Pir'uan High Kingdom AAR

[stevymcstevyman]

Hello, and welcome to my AAR. Just a few things to get out of the way before we start.

This AAR is using several DLCs and a few graphical mods, and won't be an interactive AAR as it is my first, and as such will be purely my game experience.

The DLC that will be mostly used in this AAR is the Ruler Designer and Customization Pack, so it is still purely vanilla even though some names will be different.

The Pir'uan High Kingdom will start in 1066 in what was France in-game, so you can follow along somewhat without the Customization Pack. Each chapter of the AAR will be each new ruler, with updates each chapter starting in 1080 and on 20 year intervals.

Use the below table of contents to navigate the story. This will be updated whenever so check back frequently.

-----TABLE OF CONTENTS-----

Chapter 1: Morta'lai Deoux
1066-1080: Pir'uan Emergence
1080-1100: Early Pir'uan Empire
1100-1103: Morta'lai's Succession

Chapter 2: Amedee Deoux
1103-1120: The Three Emperors
1120-1132: Pir'uan Zealotry

Chapter 3: Morta'lai II
1132-1140: Rise of Morta'lai II
1140-1156: Reclamation Efforts

Chapter 4: Morta'lai III

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Chapter 1 Part 1 - 1066-1080: Pir'uan Emergence

The Pir'uan Kingdom has emerged in Western Europe. Immediately King Morta'lai starts fabricating claims on parcels of land in the Petty Kingdom of Brittany. After an easily won war, the Pir'uan Kingdom acquires the county of Rennes. Later a hedge knight is arrested, and deemed a bandit and is punished how bandits are. Shortly thereafter, the populace faces a religious crisis. A heretical stronghold under the repulsive Waldensian Heresy appears in the county of Paris, and even though it is squashed in Paris, it surfaces in 2 other counties. Facing pressure from the Pope, King Morta'lai rushes as fast as he can to correct this heretical movement. Once the heretical movement was corrected, King Morta'lai acquired the rest of Brittany, but now faces a new crisis on his hands: Defensive Pacts halting his expansion for the moment. Considered to be a good start to his rule, Morta'lai continues to govern his realm into the light of God. His current goal is to become exalted among men, and live forever in the annals of history, while also working to establish the Kingdom of Antiquane, and a Pir'uan Empire.

 

[stnylan]

Welcome to AAR writing

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Chapter 1 Part 2 - 1080-1100: Early Pir'uan Empire

On January 23rd, 1080, King Morta'lai Deoux formed what could be regarded as the earliest forms of the Empire. The South Pir'uan Kingdom was formed, paving the way for a Pir'uan Empire. All Morta'lai had to do was acquire more land from the Holy Roman Empire in the East, as it his his de jure territory. Trying to see ways around it as the empire was more powerful than his, he saw no other choice, and sought to bring people from their court to his, in hopes of acquiring huge swathes of territory before long.

Utilizing his council's claims on the Duchy of Provence, Morta'lai went to war with the Roman Kaiser. Not knowing what he got himself into, he faced an army at least 7 times bigger than his own. Despite this, the war would go on for 2 months before the Pir'uan Victory. He now had the means to create the Pir'uan Empire, but only needed the money to go ahead with it. In this stride, Morta'lai became increasingly stressed, and it now took a toll on his well-being. The great King who created a kingdom, nay, an empire, to last the ages was now threatened. Meanwhile, a quick war with the Republic of Genoa put the de jure county of Nice back under Pir'uan control. a few months after that near the end of October in 1081, a revolutionary force presented the king with an ultimatum: Give up the throne or face a civil war. Naturally, the king did not give up his throne, even though a civil war spells trouble for everyone involved. He decided to take the war and make an example to the rest of the known world on what happens when you try and deface the throne.

Not a month after, a French war veteran from the opposing side offers to defect to the mainland. Being the best strategist and innovators on the battlefield, the king accepts, invests in his research, dealing a major blow to the revolting armies. Shortly after that, the revolt ended, lasting a mere 6 months, with all landed perpetrators imprisoned. Yet now Morta'lai runs into a different problem, it seems. His wife appears to be much too fat, and eats more food than usual, and is not taking his advice. These "problems" are not helping his severe stress either. In June of 1083, a writer offers to compose the Deoux chronicle, which Morta'lai accepts, and becomes overly proud and arrogant, the Seventh Deadly Sin.

