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Alright. I'm now at page 147. I'm about to read the 'Western Empire' entry, but need to say something first. "No soup for you," ?!. Is that a 'Seinfeld' joke? Seems like no on picked up on that so far.

I'm still really enjoying the AAR. At this point it seems like you are leaning towards 'historical' entries as opposed to imaginative, creative ones. I'm wondering if this is just a phase or is planned or semi-planned to deal with RL issues? I'm not complaining though. The amount of action, both political, personal, or otherwise is riveting. You are inspiring me to ponder the possibilities of doing my own AAR with 'Crusader Kings II," once it is on the market.

Keep writing, because I keep looking forward to what happens next in 'Rome AARisen'!!!
 
Reached page 70! Only 190ish pages to go, started Saturday so caught up at roughly...January 1, 2011

Alexios Kommenos, heir to Romanion, Gaul, and Brittania has just been born, and Thomas's new wife has just fallen into his carnal embrace much to the maddening consternation of his very Greek spider.

First, I'll say, Manuel the Spider's reign was comparatively quiet, and though there were moments of confrontation (say with the Pope or with the Holy Roman Emperor) there was hardly a moment when I doubted that the Emperor and the Empire would not survive and continue.

Basil's reign on the otherhand has been a completely different story. Although he is one of your more virtuous/good characters, unlike Nikolaios, fundamentally he is not interested in sacrificing himself to preserve the Empire. Basil is clearly not a coward, he throws himself into battle, but this is symptomatic of his unwillingness to sacrifice his chivalric Latinized conception of himself and rulership for the realities of a massive diverse society. He believes that if he is the White Knight the world will rearrange itself so that everyone has a happy ending.

His two primary heirs David and Thomas both come accross as fairly entitled. Although David looks like the more competent of the two his interest appears to be fundamentally in his personal power and glory, just like Thomas. Both are very obviously fighting directly for their father's love and attention, behavior which is not becoming of a future Emperor and steward of the Kommenid inheritance.

In a sense, then, it appears that the primary result of the Manueline Era is a greater sense of entitlement among the Kommenid dynasts. Demetrios, Nikolaios, Christephorus and Manuel all knew that the dynasty could fall from power and be replaced. Looking at your maps of the dynastoi and the behavior of the third and fourth generations, I think it is clear that no one expects the Kommenoi to face a true internal threat.

...I have dear hopes for Eleanor Capet.

Hajnal despite being a schemer was fundamentally also a good mother. She taught Nikolaios well and in that sense prepared the ground for a dynasty beyond Demetrios Megos's conquests. Siddiqa grossly overestimated her chances as an outsider and a mere mistress of the Basileos. Basilea both thought too small and hardly devoted the time to raising her children she should have. Sophie while devoted to Basil and obviously an excellent broodmare has had too much to contend with keeping the politics and business of the Empire together while her husband wars to look after the next generation.

For Eleanor, I hope her long-term view leads her to work for something outside herself and enduring i.e. not only Alexios's succession to Romanion, France, and England but also his competence as a great Autokrator.

Finally, in my heart, Rimini is next to Nikolaios both in his devotion to worthy causes outside himself as well as his mixture of brilliance and understandible fallibility. The small touches of nervousness, caring, and love that you added to the Cardinal were cherished moments of humanity in Manuel's otherwise inhuman and amoral reign. I hope as I read on he will have some further scenes, perhaps to help remind Basil of his duties beyond his simple conception of himself as a White Knight.

Anywho...keep the updates rolling in! Though I despair that the holy mountain moves further on the horizon with every step, I am undaunted!
 
I wait in eagerness for the day a Paradox game finally has an AI with its head not firmly stuck up in certain nether regions.

Yeah, most AI is pretty bad in any game, paradox or not, (most total war games for instance have terrible battle AI) but if you like WWII games, HoI2 has some pretty good AI. I sometimes find myself being beaten if I play at high difficulties, especially playing as Germany or France. As for games set farther back in history, EUIII with Magna Mundi has some decent AI, but I still find myself conquering much more than I'd be able to in reality, and EU Rome confuses the heck out of me, so I don't know how that one is. I wonder how CKII will be, CK was a real masterpiece, but the AI suffers from being designed about 10 years ago. I've never played Vicky, but I think the AI in that game is supposed to be decent as well.
 
Curse you, General BT! I just finish writing up my reflections on the Kommenids up to page 70 and by page 74 you give me hope for Basil's redemption! I mean the physical sickness, the immersion in the river, so baptismal...

...as for the Empress and Rodrigo's night of regretted passion. It is nice to see the tradition of bastards inheriting alive and well even for our honorable Latinized knight. I do not regret the passing of the senior Kommenids. I just hope that Basil's revelation that he must be more than a Warrior-Emperor--he must also be Father of His Country--is not too little too late. The Cuman war seems like a distraction from Basil's most important duty i.e. succession.

