Down From Africa (An AAR Sidestory)

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Thanks. I almost didn't add that picture of Antigonos, but I had spent the time to set it up and put it in there anyways.

I'm working on the next chapter but I've been busy with University lately. "The Battle of Persepolis" is coming up tommorrow or so...

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

The next chapter ended up being somewhat long. I'm going to break it up into a couple pieces and post one a day for the next couple days. This first one is just a short story segment...

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Forgotten to the Ages

During our time of conquest in the homelands of the Persians, we
saw little sign of the enemy assassins, spies, and agents that had
bothered us so greatly during the years in the lands to the north.
Mitrozaban had made attempts against Antigonos' life almost
monthly two years prior but in those times there was no sign of
him. Because the age of Mitrozaban, Duratios suggested that he
may have simply died or even retired. Alys feared that the spies in
Seleukeia may have caught him after we had left the city and
deprived us of our rightful kill.

Although we had all worked to find Mitrozaban, Alys had dedicated
almost all of his time during those years to finding that man. Now
he had vanished and Alys had felt as if he would never achieve his
victory. The gods made certain of that fact when Alys died while
we besieged the Persian capital. Alys had grown quite old and
gotten sick during that campaign. Once we set up camp around
the Persian capital he seemed to improve but then died during the
night, in his sleep.



For four years, Duratios and I had worked with Alys searching for
agents and defending our general. During that time, Alys had
barely spoken of anything but our work. To me he did not feel to
be a friend or even a comrade, but I felt great respect for the man.
Even though my father had been a kind and open man, the death
of Alys reminded me of the day when the men returned to the
village and told me my father had died in battle. Alys would be
missed, not simply for his knowledge and skill with the secret arts.

In less than a month a Hellene, who was trained in Syria for the
arts of dealing with enemy agents, arrived in the camp. His name
was Kallistratos, and he was to replace Alys. He was much more
open and friendlier than Alys but that almost seemed to make him
weaker. He was older and better trained than Duratios and I, but
we had experience. Though he was in charge, it was I who
basically lead all actions against Persian agents.



As if reborn, the Persians came for us all at once. Their problems
had passed and they were ready to fight with us once more. First
we saw signs of Persian agents, then scouts, and finally came the
army of Persia, lead by their king. The new Persian king, King
Pakor (Parkev) would personally face General Antigonos on the
field of battle.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

The Battle of Persepolis (134BC)

It was nearly winter once more when we first saw the first signs of
the Persian army. It was a huge army with soldiers from all over the
Persian Empire. About a third of the army was cavalry and this
great number of horses would prove to be a very important factor.
The new rulers of the Persians, King Pakor, and his son, Vardan,
were leading the army. They planned to stop us where we stood
and wipe us out, to the man.

General Antigonos' understanding of battlefields once again gave
our army an advantage. The army took up position on the side of
a mountain with a hillside so steep we thought nobody could climb
up it in battle. Because of this, Antigonos set up the two lines of
infantry on either side of the steep slope where the hill was easier
to climb.

When the Persians took the field, they slowly moved forward and
the archers from Hellas let loose their arrows to rain down on them.
A part of me missed the days when I would rain arrows down on
the enemies, take cover, and wait for the battle to end. For me,
things had gotten much more complicated. Those days were a
lifetime ago even though it had truely only been a three years back.

The Persians marched through the rain of arrows. At first it seemed
that their army was dividing into two parts to climb up either side of
the hill, but then we saw that they would divide into three. While two
small groups moved up the sides of the hill to attack both flanks,
most of the Persians began a charge straight up the steep hillside.
Quickly Antigonos ordered the line to form up at the top of the hill.
Due to the flankers, we still required a large force to guard the flanks
and could not form a strong center.



First the Persian infantry hit the line, both in the center and on the
flanks. Then the Persian cavalry made its move. The entire mass
of horses moved to the east and to our right flank. They turned and
charged forwad. There were thousands of horses charging with a
great sound. Up the side slope to the east the horde came
crashing into the line of Hellenes and "Anatolians".



The men of our army, only armed with swords, could not hold back
the horses and thousands died. The line began to be pushed back.
Antigonos ordered the Hellenic cavalry in, but they stopped by
flanking detachment of Persian horsemen off to the east of the battle.

