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

[cisse]

Very nice update. Splendid battle you fought there, sure was a tough Turkish army. What's next, more counter-jihads?

[Bernem]

I agree that was really the best chapter so far... you should have kept your home fleet at the beach-head

[EmberFlame]

The home fleet is probably trying to relieve some of the economic stress caused by all the blockades. Either that, or went away to engage one of the numerous other fleets in the area.

The old battle against the super elite force was quite hopeless-your only possibility for victory was getting a couple cheap shots in with the cannons/magonal. Personally, I think you should have focused less on the archers and gunners, put your infantry and skirmishers in the same general area (so that the gunners are distracted longer) and relied more heavily on the cannons. Targeting the heavy calvalary might also have helped, as your own infantry can at least engage their elites for a time before breaking-but one charge and its over. By keeping the cannons to one side they can engage even while the battle is occuring.

But it really was hopeless. Only a very lucky cannon shot would have hit enough of the horse to make a difference, the mag is simply to random to be trusted (Though it would still be worth it to use it during the battle) and the enemy infantry to elite/large to be countered.

Epic update btw.

[Bernem]

@Skantarios

would you please compete for the MAARC! An AAR as yours should be displayed and will be shurely awarded!

[dezikeizer]

Brilliant update! Those were epic battles, and the last part was just the icing on the cake. +rep
Just one thing:

The supposed safety of hiding behind his infantry is given lie

Perhaps you should change the word given to proven to be a.

[Dan the Man]

Exceptional AAR! You have my subscription and, if I could, my rep, friend!

[Concrete]

@Skantarios

would you please compete for the MAARC! An AAR as yours should be displayed and will be shurely awarded!

Second.

[Dan the Man]

Second.

Third!

[dezikeizer]

Actually you guys are right, this aar should be in the MAARC. I sure as hell would vote for it!

[Concrete]

I'm always right.

[Skantarios]

From the Diaries of Emperor Skantarios.

June, 1491 AD
Location: East of Adrianople

The battles of the past year have decimated our army but not our resolve. Our supreme confidence has been torn away and replaced with a steely determination and a thirst for vengeance. Not a soldier in my army has not lost a brother, father, son, or dear friend. We've witnessed firsthand the ravages the soldiers of the Jihad have wrought on our lands and our loved ones. If there was any thought of pity or clemency in our hearts, it is gone.

I am pleased that so many still flock to our call to arms. Even with our losses to this war, new arrivals come daily into our training centers at Adrianople, Mystras, and Sofia. The light and heavy cavalry are being brought back to full strength at a speed I would not have believed just a few years ago. Soon, we will be ready to resume the offensive in Anatolia and drive back the tide of the Muslims. Unfortunately, our campaign must wait as we are still too weak to resume the offensive. Our fortifications must stand on their own until next year when we will return to Anatolia and pick up the pieces of what remains.

For the moment, I must stand impotently by as my garrisons attempt to hold their possessions against the attacks of our enemies. This inactivity enrages me and I stalk about camp in a perpetually bad mood. I train the soldiers hard and share in their suffering. However, no amount of physical exhaustion can quell the rage I feel in my heart. My cities are under attack and I just sit here!

One piece of good news is that no new Jihad armies have appeared on our shores. Perhaps, at long last, the Islamic nations have reached the point of exhaustion??

My mood is further lifted by the news from the west. The garrison commander at Arta reports that the Sicilians have broken off the siege and moved north. For what purpose the Sicilian commander departed is not known. Whatever his motivation, the road back to Thessalonica is open again and supplies pour into our garrison. They will be ready should the Sicilians return.

To the east, the news is not so welcome. The Egyptians have attacked the city of Ankara!

Fourth Battle of Ankara - August 1491 AD.

Spoiler for Fourth Battle of Ankara: 

From Fragmentary Account of Survivors of Ankara 1491 AD.

The Egyptians have only a small force but their troops are well armed and well armored.


Unfortunately, the garrison is not remotely prepared to fight off a siege.

They consist of a few mercenary survivors of previous battles and some poorly armed and armored militia conscripted from the local townsfolk.

Our captain makes what preparations he can. He orders his men to lock shields before the gate in the hopes that he can jam the attackers in the entrance and force them to fight on a narrow front.