At least the Davidian and Thomasine exarchates are unlikely to produce dueling dynasties that can be well-entrenched. They're far too hot headed to play the long-game.

I would say that Rodrigo has taken the role of Nikolaios as the intelligent, cunning, but above all good and loyal defender of the Empire from its own madness and excess.
 
On page 75 in your review of the many generations of the AAR you write:

Alienor Capet – Daughter of Drogo Capet, wife of the now dead David Komnenos.

But David hasn't died yet as far as I can tell| (though going up against 24 intrigue is pretty much the same as dying...)

I forgive you the slip, but please protect future new readers from the spoiler.
 
Irsh Faq - I know. In CK2 I want something my Romanion would seriously fear to come storming out of the east and knock things silly...

Bagricula – Wow! In depth analysis deserves an in depth reply—where you’re at is about a year ago in my writing mind, but I’ll try to remember as best I can (and for what I don’t have remembered, I have some notes, etc. scattered around! :) )

Manuel – Well, Manuel did face an empire-wide rebellion against his rule (not portrayed in the story mostly due to writer’s block), followed swiftly by Sulieman’s invasion of the Empire as well as Zeno’s machinations. The Empire pulled through, but for the first time in hundreds of years, Konstantinopolis saw the campfires of an enemy army across the Marmara…

Basil III – To be honest, this is a very harsh critique of Basil, something of a rarity. I love it! I’d have to agree with you—many of the traits that made him so popular amongst his people (as well as the readers) are the very things that led directly to the resulting mayhem. He was a White Shining Knight, but the Empire doesn’t want, or need, a Shining Knight to rule it. One could argue it has more need of someone like Manuel (devious Machiavellian) as opposed to a chivalrous king. I tried to show this with some of the interactions between Basil and Sophie—there is a legitimate question of what is truly more honorable for a monarch: facing an enemy in the field, where thousands will die, or poisoning them in their own bed, where only one person dies?

Basil’s very magnetism also drove the creation of both of his sons, and fueled their rivalry as well. I have no doubt that if Basil had been physically present more during their youths, both Thomas and David would have turned out far differently. Instead of a father, both sons had a hero in the distance that they had to live up to and gain attention and love from. The fallout is still haunting the empire even as of the latest update.

The Empresses – Each had their strengths and their weaknesses—Hajnal was a devoted mother, she definitely made Nikolaios into what he became (exactly what the dynasty needed), but her devotion led her to inadvertently weaken the realm (and temporarily, her sons claim). Sophie succeeded in supporting Basil, but she failed in that her devotion to him blinded her to the need to do something with her sons. Basiliea by far, in my opinion was the weakest—she schemed too much, and Basil ended up being raised arguably by Rimini far more than he ever was by his own mother.

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the upcoming events in the story as well!

Kirsch27 – HOI’s AI is pretty good, and yes, Vicky’s is as well. Paradox’s AI is, by comparison to others, fairly good overall… its not like the later Total War series, where you have random people DWing you simply because you’re at peace…

Darbuka88 – The ‘historical’ kick comes in every now and then, but the majority of the updates are still narrative, so don’t fear! Yes, “no soup for you” was a definite Seinfeld reference. :) The ‘amount of action’ is something I’m not wrestling with, as there are simply so many interesting storylines across so many parts of the map that I’m forced to leave many aside simply to keep a few main ones going…


And without further ado, Betrayal at Mashad



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“Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.” – Sun Tzu​


“Who is that?”

Altani Khatun worriedly looked at her husband, Tokhtamysh Khan, then back at that low, nagging cloud of dust hugging the horizon. Beyond lay the glittering towers and walls of Mashad—towers her money had built. It marked the beginning of her realm in Central Asia—and the start ugly rumors.

For weeks before the arrival of the Roman emperor, Altani had been hearing ominous pieces of information—men moving, the Khan in Sarai growing restless, but as soon as the Roman and Persian armies fell alongside for the long, and decidedly slow, march back to the border, the news of dark armies moving had gone to a trickle, and then nothing outside of normal reports. Maybe whatever was causing the trouble in distant Kashgar was over.

Not for the first time, Altani wished the slow moving horde of humanity would have moved faster.

The Roman Emperor had explained the tardiness of his armies candidly—he said he wanted the vast hosts to move as slowly through Persia as possible, stripping the countryside bare to make sure Persia could not be a threat to his realm, or Arghun’s, for the foreseeable future. Altani remembered how Arghun’s eyes had darkened at those words, but as the days and weeks crept by and the Romans nor their Persian lackeys did anything untoward, Altani began to think the Roman Emperor was holding to his word. After all, Gabriel the Mongol-Slayer was as much an enemy to him as the Mongols, wasn’t he?

