[Diadochi] Blood in the Sands

[Barry Goldwater]

The army of Calas, Macedonian Satrap of Egypt, has marched forth from the Sinai Peninsula to engage the Ma'in and Qedarite Arabs assailing his new ally/in-laws in northwestern Arabia, the Kingdom of Nabataea. The Nabataean army will of course be fighting alongside his forces in the defense of their homeland.

[Pyrrhus the Molossian]

Calas and his army have arrived close to where the army of Ma'in is located.

[Barry Goldwater]

Battle of Quweira

The Macedonian army, following the southern wing of the Nabataean army (while the northern half is busy frustrating the Qedarites elsewhere), engages the Ma'in first, meeting them between the villages of Quweira and Aqaba south of Petra. The terrain between these towns is a flat desert, perfect for cavalry and especially camelry to maneuver in, while offering little in the way of obstacles beyond the natural heat for heavy infantry.

(Pyrrhus, please restate the Macedonian forces involved here)

Map

Allies deploy to the north of the line, the Ma'in will deploy south of it

Nabataean army

Harithath ibn Ubaidah, King of Nabataea (Cavalry Specialist) Shullai ibn Harithath, Prince of Nabataea (Ambusher) 4x Muqrabe Lukhata - Cheap light spearmen outfitted with wooden or wicker bucklers, short spears and light helmets (or no armor at all). 2x 'Ashab - Unarmored Bedouin axemen who make effective, if reckless, light infantry in the desert, but should not be allowed to get into an extended melee. 3x Nabataean Camelry 2x Nabataean Horse Archers - Mounted tribesmen of middling to high birth loyal to the Melk Nabatu, skilled with the bow and arrow & also equipped with light helmets and corselets for armor. 2x Nabataean Noble Lancers

Ma'in army

Murthid ibn Anmar (Cavalry Specialist) Wahab ibn Kuza (Skirmisher Specialist) 4x Bnei Shevet Arabim - Unarmored light infantry from the Arab deserts, armed with javelins, short thrusting spears and shields. 2x Giusim 'Arabim Tsfonim - Lightly-armored Arab archer-spearmen equipped with strong bows for ranged combat and long spears for fending off cavalry in close quarters. 4x Qala'im Arabim - Unarmored Arab slingers drawn from the ranks of the poorer tribesmen. 2x Qasa'tim Arabim - Unarmored Arab archers drawn from the ranks of the poorer tribesmen. 3x Parashim Arabim Meguiasim - Mounted Arab skirmishers armed with javelins, spears & small round shields, but completely unarmored. 2x Arabian Camelry - Equivalent to Nabataean Camelry

[Pyrrhus the Molossian]

General-
Calas (Cavalry Specialist, Legendary Steed)
Nicanor (Infantry Specialist, Old Captain)
Cleander (Cavalry Specialist, Legendary Armor)
Location-About to battle Ma'in


1xElephantes Hulaioi Liboukoi (12)
4xHetairoi (2,000)
2x Nabataean Noble Lancers (1,000)
2x Nabataean Camelry (1,000)
12xArgyraspidai (12,000)
4xMachimoi (4,000)
4xHoplitai (4,000)
2xToxotai (2,000)
2xToxotai Kretikoi (2,000)


24,000 Infantry
4,000 Cavalry
12 Elephants


Map and orders will be up shortly.

[Pyrrhus the Molossian]

Map

[IMG][/IMG]

Black-Elephants
Blue-Hetairoi
Pink-Nabataean Noble Lancers
White-Nabataean Camelry
Silver-Silver Shields
Green-Machimoi
Purple-Hoplites
Brown-Cretan archers and regular archers
Gold-Muqrabe Lukhata
Yellow-Ashab
Red-Nabataean Horsearchers

Orders

Calas and his son Cleander will take command of the elephants, hetairoi, some Nabataean noble lancers and some of the Nabataean camelry and horsearchers. King Harithath will lead his Nabataean noble lancers, camelry, and horsearchers on the left wing. Nicanor will take command of the melee infantry while Shullai is to command the archers. The cavalry and elephants on the right wing under the command of Calas and Cleander will advance quickly ahead. Cleander will take the 1 unit of Nabataean Horsearchers and 2 units of Nabataean Camelry to engage any skirmisher cavalry that are in the way to harass and defeat them with arrow fire while the melee cavalry do their own work. Calas himself will take the elephants, 4 units of hetairoi, and 1 unit of Nabataean Noble Lancers to flank the Ma'in infantry and hit them in the rear and destroy any missile troops behind their lines. The elephants should focus on trampling as many of the enemy's melee infantry as possible. Nicanor will advance with his infantry to engage Ma'in's infantry in melee combat. Shullai will have the famed Cretans and regular Greek archers fire as soon as they are in range and continue to do so for the duration of the battle. The hoplites and silver shields will pin the outnumbered infantry in the front as the lighter troops move to hit them in their vulnerable flanks. Any infantry who have javelins should throw them at an opportune time before engaging in melee. King Harithath will lead the left cavalry wing in the same way that Calas and Cleander are leading the right. Nabataean camelry and horsearchers will engage and occupy the enemy's skirmisher cavalry while the Nabataean noble lancers here will flank the Ma'in infantry and hit them in the rear and slaughter any missile troops they can reach. Prisoners are to be taken if they offer surrender.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

ooc: I don't think that Harithat would accept any surrender. If you have ever seen Lawrence of Arabia you might know what I mean. More so if these Arabs are rebels or they have a violent history.

