[RS AAR] What it is to be Free
This is an AAR with the Free People faction. It allows for a more open AAR, where I can treat each city as an individual faction (apart from in a few places where some nearby regions have been grouped into kingdoms) and I can take the story to any town, from Ireland to Arabia. Some stories from some cities may crossover at some point (this is, at least, my intention) hopefully providing some interest. With such a large scope, this is not as detailed as some other, great, AAR's here - I'll just see how it goes. It's fairly fast-paced, and has lots of pictures
The Kingdom of Bithynia
Lesbos
The island of Lesbos had long received the unwanted attention of Pergamum; long too had it been afforded the protection of the Kingdom of Bithynia to the north. By 281 BC, it seemed Pergamum was ready to launch an invasion to capture the capital, Mytilene, which was without a strong leader. On a clear day the islanders looking north could make out the port of Pergamum, and next to it see the smoke rising from the camp of the Pergamian army.
In was in this climate of fear that Dejotarus arrived from over the sea. Not much was known about him, except that he came from Messene, over on the west of the Peloponnesus. Many rumours flew around the island however, when they saw his 63-strong bodyguard and the battle scars he carried. The strongest rumour was that he had been exiled from his homeland after a struggle for power among the Helots; but another popular one was that he was a barbarian from the north, beyond Macedonia: while this was unnerving for the populace, it also made them feel safer that they were now defended by a vicious barbarian. Whatever the case, arriving in Lesbos like this, Dejotarus had no problems taking power and promised the frightened people of Mytilene protection from Pergamum, immediately raising an army.
In light of these developments in Mytilene, Pergamum turned her designs northwards, to the capital of Bithynia, Nicomedia – the largest free city in the world. Later that year Chrysippos, the Prince of Pergamum, besieged Nicomedia. From Bythnia the call went out to Dejotarus to honour the traditional alliance between the Kingdom of Bithynia and Lesbos. Dejotarus, however, was not inclined to honour these agreements, knowing and caring little of the history between the two peoples. He secretly stalled the construction of the fleet, but maintained a strong army nonetheless.
The siege endured the winter, and in the summer of 280 a Pergamum spy escaped the city into the arms of the besieging army - the defenders’ position was now seriously compromised. At night when the Pergamian archers could not see them, the Nicomedians stood on the walls and looked south west along the main road out of the city, hoping to see the torches of the Lesbian army, but there was nothing. Hope still remained with Byzantium, but by the winter of 280 BC aid from Byzantium was impossible as the Pergamian fleet had blockaded her port.
By this time, Dejotarus had got a navy together however, but he claimed 160 boats were not force enough to break the Pergamian navy, and that he needed a year to get it up to strength. As it turned out, Nicomedia did not have that long. At the first warmth of 279 BC the Pergamians advanced.
The Pergamum army was strong, but largely inexperienced. On an open battle field it would have been a force to be reckoned with, but for assaulting walls it might be found wanting...
One of Pergamum's seige engines was set to flames by the Greek archers atop the gatehouse, who also did great damage to the advancing troops.
A second succumbed to flame seconds later, but towers and ladders reached their destinations along other parts of the wall, and fighting commenced.
Along the west wall, a unit of militia hoplites found themselves secluded, facing an elite band of Pergamian hoplites.
The battle was going so well on other parts of the wall that reinforcements could be quickly sent, and the Pergamians suddenly found themselves with no chance. Their cavalry could not get within the walls with the ram damaged, and attempts to storm the gatehouse had been met with strong resistance. With Chrysippos seeing defeat he took his cavalry and retreated, leaving the last of his men surrounded on the walls of Nicomedia.
The defence was carried out with such efficiency that the victory was, in the end, total.
With such a victory, the Kingdom of Bithynia had shown its resilience, and now they knew they had to show their strength, first by revenging Pergamum, and then punishing Dejotarus and Lesbos for their defiance.
Dejotarus himself, blind to the possible consequences of his betrayal of Bithynia, upon hearing of the defeat of the Pergamum army, set out with a force that was initially raised to defend Mytilene, for his home town of Messene to reclaim what he believed to be his.
The next summer, 278 BC, Dejotarus landed in the region of Messene. In the neighbouring state of Sparta, young Carpophorus of Mamucium had, the year before, been welcomed by the city with great cheers following his defeat of a rebel army looking to take power in Sparta. Carpophorus and the Spartans knew of Dejotarus – he could not be disguised as he had been to the Lesbians – and so Dejotarus’s arrival in Messene had caused worry in Laconia; a strong leader in Messene may look for revenge against the Spartans for their enslavement of the Helots.
Still, Carpophorus had to be careful not to enflame the situation. He sent an emissary to meet Dejotarus when he landed in Messinia, who offered, as a show of good will, to aid Dejotarus in his attack on the Helot army, camped perilously close to the Laconia border. He accepted the Spartans’ offer – he could receive their assistance against the Helots and be in a stronger position to take, and more importantly hold on to, Messene.
The Helot army was more experienced than Dejotarus's new army, and better equiped.
As the lines drew closer, the arrival of Carpophorus and his small force of cavalry on the Helot right - his bodyguard, Macedonian cavalry and light cavalry - distracted that of the Helots.
Seeing this, Dejotarus's cavalry quickly over powered the Helot left, driving their heavy cavalry from the battle.
As some of Dejotarus's hoplites engaged with the Athenian mercenaries, he used his greater numbers to flank the army, with the cavalry hopefully delt with by Carpophorus.
The lines became entangled messily. The cavalry from the right flank attempted to charge the back of the nearest phalanx, unfortunately not yet fully engaged with the Mytilene hoplites - it turned before the charge and delt the cavalry severe damage before they could get away.
The cavalry did manage to break away, and returned to charge the Helot phalanx twice.
Breaking this unit, the cavalry swung left, across the back of the line.
Now Dejotarus charged the middle, due the way the lines had engaged a hole was left, exposing the backs of two helot phalanx; he crashed one, then the other.
Enveloped by cavalry, the Helot hoplites were defeated.
Carpophorus returned to Sparta after the battle, honouring his agreement to leave Dejotarus to assault Messene. Many of his people were confused, even shocked, at Carpophorus’s actions – aiding a Helot to show strength in Messene; but Carpophorus had his reasons to do so, and his plan.
After a short siege, by the winter of 278 BC Dejotarus strolled into the city meeting little resistance, which he crushed, to be greeted with great happiness. At the same time, armies marched forth from Byzantium and Nicomedia heading south…
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So I should be able to do one more update, then until the 18th of June - total exam lockdown.
. I might start a Sparta AAR 
. I'm only wondering, how do you get those Generals? I enabled the British but I only got 4 Barbarian generals??
