[SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire - **Complete**

[Karnage]

You know, I doubt Skantarios will see this day but your game is slowly turning into a "Skantarios Apocalypse" AAR lol Great Update as always. I dont think I ever put this before, but +1 rep.

[StGene]

Yeah, that's where the Hazara minority in Afghanistan came from. Ghengis Khan came, saw, conquered, and died, and the troops that were left became Shi'a Muslims.

[Concrete]

About the Mongols, a fun informative quote:

Sorrowfully, Genghis kills his friend without spilling his blood, in accordance with mongol custom for a nobleman, by being smothered in a roll of carpet and kicked to death.

BET HE THOUGHT HE WAS LUCKY ABOUT NOT HAVING HIS BLOOD SPILT.

I forgot to mention before, great update mate. The Spaniards had better be challenging.
I think I might have owed you +rep from awhile ago, so, +rep.

[Soulstrider]

Great update, rep + ( the first time I give rep )

As far as I know the western Khanates converted to islam, I know that at least the Golden Horde was.


And If I were to rename a city in your campaign after Skantarios, it would be the city where he finally vanquished the hated turks

[Emperor E]

I am honored. I think I can speak for the fictional Skantarios and say that he would be honored also. I might incorporate something like this into this AAR as a follow-up after Skantarios (the character) dies. Any suggestions on which city would be fitting?

I would say if you do this you should rename Baghdad, how fitting it would be to rename a great city that was founded by Muslims to be a a Capital of a Muslim empire, become a great city of a Orthodox Christian Empire

[pattonrommel]

I would go as far as to rename Constantinople, but considering it is already named after someone else it might not work. I guess it depends how big his ego is by the time he dies

Can't wait for the assault on Rome!

[Concrete]

I say leave Constantinople.
What about Mystras? 'tis where we first embarked upon this wild ride.

[Dave Strider]

Rome is to become Skantarium

[amadee]

why not Mecca?

[Exarch]

awesome update
and so it's come to this
The Battle of Rome; finally, the scheming pope gets his comeuppance, ironically from the point of the sword of Constantine! lol

[Skantarios]

From the Diaries of Emperor Skantarios

March, 1532 AD.
Location: Rome

The time has come. In my heart, I always knew it would come down to this. To Rome. The Eternal City. The city that gave birth to our empire. The home of my forefathers. A city weighed down by over 2000 years of history. A history full of war. I now go to write the next bloody chapter.

To reclaim the city for our Empire, I must defeat and, most likely, kill the Pope. This man styles himself as the leader of the Christian faith and above the kings and princes of Europe. He even has the temerity to claim that he speaks for God himself. However, we know he is a false prophet.

The Papacy tax and "tithe" the peasants while selling "indulgences" for wicked behavior to the nobility. They build lavish palaces for themselves while the people starve. They suppress learning and preach in a language that the common man no longer understands. They take advantage of their position and take advantage of those who serve them in the misguided belief that they are serving God. They have given up whatever credibility they possessed in favor of earthly power and pleasure.

The Pope cares only for his own supremacy and not for the spread to Christianity. For this is the man who would have allowed the nations of Islam to take Constantinople and desecrate the holy Hagia Sophia. The Pope and his predecessors who would not lend aid to our Empire when we fought the Muslims. Their duplicity and conniving knew no bounds in their lust for power. Indeed, they even conspired with the Muslims of Egypt to bring us low. They failed.

Now, the time has come to bring an end to this kingdom, this institution of falsehoods. I have issued my challenge to the Pope and he has responded. They have lifted the siege of Bologna and have brought what I believe to be their full strength to bear against us in Rome. Exactly as I want it.


Their minions the Spanish are moving up from the south but they will be late.

The French are too far away to help and the Venetians can barely control their own city. No, there will be no foreign powers to intervene; the Pope is alone. We will now see who is truly favored by God. Let the armies of the Latins and the armies of the Orthodox fight it out in the field and see who will be the dominant power.

However, if the Pope thinks I will merely sit by while his armies converge on me, he is sorely mistaken. After confirming the location of all the approaching armies with my spies and scouts, I call a council of my captains. I inform them that we will depart this very night and move into the countryside in order to engage the approaching Papal armies in sequence. I order them to have their troops build their fires high this night and leave all of their camp gear in place. We shall depart under the cover of darkness with only our arms, horses, and a few days of rations to sustain us. In order to keep up the appearance of a siege, I leave but a single company behind to stoke the fires, guard our siege equipment, and make a show to fool the Pope into thinking that our army stays in camp around the city. With luck, the Pope (and his generals) will believe that we are still manning the siege lines and not moving to engage.

With the bulk of the army, I move south away from the city.

When the first light of dawn strikes, we are out of sight of the city and free to engage the first of the Papal armies east of the city. This is the army of Eugenius Alexi; the same man who destroyed the Army of the West and killed my brother. I am happy that this will be the first Papal force to feel the true might of resurgent Roman arms. It is time I settled this score and avenged Nikodimos.

First Battle of Rome - April, 1532 AD.

Spoiler for First Battle of Rome: 

From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1532 AD.

The Papal army are the same men who fought Nikodimos a few years before.

For infantry, they have four companies of pavise crossbows, two companies of Papal Guard spearmen, and one company of militia pikemen. However, their real strength lies in their cavalry. They have two veteran companies of the super-heavy Gendarmes heavy cavalry, one veteran company of Germans, and two companies of the Condottieri mercenaries.

They were led by none other than Eugenius IV Alexii. He is, by all accounts, the best general in the Papal employ and a very experienced commander. He is also known as the Pope's "right hand."

This is the man who crushed the Army of the West with almost casual ease. Nikodimos foolishly blundered into his trap and paid for it with not only his life but also the lives of 900 of my soldiers. I shall show him that the we are not the same caliber of those he faced before; and that I am not my brother.

The Imperial Army is still not up to full strength. The Magyars and my best Stratiotae light cavalry have not yet joined us. Still, we are a force to be reckoned with.

