Road of Queens - CKII India AAR

[Midnite Duke]

Kid killers are mean, they need to learn kindness. The niece does not like her aunt, oh well, good riddance of bad rubbish. Thank you for updating.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty-Six : Another Marriage

It was late February, of the year 939 AD, when the Empress was told of some interesting news.

Seems Alexeia of the House Taktse received a nickname. “The Sleepy”. Likely due to being lazy.

The Empress was more interested in the woman’s remaining daughter who was unmarried.

Antipatra of the House Dysnomia was of age and yet unmarried and didn’t even have a marriage arranged with anybody. The mother was VERY lazy if she wasn’t even trying to get her one daughter linked with somebody powerful.

The Empress, funny enough, decided on a lowborn. Afsar was a Courtier and Commander who was very skilled at warfare. And wanted to get married.

Of course the marriage was to be a matrilineal one. It would not be the best marriage in the Empire. But the Empress wanted more offspring for her Dynasty. If you can’t defeat your enemies on the battlefield you can always overwhelm them with lots and lots of children.

And so another wedding was carried out. Maybe the Dysnomia Dynasty would take over the world due to numbers?

 

[Midnite Duke]

The Dysnomia dynasty wants to be known as Habsburg East. Thank you for the update.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty-Seven : Death In The Family

Giving Away Titles​

This chapter opens with the death of the Empress’s son, Prince Ioannikios of Tosali, who died from Depression. And left her all his stuff. Including his titles.

“On no,” remarked the Empress on reading the news. “I can’t have another Duchy! I already have one too many! Damn him! Why couldn’t he have had a son to inherit his stuff!”

Then she noticed that the wife, Zuqi of the House Bei, was Greek and a Buddhist and a Noblewoman. And her skills were not good but still better than her dead husband.

“Guess who is going to get a lot of titles!” said the Empress with a smile as she broke out her quills and ink stone. “Bring me our best scrolls!”

So first she was given the County of Bikrampur. Which made her happy.

Then the Countess Zuqi was given the Duchy of Tosali. Which made her less happier...?

There was only ONE problem. The NEW Duchess’s Heir was her brother. The Count of Janakpur. Who was also the Magistros of Tirabhukti and the Cupbearer of Tirabhukti. He also seemed to be starving himself. Or maybe he had done jail time?

The Empress didn’t like this. Mostly because the Count didn’t like her.

So she tried to get the Duchess married. But the woman shot down both men selected. She was picky.

“Fine,” remarked the Empress. “Let her pick her own mate. As long as the brother does not get the titles who am I to care?”

But with the death of her son there were now certain positions open. Such as the Designated Regent. Jodhabai, the Exarchessa of Bengal, became the new Regent. Of course. The Duchess had a high opinion of the Empress and was pretty powerful.

The Empress wanted her in her corner.

The empty Commander Position was fulled by the Bhikkhu of Para-Lauhitya. Who was skilled at war and loyal.

Then the Empress had a brilliant idea!

Which worked! Yea, she offered one of her nephews for an arranged marriage to the Duchess and the Duchess agreed to it. It was matrilineal marriage, of course, but it kind of kept the titles inside the Dynasty.

So the Empress was pleased. Mostly.

 

[Midnite Duke]

My sympathies to the Empress. A mother burying her child seems so un-natural. Thank you for updating.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty-Eight : The Long Shot

This chapter opens on the 1st of March, of the year 939 AD, with news from the Byzantine Empire.

Seems the Empress’s cousin, Basileios Dysnomia, son of her Uncle Doux Eustratios “The Gentle”, was building an army to claim her titles.

“He has no soldiers, according to our reports, but he has some coins,” remarked the Empress on reading the files on the man. “And he is a Commander. So he must know something about warfare. Where is he now?”

Turned out he was in the County of Atheniai. His Liege was the Count.

“So…he plans get some sellswords and than march halfway across the world to attack me?” she said as she glanced at the Wall Map.

“Good luck on that,” she murmured and dismissed the cousin from her memory.

 

[roverS3]

If Alexander the Great managed to march his army all the way to India, surely Atheniai can do the same? At least that's how I guess his thinking goes...

 

[Midnite Duke]

The best part of the story might be why Basileios is in Athens. What duchy did his father hold and why did Basileios not inherit? If you are going to dream, dream big! If he can hire 100 men in each province that he passes through, he would have a sizeable force to confront the Empress. Thank you for finding a wonderful niche.