Add to that, Andronikos had been more than cordial to her the few times she’d seen him. He undoubtedly knew who she was—the woman who had killed his father. At first she’d been stunned and confused, but now, two months in—perhaps that was his way of dealing with things. Nonetheless, she still sent her own scouts to personally check the ground on her behalf.

Nothing unusual, they reported.

So she frowned yet again at that distant pall, reining up her horse and wondering—why had the scouts not seen them? Thousands of questions raced through Altani Khatun’s head as her tumen reined up beside her. Arghun’s whole army came to a halt—Altani’s eyes flashed warily to her flank, then across the army. Both the Roman and the Persian forces were halting too…their ranks looked confused, uncertain. The rankers clearly didn’t know what that force was either.

“Who… what is that?” she asked no one in particular, as the host seemed to momentarily stop—distant smudges of black now flooding the plain before them. The dark mass quivered, like a monster taking in a breath, before drums rolled, and the host began to rumble forward yet again.

“They’re moving,” Tokhtamysh grunted. Altani heard steel sliding—without thinking, she drew her sword as well. The unknown force was fanning wide, banners of cavalry spreading raising a pall of dust as they spread to the flanks. Somewhere in the immense cloud, Altani’s veteran eyes were sure she saw banners of infantry.

Wait. She blinked, looking again. She recognized the symbols on some of them, but she couldn’t read them—they looked like banners from an eastern ulus.

She frowned, as a rider galloped up.

“Orders from Arghun?” she asked, eyeing the steadily growing force. Nervously her eyes flashed to their flanks—the Romans and Persians had stopped as well. Good—they were holding to their word apparently.

“Arghun Khan orders you to deploy your cavalry in battle formation, but to hold action!” the messenger said. Altani turned to him and curtly nodded, as Tokhtamysh began barking the requisite orders. As the distant force grew closer and closer, Altani’s eyes once again looked to her flank—the Roman force was moving again.

Backwards.

“Where are they going?” she murmured. Tokhtamysh saw the movement as well, and more orders went out—the tumen was to refuse its flank. After moving a few hundred yards, the huge Roman army on her flank halted, then made an about face, weapons at the ready as they faced this new force.

“Ah!” Tokhtamysh laughed, “if those people come at us, the Romans will hit their flank!”

“I hope,” Altani replied. They’d said that the Roman Emperor was well liked by his people, but that his nobles feared him—some said he was duplicitous, but despite many opportunities during their march across Persia, he’d held true to his word. They still weren’t to Mashad—the city glittered on the horizon, behind this new approaching host.

Riders galloped off from the Mongol, Roman, and Persian lines towards the new arrivals. So the Romans were confused too—that gave her no measure of comfort. If the Romans held firm to their promise of safe conduct, whoever this was would face utter ruin. She looked back towards those Roman lines, towards the great labarum in the center that marked the position of the Roman emperor. She couldn’t see the face of the son of a man she’d killed decades before, but she imagined it… steely eyed, resolute, just like he’d looked at every banquet in his tent.

Surely, he’d…

“Those are Mongol banners…” Tokhtamysh murmured quietly.

Altani looked again, and saw it as well—amidst the sea of bright colors, there were numerous pennants of red and blue, the white eagle of the Mongol Empire fluttering in the dusty wind. What Mongols would be coming?

Suddenly, her mind placed where she’d seen those banners—it’d been years before, at the kurultai to choose the successor to Ariq Boke. As death shimmered in the distant wind, one word came to Altani’s stunned lips.

“Kublai?”

The rumble and clank of an army on the move far closer made her snap her attention to her flank. At the double-quick, the Roman tagmata were deploying, facing the open flank of Arghun’s army…


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Kublai Comes

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“I greet you in the name of peace, Kublai Khan, Khagan of the Mongol Empire,” Andronikos said with a smile. The Megas Komnenos looked up, as Antemios Syrenios, Archekronokratos and representative of Andronikos’ trusted Oikoi, nodded, then repeated the Megas Komnenos words.

Inside the Khagan’s tent, innumerable candles of incense made the air hazy and sweet—a cold contrast to the smell of death and destruction that hovered outside. The smoky room lent Andronikos’ counterpart an air of mystery. Kublai Khan, like Andronikos was slightly short and on the thin side—Andronikos could tell, despite the mains billowing yellow robes—and the strange hat he wore on his head dangled pearls and precious gems in front of his face. Behind that veil of riches was a young, open face, already split open by an enormous smile.

