whether they will surrender or fight to the death if faced with such a situation. This decision will be permanent for the duration of the battle and cannot be reversed. Players who die in a battle will be permanently killed off and will not be allowed to respawn with a new avatar.
   • (C) No player will receive any reward (units, traits, or ancillaries) as the result of a battle.
   • (D) Players will have exclusive control of all units they owned at the start of a battle, though control of units can also be voluntarily handed over to allied avatars who are present in the same battle. Players may use their units in any way they see fit during a battle, including attacking their allies.
   • (E) Surviving generals on the losing side can choose to switch sides after the battle is completed, taking their surviving units with them. Those who have survived by withdrawing from the field can keep their loyalty and attempt to escape in the next movement phase. Those who have survived by being captured must change their loyalty or be executed or imprisoned, both of which will permanently remove that avatar from further participation in the Event. If a Basileus is captured, he may choose to change his loyalty to the Basileus whose army who defeated him. If this happens, the defeated Basileus permanently becomes a normal general and is no longer considered a claimant to throne for the purposes of this Event.
   • (F) When a Basileus is captured or killed, all living avatars who are loyal to that Basileus must swear fealty to one of the surviving Basileis or declare neutrality.
   
   
   
6. The game will continue in movement/battle rounds until only one of the claimants to the throne is left alive. When this occurs, the Last of the Romans game will be over. The victorious Basileus will be allowed to write the epilogue to the game, determining the future of the Byzantine Empire in whatever manner he deems appropriate.

[Ibn-Khaldun]

Aleksios ek Kerkiras swears an Oath of Fealty to the true Basileus, Ioannis Tagaris!

Edit: Prefer Tabletop Battle.

[Ituralde]

Nikitas Moschos blindly follows the true Basileus Andronikos Komnenos to his own doom! Oath swearing is implied by this.
Prefers Tabletop Style Battle.

[TinCow]

Please make sure you include the following in your posts:

All players who swear fealty to a Basileus must also state whether they are willing to fight multiplayer battles and whether they prefer Abbreviated Tabletop Battles or regular Tabletop Battles.

This is for efficiency later on.

[Ignoramus]

Ioannis Komnenos III swears loyalty to himself, Ioannis Komnenos III, and is uncertain whether he can fight a multiplayer(haven't done it before over the internet, and may be too difficult to work out), and so would prefer a regular Tabletop Battle.

[Rowan]

Vartholomaios Ksiros swears fealty to the lawful basileus, Ioannis Tagaris


I'd rather not play multiplayer battles and prefer full tabletop battles to abbreviated ones.

[Zim]

Arintheos Voutoumatis swears fealty to the western Emperor Ioannis Komnenos III.

Also uncertain about whether he can play mp battles. I'd prefer a full tabletop battle, although I'd be willing to go for an abbreviated one if need be.

[flyd]

Isaakios Komnenos, youngest son of the Great Basileus Alexios Komnenos and brother to the Basileus Ioannis Komnenos, both now deceased, and also brother to a criminal and coward named Andronikos, who is no longer fit to claim the throne, proclaims that he and his line is the remaining legitimate heir to the Throne of Alexios. Not wishing to assume the burden of the anointment himself, Isaakios Komnenos declares himself Basileopator -- Father of the Emperor, and designates his son Ioannis Komnenos as the Basileus and Autocrat over all Roman lands.

(Also, he will do multiplayer, and prefers full tabletop).

[mini]

"I, Iosef Ek Artas, hereby pledge fealty to the rightful Basileus: Ioannis Tagaris ."


OOC: any battle mode is ok on my part

[rossahh]

While I belive Ioannis Komnenos is the rightful Basileus, I declare my neutrality in the conflict.

[_Tristan_]

I, Georgios Angelos, servant of Methodios Tagaris, put my sword at the service of his son, Ioannis Tagaris, Basileus.

TT games are fine with me (No MP)

[KnightnDay]

The House of Asteri has, and will continue to remain above the domestic upheaval which has now assured the end of our empire. Not one drop of Asteri blood shall be wasted in this disgusting affair. Ammonathas declares his neutrality and intention to disband his army and take up permanent residence in Thessalonike.

