AAR: Rise of Khazars

**speedyvm** · February 27, 2009, 07:44 AM

Dark Age era, Khazars are in possessio of a few provinces, but this is only the begining. They are at war with Pecenegs and Hungarians. The most of the Magyars migrated to the West, their positions are vulnerable in the Est, even with that they are still a fierce enemy.

A small khanat.

Khazars conqured Caffa from Byzantins and made it the capital of empire. The confflict didn't last long, these modern Romans have not such of influence over the world in these times, sending a skilled diplomat and a few gifts assured an wellcomed peace and trade rights for all ports.
Caffa is the most prosperous city in the reign, has too main trade links, one to Byzantins and one with Bulgars. The convertion process, done in most part by Judaic priests, is very succesfull here in Caffa and in other regions, it is slow but sure (as should be). Magyars sent 2 priests into khazar's regions to probably cause some khaos, they are spreading pagan belifs, the prists are pretty well instructed, very high skilled, too bad that assasins cannot be recruted yet.

Caffa, guarded by loyal volunteer soldiers with no unkeep, recruted from other regions.

I present you a familly member Khagan-Bek Nayuk, which just has become heir of the khan. He has the blood of the royal dinasty of Khazars and despite the fact that the khan is very old and week, Khagan-Bek Nayuk is very loyal to his family and shows his dedication to the khan.
He is more connected to old pagan beliefs then the new Judaic religion accepted by their parrents and relativs. At his age of 19 years, Khagan-Bek Nayuk allready has a vast experience of war, his new retinue of Veteran Khazar Worrior grated him more control and higher moral for infantery under his command, also a few more bodygurds and people who will watch and protect him from assassination attempts. Beeing a man with great ambitions, he wants to subdue Pecenegs and banish the Magyars from these lands once for all. Soon he will become a great khan and after finishing the 2 missions, he may launch long campaigns in the North and start war with Russians.

You will see now the fierce in Battle of these Khazars, their great potential and great skills in archering. Even in the middle of the winter, Khazars are capable to attack and protect their beloved steppe regions.
In the new province that was taken from Hungarians, we found a few rebels in the north, probabbly a few remains of Magyars. Khagan-Bek Nayuk starts an offensive against these rebels from Ochakov- the town that he currently governs. Marching with speed, he is worried that these rebels will cross the border and escape from his punishment, as we know, he is a heatred and agressive lord. The infantry is very slow, tired and not with all wounds healed after the recently siege of Magyars over Ochakov.

Khagan-Bek Nayuk decides to send his best horse archers to chase of the rebel troops.

The captain putted in charge, Ogoshin, is a bold and clever man. He finds the rebels and he starts the battle by forming 2 lines of horse archers, while he waits backwards with 2 khazar boyars, for decisive charges.

The enemies make their first mistake, by advancing with high speed of the archers and letting behinde the spearmen.

Khazar horse archers begins shooting arrows over enemy foot archers. After a while, enemy foot archers are getting close and prepare to shoot arrows too. The captain sees this thing and orders to Khazar horse archers to move their targets over spearmen who now are comming with great speed with intention to help the foot archers.
Captain Ogoshin and his 2 boyars, equipped in russian style, are getting close and throw their small spears over the foot archers, witch now are scared and have some considerable casualties. In this time the horse archers are shooting a devasting and precisely arrows to the spearmen, which are charging and chasing them, but unsuccessfuly.

Ogoshin observes that the foot archers are tired and with a low moral, he charges with a meele attack and starts the massacre right in the middle of them, finaly they start to flee. After crushing them all, the captain goes in help for his horse archers, which now have no arrows to shoot and waits the order to begin the meele fight. Captain and his 2 bodyguards attack the spearmen for a flank, while the horse archers begins to charge a frontal and risky attack. A horsearcher falls, but captain Ogoshin has battle in his hand. The enemy captain is killed alongside a pack of his spearmen, after this the rest soldiers starts fleeing. They are all captured and soon they will be sent to Ochakov or Caffa and sold as slaves.

The battle is over and Ogoshin, looking to the field covered with bodies and puddled with blood, thinks at his promotion in Khazar military ranks. Will he become a warlord, having thousands of soldiers under his command and conquering more steppe regions for his people?