We are primarily cavalry. I have four companies of Scholarii, two of Pronarii, and one each of Archontopoulai and Stratiotae. Further, we have six companies of the deadly Cavalarii horse archers and, best of all, our mercenary elephants. I have taken on some mercenaries to flesh out our ranks. We have one company of heavy infantry (Free Company of northern Italy), one of arbalesters, one of longbowmen, and a mercenary "monster" ribault.

My men are all itching for this fight. They know full well who these Papist are. They know what they did and more than a few of my men have lost a brother, father, or uncle when the Army of the West was annihilated. There will be no need for fine speeches this day. Our men are out for blood.

My night march away from Rome has been a success. We swoop down from the hills and catch Eugenius and his army while they are still encamped in the lowlands. They scramble to form battle lines but are already at a terrible disadvantage.

I send my Cavalarii forward to seize the high ground and rain down arrows on the heads of the Papists. Although they have hundreds of crossbows, they cannot reach our archers given our height advantage. We soon see dozens of their men succumb to the arrows.

Eugenius attempts to repeat his tactics of his previous battle with Nikodimos. He sends his Gendarmes heavy cavalry right at us. However, our horse archers merely dance away. Unfortunately, even with their height advantage, our arrows are completely useless against the Gendarmes plate armor. The shots we fire merely bounce off their armor and bring down not a single horse or rider.

The Cavalarii have much better luck with the Condottieri mercenaries and virtually annihilate both companies. Before they can take the rest of the Papal army under fire, the Gendarmes return and drive them off the hill - their armor continuing to be impervious to our arrows.

I can stand this back and forth no longer and decide I will test the mettle (and metal) of the Gendarmes personally. I ride forward with my bodyguard and plunge into the Gendarmes ranks along with one company of my Pronarii for support.


These Papists are truly beasts in combat. Their armor makes them slow but they hit with the force of a sledgehammer and it is difficult to find a weak point in their defenses. I hack and slash with all the skill and force that a lifetime of combat provides but still the fight is difficult.

I take several slashes to my own armor and am annoyed when one of them finds the flesh of my right arm. It is not a deep cut but it bleeds and coats my right side in my own blood.

After several minutes of banging away at their armor, I find a weak point. The seam in their plate near their waist is only guarded by a light coat of chainmail. I maneuver around to the back of one rider, reel back, and plunge the Sword of Constantine straight through my opponent's back and out through his stomach.

I am gratified when I see him collapse off his horse and fall with a tremendous thud onto the grass. My men struggle as I do but my bodyguards are all veterans of dozens of battles and their ferocity and skill match my own. They find their own weak points and we start to have some success. We take losses but kill at least two of them for every one of our own that fall.

While my battle with the Gendarmes was going on, Eugenius rode forward with his other company of Gendarmes and his Germans. They try to charge into our flank but the terrain foils their momentum and then come at us piecemeal. When the Scholarii see Eugenius and his heavy cavalry moving forward, they spur into the fight themselves. We lock up in a titanic struggle of heavy cavalry battling it out along the hillside. When the enemy have lost all their momentum and cannot maneuver, I send the signal for the elephants to charge. They plow into the scrum with all the finesse of a raging bull and push aside both friend and foe. Fortunately for us, they push many more foes than friends.


At the sight of our elephants, the enemy cavalry panic. While they are so distracted, the Scholarii pounce and put the Papist cavalry to flight - including Eugenius! His retreat is short-lived as his horse is cut out from under him by my men.

Eugenius is pinned underneath his armored horse and he cannot free himself. One of my men is about to stick a lance through his chest when the cur throws up his hands in surrender and begs for his life! I look down on the wretch with disgust. This is the man who killed Nikodimos?! From my horse, I spit on him (literally) and order one of my men to keep watch on him while we deal with the rest of the Papists.

The Cavalarii, elephants, and mercenary arbalesters take up shooting positions atop the hill and pour arrow and shot into them with virtual impunity. The pikes make an attempt to force their way up the hill but lose their nerve at the last moment. The crossbows that aren't killed by arrow fire are easy targets for a charge from my Pronarii and light horse and we send them fleeing. Finally, only the Papal Guard spearmen continue the fight. They march up the hill like armored automatons and seemingly do not care for the losses they take from the bullets of the gunners atop the elephants.

Still, they are slow and rigid and two organized charges by my Scholarii and my bodyguard bring down those who did not fall from the bullets.

The rest of the Papist flee but are easy prey for my horsemen. I look down from my position on the hill at the bodies that mark the path of the Papal advance...and retreat.


This is victory.


For such a fierce fight, our losses were relatively minor. Those that weren't killed during the cavalry duel were easy prey for the arrows and bullets that rained down on them; and the shock of nearly 1000 pounds of force focused at the tip of a lance.

We spend some time picking up our wounded and sorting the prisoners. We have over a hundred but only one concerns me - Eugenius.

When he is brought before me, I ask if he knows who I am. He replies that, of course, he does. I am a blasphemer of the lowest kind. I am the enemy of his benevolent leader. I am the Devil in human form.

I find his answer very amusing. At least the man has style and has shown a bravery that was lacking in the field. I tell him that I am, indeed, the Devil in human form - for all Papists, at least. More importantly, I am the brother of Nikodimos. The man he killed...now that gets his attention.

I contemplate what to do with him. Almost every fiber of my being cries out to execute him and his army right there. But, he is an honorable man, of a sort, and true to his convictions. In light of this, I tell him I will make him a wager. If his master, the Pope, truly does care for him as he claims, then he won't mind paying a reasonable sum for the release of him and his men. The Pope is, after all, one of the richest men in Europe and could easily afford it. Eugenius is confident that his master will pay. I tell him he better be confident, the stakes of our wager is his life.

Spoiler for Ransom Demand: 

Therefore, a messenger is duly sent to the gates of Rome with news of our victory and our demand for ransom. The answer comes back quickly and, is as I expected.

