Perhaps it's a relative from a different branch of the family.
I have no doubt Musegh will make the Eretnids regret invoking his rage!!½!
I have no doubt Musegh will make the Eretnids regret invoking his rage!!½!
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Hmm, well I've only read the first two chapters, however I want to clear a couple of things up. Firstly, the Knights of Saint John is NOT the last surviving crusader state. Cyprus is a crusader state, so are many Catholic states in Greece. Secondly, the province of Armenia is not the Armenian homeland, it is part of it, however Google "Western Armenia", and that will be the rest of it, unless I misinterpreted the screenshot with the "Armenian Homeland"?
I've finished reading now and I'm just going to say I love it, your writing style really grabs me, I love the conversations between the King [I forget his name], and his advisors.
I just hope you don't get discouraged by lack of people commenting, because after all, this IS the EU3 AAR Forum, while EU4 is now out, meaning alot of possible readers are taken away.
I've finished reading now and I'm just going to say I love it, your writing style really grabs me, I love the conversations between the King [I forget his name], and his advisors.
I just hope you don't get discouraged by lack of people commenting, because after all, this IS the EU3 AAR Forum, while EU4 is now out, meaning alot of possible readers are taken away.
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-Gnorf: I admit the thought passed my mind that David is a cousin (perhaps from Cyprus since they are also Lusignan?) but I figured it made more story sense for him to be a brother. And the Eretnids are going to be hurting soon 
-Arstemis: You do have a point there, and I did admittedly forget about Cyprus and Achaea (perhaps Naxos too), I'm just too lazy to go back and fix things. As for the 'Homeland' bit, I left all of that up instead of focusing down on 'Armenia' (the province), since I was including all of that territory as the 'Homeland'. Which makes a certain amount of sense, as that was all Armenian at one point (somewhat reflected in the game too, since areas like Van are still Orthodox instead of Islamic like in vanilla EU3). Saying the Chobanids control it was a simplification for readers, since they do control the 'Armenia' province.
Glad you like it though. And I'm not discouraged at all, this is way too much fun to write for me to give up on it.
-Arstemis: You do have a point there, and I did admittedly forget about Cyprus and Achaea (perhaps Naxos too), I'm just too lazy to go back and fix things. As for the 'Homeland' bit, I left all of that up instead of focusing down on 'Armenia' (the province), since I was including all of that territory as the 'Homeland'. Which makes a certain amount of sense, as that was all Armenian at one point (somewhat reflected in the game too, since areas like Van are still Orthodox instead of Islamic like in vanilla EU3). Saying the Chobanids control it was a simplification for readers, since they do control the 'Armenia' province.
Glad you like it though. And I'm not discouraged at all, this is way too much fun to write for me to give up on it.
Two days since the last update? Sure, why not! Let me know if the fast or slow updates is better for you all, I can do either (though that may not be the case when I'm back at college next week. We shall see on that front).
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
Musegh I Lusignan, King of Cilicia
Zoe Lusignan (Komnenos), Former Queen of Cilicia
Berjouhi Adamian, General of the First Army
Allies of Armenia:
Alexios III Komnenos, King of Trebizond
Roger II DesPins, Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitaller
Andronikos V Palaiologos, Emperor of Rome (Byzantium)
Musegh came to power in a difficult time for Armenian Cilicia. The nation was united in religion and in its goal to see a return to their former glory. For all their unity however, they lacked very strongly in military or economic might to back it up. Despite being at least somewhat competitive in the nearby Centers of Trade in Thrace and Kouban, Cilicia could barely support five thousand troops at a time. With the ever-expanding Mamluks breathing down their collective necks, things weren't particularly bright.
For whatever reason though, the Egyptians had left Armenia alone for the moment. This did not mean things were easy though, as the Eretnids new leader had finished burning all the bridges the two nations former leaders had worked towards. Seeing promise in Cilicia's weakness, the Islamic nation declared war on their southern neighbors.
"I knew this would happen," Musegh mused, memories of Lukasz's funeral passing through his mind.
"So did your father, despite all the work he did," Zoe commented, "at least the rest of his work in securing alliances held out."
Musegh nodded, "And that is a good thing indeed. I am going to lead the troops myself Moth..."
"No," Zoe cut her son off, "you never recovered from your illness. Please, for my sake, don't risk yourself like that."
The King could have pressed the issue (he was the King after all) but he didn't want to upset his Mother. She had lost enough as it was, so he (reluctantly) backed down from pursuing his vendetta against the Ertenids. And Musegh knew that was what it was...a vendetta. In any case, the new General recruited by Tomas was more than skilled enough to lead the forces against the aggressors to the north.
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And lead them he did. Berjouhi Adamian was a man from humble roots, but he had a unique skill for leading the Armenian troops. Marching from their peacetime barracks in Adana, the men and horses entered the nearest Eretnid province of Kayseri while the enemies troops marched into Knight's controlled Konya. Setting up the siege lines, Adamian watched as arrows rained from both sides of the walls.
"Aim higher men!!" the General shouted out, walking amongst his troops, "hit them when they show their heads!"
The men followed the orders, rotating out to keep up a united front against the Eretnid defenders. Other than messengers from Trebizond and Georgia (their armies were moving into the northern Eretnid provinces while Rome besieged Sinope), not much happened in the war with the Eretnids at first. They were busy dodging the Knight's army, and were leaving Cilicia alone. Unfortunately, a messenger came riding up from the Byzantine siege in Sinope, with a very unwelcome message...
