Road of Queens - CKII India AAR

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Fifty-Eight : Lists

This chapter opens in late August, of the year 938 AD, with the Empress wishing to go over the lists again. More lists. Lots of lists.

There were seven plots being carried out by plotters who refused to back down.

There was also the five Factions within the Empire. Count of Gauda was the most annoying of the bunch. Not only was he leading a Independence Faction. But he was also part of the Faction to increase the power of The Council.

On the other hand the Laws of the Land made for a stable, and powerful, Empire.

She also noticed that certain members of her Council didn’t like her. She wasn’t happy about that and tried to find ways to improve their opinions of her.

She tried to find a way to improve Exarch Mew’s opinion of her. But there was really no way to do so. And as for the others they hated her too much for gifts to change their minds.

The Doux’s people told the Empress’s people that their Liege wanted 197 something in gold coins and even then it was assumed that he would likely still hate her.

She tried to find somebody to replace Doux Dionysios as he Protostrator. But all who had good opinions of her were….horrible warriors.

On the other hand replacing Orestes “The Sleepy” as her Sakellarios wasn’t as hard. He was replaced by Arsenios. Her Court Musician and one of her Commanders. Who was put to work Administering the Realm. At least he had a high opinion of his Empress and was better at the job.

So we end this with a slightly better Council Member and a Empress who was starting to wonder if maybe being NICE might help?

 

[Midnite Duke]

There are many who detest the Empress. They need to get with the program or get run over. Thank you for updating.

 

[Bullfilter]

So we end this with a slightly better Council Member and a Empress who was starting to wonder if maybe being NICE might help?

Radical thinking for this dynasty!

 

[roverS3]

Finally caught back up. Impressive how the Empress survived on the throne despite her own unlikable and downright mean attitude. Then again, I was surprised to learn that she isn't even close to being the most murderous and unlikable ruler out there... It still remains an open question whether she'll be able to achieve any further imperial expansion, with all those hosts and worse, vassals stirring up all kinds of trouble. The fact she's even contemplating being nice for once just shows how precarious her situation is.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Fifty-Nine : Another Plot To Kill A Kid?

This chapter opens in late August, of the year 938 AD, with the military still chasing the Host. The Host was making a run for the border.

And the Host DID escape across the border, over the mountains, and into the neighboring nation.

So the Mauryan Army was ordered back to the Capital.

In the middle of September the Empress was alerted to a battle happening in her territory. A army of the Bangala Varman was fighting with the Rebels of Bangala Varman.

In October she was told that Kettilmund, a Norse under Mew, was plotting to murder a one year old of the House of Vijaya.

“Tell him to stop!” demanded the Empress. “The House of Vijaya have always been powerful Allies and killing kids scares off the tourists!”

So we end this chapter with a escaping Host, a battle being carried out in Imperial territory, and a vassal plotting to kill a kid.

 

[Midnite Duke]

Kettimund is a sociopath. A count wanting to kill a toddler . Shame, Shame. Kettimund is a Norseman living in the Himalayas. Thank you for the update. (Mew probably has his finger in the murder plot.)

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty : Can Siberia Be Cured?

This chapter opens in early October, of the year 938 AD, with the Empress being told that Camp Fever was creeping up the east coast of India from its tip. On the west coast of India Consumption was spreading along the coast. Were the diseases using the shipping lanes to spread or just the roads?

This did give the Empress something to worry about. First she worried about her family in Sri Lanka.

There was also her Council Member, Exarchessa Jodhabai, who was in the way of the spreading Camp Fever. To have somebody so loyal and skills catch Camp Fever and, maybe, die would be annoying.

“Bad enough she is already being treated for Gout,” grumbled the Empress.

It was also reported that the people of Great Britain still had problems with Consumption. No doubt their traders were the reason India now had Consumption.

Then there was that massive region of Eurasia infected by Siberia.

“Wow,” said the Empress glancing at the Infection Map that the scholars had made for her. “I guess Siberia is hard to cure.”

Many within the Imperial Court opened their months and then decided not to bother to explain that Siberia was not a illness.

And so we end this chapter with lots of people getting sick because they don’t know how germs work. But that was during the Middle Ages and we’re much more educated about such things now a days.

 

[roverS3]

Then there was that massive region of Eurasia infected by Siberia.

Siberia is very much an illness... a gruesome one which goes quite some way to explaining what has happend with Russia in the last 500 years. I'm with the Empress for once...

 

[Bullfilter]

Then there was that massive region of Eurasia infected by Siberia.

Let’s hope you feel better soon. A cold compress may be less drastic than leeches, bees or some other CK2 court physician remedy involving scalpels and faces! If symptoms persist, see a real doctor.

