The Age of Aiakides- An Epeiros AAR

[Hax]

Hiya guys.

I finally decided also to try out an AAR. Being that English is not my first language, there will be some typo's and inconsistencies here and there, but I'll try to get it as good as possible.

I'm going into the game now, and I'll try to get some screenshots out and I'll upload the first chapter asap.

Edit: There we are, I'll try and PM a mod to change the title.

[Malik of Sindh]

IIRC there was an Epiros AAR which had the same name.

[Treverer]

The one I've found was named "The Hounds of Molossia", by Lord Gruffles.

@ Elphir: ... and a word to the wise: stay away from Argos!

T.

Edit: @ Malik of Sindh: you were right! It was same the title and written by Quantumf8.

[Hax]

Aah!

I knew it sounded kinda familiar. Oh well, I'll just make up another name! ^_^

Don't want any trouble.

[Malik of Sindh]

Edit: @ Malik of Sindh: you were right! It was same the title and written by Quantumf8.

Im always right.

Elphyr,
Please start this AAR as soon as you can,Epiros is one of my favorite factions.

[Admetos]

Yeah, it'l be great to have an Epeiros AAR.

Sorry Malik

[Treverer]

Im always right.

I'm to you, dear sir.

Elphyr,
Please start this AAR as soon as you can,Epiros is one of my favorite factions.

Idem.

T.

P.S. please tell us at what difficulty you play & if you're using one or more sub-mods.

[Malik of Sindh]

In my game I changed the Aiakides in to Pyrrhidai.Pyrrhos Pyrrhidai sounds strange,but its fine for other FMs.

[Hax]

Yes, yes, yes. Here's the first chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

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Chapter I : The True Heir of Alexander

They call us the Elite. The Guardians of the Royal Family, the so-called Somatophylakes Strategou.

I do not believe it anymore.

There was a time, yes, that I did believe it. That everything we did, we did for the greatness of our King, Pyrrhos Aiakides. Pyrrhos was a man that excelled in everything. He was a great commander, in our darkest hour, he made us belief we were still the kings of the world. Even when defeat seemed certain, he crushed our enemies. Or so we believed. This is not his story, though. This is mine.

It began in the year of the 504th Olympiad, 250 miles from the city of Pella, the home of Mégas Alexandros.

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A messenger met us in our provisitory camp, we had set up to watch over the Makedonian lands. He told me my presence was requested by the Basileus. Confused, yet honoured, I quickly ran to the royal tent, overlooking a pass that went directly into the Makedonian homeland.

'Alexandros. Isn't it wonderful, Makedonia? It is a land of...contradictions. Just like the man you were named after. My uncle...'

At that moment, it seemed as if our Basileus had stared into the eyes of the Gorgon, Medusa. As a statue he stood there, immovable. Suddenly he spoke.

'Assemble the men. We march to Pella.'

Astonished, I almost forgot my position. I opened my mouth, and shut it again quickly. After a brief moment, I bowed and turned back, pondering this sudden move our King had come up with.




Before the coming of autumn, we had marched up to the Makedonian Capital of Pella, home to the tombs of Kings long past, including Philippos the Second, liberator of Greece. To liberate this great city would require a great leader. But wasn't he, oh Pyrrhos. The moment he gazed upon the city, dressed fully for battle, he was Achilleus reborn, from whom he descended!

As the Galatikoi moved up towards the city, carrying a great sieging ram, I sat on the back of my horse uneasily.

'It seems as if these Barbaroi have a use after all.'

'Aye, do they not?' my brother-in-arms, Amyntas, said.

'They've started ramming the walls!' somebody shouted. A couple of the other Somatophylakes started whispering. I closed my eyes, waiting for the eruption.

'Silence!' Pyrrhos shouted. And silence there was.

After a few moments, a messenger arrived.

'My Basileus, they have broken through the gate.'



Pyrrhos did not answer. He simply nodded, and ordered the Pezhetairoi and Phalangitai Deuteroi onward.



And at the last, we also started to move. I patted my horse on the back and ordered it forward.

'Move out!'



From there, we had to move one. We quickly passed the broken gates of Pella and from there, moved on through the city streets. At a certain turn, we went left and left the main streets

'Sir?'

