¬ Localised file for battle descriptions ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬* ¬* ALEXANDER TEXT BEGINS HERE!!! ¬* ALL TEXT BELOW THIS LINE SHOULD BE ALEXANDER ADDITIONS/CHANGES ONLY!!! ¬* ¬*¬***** Changes made after 05/01/2006 16:12:00 ¬* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ {BAECULA_TITLE}Battle of Baecula {BAECULA_DESCR}Unused {CANNAE_TITLE}Battle of Cannae {CANNAE_DESCR}Unused {CHAERONEA_TITLE}Battle of Chaeronea {CHAERONEA_DESCR}King Philip II has ruled the Kingdom of Macedonia for over twenty years. In that time he has taken it from a backwater state North of Greece to the most powerful military entity in the Aegean. He had intervened in the Third Sacred War amoungst the Greeks and by virtue of force, brought peace to the region.\n\n That peace was not to last. Philip attempted to expand his empire to the Sea of Marmara to the East. This caused consternation in both the Persian empire and the city of Athens, who relied on food imports through the area. Athens declared war on Philip and Thebes, bribed by the Persians, followed suit.\n\n Philip broke off his assault to the East and moved South. His army made contact with the Greeks on the plain of Chaeronea, a town in central Greece. The coming battle would make or break Philip's authority in the Aegean, once and for all.\n\n {CHAERONEA_MP_1V1_TITLE}Battle of Chaeronea 1v1 {CHAERONEA_MP_1V1_DESCR}King Philip II has ruled the Kingdom of Macedonia for over twenty years. In that time he has taken it from a backwater state North of Greece to the most powerful military entity in the Aegean. He had intervened in the Third Sacred War amoungst the Greeks and by virtue of force, brought peace to the region.\n\n That peace was not to last. Philip attempted to expand his empire to the Sea of Marmara to the East. This caused consternation in both the Persian empire and the city of Athens, who relied on food imports through the area. Athens declared war on Philip and Thebes, bribed by the Persians, followed suit.\n\n Philip broke off his assault to the East and moved South. His army made contact with the Greeks on the plain of Chaeronea, a town in central Greece. The coming battle would make or break Philip's authority in the Aegean, once and for all.\n\n {CHAERONEA_MP_2V2_TITLE}Battle of Chaeronea 2v2 {CHAERONEA_MP_2V2_DESCR}King Philip II has ruled the Kingdom of Macedonia for over twenty years. In that time he has taken it from a backwater state North of Greece to the most powerful military entity in the Aegean. He had intervened in the Third Sacred War amoungst the Greeks and by virtue of force, brought peace to the region.\n\n That peace was not to last. Philip attempted to expand his empire to the Sea of Marmara to the East. This caused consternation in both the Persian empire and the city of Athens, who relied on food imports through the area. Athens declared war on Philip and Thebes, bribed by the Persians, followed suit.\n\n Philip broke off his assault to the East and moved South. His army made contact with the Greeks on the plain of Chaeronea, a town in central Greece. The coming battle would make or break Philip's authority in the Aegean, once and for all.\n\n {CHAERONEA_MP_2V1_TITLE}Battle of Chaeronea 2v1 {CHAERONEA_MP_2V1_DESCR}King Philip II has ruled the Kingdom of Macedonia for over twenty years. In that time he has taken it from a backwater state North of Greece to the most powerful military entity in the Aegean. He had intervened in the Third Sacred War amoungst the Greeks and by virtue of force, brought peace to the region.\n\n That peace was not to last. Philip attempted to expand his empire to the Sea of Marmara to the East. This caused consternation in both the Persian empire and the city of Athens, who relied on food imports through the area. Athens declared war on Philip and Thebes, bribed by the Persians, followed suit.\n\n Philip broke off his assault to the East and moved South. His army made contact with the Greeks on the plain of Chaeronea, a town in central Greece. The coming battle would make or break Philip's authority in the Aegean, once and for all.\n\n {GAUGAMELA_TITLE}Battle of Gaugamela {GAUGAMELA_DESCR}After a visit to Egypt, Alexander set out once again to face the Persian king Darius. Alexander waited in Tyre expecting Darius to attack, but the Persian king was determined to make Alexander come to him. Eventually Alexander left Tyre and headed East with his army into Persia.\n\n Darius offered no armed resistance to Alexander's progress into his territory, but sent the Babylonian satrap Mazaeus to shadow the Macedonian army. Mazaeus burned crops and garrisoned harvested grain to deny Alexander a source of food. In doing so, he forced Alexander to move North. Darius was luring Alexander to his chosen battleground.\n\n The Persian king set out his army in Assyria, not far from the ruins of Nineveh. With a far larger army and a wide plain on which to deploy it, Darius would appear to have the advantage by far. But an astronomical event on the eve of battle fortelling doom for the king of Persia seeded widespread panic in the Persian army. Despite their crushing numerical advantage they must have marched to fight the next day believing the end of the Persian Empire was at hand.