Rome AARisen - a Byzantine AAR
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[The Professors voice] Good news, everyone![/end voice]
I had one of my big "blamo" idea rushes this morning, so in the last half hour or so, I actually sketched out some outlines for 9 updates ahead! Pretty cool, huh? Should make posting the next chapter go faster than it would have otherwise!
Also, since we are entering a new chapter, I thought I'd share the new chapter picture with everyone as well.
There'll also be a new regnal banner, but I haven't designed that yet... its been only a day since the last update!
Qorten - I thought so... and an excellent way to show how far Thomas has slid...
FlyingDutchie - Albrecht's idea was for it to be a "promotion" into a place where he can't cause any harm--Istria's too poor to be a threat, far removed from Konstantinopolis, and dangerously close to people who would want Gottfried dead (the Arpad German emperors). Now, if Gottfried were brilliant on the scale of his father, he could possibly make the most out of the situation... if he's not, he's basically been sent to his doom.
Tommy4ever - The Danes are certainly distracted at least. And I'm not so sure this would qualify as suicide... see below.
Nehekara - Albrecht was born in roughly 1196, so by this point he's 62, an old man for sure, but not venerable in the least. Coincidentally, "The Gardener" lived into his 70s before his final demise...
KlavoHunter - 'Haunting' was kind of what I was going for. Thank you.
Vesimir - No, they wouldn't leave him in the cisterns. The luck of the damned says he'd wander his way out, and then cause all sorts of chaos. Better to 'contain' the problem for sure. Nikephoros is still technically emperor, but as we saw with Manuel, as he's not 'Sound of Body' he cannot rule alone. At present, they're co-Emperors, but Nikephoros isn't able to leave the palace, so his power is even more limited...
Hawkeye1489 - Aha! Another once has been seduced by the Byzantine darkness! Thank you for the kind praise, as I said above, that haunting feeling was what I was going for, and I'm glad it tingled your spine some...
humancalculator - Not consciously, ironically! I hadn't read Amontillado since junior high--say, 16 years ago or so? I'd sincerely forgotten the story existed, to the point I had to wiki it when people started talking about it! I don't doubt, however, that some part of it stuck in a dark recess of my mind, and it came out during the writing... maybe influenced by it would be a better term?
Fulcrumvale - Explaining Thomas' disappearance is rather easy--he's sequestered himself planning some enormous project. His 'nuttiness' is rather well known! Considering how Anastasia and even little Andronikos have noticed how popular Thomas' handing out alms was, it's not unlikely to think Andie could take over the alms-giving...
Siind - This are progressing amazingly well for Albrecht. But as we saw, when things are progressing smoothly, that usually means something bumpy is hiding just under the current...
von Sachsen - When I first saw that, I confess my eyes saw "armadillo" at first!
Kirsch27 - Becausssseeeeeee.....
Nikolai - Yeah, Tommy ran off happily to death, and I couldn't imagine even as callous a soul as Albrecht not feeling remorse at seeing someone unknowingly embrace the very thing that would kill him. Especially considering Albie has known Thomas since he was nothing more than a little kid who liked building things...
RGB - Is it suicide really if the participant isn't cognitively aware he's going to die? Oh, I doubt Albie's plan won't prevent them from politicking, and I bet Albie realizes that deep down. It will probably keep them from politicking for a while, however, giving the state a breather...
AlexanderPrimus - Oh no you didaan't!
I had one of my big "blamo" idea rushes this morning, so in the last half hour or so, I actually sketched out some outlines for 9 updates ahead! Pretty cool, huh? Should make posting the next chapter go faster than it would have otherwise!
Also, since we are entering a new chapter, I thought I'd share the new chapter picture with everyone as well.
There'll also be a new regnal banner, but I haven't designed that yet... its been only a day since the last update!
Qorten - I thought so... and an excellent way to show how far Thomas has slid...
FlyingDutchie - Albrecht's idea was for it to be a "promotion" into a place where he can't cause any harm--Istria's too poor to be a threat, far removed from Konstantinopolis, and dangerously close to people who would want Gottfried dead (the Arpad German emperors). Now, if Gottfried were brilliant on the scale of his father, he could possibly make the most out of the situation... if he's not, he's basically been sent to his doom.
