[SS AAR] The Legacy of Skantarios - Restoration of the Roman Empire **COMPLETE** (With Compilation)

[kebo]

Very good job! Keep it up

[Rowdytavern]

So well written. War Skantarios! oh, and +rep when I can.

[Concrete]

Oh dang, I've been away for longer then I thought, great so far!

[Skantarios]

Chapter 4 – War in the West Begins Anew (1541 AD)

We all knew it would come to this. The war foreseen in the west has come as predicted. The proud Iberians would not accept an honorable settlement and have broken the truce imposed by my father.

They have poured across our borders in northern Africa!

No sooner had the death of Skantarios been confirmed than the Spanish renewed their siege of both Tunis and Al-Mahdiya. They have powerful armies in that area following their victory over the Moors (notably aided by us). These are the same veteran armies that pushed the Moors out of Spain and then all across northern Africa. Our forces are still weak in the province and the Spanish are in massive numbers. They have a real chance to push us out of the area entirely.

I must note that Emperor Vasileios is in something of a panic about the situation. His youngest son Zinonas had just arrived in Tunis when the siege lines were thrown up. He is now trapped in the citadel and is massively outnumbered. Emperor Vasileios has ordered Heaven and Earth moved to bring more forces to bear and rescue his son at all costs. Isidoros is to be recalled from his planned island hopping campaign in the western Mediterranean and return with all speed to lift the siege of Tunis. Despite the Emperor's strident orders and the panicked preparations, reinforcements are far away. Even Vasileios cannot change the laws of time and space. The garrisons are on their own for now.

I should also note that he doesn’t seem to care one bit what happens in Al-Mahdiya where our old and loyal general Aleksios is in charge and similarly under siege. His only concern is for Tunis and his son.

Added to his anxiety, Vasileios is greatly concerned that our Pope’s hold over the Iberians is either waning or they have some sort of secret agreement with the Pontiff to continue the war despite his earlier cease fire order. The Patriarch is being dispatched to have “consultations” with Pope Victor and see if there is something to be done to convince the Spanish to relent.

Even worse news comes from our diplomats in Western Europe. The French have broken their alliance with us in favor of the Spanish - the aggressors. They have reneged on their commitments to the Empire. An alliance sealed through marriage with Vasileios's own, and only, daughter.

There can only be one reason for this, they are planning their own attack on us. Although hostilities have not yet broken out along our common border in the Alps, how far away can it be?

Even now, there are French field armies moving about east of Skantarium (formerly Bern).

They have sealed up the passes east of the citadel and are blocking reinforcements.

Diadohos Efthymios has arrived in Italy and I understand he has taken command of the core of the old Imperial Army. When I say "command," I really should say that he is in talks to gain their support. These men are the veterans of years - in some cases decades - of war. They were Skantarios's personal army and not to be the plaything of a pampered, young noble, however well-intentioned. Without an active war and the bait of conquest and plunder, it will be a difficult sell to get them out of their comfortable quarters in northern Italy.

The only good news out of all this is that the Pope has stayed loyal and broken his alliance with Spain in retaliation for their hostilities against us and the defiance of his orders. Of course, there really wasn't much else he could do since his small enclave at Pisa is surrounded by Roman territory and we still have more than ample soldiers to crush his forces should it come to that. Even so, having the supreme head of the Latin Right church (re: Catholics) in our corner will be very useful in dealing with those other western powers who may wish to join in with the Spanish (and, likely, the French).

The more immediate concern is what to do about the Spanish in Africa. The only real field armies we have available are with Isidoros. He was the one who led the lightening assault through North Africa just a few years ago but is now away adventuring in Corsica instead of defending our hard won conquests.

Speaking of which, we just recently received a report from Isidoros detailing his assault in Corsica.

Battle of Ajaccio - August, 1541 AD.

Spoiler for Battle of Ajaccio: 

From Battle Report Filed by Isidoros Petraliphas to Emperor Vasileios and the Imperial Archives - 1541 AD.

After consolidating our hold on the island of Sardinia, I mustered my forces for the assault on the former holding of the recently extinct Genoans. Since the demise of the Doge and his heirs, the island has fallen into anarchy as the leaderless field forces have set themselves up as a military oligarchy and are running the place as a feudal fief. I thought it was time to bring them into the Roman fold.

The main rebel army consisted of one company each of Norman Knights, Mailed Knights, pavise spearmen, levy spearmen, and peasants.

Outside of the Norman Knights, they were a very motley collection of would-be soldiers.

The garrison consisted of only a single company of sergeant spearmen.


My army were mostly veteran cavalry with some new recruits of infantry and pikemen.

I had two companies of Cavalarii horse archers, one veteran company of Stratiotae light cavalry, two companies of Scutarii spearmen, one company of heavy roman spearmen, and one company of the mercenary Landsknecht Pikemen.

Since the rebels were entirely without ranged troops, I sent the Cavalarii in to soften them up and reduce the number of horsemen I would have to face.

They took up excellent firing positions on the flanks and soon dozens of the enemy infantry and cavalry started to fall to our bows.

However, the mailed knights were not content to be sniped at from afar and charged headlong at our horse archers.

They managed to close with one of our companies and even inflicted a few casualties. It was only the concentrated arrow fire that saved them (that and the poor armor of the horsemen). The range was point blank but we managed to bring down all the mailed knights.

With our horse archers maneuvering for their lives, the enemy infantry were able to close on our own lines in good order and soon the foot soldiers were battling it out with spears and pikes.

Our mercenaries had the advantage of both weapons and training and managed to keep most of the enemy spearmen at bay while inflicting serious casualties.

The Norman Knights (which included the enemy captain) mounted their own charge on our heavy spearmen.

The Normans were overconfident. They were accustomed to scattering infantry with the impetus of their charge. This time, though, our spearmen stood firm and repulsed the initial blow.

