[IBFD AAR] Tides of War (Struggles of the Eastern Roman Empire)

**Rex Basiliscus** · December 15, 2010, 12:04 PM

Tides of War
(Struggles of the Eastern Roman Empire)

After my previous AAR War of Retribution, I decided to change the mod I used for my story. This is mainly because I'm a beta tester for RSII, which means I've played dozens of hours of this mod already and have to test and test it all the time, so the charm never gets to me, as it would playing a mod I'm not so familiar with.

With that said, I wanted to try a mod which focused on the late Roman era, so I decided to go with the Invasio Barbarorum. I firstly wanted to do an AAR about Julian Apostata, but the mod IB:Somnium Apostatae Iuliani doesn't work well on my computer (always lags after some time), so I chose the original IB: Flagellum Dei, or IB:VII. But I shall try to make the former work! I just love Julian

So, here's the Prologue of what's to come. Enjoy!

Prologue

The year is 410 anno domini. The Empire, reunited one last time by the previous Emperor, Theodosius "the Great" is again divided into two parts. Honorius was Emperor in the West, while young Theodosius was Emperor of the East.

Theodosius II, was barely 17 years old and already the ruler of half of the civilized world.

Spoiler for Theodosius Augustus II:

Because he had no sons of age, Marcianus was apointed as the heir to the throne. Theodosius ordered him to take his residence at Antioch to govern the East, while he would be in charge of the European territories of the Empire.

Spoiler for Marcianus Caesar:

This is a terrible year for both East and West. In Italy, the population which hasn't seen an invading foreign army since Hannibal, now abandonded their farms and sought haven behind the city walls of Ravenna, Rome, Arretium and other fortified cities. The Gothic king Alaric was in Italy with his full army of some 100,000 barbarians.

In Thrace, we faced an even more terrible threat. The Huns, an Asiatic nomad tribe has reached the Danube. They had already defeated many people and now they gazed upon riches of Bosporus. Our Emperor ordered the armies of the Empire gathered near Hadrianopoils for a stand, but no one really knew how big a force the Huns were gathering.

The Emperor summoned the Magister Peditum and Magister Militum per Thracias, Asparus and Magister Militum Praesentalis, Fravitta to march their armies toward the city. He also sent an embassy to the Huns to arrange an alliance and to offer an annual tribute to divert these barbarians away from these lands.

Meanwhile in the East, the Sassanids were forming for an offensive. After the peace was broken in the reign of Theodosius I, the empires were constantly at war, but no major battle has been fought. This was evidently going to change, as there were two massive Sassanid armies near Mosul and one invading army already at Amida.

Ardaburius, the Magister Equitum and Magister Militum per Orientem was given the order to repel this threat and secure the eastern borders.

There would be no peace in Theodosius' reign.

**Rex Basiliscus** · December 15, 2010, 12:35 PM

CHAPTER I: The Assault of Amida

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

If it was a dream, it was a nightmare ...
I can still see the fires all around us, still smell the burning flesh of our families, still hear the cries of our dear ones. No, this was not a dream.

The Persians came suddenly, with a big army, including elephants and myriads of men. We knew we were in war. Our previous Emperor renewed the conflicts with the Sassanid Shah and since then the skirmishes were often, but not until now did the Persians send a real army into Roman lands.

The commander of the garrison was one Ulfias, a Roman Armenian. He was only 23 years old, with no battle experience. We stood no chance ...

They had terrible siege devices which started hurling big projectiles at our walls. It was only a matter of time, until they stood no more.
We received a ray of hope when our archers on the walls managed to drive a unit of their elephants amok, but soon after, the walls fell.

I was in the front line. One of the local levies, drafted into the city garrison as a spearmen. I wanted to be in the cavalry, but that is a story for another time.
The enemy started advancing toward the breach and I felt the blood freeze in my veins. Some men urinated, some men shook uncontrolably and others just stood there petrified. None of us were professionals ... we all knew we were about to die.

Why we didn't run, you ask?
You see, there are only two loyalties you should ever follow. One is to God. The other is to the Emperor and the Empire.
When we decided to join the army, we all took our vows. This is not the kind of vow they take in the West, no. If you make a vow to the Emperor, you are bound until he releases you of your duties. And you may never complain, for you serve to defend your home and the one who protects us, as the God's ambassador on Earth.

But let me get back to Amida ...

The fear, yes. The ground trembled beneath our feet. The units of elephants and horsemen charged through the breach. We held on for a minute or two, what seemed then as at least an hour, but they were too strong. We broke and ran to the center of the city. I ran toward my house. I tried desperately to reach it before the enemy overtook the last defenders. I ran to save my wife.

Yes, I had one before your mother, some ten years before I met her. Do you want to hear the story or not? Then stop interupting me!

