This is a short (hopefully) AAR from me. All posts in red are non-aar.
This is CK deus vult 2.1 beta (I think) on Normal hardness aggressiveness settings.
I have played as the county of Teluch starting several times till the Byzantines made a quick peace with the Seljuks.
November 1067, County of Teluch
One thousand and sixty years after our saviour walked the earth he sent to us new guardians, a new dynasty, a new Constantine or Justinian who would restore to the world to order. Protecting the rights and property of good Christians, banish the pagan and the heretic. Unite us and lead us to the Kingdom as one people. The first ruler of this clan was His Lordship, Andronikos Tarchaneiotes, count of Teluch.
This is the year 1067, a plentiful harvest has been collected and the land is at peace. Our young Emperor who recently rose to the purple has wisely concluded the recent war between himself and the mighty heathen Seljuks.
Me I am Georgios, a simple poor monk from Nicaea. My Abbott has sent me after the request of His Lordship. He wishes to record the actions of his dynasty so that others can learn and follow their path and so his heirs could be guided by his wisdom. It is intended to maintain these records throughout the life of the dynasty and that all descendants who rule will obtain a copy, however this record will only be maintained by the senior branch of the family.
What can we say of our lord? He is young, only 28 years old, strong in body and mind, possessed of strong warlike limbs and clean features. Wise yet quick of thought when the circumstances require. He is equally skilled in the arts of war, diplomacy and managing his many estates. His greatest skill is in the art of deception and espionage. His likeness can be seen in the castle at Teluch.
The true history of the Tarchaneiotes prior to this point is lost in the wars that have blighted this region since the Muslim conquest of Syria. While we are certain that they have been significant in Lower Armenia and Antioch for generations, no one is quite certain of their names, or when they lived. What is certain is that we are led now by a great man, one who will not be forgotten. He rose several years ago to be considered the de-facto ruler in these lands. When he swore allegiance to, and was recognised by His Highness the Prince of Antioch as count here all celebrated their joyous fate and the prospects this their new lord would avail upon them.
While our lord is both wise and fair, the lands he rules are poor. To someone like me from the heart of empire this land appears backward, populated by ignorant Armenian’s. They have come to the true Orthodox faith, following the lead of the Patriarch of Antioch. Yet still they have no inclination to follow the fine lead shown by their lord in the learning of the Greek language. They respect not the fine art of oratory, the nuances of rhetoric and the learning of true grammatical subtlety.
Our Lord’s domain covers the County of Teluch. There are around 300 armed men at his call. He has possession of a small fortress on the hill overlooking the town of Teluch. However there is no other structure of note in the whole province. No permanent church or monastery, no industry or business, no seat of learning which is why I have had to leave all that I knew to enter this land.
The poverty of the region is such that the Count is not able to support a large court. He has but his wife, a distant female relation and two other less notable male nobles who’s origins, although Greek are obscure.
The wife of our lord is as fine a woman as the age has produced. Both beautiful and intelligent she has been able to overcome the weaknesses of her sex to become a skilful diplomat. So good that she has been appointed as the Chancellor of the county in charge of all diplomatic correspondence. Of her heritage we can be more certain. She is a princess of the royal house of Georgia, a Bagratuni, who married our lord in early 1066. While she is 25 it is thought that she has several more childbearing years a head of her and she is currently pregnant and all pray that she will bear our lord a son to continue the dynasty.
There is also a distant female relation of the Tarchaneiotes, Semne who is currently assisting our lord with his control of espionage. She was also married to third courtier, the steward at the court who although of less noble lineage than the Tarchaneiotes was considered worthy of the marriage by our lord so that stability would reign in his castle. The final courtier is an excellent soldier and will be a second to the count in times of conflict.
So what has passed since the Tarchaneiotes took control of Teluch. I have discovered these actions of the dynasty to date. Early on the year 1066 Semne was acting as Chancellor, upon the suggestion of our noble lord she sent embassies to the king of Georgia to request his daughters hand in marriage. The king of Georgia in his wisdom saw fit to allow this. The marriage was quickly carried out and our lord, in need of funds, accepted the marriage duty offered him.
Also at the start of this year the Count altered the law of succession within his province. No longer would elections take place. They merely built up animosity and can lead to squabbles, or even full blown civil conflict. No our Count had a wiser course, to ensure stability a dynasty would be formed. No longer the contested leadership of old, his eldest son would rule after him, and his son’s eldest son in turn. Salic Primongeniture was the only way to ensure stability. This would alow the Tarchaneiotes to unite under one banner, to always know who was at their head. No offspring of any daughter would be considered only through the male line could true unity be assured.
