Road of Queens - CKII India AAR

[Bullfilter]

I counted four or five wine bottles in that episode. I might have missed one or two.

At this rate she is going to become very "well-preserved" as it were.

Agree. Good thing for her the nicknames don’t change once assigned, or “the Wise” might become “the Wino”!

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Two Hundred-Fifteen : The Queen Is Dead. Long Live The Queen!

Death Comes For Us All​

We open this chapter on the 3rd of May, in the year 850 AD, as Queen Arminestra II dies from severe stress and leaves Queen Eupraxia to deal with the mourning people and the angry Royal Family members who all think THEY should be wearing the three crowns.

Queen Eupraxia's Heir, due to the fact she had no children yet, was Ariminestra Dysnomia, a child who had been growing up in the Palace without a father or mother. From what Queen Eupraxia had been told the kid's father had died and the mother had just gone home and left the little one behind.

The Old Queen had taken pity for the young thing and tried to do her best for it. Queen Eupraxia decided that she too would help the little girl as best she could and treat Arminestra as a human and not a political tool.

With her new title as Queen she received the Three Royal Treasures. A crappy sword, a piece of Ming Calligraphy that nobody could read, and a tongue in a box. She wondered if somebody was pulling her leg.

Still, she had things to do. Many of the Councilors had left their positions and now she had one too many Duchy Titles. And she had to do her best to stabilize her Rule before all those pretenders tried to do something foolish.

She gave her old Duchy to the Countess Theodosia of Xainza, an old friend of the Old Queen, who seemed to have good opinion of the new Queen. Of course now she wanted a position on the Council and the new Queen wasn’t against putting the old woman on the Council sooner or later. But right now she wanted to make sure the new Councilors were balanced between loyalty and skill.

Doux Wiryasini “The Wise” had stayed as Sakellarios and, in fact, was still the Court Physician. TheUpadhyaya Bhikkhu Valerios of Hajo had also stayed as he was too devoted to the Faith to give up his Councilor seat.

So the three empty seats of the Magistros, the Protostrator and the Spy Master (or Mystikos) needed to be filled.

For the Magistros the Queen selected the Commander Fortun “The Wise” who, funny enough, seemed to be better at talking with people than stabbing them. In fact he was stationed at the Palace to start improving relations - she would need it his cheerful demeanor and witty tales.

The Protostrator position was given to Isaias Prabhavatiguptid, a relatively young but skilled military man, who was kept in the Capital to organize the military.

Then Princess Dionuysia, who had no lands or titles, and seemed to like the new Queen slightly was made the Spay Master and sent to the Kingdom of Pala’s Capital-County of Laksmanavati to study technology. Surely the Queen's Father-In-Law would not have an issue with that? And if he did she would have one less relative to worry about.

She also replaced the Duchess of Bhutan, who hated the new Queen’s guts, with Doux Wiryasini as the new Designated Regent. Seemed slightly safer to have her loyal Doctor in the position than the person who liked to burn people at the stake.

She then had the new Council pass the Late Feudal Administration Law. She KNEW nobody would like it but she wanted to make sure any infighting between Vassals could be stopped.

On top of the fact that there were two Factions left over from her Mother’s reign the Despot, her husband, was also upset with her.

You see, he had been in her last Council and when they had to move to the Capital, for her to become Queen, he had been removed from his position. Of COURSE, that Council had dissolved due to it no longer being needed but he had still taken it hard. So he was mad with her.

After dealing with the Council the Queen looked over her Religious Vassals. All of them seemed to like her but for the Doux of Para-Lauhitya but she had always known about that Duchy and its problems. No surprises there.

Then she moved onto the list of all her Vassals and was slightly surprised on how many of them liked her.

Of course a lot of them did not like her and some of those were VERY powerful Vassals. She decided to start off with some gifts. Her mother had left her over 1,100 gold coins in the coffers so she may as well use some of them.

She sent the Count Petros, also known as that Christian Punk, a gift of about 50 gold and then stopped herself. No, no, she was doing this all wrong. She needed to worry about the MOST powerful Vassals that disliked her. Not EVERY little Count OR Mayor.

