The battle started with an exchange of javelins and sling stones as the lines closed on one another. Thankfully, my forces' superior armor and armament told in the contest. More of their forces died to javelins thrown by peltasts than ours did, as steel proved better than even the limited amount of high-quality iron that had been traded to Macedon. The first proper contest began as a clash on the right wing of my army between some of the Epidamnote Forces under Kleon and a group of Phalangites under the kneeling goat standard of Aegae in the Macedonian province of Emathia. Kleon had mostly lighter forces but stood firm and forces from my own Epirote troops buoyed his line. Thankfully, it seemed the right was holding well and sticking to the plan.
On the left, Grabos and his Hellenized Byllones were soon engaged in combat with forces fighting under the banner of the Trotting Horse of Paeonia, an on-again, off-again, Macedonian Vassal. The Paonians were less Hellenized than the Byllones, and the Byllones were supported by Hellenic troops from Nymphaion. As I watched the combat on the left wing quickly devolve into a Paeonian defeat thanks to the Byllones prioritizing killing the more disciplined Paeonian troops, I could tell that if it continued that way, the Paeonian attack would rout. I had confidence that Grabos would be able to rein in his forces from charging after the rout and weakening the left flank.
Of course, I did not have long to watch the combat before I was engaged in the center by Forces under the Vergina Sun of the Macedonian Royal Forces. As a sling stone bounced off of my shield, I braced myself for an attack. It came as a Macedonian Officer in a high-quality iron scale shirt rod up to meet me as our lines clashed around us. I delved into the muscle memory gained from Pyrrhus as I leaned aside from the thrusting spear even as I chopped down on its haft with my falcata, cutting the head off the cavalry spear. My opponent dropped his spear and drew a falcata of his own, swinging for my neck. I raised my shield to block and cut out with a riposte at my opponent's sword arm, cutting a deep wound into his forearm below the vambrace, though my falcata was stuck in the bone. A twist and a wrench saw my falcata freed with a crimson spray of blood as my opponent fell from his horse in shock. I lost sight of him after that, as my forces were slowly and methodically pressed backward in the center of the line and I fell back with them to ensure cohesion was retained and that my plan was still on track. I imagine he was trampled to death by the press of armies.
Slowly we gave ground, our line bending, but never breaking. Only once did I have to blow a quick trio of blasts from my shortened salpinx to signal reserves brought up to plug the gap. That happened around a few hours into the battle as an attack being led by a general using the eagle and horse standard of Larissa crashed into my line with fresh troops. His forces cut a bloody swathe through some of the forces from Korkyra and I rode to meet him in personal combat and use my bodyguards as a speedbump in order to buy time until the reinforcements could arrive from the reserves to steady the line and plug the gap.
Immediately, he reversed his grip on his spear and threw it at me, forcing me to bend nearly in half at the waist in the saddle in order to avoid the attack. Thankfully, I managed it and popped back up in time for his shield to crunch into my face, breaking my nose, but thankfully doing little more that that thanks to the silvered steel of my helm. The action would have left me open for his Xiphos to stab into my throat had I not had Pyrrus' muscle memory to rely on. Thankfully, because I did have that muscle memory, I was able to parry with my falcata and launch an attack with my own shield that managed to knock my opponent off his horse. He stood up as the press of bodies intensified, having lost his helmet as a flash of recognition from Pyrrhus' memories put a name to my opponent, Medius of Larissa, a General that had fought for Alexander, Cassander, and now Demetrios. Medius tried to cut at my horse, but I managed to guide my mount away from his blade thanks to the superior technology of the stirrup and cut down at my opponent from a greater height with my falcata. The steel of my blade cut him across the face and he fell to the ground twitching. The reinforcements arrived to stabilize the line shortly after, and I retreated back with my bodyguards.
An hour later, my forces had been pressed back far enough in the center that my plan could properly begin. I blew out two long blasts on my shortened salpinx followed by two short blasts and the formations began to move. After four hours of fighting, even Antigonos had poured his personal troops into the fray to try and break the stalemate that he seemed to be on the verge of winning. Now he would pay the price as my wings, which Antigonos had neglected to focus on as much as my center, closed the trap behind him. Antigonos himself was able to escape my trap, thanks to some sense he'd developed as a commander while studying in Athens warning him of impending doom, but not with enough troops to make much of a difference. He retreated back to Phaestos with a few thousand men as my army pressed in on the bulk of his forces from all sides.