Tommy4ever - The Danes are certainly distracted at least. And I'm not so sure this would qualify as suicide... see below.
Nehekara - Albrecht was born in roughly 1196, so by this point he's 62, an old man for sure, but not venerable in the least. Coincidentally, "The Gardener" lived into his 70s before his final demise...
KlavoHunter - 'Haunting' was kind of what I was going for. Thank you.
Vesimir - No, they wouldn't leave him in the cisterns. The luck of the damned says he'd wander his way out, and then cause all sorts of chaos. Better to 'contain' the problem for sure. Nikephoros is still technically emperor, but as we saw with Manuel, as he's not 'Sound of Body' he cannot rule alone. At present, they're co-Emperors, but Nikephoros isn't able to leave the palace, so his power is even more limited...
Hawkeye1489 - Aha! Another once has been seduced by the Byzantine darkness!
Thank you for the kind praise, as I said above, that haunting feeling was what I was going for, and I'm glad it tingled your spine some...humancalculator - Not consciously, ironically!
I hadn't read Amontillado since junior high--say, 16 years ago or so? I'd sincerely forgotten the story existed, to the point I had to wiki it when people started talking about it! I don't doubt, however, that some part of it stuck in a dark recess of my mind, and it came out during the writing... maybe influenced by it would be a better term?Fulcrumvale - Explaining Thomas' disappearance is rather easy--he's sequestered himself planning some enormous project. His 'nuttiness' is rather well known! Considering how Anastasia and even little Andronikos have noticed how popular Thomas' handing out alms was, it's not unlikely to think Andie could take over the alms-giving...
Siind - This are progressing amazingly well for Albrecht. But as we saw, when things are progressing smoothly, that usually means something bumpy is hiding just under the current...
von Sachsen - When I first saw that, I confess my eyes saw "armadillo" at first!
Kirsch27 - Becausssseeeeeee.....
Nikolai - Yeah, Tommy ran off happily to death, and I couldn't imagine even as callous a soul as Albrecht not feeling remorse at seeing someone unknowingly embrace the very thing that would kill him. Especially considering Albie has known Thomas since he was nothing more than a little kid who liked building things...
RGB - Is it suicide really if the participant isn't cognitively aware he's going to die?
Oh, I doubt Albie's plan won't prevent them from politicking, and I bet Albie realizes that deep down. It will probably keep them from politicking for a while, however, giving the state a breather...AlexanderPrimus - Oh no you didaan't!
*sniff* I actually felt sorry for Thomas. He only wanted to build stuff... Born to be a builder, but destined to be Emperor.
However the boy Andronikos somehow makes me chill inside. What kind of a 12 year old is that, dead serious, focused for hours, regal in behaviour... and thought? Everything indicates that he has what it takes to be Emperor, and the boy hasn't reached puberty yet. Brilliant prodigy for sure. But I hesitate to make a judement of his future character yet. I think we'll have to see how he evolves at age 14-15 to see if he really is the Quisatz Haderach that saves Romanian from itself, or if the... dark side... of the Komnenoi will come through and he will grow up to be a true monster, a spawn of hell, endowed with brilliant talent by Lucifer himself and sent to topple the world's greatest Empire once and for all
Born to be a builder, but destined to be Emperor. However the boy Andronikos somehow makes me chill inside. What kind of a 12 year old is that, dead serious, focused for hours, regal in behaviour... and thought? Everything indicates that he has what it takes to be Emperor, and the boy hasn't reached puberty yet. Brilliant prodigy for sure. But I hesitate to make a judement of his future character yet. I think we'll have to see how he evolves at age 14-15 to see if he really is the Quisatz Haderach that saves Romanian from itself, or if the... dark side... of the Komnenoi will come through and he will grow up to be a true monster, a spawn of hell, endowed with brilliant talent by Lucifer himself and sent to topple the world's greatest Empire once and for all
In the midst of my lamentations, I forgot to add that Andronikos is WEIRD. I couldn't sit still and remember all that ritualistic junk, and I'm not too terribly dumb myself. That kid's like twelve, and he's sitting there stonefaced, for like ten hours? I can't sit still for three hours, lol.
+1.
So did the inheritance really go like that in the game terms?