So she looked over the list of Vassals and picked the four most powerful who had issues with her.

The two of the biggest Vassals with the biggest hurt feelings were the Doge Himerios of Lhasa and the Duchess of Bhutan.

Gifts of money worked somewhat with the Doge but barely seemed to move the Duchess. She was REALLY mad about the whole being-passed-over-for-another-sister thing. Maybe if she had not cheated or burned all those people at the stake.

The next two people on the list was her stepfather Doux Herakleios of Nyingchi and the Duchess Eustathia of Qamdo.

The gifts of money seemed to work better with them. OR at least they were now positive about the Queen in public.

The Queen then looked over the information she had on the current Heir. The girl was brave and seemed smart. Queen Eupraxia hoped nobody tried to kill the poor thing for just being the next in line.

So we close the chapter with the death of the old Queen and the new one trying her best to keep things together.

 

[stnylan]

Died of severe stress ... after the alcohol ran out.

Sounds like the new Queen is settlinv in quite quickly

 

[Bullfilter]

Vale Arminestra the Wise Wino! Despite a few faults, a successful rein that advanced the realm greatly. The new Queen looks competent enough and is young. She could well rein for another 40 years. Let’s hope she doesn’t pick up any particularly bad habits, traits or murderous rivals!

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Two Hundred-Sixteen : Too Many Factions

"Back My Faction And I Will Give You This Slightly Used Concubine!"​

We open this chapter in May, of the year 850 AD, where we will stop time, for a moment, to look over the new Queen of Kamarupa of the House of Dysnomia. Eupraxia was a 17 year old Greek woman, of the Kshattriya caste of warriors and queens, who was a follower of Buddha, of the Theravada Branch which was known for its focus on learning, and had been educated to be a Charismatic Negotiator.

The Queen was a sickly, somewhat stubborn, woman which made it unlucky she would ever command armies or control a siege. On the other hand she was shrewd, ambitious, kind, and diligent which were all good traits for a Queen to command a nation.

Before becoming Queen she had been spending much of her time and effort trying to govern well AND trying to get a position on her mother's Council. Now she would have to pick a new ambition.

She had a couple of claims, neither of which she planned to go for, and had inherited her mother's treasury items. She had also inherited the old Queen's peace treaty with China - which was still good till around 883 AD.

On paper everything looked good. In real life much of the Royal Family wanted the throne or one of the thrones. So let us restart time and get back to the story.

The Queen, after the rush of giving gifts and examining the opinions of her Vassals, pondered her next steps carefully. Strengthening her position among the Buddhists seemed like a good idea. So she joined the Savaka-Sangha.

Then her first act to help impress them was to give a 100 gold coins to charity.

A few days later she announced to her Council that the focus of the Realm was to have five years of peace to allow it to prosper. And allow time so she can get everybody to settle down.

A few days later the NEW Duchess of Naghu had her Council pass the Late Feudal Administration Law. While the Duchess wanted a seat on the Council she was still very loyal and very tough. The Queen did not see her causing the Kingdom any problems. She hoped.

The Queen took some time to examine the Royal Laws of the Kingdom of Pala. Agnatic Gavelkind. The Queen sighed. It meant only men could inherit AND that all the titles were spread out to the male sons of the King. Her husband would get the Kingdom of Pala but somebody else would get the Kingdom of Bihar.

That meant her husband would have to fight a war just to unite the two Kingdoms. And that also meant that she would have to have a son to inherit her titles if she wanted all the Kingdoms to be under a future Ruler.

She knew a LOT of the female members of her Family would not be happy about THAT! She put that thought aside and went back to work.

She ordered the building of a Militia Training Ground in the Castle of Pundravardhand and a Castle Town at the Castle of Goalpara.

On the 12th of May Prince Eusebios started a Faction to make himself King of U-Tsang. The Queen was not impressed. In order for that to work he needed people to back him up. And as most of the powerful Nobles were ALL trying to claim the crowns for themselves WHY would any of them help each other?