'I've been here numerous times, Alexandros, do not worry'

After some more twists in the streets, I heard the clattering of the iron once again. Suddenly, we were behind the Makedonian line, in the middle of the city center.

'Somatophylakes! Serve your Basileus!' Our Commander shouted. 'Epeiros Megales!'

'Epeiros Megales!' we responded.

'Charge!'

And so we did. As soon as we hit the Deuteroi, there was utter chaos. My lance had broken while I charged some poor soldier, so I cast it away, and drew my sword. Blood and screaming was everywhere. And as many a time before, I enjoyed in the revelry and terror. The enemies of Epeiros were dying, and we, the Elites, enjoyed it. Next to me, I saw Amyntas laughing.

He was laughing.

Wé were laughing.

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Mere minutes later the last of the Makedonian soldiers tried to grasp the steps of the plaza, only to be cut off by the barbarian Galatikoi.

Pella was ours.



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I'm sorry I don't have more pics of that last thing, suddenly my Fraps died, and I only noticed it when the FPS thingie was gone O_O

[Malik of Sindh]

Great AAR.You should make the updates longer though.

[Treverer]

Great AAR.You should make the updates longer though.

Idem.

[Wolfman]

Thirded!

[Bava]

Great atmospheric pictures combined with a very good writing style = excellent AAR so far! A bit more text wouldn´t hurt, though, you ´ve an interesting story to tell, so it deserves some more lines ;)

[Basileus Seleukeia]

Totaly aggree with Bava, excellent writing+ atmospheric pictures= great AAR

[Hax]

Thanks for all the comments, people! I appreciate it a lot.

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Chapter 2 - The Fall of the Heartland

With the fall of Pella, celebrations erupted throughout the Epeirote kingdom. Pyrrhos had proven himself the true heir of Mégas Alexandros, by liberating Pella, he had begun to forge an empire even bigger than his.

During the second week of celebrations, our Basileus suddenly retreated from the festivities, and demanded our presence.

As soon as we entered the hall of the palace, the doors were shut behind us. Slightly unnerved, I turned halfway round to look at the rest of my companions.

'Friends!' the mighty voice of Pyrrhos spoke, 'I have received word that the city of Demetrias has finally fallen.' He nodded to one of the servants, who started to read out loud from a letter.

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'To my beloved father, Pyrrhos Aiakides.It is a beautiful morning. As I write, watching from the balcony of the palace of Demetrias, outside noon has just arrived, while the sun warms up the wet ground.



Today we broke through the walls of Demetrias. It seems the Elephantes you had sent to help were put to good use. With their great tusks, they battered away at the gates of the city.



After the fall of the gates, we encountered little resistance in the first ring of defense. Strangely, the commander, Harpalos I think his name is, has only set up a unit of Akontistai to defend this line.

I sent a small force forward, consisting of levy infantry of the Illyrian coastline. They are not the best soldiers, but they can finish off the lower-class infantry and missile units rather quickly. Or so it seemed.



Although the Akontistai tried to hold their ground, they were quickly overrun by our brave soldiers, and soon, they broke off and ran.

Blood-soaked and eager to finish off this threat, the foolish levies ran straight towards the city-center, right into the jaw of Phalangitai. In the chaos, the commander of the levies was impaled on a sarissa. Blood fell from the open wound and he staggered onto the ground, lifeless. Ill news travels quickly, it seems, and as soon as word had spread that their commander had died, our troops fell into disarray and ran off.

Frustrated, and determined not to let any more soldiers uselessly die, I sent forward the second line of Illyrian levies. As soon as they marched through the gates, I led the Elephantes through another street, leading behind the Phalangite death-trap.

Unluckily, however, the Akontistai had spotted them, and started raining their javelins upon the grey flesh of these terrible beasts. Two fell, and I started to get worried. They arrived on time in the city center, and from there, charged the Makedonian Phalangite line in the rear.



Terrified by these beasts, the Makedonian line withered and fell, leading to a swift and decisive victory.

Their commander, Harpalos was imprisoned and finally swore allegiance to the Epeirote king, and was joined into a normal unit of Pezhetairoi.



Your loving son, Ptolemaios Aiakides.'

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A moment of silence as we thought about the brave soldiers of Epeiros that left their homes to fight for our cause.

Pyrrhos sat on the throne, smiling as he thought how the Makedonian homeland was freed for the greater good of the Epeirote Basileion.

