The Eternal Exile: A Nation Hopping AAR

[Dewirix]

It's the renaissance, it's Italy, it must be time for a war!

Time for Talena to do her Joan of Arc act again. I'd say St Talena of Parma has a nice ring to it, and she's definitely on the side of the angels this time.

From a gameplay point of view this looks to be a miscalculation by Milan. As long as they don't drag in any powerful allies and Modena stays neutral you should be able to take their two disconnected southern provinces.

[Ashantai]

Thanks Dewirix! I appreciate your comments.

Unfortunately, as you will see, things do not go entirely to plan. That's what happens when you play rulers as they should act, not as you want!

I now have a question to all the great readers. I'm up to 1500, and have until about 1550 locked in with a plot that is going on. However, are there any specific countries that people would like to see played? I will try to avoid replaying a nation if at all possible. Also, are there any significant 'historical' events you'd like to see happen? I have a "Catholic ruler turns Protestant and has a religious civil war" pencilled in at one stage, along with a "Mad Theocracy becomes the enemy of the world because of constant conquests".

EDIT: Also, anyone want to be a bit part? You won't show up in the gameplay screens, but only in the narrative. Give a name, profession and approx area and I'll try to fit you in. Try to have a name which matches your area of choice.

Anything else?

[Boris ze Spider]

Thanks Dewirix! I appreciate your comments.

Unfortunately, as you will see, things do not go entirely to plan. That's what happens when you play rulers as they should act, not as you want!

I now have a question to all the great readers. I'm up to 1500, and have until about 1550 locked in with a plot that is going on. However, are there any specific countries that people would like to see played? I will try to avoid replaying a nation if at all possible. Also, are there any significant 'historical' events you'd like to see happen? I have a "Catholic ruler turns Protestant and has a religious civil war" pencilled in at one stage, along with a "Mad Theocracy becomes the enemy of the world because of constant conquests".

EDIT: Also, anyone want to be a bit part? You won't show up in the gameplay screens, but only in the narrative. Give a name, profession and approx area and I'll try to fit you in. Try to have a name which matches your area of choice.

Anything else?

I do want to be a part, give me some time to think about it.

[Keinwyn]

Interesting happenings in Italy... I sense Talena leading the papal forces to victory!

EDIT: Also, anyone want to be a bit part? You won't show up in the gameplay screens, but only in the narrative. Give a name, profession and approx area and I'll try to fit you in. Try to have a name which matches your area of choice.

Ooo... I'd love to appear somewhere along the line as a suitably deranged character

[Zhangku]

I'd like to be a merchant from the far east, if your character is ever in a major trade town. Just call the character Zhang Ku, and he can be anywhere in Europe you want to place him.

[Boris ze Spider]

Boris, a ruthless and cunning mercenary from the russian kingdom of (insert russian power).

[Ashantai]

Excellent, I'll put you three into things...don't worry if you don't turn up for a while though.
Zhang - I am eventually going to SE Asia and Ming...can you wait until around 1500?
Boris - I can get you a place much sooner.
Keinwyn - Perfect, I have just the spot for you as an insane preacher!

Thanks guys!

[Zhangku]

Yep, I can wait. Though it'd be nice if my character started following your char. Personally I think it'd be funny.

[Dewirix]

Can I put a bid in for a Welsh merchant named Dewi? Can be anywhere you like.

[Ashantai]

Excellent Zhang Ku! I'll have you be a rogue Chinese mercenary...sounds good!

Dewirix Sounds good. You can have an important role a bit later on....

Update will be up soon. One of my favs so far.

[Ashantai]

POPE CLEMENS VII PART 2

The Pope’s skill with negotiations had enabled him to prepare for a war such as this. The unprovoked conflict with the Holy See stirred much anger within Italy and beyond. To this end Milan found itself facing Sicily, Manuta, Savoy and the Swiss Federation. This formidable force, though divided, soon came into play.
However, the key problem was that the Pope’s army, smaller than that of Milan, was not in Rome when the war started. A rebellion in Urbino had meant it was more than a hundred miles away in rough terrain when battle begun. Added to this was a reluctance by the Pope himself (who accompanied the army) to engage the invades in battle.
Thus, despite having eight thousand troops to the Milanese ten thousand, there was no battle. A man of peace, and some would say timidity, the Pope’s army remained in Ancona as Rome was besieged!