[TinCow]

I am declaring a deadline for this opening phase of Saturday, March 21st at 24:00 GMT. I will continue to allow allegiance claims until that time. Anyone who does not declare by then will be considered neutral for the end-game campaign.

PLEASE BEGIN SUBMITTING YOUR MOVEMENT ORDERS TO ME NOW.

[Ramses II CP]

I declare my loyalty to Cecil XIX and am available for any kind of battle.

[Northnovas]

I will have to declare my neutrality in this conflict.

[ULC]

I declare my loyalty to Ioannis Tagaris - may the true Basileus rest upon the throne!

Open, due to circumstances, for Tabletop only, sorry

[Marcus Agrippa]

As A member of House Asteri I too declare my neutrality.

[TinCow]

Round 1 closed. Movements commencing. Anyone who declared an allegiance but did not submit orders will be presumed to be gathering up their garrisons this turn. In future turns, they will simply not move.

[TinCow]

Movement Phase 1 Results:

Ioannis Tagaris Alliance:

Ioannis Tagaris' (TheFlax) gathers the garrisons of Gaza, Jerusalem, and Solomeia. (No orders received). He is encamped outside Tortosa.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Aleksios ek Kerkiras (Ibn-Khaldun) gathers the garrison of Theopolis and the nearby fort which also belongs to him. (No orders received). He is encamped outside Tortosa.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) gathered the garrison of Antioch and prepared to march south to Jerusalem. In the process, he put out a call to all nearby forces to join him. The garrison of the nearby fort and the garrison of Adana were close enough to receive the message in time to join Vartholomaios before he marched. As he moved south, he passed by Tortosa. While nominally the property of Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX), Vartholomaios is Kousinos' former superior in the Order of St. John, and Tortosa has been a longtime stronghold of that group. Vartholomaios put out a call for the garrison of Tortosa to join him instead of Kousinos. He emphasized to the tiny garrison that not only was their loyalty truly to him, as the head of the Order, but also that they were completely surrounded by the armies of Ioannis Tagaris. Realizing that they could not possibly escape and join Kousinos anyway, the garrison bowed to Vartholomaios' orders and joined his army. Thus reinforced, Vartholomaios continued south to Jerusalem, where he is now encamped.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Iosef Ek Artas (mini) did nothing. (No orders received, no units to gather.) He is encamped on a bridge near Theopolis.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Georgios Angelos (Tristan de Castelreng) immediately began a long, forced march to join the armies of Ioannis Tagaris. While it was a significant distance, Georgios' force was composed entirely of mounted units. They were thus able to make excellent time, and have assembled with Ioannis Tagaris and Aleksios ek Kerkiras outside Tortosa.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Helarionas Anargiros (YLC) did nothing. (No orders received, no units to gather.) He is encamped near Ragusa.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

---------------

Ioannis Komnenos III Alliance:

Ioannis Komnenos III (Ignoramus) gathered in the garrisons of Constantinople, Nicaea, and Dardanellia. Part of the garrison of Dardanellia was formerly the army of Arintheos Voutoumatis (Zim). Those units were released to Arintheos for his personal use. He remains encamped outside Constantinople.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Arintheos Voutoumatis (Zim) gathered in the garrisons from Arta, Scopia, Benghazi, and Dyrrachium. He also retook command of the portion of his army that was garrisoning Dardanellia. He remains encamped outside Dardanellia.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Isaakios Komnenos (flyd) sailed back towards Constantinople to join Ioannis Komnenos III. This journey was relatively short, and he arrived at his destination without difficulty. His fleet remains nearby and will answer to his command for whatever purposes he wishes to use it.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

---------------

Andronikos Komnenos Alliance:

Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs) - gathers the garrison of Tbilisi, Baku, and Amida (No orders received). He is encamped outside Edessa.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Nikitas Moschos (Ituralde) gathers the garrison of Sinop (No orders received). He is encamped a short distance north of Andronikos Komnenos.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

---------------

Kousinos Sophianos Alliance:

Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) did nothing. (No orders received, Tortosa units appropriated by Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan).) He is encamped near Sinop.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Ioannis Erotikas (Ramses II CP) did nothing. (No orders received, no units to gather.) He is encamped near Sinop.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

---------------

All other players are neutral, either by their own declaration, or by their inactivity.