Spoiler for Ransom Reply: 

Apparently, it never occurred to the Pope to sell any of his fine pieces of art or melt one of his solid gold table sets or statues. Yes, the man truly does "care" - just for the wrong things.

I present the Pope's message to Eugenius myself. I allow him enough time to read the letter...then plunge my sword into his chest. I watch as the blood bubbles up from his throat and the life fade from his eyes. At the end, I wonder did he find his God or just a quick trip to Hell?

I have his hand and signet ring boxed up and sent to Isidoros to show him that his father has been avenged.

Nikodimos and the Army of the West can rest now. Their killers are all dead.

With the defeat of the first Papal army, I can turn my attention to the second laying just north of the city. Unfortunately, the time I spent in my back and forth with Eugenius and the Pope has taken away the element of surprise and allowed them to take up a strong defensive position along the only suitable crossing of the Tiber. I curse myself for getting caught up with petty concerns and diplomatic missives. If I had just executed the prisoners on the spot, then I might still have been able to surprise them on favorable ground. Now, there is no choice. I must fight them at a time and place of my enemy's choosing.

Still, I will not delay. We will fight them. Here. Now.

Second Battle of Rome - May, 1532 AD.

Spoiler for Second Battle of Rome: 

From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1532 AD.

The Papal army consists almost entirely of spears and pikes.

They have four companies of veteran pike militia, three companies of Papal Guard spearmen, one veteran company of the Swiss Guard pikemen, two units of crossbows, and one of mercenary longbowmen.

I must grudgingly admit that they are almost the perfect force to hold a bridge. The only thing they are lacking is some artillery.

Their general is named Innocentius Baldovini.

He is a long time and trusted servant of the Papacy. He is an experienced commander possessing no small amount of talent - as evidenced by his selection of the battlefield. Still, I must say that he has a silly name, "Innocentius"; something more fitting for a priest than a general. Perhaps he had hoped to be elevated to the position of Pope one day?

My army is of the exact composition as the previous battle fo last month.

We took some losses against Eugenius but were still almost at full strength.

When we approach the Tiber, I see the Papists rush forward to block the exit from the bridge. They have ensured the only way across is directly through their walls of spears and pikes. A true challenge if I had ever faced one.

When I call my captains together to give the order to attack, the response I receive is less than enthusiastic. In fact, the men look at me like I am crazy. An army of cavalry assaulting a bridge against some of the toughest spears and pikes the world has ever seen?!

One of my captains even has the nerve to ask if it might be “prudent” to wait for more artillery or even some heavy infantry. I glare at him and say, "No! We take these sons of whores now!" There will be no retreat, no delay. It is a testament to my men's discipline and trust that they offer not another word about retreat or wanting additional troops.

Though, I must agree with them on one point. It would be better to have other troops on hand. We are clearly not organized for an assault of this type. Charging head long across the bridge into their waiting spears and pikes would be suicide. Even our elephants would fall should we be so stupid. The Papists clearly think so, else why would they have chosen this spot. They even call out and invite us over to "play." They mock us. They mock me. I will not have it. I will wipe their smug faces clean and replace their look of confidence with the grimace of death.

What is required here is a little finesse matched with some guts. A life of combat has taught me a few things about fighting. There is always a way if you are brave and clever enough. Also, I do have one ace in my deck of cards. The Monster Ribault is devastating but it will not be enough on its own. It will be an important piece but only a piece. The trick will be to get it in place to do what I want and not getting the entire crew killed in the process. The Papists have crossbows and longbows and will surely annihilate the crew if I let them.

I must give them a different target. To this, I turn to my own mercenary longbowmen. I send them forward to engage their counterparts on the other side. Longbows versus longbows. If these men shared any kinship, I could not detect it. They fired volley after volley against each other with casual disregard.


When the longbows were fully engaged with each other (and blind to all else), I sent forward the Monster Ribault. The clouds of arrows flying back and forth lit their path with a surreal, shifting glow.

The Papal formation now worked against them. They had three companies of crossbows but could not fire at the Ribault without pulling back their spears. This, they were unwilling to do.

When the Ribault was in range, they merely aimed for the middle of the Papal formation and opened fire.


Very lucky for us, Innocentius was in the middle of that formation and fell to the first volley!

Spoiler for Innocentius Killed: 

With the death of Innocentius, the Papists were now thrown into confusion. The companies of lesser discipline attempted to shift out of the way of the murderous fire from the Ribault. When they did so, I sent my company of light Stratiotae galloping across the bridge and straight into the Papal longbowmen.

They had to beat a hasty retreat back across the bridge lest they be cut to pieces by the now onrushing spears and pikes.

Even with the appalling casualties inflicted by the Ribault, the Papists still blocked the bridge. I needed some space if I was to have any hope of getting some of my men across in one piece. My only company of heavy infantry was now sent forward to try and push back the spears. They were met by both pike and spear and struggled to come to grips with their opponents. The mercenaries went down by the dozen.

The Papal Guard broke formation in order to flank my infantry. The sacrifice of my mercenaries had created just enough space and disorganization to create a small seam in their defenses. This was the moment I had waited for.

I sent the elephants forward in a thundering charge. They shot through the gap left by the Papal Guard, through the crossbowmen, and kept on going up the hill behind the Papists.

Their orders were not to engage or trample the Papists (that would have only led to dead elephant meat) but to simply punch their way through. This they did very well. When they were clear of the Papal formation, they turned and began to fire into the backs of the enemy spearmen and crossbowmen.

The Papists were now forced to deal with the threat of the elephants behind them. When they turned, I led my own bodyguard forward accompanied by only a single company of the Pronarii.

When we reached the other side, we broke hard right and left and skirted around the Papal formation. When we were clear, we moved up to the top of the hill and took up flanking positions next to the elephants. From there, we had a clear path to the crossbowmen and we descended on them like wild dogs. What few we did not kill were driven off the battlefield.