\n\n {GAUGAMELA_MP_2V1_TITLE}Battle of Gaugamela 2v1 {GAUGAMELA_MP_2V1_DESCR}After a visit to Egypt, Alexander set out once again to face the Persian king Darius. Alexander waited in Tyre expecting Darius to attack, but the Persian king was determined to make Alexander come to him. Eventually Alexander left Tyre and headed East with his army into Persia.\n\n Darius offered no armed resistance to Alexander's progress into his territory, but sent the Babylonian satrap Mazaeus to shadow the Macedonian army. Mazaeus burned crops and garrisoned harvested grain to deny Alexander a source of food. In doing so, he forced Alexander to move North. Darius was luring Alexander to his chosen battleground.\n\n The Persian king set out his army in Assyria, not far from the ruins of Nineveh. With a far larger army and a wide plain on which to deploy it, Darius would appear to have the advantage by far. But an astronomical event on the eve of battle fortelling doom for the king of Persia seeded widespread panic in the Persian army. Despite their crushing numerical advantage they must have marched to fight the next day believing the end of the Persian Empire was at hand.\n\n {GAUGAMELA_MP_3V1_TITLE}Battle of Gaugamela 3v1 {GAUGAMELA_MP_3V1_DESCR}After a visit to Egypt, Alexander set out once again to face the Persian king Darius. Alexander waited in Tyre expecting Darius to attack, but the Persian king was determined to make Alexander come to him. Eventually Alexander left Tyre and headed East with his army into Persia.\n\n Darius offered no armed resistance to Alexander's progress into his territory, but sent the Babylonian satrap Mazaeus to shadow the Macedonian army. Mazaeus burned crops and garrisoned harvested grain to deny Alexander a source of food. In doing so, he forced Alexander to move North. Darius was luring Alexander to his chosen battleground.\n\n The Persian king set out his army in Assyria, not far from the ruins of Nineveh. With a far larger army and a wide plain on which to deploy it, Darius would appear to have the advantage by far. But an astronomical event on the eve of battle fortelling doom for the king of Persia seeded widespread panic in the Persian army. Despite their crushing numerical advantage they must have marched to fight the next day believing the end of the Persian Empire was at hand.\n\n {GAUGAMELA_MP_1V1_TITLE}Battle of Gaugamela 1v1 {GAUGAMELA_MP_1V1_DESCR}After a visit to Egypt, Alexander set out once again to face the Persian king Darius. Alexander waited in Tyre expecting Darius to attack, but the Persian king was determined to make Alexander come to him. Eventually Alexander left Tyre and headed East with his army into Persia.\n\n Darius offered no armed resistance to Alexander's progress into his territory, but sent the Babylonian satrap Mazaeus to shadow the Macedonian army. Mazaeus burned crops and garrisoned harvested grain to deny Alexander a source of food. In doing so, he forced Alexander to move North. Darius was luring Alexander to his chosen battleground.\n\n The Persian king set out his army in Assyria, not far from the ruins of Nineveh. With a far larger army and a wide plain on which to deploy it, Darius would appear to have the advantage by far. But an astronomical event on the eve of battle fortelling doom for the king of Persia seeded widespread panic in the Persian army. Despite their crushing numerical advantage they must have marched to fight the next day believing the end of the Persian Empire was at hand.\n\n {GRANICUS_TITLE}Battle of Granicus {GRANICUS_DESCR}Having secured his position in Greece, Alexander turned his attention to the mighty Persian empire. Though the ships under his control were few in comparison to the Persian navy, the trip across the Hellespont which seperated the two kingdoms was brief and passed without incident.\n\nOnce in Asia Minor, Alexander took the opportunity to make sacrifice at the site of the city of Troy as part of his preparations to face a large Persian force which had arrived to challenge his invasion. This force was under the nominal command of a Greek mercenary general, Memnon of Rhodes, but the jealousies of a number of Persian regional satrap governors also present seem to have diluted this authority. Nevertheless, this army deployed on the far bank of the River Granicus and awaited Alexanders' arrival.\n\n {GRANICUS_MP_1V1_TITLE}Battle of Granicus 1v1 {GRANICUS_MP_1V1_DESCR}Having secured his position in Greece, Alexander turned his attention to the mighty Persian empire. Though the ships under his control were few in comparison to the Persian navy, the trip across the Hellespont which seperated the two kingdoms was brief and passed without incident.\n\nOnce in Asia Minor, Alexander took the opportunity to make sacrifice at the site of the city of Troy as part of his preparations to face a large Persian force which had arrived to challenge his invasion. This force was under the nominal command of a Greek mercenary general, Memnon of Rhodes, but the jealousies of a number of Persian regional satrap governors also present seem to have diluted this authority. Nevertheless, this army deployed on the far bank of the River Granicus and awaited Alexanders' arrival.