Current save.

[TinCow]

Movement orders for Round 2 may be submitted now. They are due by 22:00 GMT on Tuesday, March 24th.

[TinCow]

Round 2 closed. Movements commencing.

[TinCow]

Movement Phase 2 Results:

Kousinos Sophianos Alliance:

Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) and Ioannis Erotikas (Ramses II CP) joined their armies together in a single column and immediately set out east, marching towards Amida. The roads through the mountains were long and arduous, but they were free from enemies and they two armies made good progress. They have finally reached the northern tributaries of the Euphrates, and can now turn south without hindrance of the mountains. Amida is but a short distance away to the south. A determined march without interference from hostile armies could place them on the outskirts of Antioch or Edessa. Both armies are encamped together and would react as one in the case of an attack.


Ioannis Komnenos III Alliance:

The armies of Ioannis Komnenos III (Ignoramus), Arintheos Voutoumatis (Zim), and Isaakios Komnenos (flyd) were united in purpose and made immediate preparations to march east, towards Sinop and Kousinos Sophianos. Megas Voutoumatis began by marching his twin armies north along the east bank of the Bosphorus before turning east. However, his secondary army has a baggage train that includes slow-moving artillery. By the time he reached the northern crossing of the Bosphorus, he found himself as the rear-guard. He continued up the coast road towards Sinop, following those who had gone before him.

Ioannis Komnenos III's armies had taken that crossing a few days before and were moving up the coast road towards Sinop when Megas Voutoumatis reached the crossing. While they also had slow-moving artillery with them, Ioannis had a shorter distance to cover to the crossing and was thus able to march farther towards Sinop. They reached Sinop before deciding to halt so that Megas Voutoumatis did not fall too far behind.

Isaakios Komnenos' army was not encumbered by siege weapons as his allies were, and he made even better time by choosing to take to the sea. He boarded his fleet and set sail for Sinop. He could have sailed far and fast, and caught a glimpse of the rear-guard of Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) and Ioannis Erotikas (Ramses II CP) before they disappeared into the mountains to the east. However, he saw no sign of the slow-moving land armies of his allies and was unwilling to risk battle on his own. He therefore landed and secured the port of Sinop, waiting for his allies to catch up.

The three armies are slightly strung out along the coast road. Isaakios Komnenos is slightly east of Sinop, at the port, Ioannis Komnenos III is a short distance west of Sinop, and Arintheos Voutoumatis is about halfway between Constantinople and Sinop. All three armies are close enough to march to the aid of one another in the event that one is attacked, though the distance between them would likely result in some delays before the reinforcing armies arrived on the field. The siege trains of Ioannis Komnenos III and Arintheor Voutoumatis will continue to slow down their march, but Isaakios retains control of his fleet and has maneuverability that is unmatched amongst the combatants.


Andronikos Komnenos Alliance:

Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs) marched back north, across the bridge west of Edessa, where he met his ally Nikitas Moschos (Ituralde). Together, the two armies turned west and began a march towards Antioch, along the north bank of the Euphrates. This route bypassed the bridge guarded by Iosef Ek Artas (mini), but it was initially without roads and thus the going was slow at first. When the river turned away to the south, they continued west, towards the north bank of the Orontes river and the famous Iron Bridge.


Ioannis Tagaris Alliance:

At this point, the outriders of Iosef Ek Artas' (mini) army, investigating the sight of the large dust cloud in the distance, caught sight of their foes. They immediately returned to report the move to Senator Ek Artas. The Senator had not made any plans to leave the bridge (no orders received) and indeed had been informed that the armies of Basileus Ioannis Tagaris were marching to join him at the bridge. Unsure of whether to abandon his post or not, he decided to dispatch messengers to the Basileus' approaching armies. It did not take long for these mounted riders to find Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax), who had begun marching north immediately from Tortosa along the coast road to Antioch. With him was Aleksios ek Kerkiras (Ibn-Khaldun), who had merged his ragtag band of peasants with the main force.

