Colchis - A New Dawn Approaches

[Jaspume]

Colchis

A New Dawn Approaches

I've tried Colchis three times now. It was the second nation I ever played, and not once have I ever been particularly successful with it. Hopefully, in this AAR, that can change. I just hope I don't get annexed too early.

It shall be written in what, I suppose could be called, a 'history book' style. I'm not sure how you could particularly define it, but we shall see. Hopefully I'll survive for more than a few years.

The first update shall come soon.

[comagoosie]

I am looking forward as to what your strategy of survival is

[stnylan]

It's an interesting region to play in.

[Kubelwagen]

Looking forward to it.

[Jaspume]

I am looking forward as to what your strategy of survival is

I was interested too, as I was fairly clueless at how I could get past the damn Bosporans. (They're the Carthage of Colchis)

Thankfully, however, luck is on my side.

It's an interesting region to play in.

It certainly is. We're all packed in and there's only one realistic way to expand; warfare. It's hard, but it can be rewarding.

Looking forward to it.

Thanks, hope you enjoy it.


I've been busy, but the first update shall either be tonight or tomorrow. Thankfully, the first game turned out a lot better than I'd hoped.

[Jaspume]

Iron Will

Were it not for it's rulers, Colchis would have long ago fallen beneath the sands of time. A dream would pass from generation to generation, a dream that would overcome trial after trial. A dream that would unite the tribal nation and push it forward into a new age. An age where Colchis was no longer a mark upon the eastern provinces of the known world, but a major power. One, perhaps, that could challenge the titans themselves.

In the year of 474 AVC, Colchis was a nation that, although a moderate size, could do little to challenge other nations on it's own. Tribal in structure, a chief was appointed to lead the nation forward by the several tribal chieftains that made up the fragile nation. Kuji ('The Subjegator' as he would become to be known) was the first of these chieftains, ascending to the rank through somewhat typical means. Although he had no great talent in any area, he was a brute of a man, and many scholars agree that it was through this particular trait that he gained his new found rank. It was not, however, bad news for Colchis. The so called dream that passed through the Colchian rulers is said to have begun upon his ascension.

Kuji, although not particularly special, was fast acting. He knew the immediate threats around him, particularly the Bosporans who had long held a hatred of Colchis. The Bosporans fielded large amounts of heavy infantry; the ranks of which were diffcult to match with the troops available to Colchis. Kuji knew that should Colchis go to war in its curent state, it would collapse. The peasantry were simply too inexperienced and lightly armoured to provide a reasonable match for the Bosporans.

No, he needed the iron fist of the Bosporans.

It was upon the 1st January 474 that Kuji, seeing the threat of a Bosporan invasion draw ever closer, revamped the opportunities provided by joining the military and rehauled the entire system. Through this, Kuji created a more permenant fighting force and one that was properly equipped, trained, and
reinforced. The first veterans of Colchis were emerging from a forge of fire. Kuji knew that he was hardly a martial expert, nor an administrative genius. Due to this, he appointed an overseer of the whole task, allowing him to take command of the royal army. This man was Shapur Vardanid.

He was energetic and charismatic, humble to the last, and looked to be a beacon for the coming wars. Unfortunately, however, when it came to common logic that even Kuji could grasp, the man thought far too quickly and intricately, often appearing foolish in front of others. He was quick to correct himself, but his weakness could sometimes be sought out by his rivals and enemies in an instant and used against him.

The new regiments lacked one key resource, however; Iron. Kuji had geared his nation and his people toward an age of iron and steel, yet had none of the fundamental resources that would shape the future of the nation and it's military. However, the king of Illyria and Kuji had reached an agreement after a series of meetings that established a new found friendship between both countries, one that established a trade route between the capital and Dalmatae. This gifted Colchis the ability to construct it's new ranks of armoured warriors, and this was one of the turning points of the times to come.

For a reason that is not quite clear, Kuji offered military access to both the Bosporan Kingdom and Iberia. It is speculated this was merely to provide further safety for the nation; showing that Colchis could be useful to the other two. It was not, as it would sound, Iberia that Kuji was wary of, but it's ally. Much larger than both Iberia and Colchis, it could provide a signifcant threat, whether or not it was engaged with the Seleucid Empire, which had shown increased interest in the region within the past few years.

Only Iberia accepted the gesture of friendship, however, and the intentions of the Bosporans became painfully clear. War was on the horizon.


---

I had originally intended to delve straight into the war toward the end of the first update, but as this update is overdue and it felt like I'd typed reams of writing (despite it appearing fairly little on the screen...) I decided this would have to do. Is the font okay for everyone? Is it too big? I find it's easier to read, but this may not be the case.

Although it's not much at this stage, C+C would be appreciated.

