Post II
The King’s Maturity [1073 -> 1080]
Last entry we left Scotland in a weakened state: a child monarch, Argyll having succeeded and general vassal disloyalty. We also had an Aragonese army marching around England, confusingly. They soon head home, presumably after seeing there was no more bible-bashing fun to be had – or possibly they heard about the latest tax hike for alcohol?
The King may be young, but that is no excuse for inaction. The Sheikdom of Fife is soon demolished, only for the Count of Fife (Duncan, the uncle of King Duncan) to establish itself. The heathen invasion has had the side-effect of eviscerating my demesne, presumably as heathen provinces are taken on a ‘first come, first serve’ rather than reverting to the legal controller.
I take this opportunity to experiment with some of the vassal controls. Fife and Strathclyde I attempt to reclaim via the ‘revoke title’ diplomatic option – something that leads, unsurprisingly, to a pair of refusals. I can’t say that I blame them, but my finances are deeply precarious as a result of the lack of peasants to tax into the ground. The ‘Mobilise’ option seems to be poorly regarded by my supposedly loyal vassals as well. At this point I cut Scrutage, at the suggestion of Snugglie, in order to win the loyalty of my vassals back.
To my surprise, I am no longer at war with Argyll. Possibly Mar was the alliance leader in the war, and the peace treaty applied to both? My alliance with Aragon seems also to be over, but I suspect that I am safer without any Iberian craziness hampering me. I am finding the way information is presented in CK to be definitely sub-par when compared with EU3. I examine the options, and note that while I have no title claim on Argyll, I do on Mar – and Mar is allied with Argyll. I plan for war with good ol’ Martachus and plan to drag Argyll into it, like the second carriage in a train derailment. Though possibly that simile is more appropriate to my ruling style.
This unexpected outbreak of peace gives me some time to think, and I respond by assigning my five courtly positions to the characters with the best stats. The lack of a regency council is probably for the best, as I don’t know how that works in CK but it was rarely good news historically. Young King Duncan will just have to eat his wheatabix and grow up sharpish!
I cast a nervous look south – William the Conquerer could probably roll over me like a NASCAR driver on crack right now – and see that England has just concluded a war with France and Brittany. Looks like the Normans are giving the frogs a right good kicking.
I keep receiving – and declining – various offers of alliance from the Irish Kingdoms. Not that I don’t feel the whole Celtic brotherhood thing, but I’m struggling just to handle my own kingdom and don’t fancy getting involved in affairs in Ireland. Aragon have proved conclusively that alliances can be dangerous things. Also that heathens are more proactive than previously anticipated...
In 1074, four years after the peace and the accession of Duncan, I mass my armies (such as they are) on the border with Mar. I have kept my men standing since the last war and also have directly summoned troops from Buchan and Angus. I am sure they are deeply thankful to me for taking all those dangerous and expensive to feed men away from their homes. Lothian, incidentally, has had the ‘in revolt’ modifier since the Muslim invasion, and I suspect it is partially due to the province regiment being away.
Edgar, my trusty Marshall, had taken a nasty wound during the Cleansing of Fife (a good name for a metal band), and was no longer my trusty Marshall. Possibly only having 3 intact ribs makes armour a bit of a chore. I’m forced to assign some relative nonce (Martial 5) to the post for the moment, and Edgar gets made chancellor. I send him some flowers along with his staggeringly vast workload.
I am poised to begin the war in July 1074. However the game states that due to the truce still being in effect I would take a 100 prestige hit. I calculate the dates (using the AAR thread, helpfully) and postpone the invasion until January 1075 – five years after the last war ended. To my consternation it still gives the same message even then, cueing a Google search that reveals that CK truces last until one of the signatories dies. Which is just no fun at all.
It would be nice to think that the angry man was King Duncan, but since he is still working his way through Church School it is probably his headmaster at parents evening. Argyll choose not to get involved, which removes that interesting option but at least keeps things clean. The troops have luckily taken no attrition, while cooling their heels in Angus, and steam across the border, smashing the Mar forces. I would call the forces of Mar ‘Marian’ but that would imply the Roman Legions which would be deeply unfortunate for my rabble.
