Out of the Night - CK2 TO HOI4 Megacampaign - AAR Thread

[Clonefusion]

Hello readers of after action reports,

this is the AAR Thread for the Crusader Kings 2 part of the Out of the Night - CK2 to HOI4 Megacampaign.
Thread of the game: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...-18-22-cest-ck2-to-hoi4-megacampaign.1164151/

Have fun reading

 

[Rabbit Burgher]

A Tale of Dwarves​

Prologue: Thrain Thorinul

The journal of Thrain, Son of Thorin, Lord of Moria.
Fourth Age, 5,439, 4th February
We have spent the last thirteen months travelling on the words of the ‘utnu merchant. Many Khazad have been taken by the snows or the accursed ‘utnu bandits that infest this region, although I fear our journey would had been far worse if the ancient days of Rukhs hordes roaming the lands. There are many within the company who doubt my wisdom in taking us through such a course on the merchant’s promise but I am certain that his words were truth. The pendant’s gems may be chipped and its chain rusted but the primary metal is untarnished by time. I am the first Khazd to gaze upon its pure silver-white colour in hundreds of years but it matches all of the old tales. I paid him dearly for it but I am certain that I was wise in doing so, for it is mithril.

Fourth Age, 5439, 7th February
The valley is vaster than we thought it would be, but my most loyal followers are willing and prepared to undertake a search. I have granted the honour of this task to Dáin and Gloin. One of these young dwarves will have the honour of finding the second oldest and yet most grand city of our kind, Khazad-Dûm. Moria.

Fourth Age, 5439, 19th May
The search has been long and hard but, yesterday, Gloin’s righthand dwarf – Fundin – came back with the greatest speed his pony could achieve to tell us that they had found Durin’s Stone! When I saw it myself, by the old and beautiful Mirrormere… I know no words in Khuzdul or any human tongues that could express my elation to find this most revered place. The gate is hidden still – last night was marred by the ongoing storms – but I have sworn to stand vigil every night until the stars or moon light my way.

Fourth Age 5439, 21st May
Time has been truly unkind to the Khazad and our cities. The Doors of Durin, once a mighty monument to our ingenuity and invention. In the nearly nine thousand years since they were erected, Navi’s wonderous gates were half destroyed when the moon revealed them. Fortunately, the password was recorded by Gimli Aglarondu and set to record, compensating for the loss of the old engraved inscriptions to some unknown blow inflicted centuries ago – they say the riddle was beyond even wizards, comprehendible only to those of stouter stature. I entered only the very outer antechamber, finding my passage blocked by a rockfall. Perhaps explanatory for Durin’s door being located on Moria’s northernmost side instead of the historically recorded west, I believe that the earthquakes and tremors faced by the mountains will have ruined the city. I hope that I can be proven wrong by the excavation works, but they will take a long time to get underway with my small band. I have sent word, however, to all the Khazad bands left in Amuriz – Europe as it is now seemingly called by ‘utnu – that I have found our home once again. I know with certainty that they will come from far over the mountains, from whatever old cavern or deep dungeon that they have dwelt in for centuries. No matter the risk, if our people can retake our position in Amuriz, we must – must! – reclaim our city and establish a new dominion of Khazad. The AzunrKhazadu will rise anew!

Fourth Age 5441, 1st January
It has been over two years since I last recorded in this journal, but that time has been marked by great progress. Even today, new clans arrive at the gates of Moria to pledge themselves to AzunrKhazadu. Every Longbeard, Firebeard and Broadbeam has arrived, accompanied by many of the Ironfists, Stiffbeards and Stonefoots. Only the Blacklocks are in few numbers thanks to their homes far away in Asia but they have nonetheless begun to return. Our excavation of the old city has been slow thanks to the deterioration of thousands of years but we have persisted nonetheless, having reclaimed the first two chambers, although this has been a tiny portion of the city compared to its once immense splendour. I picked up this journal again today, however, to announce the birth of my son. In honour of this city’s founder, I have named him for my ancestor – Durin. May he see our people to the greatest prosperity that he can.

Fourth Age 5448, 23rd June
In the last seven years, we’ve found the excavation admittedly difficult, leading to the development of the overcity, “Kufstein”. Most of the Khazad who have come here have settled in Kufstein, most likely to stay there for a few generations until the glory of Moria is restored. My family and the other clan heads have settled in the first settled areas of the reclaimed city, however, where my son has prospered and come into his own as a brilliant young dwarf. Like the dwarves of yore, his whole life – save the odd expedition or trip – has been spent sleeping underground in our hallowed halls. His constitution will surely one day outmatch my own for he is already a tough and stocky young lad – the last fight he lost involved a dwarf twice his age!

Moria, in the time of Thrain Thorinul

Fourth Age 5457, 14th December
It pains me greatly to confess that my legendary Khazad constitution pales against that of the dwarves of yore. When we reached the entrance to the Iron Pits, we were set upon by a band of Rukhās that had long dwelt in the tunnels, surviving on the fish of the underground streams and when needed, each other. We set to slaughtering them all in a pitched battle of three days and won it fantastically but, in its closing hours, a giant brute of an Rukhs met me in single combat. I was victorious, but I was wounded badly. I fear that I will not last long against the fever that afflicts me, but I rest assured with the knowledge that Durin will take the realm into his capable hands. Not only have we strengthened ourselves much in these past eighteen years by expanding into a dominion across the mountains, but he himself shall make a capable leader. He can outmatch almost every dwarf that he fights, he inspires great confidence in his people and has the mind to lead them. AzunrKhazadu will not only be protected by him but it will be glorious.


Thrain UzbadKhazadDûmu died on the 31st of December of the 5457th year of the Fourth Age. In light of the fact that humans had long ago abandoned the old system of ages, it was decided by the dwarven clans that – in accordance with Thrain’s wishes – the second longest age in history would be declared over. The ascension of Durin VII UzbadKhazadDûmu marked the beginning of the Fifth Age, or the 867th year in Christian reckoning

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For this time round in the megacampaign, I've found myself in the midst of European politics rather than the nice island of Britain where I can murder my neighbours then live an idyllic 200 years. Instead, as the player in Bavaria, I've opted to take on a Dwarven approach where the stout mountain folk of Amuriz (Middle Earth to individuals of a taller persuasion) have clung onto the edge of civilisation long enough to have one final crack at surviving in the world as a people.
My goals are to create a strong and stable™ kingdom in the Misty Mountains/Alps and to make sure that I retain the dwarf trait. This will be slightly easier in light of our kind host guaranteeing dwarven succession if both parents are dwarven, although is certainly made more difficult by the AI not being as committed to their own kind as I am.

During the week, this prologue should be followed up by an AAR detailing the events of our first session, the first 28 years of Durin Thrainul's reign.

Spoiler: A long lost verse...

A Tale of Dwarves:
Prologue
The AzunrKhazadu
The Reclamation of Khazad-Dûm
The Reigns of Durin I, Durin II, Durin III and Durin IV
Map of Middle Earth, 115 Fi.A

 

[dragoon9105]

Mupdate #1 867-895

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The Game is once again afoot, This time we have a few new faces as well as many old ones prepared to face the Carnage. But only one nation can truly claim to be the greatest of them all when Tanks roll across Europe and Planes fill the sky.

Our Tale however begins at a simpler time, of Warlords great and small. A Shattered world with the Viking Age Start. We set out with 16 and already we are down to 14, with the Fables lands of Scandinavia and France opening up next session.

