The Galloping Thousand: A Pahlava Migration Short AAR

[Molinaargh]

Difficulty: VH/M
Description: This AAR starts in 236 BC, when I got tired of fighting Seleukid and Baktrian stacks in my Pahlava campaign. I wanted to finish the campaign somehow and so this AAR was born.

The Galloping Thousand
A Pahlava Migration Short AAR

Scene 1 - Dismounting Cowards

And why would you need one thousand horses?

For one thousand men to become warriors.

I would appreciate the reinforcements, but my men need them now more than ever. Could you believe they abandoned their posts in Arbela without my authorization? The Seleukids will find an empty city!

The city this, the city that! It's always about hiding behind the walls for you and Tirdåd! We should empty them all!

What?

Tell me, Dårmån, how many cowards did your army consist of?

Three hundred, four... Around one thousand and four hundred. But the Dahåën are no cowards and we will still fight!

No. Oh, no. The Dahåën army is now dissolved. I want all horses and equipment ready for next week, and I want your cowards far from Babylon.

What are you talking about? Tirdåd wouldn't allow that!

Tirdåd is dying in Baktria, he won't mind. Besides, those horses deserve to gallop away, don't you think? Beyond the walls of Seleukeia. I'll put them to good use.

We are going to enter the heart of Arche Seleukeia: Antioch, perhaps even Asia Minor!

And who told you that, Äriyåhakhå?

I just assumed, as they are our enemies...

No! These cities are our enemies! This corruption! We won't let Tirdåd turn our peoples into Hellenes!

We will gallop west and let the distance make us forget the way back.

[Molinaargh]

Characters


Pilångir, the rebel Sakae.

Baghåbokhsh, son of Pilångir.

Äriyåhakhå, commander of the left flank.

Artavakhsh, the nomad.

Isråbån, the Persian.

Dårmån, the Dahae commander.

Tirdåd, the King.

Scene 2 - The Nomad and the Persian

Not all the Dahåën are cowards, Pilångir. I too hate these walls.

I also heard about your plans and I'm going with you as well. Even though I lived all my life here, I couldn't wait to get out one day.


Very well. I have heard of your ability with the bow, Artavakhsh. You will command the right flank. And you, Persian, will stay close to him. Äriyåhakhå is taking care of the left flank with my son Baghåbokhsh. I will be in the center.


Warriors! All of you! You are named The Galloping Thousand, and you will never stop!

[Molinaargh]

Scene 3 - The Galloping Thousand

We left in a hurry. Without Dårmån's Dahåën army, the Seleukids marched into our lands. Pahlavan lands. Our lands were further west.


We were a thousand well armed and equipped warriors.


Once in Asia Minor, the Seleukids stopped wondering where we were going and what was our purpose, and instead attempted to destroy whatever our plan was.


But could they?


We charged their phalanxes head-on fearlessly.


In the end, Sophron went back home defeated.


We continued to advance towards Ipsos, only to avoid the city and keep going west.


But Dyonitas, another worried Seleukid general, couldn't just look.


This time the battlefield was open, allowing us to maneuver our cavalry.


The Seleukids could do nothing but watch the deaths of their companions and wait for their own.


A few galatian mercenaries fought bravely and were killed with honor.


The Galloping Thousand were victorious, but not thousand.


Our army had gone down to six hundred men, without even leaving Asia.


But we were almost out...


Meanwhile, at home, the cities crumbled. I didn't mind.


In both the Seleukid and the Baktrian frontiers, battles and cities were lost every day.


But the true war wasn't behind us. It had yet to come.

[Molinaargh]

Scene 4 - Makedonian Battles

The Makedonians, allies of the Seleukids, feared that we would attack their lands and kept small garrisons in the coast of Asia Minor.


We advanced nonetheless, pushing their troops back and making way for our own.


We were attacked repeatedly by skirmishing forces.


These battles were bloody, ask the Makedonians.


But victory was always ours.


We advanced, always west, never stopping.


And the skirmishing troops became great armies as we got closer to the Makedonian homelands.


Well trained and equipped men fought against us.


But despite losing many, we could not be defeated.


The Makedonians wouldn't give up as long as we marched through their territory.


But the Thousand - the hundreds - fought bravely every time.


And that was our key to victory in those forests.


Every.


Single.


Battle.


With each victory we marched further west.


Until, when we were leaving Makedonian lands, their men gave up on defeating us.


But we would soon find a new enemy.

[Molinaargh]

Scene 5 - Roma

Guided by our horses, we went south.


We arrived in this Roman city and couldn't resist another good battle.


Their walls would do them no good.


We advanced.


Ready for another victory...


we entered Rome.


The battle proved to be tough.


We marched further in, fighting the roman soldiers as they came in their urban disorder.


We reached the core of the city, prepared for the last skirmish.


The situation was difficult.


I thought I'd die myself.


Outlook: not so good.


But our bravery turned the battle in our favor. Or it was our horses.


Either way, that roman flag would soon be burned.


Just like every roman we could find.


And every brick we could see.


And every temple and every column.


For victory was ours.


Rome was ours.


And Rome would soon be no more.

[Molinaargh]

Scene 6 - Inside the Walls

Our journey was successful! We have conquered the west!

What a grand city we are in!

It's a city like any other.

But this really is something else... certainly controlling this city would repay us with much profit.

Certainly! We could quickly conquer the neighbouring cities and form a kingdom, perhaps the Persia of the west!

Silence! Mount on your horses, we are leaving! Moving on!

But father... I like it here.

Far and beyond, like true nomads!

