That was spectacular. Rats to cannibalism to death for our hero and now we're stuck with Son-Toros who now at least has a better hat. Oy!
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After a worryingly competent start, and indeed middle, Artashes finally became truly a lord of Suenik by the end. While I'm sure he many have preferred to go out fighting while riding Horse-Toros, at least he got one last Good Man out before the end.
Man-Toros looks most promising, I look forward to seeing how he copes with the burdens that only Suenik can inflict.
Man-Toros looks most promising, I look forward to seeing how he copes with the burdens that only Suenik can inflict.
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Poor Toros has (as you'll see) inherited a real mess. For one, the epidemic shows no signs of slowing...
He's traded in his hat for a crown. It appeared that once he gave up his Barony he decided that more sensible headwear was in order.
As mentioned above, he has a lot of "burdens" to deal with. One thing I love about CK is taking over as a new ruler and then taking at look at all the heresies, plots and feuds that they have got themselves embroiled in...
Thanks for the feedback!
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Farewell King Artashes. A Good Man! And a better man than Suenik deserved. King Devious and Discontent now rules. Spite, intrigue and plague grips the kingdom. In other words, normal has been restored to Suenik. Thank you for updating.
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maybe they just need the nobility away, just saying
good man
"a devious and discontent soul" what can go wrong?
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good man
It seems that everyone grew quite fond of Artashes - I know I had a lot fun writing for him! It was a shame for him how he went out - I'm sure he'd have preferred to have fallen in battle - but he had a good innings. Longest reigning monarch so far.
Let's see if Toros can set any records...
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CHAPTER 42 - COUGH! HACK! ILLNESS NOISES!
SUENIK RELOADED
CHAPTER 42 - COUGH! HACK! ILLNESS NOISES!
(1241)
CHAPTER 42 - COUGH! HACK! ILLNESS NOISES!
(1241)
Hi everyone. I'm Prince Toro...sorry, KING Toros of Suenik.
I know I'm my Lord father's first born son and heir, but I really don't feel ready for this job.
For one, my home is currently the Duchy of Tao - a hot bed of restless nomads, tribal warlords and horses.
So many horses...
However, dealing with irate horse lords who are nominally Suenikian is something that is entirely within my wheelhouse.
I don't know if my father was losing it when he assigned me here, or if it was some kind of weird punishment - he was always so disappointed that I didn't want to join him on his deranged hunts for that mythical White Tiger - but I made the most of this Duchy, and I'm quite fond of it.
Or, to put it another way, I really don't want to have to drag my family all the way south to that plague ridden dump that we call a capital. It wasn't great when everyone there wasn't dying of consumption, and I have to say the thought of trying to avoid tripping over the dead and dying with every step doesn't exactly make my heart sing with joy.
Still, needs must.
On the way there, we encounter - and steer clear of - villages where the dead are being piled high and burnt on massive bonfires. I make a mental note that these poor souls need cheering up.
When I arrived in Syunik proper, it finally hits me just how popular my father was. People seem genuinely upset that he's gone, and a little bit of that rubs off on me...
...or, to put it another way, I see the perfect opportunity to curry favour with his supporters. Prior to the old fella popping his clogs, he started work on a massive necropolis. Yes, it was another stupid vanity project, and a colossal waste of resources, but it's partially finished. Therefore, if I hold a lavish and spectacular funeral for HIM, everyone will think better of ME!
Win, win, right?
Obviously, clearly more of a win for me, given that I'm not - you know - DEAD, and it's me that people are saying "Oooh. Isn't he such a dutiful son?" about.
Pops suitably buried, I wander into the castle, rubbing my hands together and eager to find out the lay of the land. I've got grand plans for Suenik, but I need to get to know people and I need an opportunity to make it clear that my style of leadership is going to be different from my father's. I'm not going to be spending my time gallivanting around the countryside chasing mythical beasts - instead, I'm going to be a grounded, decent ruler who people will sing about in years to come.
I'm also going to live an extremely comfortable life and make a stack of cash off the backs of my subjects, but that's just part and parcel of being king.
That being said, this place is horrible! There are pyres for the dead everywhere, the sky is basically obscured by smoke, and the smell of death clings to you like a needy lover. I've barely had time to watch the servants unpack everything when I start coughing up my lungs. Urgh. This miasma sticks in your throat like nothing I've known.
I tell my wife to go and fetch Vachgan - my father's trusted physician - but it turns out that he's died to the epidemic that is sweeping the countryside.
Great.
I believe that's what soothsayers call "an ill omen".
Not to be defeated by a minor setback like the one person in the castle with medical knowledge dying of the plague he's meant to be curing, I have word sent throughout the kingdom that a great reward will be offered to the wisest physician willing to serve the king.
I just hope he gets here soon as I feel about as alive as I'm sure my father feels resting in his necropolis.
Finally, a few lung-wracking weeks later, my prayers are answered and Vahag presents his credentials.
I hire him on the spot.
If he can get me back on my feet and ready to start this whole kingly business I'm willing to have him known as "Vahag the Saviour of Suenik".