"It was as if you had decided to jump onto a table in the middle of a local wine shop and told the local crowd that THEY now had the honor of paying for your drinks," said the Magistro with a grin as he rubbed his eye-patch. "Who would be first to buy you a drink? None of them."

Later that month the accountants cheerfully showed her the yearly balance. Of course it was just a projection of what the Kingdom COULD take in but it was still pleasing to see.

That same day the Magistros Fortun brought her news of a tradition in the holding of Bikrampur. It seemed many peasants from different villages had organized a meet up where people could drink, dance, and find spouses. He strongly suggested she help promote the tradition as it would help the local culture AND attract more people to the area.

The Queen agreed and gave over 88 gold coins to help support it.

On the 24th of May Princess Anastasia founded her own Faction to become the Ruler of U-Tsang. A few days later Princess Eustathia founded the Faction to make herself the Ruler of Kham.

The Queen wondered how Prince Eusebios felt about Princess Anastasia's claim on U-Tsang?

Around the same time the Queen heard a rumor that the Duchess Theodosia of Nagchu REALLY wanted to be on the Queen's Council. Sadly, she was not fit for any of the seats that ALLOWED female Councilors.

In June Princess Anastasia joined the Gavelkind Succession in Kham. No doubt she wanted some titles from that Kingdom too! Which would not likely please Princess Eustathia who wanted Kham for herself!

"This is like watching a herd of sheep all trying to use a small gate at the same time," remarked Magistros Fortun to the Queen. "They're getting into each others' way."

 

[stnylan]

Hehe, the new Queen has some of the same issues as the Old One.

 

[Bullfilter]

Hope the weak constitution doesn’t unduly shorten her reign. If she gets established she will be just as strong as her mother - though probably just as stressed as well.

 

[JabberJock14]

So their fears were realized - the Queen's time was coming to a close. And she did not even make it to 58, sadly.

And yet, I too noticed that weak disposition - I would be surprised if she lived as long as her mother did.

Also, could we really see the end of the Road of Queens if she decides she wants both Pala (and possibly more) to be unified under their rule? Though be careful - I've found when children inherit other titles before yours, they overwrite the succession law you have when they inherit your lands. So if you did decide on a son, and he ended up inheriting Pala before your kingdom, you could end up with Agnatic Gavelkind. (Though again, I would be somewhat surprised if the new queen outlived her husband given her weak trait).

 

[Eurasia]

Though be careful - I've found when children inherit other titles before yours, they overwrite the succession law you have when they inherit your lands. So if you did decide on a son, and he ended up inheriting Pala before your kingdom, you could end up with Agnatic Gavelkind. (Though again, I would be somewhat surprised if the new queen outlived her husband given her weak trait).

Well, I could always change the succession laws later AND as a Buddhist I can still pick my heirs. I hope. I did not say it would be easy. This is a very long term plan - three generations long - but luckily I have a lot of choices to fix things that go wrong.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Two Hundred-Seventeen : Rebellion!

A Stone Face Believed To Be Of The Duchess Eustathia Of Qamdo(1)​

We open this chapter in the month of June, in the year 850 AD, with the Queen finding out, from a report composed by her Spy Master, that the Duchess Anastasia was seeking to fabricate a claim on the County of Bumthang. Again.

"I remember she tried that during my mother's reign," remarked the Queen. "She got as far as starting a war before my mother noticed and told her to knock it off."

"Yes oh Great Queen," said the Magistros. "I fear she is a stubborn woman and will refuse abandoning her plot."

"Wait a second," said the Queen looking at the report again. "This is dated the 9th of June. Why was it so late in getting to me?"

"Well, to be honest my Queen," said the Magistros, rubbing one eye in embarrassment, "There are so many plots and factions that they are getting hard to keep track off. Also, to be fair, the Spy Master Princess Dionysia had to send it from Laksmanavati after compiling the information."