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Andronikos had purposefully brought his immense ebony throne simply for this occasion, hoping to impress the Khagan, only to find himself outdone. The Mongol had brought a throne of gold and inlaid gems, with silken cushions and peacock feathers adorning its priceless frame. Andronikos had tried his best to not be impressed. The army of his erstwhile ally was also immense, replete with contraptions and machines of war the Roman emperor couldn’t imagine, alongside feared formations Romans knew all to well. Despite all his efforts, however, the Roman was impressed—both that Kublai had managed to bring sixty thousand men so far, and that his army had so utterly mauled Arghun’s, with minimal effort on the part of the Romans.

30,000 of Arghun’s men slain. The rest captured—or defected, once it was obvious the battle was going awry. All without Andronikos losing more than 1,000 of his own men, and some 4,000 of Gabriel’s Persians—no loss to the Megas Komnenos really.

Not with what was gained.

“His Imperial Majesty returns your greetings,” Syrenios said.

“Tell His Majesty he looks in well health, and that I am thankful for his survival of the battle yesterday,” Andronikos said pleasantly. “I fear that if Your Majesty’s force had been a few days later than it was, I would not have been able to delay Arghun’s forces any longer.” Andronikos didn’t add that Arghun’s scouts would have still let Kublai’s men approach undetected—there was no reason to let the Khagan know the reach of the Roman imperial purse.

The thin Mongol Khagan smiled expectantly as Andronikos’ words went down the line of translation—first Syrenios translated the Megas Komnenos’ words into Arabic for Kublai’s man, who then told the Khagan. The Great Mongol nodded, speaking harsh noises as the pearls hanging from his hat clattered noisily.

“His Majesty says,” Syrenios grinned a few moments latter, “that he thanks you for your help in getting rid of the troublemaker Arghun, as well as giving his men the distraction needed to take Kashgar. Deception and illusion are often more valuable than one hundred thousand men, and Your Majesty’s efforts in the West were the mark of a master.”

Andronikos beamed at the compliment—what harm was there in accepting a little praise from the only man in the world close to him in power? “Please tell His Majesty,” the Megas Komnenos said, “that his own skills at subterfuge are noteworthy as well. Perhaps,” Andronikos looked his opponent up and down, “His Majesty and I could exchange notes during his stay? As one…illusionist… to another?”

Syrenios translated, and the Khagan laughed once the words reached his ears. He said a few words in reply, shrugging as he spoke. Syrenios laughed.

“His Majesty says a true illusionist must keep his work hidden behind smoke, mirrors and the assassin’s dagger. Otherwise,” Syrenios shrugged as well, “it wouldn’t be an illusion.”

Suddenly the Khagan laughed, uttering more words to his translator, who rattled them off to Syrenios—the Archekronokratos nodded, but Andronikos noted his smile suddenly became stillborn.

“His Majesty adds, perhaps one day you will be as great an illusionist as he.”

Andronikos turned to Kublai, and fixed the smile on his face—the verbal backhand would go unchallenged. Kublai was a mere Mongol. Andronikos was the Megas Komnenos, heir to an line of emperors that stretched back almost 1200 years.

“Perhaps I have surpassed His Majesty,” Andronikos smiled pleasantly as he fired back. Syrenios spoke, words went through the train of translation, and Kublai laughed, before chattering words back.

“His Majesty says perhaps one day it shall be tested. For now,” Syrenios sighed, obviously relieved, “His Majesty has a gift for you.”

“A gift?” Andronikos nodded—Kublai had retreated, apparently. “Very well.” The Megas Komnenos mentally kicked himself—he hadn’t brought anything to this meeting to give to Kublai! Andronikos had assumed they would give gifts at the official banquet that evening. He hoped his counterpart wouldn’t see it as a faux pas…

The Khagan snapped his fingers, and soon servants materialized, holding an immense blade sheathed in a fine leather scabbard. Andronikos smiled pleasantly at first, until he saw the hilt.

It was of Roman make.

One of the servants bowed, offering him the sword. Gently, the Megas Komnenos drew it, revealing a coppery red blade, as finely made as any sword the Emperor had ever seen before. For a few moments, Andronikos stared, remembering stories of a blade like this, before Syrenios spoke.

“The Khagan says this was your father’s sword, taken by Altani Khatun nearly twenty years ago. They found the blade by her body, still sheathed.” The Archekronokratos coughed. “Um, the Khagan says several prisoners identified it. He believes that its name in our tongue is Pyroglossa?

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Andronikos nodded slowly, his eyes wandering down its length, its perfection. He had no memories of his father, only the stories people told of a young king filled with promise, a gentle man, a warrior, they said, without peer. For more than a few moments, Andronikos could not, dared not, to talk—the gold hilt under his fingers, the dusty steel before his eyes, they spoke volumes.

