EMPIRE: Song of Peace and War

[seleucid empire]

Another Seleucid AAR on VH/M
Played with realistic movement mod
Begins in 250 BC after attaining the victory conditions

[seleucid empire]

The Setting
Winter 250 BC



King Theodoros, Sarpedon and Alexandros "The Black"


And so it came to pass that in the Winter of 250 BC King Antiochus II Theodoros along with his brother Sarpedon and cousin Alexandros "The Black" finally crushed all resistance and reunited the empire of Alexandros Megas. It had taken the three generals 21 years since the beginning of their campaign in 271 BC to achieve this but the end result was the complete unification of the empire and even expansion north of the pontic sea. This made the Arche Seleukeia the largest and most powerful empire ever created

But as they say nothing lasts forever, and empires are especially fragile things...

[seleucid empire]

Book I: Crown of Flames

Act I: The Gardens of Paradise

Prologue: The Coming Storm
Winter 250 BC

Peace. Nothing more than an illusion. For there is only one thing man cannot stay away from, and that is War. To the millions of people living in the heart of the Empire, war is a faraway thought. They lived in the Great Empire of Alexander the Great, reforged and made even greater by his descendants. What nation in the world could now stand up to them? The wars were contained at the frontiers thousands of miles away. What was there to be worried about?

These people carried on with their daily lives, so certain that the future would be as bright as the present day. But not all men were fooled. A few saw what the others could not. They were not distracted by the brightness of the sun and saw the gathering storm clouds, wondering in fear when they would burst and unleash the torrent upon them...

[Rifal]

Good, Now wipe those barbaric Getai from the face of the world.

[seleucid empire]

the getai were especially annoying in my last seleucid game cause their cities were so poor and i had to pour a lot of money into maintaining them. i mite invade italy before i do that

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 1: Tidings
Winter 250 BC Antioch

In the underbelly of the great capital sat a small dimly lit inn and gambling house. Inside, one could purchase all manners of distractions, from the prized Greek wines to the whores, willing to satisfy any and every sexual desire for coin. It was a sanctum of decadence and lust, a den of filth, and visited by soldiers and thieves alike. Mardonious sat in a dark corner of the room, watching people entering and exiting, his face hidden by the shadows and his hood. The hood was nothing more than a precaution of course. As the youngest son of a minor Persian noble of Syria, he doubted anyone would have recognized him even without it. He often visited this place to purchase its pleasures but today he had a different purpose in mind. The establishment was a favourite of the soldiers returning from the frontier wars and Mardonious sat patiently, waiting for one or more to show up...

The door creaked open and two men entered, their faces weary from travel and their cloaks covered in dust. Although the sight of soldiers was very common here, the patrons still held their gaze in awe at these newcomers. The first to walk in was a giant of a man. He carried a large, curved bow and at his side was a short sword of exceptional quality. He wore a hardened leather tunic and strapped onto his left arm was a small round shield. A Cretan archer, concluded Mardonious. However, it was not the Cretan who held everyone's attention but his companion. As he walked in, every pair of eyes in the inn followed him and every pair of eyes showed the same emotion: fear.

He was of a much smaller stature than the Cretan but wore the full panoply of the elite companion cavalry, making him an impressive sight. But what set him apart was his helmet, on top of which sat a single black plume that marked him as a member of the Black Guard. They were the personal cavalry of Alexandros, cousin of the King and the most ruthless, brutal and cunning general in the empire, which earned him the epithet of Alexandros "The Black". There was not a single man or child from Illyria to India who had not heard stories of the black guard, who had never been beaten in the 21 years since they were formed and were especially notorious for the countless, horrific atrocities they committed. They had fought in every single corner of the empire, cutting a bloody path through Egypt, Greece, Asia Minor, Armenia, the East and even the North.

The two soldiers ignored the stares of the others and sat on a table in the centre of the room. They ordered wine and began to talk amongst themselves. Mardonious left his table and approached them cautiously. They didn't look up until he was right next to them.
'Greetings, I can see you two have just journeyed a long way and from the looks of it you two have just returned from war. Can I interest you in an offer?" asked Mardonious
"What kind of offer?" asked the large Cretan
"I will pay for your food and any entertainment tonight in exchange for any news from the frontiers."

The Cretan turned to look at his silent companion, who gave a small nod.
"Very well,"said the Cretan,"My name is Helioketes and my companion here is called Archimenes"
"And you are of the Black Guard?" Mardonious asked Archimenes
"Yes" he replied
"and you Cretan?"
"I was part of the Death Seekers before they were destroyed. Have you heard of us?"

Mardonious had. The Death Seekers were almost as famous as the Black Guard. They were a band of renegade Cretan archers who had pledged their services to Antiochus II Theodoros 20 years ago and were the greatest archers in the world. It was rumoured that they could bring down a man at 170 metres, almost double the killing range of any other archers. However, he was surprised to hear that they had been destroyed.