In 1085, Morta'lai creates the official Pir'uan Empire, and can now use his newfound power to unify the rest of his de jure realm. The year after, Morta'lai uses the marriage ties from his son to form an alliance with the King of Poland, a seemingly great way to defend against the growing Germanic threat of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1087, Morta'lai and his wife fall ill, with the royal family even more at stake than it was before. Shortly after, the King is informed of a Call to Arms from Poland in their civil war. Morta'lai accepts, honoring his word and his alliance with the Polish people, but cannot fight himself as he is not in fighting condition anymore. During the war, King Morta'lai recieves troubling news of the Hashashins, a Shia Assassin Society. In February of 1089, Morta'lai's illness has finally passed. Another year after, the Hashashin organization has fallen, with another great threat removed from the world.

In 1092, the Polish revolt ended, and a lasting peace was about for 4 years before Emperor Morta'lai discovered his court had a claim on the Kingdom of England. Seeking to end this fighting between England and Norway, Emperor Morta'lai thrust himself in a race against the clock to control England before King Olav. Morta'lai can also focus solely on England, because his administrative experience has rose enough to where he can perform tasks in his realm without unneeded stress, and thus calms down for the first time in years. Morta'lai wins the war for England, and the king he put on the throne therefore becomes his vassal. This section ends with the Hashashin clan resurfacing in Jerusalem, after seemingly dying out a back.

At this point in the game, the Pir'uan Empire posesses the Kingdoms of Brittany, France, Antiquane, Burgundy, and most of England.

Edit: See you all this Friday and let me know what you think of this AAR. I have the CK2-EU4 converter so if this recieves a good response I might port it over to EU4

 

[stnylan]

A presentational note, the above might have been broken into two or three paragraphs for easier reading.

 

[stevymcstevyman]

A presentational note, the above might have been broken into two or three paragraphs for easier reading.

Yes I realize this now after I post it. Going to do that here in a minute.

 

[stnylan]

Much clearer

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Although I must note, Morta'lai is reaching his late-60s and his wife has also died of poor physique, so we could expect a new chapter to start, in which case I'm gonna have to change the role play aspects a little bit to suit the new goals. I have a few ideas but not going to release them until we get a new ruler.

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Chapter 1 Part 3 - 1100-1103: Morta'lai's Succession

In the last section we saw the formation of the Pir'uan Empire, and the conquest of England. Emperor Morta'lai's goals for this section is the complete unification of the Kingdom of England. He is reaching his late 60's and has sired 6 children.

After conquering the Kingdom of England, Morta'lai sought to unify the de jure vassals of the area. He soon realized this would be no small feat, as he had a truce with King Olav of Norway after the last war, and thus concluded he would never live to see his dreams be realized. A few months after the start of the year 1100, a threat came to Morta'lai, and he was forced to go into hiding until the threat passed. He discovered the plot on his life was organized by his own Daughter-in-law, and demanded she stop. The plot was burned, and the threat passed to the great Emperor. Within the year, Emperor Morta'lai becomes known as Morta'lai the Great, in honor of his long, prosperous rule.

The year is 1102, and the final chapters of Morta'lai the Great's life may be approaching. The old Emperor is infirm and bedridden. On top of this, the King of Ruthenia decides to press a foreign claim on the Kingdom of England, and the Royal Army is called upon once again to keep the realm together. of 15,000 troops total, 11,000 are sent to the Kingdom of Ruthenia, while the remaining 4,000 stay for the defense of the realm.

On October 19th, 1103, Emperor Morta'lai Deoux of the Pir'uan Empire dies of severe stress. His obituary acknowledges him a raving madman, with a hesitant rejoice at his death. His successor, known as Boson Deoux, will take over as the Emperor of the Pir'uan, closing this chapter and starting a new one.

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Need to update the Table of Contents. Use the Threadmarks for right now, but they'll go away in a bit once I learn anchors and stuff and how to link individual posts. Once I figure it out I'll finish up Boson's first section and any sections I'm behind on.

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Chapter 2 Part 1 - 1103-1120: The Three Emperors.

Emperor Morta'lai has just died and was succeeded by Emperor Boson Deoux of the Pir'uan Empire, and is flung into a war with Ruthenia over the Duchy of Essex. Thrown into a small amount of turmoil, it is now in Boson's hands to raise the Pir'uan Empire to glory, or to let it fall.

Emperor Boson's rule is off to a great start, with the Ruthenian War for Essex ending in just a span of 3 years. With the war out of the way, Emperor Boson can focus on the glory of the Pir'uan empire, and seeks to unite all of Britannia, starting with Scotland and the Scottish Isles. While fabricating a claim on the Scottish county of Teviotdale, Emperor Boson presses the de jure claim on the independent county of Forcalquier, with certain victory coming within a year after the war starts.

