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Abe_Archer

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Legacy of Alexander​
AlexanderFlag_zps5a517abb.gif

“There is nothing impossible to him who will try.”
-Alexander the Great


Introduction
The Ptolemaic Crusade

The fruits of Gregory the VII’s crusade were that of the holy land. Even now in Jerusalem, knights donned their armor and passed through the crowded streets, guarding the gates of Christendom. Every man knew of the sacrifice and hardship of the European powers in the retaking of the land, of their battles and of the bitter struggle. But Jerusalem was only the beginning.

During the papacy of Gregory VII a grand crusade was called to all who would hear it. And so many faithful heard it, the call was answered, and so the cause was taken up. The greatest army ever to behold assembled in Constantinople, and marched on to the holy land.

During the great struggle a group of knights in Byzantium, led by Constantinus Konmenos, who was said to have been descended from that ancient Ptolemaic stock, went from the East Roman capitol to the city of Constantinus’s forefathers. His force landed on the shores of North Africa, and they began their campaign with Alexandria. They were to retake Alexander’s city.

Byzantine_Constantinople01_full_zpsf4fd468c.jpg
Picture Depicting the Battle of Alexandria​

The fighting was fierce, but the joint efforts of the Europeans’ attack on Jerusalem and the Byzantine landings in North Africa caused a quick collapse in the Mamluk Sultanate. Once those cities were taken, the heart of the Mamluks was ripped out. No one could stop the Ptolemaic tide.

The Byzantine crusaders began calling themselves the Ptolemaic people, their empire was Alexandria, their faith Orthodox, and their King was crowned Ptolemy the Restorer.

The legacy of Alexander lived again.

Note to the reader: I am playing the mod WAMMO which combines EU+ and Miscmods. The font on the maps that you will see later is from the mod Aut Caesar, Aut Nihil. I’m playing Alexandria in the Peace of God scenario. I will not be save reloading unless I do something like press a button I had no intention of pressing, though that’ll hardly happen. I will try to play a ruler by his stats. This a narrative/history book AAR. Enjoy!
 
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pictures aren't working for me, but it seems like a good start

Thanks for the kind words.

Does anyone know why he can't see the pictures but I can? Does anyone else have this problem? And more importantly, does anyone know how I can fix this? I use Photobucket for my pictures and when putting up images I uncheck "Retrieve remote file and reference locally" because I don't know what it does ( maybe that effects it, I don't really know).

Edit: Also, in what format should I be saving the photos?
 
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Part I – Reign of Ptolemy V

I​
A New Ptolemy

The courts of Alexandria were filled with the many subjects of the kingdom. The people soon began their chant:

“The king is dead. Long live the king!”

The new Ptolemy took his rightful place on the throne. He was a proud man, competent in all matters, be they military or economic, but on the diplomatic field the man was a genius. He was to need it if he was to go through with his intentions of a centralized state.
EUIIIMap1399Alexandria_zpsbb3b14c9.png

The Known World by 1399

Ambrosius Monomakos, an Alexandrian lord, stood surrounded by his guard at the ceremony. He was from an old line, from the time of the Ptolemaic crusade, and the power of his family in Alexandria stretches from that time. The head of the Monomakos line has always been so named the “Second King”, for he had as much power as the rightful monarch. It was not unusual for some to think that this usurper should rule the Alexandrian lands. And so while Ptolemy had his plans, Ambrosius had his own machinations.

It was clear that the king knew that while things remained as a federation, Monomakos would do nothing for he had much power. The real struggle would begin later.

After the coronation there was the great feast. Monomakos ate there and refused the food given to him, requesting something else more to his liking. After, Ambrosius continued to eat after the king had laid down his forks. Then, Ambrosius left without bowing or singing praise to the new monarch.

Such insolence, the king thought to himself.

