Down From Africa (An AAR Sidestory)

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Down From Africa
An AAR Side-story

Since my AAR was going to end up being battle review after battle review, I decided to do something different to entertain myself. This sidestory takes place in the same "world" as my AAR, but since the main character does not know of the events of the Arche, it doesn't necessarily directly follow the AAR. After playing several years, I noticed that some units I had recruited many year prior had continued on and seen the bulk of the war. This story will be about one of those soldiers. (Once concluded, I plan to merge this with my AAR and continue it as before from where this ends.)

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

You never cease to surprise us, MAA.

I must say I suffered a heart attack when I saw the closed symbol on the "Pyrrhic Dynasty".

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

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) : ]

[MButcher]

That was a good read, keep up the good stuff.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

Extremely good read, though the last three paragraphs might have had a tad too much overview for a Nubian archer. But nevertheless I liked it very much. Keep it up! It's a good idea to learn of all these battles from the point of view of a humble soldier.

[V.T. Marvin]

Noticing the lock on the Pyrrhic Dynasty thread I was shocked. Seeing your explanation and link to another storyline I was surprised. Reading it I was amazed!

I very much appreciate and admire your decision to abandon your well established (and incredibly successful) way of making AAR and switch to a completely new track into unexplored land. Such decisions are never easy to make, but extremely rewarding when accomplished.

[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!

[Subotan]

You never cease to surprise us, MAA.

I must say I suffered a heart attack when I saw the closed symbol on the "Pyrrhic Dynasty".

Agreed. Brix were shat. O.-

Great stuff, although this Nubian archer seems to be very aware of modern Geopolitics

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Thanks everybody. I plan to reopen my old thread and unite it with this one when this story ends.

I added that paragraph about the overview of the Persian unification at the last minute. I wanted to mention that but it does really seem out of character. I justified it to myself by saying that he is telling this story in his old age after spending years fighting Persia. I figured he would have learned some of the backround behind the war. I probably should have left it out, though.

The next part will have more details about each individual battles and actually start taking the AAR forward again.

[Lysimachos]

The third thread for one campaign, that has to be an all-time record

I added that paragraph about the overview of the Persian unification at the last minute. I wanted to mention that but it does really seem out of character. I justified it to myself by saying that he is telling this story in his old age after spending years fighting Persia. I figured he would have learned some of the backround behind the war. I probably should have left it out, though.

Perhaps you could implement overviews in objective, third person intermissions, or something comparable. This would leave no doubt about the actual horizon of knowledge the protagonist has, while still informing the reader about the situation beyond that horizon.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Drawing Out the Enemy

Antigonos left the army for some time. He left us in the camp and
returned to his homeland to meet with his father. There was talk
amoungst the Hellenes in the army over things such as citizenship
and democracy, but it meant nothing to me. I spent my time
practicing my archery. After seeing the men from Syria practice
their archery, I took it upon myself to improve by technique. In the
end, I really couldn't compete with them. Their bows were just of
superior construction.

We waited for nearly a year in that camp along the side of the river
Euphrates. Word came that other Hellenic armies had assembled
to the north and were going to join in on the war. At the time I didn't
see the point in it. Our army had defeated the entire army of the
Kingdom of Meroe. We had won a war all alone, I wondered why we
would possibly need help to fight in this war. But in the following
years, I would see skirmishes larger than the battles we had fought
against the king of Meroe. I am not very familiar with the past wars
the Hellenes fought, but it is my belief that in those days we were
about began the largest war every fought by men.

Antigonos eventually returned from the Hellenic home across the
sea and once again went to meet with his generals. One of the
generals, a cousin of Antigonos or something had once wanted to
be king but was now only a general. Rumors went around the camp
that he could not be trusted, but Antigonos gave him an army and
trusted him to lead troops in this coming war. He and other royal
cousins would lead the other armies of the Hellenic kingdom.

While all the other armies were still preparing, we broke camp and
crossed the river they called Euphrates. We crossed a desert and
came to yet another river. They said this one was called Tigris. At
this point, we were deep in enemy territory but had yet to confront
any sizable force. Antigonos chose a good battlefield and set up
camp nearby. He knew that the Persians would counter our intrusion.
If they came to us, it would give us the advantage of choosing the
field and of being the defender.

