The Galloping Thousand: A Pahlava Migration Short AAR

[Molinaargh]

Difficulty: VH/M
Description: This AAR starts in 236 BC, when I got tired of fighting Seleukid and Baktrian stacks in my Pahlava campaign. I wanted to finish the campaign somehow and so this AAR was born.

The Galloping Thousand
A Pahlava Migration Short AAR

Scene 1 - Dismounting Cowards

And why would you need one thousand horses?

For one thousand men to become warriors.

I would appreciate the reinforcements, but my men need them now more than ever. Could you believe they abandoned their posts in Arbela without my authorization? The Seleukids will find an empty city!

The city this, the city that! It's always about hiding behind the walls for you and Tirdåd! We should empty them all!

What?

Tell me, Dårmån, how many cowards did your army consist of?

Three hundred, four... Around one thousand and four hundred. But the Dahåën are no cowards and we will still fight!

No. Oh, no. The Dahåën army is now dissolved. I want all horses and equipment ready for next week, and I want your cowards far from Babylon.

What are you talking about? Tirdåd wouldn't allow that!

Tirdåd is dying in Baktria, he won't mind. Besides, those horses deserve to gallop away, don't you think? Beyond the walls of Seleukeia. I'll put them to good use.

We are going to enter the heart of Arche Seleukeia: Antioch, perhaps even Asia Minor!

And who told you that, Äriyåhakhå?

I just assumed, as they are our enemies...

No! These cities are our enemies! This corruption! We won't let Tirdåd turn our peoples into Hellenes!

We will gallop west and let the distance make us forget the way back.

[Molinaargh]

Characters


Pilångir, the rebel Sakae.

Baghåbokhsh, son of Pilångir.

Äriyåhakhå, commander of the left flank.

Artavakhsh, the nomad.

Isråbån, the Persian.

Dårmån, the Dahae commander.

Tirdåd, the King.

Scene 2 - The Nomad and the Persian

Not all the Dahåën are cowards, Pilångir. I too hate these walls.

I also heard about your plans and I'm going with you as well. Even though I lived all my life here, I couldn't wait to get out one day.


Very well. I have heard of your ability with the bow, Artavakhsh. You will command the right flank. And you, Persian, will stay close to him. Äriyåhakhå is taking care of the left flank with my son Baghåbokhsh. I will be in the center.


Warriors! All of you! You are named The Galloping Thousand, and you will never stop!

[Molinaargh]

Scene 3 - The Galloping Thousand

We left in a hurry. Without Dårmån's Dahåën army, the Seleukids marched into our lands. Pahlavan lands. Our lands were further west.


We were a thousand well armed and equipped warriors.


Once in Asia Minor, the Seleukids stopped wondering where we were going and what was our purpose, and instead attempted to destroy whatever our plan was.


But could they?


We charged their phalanxes head-on fearlessly.


In the end, Sophron went back home defeated.


We continued to advance towards Ipsos, only to avoid the city and keep going west.


But Dyonitas, another worried Seleukid general, couldn't just look.


This time the battlefield was open, allowing us to maneuver our cavalry.


The Seleukids could do nothing but watch the deaths of their companions and wait for their own.


A few galatian mercenaries fought bravely and were killed with honor.


The Galloping Thousand were victorious, but not thousand.


Our army had gone down to six hundred men, without even leaving Asia.


But we were almost out...


Meanwhile, at home, the cities crumbled. I didn't mind.


In both the Seleukid and the Baktrian frontiers, battles and cities were lost every day.


But the true war wasn't behind us. It had yet to come.

[Molinaargh]

Scene 4 - Makedonian Battles

The Makedonians, allies of the Seleukids, feared that we would attack their lands and kept small garrisons in the coast of Asia Minor.


We advanced nonetheless, pushing their troops back and making way for our own.


We were attacked repeatedly by skirmishing forces.


These battles were bloody, ask the Makedonians.


But victory was always ours.


We advanced, always west, never stopping.


And the skirmishing troops became great armies as we got closer to the Makedonian homelands.


Well trained and equipped men fought against us.


But despite losing many, we could not be defeated.


The Makedonians wouldn't give up as long as we marched through their territory.


But the Thousand - the hundreds - fought bravely every time.


And that was our key to victory in those forests.


Every.


Single.


Battle.


With each victory we marched further west.


Until, when we were leaving Makedonian lands, their men gave up on defeating us.


But we would soon find a new enemy.

[Molinaargh]

Scene 5 - Roma

Guided by our horses, we went south.


We arrived in this Roman city and couldn't resist another good battle.


Their walls would do them no good.


We advanced.


Ready for another victory...


we entered Rome.


The battle proved to be tough.


We marched further in, fighting the roman soldiers as they came in their urban disorder.


We reached the core of the city, prepared for the last skirmish.


The situation was difficult.


I thought I'd die myself.


Outlook: not so good.


But our bravery turned the battle in our favor. Or it was our horses.


Either way, that roman flag would soon be burned.


Just like every roman we could find.


And every brick we could see.


And every temple and every column.


For victory was ours.


Rome was ours.


And Rome would soon be no more.

[Molinaargh]

Scene 6 - Inside the Walls

Our journey was successful! We have conquered the west!

What a grand city we are in!

It's a city like any other.

But this really is something else... certainly controlling this city would repay us with much profit.

Certainly! We could quickly conquer the neighbouring cities and form a kingdom, perhaps the Persia of the west!

Silence! Mount on your horses, we are leaving! Moving on!

But father... I like it here.

Far and beyond, like true nomads!

Victories have a price.