The Eternal Exile: A Nation Hopping AAR

[Dewirix]

Also, I'd like views on where to take this as far as style goes. I can either keep going with equal narrative and gameplay, or do updates mainly in gameplay, with just narrative bookends.
The advantage of the balanced is that the posts will be longer and different from a normal AAR.
The advantage of a more gameplay one is that it'd be quicker updates.

Also, is it possible to edit the title of the thread?

I'm enjoying the current mix of gameplay and narrative, but can see that it takes a lot of work. Ultimately it's up to you, but I'd vote to keep the present format as it's nice to imagine what impact our actions would have in real life - even if they are generally fairly brutal!

Might be possible to edit the title of a thread if you as a moderator nicely, but not sure.

[Ashantai]

Thanks guys for the kind thoughts.

I enjoy the mix, and I will use it for now. I'm not giving up on this AAR until it's done! (We'll see how long the promise lasts )

And yeah, I thought I couldn't edit it myself. Not to worry, it wasn't anything important - just a cosmetic change.

Thanks for reading!

[Ashantai]

KING FILIPE I OF CASTILLE PART 1

NOTE: For this ruler I did 'cheat' to create some of the negative events that will occur. That's not really cheating though is it?

In the 15th Century the Iberian peninsula was divided into four nations. Castille was the largest and richest of the states, occupying the central position. To the east was Aragon, a Catalan Kingdom with long ties to the Mediterranean. To the west was Portugal, a sea-faring nation of considerable wealth and tradition. Finally to the south was Granada, the last remnant of the Muslim realm of Al-Andalus. It was a vassal and enforced ally of Castille.

Enrique III had been King for more than thirty years in 1410. In this time he had fought a successful war with Aragon over Navarre and captured it, along with Valencia and other lands on the coast. However, the King was a sick and ill man, and when he died (having surprised many with his longevity) he left only one successor; Filipe.




Filipe was the nephew of the King, and had grown up seemingly normal. However, his tutors later identified certain ‘signs’ that not all was as it should be. While he had proved himself very mature for his age, and very skilled in fight training, he was also reserved, uncharismatic and borderline sociopathic.
Of course, all this was brought up later. At the time, the seventeen year old man seemed to be the ideal choice. He had the support of the nobles, Castille was at peace, and the land was stable.

(Voice log of Captain Talena Mazari, 14100912.)
I stopped just outside Burgos today. The translator’s acting up a bit, but it’s working enough for me to pick up some words of the local language. At least I know enough French to make myself somewhat understood to some people. I’ve not been using the voice log much either as I’m worried this will run out of batteries. Not much interesting happening anyway. I crossed the border into Castille and took the old Roman highway down through Navarre and into Old Castille.
Listen to me...I sound like a damn travel guide. I had some gold left that the King paid me, and the peasants here don’t mind I’m a woman. Well, honestly, most of them are looking at the ground most of the time. There are a lot of soldiers around, and I got lodgings at a villa owned by an old man. He was nice enough, and let me stay for a small sum.
Today I heard from the old man – who speaks a little French, that a new King has been crowned. I’ve got no great incentive to go offer myself up to this one though. I think I’ll just stay here for a while. I’m getting used to the idea that I’ll be here for a long time. I guess I should be happy about that. Eh....





Unrest amongst the people, especially in outlying areas, was a constant problem for rulers to face. Shortly after he took the crown, the new King had to contend with a serious rebellion in two provinces. These were put down rapidly enough, but it was the method which the King ordered it done that caused the most problems. Rebellions and civil wars involved brutality, it was true, but as the King rode with his army he had anyone who ‘looked like a traitor’ executed on the spot. The rebellions soon collapsed, and the King was hailed as a hero.



The King’s choice of ministers did not inspire great confidence either. Many of them were mercenaries or cronies of the King and his family. What was needed to administer Castille at this time, especially with newly occupied lands, was steady management. What happened instead was that the King’s court was filled with corrupt men given too much power. They taxed at will and used the King’s name to fight any opposition.