The battle takes a fairly standard Paradox route. I win, they rout. They charge back across the border. I win. They rout. They charge back across the border. I win. They rout. This time they stay routed, and my troops settle down for the siege. In the meantime, Edgar gets a couple of identical events related to his illness: the miracle worker.
The first time I chose to pay, despite Edgar not actually having enough money to pay, with the unsurprising result that nothing happened. The second time Edgar put his trust in God – and then died. I guess he can complain to God in person? Jokes aside, my cabinet is changing more often than Gordon Browns, and I institute a sixteen year old girl as my new chancellor. Glad I’m not doing a roleplaying AAR, would be tough explaining that one away... She may not be as interesting as poor Edgar, but she is easier on the eyes.
Annoyingly I’ve been unable to appoint a Diocese Bishop – I understand that only men may have it, but none of them have the button be clickable. Regardless, the siege finishes after thirteen months of the little catapult animation, and my realm comes one step closer to being as good as it was before I started playing. Notice that I have 666 men left – ominous signs aside (especially since apparently God has banned me from having a Bishop) this shows how disastrous even a short and one-sided campaign was for my army.
The eagle-eyed may have spotted that our glorious King has matured, instantly sprouting a full beard at sixteen. Apparently we breed ‘em hearty up here in the north. He went through the Church education, and came out with a four-star rating (Master Theologian). His stats are very respectable as well, and he gained Valorous at the end of the last entry. Admittedly he also gained cruel, but that just means they will debate him all the more intensely in the schools of the future.
The war with Mar ends with him ceding the two titles (Duke and Count of Mar) and giving me 64 gold. The Iroquois AAR over in the EU3 forum taught me to always go for their purses if you can. After adding Mar to my demesne my reputation is ‘Slightly Tarnished’, which is not so bad. My finances are not that healthy however, and I am not planning on invading Argyll any moment soon. Additionally I still have the ‘In Revolt’ modifier in Lothian and two of the regiments (the largest ones, distressingly) are from my vassals, so I disband the army.
Now that King Duncan is of age, the most important thing to do is get him married. One of the main improvements in the Deus Ex expansion, as I understand it, is the ledger. Since I don’t own the expansion, I am forced to go wandering through Europe looking for a suitable bride. Maddeningly few women in Western Europe fulfilled my criteria:
1) Young e.g. in their twenties or under.
2) From the court of a Duke or King. No counts daughter for my King!
3) Not have any unsuitable traits (e.g. leprosy, is a furry, or chaste).
I find two possible candidates.
Jimena de Lara, from the court of the Duke of Asturas, is the victor – due largely to being younger, and thus fertile for longer. I’m not very big on female empowerment in this game, as it transpires. I also opt not to pay the Royal Marriage Aid Duty due to my distressing lack of funds, taking a minor prestige hit. The new Queen of Scotland isn’t much of a looker, but her stats are quite respectable – and she is Arbitrary and Proud, everything we expect from a Queen.
By early 1076, I am sniffing at Argyll. I do not have a claim at current, so cannot declare war out of hand. Although I own part of the Argyll Duchy, I cannot usurp the title.
This peace gives me a chance to re-organise my treasury. My population was getting aggrieved at the high taxes of the war years, so I slashed income. The lowered scrutage has led to devotedly loyal vassals all around, though a couple attempts to induce Argyll to become a vassal voluntarily hasn’t worked well.
Queen Jimena finishes her education – and becomes a level three theologian (‘Skilled’?). My kingdom may be struggling somewhat, but it must surely be the most devotedly catholic country in the west with all this bible-loving in the royal household. The timing is quite nice, as almost immediately afterwards Count Duncan of Fife, uncle to King Duncan of Scotland (confusing) requests the hand of Orabilia. She is my seventeen year old chancellor, and reluctantly I allow the marriage, not sure if I would lose the services of her 9 diplomacy.