"They were destroyed? When?"
"Yes, nearly 10 years ago..." replied Helioketes solemnly. Mardonious thought he saw a glint of anger in the man's eyes
"How did this occur?"
"Our unit has been there since the beginning of the great reconquest, nearly 21 years ago. We marched under the command of Antiochus II Theodoros during the invasion of Egypt. When Theodoros marched to Asia Minor to support Sarpedon in his war with Pontus, he left us with Alexandros. We sailed to Greece and helped our new general achieve victory battle after battle with our deadly arrows. That was 14 years ago..We then marched on the Armenians, sweeping through their country as well. But Alexandros received pleas for help from the Bosphoran Greeks so we headed into the vast north. Under his leadership, we 'liberated' the cities of the Greeks, bringing them into the folds of the empire and achieved complete control over the Pontic Sea. Alexandros then marshalled more forces and formed the Legion of the North to defend against the Sarmatian counter-attack

But shortly afterwards, Alexandros received orders from the King to march east in all haste. He took the core of his heavy infantry and cavalry to the east, leaving us with strict instructions to stay in the cities and defend them. He left the north under the charge of a man named Herakleidies Atarneou.



This fool saw himself as the Alexandros Megas of the North and decided to march the entire Legion of the North into Sarmatian lands to bring the war to them. However before we marched, Herakleidies decided that he would be much safer if he stayed within the walls of Pantikapaion and he's still sitting there now, growing fat while the bones of our brothers lie scattered over the northern plains. So anyway, he didn't accompany us in our expedition and instead appointed a captain who had bribed his way into his favour. In the cities we could have held off the Sarmatians behind the high walls, our arrows would have decimated any Sarmatians who came close and we would be able to hold indefinitely as long as supplies arrived in our ports. But in the open, we were ambushed...The entire legion of the north was destroyed along with most of our corps.





I survived along with a handful of others and we travelled east on the invitation of Alexandros to train the garrisons of the newly conquered cities and there I have been for the last 10 years. Recently I was allowed to leave the army and was given a fortune for my service. Archimenes here also finished his service and we decided to make the journey back home. He has also been fighting since the beginning of the Great reconquest and he has been present in every major battle in the last 21 years. He saved my life once and we became comrades despite belonging to different companies."

"I am sorry for your loss" said Mardonious,"What news from the east?"
"Well as you probably know by now, the furtherest reaches of Alexandros Megas Empire has been reconquered. King Antiochus intends to march north and attack Chighu, the original lands of the Saka, afterwards I believe he will head west and continue until all of the Steppe bows before him. Now if you will, please tell us your name, for you have not introduced yourself to us yet."
"Very well, my name is Mardonious of Syria. The reason I am asking you for news is because I intend leave this place and make my fortune. You see, I'm the second born son of a minor Syrian house so I do not have many prospects when my father dies. My brother and I do not agree with each other so I intend to make my own fortune. I have already found a man willing to lend me the money I need to begin my slave trade. All I need now is the secret ingredient to a successful venture: War. And I wish to find out which frontier offers the most opportunity. I will need strong men to guard my goods as they are delivered to the cities. So now I have another offer for you. I know you are already rich with the fruits of conquest, but I ask you anyway..Will you join me?"

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 2: Fall from Grace
Winter 250 BC Antioch

Archimenes' excitement grew with every step he took. He had left the inn nearly half an hour ago saying farewell to Helioketes and thanking Mardonious for his hospitality. He had declined the young noble's offer of course. After all he was a member of the Black Guard and pledged his loyalty solely to Alexandros. He was not some mercenary who could be bought with the promise of gold and guarding goods for a trader was beneath him. Helioketes had accepted eagerly, reasoning that one could never had too much gold. Besides, Archimenes he did not need the work. He had claimed 6 wagons full of treasure during the conquests and was now richer than many Lords of the realm. All he wanted now was a peaceful life, away from the horrors of war. As he neared his home his heart leapt. The last time he had seen his wife was twelve years ago, when the army of Alexandros had briefly returned to Antioch for a few months to replenish their numbers, before marching to Armenia. He remembered sitting on his horse, looking back at his pregnant wife as she got smaller and smaller, before turning into a speck in the distance. He never forgot the look of sadness and worry in her eyes as he left for war once again. He had received letters from her, informing him of the birth of his daughter and the joy of the news kept him going throughout the remainder of the war in the east.

He smiled inwardly, knowing that he could finally meet his daughter. And meet her as a man, not a murderer, for Archimenes had refrained from the brutality which his comrades in the Black Guard had grown to love. He had never raped a woman on campaign or killed a child. In his mind's eye he could still remember the horrors which his comrades had partook in. The event which was most clearly etched into his mind, happened during the sack of Bactra four years ago. The beautiful, nameless girl had been dragged from her house, screaming and crying. A man of the Black Guard ripped off her clothes and began spoiling her in right in front of a jeering crowd. Twelve other men went after him and when they were finished with her they grabbed torches and tortured her before finally cutting her throat. She had looked no older than 15. Archimenes had turned away in disgust and that very same night, the nightmares began..

Archimenes reached his front door. He took a deep breath and walked in. The house was dark save for the candle light coming from the bedroom at the end of the hall. His wife must be up. He shed his armour and began to walk towards the light but he had not taken more than a few steps when he heard it: Soft sounds, the sound of a woman moaning followed by several sharp gasps coming from the bedroom. He quickened his pace and rushed into the room. His wife lay face up on the bed, her arms and legs spread wide apart. On top of her was a young man, his hand moving up and down her thigh while he pushed up against her.