\n\n {GRANICUS_MP_2V2_TITLE}Battle of Granicus 2v2 {GRANICUS_MP_2V2_DESCR}Having secured his position in Greece, Alexander turned his attention to the mighty Persian empire. Though the ships under his control were few in comparison to the Persian navy, the trip across the Hellespont which seperated the two kingdoms was brief and passed without incident.\n\nOnce in Asia Minor, Alexander took the opportunity to make sacrifice at the site of the city of Troy as part of his preparations to face a large Persian force which had arrived to challenge his invasion. This force was under the nominal command of a Greek mercenary general, Memnon of Rhodes, but the jealousies of a number of Persian regional satrap governors also present seem to have diluted this authority. Nevertheless, this army deployed on the far bank of the River Granicus and awaited Alexanders' arrival.\n\n {HALICARNASSUS_TITLE}Battle of Halicarnassus {HALICARNASSUS_DESCR}In 334 BC with the crossing of the Hellespont complete, convinced by the Granicus victory that he would have no need of a means of retreat and most importantly weary of meeting its high upkeep costs, Alexander dismissed his fleet. He planned to defeat the Persian navy by different and indirect means: by seizing all Persian-held ports.\n\nWith the Persians in temporary disarray Alexander began seizing the coastal cities in his path. Many of these were nominally Greek anyway, though they had acknowledged Persian masters for some time previously. The town of Miletos offered some resistance but inevitably fell. Halicarnassus was a different matter though. The defenses there were good and Memnon of Rhodes had arrived to rally the Persians. Unwilling to leave this difficult target as a thorn in his side, Alexander besieged the city, eager to sweep aside the defenders before they could escape to cause trouble elsewhere...\n\n {HALICARNASSUS_MP_1V1_TITLE}Battle of Halicarnassus 1v1 {HALICARNASSUS_MP_1V1_DESCR}In 334 BC with the crossing of the Hellespont complete, convinced by the Granicus victory that he would have no need of a means of retreat and most importantly weary of meeting its high upkeep costs, Alexander dismissed his fleet. He planned to defeat the Persian navy by different and indirect means: by seizing all Persian-held ports.\n\nWith the Persians in temporary disarray Alexander began seizing the coastal cities in his path. Many of these were nominally Greek anyway, though they had acknowledged Persian masters for some time previously. The town of Miletos offered some resistance but inevitably fell. Halicarnassus was a different matter though. The defenses there were good and Memnon of Rhodes had arrived to rally the Persians. Unwilling to leave this difficult target as a thorn in his side, Alexander besieged the city, eager to sweep aside the defenders before they could escape to cause trouble elsewhere...\n\n {HALICARNASSUS_MP_2V1_TITLE}Battle of Halicarnassus 2v1 {HALICARNASSUS_MP_2V1_DESCR}In 334 BC with the crossing of the Hellespont complete, convinced by the Granicus victory that he would have no need of a means of retreat and most importantly weary of meeting its high upkeep costs, Alexander dismissed his fleet. He planned to defeat the Persian navy by different and indirect means: by seizing all Persian-held ports.\n\nWith the Persians in temporary disarray Alexander began seizing the coastal cities in his path. Many of these were nominally Greek anyway, though they had acknowledged Persian masters for some time previously. The town of Miletos offered some resistance but inevitably fell. Halicarnassus was a different matter though. The defenses there were good and Memnon of Rhodes had arrived to rally the Persians. Unwilling to leave this difficult target as a thorn in his side, Alexander besieged the city, eager to sweep aside the defenders before they could escape to cause trouble elsewhere...\n\n {HALICARNASSUS_MP_2V2_TITLE}Battle of Halicarnassus 2v2 {HALICARNASSUS_MP_2V2_DESCR}In 334 BC with the crossing of the Hellespont complete, convinced by the Granicus victory that he would have no need of a means of retreat and most importantly weary of meeting its high upkeep costs, Alexander dismissed his fleet. He planned to defeat the Persian navy by different and indirect means: by seizing all Persian-held ports.\n\nWith the Persians in temporary disarray Alexander began seizing the coastal cities in his path. Many of these were nominally Greek anyway, though they had acknowledged Persian masters for some time previously. The town of Miletos offered some resistance but inevitably fell. Halicarnassus was a different matter though. The defenses there were good and Memnon of Rhodes had arrived to rally the Persians. Unwilling to leave this difficult target as a thorn in his side, Alexander besieged the city, eager to sweep aside the defenders before they could escape to cause trouble elsewhere...\n\n {HYDASPES_TITLE}Battle of Hydaspes {HYDASPES_DESCR}Following yet another miraculous victory at Gaugamela, Alexander pursued Darius through the mountains. But he was robbed of his final triumph when the Persian king died by treachery at the hands of his own desperate generals.