All this maneuvering was too much for the pike militia. In contrast to the Papal and Swiss Guard troops, these choir boys had little training or experience and were simply not prepared to deal with the sight of the elephants, being shot at, and having cavalry pushing against their flanks. So, they did what militia do when hard pressed. They fled.


Now, the only troops that remained were the three companies of Papal Guard and Swiss Guard. These tough veterans took up their former positions at the bridgehead and stubbornly held their ground. I sent the Cavalarii forward (now free of the threat of retaliatory fire) and they poured arrow fire across the river.

This turned out to be an exercise in futility as nearly none of the Guard troops succumbed to the fire. The arrows simply bounced and broke off their armor.

The elephants moved down to nearly point blank ranged and fired volley after volley into the exposed backs of the Guard. When they had expended all of their shot and powder, only a few score of the enemy remained.


The Papists still had to face the bridge lest my Scholarii cross the bridge and crash into their backs. So, my Pronarii and I gathered ourselves, couched our lances, and charged straight down the hill into the inviting targets of the Guard's backs. The Pronarii took the left company.


I took the right.


The once proud Papal army was now reduced to single company of the Papal Guard. The Pronarii and my bodyguard charged against their backs while the Scholarii took them head on.

The Papists were swamped but fought to the last. It was an impressive display of discipline and devotion. Wrong-headed and futile - but impressive.

Only a few dozen crossbowmen managed to escape by fleeing into the hills. We took over 200 casualties but the numbers belie the true cost. Almost all the casualties came from our mercenary heavy infantry and the longbowmen. It is a tough life for the mercenary, but at least they earned their pay.


The casualty totals for the Monster Ribault were particularly impressive.


Although no monuments will be built for this engagement, I consider it one of my finest victories. We fought the enemy at a place of their choosing who had a force virtually tailor made for a battle of this type. We fought with inferior numbers and composition and still managed to win with only relatively minor casualties.

Perhaps my skills haven't atrophied as much as I feared during my ill-conceived retirement?

The next decision I have to make is what to do with the prisoners. We have over 400 of them and they mostly consist of the pikes and crossbows. I could ransom them but if the Pope wouldn't pay for Eugenius, his right hand man, then he certainly wouldn't spare even one copper piece for these militia. The easy decision is just to kill them now. However, I may have another use for them...

We herd the prisoners from this battle before us as we make our way south to Rome. When we are in sight of the city, I release them. Again, my men look at me as though I've lost my wits. They don't understand the true purpose. For, when the prisoners reach our siege lines, I order an attack! My hope is to draw out the garrison of the city when they see their comrades in battle with our men.

If the decision were only up to the Pope, I am sure he would allow us to butcher the men in full view of the city. However, these are the sons and fathers of the people of Rome. I am sure the militia's mothers, wives, and daughters clamored for him to do something, anything to assist them. If the Pope did not sally forth to their assistance, there would be riots in the streets. A stronger willed man would simply ignore their pleas and look to the battlements of the city. However, Pope Nicolaus is not a strong man. He is a preacher who believes God is on his side. That he is sorely mistaken on that point is to my great benefit.

Third Battle of Rome - May, 1532 AD.

Spoiler for Third Battle of Rome: 

From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1532 AD.

Our prisoners from the previous battle were allowed to take their arms with them.

These men had known defeat and capture before. Perhaps they would be more brave now that they defended their city and their Pope.

The garrison of the city was led by Nicolaus in person.

They consisted of one company of the Papal Guard, one company of crossbows, and one company of mercenary longbowmen.

Pope Nicolaus (the Fourth!) was a quite elderly man.

He had been elected to his position some years past after killing many other preachers who disagreed with his teachings. He also kept his own personal nun as part of his retinue to look after his spiritual needs (and, I suspect, other needs as they arose).

My army is virtually the same as the previous two battles.

The only difference being is that I have had to send away one of my companies of Pronarii for retraining and I have linked up with my mounted Acritae and gunners who held the siege lines while I was fighting the previous two battles.

The battle takes place on a clear summer day. If I thought the men were eager and focused for the battle against Eugenius, they are now positively rabid with anticipation and blood lust. They all know the stakes we fight for this day.

As soon as Nicolaus and his bodyguard have cleared the city gates, I send two companies of the Cavalarii to soften them up a bit and bring down his horsemen. When they have shot down roughly half of his bodyguard, I give the signal for them to cease fire. I have something else in mind for Nicolaus. I want to face him down myself!

I draw up before him and call him out to battle in single combat. Whether he was just foolish or had some righteous belief in God or just knew that I could have my Cavalarii shoot him down like a dog, I know not, but he accepted! We separate from our bodyguards and move slowly forward. A space is created between our armies as though we were in an open air arena.

When we are near enough together, I yell to him that if he truly speaks to God, then now is the time to ask for His assistance. If there is a bolt of lightning from Heaven with my name on it, now is the time for it to be loosed. I wait for a moment but, of course, nothing happens. It appears God has abandoned the Pope. Now, his men know it, too.

We stride forward in full view of our respective armies. The head of the Orthodox Church versus the head of the Latin Church. All combat ceases as our men watch their leaders do battle man-to-man.


I would like to say that this was an epic combat; that we fought for hours in a well-matched duel of heroes; the combat going back and forth with the outcome in doubt until the last second. Nicolaus playing the role of Hector to my Achilles.

I would like to say that Nicolaus fought well and bravely. That he was fired with holy righteousness and struck mighty blows with the power of Heaven behind him.

I would like to say those things; I really would. It would make for a far better story. Unfortunately, the reality was that Nicolaus was a 76-year old man who had never served on campaign. He could barely wield his sword, was a poor rider, and I believe soiled himself after my first blow. I am sure there is a man in this world who can best me in combat; but that man is not some damn priest.

It was over quickly.

I take the man down with a series of slashes to his arms and torso. When he is fully incapacitated, I end it with a blow from the Sword of Constantine to his neck that nearly severed his head from his body. To further make my point, I spur my horse over his fallen body and cry out "Roma Victor!"