My light cavalry now swept around the flanks and charged into the rear of the Normans pinning them between themselves and the spears of the infantry.


The would-be warlord, Captain Dino, was felled by this flanking attack.

With the death of their captain and their own infantry unable to break our lines, the rebels of the main army fled.

The pathetic garrison was now exposed and unsupported. My Cavalarii were unopposed and took up flanking positions and poured volley after volley of accurate fire into the packed ranks of the spearmen.


The garrison stood no chance and only left a trail of arrow-riddled corpses that pointed the way back to the fortress.


It was a decidedly easy victory all things considered.

The rebels were completely destroyed; not a single man of the enemy made it off the field. With the destruction of the rebels, it took little convincing for the city fathers to open the gates of the fortress to my men. We occupied the fortress and now the double eagle of Roman Empire flies from its ramparts!

I have received word that the Spanish are once again at war with us and that my own presence is required back in Africa. I will make haste to return and gather what forces I can. However, I must leave sufficient men here to safeguard this new holding and will be hard pressed to come up with adequate forces to meet this latest invasion. With the forces at hand, I can only spare myself, my guards, and one company of cavalry. Therefore, I request whatever forces you can send at once if I have any hope of turning back the Iberians and lifting the sieges of Tunis and Al-Mahdiya.

I will do what I can but I need help.

- Isidoros.

Isidoros has now secured both the great islands of Sardinia and Corsica and restored Roman rule to them for the first time in almost a thousand years. It is a good victory and I am sure Vasileios is glad to have this new territory. However, Isidoros should have been back in Africa defending the province from the Spanish instead of glory hunting around some petty islands to the north. His absence, and the troops he took with them, are sorely missed now that the Spaniards are back at war with us.

It was several months after word of Isidoros's victory at Corsica that new reports reached us of some battle back in Africa. Details were at first hard to come by as the messengers were immediately sequestered outside the palace and the Council has been "unavailable" for some days. A blanket of secrecy has been thrown up around the entire affair. All inquiries by myself and my staff were rebuffed out of hand. Finally, I was able to get a copy of the report from one of Vasileios's personal clerks through a variety of threats and enticements. Even with the change of administration, being the daughter of Skantarios still carries some weight around the palace. Still, I had to promise to safeguard my source.

When I have read the report, I can see why Vasileios was so keen to keep it secret.

Spanish Assault on Al-Mahdiya - November, 1541 AD.

Spoiler for Spanish Assault on Al-Mahdiya: 

From Battle Report Filed by Captain Aleksios to Emperor Vasileios - 1541 AD. [Marked Confidential]

Sire, I offer this report as accurately as I can describe given the limited information available to me. I have made all inquiries I can but please forgive any inaccuracies in the report as I had to get my information from several sources.

The Spanish had thrown up their siege lines around the city only a few months before. The main Spanish army consisted almost entirely of heavy infantry.


They had fully 16 companies of sword-armed infantry, two companies of heavy cavalry, and one of the light "Jinetes."

Given the limited time for preparations, they had only the barest minimum of siege equipment.


A second Spanish army had arrived only five days before the battle. I believe it was the presence of this reinforcing army that the Spanish commander had waited on for him to order the assault.

They were a very veteran army and it showed in their swagger and ferocity in battle. They had two companies of heavy cavalry, two companies of arbalesters, one of gunners, and the rest were made up of armored infantry wielding a variety of weapons.

The Roman garrison of the city was commanded by General Aleksios. He had at his disposal over 700 soldiers and some artillery.

The garrison had five companies of archers and some Numidian horse but only two companies of heavy infantry. General Aleksios also had two units of the Siphonatores recently arrived from Constantinople. The fortunes of the garrison were pinned on these Siphonatores and the artillery. It was a forlorn hope but there was still a chance.

The force that I landed just a few days before consisted of but one company of heavy spearmen and another company of archers.

We had hidden in the hills just east of the city and waited for the Spanish to vacate the siege lines in preparation for the assault. When the attack came, we were to attempt to reach a side gate and reinforce the garrison.

I must admit the Spanish timing for their assault was simply perfect. They attacked in a driving rainstorm which greatly limited the effectiveness of bowmen (our most powerful and numerous arm in the battle). This played to the strength of their army (the heavy infantry) and against ours (ranged weapons).

As planned, my forces attempted to sneak into the side gate while the main Spanish Army attacked the front. What we had not counted on were the Spanish reinforcements. They were on us in an instant and crashed into our ranks while we were still almost a mile from the city.

We were outnumbered at least four to one. The men fought hard but it was simply no contest. The Spanish pressed us on all sides and swamped our ranks with overwhelming numbers. We were sent reeling back to our ships with massive casualties.

We could only watch as the Spanish army pushed their siege tower and carried their ladders to the walls. The fire from our battlements was heavy but the combination of the rain and the Spanish armor limited the casualties we were able to inflict. In virtually no time, the Spanish were pouring onto the walls where our heavy infantry awaited them.

Our infantry fought bravely and inflicted great casualties on the Spanish. They knew they were fighting for their very survival and gave ground only grudgingly.

While the infantry fought it out on the walls, the Spanish ram knocked down the main gate.


Even with the main gate down, the Spanish did not send their infantry surging through as we had come to expect and anticipate.

The Spanish mobbed around the base of the ladders and the siege tower and sent company after company up onto the walls. They knew they had the advantage of numbers and could afford the losses in the close fighting on the battlements - we could not.

Whenever a group of infantry got tired of waiting for their turn on the ladders and tried to force their way through the gates, our Siphonatores met them with a blast of Greek Fire.


General Aleksios was a wily veteran of city defense and assaults and used all the tricks in order to hold the enemy back. We had Siphonatores on the flanks of the gate, stakes put in front of them, and artillery behind. Even so, it was not enough.

The Spanish sent a company of heavily armored horsemen through the gates and, though they lost some to the stakes, many still made it through. We had no spearmen at all to meet them and what heavy infantry we did have had their hands full on the walls.

