Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire
Originally Posted by Supreme Turkey Lord
Our enemies the Kievan Rus are now at war with the Principality of Kiev.
- In the diplomacy scroll.
Fixed! Thanks.
I am working on two updates right now. The raid to Egypt and the war against the Germans/relief of the Hungarians. I will put them out as two separate posts and should have them both up by this weekend.
Read the review of I am Skantarios! in the Critic's Quill here.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire
The voting for the January MAARC has begun! If you like this AAR and feel inclined to vote for it, please go to the MAARC Voting Page and vote. There are plenty of great AARs this month.
As always, thanks for reading!
Last edited by Skantarios; February 03, 2010 at 08:16 AM.
Read the review of I am Skantarios! in the Critic's Quill here.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire
Originally Posted by Beer Money
Pretty sweet updates. You've gotten really good. Just a complete AAR from story to visuals!
Thank you!
Originally Posted by SirNat
wow this has grown in popularity since i last looked, where did u come in the maarx competition?
The voting is going on right now. Feel free to visit and vote if you like.
Originally Posted by Supreme Turkey Lord
Will you press into Anatolia, whilst directing the two further flung campagins? Or will you merely hold the line there, and perhaps advance north through the Holy Lands? If the campagin is successful that is.
I will hold the line in Anatolia but Benedek is loose against the Germans!
Originally Posted by Supreme Turkey Lord
Good luck for the MAARC.
Thanks!
Originally Posted by Pannonius
Do you plan to get an alliance with the Novgorodians?
Would love to get into an alliance with my Orthodox brothers to the north. My reputation is suffering somewhat due to the nastiness of the campaign but I will keep trying.
Originally Posted by dezikeizer
Just one thing:Shouldn't that be spelled: initiated?
Yep. Missed that one. Fixed now.
Also, thanks to cisse, Lukok, Vampire1016, and everyone else for the support and viewership. I appreciate all the feedback!
Read the review of I am Skantarios! in the Critic's Quill here.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire
Originally Posted by SirNat
wow this has grown in popularity since i last looked, where did u come in the maarx competition?
Hasn't been decided yet.
Great update, looking forward to reading about these plans.
Will you press into Anatolia, whilst directing the two further flung campagins? Or will you merely hold the line there, and perhaps advance north through the Holy Lands? If the campagin is successful that is.
Good luck for the MAARC.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire
damn fine AAR, my friend
and i can see you've taken all the suggestions in my raiding thread to heart
good on ya;
keep it up
you have yourself a loyal fan here;
SO MUCH TREASURE AND SLAVES FROM PLUNDER<DROOOLS>
Last edited by Exarch; February 05, 2010 at 12:34 AM.
The decision to embark on this risky journey weighs heavily on my mind. It's an "all in" gamble to destroy the homeland of our foes. We go far away from our base of support and any hope of sanctuary. Further, by leaving Anatolia, I am stripping our frontier of the Empire's best soldiers and best hope of turning back the Egyptians should they come against us in great force. Though I leave strong garrisons at both Iconium and Ankara, no garrison is safe from every attack.
Also, leaving by ship will cut our lines of communication back to the capitol and our forces in both Europe and Asia. We will be isolated from the rest of the world and will be as ignorant of what is happening back home as they will be of what is happening to us. I have no idea how long we will be gone and when, or if, we will return. The risks are high but the rewards are great. I suppose that is why it is called gambling...
I send a letter to Vasileios apprising him of my decision and giving him authority in my absence. For now, he will maintain his firm hold on Constantinople and keep a wary eye on the nobles. With wars raging on two fronts, he will also be in the best position to respond should disaster strike in the West with Benedek or in the east with Genessios. Vasileios may be young, but he has shown great ability. Truly, I do not envy him the gilded cage of the Imperial Court. At least my enemies here have the courtesy to face me when they try to kill me.
Our first stop will be Nicosia on the island of Cyprus. Again, I turn to King Richard I of England for guidance. Although Richard failed to conquer the Holy Land, he did kill a great many Muslims. For that, he merits a favorable mention here. Before coming to the Holy Land for the first time, Richard stopped in Cyprus and conquered it for the Crusaders. He realized that it could be then, as it is now, an excellent base of operations against the mainland. I decide that we will repeat that plan prior to departing for Egypt proper.