(Voice log of Captain Talena Mazari, 14101015.)
It’s like fate wants me to get involved! I was really enjoying the little villa, with the trees and such, and the old guy didn’t charge me to stay if I helped keep the place in order. It turns out he’s distantly related to the old King, but nothing important. He doesn’t even have a title.
I went down into town today to buy some supplies and I saw a bunch of thugs bullying a merchant. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just let it happen. Of course, there were three of them, but I had the advantage of surprise. It wasn’t easy, but they weren’t very good, and took off after I’d knocked down the leader. The townsfolk were obviously happy, but they feared what would happen too.
But I was heading back when a horseman came up behind me with escort. I thought I’d have to use the gun, but he was polite. He said that his name was Valeriano, Duke of Badahoz, and that he would offer me protection. I agreed, and said goodbye to the old man at the villa.



In something of a controversy, King Filipe had married the Aragonese Princess Ramona, daughter of the King of Aragon a few months before he ascended the throne. She was still young, and there were reports that the new Queen was kept locked up in her tower, and that she suffered physical and mental abuse from her new husband. However, she soon became pregnant, and shortly afterwards she gave birth to a daughter, Juana. However, tragedy struck soon afterwards when both mother and child died unexpectedly. At the time it was put down to post birth problems, but ugly rumours spoke of the King killing them in a mad rage. The King of Aragon was most displeased when he learned that his daughter was dead, as well as his grandchild....

[Dewirix]

Is going back to France to face a witchcraft trial still an option? Might be safer.

I'm intrigued to see what Felipe will do to his neigbours given his attitude towards his own family.

[blsteen]

I'll be interested to see what his neighbors decide to do to him after finding out what his attitude is!

[Keinwyn]

I like this; it'll be interesting to see how Talena develops over the centuries. I do love a good Sociopath

[Ashantai]

Keinwyn Yes, that's going to be the best bit! It's the whole reason why I used one character over all the time. To see her go from confused, optimistic then slowly changing over time. If I do it right it'll be fascinating...if I do it right.

blsteen Yes indeed! Oddly enough even at Infamy of 40+ no one wanted to fight me - France even offered to ally with me! Ah well.

Dewirix The result is...well...you'll see. And yes, fear, hatred and mistrust will sadly become a part of Talena's life in the decades to come. Poor woman.

Thank you all so much for reading...and everyone else too! Suggestions, comments and critique is very welcome!

I have to confess that I've taken narrative shortcuts with this. If I had the time, and my readers were endlessly patient I'd actually have written this as a novel...but then it wouldn't be an AAR.

I'm pleased with how it's going, even if the first few years of every country change is getting out of messes the AI got itself into. :P

[Ashantai]

KING FELIPE I OF CASTILLE PART 2



(Voice log of Captain Talena Mazari, 14110219.)
Is this thing working? Hey, cool. Right. It’s been a while since I’ve recorded any messages through this. Not much has happened, and I’ve been too busy. I’m up on the hill near Badajoz. Valeriano is an important man in the Kingdom, and he runs this entire region and lives in the city. He’s no friend of the King, and I’m guessing it won’t be long before something happens. He’s been nice enough, a bit like Louis really. The difference is that his son Pedro is much older. I’m pretty sure I know what he wants. Ha ha. I’m not sure getting married would be a good idea...even if it was something I wanted to do.
Heard that the King has declared war on Aragon. The Duke believes it’s because of an angry letter King Marti of Aragon sent him about his daughter and granddaughter. The Duke’s not been called to arms yet.




The unprovoked war with Aragon was declared on February 11th 1411 and was unpopular with the people. Extra taxes, conscription of levies and also a war with their neighbours. Those lands which Castille had conquered in 1403 were still unruly, and the armies that invaded were forced to detach troops to defend.
Still, against the well disciplined and organised forces of Castille, Aragon stood little chance. The King led the early campaigns in person, and displayed something of a flair for soldiering, though it was tempered by a ruthless brutality which did little to inspire loyalty. He was impatient with sieges and pushed assaults and escalades when a more patient leader would have blockaded and starved. In winter he pushed his troops through the Pyrenees Mountains, leaving many dozens of frozen corpses in his wake.

To the relief of the generals the King returned to the capital in early 1412, leaving the army to subdue the last defences.
When he arrived he was confronted by one of the chief marshals of the realm who had made some investigations of his own. No one was quite sure what happened, but the marshal died that night and his family were exiled. It was just the start.



