EMPIRE: Song of Peace and War

[seleucid empire]

well that was the first battle ive written about, I hope you like that. I auto-calced that one and for some reason my general died even though we won. srsly wtf????(this was before i started a new game on VH)

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 11: Discovery
Winter 249 Seleukeia

It had been a great past few months for Mardonious. He allowed himself to whistle happily as he strode through the Agora, ready to spend some of his gold. They had arrived in the camp of Seron just before he had taken the city of Maryab. Seron had been extremely bold. He had bypassed the Arabian army waiting near the fortress of Carna and went straight for Maryab, the heart of the Sabean Federation who were utterly unprepared for siege. Of all the would-be slave traders throughout the empire, only Mardonious had believed that Seron would actually survive his journey down the desert M'ain with his army intact. His faith was repaid when he was allowed to get first pickings of the slaves, since none of the other slave traders would arrive for months afterwards. He paid a quarter of what was usually paid because the soldiers were so eager to be rid of them. As a result, he had gathered 10 000 of the fittest slaves for a meagre sum and brought them back to Seleukeia to sell for twenty-fold the price he had bought them for. Some of his slaves were educated in mathematics and arts and these he had sold at Palmyra for a hefty sum. Now he was richer than even Archimenes

He stopped by a Merchants store and examined the wines imported from the west.

"Hello friend." greeted the merchant."May I interest you in some fine Greek wine, imported from Olympia?"
"Yes, three jars of your finest." replied Mardonious. Then he remembered the foul mood Archimenes had been in since yesterday, when he had been insulted at a tavern resulting in a fistfight, "Make it five jars... Do you have any news?"
"There have been some ill tidings these days."
"Oh?"
"Yes, just yesterday I heard that the 12th Army crushed the rebellion of Philetairos near Edessa. They say a lone archer made a near-impossible shot and brought down Philetairos."
"Interesting" replied Mardonious. Helioketes marched with the 12th and Mardonious wondered if it was his bow from which the arrow flew."But that is hardly bad news."
'Nay, but they lost a full 4 000 men and Lord Artazabanes lost his life!"
"That is shocking indeed."
"What's even more shocking is news from Arabia."
"Arabia? I have come back from Arabia not a month ago"
"Haven't you heard of the disaster that has befallen the 4th army?"
"The fourth army? Of Lord Seron? I have just returned from his camp after the sack of Maryab."
"You were lucky to have left when you did. His forces were utterly crushed near Carna."
"What!" exclaimed Mardonious.
"Yes, the poor general was too kind hearted I believe. He sold many of the men of Maryab as slaves but otherwise didn't harm them. That was his mistake. When he left to attack Carna, and finish of the Arabians in the north, the inhabitants of Maryab revolted and threw out the Garrison. Then the bastards called for help and the Sabean King arrived with a vast army. Trapped between the two large forces and unable to retreat to Maryab, the entire 4th army was annihilated. The few survivors of the disaster made their way back here in disgrace not a week ago"
"What happened to general Seron?"
"Well some of the survivors rode past Maryab in an attempt to evade the Sabaen forces. They saw his head on a pike on the city walls... But he will be avenged. The 5th army stationed near Homna has rallied under Seron's Brother-in-Law and now march on Ubar. It is said that their general is far more merciless than Seron."
"Yes, I have no doubt they will succeed," mused Mardonious, "The empire always wins in the end..."

[seleucid empire]

Interlude- The Armies of the Empire

The First/Royal Army: Lead by King Antiochus, Alexandros the Black and Sarpedon they are the veterans which created the empire and have never been defeated on the field. They currently roam the steppes, securing the borders.
Original Strength: 40 000 during the invasion of Egypt
Current Strength: 30 000 after the Eastern wars





Second Army/The Legion of North: Destroyed. Was originally composed of Mercenaries and the hoplites of the Bosphoran greeks as well as the legendary Death Seekers
Original Strength: 9 000
Current Strength: 0



Third Army/The Legion of Cyrene: Protect the city of Kyrene and are the last Bastion of defence against Carthage. Recruited among men of Kyrene and kept at constant 20 000 strength
Original strength: 20 000
Current strength: 20 000





Fourth Army/The Sand Raiders: Formerly commanded by General Seron. Destroyed near Carna when surrounded by 80 000 Arabians
Original Strength: 35 000
Current Strength: 0



Fifth Army/The Avenging Spirits: Making a perilous journey across the desert of Zafur to reach the Maryab heartlands
Current strength: 33 000





Sixth Army/Defenders of the West: Protect Greece and Macedonia against the Getai, Romans and Epirotes
Original Strength: 30 000 after the conquest of Greece
Current Strength: 20 000





7th/8th/9th army: Disbanded



Tenth Army/The Armenian Guard: lead by a feared and respected general however only numbers 11 000
Original strength: 11 000
Current strength: 11 000





Eleventh Army: Was a huge army of mercenaries and levies that conquered India. Although they succeeded they suffered tremendous casualties. Disbanded at Bactra
Original Strength: 75 000
Strength after conquest of India: 4 000