Victories have a price.

[Molinaargh]

I think that was all. Let me know if I got something wrong.

I'll try to continue that campaign just to see where it goes, but I don't think I'll make an AAR out of the rest, unless there are enough people interested.

Thanks for reading!

[johnhughthom]

Nice stuff.

That looks like a fun campaign, complete chaos in the east. What on earth are the AS playing at way up there?

[the man with no name]

I will follow this. Very interesting.

[Horatius Flaccus]

I hope you will continue it, I mean, the Pahlava sacking Rome, that has to be good!

[satalexton]

BRILLIANT The Sacking of Barbaropolis......it brings tears to my eyes!!!

[Whatever Scortamareva]

Reminds me of around the world in 80 days, I'd love to see more, but where can your horses go now that they have felled Roma?

[Molinaargh]

Scene 7 - Italia

My father and the Thousand continued our conquests in the land of the romans.

We weren't many, but we were the best.


We left Roma and attacked a nearby city - Arretium.


With our trusty steeds we galloped in.


The romans did not surrender, but we'd have had no mercy if they did.


Capua was next.


Instead of waiting for us in their city - which so far had proven to be disastrous to the romans - they met us in the open.


We charged, led by my father, the invincible Pilångir.


Who once again couldn't be defeated, even my forces four times larger than ours.


The western coast of what they called Italia was ours.

[Molinaargh]

Scene 8 - Like True Nomads

But my father, despite the will of the commanders of The Galloping Thousand, took us away from Italia. Äriyåhakhå, commander of the left flank, convinced my father that he should stay in Roma to eventually supply our equestrian army. I haven't heard of him since.


We went to Arveni lands - cold lands - and they supplied us with men, food and horses. Then we marched north.


We reached a city called Ascaucalis, in the far north, and pillaged it.


It was a beautiful city.


My father was old and sick, and we, the commanders of The Galloping Thousand, were without guidance.


We ended up living in Ascaucalis for many years.


But not without opposition. We were constantly attacked by natives of Gintaras Ostan. The Persian commanded us while my father was sick.


Their men fought well...


...but had few horses.


My father died disappointed, I'm sure. But not sad, for Ascaucalis has no walls.

[Molinaargh]

Scene 9 - Ascaucalis has no walls

23 Years Later (193 BC)

Our only hope is going west and seeking their help.

Characters


Farnåkiyå ê Dahåën, son of Artavakhsh ê Dahåën, who was, together with Isråbån of Persia, commander of the right flank.

Pårsåmanesh, Daha refugee from Nisa, in the eastern Pahlavan homelands.

Greetings from Nisa, from the east! I am Pårsåmanesh.

Nisa? You have come a long way.

It was our only choice. Our only chance. The Makedonian traders in the Amber Route told us we could find you here.

Me?

Well, not you... The Galloping Thousand. The Pahlavan men who came west, never losing a single battle and conquering all. We seek help from their leader.

You are right about our invincibility, but this city is our only conquest, and the only battles fought by my men are to defend this village with no walls.

Your men? Who are you?

Farnåkiyå, commander of the Thousand since the death of Baghåbokhsh.

My Lord! We beg you for your aid! Our tribes are humiliated by Baktrians in the east! We lost everything! Please, return with us to the steppes!

We can't. The Thousand swore never to return.

They also swore never to stop, didn't they? Or am I wrong? You ashame Pilångir and your father by defending this city!

And how do you want us to get out? We have few men and no horses!

Then come with us to the steppes at once. We brought you your horses, Farnåkiyå ê Dahåën, new leader of The Galloping Thousand.

The Dahåën from Nisa.

[Molinaargh]

Scene 10 - Zero Thousand

Forward, Galloping Thousand! For Pilångir!

We left Ascaucalis with the Dahåën.


In the forests, germanic men standed in our way.


Our first - no, our second - mistake was attacking them in the forest.


We could not organize our forces and would be defeated soon.


But we reatreated to open land.


Still, their men outnumbered us by many.


And our first mistake was revealed. May my father excuse me, but Pilångir was right. The Dahåën are cowards.





And here I am, eyes to the sky.

Ears screaming, companions die.

"For The Thousand!", a man of mine.

Soon to feel the blade come by.





The End

[Molinaargh]

Extras


I'm rich! All I need to do is multiply by -1!


The map in 193 BC.

Full screenshot:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I used no console codes. The Dahae army that went all the way from Nisa to Europe I got through a rebellion in Baktria's Nisa.
Edit: Only toggle_fow, actually.

[johnhughthom]

That was superb.

[Companion Cavalry]

The Seleukids completely destroyed the Parthian empire by the end

[Molinaargh]

The Seleukids completely destroyed the Parthian empire by the end

Completely?

[satalexton]

do it for epicness, carve an empire starting from there.

[fleaza]

LOL. that is a truly epic idea right there. if you can make an aar of you expanding your empire again id be mighty impressed

[HunGeneral]

Truly impressing I must say. A great and epic story. If you really continue this then it would become even better. It is however already great the way it is

I salute to you worthy Nomad.

[Whatever Scortamareva]

You could make a completely different AAR of you trying to get out of debt

[Horatius Flaccus]

Fantastic, great AAR!

[Molinaargh]

You could make a completely different AAR of you trying to get out of debt

do it for epicness, carve an empire starting from there.

LOL. that is a truly epic idea right there. if you can make an aar of you expanding your empire again id be mighty impressed

I'm not sure if that's humanly possible without console codes

Fantastic, great AAR!

Thanks, glad you liked it!