The Egyptians attack in the early morning mist.

They have constructed only a single battering ram and have not even bothered to construct ladders or a siege tower. They obviously are extremely confident they can win any battle with our militia.

Their ram soon breaks down the gates and our men face them with the determination of the damned.



The enemy charges headlong through the gate in a clamor of clashing steel and pounding hooves.

Our men soon buckle under the pressure of the assault. They fight as well as simple townsfolk can be expected to but are soon pushed back under the sheer weight of the enemy charge.


The men go down by the dozen and soon the survivors start to flee back to the rallying point in the town center.

The enemy cavalry pursue and chase down virtually all of them before they can make it.

The outcome was never really in doubt.

What survivors there were of the garrison have been executed. By the fragmented reports we receive, Captain Ruben met a particularly gruesome death by impalement.

In a fit of pique and revenge, the Egyptians sack the city.

I cannot imagine what gold the Egyptians find. The city was sacked when they took it from the Turks and we sacked it when we took it from them only three years ago. I doubt the long-suffering populace had any possessions left of value.

Of far more importance, the Egyptian Jihad army has finally assaulted Constantinople!

Fifth Battle of Constantinople / Fourteenth Battle of the Counter-Jihad, August 1491 AD.

Spoiler for Fifth Battle of Constantinople: 

From Battle Report Filed by Diadohos Vasileios to Emperor Skantarios 1491 AD.

The sixth Jihad army the Egyptians send against the capital shows that it is far better suited to an open field engagement than a true assault force.


They are packed with archers and light mercenary troops but they have only a few companies of heavy infantry with which to assault the walls.

Our garrison are all veterans of many assaults.

We have strong compliments of heavy infantry as well as artillery and three companies of the invaluable Siphonores.

The Egyptian army is an impressive sight with their packed ranks of horse. They advance in good order.


The Egyptians are obviously unaware that we now have a Mangonel as part of our garrison. The crew make their presence known quickly.



Barrels of liquid fire explode over the tight ranks of the Egyptians.

Our archers add their own arrow fire to bring down the enemy horse archers. They fall where they stand in their beautiful and orderly packed ranks.


The Egyptian's lack of heavy infantry is exposed on the walls as my swordsmen cut them down as they emerge from the tower.

Every Egyptian who drops from the wall is met by at least five swords before he can take more than a couple of steps.

Eventually, the enemy ram breaks down the gate and the Egyptians charge!

The masses of horsemen they leave behind on the field show the devastating effect of cannon, arrows, and Greek fire.

The few who manage to make it to the gate are met by a wall of spears and a curtain of fire.

The heart goes out of the Egyptian attack soon after their general falls.


The many survivors flee to the west and out of our domains.

The enemy dead and the prisoners are added to the (now) immense Muslim burial pit outside the city. The number of bodies in "The Pit" is now beyond the counting. The Egyptians are mixed with their Turkish, Moorish, Khwarezm, and Mongolian brothers. Perhaps in death they can find the kind of solidarity they lacked in life...

The battle was a heroic victory for Roman arms! The city is now clear of the Muslim foe and trade can flow once again. The victory has also breathed life back into the morale of our Empire and acts as a welcome counterweight to the bad news of the past two years. Our sacred capitol is safe.

February, 1492 AD
Location: Adrianople

Our diplomats and spies have confirmed what we have suspected for some months now. From the mosques and town squares of Anatolia, the news rings out in mournful tones to Muslim ears but as sweet music to Christians. The Jihad is finally over!


Spontaneous celebrations ring out in Constantinople. I personally take leave from the army to preside over a ceremony of celebration to God (and Roman steel) in the Hagia Sophia. Throughout the Empire, similar celebrations ring out as the news is passed by courier and word of mouth. The Soldiers of Christ have triumphed over the Muslim.

Tallying the toll of the Jihad is staggering. According to my chroniclers, we have lost some 1,345 Roman soldiers fighting the armies that took up the banner of Jihad. However, according to these same men, the Muslim armies lost some 17,120 men. If it is true that these "holy warriors" receive 72 virgins each, then Allah must come up with well over one million virgins to fill the bill. Somehow, I don't think he has them...