Aragon, crushed and humiliated, was forced to give up all their lands except around the capital. The result of such a settlement on top of the unprovoked nature of the war made Castille distrusted and even hated by its neighbours. None dared attack them though, so victory was unpunished.



(Voice log of Captain Talena Mazari, 14120902.)
One of my first missions as a recruit was to put down a food riot on Mars. It was terrible. I felt for the people, but I was a soldier and I had to do my duty. The problem was that they were just ordinary people that the government had let down.
The Duke invited me to come with his son to a gathering of nobles in Valencia. The King was there, and it was supposed to be a triumphant occasion. But it turned out very different. As we passed through the lands formerly held by Aragon we saw that the ravages of war had destroyed the crops, and many towns and farms were destroyed. The King, to punish a rebellion against him, had destroyed much of their resources. It was horrible. They just...were left to starve!
When we arrived we were given so much food we couldn’t eat it all, and the King ordered it burned rather than give it to the starving people. While we were there he had ‘plotters’ arrested. The man is mad, I’m sure of it. It was like when President Kusai ordered all food aid to some of his provinces stopped because they had protested.
Wherever we went on the way back to Badajoz there was an uncertainty in the air. It was...I guess, a sign of things to come.

[blsteen]

Food riots on Mars, never a good thing.
And nice to see that someone was poking around the King's affairs. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out too well for Matlock...

[Dewirix]

It's always Mars! I don't know why we're going to bother to colonise the place. Amongst the heavily signposted mistakes of the third millenium it's right up there with giving AIs control of the defence networks.

Are all the events that are hitting Castille from vanilla EU3, or some your own additions? Don't think I've seen half of them.

[Ashantai]

Yes, Mars...a sink hole of chaos!

I started a novel once set in this future history with Talena. I did the timeline and set up and stuff, so I figured I may as well use it. :P

All the events are vanilla - but some of them come from the Time of Troubles tree of events, which don't get activated often because it rarely happens to the player. I'm planning to use the civil war and peasant war tree at some stage too.

[Range]

Excellent...you've completely caught my imagination. I can almost feel that I'm there.

Great read...super AAR.

[Boris ze Spider]

This is fun to read, thanks for the hard work.

[Ashantai]

Thanks a heap you guys! That's a really good thing to hear.

Expect an update later today or tomorrow morning.

[Ashantai]

KING FELIPE I OF CASTILLE PART 3.

After the conquests of the first few years, Castille suffered a terrible bout of strife comparable with that of Nero in ancient Rome. And like Nero, much of this could be ultimately laid at the feet of the ruler. From a stable, settled nation Castille fell in just 4 years to the brink of anarchy. Rebellion was rife, the currency was degraded, and order was non-existent. In times such as this it was for the people to ultimately free themselves.




While the country was still technically at war with far Burgundy – allies of Aragon, neither side ever came to grips. However, the King still refused to lower the taxes raised for war, and refused to compensate those people who had been left maimed or had lost family.



(Voice log of Captain Talena Mazari, 14131018.)
Something needs to be done! The King is mad, and he needs to be stopped. I...I should explain I guess...though it’s not likely I’ll ever forget. The King’s men came to Badajoz, and ordered that Duke Valeriano’s son go to war, as an officer of course. The Duke didn’t want him to go. I didn’t want him to go. It wasn’t...well it wasn’t that I was attracted to him. I wasn’t! It’s just I had a feeling he wouldn’t be coming back. When I looked at the Duke I could see he thought the same. They’d only had one child which had survived infancy. It’s still hard to get my mind around how things worked in this time.
So, yesterday, Agostini, Pedro’s servant, returned. We knew what he had to say before he even said it. The Duke received the message today officially from the King. There’s a bit of a difference in what they say. The King’s minister wrote that rebels ambushed him in Catalan territory and he was killed. Agostini – who wasn’t lying I’m sure – said he’d been killed.
Whatever it was, it doesn’t really matter, I think Duke Valeriano is getting ready to openly stand against the King. He just needs a bit more support from other nobles. We’re getting word that the whole Kingdom is in turmoil, and rebels have retaken areas previously conquered.