After about an hour, I rode to the fore of the lines and called out, "Your commander has left you to die in my trap! While true, he did not have much choice, it speaks to the character of his family, grasping for more for themselves and only themselves. Why serve such a feckless family as that of Demetrios? Surely your allegiance would be better spent with a leader who cares for his men? Ask anyone and they will tell you that I have brought prosperity to all in my realm, not just for myself and my family. Join with me, you need not die this day!" I pled my case.
A murmur went up from the assembled Macedonian forces before a General fighting under the ship's prow banner of Iolkos in Magnesia spoke up. "Why should we fight for one who seeks naught but to claim the throne of Macedon over the corpse of his own kin?" He questioned.
"That is what Demetrios told you. He lies. Even now, he has my cousin placed under lock and key, doing only what Demetrios wants him to do, saying only what Demetrios wants him to say. My cousin, who is kin to Alexandros Megas even more directly than I am, has been locked away and made a puppet of by Demetrios. I seek not to replace my cousin, I seek to free him, that he might rule Macedon as his own man! Join me, and together we can make that happen! This day need not end in slaughter! I will give you an hour's reprieve to decide!" I intoned.
That seemed to break their spirits more surely than Antigonos' retreat had. Thousands of men defected to my army, thanks to a reasonable argument and thanks to Pyrrhus' legendary charisma working in my favor. By the time another hour had passed, I had received a further 5,000 troops from defections. The remainder chose to face death, unswayed by my rhetoric even with the aid of Pyrrhus' charisma. My army pressed in on them from all sides and by the time the sun set on the battlefield, only 3,000 men remained to formally surrender. They would wait out the rest of the war as prisoners.
I rested my army for 24 hours as the dead were collected and the costs of the battle were totaled. I had lost some 3,000 men killed and wounded, though some of the wounded would return to the ranks once recovered. I had gained 5,000 troops who had defected, mostly from cities in Thessaly who did not care either way who became king in Macedon, but also around 1,000 Macedonians from Vergina who were swayed by my rhetoric and truly desired to see my cousin, Alexander V, a ruler no longer dependent on Demetrios. In contrast, 3,000 troops from Tripolis in Thessaly and Pieria in Macedon had been taken prisoner to wait out the war. 2,000 troops had managed to escape with Antigonos and hole up behind the walls of Phaestos. The remaining 17,000 Macedonians had been killed, mostly in my trap at the end of the battle.
By all accounts, it was a massive victory for me. The next day we entered Phaestos to find it abandoned by Antigonos. He had left the city without even its garrison and taken the 5,000 troops he could scrounge up between the garrison and his remaining men and headed south to link up with Demetrios. Phaestos opened its gates to my army and surrendered without a fight.
Three days later, I received word from the Aetolian League Forces in the South. Demetrios had inexplicably pulled back from the siege of Halos and headed north. Twelve hours after that, I received another letter telling me why. With Demetrios and Antigonos taking the bulk of Macedonian strength south, twelve-year-old Alexander V had decided to make a play for independence himself, without waiting for me. The missive was from his faction in Pella asking me to help him against Demetrios' remaining forces in Macedon.
It seems the war had just gained a new player. . .
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AN: So yeah, sorry this took so long, work's been a bitch lately.
It looks like Alexander V was able to use the fact that Demetrios took a bunch of troops south into Thessaly to launch his own coup. Unfortunately, he's only got around 7,000 men and only controls the city of Pella and its immediate surroundings.
The remaining forces loyal to Demetrios are in Vergina with around 8,000 men. Demetrios has around 22,000 men and will meet up with Antigonos and his 5,000 men, bringing him up to 27,000 men before entering Macedon.
On the allied side, Pyrrhus has 31,000 men thanks to defections. The Aetolian League has around 13,000 troops after Demetrios pushed their shit in at Cynocephalae and again outside Halos. The two forces will meet up with each other at Larissa and head into Macedonia.
Both sides are likely to go into winter quarters soon after, though, since it's now the middle of November. Another big battle probably isn't going to happen till after the new year.
At any rate, next up we'll get the rest of the war for 293, followed by interludes from elsewhere, wrapping up the year. Stay tuned. . .