The death was fantastic.
I think he's going to be too conservative for his own good. The Empire needs a dynamic Emperor with more of a knack for statemanship and intrigue than the art of war.
I doubt Andronikos is going to be like that. I think he's going to bring about the fall of the Third Empire.
It'll be interesting how Andronikos I will do. He sure has potential, but somehow I doubt he'll realize it before something happens that change the battlefield completely. It's just how BT's Romaion works it seems. Now, I sure dread the day Andronikos II comes around...
Now, I sure dread the day Andronikos II comes around...
Wait...didn't BT foreshadow an Andronikos Megas sometime ago? It sure feels like we need another "the Great" after a long line of loony toons.
I had an intense mixture of feelings.
For a bit i was deeply sad and almost shed a tear, as Thomas, although completely insane, only wanted to build and design things and never wanted to be emperor. He sort of grew on me, in the crazy, insane sort of way.
Then i felt anger at the plotters for doing this to an Emperor. No matter how insane he is, they still swore an oath to the Emperor, so their act makes it plain treachery.
Then i felt like a weight had been lifted off of Romanian's shoulders, as they won't have to deal with the fanciful projects of a mentally insane ruler.
Then yes, as you did, i felt the darkly funny irony as to what happened to him. He didn't even have a clue as to what was happening to him even as he sealed his own doom!
BT, i must say that you are one of the most excellent writers i have ever read stories from. You were able to give me happiness, joy, and relief while at the same time giving me sorrow, anger, and depression. And all of this was in the same scene!
If you haven't given tons of thought to it before, i beleive that you should pursue a career (or a side career, i know writer's don't always get the most money unless they get a bestseller) in writing. I wouldn't say it would have to be about this time period necessarily, but i would gladly read a book that you penned.
Just make sure you finish this storyline first.
No, that was Alexandros Megas. Andronikos II is the one who makes the Roman Empire disintegrate or something thereabouts.
Well, If I remember it correctly, he was accused of bringing about/instituting some sort of ill-advised reform or policy by a professor in an interim. Some reform which according to this professor, brought about the collapse, either directly or indirectly. That professor was roughly 700 years ahead of where the story is now, and his facts could very well be skewed or just plain wrong. Also, he could have been biased somehow, or just been a fool. Or maybe he hated the name Andronikos. Who truly knows? We'll have to wait and see what truly happens, from a better perspective than a professor who obviously was not there. Hindsight is not ALWAYS 20/20, when you're talking in terms of centuries.
Good. Good stuff. I must say, Andronikos is turning into an interesting Emperor. Will he survive? That is the biggest question. To be honest, I find him a mixture of several Emperors. So far I've put down Manuel and a bit of Nikolaios (not the Greek condition, of course ) however he could easily swing either way.
He could be an incredibly brilliant Emperor that leads the Empire to glory. However, even if he were that type of Emperor, he would need to have a touch of cruelty to make it succeed. Whilst Basil himself was a good Emperor, his kindness and chivalry allowed the Empire to rot and thus break down into madness. I would suspect the same if Andronikos is a rather kind fellow but I doubt that, somehow.
Not saying he'll be a monster like Thomas I. He could possibly be sociopathic, like Manuel, which in all fairness, I suspect to some degree. Not madness but probably obsession over making the Empire succeed, no matter what the
cost, etc.
Anyway, looking forward to the next update! Gotta say, we've come on along way since we first started.
) however he could easily swing either way. He could be an incredibly brilliant Emperor that leads the Empire to glory. However, even if he were that type of Emperor, he would need to have a touch of cruelty to make it succeed. Whilst Basil himself was a good Emperor, his kindness and chivalry allowed the Empire to rot and thus break down into madness. I would suspect the same if Andronikos is a rather kind fellow but I doubt that, somehow.
Not saying he'll be a monster like Thomas I. He could possibly be sociopathic, like Manuel, which in all fairness, I suspect to some degree. Not madness but probably obsession over making the Empire succeed, no matter what the
cost, etc.
Anyway, looking forward to the next update! Gotta say, we've come on along way since we first started.
Nope, the whole scene made me laugh.
