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I think the best strategy to follow would be:
1.Vassalize anyone you can.
2.Become King of Wales
3.This should be a good foothold so you can launch an attack into the heart of William's kingdom.
That said, I can't wait to see what you decide to do.Update ASAP please :D
 
Ah, this is interesting indeed! Following, sir.

Either you go to Wales, or you go to Ireland. ;) Or both. You could try to organise some sort of Celtic get-together by taking over Brittany, Ireland and Scotland.
 
Problem is that Cadoc's heir has lousy diplomacy stats. Even with the chancellor's help, further vassalization will be difficult. But I shall try ...

Of course, my aim is to "sponsor" the celtic cultures (welsh, cornish, breton & gaelic). But we will see ... the Normans are still strong, and the heirs of William will not let the english crown slipping easingly.
 
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Book II: Maelgwn the toothless

Chapter 1: Much to win and more to lose

Bleddynsfamilytree.jpg


Bleddyn Cerniw, the younger brother of Cadoc and his best advisor and loyal cloak-and-dagger, fathered seven children with his beloved wife Gwerfyl. His second son Maelgwn, a talented knight who served as marshal of Cornwall during the last days of Cadoc’s reign, was meant to be the heir for a long time. He is 22 years old when the cornish lords swear loyalty to him at Tintagel, admired as a knowledged tactician, but also known for his indulgent manners - which he will proof soon.

MaelgwnDukeofCornwall.jpg


The expectations on Maelgwn are high: He must defend an independent Cornwall and protect the vassals who are still threatened by the Bastard’s heir, the child Adhemar and the ambitious norman warlords.
There is one man at the court who doubts that Maelgwn can fulfill these expections: his elder brother Gwrgan, who was ignored in the order of succession. He openly rivals Maelgwn, just mildly appeased by his wife, the skilled chancellor Adelaide.
Maelgwn decices to crest his nomination with a military campaign. Cornwall is still at war with king Adelhmar, who claims Hampshire. After agreeing to a pact with the king of Norway, Olaf ‘Kyrre’ Haraldsson – who craves the English crown himself -, he calls the troops for Hampshire’s defence.

OlafHaraldsson.jpg


The Normans occupy and take Hampshire until 5th June 1085; the cornish troops arrive shortly after the fall. The siege of Hampshire begins …

ThesiegeofHampshire.jpg


It is probably the longest and most bloody siege in the history of Southern England. The norman troops, although outnumbering Maelgwns host by thousands, are easily expelled. But Adhemar send more and more troops over the ocean. Much worse, the anglo-saxon dukes and counts of the island cede to the Bastard’s heir. Soonly, Cornwall is isolated, and the craven ally in Norway keeps quiet!
In December 1085, Maelgwn himself withstands the fourth normal defend in Hampshire. Suddenly, he meets a fierce swordsman at the battle-field, a tall man with dark-brown hair and a glimmering sword. His name is Robert Bruce, marshal at Adhemar’s court.

RobertBruceMarshallofEngland.jpg


In a fierce hand to hand, he treshes the butt of his sword in Maelgwn’s face. All teeth are knocked out. Maelgwn flees; and although the battle is won by Cornwall during the next days, he starts to fear “The Bruce” and his military skills.

Losingtheteeth.jpg
 
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Ah, I sense an antagonist in the making! Here's to hoping for many more battles between Mael... er, yes, the duke of Cornwall, and Robert Bruce.
 
Chapter 2: The marshal Meryasek

While the war proceeds, a new marshal is hired by Maelgwn. The cornish noble Meryasek Colvile, quite new at the court, shall stand against The Bruce. To keep him loyal, he is married to Derowen, Cadoc’s third daughter. Meryasek advises to retreat from Hampshire. “The cornish troops must rally, if we want to win the war. Let the Normans come to our homelands. We will crush them at Exeter, my lord.”

Anewmarshall.jpg


Maelgwn withdraws in the mid-summer of 1086. He returns to Tintagel to lick his wounds. He gets a dental treatment; the broken teeth are removed. But a strong speech defect remains …

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The painful therapy makes him soft. Lovingly consoled by his younger sister Cryda, the two grow together closely … very closely. Although being siblings, they become a loving couple.

Aforbiddenlove.jpg


The rumors at the court get nasty. Gwrgan, Maelgwns brother, tries to use the situation and claims the steward position. But Maelgwn exiles his ambitious and hostile brother, and although he returns after a month or two, Gwrrgan cannot hold up his claim on Maelgwn’s titles.

Gwrganlosthisclaim.jpg


Anyway, Maelgwn understands that he has to hide his love affair with Cryda. So he agrees to a marriage with the lovely sister of the count of Essex, Eadilberga – a good match,without question.

EadilbergeDuchesseofCornwall.jpg


In 1087, the Normans break through to Exeter. As he said, marshall Meryasek easily defends the cornish bastion. There is no chance for Adhemar’s troups; the norman assaults are fierce, but all rollbacks are unsuccessful. The cornish soldiers are defending themselves, without attacking … and they slowly recover.
In August, the time has come to answer the aggression. Meryasek hires 1000 Catalan mercenaries. With their help, the vassal’s troups and Cornwall’s refreshed army, he starts his next attempt to win back Hampshire.