Antigonos allowed his men to send out raiding parties to gather
supplies. They were not really needed. Supplies continued to reach
us from the kingdom of the Hellenes. Most likely the raids were
simply done by the unexperienced troops and were simply to steal
and destroy for fun. Antigonos allowed it but ordered no farm
belonging to a Hellene to be attacked.

After about a month of waiting, the entire army had once again
gathered in the camp and we were beginning to wonder if we were
going to be ordered to set up a timber wall around the camp or be
ordered forward. Before a choice had to made, we heard news that
a Persian army was approaching and would reach us in three days.

When the day of the battle finally came, we marched out from our
camp and lined up to face the enemy. The Hellenes formed the first
two line with us archers in the third. For me, it was not the first battle
but many of the young men who had been so eager just yesterday
now stood silent with fear in their eyes.



Antigonos was right to keep us protected behind the infantry, for the
Persians charged forward quickly. Because of the length of our line,
they chose to try and break through the center. The noble Hellenes
in their heavy armor held the line quite well.



After first breaking their infantry and then a cavalry attack, the battle
paused. From behind me, I heard Antigonos signal to reform the line.
While the Hellenes returned to their position and I checked my arrows,
another wave of Persian attack approached us.



In this fight, I first witnessed the Persian elite warriors. They charged
in at our line on either side but avoided the noble Hellenes in the center.
Their strength was so great that Antigonos had to order in the second
line in to reinforce the first. While the two armies fought in front of me,
I noticed our cavalry move out to the flanks from behind me.



Antigonos' companions moved to my right while the lighter horses moved
to my left. By this time, I had used all of my arrows and our commander
ordered us forward to be prepared to reinforce the infantry if necessary. I
stood their nervous for a moment. That is, until I noticed how well the
battle was going for us. The Persians were already beginning to flee and
there would be no need to send us in to assist.

Around that time, I looked around the field and noticed that off on a hilltop
to the south the horsemen of Antigonos had confronted some Persian
cavalry. In a small grove of large palms, the two groups of cavalry fought
eachother.



Just as the Persian infantry began to get frightened and random men
began to turn and abandon the fight, our lighter cavalry charged across
the field and completely broke the last of the Persian courage. The
infantry and cavalry chased them from the field while we returned to
defend our camp and the baggage train.

We had twice outnumbered the Persians when the battle began. When
the battle ended, we stood uninjured and the Persians had dispersed
into the desert.

Once the army was rested, Antigonos ordered the camp taken down
and we once again moved forward. We moved down this river Tigris,
attacking towns and looting supplies as we went. Antigonos ordered
us to halt as we drew near the city of Seleukeia. It was a city I had
heard of in the tales of the Hellenes. It was the site where thousands
of Hellenes had been murdered by the Persians. At that time, I only
saw the city from afar, but those in the city surely saw us.

Almost as soon as we were in sight of the city another army attacked
us, actually it was two separate armies and was reinforced by the
garrison of the city. This would be one the first of a series of battles that
would determine the war, though at the time I did not put as much
thought into it.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

The Battle of Ethesiphon (140BC)

The army halted on the far bank of the river Tigris and we set up our camp.
General Antigonos set up his headquarters in a recently abandoned villa
and we assembled in the fields around it, digging a ditch and small
palisade around the edge. For several months our supply lines were
unsure and the majority of our food came from what was "scavenged" from
the local farms, villages, and towns. Supplies and messages did come
down the river, but until the garrisons at Seleukeia and the other cities
behind us were removed, we would not be secure.

A messenger camp to our camp one day, about two months after we had
crossed the river. He reported to Antigonos, but soon the camp was filled
with the news that Antigonos' cousin had won a victory. I believe this was
the same cousin that the Hellenes did not trust. Up the same river we
camped along, he had defeated two armies of Persia and moved to
besiege the last of the Persians in that area who had hidden themselvs in
a city to our north.

[Battle of Gaugamela Bridge (140BC), Arche forces commanded by Euktimenos Demetrios Idomeneus : ]


This news raised spirits within the camp. The defeat of the Persians in the
north meant that there was one less garrison to our rear. It also confrimed
that the reinforcements were still moving forward and would join with us
soon. Being this far into land controlled by an enemy unnerved the whole
army, not just myself. We were in constant fear that the enemy would
circle around our position or one of the garrisons would emerge from the
cities behind us. Every time we heard good new from behind us, our
courage rebuilt itself.