The right flank infantry began to worry and the horses pushed right
through them. All around me the officers and advisors of Antigonos
began to panic. One Hellene warned that it was time to retreat and
that the general should be defended. Captain Damatrios ordered the
royal guard to take up positions around the general. I strung my
bow, put it to my side, and drew the Hellenic sword from my belt.



General Antigonos alone had confidence in his eyes. He ordered
everyone back to where they were and called for his horse. An
old advisor told him to flee the battle, but he would not even hear
him speak.

Once on his horse, Antigonos lead his companions forward. First
they charged east and broke the battle where the Hellenic cavalry
was held down. Then, gathering all the horsemen around him, he
turned back west and toward the battle. There, on that eastern
hillside, General Antigonos lead a couple thousand Hellenes on
horse against ten thousand Persian cavalry who were supported
by several thousand Persians soldiers.



Encouraged by their general, the Hellenic cavalry fought fiercely
against the exhausted Persians. The flank of the Persians was
weakend. Once again, our infantry were pushing back the enemy.
Even on the western flank, the infantry pushed back the Persians
and began to work their way around the rear of the Persian line.



Antigonos ordered his cavalry away from the fight to rest, but once
again had to confront the Persian cavalry in the open. The two
great divisions of cavalry charged right at eachother and clashed
at the base of the steep hill. There, Antigonos found and slew the
hier to the Persian throne. Prince Vardan fell dead and his men
scattered.



When I saw Antigonos leading his cavalry in another charge of the
Persians on the eastern flank I knew the battle was ours. There in
the east, King Pakor was surrounded by Antigonos and his horses.
Separated from his guards, the newly crowned Persian king fell to
a common soldier from the lands called Pontos.



With their king and his heir both dead, the Persians were leaderless
and lost their will to fight. Chased down the hill, the Persians gave
up the field and Antigonos won another great victory against the
Persians. However, the cost of the battle was great. More than ten
thousand in our army were now dead. This one battle had cost the
Kingdom of the Hellenes almost as much as the entire rest of the
war combined. The Persians lost about the same number and then
another ten thousand deserted.



A few weeks later the garrison from the city combined with the
reserves from the dead king's army and attacked us again. This
time we had all of the advantages and the battle went exactly how
Antigonos had planned it.



Only a few in our army fell that battle, but more than a third of the
men who had marched into these lands no longer drew breath.
Antigonos had drawn the Persians into a great battle and had
pulled a victory out from it.



The great cost of the war was beginning to draw on the peoples of
the region and even on the peoples of both great kingdoms. The
Persians were finally ready to talk.

[the man with no name]

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Great chapter!

[Vasiliyi]

I love your screenshots. And your way of writing. (the centered paragraphs.). I thought about copying it but decided against it. Your story/aar is fascinating. Keep it up.

[vartan]

Oh no...Vardan is dead!

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Thanks for following and thank you to those who have commented.

I don't know what was up with that battle. The terrain files in EB were altered and normally you don't get any weird battlefields, but every now and then there is a anomaly like that. It certainly made for an interesting battle, though.

Oh no...Vardan is dead!

The "Persians" stupidly sent both their king and their heir to attack me. Poor Vardan could have been king of Persia but instead died at the hands of a Makedonian prince.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Blood and Stone

Within the walls of the Persian capital was a nephew of the old
Persian king, King Koyroun. After the second battle outside of the
Persian capital, the garrisons of the city were almost entirely
destroyed and this member of the Persian royalty was ready to
talk with Antigonos. The Persian prince set messengers to
General Antigonos informing us that he wished to meet and
discuss terms. Antigonos and the prince meet in the field outside
the walls of the Persian capital. These lands were between the
walls of the city and our fortifications. We were far from the walls,
but close enough that the Persians could retreat inside quickly.
Antigonos gathered the entire guard but none of the companions.
We walked toward the city and were meet by the Persian and an
equal amount of his guards.