(oh, and hi Yemen. Nice to see the Otto's can't make allies who can reach me)
"The Ottomans?!" Adamian said in disbelief.
The messenger nodded, "Their army is marching on the Knights and the Romans as we speak."
The General shook his head. This was not welcome news in the slightest. He had been a boy during the last war with the Ottoman Turks, but that war had obliterated the old-model Cilician Army. Armenia had since recovered, but the man knew well enough his army couldn't match the Ottomans head on. He wasn't as reckless as Gosdantin had been by any means...so Adamian ordered a small force to stay behind and continue the siege, while moving the main force of the Army to finish off the Eretnids. The sooner they were out of the war, the sooner the Romans and Knights could bring their own forces to bear on the Ottomans.
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The 1st Army linked up with the main force of Knights in Yazgod, waiting for the fleeing Eretnids to enter their trap. They outnumbered the Islamic forces with 19 regiments to their six, and Alexios Komnenos was on the way with the Trebizondian army to provide further support. As it turned out, said support wasn't needed.
"Here they come! Send word to the cavalry...they are to flank the Eretnids and hit their rear guard! Infantry, support the Knights and don't let them through!" Adamian barked out, as the famed Armenian horseman broke off with the smaller Knights cavalry force. The remaining infantry forces formed a solid wall of men, that the entirely infantry force of the Eretnids couldn't break.
As the two sides battered against the other, the cavalry finished their maneuver, and began to eat away at the panicking rearguard of the enemy forces. The panicked masses managed to make a break in the Allied front, losing a third of their entire army to only minor losses on the part of the joint Armenian/Knight force.
As the Catholics moved back into their own territory to deal with the Ottoman Turks, the Armenians moved to chase the fleeing Eretnids. Linking up with Alexios, the two old allies hit the fleeing Eretnids in their own territory. With nowhere else to go, the enemy army was obliterated, the few survivors fleeing into the nearest city's walls.
"My men and I can handle this siege. The Georgians are on their way to help," Alexios, elderly but still fit enough to lead his troops, said.
Adamian nodded, "Thank you."
With that, the Armenian troops returned to their siege lines in Yazgod, while the Second Army finished taking Kayseri. With those two provinces taken (and Sinope under Roman occupation) news came from the Palace in Cilicia. As much as Musegh would have loved to see the Eretnids wiped from the map, the Ottomans were a much more pressing issue. So, Adamian had a message to deliver to the Eretnid Sultan (taken prisoner in the last battle).
"Very well, I agree to your terms," the man said, "but this won't be the last you hear of me Armenian. You will not hold our territory for long!"
Adamian merely shrugged and had the man taken away to Yazgod, as the process of integrating the two newly taken provinces began.
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However, while things were going well for the Armenians, the same couldn't be said for the Knights and Byzantines. Both of the allies had their territory being besieged, and one could only wonder how well they could hold out, with their troops still in the field against the Eretnids.
At the head of the Byzantine Army, Andronikos V Palaiologos lead his men back to Europe, determined to not lose any territory to the Turks. Thankfully for the Orthodox Alliance, the Romans heavily outnumbered the Ottoman forces on that side of the Bosporus. Andronikos lead his men (and some allied forces from Trebizond and Georgia) against the Turkish troops. The battle was almost hilariously one-sided, from the Emperor's perspective. The combined forces of the Alliance had 23 regiments, against a mere five on the Ottoman side. Needless to say, it didn't take long for them to win.
"Thank you for the support...Komnenos," Andronikos said, as the Trebizondian leader stood at the front of his much smaller army.
"It was my pleasure...Palaiologos," Alexios replied coolly.
With that, the Eastern armies of Trebizond and Georgia returned to the other side of the strait, heading back to the former Eretnid territory to help put down revolts that had popped up. For their part, the Romans marched back into the Ottoman territory to help the Knights out. Not that they needed the support though. The Ottomans had completely collapsed, their territory occupied by the Byzantines in the north, and the Knights in the south. Even Cyprus had managed to take a bite out of the Turkish pie, controlling Hamid.
The result of this was the Ottoman Sultan cutting his losses, and agreeing to a peace with the Knights. The first of many concessions he would be forced to make.
Seeing the end of the war in sight, Musegh ordered Adamian north to Trebizonds isolated territory on the Caucasus mountains. Those provinces were wracked with rebellions, and the Chobanids were only willing to let the Armenians through, not the Georgians or Greeks. It was truly a sign of how far the Ottomans had fallen that none in Cilicia viewed it necessary to keep their army ready to fight the Turks.
However, as the army marched north they received some rather interesting news. A man had come riding up on a horse, wearing an old style uniform...the style not seen since Armenia had been reduced to just its enclave in Anatolia. Why a man would be wearing such outdated armor became apparent, as he was taken to Adamian.
"Who are you?" the General asked curiously.
"David Bakara at your service," the man said with a bow, "leader of the Armenian Resistance."
Needless to say, the Cilician Armenian raised his eyebrow at that statement. He hadn't heard of a 'resistance', other than the Turkish rebels that Alexios and the Georgians were dealing with. Besides, no member of a Resistance movement back home would march up to the Army that would be used to put it down.
"I confess, I have no knowledge of a Resistance against our rule."
"Not against our brethren in Cilicia...we have been revolting against the Chobanid occupiers."