\n\nThough he had achieved the seemingly impossible in pitting his tiny kingdom against the colossal Persian empire and winning, Alexander's ambition was not satisfied. After five years spent consolidating his hold on Persia, he once again rallied the flagging enthusiasm of his exhausted men and marched for the Indus valley to challenge the authority of the Indian rulers.\n\nThough Alexander met with early success, the Indian king Porus saw no reason to submit to this western upstart and gathered a huge army to thwart him. In the unfamiliar and unhealthy climate of the Indian monsoon and faced with large numbers of men, chariots and war elephants, Alexander once again pitted himself against the odds at the crossing of the River Hydaspes.\n\n {HYDASPES_MP_1V1_TITLE}Battle of Hydaspes 1v1 {HYDASPES_MP_1V1_DESCR}Following yet another miraculous victory at Gaugamela, Alexander pursued Darius through the mountains. But he was robbed of his final triumph when the Persian king died by treachery at the hands of his own desperate generals.\n\nThough he had achieved the seemingly impossible in pitting his tiny kingdom against the colossal Persian empire and winning, Alexander's ambition was not satisfied. After five years spent consolidating his hold on Persia, he once again rallied the flagging enthusiasm of his exhausted men and marched for the Indus valley to challenge the authority of the Indian rulers.\n\nThough Alexander met with early success, the Indian king Porus saw no reason to submit to this western upstart and gathered a huge army to thwart him. In the unfamiliar and unhealthy climate of the Indian monsoon and faced with large numbers of men, chariots and war elephants, Alexander once again pitted himself against the odds at the crossing of the River Hydaspes.\n\n {HYDASPES_MP_2V1_TITLE}Battle of Hydaspes 2v1 {HYDASPES_MP_2V1_DESCR}Following yet another miraculous victory at Gaugamela, Alexander pursued Darius through the mountains. But he was robbed of his final triumph when the Persian king died by treachery at the hands of his own desperate generals.\n\nThough he had achieved the seemingly impossible in pitting his tiny kingdom against the colossal Persian empire and winning, Alexander's ambition was not satisfied. After five years spent consolidating his hold on Persia, he once again rallied the flagging enthusiasm of his exhausted men and marched for the Indus valley to challenge the authority of the Indian rulers.\n\nThough Alexander met with early success, the Indian king Porus saw no reason to submit to this western upstart and gathered a huge army to thwart him. In the unfamiliar and unhealthy climate of the Indian monsoon and faced with large numbers of men, chariots and war elephants, Alexander once again pitted himself against the odds at the crossing of the River Hydaspes.\n\n {HYDASPES_MP_2V2_TITLE}Battle of Hydaspes 2v2 {HYDASPES_MP_2V2_DESCR}Following yet another miraculous victory at Gaugamela, Alexander pursued Darius through the mountains. But he was robbed of his final triumph when the Persian king died by treachery at the hands of his own desperate generals.\n\nThough he had achieved the seemingly impossible in pitting his tiny kingdom against the colossal Persian empire and winning, Alexander's ambition was not satisfied. After five years spent consolidating his hold on Persia, he once again rallied the flagging enthusiasm of his exhausted men and marched for the Indus valley to challenge the authority of the Indian rulers.\n\nThough Alexander met with early success, the Indian king Porus saw no reason to submit to this western upstart and gathered a huge army to thwart him. In the unfamiliar and unhealthy climate of the Indian monsoon and faced with large numbers of men, chariots and war elephants, Alexander once again pitted himself against the odds at the crossing of the River Hydaspes.\n\n {ISSUS_TITLE}Battle of Issus {ISSUS_DESCR}Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.\n\n Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieved word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...\n\n {ISSUS_MP_1V1_TITLE}Battle of Issus 1v1 {ISSUS_MP_1V1_DESCR}Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.\n\n Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieved word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...\n\n {ISSUS_MP_2V1_TITLE}Battle of Issus 2v1 {ISSUS_MP_2V1_DESCR}Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.\n\n Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieved word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...\n\n {ISSUS_MP_3V1_TITLE}Battle of Issus 3v1 {ISSUS_MP_3V1_DESCR}Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.\n\n Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieved word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...\n\n {OUTRO_TITLE}Alexander's Tale Beyond the Hydaspes {OUTRO_TITLE}With King Porus defeated, the conquest of the ancient Indian kingdoms seemed straightforward. But though there were still battles and glory to come, Alexander's star had reached its zenith and the remainder of his tale is one of steady inexorable decline.