At first the two groups just watched eachother, but then Antigonos,
his aid, Captain Damatrios, and another guard moved forward. Most
of us in the guard waited some distance back. The Persian governor
and his small group of men did the same. Between the two groups
of elite royal guards, the two generals spoke. I do not know what
they said or what happened, but I had a bad feeling suddenly.

I do not know the causes or how it began. The first thing I saw was
a on the Persian guards lunging for General Antigonos. Captain
Damatrios was quick enough to get between the attacker and
Antigonos. At this, all the men in the gathering at the center of the
field jumped forward and a fight was underway. On either side, the
two divisions of royal guards rushed forward, both Persian and Hellene.

At first I reached for my sword but instead chose to grab my bow. I
had already strung it. As I ran forward, I let arrows fly. I used all I had,
about ten. I believe each one met its mark on the Persians rushing
forward on the far side of the field.

By the time I was near the center, my arrows were gone. I dropped
my bow. I then drew my sword and swung at a Persian coming
towards me. We exchanged blows for a moment, but luck was on
my side. I thrust my sword forward and pierced his stomach.

The battle ended as soon as it had begun. On the ground lay nearly
half the Hellenic royal guards. With them were all of the Persians.
Antigonos kneeled over the royal Persian prince. He had blood
coming from his neck and spoke only a few words in his language
to our general before he was dead. Antigonos let loose a curse and
stood up to look around. He noticed the body of Captain Damatrios
and walked over to him. He spoke another curse and turned
violently away. He began walking back toward our camp.

The companions quickly arrived from the camp and surrounded the
scene, but there was nothing left for them to do. When I noticed
Duratios amoungst the surviving guards, I was glad. We exchanged
glances and then together looked toward Captaing Damatrios. Us
in the royal guard surrounded and protected Antigonos as we rushed
back to the camp. Inside the Persian capital there was clear activity.

As we walked back to the camp, the rest of Antigonos' aids and
generals came out to greet us. The one who had joined him in the
field had died with Captain Damatrios and several of my friends. I
heard Antigonos say to his generals, "It is time to take the city. We
should burn it to the ground." By the time we reached the camp,
Antigonos had calmed.

When the army had gathered, Antigonos addressed them. He said,
"I have been attacked with speaking of peace with the Persians."
At this the army grew angry and began yelling. "I have defended
myself and the Persian governor is dead." There were cheers.
"We shall take up arms and take the city now, before they can
recover." The cheers grew and bloodlust filled the eyes of the
soldiers. Antigonos continued, "This city shall not be destroyed.
This is our prize and we will take it whole. We shall not repeat
the mistakes of Megas Alexandros. You shall have your prizes
but do not make yourselves barbarians this night. Take up sword
and shield, we shall press forward immediately."

Without an commander or a garrison, the city hardly resisted at all.
What was left of our army marched into the streets of the Persian
city and began looting and terrorizing the populace through the night.
I stayed near General Antigonos. The next few days would be
difficult days for us all.

[Territorial positions in 134BC, during the First Persio-Hellenic War, after the fall of Persepolis to Antigonos III.]

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Filthy Barbaroi! A thrilling chapter. I'm eagerly awaiting the outcome of this.

[Vasiliyi]

Nice chapter!

[the man with no name]

[Dutchhoplite]

Great updates!

[Roka]

great updates MAA, I eagerly await the next chapter.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Thanks for following.

I had planned to post another chapter today but didn't get it finished. Since I had a long day, my plan is to finish it tommorrow. It is just a story chapter and centers around the sacking occupation liberation of Persepolis.

[Olaf Blackeyes]

It is just a story chapter and centers around the sacking occupation liberation of Persepolis.

Im sure that the 'citizens' will thank you forever for 'liberating' them from Persian bondage.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Stone and Fire

We entered the walls of the great Persian city. By nightfall on the
first day we had not yet gained complete control over the city.
There were no Persian soldiers remaining, but Antigonos did not
wish to risk acting overconfident. This was the Persian capital and
it did not require a soldier to kill a man.

Through the night, the city rioted. The soldiers of our army went
into the city and looted the town. Many of the city's own people
joined them. When daylight came once more, Antigonos ordered
the men to search the city for enemies and gain complete control
over it. The royal guard escorted General Antigonos down the main
street of the city and into the center plaza near the main palace.
This was for show to the people of the city, for there was no person
left within those walls willing to openly fight with an army of the
Hellenes.