12th Army/ The Rebel hunters: Lost half their numbers as well as their general Lord Artazabanes in the battle of Edessa. Now march back to Babylon
Original Strength: 8 500
Current strength: 4 500

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 12: Whispers of the North
Spring 249 BC Edessa

The Patrons of the Chimera were an unruly lot. They shouted for drinks while grabbing at any of the serving girls who came into range of their hands. The serving girls, daughters of the matron of the tavern had learned quickly how to dodge their patrons' grasps. There were few nights where brawls didn't occur here, yet it was a good place for men to talk where they wouldn't be overheard. The racket of the drunk men made it impossible for anyone to eavesdrop without coming in too close and revealing themselves. On this night, Two men sat in the darkness, talking in hushed voices. They looked alike in feature but one man looked much older than the other. Had anyone noticed them, they would seem like father and son, although in reality, they were brothers, born not one year apart.

"Brother it has been too long." said one
"Aye it has." replied the other
"I can see war has taken a toll on you. You look 20 years older now although it has only been 5 since you left home."
"I have seen horrible things, and I must journey east to bring news to the King."
"What news?"

The first man hesitated and looked around before speaking
"The North has fallen to the Sarmatians..."
"What?! That's impossible! You said yourself in your letters that the northern cities were safe. You said the Sarmatians had no way to breach their high walls. What happened to the stalemate?"
"Lord Herakleides Artarneou, The Lord of the North was killed. He was hit by an arrow through the neck while he walked the streets of Pantikapaion"
"An Assassin?"
"Yes."
"Were there no guards?"
"There were many guards. That is the strange thing. I was part of his guard and I witnessed it myself. The arrow came out of the air from the direction of the Barrack towers. It was two blocks away. By the time we reached the tower, whoever had shot the arrow had disappeared."
"Thats an impossible shot. No-one can hit a man in the neck at that range! Especially within a city with buildings blocking the view"
"Yes, well, there are rumors. Some say it was a shade of one of the Death Seekers who died ten years ago, come to take his revenge."
"What do you believe?"
"I'm not sure what I believe. I thought I saw a figure running across the rooftops. He was a huge man but he moved as swiftly as a shadow. I dismissed it as a trick of the eye but now I am not so certain"

The first man shuddered before continuing "What happened next?"
"Lord Herakleides' son became the new lord. He believed it was the Sarmatians who had sent the assassin and sent messages to all of the northern cities. He called to himself a vast army, 80 000 strong and marched on Sarmatian lands. The army had a core of hoplites from the Greek cities of the North and many Scythian tribes who joined as archers or heavy cavalry. He even hired vicious Getai and Thracian tribesmen"
"80 000?! Surely then the Sarmatians would have been crushed?"
"Nay, it was a foolish idea to face Sarmatians in open land."
"But I hear the King is doing just that except he has even fewer men! He has taken settlement after Settlement from the Saka barbarians."
"His army may only number 30 000 but he has the veterans of the Royal army! He is the empires' greatest general along with his brother Alexandros. He also has 4 000 companion cavalry with him. Not even the nomads can stand against those men"
"Go on brother. What happened next?"
"We met the Sarmatian horde near one of their few strongholds. They numbered 15 000 horsemen, from three tribes of their Federation. They were led by the High King of the Sarmatians"
"So few!"
"Yes, that is exactly what our new lord thought. He ordered his 10 000 Scythian heavy cavalry to charge into the centre of the Sarmatian line. They simply retreated and fired arrows into the Scythians. He then lead his own bodyguard and 5 000 greek cavalry straight at the Sarmatian King. He didn't realise that the lighter Sarmatian cavalry had moved behind his forces. They surrounded his cavalry and destroyed them. Then they turned on the Scythians and routed them. Most of our cavalry was gone as well as our lord. The remaining men began to retreat orderly. The Sarmatians pressed us but our hoplites formed a rearguard and our archers drove them back each time. We slowly retreated, leaving a trail of bodies behind us. We nearly made it to the safety of the cities but then a second army of the Sarmatians arrived from behind."

He stopped talking for a moment, his face contorted as if remembering a painful memory. Then he continued.

"They crashed into our levies and caused an almost instant rout of our front ranks. The Sarmatians who were chasing us then attacked us from behind. The Greeks and Thracians fought almost to a man. I survived because I was part of the group who rode ahead to Pantikapaion to warn the governor. A few weeks later the Sarmatians attacked. Almost all of our men had died in the campaign and even the Sarmatians who were inexperienced in siege warfare managed to break through. I boarded a ship just in time and I left the harbour as the palace went up in flames. The other Greek cities were in the same situation as us. There were almost no men left to defend them and within 2 months, all of the north had fallen except the fortress of Uspe which is now under siege. I reached Armenia safely and I made my way to the camp of Lord Epikrates Syriakes, a distant cousin of Lord Herakleides and commander of the Armenian Guard. Along the Way, I heard news that the formidable fortress of North's Reach which guards the northern passage into Armenia has fallen to the hordes and they have spilled past into Armenia."





