Rome AARisen - a Byzantine AAR
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Oh, Manuel, how we've missed you so. Without doubt the awesomest emperor ever (now relegated to awesomest monk/former-emperor ever). What wouldn't I give to see him back in Constantinople, wrecking some fools.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Holy <string of expletives>.
Just one question, though. Why can’t Sophie secretly slip out on the next ship which docks at Lemnos?
Just one question, though. Why can’t Sophie secretly slip out on the next ship which docks at Lemnos?
Nikolai said:
My thoughts exactly. Christina wants Thomas to kill Mehtar without Mehtar learning that Christina was the one to tip Thomas off. She will get Drogo to inform Thomas, and Thomas will fly into a rage and kill Mehtar. Very Byzantine... With his uber-assassin gone, Thomas won't last five minutes with Christina around.
The triple monarchy will devolve to Heraklios (firmly um, under um.. her control), Thomas's heir (who Christina will be regent for), and Alexios (assuming Drogo doesn't solve that problem for Christina). All hail Empress-Regent Christina of Dau!
And furthermore, Mehtar delenda est.
Manuel's back!
Maybe he'll train Sophie like Yoda, and she'll return to Constantinople more evil than ever...
asd
Wowz!
How old is Manuel by now?
And why won't he just kill his grandson?o
Btw, can we have a map soon?
Would be interesting to see how much the world has changed since Basils death.
And maybe the amount of populations for each empire, before mongols?
How old is Manuel by now?
And why won't he just kill his grandson?
o Btw, can we have a map soon?
Would be interesting to see how much the world has changed since Basils death.
And maybe the amount of populations for each empire, before mongols?
The_Archduke said:
I actually think the situation is reversed. So...
Christina wants Mehtar to kill Thomas without Thomas learning that Christina is manipulating Mehtar behind the scenes. She will get Drogo to inform Thomas of Mehtar's condition, and Mehtar will have to preemptively strike and kill Thomas before he gets killed in Thomas' rage. Alternately Mehtar will kill him because he's been spurned by a disgusted Thomas. Very Byzantine... With his beloved master gone, Mehtar won't last five minutes with Christina around.
How do you like them apples?
Anybody have a third theory? Perhaps one that mixes up the positions of the triad of a terror a third way?
Drogo wants Thomas to kill Mehtar without Thomas learning that Christina is manipulating Mehtar behind the scenes. She will get Drogo to inform Thomas of Mehtar's condition, and Mehtar will allow his master to kill him, loving him too much to raise a hand against him. Alternately Mehtar will kill him because he's been spurned by a disgusted Thomas. Very Byzantine... With his precious puppy gone, Thomas won't last five minutes with Christina around.
This is starting to get more confusing.
In conclusion, die Thomas.
This is starting to get more confusing.
In conclusion, die Thomas.
For the nonce, it appears that Christina and Drogo (I agree that she's almost certainly his agent/ally in Romanion) have carried the day. I'm okay with this, since even if Manuel intervenes Mehtar and Thomas probably won't last through the hijinks, and Heraklios is easily the best Imperial option at the moment.
Not sure Drogo's sudden aversion to Alexios is going to pan out well, though. Means that unless he manages to take the kid out there's going to abruptly be a third player later on who owns some seriously rich territory and has a claim to pretty much everything else west of the Rhine and south of the Carpathians. (And more than that if Drogo manages to eat Germany.)
Finally, let me just concur with everyone who's been saying this is one of the best updates yet. Great scheming, great characters, very dramatic, VERY well-written, and sets up all sorts of neat stuff for later.
Edit: Two things upon a reread. First, I missed Drogo's scheme to consume Spain as well; second, Manuel's scenery-chewing, "I am sssssurrounded by idiotsssss!" rant really sends a shiver down the spine. There's a reason he's arguably my favorite Basileus so far.
And... is Sophie actually going to drink the wine? She's rattled, but come on, it's the SPIDER, in his GARDEN.
Still, it would be a suitably dramatic demise.