All expected Antigonos to move into the great palace of the city.
He did not. Antigonos chose a large mansion that belonged to a
noble of the city. The noble had died, fled, or hidden somewhere
else. Antigonos' generals questioned why he did no move into the
city palace or even take one of the greater homes still occupied by
one of the nobles. Antigonos said that it was not part of his plan.
The generals seemed confused and angry but the aids and advisors
of Antigonos already knew the was plan.

As for the great palace, Antigonos ordered it not to be looted or
damaged by the soldiers. A few things were carted away personally
for Antigonos and some things were secretly stolen, but he palace
was left nearly untouched. This too confused the generals and
soldiers of the army.

Antigonos spent most of the day issuing decrees and orders to the
peoples of the city and the army now in possesion of the city. A few
people of the city were executed but most did not appose us. I stood
by his doorway most of the day. After what had happened outside the
walls, I felt responsible for the general's protection and did not wish to
leave it to any man, not even my fellow royal guard.

It may have been the loss of Captain Damatrios that drove me. First
Alys had died, then Captain Damatrios. I felt I had to protect Antigonos.

As night fell once more, the army increased their looting and harrassing
of the people. Antigonos retired to his private quarters. When he
dismissed the last of his aids and his guards, I moved outside his door
and stood their to guard it. Theodas, a member of the guards and the
man who was to replace Captain Damatrios, told me that I could retire.
"The guards by the entrance will ensure the safety of the prince," he
said. I refused. "Very well," he replied bluntly and left. Their were
guards outside and just down the hallway, but I still felt the need to
guard the general.

For the first part of the night, I stood by the doorway. As I stood there,
a servant passed by in the hallway. He was a Persian, most likely
someone who had served a Persian noble in this town just days
earlier. As he passed, I turned to look at him. I most likely looked
angry and tired. As I turned I saw fear in his eyes and he hurried
passed. At the time, I thought it funny that would frighten anyone.
I've since realized that it may have made sense. The Hellenes called
my people, and many other peoples from the lands beyond the great
river, the Aithiopioi. Although, they use that term too broadly and
incorrectly to describe my people. This servant had rarely or never
seen a man from the lands of my birth. Since I had joined the guards
I had eaten well and put on some muscle. To a simple servant of these
lands, I may have been very rare and surprising a sight.

As the night streched on, I considered simply going to the new guards'
barracks and resting. Had Captain Damatrios been around to organize
the guards I would feel more secure of General Antigonos' safety. As
things were, I did not feel right.

As the midpoint in the night approached, another servant came down
the hall. This man was carrying a water basin and walked right up to
me. I knew this was for the general and he would be angry if it was not
ready for him when he woke. I checked the man, found him unarmed,
and let him enter the general's room. All the servants had been
checked and there shouldn't have been anything to fear from them.

The servant entered the room but did not immediately come out. He
should have simply put the water down in the antechamber and left the
room. Once again, I had the odd feeling. I rushed into the room but
saw nobody. I continued forward into Antigonos' sleeping chambers.
There the general was slepping, with the servant standing over him,
holding the general's own sword. I yelled and ran forward, but the
servant stabbed downward quickly.

General Antigonos rolled, pulled out a knife, and was quickly on his
feet. He seemed to have been on his feet before the assassin had
even finished his swing. The general had taught himself to sleep
lightly and it had saved his life. I ran forward, my own sword in hand,
though I do not remember drawing it, and stabbed at the servant's
midsection. Just as my sword met with his stomach, I thought of
sparing him so he could be questioned. It was already too late. My
sword went through the man and he fell motionless to the ground.

General Antigonos looked at me and smiled as though nothing had
happened. "I shall speak with the man who allowed these servants
to work here in the morning," he jokingly said. He walked over to me
and and spoke once more, "You seem to have a sense for these
things, Tabriqo."

Antigonos' personal servant entered the room and looked shocked.
When I saw this man I thought to myself that he should have been
the only person I let into the room. I had been so exhausted I did
not have the sense to stop a strange man from entering a room alone
with our sleeping general. I was angry with myself for letting that
assassin into the room, but I knew if I hadn't been at that doorway
he would have entered and killed the general anyway.