And after a short pause, we all burst into applause.

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Less than a year later, we had started rebuilding in Pella. Troublemakers and rioters were arrested and interrogated, and slowly, it seemed as if peace was returning to our new capital. One day, while I was relaxing in my provisional house, someone suddenly burst in.

'Alexandros! What are you waiting for, let's go!'

'Amyntas, why the hurry? What's going-' Suddenly, my memory came back. Today was the equinox of the autumn, and Pyrrhos had ordered everyone in good health to come to the palace.

I jumped up from my seat, and followed him out.

And indeed, already a great crowd had assembled before the palace. As if it was a festival, it seemed that the shields of the Agema were polished until they could see their own reflection upon it.

'Heh,' Amyntas said, 'They'll only need the bakers and the flute-players, and they could put on a festival.'

I did not respond, as Achilleus reborn had appeared.

'Sons of Mégas Alexandros! Sons of Hellas! Not a year ago, the great city of Pella was liberated by the great army of Epeiros!'

There was cheering and clapping.


'Followers of Molossos! Less than a week ago, I was approached by a diplomat, sent from the city of Korinthos, one of the last Makedonian strongholds in Hellas. We have peace!'

Again, cheering, even louder than before.

'Let us drink to the health of Antigonas, who was wise enough to see that peace was the only solution available. Peace for the followers of Hellas!



'But not only is there now peace with Makedonia!'

There was no cheering, there was an awkward silence.

'There is now also peace with a great city across Okeanos! The city of Karthago has decided not to lift up weapons against us anymore. Now, but one enemy remains! Before the year of the 506th Olympiade, I will set sail to Megas Hellas, to end the threat of the Romaioi once and for all!'



As the cheering once again erupted, Amyntas and I looked at eachother. Our days of peace in Pella had ended. The city of Roma awaited.


Next Chapter = Megale Hellas

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I hoped you enjoyed it. Sorry for all the diplomatic peaceful stuff in this chapter.

[Chirurgeon]

I will be watching this intently..can you post a screenshot of your territories? And your army. Keep it up!

[Hax]

I'll post the screenshot of my current kingdom with the next update.

[Treverer]

... and I who thought you had disbanded your Elefantes on turn 2 ... lol.

Good Work! Let 'em KH & Makedones war each other! Continue Pyrrhos' crusade ...!

Yours,
Treverer

[Basileus Seleukeia]

Another great chapter
Oh, and by the way, it's Megale Hellas, not Megas Hellas.

[Jurdagat]

Can't wait for the next update! :)
Excellent!

[Hax]

@Basileus: Thanks for the Greek lesson! ^_^ Edited it.

Thanks, everyone for the positive comments.

I'll go work on the third chapter now.

[Hax]

Update.

I play on BI 1.6

Difficulty: VH/M
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Chapter 3 - Megale Hella

Part I - Arpi

In the year of the 506th Olympiad, during spring, we left the city of Pella. A long and tedious journey through the hilly land of Makedonia, only several months later we arrived near Ambrakia, although it lasted until autumn until we set sail towards the Greek colony city of Taras, that had sworn allegiance to Epeiros.



As soon as we arrived in Taras, our King was greeted by the captain of the garrison of Taras, that quickly explained the state of things there.



'Three years ago, we sent a small army to annex the city of Arpi, that was controlled by the Romaioi. I sent my second in command, Kleon to command the forces moving there. After a quick and decisive battle, the city had fallen to our command.'



'The city was only lightly garrisoned, mainly by Romaioi reserves and levies. The commander, however, was part of the Triarii, the most experienced soldiers in the Romaioi armies.'



'When we had broken through the gates, we encountered only the lightest of resistance, and our Phalangites quickly punched a hole through the reserves of the Romaioi. And soon, the gates fell to our command.'



'We quickly marched through the city streets. Children and women from the rooftops watched as they saw their fathers and husbands die.'



'By the time we had taken care of the sphendonetai in the streets, finally the Triarii marched up and attacked our Phalangitai. By that time, however, the elite cavalry from Taras had surrounded them and attacked in the rear. Quickly, the threat of the triarii was repelled.'



'With the fall of the last of the Triarii soldiers, the battle was practically over, but the city center still needed to be taken. Another unit of Phalangitai had now marched up from another side of the city.'