Not sure Drogo's sudden aversion to Alexios is going to pan out well, though. Means that unless he manages to take the kid out there's going to abruptly be a third player later on who owns some seriously rich territory and has a claim to pretty much everything else west of the Rhine and south of the Carpathians. (And more than that if Drogo manages to eat Germany.)
Finally, let me just concur with everyone who's been saying this is one of the best updates yet. Great scheming, great characters, very dramatic, VERY well-written, and sets up all sorts of neat stuff for later.
Edit: Two things upon a reread. First, I missed Drogo's scheme to consume Spain as well; second, Manuel's scenery-chewing, "I am sssssurrounded by idiotsssss!" rant really sends a shiver down the spine. There's a reason he's arguably my favorite Basileus so far.
And... is Sophie actually going to drink the wine? She's rattled, but come on, it's the SPIDER, in his GARDEN.
Still, it would be a suitably dramatic demise.
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lol at how i asked if manuel was alive right before the update, :rofl:
and serillo belongs to either drogo or mehtar,christians with drogo and the way is paved for alexios to be the first true emperor since theodosios
and serillo belongs to either drogo or mehtar,christians with drogo and the way is paved for alexios to be the first true emperor since theodosios
Aaaaaaah.... General_BT, you devious writer!! I seriously expected Sophie to make it back to Constantinople and save the day. :wacko: That was WICKED!!!
I wonder what she will be like when she eventually returns from Lesbos. Sooner or later, someone will send a boat again. But she will be... changed... by then. Yellow teeth, grey hair, mentally a bit unbalanced, prone to acts of violence, and... not that nice to her idiot son any more.
And you know what? I thought Heraklios was a good guy. I really did. He had all the promise. But alas... He's gone into shit-land and not going to come back. A tool. Some day an intrigue is going to bring him down, strangulated in some dark backroom, and I would not be surprised if it's his own mother who makes it happen.
I wonder what she will be like when she eventually returns from Lesbos. Sooner or later, someone will send a boat again. But she will be... changed... by then. Yellow teeth, grey hair, mentally a bit unbalanced, prone to acts of violence, and... not that nice to her idiot son any more.
And you know what? I thought Heraklios was a good guy. I really did. He had all the promise. But alas... He's gone into shit-land and not going to come back. A tool. Some day an intrigue is going to bring him down, strangulated in some dark backroom, and I would not be surprised if it's his own mother who makes it happen.
Oh my God what a hell of an update! I agree with many here: this was probably the best ever. I just loved the way Manuel in a violent, yet convincing and intelligent way showed all the failures in Sophies policies of the last years.
Although I was not a big fan of his at the time, now in this time of crisis and uncertainty one can truly see what a brilliant ruler Manuel was. Not only did he keep the empires various factions in line but he also secured a safe and unproblematic succession.
But now things look bleak for Rome. Thomas is a hopeless statesman and thanks to Drogo he might soon turn against the one solid pillar of his power, while Heraklios has lost the battle between virtue and lust, reason and indulgence. With trouble possibly approaching from the East I see hard times ahead.
~Lord Valentine~
Although I was not a big fan of his at the time, now in this time of crisis and uncertainty one can truly see what a brilliant ruler Manuel was. Not only did he keep the empires various factions in line but he also secured a safe and unproblematic succession.
But now things look bleak for Rome. Thomas is a hopeless statesman and thanks to Drogo he might soon turn against the one solid pillar of his power, while Heraklios has lost the battle between virtue and lust, reason and indulgence. With trouble possibly approaching from the East I see hard times ahead.
~Lord Valentine~
Actually I'm willing to bet (Assuming Sophie comes back, and Heraklios survives Christina) they will both see that they need to be better for the state. (I always thought she was a bit of a wishy-washy good-for-nothing ... much like Manuel!Leviathan07 said:Aaaaaaah.... General_BT, you devious writer!! I seriously expected Sophie to make it back to Constantinople and save the day. :wacko: That was WICKED!!!
I wonder what she will be like when she eventually returns from Lesbos. Sooner or later, someone will send a boat again. But she will be... changed... by then. Yellow teeth, grey hair, mentally a bit unbalanced, prone to acts of violence, and... not that nice to her idiot son any more.