"Oh, right. So what do we do about this?" said the Queen. "I don't want her getting even more powerful than she already is."

"Well," said the Magistros as he handed the Queen another piece of paper. "She has a backer in her scheme. The Duchess Eustathia of Qamdo. Now, we can ask her to back down and if she refuses we can arrest her."

"Why would she NOT back down?" asked the Queen confused. "She likes me."

"Well," said the Magistro, this time looking awkward, "sometimes greed and power can overcome friendship and common sense. Our agents within her court tell us she may refuse to back out of the plot."

"We should give her chance," stated the Queen. "Send her a official request to stop backing the fabrication claim."

"At once your Queen," replied the Magistros.

In July it was reported that the Duchess Theodosia of Nagchu was plotting to kill Count Pelagios.

"Ask her, and whoever backs her, to stop," stated the Queen. "He is a member of the Royal Family, bastard or not."

Around the same time Prince Himerios announced himself as willing to be King of U-Tsang. That made three members of the Royal Family trying to start a movement to be put on the throne of the kingdom of U-Tsang.

"More sheep getting into the gate," was all her Magistros said on the matter. The Queen chuckled.

By the 9th of July it was clear that the Princess Eustathia had NOT stopped backing Anastasia's plot against the Count of Bumthang.

"Should I arrest her my Queen?" asked the Protostrator Isaias Prabhavatiguptid giving the Queen a somewhat devilish grin.

"No," answered the Queen as she ignored his grin. "I will give her one more chance. Magistros Fortun, would you please send her one last request to back out of the plot."

Fortun "The Wise" gave a nod and said, "Yes, my Queen."

Later that month she received a report that the Castle of Nalrajar Garh had finished the new Training Grounds. This adding more Archers and Light Infantry to her levies. She would need them.

By the end of the month the Protostrator, with an escort of Royal Guards, was sent to the County of Banbar to arrest the Princess Eustathia. She had failed to respond to the second request to back out of the plot.

The Council warned the Queen that there was a high chance that the Duchess would try to escape or even start a rebellion. It turned out the Council was right and the Duchess started her own revolt against her rightful Queen. She was now a traitor to the Queen and the Kingdom.

"Fine," said the Queen. "We tried it my way. Now we will try it HER way."

She stood up and said, "Assemble the levies. The Duchess wants war. So we will give her WAR!"

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Author's End Notes:

1. As the Duchess Eustathia went down in history as a traitor there are few pieces of artwork that survived that show her imagery.

 

[stnylan]

Ahh war, a good traditional pursuit of the royal house.

 

[Bullfilter]

Indeed, time to put a bit of stick about and reinforce royal authority early in the reign. Hope Eustathia isn’t joined by too many fellow travellers.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Two Hundred-Eighteen : Swords Are Crossed

A Historical Marker At The Battle Of the Three "Friends"(1)​

We open this chapter in August, in the year 850 AD, with the Queen having to pick a new ambition for the Kingdom. She was not happy with the need to pick a new goal so quickly after the last one.

"This is embarrassing," grumbled the Queen. "We could not even last a year at peace before we went to war."

"Yes, my Queen," said the Magistros. "Not your fault but you do need to decide on what to do now."

"Groom an Heir I guess," remarked the Queen with a sigh. "Yes. Tell the Council I will work on having an Heir. If I can get my husband to even look at me"

"I am sure that, after the rebellion is crushed, you and your husband can work things out," commented the Magistros. "Now we also have news about the war."

"So early?" stated the Queen, looking surprised. "Surely our armies have barely started their journey to the rally point I selected in Medog?"

"Well, it seems that three enemy soldiers have appeared deep within our territory," said the Magistros showing the Queen a report. "We are not sure WHERE they came from as the Duchess has no holdings down there. But they seem to be trying to siege the local holdings."

"That's crazy!" exclaimed the Queen with a shaking of her head. "Well, they will not last long. They are in the way of one of our armies of levies."

The Queen handed the report back to the one-eyed Councilor. "Anything I should know or need to make a decision on?"

