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The New Jerusalem: Moskva 1337

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Nikolai: It's hard to really believe I'm done here. This was on and off for nearly two years and I really didn't think I'd ever make it. I just hope my next AAR works out as well. :)

stnylan: Maybe I should do a Scot's AAR next, full of creative spellings, Achs!, and bagpipes. :D My proofreading skills do leave a lot to be desired sometimes. In terms of "is it a tragedy?" I think it is and it isn't. The final post of Part V did have a lot of those elements. I just hope all the death made sense in plot terms, I don't want to do one of those "I'm stuck, so I'll just kill everyone" endings. ;)

Duke of Wellington: Thanks for reading and all the kind words! Actually, I think coming in late is the way to go with this AAR. There were so many long update droughts along the way I'm amazed everyone kept following after all that! This way, it's all right there to read. :D

coz1: One really Shakespearean thing that ended up in there not really by design is the idea of fate and just being trapped by past actions and having to pay the price. Well, that and all the falling! The Semyon battle scene was probably the easiest one to write. A good "last stand" scene is always a winner in my opinion and then it was just a matter of throwing in things I'd learned from action movies. In many ways Semyon is the central character of this story, something that gets reinforced in the conclusion.

I'm pretty excited about EU III. If I play, I have to write AARs. It's a problem I have that I'm sure you can relate to. ;) I am considering another CK one first, but who knows?

Pirate Z: I didn't really want to kill Semyon, but it was the only honest outcome to the big battle scene. To make up for it, he really is at the center of the final chapter of Part V with two important scenes. He deserved a fitting exit. I see Ivan II as the anti-hero of this AAR. He really isn't a very good person when you get down to it, but he's so entertaining that it really doesn't matter. His revenge and death was suitably messy. As for Andrei, Qasim and the others, they are the most competent people in Moscow, so it looks good for the future. ;)

aussieboy: Thanks for reading. I hope it wasn't too confusing what happened to who in the last post. It gets revisited in the epilogue briefly, in any case. Andrei is the right man in the right place and time, I think. ;)

jwolf: Correct, the relief army was organized by Qasim at the urging of Maria and Rogneda. I really wanted to make sure Semyon got a fitting hero's end since I knew people wouldn't be happy to see him die (even I wasn't happy, but it had to happen!). Anastasia's scene was one of those "show, don't tell" bits that I always try for. ;) She really has had quite a journey over the course of this AAR. As for the mess, it always helps to have the right people to help you in the cleaning.

Shy Kid: Knowing you're not a big "story AAR" fan it means a lot. :)

J. Passepartout: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the big finish. After all that build it was fun to write a very wild and "anything goes" finish and I'm glad you found the massive death appropriate. :D As for Semyon and some others, that's exactly what I was thinking, too.
 
kingmbutu: I really appreciate it. For now I'll just take a bow :D but I'll be back writing a new AAR soon, I have a feeling.
 
Paranoid Tsar said:
...Andrei, the youngest son of Ivan I.
Click to expand...

Didn't Ivan and Rogneda have one or two sons together?

Quibbles aside, that was a splendid ending to this AAR. It was refreshing to see actual happiness (!!!) in both life and death of several longsuffering characters who sorely needed it for years. I liked reading of Anastasia expecting another child -- I had wondered if her one night of reconciliation with Semyon would have that effect. ;)

A happy ending? In Russia?! Paranoid Tsar, I do believe you are a romantic after all. :p

Congratulations on finishing this masterpiece. Very, very well done! :)
 
jwolf: Good catch, they had two, Petr and Roman. The eldest, Petr, died of diabolic possession and since Moscow's succession is determined by strength rather than birth order Andrei and than Ivan III would succeed rather than very average Roman. It's a little messy, but it was explained way back when Ivan I gives the succession to Ivan II rather than the older Semyon. Forgetting about Roman, well that was just my mistake since I'd basically written him out. It's fixed now. ;)

After all the misery I think I owed it to the readers to show some happiness in the ending...and actually lots of it! I think I am at heart a bit of a softie, I just hand out misery for the good of the story. ;) If I had inspiration for the ending, I think "War and Peace" is it. It has a very similar finish after all the misery and it must have influenced me just a little, in imagining a happy Russia! :D

Thanks for reading and all the encouragement! :)
 
*applause*
A very good ending, for once happy.;) I look forward to your next aar, I just hope I'll catch it, as I'm terribly bad at that.:p I suggest EU3.:) Congratulations on the conclusion of the aar, a great tale from beginning to end!
 
And so it ends. Congratulations, PT!

Poor Semyon, though he died for his beloved Moscow a hero and continued his line, so it's not so bad. I loved Ivan II's last scene as well, hacked down like a common criminal in his moment of glory, having truly proven himself a real life slayer of dragons.

And a happy ending! Who'd have thought it? :eek:
 
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Excellent finish, both with all the bloodletting and the unexpected happiness in the Epilogue. I guess it makes some sense that the last post would be so uncharacteristically upbeat: all the bad people died in the previous posts. :p

It seems to me that all the main characters got the deaths they deserved: Seymon died a hero, Lidiia died a painful death at the hands of the man she betrayed most, and Ivan died unknown, so consumed by his revenge against Lidiia that he didn't even notice the guards coming in to chop him to pieces.