She leaves my court and in hindsight it was fairly obvious that I would lose her services. However I then realised that my Queen had diplomacy 10, due to her clerical training, and slotted her straight in.
Technology matters now rear their head again, as I discover Shortbows and, in middle 1077, Longbows. I change priority to Leather Armour afterwards.
In March 1077 I undertake the construction of a Royal Post in Lothian. This will increase the loyalty of my Burgers and Nobles, though slightly decreasing the money I make from the province. I also hope it will have an effect on the dirty revolters.
Good news follows in the winter of 1077: a child is expected for my royal couple. Four months later, the pope celebrates with a Call to Crusade. He was a bit late with the gift, but the thought was there. The big banner in top-right is the sign of a crusade being active, and alerts you that you will lose piety if you don’t go on it. However I do not lose any, due to the church contributions from my coffers and possibly my Kings clerical training. I could open the game and check but...
To illustrate how much more advanced than me the Muslims are, let’s have a look at the crusade target, Jerusalem.
No thanks.
Malcolm, the younger brother of King Duncan matures in July. He is pretty poor at everything except hitting things. However he is rather exceptional at killing, which is all that really matters to me, though he was injured when he was 15. I appoint him Marshall.
The child is born to Jimena and Duncan, and it is a girl called Isabel. Domestic bliss, but not the heir that would be ideal right now.
Malcolm (the Marshall) receives a visit from the ever-busy miracle worker. I opt for him to lose prestige, and am rather surprised when he is actually healed as a result. In other good news, another royal child is announced to be on the way in the winter of 1078. More prosaically, the Royal Post is completed in Lothian, and I continue saving up for the next improvement.
The new year comes, bringing with it a new technology: Divine Rights, giving more Noble Loyalty. I change focus so as to spread out my loyalty bonuses. I don’t know entirely why the map changes colour in the technology screen, especially as different technologies change the colouring.
Young Malcolm receives a rather interesting event in May of 1079, that of spotting a great stag. I choose the top option, as being an energetic youth he doesn’t seem the type to go in for sparing lives.
Shortly afterwards one of my courtiers asks to be allowed to retire. He didn’t seem very useful, and had managed to reach a ripe old age (unlike anyone I directly control) so I allow the request.
In July we get possibly the best and most fantastic news possible. Truly, words cannot describe how pleased I am that Norway has become the papal controller – not that I had any intention of invading and claiming for myself their domains in northern Scotland - no, no. Honest.
There was better news the month afterwards however, with the birth of a male child for Duncan and Jimena: Uchtred Dunkeld.
The good news continued to pile up with the maturity of Donald, youngest brother of King Duncan. He is rather amazingly skilled at war, and is destined to bring darkness over the eyes of his enemies and leave them clawing at the dirt. Malcolm gets replaced as Marshall, but can seek solace in the fact that I am eyeing up the province of Moray for his future fiefdom.
The revolt in Lothian
finally comes to a head at this point, with the choice being to either lose some prestige or to let it continue with some judicious hangings. I opted for leniency, partially out of a strong sense of duty to the lower classes, but mostly because I was tired of seeing that symbol.
I was rewarded afterwards by a boom in the economy of Lothian. I also began the construction of a road in Lothian, since I noticed that the Duke of Galloway has started on a road in Strathclyde and it would be a helpful highway to the trouble-makers in Argyll.
Wow, that was rather a mammoth post (for about 3 hours of gameplay) but I am rather positive about the future: Duncan has a very capable set of followers to call on now, and my vassals are loyal enough to be well up for a fight I reckon. Argyll may soon find his reckoning is swift and terrible.
As a question to the forum-goers, can I demand he become my vassal in a peace deal? I couldn’t see an option for it in the other wars so far, but wasn’t entirely sure how the peace-screen worked in CK.
Though I have never actually finished a game of any Paradox title, I do enjoy them. I hope to have fun writing this, and give you enlightened ladies and gentlemen pleasure as well. However if I do not update for a few days, fear not – as I am likely busy painting my Roman models for my Fields of Glory army. 