 

[Bullfilter]

The empty Commander Position was fulled by the Bhikkhu of Para-Lauhitya. Who was skilled at war and loyal.

No he isn’t (skilled at war, that is). Those commanders are all pretty mediocre at best, all bar one maybe should be sacked and replaced with actually good commanders, then go conquering. Otherwise, as the Empress seems to be intimating, the Road of Queens will only have slow lanes that end up leading nowhere in particular. Onwards, to war and glory!

“So…he plans get some sellswords and than march halfway across the world to attack me?” she said as she glanced at the Wall Map.

Isn’t that how the Dysnomian Greek Indian realm was founded in the first place? Perhaps the Empress should be worried. Particularly if useless old hacks like that latest commander are the best generals she has to offer …

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Sixty-Nine: All The News Fit To Shout About

This chapter opens in March, of the year 939 AD, with the Empress making a major decision.

The Basilissa Eulalia decided to join the Savaka-Sangha! To join their ranks it also cost her over one hundred twenty three gold coins!

The Empress than tossed on another one hundred gold coins for charity. Which also pleased the Savaka-Sangha. Buddhists were suckers for charity.

Then the Empress received the official response from the Duchess Zuqi who agreed to marry her nephew. When he was old enough, of course.

She also received more good news in April. Seems her attempts to sway her ex to her side had no been useless. Ajmal was slowly becoming a close friend to the Empress. Too bad about the gray hairs.

And it turned out the brand new Duchess was swift to tighten her control over her lands and minions. She had passed the Late Feudal Administration Law. With the approval of her Lords, of course.

Then the Empress was told that Mahadevi of the House Bhanja had been released from Doux Bhogishwar “The Wise” of the Bhar Raj’s prison. Had she been a prisoner-of-war or just somebody put in jail because he didn’t like her? Nobody knew.

It looks like she had been Publicly Humiliated also.

In May a murder plot was uncovered. Seems Amritakala of the House Bhar was plotting to kill Shanibhangar of House Pala. It was unknown WHY she wanted to kill him as she would gain no titles or lands for doing so.

“Oh, how the Great House of Pala has fallen on hard times,” proclaimed the Empress. “Tell her to stop,” she told the agent of the Spymaster.

“All these people plotting or scheming,” added the Empress with a sigh. “What horrible times we live in.”

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Seventy : Mongols Vs. Muslims

This chapter opened in early May, of the year 939 AD, with news from the Mongol Empire.

Seems a Severian, of the name Svetozar, had been imprisoned by Khagan Yokhunan. But why had he been imprisoned?

Because his Liege, the Chieftess Pribislava “The Flower” of Bryansk who was of the same House of Seversky as he was, was part of a group of Rulers fighting off the Mongol Invasion of Khazaria.

The defender of this war was, in fact, Khagan Tuzniq II “The Tyrant” of Menumarotid. Which meant the invasion was somewhat misnamed. Interesting enough he was Sunni and not a worshipper of the Sky like many Horse Lords. Just another example of how Religions was destroying the Horse Lords from within?

All evidence suggested that the Alliance was winning against the Mongol Empire.

“Well,” remarked the Empress as she glazed onto the Wall Map. “As long as the Mongols are occupied I’m happy.”

She did a double take and added, “Is Poland is growing?”

 

[Midnite Duke]

The board is not a place for the little man as big powers rule from the sun rise to the sun set. Poland has to get big or go home. Thank you for the update.

 

[Bullfilter]

She did a double take and added, “Is Poland is growing?”

Always a good thing.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Seventy-One : Viking Funeral

This chapter opens in late May, of the year 939 AD, and Basilissa Eulalia “The Unfaithful” had received news that she had inherited the Kingdom of Kham from the Despot Mew “The Whisperer”

This of course meant only one thing.

He was dead! And the Empress mourned his death for, even when he had a low opinion of his Liege, he had been a hard worker and loyal. He crushed a revolt and even expanded the Empire. And he had been a great Spymaster.

His son, the new Doux Hrodgar of Qamdo, had gained all his father’s titles but for the Kingdom of Kham. Which he wanted. And, yes, he disliked the Empress. Even though he was a future in-law.

She tried to marry the widow, Ioulia Dysnomia, to somebody else.

But all of men the Empress picked were turned down.

Maybe because Ioulia was still breastfeeding her ex-husband’s daughter? So the Empress decided to leave the widow alone. For now.

