Legate Arathorn came to power as Emperor in 344 AD with big ideas for the Byzantines. He was going to recapture the lost glory of the Roman empire. He was going to eliminate entire barbarian tribes (the Ostrogoths) and severely cripple upstarts like the Sassanids. No job was beyond his scope. He was a man with a plan.
His first considered action was to found Nicaea in the spot recommended by Emperor Justus II. It'll help for unit costs if not a whole lot else. It immediately starts a catapult designed to lob rocks of POWER at the evil infidels. He also performs the last bit of troop movement -- the legion in Constantinople boards a boat and sails east -- the Sassanids appear to be the most significant threat, initially.
Nobody has gold to pay for our wonder Byzantine maps, so nothing new on the diplo front. Cities look happy. MM yields very minor changes. Emperor Justus II left the nation running pretty smoothly, for a corrupt Imperialism.
Emperor Arathorn also debates, but turns science up to 20% (break-even rate). The cost is justified, he reasons, as it will hopefully eventually lead to a Golden Age for our people -- a rebirth of the power and glory of old.
The Franks are terribly unimpressed with the new leader of the Eastern Romans, however, and declare war on both the Romans. Ouch. The Huns are even less impressed and a bunch of Hun horsemen gallop into view of a city we have poorly defended. That night, Arathorn sleeps uneasily, dreaming of naked cities and enemy troops.
He shakes it off by 346, though. Cappadocia is the threatened town. It has one garrison and there are 3 horsemen in view. Ancyra, behind Cappodocia, is completely empty. Actually, 4 total cities behind Cappadocia are empty. That's scary. If/when Cappadocia falls, we'll lose as many as 5 cities with absolutely no recourse. Arathorn is unconcerned, however. "A single garrison should be more than ample to defeat such heathens" he muses. "I'll reconsider that issue once my advisors have reported in."
The advisors look bleak. We're desperate for cash to rush some defense but we have none or very little. Science can be turned down to zero but that won't help for a turn or two. We have an aqueduct in size 3 Antioch, with minimal two-food square sites. The should be very safe to sell, the advisors note. But it won't let us sell it?!? Why the heck not? Hmm...what else can go? They're loathe to let go of temples anywhere, because our happiness is still so iffy. The marketplace in Athenae could be sold, but it's only 25 gold. They will consider it, though.
Arathorn, meanwhile, has turned his eye to bigger and better things. In the north, our legions attack Dampstadhir -- both winning vs. spears and razing the city, one promoting to elite in the process.
In the southeast, vs. the Sassanids, the first legion to attack loses 2 hps taking out an archer. The second legion, spurred by the poor effort of its comrade, attacks a horseman and does one damage and dies. Arathorn is appalled at the lack of quality and training in his troops. He summons his military advisor. "Why are my attack 4 troops losing to defense one?" he demands. "Ummm...hps, perhaps?" the advisor responds, knowing in the back of his mind that both legions were elite and both defending troops were regular. "It's just a quirk of combat, sir. We can do nothing to control it." Arathorn is most distraught, but he doesn't slay the military advisor -- not yet, at least.
Arathorn then returns to see what his advisors say about Cappadocia. We can't rush anything in Cappadocia currently. Rushing a unit or walls would cost 76 gold and we have 42. Losing Cappadocia would cause a chain effect which would kill us and rapidly. Arathorn figures selling the Athenae market will allow him to rush something in Cappadocia. [Ed: I must have been too tired to play. 42 + 25 = 67, not 77.] One brave advisor points out the mistake and flees for his life.
Arathorn is not sure what to do. Cappadocia MUST be protected. A few troops were moved in that direction, but they'll not arrive for a LONG time, even with the minimal chaining we can pull off. With hearty sigh, Arathorn orders Alexandria's granary to be sold. Now he can afford to rush the garrison in Cappadocia, which he does. That was pretty expensive. With the ineffectiveness of his legions, Arathorn says a prayer for the health of his defenders and waits uneasily for reports.
The first report is from the north. An Ostrogoth warrior appears from the fog and wastes a legion without breaking a sweat. More good news comes to Arathorn next, as two more Hun horsemen come riding out of the fog. This could get ugly. The three Hun horsemen from last turn will be able to attack Cappadocia soon and have reinforcements for later.
Arathorn can only kill the offending Ostrogoth warrior in 348. The rest of his troops need healing and repositioning. NO WAY can Cappadocia get anything else. Not without selling everything, which even Arathorn fears to do.
The emperor can't sleep. What news will come from the east? Will Cappadocia hold? Will his name go down in the history books as the one who lost the Roman empire? This early? He fears to even hit enter.....
The north is quiet. Then, the first Hun horseman attacks. It loses a point, does a point, and then loses two more, dying to promote our garrison. The second is undeterred and attacks. It loses a point, rallies to do a point of damage, loses another point, and then retreats -- the city will hold! But at what cost? The third attacks our 3/4 vet and does no damage before retreating! We held WELL for one round. Two fresh horsies can attack next turn and three more fresh horsies the turn after. Reinforcements are on the way. Arathorn can only hope they get there close to on time.
350 is another quiet offensive year. In the north, one of our three remaining legions kills an Ostrogoth warrior. Everybody else must heal. Troops are also moving to reinforce Cappadocia. A garrison will arrive there in 352 and a legion there in 354. It's still dicey but Arathorn can at least sleep a bit.
The first Hun horseman is brave. His bravery results in two damage to our vet garrison his own death. The second Hun need not prove his bravery. He only loses a single hitpoint, while killing a garrison. Three fresh horsemen are in position to attack next turn. And three more appear out of the fog for the following turn. Will it never end???