[stnylan]

Not much to go on thus far, but my initial impressons are quite good. I am a little curious why you choose a full screenshot for the final screenshot, rather than the cropped screenshots you used for the rest of the piece. The cropped screenshots look better.

The font you are using is quite clear - any potential difficulties with it are removed because of the text size that you are using.

From a game perspective it clearly makes sense to try and dominate the Black Sea rim.

[comagoosie]

Smart trade, getting Iron. And one always wants an ally in Rome, they are invaluable.

[etycaj]

Looking forward to the next update.

[Lofman]

Good luck. Played Colchis once. It didn't end up well. Hope you do better.

[Jaspume]

stnylan: Thanks. Hopefully I can update more regularly with larger quantities, this is a 'new' style to me and despite feeling as if I've wrote loads, it always seems like I've barely done anything. As for the black sea rim, hopefully I can pull that off...

Oh, and regarding the screenshot, I overlooked it when I uploaded the pics. I may fix that later.

comagoosie: Hmm, I hadn't thought of Rome. They would indeed be a strong ally, we'll have to see. Let's just wait and hope I survive first.

etycaj: Thanks, hopefully this update will seem like I've achieved something worth mentioning.

Lofman: Thanks. The last time I played Colchis ended pretty badly too. Thankfully, this time I seem to be doing better.

Update is inbound...

[Jaspume]

A March To War

The threat of war however did not dampen Kuji's spirits. On the 26th January, Anzaza Arsacid and Kuji were wed, allowing the nation to celebrate for a small while.

The frivolities however could not last long. The Bosporans were at war with Rhoxolani, and with their troops moving north to the border of the invading
nation, Kuji made a bold move. He knew that with the Bosporan ranks engaging the invaders from the north, the border with Colchis was wide open. The Bosporans could not fall to Colchis alone, he reasoned, but perhaps they would crumble before two kingdoms. With Phanagoria, the Bosporan capital, lightly defended Kuji made his move.

Colchis marched to war.

With the newly trained heavy infantry marching alongside the light infantry; peasants taken from several of the Colchian tribes, Shapur Vardanid had a reasonable fighting force. The army quickly smashed aside the vanguard left behind by the Bosporans thanks to Shapur's leadership, and the force quickly
laid siege to the fearful city.

Little interrupted the siege of the Bosporan capital, and with a final daring assault upon the walls of Phanagoria, the city finally fell after 119 days of
starvation.

The Bosporan heavy infantry moved at a snail's pace, but they did little but march upon hearing the news from Phanagoria. Soon, a force numbering just over 4,000 arrived in the newly conquered province, engaging the victorious Shapur Vardanid.

Victory however, came at a bitter price. Despite holding numerical superiority, the Bosporans had been largely annihalated. If it had not been for the reinforcements marching from Maetoe in the north and the exhaustion from the siege beforehand, the Colchian force may well have seen off the enemy forces. Kuji, however, was still unimpressed. He was furious with Shapur, fearing that Bosporan forces would quickly overcome Coraxi and move toward Phasis itself.

The Bosporans however had acknowledged the martial superiority of Shapur and the bravery shown by the Colchian warriors. A messenger arrived at Phasis on the 16th March, delivering a peace treaty for Kuji. A white peace was signed between Colchis and the Bosporan Kingdom, ending the short but bloody war.

Whatever divine vision, burst of inspiration, blind faith or bravery had led Kuji to war with the Bosporans before hand had evidently quickly ran out.

However, the war between the two kingdoms had not been silenced.

With Bosporan troops engaged in the south at Phanagoria, Rhoxolani had advanced further into enemy territory. The flame that had led to Kuji to war was slowly lighting within his heart.

Soon Rhoxolani regiments were seen laying siege to the Bosporan capital, and as Maetoe fell to Rhoxolani and their allies, Tylis, Kuji made a move that overturned the Colchian populace. An alliance was quickly signed between Rhoxolani and Colchis, securing a strong front against the Bosporans. And with that, he declared war. Unrest was rampant within the populace, but Kuji's vision of a better tomorrow shielded him from such causes for concern.

The force that had been bitterly turned away from Phanagoria marched once again to the capital, engaging the enemy garrison. The heavy infantry dug down before the desperate Bosporan assault, anchoring the enemy forces into position. The light infantry soon enveloped the enemy, but morale fell long before the opposition. Fleeing from the capital, enemy forces left the city behind for Shapur to feast upon.

The walls of the city crumbled before the invading forces. The Bosporan king was quickly summoned and a peace treaty was signed.

Kuji was not known for his guile, cunning or intelligence. No. But he would always be known for the first step upon the road to success for Colchis.