Unfortunately, he is probably going to earn the moniker of Vahag the "Not very good at reading the room". You see, I've got a delicate disposition - most really smart people have this you know - and I like to be drip fed bad news. It gives me time to digest it, piece by piece, and formulate an appropriate response. Vahag, on the other hand, seems to believe that weapons-grade bad news is the way to go.
Before I can even berate him for this, he decides to put an epidemic-flavoured-cherry on top.
I try to raise my sickly voice to something more than a pathetic rattle, but Vahag assures me that he has everything in hand. All he needs to do is have me lie there and he'll take care of the rest.
I'm not convinced of the benefit of this treatment and I wheeze, in what I hope is a bitingly sarcastic tone, that I imagine he's trying to save time at the funeral by mummifying me now. Sadly, I don't hear his retort, as I'm overcome at that moment with a crippling fever, and sweeping chills.
Great.
At least that's some variety to go with the "body-spasming-coughing-fits".
I pass in an out of consciousness over the next few days, waking only to see Vahag standing near me holding a knife and a bowl that smelt absolutely foul. He places the bowl on the table and salutes me dramatically. Before I can protest I pass out.
And never wake again.
Two dead rulers in a row? Can Oshin make it a hattrick? Will the plague ever burn itself out? Find out on the next exciting episode of Suenik Reloaded!
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Good-Bye Toros, we barely met you. (How long did he last as king and is King Oshin his son?) Long live King O! Hopefully long is at least time enough for the paint to dry in the offices. Thank you for updating.
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Toros just pulled a William Henry Harrison on us! Time to see if King Oshin will last long enough to do anything substantial for Suenik.
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5 meagre months. Which, in CK terms, is a blink of an eye. Given how much turmoil the kingdom was in after Artashes' death, this REALLY didn't help. And yeah, Oshin is his son.
Hey - he managed 5 months, give him that much credit...
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Alas poor Toros, we barely knew you. In many ways I have a better understanding of the character of Horse-Toros than ex-King-Toros. I also miss Horse-Toros more, but then I suspect Artashes would have felt the same so this is a very Suenik state of affairs.
Now onto Oshin who has mastered many skills. Do those skills include medicine or even "surviving plague?" I cannot wait to find out.
Now onto Oshin who has mastered many skills. Do those skills include medicine or even "surviving plague?" I cannot wait to find out.
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Well damn! I was hoping to see if this new physician could have tried a foot amputation this time instead. But oh well. That plague is not doing anyone any favors. Too bad the Mongols don't invade. That would be a sure way to kill them off.
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Yeah - poor human Toros never got the love he felt he deserved whereas horse Toros I & II were Artashes' closest companions! As for Oshin and the plague, let's wait and see shall we?
The Mongols aren't stupid enough to go to war during The Time of Plague. Suenik on the other hand? Stay tuned...
What? The Consumption?so that's why he sounded so level headed
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CHAPTER 43 - TIMBUCKWHERE?
SUENIK RELOADED
CHAPTER 43 - TIMBUCKWHERE?
(1241-1243)
CHAPTER 43 - TIMBUCKWHERE?
(1241-1243)
Greetings my friends.
I am King of Oshin of Suenik, and I take the throne in a time of trouble and tribulation.
My dear father has been taken from us far too quickly, my eldest sister rules from foreign shores, my only brother is dead and my younger sister has left for China.
With both of my parents dead, my only surviving grandparent stricken by the plague and my son too young to even stand, I face the monumental task of holding Suenik together by myself.
Now, I know what you're thinking - this is Suenik - governing it is always a "monumental task", but this is not hyperbole. I know from the whisperings around court that dark forces are marshalling against me - nobles that claim they want more power for the council, whilst really seeking only to enrich their own coffers. Those closest to me advise me to move against these traitors before they can strike - suggesting all sorts of furtive subterfuge to win the day. However, I wave them away.
This can all wait.
I must grieve.
Yes, he was indecisive, flippant and deceitful, but he was my father, and therefore I - his son - must honour him as such. I ignore the pleas of my advisors and, as my enemies draw their plans against me, I fulfil my last duty to my Lord father and bury him in the Necropolis. It is still under construction, but it is fitting that he lies at rest alongside his father.
Rest in peace father.
You will be missed.
My enemies have the decorum to wait until after the funeral rites have been completed before presenting me with their demands.
I don't even haggle - the forces arrayed against me outnumber my own and, with the plague still sweeping the land, I earnestly believe that Suenik and her people have seen enough death for one lifetime.
Without another thought, I sign their document, and they get their way.
I swear I can see looks of sadness and disappointment on some of their faces before I turn and calmly leave them to their victory.
A few months later, the Duke of Abkhazia decides to emulate the actions of the Duke of Trebizond. I've heard of his plottings and slander - how he sees me as a weak "boy king" - the last of a once great line.
A puppet for him to control and make dance to his tune.