A week or so after the message of the victory in the north arrived in camp,
our scouts spotted a Persian army approaching us. Several days later the
two armies were on the field of battle, facing eachother.

Once again, our general chose the battlefield. It was a flat open field with
a small group of trees on the far side ahead of us, the river and our camp
some ways behind us. Antigonos ordered us into three lines, and we
waited for the Persians to start the battle. Once again, they began by
charging their horses forward first. Their armored horsemen charged into
our right and their standard horsemen charged in at our center.



General Antigonos immediately moved his heavy cavalry to the right flank
and drew the armored horsemen from our line and into a fight with his
companions. In that battle, just off to our right flank, Antigonos defeated the
armored horses and chased off the Persian general.



While the Hellenes in the infantry line fought with the Persian infantry,
Antigonos moved behind them and wiped out their supporting troops. This
seemed to be the last thing necessary to fighten the Persian infantry. They
fled the field.



While the heavy companion cavalry gave chase on the right flank and the
lighter companions gave chase on the left. For those on foot in the army,
we reformed and marched forward.



We would have no further fighting that day. The Persians fled south but did
not go far. They eventually crossed the river and moved around our rear.
Many in the army wanted to give chase and wipe out those Persians who
had survived, but Antigonos ordered us to remain where we were. Had we
crossed the river and attacked the survivors, the army hiding behind the walls
of Seleukeia may have come out and assisted. The Hellenic officers told us
that leaving the men in Seleukeia behind the walls was much easier than
drawing them out to fight them. This was true, for within a month an army
from the north under the command of one of Antigonos' brothers had
surrounded the city and besieged it.

Before that army could reach Seleukeia or any of the reinforcing armies come
to our aid, we were attacked once more. We thought this was just another
battle like the last, and indeed the enemy brought less men to the field, but
this would be a much more difficult battle. We lined up on the same field
once again and awaited the Persian's approach. As the battle started,
Antigonos hurrily changed his plans. I didn't know it at the time, but would
later clearly see that the army across the river had once again crossed it and
was going to reinforce from the south. We had not finished them or given
chase and they were back to challenge us once more.

The larger army, from the east, was the first to arrive. This time they held
back their cavalry and moved in slowly. They seemed to be buying time for
their reinforcements to arrive. To force them to make a move, Antigonos
moved his horses to either flank and ordered us archers to open fire, over the
first two lines of Hellenes.



Under a rain of arrow and spear, the Persian army did as Antigonos wanted
and charged the forward and into our line. Both on foot and atop horses, the
Persians pushed forward as hard as they could.



To everyone's surprise the Persians pushed right through the first line and
force the second line to quickly fill the gaps. I can remember the fear has
had at that moment. Just ahead of me was one of those Persian soldiers
atop a horse completely encased in metal. This time the metal horsemen
cut through the Hellenes just ahead of me. The sound and the appearance
of those metal horses in that moment is just one of dozen of memories from
that war that will stay with me always. Even their eyes were forged of iron.

Behind the enemy line, the lighter Hellenic cavalry had engaged Persian
reserves, but without much success. At the same moment the Persians
pushed through our line, I saw them fleeing the Persians. They pulled away
to the north but managed to gather their senses and would rejoin the battle
before it was over.

A runner ran up to our officer and then left. I knew the day that I had feared
since I joined the army had finally come. The Hellenic officer in charge of the
archers gave the order to draw our knives, swords, or clubs and then gave the
signal to charge. All of us in the archery units, both those who had been
recruited from the villages along the great river and those from the land called
Syria, charged forward to fill the holes that had been made by the Persians in
the combined infantry lines.

I ran forward and then halted with a group of Persians just before me. They
bore large shields and spears, both looked poorly made. I swung wildly at a
Persian soldier and my club hit him in the upper right arm before he could move
his shield. He fell to the ground, but before I could even determine his fate, a
group of Hellenes came between me and the Persians. I spent the rest of the
battle behind this group of Hellenes, helping them push forward. I do not know
the fate of the man I knocked down. If he was not killed by a Hellene, he most
likely would have died from the damage to the bones in his arm.

The battle continued for some time, but I could see nothing from where I was.
Eventually, the Persians broke and fled. The generals of both Persian armies,
relatives of the Persian king, had fallen on the battlefield. Both Persian armies
had been wiped out, but it had cost us greatly. By that point in the campaign,
from all the battles we had fought, we had lost over a third of our initial number.
Thousands in the Hellenic army were now dead. Most likely, the Persians had
lost ten times as many. Although I don't know the numbers. After viewing the
previous battlefield, I had stopped thinking about it.