It should also be noted that during this period of triumph, a bond of friendship was discovered between Iberia and Colchis. With forces dispatched to the Bosporan Kingdom, sparse forces were left behind for the defence against the barbarian hordes to the north. Iberia, despite displaying little favour toward
Colchis in the past, quickly engaged and defeated the marauding forces, allowing Colchis to march unhindered toward victory.

---

I'm working on getting a map together to show expansion and such, mainly do it's easier to get a better idea on the whole situation. Hopefully it'll be done soon, although with exams a hairs breadth away, we shall have to see.

Edit: Here's the map for this update...

Green= Colchis
Blue/Green= Colchian Tributaries
Light Grey= Rhoxolani

[stnylan]

A very good war, all in all.

[comagoosie]

you win some and you lose some (battles), but it looks like overall you are doing great!

[Jaspume]

stnylan: Yes, it was very beneficial to Colchis, as you will see in the coming update. The economy has recieved a large boost.

comagoosie: Thanks, I'm certainly doing better than in my previous attempts...

At the moment, due to exams, I'm still aiming at an update every Thursday. With 10 exams still to go, this will have to do for a while. After these, however, (after the 12th of June, I believe) I shall likely be preparing two updates a week.

[Jaspume]

Barbarians!

To further solidify the alliance between Rhoxolani and Colchis, (Particularly due to the peace treaty between Rhoxolani and the Bosporans, in which two provinces were ceded to Rhoxolani) Rhoxolani allowed Colchian troops to enter it's lands. With the new spoils of war, Kuji offered great ceremonies and sacrifices to the gods, appeasing the public and the heavens alike. Stability was gradually returning to Colchis after the rash and unorthodox actions of the chieftain.

The otherwise poor nation of Colchis now had an economy greater than ever before. Thanks to the tribute from the Bosporans, the wealth of the nation had grown dramatically.

A triumph was held for the victor of the war: Shapur Vardanid, the great general who would lead the nation forward martially.

A new trade route to Scodra, the Illyrian capital, provided not only new wealth to the nation but also civilisation, as the Illyrian traders brought new technologies from the west.

With the Bosporans now secured, Kuji looked to the untamed provinces to the north east. Barbarians who would threaten the growing Colchis lay in wait, and Kuji wished for a pre-emptive strike to destroy the threat before it overwhelmed them. Shapur Vardanid marched once more to battle.

Upon the 3rd of October, 477, the barbarians were assaulted.

Shapur was far outnumbered, but his talents far outstripped his challenger. Losses were heavy on both sides, but the barbarians ultimately suffered heavier losses. Colchian troops were broken, however, and with even the solid core of heavy infantry beginning to waver under the tide of unwashed barbarians, he ordered a retreat.

The first siege of Phasis was enacted by R.Palacid, and as time wore on and the Colchian army grew nearer, the siege became a conquest. A bitter defeat for Colchis and almost ridiculing to the encoraching army. Just before arrival, the walls had fallen.

Shapur engaged the barbarians once more, vowing to send them back into the fog of the north east. This time, however, Shapur had taken command of the nations finances, recruiting a regiment of highly prized warriors in Colchian lands; Cavalry.

The barbarians suffered a major defeat, and the defenders of the fallen capital were quickly overwhelmed. Colchis had returned.

Upon this victory Kuji called upon the gods to bless the nation with new life and a prosporous future.

It backfired. Famine stalked the land.

Despite this, Colchians celebrated the recent liberation of the capital and the victories of the Bosporan war. Despite Kuji's lack of talent, the people admired him for his dream and his bravery. The nation had gradually emerged from an age of division into an era of stability.

Unfortunately however, the new year of 480 did not bring good news. Scodra had fallen to Macedonian forces, cancelling trade between Colchis and Illyria
and depriving the nation of beneficial trade. Although Kuji wished to intervene, even he knew he could not. All Colchis could do was wait until the occupation had ended and trade resumed, although tensions between Macedonia and Colchis grew.

As the newest regiment of Heavy infantry emerged from Phasis, it was decided that although the good relations with Illyria should be maintained, a new trade route would be needed. Although not as profitable, Panticapeum provided new opportunities for Colchis. Unfortunately, this new trade route would not remain.

War returned to Colchis.

Light Green- Colchis
Dark Green- Bosporan Kingdom
Light Grey- Rhoxolani

[comagoosie]

I am confident that this war should go easier than the last, unless they have a new ally that we are unaware of.

[stnylan]

The Bosphorans should not be too troublesome.

[Ringelnatz]

Brilliant story so far, count me in!

[Jaspume]

comagoosie: You sir, are prescient.

stnylan: The Bosporans: No. Their allies? Well, you'll see.

Ringelnatz: Thanks. Hopefully you'll enjoy the rest.


Another update will be here shortly. I've done the text, just cropping and uploading images.