And so we end this chapter with lots of people getting sick because they don’t know how germs work. But that was during the Middle Ages and we’re much more educated about such things now a days.

If only that were true for all the people, all of the time!

 

[Midnite Duke]

A winter spent suffering with Siberia has sent many to a cold, frozen death. Thank you for the update.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty-One : PARTY!

This chapter opens in early October, of the year 938 AD, with the Empress being very bored.

And of course when she was bored she either went on a tiger hunt or had a party. As it was October it was party time. Well, officially a Seasonal Feast but everybody knew it was just the Empress’s excuse to have a party.

So the invites, a lot of them, were sent out. She and some of the members of her Imperial Court placed bets on who would refuse their invitations.

Of course she also had to decide on what gift to give her husband. She decided on a slightly used cap she found in storage. There seemed to be a lot of capes and necklaces in storage. She wondered which of the past Rulers had collected them? She just had to pay to have it cleaned and repaired. Stupid moths.

Then Great King Marasimha “The Just” of the Talakad Ganga died. Many believed his death was related to a illness. Maybe Camp Fever? Of course his only son inherited all his titles. And also the fact that he was under the iron boot of the Great King Theophylaktos.

Which was funny because Queen Mother Palikada, the wife of the old King and mother of the new King of Talakad Ganga, was the sister of Theophylakoes. AND had another baby on the way!

Then she received two refusals from two of her Vassals. One was from the Count of Gauda. No surprise there to be honest.

“And to think we stopped a plot to kill him,” murmured the Empress.

The other letter of refusal came from the Mayor of Loricol.

“Good,” remarked the Empress on receiving the reply. “He would eat all the food. The piggy.”

Yet, when the guests started to arrive, the Empress was happy. Most of the invites had been accepted and the refusals just meant two people who didn’t like her would NOT be coming to her party.

Next chapter - boring party!

 

[Midnite Duke]

At least the Empress paid the cloak's cleaning and repairing. Only two refusals, either fear or niceness is working. Boring party, does this mean no tiger/monkey/elephant invasion? Thank you for the update.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty-Two : Boring Party

This chapter opens in early November, of the year 938 AD, with the party starting with lots of wine, pastry, roasted birds, fried fishes, and of course curry dishes.

Soon it was time to exchange gifts and the Empress gave her husband his cape.

While it was suggested that Basileus Narubho liked the gift there was private records that suggested that his opinion of his wife, the Empress, was not very high.

At the height of the feast, the darkest night of the Diwali, was the time to celebrate good over evil, hope over despair, light over darkness. The guests celebrated by drinking wine, eating the best dishes, and dancing.

But the Empress was bored. Nothing was happening. No monkeys. No mages. No baby elephant attacks. So boring.

Join us next time when she starts getting bad news on top of being bored!

 

[Midnite Duke]

Of course, the Basileus liked his cape. He knows that he is but one Basilissa word from being sent to the Tibetan Plateau to milk yaks. A cape would also block some cold winds during the winter. Thank you for the update.

 

[roverS3]

Oh no. A boring party.... I guess that's what she gets for giving her husband old recycled capes... Maybe if she gave him a nice horse, he would fall off of it, and she could laugh at him, but no, she's too cheap for that...

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty-Three : Bad News

The Empress was trying to enjoy her cocktail, which was just a glass of wine with rum poured into it when nobody was looking, when one of her Courtiers walked up with a note.

“Sorry oh Great Empress but we have some bad news,” he said with a bow as he handed her the note.

“Oh no,” said the Empress on reading the note. “Baroness Kanwar of Ballia is planning on killing Dugarendra of the House Bhar. Who kind of likes me. Tell her to stop!”

Then, while trying to win a bet by eating a whole pie, she was given another note by a passing Courtier.

“Now what!” she grumbled as she lost the bet and opened the folded piece of paper.

Seems the Doux Antonios of Magadha was now known by the nickname of “The Inquisitor”.

“Oh Buddha,” remarked the Empress in horror. “What did the drunk idiot do to deserve such a title?”

“Seems he burned somebody at the stake,” whispered the Courtier.

“WHAT?” shouted the Empress. “WHO?”

“Bhojavarman of the House Bhar,” answered the Courtier.

“Oh no,” mumbled the Empress. “He burned somebody because they were not Buddhist? The Hindu populace is going to be so pissed at him! I don’t need Religious infighting. Like the Mongols! And look. He was a part of my family by marriage.”

And so the party came to an end. The guests had seemed to enjoy it but the Empress had mixed feelings about it. Nothing weird had happened. Nothing exciting at all! Only servants bringing her bad news about her vassals.

Also they had run out of her favorite wine half way through the party! Well, at least nobody had tried to kill her during the feast. Being poisoned while enjoying a pastry was always a downer.