Upon being informed that Andronikos and Nikitas were marching for Antioch, Basileus Tagaris decided to fortify the river crossings and hold them against his foe. He had specifically made plans to fortify his encampment, but with the Empire bankrupt, he was unable to obtain sufficient resources to build a proper fort, and the only one in the region was on the wrong side of the river. Instead, he did what he could to prepare some basic defenses, such as stakes and a shallow ditch, while he waited for his allies to join him. Of these allies, only Georgios Angelos (Tristan de Castelreng) was on hand, having marched alongside the Basileus with his fast-moving cavalry. (No orders received, but previous turn's orders were to join with Ioannis Tagaris, so that order remained in effect in the absence of new orders.)

Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) had immediately begun marching north to join with Basileus Tagaris, but he was much farther to the south and the Iron Bridge was near the limits of his marching distance. Realizing that Andronikos and Nikitas would arrive at the north side of the Iron Bridge before Vartholomaios Ksiros would arrive to aid him, Basileus Tagaris send the riders back east to notify Iosef Ek Artas of the impending battle. Iosef ek Artas immediately made preparations to march to the aid of his Lord, but his lack of preparation for this eventuality resulted in a slow start.

As dawn breaks over the Iron Bridge, Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax), Aleksios ek Kerkiras (Ibn-Khaldun), and Georgios Angelos (Tristan de Castelreng) hold the south bank against Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs) and Nikitas Moschos (Ituralde). The three members of the Tagarian Alliance are heavily outnumbered and the quality of their troops is inferior. However, they have taken the wise precaution of constructing some primitive defenses, which may buy them a small amount of time. The Battle of the Iron Bridge will surely be determined by their ability to hold their ground until Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) and Iosef Ek Artas (mini) arrive to reinforce them.

Far, far away, Helarionas Anargiros (YLC) marched east towards Sofia. It was a long march, but he encountered no opposition. He has made camp near the city and is pleased to hear that the armies of Ioannis Komnenos III have completely abandoned both Bosphorus crossings.

Round 3 will not begin until the Battle of the Iron Bridge is resolved.

Current save: LOTR-1200-3

[TinCow]

The results of the Battle of the Iron Bridge have been implemented. On the Tagarian side, the armies of Aleksios ek Kerkiras (Ibn-Khaldun) and Georgios Angelos (Tristan de Castelreng) have been completely destroyed, and both generals have been killed. Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax) has escaped alive, but with only a single regiment of foot archers. The armies of Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) and Iosef Ek Artas (mini) remain fully intact. On the Komnenoi side, Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs) has lost all of his Dismounted Byzantine Lancer units and Nikitas Moschos (Ituralde) has lost all but one of his Dismounted Byzantine Lancer units, plus both units of Byzantine Spearmen.

As per the rules, Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) and Iosef Ek Artas (mini) can switch sides during their movement phase, if they wish:

(E) Surviving generals on the losing side can choose to switch sides after the battle is completed, taking their surviving units with them. Those who have survived by withdrawing from the field can keep their loyalty and attempt to escape in the next movement phase. Those who have survived by being captured must change their loyalty or be executed or imprisoned, both of which will permanently remove that avatar from further participation in the Event. If a Basileus is captured, he may choose to change his loyalty to the Basileus whose army who defeated him. If this happens, the defeated Basileus permanently becomes a normal general and is no longer considered a claimant to throne for the purposes of this Event.

Current save: LOTR-1200-4

Movement orders for Round 3 may be submitted now. They are due by 23:00 GMT on Friday, April 10th.