Now that was interesting. Musegh, and his father, had not been financing rebels at all. So David and his men must have done this all on their own. And if he was here and not still fighting...
"You retook part of the homeland?"
"Indeed."
With that news buoying their spirits, Musegh felt it secure enough to sign a white peace with the Ottomans. They were weak enough that it was highly unlikely they could attempt another invasion of Armenia. And thus, there was no reason to continue the war with the ever-present threat of the Mamluks.
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BONUS:
I basically doubled in size after those wars, though rebels are a continuing problem. Trebizond continues to expand where it really shouldn't be, while Georgia has remained fairly stable. Byzantium and the Knights though...they are proving amazingly successful. Especially the Knights. I did not expect them to do so well, and the Ottomans to do so badly. I don't expect the Turks to recover from this, and its only a matter of time until the Romans or Knights eat the rest of that nation at this rate.
Mamluks still look terrifying, especially with the fact they could declare war on either me or Trebizond now. And yes, that is Candar in Van. Don't ask me how they ended up there after being eaten by the Mamluks and Eretnids, because I have no clue
Chapter 8: A LOtto Trouble Redux
One would think they would learn...
One would think they would learn...
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
Musegh I Lusignan, King of Cilicia
Zoe Lusignan (Komnenos), Former Queen of Cilicia
Berjouhi Adamian, General of the First Army
Allies of Armenia:
Alexios III Komnenos, King of Trebizond
Roger II DesPins, Grandmaster of the Knights Hospitaller
Andronikos V Palaiologos, Emperor of Rome (Byzantium)
Musegh came to power in a difficult time for Armenian Cilicia. The nation was united in religion and in its goal to see a return to their former glory. For all their unity however, they lacked very strongly in military or economic might to back it up. Despite being at least somewhat competitive in the nearby Centers of Trade in Thrace and Kouban, Cilicia could barely support five thousand troops at a time. With the ever-expanding Mamluks breathing down their collective necks, things weren't particularly bright.
For whatever reason though, the Egyptians had left Armenia alone for the moment. This did not mean things were easy though, as the Eretnids new leader had finished burning all the bridges the two nations former leaders had worked towards. Seeing promise in Cilicia's weakness, the Islamic nation declared war on their southern neighbors.
"I knew this would happen," Musegh mused, memories of Lukasz's funeral passing through his mind.
"So did your father, despite all the work he did," Zoe commented, "at least the rest of his work in securing alliances held out."
Musegh nodded, "And that is a good thing indeed. I am going to lead the troops myself Moth..."
"No," Zoe cut her son off, "you never recovered from your illness. Please, for my sake, don't risk yourself like that."
The King could have pressed the issue (he was the King after all) but he didn't want to upset his Mother. She had lost enough as it was, so he (reluctantly) backed down from pursuing his vendetta against the Ertenids. And Musegh knew that was what it was...a vendetta. In any case, the new General recruited by Tomas was more than skilled enough to lead the forces against the aggressors to the north.
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And lead them he did. Berjouhi Adamian was a man from humble roots, but he had a unique skill for leading the Armenian troops. Marching from their peacetime barracks in Adana, the men and horses entered the nearest Eretnid province of Kayseri while the enemies troops marched into Knight's controlled Konya. Setting up the siege lines, Adamian watched as arrows rained from both sides of the walls.
"Aim higher men!!" the General shouted out, walking amongst his troops, "hit them when they show their heads!"
The men followed the orders, rotating out to keep up a united front against the Eretnid defenders. Other than messengers from Trebizond and Georgia (their armies were moving into the northern Eretnid provinces while Rome besieged Sinope), not much happened in the war with the Eretnids at first. They were busy dodging the Knight's army, and were leaving Cilicia alone. Unfortunately, a messenger came riding up from the Byzantine siege in Sinope, with a very unwelcome message...
(oh, and hi Yemen. Nice to see the Otto's can't make allies who can reach me)
"The Ottomans?!" Adamian said in disbelief.
The messenger nodded, "Their army is marching on the Knights and the Romans as we speak."
The General shook his head. This was not welcome news in the slightest. He had been a boy during the last war with the Ottoman Turks, but that war had obliterated the old-model Cilician Army. Armenia had since recovered, but the man knew well enough his army couldn't match the Ottomans head on. He wasn't as reckless as Gosdantin had been by any means...so Adamian ordered a small force to stay behind and continue the siege, while moving the main force of the Army to finish off the Eretnids. The sooner they were out of the war, the sooner the Romans and Knights could bring their own forces to bear on the Ottomans.
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The 1st Army linked up with the main force of Knights in Yazgod, waiting for the fleeing Eretnids to enter their trap. They outnumbered the Islamic forces with 19 regiments to their six, and Alexios Komnenos was on the way with the Trebizondian army to provide further support. As it turned out, said support wasn't needed.
"Here they come! Send word to the cavalry...they are to flank the Eretnids and hit their rear guard! Infantry, support the Knights and don't let them through!" Adamian barked out, as the famed Armenian horseman broke off with the smaller Knights cavalry force. The remaining infantry forces formed a solid wall of men, that the entirely infantry force of the Eretnids couldn't break.
As the two sides battered against the other, the cavalry finished their maneuver, and began to eat away at the panicking rearguard of the enemy forces. The panicked masses managed to make a break in the Allied front, losing a third of their entire army to only minor losses on the part of the joint Armenian/Knight force.