As for the Survivors, lets see what happened.

Dragoon9105 Struck out from his humble start to Dominate North Germany, Invading the Saxons(The Professor) and later demanding at swordpoint the holy site of Zealand from the dutch republic (King of Men). When the Dutch Refused the wrath of several thousand norsemen full upon the dutch and thier blood and bodies were made to paint the canvas of a New Norse Faith and Empire with House Aesirling as its head.

Clonefusion of Lotharingia struck out with intent to unite the Rhineland and ultimately did so, broking a deal with the Northerners for Holland after the Dutch Republic fell and remaining neutral in matters regarding Saxony. However success tends to breed jealously and overexpansion has put Lotharingia in the sites of both Germany(Gollevain) and Burgundy(Hellbent) who united their own respective Kingdoms but lack de jure territory that the Rhinelands call thiers.

James of Bohemia attempted to strike hard and preemptively against the Pagans of Pommernia but was sent back by the combined fury of Thousands of angry Slavs offended at the term 'Holy War'. It wasnt all setbacks however as the Bohemians eventually claimed their crown and took the duchy of Meissen. Surrounded on all sides by powerful Neighbors the Crown of Bohemia must look to a Miracle to survive, or make strong allies.

In the Tribal Lands of Poland(Aquia), Estonia(Yami) and Lithuania(Mark) there was a rather great confusion over who would rule. At first Mark was to rule Poland but absence allowed Aquia to reclaim his seat. Due to technical difficulties Nahxi our Lithuanian Player also missed the session and Mark who arrived late took over Lithuania. The So called Baltic Shuffle ultimately didnt do much besides reset some diplomacy and lead to the Formation of Lithuania, Estonia and Poland and the Reformation of the Romuva faith, This time with 100% more incest. The Soumesko of the North have yet to reform their own faith but are well on thier way.

In the Mines of Khazad Dum lies a stout and hard people, fond of drink and industry. Not contend to die away in their mountainholmes they have struck out, unifying the foothills of the Northwestern Alps up to the Bohemian Border while also striking south into Venetia. With these lands the Mountain Folk have declared the first Dwarven Empire.

In the Lands of Ancient Rome three powers have risen into prominence and claimed Kingdoms of thier own. Milan(Mikesc) in the North sits between Rome and the Mighty Dwarves in the Alps. In Central Italy sits the Kingdom of Romagna(B5Alpha) sat within the lands of the old Exarchate of Ravenna and doing its best Papal State impression. Last but not Least is the Kingdom of Sicily(Tazzzo) who has united the Boot of Italy.

Last but not least is the Balkans, Divided in two between Carantania(Hagbard) and Croatia(Vainfall). The Balkan powers have been relatively quiet, filling out thier borders much as all others. Though Croatia has recently fallen into civil war and Carantania sits in a corner, blocked by the Carpathians on her Western side.


Another returning Player Hadogei also made an attempt at the unification of Wallachia, though such efforts were for naught as rebellion and hostile Pagans from the Steppe turned such a dream into a nightmare.

Player Map:

Current Standings:
Army:

Realm Size:

Score: Pending not Calculated Yet
​

In terms of Military Might the Norse and Hungarians are the most powerful closely followed by 'The Pack' of Burgundy, Lithuania and so on. It should be noted that Lithuania is a Merchant Republic and so in theory is fairly secure in third place due to its unique ability to raise additional retinues and mercenaries through its enhanced income.

In terms of Raw Size, It is a close race between the Four German Slots. Clone's Rhineland, Sancronis' Bavaria, Golle's Germany and Dragoon's NGF all sit in the 70's bracket with the closest persons behind being Hellbent's Burgundy and Hagbards Carantania. It should be noted Poland and Lithuania are still hugely tribal and so are not properly represented on the Graphic, in reality they would both sit around the size of Burgundy were they fully fuedalized.

Power thus is mostly focused on the Exterior of the Map at start, with the slots with a wall to their backs (Such as Rhineland, Hungary ect) Being more powerful than slots such as Milan or Bohemia who have players on all sides. However Some walls, particularly the one into Scandinavia and the one into Francia are to be opened soon as new and eliminated players will be taking seats there in this coming session.

The Fallen:
Saxony(The Professor) 876-895
Holland (King of Men) 876-895
Wallachia(Hadogei) 876-895

​

 

[dragoon9105]

A Saga of Blood and Gold
Cold Wind Rising

​

Behold the Story of the Northmen, come down to to the Lands of Catholic Kings and Forest Chiefs to raid and conquer. A Divided world is a World is ultimately one for the taking and so upon the shores of the lands of the Black Bull a group of hardy warriors had landed.

Their Leader was a Warrior of Legend, Aerin the Aesirling a Man who claimed descent from the Myths and Stories.

Aerin had planned for this day, long and hard. The Young warrior had claimed to have seen his success, a long story of conquest and righteous anger but ultimately a collapse and one that would doom him and his people to Ragnarok This had been the Story of a House of Ravens.

This time it would be different, Aerin would build a lasting memory, in this before time his blood had overextended and had given away their power to those under him. This time he would strike, first at the tribes surrounding his new Capital and then South with furious anger.

With one hand he offered peace to the many followers of the Cross to his south. Those who did not oppose his dream Aerin would not conquer, he would greet them as friends in his great hall, companions and comrades.

Among them would be the King of the Balt who denied his own crown, The King of the Mighty River whos desires stretched to the Great Channel and Sea and the King of the Germans, a Man surrounded by many in need of strong friends.

Such was a dangerous time for Aerin however, the King of the Saxonland, over his River was more powerful and held many men, more men than Aerin could call at least at the time. So Aerin waited, he grew his legend and prestige, he took what he could using his mind and when that failed, his axe.

Eventually his legend spread and many flocked to his banner, hungry for glory and conquest, but Aerin was not a dishonorable man. The King of the Saxons fought with the Dutchmen against the Danes for his crown. Aerin waited, he collected Wealth and Followers until the Danes had been sent defeated away, and then he struck himself.

The Dutchmen were offered the same friendship Aerin had made with the other Christmen to the south. The Dutchmen refused and marched for the Saxons as well as the Short men of the Mountains and many other minor warriors of great and ill repute. But Aerin struck first and caught the Saxons returning from the Daneland and butchered thier army with his own, then He marched South, over the River.
​

A Message needed to be sent and a war needed to be won, Aerin could not win against all the Christmen but he could make a victory turn to ashes in thier mouths. So Ashes it was, Burning the Saxonland until it had become unfeasible to take, Castles, Cities, Churches all were put to the torch and when the fires had died out Queen of the Saxons kneels and accepted Aerin has her King.

​

Aerin was not done, He remembered those who had named themselves his foes, and he marched West to the Dutchland, burning as he went.

Cities, poorly defended and poorly manned, weak from Aerin's Kin in the North were no match for the hardened army of the King of Kings. Each Fell lasting only days some only hours. The Dutchmen, weak and defeated ceded the Holy Place of Zeeland to Aerin and together with his control of Sjaelland and the Ruins of Irmusil Aerin finally forged himself a crown of the Iron and Gold he had taken from his foes.