Spoiler for Nicolaus Killed: 

With their leader slain by my hand, I order my men to charge! My bodyguard and I make quick work of the remnants of the late Nicolaus's bodyguard.


My elephants, arbalests, and gunners shoot down the enemy's militia pikemen.


My horsemen ride down the archers of the Papists and slay the captain of our former prisoners with a graceful ease.


The only unit to put up a decent fight was the ever-brave Papal Guard. We had to shoot them with arrow and shot down to the last man.


It was a very easy battle. We lost barely a dozen. They lost everything.


This time, the choice of what to do with the prisoners was very easy. We killed them all.

I am not beholden to the crying families of Rome. Best they see what will happen to them if they defy us and the Empire.

With the death of their Pope and the annihilation of the city's garrison, there was no one left to resist us.

The mayor of the city came out with a small delegation to beg mercy for the city. He reminded us of the city's heritage, its history, and its willingness to come over to our side without further resistance.

His pleas fell on deaf ears.

For I intend to cleanse this city of the Papacy and all its trappings. The entire Latin Rite infrastructure in the city is torn down and the priestly administrators of the Pope are expelled from the city. The Papal residence is burned to the ground. What cannot be removed is consigned to the fires. Many a fine fresco paid for by money extorted from the peasants is burned to ash. Still, the haul in gold, silver, and gems is impressive. These men have clearly not held to our Savior's vow of poverty.

Once I am satisfied that the Papal clutches on this city have been removed, I turn towards making it into the second city of the Empire once again. My intention is to put my own stamp on the city. I begin with the construction of a proper church. The site I choose is the location of the supposed tomb of St. Peter himself. Barely twenty years ago had Pope Julius II ordered the destruction of the Constantinian-era St. Peter's Basilica. The monstrosity that he planned to replace it with (financed with "indulgences" no less) is only partially started. I give orders for the site to be wiped clean and a proper Orthodox church be put in it's place. The construction will take years and I doubt I will leave to see its completion. Still, it is a start.

With the conquest of the city complete, I can turn my attention to the last holding of the Papacy in Italy, Pisa. Fresh troops from Greece have arrived and I send them from Ancona to Bologna to take over garrison duty in the city. For the current garrison, I order them to march on Pisa and put it under siege.

We shall surround the city and prevent any reinforcements from entering. The army is ordered to construct siege equipment and wait for my arrival. When the time is right, I shall lead the assault on the city and consign the rule of the future Popes to a strictly theological realm.

I know that soon another Pope will be elected and assume the mantle of leadership of the Latins. Perhaps this new leader will be more amenable and rational in his dealings with the Empire?

My diplomats tell me that as a result of my recent victories our relations with the Papacy have fallen to a new low.

Spoiler for Papal Relations: 

It is no surprise that after I killed their Pope, annihilated their army, taken their capitol, and expelled their priests that our relations with the Holy See would suffer. What is a surprise is that I pay men who can clearly only tell me that which is blatantly obvious.

While I continue my work in Rome, I am able to receive the various reports of battle on the other fronts in our many wars.

The primary reports of action come all from the eastern fronts against Persia. My son, Genessios, has departed from Kermanshah and has come in contact with no less than three Persian armies.

His ultimate goal is the fortress of Alamut but must first contend with those who stand in his path.

Second Battle of Kermanshah - June, 1532 AD.

Spoiler for Second Battle of Kermanshah: 

From Battle Report Filed by Genessios Ksiros to Emperor Skantarios 1532 AD.

The Persians had hoped to surround me and bring all three of their armies to bear against us. However, I would not wait for their attack and brought their easternmost army (the one blocking the road to Alamut) to battle.

This army was made up almost entirely of militia.

They had three companies of halberds, two of Persian spearmen, and one of militia spearmen. For ranged support, they had two companies of gunners. They were led by a mere captain who took personal command of their one company of Ghulam cavalry.

My army was a mixture of heavy infantry, horse archers, and artillery.

We had four companies of professional spearmen and three of swordsmen. We had five companies of the Turkish horse archers of various classes. We also had two Grand Bombards and one Mangonel for artillery support. I would have preferred to have more heavy horse but had to make do with one reduced company of Armenians.

The battle began with my horse archers moving forward to put the flanks of the enemy under fire. Their foolish captain attempted to bring my men into a melee combat but our men easily avoided the charge and poured arrow fire into them for their efforts.


The Ghulams proved to be especially vulnerable to our horse archers and they melted away under the fire of no less than three companies of mounted bowmen. The enemy captain himself fell under this bombardment.


Since I had so much artillery, I allowed them to practice their marksmanship on the enemy from a distance. They fired burning shot into the Persian ranks again and again.


The Mangonel added its own brand of hell fire to the bombardment and scored some impressive strikes.


When the enemy could no longer stand under the onslaught, they sent their spearmen charging at our cannons. Our men switched to grapeshot and got off a few rounds with devastating effect before retreating.


With the enemy decimated and demoralized from our artillery, it was an easy matter for our mounted archers to surround them and shoot them to pieces.


It turned out to be an extremely easy victory. We killed almost a thousand with virtually no losses of our own.

I didn't bother with a ransom request. I knew what the answer would be.

With the road to Alamut open, Genessios left the remaining two Persian armies behind and moved straight for the fortress.

He met no further opposition on his approach. When he arrived, he found a small army encamped outside the fortress. Seizing on this opportunity, he launched an immediate attack!

Battle of Alamut - August, 1532 AD.

Spoiler for Battle of Alamut: 

From Battle Report Filed by Genessios Ksiros to Emperor Skantarios 1532 AD.

It was a stroke of luck to find so much of the garrison of Alamut outside the walls. I hoped that by bringing these men to battle, I could lure out the rest of the garrison to support their brothers. I was correct! Even better, the garrison was commanded by the heir to the Shahdom.

The small force outside the walls consisted of some of the best troops available to Persia.