As the Catholics moved back into their own territory to deal with the Ottoman Turks, the Armenians moved to chase the fleeing Eretnids. Linking up with Alexios, the two old allies hit the fleeing Eretnids in their own territory. With nowhere else to go, the enemy army was obliterated, the few survivors fleeing into the nearest city's walls.
"My men and I can handle this siege. The Georgians are on their way to help," Alexios, elderly but still fit enough to lead his troops, said.
Adamian nodded, "Thank you."
With that, the Armenian troops returned to their siege lines in Yazgod, while the Second Army finished taking Kayseri. With those two provinces taken (and Sinope under Roman occupation) news came from the Palace in Cilicia. As much as Musegh would have loved to see the Eretnids wiped from the map, the Ottomans were a much more pressing issue. So, Adamian had a message to deliver to the Eretnid Sultan (taken prisoner in the last battle).
"Very well, I agree to your terms," the man said, "but this won't be the last you hear of me Armenian. You will not hold our territory for long!"
Adamian merely shrugged and had the man taken away to Yazgod, as the process of integrating the two newly taken provinces began.
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However, while things were going well for the Armenians, the same couldn't be said for the Knights and Byzantines. Both of the allies had their territory being besieged, and one could only wonder how well they could hold out, with their troops still in the field against the Eretnids.
At the head of the Byzantine Army, Andronikos V Palaiologos lead his men back to Europe, determined to not lose any territory to the Turks. Thankfully for the Orthodox Alliance, the Romans heavily outnumbered the Ottoman forces on that side of the Bosporus. Andronikos lead his men (and some allied forces from Trebizond and Georgia) against the Turkish troops. The battle was almost hilariously one-sided, from the Emperor's perspective. The combined forces of the Alliance had 23 regiments, against a mere five on the Ottoman side. Needless to say, it didn't take long for them to win.
"Thank you for the support...Komnenos," Andronikos said, as the Trebizondian leader stood at the front of his much smaller army.
"It was my pleasure...Palaiologos," Alexios replied coolly.
With that, the Eastern armies of Trebizond and Georgia returned to the other side of the strait, heading back to the former Eretnid territory to help put down revolts that had popped up. For their part, the Romans marched back into the Ottoman territory to help the Knights out. Not that they needed the support though. The Ottomans had completely collapsed, their territory occupied by the Byzantines in the north, and the Knights in the south. Even Cyprus had managed to take a bite out of the Turkish pie, controlling Hamid.
The result of this was the Ottoman Sultan cutting his losses, and agreeing to a peace with the Knights. The first of many concessions he would be forced to make.
Seeing the end of the war in sight, Musegh ordered Adamian north to Trebizonds isolated territory on the Caucasus mountains. Those provinces were wracked with rebellions, and the Chobanids were only willing to let the Armenians through, not the Georgians or Greeks. It was truly a sign of how far the Ottomans had fallen that none in Cilicia viewed it necessary to keep their army ready to fight the Turks.
However, as the army marched north they received some rather interesting news. A man had come riding up on a horse, wearing an old style uniform...the style not seen since Armenia had been reduced to just its enclave in Anatolia. Why a man would be wearing such outdated armor became apparent, as he was taken to Adamian.
"Who are you?" the General asked curiously.
"David Bakara at your service," the man said with a bow, "leader of the Armenian Resistance."
Needless to say, the Cilician Armenian raised his eyebrow at that statement. He hadn't heard of a 'resistance', other than the Turkish rebels that Alexios and the Georgians were dealing with. Besides, no member of a Resistance movement back home would march up to the Army that would be used to put it down.
"I confess, I have no knowledge of a Resistance against our rule."
"Not against our brethren in Cilicia...we have been revolting against the Chobanid occupiers."
Now that was interesting. Musegh, and his father, had not been financing rebels at all. So David and his men must have done this all on their own. And if he was here and not still fighting...
"You retook part of the homeland?"
"Indeed."
With that news buoying their spirits, Musegh felt it secure enough to sign a white peace with the Ottomans. They were weak enough that it was highly unlikely they could attempt another invasion of Armenia. And thus, there was no reason to continue the war with the ever-present threat of the Mamluks.
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BONUS:
I basically doubled in size after those wars, though rebels are a continuing problem. Trebizond continues to expand where it really shouldn't be, while Georgia has remained fairly stable. Byzantium and the Knights though...they are proving amazingly successful. Especially the Knights. I did not expect them to do so well, and the Ottomans to do so badly. I don't expect the Turks to recover from this, and its only a matter of time until the Romans or Knights eat the rest of that nation at this rate.
Mamluks still look terrifying, especially with the fact they could declare war on either me or Trebizond now. And yes, that is Candar in Van. Don't ask me how they ended up there after being eaten by the Mamluks and Eretnids, because I have no clue
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Great update! So far, so good. What are your plans after this? Continue your expansion over rest of Asia minors? Or are you going to expand colonially? Or are you going to do some daring expansion so you control the Mediterranean?
blklizard- At this point, I'm rather limited in what I can do. I'm not going to try and fight any of my allies (they've been too useful) so I can't expand north or west at this point. Especially since the Ottomans only got spanked by the Knights/Romans because of their guarantees. They aren't technically allies, despite my best efforts. My best bet, and the likely outcome, is either finishing off the Eretnids or New Candar (since it spawned in such a random spot I'm calling it 'new'). The latter is more likely since they control two Orthodox provinces, and I can use any money I can save on conversions.