Archimenes stood perfectly still...He could not move, could not think. All he could do was continue to stare at them. His hand began to shake...

His wife's eyes rolled around in her sockets as she moaned and suddenly she saw him. She screamed and pushed the young man off her

"Husband! This is not what it seems!" she shrilled.

Archimenes said nothing, but suddenly, found his sword in his hand. The young man stood up and began to address Archimenes with an air of superiority.

"You dare threaten me with your sword? I am Ashasavah, son of Vanara, the Lord of Phoenicia! Leave now and my father may yet spare your life!"

For his arrogant words, Ashasvah paid with his life. Before he had finished speaking, Archimedes had closed the distance before them and now clutched his throat. The young mans' eyes widened in fear as he realized that his threats meant nothing to this man and that he was about to die. The sword entered once, twice...Ashasvahs body went limp and Archimenes let go of the corpse. He then turned to his wife who was whimpering in the corner of the room.

"Archimenes please! Forgive me!" she wailed.

However her pleas fell on death ears. Archimenes lifted the blade and slashed his wife's throat, the red mist spraying across his face. He went into frenzy, slashing his wife's face into shreds. He felt the presence of a person moving behind him and instinctively lashed out with his sword, feeling it sink into flesh. He turned to see his attacker expecting a man from Ashasvahs’ entourage who had come to investigate but instead he found himself face to face with a young girl.

Her face was puzzled as she looked down at the sword protruding from her gut and the growing red stain on her dress, wondering what had happened. She looked up into the eyes of her murderer. Archimenes recoiled in horror when she lifted her eyes. They were his eyes staring back at her. All of his rage and fury disappeared in that moment as realisation hit.

"What have I done?!” he cried.

The girl's eyes went blank. Archimenes howled and lifted himself from the blood soaked floor. He ran out of his house and into the streets screaming.

Archimenes, the man who had just killed his own daughter and wife ran on and on, fleeing into the night...

[seleucid empire]

so how does everyone feel about this aar? its a lot darker than my previous ones and has more content but less pictures

[SoFarSoGood]

Seems to have started a bit late.

[seleucid empire]

I wanted to to start when the seleucids already had a massive empire, gives it more dimension than an aar about a kingdom strugglying to become an empire

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 3: Allies and Enemies
Winter 250 BC Antioch, The house of Mardonious

"So what can we do for him?" asked Helioketes
"Theres not much we can do about this" replied Mardonious, "He killed the son of a powerful lord."
"But Archimenes is also a noble, he is a companion of Alexandros 'the Black'."
"It is more complicated than that. I conversed with him the first night he came to me and he told me that he was bequeathed the title and lands of a Lord because of his friendship with Alexandros. Alexandros granted him the lands so he could meet the requirements for a member of the companion cavalry and join his retinue, but he has no noble blood and is not of the great houses of The Empire."
"What will happen to him?"
"Well, for crimes commited by a noble, there is a council of 11 Great Lords who oversee the trials. Do you know how our empire is organised?"
"Yes, Archimedes and I often talked on our campaigns and he seemed to have a thorough knowledge of these things. He told me that each province has a Satrap in charge of administration and raising forces."
"Yes they are Kings in their own right. What else did he tell you?"
"He told me that there were even more powerful figures. They are the Lords of entire regions of the empire. They are Satraps of a key city in the region and all other Satraps answer to them."
"Yes, There are currently 9 regions: The North, The Heartlands, the East, Asia Minor, Northern Arabia, Greece, Macedonia, Egypt, and Armenia. They rule from important cities. For example, the Lord of the East would rule from Bactra and control all of the empire west of Persepolis. Each of these lords have a seat on the council."
"what about the other two seats?"
"They are for the Lord commanders of the Army and Navy. In this case, Alexandros the Black and Lord Admiral Nikaratos. Sometimes the King will also preside, although that hasn't happened since the execution of Antiochus I's eldest son for treason."
"If Alexandros is presiding then he will surely pardon Archimenes."
"No, he will most likely not be present and will not hear of his execution until it is too late. In these trials rarely ever are all eleven Lords called to the council as they are usually too busy looking after the affairs of their regions. In a case like this, in which a minor noble like Archimenes is involved, the Lord of the region, in this case, crown prince Seleucus Kallinikos, can fill the empty seats of the council with local Lords."
"and the local lords.."
"Are under the influence of Lord Vanara" finished Mardonious, "and not only are they under his influence, he will most likely bribe them to ensure the death of your friend."
"We cannot let that happen."
"Even if the trial was fair, he will be found guilty."
"What are you talking abo..."
"Helioketes, he killed that man and he killed him for having an affair with his wife. He did not even challenge the Lord's son to restore his honour, he killed him in cold blood. And lets imagine that he does win the trial by some miracle, do you really think lord Vanara will stop there? He will send assassins after Archimenes. He will not be able to hide from them forever"

Suddenly Archimenes spoke. He had crept into the room several minutes ago unnoticed and had hidden in the dark listening.