The Faith of the Allfather would be reforged, it would be organized it would prepare for when the men of the south inevitably struck back. At its head would of course be the Godkin himself, Aerin would accept no other besides those of his blood to speak on such matters. Aerin decreed that inheritance would fallen to the choice of those in power, That a true warrior should have the right to designate his successor, while Emphasising the defense of the faith and protections against the Cross.

Aerin would name himself not just a King but the King of Kings, a Title greater than any other, He spoke not with the will of a people like the Saxon Queen but with the Power of the Thunderer and the Wisdom of Odin.​

​

He would speak great lessons and stories to his people and guide them to the true way, A prophet, a warrior a philosopher he would become the terror of the Christian World and a Shining light for the wild and untamed North. But his time ultimately was not destined to last. The greatest warrior alive died not in battle but in his sleep, by the hand of his lover.​

Aerin had a weakness for Women who claimed to practice Magic, His Wife Dagmar had been called 'The Witch Queen by his Men' but he had other women. Liubava, the Russian Witch had been taken on one of Aerin's Raids south and shared his bed and bore him sons, but when she had heard of Aerin's plans to name one of Dagmar's children the Sole heir to his great lands she had struck in the night, killing her Lover for the sake of ensuring her sons a place at the High Table.​

Thus Aerin died, not as he wished to but died all the same, His body burned and his ashes spread across the sea. With the Great King of Kings Dead his crowns would be split amongst all his Sons. the Dutchmen to one, the Lands of the Wends to Another and the Saxon Men to yet another. While Aelix the cowardly and deformed stole his father's crown.​

​

Aelix is not his Fathers son. Deformed and Cowardly Aelix is not a godly man nor is he a prophet or a conqueror. He eshews the soft Touch of Women and prefers the company of his Shield Brothers. Yet behind the Monster lies a low cunning, His Mother, the Russian Witch Liubava had given him his Father's Crown but the work was not yet done. Aelix's Brothers are half bloods, unworthy of bearing the titles that were rightfully his.

If he could not have the Crowns of the North for himself, he would see them melted, burned, broken. The Blood of Aesirling would spill but such a tale, is for another time.

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Pictured Above: The Ideal were shooting for
​

I'm Back and we've got some work to do. So the runup to how we got here is rather, long and dramatic. Simply put we had a game, then we didn't have a game for, reasons, then we had a game then there was a coup or well more accurately, the Emperor went missing and so the Praetorians found a new emperor, Nice of them really.

Now were here, in Shattered World, Old Gods Start. I originally had asked for the Pomeranian spot in order to play the Hansa and do a lot of trading across the sound while waiting for Eu4. Then People whined, and So Merchant Republics were banned for Pagans. So we were stuck holding the Bag so to speak, and forced to be fuedal in a really, really bad spot to be feudal.

So let me explain a bit more, We had a survey within the player base to sort of peg where the good players are so we didn't have a repeat of last game with certain players basically being put in spots they were expected to die or otherwise have a difficult time playing. We ended up 3-4 people voted in as Top tier. The Irony of course is that both players that ultimately ended last game aren't joining us, at least not right now, while I didn't play at all .

So as a result I was given 3 counties to start with while Blayne my closest neighbor in Saxony started with 5. So we of course could have complained. But then I remembered I started with 3 Counties is for a Reason

​

So I made some new Friends, namely in the South, the People who would be able to help blayne if a stray axe found its way into saxony. I also splattered Mud and Blood on myself by negotiating a Nap with Blayne to prevent him from just killing me at the start.

The Sad part is all this could have been avoided if I was just allowed to Play the Merchant Republic since I was expecting to own like 20 counties max the entire game with that strategy. So We raided for Gold, Got around 1.5k Denmark decided to prepare invasion Blayne right as I was ready to go myself, and proceed to make an absolute mess of everything and delay my strategy by half a decade.

Then It was my turn.
Depicted: Catholics as I rampage my way through Saxony.

With the Death of Blayne I then had a few debts I needed to Pay, First off King of Men our Holland player had one of my Holy Sites he also Joined the War against me. So we Took the Holy Site, and the Vikings from Scandinavia did the rest. Half of what remains of the dutch republic went to Clone while the other half went to me. Then We reformed the Faith we picked, Unyielding (Because Stay off my Lawn Kids), Meritocratic (Because I'm expecting to get max tolerance eventually and thus have abs-cog-merit-primo to pick the best kid every time). Sons of Ragnarok(Cause VIKINGS) and Temporal, becuase I like Wearing Robb Stark's Crown and the normal norse ones kinda look meh.

Now we have our Empire, and pretty much the borders south of the Sound I want for the rest of the Campaign. I could do with more, particularly Danzig and Prussia but I can also do without. Ultimately I still want to play a Tall campaign, Going Full NGF sort of makes me germany, and if I wanted to do Germany I'd have started in Germany, not Lubeck.

So Basically, we had our fun, Now we'll have having our pay, raiding for gold to build as many great wonders as we can baby. Were gonna build a wall and make the Catholics pay for it. Literally. We'll see how things look come Eu4, If Germany or England or Scandinavia explodes into a mess, I guess Germany, England or Scandinavia, otherwise I'm planning for some quiet time keeping the Catholics from crusading me out of germany and colonizing Vinland.

Should be Fun, and if I die a glorious death then I guess Plan B will be to play a crusader state somewhere.​

​

 

[King of Men]

Northmen

Pff. This guy is playing Pommerania. A land named for growing apples. You know what actual Norsemen call the northmost region of Scotland? Sutherland. You'll notice it's still well north of Apple-land! This so-called Fylkir didn't even know where Suttung's Mead came from. There's only one True North in this game: You start in Denmark and move as far away from Apple-land as your boat will go!

 

[lrbaumard]

Burgundy
Session 1:

I begin the game as humble Provence in the South of France. With a powerful custom CB for the MP (essentially a less punishing border CB) I set about uniting the Kingdom of Burgundy.

What follows is several years of fairly unremarkeble expansion with me having the largest army in the Kingdom vs all other independent rulers. The only limit to my expansion being truce timers which I try and juggle by taking counties that give me access to the border CB of other nations

I form my kingdom reasonably quickly, being unfortunate in having one of the largest Kingdom requirements out of all the players. I then set about consolidating and soon unify my whole region....

Minus one county that Lotharangia's vassal takes and who's overlord refuses to return. Hence starts the bloodfeud between Kingdoms.

I end the session with a very powerful realm and an excellent King

 

[lrbaumard]

Burgundy
Session 2:

So this was an interesting session which is a shame as I was stuck in the countryside so missed my own session.
Fortunately Vaniver subbed for me (himself subbing for Fimcomte). And under his rule he founded a bloodline, participated in the crusades, built up my kingdom greatly and started a great cathedral.

France was occupied by players this session and there followed a bloodbath, an extremely messy one with very confusing borders. It seems Blayne in Normandy has come out ahead with his pagan kingdom. With South France being rightful Burgundian dominion even old enemies can be forgiven.
In exchange for the return of rightful Burgundian land by Lotharangia, a great Crusade has been declared in advance for France to bring God's light to the heathens. With France's dismantling the dreams of an Occitaine empire shall be realised.

 

[Sailormarsfan1701]

subbed plz continue

 

[dragoon9105]

Mupdate #2 895-924

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The Carnage continues as Europe Bleeds and the Empires of the world begin to take shape. This session saw the declaration of Crusades and Holy Wars amongst the opening of Scandinavia and France.