The only attractive Mediterranean option right now is Tripoli (they declared independence a while back). Anyone else is either too strong, or allied with someone too strong unfortunately. Especially with my three ship 'navy'
EDIT: On colonization...my economy is very fragile right now. I can't put a lot of money into research, so it's taking me quite some time to advance my government (I still haven't gotten even one NI and we're almost thirty years in). So getting QfTNW isn't going to happen anytime soon, especially when I need other NI's more at the moment.
The only attractive Mediterranean option right now is Tripoli (they declared independence a while back). Anyone else is either too strong, or allied with someone too strong unfortunately. Especially with my three ship 'navy'
EDIT: On colonization...my economy is very fragile right now. I can't put a lot of money into research, so it's taking me quite some time to advance my government (I still haven't gotten even one NI and we're almost thirty years in). So getting QfTNW isn't going to happen anytime soon, especially when I need other NI's more at the moment.
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Yes! Viva L'Arménie! Great update, glad to see you put the Turks back in their place.
Gotta hand it to you, I fell in love with the lines, the conversation between the two generals, really got me in the mood, y'know? As a rookie Byzantophile, I like how it showed the friction between the two Greek empires, even though they were fighting a common foe. I dunno, probably just me, but that made the update for me probably my favourite.
Great to see gains for the Knights against the Ottomans and doubling your size against the Eretnids! The Armenian Resistance is an interesting twist, I suppose the Armenians shall never be oppressed by the Turks and Persians ever again?
I guess that all that's left is to retake Western Armenia, which would mean a war with your long time friend, Trebizond , and of course takign Nagorno-Karabakh would be a nice little bonus. It'll be interesting to see where you expand into next.
Anywho, really well done update, can't wait for the next!
Gotta hand it to you, I fell in love with the lines, the conversation between the two generals, really got me in the mood, y'know? As a rookie Byzantophile, I like how it showed the friction between the two Greek empires, even though they were fighting a common foe. I dunno, probably just me, but that made the update for me probably my favourite.
Great to see gains for the Knights against the Ottomans and doubling your size against the Eretnids! The Armenian Resistance is an interesting twist, I suppose the Armenians shall never be oppressed by the Turks and Persians ever again?
I guess that all that's left is to retake Western Armenia, which would mean a war with your long time friend, Trebizond , and of course takign Nagorno-Karabakh would be a nice little bonus. It'll be interesting to see where you expand into next.
Anywho, really well done update, can't wait for the next!
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Thanks for the comments everyone!
Anyway, proper feedback will be up tomorrow (or is that later today since its midnight here?), since I'm planning on updating again. I just found something hilarious while building up screenshots for said update...Trebizond will PU Byzantium if the latter's Emperor should keel over. That would be absolutely hilarious I think...and get the might of the Byzantines behind me without worrying about alliances (Trebizond is my best friend right now, and I doubt that will change).
Anyway, proper feedback will be up tomorrow (or is that later today since its midnight here?), since I'm planning on updating again. I just found something hilarious while building up screenshots for said update...Trebizond will PU Byzantium if the latter's Emperor should keel over. That would be absolutely hilarious I think...and get the might of the Byzantines behind me without worrying about alliances (Trebizond is my best friend right now, and I doubt that will change).
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Thanks for the comments everyone!
Anyway, proper feedback will be up tomorrow (or is that later today since its midnight here?), since I'm planning on updating again. I just found something hilarious while building up screenshots for said update...Trebizond will PU Byzantium if the latter's Emperor should keel over. That would be absolutely hilarious I think...and get the might of the Byzantines behind me without worrying about alliances (Trebizond is my best friend right now, and I doubt that will change).
Are the Komnemnos still ruling Trebizond? If they inherit and re-form Byzantium that would be oddly appropriate.
Feedback:
GulMacet- Its certainly a possibility, sans the Trebizondian territory (I have no interest in going to war with them, they've been my most stable alliance by far). The main problem is that corridor of Mamluk territory cutting me off from Armenia the Province (I really need to rename that thing to avoid confusion...suggestions anyone?)
Gnorf- Very nice gains to be sure. I still only have about 11k manpower, so beating even one Mamluk doomstack is out of the question, but it does mean I can go against the Ottomans or anyone else in Anatolia without much worry. And yes, the Komnenos family still rules Trebizond, so it would be hilarious (and oddly fitting) if they PU->Inherit->reform Byzantium.
Arstemis- The Armenian Resistance was a spur of the moment thing really, since I'm not joking when I say I was just walking along to help Trebizond with sieges in their random territory (seriously, they need an army up there so it isn't always up to me) and I suddenly see Armenia defect to me. Funnily enough, I really didn't fund the rebels that gave me the province. It was Orthodox Zealots and bad Chobanid AI really.
Sorry for the delay in the update everyone. Been busy the last couple of days, though I don't see a reason why I won't be able to get it up tomorrow. Got something interesting/terrifying happen towards the end though...
GulMacet- Its certainly a possibility, sans the Trebizondian territory (I have no interest in going to war with them, they've been my most stable alliance by far). The main problem is that corridor of Mamluk territory cutting me off from Armenia the Province (I really need to rename that thing to avoid confusion...suggestions anyone?)