\n\nAlmost as a portent of the misfortunes to come, Bucephalas, the faithful warhorse whom Alexander had tamed as a boy and who had served him so well for the whole of his adult life, died after the Hydaspes battle. Griefstricken, Alexander had the loyal beast buried with full honours and founded a new city on the river's banks, naming it Bucephalas.\n\nUrging his exhausted and homesick men on, Alexander continued on his route into India, but morale was at a low ebb. For years they had followed their king faithfully, overcoming one seemingly impossible challenge after another. Now that Persia was conquered, many saw their task as being complete and just wanted to return home. Yet Alexander's appetite for fresh conquests was as keen as ever. Furthermore, he spoke of plans to merge the Greek and Persian cultures, encouraging intermarriage between his men and Persian brides, and also incorporating Persian units into his armies.\n\nFinally, on reaching the river Hyphasis the men refused to go any further. Alexander was furious, but finally bowed to the inevitable and led them on the long march down the Indus. Never one to waste an opportunity, he crushed the Mallian people on his way, though he once again took tremendous risks to achieve his objective and recieved an arrow wound which punctured his lung.\n\nOn reaching the Indian Ocean, the army turned west toward Babylon, planning to cross the Gedrosian Desert with the support of a fleet under Nearchus, but a storm separated the two forces and, denied the supplies which the ships would otherwise have provided, Alexander's men died in their hundreds in the merciless sands.\n\nAlexander marched resolutely on, bouyed up by plans for the construction of a new fleet at Babylon, the raising of a fresh army and the conquest of Carthage and Arabia. Finally leaving the desert behind, he was on the road to Babylon when he suffered another heavy blow. Hephaestion, his friend, lover and soulmate, succumbed to an illness and died.\n\nOn reaching Babylon, Alexander threw himself into arrangements for a lavish funeral for Hephaestion. He then pressed on with preparations for his future military plans. But weakened by his chest wound and the relentless hardships of his life, he fell ill with a fever. For ten days his condition declined until he was unable even to speak. His men were stricken at the news and demanded an opportunity to see him for themselves. As they filed past their dying king, he managed a gesture of greeting and farewell for each, but his time was almost at an end. As the moment drew near, his officers asked him who would rule his empire after him. The great man managed to utter simply "The Strongest" before death finally took him.\n\n ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬* ¬* CHANGES BENEATH THIS LINE!!! ¬* ¬* ¬* Only changes made after 06/02/2006 14:15 ¬* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ {ISSUS_TITLE}Battle of Issus {ISSUS_DESCR}Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia, was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.\n\n Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieved word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...\n\n {ISSUS_MP_1V1_TITLE}Battle of Issus 1v1 {ISSUS_MP_1V1_DESCR}Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia, was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.\n\n Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieved word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...\n\n {ISSUS_MP_2V1_TITLE}Battle of Issus 2v1 {ISSUS_MP_2V1_DESCR}Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia, was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.\n\n Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieved word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...\n\n {ISSUS_MP_3V1_TITLE}Battle of Issus 3v1 {ISSUS_MP_3V1_DESCR}Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia, was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.\n\n Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieved word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...\n\n {CHAERONEA_TITLE}Battle of Chaeronea {CHAERONEA_DESCR}King Philip II had ruled the Kingdom of Macedonia for over twenty years. In that time he had taken it from a backwater state North of Greece to the most powerful military entity in the Aegean. He had intervened in the Third Sacred War amongst the Greeks and by virtue of force, brought peace to the region.\n\n That peace was not to last. Philip attempted to expand his empire to the Sea of Marmara to the East. This caused consternation in both the Persian empire and the city of Athens, who relied on food imports through the area. Athens declared war on Philip and Thebes, bribed by the Persians, followed suit.\n\n Philip broke off his assault to the East and moved South. His army made contact with the Greeks on the plain of Chaeronea, a town in central Greece. The coming battle would make or break Philip's authority in the Aegean, once and for all.\n\n {CHAERONEA_MP_1V1_TITLE}Battle of Chaeronea 1v1 {CHAERONEA_MP_1V1_DESCR}King Philip II had ruled the Kingdom of Macedonia for over twenty years. In that time he had taken it from a backwater state North of Greece to the most powerful military entity in the Aegean. He had intervened in the Third Sacred War amongst the Greeks and by virtue of force, brought peace to the region.