Alright, here we are. Let's do this.
Aw, shame that happened to your game. Are you planning to work on any other future AAR's?
Also how do you make your maps?
Yes, though next AAR will probably be more gameplay focused, with the Reign of the Ancients mod.
About the maps, I found a blank map in the forums and just edit it to suit the specific need of the moment. The only skill involved is that of the maker of the map.
Here it is.
s. Something about the tone of the update gave me the impression that we can expect some sort of rebellion in the future – thoough I can't quite explain why. Perhaps it was the somewhat ominous suggestion that Aratid can't deal with the later variety of peoples over whom he rules?
Yes, there is no way a political system as shallow as the Tribal Confederation can last for long without a common enemy to unite its people, even more so if it has gotten this big. Aratid is in for a wild ride.
Chapter 22: Victory and defeat
The Belgian War
From the start, the Belgian War was not a popular war. Unlike previous foes, they were celtic people and did not pose a significant threat to Celtiberia's existence. Many even thought that having one strong northern ally was preferible to keeping a status quo that just made Gaul more vulnerable to Germanic invasions. The fact that this war had come to be was, in fact, the best proof that the old Celtiberian policy towards Gaul did not work. The target of the criticism was not that Aratid had decided to honor the pact of mutual protection with the Parisii was, but the fact that such a pact had been sworn in the first place.
The war also served to put the spotlight in the duplicities that had led the Confederated foreign policy until then, many of which could be no longer sustained. The ideals of celticity had served to build the Celtiberian identity in contrast with the rest of the Mediterranean people, but now it was precisely this Mediterranean influence that separated Celtiberians from Belgians, which were regarded as followers of older celtic traditions. The military ethos was trapped between the ferocity and personal comitment of the tribal warrior and the discipline and pragmatism of the professional soldier and even if they had a wealth of different units at their disposal there was no clear idea of how the Celtiberian army should fight and there had been no attempt to establish coherent standardized tactics. For all its extension and diversity, the Confederation still had the political institutions of a much smaller state and was unprepared to maintain its own sphere of influence in an estable manner.
When word arrived to Ulaca of the Belgae aggression, Aratid knew that time was of the essence. The Parisii would not be able to withstand the might of the Belgian proto-state for long and if they fell he would probably be forced by the Council to stop the war and pursue new diplomatic ties with the Belgae. Dumnorix, the rival leader, knew this well and had spared no able man in the invasion, hoping for a quick victory. He even forced the Helvetii and Mediomatrici to assist him in the western front even though that would leave their homelands undefended against Celtiberian forces.
Therefore, Aratid parted to Gaul immediately with the two armies stationed in the vicinity of Ulaca without even waiting for the traditional druidic blessing. Already on the road, he sent a messenger to Culchid, who was stationed with in Rome, to march north, unite with another army stationed in Luna and invade the lands of the Belgian allies. Most of the troops garrisoned across the Mediterranean were left on standby, and Mandonid was hastily left in charge of peacekeeping in Africa and Italy.
The Helvetian Campaign
To get into Helvetian territory Culchid had to flank the Alps and, to do that without having to go through unknown territory in the east or to venture deep into hostile territory in the west, the only possible route was through the town of Genava. The town was located just where the Rodonos river was born from the Geneva lake, and controlled one of the few bridges built over it. It was founded by the Allobroges, one of the Arvernian tribes, and the years of peace and trade had allowed it to grow and prosper.
But when Culchid arrived to Genava with his troops he found that the Helvetii, just before leaving for western Gaul, had attacked the city. While there was only a handful of casualties, the bridge was destroyed and no army could pass the Rodonos from there. Culchid faced a dilemma: the locals told him of a pass to the west, between the Jura Mountains and the river, that he could use to get into Helvetian territory. This pass was difficult, though, and he would have to venture into Belgae territory to get to it. An ambush there could mean total annihilation.
Instead, he decided to cross the Alps. Leaving enough soldiers to rebuild the bridge, he turned back to Sennonia and there took the St. Bernard Pass across the mountains. Even in summer it was a perilous and time-consuming task, one that claimed a price in animal and human lives before the army could get to the other side.
The crossing of the Alps
But it proved a succesfull move, since the Helvetians had been counting on the invasion to come from the west and had prepared accordingly, leaving a small contingent to set an ambush in the L'Etoile pass. Culchid suddently appeared on their rear and attacked before they had time to react, destroying in one single stroke the core of Helvetian resistance. Once there he set camp in the northern shore of lake Neuchatel and divided his forces to cover all the land of the Belgian allies.