When my forces are fully loaded, we make the quick transit across the narrow strip of the Mediterranean between Anatolia and the island of Cyprus. Our men debark on the undefended shore and move quickly for the fortress. The cannons have arrived and join us as we approach the fortress walls. The few Muslim soldiers panic at our approach and flee back inside the gates. Once we are in place, I order an immediate assault.
Battle of Nicosia - April, 1500 AD.
Spoiler for Battle of Nicosia:
From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1500 AD.
The enemy forces holding the island consist of only three companies of cavalry. They have no foot soldiers at all.
My forces also consist of cavalry with only some cannons to blast our way through.
Would that I had brought some infantry or foot archers to this battle!
We make a quick march to the fortress. The enemy has retreated inside and traded their mobility for the supposed safety of their fortifications. The cannons roll up to the walls unopposed and soon knock a hole in those same fortifications.
The enemy cavalry do not even bother coming out of the inner fortifications to challenge us.
The cannons then move through the city and begin blasting away at the second set of fortifications.
Soon, a breach is opened.
Once the rubble is clear, the enemy move out to guard the entrance but will not venture outside. Since these men are obviously cowards, I order my artillery to switch to grape shot and fire a few rounds into their massed ranks.
This, at last, “encourages” them to come out and fight.
My gunners are slow to retreat and we lose almost one full company. I charge my bodyguard against the enemy and put them to flight back into the fortifications.
I order the pursuit inside the inner fortifications. However, at this point, something unusual happens. My men, veterans of so many battles, hold back. What fear struck them in that moment remains a mystery. It is left up to me to set the example. I venture forth on my own into the inner fortifications and plunge into the midst of the Mamalukes. I call back to my men, “Will you let your Emperor die alone?!”
At the sight of me engaging the enemy horse on my own, my men rush through the entrance with a fury.
We swamp the enemy in the square and leave none alive.
The fortress is sacked. We pause for a few months on the island putting down any pockets of Muslim resistance. However, a few months is all the time we have. The reports from my spies arrive and they say that the countryside is virtually undefended. They have only small garrisons inside their cities and no field forces to be found.
The time to strike is now!
My men are recalled from the countryside. When they have all returned to Nicosia, I call the men before me to brief them on the plan. At this point, they have only been told that we are seizing Cyprus as a prelude to the invasion of Cilicia and Syria. It is time I let them know the full scope of our mission.
Spoiler for Speech to Imperial Army:
From Speech Recorded by Imperial Chronicler. June 1500 AD. Delivered from the Walls of the Fortress of Nicosia.
"My brothers! We have fought many battles together. From the mountains of Greece to the wintery plains north of the Danube to the dusty hills of Anatolia, we have battled the enemies of our Empire. The tales of your deeds will live on in the memory of all true Romans and Greeks for centuries to come. You have been the mighty sword arm of the Empire vanquishing the darkness that surrounds us.
"You have followed me into battle against impossible odds and we have always triumphed. All of us have stared Death in the face many times and come out on the other side victorious. I ask you now to follow me once more. I ask you to follow me into the very belly of the Beast...to ancient Egypt herself!
"We go to avenge the sacrifice of our friends, brothers, and comrades lost in the many battles against the Muslims. We go to avenge the sacking of our cities and the pillage of our lands. We go to avenge our God who was driven from the Holy Land so many centuries ago. Let those who called "holy war" against us in the name of their false god feel the wrath of a true Holy War against them!
"We go on a killing. We do not go to conquer and hold these lands. No, we go to bring nothing but destruction and death. We will destroy their cities, their farms, their ships, and their ability to make war ever again. Concepts of fairness, justice, and mercy are to be left behind. Were the Egyptians "fair" when they burned Europe? Were they "just" when they killed my father? Were they "merciful" when they executed our southern army? No! Neither shall we. We must harden our hearts for the mission to come. We go to strike terror into the hearts of our foes. We go to make total war.
"I will not lie to you. Many of you who go will never see home again. But what is death compared to everlasting glory?! Those of you who survive will be showered with wealth beyond your wildest imagination. Their lands are laden with riches. We go to take them all!"
The excitement and trepidation of our soldiers is evident on everyone’s face. Should we fail, we will be far away from home and any hope of support or shelter. We will be truly on our own. Every battle is victory or death.
Still, the prospect of plunder and the fabled tales of the wealth of Egypt are an overpowering enticement. Even the lowest soldier realizes what is at stake.