'The last of the Romaioi that held the city center, cast away their weapons and begged for their lives. We lifted the banner of Epeiros aloft and so, the city of Arpi was taken.'



'After a day Kleon had reported on our losses and the Romaioi's.'



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We did not notice the sun had started to set, and the commander bid us farewell.

'This is not the end of the story, I will tell you more in the morning.'

Tired from the journey, I gladly relieved my aching and stiff body on one of the beds in the barracks of the city, and I slept until the rising of the sun.

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The next morning the commander, Aristophanes, I believe his name was, greeted us near the city streets.

'Come,' he said, 'I shall tell you everything about what next happened to Arpi'

'What about our Basileus?' I asked.

'He has gotten ill.'

I swiftly nodded and sat down, listening to his story as the morning fog made way for the warm summer sun.

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'Though we celebrated in the city for more than a week, our scouts had returned with grim tidings. A large Romaioi army was on the move, headed for Arpi. Too late to ask for reinforcements, we prepared what defenses we had and waited for the coming assault...

And it came.'



'Within two months, our newly-captured city was under siege by a massive force. Our forces counted less than 700, and there were nearly 1500 Romaioi. we were badly outnumbered. Unable to get any message out, Taras was still convinced Arpi was secure.

After a month, the Roman commander finally gave the order to assault the walls.'



'In mere minutes the gates had broken down and the seemingly endless waves of soldiers.

A few metres further, they had also broken down one of our walls, and just in time, a unit of Phalangitai could arrive there to pin the Romaioi that rushed in.'



'Many a soldier fell that day, but due to the skill, experience, courage and power of ours, we managed to hold them at bay.

After a while, the Romaioi panicked and started losing their formation, making them easy target for our pikemen. They cowered in fear of the Epeirote line and broke off and ran. Even from a distance, we could see the horror and panic in the face of their commander. And in a desperate action, he tried to charge the line of Phalangitai.'



'Laughing now, the Tarantinoi hunted down and destroyed the Romaioi soldiers that bravely had outnumbered us 3 to 1.'



'We destroyed 9/10 of their army. Lot's more were wounded and were lucky to even return to their masters.

And as we returned to the city, we saw the chaos and all the corpses. We wept for the brave soldiers that had fallen, and gave their last breath to defend a city that didn't even house proper Hellenic people. The stench was terrible.'



'Outside of the city, it was even worse.'



'But Arpi was stíll ours.'

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Edit: I will do these chapters in Parts.

[Jurdagat]

yay! :)

[Treverer]

Impressive, both your skills as a defender & with editing the pictures.

Yours,
Treverer

[LordofUmbar]

Good job. I look forward to more.

[Hax]

Thanks guys. I appreciate all the awesome comments!

For people interested, I use Google Picasa to re-cut and change the atmosphere (since I doth sucketh at Adobe Photosoup)

Yes, I'm better at defending than attacking, tbh.

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Chapter 3 - Megale Hellas

PART II - The Siege of Kampania

When Aristophanes was done informing me about the state in Megale Hellas, and the capture of Arpi, my presence was requested at the Basileus.

I found him in the courtyard of the palace, bended over a map of the provinces we had conquered.



'Alexandros, it is good you have arrived. I am planning an invasion of the city of Kapua in the region of Kampania, west of Arpi. I am also sending an invasion from Pella to the city of Byzantion, to secure the trade to the Pontos Euxines, and another force to reclaim the city of Rhegion.'

'Very good, my lord.' I responded, the casual humble tone that was required to greet our Basileus.

'Also, joyous news has arrived from Ambrakia. You know my son, Helenos?'

'Of course, sire.'

'Good, he has found a suitable wife and was married two months ago in Epidamnos.'



I smiled inward. In his younger days, Helenos Aiakides was a lot like Dionysos himself, a merry fellow. He used to throw wild feasts, but it seemed age and maturity had finally caught up with him.

'We leave for Arpi within the week.' I froze for a moment, breathed out and silently nodded, quickly leaving the room.

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The next year relatively little had happened. We had arrived in Arpi after a long march, and rested there for about three months. Then we marched on to the city of Kapua, taking only a light force with us. Besides us, the Somatophylakes, we took nearly 500 Phalangitai and 240 Toxotai. Our spies had reported a small garrison in Kapua, even less than had been in Arpi. When we finally arrived at the city, we set up our camps and started working on the great rams needed to break down the massive walls.