"No my Queen," responded the Magistros before leaving the throne room to leave the Queen with her thoughts.

A few days later he returned with a report on the Revolt.

"The Duchess is slightly ahead in the war," reported the Magistros. "As she holds her lands she is, kind of, winning."

"She will not be for long," grumbled the Queen. "Anything else?"

"Yes," said the Magistros, "the Doge of Lhasa has passed the Late Feudal Administration Law."

Later that month she got two reports. Prince Himerios had joined the Gavelkind Succession in Kamarupa Faction and then Bhikkhu Adrianos of Para-Lauhitya had FOUNDED the Increased Council Power in Kamarupa Faction.

"None of that makes sense," complained the Queen, "If Prince Himerios wants the thrones WHY split up the titles? And Adrianos isn't ON the Council!"

"I told you greed and power," said her Magistros. "Common sense has been tossed out the window."

Later the news from the first battle, the Battle of Tawang, was received. The enemy had been wiped out and the Queen's levies had continued north without even a rest break.

Shortly afterwards Prince Eusebios and Count Varzak both joined the Gavelkind Succession in Kamarupa Faction.

"I will have to do something about these movements after the war," grumbled the Queen to herself. "They are getting totally out of control."

She then was told of the death of Eustathia, who had died after eating something bad for her, and left two daughters of the Royal bloodline behind. More children in the Royal Court it seemed.

In September she got news that the Doux Herakleios, her stepfather, had founded a Gavelkind Succession in U-Tsang Faction.

"Even he plans to cause trouble, does he?" stated the Queen after reading the report. "How sad."

What she really wanted was news about the war. But the levies were marching north, through mountain passes and over barren landscapes, and it was slow going. Luckily there were no reports of any losses due to lack of food or water. There MAY be problems later when the smaller armies started to get together but that was for her to worry about when it happened.

Near the end of September the Duchess almost started a battle by marching south but decided not to when she realized she was outnumbered.

Shortly after that the Army of Prince Eusebios, with his flank Commanders Isaias and Symmachos, started north. He was MORE than happy to fight the enemy forces.

In October, while waiting for a battle to start, the Queen was told that Doux Herakleios had joined the Gavelkind Succession In The Kingdom Of Kham Faction.

The Magistro, on hearing the news, just said, "BAAAAAA!"

In November the Battle of Alamdo started as the Prince was able to engage the Duchess's forces. The traditional exchange of arrows was somewhat pitiful as there were not a lot of archers on the field.

But the Prince did have more than enough infantry and cavalry. The enemy's right flank in fact collapsed when Commander Symmachos charged into them with his mounted forces. It turned out the weakest and least skilled of the Queen's Commander was still more than a match for the enemy's right flank Commander.

Soon the enemy's center fell apart and the Duchess found herself the center of attention of the archers under the command of both the Prince and Commander Isaias.

At this point it was just a question of time before the enemy was forced to flee.

The next messenger did not bring a battle report but news from China. There was a change in Emperors as one died and a younger one took the Dragon Throne. Luckily the new Emperor Dong Xizong was of the same Dynasty and, therefore, the Peace Treaty was still valid.

In December the Battle of Alamdo had come to an end after a massive cavalry charge against the fleeing enemy forces.

The Prince reported he had only lost 13 men while the Duchess had lost 197 soldiers and was last seen fleeing into the territory of the Xia Revolt.

"And that was only a small part of our military forces," stated the Queen to her Royal Court. "It will take some time but we will win this war."

"Let us hope we win it soon," whispered the Magistros as he stood next to her throne. "Before one of the Factions becomes too powerful for us to handle."

So we close this chapter with two victories and a Duchess in retreat. Yet the threat of the Factions still hung over the Queen's head like a sword.

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Author's End Notes:

1. A memorial marker was first placed there by the three families of the three soldiers who answered the call to assemble and were wiped out. It is said the three soldiers had become good friend from all the training they had done together and that their bodies had been found together as if they had tried to protect each other. The original marker has been replaced many times over the centuries by the local township and has become a tourist attention over the centuries.