'Lord Mardonious, I am grateful for your help. If you had turned me away at your door I would have been caught days ago, but I cannot risk putting you in danger any longer by hiding me. I will go today and turn myself in and pay for my crimes with whatever punishment they choose to give."

Mardonious looked at Archimenes taking everything in. He saw a man who had just lost everything, who had given up hope and whose life had lost all purpose.

"No, I have an idea. I will get you through this alive. And one more thing, I am no lord, my brother will take that title when my father dies" said Mardonious

Archimenes was silent for a moment. A ghost of a smile came to his lips

"Well Mardonious, it looks like we will be working together after all..."

[moriluk]

so how does everyone feel about this aar? its a lot darker than my previous ones and has more content but less pictures

I like it. Interesting starting at victory conditions. Less pics is fine, a good pic can say alot. Also, it doesn't feel tl;dr.

I have also toyed with realistic movement but ended up having reservations. I have manually moved it to about half way between realistic and default.

I was about to fire up a new campaign and saw this. Now I may do an AS, but the opposite of this campaign of yours. I have always wanted to do a migration with them. Not completely lay down or cheat, but just play kind of lax and half assed. THen a young smart general (probably makedonian or hellen) steals some money from his failing king, goes off (krete, maybe bosporia, maybe syracuse) and starts a new kingdom. Maybe then pahlava can finally have a huge empire without me controlling them. Anyway, nice aar.

[seleucid empire]

Firstly, thank you moriluk! It will keep writing it this way then

Realistic movement made my campaign so much faster. I reached the VCs in 25 years and I also went north of the black sea. It also gave me time to develop my economy since the loot from conquering cities came in so fast
For migration campaigns i prefer Epirus or KH. The reasons being, that historically they declined earlier on and never became a huge empire so if you move them, they wont make such a huge difference. For example, you cant really migrate with Carthage without having to write extra chapters on why there isnt an empire in north africa

Also KH and Epirus have better local recruitment options. The Seleucid empire doesn't have those subjugation resources scattered around the world like KH does. The best your going to get is a thoratkai based army in syracuse or a mixed army if your going to the bosporia. Good luck with your campaign moriluk ;)

[moriluk]

carthage is an irl phoenician migration, sort of. If you went back in time and told a phoenician that one of their small western trade ports would subjugate the lybians and become an empire going as far as iberia while phoenicia would be twice conquered, they'd probably laugh.

all campaigns are ahistorical due to the limits of the game engine. yours for example, completely ahistorical yet not unrealistic. And i think that is where the difficulty of the game lies; not in winning battles, staying alive, or acheiving victory conditions. But rather making a realistic alternate history. Even if you play a completely historica roman expansion, it will be very ahistorical. You will most likely be taking makedonia and dacia from epeiros and you will def be fighting far more battles against ptoly than the real romans did. So, realism over historical accuracy to me is the objective here. The end result is alternate history.

THis game has made me appreciate alternate history. Like that one book where germany wins ww2 and some guy writes a book about how he thinks the world would be if the allies had won. But my favorite all time sci fi is foundation. it was originally based on a book about the roman empire. I love the idea of (spoiler) an empire sending a small group off to create a foundation but then the foundation itself becomes an empire while the real/original empire crumbles. This game can represent that type of thing to an extent.

Anyway, I didn't return to derail your aar with my late night ramblings. I just wanted to point out that i like the map. It has your empire, rome, and nothing else. I am always compelled to create a world map and constantly update it. I like yours better. I will try it for aesthetics.

[seleucid empire]

ohh ok, I see your point. Basically like the legend of Aeneas, he leaves the powerful troy and founds an even more powerful empire of Rome? So your going to keep playing as the Seleucids but focus more on your colony and let the empire slowly die?
Are you going to make an aar with your campaign? cause i would love to read that (i enjoyed your other aars immensely). Especially if you're going to britain because i have never seen an aar about a civilised faction migrating to the tin isles

[SoFarSoGood]

But my favorite all time sci fi is foundation. it was originally based on a book about the roman empire. I love the idea of (spoiler) an empire sending a small group off to create a foundation but then the foundation itself becomes an empire while the real/original empire crumbles.

The Asimov Foundation Series was indeed superb. I am also enjoying this AAR.

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 4: Flight from Antioch
Winter 250 BC Border of Syria and Assyria

The last snowflakes of winter were just beginning to fall as they reached the border of Syria. Normally a journey of a few weeks, it had taken the three almost 2 months to reach it. It had been Mardonious' idea to stay in the city a while longer. They will think that Archimenes had fled the city and send patrols out. If we go now, all of the other towns and cities in Syria will be searching for him, he had said.

After two weeks of waiting, the trio had finally left the city. Archimenes had wanted to avoid the major towns and cities but Mardionious reasoned that his pursuers would expect him to do that. He was right. The Main roads were free of soldiers and they had blended into the crowded cities. They always stayed for a few days in each city to give the impression that they were in no hurry.