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Before we could accomplish our task, however, our scouts reported that a Romaioi army, led by Caius Aurelius Cotta, was marching to relieve the siege of the city. Within another two months, they had arrived.



We quickly hastened to support our defenses, and on a rolling hillside, they finally marched upon us.



I couldn't resist looking at the inspiring landscape of Mégale Hellas. It must certainly have been a gift from Zeus himself.



We had set up our Phalangitai on a hill, increasing our strategical advantage.



Before they could properly engage in combat, a great many of their soldiers had already been shot by our Toxotai, already making the soldiers slightly panic.



Finally, battle commenced. The Romaioi tried to flank the Phalangitai, but a quick quick charge of me and my brothers quickly changed that.



Then, it appeared, the young Lucius Cornelius Scipio had never fought against proper Greeks before. In an act of pure foolishness, he charged straight into the line of Phalangitai.



Surrounded by pikes, and desperately in need of aid that could not arrive, he turned his horse, ready to flee.



Yet one of our boldest soldiers stepped out of line and stabbed his sarissa striaght through the stomach of the Romaioi commander. Mortally wounded, he fell from his horse, and was dragged through the dirt. With a single swing of the blade...his life was ended.



As I have said before, it appears ill news travels quickly, and this was no different. A icy fear gripped the hearts of the Romaioi soldiers, and if it wasn't due to their iron discipline, they had already broken and run.

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Meanwhile we had pursued the other Romaioi commander, Marcus Aurelius Cotta. It appeared he wasn't a brave man, as he turned his bodyguard away from us, running from the battle. But he could not catch up with destiny.

Determined not to let this pathetic excuse for a general get away, we galloped after him, trapping him in a field of corn.



In the ensuing chaos, I saw that Amyntas was drawn into hand-to-hand combat with a Romaioi bodyguard. Suddenly, out of nowhere Cotta had appeared. Lifting his sword to end the life of my life-long friend, I screamed and charged forward. Raising my spear in pure hatred, by coincidence, or destiny, it penetrated the soft, undefended flesh in the armpits. It ran through his body, slicing internal organs, eventually reaching the heart. Still being able to see the shock upon his face, blood spat from the wound and covered my face and armour. Seemingly taking an age, he fell from his horse, dead before he hit the ground. I pulled my spear back out of the lifeless body and bid my horse calm, seeing that he had panicked by all the chaos and blood. After staggering three or four times, he eventually calmed down.

I remember tears running down my cheek, yet I paid no attention to them, and just wiped them away. It appeared the battle had been in our favour.

The Phalangitai, however surrounded, gave not an inch.



Eventually, the Principes of the Romaioi were trapped between two lines of sarissa's and were crushed between a hammer and anvil..

To relieve a part of the pressure that had been applied to one line of Phalangitai, we charged the back of a unit of Italic Allies, employed by the Romaioi.



By this time, more than three quarters of the entire Romaioi body had been broken, and seeing their defeat, the finally cast off their weapons and ran from the battlefield.

I remember seeing the horror and fear in one man's face. I do not know his name, and maybe he had a children, or a wife, that would be awaiting his return home in vain. Maybe he did not want to go to war, and was forced into their army.

But we were soldiers, not philosophers. Our duty was simple; destroy the enemy. Ethics wasn't meant for us.

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We achieved a crushing victory that day. Pyrrhos had once again proven to be a great commander, capable of turning even the most unfavourable odds in our favour.



As we left the battlefield, I allowed myself one last view at the landscape of Kampania.



If Megale Hellas was a gift of Zeus himself, it would seem we mortals did our best to spoil the gift as much as possible.

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After the battle, we rode into Kapua and were greeted as liberators, instead of conquerors.



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The next year, being the year of the 507th Olympiade, while Pyrrhos had made himself governor of Kapua, news arrived from the Patris Epeirotike.

'Dear Father,' so Helenos had written, as read out loud by one of the court messengers

'In honour of your achievements in Megale Hellas, two large palaces have been erected in Epidamnos and Ambrakia'





'Also, the annexation of the ex-Patris Makedonika is complete. Proud followers of Molossos have completed the governmental buildings in both Pella and Demetrias. This should secure our grip on the old Makedonian provinces.'