The Rule of Emperor Boson was a short one, lasing merely 3 years. He died in 1106 of poor health, and was succeeded by Geraud Deoux. Geraud's ambitions for his reign will to take control of all his de jure territory and to fully unify the Pir'uan Empire.

Geraud's rule starts with a Pir'uan victory for the De Jure Claim over Forcalquier war. With the French side of things all nice and good, he can focus on uniting England and finally kicking out the Norwegians from Britannia. Nonetheless, not just 2 years after Emperor Geraud's rule, he dies in battle trying to reclaim a duchy that declared independence from the Pir'uan Kingdom and is succeeded by his brother Emperor Amedee. A chaste and zealous fellow, Emperor Amedee wishes to make the Pir'uan Empire into a holy one, and thus focuses on becoming a Paragon of Virtue. (if this ambition is completed by the end of his lifetime, the Pir'uan Empire will be known as the Holy Pir'uan Empire)

Amedee has to finish off the war of independence before strengthening the Pir'uan Empire. Ending it in 1109, Emperor Amedee can focus on making the Pir'uan Empire into a holy and zealous state for the glory of God. Shortly thereafter, a strange book is put in the hands of Amedee, and after intense study, Amedee decides to become a scholar, always willing to learn more. 2 years after the start of his rule, the Fraticelli heresy appears in the Empire. Willing to put down this heresy in any way, shape, or form, Emperor Amedee demands religious conversions of the people and Catholic teachings to be intensified through his Court Chaplain in hopes of a unified Catholic state. In 1111, the Empire receives disturbing news that a renewed Muslim Jihad might be in order. Unwilling to give up on his fellow brothers of Christ, he watches the situation intensely, willing to sacrifice himself and his realm for the glory of God.

In 1113, seeing an opportunity given to him by God, Emperor Amedee decides to go to war against the Holy Roman Empire, as they have an excommunicated ruler, a disgrace in the eyes of God. Within a year, the Emperor wins a hard fought victory, repenting the sins of the excommunicated and become a much more prestigious and pious individual.

7 more years pass by in peace, with Emperor Amedee being the survivor of the Three Emperors. Long live Emperor Amedee and the Pir'uan Empire!

 

[P.S.]

Eager to hear how the story of Emperor Amedee will continue!
A second Empire in Central Europe claiming to be holy surely will surely be a huge threat to the HRE...

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Eager to hear how the story of Emperor Amedee will continue!
A second Empire in Central Europe claiming to be holy surely will surely be a huge threat to the HRE...

Amedee already went to war with the HRE because they were excommunicated, so his zealotry is bound to lead to a very bloody conflict. I can already see that he will either build up the Empire to it's Holy standards or break it apart in a massive second war with the HRE.

 

[stnylan]

Definitely grasping a good opportunity there

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Welp sorry to be so inactive but I've been doing some homework and stuffs lately. Got my Spring break this week so I think I'm gonna update this at least 3 times this week I'm not sure.

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Chapter 2 Part 2 - 1120 - 1132: Pir'uan Zealotry

Emperor Amedee's rule is off to a great start with him being the survivor of the Three Emperors and a Jihad to the East failing. Rooting out heresy and infidelity in his realm, Amedee runs a very strict and central religious state in order to make the Pir'uan Empire a Holy one. With Jihads in the east starting to rise up, it's only a matter of time before the Pope calls a holy war of his own. About a year after this new score, the King of England dies, and Amedee inherits the Kingdom, further centralizing the Empire. Shortly after his inheritence, Emperor Amedee decides to construct a Grand Cathedral (Great Works update) in the capital, a testament to the Empire's piety and holiness.

Shortly after construction commences, the Pope calls for a holy war against the infidels: A Crusade. Those who participate are among the greatest of the holy men, a trait that could expedite Amedee's ambitions. Pledging himself and his troops, Amedee immediately heads for the Sea of Palestine, to land and retake the Holy Land of Jerusalem. Donating massive amounts to the Crusade, Emperor Amedee is declared a holy man, and is known as Emperor Amedee the Holy. Shortly thereafter, Amedee uses his papal blessing to declare his empire a holy one seemingly unrivaled by anybody. (Note: This is merely a facet of the story, i'm not sure if it's even possible to have your empire actually become holy.) The Holy Pir'uan Empire is finally formed, and Amedee's lifelong dreams have seemingly come true.