“Please tell His Majesty,” Andronikos finally said when he caught his voice, “that I thank him deeply for this most wondrous gift. My family’s honor has been avenged. I regret that I have no gift for him equal in value to this… treasure…” Andronikos’ voice dropped off as he felt the hilt—it fit, perfectly it seemed, into his own hands. He felt in his hands what his father had felt, all those years before…

“Majesty,” Syrenios clearing his throat brought Andronikos out of his reverie, “Kublai Khagan says that you brought him an equivalent gift—Arghun Khan. His Imperial Majesty thanks you, and is pleased his gift brought you so much pleasure.”

Andronikos clasped his hands around the blade one last time, before sheathing it and setting it next to his throne—there would be time to think, to remember, after business was done. Andronikos nodded his head. Kublai grinned widely, displaying a set of perfect teeth, laughed, then uttered more words to his translator. Arabic chattered around the room, before Syrenios turned to Andronikos.

“His Majesty says that you and he are much alike,” Syrenios translated, “He says that you both lord over vast, unruly realms of many peoples, many faiths, many cultures. He says that you, like he, has disloyal relatives both at home, and on the distant fringe. Finally, he says that he hopes the concord between you and he can remove one source of trouble for our glorious realms.”

“Tell His Majesty,” Andronikos nodded and smiled, “that I, too, hope that this agreement can bring peace and concord between our realms. I trust His Majesty found the offers presented on my behalf by the Polos to his liking?”

Syrenios turned, and once more words went through the tent. Kublai’s smile thinned slightly, but his demeanor still seemed rather jovial as he replied to his own translator. The man uttered words to Syrenios—but the Archekronokratos seemed to stiffen slightly.

“The Khagan asks,” Syrenios blinked nervously, “if you would considering a joint arrangement in Transoxiania, as opposed to a Roman prince ruling the realm.”

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It was Andronikos’ turn to blink. That was not a part of the pact forged long before between two monarchs leagues apart!

“Please remind the Khagan,” Andronikos smiled sweetly, “that His Majesty agreed to a Roman client taking suzerainty over the Transoxus. We would not want to burden His Majesty’s realm with such… responsibilities, especially as His Majesty has spoken of his difficulties with disloyal relatives and disparate cultures.”

Syrenios nodded, and spoke the requisite words. After another set of translation, Kublai’s smile thinned. The Megas Komnenos kept his firmly in place—he wasn’t about to be rattled by some eastern potentate. Kublai uttered more words—Andronikos noticed they seemed quicker, harsher.

“The Khagan notes that alas, you did not come to his aid when his army was embattled,” Syrenios said. “He wonders if you’re struggles with disloyal people and cultures prevented you from falling on Arghun’s flanks sooner.” For his part, the young Mongol Khagan’s lips parted in a sweet smile as well.

“Alas,” Andronikos sighed, “my orders were… muddled…by my generals. Regretfully could not deploy in time to do anything other than prevent Arghun from escaping. Tell His Majesty I sincerely,” Andronikos smiled thinly, “apologize for the damage done to his army. It will be quite hard to hold onto Transoxiania with such a force. In order to ease the strain on his resources, ask His Majesty if perhaps Romanion should be given responsibility for the Transoxus… as planned?” The Megas Komnenos nodded to Syrenios, who quickly translated. The Mongol translator said harsh words, and the Khagan’s smile grew thin as well. He uttered more words quietly, which were relayed back to Syrenios. The Archekronokratos blanched slightly.

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“Well?” Andronikos prodded, glancing at the Khagan. Kublai’s smile grew.

“The Khagan thanks Your Majesty for your offer, but he has more than sufficient force, considering the four tumen that are behind Your Majesty’s forces.” Syrenios cleared his throat. “Ah, um… the Khagan said a wise man never commits himself fully, but always keeps a reserve. So says someone named… Sunsu?”

Andronikos’ face didn’t move a muscle, but the Megas Komnenos’ heart skipped out of his stomach and into his throat. Four tumen. Behind the Roman army? Andronikos wished he could snap a few orders to have scouts confirm the rumor! But no, he couldn’t—not with Kublai sitting directly before him, smile wide and twinkling. The Khagan had pinned him. Fine, Andronikos thought. Two could play the rough game of threats.

“Tell the Khagan,” Andronikos smiled so hard he gritted his teeth, “that I thank him for his advice. Ask him if he likes to hunt. If so, remind him of the bear my dogs took down two years past—even a hound, when cornered, can take down something far larger. Perhaps tell His Majesty also that once even wounded, a bear is easily ridden down, even if it has killed the dog that attacked it.” Andronikos waved his hand, and Syrenios quickly spoke.

When his translator repeated the Emperor’s words, Kublai’s smile stood resolute, but Andronikos swore he could see something dance in the Khagan’s eyes. Was it anger? Was it fear? The Mongol said something, nodding.