In France three Princes entered and one left. Hadogei playing Britanny, Ursul playing Toulouse and Blayne playing Normandy all played different French Dukes in different regions. During the Session Ursul found himself invaded by an adventurer while Hadogei was invaded by Blayne. Hadogei was defeated but then turned south towards Ursul's former territory conquering southern France and continuing the fight against the Norse up until the end of the session. Hadogei however tapped out at the end of the session having given it all in the Fight against Blayne and coming up Short.

Bohemian(James) and German(Golle) Kings had started to bicker over the remnants of pomerania. All amongst talk of crusades and raiding as both France and Greece fell into Pagan hands. When the Crusade Finally came and was declared for saxony the Norse buckled in for a long and bloody war with the Catholics, though the war Never came, as the Crusade was instead diverted to faraway Arabia. Though many of the Catholic Kings pledged to Join against Saxony they found great profit in joining the Crusade for Arabia earning a massive fortune in gold a peace. Particularly the Dwarves (Sancronis) and Rhinelanders(Clonefusion) and Carantanians(Hagbard) found great profit and invested greatly in their realms.

In the Baltic, the Republic of Lithuania(Mark) had fallen on hard times due to the death of its great elected leader. With no powerful leader the Estonians(Yami) from the North had invaded south. In response the Head of the Romuva faith called for aid from an unlikely ally, the Saxons(Dragoon9105). With a swift Naval action 10 Thousand Norsemen landed in Estonia and set the region aflame forcing the conversion of the Estonian High Chief to Norse and thus an end to his attacks on Lithuania.

Though the Blood continued to flow in the Baltic. With Peace in Lithuania the Poles(Aquia) and Germans(Golle) attempted to Partition Bohemia(James) between themselves. The Poles however had recently denied their Neighbors control over Danzig despite a generous offer of friendship. As a result the King of Bohemia converted to the Norse Faith after beating off a Polish Invasion. Then a Great Conquest was called for the Crown of Poland by the King of Saxony, ending the Kingdom and partitioning its lands between the Republic of Lithuania and the Crown of the Fylkirate.

In Scandinavia the Jarls of Upland and Vestitland(King of Men) both set to work unifying the Northern Penninsula of Europe and both found equal amounts of success. At the same time the Finns(Sir Spots) Set about the unification of thier own Kingdom, forming the Kingdom of Finland and pushing north into the Kingdom of Lapland resulting in 3 relatively equal powers in the Region. Though the Kingdom of Uppland no longer has a player and so the likely future will mean both remaining Kingdoms will gorge upon the corpse of the third, and the one who emerged more powerful and lean will simply become the last one standing in the future.

In the Mediterranean, a Hellenic Cult went mainstream as the Kingdoms of Rome(b5alpha) and Croatia(Vainfall) both embraced the Old ways, casting aside their christian traditions and influencing their neighbors of Sicily(Tazzzo) and Milan(Mikesc) and Burgundy to do the same. Burgundy notably was subbed by Vaniver this session and operated on the assumption of being a good catholic even starting work on a great cathedral. Hellbent however has since abandoned such a project and has ordered the holy stones torn down to be used for something more appropriate to a faith worth his belief. Though the Hellenic religion has been dead for centuries the Kingdom of Rome and her allies has been working tirelessly for its reformation and restoration.

Player Map:

Current Standings:
Army:

Realm Size:

Score: Pending not Calculated Yet but Sancronis is winning followed by Dragoon9105
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The Largest Armies currently Belong to the Saxons followed by the Normans and Lotharingian. Though it should be noted that the Rhinelanders have almost 4 Thousand Gold Thanks to wise investments from the 6-8k they got from Crusading. Burgundy similarly has a lot of gold and is fairly close to fourth in raw Army size. The Pack sits around the 6-9k Range.

In terms of Raw Size Normandy is the clear winner and likely winner for next week as well, With dominance over France the other nations will be hard pressed to match such an extent of land as the Saxons are giving away parts of Poland while other nations are pinned between allies or the wall of play and thus find themselves unable to expand reliably.

Thus Eyes now are firmly on France as France should it be able to resist invasion in the next few weeks will find itself as a Great Power by default and is the only region a true status quo has yet to form as the Baltic was solidified with Polish Blood and the Mediterranean seems to be unifying under the Belief and Worship of the Gods of Olympus.

Next week Spain and the Balkans proper will be opening as well as parts of the Ukraine, if things continue as they have been we will likely be seeing new Powers emerging from these regions to challenge the Field as it stands though perhaps they will instead lock into stalemate and find themselves easy prey for other powers.

The Fallen:
Saxony(The Professor) 876-895
Holland (King of Men) 876-895
Wallachia(Hadogei) 876-895
Poland(Aquia) 876-924
Estonia(Yami) 876-924
Britanny-Occitania(Hadogei) 895-924
Toulouse(Ursul) 895-924
Uppland 895-924​

 

[Clonefusion]

Lotharingia - The Kingdom in the Center of Europe

Duke Karl de Ardennes started his reign in the year 867 of our Lord. He was duke of Lower Lorraine, a duchy situated between the kingdoms of germany, a kingdom filled with strong tribes, frisia, a kingdom filled with strong seafarers and france, the kingdoms of gauls, in the center of the old frankish empire. The frankish empire had not only left Karl their old capital and a strong defensive position with luxembourg, but also the dynasty de Ardennes could trace back their heritage to Karl the Great.
The Duchy of Lower Lorraine was directly surrounded by the Duchies of Brabant, Holland, Cologne, Trier, Upper Lorraine, Champagne and Picardie, all duchies which hopefully one day will be part of the kingdom of Lotharingia.
Duke Karl started his reign by declaring war on the Duke of Cologne to secure the county of kleve, this war was quickly won and so now the rhine was controlled by Karl from both sides, which meant increased taxes. This war was quickly followed by a war against the Duke of Trier over the control of county of trier, this victory meant the control over Aachen and Trier, 2 capitals of rather large realms in the past with Trier having been capital of the Gallic Empire at one point in Roman history. The next war was against the Duke of the Rhine over the county of Mainz, this combined with a victory over the duke of hesse for the county of Frankfurt allowed Karl large control over german trade.
With eastward expansion finished for the moment Karl set his eyes upon the county of Breda, which laid under control of the Duke of Brabant, this meant that expansion of the duke of holland southwards was blocked and the duchy of brabant was secured to be conquered at a later point in the future.
Having fought so many wars leading to such succesful expansion had apparently lead to some fears for the duke of berry which in the next war aided the duke of upper lorraine in karl´s war to enforce his claim on the duchy of lower lorraine, the war was hard and cost Karl many ressources, but in the end he was victorious.
Having secured both the duchies of lorraine and the important province ot Trier in the Kingdom of Lotharingia meant that Karl was crowned King of Lotharingia in the year 876, 9 years after he had ascended to become duke of lower lorraine.
Following the coronation and a year of peace under which new laws were passed, most notably allowing the King to revoke titles of his vassals, expansion was continued with the conquest of the county of berg from the duke of cologne, completely surrounding the duchy of cologne and possibly one of the largest cities north of the alps.