Byzantine_Banquetedited_zps6030cb96.jpg
The Banquet for Ptolemy V​
 
II
The First Byzantine-Armenian War Begins

Ever since the restoration of Alexandria to the Ptolemys by the Byzantines, the two great nations have always been allies. The ancient Empire and likewise the new kingdom have always relied on each other, and have been great partners in commerce, diplomacy and conquest. So, of course, help was immediately given as the Byzantine courier knelt at the foot of the Alexandrian throne and reminded the king of their ancient friendship.

The Alexandrians were at war.

For a long while the Alexandrians had not been at war. The skills of the descendants of the Ptolemaic crusaders were degenerate. Their proud forefathers had been great warriors, and now their sons knew only of trade, of economy, and of statistics.

Thomas Psellos dreamed of the old times. Sure, he was as incompetent as the warriors he was about to lead but he still requested the commission to head the force. He had large dreams and every waking moment his thoughts were of the great military conquerors, Caesar, Charlemagne, and of course, Alexander the Great.

Plus, he was loyal, and that was a hard trait to find with so many followers of Monomakos.

With the Monarch’s proud blessings, he headed the army and led them to Armenia.

Upon arriving in Armenia, the bastion at Dulkadir was practically unguarded and a siege was set. With the hopes that the Byzantines would be able to hold their front the army of circa 20,000 men laid siege to Dulkadir.

SiegeofDulkadir_zps80c9d4ef.jpg
Siege of Dulkadir​

As the warm July months passed all did not bode well. The Byzantines had been repelled after they attempted to engage the ferocious Armenian host. Since the siege was over Thomas decided to advance his army to the Byzantine front. In late July the Alexandrian and Armenian armies clashed…
 
I can see these pictures but not the ones from the OP. I like the syle with the drawings and historical documents
 
I can see these pictures but not the ones from the OP. I like the syle with the drawings and historical documents

Thanks for the comment! Though, I don't how to fix the OP's photos.
 
III
In the Camp of the Enemy
Early July 1402​

New men arrived constantly at the Armenian camp. The recent exhibition of superior Armenian steel over that of the Byzantines caused massive flocks of Armenians to take up their lord’s cause, that of Movses I Adomian. The recent news of that an Alexandrian force was coming from Dulkadir was met only with the snarky guffaws of the Armenians, the morale of the camp could never had been better.

ArmenianCampedited_zps22543c4f.png

Inside the grand tent of their monarch, Moves I plotted with his generals. The battle plan had already been laid out for their defense; every inch of the map was inspected with his generals. Most would think it would be a tough fight, for their army would not be able to conquer the fortress at Yazgod without incurring heavy losses before this important battle. Therefore, they would have their backs to the Byzantine castle during the struggle.

This did not worry Movses I.

The great Byzantine host had been driven from Yazgod in one spectacular fray and they would not be able to recuperate in time in order to bolster the Alexandrian forces. The fort itself would not be able to dispense men from its wall to help lest they lose the castle. But there was much more to his battlefield supremacy than that.

A letter had just arrived from Alexandria.

“Read it aloud,” said the monarch to the courier who had just arrived.

“To the Lord of Armenia, the Great Movses I,

We wish you well on your campaign. It should also be known that both the general, Thomas Psellos, and the soldiers of the Alexandrian host are merely sheep ready for slaughter in comparison to your lion men, they do not know how to hold the right edge of a sword, nor how to fire a wooden arrow from a child’s bow. And already, troops in the Alexandrian force have been bribed to bolster your own forces in the time of battle, thus assuring you an easy victory. After your victory in Anatolia remember your deal to help me win the crown of Alexandria, and together we will rule Alexander’s Empire. His legacy will be ours.

Your Faithful Ally,
The Second King of Alexandria,
Ambrosius Monomakos”

The generals laughed at the thought of the coming battle.


“Hmmm,” said the enemy monarch. “I'd say we’ve got the edge.”
 
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Very well written. I can't wait to see how the upcoming battle will go.