Only General Antigonos, his servant, and I stood in the quiet room.
To both of us, Antignos asked with a smile, "Have the guards not
even noticed?" The servant quickly started to come up with excuses
about why he alone was checking the sound then quickly ran off and
started calling the rest of the royal guards.

Antigonos looked beyond me, out onto the balcony. The forced smile
left his face. I turned and looked as well. From the far side of the
city came an orange glow. When Theodas, Duratios, and the rest of
the guard entered the room, Antigonos did not speak of the assassin
but of the city. "I want you to send your men and find what happened,"
he said to Theodas, pointing out the window. "If it is our army, I want
the men responsible arrested by morning and the fires extinguished."

I called Duratios and Kallistratos over to me. While Kallistratos
inspected the body of the assassin, Duratios and I checked the
mansion. In the kitchen we found one of the servants dead. The
assassin had not been one of the servants at all but rather a man
who sneaked in and took the place of one. After more than a year,
professional enemy agents were once again making attempts on the
general's life.

[Vasiliyi]

I like how you are using simple assassination attempt to write your story, very original. Keep up the good work MAA

[Noddy The Beefy Egg]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Introduction

My name is Tabriqo, and this is my story.



I, my father, and his father before him were all poor hunters.
My familly has lived in a small village just downriver from the
city of Napata on the great river. In the days when I was
born, the lands of my home were along the border between
the lands of the Kingdom of the Hellenes and the lands of
the Kingdom of Meroe. When I was but an infant the king
of Meroe, who was a Hellene himself, sailed down the river
and extended his kingdom all the way up to the walls of the
city of Luxor.

So, for the extent of my youth, I lived under the rule of the
kings of Meroe. To fund his armies, the king levied heavy
taxes and conscripted many people into his armies. When
war came again with the Kingdom of the Hellenes, my father
was drawn into the armies. With a little training, the army
sailed down the river and attacked the Hellenes. The king of
Meroe attacked Luxor without cause, even though there
existed friendly relations between the Hellenes and Meroe.
My father fought for the king of Meroe that day. He died
outside the walls of the city of Luxor, falling to the armies of
the great king of the Hellenes.

[ Nubian soldiers at the Battle of Diopolis-Megale (152BC) : ]


The king of the Hellenes fought back and personally lead his
armies up the river. Before the inundation had come twice,
that king had pushed his borders beyond the reach they had
been at my birth. Now, my village fell under his dominion.
Having stretched his army of Hellenes greatly and in need of
new fighting men, the king began to recruit soldiers to help
fight against the Kingdom of Meroe. I did not blame the king
of the Hellenes for the death of my father, but rather the king
of Meroe. Thus I volunteered. At this time, I had only seen
just over twenty inundations, and looking back, see that at
the time I was but a stupid child with much more to learn.

Those of us who volunteered were taken to Luxor for training.
I was, and still am, talented with a bow. Us with archery
skills were grouped together, drilled in military discipline, and
taught how to understand orders by horn or banner. After
several months, we joined up with an army of Hellenes and
Aigyptoi under the command of the Hellenic king's son,
[Alypios] Antigonos [III].

Antigonos was a great leader but not the type of man you
would expect fighting a desert war. He was very learned and
proper. He was a true Hellene. He always wore elaberate
clothing and made sure his appearance was perfect at all
times. He brought with him all the luxories of a city and
rarely socialized with his men. On the battlefield, however,
he was a true soldier. He was a great tactician and would
enspire his men, even personally leading charges.

From Luxor, Antigonos marched us east across the desert
and then the mountains. Once on the coast, we marched
south taking control of all villages and ports, though there
were few. Finally we came to the port city that had been
constructed by the ancestors of the king of Meroe, when
they were still rulers of Aigyptos. After a siege, we were
engaged the armies of the Kingdom of Meroe and defeated
them on a hill just south of the city. The infantry held their
line and the enemy threw themselves against it until they
were tired.