When I query my captains for the mood of the men, they report that all are committed. All will fight well. In fact, instead of calling us the Imperial Army, the men are now calling us the “Army of Retribution.” A fitting title if ever I heard one.
I leave behind a paltry force of mercenaries to hold Nicosia while I put the rest of the army back on the ships and head south. The cannon travel separately and will catch up with us as soon as they can.
April, 1501 AD. Location: At Sea, Off the Coast of Alexandria
Prior to this sea journey, my longest trip on a ship was from Greece to Crete. That took only a few days. This trip has taken months. The voyage south was exceedingly difficult. Many of my men have become sick during the transit. I too have caught the sickness. My doctor calls it "scurvy." My joints ache and I find it hard to walk. My appetite has vanished and I have difficulty even making it above decks. If my body has suffered so, and I have all the creature comforts one could want, I can only imagine what it has been like for the men.
A life at sea is something foreign to me but I will not let the failures of my body stop me from my mission. The doctor tells me that it should clear up once we get to dry land and he can bleed me properly. I think he is a fool but I have few options. The only thing that will cure me is to get back in the saddle and put my army back to its task.
As we approach Egypt we spot by a coastal fleet of the Egyptians. The Home Fleet brushes them aside in a brief battle and scatters their fleet to the four winds. With the approach now secure, we continue south.
When we see the coast in front of us, great shouts of joy rise up from all the ships. We are an army and not a bunch of sea-loving sailors! When the ships put to ground off the sandy coast north of Alexandria, our men literally throw themselves off the ships and hug the ground. I can hardly blame them. The offload of our horses and supplies happens in record time.
I dispatch my Cavalarii under one of my trusted captains, Captain Michail, to make the journey south and cut off Cairo from the rest of the world. They are also ordered to begin construction on siege equipment should our cannons be delayed. Should they somehow be successful in taking the city by themselves, I give Captain Michail permission to treat the city with all the subtlety of a wild berserker drunken with blood lust. No quarter and no mercy.
I lead the main body to Alexandria itself. When I approach the city, I am met by one of my spies. He tells me that his cohorts have infiltrated the city some days back. He also introduces me to a representative of some local bandits willing to hire out their services for some gold. I agree to this wretch’s demands. His men will provide useful infantry fodder for the coming battles.
At our approach to the city, I do not see the signal from my spies. They must need more time. To keep the men busy, I order siege equipment to be built. The process is tedious as there is barely any wood in the area worth using but eventually ladders and a ram are built. We have finished preparations when the welcome signal from our spies is received. When the signal goes up, we answer in kind and fly to attack the city!
Battle of Alexandria – March, 1502 AD.
Spoiler for Battle of Alexandria:
From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1502 AD.
Our spies have done well. The gates are open to our attack.
The Egyptian garrison consists only of a single noblemen governor, his bodyguard, and one company of militia.
Our forces are mostly cavalry and our mercenary brigands.
As per my instructions, the brigands take up the siege equipment facing the main gates to hold the attention of the enemy infantry. While they are doing that, my Magyars charge through the undefended gates to the west and east and make straight for the city square. The streets are strangely deserted as the city folk have fled to their homes at the first sound of our trumpets.
Once he realizes he has been betrayed, the Egyptian noble retreats to the city square. He is slow and my Magyars are already waiting for him.
The poor heathen is cut down where he stands by a multitude of arrows.
The infantry belatedly leave the wall but are also dogged by the Magyars and their fire pours into them point blank.
Before they even reach the city, they surrender and the city is ours!
This is a scorched earth campaign. The population is put to the sword.
We leave nothing behind us. The population is massacred, the administrative and trade buildings burnt, the mosque torn down, and the barracks demolished. Even the port is put to the torch. This orgy of destruction goes on for days and the city streets run red with blood. When we depart, the city is on fire. We leave nothing but embers behind.
I send our spies east to see if they can repeat their success at Damietta and also to report if the Egyptians are moving against us in force.
Once they depart, I give the order to leave the city and head south. However, as soon as our forces depart from the smoking ruin of what was once Alexandria, I am met by my Cavalarii horse archers trailing a long line of pack animals. I am alarmed at their approach until I see the dirty, but smiling, face of Captain Michail. He delivers his report with what I can only say is an evil grin.
Battle of Cairo – February, 1502 AD.