Aside from these changes there was no much else that could be achieved in the years 1066-67. The land was too poor to pay for any sort of projects. All that could be hoped for was that opportunities would open within the region, opportunities at growth for the new dynasty.
Where these opportunities would come from were many and diverse. There are opportunities in the Roman world;
Our Count of Teluch is currently a very loyal vassal of the Prince of Antioch, who in his turn is vassal to the Emperor of Byzantium. Both these domains currently operate their succession along the lines of an elective law, where the strongest vassal at the death of the lord inherits his former masters lands. Our Count is currently second in the line of succession to the Principality of Antioch, with the Count of Tortosa being considered the stronger. And Antioch itself is very high in the succession order for the purple. So with but a few suitable deaths the Tarchaneiotes may rule the Roman world.
The Emperor has only just been raised to the purple, many of his vassals feel that he is not the God appointed leader they need at this time, some of the princes of the empire speak of rebellion, overthrow and some have even left the empire all together and two princes have rebelled and declared war on their ruler.
There are also the opportunities presented in the non- roman world;
However as things stand both the Seljuk and Fatamid dynasties are far too powerful for the house of Tarchaneiotes. Time must be our ally; we will await dissent and division within the Muslim world and pounce to seize back what is our right. Two opportunities do however present themselves in the Muslim world, and as fate would have it they lie on our very border. The Emirate of Aleppo has a border with us, and beyond that is the Emirate of Edessa. Both are medium sized states that could be taken through force, should the right set of circumstances appear. But as things stand both are more than strong enough to defeat us on their own.
Another avenue for advancement is the marriage to the royal house of Georgia, with just two or so deaths the son of our Count will inherit the Caucasian Kingdom.
What course the dynasty chooses to take will depend; Antioch and then on to Syria or Armenia; or Georgia or most appealing of all the Empire of Byzantium itself. So Our Lord the Count of Teluch must remain patient. Although his Christian zeal makes him want to ride out and take back lands from the heathen his wisdom has allowed him to realise the danger this course poses. He awaits like the Lion ready to pounce in Ambush on his prey, where ever this prey presents itself.
This is CK deus vult 2.1 beta (I think) on Normal hardness aggressiveness settings.
I have played as the county of Teluch starting several times till the Byzantines made a quick peace with the Seljuks.
November 1067, County of Teluch
One thousand and sixty years after our saviour walked the earth he sent to us new guardians, a new dynasty, a new Constantine or Justinian who would restore to the world to order. Protecting the rights and property of good Christians, banish the pagan and the heretic. Unite us and lead us to the Kingdom as one people. The first ruler of this clan was His Lordship, Andronikos Tarchaneiotes, count of Teluch.
This is the year 1067, a plentiful harvest has been collected and the land is at peace. Our young Emperor who recently rose to the purple has wisely concluded the recent war between himself and the mighty heathen Seljuks.
Me I am Georgios, a simple poor monk from Nicaea. My Abbott has sent me after the request of His Lordship. He wishes to record the actions of his dynasty so that others can learn and follow their path and so his heirs could be guided by his wisdom. It is intended to maintain these records throughout the life of the dynasty and that all descendants who rule will obtain a copy, however this record will only be maintained by the senior branch of the family.
What can we say of our lord? He is young, only 28 years old, strong in body and mind, possessed of strong warlike limbs and clean features. Wise yet quick of thought when the circumstances require. He is equally skilled in the arts of war, diplomacy and managing his many estates. His greatest skill is in the art of deception and espionage. His likeness can be seen in the castle at Teluch.
The true history of the Tarchaneiotes prior to this point is lost in the wars that have blighted this region since the Muslim conquest of Syria. While we are certain that they have been significant in Lower Armenia and Antioch for generations, no one is quite certain of their names, or when they lived. What is certain is that we are led now by a great man, one who will not be forgotten. He rose several years ago to be considered the de-facto ruler in these lands. When he swore allegiance to, and was recognised by His Highness the Prince of Antioch as count here all celebrated their joyous fate and the prospects this their new lord would avail upon them.
While our lord is both wise and fair, the lands he rules are poor. To someone like me from the heart of empire this land appears backward, populated by ignorant Armenian’s. They have come to the true Orthodox faith, following the lead of the Patriarch of Antioch. Yet still they have no inclination to follow the fine lead shown by their lord in the learning of the Greek language. They respect not the fine art of oratory, the nuances of rhetoric and the learning of true grammatical subtlety.