True that might just have been because I really disliked Thomas. Thomas the boy was a nice but foolish guy, Thomas the man was a horrible excuse for a human being. He was a religious nut job with some seriously sadistic tendencies, horrible person or not, what he did to Frederica was just plain wrong. As an emperor he wasn't any better, the best that can be said for him was that he wasn't actively hindering Albrechts work, but his mad building schemes drained the tressury of funds that could have been better used. So yeah walling himself up, tragic? Hell no, its poetic justice!
You may call him a megalomaniac builder now and lament the holes his project blew into the state budget. But in a hundred years, his mega buildings will be the epitome of Rome's greatest days, and they will be admired throughout the world just like the palaces of Louis XIV, or Ludwig II of Bavaria's Neuschwanstein, both of which are famous throughout the world and attract millions of visitors.
Ludwig II of Bavaria may have been mad, just like Thomas, but his construction projects made him really popular with the people in the poor parts of his kingdom, and his castles were in a way "identity politics" which forged a common identity for the inhabitants of a hodge podge kingdom that was slapped together from heterogeneous pieces only 50 years before he ascended the throne.
I say Thomas the Builder left Constantinople with a vast legacy of imperial architecture, and later generations will see in him a visionary architect, who single-handedly started the Byzantine renaissance, not a madman who spent the imperial budget on flying buttresses. His construction projects gave work to thousands throughout the empire, and the wealth displayed by his magnificent works greatly strengthened the Imperial prestige - particularly in the many cities that had only recently (re-)joined the Empire after 100s of years of Islamic rule. Never underestimate the importance of architecture for the authority and the perceived legitimacy of an empire. The Thomasine palaces and cathedrals in Damascus, Jerusalem, Antioch, Baghdad, Palermo and many other cities will remind the people of Rome's glory for hundreds of years. Never underestimate architecture!
Imagine his name on one of those "100 most influential people in arts and architecture" lists. Historians may well call this era not the Nikephorian era or the Albrechtine era, even though they dominated the era politically, but the Thomasine era simply because Emperor Thomas III left so much more visible stuff behind. (Also because there were so many Thomases.) Historians may well call this part of thr Comnenid history the "Thomasine Renaissance", and later they'll have a "Neo-Thomasine Renaissance" and so on. Just like German historans speak of the "Ottonian era" when they mean the Emperors Heinrich I and Otto I-III.
Ludwig II of Bavaria may have been mad, just like Thomas, but his construction projects made him really popular with the people in the poor parts of his kingdom, and his castles were in a way "identity politics" which forged a common identity for the inhabitants of a hodge podge kingdom that was slapped together from heterogeneous pieces only 50 years before he ascended the throne.
I say Thomas the Builder left Constantinople with a vast legacy of imperial architecture, and later generations will see in him a visionary architect, who single-handedly started the Byzantine renaissance, not a madman who spent the imperial budget on flying buttresses.
His construction projects gave work to thousands throughout the empire, and the wealth displayed by his magnificent works greatly strengthened the Imperial prestige - particularly in the many cities that had only recently (re-)joined the Empire after 100s of years of Islamic rule. Never underestimate the importance of architecture for the authority and the perceived legitimacy of an empire. The Thomasine palaces and cathedrals in Damascus, Jerusalem, Antioch, Baghdad, Palermo and many other cities will remind the people of Rome's glory for hundreds of years. Never underestimate architecture!Imagine his name on one of those "100 most influential people in arts and architecture" lists. Historians may well call this era not the Nikephorian era or the Albrechtine era, even though they dominated the era politically, but the Thomasine era simply because Emperor Thomas III left so much more visible stuff behind. (Also because there were so many Thomases.) Historians may well call this part of thr Comnenid history the "Thomasine Renaissance", and later they'll have a "Neo-Thomasine Renaissance" and so on.
Just like German historans speak of the "Ottonian era" when they mean the Emperors Heinrich I and Otto I-III.
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LOL
Poor Thomas, a fitting way to die for a chap who was forced into a fate he didn't deserve.
I am surprised that no one has talked about how "Uncle Albie" teared up and showed that he was, in fact, human and not some heartless emperor maker.
