It's baaaaacccccckkkkkkkk! A short update for now. I am going to try to make these updates faster paced (as in they cover more time). This may mean less detail, but it is the only way I think this timeline can start to actually move forward in time to where I want it to go.
Chapter XLIII: Artavasdes Plays His Hand
When Artavasdes had assisted Vipsanian in placing Alexander Helios on the throne of Mesopotamia, he had made sure to extract serious concessions. The soon to be 13 year king needed a regent-and while Vipsanian was not comfortable with Artavasdes being the sole regent, he did allow for the Median king to head a board of 4, consisting of 2 men handpicked by Vipsanian and 2 by Artavasdes, effectively making him the de facto regent and guardian of Alexander Helios.
The importance of this de facto direct control over Mesopotamia cannot be understated. Artavasdes now had the resources of Media and Mesopotamia at his disposal, and with Seleucus on the run and Persia leaderless as they sorted things out back at home, there could scarcely have been a better time and place for him to press his advantage. Calculating that Seleucus was no longer a threat even though he remained at large, Artavasdes instead began to turn his full attention to Persia.
Artavasdes knew he could not simply march into Persia and annex it, nor was this option desirable. As he understood well, Vipsanian had a vested interest in maintaining a balance of power in the near east to prevent any one ruler from possessing an empire that could pose a serious threat to Roman interests in the region. Indeed, unbeknownst to Artavasdes at this time, Vipsanian had sent envoys to both Yuehzi Baktria and even the Parthians, in case he would ever need to call on their support. He did, however, leave an option open to Artavasdes to exploit the opportunity presented to him-before departing from Ctesiphon, Vipsanian openly backed the cousin of Ardashir, Shahrbaraz, for the Persian throne. An early defector to Artavasdes due to a falling out with Ardashir, he made a convenient choice-and, not surprisingly, one the Persians were not willing to back, not least because Ardashir's 20 year old son Khosrau had quickly returned to Persia to cement his grip on power. As a result, Artavasdes was left with a clear cassus belli to place Vipsanian's preferred candidate on the throne of Persia.
The campaign that took place the following year was not as successful as Artavasdes had hoped however. With the whole fall and winter to prepare, Khosrau was more than able to rebuild his lost strength and prepare for the coming war. After witnessing some of their forces wither away as the campaign was proving to be a failure, Artavasdes and Shahrbaraz, now losing his numerical superiority, gambled on a pitched battle that Khosrau was all too willing to accept by this point. It was there, in late spring, that Khosrau's army obtained the upper hand and maintained it throughout the length of the struggle. As fate would have it however, with his army clearly winning and Khosrau himself leading a cavalry charge, the Persian king fell from his horse and was trampled to death by the cavalrymen following him. The day would be won by his men, but upon learning of their ruler's death, they defected en masse to Shahrbaraz, who, remarkably, was now powerful enough to march on Persepolis. His most stringent opponents put to death upon his arrival (if they hadn't already fled), he secured an iron grip on his power, and became determined not to lose it. As such, Shahrbaraz kept close ties to Artavasdes, knowing the Median King's friendship would be what would allow him to maintain his throne. Artavasdes' fortunes had never looked brighter.