“His Imperial Majesty says your words are true and wise—he has seen many such things while hunting,” Syrenios said quickly, “but His Majesty says he is here to discuss Transoxiana. Perhaps another after the meeting is done, if time permits, His Majesty would go on a hunt with you.”

Andronikos wanted to grimace—the Mongol wasn’t budging.

“A joint monarchy,” Andronikos settled into his chair uncomfortably. This Kublai—damn him! “Tell His Majesty I propose a Roman prince and a Mongol princess, with their progeny jointly ruling in perpetuity.” He nodded again, and Syrenios translated. The Mongol translator only said three words before Kublai shook his head, that damnable smile still on his lips. More words.

“The Khagan wants a Mongol prince and a Roman princess,” Syrenios translated.

Andronikos’ cheeks felt heavy, and he felt his smile sliding. Damn that Mongol!

Fine, Andronikos thought. We’ll play that game.

“Please remind the young Khagan what happened the last time a Mongol prince gained suzerainty over Transoxiania. Also kindly remind His Majesty that Transoxiania’s borders with Roman Persia are very porous—we can’t possibly stop all matter of… bandits, mercenaries, and troublemakers who could make it through and… disrupt… the realm.” Andronikos made no effort to hide the dangerous glint on the edge of his words—if this prince did not want to not use velvet gloves, then Andronikos would use iron gauntlets!

As the words were finally translated back to the Mongol, the corner of Kublai’s lip trembled slightly. Andronikos’ smile became a little more genuine, as he shifted into a more comfortable position on his throne—so the Mongol could be rattled!

“The Khagan will consent to a Roman prince,” Syrenios said, before quickly adding, “if Your Majesty consents that a Mongol viceroy be dispatched to Samarkand, with veto power over all foreign policy decisions in the court.”

“Fine, a viceroy!” Andronikos flinched from the snapping voice, before realizing it was his own. Syrenios’ eyes were wide, and even Kublai had lost his smirk and was blinking in confusion. The Mongol jabbed his finger into the side of his translator, no doubt asking what the Roman had said. As Andronikos cursed the Mongol for making him lose his temper, Syrenios translated again.

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“His Majesty wants…”

“A viceory, I agree to a viceroy,” Andronikos sighed, starting to put the fake smile back on his face, before deciding pleasantries were done for the day. Kublai had broken through, damn him! “Tell His Imperial Majesty though that We do not look kindly on those who meddle with previous arrangements. Such is not the behavior of a friend or an ally.”

The Roman emperor settled back into his throne, watching as his angry and bald threat went through the chain of communication. Kublai’s smile did not return, but by his tone, his words were measured calm—a contrast to Andronikos’ explosion.

“His Majesty wishes to know if you have someone in mind to become the Lord of the Transoxus?” Syrenios repeated the words Kublai uttered while Andronikos brooded.

The Emperor fought the urge to hiss. Transoxiania was supposed to be a distant client where he could dump a particularly bothersome relative. Now, with a Mongol viceroy meddling in affairs, that situation was about to become infinitely more complex. The man would no doubt be of close blood to Kublai, and would without question stick his nose everywhere he could, with spy networks ranging far and wide on the behalf of the ‘Transoxianian Court.’

It was the first time Andronikos had met his match, and there was nothing he could do about it. Kublai was too powerful, too far away—and the Khagan knew it.

“Indeed, I do,” the Roman Emperor growled in frustration.

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So Andronikos and Kublai have been plotting all along to destroy Arghun… and Andronikos simply milked the Persian predicament for all he could in the meantime! However, Andronikos meets his match, and Kublai ensures the Megas Komnenos does not get what he wanted—free rein in Central Asia. Will Michael rise to Andronikos’ golden bait? And what’s been going on with Gaston Capet et al in the West in the meantime? And why is there a random picture of a baby at the end of the update? Andronikos returns to a surprise at home when Rome AARisen continues!

EXPLANATION TIME

Well, this brings us almost to the end of the current story arc/chapter and the start of another. The previous chapter is my best explanation on how a Roman Transoxania came into existence. In vanilla CK, Transoxania was a kingdom you could form if you controlled enough of the provinces directly east of the Caspian Sea—the Sultanate of Khwarezm in game kept nipping at my Persian creation, so I got mad and swatted it out of existence, and threw together Transoxania with a distant cousin as King from the remnants.

However, I mentally couldn’t justify this—the Mongols, to do them justice, would be too powerful for a Roman monarch to simply waltz in and do what he wanted in Central Asia. Hence the creation of the characters of Altani and Arghun (representing a much greater Mongol threat than the in-game Khwarezm being a pest), as well as the introduction of the politics of the Mongol Empire (in the story, one could argue the Mongols have been less cutthroat with each other than they were in real life!). So Transoxania comes into existence, but as a joint arrangement by an Andronikos eager to “promote out of Konstantinopolis” a legitimate threat to his throne, and a Kublai focused on China and wary of any future “Arghun Khans” arising to his West. It’s clunky, but that is the nature of real world negotiations and compromises as well—and to me at least, it sits a lot more believably than Andronikos launching a campaign through Astrakhan, across the desert, and personally conquering Khwarezm…
 
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That was a really good update, I enjoyed it even more than when Andronikos and Gabriel 'negotiated', and that one was really good too.