Our Lord’s domain covers the County of Teluch. There are around 300 armed men at his call. He has possession of a small fortress on the hill overlooking the town of Teluch. However there is no other structure of note in the whole province. No permanent church or monastery, no industry or business, no seat of learning which is why I have had to leave all that I knew to enter this land.
The poverty of the region is such that the Count is not able to support a large court. He has but his wife, a distant female relation and two other less notable male nobles who’s origins, although Greek are obscure.
The wife of our lord is as fine a woman as the age has produced. Both beautiful and intelligent she has been able to overcome the weaknesses of her sex to become a skilful diplomat. So good that she has been appointed as the Chancellor of the county in charge of all diplomatic correspondence. Of her heritage we can be more certain. She is a princess of the royal house of Georgia, a Bagratuni, who married our lord in early 1066. While she is 25 it is thought that she has several more childbearing years a head of her and she is currently pregnant and all pray that she will bear our lord a son to continue the dynasty.
There is also a distant female relation of the Tarchaneiotes, Semne who is currently assisting our lord with his control of espionage. She was also married to third courtier, the steward at the court who although of less noble lineage than the Tarchaneiotes was considered worthy of the marriage by our lord so that stability would reign in his castle. The final courtier is an excellent soldier and will be a second to the count in times of conflict.
So what has passed since the Tarchaneiotes took control of Teluch. I have discovered these actions of the dynasty to date. Early on the year 1066 Semne was acting as Chancellor, upon the suggestion of our noble lord she sent embassies to the king of Georgia to request his daughters hand in marriage. The king of Georgia in his wisdom saw fit to allow this. The marriage was quickly carried out and our lord, in need of funds, accepted the marriage duty offered him.
Also at the start of this year the Count altered the law of succession within his province. No longer would elections take place. They merely built up animosity and can lead to squabbles, or even full blown civil conflict. No our Count had a wiser course, to ensure stability a dynasty would be formed. No longer the contested leadership of old, his eldest son would rule after him, and his son’s eldest son in turn. Salic Primongeniture was the only way to ensure stability. This would alow the Tarchaneiotes to unite under one banner, to always know who was at their head. No offspring of any daughter would be considered only through the male line could true unity be assured.
Aside from these changes there was no much else that could be achieved in the years 1066-67. The land was too poor to pay for any sort of projects. All that could be hoped for was that opportunities would open within the region, opportunities at growth for the new dynasty.
Where these opportunities would come from were many and diverse. There are opportunities in the Roman world;
Our Count of Teluch is currently a very loyal vassal of the Prince of Antioch, who in his turn is vassal to the Emperor of Byzantium. Both these domains currently operate their succession along the lines of an elective law, where the strongest vassal at the death of the lord inherits his former masters lands. Our Count is currently second in the line of succession to the Principality of Antioch, with the Count of Tortosa being considered the stronger. And Antioch itself is very high in the succession order for the purple. So with but a few suitable deaths the Tarchaneiotes may rule the Roman world.
The Emperor has only just been raised to the purple, many of his vassals feel that he is not the God appointed leader they need at this time, some of the princes of the empire speak of rebellion, overthrow and some have even left the empire all together and two princes have rebelled and declared war on their ruler.
There are also the opportunities presented in the non- roman world;
However as things stand both the Seljuk and Fatamid dynasties are far too powerful for the house of Tarchaneiotes. Time must be our ally; we will await dissent and division within the Muslim world and pounce to seize back what is our right. Two opportunities do however present themselves in the Muslim world, and as fate would have it they lie on our very border. The Emirate of Aleppo has a border with us, and beyond that is the Emirate of Edessa. Both are medium sized states that could be taken through force, should the right set of circumstances appear. But as things stand both are more than strong enough to defeat us on their own.
Another avenue for advancement is the marriage to the royal house of Georgia, with just two or so deaths the son of our Count will inherit the Caucasian Kingdom.
What course the dynasty chooses to take will depend; Antioch and then on to Syria or Armenia; or Georgia or most appealing of all the Empire of Byzantium itself. So Our Lord the Count of Teluch must remain patient. Although his Christian zeal makes him want to ride out and take back lands from the heathen his wisdom has allowed him to realise the danger this course poses. He awaits like the Lion ready to pounce in Ambush on his prey, where ever this prey presents itself.
Muslims like border provinces...
