The Ghost King will show me the way : A Scottish AAR

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The Ghost King will show me the way : A Scottish AAR
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Hi all,

I hope that there is still people here to follow this AAR. I come back to EU2 and always loved to keep records for myself. But this time i will post them here.
Please be kind with me... i don't fluently write in english but french forum is quite dead lasts month so... i will do my best.

The Story

Robert III, King of Scots is dead April 1406 and his son James I reign on the country. One night in Rothesay castel, James can't sleep and walk in the corridors when he suddenly see a strange white man near his father last bedroom.
He is first afraid but after some days, Robert and James starts to talk together...

Will the destiny of Scotland be different with Robert around ? Will they survive to the English dream of hegemony on the Isles ? Will Crio fail to write this AAR ?

The Setup

Vanilla 1.09 GC + Savegame Edit + Own written events :happy:

Majors are : Scotland, France, England, Castile, Sweden, Austria and... Papal States.
Difficulty : Normal / Aggressiveness : Normal

We are ready....

Chapter 1
What the hell is the King is doing at night to looks sooo sleepy... Ladies ?

Rothesay Castel
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In 1419 our country is once again at war agains England and his minions... But they are so occupied on the continent that the whole island is nearly without garnison...
We must take advantage from this... and we will leverage some troops to try to get the unfairly occupied land in the north of the Umber back to the Crown...

Robert : You must do it quick son... they are not in a good position now... most of their troops are in France.
James : But they will come back to crush us without prior notice afterward !
Robert : We'll see...
James : You're already dead... you don't care that much about life... I do !
Robert : I have a good feeling. Don't be the little lamb of the family.
James : I'm not a lamb...
[...]

In April our troops are besieging Northumberland castles and cities... and... in September Lancashire taste our iron.

And in februari 1421 our dreams come true....

James : I must admit father... you were right... maybe we can do some business together !
Robert : I must admit son... You're not a lamb. But an army of 20k men are quite an expensive way of winning a siege. Bribing French cowards to don't sign a peace treaty before us too... we are nearly goldless...
James : Yes but... I need to sleep... a week.... now... :closedeyes:

The quality of our beloved King sleep will be soon damaged again as Eire is secretly prepared for WAR... and Robert Ghost feels the irish spies whispering around him again.

TBC...

 

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A day during fall 1421

English Diplomat: King, the crown of England ask you the great favor of passing trough your secrets military installations and visit your wifes and daughters.
James (wispering to King Robert) : Are English Lords drunk ?
Robert (wispering) : Whisky and Boiling water are not that good for the human brain... together...
James : Please Say to his Highness that Scots stupidity level is not yet that high !
English Diplomat: I will King, not sure that he will be nice with me.
[...]

But there is few time of peace when you're on a golden chair... wherever come the odour of sulphur...

Colonel MacArthur : Sir, the Irish guard as just landed at Portpatrick...

The historians forgot to write back the long list of adjective that the King used when he sent twelve messenger to the Main Barracks of the country :

Dears,

Take your weapons back and let gently kick these Irish gentlemen...
All our wishes of success...

King James I

Ps : You need to move your anatomy fast.

Winter 1421-1422 our glorious armies just crush the Belfast defences...

Robert : Hey son... you will crush the Irish army with only 11k infantry ?
James : 6k are still in cover but yes the treasury is not that good lately we paid so much to deliver these imprudent court member who like to play with English mercenaries.
English Diplomat: You talk about us like we are Pirates.
James : you are...
English Diplomat: But...
James : Guard... take him to his cell.. hum... apartment....

1st Army just run likes :ninja: after the fleeing men in green... hiding themselves in the bushes... to avoid the mighty Scottish swordsmen
9.000 to 7.400 to 4.300 to 2.000 and finally the last "Men in tights" surrender (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lUjhEHlh7s)
The peace offer is more that advantageous as we have natural right on the Gaelic tribes.

After this first years, I get more than half of core that i don't own at the start of the game... very very quickly...

 

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Back from his English prison, Our king also kept in his heart Joan, met in captivity, a close relative to Henry VI.
This real love marriage can ease the relation between the two country... at least for a while...

Nice looking isn't it ?
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Until they come back with a strange recurrent demand.

A fresh new English Diplomat: King, Henry ask you the great favor of passing trough your secrets military installations and gently visit your wifes and daughters again.
James: Tell the king that HE is welcome with a limited guard and we will receive him with honour.
English Diplomat: But... about the army ?
James: Please Say to his Highness that Scottish wifes and daughters are waiting them with pan and rolling pin and know thousand of ways to torture men in arms (whispering) trust me it's not a good idea !
English Diplomat: I suppose it's a NO

The Genovese bank that give us the money for the ransom insist to get the money back... one month later...

in 1424 James I was not that popular... the payment of his ransom deeply affected the country economy and the payments of rents to the king partisan. Isolated in his own country by necessary but unpopular reforms. He try to find some support in Aragon and Castile with who Scotland had always good relationship. But thinks are always getting together... good or bad... and Murphy's law is really powerfull...