Over the next three months Duke Valeriano assembled an army of several thousand from disaffected nobles, peasants and others. It was not as large as the King’s force, but in the end it didn’t need to be.



Several other armies had arisen in Castille and the former occupied territories, and the King’s armies were stretched thin and plagued by desertion. In an attempt to bolster morale, the King ordered the execution or exile of any who disagreed with him. Political prisoners died by the score, and his grip on sanity drifted further and further away.



xxx

Talena trudged into her tent and sat. There had been another day of endless marching, and this day had ended just outside the village of Talavera, just fifty miles from Toledo. The long, dusty ride with the army had been like the twenty others since they’d left Badajoz. The annoying thing was that Talena didn’t feel tired. It was symptomatic of whatever odd condition she had that she no longer felt much discomfit or pain after a few moments. The one exception was her left wrist which she had broken as a teenager, and which still ached occasionally.
There were footsteps, and Duke Valeriano entered. He was a tall, grim looking man with moustache and small beard. He wore his armour and surcoat.
“Talena. I have been thinking on your request. Are you sure it is what you want?”
“Yes, sir. I was...am...a soldier. I might as well act like one.” Talena had fought a battle with herself over this and lost. She could and probably should have just stayed in Badajoz, but she still felt the need to...well...stand up for what was right. She had been almost fifteen years in the past, and there seemed no prospect of her getting back any time soon. So she might as well do some good.
“Very well. Though my priest informs me it is a heresy for a woman to fight in the style of a man, I feel in your case an exception can be made. Juan!”
This last was to a servant who entered carrying a large sack which he set down on the floor and opened. Inside were pieces of plate and mail armour which had been specially adapted for her. The most obvious example was the breastplate which had been beaten out a bit to accommodate what Talena had which no men had.
“It looks good,” Talena said. When she had been with Louis she had worn only light mail and leather armour, but this was much nicer.
“Juan will help you don it when the time comes. For now, I have some guests to meet.” The Duke nodded and left.
Talena was left to look down on the armour, and wonder how it would feel.

[Boris ze Spider]

Awesome

[Ashantai]

Thanks!

OK, need some input. In my playing I am up to 1500. I am currently playing an Indian power, planning to move to an East Asian one next. But then...do I go to the Americas, and come back to Europe when they are conquered, or do I reverse direction and go back west via Mongolia?

EDIT: The world is very quickly polarising so that historical nations being rather successful. Should I turn them off, move them to random, or leave it as is? Is it a bad thing what is happening?

EDIT2: CatKnight very kindly changed the name of the AAR to something more suitable, I think! Kudos and a thousand thank yous to him.

I am very interested in input here.

[Eber]

Thanks!

OK, need some input. In my playing I am up to 1500. I am currently playing an Indian power, planning to move to an East Asian one next. But then...do I go to the Americas, and come back to Europe when they are conquered, or do I reverse direction and go back west via Mongolia?

EDIT: The world is very quickly polarising so that historical nations being rather successful. Should I turn them off, move them to random, or leave it as is? Is it a bad thing what is happening?

I am very interested in input here.

I think you should continue to go forward, so go to the Americas and then back to Europe so that you do a full circle. Mongolia will be up eventually. Though either way is nice.

I actually like having historical nations doing well as long as they aren't getting TOO big for their britches (i.e. France owning half of Germany of Italy and such). I don't think you need to them off. If you want to do something then turn it to random. My games, I either have it on historical (if I'm playing in Europe) or random if I'm somewhere else in the world. But no, I don't think it's a bad thing.

Great aar!

[Dewirix]

Since the story is a personal journey through the world then the consolidation of powers probably offers a good chance to develop the progress = bigger wars theme. This would also fit pretty well with going to the new world and then getting that state crushed by the Europeans.

[CatKnight]

I'd say work your way through the Americas and back.

Personally I think letting the world polarize a bit is a good thing. I usually play with lucky nations historical or random. Which is better depends on what's going on 'behind the scenes.'

* If this is 'our' world and Talena's broken the timeline, then I'd leave it as historical so the nations that historically rose to power have a chance to do so.

* If this is an alt universe, then either historical or random.