xxx


The Via Aurelia led from the Port of Rome to the city. Talena had come this way when she first arrived, and had admired how beautiful it was in winter. Now it was autumn almost two years later, and the road was surrounded by trees and peaceful streams. It really was a scenic, picturesque landscape, soured slightly by the prospect of invaders.
As she rode, not really paying attention to where she was going, she heard the sound of horses coming from behind her. Turning, she saw a force of lightly equipped cavalry bearing the Papal insignia. Though Talena knew the main army was still on the other side of the mountains, scouts and light parties had been dispatched to scout the enemy’s approach.
Talena prepared herself for the usual annoying questions that would be asked. In deference to the fact that she was in the fifteenth century rather than the twenty eighth she wore long trousers, a hat and had concealed her hair and gender as much as possible. It was still amazing how many people were fooled.
These soldiers didn’t even stop to ask questions, but rode past cautiously. Talena followed, interested by their caution. She had seen no sign of enemy troops, but that did not mean they weren’t here.



Then, with appalling swiftness the Papal troops were attacked. From behind hedges and trees marksmen with crossbows fired a lethal volley. The scream of horses and men filled the air, and the drawing of swords presaged the melee about to happen.

Talena, for her part, was riding an untrained mare, and as the sounds of butchery filled the air the horse reared and bolted. Unfortunately it decided to bolt directly off the road and as it fell into the drainage ditch near it Talena fell off in a most undignified way. The cobbled highway rushed to meet her and smacked hard into it while her horse limped off.
Getting to her feet, she saw that the Milanese ambushers had dealt with the Papal troops except for one man who had ridden back down the road. Talena looked down at herself and saw that her flimsy disguise was mostly gone, and that the men had seen her. Fortunately the cuts and scrapes from the fall had healed and stopped hurting. Right at the moment she was kind of glad about that.

“You! Girl! Stay where you are!” one of the soldiers called, gesturing to his comrades. There were at least five men visible, but likely more. Talena realised they must have ridden to this spot, dismounted, and waited for a patrol to come through.
Talena turned to retreat, unwilling to press her luck against so many armed men. Unfortunately, two of them had mounted, and rode after her. At first Talena was able to avoid them, but a blow from the flat of a sword stunned her long enough for the rest of the band to catch up with her.
“Now, girl, you be nice to us, and we’ll be nice to you,” one of them leered. He seemed to be in charge, and seemed a villainous looking man. Unlike her home era, soldiers of this time were virtually unpaid and untrained, having to live off whatever they could loot or steal.
Talena tried to pull away, but there were four of them to hold her still.
“Take her over there, men. I’ll come and deal with her in a moment....”
It didn’t take much imagination to guess what he wanted to do, and Talena tried to break free or kick one of her attackers, but even she could not break free from four at once.

However, as Talena was manhandled off the road the drainage ditch that had caused her horse to throw her now came to her aid. A section of the embankment gave way, and Talena’s right hand was momentarily freed. In that instant her instincts and training moved her hand like lightning. Behind her back she had a sharp knife concealed. She’d not had to use while she’d been in Italy, but now it became very important indeed.
One of the Milanese soldiers never saw it coming, and the knife got in under his chin, just like she had been taught in the marines. Turning, she was able to stab a second man in the shoulder where he had no armour. It had all happened in seconds.
Now Talena faced two men, both surprised, and she used the second of time offered to seize a mace from the dead man, and used it to fend them off.

By now the leader of the party had seen that something was amiss and ordered his crossbowmen to fire. Arrows whipped past Talena, and one hit her in the leg, driving right through her unprotected limb and protruding on the far side. Talena sagged slightly, but then she reached down and pulled the quarrel from her leg by the head. It was, her training told her, a stupid thing to do. Removing an object without being able to stem the bleeding was suicide.
But as she forced the bolt out, hissing with pain as she did, she saw the wound closing by itself, like magic.
While this had been happening, the man wounded in the shoulder had taken his sword up and now attacked from her flank. Talena only just avoided the first swipe, but fell backwards, and as he cut down at her, she raised her forearm up to shield the blow.
This too was a stupid move, and she knew it. A medieval sword was razor sharp, and quite capable of cutting through an unprotected arm and down into the body beyond. However, this time the sword smacked down...and stopped. Talena’s arm had been forced down towards her face, and there was blood from the cut, but the bone had neither broken, nor been marked.