Gnorf- Very nice gains to be sure. I still only have about 11k manpower, so beating even one Mamluk doomstack is out of the question, but it does mean I can go against the Ottomans or anyone else in Anatolia without much worry. And yes, the Komnenos family still rules Trebizond, so it would be hilarious (and oddly fitting) if they PU->Inherit->reform Byzantium.
Arstemis- The Armenian Resistance was a spur of the moment thing really, since I'm not joking when I say I was just walking along to help Trebizond with sieges in their random territory (seriously, they need an army up there so it isn't always up to me) and I suddenly see Armenia defect to me. Funnily enough, I really didn't fund the rebels that gave me the province. It was Orthodox Zealots and bad Chobanid AI really.
Sorry for the delay in the update everyone. Been busy the last couple of days, though I don't see a reason why I won't be able to get it up tomorrow. Got something interesting/terrifying happen towards the end though...
Chapter 9: Armenia Ascendant
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
Musegh I Lusignan, King of Cilicia
Avedis Kazanjian, Royal Treasurer/Diplomat
Berjouhi Adamian, General of the First Army
Allies of Armenia:
Alexios IV Komnenos, King of Trebizond
With the recent gains against the Eretnids, and the return of part of the homeland, Armenia went back to peace aside from the continuing difficulties with rebels in the north. The Army stood down and returned to their homes, aside from the occasional sortie to help Trebizond out with their ill-advised gains north of Georgia. One could even call things boring, with the lack of wars at the moment.
It was telling that the biggest event since the end of the last war was Avedis delivering a message from Palaiologos in Constantinople.
It would seem, that with the Knights cancelling their guarantee, that the Romans saw an opening and took it. Of course, Avedis had the typical comment on that.
"I'm going to be playing peacekeeper now, aren't I?" the man said with a sigh, "Komnenos and Palaiologos, both allied with the same nation."
"Could be worse," Musegh replied, hiding a grin, "you could be working with the Ottomans too."
Avedis sent a mock glare at his King, "Watch it sire, I raised you."
Musegh just laughed at that, enjoying the friendly ribbing between friends. His 'Uncle' was about the only person who could get away with back-talking the King, and he certainly took advantage of that at times. Keeping up the 'glare' for a few seconds, Avedis eventually joined in the laughing, before pulling out a set of charts.
"If you're done torturing me sire, I have the charts you requested."
"The territory we took back from the Eretnids is still Islamic as of now, though we have sent missionaries to work on that. Unfortunately, as you can see, the Turks have been very good at replacing the natives with their own people. Only Cilicia and the bit of the homeland we took back are still Armenian, in culture and people. It will take some time to fully integrate the new territory taken from Dulkadir and the Eretnids. Especially with our economy relying on rather...poor...trade goods."
Musegh nodded thoughtfully, "Still, we are doing rather well. The Grandmaster told me his territory is all a different culture and religion. I can't imagine its much better for Alexios and his people."
As the King said that, a familiar face came rushing into the study, General Adamian. The younger man came to a halt, panting slightly. It would seem he was in quite the rush, about something. But the question was, what was he in a rush about? The Army was in the best shape it had been in decades, so it can't have been about that. It was only when he began speaking that Musegh and Avedis realized what it was about.
"My King, I bring news from the border...the Mamluks march to war again."
"Oh this is not good..." Musegh muttered.
"Sire?" Avedis asked, curious what he meant.
"They aren't fighting us, yes. But the Jalayirids can't match them in the field. That means more territory, money, and men flowing into the Egyptian coffers..." Musegh said bitterly, "as if they weren't dangerous enough as is."
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With the news of the war having reached Armenia, observers were inserted from Bakara's resistance to watch things progress. Having spent years hiding in plain sight, the Resistance members were perfectly capable of playing the part of Mamlukean soldiers. And what they reported back was far from pleasant news. The Jalayirids were being pushed back by massive Mamluk armies in the north, and from smaller Najd and Omani armies in the south. Nothing they did worked, and it was only a matter of time until they fell, and increased the size of the Egyptian's even more.
Then, came even more troubling news.
The Chobanids had decided to 'liberate' the new Trebizondian territory. With how faithful the Greeks had been, it was hardly a surprise that Musegh ran to their aid. Especially as his mother was visiting his ailing Grandfather Alexios. There was no way he was letting them or their people get killed. And the Chobanids had awoken a sleeping beast, the web of Orthodox alliances once again coming into play.
"I wonder why they appointed me as leader," Musegh couldn't help but think as he watched Adamian march the armies north to the Eretnid territory.
That was a valid question, considering the Romans had far more troops and were also involved in the war. Either way though, the enemy wouldn't last. Especially the Eretnids, who had yet to recover from their last loss. This time, they wouldn't get off easy.
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Continuing to make it his life's goal to annoy the Eretnid Sultan, General Adamian wiped out their weak army and besieged their territory. Those sieges took remarkably little time, proving that the Eretnid's will to fight was basically gone after their losses in the last war. They tried to fight back, but nothing made the Armenian and Trebizondian forces budge. At least, until the Sultan was once again forced to agree to a peace deal.
And just like that, the once might Eretnids had been reduced to one province.
"Serves them right for what they did to Uncle Lukasz," Musegh said when he got the message.
Unfortunately, bad news always came with the good...as Avedis passed away in his sleep. He had served faithfully for thirty years, but in the end, we are all mortal. Losing his motivation for continuing the war, Musegh took the first white peace offer that the Chobanids gave him. There was nothing further to be gained from this war in his view, and he saw little point in continuing it.