The armored horse saw our Siphonatores and made a direct charge for them.

The Siphonatores could no longer use their firethrowers and were at the mercy of the Spanish. Our men were no cowards and fought back using their swords but could make no impression on the Spanish Knights. They all went down quickly under the onslaught.

What forces we still had attempting to hold the gate were now on the verge of being overwhelmed. General Aleksios gave the order to fire the Mangonel into the gate.

He know that, though we might lose some of our own men, we would take many more of the enemy with us.

The heavy infantry on the walls soon fell by being simply overwhelmed by the mass of the Iberian heavy infantry. Our archers were now exposed and fired their arrows at point blank range into the swordsmen.

The Spanish fell by the score but still they came on inexorably.

The fight at the gate was now lost and the men on the walls were about to follow their comrades into death. The few remaining men we had now tried to stem the tide in the streets but they had no answer for the armored knights.

Our archers now threw themselves at the Spanish horse in a furious, but futile, attempt to bring them down. It was heroic...and pointless.

Throughout the battle, General Aleksios continued to exhort the men and committed his own bodyguard against the Spanish armored horse. Through his exertions and the bravery of our soldiers, we had defeated all that came through the gates of the first Spanish army.

It was the Spanish reinforcements that turned the tide and decided the issue.

When they began to pour through the gates, we all knew the battle was lost. General Aleksios was a brave and loyal soldier and would not be taken. He charged, alone, into a company of armored horsemen with some archers as his only support. He sold his life dearly for a cause that was lost.


When the word of General Aleksios's death reached the men, all heart went out of our brave defenders. What few remained now fled back into the city seeking an escape.

It was only through some men who managed to slip away as darkness descended that I was able to recount these details you have read. Of the entire garrison, I have managed to save but a dozen.

The rest perished in the defense.

The garrison inflicted heavy casualties on the Spanish but the city was lost. The prisoners taken by the Spanish have all been executed.

Even from our ships, we can see the flames and smoke rising up out of the city. Some of the men even claim to hear the screams of the women drifting in with the wind.

It was a terrible defeat and I am ashamed for having to report it.

- Captain Aleksios.

Isolated and undermanned, the garrison has been wiped out and the city taken. I don't know who I am madder at over this news. Vasileios for not ensuring proper troops were in place to defend the city; Isidoros for absenting himself and taking the field army with him; or the Spanish for breaking the truce and launching this backstabbing assault. I realize this is war and setbacks will occur but this seems so pointless and avoidable.

Of course, no one who was at fault suffered at all in this defeat. General Aleksios paid the bill for their sins.

Thus died a true son of the Romans and a man who deserved a better fate than what he received.

Yet another of my father's comrades has given his life in our never-ending wars.

Now that I have learned what really happened in Africa, I arrange for copies of the report to be discretely leaked outside of the palace. Within days, the entire capitol knows of what happened to General Aleksios and the garrison of Al-Mahdiya.

The truth is always the best policy - however bad it might be. Father knew this, so should Vasileios.

This has not been a good year for our new Emperor. Barely a year on the throne and we have lost one of our most able generals, over a thousand troops, and a major city in North Africa. Vasileios is trying to put his own spin on this by pointing out our conquest of Corsica just a few months prior. No one is buying it, though. What is the gain of a pile of rocks in the middle of the Mediterranean compared to the loss of so many of our men and a major city? No, this is a disaster of the first order. Not only has the loss of Al-Mahdiya emboldened the Spanish, but also all those other nations that might be contemplating their own military actions against us.

The myth of the invincibility of Roman arms in the West has been shattered. There is blood in the water. I know the sharks will come.

Thus ends the year of 1541 in the Roman Empire. The first year after the loss of Skantarios and the ascendancy of Vasileios. Assuredly a rocky start for our new Emperor.

The world as we know it - 1541 AD.


The world as it really is - 1541 AD.

[Exarch]

A strong start to the sequel, skantaarios!!
action packed, and i especially loved the nod to anna comnenus with a historian byzantine princess recounting them old days of yore and high adventure <cue conan music>

also,
glad to have you back, old friend, and i hope you and your wife had a great and relaxing holiday

[Skantarios]

Thanks to everyone for their comments and support! It is great to be back posting and starting this next chapter in the saga of the Restored Roman Empire.

I would like to respond to everyone individually but the hour is late and I have spent all this time getting the latest update posted. I will try to come back and edit this post to respond to any questions that might arise and express my appreciation better.

I must admit that I was somewhat worried that my long absence would have seen the interest in this AAR wane but I think I was worried for nothing.

I hope you are enjoying the story thus far. Even though Skantarios is gone (in body if not in spirit), there is still much to tell and the wars continue.

The new Emperor Vasileios has suffered some setbacks and is still shaky on the throne. We have the continuing wars in the east against the Mongols and the remnants of the Persian/Khwarezm Empire. In the west, the Spanish have renewed the war with massive armies and our short-lived alliance with the French is over.

There is plenty more action to come. I hope you will continue to join me in the telling of it.

Again, thanks to everyone for their support and kind words.

The next update will come on Saturday.

Spoiler for Next Update: 

Switching back to the Eastern Theater.

Chapter 5 - Genessios and Vitos Go on the Offensive - Konjikala, Mashad, and Kerman

[Concrete]

Well, I just realised that I'd left this tab open, and a quick refresh made me quite happy.

[Desley]

Great update, really really enjoyed it.

[NotYetRegistered]

Really cool.

[Uber Patriot]

very nice. Tunis looks very precarious in that sea of yellow

[Radzeer]

Excellent update - you put up a very good fight based on the composition of your army and the end results.

[Hammer of the Gods]

Ive been following "I am skantarios" since december, your the reason i signed up. Your writing is excellent.

[Treize]

Marseille seems a logical target.