'That is good news,' Pyrrhos interrupted, 'I have been told the palisade at Arpi has been restored after the siege of the city.'

He nodded, and the messenger continued reading the letter.

'As you know, dear father, I competed in the Olympiade last year.'



'It is my greatest honour to bring you the news that I indeed won, yet it seems that Makedonian warmongers have spread the untruthful word that I would have bribed the judges. It is with the utmost respect that I assure you that I would never participate in such horrific deeds.

And at the last, I have some other great news. My beloved father, you have just become a grandfather. My own wife, Andromache, has borne a son, whom I named Arropos. My brother, Ptolemaios, and your second second son has too got a firstborn, which he named Eurylochos, after the popular story in the Odysseia.'



'With most sincere love, your son;

Helenos Aiakides, heir to the Royal Throne of Epeiros.'

After this news, Pyrrhos remained silent for a while. We had almost thought he a had turned into a statue, for he said nothing for almost 20 minutes.

'What to do?' He suddenly said, 'If I'd let the Makedonians pay for this insult, I would have to abandon our cause at Megale Hellas, leaving us open for assault...but if I don't do so, I'd dishonour my heir.'

He pondered this matter for awhile and spoke again.

'Acheron!'

The messenger that had read the letter aloud rushed forward and bowed.

'Send a diplomat to Chalkis. I shall discuss this matter with Antigonas. Send...' He rubbed his head as he tried to think of the name. 'Arbaios'

Acheron nodded, bowed and walked out of the throne room.

We were about to do the same when we suddenly heard something crashing against the floor. Halfway turning to see what had happened, we gazed in shock as we saw our Basileus, Achilleus reborn, lying motionless upon the floor. We raced towards him and quickly kneeled next to him. As we tried to get him up, doctors rushed into the hall, their footsteps echoing through the marble floor.

As he was taken away we didn't know what to do. Agitated and frustrated by the lack of news, we got annoyed more and more. Someone started tapping on the floor in some kind of rhythm, annoying Amyntas.

Within mere seconds, they had crashed into eachother, punching eachother's faces.

'What in the name of Zeus do you think you're doing?!' Loud as the thunder the voice of Pyrrhos rang through the throne room. 'They call you the Elite, while you cannot even control your own emotions!'

Amyntas, that was still pummeling the face of the one unlucky enough to have annoyed him, jumped up and stared at our Basileus blankly.

'You shall all leave me now, and don't come back until asked for.' He growled, while collapsing into his throne.

And we did as he said, as many a time before, leaving us all to think our actions and position as bodyguards through...

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More role-playing in this chapter than originally thought. Hope you enjoyed.

[LordofUmbar]

Those Roman dogs didn't stand a chance against your generalship, good job. Forward Epirus!

btw, those elites need to learn to control their emotions.

[Malik of Sindh]

A great AAR,probably one the best I ever read.

[Hax]

Edit: How the heck did I get to Chapter 6 O_O

Okay guys, here's the next chapter. Thanks for all the comments, everybodeh. ^^

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Chapter 3 - Megale Hellas

Part III - Breakdown of a Republic

Within the year, we were on the march again, this time to the heart of the Romaioi Republic, the city of Roma. We left Kapua during wintertime, when the lakes and springs are frozen, and the cold gnaws at fingers and toes.



En route to Roma, we were attacked by a great Romaioi army. Outnumbered by at least 2000 men, or so our scouts reported, our morale was low. Pyrrhos then, held a rousing speech concerning our courage and that we had come all the way with him, and that the Romaioi were cowards, to lead such a massive force into battle.

We cheered and felt as if we were the kings of the world.

As soon as time allowed, we formed into the normal order. Phalangitai in front, with Sphendonetai and Toxotai behind them. At the rear, we, the Somatophylakes awaited coming battle.



As the Romaioi marched up to us, I could slowly see their army approaching. Counting 3000 strong, victory seemed unreachable. We were gravely outnumbered. Even if we did manage to hold them off, they would eventually surround us and kill us. It seemed the end that day.

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However, one must never underestimate the Gods. The Moirae, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos are not to be understood by mortals. It seems Fate had smiled kind upon us that day.

Guided by Pallas Athena, one slingshot hit the Romaioi commander in the eye, instantly killing him.