This war was followed by the conquest of the county of Saarbrucken, an unimportant county in a region some call saarland, but that is not something, which is worth memorizing. This war was followed by the conquest of the county of sundgau from the Duke of Alsace reaching the rhine even at his "most southern" point and allowing easier access to trade from south of the alps. Next in line was the conquest of metz from the duke of trier, which allowed a son of Karl to name himself Duke of Trier. These wars were followed by the conquests of the counties of brabant and hainaut in the duchy of brabant, securing the lands east of rich flanders. These counties were decided to be directly held under Karl´s control to allow the wealth of flanders to spread to the capital of Luxembourg. The counties of mainz, frankfurt and berg were given under control of Karls 3rd son, so he could build up the Lotharingian border to the east. The duchy of upper lorraine was given to Karls 2nd son and he was such a great leader that he managed to conquer counties in the duchies of champagne, burgundy and franche-comte with the last one creating a diplomatic conflict with the new king of burgundy.
At last the the county of cologne was conquered, giving the early reign of Karl a quite impressive touch, having now also conquered the holy city of cologne.

 

[Ursul]

The high and lows of a session​

After missing the first session, I was allowed to start in the region of Francia, picking the beautiful Toulouse as my duchy, I had some very bare bones plan, take Auvergne to form a custom kingdom, then turtle up till I could try to unite the Pyrénées after Spain opened up.

My starting character did not have many ladies interested in him, but there was a noble Coptic girl set to inherit a county that managed to catch my eye, maybe not the best deal ever, but it meant my third son would be landed (since I had started the game with two sons), even if it was not good land.

It went ok for a while, but then everything changed when the fire nation Norses attacked. We were preparing for a crusade when a huge host les by an adventurer started rampaging through my countryside. Unable to really stop them, I hoped they would leave soon when the adventurer decided he wanted to settle down in my land. I was thus unable to crusade properly. Despite trying to mount a resistance and even pulling out to victories on the battle field (and getting a cool nickname in the process), my “De la Tour” dynasty was forced to take an exile in Egypt. They did pretty ok without me to control them, my character is now hero of the Hellenic warrior lodge and his third son is a decent character that will inherit a county near Alexandria.


After getting killed by Vikings, I had to find a new slot on the fly, mid-session. The big duchy of Uppland in the Danish kingdom looked interesting. It turned up to be a bad choice sine the old chieffess was already in her 60ies and had not married matrilinealy, meaning I would probably get game over again soon. I still decided to make the most of it, trying to at least carve a good slot for whoever would take over next session; I was not keen on playing Vikings and fully intended to leave regardless of how I would perform.

Since my huge duchy represented half of Danemark, I simply spent a few years grabbing lands from non-reformed chiefs and build under Danish protection before declaring independence. The war was short and brutal. I then formed a custom kingdom before forcefully vassalising most of Sweden and Danemark in a series of war. The old lady kept on living, despite being on the front line all the time, perk of being a warrior lodge berserk Viking I guess. I had almost united all of Central Scandinavia when she finally went to join Odin to prepare for Ragnarok. Funnily enough, her old rival, the Queen of Danemark died of old age soon after, I guess those two Valkyries could not live without each other to fight. May they forever feud in Valhalla till Ragnarok comes!

 

[Rabbit Burgher]

The AzunrKhazadu

With the passing of Thorin, Lord of Moria, the renewed dwarven world mourned, shedding a thousand tears for this mighty dwarf. A people who had been scattered to the winds across the world had been gathered and re-forged into their elder glory, the greatest city the world had known had been rediscovered and their armies built anew. Yet this fledgling dwarven kingdom only controlled a small portion of the Alps – the Misty Mountains – that paled to their ancient and mighty realm that dwelt beneath the entire range and much more. Most of the mountains were inhabited by human bandits or simply abandoned and left to the ravages of time. If the Lord of Moria wished to reclaim the great mantle of those that he was named after, he would have a most arduous task of conquest before him.

Before the foundations of the new Dwarven Empire could be laid, the filth that had replaced their predecessors had to be purged. To this task, the new Lord of Moria – The AzbadKhazaddûmu – set about almost immediately after succeeding to the throne. In the aftermath of his father’s funeral, he led some eighty scores of dwarves to the castle of Pongau where they met in battle with Philip the German, the fearsome Bandit-King of the east Misty Mountains. The short and malformed form of the duke led to rumours that he was of orcish descent, further fuelling the desire for blood that guided the dwarven adventurers. Even though the Bandit-King was able to retreat north following the battle, his power in the mountains was destroyed. He died seven years later, ill-met by the stress of hiding in the forests of his reduced realm.

Following the initial defeat of the alleged rukhs’utn, the Dwarves quickly set about the consolidation and conquest of the old realm, looking west to the Duchy of Raetia and south to the Duchy of Friuli. Both the German and Italian dukes found themselves unable to match the Dwarven strength. Whereas the German “Welf” quickly fell to the combined forces of northern Men seizing their western lands and the dwarves the east, Duke Onoro fought hard in the south. After Treviso fell, the Duke retreated to Aquileia and Udine where he spent the next four years preparing his defences until he was finally found and slain by elite-spy dwarves. The kingdom naturally absorbed the provinces (Udine some four years later and Aquilea thirteen), although the lowland terrain was granted to the stewardship of the Lombard human, Aimeric Lambertingi.

Two years hence, in 7 Fi.A, 873 AD in human reckoning, the Kingdom of the Dwarves was declared restored under Durin VII. The AzunrKhazadu’s formation was the first kingdom to come out of the new world, slowly followed by the humans of Hungary four years afterwards. Aware that the human race coming out of the recent dark age and forming its own nations could easily threaten the balance of a dwarven kingdom between them all, the King of the Mountains began to strike deals for territorial divisions, even agreeing to not repopulate the western mountains for a limited period so as to not upset the Burgundian’s power base.

In a world marred by near constant war between fledgling states, it became quickly evident to Durin that a realm consisting of dwarves alone would not last long against more aggressive or expansive neighbours. With this regrettable reality set in, Durin VII, in conference with the dwarf clans, initiated a campaign of conquest through the Bavarian and Carinthian lands to secure resources for the AzunrKhazadu and to establish a dominion protected by Dwarfkind. It was between some of the conflicts in this conquest, namely those with the Austrian Duke Spythihnev Jankovský z Vlašimi and the surrounding lords, that Durin first experimented with the doctrine of the Dwarven duty to protect lesser realms. In 13 Fi.A, 879 in human reckoning, the feared northman Aerin Aesirling launched an invasion of the Catholic realm of the Saxons. Although there were few cultural ties between the Dwarves and these Germans, Durin perceived a sense of historical repetition between these fearsome Siginkanân and the orcish hordes that ravaged the mountain kingdoms of old. His mission was in vain, however, for his expedition was only close to the Elbe when word reached him of the Norse sacking Luneburg and driving the Saxons to the wind. Although beaten without battle in this endeavour, Durin pledged that his armies marching home would be better prepared in the future to march to the aid of innocent realms against those that would do evil.

Moving on from this temporary setback, the Dwarves continued the expansion of the Azunr further into Bavaria and Carinthia until, in 17 Fi.A (10 years after the formation of the Kingdom of Dwarves), enough land had been conquered that general reckoning accepted the existence of a Dwarven Empire. The ZulduKhazadu was the first empire to be considered as one since the fall of Gondor thousands of years ago, making it an unchallenged symbol of Dwarven might in the new age.

The three kingdoms of the Empire of the Dwarves.