Spoiler for Battle of Cairo:
From Battle Report Filed by Captain Michail to Emperor Skantarios - 1502 AD.
The city is only held by a single noble with his paltry bodyguard.
The foolish general in charge of the city charged out to meet our forces!
There was another enemy army only a few days march away but they either timed their “coordinated” attack poorly or this noble had a death wish. Truly, the men could not believe it when he departed the city! Still, his foolishness was our gain and we quickly mounted up and prepared for battle.
He charged out, alone, from the city into the very teeth of our arrows.
He was quickly surrounded.
And cut down in a flurry of arrows.
We lost not a single soldier.
When we approached the city, we discovered the gates open and the populace in hiding.
In keeping with your orders, we put the city to the sword.
Our forces left nothing behind. We even had to burn some treasures as our horses could not carry it all. Everything in the city is destroyed outright or set on fire. The former capitol of the Egyptian Sultanate is now nothing but a smoking ruin. We leave no garrison behind. Only the bodies of our enemies.
Since there is no point in going south now, I move our forces east to assault the fortress of Damietta. Our cannons have finally arrived and I have a mind to use them. However, my spies from Alexandria have made that unnecessary as, when we approach, the signal is hanging from the gates. The fortress is open to us!
Battle of Damietta – May 1502 AD.
Spoiler for Battle of Damietta:
From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1502 AD.
The Egyptian garrison includes some of the best enemy troops. Clearly, this fortress has been training many of those tormenting us in Anatolia.
However, they are far too few to stand up to our army.
Once I received confirmation that the gates would be open, I ordered by cavalry to charge through the gates.
I take the mercenaries with me as it is high time they earned their share of the plunder.
We catch the infantry before they can reach the inner keep and they are cut down. The only one to make it to the keep is the company of Mamalukes. I lead the charge on them personally.
The company is soon surrounded by my cavalry and all of the brigand mercenaries.
Their captain fights bravely but the odds are hopeless.
The fortress is sacked. All of the beautiful Egyptian training facilities are demolished. The port is set on fire and their mosque is blown up with some gunpowder the enemy left behind. Nothing is spared. This destruction takes some time but in the end, we leave not a single structure that can be used by the enemy.
All of the major cities of Egypt have been taken and destroyed! There is nothing left for us to accomplish here. So, I gather up all of my forces and head back to the ships. I am loathe to board a ship again as I am still feeling the effects of this “scurvy” but there is no other option save a long and dangerous march north up the coast. We put the cannons and the mercenaries (who are quite liking this campaign) into a separate fleet and we depart together.
I leave Egypt in flames. Had I the time, I would have sewn their fields with salt.
As we are passing by the fortress of Gaza, I decide to inflict one more depredation on the Egyptians.
Battle of Gaza – March 1503 AD.
Spoiler for Battle of Gaza:
From Battle Report Filed by Emperor Skantarios to Imperial Archives - 1503 AD.
The speed and surprise of our offensive into the heart of Egypt has caught them completely by surprise. Even one year after landing on their coast, they have still not properly garrisoned their fortresses. The garrison of Gaza are professionals but are also far too few.
I leave my horse archers to guard the ships and take only my mercenaries, cannon, and armored cavalry with me.
The cannon blast down the gates of the fortress and my forces pour through.
The enemy flees to the inner fortifications and I pursue closely. I manage to follow the Mamalukes through the inner gates before they can close them but I am soon separated from my men and trapped inside the inner fortifications when the enemy heavy spearmen come in behind me.
I take shelter behind some buildings to shield us from the arrow fire of the Mamalukes. The rashness of my initial charge has left me surrounded and without support. My men outside are clearly frantic and clawing away at the gates that are now locked between them and my bodyguard. The cannon are slow to move through the city and there are some tense moments while we are separated. In cases such as this before, I trust in my men and charge the spearmen who are blocking the gate.
We go back and forth for some time until one of the members of my bodyguard dismounts from his horse and opens the gates on foot. The mercenaries and my horse pour through the opening and soon the tables are turned.
We swamp the Egyptians in the central square and cut them down to a man.
The mercenaries take heavy casualties in the fighting and pay for my ill-advised solo attack. On the other hand, it does leave us with fewer to pay off.
The fortress is sacked. I demolish all of their training facilities, their holy places, their defenses, and even their port.