Back in camp, I talked with a Hellene, who was a friend of mine. Around the
same time I had charged forward, Antigonos had pulled his unit from the battle
and arranged them to fight the reinforcements coming in from the south. This
was part of the reason the archers were ordered forward. Antigonos had to fight
two battles with but one army.



The Persians had charged this line, but only the Persian cavalry held their
ground. My friend said that he was their just before the Persian general when
he was offered his life by the Hellenes. Surrounded by Hellenes and with
spears at his throught, he refused to surrender and fought on. My friend claimed
he had been one of the men to stab his spear through the Persian's side and
ended his life.



Once their general was dead, the Persians paniced and fled. While Antigonos
moved his companions to come the aid of the battle I was still fighting in, my
friend and the remaining infantry in the southern battle charged after what was
left of the Persians.



After the battle we looted the battlefield and returned to camp. The Persians who
had fought were mostly peasants so I found nothing of great value on the field.
It seems that it was their general who had encouraged them to fight so well.

The reinforcing armies of the Hellenic kingdom soon arrived and we in the army
of Antigonos were allowed to have a break from the war. By this time it was the
high point in the dry season and we spent most of it in our camp. Antigonos
crossed back across the river and met with his brothers [brothers-in-law]. Two
armies would besiege the last two garrisons on the rivers and Antigonos would
take his army deeper into Persian territory. Antigonos' cousin who nobody trusted
would continue his siege against the last garrison in the north. The fourth army,
which was commanded by Antigonos' uncle, would cross the two rivers and be
prepared to come to our aid if we needed it. This was all explained to us by our
officers who wanted us to have confidence in our general.

Once our general returned, we marched eastwards again. It was still very hot
and dry in those lands but we would soon be leaving them. We marched away
from the river until we came within sight of great mountains. I had seen
mountains before and had already crossed a back when we were heading
towards the sea to fight the king of Meroe. These mountains were larger than
any I had seen. On this side of the mountains was land belonging to the
Hellenes, but on the far side was the lands of the Persians. Someone said that
the Hellenes had once ruled those lands too, but another said that it had never
been conquered. This was all tied to their hero of legend, Alexandros, who had
conquered the world.

Our rate of progress slowed greatly when we came to the base of the mountains,
but Antigonos demanded only that we make a camp high in the mountains. We
would not need to cross over them or even reach the highest point... yet. We
set up camp in the largest pass over those mountains. That was the very pass
that all the Persian armies had used to invade Hellenic lands and then to march
down and attack us. From here, we were able to block any reinforcements that
would try to rescue the besieged garrison in the lands below.

Many things were about to change for the army, myself, and general Antigonos.
In a way, the march up that pass was the end of another chapter in my life. No
battle of armies would be fought on that pass, but I would be challenged and
triumph.



The dry season was coming to an end and soon I would see snow for the first
time. At the same point in time just one year prior, we had been planning to set
out from our camp back in the Hellenic kingdom. We had crossed great distances,
done many deeds, and defeated the armies of Persia in a short time.

[strategos roma]

great work, btw, when are you going to reopen your old thread.

[Africanvs]

I just found this and read it through. I really like how you are doing this from the point of view of a single soldier. I was thinking about doing something like that from the point of view of a Roman legionary. I hope you wouldn't mind if I used your idea? Anyway, excellent story!

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Thanks.

I've been busy with Spring Break, but classes have started again. I started the next chapter about a week ago then didn't get back to it. I'll probably start working on the next chapter tonight, if I feel like it.

There's probably about three to five chapters left in this story (though I could extend it), then I'll get back to my old thread an old AAR overview style.

The style isn't my invention. It would be cool if you did an AAR with a similar style. I get alot of my inspiration for this AAR sidestory from the AARs of "Count Arach", who did a series of Romani AARs from the point of view of a common soldier (through letters to his family) about a year or two ago. (For those of you who like AARs, if you can find them in the backlog, they are a nice read.)

