Update 4
In late May I discovered my ally was still at war with Semender. Alania annexed them which I don’t wholly mind since that place is out of the war anyway. Sure it was MY province... I guess that says something about the shape I’m in.
Alania finally proved their worth (or at least part of it) by throwing the unit that had ‘liberated’ Semender, into the Derbent capital. I won it in no time... its kind of like deus ex machina but I’ll take it.
And here’s how close I came to losing my capital to occupation.
July 13 Derbent fell and was brought to peace. July 15 they recognized our claims. I think I tried making them vassals but that wasn’t an option. Is it likely they had a higher title? Not that it matters now. I disbanded my army and went on with my life: manpower is now 1747 and monthly income is 6.46. It could’ve been worse.
Let’s see, in 1072 a celibate life appealed to my Chancellor, my son’s wife died so I married him to a 26 year old Russian who became my spymaster. Her stats are 1/3/9/5 and aged 26. Its so hard to find young people in the early game which is frustrating because I’m always having to start new games due to my annexations.
And near the end of the year I lost my claim on Tao. Since I don’t have any vassals I couldn’t tell my bb, if I had any or had a lot and I don’t need any more enemies so I bit the bullet.
At 1073 my wife wants the latest fashion. Geez! She just doesn’t let up! So I tell her to shoo because I need to build up some training grounds for more inevitable declarations of war. Luckily she doesn’t resent me anymore than she already does. I developed the selfish trait and she obtained the deceitful one. Maybe she’ll leave me alone for a while... or not, I would still like another heir.
A dangerous turn of events came about 21 May 1073 with Alania’s capital being annexed by the Sheikdom of Shemakha. It seems I made the right choice on that one. The new Alania capital would be moved to the province to the left of Manych. On a side note, I tried playing as that province to the left of Manych. I waited thirty years to be annexed... its so poor and is wrong religion. If you can do something with that then you’ve got talent... or too much time on your hands.
By July I finally got back to even in terms of money. And in late August my son’s wife and he are in love. A shame he won’t send her my way because I still need another heir.
1074 the son asks for land. I was hoping he wouldn’t do that because I have almost nothing to give but I relent and tell him okay. Nevertheless he gains the reckless trait and I make him the Count of Imertia. I figure that’s a safe province because it isn’t on a real border and he won’t be annexed easily. The daughter is put in his place as steward.
Two months later I replaced my spymaster with Kvarkvare Dadiani (26) and appropriate stat is 9. In November I began training ground construction in Kartli.
Halfway through 1075 and my leader became schizophrenic. Malaria hit Kartli and by September the leader was catatonic schizophrenic.
I don’t think there’s a way to come back from this.
At least not this time. Now everyone can declare war on me again. Great.
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Update 5
I was lucky enough to be able to keep the same court but this guy has a problem spawning daughters. I think he wants to field a girls softball team.
And that haircut bothers me. How can Georgia have such a cool emblem when their leader has a haircut like that? At least he has a hot wife... who looks a lot like the Steward. Hm, let’s see if he gets them mixed up at some point.
Upon my resurrection I did try signing alliances with Byzantium and a few other neighboring powers but none would accept. However the Principality of Alania, my former ally, was more than ready to sign on the dotted line. Their leader is 60 years old so hopefully the alliance will be short lived and a few other countries will change their minds. With that being said I haven’t really found the alliance system very useful. Often I ignore alliance offers just so I won’t get spammed by offers to join a war halfway across the map.
I can claim a title but it isn’t worth it right now. I need to finish building up training grounds and then get started on economical improvements after that. I’ll save the titles and prestige for a young son, if one is ever born and lives, in case he needs them.
I was making plans, good plans but my plans were changed when the Emirate of Edessa and Emirate of Arabs declared war. Let’s dance.
20 days into 1076 and Arabs called for peace. They paid 20. I’m guessing they were allies of Edessa but at least I can center myself on moving southward. I think I can win a sieging competition. I better get on my horse though because Edessa’s already in Kartli by Feb. 16.
One month later, 14 March 1076 and the Sheikdom of Albania declared war. Okay, let’s fight. I changed my plans and headed in that direction. I put blue dots in Albania’s provinces.
By the end of that month, Edessa’s in my capital and Albania is in Kartli. To make it more clear, Edessa left Kartli for my capital and Albania took the empty space in Kartli. Then, on 19 May I lost my Kartli regiment... four days later Kartli would fall and a month and a half later so would my capital.
July 15 I decide to make peace with Edessa by ceding my capital. My new capital is now Imertia. You have no idea how much I hate ceding provinces. Selling provinces in EU3 is different because I get something out of it but just giving them away like this sickens me.
By year’s end a new son was born, Ashot. And Albania moved in to siege my new capital. Again I’m hoping they’re getting more attrition than I am. Things seemed to be going well though with the fall of Albania’s capital in late January and my moving into Dwin on 26 February 1077.