[Contingency]

I have a feeling Vasileous is going to become very unpopular

[Maltacus]

Very nice sequel. Also encouraging to see such strong ai armies. Got to try the 1450 campaign

[Lord Lancelot]

As awlays great update

[Soulstrider]

A guy goes away for a few days and Legacy of Skantarios comes out, awesome read as always.

[Skantarios]

Chapter 5 – Offensive in the Far East: Konjikala, Mashad, and Kerman (1542 AD)

The palace is still in an uproar. Emperor Vasileios is furious about the release of the report from Al-Mahdiya detailing the loss of the city, the death of General Aleksios, and the slaughter of the garrison. Inquiries are being made as to how the report slipped out and the entire Council is under suspicion. Fortunately, Vasileios is convinced that the leak was politically motivated and has not thought to question the low-level scribes or my staff. His focus is on the nobility in the city. So, it appears I am safe for now.

Honestly, I don't know how he thought he could keep it a secret for long given the trading ships that flow through our harbors everyday bringing fresh news from every part of our world. The Spanish King is boasting of the victory to every diplomat and merchant that passes through Iberia and has already vowed that his armies will throw us out of Africa entirely.

The stories we get from the spies and merchants seem to indicate that we have only faced one facet of the Spanish forces in Africa and there appear to be several more large forces on the way.

Perhaps the Spanish King has good reason to boast after all...

There has been quite a flurry of activity in the diplomatic circles, as well. The Patriarch, Manouil Spartnos, is in discussions with Pope Victor about the recalcitrance of the Spanish and their naked aggression against us.

Spoiler for Patriarch Spartnos: 

Patriarch Spartnos is demanding that Pope Victor issue an order of excommunication against them and is even advocating for a Catholic Crusade aimed at the Spanish. However, the reports from Italy indicate that Victor is in poor health and suffering from a severe lack of prestige after his humiliation at the hands of Skantarios and agreeing to be our vassal. He pleads that he no longer has the authority to order such an action even if he were so inclined. So, as always, it appears we will receive no help from the Pope.

Emperor Vasileios is in need of some good news from the military front in order to counterbalance the bad news from the West. Ironically, it appears that the eastern front is where the best hope for such news may come.

My husband, Lord Vitos, is poised for his assault on the Mongol fortress of Konjikala.

His forces were significantly reduced in the battle on the Etrek last year but he pressed on and has spent the winter preparing his siege equipment for an attack.

To the south, my brother, Lord Genessios, has come down out of the mountains and has moved against the Persian capitol of Mashad.

What forces the Persians have left seem to have massed there in the hopes of turning back our attack and preserving the life of their young ruler, Shah Sami.

Even further south, General Ioannis is poised for his own attack on the Persian stronghold of Kerman.

Between the forces at Kerman and those at Mashad, we must be facing the last of the Persian field armies. Our warriors in the east have slaughtered so many up to now, how much more can they have?

The first report that we receive comes from Lord Vitos. All preparations are now complete and he has assaulted the Mongol fortress of Konjikala.

Assault on Konjikala - July, 1542 AD.

Spoiler for Assault on Konjikala: 

From Battle Report Filed by Lord Vitos Vasilidis to Emperor Vasileios and the Imperial Archives - 1542 AD

Though I suffered terrible losses last year defeating the Mongol attacks, I felt that I must move on with the invasion of the north lest my enemies make use of any reprieve to restore their armies and bring new forces to bear against me.

The Mongol garrison consisted of only one company of heavy cavalry and three companies of heavy spearmen.

It was strange to be facing a Mongol force that did not include archers of any kind but I am not one to question good fortune.

My army was still very depleted from last year's battle. I had no time to bring up fresh soldiers or get replacements for my losses. There was barely a company amongst my soldiers that was up to full strength.

I was lacking in heavy infantry with only three reduced companies of spears and one of swords. However, I had superiority in both missile troops and light cavalry as well as overall numbers. It would be enough.

I sent the ram, ladders, and tower forward under the cover of my archers. Their flaming arrows filled the sky and kept the heads of the Mongols down.

Although the range was extreme and the angle poor, we still managed to turn some of the Mongol infantry into human torches.

The ladders and tower made good progress to the walls and our casualties on the approach were minor. In short order, my heavy infantry poured out of the tower and came to grips with the waiting Mongol spearmen.

The fighting was difficult on the walls but we had better numbers and training and made slow, but steady, progress.

My Turkish archers manning the ladders were able to achieve the battlements without opposition. When the Mongols sent one company of spears against them, the archers held their ground and sent volley after volley of pitch-soaked arrows into the faces of the approaching infantry.

It took numerous shots to make any impression against their armor and shields but every volley put their heads down and retarded their advance. We had the advantage of time as our ram was already almost through their gates.

Through sheer force of will, our infantry on the walls cleared out the Mongol spearmen and sent the few survivors fleeing from the walls.

They did not get far as my ram had now penetrated the gates and my horsemen ran them down with ease.

We now had control of the inner walls and no enemy infantry were allowed to make good their escape to the inner keep. The Mongol captain had fled there when the ram broke through the gates and cowered in the central square with his company of cavalry awaiting our attack.

I would not give him the satisfaction of meeting him in a head-on charge. Rather, I sent my archers up on the walls and, when they were in place, ordered several volleys of flaming arrows down on their heads.

I was rewarded for this tactic when the captain (and his horse) caught fire and perished in agony as the flames consumed him.

Spoiler for Death Card: 

The rest of the Mongol cavalry met a similar fate. They were all cut down in a hail of arrows.

Although we took some significant casualties amongst the infantry, we are now in control of the fortress. We will use Konjikala as the rallying point for the reinforcements ordered from Armenia and the forces freed up from the Persian offensive. With luck, we will be ready to continue the attack north in the next year.

- Vitos.

With the northern flank secure in Konjikala and the Mongols vanquished from Persian territory, the path is now clear for Genessios to march on the Persian capitol of Mashad.