P.S: Leviathan is probably right, "out of sight, out of mind" but if something is towering over you one probably won't forget!
armoristan - Unlike most of the people there, Albie remembers (and probably keenly) young, shy, not-yet-insane Thomas III. He probably spent alot of time around him (He was the kid's uncle), and of the siblings, Thomas was the one that liked Albrecht the most. I just couldn't see him having any other reaction to what he wished he didn't have to do, but knew had to be done.
Leviathan07 - Fair points all--add to that historians have a tendency to romanticize characters like Thomas, just like they would likely romanticize the Megos, or Basil. Madness is interesting, and provokes defenses, revisions, revisions to revisions--add to that Thomas left a huge visual presence, he is likely going to be the most remembered Emperor so far by the general public, alongside Basil, Demetrios Megos, and possibly his father...
As for Andronikos, spot on observation. Preteens sitting that still, that emotionless, for hours on end is not normal behavior. Is something up? We'll soon see.
Siind - It was pure, delicious irony, on top of the sadness, loss, bittersweet feeling. Especially that Thomas helped[/i[.
Ksim3000 - The update I'm working on shares a little more about Andie and how his mind works. You all will be getting a better feel for the mind of this preteen soon.
Kirsch27 - The prof was centuries ahead, and he was actually defending Andronikos II--saying the root of the rot started with Basil, not Andronikos' policies...
Nikolai - An Alexandros Megas has been hinted at. There've also been hints as to a King Alexandros, versus an Emperor Alexandros...
humancalculator - Wow. That mix of emotions was what I was going for! Thank you for the vote of confidence--I would love to give full time writing a try, but alas, I need money for incidentals such as eating in the meantime. If I get enough startup cash to eat while I wait for things to get published, I'd drop everything and start writing full time in a second! :rofl:
Mcy1000 - Doesn't look like it.
Hawkeye1489 - As for Andronikos Megas, I don't think I did...
Update is progressing slowly, if only because everyone and their uncle seems to be finding ways to keep me from the computer. To bide everyone's time a little longer, I did manage to get the new banner done.
Leviathan07 - Fair points all--add to that historians have a tendency to romanticize characters like Thomas, just like they would likely romanticize the Megos, or Basil. Madness is interesting, and provokes defenses, revisions, revisions to revisions--add to that Thomas left a huge visual presence, he is likely going to be the most remembered Emperor so far by the general public, alongside Basil, Demetrios Megos, and possibly his father...
As for Andronikos, spot on observation. Preteens sitting that still, that emotionless, for hours on end is not normal behavior. Is something up? We'll soon see.
Siind - It was pure, delicious irony, on top of the sadness, loss, bittersweet feeling. Especially that Thomas helped[/i[.
Ksim3000 - The update I'm working on shares a little more about Andie and how his mind works. You all will be getting a better feel for the mind of this preteen soon.
Kirsch27 - The prof was centuries ahead, and he was actually defending Andronikos II--saying the root of the rot started with Basil, not Andronikos' policies...
Nikolai - An Alexandros Megas has been hinted at. There've also been hints as to a King Alexandros, versus an Emperor Alexandros...
humancalculator - Wow. That mix of emotions was what I was going for! Thank you for the vote of confidence--I would love to give full time writing a try, but alas, I need money for incidentals such as eating in the meantime. If I get enough startup cash to eat while I wait for things to get published, I'd drop everything and start writing full time in a second! :rofl:
Mcy1000 - Doesn't look like it.
Hawkeye1489 - As for Andronikos Megas, I don't think I did...
Update is progressing slowly, if only because everyone and their uncle seems to be finding ways to keep me from the computer. To bide everyone's time a little longer, I did manage to get the new banner done.
Hawkeye1489 - As for Andronikos Megas, I don't think I did...
No, it was Alexandros Megas that was foreshadowed, I had just confused it with Andronikos in my desparate attempt to defend the young lad before we even met him
. Nice banner though, really shows off the stoic Andie, the kid that has been filled since his birth with the realization that he will be the embodiment of 1300 years of Imperial Power and 1800 years of a culture that has dominated the known world.Cheers,
~Hawk
Yep, in this post he foreshadowed Alexandros II Megas.
The question in my mind is whether he will be "Alexander II, the Great," or "Alexander the Great II."
It's a very significant distinction, considering the legacy of the name.