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Mupdate Session 20, yr.1218: In which absolutely nothing goes KoMs way, again!

session20.jpg


In this session:

The Calipha is held up by his courtesans and arrives 1,5 hours late, and with no TS, and finds his inheritance bungled, a dunce with realm duress on the throne, 75% of the demense occupied by rebellious vassals, Alexandria fielding 2000 men due to demense limit, but..

His plotting against the Greeks has succeeded commendably, as the Greeks are reduced to pre-NAP levels. Byz is taken over by AI.

The Western Emperor calls for support, but the Caliphate is wrecked by civil war, the Saracen auxilia promised the Emperor is saved for later use.

Russia and Croatia also has realm duress.

Persia nicks vassals of Caliphate and Russia.

Denmark nicks vassals of Croatia.

The Caliphate grants away half its demense to vassals, expends its entire treasury in bribes, robs the estates general of all but their underpants, and expends the entire treasury in bribes again. The realm duress finally expires after the triple-emir of Arabia & co's revolt is put down for the fourth time.

Some time after the Rome-Rome war the Calipha calls a Jihad on the Greeks to regain the Isles per prior agreement, 40.000 men are mobilized. KoM protests citing some internal Byzantine politics, the Calipha asks for clarification. Gets none, KoM lands the flower of Byzantine soldiery on besieged Cyprus, now is the time to see what those cavalry rankings count for!

The disaster that followed was the Massacre at Larnaca, where KoMs elite is annihilated in full by the Banner of Antioch, event troops and all! So much for the prideful boasts of the Komnenids, so much for the reputation of the Kataphracts of Byzantion! AI Byz Emperor at the helm of 20.000 men is likewise thrown back by the superior martial skill and cunning of the Caliphates armies. KoM's Anatolian demense is pillaged for principle, and cedes the Cyprus duke title, AI Byz refuses peace.

The Caliphate attacks renegade Byz vassals for islands, sweet, sweet islands.:D

Loire is rewarded with a paltry few provs in France for his help, a pittance compared to West Romes winnings.

Croatia appears to have gained some of s.Polaria

The session is hardly finished before we get a redux of the plotting begins against W.Rome, the Caliphate will accept bribes in the form of Greek islands to not listen to such silliness. ;)

We shall have to have a talk with Persia about these vassal snipings...
 
I am literally depressed to see such a disaster befall Rome. I only hope time will heal these wounds the barbarians have inflicted. Will the light of Christian civilization be snuffed out by the actions of heretics? Will the only true Empire survive? Will Constantinople become nothing more than a squatting-ground for illiterate tribal chieftains?
 
Will the light of Christian civilization be snuffed out by the actions of heretics?

It will be remembered in footnotes on the decadence of pre-Islamic culture

Will the only true Empire survive?

Hm? The One True Rome is doing quite well last I checked...

Will Constantinople become nothing more than a squatting-ground for illiterate tribal chieftains?

A fair bet

KoM said:
Rome shall rise again!

You're thinking of a different aar...
 
I am literally depressed to see such a disaster befall Rome. I only hope time will heal these wounds the barbarians have inflicted. Will the light of Christian civilization be snuffed out by the actions of heretics? Will the only true Empire survive? Will Constantinople become nothing more than a squatting-ground for illiterate tribal chieftains?

The True Byzantium shall forever endeavor to hold Constantinople and ensure it never again falls into the hands of the Bulgarian imposters.
 
The disaster that followed was the Massacre at Larnaca, where KoMs elite is annihilated in full by the Banner of Antioch, event troops and all! So much for the prideful boasts of the Komnenids, so much for the reputation of the Kataphracts of Byzantion!

Point of order: The troops in question were not, in fact, cataphracts. They were mercenary odds and sods scraped together from everywhere, mainly infantry; and they had taken very heavy casualties in the civil war and been struck repeatedly by the dang morale bug. Plus, of course, being mercenaries they had no leader. You may ask then "Why did I order them to attack in these circumstances" and the answer is a) I was desperate b) there was at least a slim chance you had demobbed your troops, and they were certainly good enough for sieges and c) this way I didn't have to pay them their next round of wages.
 