[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.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

I haven't had time to write lately. I had a busy weekend then ended up buying "Empire - Total War". So, I've been playing that. I is not what I expected. Everyone was saying it was all new and different, but it just seems to be an upgraded Total War engine. I don't know why people keep saying ancient era mods are impossible, though. Playing shouldn't delay my writting much, but my AAR may end up catching up to where I am in the campaign.

I'll probably end up starting the new chapter today or tommorrow. Don't expect too much, though. Just for fun, here's a map of Tabriqo's travels in the military:

Green Dot : Long time camp or long time spent in a city (more than 1 turn in a location)
Orange Dot : Significant Battle by the army
Red Dot : Siege by the army

I have a lot of random maps that I draw when bored, thought I'd start sharing some that have to do with this AAR.

[Centurio Nixalsverdrus]

I like maps. Was he recruited in Diospolis? How long is he underway by now?

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Oops, I forgot to add the key. Edited that post to show what the dots mean.

I like maps. Was he recruited in Diospolis? How long is he underway by now?

I think he was recruited in Pselkis but the army was gathered in Diospolis before heading out. It should be almost 15 years since he joined the army at this point in the campaign. I had meant to add a dot for his homeland but forgot to. It is just south of the Pselkis-Meroe province border.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Fire and Ice

I fell asleep during the early morning. I did not sleep long. While
the sun was still new in the sky, General Antigonos called all of
his advisors, generals, the Royal Guards, all the soldiers who had
been guarding the estate into the courtyard.

There, within the walls of this Persian mansion, were the men who
had started the fire. They were hung up on upright timber in the
same way thieves, traitors, or enemy agents were punished by the
army. I had seen and done this to many who were thought to be
spies. This was different. These men were soldiers of the
Hellenes' kingdom and were only guilty of harming their enemy.

From the stories I heard later, the men had been looting the city
during the evening of the day before. They were in the poor section
of the town. The soldiers had met up with some Persians who they
believed were being rude. When the soldiers demanded the
Persians apologize, the Persians fled into a building and locked the
doors behind them. Perhaps encouraged by wine, the soldiers
decided to set fire to the building and chase out the Persians. The
fire spread quickly and burned a whole section of the lower city
before it was stopped.

The next morning, Antigonos had those seven men executed before
all our eyes. Some of the General's generals protested but the
strength of his resolve on the matter ended the protest quickly.
Word spread quickly through the city, and soon all knew the cost
of breaking an order of General Antigonos. The act enspired
confidence in the troops and morale seemed to rise. The event also
covered the rumors of the assassin. News of assassins normally
would have lowered morale in the army, and this was avoided.

Kallistratos, Duratios, and I continued our investigation of the
assassin but found nothing new. Great news came several days
later when one of the other royal guards approached us with a
servant of the estate. The servant had reported something to him
and he thought to bring him to us. The servant, a small Persian
man, said that a man had talked to him and asked for his help in
poisoning Antigonos' food. This servant had promised to help the
man but then came directly to us. He said the man was going to
bring a special poison the next day to a certain part of the city.
We told the servant he would not be punished as long as he
helped us catch the man.

We took this information to the new captain of the royal guards,
Captain Theodas. Captain Damatrios would have given any
resources or men to any plan Alys had conceived, but now both
Captain Damatrios and Alys were gone. Captain Theodas was a
Hellene whom they called a Makedone. He was very proud that
he was so and thought all who were not were less than himself.
Kallistratos was a Hellene from Syria, Duratios was from the lands
of Thraikia, and I was born on the great river to the south of the
Kingdom of the Hellenes. Captain Theodas was not kind to his
fellow Hellenes and we were not even that. He did not wish to
help us with our work, but after some convincing by Kallistratos,
he agreed to give us the command of as many men we needed.

The following day, the three of us and a small group of soldiers
were hiding near the location where the servant went to meet with
the man. We did not have to wait long. A man approached the
servant, they spoke a moment, the man handed an item to the
servant, and then they separated. As the man tried to leave,
Kallistratos, Duratios, and I came out from the building in which
we were hiding and blocked his path. He saw us, turned, and ran
the other way. He ran into an alley and right into our soldiers.
We were close behind him and he could not escape.

What he had given the servant was poison and he was most
certainly an assassin from the Persians. We brought the man
back to the army camp and questioned him. As was normal, he
knew of no future plans and was simply an agent for a larger
group. He did tell us who had given him his orders. The
assassin was an old Persian man named Mitrozaban. It was
the same Mitrozaban I had seen in the mountains years earlier,
the same Mitrozaban we had failed to capture in Seleukeia, the
same Mitrozaban we had thought dead.