 

[stnylan]

There are a lot of factions now - far more so than traditional.

 

[Bullfilter]

It appears the early reign is encouraging the pesky factions - a few are actually attracting supporters. Perhaps not surprising - they all see their chance after the passing of such a powerful and long-reigning monarch.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Two Hundred-Nineteen : Taking The "Castles"

The Queen's Justice​

We open this chapter in December, of the year 850 AD, and the Queen was being told of the Siege of the Fortress of Banbar. Or the wooden stockade. It was hard to tell from the descriptions.

While the Battle of Alamdo had been waged a second Army, under Comander Pusyamitra, with his flanking Commanders Varshasb and Eustathios, had marched past and entered the County of Banbar. Even while they slowly tried to break the defender's wooden walls the Army of Prince Eusebios was marching to do the same to the County of Qamdo.

In fact the Queen was notified, in January, of 851 AD, that they had started to lay siege to the Castle of Qamdo. Another pitiful wooden fort. Or stockade. Or whatever it was.

Now both counties of the Duchess was under siege.

In the middle of February the Count Petros of Kunggar had his Council pass the Religious Control Mandate Law. The Queen sighed. He was going to use the fact that many of his own vassals were Buddhist AGAINST them.

"Somebody is going to kill him and I am not sure I should stop them," the Queen murmured to herself and now understood why her mother decided to drink.

"Doubtful," said the Magistros who had good ears. "He isn't a good warrior or good at math but he knows the way of the shadow. I doubt anybody is going to kill him with poisoned wine or hidden dagger."

Shortly after that there was news from China. It seems that the young Khan Sircan II of Xia had peacefully agreed to be a Tributary state of the Middle of Kingdom.

The Queen doubted this would help the boy with his wars. In fact she doubted China would do anything to help anybody outside of China.

The Queen was then asked to join her fellow Society members in a nearby monastery. They spent the day performing chores, such as mopping the floors, cleaning the windows, and helping cook the meals.

Afterwards the Abbot gathered the members and showed off the great treasure of the monastery. The Queen, who was not impressed by what many people called "treasures" or "relics", said something nice about it and went home.

By the time she got home she was greeted by the news that the Count Petros had taken the City of Drakchi for himself.

"Wasn't he forced to give back all the titles he took last time?" asked the Queen. "Didn't his vassals and Councilors point out how he SHOULD NOT do that?"

"Yes my Queen," answered the Magistros. "He is not the brightest star in the night sky."

In March the Savaka-Sangha asked if she could be willing to hand over some money and the Queen agreed to give them the funding they needed after the war.

The Magistros approached her a few days later with a report. As he handed it to her he said, "The blind and insane Count Yase of Mainling is trying to generate a claim on the Duchy of Nyingchi. Again."

The Queen opened the report and clicked her tongue. "Well, at least he has not started a faction."

In the middle of March the Queen was told that the Count Petros had taken the Bishopric of Dambuk.

"By Buddha," stated the Queen as she tossed the report onto the floor. "Will somebody explain to him the RULES of how the Feudal System works?!?"

That same day she finally got a report from the Siege of Banbar. The Commanders had finally taken the fort having lost 243 soldiers. Commander Pusyamitra reported that they had wiped out the 311 defenders and had captured ALL five of the Duchess's children!

They would be sent to the Queen's Palace via fast horses and escorted by loyal cavalry officers. Nobody would be allowed to harm them OR rescue them.

The Queen, now impatient, ordered the Prince to speed up his own siege of Qamdo. He ordered his army, made up of only levies (as the Retinue was in the County of Banbar), to storm the enemy defenses.

It hurt. They lost 845 soldiers while killing only 606 defenders. It seems that wooden walls were just as dangerous as stone walls if you rushed them.

But it also meant, that as we close this chapter, the Duchess would be returning to occupied counties and empty castles.

 

[stnylan]

A victory is a victory though.