However, their journey had not been completely free of trouble. One morning, the travellers had woken up to find themselves surrounded by 13 armed men. Although outnumbered, Archimenes and Helioketes easily overpowered the group and killed all of them except for their leader. Mardonious had asked the man who he was working for and told him that if he wouldn't answer, he would ask his friend to 'convince' him, indicating Helioketes. The man had taken one look at huge Cretan before spilling everything. He was part of a rebellion under the leadership of Philetairos of Bactria, a man who had lost everything in Antiochus II's invasion of Bactria and now sought revenge on the empire gathering 13 000 discontented peasants under his banner. He had sent 5 000 west into Syria under his right hand man captain Mysikos, to plunder the towns and now marched on Edessa, the capital of the Assyrian province, with his remaining 8 000 men.



Afterwards, Archimenes had given the man a clean death. They continued with their journey, narrowing avoiding the forces of captain Mysikos before turning south and making for the border.

Helioketes rode up beside Mardonious. Archimenes stayed behind at a slow trot.

"Where do we go now? We surely can't go to Edessa with a rebel army camped between us and the city?" asked Helioketes
"I have been thinking about that ever since we found out." replied Mardonious, "Originally, I wanted to reach Edessa and stay there until the heat dies down."
"But you said Lord Vanara will never stop looking for him."
"No, but the Imperial forces will. Lord Vanara only has 50 men men looking for Archimenes. The Imperial forces assigned to catching Archimenes number 300. Without them, we have a better chance of escaping his clutches."
"Why not just go to Seleukeia?"
"The reason we have deliberately travelled slowly through Syria is to allow our pursuers to believe that we are ahead of them. They will think that we are trying to put as many miles between us and Antioch as possible and so far it has worked. However if we go to Seleukeia now, they may still be searching there and that's what I'm worried about."
"Why don't we hide in one of the other cities along the road?"
"Those cities are not big enough to hide a fugitive who killed the eldest son of a powerful Lord."
"We have done it before. We have hidden at cities on the road here."
"We never stayed for more than a few days. If we had stayed longer, we would have attracted the attention of somebody, maybe even the city guard."
"But Seleukeia is one of the biggest cities in the empire, surely they won't find us there."
"They will have the city guard looking for Archimenes as well and the city guard are 4 000 strong. But it seems we have no choice in the matter. We will slowly make our way to Seleukeia, and pray that, by the time we arrive, they will be gone..."

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 5: Edge of Civilisation
Summer 249 BC, Sai Yavuga, the former Saka stronghold of Chighu



"Why are we still in this place brother?" asked Sarpedon,"I am tired of these endless Steppes"
"I have already told you, we have to stay and make sure the province is settled before we can leave. We also need to clear out the rest of the Saka armies in the region. We will move against the rest of their cities in the Autumn" replied King Antiochus II Theodoros.
"Why are we here at all? We don't need these lands. The empire will hardly benefit from the addition of these wastelands"
"If we don't bring the Saka to their knees they will keep raiding our eastern provinces and if we conquer all of their lands, then we can start a new eastern front against our Sarmatian enemies."
"We have brought two bright young generals here with us. They can continue this invasion for us. We need not be here for any longer."

Before Theodoros could reply, Alexandros came into the hall.
"Hello cousins, I have just received some bad news from the west."
"Well?" asked the King
"This is a letter from one of my companions. He is hunted by Lord Vanara for killing his son."
"That news hardly concerns us." said Sarpedon
"No, but it concerns me. He has always been loyal to me and saved my life many times. I intend to return the favour. However that is not the news I bring you. In his letter, he tells me of a large rebellion in the Heartlands led by a man named Philetairos of Bactria."
"He is in the Heartlands? How many men does he lead?" asked the King
"13 000, but he leads mostly armed peasants and has split his force in two."
"See brother? We need to return to Antioch. You have been away from the heartlands for too long, you need to go back and tighten your grasp on the lords and the people." exclaimed Sarpedon.
"I have a better idea. We will send instructions to Lord Artabazanes to raise an army and march to confront these rebels. When he crushes them, it will show the rest of the empire that my reach is long and make them think twice about making a move against me"



"After he crushes the rebellion. Then what?" asked Sarpedon
"I will send him north to replace Herakleidies Atarneou." replied the King
"Your sending him against the lord of the north?" asked Sarpedon,"Why?"
"Are you unaware that his actions led to the destruction of the entire legion of the north?"
"He is a fool. So what? He has still managed to keep the north from falling into the hands of the Sarmatians. You didn't replace him ten years ago when this happened, why act now?"
"Herakleidies Atarneou is not that much of a fool. He sent the Legion of the north on a suicide mission because they were loyal to cousin Alexandros. He destroyed them so he could raise his own loyal troops and has had free reign over all of the north for the past ten years. I will not let that kind of treachery go unpunished."
"Very well, but I still believe you should return to Antioch before it's too late..." said Sarpedon before marching out of the room

Alexandros turned to Antiochus.
"I still need one thing from you cousin. I have written this pardon letter for my companion but I need your seal."said Alexandros
"You are really willing to anger lord Vanara for this? He is a dangerous enemy to make." replied Antiochus
"I am more than willing. I already have many enemies in court. What difference is one more if I can save the life of my loyal servant."
"Very well," said Antiochus, reaching for his seal, "But if this man of yours has really killed Lord Vanara's son, I doubt even a royal pardon can save him.."

