Continuing my epeiros campaign, years after the Getae were defeated, the kingdom of Epeiros move against Hayasdan, while paying an army worth of gold for Pontos to do the same.
Galatia and Sinope both fell with fierce resistance, though the Basileus died in the taking of the latter. One of the armies which still had its commander then proceeded to Amaseia to the east, in support of Pontos.
Meanwhile though, with the death of the Epeirote king, and the forces of the aiakides dynasty barely concentrated (with 2 armies in dacia, 1 in illyria, and 2 half strenght armies invading Hayasdan), the Basileus of the Ptolemaioi decided to betray the long lasting alliance of the two familes. Once Pyrrichos, the best general in the world since Pyrrhus and Alexander, led an army to recover, for the ptolemaics, all of the coastal cities in Egypt, from spartan occupation. Clearly gratitude is not something the ptolemaics are keen on.
The war started with plenty of naval action between Epeiros and Ptolemaioi, but the decisive naval battle was won soon enough, and the supremacy of the seas was conquered by Epeiros, while one of the armies in Dacia embarked in a fleet and proceeded to move towards the eastern mediterranean, to land near Tarkos.
An assault upon Amasea soon happened once Myrton, commander of the Epeirote forces in the theatre (as the new basileus remained in Ambrakia, attempting to increase his quite weak authority over the realm) arrived near the city.
The walls were attacked in three different sections. Through the course of the battle, in all three the forces of pontos and Epeiros were utterly destroyed.
However once the gate was broken, Kyros the Pontic commander sent all his forces ahead, and Hayasdan, being with their forces overstretched trying to defend the walls, could not keep the advance in check.
Epeirote forces move to attack the forces in the walls from behind.
Fighting in the center of the city.
A year later, Epeiros move their forces against the Ptolemaioi, as now Pontos is a buffer state between Hayasdan and the Epeirote territories (hayasdan having lost their three cities in center anatolia).
However! Hippokrates, whom was always loyal to the Basileus and to the Aiakides royal line, rebelled with all of his army in Dacia.
The Basileus then finally left Ambrakia with no forces of his own, then took command of the army in Illyria (much to the displeasement of their general), and marched forth to cull this rebellion.