\n\n That peace was not to last. Philip attempted to expand his empire to the Sea of Marmara to the East. This caused consternation in both the Persian empire and the city of Athens, who relied on food imports through the area. Athens declared war on Philip and Thebes, bribed by the Persians, followed suit.\n\n Philip broke off his assault to the East and moved South. His army made contact with the Greeks on the plain of Chaeronea, a town in central Greece. The coming battle would make or break Philip's authority in the Aegean, once and for all.\n\n {CHAERONEA_MP_2V2_TITLE}Battle of Chaeronea 2v2 {CHAERONEA_MP_2V2_DESCR}King Philip II had ruled the Kingdom of Macedonia for over twenty years. In that time he had taken it from a backwater state North of Greece to the most powerful military entity in the Aegean. He had intervened in the Third Sacred War amongst the Greeks and by virtue of force, brought peace to the region.\n\n That peace was not to last. Philip attempted to expand his empire to the Sea of Marmara to the East. This caused consternation in both the Persian empire and the city of Athens, who relied on food imports through the area. Athens declared war on Philip and Thebes, bribed by the Persians, followed suit.\n\n Philip broke off his assault to the East and moved South. His army made contact with the Greeks on the plain of Chaeronea, a town in central Greece. The coming battle would make or break Philip's authority in the Aegean, once and for all.\n\n {CHAERONEA_MP_2V1_TITLE}Battle of Chaeronea 2v1 {CHAERONEA_MP_2V1_DESCR}King Philip II had ruled the Kingdom of Macedonia for over twenty years. In that time he had taken it from a backwater state North of Greece to the most powerful military entity in the Aegean. He had intervened in the Third Sacred War amongst the Greeks and by virtue of force, brought peace to the region.\n\n That peace was not to last. Philip attempted to expand his empire to the Sea of Marmara to the East. This caused consternation in both the Persian empire and the city of Athens, who relied on food imports through the area. Athens declared war on Philip and Thebes, bribed by the Persians, followed suit.\n\n Philip broke off his assault to the East and moved South. His army made contact with the Greeks on the plain of Chaeronea, a town in central Greece. The coming battle would make or break Philip's authority in the Aegean, once and for all.\n\n {OUTRO_TITLE}Alexander's Tale Beyond the Hydaspes {OUTRO_DESCR}With King Porus defeated, the conquest of the ancient Indian kingdoms seemed straightforward. But though there were still battles and glory to come, Alexander's star had reached its zenith and the remainder of his tale is one of steady inexorable decline.\n\nAlmost as a portent of the misfortunes to come, Bucephalas, the faithful warhorse whom Alexander had tamed as a boy and who had served him so well for the whole of his adult life, died after the Hydaspes battle. Griefstricken, Alexander had the loyal beast buried with full honours and founded a new city on the river's banks, naming it Bucephalas.\n\nUrging his exhausted and homesick men on, Alexander continued on his route into India, but morale was at a low ebb. For years they had followed their king faithfully, overcoming one seemingly impossible challenge after another. Now that Persia was conquered, many saw their task as being complete and just wanted to return home. Yet Alexander's appetite for fresh conquests was as keen as ever. Furthermore, he spoke of plans to merge the Greek and Persian cultures, encouraging intermarriage between his men and Persian brides, and also incorporating Persian units into his armies.\n\nFinally, on reaching the river Hyphasis the men refused to go any further. Alexander was furious, but finally bowed to the inevitable and led them on the long march down the Indus. Never one to waste an opportunity, he crushed the Mallian people on his way, though he once again took tremendous risks to achieve his objective and recieved an arrow wound which punctured his lung.\n\nOn reaching the Indian Ocean, the army turned west toward Babylon, planning to cross the Gedrosian Desert with the support of a fleet under Nearchus, but a storm separated the two forces and, denied the supplies which the ships would otherwise have provided, Alexander's men died in their hundreds in the merciless sands.\n\nAlexander marched resolutely on, bouyed up by plans for the construction of a new fleet at Babylon, the raising of a fresh army and the conquest of Carthage and Arabia. Finally leaving the desert behind, he was on the road to Babylon when he suffered another heavy blow. Hephaestion, his friend, lover and soulmate, succumbed to an illness and died.