EMPIRE: Song of Peace and War

[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