And you know what? I thought Heraklios was a good guy. I really did. He had all the promise. But alas... He's gone into shit-land and not going to come back. A tool. Some day an intrigue is going to bring him down, strangulated in some dark backroom, and I would not be surprised if it's his own mother who makes it happen.
) Heraklious will be hardened by his betrayal of trust, that began as a young boy and Sophie ... do I need to go into detail? LOOK AT WHO SHE IS SPENDING TIME WITH. The nobles will revolt for the slightest provocation but in order to do so they need be assured they have a better than decent chance of winning. Meaning the army needs to turn it's back on Thomas, or Thomas has to alienate them. There is a good chance of this assuming the Western Campaign is as bad as the Eastern. What does it matter if they take Rome but loose another large chuck of the army? Sooner or later they will see that their lives can't be trusted in Thomas' hands and that will be the time of Alexius and/or Heraklios.
Mike would like to see stats (And possibly traits) for Alexius plz.
Wow… well, needless to say, I’m very pleased that everyone has enjoyed the update. As I told AlexanderPrimus after his first kind words, I was actually a little daunted by the prospect of writing it – Manuel is simply a great character, and I was afraid of not doing him justice. I can see I succeeded in that respect! Now, I won’t drop any hints as to where things are going, but needless to say, there’s a bit of a rollercoaster ahead the likes of which we haven’t seen in the AAR yet!
Right now, I’m working on an interim with everyone’s replies that will show the increasing feudalization of the Empire – it’s going to take a little bit, so it might be up tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some statistics about the Komnenids for you to sink your teeth into while waiting (sadly, no more family trees, probably):
1) As of 1190 there are 225 Komnenid family members alive, and some 546 have existed since 1066.
2) Amongst these family members are the Emperor (Thomas Komnenos), Kings of Tarraco/Aragon (Malhaz Komnenos), and the King of Portugal/Lusitania and Mauretania (Alexios Komnenos).
3) The family also holds some 22 princely titles (at last count) - Pereschen, Aragon, Navarra, Samos, Thacesia, Damietta, Antioch, Tangiers, Galilee, Calabria, Apulia, Edessa, Coloneia, Barcelona, Galicia, Vitebsk( held by Alexios, don’t know why), Alania, Armenia, Cairo, Salerno, Jerusalem, and Palmyra
4) I did not bother to count the counties controlled by Komnenids. It was a lot. Like close to three digits worth.
5) In terms of severe family ailments as of the save, 23 Komnenids so far have been inbred, 9 have gone crazy, 69 have illness, 22 have pneumonia, 34 are stressed, 22 are depressed, and 1 has schizophrenia.
6) In terms of outstanding traits, 18 have been mastermind theologians, 11 have been elusive shadows, 12 have been brilliant strategists, 13 have been grey eminences, and 15 have been Midas touched.
7) In terms of “blue” traits, 7 Komnenids have been blessed, 2 of those becoming bonafide saints, 2 were kinslayers, 5 have been excommunicated, 18 were bastards, and as of the save, 4 were severely wounded.
8) As of 1190, the Komnenid rankings in terms of prestige are (an “e” denotes an emperor):
Manuel Komnenos (e) 40165
Basilieos Komnenos (e) 40084
Demetrios Komnenos (e) 21222
Nikolaios Komnenos (e) 6798
Thomas Komnenos (e) 2017
David Komnenos 815
Zeno Komnenos (e) 772
Right now, I’m working on an interim with everyone’s replies that will show the increasing feudalization of the Empire – it’s going to take a little bit, so it might be up tonight or tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some statistics about the Komnenids for you to sink your teeth into while waiting (sadly, no more family trees, probably):
1) As of 1190 there are 225 Komnenid family members alive, and some 546 have existed since 1066.
2) Amongst these family members are the Emperor (Thomas Komnenos), Kings of Tarraco/Aragon (Malhaz Komnenos), and the King of Portugal/Lusitania and Mauretania (Alexios Komnenos).