They had two companies of the axe-wielding Royal Guard infantry and one company of heavy archers.

The garrison also had one additional company of Royal Guards and one of heavy archers.

The presence of the heir explained so many of the Royal Guard.

The heir was an experienced general named Abidin.

He was known to be equally skilled in administration as in warfare. I believe his reputation to be overblown. Otherwise, how can you explain why he chose to fight us in the open fields and not make use of the formidable fortifications of Alamut?

The march to Alamut forced me to leave behind my artillery. However, I made up for this shortage by augmenting my forces with troops pulled from the garrison of Tabriz.

Especially welcome additions were the two companies of foot archers, including the long-range Mourtai. Again, my glaring weakness was my lack of heavy cavalry. Indeed, if it was not for my bodyguard, I would have had none at all.

As soon as the garrison had cleared the walls of the city, I sent my horse archers to the flanks in order to make them advance under fire the entire way. The short range of our bows did not allow us to fire on Abidin but we were able to slay many of the Royal Guard and some of the archers.


While my horse archers were busy harassing the garrison, I led the main body against the first Persian army. Their heavy archers moved out of position to respond to the arrow fire coming down on them. When they were clear of the Guard, I led my bodyguard in a crushing charge into their ranks.


These Persian Royal Guard troops proved to be especially difficult. We were able to bring some down with arrow fire but the majority succeeded in closing with our infantry lines. Even though we greatly outnumbered them, they still put up a stiff resistance.

My superior numbers did allow me to swing one company of horse archers and another of foot archers behind them and pour arrow fire directly into their backs.

Eventually, this combined assault of heavy infantry to their front and archers to their rear proved too much even for the privileged members of the Royal Guard. They broke and fled! My horse archers pursued and caught them all - including their captain.


The garrison proved to be of only a little challenge. My horse archers harassed during their entire march. When they came in range of our foot archers, the slaughter really began. Abidin himself fell under this barrage along with his entire bodyguard.


With both Persian commanders killed, the rest of the Persians broke and ran. We allowed none to escape.

The prisoners were, of course, killed on the spot. We could not allow them to retreat to the fortress and shut the gates on us.

I have taken possession of the fortress and begun construction of a new Orthodox church (the mosque being torn down immediately). My artillery will join me here as well as additional reinforcements from Tabriz. I have put in a recruiting call for some heavy cavalry to make good this glaring deficiency in my army.

Once I have finished establishing proper order here, I will be ready to continue east. The two Persian armies I left to the west will have to be dealt with sooner or later. I will see what they do now that I have taken Alamut and cut them off from the rest of their empire.

Ever your son and servant.

- Genessios.

Genessios continues to do well against the Persians. I wonder if he has simply become this good at war or the Persians are just that bad. Either way, he has made some impressive gains and pushed Roman arms further east than they have even been before. It is a dangerous game he is playing leaving so many enemies in his wake. I hope he does not live to regret that.

With the northern arm of our offensive against the Persians on track, I can now check on the progress of Ioannis and the southern arm. Ioannis has completed his march to Basra and has assaulted the city!

Battle of Basra - September, 1532 AD.

Spoiler for Battle of Basra: 

From Battle Report Filed by Ioannis Aprinos to Emperor Skantarios - 1532 AD.

The Persian garrison of the city was quite strong but still consisted mostly of militia and lesser quality troops.

They had two companies of halberd militia, three of hand gunners, one of Persian spearmen, and one of militia spearmen. They also had several companies formed from the survivors of one of our previous engagements.

Their commander was a young general only recently raised up to command by the name of Omer Safevi.

He had a good reputation for a commander but was known more for his loyalty than any particular ability.

My army was a good cross-section of the types of forces we had available in the east.

Of the twenty units in my army, there were thirteen different types. A polyglot force of different ethnicities and types - but we were all Roman soldiers.

I did not wait to construct any siege equipment. I wanted to take the city by as much surprise as possible and before they had a chance to get set in their defensive positions. As soon as my cannon were able to be rolled up to the city gates, I had them commence firing!


It was only a short time before the gates had been blown open.


My heavy infantry poured through the opening and took the enemy just as they were starting to mount the battlements and form squares behind the gates.


The fighting was difficult as the heavy infantry of the enemy traded blows with ours. We had the advantage of numbers and quality and soon we were pushing the enemy back. The Persian general Omer saw the tide turning and committed his own bodyguard to the melee.


However, even his fine armor and that of his bodyguard were of scant protection against over two hundred Roman spears. His bodyguard was soon reduced to only a couple survivors. Omer fought hard and well but he was slain just the same.

Spoiler for Omer Killed: 

The fight at the gates had allowed some of the Persian heavy infantry to mount the walls and man the towers. We had to clear them out before continuing into the city. So, I sent the victors from the gate assault up onto the battlements to dislodge the Persians.

The fighting here was brutal. Men were pressed so tightly they could not wield their swords or spears or even lift their arms. Instead, they fought with shields, elbows, knees, and even their teeth; desperately searching for any purchase against their foes. Men fell by the score on either side. More than a few were simply forced over the side and fell to their deaths as the scrum pushed back and forth. Others slipped and fell in the gore and were either trampled to death or killed by an armored boot to the head or the butt spike of a spear. It was more of a brawl than an organized fight.

After many minutes of horrendous fighting, all that remained were the bodies piled one on top of the other and the fallen banners of our foes. The battlements ran red with blood and were completely covered in gore.


What few survivors who managed to escape the gates or battlements fled for the supposed safety of the square. Our light cavalry ran them down and slew them along the abandoned boulevards.


A small cadre of diehards from the Persians managed to rally in the central square. I did not want to take any further casualties and so I ordered our cannon wheeled up. The enemy were disposed of by grapeshot.


It was a great victory although we lost over 20% of our army in the process.


The city was sacked and the mosque was burned. We have now cut the Persian Empire in two and opened up a window onto the Persian Gulf.