Assault on Mashad - July, 1542 AD.

Spoiler for Assault on Mashad: 

From Battle Report Filed by Lord Genessios Ksiros Laskaris to Emperor Vasileios and the Imperial Archives - 1542 AD.

Our rapid advance out of the mountains has caught the Persians completely by surprise. They have two large forces in the area: one large field army and the strong garrison of the city. It would be foolish to fight both armies simultaneously, so I decide to bypass the field army and make a night approach to the city. The mountainous nature of the terrain and the numerous paths make avoidance of the field army surprisingly easy. We have secured the services of some nomad guides and they hold true to their word. Our advance to the city walls meets no opposition.

Before the field army has a chance to reinforce the city, I order a night attack as soon as my cannons are within range.

The city's garrison is strong but consists almost entirely of town militia.

They have four companies of militia spears and four companies of halberds. They also have a reduced company of archers and one of mercenary Turkish horse archers.

Shah Sami is the new ruler of the Persians. He is a notable general in his own right and one of the very few who has won a victory over the Romans.

I am sure Ioannis would dearly love to be here but the honor of vengeance goes to me.

My forces consisted of a very diverse group.

We had only three companies of Roman heavy infantry. The rest of the Roman contingent consisted of two companies of Stratiotae, one of Cavalarii horse archers, and one company of noble Pronarii heavy cavalry. They were supported by a range of mercenaries and local levies consisting of six companies of ethnic Turkish horse archers, one of Kazak horse archers, one of Armenian heavy cavalry, and one unit of Saracen foot archers. To gain entrance into the city, I had two units of Grand Bombards. Their crews were much depleted from earlier battles but could still manage to man two cannons each.

The night was overcast and moonless. We would find our way by torches and the light of the fires set by our assault.

Our approach was perfect. No sentry spied our advance and no alarm was sounded. The first indication of our presence was when the bombards unleashed their first rounds.

The walls crumpled under the impact of the heavy stone balls which had been covered in pitch before firing in order to show their trajectory (and sow chaos in the city).

The alarms bells could be heard coming out the city almost immediately. The garrison of the city scrambled to respond and quickly formed companies near the city gates. What they found when they arrived were multiple breaches already blown through the same walls they had thought to be safe behind.

Since the enemy was known to be almost completely lacking in missile troops, I sent the bombards forward to fire round after round of grape shot through the breaches. Dozens of the Persian militia fell to the clusters of lead shot belched forth from the mouths of our cannons. Any enemy infantry which thought of charging the cannons was quickly dissuaded by the horde of horse archers we had positioned just outside the walls. After one aborted attempt, they did not try again.

Shah Sami had a fearsome reputation as a general. However, for all his tactical brilliance, he never learned to steer clear of a killing zone. He, and most of his bodyguard, fell under the double blast of grape shot fired by the cannons.

Spoiler for Shah Sami Killed: 

The death of the Shah was our signal to charge forward. What few companies of heavy infantry I had available led this assault and soon came to grips with the now-leaderless militia.

Militia might not be worth much in the field but, when they are defending their homes and families, can put up a strong fight in the narrow confines of the city streets.

Our horse archers now found their own paths through the city and peppered the defenders with arrows from behind when they fought our infantry or battered them down when they sought refuge in the central square.

The few survivors from the wall defense now put up a last stand in the city center. Our infantry made a disciplined approach and then attacked from both sides.

We had the better training, equipment, and leadership and the outcome was never in doubt.

Though the Persians managed to kill over 150 of my men, they lost eight for each life they took.


Although we are all exhausted by this night's attack, I cannot tarry here with the army and recover from our wounds. There is a very large Persian army camped less than a day's march away and will surely move against us when the sun rises.

I leave only a small force to hold the city.

- Genessios.

Second Battle of Mashad - July, 1542 AD.

Spoiler for Second Battle of Mashad: 

From Battle Report Filed by Lord Genessios Ksiros Laskaris to Emperor Vasileios and the Imperial Archives - 1542 AD.

I was somewhat surprised when my scouts reported the composition of the Persian field army. I had thought the professional ranks of the Persians were completely destroyed. It seems I was mistaken.

The Persian army was a powerful and balanced force of heavy cavalry, horse archers, infantry, hand gunners, and archers. They had three companies of heavy Ghulam cavalry, one company of noble Kwarezmian heavy cavalry, one company of Turkish horse archers, four companies of halberds, two of spearmen, two of heavy archers, one of gunners, and one of the secretive Hashashin assassins.

Most troubling, they even had enlisted the services of one company of mercenary elephants. I had seen what a company of these fearsome beasts could do when wielded by a skilled general. Even worse, these were the same elephants that had been so decisive against Ioannis only a few years before. They would be the focus of my initial attack and my success or failure against them would determine the battle.

The general who should have been in command of this army was apparently away conducting some scouting when our forces came upon their army.


Shahzade Sinan was a young noble who had only achieved his somewhat exalted position through the attrition in the Persian nobility in their wars against us. I doubt he even knew of the death of Sami and that he was now the ruler of the Persians/Kwarezm. I was determined to make his reign one of the shortest in history.

He was said to have some skill as a general but that, it seemed, did not include being with his men when they were under attack. My haste in bringing the Persians to battle so soon after capturing the city was now rewarded as I would be fighting an army without a leader and a leader without an army.

My men were still very tired from the assault on Mashad only a few hours before.

We had lost 150 men that I could not replace on such short notice but we were flushed with confidence from our previous victory and sure of ourselves even though the enemy greatly outnumbered us.

We came upon the large army from the hills just west of the city. We had the advantage of position and I did not intend to squander it. We formed ranks where our archers and cannon could have the maximum impact.


The Persians may have had it in their heads to wait for us to come down and attack them in the plains. However, the range of our cannons quickly dissuaded them of any such notions. We began a bombardment on them immediately and made the focus of our attack the enemy elephants.