Thecatalanmercenaries.jpg


He breaks through to Hampshire and gains the victory against “The Bruce”. On November 13th 1087, Hamshire falls – the victory is near.

TheliberationofHampshire.jpg


But the situation in Cornwall itself is critical. The mercenaries were expensive, and after calling the large contribution, stability sinks (In game terms: Stab – 3). Cornwall’s debts are appalling, and the vassal in Devon denies military help. On top of everything, some unpleased courtiers betray Maelgwn and depart to other courts; the most prominent is Cadoc’s philandering wife Marared. Do they doubt Cornwall’s destination?

Mararedsdeparture.jpg
 
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Turmoil in the realm... that is always a problem when in war. If not beaten by the front, an army can be beaten via the home front.
 
Chapter 3: "The Bruce" strikes back

In February 1088, “The Bruce” starts his next attack – and this time, Meryasek stands no chance against the norman marshall. Exeter is occupied by the norman troups, and they marsh to Cornwall. For the first time, Tintagel is leagured, and the scales fall from Maelgwn’s eyes: he cannot win this war. So he tries to arrange a peace treaty with Adhemar – he wants to give up Hampshire (still in Cornwall’s hands), but staying the independent duke of Cornwall and Wessex.

Adhemar rejects …

ThesiegeofTintagel.jpg


In July 1088, the Normans win another battle and start the recapture of Hampshire. Tintagel is close to fall, and all negotiations of chancellor Adelaide are rejected by the English, and the untrustworthy ally in Norway does not help the Cornish.
Maelgwn prepares to resign; the Cerniw dynasty has failed to protect land and people. He stands at the window, at the same place where his uncle Cadoc died, and glimpses at the triumphing enemies, who start to break through the walls. What went wront? How could he gamble away Cadoc’s achievements?

800px-Fire02.jpg


But then, Maelgwn hears hasty steps at the closeby staircase. Chancellor Adelaide arrives with a sensational message. “My lord … the Normans agreed to peace! They will detach their troops … if you pledge loyalty to Adhemar, heir of William the Conquerer.”

Adhemar-Thebastardsheir.jpg


And so, the proud but broken duke of Cornwall and Wessex bends to the Bastard’s seed on August 21th 1088, giving up his claim on Hampshire. The dream of independence is shattered. Maelgwn is now a vassal of the norman king of England who moves with his court to the rich Hampshirian province …

Englandunited.jpg
 
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Again, I call a halt. As you see, things went wrong for Cornwall. I was close to death in the end, cause if the last province would have been occupied, it would have been "Game over". So again, diplomacy saved me.
The quick yielding of the anglo-saxon counts & dukes to Adhemar nearly broke my neck. Staying independent in this situation is not possible.
What do you think of this war? What to do now, after the backlash? Of course, first we have to wait for the consolidation of Cornwall. But than ... how can we take revenge? How can Maelgwn the Toothless atone for his losses?

Things I also mentioned:
* It should be more uncommon for siblings to become lovers, the event must be rewritten
* I'm not sure, but the TASS-mod seems to boost the prestige gains for courtiers - I had several events on this.
* It is extremly helpful to retreat your troops to the provinces and wait for their rebound. Using this tactic, I could stand against the superior english army for years ... well, too long, in the end.
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A pity, but sooner or later England will be ruled by an inept king with low intrigue. If you're lucky, you might be able to catch the happy civil war-train -- 'til then, lay low.

Although I still propose trying to subjugate Ireland and Wales.
 
Hi there! I am really enjoying your AAR so far and would like to note my approval of the steps you have taken so far. As you said, the only way to avoid a game over was to bow before the King of England, even if it was a bit humiliating. As a vassal now, your options are limited, as any attacks you make against independents in Wales or Ireland will drag your liege in as well. I say that you have to wait for another run of rebellions before attempting t expand much. Good luck in everything!
 
Thanks for all comments.

@ Snugglie: Yeah, I think there might be a second "meeting" of The Bruce and Maelgwn. And the homefront is a really dangerous place when your stab goes under -1.

@ Enewald: I will try to kick their asses ... but it might take longer than I hoped.

@ Count Lake: In the end I even doubted that I could reach a peace treaty ... Adhemar did reject the most offers, even three or four vassalization offers. I could hardly believe that he agreed in the last one, shortly before Tintagel falled. Maelgwn's diplo stat was just too low, so even the great chancellor didn't help.

I also was very disappointed of my "ally". The King of Norway, although having a claim on the english title, did'nt do ANYTHING but sitting in his castle and nibbling grapes.
 
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performer said:
-------------------------------------------------------------Things I also mentioned:
* It should be more uncommon for siblings to become lovers, the event must be rewritten

Jordarkelf has made an event to prevent that, here

* I'm not sure, but the TASS-mod seems to boost the prestige gains for courtiers - I had several events on this.
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Not that I know off :)

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You had a lucky escape here, I remember that in previous DV-betapatches. An opponent would never accept an offer of becoming a vassal, while with the latest patch he seems to accept that offer much more often.