[ Tabriqo at the battle of Ptolemais-Theron (149BC) : ]


Antigonos sued for peace with the king of Meroe, but it does
not last. We were forced to first fight off an army that
besieged us in the city and then another just inland. Due to
enemy elephants and poor training, the Aigyptoi infantry took
heavy losses. In the first battle, the elephants tore through
our right flank. In the second, they charged the center then
paniced and killed many. The battles, were won, nonetheless.

We were forced to remain in the region for more than a year
without any to do. We waited until the last army of the king of
Meroe attacked us. It was the wet season and Antigonos
chose one of the only river crossing to defend against the
attack. In order to prevent any trouble from the elephants this
time around, Antigonos personally ordered us to light our
arrows on fire and target the beasts. While we targeted the
elephants, Antigonos orders the infantry to form a crescent
around the bridge landing. He allowed the bulk of the enemy
force to cross the bridge before charging in and surrounding
them. The enemy paniced again and we win the battle.

[ Elephants at Alypios Antigonos' final Nubian battle (146BC) : ]


After this battle, the second chapter of my life came to an end
and a new one began. Having served five years, we were given
the option of leaving the army, taking a job as garrison, or
volunteering to continue with Antigonos. Still relatively young
and stupid, I decided to follow the young prince. We travel
west, across the desert until we come back to the river. We
were not too far downstream from my home when we reach the
river and turned to go north. For a moment I considered leaving
the army and travelling up the river to my home, but chose to
stay with the army. I later learned that the Kingdom of Meroe
had regained control of my village, even at that time.

Antigonos and the army sailed down the river. When we pass
the city of Luxor, I realized that this is the farthest I've ever been
from my home. I will travel much further from my home before
my days begin to darken.

As we traveled down the river, we saw many villages, farms, and
cities along the river. There were also great statues, temples,
and pyramids made from stone, built by the ancients. I had
many times seen the pyramids of Merowe, but the pyramids I
saw near the end of our journey were of such a great size that
it is hard to believe they were built by men.

Just passed these pyramids, we left the river and marched to the
city of Alexandreia. I had heard stories of this city, a city of the
Hellenes, a city of greatness. They had said it was something
that only Hellenes could build and was an example of their
greatness. To me, it was just a large, overcrowded, smelly
version of every other city I'd ever seen. If Hellenic greatness
meant putting a lot of people in one place, I didn't see why they
were so great.

During the journey, many of the Aigyptoi had left the army. Once
in the city of Alexandreia, Antigonos went about recruiting more
men to serve in his army, most of them Hellenes. Those of us who
were veterans, wether Hellene, Aigytpoi, or Nubioi, were retrained
and reequiped. I was given a new shield and was offered a new bow,
but found my own superior to anything the Hellenes had to offer. In
fact, my friends and I had a good laugh at what the Hellenes used
as bows.

Before our training was complete or all the necessary replacements
recruited, Antigonos had to sail without us. We had heard of
Persians rising again back home, but cared little. We hadn't seen
anything Persian for hundreds of years. I would soon become very
familiar with the Persians. While we were in Alexandreia, Antigonos
met with his generals and planned a war with the Persians.

The Persians, like the Kingdom of Meroe had gained strength at
the expense of the kingdom of the Hellenes. While the Hellenes
had fought amoungst themselves [Makedonian Civil War
(177-159BC)], the Persians had unified several
peoples and cast out all Hellenic rule. With a new-found strength,
they had invaded the lands of the Hellenes and killed many Hellenes
in a city known as Seleukeia. Antigonos, and all of us in his army,
would lead the war against the Persians and recover what was lost.

My first voyage on the sea was not an enjoyable one. Winter was
fast approaching and the sea was rough. We arrived in Demetreia
several months after Antigonos. It was another Hellenic city much
like Alexandreia, although I liked this one more because it was
cleaner and further from the sea. A few more men joined the army
at the city of Demetreia. Amoungst them were some local archers.
Unlike the Hellenic archers, these men were professional and were
far superior to even my friends and I, who had practiced archery all
our lives.

We did not stay in this city long. Antigonos wanted us on the border,
and so we marched through another desert to another river. They
called the river the Euphrates. It was smaller than my river, but a camp
along its shore became my home for more than a year.