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 6: A Forked Road
Autumn 249 BC, Seleukeia

Mardonious and Helioketes were deep in conversation when the door opened. Archimenes came in and behind him was another man. He was of the same stature as Archimenes and wore a full suit of shining armour. Mardonious looked at the man, his gaze resting on the stranger's helmet: A helmet with a black plume. A another member of the Black guard.

"This is my comrade Hector. He came here to find me as I told him where we were hiding in my letter" said Archimenes, introducing the man.
"Alexandros has sent me to deliver a royal pardon to you and to give a second letter to Lord Vanara ordering him to stop with his chase." said Hector.
"That is good news, however, you know as well as I do that Vanara will not be stopped." replied Mardonious
"He will not be allowed to use the men or resources of his Satrapy to continue the chase and if his men are caught, he will be punished for defying a royal decree." argued Hector.
"Yes, but that man is capable of anything. He may not be able to use the army any more but he has plenty of servants of his own."
"I am no fool. I will not reveal myself to him, but at least I will not be hunted by the guards of every city any more." replied Archimenes
"There is one more piece of news. Lord Artabazanes is raising an army in nearby Babylon. He intends to crush Philetairo's rebellion and head north to displace Herakleidies Atarneou."
"Displace him?" asked Helioketes in sudden interest
"Yes, the King believes that Herakleidies Atarneou purposely led the legion of the north to destruction ten years ago and replaced them with his own men so he could gain absolute control of the north."
"What?!" exclaimed Helioketes, his face twisting into an expression of pure rage. He got up and flipped over the table.
"Calm yourself!" shouted Mardonious
"My brothers died for his petty schemes. I will not rest until that man burns! Mardonious, I know I agreed to accompany you in your ventures but I must finish this before I can join you. I will go to Babylon and enlist."
"I understand. This is something you must do and I will not stop you." replied Mardonious.

An hour later, Helioketes had said his farewells to the three men and left.

"Mardonious, I will stay with you. I have a debt to you now that can never be repaid" said Archimenes.
"You owe me nothing, but I would like you to join me. That offer is still open if you choose to take it"
"Where will you begin your venture?"
"Well, I will need to return to Antioch first and find the money lender before I can begin. I may have already lost my opportunity if he has changed his mind. We have been gone for a year."
"That will not be a problem. Hector has brought the spoils I have claimed on my campaigns here with him. I will help you begin your trade"
"I don't think your spoils will be enough"

Archimenes began to chuckle, puzzling Mardonious

"Come with us," he said,"I want to show you something"

The three men made their way to the Agora. They arrived at a ring of wagons guarded by no less than 8 members of the black guard. Mardonious looked inside and his jaw dropped. Each of the wagons were filled to the top with gold pieces and statuettes.

Seeing Mardonious' expression, Archimenes said,"These are the spoils of a thousand cities. There is enough for me to fund your venture and still be one of the empires' richest men."
"I see, well then we can begin."
"Where will we go?"
"Arabia."
"Arabia? Why there?"
"Because only in Arabia are we on the offensive. In the west and north, we are holding our ground against the Romans and Sarmatians. In Arabia, we are on the offensive, sacking and enslaving their cities. I will be able to find an inexhaustible source cheap slaves there. We will go in a week and go south to join general Seron Kydnikes of Antiocheia who is camped with a huge army in the desert of M'ain right now. We should be able to catch up to his army by the time he reaches the Sabaen cities."

Hector turned to Archimenes and handed him the parchment with his pardon written on it.
"My friend, I must continue with my mission now. My men and I will go to Sidon and deliver the King's orders to Vanara. Then I will go back to Baktra, claim my spoils and return to Susa to live the rest of my days."
"Farewell my friend, may Hermes keep you safe on your journey."
Archimenes then said his farewells to the other 8 Black Guards in turn.

As Hector and the other companions rode off, Mardonious had a feeling that Archimenes would never see these men alive again. He kept these thoughts to himself..

[seleucid empire]

I hope you liked that chapter. If your wondering
Mardonious is 15, Archimenes is 34 and Helioketes is 32 when the story begins

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 7: Acts of Treason
Winter 249 BC Sidon

The Great Port of Sidon was the largest port in the empire excluding those of Seleucia Pieria and Alexandria. A thousand ships entered and left it's harbours each day with goods coming in from Greece and even distant Iberia. On some days, such as this one, Lord Vanara, Satrap of Phoenicia would stroll through the bustling harbour with his guards. Vanara often liked to visit the port. It was his creation and would be his legacy. Ten years of his life he had dedicated to it and the result was spectacular. Whenever, he walked through the markets many people would stop with their work and show their respects to him. As he reached the piers, a man crept up beside him, keeping pace with the lord.

"Well Ennychos, I hope you are here to give me some good news, and that my men have found and killed that bastard who took my son away from me." said Vanara to his chief eunuch without looking at him."
"I'm afraid not my Lord, certain...complications have arisen."
"What complications?" snarled Vanara,"Don't tell me that captain Perikes has failed me again. You have been searching for a year already!"
"It seem our prey is much smarter than we thought. He has eluded us so far."