I use a site tinypic for my game photos. They give a number of sizes for photos to choose from (like 15inch screen 800 x 600). It's real easy to use. Just upload one, or five shots at a time stated what size you want your pictures to be. Then, once they're uploaded to site...copy the the code for Forums and paste it, or them onto your editing of your post. I have over 1500 photos on the site. And, I can have saved to a folder on the site.
 
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Another WAMMO AAR! This one is looking like it'll be a good one.
It's also one of those rare Alexandria AARs; the only one I've seen before is this one ("The Pharaohs Return" by Sybot), and it uses regular Miscmods since WAMMO wasn't out when it was made.
 
One of my favorite mods, my favorite AAR style, and skillfully written and realistic even though you are dealing with a highly divergent world. I'm really liking this!
 
Will you actually attempt to reconquer all of Alexanders Empire?
 
Very well written. I can't wait to see how the upcoming battle will go.

I use a site tinypic for my game photos. They give a number of sizes for photos to choose from (like 15inch screen 800 x 600). It's real easy to use. Just upload one, or five shots at a time stated what size you want your pictures to be. Then, once they're uploaded to site...copy the the code for Forums and paste it, or them onto your editing of your post. I have over 1500 photos on the site. And, I can have saved to a folder on the site.

Thanks! Though, I've always used Irfanview to first edit and then used photobucket for the link, if I have time I'll try that. I also wanted to know what's the best way to save it such as png, jpeg etc,...

Another WAMMO AAR! This one is looking like it'll be a good one.
It's also one of those rare Alexandria AARs; the only one I've seen before is this one ("The Pharaohs Return" by Sybot), and it uses regular Miscmods since WAMMO wasn't out when it was made.

I definatively hope that this'll be a good one. Thank you for commenting.

One of my favorite mods, my favorite AAR style, and skillfully written and realistic even though you are dealing with a highly divergent world. I'm really liking this!

I'm really glad you're enjoying this, and thanks for all the great comments. It's great to know that people are enjoying my writting!

Will you actually attempt to reconquer all of Alexanders Empire?

Well, I actually haven't a lot of long term planning as I'm trying to really create a well written story more than anything else, and in this story I want each king to have his own "personality" and "ambitions" (to be decided by me of course, the stats and other factors influence my decision). Therefore I may have a king who wants to, but I haven't gotten too far in the game to know what a lot of kings' ambitions are.
 
Hi Abe-Archer I'm not quite sure of your question. If you're referring in game shots...that's simple. After pausing the game at a screenshot you'll like to post Click F11. That will place the photo into a folder named "Screenshots" in your EU directory. Now, the folder "Screenshots" is something you have to create (by right clicking in the EU3 directory and right clicking the page and selecting "new folder". You would then rename new folder to Screenshots). Every screenshot you then make goes into that folder and they are numbered, and so on. Once they are in the Screenshot folder you can up load them to you photo bucket and paste them into your ARR. Everything in the folder will be a bmp, or bitmap.

As for shots I take from the web that's more involved. I copy a shot onto word. I then print it. I then photocopy it (jpg). Now, if I want to edit the photo, crop it, I can either bring into "Paint" or a program like Adobe to crop it. Through Adobe or Paint I can even crop screenshots from the game.

If that's not the answer to your question. Ask again.
 
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IV
The Stand at Yazgod
Sunday, September 15, 1402​


The Alexandrian forces flew from the battlefield.

Thomas Psellos gazed down at his men from his strategic position on the mountaintop at near the Byzantine fort at Yazgod. His small band of loyal knights and guards fought for the narrow path in the mountain which controlled the whole eastern pass, and therefore the supply line of the Alexandrian army. For the first time in a lifetime Thomas Psellos felt the sour taste of blood on his sword, the red blood of his enemy on his chainmail sleeves, yet in horror he uncontrollably watched the disintegration of his forces, and subsequently their withdrawal. He had expected everyman to fight to the last, his eyes burned with the fierce fire as if an eagle looked down on its own sons that could not fly. The next Armenian that he slaughtered was slaughtered with a fell blow.