My army is now back up to a fighting strength. We are not as strong as we once were but I cannot wait any longer. I must move south to relieve my son at Canakkale where he still holds out against a Turkish army. The reinforcements will have to follow as best as they can.

As we move south past the road to Constantinople, we pass by several of the former Jihadist camps. I notice a crude sign hung on a post by the side of the road written in Arabic. It has an arrow pointing down the road toward the capitol. It seems to be hastily written, perhaps by one of the retreating "Mujahedeen" from the last battle at Constantinople? It reads:


I ask my interpreter with some curiosity if this is how you write "Constantinople" in Arabic. He looks at the sign for some time and shakes his head. He says, "No... The rough translation is:

'The land where Muslims go to die.' "

I think that is as fitting an epitaph for the Jihad as any I could write.

I am Skantarios.

The World in 1491 AD.

[Skantarios]

Short update today but thought the end of the Jihad was a good place to stop for now. I will try to get another one up before the weekend, time permitting.

Spoiler for Next Update: 

Counter-Offensive in Anatolia and the Defense of Arta

Brilliant update! Those were epic battles, and the last part was just the icing on the cake. +rep
Just one thing, perhaps you should change the word given to proven to be a.

Thanks. It was a little confusing. Fixed.

@Skantarios

would you please compete for the MAARC! An AAR as yours should be displayed and will be shurely awarded!

Thanks for the vote of confidence! Let me think on it. I'll check out the competition page and figure out what I want to do.

Thanks also to dezikeizer, Supreme Turkey Lord, and baseball guy for your support, as well.

[Skantarios]

Hehe that last part reminded me of The Hurt Locker Excellent update, possibly your best chapter yet. Skantarios seemed very lucky to survive. What will you do when he dies?

When Skantarios dies, so too will the AAR. I'm not completely sure I have the energy (or time) to continue it to that point, much less beyond. It's taken up a LOT of time, although I've enjoyed it. Will probably stick it out to that point, though. I'm just stubborn that way.

Short of death in combat, Skantarios still has some years to go. I think he is about 44 right now.

As for Hurt Locker, really liked that movie. Best depiction of the war as it actually is that I've seen so far. Didn't necessarily inspire that particular passage but the feelings are similiar.

[Concrete]

Oh my...
Brilliant playing to maintain control of the capitol thoughout all those Muslim attempts to take it.
What are your plans to take Anatolia? A solid push directly east accross the penisula? Or perhaps you will land a force north or south, to take and hold an important settlement.
Speaking of which, I don't know too much about the history of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Anatolian settlement is most precious to the empire? (And will that be influencing your campagin?)

[cisse]

Good update!

Will be interesting to see how you recover. Egypt really seems a force to be reckoned with, and those mammelukes can really be a pain. They're not only good horse archers, but are also quite good in melee and resilient to shooting. They're expensive, though...

I still hope that sometime you'll find the resources to make a raid on Cairo and Alexandria. Would really be fitting to show Skantarios' thirst for revenge. Even with a imited fleet, it can be done - take a settlement on the south of anatolia, then hop to Nicosia, then to Egypt.

But of course, you decide what's next, and holding Constantinople/retaking Anatolia will have to come first in any case.

[Bernem]

To me the next logical step would be to eliminate the turkish presence in south anatolia, or the next out of the blue monster janissary army will pop up and wreck havoc

[Holy winter]

With all the greek fire its impossible to conquer Constantinople. But I would do just like you . Looking forward to more field battles in the future.
HRE is pushing true poland and Hungary I see.
Great updates again btw. I also think you shoud compete for the MAARC.
Good luck against those mammelukes!

[Horatius Flaccus]

It's always good to survive a jihad.

Great writing once again!

[SirNat]

Since my last post this AAR has definitly turned better. But don't think it will be a stroll taking Asia Minor back considiring how much resource Egypt will have from the proof that they sent out 6 maxed out jihad armies against u. This is only a suggestion but u could turn West to Italy and be orginal also it might be more interessting that just slugging it out with Egypt the whole time. It was Byzantine soil once with Belisarius conquers. Keep it up because u r going at very good speed.

[Inferno Crusader]

Truly, you have written an impressive story that I have absolutely enjoyed reading. You definately deserve to compete in the MAARC. Honours to you, Skantarios! (Wish I could give out rep...)