Unchallenged, that is, until a matter of months later. The city of Venice, with its wealth and splendour, had been subjugated into the ZulduKhazadu shortly after the empire’s formation and formally renamed New Esgaroth in memory of the long lost Laketown that had served as a vital conduit between humans and their Dwarven neighbours. The wealth of the city was mostly untouched by the invasion, leaving it as a shining beacon of prosperity in the Adriatic. And as a target. In the dead of night, a warband of Norsemen sailed into the city and sacked it, casting aside years of wealth in a matter of hours. The refugees streaming in from the city warned of the terrors wrought by the Norse, spreading panic throughout the realm. Yet, in the chaos spread by these fears, Durin was granted an opportunity. The chance to make good on his promise to protect his subjects from those that would harm them.

With a company of some four thousand Dwarves, he met the Norse invaders in the mountains of Dale when they attempted to make landfall. Despite being outnumbered, Durin was not only a skilled commander (although Aerin was perhaps better, he was hidden away in Luneburg, seeking to inflict vengeance indirectly) but also well accustomed to the mountains. When the Vikings were still in the process of organising after their landings, raiding some nearby villages and spreading general chaos, the Dwarven forces pressed in and put the invaders to route. Although the battle lasted for the best part of the day, the Norsemen retreated, never to be seen again in the reign of Durin I AzbadZulduKhazadu (Durin VII AzbadKhazadûmu).

After the failed Norse invasion, the realm experienced a relatively peaceful era. Farmers, merchants, freemen, Dwarves, nobles and clergy alike all experienced many years of peace and prosperity. This peace, however, was not simply the result of inaction by Durin but a deliberate plan. The prosperity of peace gathered great amounts of gold to his coffers until, on 8 January 29 Fi.A, 895 by human reckoning, the reclamation of Moria began in earnest. Using an immense sum of wealth, Durin had hired every craftsdwarf, minerdwarf and human willing to work on the excavations. Kufstein’s inns were filled with workers and its walls surrounded by camps. Although the work would take many years to complete, the future of the first great city of the Dwarves had been secured by this gargantuan effort.

 

[dragoon9105]

A Saga of Blood and Gold
Pt 2. Sea King

​

The Story of Aelix's reign would be one of Bloodshed and Betrayal. Four Brothers had stolen away Aelix's titles upon his succession declaring themselves Kings of Frisia, Saxony and of the North while the fourth claimed dominion over the lands of the Sorbs naming it Brandenburg.

​

Hrane was the first, Caught attempting to assassinate Aelix like a coward he was thrown into Jail and offered up to the Gods for Punishment. Hrane had no Children of his own and so his lands returned to the Fylkirate.

Next was Erikr who had seen fit to name himself King of the Northern Borders and Successor to the Fylkirate. In single Combat Aelix challenged his brother to such a claim, and when the claim proved false, The Axe of the Fylkir had found the neck of yet another traitor.

Two of thier Father's best had been struck down before there had children to carry on their titles. This was not the case with Stein who evaded the Fylkir's assassins and dodged his threats for years. Though eventually the King in Frisia soon found no other option but to meet his abominable brother on the field for the safety of his three swaddling sons and daughter. On the Island of Heligoland two Brothers entered, the Prize would be Aerins Crown. Aelix was the only one who returned.

Still those who loved Stienn had crowned his sons, but the Fylkirate's knives found them in their cribs, and Soon all Crowns once again belonged to Aelix the Kinslayer. Though one brother still remained.

​

Toke played a different game, one of plots not warfare. Rather than contest Aelix's titles he joined with his brother and served as his loyal spymaster laying seeds during his tenure not of Revolt but of a Coup. Toke was thought to have seduced his Niece, the fair Princess Kristinia and hoped to rule through her bastards with him. Though before the Children had come of age, a creeping illness that took Toke in his sleep like any other southern lord whose mind drifted between plotting and sin.

​

With his Lands secure, Aelix took to the seas burning all his fleets dared set eyes upon. From Venice to Constantinople to Britain to Spain all lands said to have great trade and value were sought out, and pillaged. The Wealth of these ports carried back to Luneburg to construct Aelix's great palace and reinforce his ambitions.

In this time Aelixs was counseled by his Advisers to aid the Lithuanians in their plight against the Estonians. The Lithuanians were traders and were wealthy, the Estonians less so, and both worshipped strange gods foreign to the Aesir.

Aelix the Sea King Landed on the shores of Saarland and demanded fealty to which the Estonians gave none. Then the Estonian camps burned and thier children and wives fell into Aelix's lands. It was here that the Estonians saw the right of things and submitted to the Aesir, renouncing their old gods and pledging loyalty to Odin and his Kin, A victory.

But such was not the end of foreign adventures. The King of Poland had denied Aelix Danzig, a valuable place for shipbuilding and Trade. Aelix had offered the Poles friendship and instead the Poles attacked south into Bohemia attempting to make common cause with the Germans. Aelix knew the game and how it was played, If the Poles and Germans were to marry, the heathens could unite against him, and so Declared the first of the Great Conquests on the Polish King.

Two sides met at Silesia, Fifteen Thousand against Fifteen Thousand, and Aelix stood victory as the Poles broke and ran their Southern mercenaries doing little to match the Might of Aelix' own Men. In the Following Days Poland and Pommerannia were swallowed into Nordmark though Aelix lamented that he now would need to administer more Heathen lands that did not want nor respect his Rule, and so Offered half to the Lithuanians as a Sign of Friendship, a Deal Struck and Peace finally achieved.

​

Aelix however was growing old. A warrior he was but wounded and disfigured from years of battle had left him tired and addled in the Mind. He had murdered Kin and Foreigner alike and carved a Realm out of the Blood of his foes but the future would not be held by one of his sons, as Aelix, cursed for his Kinslaying had none, only daughters. The Brilliant Kristinia, the Fair Ysera and the Cunning Aeria though Aelix's Favorite would be his oldest, Kristina.

​

With her Father in Old age and Kristina's story just beginning it would be in the hands of Fate if the Fylkirate was ready for a Woman. Aelixs was growing older by the day and his Wives older or dead. It would be Kristina, or it would be a Crisis the Fledgling Kingdom's first.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

​

Another session and another accidental player death, two of this this time. Aquia and Yami both of which were easily preventable but *shrug*. Aquia I had asked nicely for Danzig, Aquia's reply was if I wanted danzig I might as well Kill him. I wasnt going to kill him over danzig but then he allied Golle, who has been starting stuff in Bohemia, now I dont like to feel surrounded and With my influence dramatically reduced thanks to the entire catholic work getting a free 6k+ gold from the Crusade for Yemen, I needed to act.

Similarly, Mark was attacked by Yami this session, Now everyone knows I was working with mark becuase I did my diplomacy expecting mark to be Poland, Thus when Yami attacked Mark, he should have expected a response from me considering I wasnt told about this attack beforehand. Thus Holy Warred for Estonia and Yami quit the slot for spain *shrug*. I mean I understand why yami attacked Mark, but the time to do that was last week, oh well.

I spent the remainder of the session raiding and earning gold to catch up with the catholics, We started work on a Royal Palace and started grooming an Heir. I expect there will be quite a bit of bloodshed in the South this session as the Status quo stabilizes down there while a Winner in Scandinavia emerges. Though We'll see. I still need some of Denmark so Here's hoping the Scandinavian player has been playing attention and is willing to make a deal.

​

​

 

[Sid Meier]

It was a foggy.


