From the Hindu Kush - An Arche Seleukeia AAR

[Frodge]

Can you dowload ROP alongside EB cos when i did that they both kinda screwed one another, also great AAR.

[Hax]

Well, I first copied my entire RTW folder (excluding EB that is) and renamed it RoP, so I don't think there'll be much of a problem. Thanks, btw

[Basileus Seleukeia]

Go Hax, Go, fulfill Seleukos' destiny! This AAR is very good, can't wait for the next chapter.

[Hax]

Well, there's going to be a chapter called 'The Desert Wars', and you may guess why :roll:

Here's a hint! The filthy unwashed Sab'yn backstabbed me.

[Hax]

Woohooo!

I'm so terribly sorry I haven't been able to update any faster, but I've been quite busy with the bèta-testing of 1.1, and you guys are truly in for a treat when it is released!

I'm editing all my pics and readying them to upload and post, so I'll update in the morning!

Now, I'm off to bed.

/me is in BrainDeadmode

[Hax]

Chapter IV - On the Defensive

After a year, they attacked. We could see them coming from the walls. Even though many soldiers were shot down by the valiant archers, they kept coming, and their ladders finally scaled the walls.

I felt the heavy sword hanging from my waist, and as soon as I saw the first hand on the rough wood, I drew it from the scabbard.

Finally, they climbed onto the walls and they attacked.



Although these men were probably poor levies, as they hardly knew how to grasp a sword, battle took longer than I had expected.



I remember a soldier slipping over his own blood and falling down the wall. It was a long fight.



That day, we fought side-by-side with the strange light-skinned men, and this was the first time it felt like we were equals.



Finally, the last of the soldiers was destroyed. The last man alive tried to grasp the ladder and climb back down, but before he was able to do so, we pushed the ladder down, while he was still on top. He was crushed between the ground and the wood.

But we had no time to rest. Even more soldiers were crawling up the walls, and we ran back to help.

When we arrived though, almost all of their men were decimated.



When we looked down, it would appear no more men would come up the walls. The last soldiers that were alive was a band of long-spear men, that had refused to run away.

So we were sent down.



Although we were the best soldiers east of the Indus, many of us were impaled on the long spears they held. Finally were able to flank them, forcing to fight with their short swords.



They were persistent though. I was kicked down by one of their soldiers, and watched him lift his sword to end my life.

I took a deep breath, grasped my sword, avoided the deadly steel, and cut his leg of from underneath the knee. Screaming, he fell down, and I pushed my blade straight through his body, bypassing his armor with ease.

When I got up again, we were gaining the upper hand.

Most of them were starting to tire, and we took advantage, by swiftly picking them off, one by one.







Before long, they ran, and it wasn't until later I found out that at that moment their Lord had been killed.



And so, though outnumbered, we won again that day.



================================================================

The victory at Ariana proved vital. Another man, nicknamed 'Soter', which I think means something as 'Savior' in Greek, was able to march up to Baktra herself, and win a crushing victory.



And by defeating them, he managed to take the capital city of Baktra herself!



The Hindu population in the city were deported to serve as slaves in major cities as Susa, Ekbatana, Seleukeia and Antiocheia, names I had only heard of in stories. Apparently, the walls were made out of pure obsidian and marble, with huge houses made out of white glass, glistening in the sun.

================================================================

Autumn came, and we had to march out of the city once again, to join the army in Baktra.

Before we could reach the city, a huge Baktrian army attacked us. We were outnumbered almost 10 to 1, and the night before the battle, we watched down from the snowy hills to the many campfires the Baktrians had started. We looked at eachother, and the entire evening we could not help but feel that our luck had finally passed, and this battle was impossible to win...

[Ayce]

Great update, and a cliffhanger to boot!

[I of the Storm]

Wow, great pics, and an excellent cliffhanger too!

[Hax]

Thanks! Originally I was planning on doing that battle too, but I felt even more sadistic today.

Oops, it would seem some pictures didn't get through properly, will fix that now.

[Chaotix]

Awesome chapter Hax, keep it up!

[IndianPrince]

Chapter IV - Homeward


The Hindi population in the city were deported to serve as slaves in major cities as Susa, Ekbatana, Seleukeia and Antiocheia, names I had only heard of in stories. Apparently, the walls were made out of pure obsidian and marble, with huge houses made out of white glass, glistening in the sun.[/SIZE]

Correction: Hindu population :)

Good update

Prince

[Hax]

Thank you very much.

I was always interested how an Indian reader would respond to my AAR, since I truly have a lack of knowledge in Indian history/culture/mythology etc.

[IndianPrince]

No problem buddy,
Yes it is an excellent read. I mean the theme isn't neccasarily 'Indian' but universal. But im glad that an Indian finally gets into a GOOD AAR. I shall be watching this one.

Prince

[Hax]

Hehe, thank you very much.

Well, I tried to write it from an Indian-Hellen perspective. An Indian that gets raised into the Hellenic culture more and more.