Pacification took some time, though. Without a reliable source of supplies, the Celtiberians had to be extremely careful with their provisions and their movements depended more on the possibility of finding food than on military concerns. That is, until the makeshift bridge in construction in Genava was finished. Once a steady supply route was established, things accelerated and the Helvetians and Mediomatrici claudicated at last.
With the Helvetian and Mediomatrici surrender, Culchid took his troops into the land of the Aedui, members of the Belgian confederation, in order to take Bibracte and eliminate any possibility of a surprise invasion of Arvernia.
The Parisian Campaign
When the invasion began, the Parisii did not shy from combat with a more numerous enemy. Instead, the whole population prepared for total war. Everyone capable of holding a sword or a spear, regardless of genre or age, banded together. In the border villages, the food that could not be carried away was burnt, as were many fields, and civilians fled westwards. Most impressively, they did all this before even knowing that Celtiberia was marching to help them.
The Belgians did not expect such a staunch resistance, and could not make any remarkable gain. The first clash took place in Cenabum (Orleans); both sides took heavy casualties and the Belgae had to desist from taking the city. The second, in Lutetia, ended in Belgian victory, but at the cost of many of their auxilliary troops.
Aratid arrived few days after the battle. Impressed by the courage of his allies, he swore that they would have the city back before the next full moon. He gave his men, exhausted after many days of foced march, one single day to rest and then marched to relief Cenabum, again under siege. Not expecting the Celtiberians so soon, the Belgians were taken by surprise and took a sound beating before fleeing.
Aratid then turned to Lutetia. It had become an enormous military camp brimming with Belgians and Helvetians and Mediomatrici, and was being used as Dumnorix' headquarters. The order was not besieging the place, but a direct assault. Aratid himself later would explain this risky decision as a “way to instill fear in the heart of the Belgians, let them know that no wall, no shield would keep them safe”.
The assault was succesful, but for every enemy slain two Celtiberians fell. It was a carnage of unprecedented proportions, one that left nobody indifferent. Dumnorix died fighting at the gates, the Belgians retreated to their own territory where the few allies they had left deserted them and returned to their lands after hearing that their elders had surrendered to Culchid. The Celtiberian army was left in shambles, disheartened, full of wounded and disorganised. The Parisii were exultant and, after this, became an extremely loyal ally until their eventual willing incorporation in Celtiberia almost a century later.
A map with the main tribes of Gaul and the movements of Culchid (red) and Aratid (green). The Parisii themselves inhabited the land around Lutetia.
The disaster of Armorica
The war was not over yet. Lugotorix, the new Belgian leader, sent his best men to every town and village in Belgica in order to replenish his strength. They promised lands, riches and glory. Since Culchid had already began the invasion of the southern tribes and with rumours of the bloody battle of Lutetia running amok, many enlisted fearing the Celtiberian conquest. Soon Lugotorix had an army as big as the one Dumnorix had lost, if not bigger.
Meanwhile, Aratid had asked Culchid half his forces and Mandonid to send an army to Massalia so that Culchid could replace the soldiers he was giving. A call to arms was also sent to the Bituriges asking them to join in the defense of a free Gaul. They responded by declaring the alliance null and void, citing the influx of Parisii refugees to their lands and saying that they had no problems with the Belgae. The High Chief, and this is again according to his version of the facts, just forwarded their response to the High Council. The Councilors, angered by this betrayal, publicly destroyed the bronze plaque that contained the agreements and oaths between them and the Bituriges, something that had not been done ever before.
In any case, both armies began to move. There was little room for subtleties this time: the main goal of each side was the destruction of the other. The Celtiberians wanted to make their foes to surrender southern Belgica as punishment for their trasgression. For the Belgae, this was a now or never deal: they entertained no illusions about their long term survival if they failed now that they had crossed Celtiberia.
The fated battle took place in an open field in Aremorica. During it everything that could go wrong, went wrong. The horsemen got much too close to the war elephants and lost the control of their rides, leaving them exposed to an attack from the enemy cavalry. The infantry found itself losing terrain against the fewer but more determined and disciplined Belgian infantry. Even the poor quality of the iron, brought upon by the standardization of chainmail and the enormous pressure it exerted over the ore supplies, played a role when the fatigued falcatas began breaking against the Belgian shieldwall.
There were several battles in game, most of them looking like this one. The Belgae had better techs, better generals and the same ideas and laws as me, but i didn't expect such a slaughter.
Aratid barely got out of the battle alive, and he did not do it in one piece. Due to wounds taken in the battlefield, the High Chief lost an one arm and one eye. Most of his men were not as lucky. The great Celtiberian army had just suffered the most painful defeat in its short but intense life. They did cause considerable damage in the Belgian files, but not enough to deter them from invading the Parisii again.
Nobody in the battlefield could know this but that day claimed yet another victim. The Confederation had given its last breath.