Some more »experienced« soldiers stayed behind and fought on. The comitatenses were the strongest of our units. Some Milites, a lighter infantry unit also stood behind and two units of archers shot their arrows on.
Comitatenses held the enemy in place superbly. I cannot help but think, if we had a couple units of them in the defense, we could survive.

But the enemy fired on with their catapults, this time with burning ammo! Oh, the horrible screams of women and children trapped in their houses while their homes burned. I think even the soldiers defending the city heard them. Some of them started to waver as they wanted to reach their beloved ones. A unit of Milites fled. Comitatenses still fought on.

Hereafter I don't know much of what happened, but that which I was told later. For it is at this moment that a couple of projectiles hit my house, where my wife had been. It caught fire immediately. Soon the entire structure was engulfed in flames. Even as I was standing a couple of feet away, the heat was scorching my skin. I cannot even imagine the pain my wife endured in those moments, had she been alive ...

At this point, my father stopped his narration. I looked up from my notes, awaiting the continuation, but as he didn't continue for awhile, I thought he was taking a rest, which he usually does when narrating in this heat. It is midday, in June and the heat is unbearable even to me. I started to rise from my chair, but he looked at me. I saw there were tears in his eyes. I don't remember seeing him cry before. He wipes them off and beckons me to continue with writting. Well, I think I still have the energy for a couple of hours today ...

From here on it is only by what I've heard, that I know what happened next.
There was another breach in the walls, this time behind our archers. They sent their heavy cataphracts against them. You don't have to be a genious to know what happened to them, but since everything must be told, I'll tell you what happened. They were mown down like wheat. I don't think anyone survived from their unit.

With enemy infantry infront and heavy cavalry at their backs, even the Comitatenses stood no chance. They tried to make a shield wall – I'll tell you of this manouvre later – but they were too late. They broke. Thus the last defenders of Amida were killed.

They captured some of them, but those blasted Persians know no mercy, even for heroism. I think they were sent to some mines in central Persia or somewhere – a place they can never hope to escape, if they are still alive.
In the end, it was a close defeat. We'd managed to kill a great part of them, but still they did not waver. The remaining population was put to sword.

Spoiler for Battle Result:

Spoiler for Amidans executed:

After his final words, my fathers uttered some words in Armenian which I did not understand. He seems to be finished with today's narration. I wanted to ask him about how he managed to escape, but I think the end of the battle is a fitting end for this part.

I can already smell the cooking my wife is doing. My father seems to notice it too. I guess the time is just about right for a meal.

**Augustulus** · December 16, 2010, 09:17 AM

Nice work, keep it up!

**austinpowers** · December 16, 2010, 10:18 PM

very nice start!

**DarthLazy** · December 17, 2010, 07:15 AM

Brilliant!

**dezikeizer** · January 03, 2011, 03:48 PM

Great start, and good descriptions. Are you going to continue this?

**ArtoriusRex** · January 04, 2011, 12:08 AM

Excellent! I love how it's a story being told from the father to his son many years later. A very interesting narrative though it destroys some of the tension as we know that he's going to make it.

**AspisPhalanx90** · January 07, 2011, 12:58 AM

excellent...and thats predictable AI behavior..thats exactly what happened in my ERE game...most you could do is fight to the last and try and cripple

**Rex Basiliscus** · January 07, 2011, 05:22 AM

Thanks for your words, but unfortunately I really don't believe I shall continue this. I have very little time on my hands and I spend it in YATS and RS forums. Without consistency, this AAR is dead...

**AspisPhalanx90** · January 07, 2011, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by Rex Basiliscus

Thanks for your words, but unfortunately I really don't believe I shall continue this. I have very little time on my hands and I spend it in YATS and RS forums. Without consistency, this AAR is dead...

Yep...YATS is sucking dry any creativity

**Blatta Optima Maxima** · January 08, 2011, 04:19 PM

The ERE was not half the civilized world. The persians were just as civilized as the romans. And the romans knew it.

You demonize them too much.

**DarthLazy** · January 08, 2011, 11:33 PM

Roach, Its a story.....

**Rex Basiliscus** · January 09, 2011, 05:16 AM

Originally Posted by Cocroach the great

The ERE was not half the civilized world. The persians were just as civilized as the romans. And the romans knew it.

You demonize them too much.

They were civilized, but Romans always thought of themselves to be better than the rest. The character in the story is just a common soldier which in my mind doesn't like the eastern "nomadic" ways, thus thinks of the Sassanids as barbarian, uncivilized state.
You don't have to take me on every word I wrote

**Blatta Optima Maxima** · January 09, 2011, 09:56 AM

Originally Posted by Rex Basiliscus

They were civilized, but Romans always thought of themselves to be better than the rest. The character in the story is just a common soldier which in my mind doesn't like the eastern "nomadic" ways, thus thinks of the Sassanids as barbarian, uncivilized state.
You don't have to take me on every word I wrote

No they did not. Particulary after the 4th century. They thought of them as equals.