 

[Midnite Duke]

The poor courtier who caused the Basilla to lose a bet has been ordered to plant a stake in the ground and surround it with branches. Run, servant, run. Thank you for updating.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty-Four : So Many Plots

This chapter opens in mid November, of the year 938 AD, with the Empress walking over to her Wall Map and examining it.

The problem with her Empire was that is hadn’t really grown much under her Leadership. Somewhat embarrassing to be honest.

Funny enough it looked like the Duchess Eustathia of Tirabhukti might add to the Empire as she was wining her war with the Great King Vidurathpala.

She was likely winning because the Kingdom of Ayudha was in a total of three wars. One of which was against the Mongols Empire. And with less than three thousand soldiers he was heavily outnumbered.

The Empress turned away from the map to suddenly notice a agent from her Spymaster, Mew, standing right next to her.

“AAAHHH! Buddha damn it! I wish you would stop doing that!” she said while wacking the agent with her right fist.

“Ouch!” said the agent. “I was pretending to be a monk. How did you tell I wasn’t a monk?”

The Empress looked him up and down. “You need to look in a mirror.”

The agent grumbled to himself before pulling out a scroll. “I bring news from Mew. He says Duchess Simonis had joined Count Narses’s plot to kill Romanos Katakylas. The Count is also a member of the House Katakylas but is in Europe. So needs local support.”

“And Romanos seems to be one of the Duchess’s vassals on top of that,” added the agent.

“Why would a Count, thousands of miles away, try to kill a member of his own family who had no titles?” asked the Empress.

“Well,” said the agent, “it seems Romanos is a Apostate. Or at least that is the claim. So his House is likely not too happy with him. Being good Orthodox Christians. And being a Orthodox Christian is likely a good reason for the Duchess to kill him.”

The Empress snorted. “The Duchess isn’t very smart. She is backing a plot that gives her nothing in return. On top of that if the plot somehow works, and the man is killed, local family members would not be able to go after the Count. But the Duchess Simonis would be a easy to reach target right here in India.”

The agent thought it over for a minute and then said, “She was stupid enough to try to start a revolt against you. So are you surprised?”

“No, not really,” murmured the Empress with a sigh. “Can we try to tell her to stop?”

“We’ve already gotten in touch with her people about that and it seems that she REALLY hates you,” replied the agent. “So the answer is no.”

Not much happened till the end of December when Exarchessa Jodhabai gained more power when her Lords approved of the Ruler War Declaration Sovereignty Law. Which meant she could declare war without the approval of her own Council.

Around the same time Mew alerted the Empress to another murder plot. Seems Harasimhadeva, a lowborn and one of the Council Members of Rajrappa, was scheming to kill Bhikkhu Vasudeva of Rajrappa. No doubt to inherit his title.

“Tell him to stop,” remarked the Empress. “Lowborn peasants are not allowed to kill anybody of high rank without permission.”

And then the new year came with another murder plot reported.

Serapion of the House Komnenos Doukas was plotting to kill his own Liege Doux Antonios “The Inquisitor” of Magadha. In other words he was scheming to kill his own half-brother.

“Hmmm…I guess we have to stop him, right?” asked the Empress. “Oh well…better tell him to stop trying to kill his half-brother.”

And near the end of January the Retinue finally arrived back in the Capital much to the happiness to their families, bar keeps, and weapon smiths.

 

[Midnite Duke]

The happiest was the bar keeps. I can not imagine the Empress telling people to stop scheming. I can picture her enjoying the machinations as if watching rats in a maze. Thank you for the update.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty-Five : An Important Marriage

This chapter opens in late January, of the year 939 AD, and the Empress had received a request from Duke Jau Wenshunu.

Apollonia of the House Dysnoma, the Empress’s niece, had finally come of age. And now was old enough to marry Jau Shifang. The Duke’s son and Heir.

In other words the marriage they had agreed on so many years ago was now at hand. The Empress, of course, agreed.

By February the marriage was carried out. Funny Apollonia didn’t like the Empress. Nor did the Duke.

The young Jau seemed to not care about the Empress one way or the other.

The Empress sent the future Duke a small purse as a gift. Which improved his opinion of her slightly.

If she could not bring the old Duke into the Empire maybe his son would be more willing?

Later that month the Spymaster, Mew, brought her news of another plot.

Seems Anthousa of the House Dysnomia was planning to kill the son of her Liege. It could be because the boy, Vapyata Rajabhata, was the Heir to the County of Midnapore? Of maybe she just didn’t like him?

“Why are these people all trying to murder kids?” demanded the Empress. “Tell her to stop for crying out loud!”

And so we end this chapter with a wedding and a murder plot against another child.