The fog had rolled in just as the sun peaked over the horizon. It was an all too convenient fog, for it blanked the longboats silently oaring in below, right under the watchful gaze of the dark and looming castle above, with its torches and sleepy sentries, it was definitely impossible for them to see the events transpiring below.


This was a matter of Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern’s confidence, resolute that the plan, as it had countless times before, would in fact work as intended, as discussed with her commanders and personal guard.


Her face had a nearly stoic expression, leaning on bored.


She was older now, many years had passed since she had barely escaped with her life from her home in Germania. With whatever still loyal servants and soldiers at her command, with whatever possessions small enough and valuable to be carried with them on their backs and within their now tight belts; the Saxon King didn’t bother to chase.


Since then she was able to find new supporters, and hire the services of mercenaries, but her home was lost, and a new home needed to be found.


Many years since passed the taking of Normandy from its Norman King. Swearing fealty of the Norse gods brought her additional soldiers and fueled her magic on faraway shoes; Norse runes were mysterious to these local Catholics, and that granted them power.


The Einzbern Sea Queen, the Black Sorceress some called her, was jolted out of her reminiscing by the boats making contact with the secret entrance at the base of the castle; a drainage tunnel, one her scrying had revealed.


It was raiding season.


Her soldiers in single file entered the tunnel, slowly and silently up to the inner parts of the castle, the garrison had no warning, only the regular number of guards patrolled its walls and its halls; the Lord and Castle Custodian slept soundly in their beds.


They would soon be quite rudely dragged out of them by a horde of angry vikingrs.


It was a quick battle, storming it from the inside out, like a man spilling his seed inside a surprised woman after the first entrance.


The guards that resisted were quickly slain, the ones that dropped their arms were captured to be sacrificed to Odin. The ones that ran were ignored, they would meet a cowards end eventually one day.


Walking up the stairs into the main hall, Justeaze glanced at the sight before her, a strange chest.


“Bring it to the ship.” She commanded. For her every word was a command, and not once was her word not.


She glanced over at the sight of the bound and gagged Lord, and glanced by at her commander, a small violent man who seemed more thug than soldier, but he could throw his enchanted axe farther than any other man that tried, was skilled at the navigation of dangerous rivers and fjords, an strong leader, and most importantly, completely loyal.


He know doubt wanted to know what to do with the Lord, her commanders understood…. Eventually… That sometimes keeping a prisoner alive for ransom was invaluable; but this shaking man before her, she didn’t know him, just a petty english lord.


A rare smile spread from Justeaze’s lips.


“Offer him to Odin.” She turned around and walked away, her commander, please, laughed heartily. That was their Queen.


Another successful raid, and their coffers would grow.

 

[King of Men]

I still need some of Denmark

The Crown Princess of Men is in first grade, and recently they had a lesson on the difference between 'wanting' and 'needing'. I suggest you take it to heart.

 

[B5Alpha]

Argentina was running out of time. The fate of the realm was hanging in the balance. The sickly boy who inherited the mantle of Pontifex had fallen ill again, this time with Camp Fever. It seemed that a curse had befallen the royal family, as both the previous Pontifex Maximus and Court Physician had also succumb to illness. She stood over Cornelio, who tossed about in a fitful slumber. His skin was so clammy she could feel the sweat without even touching it. Thankfully, he was not an only child; both of his sisters were healthy and vibrant elsewhere in the castle, getting plenty of fresh air to avoid foul disease.

Argentina paused, thinking of Cornelio’s sisters: Elisa, who made friends wherever she went, and Livinia, who like her mother would always be little. The dwarves were certainly a peculiar folk. She wondered, if Cornelio went to Elysium before his time, just like his father before him, whether the nobles would accept a Pontifex Maxima. Surely, Elisa’s beautiful smile would win them over. But that would required Argentina to fail to save Cornelio first. Perishing the thought, she broke from her daydream and returned to her work.

So far, nothing that she had tried to cure him had worked. Milk of the poppy was the first cure that she had picked up in her studies, and it was the first that she had tried here, to no avail. She had then tried cures that she had heard about from fellow doctors, such as bloodletting, a bath of honey, even a swarm of bats to try and scare the sickness out of him. If her next treatment was not effective, all that would be left would be prayer. Argentina had heard of more radical treatments, but she did not take them seriously. If the treatment left the Pontifex unable to sire an heir, then there was not much point in curing him at all.

After days upon days spent in the library researching, she believed that she had found what she was looking for. She wished that she had more time to study; after all, she was only a teenager herself. Her mother was the town healer, and she had studied under her. The town of Rodanzio was the birthplace of the Danzio dynasty, and so they had given the town many amenities, including a library, although the well-travelled found its catalogue lacking. Argentina had known nothing else though, and loved to read, splitting her time between the dusty shelves and by her mother's side.

The recipe came from the time of the Greek Stoics, and some of its ingredients were not local. Anything could be found in the markets of Rome though, for the right price, and the Danzio family would pay any price for their future, so she acquired the exotic herbs she needed. The resulting concoction was an oozy, foul smelling liquid, but Argentina was pretty sure that medicine was supposed to be like that. Anyway, as the Court Physician, no one was going to stop her from giving it to the Pontifex. Over time, that doctor's authority proved to be well founded, as Cornelio's condition improved. It wasn't long before he was back on his feet again, and soon after he rejoined his sister's in his studies, preparing for his future as the leader of Romulus and the Hellenic faith. Argentina, meanwhile, was free to return to her studies.

 

[lrbaumard]

Burgundy
Session 3:

OMG CAN EVERYONE STOP DYING
or
The Curse of RNGjesus

So I took over for a subbing of the previous week, my realm was in a decent state though my treasury and capital was not as built up as i would have liked.
My plan this week was a simple one. Get my current ruler a sainthood and therefore the saintly bloodline and build up my realm and war chest.
What I didn't account for was some of the worst RNG I've encountered in this game.
My current ruler was 16 and he... died of an infected wound

My next ruler was murdered at the age of 34
My next ruler I managed to get the saintly ambition but he died at the age of 32 of stress... STRESS

I spent most of the session as various children which was not ideal. I very luckily managed to get my last ruler eligible for sainthood before he died, and the pope confirmed this later so it was not a complete loss
It was a shame he died as at 32 he had almost every positive trait, but such is the will of RNGesus
The other thing i accomplished was a bit naughty and i feel bad as i thought i would get an acheivement.. but i did not

Spoiler

My current ruler came to power at the age of 6 and ended the session at the age of 10

This is a serious blow to my plans of invasion into France at the start of next session

 

[dragoon9105]

Mupdate #3 924-953

​

Another week brings more Warfare, More Development and More Geopolitics, Heres what happened during Week Three of the Campaign.

In France, the Norse Conquerors in Normandy(Blayne) claimed the Crown of Roman Gaul. Unopposed in the region thanks to the defeat of both Gascony and Brittany the session before the Normans spent the session consolidating and making ready for the inevitably counterattack from the Christian Realms of Burgundy and Lotharingia.

In Spain, Three Major Powers have formed, Badajoz(Nhytgbvfeco2, were just gonna call him Nelly for short Ehh?), Valencia(Yami) and Castille(Aquia) The Muslims of Valencia quickly found defeat but were reorganized as a Catholic Kingdom in short order, with the Muslim Valencian player returning to play the new Converted State. Now Spain stands united in faith but still divided politically. It is anyone's guess if the Spanish intend to strike against each other or to gather their strength to invade the Norse of France or Hellenics of Italy.