Battle_zps7454245a.jpg

“How could they do this? Our left flank falls to the enemy with ease! And our right turns on us. Only my loyal officers on this mountain pass do not fall back,” said the Grand General, with care to talk with a calm ease in front of his men.


“No doubt they were swayed by gold, sir,” responded a knight as he cleaved a man and witnessed the Armenians retreat from the pass.

“Sire, it would be wise to retreat. Already our men fly in this direction for the enemy is always at their back,” said a second knight watching the men below, like the tide, sweep across the hills.

“Yes, milord, we should leave and fight another day. If we do not die by Armenian steel we shall be trampled by Alexandrian foot,” said a third

“No! We cannot retreat. If we stand here we can stop their harry into our forces. No! We stand here, for Alexandria.”

“Milord, you cannot,” said a the first.

“You dare question my orders!” exclaimed Thomas with fury and sternness he knew would control his men.

“Do not be so stubborn, we wish only to save your life,” said the second.

“Stubborn, how dare yo- ” Thomas did not finish the sentence, whether by a cold Armenian club, or the blunt end of an Alexandrian Sword, Thomas Psellos fell into unconsciousness. The cold hands of his men dragged him away.

In that dark void of unconsciousness, he dreamed of Alexander’s victory over Darius.
 
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Hey guys! Don't worry. This aar isn't dead, I just didn't have too much time on my hands lately.


Hi Abe-Archer I'm not quite sure of your question. If you're referring in game shots...that's simple. After pausing the game at a screenshot you'll like to post Click F11. That will place the photo into a folder named "Screenshots" in your EU directory. Now, the folder "Screenshots" is something you have to create (by right clicking in the EU3 directory and right clicking the page and selecting "new folder". You would then rename new folder to Screenshots). Every screenshot you then make goes into that folder and they are numbered, and so on. Once they are in the Screenshot folder you can up load them to you photo bucket and paste them into your ARR. Everything in the folder will be a bmp, or bitmap.

As for shots I take from the web that's more involved. I copy a shot onto word. I then print it. I then photocopy it (jpg). Now, if I want to edit the photo, crop it, I can either bring into "Paint" or a program like Adobe to crop it. Through Adobe or Paint I can even crop screenshots from the game.

If that's not the answer to your question. Ask again.

Thanks for the advice. Sorry for the long delay.
 
V
Dangerous Actions
Wednesday, July 9, 1403​

“Yes, milord,” said the messenger with a resonating voice, bowing to his liege as he exited the room. The guards outside the chamber closed the doors.
Monarch_zps91b0a49a.png
Ptolemy V​

Ptolemy was alone. He buried his face in his hands.

It had been almost a year after their terrible defeat at Yazgod, and in that year much had changed. Like the coming of a terrible tide, Ambrosius Monomakos the Second King of Alexandria, had taken steps to secure his own power in the ancient Ptolemaic realm. Ambrosius had made the king appear as an utter fool, he had openly proclaimed of the king’s inability to rule. And now ancient Lords followed his enemy’s counsel, ceremonies were held in his foe’s honor, the people looked to Monomakos for leadership, and the power was in his foe’s hands.

In his own kingdom Ptolemy’s power was dwindling.

What to do? That truly was the question. He was still the king. He could levy and settle his armies, raise and lower his taxes, he was still king!

He had to act if he still wished to be a king for long.

And so, with what he could still do, the king had decided to make a gamble. Once more he would send an army of Alexandrians into Byzantine lands. Once more, Thomas Psellos would lead them. But this time it would be different. This time the Alexandrian force had known fear, they had tasted blood.

And so that messenger who had just departed from his throne room was to summon Thomas to lead his new force. They would show his enemies what it would be to face Alexandrian steel.

This time they would be ready. They must be ready for his sake, no, much more.

They would be ready for the sake of his kingdom!
 
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Well written.
There's no rush to do an AAR. It's suppose to be fun...not a chore, or a job.