[ Armies of the Arche camped along the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers just prior to the invasion (c140BC) : ]

how can you start a civil war and split factions?

[Roka]

more great stuff

[Horatius Flaccus]

I just signed up to congratulate you! IN-CRE-DI-BLE!

I have been following this since the "Antigonid Dynasty" and although I must say i liked your old style just a bit better, your AAR('s) are the most interesting and epic I've ever read. It's an alternative history done right.

Just wanted to say that, and I think I'm speeking for all who are lurking so now and then, so keep up the amazing!

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Very well written, and very much suspense this time I might add. Great!

[Reverend Joe]

Man it's weird to watch the Seleucid empire degenerate over the course of the AAR into a tiny sliver on the coast of Persia.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

I like how you are using simple assassination attempt to write your story, very original. Keep up the good work MAA

more great stuff

Very well written, and very much suspense this time I might add. Great!

I just signed up to congratulate you! IN-CRE-DI-BLE!

I have been following this since the "Antigonid Dynasty" and although I must say i liked your old style just a bit better, your AAR('s) are the most interesting and epic I've ever read. It's an alternative history done right.

Just wanted to say that, and I think I'm speeking for all who are lurking so now and then, so keep up the amazing!

Thank you all. And welcome to the Org, Horatius Flaccus. It's always nice to hear from some lurkers.

Almost every AI turn, Persian assassins do their attack animation. I've been roleplaying and making up stories about all those failed attempts. For a while there, the Persian assassins disappeared and I was afraid that my story about a bodyguard was ruined, but once I took Persepolis they reappeared.

how can you start a civil war and split factions?

I did not actually split a single faction. I just used the Baktria faction as the second half of the civil war. Baktria shares the same factional MICs as Makedonia and it was quite easy to get them to behave like Makedonia. You just have to rename and recolor the faction. There are many threads around talking about doing such. (I editted my minimaps that I posted in this thread so that it looked like the Baktria province was still a separate faction. It was really just part of the same faction that played the other side of the civil war.)

Man it's weird to watch the Seleucid empire degenerate over the course of the AAR into a tiny sliver on the coast of Persia.

I had thought they would hold out against Pahlava a little better, but once Pahlava got on a roll they nearly pushed them into the sea in less than a decade. Then the Indo-Hellenic Kingdom (Baktria) betrayed them. The Indo-Greeks had almost taken that last town when the Persian Empire (Pahlava & Hayasdan) went to war with the Indo-Hellenic Kingdom (Baktria) and both forgot about the Seleukids entirely.

[lenin96]

After seeing this AAR I decided to read the "Antigonids: A Makedonian AAR" and then "The Pyrrhic Dynasty" and now aI'm up to this, it's brilliant! Maybe you should explain why the western Persians have Armenian names by saying that the western part was ruled by Armenians and Armenians made up a lot of the aristocracy in the western half or something similar?

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

After seeing this AAR I decided to read the "Antigonids: A Makedonian AAR" and then "The Pyrrhic Dynasty" and now aI'm up to this, it's brilliant! Maybe you should explain why the western Persians have Armenian names by saying that the western part was ruled by Armenians and Armenians made up a lot of the aristocracy in the western half or something similar?

That's a lot to read up on. Thanks for reading.
I'm kind of roleplaying that. The western Persian nobles are Median, and the royal family of Media is a merging between the dethroned Hayasdan king and Median nobles. When playing, I kind of just ignore the names if they don't seem right.

[Maion Maroneios]

Been catching up a few chapters, MAA, and I can say this really keeps surprising me after all those updates. I never get bored reading this AAR!

Maion

[strategos roma]

how do you get kleorochoi and thoriakitai as macedon??

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Thanks, Maion.

how do you get kleorochoi and thoriakitai as macedon??

Makedonia should get the Klerouchoi Phalangitai in the L3 Regional MICs in a few regions in the east (see the recruitment viewer for details). As for the Thorakitai, I editted the files a little in order to enable them. Some files are already setup to allow Thorakitai for Makedonia so all you need to do is add "macedon" to the ownership line in the EDU and give them recruitment in the EDB.