The Persians could not simply wait for our attack anymore given cannon fire raining down on them. Also, our Cavalarii moved to the heights on our right and also brought the enemy cavalry under fire.

The leaderless Persian army now moved to the attack with the elephants in the lead. Our archers added to the cannon fire coming down on the Persians with a barrage of fire arrows. Again, we concentrated our fire on the elephants who had now come in range of their own gunners stationed on the platforms atop the beasts.

Our men began to suffer some casualties from the fire of the elephant gunners and were starting to get nervous as they wondered how they would stand up to an attack by the elephants.

Their concerns turned out to be unfounded. The combination of cannon fire and the flaming arrows caused the elephants to pause. When two of the beast fell from a blast of grape shot, the rest of the company panicked and charged back down the hill - right into the masses of Persian infantry!

It was now the Persians turn to flee from the beasts. The infantry were already very tired from the approach march up the steep hill. With their own elephants throwing men left and right in their own haste to escape, a great number of the enemy companies began to flee!

What few of the enemy infantry that did hold their nerve amid the cannon fire and arrows now met my own infantry formed up in tight ranks more than prepared to meet their attack.

It was a quick fight and one marked more by the comical sight of enemy infantry caught between the Roman killers to their front and the rampaging elephants to their rear. What had been an organized fight now devolved into utter chaos on the part of the Persians.

Shahadze Sinan was a late arrival onto the scene and did his best to rally his fleeing soldiers. I could not allow him to give heart to his men and ordered my own bodyguard through our ranks of infantry and descend on him in a rush.

Sinan perished under the blows of our lances. Sinan had spent less than one day as the Persian ruler. That should give pause to any other eastern noble eager to take up the mantle of leadership.

With the Persian army in full flight, my cavalry and horse archers came surging off the hill and descended into the confused mob of the Persians. We killed and captured by the score and made short work of any company that found heart to turn against us.

When we had the chance, I had my archers and cannon take aim against the mercenary elephants. It was dicey work staying away from the rampaging beasts but, eventually, we killed them all.


The "professional" Persian field army began the day with over 1400 soldiers. By the close of that day, barely ten were fleet enough to make their escape.


It was a well-earned victory despite our losses.

We captured a very large number of Persians but, since both the ruler and heir had been killed, we had no one to ransom them to.

Spoiler for Prisoners: 

Despite our exhaustion, we still found the strength to dispatch them into the next world.

Now that we have swept away all resistance around Mashad, we can return to the newly captured city and recover from the exertions of the two battles it took to secure Mashad.

The men are spent, as am I. Still, we are heartened by the sweet taste of victory and the prospect of all the plunder waiting for us in Mashad.

We now command the city and another Persian capitol city has submitted to the Empire. We have followed standard protocol and demolished the mosque, executed the imams, and begun construction of a new Orthodox house of worship.

I will tarry here a few weeks in order to make sure the city is put on a proper footing and allow our wounded warriors to recover. The Persians have been humbled and there are no forces left to fight in this area. I trust that this is the last time I will have to face an army flying the banners of Persia.

The real fight is now to the north against the Mongols. When my forces have recovered, I will join Lord Vitos in the war against them.

I shall also send a copy of my report on the assault on Mashad to Ioannis. I am sure he will be happy to hear that the only man to best him in battle is now dead. I am sure he won't mind that it was I, and not him, that did it. Then again, he might.

- Genessios.

The twin battles of Mashad have cleared away all Persian resistance in the north of that country. The only significant force remaining in the old Persian heartland has coalesced around the fortress city of Kerman. General Ioannis has sent his own reports detailing his attack against them.

Assault on Kerman - August, 1542 AD.

Spoiler for Assault on Kerman: 

From Battle Report Filed by General Ioannis "the Conqueror" Aprinos to Emperor Vasileios and the Imperial Archives.

I have decided to bypass the Persian field army camped east of the fortress that was obviously put there to block my path. My real mission was the capture of the fortress and not the killing of yet more Persian foot soldiers. Also, it would not be prudent to leave them a bolt hole to retreat to after the battle.

It was a relatively simple maneuver for my agile army given the fact that the Persians were led by only a rank-and-file captain. Helpfully, I had detailed information on the area from our corps of spies that preceded my advance.

Finally, I did not wish to give up the element of surprise in my attack on the fortress. Word has been sent that the proper guards have been bribed and that we will meet no resistance at the gates.


The Persian garrison was pitifully small.

Besides their general, they had but one company of hand gunners and two companies of Ghulam cavalry.

They were led by possibly the oldest man I had ever seen, Recep Baltaci.

He had long been an administrator for the Persian Empire. He must also have fallen severely out of favor with the court as many other younger, and less capable, men had been promoted above him whilst he languished away in this fortress.

My army was somewhat depleted by our previous battles but I had plenty of soldiers for this attack.

With the recent levies I have received, I now have a more balanced force. We still have a distinctly "Eastern" flavor of forces with our five companies of Turkish horse archers, three companies of Turkish foot archers, one of Kurdish javelinmen, and one of Armenian heavy cavalry. We now have more Roman soldiers than before with two companies of heavy Pronarii cavalry, two of the light Stratiotae, one of the Cavalarii, and one company of heavy spearmen. Also, at long last, I have been able to recruit a company of mercenary elephants.

My main army appeared at dawn just outside of the battlements of the fortress. We came up in dressed ranks and with much fanfare.


Our formal appearance was to fix the Persians attention at the main gate. At the eastern gate, I had my Turkish horse archers make a much more stealthy approach.


While the enemy were fixed facing me, my Turks attacked the side gate which was obligingly opened for us by the turncoat Persians.


When the Persians realized they had been betrayed, the entire garrison retreated in great haste to the inner fortifications. Recep Baltaci and his bodyguard led the way back with the Persian cavalry hot on his heels. The Persian gunners, however, were not so fleet and came under withering fire from the Turks.