3) The family also holds some 22 princely titles (at last count) - Pereschen, Aragon, Navarra, Samos, Thacesia, Damietta, Antioch, Tangiers, Galilee, Calabria, Apulia, Edessa, Coloneia, Barcelona, Galicia, Vitebsk( held by Alexios, don’t know why), Alania, Armenia, Cairo, Salerno, Jerusalem, and Palmyra
4) I did not bother to count the counties controlled by Komnenids. It was a lot. Like close to three digits worth.
5) In terms of severe family ailments as of the save, 23 Komnenids so far have been inbred, 9 have gone crazy, 69 have illness, 22 have pneumonia, 34 are stressed, 22 are depressed, and 1 has schizophrenia.
6) In terms of outstanding traits, 18 have been mastermind theologians, 11 have been elusive shadows, 12 have been brilliant strategists, 13 have been grey eminences, and 15 have been Midas touched.
7) In terms of “blue” traits, 7 Komnenids have been blessed, 2 of those becoming bonafide saints, 2 were kinslayers, 5 have been excommunicated, 18 were bastards, and as of the save, 4 were severely wounded.
8) As of 1190, the Komnenid rankings in terms of prestige are (an “e” denotes an emperor):
Manuel Komnenos (e) 40165
Basilieos Komnenos (e) 40084
Demetrios Komnenos (e) 21222
Nikolaios Komnenos (e) 6798
Thomas Komnenos (e) 2017
David Komnenos 815
Zeno Komnenos (e) 772
Some interesting statistics. But I must say it's really funny that David in spite of never being emperor scored better than Zeno. He must be the lamest Komnenos that ever sat on the throne. :rofl:
Anyway looking forward to the next intermission I really enjoyed the last one in China although I had to refreshen my historical geography a little till I understood who the Jing and all the other folks where.
~Lord Valentine~
Anyway looking forward to the next intermission I really enjoyed the last one in China although I had to refreshen my historical geography a little till I understood who the Jing and all the other folks where.
~Lord Valentine~
Although I am a bit late, I would like to say with everyone here how excellent that last update was! I fear though it maybe Manuel's last update....I can't see the old 'spider' getting personally involved with the affairs of Byzantium now. However, I have a feeling he'll make sure something is done by training up Sophie in her most probably temporary exile so by the time she returns to Byzantium, she'll have learned the ways of the spider's thinking and do some justice in Constantinople.
Still, would be nice to see possibly some more updates from Manuel....a damn shame he dosen't retake the purple even at this old age!
It also hit me how he was talking about names from a different time such as Nikolaios, Christophoros, Zeno, etc. The latter only Sophie has encountered but names that are simply history to the youngsters. To Manuel, though, he knew them all on a personal level, plotted through their demise, etc.
Personally, I feel that Christina of Dau will end up becoming a driving force in Constantinople's political future. Sophie though may end up putting her in her place with Manuel's advice should she return. Or maybe....no, not to spoil, that maybe a story for another day.
Lastly, I'm intrigued by which member of the Komnenid line has Schizophrenia. It could be Manuel if the game ended up having him exiled....but could it be someone else, someone that is *in* power perhaps? Definately should be something you draw upon sometime General_BT. Voices and delusions, could make an interesting character.....
Update soon as usual!
Still, would be nice to see possibly some more updates from Manuel....a damn shame he dosen't retake the purple even at this old age!
It also hit me how he was talking about names from a different time such as Nikolaios, Christophoros, Zeno, etc. The latter only Sophie has encountered but names that are simply history to the youngsters. To Manuel, though, he knew them all on a personal level, plotted through their demise, etc.
Personally, I feel that Christina of Dau will end up becoming a driving force in Constantinople's political future. Sophie though may end up putting her in her place with Manuel's advice should she return. Or maybe....no, not to spoil, that maybe a story for another day.
Lastly, I'm intrigued by which member of the Komnenid line has Schizophrenia. It could be Manuel if the game ended up having him exiled....but could it be someone else, someone that is *in* power perhaps? Definately should be something you draw upon sometime General_BT. Voices and delusions, could make an interesting character.....
Update soon as usual!