[TinCow]

Movement Phase 3 Results:

Kousinos Sophianos Alliance:

Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) and Ioannis Erotikas (Ramses II CP) considered the terrain carefully, attempting to determine whether there was a threat to their rear from the marching armies of Ioannis Komnenos III and his allies. After checking with the outriders and consulting with the maps, it was determined that none of Ioannis III's armies would reach their encampment in the near future. In order to engage the enemy, Sophianos and Erotikas would actively have to backtrack, and this they were not keen on doing. So, they continued on towards Antiokheia and the assembled armies of the other two claimants to the throne. The two allies made good time through the mountains, finally emerging from a valley to glimpse the Mediterranean in the distance. As their men were tired from this long march, the final push to Antiokhheia would have to wait. Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) made camp inside an abandoned fort west of the Iron Bridge, with Ioannis Erotikas (Ramses II CP) outside the walls, but nearby.

There will be enemies aplenty for Kousinos Sophianos and Ioannis Erotikas to fight in the very near future.


Ioannis Komnenos III Alliance:

(Note: No orders received from Ignoramus, therefore I continued with the orders received from him last turn, which were to pursue Kousinos Sophianos and Ioannis Erotikas.)

The armies of Ioannis Komnenos III (Ignoramus), Arintheos Voutoumatis (Zim), and Isaakios Komnenos (flyd) continued on in their pursuit of Kousinos Sophianos and Ioannis Erotikas.

While Ioannis Komnenos III was focused on the pursuit, Arintheos Voutoumatis and Isaakios Komnenos were both mainly concerned with keeping close to their Basileus. As such, the group closed up slightly. The siege trains of Ioannis Komnenos II and Arintheos Voutoumatis continue to slow them down, and their scouts reported that their quarry's trail was growing very cold. It was not long before the encumbered armies grew very tired and had to rest along the river roads between Sinop and Amida. Isaakios Komnenos, who is not encumbered by siege engines, remained slightly ahead of his companions, but intentionally did not push on ahead. He could reach the others quickly if the need arose.


Ioannis Tagaris Alliance:

After the defeat at the Iron Bridge, Ioannis Tagaris and his men were in a panic. Orders went back and forth quickly, trying to determine what to do. First the strong walls of Tortosa were suggested as an opportune location to make a stand, but then Antiokheira was suggested. In the confusion, Iosef Ek Artas' (mini) set off south for Tortosa, while Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) entered nearby Antiokheira. Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax) himself could not make up his mind as to what to do (no orders received). However, as the Andronikos Komnenos and Nikitas Moschos marched across the Iron Bridge, he fled in panic. Antiokheira was already within sight, and he could see Senator Ksiros' men streaming into its gates. Thus, the Basileus and his small contingent of archers fled into the city as well, to avoid instant capture. They are now besieged, and their prospects are grim.

Back in Macedonia, Helarionas Anargiros (YLC) continued his determined march eastwards. He made good time and reached Constantinople, which had long been abandoned by Ioannis Komnenos III. There his army made camp and enjoyed civilized luxuries for the first time in many weeks. Unencumbered by a siege train, Senator Anargiros is gradually closing the distance on Ioannis Komnenos III. This slow closing will continue if he continues along the northern coast road, but he could also attempt to bypass the lumbering army by turning south and driving straight for Antiokheira and the Levant.


Andronikos Komnenos Alliance:

Victory at the Iron Bridge swelled the armies of Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs) and Nikitas Moschos (Ituralde) with pride. They sent out messengers requesting the surrender of Ioannis Tagaris and his allies. Responses were apparently received, but in the confusion of Ioannis Tagaris' retreat, no such truce ever materialized. Seeing their enemies fleeing without any apparent intentions of immediate surrender, the victors urged their men forward to prevent them from escaping. Vartholomaios Ksiros was too close to Antiokheira to prevent his army from entering and securing the gates, but inside the city he was trapped, and soon Ioannis Tagaris joined him.

Andronikos and Nikitas moved their armies fully across the Iron Bridge and made ready to besiege the city. While Iosef Ek Artas had escaped to Tortosa, his small army was of little threat to the victors of the Iron Bridge. They have cornered Ioannis Tagaris inside the city and he cannot escape. If the diplomatic negotiations do not bear fruit, Ioannis will have a very difficult time repelling the inevitable assault.