Without warning, Vanara lifted his hand and struck Ennychos.

"You disturbed my walk to tell me this?"
"No my lord," stammered Ennychos,"I have come to tell you that nine members of the Black Guard are here. They request an immediate audience with you on behalf of Alexandros the Black"
"Did they state the reason for their trip?"
"No my Lord but I have an idea."
"You think that they are here with a royal pardon for Archimenes from the King?"
"Yes I do my Lord."
"I feared this would happen. That was why I wanted him found quickly! Now the imperial forces will stop searching for him."
"You can still hunt him with your own men my Lord. If the King finds out you can always say that you could not find your men in time to give them the new orders."
"Yes, but without the imperial forces and the city guards of the Empire, I will never find him."
"They is another way my Lord...What if...the messengers were sidetracked, and you never received the orders."
"Make it happen Ennychos.."

[moriluk]

ohh ok, I see your point. Basically like the legend of Aeneas, he leaves the powerful troy and founds an even more powerful empire of Rome? So your going to keep playing as the Seleucids but focus more on your colony and let the empire slowly die?
Are you going to make an aar with your campaign? cause i would love to read that (i enjoyed your other aars immensely). Especially if you're going to britain because i have never seen an aar about a civilised faction migrating to the tin isles

I don't know. I started a migration aar of aedui to ireland a couple of months ago. fun start but i got distracted with irl and it is in stasis, plus the aar is about 40 years behind the actual game. I haven't posted it yet. I may not. Seleukids in Briton sounds interesting. I guess if it never happened, the idea of Celts in Anatolia would seem unlikely too, so Greeks in Briton may be fun. Either way, an aar of a crumbling seleukid empire would be fun. I wonder if it is possible to change Seleukid generals to syracuse hoplites..

Oh and this idea is nothing original, I am not claiming that. 2 things inspired this. An old incomplete arr of a bactria fm traveling to krete and starting a new kingdom (about 100 years into the campaign). And another incomplete aar of seleukids where everything crumbled save for syria (so around 250 bc seleukids are about like pontos/hayasdan/bactria 272bc).

My aars are a pimple on the ass of obelics. I will never have the time nor creativity to accomplish that sort of hilariousness and depth. But i am glad you like them. My carthage one crashed (the actual aar that is) and i was not about to redo 10 years. hayasdans last situation was about 30 huge armies of carthage circling around egypt like vultures.

Anyway, nice updates. This is a fun read, keep it up.

[seleucid empire]

Oh and this idea is nothing original, I am not claiming that. 2 things inspired this. An old incomplete arr of a bactria fm traveling to krete and starting a new kingdom (about 100 years into the campaign). And another incomplete aar of seleukids where everything crumbled save for syria (so around 250 bc seleukids are about like pontos/hayasdan/bactria 272bc).

My aars are a pimple on the ass of obelics. I will never have the time nor creativity to accomplish that sort of hilariousness and depth. But i am glad you like them. My carthage one crashed (the actual aar that is) and i was not about to redo 10 years. hayasdans last situation was about 30 huge armies of carthage circling around egypt like vultures.

Anyway, nice updates. This is a fun read, keep it up.

So thats what happened to your carthage aar. I wanted to see the civil war between the cretan kingdom and the empire. Too few aars have civil wars in them. And the ones that do usually end after one battle

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 8: A Murder of Crows
Winter 249 BC Sidon

The Door was pushed open and nine men entered. They were dressed in the signature black cloaks and plumed helmets of the Black Guard which, from a distance, gave them the appearance of crows. Their leader was man of rather average height and he introduced himself as Hector.

"Forgive me, Lord Hector, but I must ask you to leave your weapons outside. There are no weapons allowed in the hall." spoke Ennychos. He would have asked them to take off their armour as well but that would make them suspicious. The palace guards came and took their weapons before leaving the room.

"Now, what is your business in Sidon?" asked Ennychos.
"We have a message from Lord Commander Alexandros for Lord Vanara." replied Hector,"Where is he?"
"I regret to inform you that Lord Vanara is feeling unwell. I will receive your message in his stead."
"Very well, here is the message," said Hector, unfolding the scroll, "This is a decree validated by the King's seal. He has issued a royal pardon for Lord Archimenes of Green-shade Hall. He instructs Lord Vanara's forces to stand down and wishes him to stop his chase."
"Ahh, just as I thought." replied Ennychos.
"You were expecting this?" asked Hector.
"Yes, my master has anticipated something like this. He also said that if this was the case, then I should inform you that we find these orders unacceptable." said Ennychos, a wicked grin slowly spreading across his features. He gave the signal and 50 Jewish mercenaries sprang from their hiding places, surrounding Hector's men. They reached for their swords only to realise that they had been taken outside. The Jews cut down two of the Black Guards before they started fighting back. Even without weapons they were formidable and jumped at their attackers, weaving their way between spear thrusts and swords until they were close enough to break their opponent's necks. Ennychos watched in growing horror as they picked up their fallen enemy's weapons and began cutting their way through the mercenaries.