At this point I’m guessing the Alania leader died because I received an alliance offer from Hovhannes Senek’erim Gardman-Aghbania. Yes, that was his name. From Suenik. Or, here.
Right now I’m so desperate to have anyone be my friend that I say okay. Meanwhile Albania got wind that their capital fell so they returned to their capital. My leader was still wandering around with 300 men but was nothing in comparison with the entire Albanian army. They have 861 men sieging their capital and I have 1165 in Dwin but I’m suffering attrition, they’re not.
With only a few days to spare, as seen in this clip and my siege of Dwin, my leader swooped into Albania’s capital around July 10 (the Albanians were beating me in the siege race) and bought enough time. The leader’s army was destroyed by this date but served its purpose.
Two days later Dwin fell and Albania became vassals, recognizing our rights over Kartli. I disbanded my army again. Things are looking good.
Around mid-August of the same year Suenik wanted to become vassals. I wasn’t sure if accepting them would’ve been good or not because they’re out there next to the Seljuk Turks. But, I reasoned, the Turks are at war with Azerbaijan and Suenik could be another buffer so I accepted.
Later, December 20, I was able to go to the moneylenders. My money shot up to +82 but my piety took a dip to -51. Who cares about the church. What are they going to do, excommunicate me?
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Update 6
Looking back I didn’t expect to survive the first ten years. Yay for me.
1078 began well enough with my beginning a training ground construction in Abkhazia in July. War would come again in November when Derbent declared war. I asked for grand mobilization and by December 6 I got it... unfortunately both of my vassals already raised their armies and I didn’t have control.
From 26 Jan 1079 - 1 Feb 1079 Derbent sieged the Albanian capital... and made it fall. Mind you Derbant only had about 1000 men in that siege. I’m guessing there’s an event I haven’t had yet which forced the surrender. My aim was to have a sieging war at this point. Five days later my Imerti regiment was in Semender, sieging that province since Derbent had since retaken it. And by 15 March the rest of my units were in the province. I didn’t have much time to recover from previous wars.
The Albanian capital made a separate peace but they weren’t annexed or made vassals so that’s fine with me. Especially since I can now raise their units... or request them.
Between April first and May third a big battle broke in Semender. My Chancellor was killed, my leader and marshal were both severely wounded and I lost... I lost despite outnumbering my opponents by 1500 men. This is a strange thing for me as I’ve noticed usually the largest army wins but what can I do? New Chancellor is Buruduken Djakeli aged 33, stat 12 and new Marshal is Iakob Yakobashvili aged 48, stat 9.
For some reason at this point I was able to take over the Suenik armies. Maybe they made peace with Derbent too. I sent them to Shirvan hoping for a quick sieging war while Derbent went to Dwin, a province occupied by the Albanian vassal. I hoped they wouldn’t annex Dwin.
Then, bad news. The Emirate of Azerbaijan declared war upon Suenik. Looking over the bordering two provinces I noticed their manpower didn’t rise above 900 men spread over two provinces and the Suenik regiment had more than that. So I willy-nilly accepted the call. It turns out Azerbaijan was allied to Baalbak and Egypt... and they both honored the alliance.
Eight days later Suenik was done... well, not in exactly eight days but the Seljuk Turks, Kurdistan and the Emirate of Mosul all declared war. I was in enough trouble... I didn’t help. But I did use their regiments. Thanks Mr. Long-name!
Raising the Albanian regiment (I made it so my vassals paid me nothing so I could get these units without mobilizing) I moved them into the Derbent capital by August 19. And the Suenik regiment moved into the Azerbaijan capital. I reasoned that I’m going to need another vassal or land because Derbant is going to outsiege me. Their manpower, well, they have more of it.
In September Semender fell, those spare troops now moving toward the Derbent capital. At the same time a small Dwin army (53 men) escaped their besieged province and headed toward Shirvan. I was going to need to get a head start on the siege there if I was to win. Then, disaster.
This army came out of nowhere... I need to pay attention and stop reading Ubik. Even if I was paying attention those troops would’ve got to me. They lost almost twice as much as me (987) but I lost enough to matter (571.) May I remind you that Derbent has another unit wandering around, sieging my cities. I don’t have the luxury of a spare army to disrupt their efforts. Apparently they do.
Derbent wouldn’t accept any offers even after their capital fell in March 1080. Probably because mine was soon to fall in April. I marched everyone to Shirvan trying to get it to fall before Derbent arrived in Abkhazia. But Shirvan was two or three provinces away. Derbent was only one province away from Abkhazia..
I switched back and forth between Abkhazia and Shirvan checking the siege progress but there was nothing that could be done. I had just entered the red area of the siege in Shirvan when Derbent succeeded in their siege of Abkhazia. I was annexed.