I chuckled a little when he was just like "$%#@ it, let him have his stupid viceroy!!!" and I could just imagine the mongols looking at him like he's crazy too.
That 4 step negotiation would wear on just about anybody, even if the conversation wasn't as tense as this one was.

I figured the surprise wasn't something very nice at all, and I expected him to kill Altani, since he'd mentioned it before somewhere, but I didn't imagine he'd be doing it next to Kublai Khan himself, that's for sure.
As for Arghun and Altani's husband, I assume they died in battle too?

As for the baby, since you said Andronikos has something waiting for him, I guess he's got himself another young'un? Not really sure how, since he's been in the middle of the desert and his wife's dead and all, but that's the best guess I can come up with.
 
Well, now you can send the whore to Beijing.
Transoxania?
Another Komnenid kingdom?
Oh dear, they might inherit the Mongol Empire!
What have you done!
Another Komnenid unleashed!
 
Yes, send Safiya to Beijing!! Then we will finally have Comneni on all corners of the world... Scotland, Arabia, China! :D

Marvelous story. And so tragic - one minute, Arghun and Toktamysh are with us as vibrant characters, the next, they're dead and the man who sold them out is exchanging pleasantries with their butcher. :eek:o

I was thinking, how can the empire regularly campaign so far into Persia with armies mustered from Anatolia or even the Danube? The Ottomans after all rarely made it beyond Tabriz, and they were hardly slow marchers. But then I realized, this is still the middle ages, and the Persian rulers here are hardly able to muster as effective a resistance as the Safavids in our 16th century. I wonder how the Romans of later ages will look on the campaigns of Romanion's medieval rulers? There was something about some boys playing a Romanian: Total War game a long time ago... :)
 
Hahaha, Kublai is awesome. He's pulling a "anything you can do I can do better" sort of personality ploy with Andronikos.

Though it seems Andronikos is winning this round, what with the elimination of three threats all within a short amount of time. He's playing a dangerous game, but is good at it.

As for the baby, I bet it's a red herring.
 
So now the only true threat is from implosion. Persia is vanquished, the Franks are disorganized and weak and distracted by the Germans and the Mongols are now consolidated into one giant empire which faces the same problem of over expansion so the largest threat they will give in the immediate future is some skirmishes over Transoxiana. The main threat to the Romans, is the fact that they are roman.
 
Just finished page 90...General BT the scene between Manuel and Sophie was truly exquisite. You not only enhanced Manuel's characterization and provided a stinging plot twist with Sophie's exile, but you did so while painting the scene with Gothic color as they ascended the lonely mountain, surrounded by terraces of deadly herbs to the near abandoned monastery that had seen so much death.

Manuel's castigations pointed out to me a theme in the story so far. Your darkest and grandest tragedies always flow from love.

Case 1: Demetrios's love for Anastasia and her early death arguably resulted not only in Hajnal scheming (and Michael's death), but also the Megas's increasing distance from his responsibilities as a ruler and focus on women and war.

Case 2: Nikaolios and Ioannis. 'Nuff said.

Case 3: Manuel, who notably does not ever seem to truly fall in love, only experiences the tragedy of living to see his heirs make a mess of his life's work.

Case 4: Sophie, for her love of her husband, neither restrains his "White Knight complex" nor takes a stern enough hand in raising her children to ensure a smooth and orderly succession. Consequently, she is exiled to Lesbos (Lemnos? Seems to be an inconsistency in the narrative).

Case 5: Mehtar's love of Thomas resulted in 1. death of the best option heir David (though he was no nice piece of work), 2. enabling Thomas to undo arguably two generations of Romanion strengthening, 3. probably his own death and/or the failure of Thomas's line.

Case 6: Heraklios's infatuation with Christina (I say infatuation, not lust, as there is a strong friendship/intellectual component to their relationship, and I don't say love since it is still early in the story) will likely result in scandal that'll dog both Thomas and Heraklios's legacies...and if she's in the pay of France, Alexios's as well.

One wonders why there haven't been any eunuch characters so far given the Byzantine track record with ars amore...
 
General...hate to post so soon after my last....just finished page 110...your magnum opus will kill me, or at least what bare life of productivity I've left...

So many good scenes packed into so few updates!