Once things have settled here, I will call forward more men from Baghdad and begin my drive north to link up with Lord Genessios.

- Ioannis.

Ioannis advocated so long for an independent command - he has now proven he deserved it. We have pushed Roman arms into an area not seen since the last days of Trajan over 1400 years ago!

The Persian Empire is on the ropes. I can only hope that Genessios and Ioannis can continue the pressure. May I live to see the day when we are rid of this old enemy once and for all.

The last report of battle comes from the far south. Aleksios has completed his preparations and is prepared to assault.

Battle of Benghazi - September, 1532 AD.

Spoiler for Battle of Benghazi: 

From Battle Report Filed by Aleksios Chortasmenos to Emperor Skantarios - 1532 AD.

My preparations took the entire winter but were finally complete. The Moors brought up a relief army just as we were finishing our siege equipment. I had no wish to fight a two-front battle and therefore decided on a night assault on the fortress. With luck we would catch both the garrison and the relief army sleeping.

The Moorish garrison was very strong but overweighted in cavalry.

Of infantry, they had only two companies of spears and one of javelins. They also had two companies of foot archers. Of note, they had fully seven companies of heavy horse - including the famed Christian Guard. This was an army more suited to a battle in the field rather than one to resist a siege. Why they did not attack while we were preparing our siege lines was a critical error.

The garrison was under the direct command of the Moorish Caliph, Ali.

He was a long-time administrator and had only recently been granted the title of Caliph after all other claimants had been killed. He was very lightly regarded by both his contemporaries and his own people. Perhaps his inexperience in battle was why the enemy did not attack us with their excellent field army rather than waiting for our assault...

My army consisted mostly of heavy infantry with two companies of foot archers, some horse archers, and one company of light cavalry.

We also had one company of Siphonatores but they would not see any action.

I decided to assault the walls on a broad front to take advantage of the enemy's lack of heavy infantry. My ladders and siege tower were dispersed all along the walls to draw the enemy away from my real point of attack - the main gates.


My heavy infantry were well matched by the Moors. We were met with fierce resistance at all points of attack.


The enemy could only spare cavalry to guard the gates. When the ram had finished its word and broken through, the enemy horsemen flung javelins as soon at our men as we withdrew the ram.


Now that the gate was open, I could send in my main attack. Three companies of professional spearmen rushed the gates in a concentrated assault.

The enemy horsemen fought well but they had no momentum and could not focus their attack. Our spears had the advantage over the light horse and we killed them with surprising ease.

After some long minutes of close combat, only a few of the enemy horsemen were still left.


The fight on the walls was brutal and corpses littered the battlements.


The enemy could resist our assault no longer and fled to the inner square to regroup and make their last stand. Our horse archers charged forward and fired arrows at close range into the backs of the retreating enemy.


Ali consolidated what was left of his forces in the inner square. While he attempted to formulate a plan, our infantry formed up and moved to the attack.


I sent our heavy spearmen to the fore and they led us into an attack against the remaining horsemen. The Caliph finally found his nerve and led the counter-attack in person.


While our spearmen were battling it out with the Caliph's bodyguard, I snuck two companies of archers around the flanks and had them climb up the battlements behind the enemy. They poured flaming arrows into the backs of the cavalry fighting our spearmen and whoever else happened to remain in the square.


Our spearmen's fight with the Caliph was causing great casualties on both sides. We were on the verge of losing this fight when I committed my own bodyguard against Ali's. My men cut the Caliph down in short order.

Spoiler for Caliph Ali Dead: 

With their Caliph dead, the remaining few of the enemy huddled together in the central square. My archers cut them down where they stood. Their burning bodies marked the end of the resistance.


It was a very difficult fight and I have lost over a third of my army in this Pyrrhic victory.


We have enough men left to guard the fortress against the attack of the relief army should it come. Even so, I have sent word back to Palestine to send more men to bolster our forces. This will take some time and so I have no option but to remain here while I await the reinforcements and attempt to pull in local recruits.

- Aleksios.

If Aleksios can hold his position, I think he has little to fear from the Moors. Their last remaining stronghold in Africa is under attack from the Spanish and seems destined to fall.

With the Moors about to be eliminated and the Persians under attack from my armies, it would seem that the tide of Islam is irrevocably on the wane. Only the Mongols remain relatively intact of the once-great Muslim powers.

I am gratified by our success on all fronts. In keeping with this mood, I allow myself to spend the next several months inside Rome and ensuring that there are no vestiges of revolt. While I go about this business, I can tour the city and revel in its history.

There are many things to wonder at in Rome. The Colosseum, the Hippodrome, the Pantheon, the various Forums...the city is literally covered in monuments and ruins that speak to a former greatness long since in the past. Of all the monuments great and small that I see, I find that I am most drawn to the Column of Trajan. I frequently stop there and spend a long while staring at the sculpture. The craftsmanship is stunning but, more than that, it is the story. Its depiction of the conquest of Dacia is told in such simple, yet elegant detail. It speaks to the greatness of not only the man but of the empire he commanded. I can only dream and hope that the foundations I have built will lead to a stable empire like the one he ruled.

Still, the column is not as it once was as the original statue of Trajan was removed some time ago. I order a replacement to the same specifications as before. Some of the bells of St. Peters provide the metal and the recently unemployed Papal craftsman provide the skill. It is also only a start on what I intend to do here.

My next act is to go to the main gates of the city. Large Latin crosses have stood at the entrance of the city for centuries. It is time to correct that error. I bring with me craftsmen to add the missing pieces to each cross. We convert them from Latin crosses to Orthodox ones.

We make this: Into this:

It's only a small start and there is still so much work to be done. Even so, I allow myself to be happy for a moment.

The Roman Empire has come home.

- I am Skantarios.

Spoiler for Personal Diary Entry for Emperor Skantarios: 

Personal Diary Entry of Skantarios Laskaris, July 5, 1532 AD - Recovered from Imperial Papers - Confidential - Not for Publication.