Though they ran as fast as they could, the gunners could not outrun our arrows. Not a single man made it back to the supposed safety of the inner walls.


Given that only the Persian cavalry now manned the inner defenses, I sent my heavy spearmen forward to make the attack through the walls. As soon as they emerged from the gate, they were met by the Ghulams and a bitter fight ensued.

Our spearmen had the advantage but the Ghulams fought on bravely.
The Ghulams had a real chance to crush the heavy spearmen through sheer numbers so I sent my javelinmen through and had them take up a flanking position. They sent a hail of missiles into the distracted Ghulams.


The combined attack of spears to the front and javelins at the flanks soon brought down virtually every member of the two companies of Ghulams.

My men started tripping over the carcasses of the Persian horses and riders but pressed on grimly until none remained to oppose them.

Now, only Recep Baltaci and his bodyguard remained. I decided to see if this old administrator had any fight left in him and attacked him myself with my bodyguard in support.

I slew the old man myself while my men dispatched his bodyguard. He fought well for a man who was older than my grandfather.

Spoiler for Death Card: 

Only one horseman had managed to flee to the inner square. I do believe he soiled himself when my bodyguard came through the inner gates unopposed. Fortunately for him, his embarrassment was short-lived.


My heavy spearmen and javelinmen suffered greatly under the furious attack of the enemy cavalry but most of my other units were practically untouched.

Once my men have enjoyed themselves for a few days in the welcoming confines of Kerman, I will move against the Persian army that I gave the slip to just a few days before.

- Ioannis.

Ioannis still displays his same flair for battle and his contempt for the enemy. One thing about his report troubles me. I saw that in his report he has referred to himself as Ioannis "the Conqueror." At first, I assumed that it was one of my more overzealous clerks who had added the sobriquet "the Conqueror" to his report to honor him as has happened in the past. After making some casual inquiries, it seems that, no, they did not do it. Ioannis himself wrote it.

Amazing. Just...amazing. I truly believe his ego really has no bounds.

His next report bears the same title.

Second Battle of Kerman - September, 1542 AD.

Spoiler for Second Battle of Kerman: 

From Battle Report Filed by Ioannis "the Conqueror" Aprinos to Emperor Vasileios and the Imperial Archives - 1542 AD.

Following my quick victory over the garrison at Kerman, I now turned my attentions to the Persians left behind west of the fortress.

I announce our conquest of Kerman to the Persians by having the head of Recep thrown into their lines by one of my Turks. They now knew of the fate of their comrades and their own position being stranded in what was now a Roman province.

The Persian army had no noble to lead them but were still a professional force with some veteran units.

They had two companies of heavy horse, one of Kwarezmian noblemen, two of heavy archers, two of halberds, two of gunners, one of heavy spearmen, and two of lesser spearmen. They also had the remnants of the Persian Royal Guard.

My army suffered some losses taking Kerman but in all other respects were of the same composition.


We had the advantage of the better position as we formed ranks on a low him facing the Persians. They dressed their formations in an orderly appearance but I could tell that they knew their death had arrived.


My horse archers darted around the flanks and made short work of the Persian horsemen.


The noblemen made an abortive charge against the horse archers but were too slow to catch them and suffered the loss of about half their numbers for their trouble.


Our horse archers were not able to slay them all, unfortunately, and the Persian noblemen slammed into our archers and javelinmen causing several score casualties.


I now decided to see what my elephants could do and so sent them around to the flanks and then crashing into the Persian gunners and archers. The results were impressive.


My Pronarii now finished what the elephants had started and slew the remaining missile troops with relative ease.


My horse archers were now free to roam the battlefield unopposed and brought a withering fire down on the heads of the massed infantry. I ordered my infantry to pull back and let the arrows of my archers do the rest of the work for this day. The enemy infantry soon saw the futility of further fighting and retreated in a disordered panic.

The horse archers paced their withdrawal and killed or captured most of them.

We had a decidedly easy time against the last professional army left in old Persia.

The only bad news of the day was the loss of some of my skirmishers and the fact that over a hundred of the Persians made good their escape.

I think it is of little concern, though. Those hundred soldiers now have no home and no place to hide. I am told most have simply thrown down their arms and done their best to blend back into the local populace. I don't think we will have any further trouble from them.

I will go back to Kerman and set things right there. When my men have rested, I intend to travel south and stamp out what remains of the Persian "Empire."

- Ioannis.

Ioannis may be brash, vain, and have unbridled ambition but, he is effective. He has made quite a name for himself against the Persians. I wonder what he will do when there are no more left to kill?

The news of these victories sends the populace into immediate celebration. In the hippodrome, the races have stopped so that heralds can read of the conquest of three cities in the east and restore confidence in both our military and the leadership of Vasileios. We have pushed the Mongols back and completely taken over all of the Persian homelands. The Persians are, to the best of our knowledge, confined to only one small city on the east coast of Arabia.

I am sure it pained Vasileios to publish these reports so fully (and raise the prestige of Vitos and Genessios) but he was in desperate need of some good news, any good news, that he had no choice. The wave of goodwill generated by this news has stifled any grumblings about the campaign in Africa and people are openly praising Vasileios (and the Laskaris dynasty) once again. I find it ironic that the successful campaigns of my brother and husband, the chief rivals to Emperor Vasileios, have secured his hold on the throne.

The world truly works in strange ways.

The jubilation is short-lived, however, as only days later we are all shocked to hear of the latest calamity in the west: the French have flooded across our borders and laid siege to Skantarium!

The besieging army is of only rough parity with the garrison under Kalamodios, but there are several more French armies on the way.

Though we are triumphant in the East, we are in danger of losing the West entirely.

Just as we were only ten years ago, the greatest powers in Western Europe (the French and the Spanish) are at war with us once again. Then, Emperor Skantarios came out of retirement, marched out at the head of the Imperial Army, and turned the situation around in just a few years. This time, no one expects Emperor Vasileios to leave the comfort and safety of the capitol and go to battle. Therefore, our fates are tied to his sons, Efthymios and Zinonas; two men barely out of their teens and ones who have never seen combat.