Note: Due to the short time frame that would have expired with everyone retreating into and besieging Antiokheira, any assault on the city will occur BEFORE anyone else can move. Thus, if Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs) and Nikitas Moschos (Ituralde) order an assault on Antiokheira in the next movement phase, the battle will take place without risk of Iosef Ek Artas, Kousinos Sophianos, or Ioannis Erotikas interfering.)

Current Save: LOTR-1200-5

Movement orders for Round 4 may be submitted now. They are due by 01:00 GMT on Monday, April 13th.

[TinCow]

The time for submitting movement orders for Round 4 has been extended. They are now due by 22:00 GMT on Monday, April 13th.

[TinCow]

Movement Phase 4 Results:

Ioannis Tagaris Alliance:

Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax) and Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) held the walls of Antiokheira, hoping for a miracle. (No orders received from TheFlax.) Iosef Ek Artas' (mini) was not to be their savior, as he too remained hidden behind his walls in Tortosa. (No orders received from mini.)

However, Helarionas Anargiros (YLC) remained active and continued his pursuit of Ioannis Komnenos and his allies. He marched east, up the coast road towards Sinop, following in the footsteps of those that had gone before him. A good way west of the town, his advance scouts returned in a panic. A large army had been spotted approaching from the opposite direction.

Ioannis Komnenos III Alliance:

Ioannis Komnenos III (Ignoramus) was slowly becoming disconcerted by his slow progress and the trailing army of Helarionas Anargiros. It did not take a military genius to realize the threat posed by a large army in his rear. As such, he ordered an about face of all of his allied forces, and marched east back along the coast road towards Constantinople. Arintheos Voutoumatis (Zim) and Isaakios Komnenos (flyd) followed their Basileus dutifully. (No orders received from flyd, continued with the previous turn's orders, which were to stay with Ioannis Komnenos III.) This involved all three armies making an about-face and turning back the way they came. Isaakios Komnenos, who had been the vanguard, became the rearguard, and Arintheos Voutoumatis switched from the rearguard to the vanguard.

It was thus that Arintheos Voutoumatis first encountered Helarionas Anargiros on the coast road. Messengers were quickly sent back to inform his Basileus of the impending battle, but Ioannis Komnenos III's slow speed prevented him from reaching his ally before the battle started. He hurried on with as much haste as possible, expecting to arrive after the start of the battle. Messengers were also sent on to tell Isaakios Komnenos to increase his speed to join his allies in battle. He increased his marching speed, but soon he encountered problems of his own...

Kousinos Sophianos Alliance:

Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) and Ioannis Erotikas (Ramses II CP) boldly divided up their forces. Senator Erotikas shed his infantry and took the entire mounted strength of their combined armies and marched swiftly north to harass Ioannis Komnenos. With every single man mounted, he made extraordinarily good time. He traversed the entire mountainous interior of Anatolia in a few days, and soon his scouts reported that signs of the march of many large armies had been spotted. These were the tracks of Arintheos Voutoumatis, Ioannis Komnenos III, and Isaakios Komnenos, disappearing back towards Sinop in the west. Senator Erotikos' men were well drilled and increased their speed even further, to hit the fleeing enemies in the rear. That rear was held by Isaakios Komnenos, whose renowned laziness was currently manifested by a failure to send out trailing scouts. After all, the only nearby enemy was to the west and Arintheos and Ioannis were between him and them; there was no reason for concern. Thus it was that the first Isaakios Komnenos knew of the approach of Ioannis Erotikas was the shouts of the rearmost men in his marching column. As the horsemen of Senator Erotikas broke into a charge, the only thing that Isaakios was certain of was that his allies would have to do without him in the battle they faced.

Meanwhile, Kousinos Sophianos took his unmounted army and marched towards Antioch. He approached the Iron Bridge warily, noting the carnage that had been inflicted in the recent battle. Smoke in the distance indicated that the siege of the city continued. Surprisingly, no enemy scouts were spotted at the Iron Bridge, and no force came out to oppose his advance parties. Exploiting the failure of his enemies to guard their most dearly captured prize, he crossed en mass and formed up in battle order on the other side.