Also, she had something more important to do. She had to pick her new Spymaster. The most skilled person on the list of available spymasters also hated her. But she decided to pick the Count of Kotivarsa.

And sent him to the Capital to scheme and search for plots. But he still hated her. Which was a bad thing. Having a Spymaster who hated you meant having a Spymaster who would HELP plotters against you.

So she sent him a large purse of gold coins. And it helped. But he still hated her. She would have to work on their relationship and keep an eye on him at the same times.

Then there was the NEW Doux who also hated her. Funny enough he didn’t like the way she passed out the Viceroyalties. And saw her as a Foreigner. Blah!

Of course when she handed him the Kingdom of Kham his opinion of her increased greatly. The little hypocrite.

“Well, Mew will be missed,” said the Empress. “He served the Dynasty and the Empire well.”

And so we close this chapter with the passing of Mew.

 

[Bullfilter]

Mew went a bit early - still a natural death, not ‘suspicious circumstances’ like it often is with spymasters? Looks like the new one may also need a land grant at some point. Effective but still a bit unhappy is not good.

 

[roverS3]

Mew was quite the character, one of the more active vassals, but in a good, or at leas neutral, way for once. The Empress' world-renown empathy was of course on full display as she tries to marry off his widow before the body is even buried. I'm sure he would have expected nothing less, maybe why Mew didn't like his liege so much...

 

[Midnite Duke]

Was Despot Mew any relation to the great Lord Meow-Meow? Maybe reincarnation. Thank you for the update.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Seventy-Two : Just A Bunch Of Stuff, You Know?

This chapter opens in early June, of the year 939 AD, with the Empress noticing that there were symbols on the Wall Map that showed combat.

Seems Vishwarupsen “The Tenacious” had started a Bangala Varman Revolt to increase the Duchy Council’s Power. Which, of course, Doux Vigrahapala of Bangala Varman Raj was trying to crush.

Then, in July, it was rumored that Shifang of the House of Jau was trying to Abstain of the Excesses of the Flesh. Which was weird. As he had just knocked up his wife.

Also, didn’t Rulers WANT lots of kids?

“What’s the fun of having power if you don’t abuse it?” exclaimed the Empress as she heard of Shifang trying to abstain from sex. “Surely the Romans made it clear that power was MEANT to be abused? Why else do we like to gather so much of it! Drink, eat, have babies, kill our enemies! That’s why we WANT power. What a stupid boy.”

A few days later Orestes “The Sleepy” of the House Dysnomia died from Cancer.

“Too bad,” said the Empress on hearing the news. “And he didn’t even produce much in the way of children. Worthless.”

Still, maybe he had no been as worthless as the Empress had thought. For a Non-Aggression between Sonpal Ayudha and Vasudeva Visvarupa had been dissolved. Maybe his death had broken it?

More importantly the Empress was notified that the Truce between her and the Duke of Kalinga was about to run out soon.

She grinned. It was a grin that scared many of her Courtiers.

It meant she could continue to try to absorb Kalinga in a more direct method if she could not do so with peaceful means. Still, the sword would only come out if she really needed to use it.

Of course war with the Duke would only work as long as the Chinese, or maybe we should say Mongols, stayed out of her business. But they seemed a lazy bunch when it came to defending their Tribute States. It helped that the Duke didn’t seem to like his Chinese/Mongols Masters.

 

[Midnite Duke]

I wish that the ending of n/a agreements had better info on why. Poor Kalinga! Thank you for updating

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Nine Hundred-Seventy-Three : The Kinky Khaaaaaaaan!

This chapter opens in early August, in the year 939 AD, with the Empress getting some interesting news handed to her from agents within the Mongols Empire.

Seems the Khagan had released a woman, a Catholic woman, from his dungeons. A woman who was one of his Concubines.

Seems she had been put in his dungeons due to being a adulteress. And maybe a infidel?

Of course she hated him right back. Not only did he smell but it seems she had been kidnapped and forced to become his Concubine. And while in his dungeons the Great Khan had humiliated her. She was also scarred and missing a leg. Because of her visit to his dungeons? Or because she was a warrior and enjoyed the humming of slashing swords and the clashing of shields?

Was the Khagan into female warriors with scars?

It seems he had also failed to fed her too as she was skin and bones. But at least she had a pet rat.

Sarikel Catn hated him so much the Empress was surprised the Concubine had been released from the dungeons.

“He must have balls of iron to sleep with her,” murmured the Empress. “Or he is stupid. I bet the latter. Everyone is stupid but me.”