"Archers!!" screamed Ennychos, seeing that his men were losing the fight against these elite soldiers. Archers poured into the room and began firing into the melee, killing both the Black Guards and the Mercenaries.

Hector cut down the last mercenary just as the last of his men fell to the archers. He turned around as an arrow entered his chest. Dropping to one knee in shock, he looked up at the triumphant Ennychos.

"You..will..never..get away with this." gasped Hector.
"Oh but we will. We will dump your bodies on the side of the road. We will say you never arrived at Sidon. Goodbye Lord Hector, it has been a pleasure."

The archers drew their bows and fired. Hector fell to the floor, dead...

Ennychos waited until nightfall before ordering his men to dump the bodies of both the companions and the mercenaries a few leagues outside the city. They even killed a few horses and left them at the site. To whoever would discover the scene, it would look like the an ambush by Jewish rebels. That night, Ennychos slept like a baby...

[seleucid empire]

got exams coming up dont know when my next update will be

[seleucid empire]

OK everyone I had to start a new seleucid campaign and played up to VC again this time on VH/M

I will continue this AAR but I will change some of the dates and stuff so re-read the chapters and setting

In this second campaign I didnt go north of the black sea but I will pretend I did for the sake of this AAR

Begins in 250 Now with dates all changed. All the characters are younger aswell and the black guards have were formed 21 years ago instead of 25. So far the story has only encompassed Winter 250-Winter 249

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 9: The Hounds of Elissa
Winter 249 BC Sidon

"Well?" demanded Lord Vanara as Ennychos slinked into the room.
"It is done my lord," replied Ennychos,"We made it look a rebel attack."
"Yet neither the King nor his cousin are fools"
"No, they are not...What is your next move, my lord?"

Lord Vanara began pacing the room, backwards and forwards contemplating as he often did when difficult decisions were made. When he finally stopped, he turned to Ennychos and said, "I will send the Elissian cavalry to hunt him. They are a thousand strong, and this time, I will personally lead the chase."
"You will send the hounds?" exclaimed Ennychos in surprise.

The Elissian cavalry were named after the legendary queen Elissa of Tyre, founder of Carthage. They were a group of cavalry that Vanara had formed some 5 years ago. Each had sworn a vow to Lord Vanara and were fanatically loyal to him, which earned them their nickname of 'The Hounds of Tyre'.

"Yes, every day that passes, the prospect of capturing Archimenes decreases. I need my best men to catch him" Lord Vanara had spat out the name of his son's murderer.
"But my Lord, surely, with all of the wealth of Phoenicia you can raise a suitable force for pursuit. If it is speed you need, the cavalry of the Arabian mercenaries are nearly as fast. It need not be the Elissian cavalry! They were sworn to guard Tyre and it would be seem strange to the people if they left."
"They know I lost my Son to that bastard!"
"Yes but even so, to call the Elissian cavalry out of Tyre would imply you were desperate or running short of time. The other Lords will begin to wonder if something is amiss"
"I need my best men to catch him." Vanara repeated.

Ennychos could see that it was no use arguing further.

"Ennychos, you will ride out to Tyre tomorrow and give my orders to captain Abibaal."
"My Lord..Captain Abibaal is not fond of me or my presence."
"On the contrary I have heard that he is very fond of you my faithful Eunuch. It is said he prefers creatures who have lost their manhood over women." snickered Vanara

Ennychos sighed. So his Lord had heard the rumours. The Last time Ennychos had delivered a message to Abibaal, he had left the troop camp the next day with the sorest arse. So sore, he couldn't even sit on his saddle properly, falling off after his horse had taken a few steps and was greeted with the roaring laughter of every soldier in the camp. He couldn't even fight back the night Abibaal had come onto him. He had been humiliated and ridden on like a horse. Yet he had no choice now but to ride back into the hands of his tormentor, whom he was sure, would use him as his woman again.

"Very well my Lord," said Ennychos, sinking into despair..

[seleucid empire]

sorry that update was so short. I still have exams and dont have much time for writing long chapters atm

[Jive]

Chapter 9: The Hounds of Elissa
Winter 249 BC Sidon

"Ennychos, you will ride out to Tyre tomorrow and give my orders to captain Abibaal."
"My Lord..Captain Abibaal is not fond of me or my presence."
"On the contrary I have heard that he is very fond of you my faithful Eunuch. It is said he prefers creatures who have lost their manhood over women." snickered Vanara

Ennychos sighed. So his Lord had heard the rumours. The Last time Ennychos had delivered a message to Abibaal, he had left the troop camp the next day with the sorest arse. So sore, he couldn't even sit on his saddle properly, falling off after his horse had taken a few steps and was greeted with the roaring laughter of every soldier in the camp. He couldn't even fight back the night Abibaal had come onto him. He had been humiliated and ridden on like a horse. Yet he had no choice now but to ride back into the hands of his tormentor, whom he was sure, would use him as his woman again.

"Very well my Lord," said Ennychos, sinking into despair..

This is a scream, seleucid empire, a real scream!

[seleucid empire]

This is a scream, seleucid empire, a real scream!

Im not familiar with that phrase. did you like it or hate it lol?