Andronikos Komnenos Alliance:

The walls of Antioch clearly posed a daunting prospect to Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs) and Nikitas Moschos (Ituralde). The men who held the walls were outnumbered and inferior, but the walls themselves were worth as much as an entire army. Preparations were required for a siege assault, and preparations took time. So, the victors of the Iron Bridge waited and continued to prepare for the assault. (No orders received from woad&fangs and Ituralde.)

So it was that they were still manning the siege lines when Kousinos Sophianos' army approached from the Iron Bridge, ready for battle. The victors of the Iron Bridge now face an attack from two sides, with Kousinos marching against them directly, while the garrison of Antioch remains ready to sally forth at any moment. The only consolation in this situation is that the two sides are not allied and have no means to communicate. In a battle between three enemies, cooperation is sure to be uncertain at best.

Current Save: LOTR-1200-6

Round 5 will not begin until all three battles are resolved. They will be fought simultaneously, but could take a while to prepare, so please be patient.

[TinCow]

The battle results have been implemented. The changes are as follows:

The Battle of the Coastal Road:
Helarionas Anargiros (YLC) is now an ally of Ioannis Komnenos III (Ignoramus) and is loyal to him for the purposes of game rules.

Battle of the Rear Guard:
Ioannis Erotikas (Ramses II CP) is killed and his army is completely destroyed.
Isaakios Komnenos (flyd) loses all units except: General's Bodyguard, Skythikon x 2, Dismounted Byzantine Lancers x 1, Byzantine Spearmen x 1, Militia Cavalry x 1

Battle of Antioch:
Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax) is the prisoner of Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan), and his fate is in the hands of his captor.
Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) controls all survivors of the city garrison: Great Cross, 1 full and 1 depleted archer units, 1 depleted Peasants, 1 full and 1 partially depleted Spear Militia. Bart is now an ally of Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) and is loyal to him for the purposes of game rules.

Except as noted below, the armies of Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs) and Nikitas Moschos (Ituralde) are completely destroyed and Nikitas Moschos is killed. Andronikos Komnenos has escaped and has been placed in Tortosa. woad&fangs is free to negotiate joining another faction as a vassal if he wishes. If this is not accomplished before the next movement phase is over, he will be considered to have fled into exile.

Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) loses 1 town militia unit and half of a Byzantine Spearmen unit. Note that in-game, the Byznatine Spearmen unit is still at full strength and needs to be edited down to half strength the next time it is in a battle. Kousinos Sophianos has gained both of Andronikos' two Trebizond Archer units that surrendered to him.

Note: Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX), Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs), Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax), and Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) all took serious losses to their bodyguards. These units will regenerate to the same number they were before the battle, but all will lose some experience to reflect the death of many veteran soldiers. Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) now gets 0 chevrons. Andronikos Komnenos (woad&fangs) gets 3 Bronze chevrons. Ioannis Tagaris (TheFlax) now gets 0 chevrons. Vartholomaios Ksiros (Rowan) now gets 3 Silver chevrons.

Current Save: LOTR-1200-7

Movement orders for Round 5 may be submitted now. They are due by 24:00 GMT on Saturday, May 9th.

[TinCow]

I have received very few orders. This is understandable due to the slow pace of the game lately as a result of the battles. I am going to double the time span for orders, as we're almost at the end anyway and it would be good to finish with a victory decided by strategy and politics, rather than inactivity.

Movement are now due by 24:00 GMT on Monday, May 11th.

[TinCow]

Apologies for the delay, I am waiting on a decision that is potentially significant to the outcome of the war. Since we're already moving at a snail's pace and this is the end of the game, I also figure no one particularly cares about another delay.

[TinCow]

Kousinos Sophianos (Cecil XIX) has negotiated a surrender to Ioannis Komnenos III (Ignoramus). This leaves Ioannis Komnenos III as the last Basileus standing. He is thus the victor of the War of the Four Basileis. Ignoramus is now free to determine the fate of the Byzantine Empire, as he sees fit. All other players are free to create any concluding stories they like, as long as they fit within the framework that Ignoramus creates.

And with that, I now pronounce the game over.

Ioannis Komnenos III is truly Last of the Romans.