I guess the real question is will she become a drunkard like her mother ... or turn to other methods of stress relief.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter Two Hundred-Twenty : The Rebellion Ends

Medieval Light Cavalry​

We open this chapter in April, of the year 851 AD, with the Queen receiving a report that Count Pertros had revoked another Bishopric.

The Queen sighed. "Does he not know what karma means?" She handed the report back to the Magistros and added, "Does he not know karma is a woman with a very short temper and a large sword?"

Her Magistros just chuckled and left the throne room to file the report.

The next day the Queen asked for a run down on the latest factions. For some reason the list looked shorter than it should be.

"Have some of the movements disbanded?" she asked the scribe who brought her the list.

"Not that I know of oh Great Queen," said the scribe with a shake of his head. "Though it could have happened in all the fuss with the war and MAYBE gone unnoticed."

A few days later the Militia Training Ground in the Castle of Pundravardhana had been completed. This was good news for it meant that, even while in the middle of a war, the Kingdom's military was getting stronger.

In late April the Queen was given a report from Commander Eustathios. He had replaced Commander Pusyamitra when he arrived with more Light and Heavy Infantry. He and his army had left the County of Banbar when scouts reported the Duchess and her army had returned from across the border.

It seemed the Duchess was so worried about her family or her lands that she was rushing back blindly. She didn't even seem to notice or care about his own advancing army. In fact the Commander was pretty sure there was no way for her to escape battle at this point!

On the 27th of April the messenger's letter was pulled out his hands by a excited Queen who then became disappointed after she opened it. It was just the Count stealing another title from one of his poor vassals.

In May the Queen got the news she wanted. The Battle of Zaring had started with a exchange of arrows. The attacking Royal Army had over 300 Archers and they let loose with a fury.

The Duchess's left flank held up. The rest of her men collapses and fled when the arrows started to fall down among them.

About a week later the Town of Riwoche in Qamdo fell to the Prince Eusebios and his army. This siege had nice and slow and very traditional. He reported losing not a man while wiping out the defenders to the last man.

A few days later the Magistros brought her news that Prince Eusebiso was a VERY busy man as, even while on the battle field, he had joined the Gavelkind Succession in the Kingdom of the Kham Faction.

"I see," murmured the Queen. "Even while trying to keep the Kingdom together he plots to pull it apart."

Then the Queen got a love note from Commander Isaias. She was not interested and felt it very improper. She burned it to make sure nobody found it.

Finally she received news that the Duchess and her army had been defeated. The large numbers of Archers and Light Cavalry must have made a big difference for the Queen's soldiers had only lost 3 soldiers while the enemy had lost 113 soldiers.

The Queen decided it was time to ask the Duchess to stop her silly Rebellion. She sent a formal letter demanding the woman surrender.

The Duchess, her lands occupied, her army a shadow of its former glory, and all her children in the dungeon, decided it was a time to give in to the Queen's demands and agreed.

So the Revolt against the Queen ended and the costs for both sides were kind of high. The Queen's military lost 1,104 soldiers while the Rebellion lost 1,379. Many historians blame the Queen for ordering one of the sieges to be rushed. They also said she should have made sure her armies were properly balanced with the troop types they needed before the sieges.

So we close this chapter wondering if the Queen learned anything from this war and pondering what would happen to the Duchess and her five children?

 

[Bullfilter]

I like the Queen’s definition of karma! Also, it seems a number of those revocations by Petra’s are from members of the royal family (even if they may be somewhat distant). Does the Queen care much and is intervention a possibility? Or is she just letting it go and seeing if his vassals rebel? He seems particularly rapacious.

 

[Eurasia]

I like the Queen’s definition of karma! Also, it seems a number of those revocations by Petra’s are from members of the royal family (even if they may be somewhat distant). Does the Queen care much and is intervention a possibility? Or is she just letting it go and seeing if his vassals rebel? He seems particularly rapacious.

There was really nothing she could do about it - those were the Count's vassals and he had the law on his side. That just means there are extra landless members of the Royal Family floating about who can get married to form alliances or given titles and made into VERY loyal landowners.