In fact, he withdrew into himself somewhat after Avedis' death. The man had been his surrogate father (along with Lukasz) and now both were dead. It wasn't easy to get over that by any means. And he wouldn't, not until David Bakara came to him with an interesting proposal.
"My King?" the former Resistance leader asked.
"Yes?" Musegh replied, barely looking up.
"My men in New Candar have reported that their allies are busy with another war," the man replied, "now would be the perfect time to liberate our contrymen."
Musegh frowned at that though. He knew that New Candar was allied with the Timurid Empire. Weaker than they used to be with Timur dead they may be, but the Timurids were hardly someone to mess with. But, if Bakara was correct and they were vulnerable...now might be the best chance they ever got. And Armenia needed more men and territory if they wanted to survive against their more powerful neighbors.
"Very well, we will liberate them."
Once again, Armenia was at war with the Ottomans. This time though, they were weaker than the Romans, who kept them occupied while the Eastern Allies (Armenia, Trebizond, and Georgia) rampaged through New Candar.
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In point of fact, it only took one battle to destroy the Candari army. Adamian and Alexios (the IV, his father having finally passed on) were more than capable generals. Add in a numeric superiority, and it was no wonder that the Allied army only lost 14 men to nearly two thousand dead on the New Candari side.
(I really got lucky with the event that gave me Adamian)
Nor did it take very long for the first siege to be completed. Alexios marched into the gates of Erzurum, taking the city for Trebizond. Adamian was with him, both men looking out over the city.
"You fought with my father correct?" the young Komnenos king asked.
"I did. He was a great leader," Adamian agreed.
Alexios smiled at that. It was good to know that his father was known beyond his nations borders. And even better to know he was fighting alongside a man and army that had fought with him. Even more comforting was the fact that the Eastern Allies could muster 22 regiments now, all keeping an eye out for the Timurids while they took over Van. When that province fell, New Candar went the way of its predecessor, absorbed into another nation.
The Timurids were evidently having problems of their own, as they offered a white peace soon after. Something that Musegh was only to happy to accept, considering the Timurids had a far larger army than any of the Allies. Even with just the gains from New Candar, the Armenians were well on their way to restoring their ancient Kingdom.
Unfortunately, there was still the corridor of Mamluk territory cutting the two parts of the nation apart. Something would have to be done about that...before the Mamluks turned their hungry eyes on their Christian neighbors...
I got lucky once more. The Chobanids war on Trebizond drew in the Eretnids (who I still had a truce with) and allowed me to knock them down to OPM status without much trouble. Then you had the fact that New Candar was allied with the Timurids. I noticed when I clicked on Candar that they were at war with someone I couldn't see (one of the Indian states...Delhi maybe?) and that meant the 'Rids had to be at war too. Thus, I took advantage of that and the Religious Liberation CB, and managed to get the last remaining Orthodox provinces in the area that weren't under either my control, or allied control.
But the Mamluks are getting bigger every day, and are cutting Armenia in half right now. And then you have what I was talking about by 'scary thing'. The Muzaffarids sudden increase in size. I'm not sure if that was a glitch, but all I know is I'm (yet again) helping Trebizond out and I suddenly see Chobanid purple replaced by Timurid red. No popups, so they weren't annexed in a war or inherited...they just...vanished. So I reloaded and played through again to see if it was a glitch, and this time the Muzaffarids took over. I don't have the slightest clue how it happened, but this is the result:
Thankfully the Timmies are on the verge of collapse, and the Muzaffarids aren't far behind. Still nearly gave me a heart-attack when it happened though.
Hmmm... you could solve the Armenia the province/Armenia the country issue by simply renaming the province Hayastan. Which is Armenian for Armenia, but still...
Well done gaining a Black Sea port!
Well done gaining a Black Sea port!
Feedback:
GulMacet- I just renamed it to the name of the 'capital' city in the province. Which according to Paradox is Yerevan (if I remember right). And having Sinope will prove useful in the long run, since it gives me access to more naval supplies, though I still don't have the money for a big naval expansion plan.
Arstemis- I would love to beat the Mamluks
Sorry for the delay everyone. Back at school, and I haven't had as much time to play. I think I have enough screenshots for an update now, and I'll get that up tomorrow. It will be rather boring though, since not much has happened lately in the game.
GulMacet- I just renamed it to the name of the 'capital' city in the province. Which according to Paradox is Yerevan (if I remember right). And having Sinope will prove useful in the long run, since it gives me access to more naval supplies, though I still don't have the money for a big naval expansion plan.
Arstemis- I would love to beat the Mamluks
Sorry for the delay everyone. Back at school, and I haven't had as much time to play. I think I have enough screenshots for an update now, and I'll get that up tomorrow. It will be rather boring though, since not much has happened lately in the game.
Chapter 10: Business as usual.
Dramatis Personae
Armenia:
Musegh I Lusignan, King of Cilicia and Armenia
David Bakara, Royal Diplomat
Berjouhi Adamian, General of the First Army
"Sometimes I almost wish for a war," Musegh sighed, looking out at the harbor of Sinope.
Things had been almost...boring...since the end of the Liberation of New Candar. While the Timurids and Mamluks were constantly sending threats and trying to bully Armenia into releasing its new territory, they hadn't backed up the threats. Even the rest of the world had been rather quiet, no wars cropping up, at least in the known world. About the most exciting thing was...