Finally in 1123, the Crusade for Jerusalem begins, with Emperor Amedee at the front, with seemingly nothing standing between him and the holy might of the Pir'uan Empire. About a year after, the Crusade is over, and Emperor Amedee the Holy is granted victory, with the title of Crusader Jerusalem passed down to his cousin. Bestowed upon him are 6 papal artifacts: The Armor of the Cross, The Warhammer of the Cross, the Skulls of Saint Christopher of Antioch, Saint Valentine of Rome and Saint Paul of Tarsus, as well as a Weeping Statue of the Virgin Mary. A big step in the Pir'uan Zealotry, Emperor Amedee seems unstoppable when fighting for God.

Quite a few years goes by before Emperor Amedee dies of severe stress and is suceeded by Emperor Morta'lai II. Long live Emperor Morta'lai.

 

[stnylan]

No worries about the break.

Amedee sounds like he will go down as a well-remembered Emperor.

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Chapter 3 Part 1 - 1132-1140: Rise of Morta'lai II

Emperor Morta'lai II hasn't lived to see all the turmoil of his realm. Born out of the survivor of the Three Emperors, he watched his father build the Holy Pir'uan Empire up, yet only sought to live up to the legend of his Great-Grandfather, Morta'lai I. He heard that he was known as "The Great" and sought to become a Great One himself. Seeking monumental glory in both himself and his realm, Morta'lai the II seeks to live to see the construction of the Grand Cathedral and to build himself a Grand Palace, monuments to both himself and his father. (This will be the 2nd and last character to make use of the Great Works update. All characters after this will only finish constructing Great Works, and will make no improvements)

Kind, Just, Patient, and Zealous like his father raised him, his only flaw was his pride. The pride he had in his family and in himself is what some think will get the best of him later in life. Although he already had a problem on his hands. Gavelkind succession in the Northern Kingdom was becoming very popular, yet dynastic values hold true inheritence of the Empire and all it's lands, and Morta'lai feels he cannnot disgrace his family by letting the faction dictate his rule. He felt as it would go to a civil war, and was ready for it. After years without a civil war, Emperor Morta'lai works to fix the fragmented subrealms by granting kingdoms to vassals held in high regard and granting them their de jure vassals, ensuring that he doesn't need to micromanage as many duchies and counties and can leave it in the hands of his kings. Soon he grants the kingdom holders spots in the council, creating the Pir'uan Royal Council consisting of the North, South, East, and West Kingdoms as well as the Kingdom of England. Finally unifying the realm into 4 kingdoms, the amount of title changes brought about a lot of unknown turmoil, and may as well do more bad than good. (Note: I retracted vassals and revoked titles on purpose for this.) Soon thereafter the King of the South wants to install his son onto the Imperial Throne, and yet another civil war will start. The North and the South declare a civil war, with the Capital Duchy and the Kingdoms of the East and West against them. 8k troops against 19k, Morta'lai is still persistent on winning the civil war, his pride getting the better of him. A couple years after the civil war starts when victory was close for the revolution, the claimaint to the throne dies of suspicious circumstances, and is presumed assassinated.

The first part of this chapter comes to end as Morta'lai seemingly evades being throne off (pun intended) and lives to see another day.

 

[stevymcstevyman]

Chapter 3 Part 2 - 1140-1156: Reclamation Efforts
In the last part we saw Morta'lai II of the Holy Pir'uan Empire succeed Emperor Amedee and avoid a horrible civil war that could have dethroned him.

The year is 1140, Europe is in Medieval turmoil, with the Holy Pir'uan Empire having it's own share of problems. With a heavily rearranged vassal structure, and centralized sub-governments along with the Royal Council have made life hard for the new Kings. On top of that, the King of England seeks to retake his territory from Norway, with Emperor Morta'lai directly supporting the cause and donating his own troops and his own personal service. Offering that to the King of England, he declines the support, and the Royal Army must stay back once more. A couple years later, the King accepts another offer of help to try and turn the tide of the war. Once the war is over, a new civil war for succession laws breaks out between the Kingdom of England, the Eastern Kingdom, and the rest of the homeland for gavel kind succession. A few years after it starts, the civil war ends in a white peace with the Emperor gaining a little more prestige. Soon the Royal Council is disbanded, and to prevent further complications within the empire, the kingdom titles were decided to naturally fall back into the hands of the crown, no matter how long it took.

In 1153, Emperor Morta'lai declares war on the HRE for land that is a part of his de jure Empire. While fighting in that same war, Morta'lai becomes seriously wounded and is bedridden, no longer being an able-bodied ruler. In 1156 the war ends and an artist offers to create an iconic painting of Emperor Amedee the Holy, which Morta'lai graciously accepts.

Shortly thereafter, Morta'lai dies comatose in bed, and is succeeded by his son, Emperor Morta'lai III.

 

[stnylan]

The Empire is definitely having its share of troubles.