They were mercenary odds and sods scraped together from everywhere, mainly infantry;

These where the Byzantion regiments! The Praetorians and vaunted Varangian Guard of which you have boasted so, and had quite a majority of heavy cavalry and heavy infantry. There was nothing wrong in the quality of these troops, nor where they outnumbered. The reason for the disastrous Cypriot landing was the fact that the Banner of Antioch was lead by Lord Marchall Izzadin of 22 martial fame, while the Komnenid commander appeared to have fled the field. Abandoning his men before the fighting even began.

The Calipha notes the greeks are quite fast in proclaiming the unimportance of their losses, much like in the days of Ala'i. Next they will tell us Constantinople is a simple border fort, its loss an unimportant matter in the to and fro of History. I charge that the time has come for the Komnenids to face facts, realize the thoroughness of their defeat and recognize their own responsibility in manufacturing their current situation.

Hubris, I seem to remember your wiser ancestors noting, is not quite the virtue of nobility the Komnenids hold it to be.
 
These where the Byzantion regiments! The Praetorians and vaunted Varangian Guard of which you have boasted so, and had quite a majority of heavy cavalry and heavy infantry. There was nothing wrong in the quality of these troops, nor where they outnumbered. The reason for the disastrous Cypriot landing was the fact that the Banner of Antioch was lead by Lord Marchall Izzadin of 22 martial fame, while the Komnenid commander appeared to have fled the field. Abandoning his men before the fighting even began.

The Calipha notes the greeks are quite fast in proclaiming the unimportance of their losses, much like in the days of Ala'i. Next they will tell us Constantinople is a simple border fort, its loss an unimportant matter in the to and fro of History. I charge that the time has come for the Komnenids to face facts, realize the thoroughness of their defeat and recognize their own responsibility in manufacturing their current situation.

Hubris, I seem to remember your wiser ancestors noting, is not quite the virtue of nobility the Komnenids hold it to be.

It seems weird to proclaim the resounding victory when the Greeks are suffering from a fairly large internal stresses. I mean if you had faced a unified Greece, than sure, of course you have cause to celebrate, but the paltry victory over a divided opponent doesn't seem worth the triumphal march.
 
It seems weird to proclaim the resounding victory when the Greeks are suffering from a fairly large internal stresses.

I have not claimed resounding victory in war, but in a single fair battle (tho I would note the great battles fought against the new Emperor with 20.000 a side ended in equally devastating defeats). It is a matter of refuting the slanderous propaganda the infidels seem to spread everywhere they slither. The greeks have boasted of their armies superiority in training, equipment and martial skill. Now then we had a true measurement of our soldiery and leaders. They sent their very best troops against mine, 9000 against 9000, on ground of their choosing, and they were utterly obliterated because of the failure of Komnenid leadership. Thus we see the truth of their boastings and sabre-rattling; that it was all empty talk, and that the product of the Alexandrian Academy of War is far superior to that of the decadent Komnenid court.
 
I have not claimed resounding victory in war, but in a single fair battle (tho I would note the great battles fought against the new Emperor with 20.000 a side ended in equally devastating defeats). It is a matter of refuting the slanderous propaganda the infidels seem to spread everywhere they slither. The greeks have boasted of their armies superiority in training, equipment and martial skill. Now then we had a true measurement of our soldiery and leaders. They sent their very best troops against mine, 9000 against 9000, on ground of their choosing, and they were utterly obliterated because of the failure of Komnenid leadership. Thus we see the truth of their boastings and sabre-rattling; that it was all empty talk, and that the product of the Alexandrian Academy of War is far superior to that of the decadent Komnenid court.

My point was that it's hardly a fair sample, given the court riven with intrigue and strife.
 
My point was that it's hardly a fair sample, given the court riven with intrigue and strife.

My charge is that the Greeks are a bunch of effeminate decadent backstabbers, court intrigue is part of my accusations of their debauch culture!
 
What is this internecine wars? Have you forgotten your holy Christian duty? It is time for a crusade to liberate Jerusalem.

Death to the Heathens!
 
well the game sorta waits that ultimate infidel vs. Byzantion war of all wars. All the drama is so set on to it allready :D
 
well the game sorta waits that ultimate infidel vs. Byzantion war of all wars. All the drama is so set on to it allready :D

Its not my fault he got smushed by grannies and mustachioed plumbers before I had a chance to get to him!
 
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