\n\nOn reaching Babylon, Alexander threw himself into arrangements for a lavish funeral for Hephaestion. He then pressed on with preparations for his future military plans. But weakened by his chest wound and the relentless hardships of his life, he fell ill with a fever. For ten days his condition declined until he was unable even to speak. His men were stricken at the news and demanded an opportunity to see him for themselves. As they filed past their dying king, he managed a gesture of greeting and farewell for each, but his time was almost at an end. As the moment drew near, his officers asked him who would rule his empire after him. The great man managed to utter simply "The Strongest" before death finally took him.\n\n {GAUGAMELA_TITLE}Battle of Gaugamela {GAUGAMELA_DESCR}After a visit to Egypt, Alexander set out once again to face the Persian king Darius. Alexander waited in Tyre expecting Darius to attack, but the Persian king was determined to make Alexander come to him. Eventually Alexander left Tyre and headed East with his army into Persia.\n\n Darius offered no armed resistance to Alexander's progress into his territory, but sent the Babylonian satrap Mazaeus to shadow the Macedonian army. Mazaeus burned crops and moved already harvested grain to safer storage to deny Alexander a source of food. In doing so, he forced Alexander to move North. Darius was luring Alexander to his chosen battleground.\n\n The Persian king set out his army in Assyria, not far from the ruins of Nineveh. With a far larger army and a wide plain on which to deploy it, Darius would appear to have the advantage by far. But an astronomical event on the eve of battle fortelling doom for the king of Persia seeded widespread panic in the Persian army. Despite their crushing numerical advantage they must have marched to fight the next day believing the end of the Persian Empire was at hand.\n\n {GAUGAMELA_MP_2V1_TITLE}Battle of Gaugamela 2v1 {GAUGAMELA_MP_2V1_DESCR}After a visit to Egypt, Alexander set out once again to face the Persian king Darius. Alexander waited in Tyre expecting Darius to attack, but the Persian king was determined to make Alexander come to him. Eventually Alexander left Tyre and headed East with his army into Persia.\n\n Darius offered no armed resistance to Alexander's progress into his territory, but sent the Babylonian satrap Mazaeus to shadow the Macedonian army. Mazaeus burned crops and moved already harvested grain to safer storage to deny Alexander a source of food. In doing so, he forced Alexander to move North. Darius was luring Alexander to his chosen battleground.\n\n The Persian king set out his army in Assyria, not far from the ruins of Nineveh. With a far larger army and a wide plain on which to deploy it, Darius would appear to have the advantage by far. But an astronomical event on the eve of battle fortelling doom for the king of Persia seeded widespread panic in the Persian army. Despite their crushing numerical advantage they must have marched to fight the next day believing the end of the Persian Empire was at hand.\n\n {GAUGAMELA_MP_3V1_TITLE}Battle of Gaugamela 3v1 {GAUGAMELA_MP_3V1_DESCR}After a visit to Egypt, Alexander set out once again to face the Persian king Darius. Alexander waited in Tyre expecting Darius to attack, but the Persian king was determined to make Alexander come to him. Eventually Alexander left Tyre and headed East with his army into Persia.\n\n Darius offered no armed resistance to Alexander's progress into his territory, but sent the Babylonian satrap Mazaeus to shadow the Macedonian army. Mazaeus burned crops and moved already harvested grain to safer storage to deny Alexander a source of food. In doing so, he forced Alexander to move North. Darius was luring Alexander to his chosen battleground.\n\n The Persian king set out his army in Assyria, not far from the ruins of Nineveh. With a far larger army and a wide plain on which to deploy it, Darius would appear to have the advantage by far. But an astronomical event on the eve of battle fortelling doom for the king of Persia seeded widespread panic in the Persian army. Despite their crushing numerical advantage they must have marched to fight the next day believing the end of the Persian Empire was at hand.\n\n {GAUGAMELA_MP_1V1_TITLE}Battle of Gaugamela 1v1 {GAUGAMELA_MP_1V1_DESCR}After a visit to Egypt, Alexander set out once again to face the Persian king Darius. Alexander waited in Tyre expecting Darius to attack, but the Persian king was determined to make Alexander come to him. Eventually Alexander left Tyre and headed East with his army into Persia.\n\n Darius offered no armed resistance to Alexander's progress into his territory, but sent the Babylonian satrap Mazaeus to shadow the Macedonian army. Mazaeus burned crops and moved already harvested grain to safer storage to deny Alexander a source of food. In doing so, he forced Alexander to move North. Darius was luring Alexander to his chosen battleground.\n\n The Persian king set out his army in Assyria, not far from the ruins of Nineveh. With a far larger army and a wide plain on which to deploy it, Darius would appear to have the advantage by far. But an astronomical event on the eve of battle fortelling doom for the king of Persia seeded widespread panic in the Persian army. Despite their crushing numerical advantage they must have marched to fight the next day believing the end of the Persian Empire was at hand.