The closeness of holy Jerusalem calls out to me like a siren. I can almost feel my ancestors beseeching me to bring this city back under Christian control... but I do not have the forces to hold her and I can delay my departure no longer. I have had no intelligence from Europe or Anatolia for almost three years! I have no idea what has happened there since I left. How have our forces fared in my absence? What has become of the offensive against the Germans? Did the defenses of Iconium and Ankara hold out?
I must get back to secure our heartlands and continue the campaign for Cilicia and Syria.
We leave laden with riches. The Home Fleet can barely hold all the gold, silver, art, and other treasures we bring back. The imperial treasury will be overflowing upon our return.
Still, after two years of this orgy of death and destruction, I grow weary of it all. There is no glory here. This is simply butchery.
I am Skantarios.
Special Addendum
Spoiler for Personal Diary Entry of Emperor Skantarios:
Personal Diary Entry of Skantarios Laskaris, October 15, 1503 AD - Recovered from Imperial Papers - Confidential - NOT for Publication.
I am a monster. Darkness has overtaken my soul. I kill now with so little regard that I do not keep track of the lives I have taken or ordered taken by my men. I order slaughter on such a scale that I know my name will live in infamy hereafter. Execution, assassination, pillage, rape, and devastation are my legacy. Mass graves and fields of bones are my monuments. If there is anything left of a conscience inside me, I cannot locate it.
Still, I would not change what I have done. I have become what others despise...and I am content.
I am Skantarios.
Last edited by Skantarios; June 19, 2010 at 01:34 AM.
Read the review of I am Skantarios! in the Critic's Quill here.
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire
Brilliant update.
Shall Cyprus remain reinforced?
Good style of chapters there.
Will I correct in expecting the next update about the German campagin in those same years?
Imagine how shocking and devestating the raid was from the Egyptian side... that is truly epic.
Well done sir. *tips hat*
Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire
Originally Posted by Supreme Turkey Lord
Brilliant update.
Shall Cyprus remain reinforced?
Good style of chapters there.
Will I correct in expecting the next update about the German campagin in those same years?
Imagine how shocking and devestating the raid was from the Egyptian side... that is truly epic.
Well done sir. *tips hat*
Yes, I am keeping Cyprus. Only sacked the fortress and it is getting some additional troops to hold it.
The German campaign is the center of the next update. I wanted to show in the last update that Skantarios was cut off from the rest of the Empire during the raid. Reports of things that happened while he was gone will reach him once he returns to Anatolia and will consolidated in one post.
Oh, and glad you liked the update.
Originally Posted by Exarch
and i can see you've taken all the suggestions in my raiding thread to heart
I hadn't actually seen that thread prior to going on the raid. I don't get around much on the forum outside of these AARs. I have read it now and I agree with it all. Good summary and I might incorporate some of those items on my next set of missions against the Germans.
Originally Posted by cisse
Skantarios did have a lucky excape there at Gaza, or so it seems. Bit reckless to charge him into the inner fortifications on his own, especially since the entire AAR is centered around him.
Yes, that was reckless. I don't think I've had that happen before where I was literally trapped inside the fortifications. Would have been a shame had it ended like that. Glad it didn't.
Originally Posted by Vampire1016
Do use the Byzantine Complete unit rooster submod?
Yes, it was included as part of Stainless Steel 6.2. I am sure you could find it in the SS mod thread but I don't have a direct link.
Originally Posted by Inferno Crusader
An amazing update you have. How many Egyptian citizens were slaughtered during your grand raid?
Didn't actually keep score on that. I believe it was about 20,000 for each of Alexandria and Cairo (exterminated) and about 5,000 or so for each of Damietta and Gaza (sacked only). So, probably just over 50,000, which is a lot in this game. The scale of the slaughter was what led me to write the addendum for the last chapter. Also, all the buildings in those four settlements that could be destroyed, were.
Originally Posted by dezikeizer
I loved the bit at the end too. +rep
Thanks. I wanted to show how the continuous campaigns and body count is starting to take its toll on Skantarios. There will be more things along these lines going forward. He has picked up the trait of hating Muslims and this will play out in future posts as the campaign in the east continues.
Last edited by Skantarios; February 06, 2010 at 09:48 PM.
Read the review of I am Skantarios! in the Critic's Quill here.
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Re: [SS AAR] I am Skantarios! - Rebirth of the Eastern Roman Empire
Originally Posted by Supreme Turkey Lord
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