All in all a very entertaining story. Thanks for writing it and I look forward to your next production. :)
 
Wow.

Just, wow. You ended it on a positive note! :eek: :D

Perhaps, in the end, Ivan I, Semyon, the Dragonslayer and even Andrei can look down and smile as Ivan III fulfills their dreams.

It was a good ending. Semyon died the death that saved his honor, and Qasim finally found a listening ear to hear his wise words. Ivan got his revenge, but perhaps not the violent end he expected...

... and Lidiia? Lidiia died in the exact way she deserved. :cool:
 
Nikolai: I am a big fan of surprises, so a happy ending was about the biggest one I could think of. :D Thanks for following and for all the compliments! I'm waiting on EU 3 right now, I'm not sure how that will work out yet. I always find large blocks of time a lot harder to write about, especially when there isn't much to guide me. I'm still thinking of doing another CK one, but it might be a little while.

J. Passepartout: The misery never truly ends, of course, but there are very brief breaks in it every so often. ;) With Ivan III the story ends fairly historically, which is something I like to do.

Fiftypence: Thanks! Semyon got probably the best ending he could possibly have hoped for, considering how badly it could have ended. Ivan's end was the sort that misguided warriors tend to come to: victorious but completely unaware of the impending consequences. I'm a sucker for happy endings, believe it or not. :D

Stuyvesant: The last two updates form a sort of counter-point. The end of Part V is nothing but blood and horror and the epilogue deals with the aftermath when all the possible violence has already happened and peace has to follow. It will take awhile before new trouble-makers replace the fallen. :D

The ends for most characters actually do carry a sense of justice. I think that actions tend to have natural consequences, which shaped how I handled the finish. Plus, a break in the steady line of misfortunes was needed. I really appreciate your input throughout this and I hope you'll be following whenever I decide to start writing again. For now I'm enjoying being in between AARs. I might actually get some reading done, with any luck! :D

Pirate Z: I knew no one would expect that! :D I wonder how much Semyon, Ivan II or Andrei would appreciate the ultimate success of Russia as opposed to their own goals. Andrei probably would appreciate it most, although Semyon and even Ivan probably would too to some extent.

Lidiia's death had to be sufficiently horrible after all the trouble she caused, but it couldn't be so horrible that we'd forgive her actions. It's a fine balancing act. ;) Ivan probably suspected he wouldn't survive to regain his title: his actions toward the end are increasingly dangerous. It was nice to finally do something good for Qasim after all his struggles. Thanks for reading!

Vann the Red: Thanks once again. I've got some ideas kicking around for my next AAR, but I have to say it's nice to take a little break. Not too long, I hope. :D
 
This is honestly the best AAR I have ever read, and that´s been a few! PT, I bow to you!

You should make this a book, or better yet, an ebook. Maybe pdf, for free? I bet many people would love to read it without having to scan a thread as long as this one...

On the other side of the medal, you made me spend about twelve hours on reading this while I have a paper to write due the day after tomorrow! *grrr*

:)
 
Ahh, so I was wrong about Anastacia, but I am glad that I was. The image of new life coming forth from destruction is very powerful. So though the story ends, we end up looking forward to a bright (and being Russia, probably fearsome) future. Given all the death that has occurred the two bright spots - Feodosia and (for me) unexpectedly Anastacia - shine so very fiercely.

Until next time...
 
Well done, what an unexpectedly happy ending!
 
Pal: I really appreciate the compliments! As far as converting to pdf format that would be nice since this is a rather long one, but I wouldn't even know where to begin as far as implementing that. I hope your paper worked out, I'm trying not to ruin anyone's life with this, although it does have a way of happening. :D

stnylan: I forget where I heard this, but I've been told that the worst of times are almost always followed by a Golden Age. With all the suffering and tragedy pretty much spent the time of hope springs from that, but of course the question is for how long. With Russia, a fearsome future is always a safe bet. :D In any case, the right characters got to have happiness in the end, which is always nice.

I should be back writing soon, it's like a virus. :D

Estonianzulu: Thanks for following, it's always nice to finish with some happiness, especially after page after page of pure, concentrated misery. :D
 
Finally caught the epilogue, PT and wonderful stuff. Oleg reminds me very much of the young Ivan, even if Anastasia will continue the family tradition with her child. And a touching ending to utilize her to keep Semyon up front and center. I think you are right - he really was the one touchstone that kept the thing moving along.

Excellent work all the way around and I am so pleased you were able to return and complete this as it should be. Congrats and looking forward to your next work!
 
coz1: Thanks for following this all the way through! After all the long breaks and difficulties it felt really good to finally bring this one home in a way I think most people enjoyed. Oleg might go on to be a soldier, maybe even a Marshall, but I think Feodosia would resist that. The scene did have a lot in common with Ivan's first scene, I didn't even realize it when I wrote it but its a nice call-back to Part One. The fact that this is really Semyon's story is amazing considering he never even ruled Moscow. That's the best thing about Crusader Kings: someone you wouldn't think is especially important can become a driving force.

I'm already back writing a CK Lithuania AAR and then there's EU III. I'm going to be all over that when it come out, of course. :D
 
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