[Pyrrhus the Molossian]

OOC: I'm in command. We will accept surrenders. These Arabians are not the ones of the 1900s. This is pre Islam and there is no reason for them to be simply killed. Please keep OOC chatter out of my thread.

[Barry Goldwater]

The Battle of Quweira proceeds

The battle began with the Egyptians advancing on all fronts. While Calas and his son led the Egyptian right, Harithath commanded the elephant-less left, and Nicanor led the infantry to push past the missiles of the many, many Ma'in skirmishers (also opposed by Shullai's own light troops) to engage their infantry. Though the Ma'in were numerous, the overwhelming majority of their soldiers were light troops who could not hope to withstand the Macedonians in open battle, and the terrain was not rough enough to disrupt the impenetrable phalanx or slow down the heavier Hellenic cavalry & elephants to any appreciable extent. Once said phalanx met the Ma'in archer-spearmen in combat, a calamity for the opposing Arabs ensued - the archer-spearmen had as much success in repelling the phalanx as the Persians' own had years ago, which is to say, not much at all.

While this was happening, the Ma'in cavalry wings battled their allied counterparts on the flanks. On the Ma'in left, they were rapidly driven back by the enemy's elephants & hetairoi; the Ma'in had thought to bring camels to give them an edge over horseback cavalry, but no camel could withstand an elephant. The fight on the Ma'in right against Harithath's own men was more even, but proved to be for naught anyway as the elephants and heavy cavalry under Calas' personal direction smashed into the crumbling Ma'in infantry's flank, having put the cavalry opposing them to flight. The Ma'in host rapidly degenerated into a complete rout, and both of their leaders issued orders to surrender at this point.

Despite his thirst for Ma'in blood and rage at their invasion, no doubt fueled by generations' worth of grudges from well before even his grandfather was born, Harithath has grudgingly acquiesced to his in-laws' will this time and directed his men to simply take as many men as they can prisoner, not kill them.

Outcome: Decisive Allied victory

Casualties:

Allies

100 Toxotai 150 Nabataean Camelry (Calas) 50 Nabataean Noble Lancers (Calas) 50 Hetairoi (Calas) 200 Machimoi 100 Hoplitai 50 Argyraspidai 250 Muqrabe Lukhata 200 'Ashab 100 Nabataean Camelry (Harithath) 50 Nabataean Horse Archers (Harithath) 50 Nabataean Noble Lancers (Harithath)

Ma'in

1,100 Bnei Shevet Arabim 800 Giusim 'Arabim Tsfonim 300 Qala'im Arabim 200 Qasa'tim Arabim 300 Parashim Arabim Meguiasim 250 Arabian Camelry

[Pyrrhus the Molossian]

With the battle won, the leaders of the Ma'in are brought before Calas who stands with his hand on the pommel of his sword.

"You have me to thank for your lives being spared Arabians. Your army is crushed and it is time for you to reap the consequences of invading my family members. You will become a personal vassal of mine swearing allegiance to myself as your liege. You will also provide my armies with a force of soldiers that will be fed and paid for by your own kingdom. These terms are more than merciful, probably far more than you deserve. I reccommend you accept them before my relatives change my mind."

[Barry Goldwater]

The Ma'in chieftains Murthid and Wahab, knowing full well that they have been defeated and having already placed themselves at Calas' mercy when they surrendered, agree to his terms. Immediately after swearing their allegiance unto him, they also revealed who incited them to attack the Nabataeans in the first place: Lysandros Keraunos, the Satrap of Syria!

The surviving Ma'in forces will attach themselves the Egypto-Nabataean army.

[Barry Goldwater]

The Egyptians who had expected a fight with the Qedarites once they reached northern Nabataea would be sorely disappointed: men loyal to King Harithath who had been fighting in the region report that the Qedarites' assault on northern Nabataea had degenerated into increasingly smaller raids after the defeat of the Ma'in, and have stopped completely just a few weeks earlier. Nabataean outriders further report that the Qedarites are bizarrely retreating back into the northern Arabian desert, and possibly beyond. Calas has the option of attempting to pursue them into the sands, or leaving Nabataea to attack Syria now that the Qedarites are evidently racing out of his hair.

Outcome: Qedarites heed advice, mount a retreat

----------------------------------------------------

In an even stranger turn of events, Qedarite riders have come as far as Anatha. They seek an audience with Antigonus' governor in the region, claiming that they want nothing more than refuge for their people - and that it was on the word of the 'Lord of Syria' that they had come here in the first place, as he had informed their chieftains that the 'Lord of Babylon' would be prepared to let them into his dominion so long as they did not harass his subjects. It now falls to Antigonus to either turn the Qedarites away or work out terms with them.

[Pyrrhus the Molossian]

1. Need to know how many of the Ma'in Camelry are vassal troops. You never replied.

2. I ordered an attempted secret march into Damascus several days ago.

3. The satrap of Syria is dead. What is the fallout? My army and navy are in Syria so I sort of need the situation.