352 probably marks the high point of Emperor Arathorn's tenure. VI Ferrata, a military leader of great renown, appears when an elite legion kills an archer down by the Sassanids. He'll hurry home to form an army. Arathorn, though, despairs of having enough legions live long enough to fill it. No picture of this event remains...some blame the lack of cameras but most point to Arathorn's exhaustion and slowness as the true cause.
In the north, three healthy legions (2 elite, 1 vet) move on the Ostrogoth capital.
Two healthy, fortified garrisons to defend against 3 horsemen in Cappadocia will be the odds. Two legions are actually nearby and can reinforce soon. "Once more into the breach!!!" cry the men and once more Arathorn can not sleep.
The first attack is a bit scary, as the vet garrison redlines before rallying to kill a Hun horse. The poor regular will have to rise to the occasion. It begins well, killing a healthy Hun horse with no loss. The victorious horse from last round, with only two hps, attacks next, getting in the first blow, but showing exhaustion and then dying. The regular then promotes to a 3/4 vet and Arathorn sighs in relief. It won't fall this turn. A third horse (this one healthy) attacks that same garrison, but is cowardly in the manner of all barbarians and retreats after doing a single point of damage.
Arathorn realizes how thin is the thread by which we've been hanging. Even more Hun horsemen appear -- another healthy trio. This is getting not only tiring but well and truly frightening.
The focus changes to the southeast. Things are dire there as well, as the MGL generating legion kills one attacking horse but succumbs to the second. Sassanids are starting to send horses in earnest now, as another two appear.
By 354, Arathorn wants to concentrate where he might do some good -- the southeast. An elite legion kills a Sass horse. But, in the true Roman spirit, a full hp vet legion dies to yellow-lined Sassy horse, promoting it. Sigh. That's two legions his one horse managed to kill. Another vet legion manages to kill a Sassy horse. That kill ratio does not favor us.
In the east, a vet legion finally reaches Cappadocia and retreats a full hp Hun horsie. They're retreating and healing and more and more are coming down the road, but we're starting to get a semblance of a defense in place there. Another legion will arrive by 356 and the situation may stabilize, at least briefly.
Reidhagotaland, the Ostro capital, is being approached by 3 full-health legions. Army heads to Cappadocia, where the fighting is most intense and legions are most able to fill it.
Arathorn's dreams are troubled, but the news from the front is good. A single Hun horse atttacks Cappadocia and retreats, doing a single point of damage. Only two more ride into position to attack.
In the southeast, the legions do better, killing one Sassy horseman and retreating two others in the desert. Arathorn just starts to relax of news of a good IT, when...
Constantinople riots. OUCHIE! Sorry. I missed city MM last turn and it shows. Bah.
Is the tide turning in 356? Legions kill two Hun horsemen by Cappadocia. They have only one healthy horse in the area. Arathorn considers that he maybe should've sent the army to help with the Sassanids. Oh well, it can be mobile before TOO long.
The news in the north is not as good, as the legions go 2-for-3 at Reid. 4 attack with 5 hps vs. 2 defense (2.2) and 3 hps and we lose one? Sigh. So much for Ostrogoth elimination. Survival might be more like it. They have, at the very least, been severely crippled.
In the southeast, Arathorn gets desperate. He does kill a Sassy horse in the desert that was red-lined. He had to use a yellow-lined legion for this duty, though, under the theory of better odds and not letting them retreat to fight another day. Dangerous move at best. We're getting overrun there.
In a predictable turn of events, three Hun horsemen ride into view. A Sassy horsie kills our wounded legion in the desert. At this point, Arathorn should've realized the southeast was becoming the danger region, but he was slow on the uptake.
The news of Cappadocia in 358 is of retreating Hun horsemen. Arathorn wishes his troops could kill them, but he has no fast troops around yet.
Arathorn also orders a retreat from Ostros and Sassanids with two and one living legions, respectively. He doubts they'll make it home, but staying where they are is certain suicide.
The next months are painful, as reports trickle in. Two Ostro warriors and one Hun horseman lose a combined three hps to take 9 hps from our legions, killing three.
By 360, Arathorn feels to be a shadow of an emperor, with not much left to do. He orders a rest in Cappadocia, a retreat from Sassanid front, and for his advisors to carefully check cities.
More good news troubles the emperor, who is starting to show the fatigue of his position. He has bags around his eyes that could hide a small chipmunk. Cappadocia's defense is starting to firm up, as the only Hun horsemen to attack perished.
BUT Caesera is approached by some Sassanid horses. We have one garrison there and very little gold. Yippee!
362 AD and Arathorn is frustrated. His sole surviving legion in the southeast attacks a Sassy horse and loses 3 hps to do 4 damage but does win. He knows it will die soon, though. The first Byzantine horse kills a Hun horse by Cappadocia. And that's it. We have very VERY few units.
As always, Hun horsemen attack Cappadocia. The first dies to redline a garrison. The second redlines and retreats. No losses there and the army will be in position next turn.
In the SE, as Arathorn knew, Sassy horsemen kill the legion in the desert and ride on Caesera, which will open up Alexandria and other cities to them. We have no recourse -- no cash, no units, nothing. Well, not quite nothing. A clever advisor smuggled cash to Caesera to rush a horseman, which can hopefully kill one attacking horse before it gets to the city.
364 and Arathorn is a shell of a man. He's not slept in years. He can barely order his few remaining troops into position. A horse kills a Hun horse near Cappadocia. Horse at Caesera kills Sassanid horse, leaving two to attack our two defenders (garrison and horse). NOTE: The horse is fortified here for the defense bonus, but he should attack if he's unhurt. Next leader, be aware!
As a last gasp, the army gets filled but is about out of movement, so it doesn't attack this turn. It is in Cappadocia for the next leader to use.
FUGLY
Disappointedly,
Arathorn