It is now time to lick your wounds and see if you can use the fact that you are now a vassal of a strong kingdom to your own advantage
 
Cadoc the Great and Maelgwn the Toothless! This is a GREAT AAR! I am hooked!

Prehaps if you have daughters in future you could switch to female inheritance? lol.

I would say try and target some provinces via aggressive marriage and diplomacy, build up Cornwall then strike when England is weak.


This is Great!
 
Sometimes you have to know when to cut your losses.

More opportunities will surely present themselves.
 
@ Drachenfire: Unfortunately, female inheritance does not work with XP ... and my notebok is XP-only. But thank's for your words on my AAR ... I hope you all like it.

@ Veldmaarschalk: Thanks adressing to my points. The prestige thingy is really marvelous. On the "love event": In my own mod, I also have rewritten this event, to reduce the in-game incest. Although it's interesing in this story of the Cerniw ...
 
Chapter 4: The bedchamber war


The war is lost. In retrospect, it was a folly to defend Hampshire. Giving up the claim earlier would have saved Maelgwn the disgrace of vassalization. Now, Cornwall is wrecked, all provinces are looted and destroyed, stability is ruined, the duke is 105 gold coins in debt and the court paralyzed by disloyalty and distrust.
To raise hope, Maelgwn arranges a marriage between his younger brother Meryasek (called “The Lidless”) and Ygerna, Cadoc’s youngest daughter.

Meryasekthelidless-1.jpg
Ygerna-1.jpg


But that does not distract the people from heaping reproaches on each other. The unfortunate marshal Meryasek – although he has done his best during the war – is accused of using black magic. “That’s why we lost the war!”, people are murmuring. Maelgwn gives him a fair trial, and all charges are withdrawed.

Weirdaccusations.jpg


On 14th November 1089, his wife Eadilberga - who has already born many girls to Maelgwn - gives birth to a male child, Gwynek, who is celebrated as the heir to Maelgwn.

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That’s why Maelgwn’s secret lover, his sister Cryda, gets jealous. She feels neglected … and so, in 1091, a second son is born: Gorlas ‘Child of Love’, a bastard son of the siblings. (I will mod the file so Cryda is recognized as his mother).
Eadilberga is disgruntled by this blatant affront – her matrimony with Maelgwn turns into a rivralry. A year later, the quarrel between the three leads to the break-up of Maelgwn and his sister. Their forbidden relationship comes to an end.

Aforbiddenloveends.jpg


In 1092, all debts are repaid; Maelwgn can even finance a forestry in Exeter. While his embittered wife starts a love affair with his brother, the diocese bishop Rhodri, Maelgwn pushes the church to improve the stability of his duchy. A further monetary investment fails – new debts have to been taken.
 
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Chapter 5: The Snake of Land's End


In 1093, the countess of Dorset (vassal to Cornwall) dies. A new lord comes in power. Maelgwn tries to marry him to his former lover Cydra, but the engagement fails. So he marries her to a cornish courtier, Caswyn Butler, and hopes that she forgets what has been between him and her.

The same year, the cornish people call Maelgwn for help. A sea snake has been seen at Land’s end.

800px-Sea_serpent.jpg


800px-LandsEnd.jpg


Maelgwn himself rides to the coast and kills the fierce creature. His braveness brings him a lot of prestige.

ThebeastofLandsend.jpg


But Maelgwn is heavily wounded by the sea snake, and in 1094, the nasty gash ulcerates. The illness will not leave Maelgwn until his death. In October 1094, a healer detects worms in Maelgwn’s stomach. He is literally decaying, venomed by the snake’s touch.

Wormsinthestomach.jpg


In 1095, Pope Guiseppe calls the Christian rulers to arms – he wants them to free Jerusalem.

PopeGuiseppe.jpg


But in Cornwall, his call is not heard. Shadows hang over Tintagel castle. The duke, just in his early thierties, is captured by pain. Then, his faithfully chancellor Adeliade dies in the age of 56. This finally ruins his moral.

Adelaidesdeath.jpg


His brother Gwrgan – still having rival tendencies without showing them in public – agrees to a new marriage with a talented girl vom Lombardia: Gisela von Mühlhausen. Well-educated by her parents, she becomes the new chancellor. Her nomination is celebrated in Cornwall … while everybody awaits the death of the young duke.

GiselavonMhlhausen.jpg


On 16th March 1095, Maelgwn screams the hell out his rotten body while the worms eat his guts. And in a small chamber beneath his room, his former lover and sister Cryda silently weeps into sleep.

Maelgwnsdeath.jpg


Maelgwn, son of Bleddyn, nephew of Cadoc, dies alone and in horrible pains. The duchy, all his titles and the bronze key of Tintagel passes over to his only legalize son Gwynek Cerniw, a five year old boy.

The family tree of Maelgwn the toothless

Maelgwnsfamilytree.jpg
 
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