In Greece the Reformed Hellenic Faith has led to the conversion of Sicily(Sicily) setting the Entirety of Southern italy firmly back in Pagan Hands. Milan(Mikesc) meanwhile has remained firm among the Catholic faithful though continues to strengthen its economy in the face of the growing Rival powers of Sicily and Romagna(B5Alpha)

In the Balkans, the Kingdoms of Greece(Nahxi) and Croatia(Vainfall) went without proper leadership leading to the Rise of the Kingdoms of Lothlorien(Hadogei) and Oltenia(Ursul). Both allies the two kingdoms have expanded their control over the Balkans and Black Sea Straights with Lothorien taking the City of Men's desire and claiming an Imperial Crown for itself.

In Central Europe the Bohemians(James) attempted to strike out at Germany(Golle) in hopes of gaining additional power and prestige. However a Coalition of Catholic powered unified against the Bohemians to stop them from Expansion and Keep Germany alive. Though now that Germany's allies now have other concerns, the conflict is likely far from over. Ultimately the Other powers in the Region such as Nordmark and Lotharingia spent the session developing their economies and preparing for the wars to come.

In Northern Europe the Kingdoms of Norway(King of Men) and Finland(Spots) continued to quietly consolidate power though becuase of Tribal traditions any power gained was ultimately fleeting at best. Norway Expanded down along the Sound Coastline while Finland pushed into Sweden eventually breaking in half between the King of Finland's ambitious sons.

In Eastern Europe Carantia(Hagbard) continued to develop its powerbase and wait for an opportunity to strike. The Republic of Lithuania(Mark) having recently come into a large Polish land grant found issues subduing the Germanic Crusaders and was forced to give the State of Poland its independence. The Independent Polish state quickly declared a return to the Romuva faith where it was once again attacked by the Saxons.

A Crusade was called, originally destined for Bohemia and diverted by Lithuanian interests in the Papacy to Poland, ultimately the Pope decided to go after none of these targets and opt for Russia instead. The Winner of this Crusade would yet again be the Dwarves of the Alps(Sanc). The Dwarves however did not stay pious catholics for long, converting to the Hellenic faith and leaving Queen Dis of Durin's folk to pass her Kingdom on to the Catholic Von Hardegg Dynasty.

Elsewhere in Russia the Republic of Crimea(Aevlymar) and the Kingdom of Ruthenia(Foelsguard) battled for control of the Ukraine. A Battle however quickly turned into a slaughter as the weaker merchants soon found the wrath of both Nomads and Tribal warriors falling upon their cities, with no help in sight the Crimeans surrendered much of their territory giving rise to a Powerful Ruthenian Monarchy on the Dnieper.

Current Standings

​

Victory Points:
Paris*: Blayne of Gaul
Constantinople*: Hadogei of Lothlorien
Julich: Clone of Lotharingia
Rome: B5Alpha of Romagna
Mecca*: Sancro of Tirol
Prague: James of Bohemia
Sevilla*: Nelly of Badajoz
Sjaelland*: King of Men of Norway
Barcelona*: Aquia of Castile
Kiev*: Foelsguard of Ruthenia
Danzig: Dragoon9105 of Saxony
Esztergom: Hagbard of Hungary
Ragusa*: Ursul of Oltenia
* means the Areas are currently under some sort of protection and thus cant be scored.

With three Sessions having passed we have now an established Balance of Power. Gaul is the Greatest power in the world in terms of land and military capability followed by Lotharingia, Nordmark, Magna Graecia(Sicily) Lithuania and Carantania(Hungary).

The Catholic Faith outside of the Fringes of Europe is in Decline while the Catholics are growing powerful on the fringes in places such as Russia and Spain. The Mediterranean is Dominated by a soft Alliance of Hellenic powers the most powerful of which are Sicily and Austria. While the North enjoys peace across religious lines between Norsemen and Catholics.

The Conflict points currently are in Central Europe where the smaller Powers of Germany and Bohemia continue to duel for control, and France which has been eyed up by both Burgundy and Lotharingia now for several weeks and is finally about to open, the Great Crusade for France ultimately being the one likely to dominate the discussion going into next week.

The Fallen:
Saxony(The Professor) 876-895
Holland (King of Men) 876-895
Wallachia(Hadogei) 876-895
Poland(Aquia) 876-924
Estonia(Yami) 876-924
Britanny-Occitania(Hadogei) 895-924
Toulouse(Ursul) 895-924
Uppland 895-924
Crimea(Aevlymar) 924-953
​

 

[lrbaumard]

Come on i'm in a regency give me a break!

 

[Clonefusion]

Lotharingia - The Kingdom in the Center of Europe

The Kingdom of Lotharingia at the 8th of January 895.
Some things had changed over the week, the large and fertile county of dijon as well as the county of troyes had given to the duke of champagne, this deal was stroke to prevent further agressive expansion by duke reinhard of upper lorraine, a son of Karl, which was named Karl, the Bear by now. Reinhard was a ambitious, gregarious strong martial leader, but also a hedonist and so when the catholic church demanded him to return these counties to a duke in france, he wisely followed to still be seen as accepting the guiding hand of the catholic church, he had to improve his image since he was also seen as greedy and a drunkard.
Moving to the east of Lotharingia the fertile counties of nordgau and worms were gained with worms bringing the important cities of speyer and worms to the kingdom and finally allowing Karl to rule over all the lands west of the Rhine. These counties were gained by a diplomatic arrangement with the King of Germany, which lead to the city of Frankfurt being given to his Kingdom, Frankfurt is strategically important trade wise, but peace is after all more prosperous than wars with fellow christians.
Finally in the north the counties of Sticht, Westfriesland and Zeeland were gained. Sticht was the capital of the kingdom of frisia before the Franks had pushed them back, nevertheless it was still a large city in the center of Frisia. Zeeland is a holy site to the germanics and being a set of islands and located between germany and the british isles meant the zeelanders had learned to become worthy traders and as such it was a rich county. Westfriesland is the northern part of a region called holland, which has great strategic value sitting at the delta of the big river system of the rhine. The poorer Westfriesland was only ruled for now, but to the south the merchant republic of Holland was holding to its last strings. These counties were gained by putting some diplomatic pressure on the Emperor of Nordmark and after allowing pilgrim walkers of the germanics free passage of the future the less important region of holland in the eyes of nordmark was given to the kingdom of lotharingia, which saw great strategic value in it.
Following this in the year of 899 the county of holland was conquered anf for the moment the final form of lotharingia had been achieved. Internal development was now on the menu. To prevent the realm from splitting apart, the form of succession was changed and so lotharingia became an elective monarchy with the dukes abd the current king being the electors. All dukes being of the dynasty "de Ardennes" meant that it is rather safe that the kingdom never slips out of the hands of the dynasty. Besides this new cities were built to encourage more trade and the bloodline of King Karl was founded. It was a warrior bloodline since Karl had to fend off the Kingdom from many raiders and hosts, which wanted the wealth which had been generated by the long and prosperous reign of Karl.
In the year of 903 a crusade was led against Arabia which saw the establishment of one of the Emperor of Tirols dynasty members to the throne of Arabia, a grand daughter of Karl was established as countess of halaban and all the wealth brought from long peace and the crusades allowed the kingdom to prosper and Karl to build up a large warchest for future wars.