\n\n ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬* ¬* CHANGES BENEATH THIS LINE!!! ¬* ¬* ¬* Only changes made after 14/02/2006 11:00 ¬* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ {OUTRO_TITLE}Alexander's Tale Beyond the Hydaspes {OUTRO_DESCR}With King Porus defeated, the conquest of the ancient Indian kingdoms seemed straightforward. But though there were still battles and glory to come, Alexander's star had reached its zenith and the remainder of his tale is one of steady inexorable decline.\n\nAlmost as a portent of the misfortunes to come, Bucephalas, the faithful warhorse whom Alexander had tamed as a boy and who had served him so well for the whole of his adult life, died after the Hydaspes battle. Grief-stricken, Alexander had the loyal beast buried with full honours and founded a new city on the river's banks, naming it Bucephalas.\n\nUrging his exhausted and homesick men on, Alexander continued on his route into India, but morale was at a low ebb. For years they had followed their king faithfully, overcoming one seemingly impossible challenge after another. Now that Persia was conquered, many saw their task as being complete and just wanted to return home. Yet Alexander's appetite for fresh conquests was as keen as ever. Furthermore, he spoke of plans to merge the Greek and Persian cultures, encouraging intermarriage between his men and Persian brides, and also incorporating Persian units into his armies.\n\nFinally, on reaching the river Hyphasis the men refused to go any further. Alexander was furious, but finally bowed to the inevitable and led them on the long march down the Indus. Never one to waste an opportunity, he crushed the Mallian people on his way, though he once again took tremendous risks to achieve his objective and recieved an arrow wound which punctured his lung.\n\nOn reaching the Indian Ocean, the army turned west toward Babylon, planning to cross the Gedrosian Desert with the support of a fleet under Nearchus. But a storm separated the two forces and, denied the supplies which the ships would otherwise have provided, Alexander's men died in their hundreds in the merciless sands.\n\nAlexander marched resolutely on, bouyed up by plans for the construction of a new fleet at Babylon, the raising of a fresh army and the conquest of Carthage and Arabia. Finally leaving the desert behind, he was on the road to Babylon when he suffered another heavy blow. Hephaestion, his friend, lover and soul mate, succumbed to an illness and died.\n\nOn reaching Babylon, Alexander threw himself into arrangements for a lavish funeral for Hephaestion. He then pressed on with preparations for his future military plans. But weakened by his chest wound and the relentless hardships of his life, he fell ill with a fever. For ten days his condition declined until he was unable even to speak. His men were stricken at the news and demanded an opportunity to see him for themselves. As they filed past their dying king, he managed a gesture of greeting and farewell for each, but his time was almost at an end. As the moment drew near, his officers asked him who would rule his empire after him. The great man managed to utter simply "The strongest" before death finally took him.\n\n ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬* ¬* CHANGES BENEATH THIS LINE!!! ¬* ¬* ¬* Only changes made after 27/02/2006 17:30 ¬* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ {ISSUS_MP_2V2_TITLE}Battle of Issus 2v2 {ISSUS_MP_2V2_DESCR}Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia, was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.\n\n Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieved word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...\n\n {GAUGAMELA_MP_2V2_TITLE}Battle of Gaugamela 2v2 {GAUGAMELA_MP_2V2_DESCR}After a visit to Egypt, Alexander set out once again to face the Persian king Darius. Alexander waited in Tyre expecting Darius to attack, but the Persian king was determined to make Alexander come to him. Eventually Alexander left Tyre and headed East with his army into Persia.\n\n Darius offered no armed resistance to Alexander's progress into his territory, but sent the Babylonian satrap Mazaeus to shadow the Macedonian army. Mazaeus burned crops and moved already harvested grain to safer storage to deny Alexander a source of food. In doing so, he forced Alexander to move North. Darius was luring Alexander to his chosen battleground.\n\n The Persian king set out his army in Assyria, not far from the ruins of Nineveh. With a far larger army and a wide plain on which to deploy it, Darius would appear to have the advantage by far. But an astronomical event on the eve of battle fortelling doom for the king of Persia seeded widespread panic in the Persian army. Despite their crushing numerical advantage they must have marched to fight the next day believing the end of the Persian Empire was at hand.\n\n ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬* ¬* CHANGES BENEATH THIS LINE!!! ¬* ¬* ¬* Only changes made after 11/04/2006 17:30 ¬* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬******************************************************************************************************* ¬+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++