As soon as they had discovered the cause of his death, the second-in-command immediately surrendered, after it seemed that the Gods were with us. And so, we won that battle.



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After the surrendering of the Romaioi, the way to Roma truly lay open. However, as soon as we arrived there, our Basileus fell ill again. Unable to lead this battle, he sent forth his second in command. We proudly held guard near Pyrrhos, and before the day was over, we heard that Roma had fallen.



Overjoyed by this news, Pyrrhos jumped up from his bed and walked outside of the tent. From the hill in which we had positioned, we could clearly see the smoke rising from the city of Roma.



Grimacing while seeing this, he ordered for his horse to be made ready. We quickly rode down the hill into the city of Roma. All around us, houses were being looted and stood burning. I saw one girl, perhaps twelve years old, being raped repeatedly. Babies were thrown off the walls, men tortured and murdered. Pyrrhos' face turned pale when he saw this, and with a thunderous voice, like Zeus himself, he cried out loud.

Quickly, silence overcame the city. He himself retreated into the Palace, and did not come back. Awkwardly, everyone retreated. As we rode further through the city, I saw one woman crying, with her husband angrily looking at us, shouting obscenities in a language I did not understand.

Silent, we guided our horses further through the city, littered with Romaioi corpses.

And none of us said a word.

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The next month, Pyrrhos was declared ruler of the region of Latium.



Now that Roma had fallen to us, the Romaioi stood without a capital, weak, ready to fall. Surrounded by our Gallic allies in the north, and by us, Epeiros, in the south, they had nowhere to go.



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One day, at sunset, Pyrrhos called me to him.

'Alexandros. As you know, I was planning an invasion on the city of Byzantion. However, all three of my sons are indisposed in our homelands. I want you to lead this invasion.'

At first, my heart filled with joy and pride, but after a short moment, it came to me that I'd have to leave Megás Hellas, and Pyrrhos himself.

'I see, Basileus. It is a great honor that you have chosen me, of all people.'

'You will leave as soon as time permits.'

I nodded and return to my tent, putting on my armor and preparing for the journey to Taras.

'Where are you going off too?'

'Amyntas...our Basileus has sent me to our homelands. I am supposed to lead a force towards Byzantion.'

It remained silence.

'I understand. I'll try to leave some Romaioi alive for when you come back.'

I smiled. 'If I come back, that is'

'Don't talk that way, I know you'll come back. You always seem to stay alive.'

'Then I'll see you again, old friend'

Without wasting another word I picked up my bag, saddled my horse and rode off. I quickly passed the city gates of Roma, where my escort would wait to guide me to Kapua. And from there, we would stay away from the borders of Brettia and take the route via Arpi.

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After a month of fast-paced journeying, I could hear the sea-gulls cry. And before long, I could see the white walls of Taras. When we arrived, I was greeted by Aristophanes once again, and he quickly guided me to my ship.

And before the dawn had fallen on the other day, we set sail.
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We reached the shores of Ambrakia within the year, where I was greeted by a new type of soldiers: The Thureophoroi. Armed with shorter spears than the Phalangitai, but with large oval shields, the Thureophoroi also carried javelins with them, in the style of the Romaioi.



These Thureophoroi were fine soldiers, and a good addition for any commander.

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After another two months in Ambrakia, we marched away from the city, and set up our camps around 250 miles from Pella. I watched over the plains, and with a shock I realised this was the same place where Pyrrhos had called me to, more than ten years ago.

I led my new army on to the city of Pella, where other, more unwelcome news awaited me. It seems my command had been taken over by a new general, that had married Pyrrhos' daughter, Laodemeia.



I was greatly upset by this news, and I refused to greet him with the respect he deserved. As soon as I didn't bow before him, he seized me up, and asked me to walk with him. Alone.

Greatly surprised, I complied and he explained to me how he didn't want to take command out of my hands. And at the end, he embraced me as my equal, and told me his name: Dexamenos Boulorios. From that moment, I no longer regarded him as my commander. We were now as brothers.

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Ugh, I didn't like this one. I'm having a bit of a writersblock and am kinda busy, but I'll try and update again tonight or tomorrow.

Edit: Alright, I mixed two pics up a bit

[CirdanDharix]

Pyrrhos is to nice to these Roman scum. Do you think they would have stopped massacreing you?

But, great AAR