First, the Sack of Rome was stupendous. After tossing the Pope off the balcony, I expected the demons to come drag Thomas down to Hell on the spot with the engulfing fires of the Seven Hills of the Seven Headed Beast behind him. I am very surprised though by how little uproar there was around Thomas's actions. Killing the Pope (or a Patriarch) is not such a big deal...it is doing it personally that irrepairably sullies the Imperial purple and taints his name. Emperors must maintain plausible deniability. I'd have though Thomas's epithet would have been "Pope-slayer" instead of "the Cruel."

Second, the Battle of Messina was similarly very compelling. I've a soft spot for Venice and the Venetians. The final confrontation between Alexios and Thomas after Thomas cut down Alexios's father was shot through with mythic vibes. Excellent work again.

Third, I am sad to see the end of Saul and Drogo's interludes, but this was a very worthy death for Romanion's longest running menace.

All that said, I feel that after the death of Basil and especially after the death of Thomas you've waded into very muddy waters from a writing and character standpoint. Right now none of the characters have enough depth and complexity to stand out to me. I'm sure part of this is delirium from marathon reading sessions. Where Demetrios, Nikolaios, Manuel, and Basil all had a few layers of motivation, a few flaws, and a few virtues that rose and fell over the course of their lives, the current crop seem a little one-dimensional. Alexios seems more like a set of potential dynastic claims than a person, Christina's motivation beyond pure lust for power is missing...et cetera

I have hope for Thomas II from a writing standpoint (if not for the future of Romanion)...so fingers-crossed.

Also, I am very very excited for Sortmark and its motely cast of characters!

Finally, I think the feudalisation of the Empire ultimately lies at the feet of the post-Manueline Emperors. Nikolaios and to a lesser degree Manuel had a vision for the long-term stability of the Empire as a more or less comprehensive civilization. They planned for the future in a multi-generational, precedence-setting way. Basil thought little beyond his chivalric ideals and immediate family (and thus botched the succession with the almost Carolingian feudalisation of Spain between his sons)...Thomas, well, there is nothing good to be said...)

Sadly, Nikolaios did not have the talent to bottle the military genie his father Demetrios unleashed. It toppled him and it looks like it has controlled everything since Basil. Manuel for lack of vision or lack of ability also failed to establish in Romanion a civil society instead of one which rested fundamentally at the whim of a military parallel culture.
 
Finally, I think the feudalisation of the Empire ultimately lies at the feet of the post-Manueline Emperors.

I love Manuel just about as much as anyone here, because he was generally a total badass and probably the best overall emperor. He could command armies, kill people personally, or send agents to do it, he expanded the empire more than just about any emperor besides Demetrios, and was even influencing the empire years into Basil's reign, plus he killed a whole island full of monks, and made himself Imperator of the Island, Grand Gardener and Sovereign of Solitude, (that's the titles i'd give him, anyways) but I don't know how you can say that it's Basil or Thomas' fault, when Manuel's the one who started the entire feudalization process in the first place. He didn't create the exarchates, true, but he started the slippery slope away from 'royal prerogative', to 'feudal contract'. If I had to pick one thing to hate about Manuel, that'd be it. Well, that, or smackin Blackadder six ways from sunday and taking him out of the story too early.

Manuel for lack of vision or lack of ability also failed to establish in Romanion a civil society instead of one which rested fundamentally at the whim of a military parallel culture.

Going around and killing everybody was Manuel's forte, not pencil pushing. That and keeping the empire stable and on top for 50 years or so. Nikolaios would have been an excellent pencil pusher emperor, sitting in his study 6 to 10 hours a day like Albrecht, but then he went and got himself killed at Carthage instead of sending a more competent general (I don't think you've gotten to the part with Albrecht actually, but don't worry there's not going to be a German-born emperor, [yet, anyways] just a rather important fellow).
 
Kirsch I agree Manuel was not a pencil pusher...and in that sense he didn't have what it takes to build a civilization. Given the flawed batch of Emperors I've read through so far, he still did the best.

And I lay the blame for feudalization at Basil and Thomas's feet because one generation of feudal law is not a precedent. There is no grand narrative of history (at least in my view) that inevitably commands that the future must be just so. It is Manuel's fault that he chose to deal with instability through feudalization, but having inherited an Empire at peace (unlike Manuel's inheritance), it is Basil and Sophie's fault that they didn't pay attention to what they had lost. I am inclined to give Manuel more of a pass because he had to establish a dynasty...the Kommenids were not a sure thing yet given Nikolaios's inability to establish a succession. But Basil had the luxury of inheriting the throne and inheriting an Empire that was accustomed to a strong Emperor.

In short, Basil had the opportunity to turn back the tide of feudalization, Manuel didn't.
 
I love these thoughts you share with us Bagricula, it's refreshing to see another outlook on things from an outsider(as of now, soon you'll be one with us. Mmmuuuuhahaha ;)).