[IndianPrince]

An Indian that gets raised into the Hellenic culture more and more.

We dont need ur hellenic culture !!! STOP TRYING TO CONVERT OUR MEN ...

Prince

[Basileus Seleukeia]

Well, I'm back and what can I say! Great chapter, great cliffhanger you sadistic

[Hax]

Mwahahahaha!

Well, I've been quite busy, both with Diadochi: TW and Betatesting 1.1. Other from that, somehow, something got messed up when I tried and install it for ALX, but I'll solve that.

[Hax]

Right. This is not dead yet. I will update again soon, I hope. Something got messed up in my old AS savegame, though. HOWEVER, I've almost reached the same stage in my 1.1 AS campaign, so I will continue from there. Some things may be different, so just ignore those things.

[CaesarAugustus]

Some things may be different, so just ignore those things.

Including the new 1.1 features we will get a sneak peek at?

[Hax]

Oh, I'll try and leave as many 1.1 stuff not available, keke.

[Hax]

Hmm, apparently I've lost all my screenshots, but the outcome of the last battle goes as followed: I got reinforcements at the last moment, so everything went well.

======================

Chapter V - On the Move

I felt the soft grass stroke past my bare back. Some of the longer brushed against my ears, and strangely enough, each stroke was accompanied by the sound of a trumpet.

Again.

And again.

And again...

Suddenly, I flung up in bed. The trumpets were being rung early in the morning. It took me a while to remember where and who I was.

Last month, we had arrived in the city of Seleukeia, capital of the great empire of the Seleukidai. Apart from that, my study of Greek is going well.

The war with Baktria came to a close about two years ago, with the borders being reshaped, and a ceasefire signed. From what I've heard, they have agreed to guard against the steppe nomads from the north, if we would return the city of Baktra to them. We returned to the city of Taksashila as great victors, and were rewarded with a huge amount of money, as well as our own agricultural estates in the country.

I remember very little of the calm traveling by sea, which was surprisingly quiet. Finally, after a year, we had arrived at the port-city of Charax, from where traveled to the city of Seleukeia. I remember when we first arrived. The city was huge, and I could not imagine that mortals had built this.

The first thing we saw were the enormous walls, even greater than those at Taksashila. Glistening like pure gold, we saw their stones from far out.



Within, the marvel and splendor was even greater. The Seleukidai were favoured by the Gods themselves, for who could build these kind of cities without the favour of the Gods?

When we walked around the city, we passed a great temple to one of the native Gods, built in the classic 'Greek' style, whatever that meant.



Apart from that, the city had hospitals, great schools to educate the children, a huge theater to entertain the adults, and a road that led all the way to the far west.









However, when we entered the city, we were not the only ones surprised. The inhabitants of the city looked upon us with great interest, as we brought great "elephantes" from the east, native beasts to our lands.

And here I am. So far from home, further than I could've ever imagined. The world is most certainly a strange place.

===================================================

However, eventually we bid Seleukeia farewell, not knowing if we would ever look upon it's great walls again. We left the city at the dawn of a summer day, when the hot winds from the south had not yet reached their full power.

Apparently, we are headed west, and I got a look of a recent map a few days ago.



I have no clue on what they are depicting, but something tells me it is important. I've heard the officers talk, and they said (not-knowing I do know Greek) that this was 'most important for the memory of Megás Alexandros'.

===============================================

Our new general is...strange.

He refuses to talk with any of us, and looks at us with hate in his eyes.



From what little I've heard of him, he's a personal friend of the King of the Seleukidai.



We shall see what kind of man he is in the future, and I've recently heard of our final destination:

Makedonia.

==================

Mweh, boring update. I wanted to tie a few things up, hopefully we'll reach Makedonia soon (they're about to take them ships from Antiocheia).

Lot's of narrative, something I actually despise, but I couldn't really jump straight into everything. :P

[Chaotix]

Nice update... but what's with your map of Hellas?? Is Makedonia or the Koinon blue in 1.1, or did you just gift it all to Baktria?

[Hax]

Hehe, if I had only done the last.

I'll explain.

When the Koinon Hellenon defeats Makedonia, I always felt they become a bit...pointless. To represent the city-states of Athenai, Sparte and Korinthos, wishing to take the far-fletched colonies, I give them a blue color

This is not a 1.1 change, it's just my own personal.

[Tellos Athenaios]

Last month, we had arrived in the city of Seleukeia, capital of the great empire of the Seleukidai. Apart from that, my study of Greek is going well.

I have no clue on what they are depicting

<_< Ssh... Despite what he writes, Hax is actually very fond of that Baktrian blue...

[Hax]

Yeah, I decided to gloat my victory, mwahahaha.

Anyways, I could've sworn I read 'Seleukidai', but I could be mistaken, for someone that never had a study of Greek.

[Belisarius12]

is this aa death

[Ibrahim]

its the AA afterlife now..

[Fish-got-a-Sniper]

Would you mind uploading a save?