November 1424: Irritated by the recent diplomatic moves of James, Charles VII takes advantage of the Auld alliance to.... ask us to be VASSALS....

French Embassador: Can i ask a audience to your Highness ?
James: Tell me Jacques.
Jaques: I must give you this. (Jacques give a sealed scroll to the King and walk a little back.
James: What the hell is that Jacques...
Jacques: (White...) Heu.. Hum... Sir..
James: Do Charles want me to become... CRAZY... MAD... INSANE ?

(Even Robert Ghost left the room)

Charles succeeded to turn James really insane

TBC

 

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Chapter 2
Oh-de-lally, Oh-de-lally quel beau jour vraiment (what a beautiful day)

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In the continuous effort to rule the whole Green Island, our spies propose to fund dissident in Ulster. The operation was a real fiasco.
Nonetheless we gain nothing (who is quite usual with dissident) but our agent was arrested on his way back to our territories and tortured.

Irish headsman: You will tell for who you work spy.
Agent 001: Never... I prefer to die...
Irish headsman: You won't die... but salt on your feet and this little lamb will be really persuasive.
[...] About an hour later...
Agent 001: Never... Mwahahahaha.... No... no... Ooooh GOSH !
Irish headsman: Hahaa... you are a Filthy Scottish scum...

But the Irish King doesn't want a new war that he is really sure to lost and use his still loyal people (really more efficient that dissident) to launch a rebellion in Connaught... But for once the 1000 men stationed in Gaillimh for years where really efficient. Galway was in fire 6 days but the troublemakers were jailed.

Oh-de-lalli (Robin hood)

Our good King always aware feel something going wrong...
Oh-de-lalli... Oh-de-lalli... what a beautifull day.
Some Irish traitor take his head and play with like a gong...
Murders and Fires all around Galway bay.

But our good King leave not so far a guard of thousand men
Oh-de-lalli... Oh-de-lalli... what a beautifull day.
The troublemakers are all arrested far before the week-end
The Irish king will later pay for what he does today.

April 1428 : French the offer us 150 ducats...

French Embassador: Can i ask a audience to your Highness ?
James: If the content is different that the last time sure.
Jaques: I must give you this. (Jacques give this time a purse full of gold).
James: What the... is that Jacques... (I begin to trust that James has a limited vocabulary)
Jacques: A gift... or sponsorship to weaken our common enemy
James: Mmm... I like you Jacques... you give me exactly what i needed...
King Robert (still around) : Yesssss....

TBC...

 

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Scottish First Army and provincial guard of Connaught and Munster converge to Dublin and after a short battle...

King Robert : I just received a rapport that the siege of Dublin as just started.
King James : Good to know Father... Please next time announce yourself i nearly forgot myself.
King Robert : Yorkshire should be our next battle the Duke of York is busy with the preparation of his marriage with Cecily.
King James : Does he give permission to his army ?
King Robert : Don't be childish... The army will be in Westminster for the coronation of the King.

November 1429 : The Castle of Duke of York Falled
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With the Siege of York successful France King goes out the wood and their navy support us in the Irish sea to avoid a troop landing from Wales to Meath. Our troop left York to start the occupation of midlands strongholds to push the King to negociate with us.

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16 October 1430: Twin sons, James and Alexander, are born to James I and Joan. Alexander dies as a baby, but James hopelly survives.

March 1431 : Both General Staff negotiate the peace treaty at Saint Andrews. Meath and Lancashire was gained to the crown of Scotland, our troops will leave Midlands and York without tribute.

 

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Poll : North and South paths

To all that read this AAR... thanks, you give me the taste to continue. To make it more fun to read and follow i will propose you some polls. to guide the expansion of the Scottish realm...

First Poll :

For the next 12 years, do Scotland must :

a) Go and crush the English stealing more territory to the Lancaster
b) Turn our Eyes to the North and seriously looks at scandinavia

Thanks for your support .

 

[unmerged(145825)]

Scotland was never meant to be played, but eaten by the English ... however, great to see an AAR here!

To make things interesting Id say head for the North.

 

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Scotland was never meant to be played, but eaten by the English ... however, great to see an AAR here!

To make things interesting Id say head for the North.

Sure, i know But don't worry i have prepared and will prepare depending the way we grow a bunch of nice events to make it nice to play
One vote for North...

For all : votes are closed. Scotland will go to Norway

 

[Duke of Wellington]

Nice AAR you've got going here Crio. I'm sorry to say I won't be able to follow it for long but I am glad to see the EUII AARs still kept alive.

 

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Thanks Duke ... He is not death yet too... just that i have a tremendous period... will be back next week with updates

 

[trekfan]

Is it dead?

 

[Ashantai]

One would imagine so after 4 months.