"If what you say is true then, the Sarmatians can take Kotais and use it as a base to attack the rest of Armenia!"
"Nay, have faith, general Epikrates has raised the Armenian Guard and now marches north to fight them."
"The Armenian Guard is only 11 000 strong. They will not be enough."
"I think it will. Epikrates is a very competent general, if not a popular one. And his stubbornness legendary. You have heard of the famous siege of Trapezous years ago haven't you?"
"Yes, as I recall, Epikrates took the city from the Tyrant of the city but before he had consolidated his control, a vast Hayasdan army besieged him in turn."
"Yes, outnumbered 5 to 1 and out of supplies, he still refused to hand over the city. He ordered his men to eat rats and vermin. Thus they held until Alexandros the Black arrived to relieve them."
"But these are Sarmatians..."
"They are having no luck against our canny general. They have only managed to move a few leagues south towards Kotais. Epikrates has been harassing them every step of the road. If anyone can end the threat right now it is he"
"Well I hope his luck holds."
"It has nothing to do with luck... I must leave again soon brother and tell the King of this news. When this storm has passed, I will return to you.."

The Empire after the fall of the North

[seleucid empire]

I hope you liked that chapter. as always any criticism is welcomed

[seleucid empire]

For people who have read my other Seleucid AAR, Road to Immortality they may see some familiar characters return in this one ;)

[seleucid empire]

Chapter 13: Sandstorm Pt. 1
Spring 249 BC Zafur

"By Ares! Look at all that dust they're kicking up." muttered Draco,"Their army must be huge."
"Forty Thousand or more I would guess." replied Babak

The two men squatting next to one another made the unlikeliest of comrades. Draco was a small man of a lean stature with a very youthful face, who had just reached manhood. His comrades in the 6th squad of the 2nd Battalion had nicknamed him 'Lizard'. His companion Babak, a dark skinned Babylonian half-blood was a full 2 heads taller and had arms of steel. Both men however, had a number of hideous burn marks all over their bodies. In fact, many Peltastai in the 6th had similar burns but none had as many as these two. The marks were a result of years of service in the 6th Squad, who wielded a secret weapon to battle: Greek Fire

A few years ago, the Peltasts of the Second Battalion had served in the navy as marines and learned the power of Greek-Fire which allowed the small and fairly inexperienced navy of the Empire to win countless victories in the Arabian Gulf against superior opponents. In the years since, the 6th squad of the 2nd battalion had risen to infamy for using Greek Fire in land battles, which was extremely dangerous since no man could predict when and in which direction the wind would change. They had grown more and more adept at using the Fire and even created several devices which would allow them to concentrate it into a small area and cause an explosion. This proved very useful in the siege of Homna 3 years ago, when the 6th were placed at the front of every assault. They had become general Euphorion's favourites, who used them extensively for sapping, assaults and other dangerous missions. Everyone in the army respected them for their reckless courage and called them 'The Flame Breakers'

"They are marching in a very wide column. I think they mean to descend upon us in battle formation before we can react!" exclaimed Babak,"We must ride back and warn the army"

As they returned to the army, they halted at the vanguard where the Flame Breakers were marching and saluted a man wearing the helmet of a captain. The captain was only in his early thirties yet he had a huge scar stretching from his temple to his mouth as well as a limp in his left leg. Every man in the army had seen Captain Planck in action, leading the Flame Breakers. Stories of his missions were the stuff of legends and everyone, enemies and allies alike, held him in respect and awe.

"Hail Captain!" greeted Lizard.
"What news Lizard?"
"We've spotted the enemy up ahead. They are kicking up a huge cloud of dust. Babak thinks there could be 40 000 or more of them."
"Warn the general, he is riding in front of the 7th Battalion, a third of the way down the column. Go quickly!"
"Yessir!"

They spotted the general in his white war-horse, surrounded by his elite companions. They hailed the generals bodyguards, who parted to allow the two men in. The High General was a rather plain looking man but had the look of cold steel in his eyes.

High General Euphorion


High General Euphorion eyed the two men and their equipment before his posture relaxed and he gave a rare smile.
"Ahh Flame Breakers! You are the scouts Captain Planck sent out?"
"Yes my Lord. We have spotted a huge army marching in our direction at a fast pace. We believe there may be 40 000 or more. In any case they outnumber us by at least 10 000 men. They are also marching in a very wide column. I think they mean to come upon us in full battle order and attack before we can deploy"
"I see. Did you note the composition of any of their forces?"
"My Lord I believe they have a large regiment of heavy infantry similar to the brown coats we faced at Homna. We saw at least 4 large divisions of those men as well as 10 divisions of their regular skirmishers. The rest of the army we did not see."
"Very well, return to the vanguard. I will give the order to deploy."

The two men rode back to the vanguard. Draco glanced back. The General was smiling...