My wars have taken on a very religious tone. I have built great churches to the Orthodox Faith and have begun the conversion of hundreds of thousands of people - sometimes by force. I have killed Popes and Grand Imams. I have ordered the assassination of priests and imams alike; but their deaths do not trouble me. I knew they preached falsely and sought to lead the people astray and thereby consign them to the fires of Hell. That I was able to do it at all showed that God had turned away His favor from our enemies and bestowed it upon us.

However, I am concerned about our own religious teachings. The priests and Patriarchs of our Orthodox Church seem stuck in past. Their teachings are rigid and unchanging. We are too caught up in ceremony and not enough in the service of saving souls. I can only wonder: Have I replaced one false faith with another? Have all my efforts been in vain?

I believe I shall know soon enough one way or the other. For my time left on this earth is fleeting and I can feel my age bearing down on me more and more with each passing day. I shall soon die and God will pass judgment on me for what I have done. Until then, I have nothing but questions.

What if I was wrong? What if we were all wrong about this?

The world as we know it - 1532 AD.


The world as it really is - 1532 AD.

[Dan the Man]

Holy Crap! Rome fell!

(I read the end of the update first, sue me! )

[Skantarios]

The last update was probably my longest yet. If you haven't read it, then settle in. It may take a while.

I had intended it to be a two-parter with the Battles of Rome being the first part and the rest of the action of 1532 being the second. So, if it drags on, then stopping after the taking of Rome is a good breaking point.

...the Mongols were Asians but I'm not sure if they are Muslim in the game.

I was being a little facetious. The Mongols are Muslims in this campaign. They sent armies as part of both Jihads earlier in the game and so are sworn enemies of the Roman Empire. When (if) the time comes, we will do battle with them once again.

I think the Mongols are Islamic in the RR/RC late era campaign (because by that time they had changed from Tengriisim?). But since RR/RC includes the pagan Mongols I'd guess they're pagan (Tengrist) in the early era campaign?

Good point. I'd have to check if they are Muslims in the early campaign but they are definitely Muslim in this one.

You know, I doubt Skantarios will see this day but your game is slowly turning into a "Skantarios Apocalypse" AAR lol Great Update as always. I dont think I ever put this before, but +1 rep.

Not another Apocalypse! Still, I'll take it as a compliment. And thanks for the rep!

I forgot to mention before, great update mate. The Spaniards had better be challenging. I think I might have owed you +rep from awhile ago, so, +rep.

You will see combat with the Spanish very soon. Perhaps even in the next update. It remains to be seen how challenging they will be. And thanks for remembering.

And If I were to rename a city in your campaign after Skantarios, it would be the city where he finally vanquished the hated turks

Tbilisi. Good choice. It holds a lot of signficance for Skantarios.

I would say if you do this you should rename Baghdad, how fitting it would be to rename a great city that was founded by Muslims to be a a Capital of a Muslim empire, become a great city of a Orthodox Christian Empire

Another solid choice. The city great Muslim city named for the great Muslim enemy.

I would go as far as to rename Constantinople, but considering it is already named after someone else it might not work. I guess it depends how big his ego is by the time he dies

Probably not going to happen. I don't think his ego would grow that large (even so, it will be a posthumous dedication). Don't want him to be compared to someone like Commodus (emperor who renamed Rome to Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana after himself - the name didn't stick).

What about Mystras? 'tis where we first embarked upon this wild ride.

Now that is interesting. Having the campaign end where it began. Skantarios is from the Peleponnese. Perhaps his hometown people would wish to honor him?

Rome is to become Skantarium

Probably not. See note above re: Commodus.

why not Mecca?

Now that would cause an uproar! The great enemy of Islam being honored by having its birthplace renamed after him. Daring. I like it.

All solid selections. Thank you all for your input. Maybe I should start an informal poll? I'll think on it and let you know what I decide. Will definitely make it part of the last couple of updates as part of the post-mortem.

This last update was very large and I will need to take a short break before embarking on 1533. Some interesting things happening there, especially with the Spanish, and a bunch of battles.

Spoiler for Next Update: 

The Beginning of One War and the End of Another. Battles of Bari, Vienna, Kermanshah, Bryansk, and Ahvaz

No estimate this time for when this will be up (I keep failing to make them) but it should be sometime early this coming week.

I hope you enjoyed the last update. And, of course, thanks for reading!

[Noble Lancer]

Finally... I waited till the beginning of the AAR to see the day Rome falls
Great work... Constantinople is the second Rome, why don't you take Tunis ? Carthage seems fine to be the third Rome

[Valandur]

Yayyyyyy
Finally, Skantarios gets to kick some Papal arse!

[Exarch]

love it
also, nice touch on the restoration of trajan's column
now the True Rome has returned home!!!

[TemplarX]

I've been reading your AAR for some time and now that I decided to register I can finally share my opinion, too .
I got to say that your story is very awesome and the screenshots, your writing and game skills are all so great! This is definitely one of the best AAR's ever and has to go in the Scriptorium without any doubt.
Keep it up!

[Soulstrider]

Awesome update, how the hell you managed to put Skantarios and the Pope dueling with each other ? O.o

Another option for the city name issue is pull an Alexander the Great and name all those cities after Skantarios xD

[Maltacus]

How did you make Skantarios duel the pope? Was it just by chance or narrated for the roleplay?



Skantarios and Nicolaus, must have been the most terrible old men of their time...but made a good sight on the battlefield. The bald heads glimmering in the sun, white and grey beards wavering magnificently. Your story is great, by the way.

[MADMAN066]

So far, so awesome. Good job with everything, I love seeing the map at the end of every update and witness the cast expansion of a great empire.
Its sad that Skantarios os not long for this world, it wouldve been nice to venture into the western med and forge a western empire as well lol.

I always seem to read Skantarios' narration as Patrick Stuwert, it seems to add a bit more reality to it. Always imagine him as a war hungry, liberating dictatorial genius. lol

I will send a prayer the day the world looses a great emporer lol