"Fight the oppression!!!"
...that. The newly taken territories had proven difficult to integrate. To put things mildly.
"I can have the army put down the revolts my King," General Adamian said, standing at the other end of the study.
Musegh merely shook his head, "That won't do any good. I don't want to be seen as a tyrant. Inform Av...Bakara that he needs to listen to their requests."
If Adamian noticed the slip, he didn't mention it. He merely nodded and went to find the former Rebel. Musegh returned to staring out at the harbor, deep in thought. Normally, he would be back home in Cilicia. The only reason he was in Sinope was his uncle Alexios...he had fallen ill. Unfortunately, by the time Musegh had arrived, he had already passed on.
This left his cousin David, too young to rule, as the Child King of Trebizond. Some would say that Musegh should press his own claim to Trebizond's throne through his Mother...but he wouldn't do that. Zoe wouldn't exactly be...pleased if he tried. Besides, he and his brother David (and that could be confusing) were friendly with their young cousin anyway.
That was also why the Armenian hadn't left Sinope yet, and why General Adamian was here too. Both of them were preparing to head to Trebizond (the city) and help out where they could. Adamian was going to help train Trebizond's military up to his exacting standards, while Musegh was going to tutor his cousin like Avedis and Lukasz had tutored him.
Maybe that was a sign of how few things were going on in Cilicia...
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Then again, while things were fairly normal in Armenia, that didn't mean it was the case for the rest of the world. Other nations were struggling with revolts (the Muzaffarids and Timurids) or had suicidal leaders. Like Aragon.
Bakara and Adamian had began a betting pool on how long Aragon lasted against their larger and more powerful neighbor. The former Rebel was betting on under a year, while the General predicted two years. Musegh was amused by his advisers, so he just let them have their fun. Part of him was even tempted to join in himself, but as King there was certain things he couldn't do. Like bet on another nations war.
"I'm telling you, Aragon won't last the year. Castille has several allies, and a bigger army," Bakara said, as he walked with Adamian.
"And I'm the head of our Army, I think I would know about fighting a war," the General countered, "and Aragon has an advantage in terrain."
"But how much good is terrain when you are outnumbered three to one?"
"Quite good. If their generals have any sense to use it that is."
Both Bakara and Adamian laughed at that, before continuing to yet another staff meeting. Running a nation wasn't child's play, and Musegh was determined to do it right.
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On the subject of wars, it seemed the Golden Horde had decided to take advantage of the near-collapse of the Timurids.
Unlike Aragon, the Mamluks seemed to have the sense to realize they couldn't do any good in that war. Which wasn't helpful for Cilicia, since it meant the Mamluks wouldn't get their armies wrecked in far-away lands. Then again, it was too much to hope probably. At least the Egyptians hadn't declared war on Armenia yet, so they counted themselves lucky in that regard.
Though, not everyone was happy. Even with the reforms meant to help the peasants out, some people in Armenia were...less than pleased with their King. To be fair, that would always be the case, but it didn't mean it wasn't annoying for Musegh to put up with.
How am I a 'powermonger'? Musegh couldn't help but wonder, shaking his head.
"If its worth anything Musegh, I didn't believe it either," Bakara said, one of the few who still called Musegh by his name.
"Neither did I," David, the King's younger brother, added.
Musegh snorted, "I would be worried if you did."
David grinned, but didn't say anything. Musegh's eyebrow went up at that, making his brother break out laughing.
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While the Timurids were busy getting their collective heads bashed in by the Horde, their neighbors the Muzaffarids were still struggling with revolts. Struggling to the point that Trebizond got yet another province out of them. It was probably ironic that Trebizond now had more territory in the north than they did in their own homeland. Of course though...that was the least of the Muzaffarid's problems.
"Are you certain you had nothing to do with this?" Musegh asked his Diplomat.
"Yes," Bakara replied, "though I almost wish I had. They aren't going to recover from this."
"Indeed."
Of those two nations, Iraq went bankrupt fairly quickly, not able to support all the rebel, now national, troops. Qara Koyunlu was rather smarter and disbanded most of the troops they had inherited. Not to mention that Musegh had jumped at the chance of a new ally, and brought them into the Orthodox Alliance as the token Islamic ally. They had probably only accepted because the Armenians had jumped in so quickly though. Now to see how long the alliance lasted...
Shame to see the OE still so big, why not cut them down to the right size? Which is, of course, nothing.
Arstemis- Sadly, if there is one thing Musegh sucks at its burning infamy. There is a reason I haven't gotten into any wars since the last one ended
I am aiming to knock the Otto's out of the game soon though, just a matter of letting the Romans take the infamy hits and making sure the Mamluks don't decide to invade while I'm busy.
I am aiming to knock the Otto's out of the game soon though, just a matter of letting the Romans take the infamy hits and making sure the Mamluks don't decide to invade while I'm busy.
Working on getting the screenshots for the next update right now...but this...I can't wait to post it:
UNCLE AVEDIS IS A ZOMBIE!!!!!
I'm not even joking...this popped up and I did a double-take, and went back here to make sure I read the name right. This is going to be interesting come the actual update (sometime tomorrow hopefully).
UNCLE AVEDIS IS A ZOMBIE!!!!!
I'm not even joking...this popped up and I did a double-take, and went back here to make sure I read the name right. This is going to be interesting come the actual update (sometime tomorrow hopefully).