Can they reverse the tide of the war in the West? Will they be up to the challenge?

The world as we know it - 1542 AD.


The world as it really is - 1542 AD.

[Skantarios]

Long update today. The length, combined with some serious formatting difficulties, delayed the release to this evening.

I want to thank everyone who has posted their support for this new AAR. I meant to say so in better detail before but I was overcome by the hour. I would like to do so now.

Thanks to:
@NotYetRegistered - like the name

@Vampire1016 - glad to have you back, always enjoyed your input in my first AAR

@desley - hope my tips on your AAR help, good luck!

@integralbirth - don't be afraid to comment in the future - glad to have you around.

@Thokran - as always, so happy to have another great writer read my work. Loving your Makurian AAR.

@barcamartin - thanks for the support. Glad that you are also back on board for the sequel.

@LukeMurgatroyd - In a lot of ways, I never did leave. Just needed to take a break for a while although I did still work on the bonus posts and some work on The Critic's Quill.

@Vaz - the heirs will be front and center now that Skantarios has moved on. I'm trying to throw in a little more intrigue into this one more so than the last.

@TaronQuin and Beer Money - see below.

@cisse - I know you've been following since the early days of I am Skantarios! I hope the sequel will be up to yours (and everyone else's) expectations.

@Uber Patriot - Bridge battles are always tough, especially when you are getting hit from both sides. In some ways, I'm glad that was the first battle to start things off. Better to start with a "bang."

@Lord Lancelot - So happy to have you back following this. Thanks for the rep, as well. Much appreciated.

@Contingency - I hope my input on your AAR was also taken in the spirit it was intended. Reading yours is like seeing my first one in its early days. Hope you will continue.

@kebo - thanks for commenting. I do plan to continue to "whatever end."

@Rowdytavern - Thanks for the kind words. Hope you will continue reading as I move forward.

@SupremeTurkeyLord (aka STL) and @Exarch - extremely happy to have you both back, my friends. You and STL were some of the biggest supporters of the first one so it's wonderful to have you "here" as well. I hope this effort is all that you expect.

@IPA35 - Yes, Marseilles would be a good target and one I hope to get to. However, recent developments in northern Italy have turned my attentions back to the Alps.

@Maltacus - The 1450 campaign is great, especially from the Byzantine/Roman perspective. It's also really tough in a lot of ways. You don't have a bunch of "rebel" provinces around you to snap up and create a huge empire in only a few turns. It makes you work for everything - which I think is more realistic. You also don't have to wait for new developments to get away from militia/spam armies.

@Soulstrider - great to have you back, as well. Lots can happen in only a few days.

Please tell me someone has contacted you to publish this in a full-length novel...or to turn it into a miniseries haha

I agree with Taron and as Ive said before, print this sucker.

Unfortunately, no contact on this from a publisher. My wife is a marketer and after me to figure out a way to "monetize" all this work. Although I am not a professional writer, I would like to do something along those lines one day; part time, at least, as I enjoy my current real job. I do have some ideas for another endeavor and maybe I will try to put this together in a book someday. If I do, I will make sure you know about it. For now, I am just enjoying it for the challenge and the exercise in writing. Thanks for the encouragement!

Excellent intro, worthy of the original AAR - which by the way was the reason why I registered after a long time lurking!

Ive been following "I am skantarios" since december, your the reason i signed up. Your writing is excellent.

Having someone register just to comment on this story is one of the best compliments I could receive. Always enjoy hearing that. Glad to have you both on board and hope you will stick around.

I hope I didn't miss anyone. If I did, it was not intentional. For those who are lurking and not posting, that is perfectly fine, as well. I read several other AARs and don't post very much so I know the feeling.

For everyone, if there is something that you would like to see more (or less) of, please let me know. I always want to make this better and I know I am not perfect (far from it, actually). I can't cover everything but I want to try and make this a "complete" story in all the facets that I (and hopefully you) find interesting.


This update brings us up to speed with the war in the East. The Persians are on the run and relegated to only a minor holding in Arabia. The Mongols have lost their only fortress city in the south and are now fighting to maintain the twin cities of Urgench and Khiva.

Things have not gone so smoothly in the west, though, and it will be a hard fight to turn back the invaders.


For those who have followed my writing in the past, you may have noticed that I tried a couple new things in this update and the previous one. The first was the photo editing of the battles around Mashad. They were both night battles (one intentionally, the other not so much). The photos looked really poor when I was posting so I went back and did some touch ups on them. I can do more of that but I am no graphics specialist.

Also, I am going to talk a little bit more about the court intrigue and some things with the Papacy. If this becomes a distraction, I will stop, so let me know if this is a net gain or not.


I am hopeful to get the next update posted by the end of tomorrow or late on Monday. We will be switching back to the West and see how the Romans can turn things around or at least hold what they have. You will finally see a real mention of the new heir/Diadohos Efthymios who, I believe, will play a major role going forward.

Again, glad to have you on board with this AAR. These things are always hard to get going (as evidenced by so many that have fallen by the wayside after only a few posts). Knowing this is being well read is a great encouragement to continue.

[Concrete]

Great update, mate.
I almost feel sorry for the Persians.

EDIT: Your words were extremely flattering, thank you.
As for what I expect, it has certainly delivered it so far.
I'm afraid it isn't on par with the first one however.
Why? Because of Skantarios' passing.
I've probably mentioned it before, but you did an extraordinary job with him, fleshing him out to be such a legendary charcter, he really captured my heart.
So the world of Skantarios is certainly at a loss without him, but this AAR is definitely the next best thing.

As for the court intrigue, it is going extremely well so far, I say continue it.

-SupremeTurkeyLord (Eagerly awaiting more.)