Unfortunately for him, I have had months to prepare, my treasury is full, the kingdom is recovering and my grief has been replaced with anger. With all the intensity of a gathering storm I remind his herald that it is the king who makes the rules around here, and that he should inform his lord that I will meet him on the field of battle.
As the messenger scuttles from the castle I turn to my marshal - a veteran of my grandfather's wars - and instruct him to raise the banners and summon my host for war. The old soldier smiles, winks and says "And I'll bet you'll be shouting for MORE ARMENIAN POMEGRANATE WINE eh, my liege?"
I have no idea what he is talking about.
My men are surprisingly efficient, and my armies are raised quickly. Unlike our foes, my troops are all located centrally, so while the traitors' forces are spread out in an attempt to lay siege to my holdings I am able to concentrate mine into two mighty armies.
One, I hold back in reserve, whereas I lead the other one straight into Abkhazia. I'll give Duke Derana credit for his courage - despite being outnumbered almost six to one, he takes to the field to face me in battle.
A mistake, and the war is won before it has barely begun.
Riding back to the castle I am in great spirits, and there is much cheering and signing. This probably goes a long way to explaining the growing irritation in my throat.
Vahag - my father's trusted physician and court chaplain decides to offer me the sort of help that only he can could think of.
I suspect that I might have to review that man's credentials, but not now - not until this epidemic has fully retreated. He's a moron, but I've heard claims that he has cured some of the plague.
Just not my father.
As the weeks and months pass, my condition, and that of several others in the castle, begins to worsen.
Vahag offers some pretty unconventional treatments for me which - strange as they seem - actually appear to do some good.
However, I am absolutely against his notions that we throw the other "infected" out of the castle. If the infection is here, it is his duty as a doctor - and a man of god I hasten to add! - to care for the afflicted.
Sadly, this is Suenik, so it appears that in leaving it to him to define "caring for the afflicted" he manages to work in his scheme to have the afflicted evicted - permanently - from the castle.
I tell him no.
My mother was a pagan, and I've learned a lot about their culture. What most Christians write off as "devil worship" is actually just pagan rites that they are fully ignorant of. A few weeks later, rather sulkily, Vahag comes to me to see me again. I make it abundantly clear that I won't entertain any more thoughts of burning people at the stake, but he informs me that he's heard of rumours of a great artefact hidden somewhere in the kingdom.
I narrow my eyes and ask if this artefact has anything to do with burning supposed apostates. He assures me that it hasn't, and that furthermore, it's probably pretty valuable, holy and impressive. My standing IS pretty poor with the local clergy - I'm pretty sure they've referred to me as a "filthy horse worshipper" before - so having a holy relic in the castle treasury would go a long way towards making amends with them. On the other hand, this is Suenik, so searching for this whatever-it-might-be is no doubt going to turn out to be some kind of expensive wild-goose chase. Or a deadly wild goose-chase. Or a heretical wild goose-chase.
Naturally, I sign off and choose to believe it to be an expensive wild-goose chase.
While preparations are being made for this I take the time to rest and recover. I don't want to be dashing around in my condition, and ending up feeling even more fatigued than I already am. Instead, I take the time to review some maps of the world. Geography always interested me, and I'm fascinated by the changing face of the world. However, as I dig deeper into ledger and scrolls I find myself more fascinated by where Gardman-Agbhanias end up.
Take, for example, Toros Gardman-Agbhania.
No, not my father, and no, not either of the horses.
Instead, I am referring to someone who, I BELIEVE is my grandfather's brother. I think that makes him my great uncle. This crafty old sod has travelled all the way across the world to - and somehow ended up as the spymaster of - somewhere called "Timbuktu" which is a county within the borders of some other place called Mali.
Now, Mali is pretty far away, so how he ended up there is completely beyond me.
He also seems to really dislike me for some reason.
That's the wonderful thing about Gardman-Agbhanias. The man is literally half the world away, but he still sees fit to hold a grudge against his grand nephew who, he may have seen once at a Christening eighteen years ago.
I was told my Christening was a bizarre affair - I should look into that some day...
Will Oshin recover? Will the plague manage a hat-trick of kings for the as-yet-unfinished Necropolis? Will the Necropolis ever be finished? Find out on the next exciting episode of Suenik Reloaded!
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Oh Shin! King Oshin is an generally decent person…Suenik will fix that; if not…well it was nice knowing him.
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King Oshin looks surprisingly capable and good for a Suenik ruler! Four 9-11 point stats, two virtues, zero vices, little intrigue! He will die soon. Thank you for the update.
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GOOD MAN
Come on man, 2 decent monarchs in a row and both going down with disease in the matter of years?
Never saw before a Siberia like that, and also what is that, a Transylvanian Trebizond?
Unfortunately I think the same, I hope Suenik surprises us in a positive way this time!
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They are going to have to keep building on the Necropolis because they may well need the room. Let's hope that Oshin's young age and hopeful vigor will get him through this plague. Well, that and his naked midnight runs (by the way, is this the birth of The Naked Mile?)
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I wonder about a physician who amidst a plague wants to leave the sick and hunt artifacts!
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