While the Persians fought eachother, my job had been easy.
Now that they were ready to fight us again, the assassins had
returned and Mitrozaban was there to lead them.

We once again played the game of chasing Mitrozaban's
shadow. Several attempts at sabatoge and assassination were
caught. None of them since the assassin during that night
were ever a serious threat. Kallistratos busied himself setting
up a network of informants. Duratios would walk the poor parts
of the city and listen for rumors. I spent my time either near
General Antigonos or partrolling the city and countryside.

Antigonos administered the conquered city with the army.
Crimes were strickly punished and the people were restricted
in their actions. It was not Hades for the people. There were
no taxes raised and Antigonos made sure the supply of grain
was controlled. The people of the city were much happier
than I expected.

Antigonos had the army reinforce the city walls and prepare for
a siege. Reinforcements were being recruited in the lands
between the two rivers to the west, but they would not arrive
until the spring. Everyone within the city expected another battle.

Reports from Persia said that Aram, son of King Koyroun, had
become king. Both the new king and his son were dead so the
old dynasty was back in power after only a year of absence.
Aram restored his throne and regained the power of his father.

Days passed into months and there was no sign of the Persians.
Scouts reported that Persian forces had completed withdrawn from
all of the lands of the Persian homeland, and messengers said that
they were no longer fighting in the lands called Armenia.

The season of winter came again. Snow could be seen in the
mountains but the city saw little. When the spring came still war
did not. Antigonos was ready for a new plan and sent out
messengers to King Aram and requested they meet.

[Horatius Flaccus]

Good chapter!

I wonder why they have withdrawn their troops, civil war maybe?

[NickTheGreek]

Good stuff, lets get this thing moving again

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Old Enemies(Part I)

I had come to think that with the end of the war, my task of
hunting down assassins would be over and Antigonos would
not have to be living in fear of his life, any more than an average
member of a royal family. The Persians may have stopped the
open war, but the hidden war of agents and assassins had not
come to an end. Some time after coming to the city, one of
Kallistratos' contacts reported that one of the palace servants
was spending a great deal of money at the bazaar, so Duratios
and I had a talk with him. After some persuasion, he admitted
that a Persian man had been paying him to report on the daily
routines of Antigonos. With this, it was obvious that the
Persians still sought to assassinate Antigonos.

The game of hunter and prey began again, in that city, during that
year. Sometimes the assassins were the hunters and sometime
we were the hunters. Captain Theodas gave us little aid during
those months. Most of the work hunting the assassins was done
by Kallistratos, Duratios, and I with little help from the rest of the
Royal Guards. Because Antigonos had taken an interest in these
matters of security, we did not report to Captain Theodas, but
directly to General Antigonos. This meant we were not restrained
by Captain Theodas, but this also that we got no aid for him.

When the wife and son of Antigonos came to live in the city,
Antigonos drew even more distant from this tasks of management.
This also meant that he would deal less with our actions, leaving
the task of protection against covert acts entirely in our hands.
Kallistratos met with Antigonos less every week and the three of
us were forced to work alone, and now we had the additional task
of protecting three people from assassination.

Fortunately, none of the assassination attempts were very well
planned out and none were successful. Most were found out by
the lowest level of common guard and few had any chance for
success even if performed perfectly. At times, we felt that it was
more of a game than an actual attempt to take the life of Antigonos
or his family, though we were worried at times.

The game went on for almost a year, but it finally had an end. After
some effort on our part, one of the failed agents, who had tried to
poison the royal family, gave us his contact in the city. He was a
local man who frequented the markets and wine houses. Duratios
and I went into the city and searched for him where he was known
to frequent. We spotted the man one day in a market and followed
him. When he was alone in an isolated part of the city, we finally
confronted him. A well trained agent would have known he was
being followed and been prepared, but this man was completely
surprised when we finally confronted him. He gave up without a
fight and begged for his life.

This man was but a greedy little worm that was working for the
Persians solely for money. This angered us but also gave us a
chance, and we took it. Paying off the man to tell us all he knew
was a simple task, especially when his only other option was death.
He told us the names of the Persian agents, where they would hide,
and what their upcoming plans were. Most interesting of all was the
fact that they were lead by and old Persian noble named Mitrozaban.