To say that Talena was annoyed was an understatement. She was also terrified, bewildered and running on adrenaline. Taking up her mace she hit her attacker across the face so hard that she could see his jaw break.
From behind her back she brought out her pistol, aimed and fired. The bullet went right where she wanted it to – into the ambush leader’s groin.

As the sound of the shot echoed off the trees, Talena looked at the stunned Milanese who were retreating from her like she was some infernal creature.
“I’ve got eight more rounds, now get!” she shouted in her native language. She was too stunned to try and remember Middle Italian.
They got the message, even if they didn’t understand her. In seconds she was alone aside from the two men she had killed and the leader who had been left curled in a ball on the road.
Talena took up the man’s sword and held it over him, deciding what she should do. Finally, more to prevent excess suffering she used the sword to finish him off. It was what she was trained to do, and though part of her wanted to make him suffer, she wasn’t that sort of person.


xxx

(Voice log of Captain Talena Mazari, 14161121.)
I saw the main army marching from the north down towards Rome and I took cover in the trees. I can’t get back into the city, and I don’t think I want to. I’ll head over to the Papal army that’s supposedly on the other side of the mountains.
I’m just thinking about what happened yesterday. That sword should have cut my arm off. I’ve wondered how far this regeneration thing would go, but now I have a better idea. Does that make me immortal? I don’t really want to find out, to be honest.
I’m kind of ashamed I shot that guy. I should try and limit what I do with future knowledge. But hell, I don’t take that from anyone. I guess all I can do is wait and see what’s happens. I guess Rome will be besieged. I hope Sanchez is alright....

The siege of Rome eventually ended after over eight months. It was not, all things considered, a true siege, more of a blockade. The Milanese respected the city, and did not press an attack on the city, nor loot it when it surrendered. And in all this time the Pope’s army remained barely a hundred miles away, and did nothing to aid or assist the defenders. Even after the siege they remained, now with an army as large as the Milanese, distant. To many of the Pope’s generals this was intolerable.





However, despite the Pope’s unwillingness to fight, the end of the war was near at hand regardless....

[Boris ze Spider]

Awesome

[blsteen]

Superb, Italy is always in turmoil.

[Dewirix]

From the look of the last screenshot Milan is having the worst of the war, although losing Rome won't have done the Pope's authority much good. Still, you can always just elect another one.

I'm glad Talena's the strong-sense-of-duty type. No telling what havoc an indestructible future-girl would cause if she just decided to let rip.

[Ashantai]

Thanks guys! I'm aware that not much actually happens in this Papal States session, but I learned from it, and the next country after the Papacy is probably my favourite of all!

Dwirix - Interesting thought, isn't it? Not everyone would be so...scrupulous in her place.
Boris, blsteen - Thanks for commenting as always!

[Keinwyn]

That poor soldier - unpaid, denied his loot, shot in the groin and killed by a witch

Looking forward to the next country...

[Range]

That poor soldier - unpaid, denied his loot, shot in the groin and killed by a witch

Looking forward to the next country...

Your narrative grows stronger...I don't mind saying you have mine beat hands down.

[Ashantai]

Range: Coming from you, that is a great compliment! I've always liked your Range AARs a lot!

Keinwyn: Life can be very hard...but he shouldn't have tried to 'pillage' her.


CLEMENS VII PART 3

Pope Clemens was a deeply spiritual man, and some say this was his greatest weakness. A rational and humane person himself, he was quite unable to handle and run a war efficiently. It was pacifism and a belief that Christians should not make war that made him arguably not commit his army to battle.

However, events in the north already were coming to a head. Rebels in Lombardy along with the Pope’s North Italy Coalition had done what the Pope would not or could not, and had occupied most of the Milanese lands.
Thus, to the main army trapped around Rome, blockaded by the Papal and allied fleet, there was little option but to withdraw. Finally the Pope’s army decamped and moved threateningly to cut off their retreat up the coast, and the Milanese withdrew and gave up Rome to its rightful owners.

Soon after a treaty was signed by the Duke of Milan with the Pope, pledging to pay reparations for the war in exchange for peace. While Manuta and Savoy wished to push on and permanently cripple Milan, the Pope would have none of it and extracted the maximum concessions from Milan before signing the Treaty of Urbino on the 13th of July 1417.



(Voice log of Captain Talena Mazari, 14170715.)
I don’t know what’s wrong with these people. At home...in my time, when you start a war you start it for a reason and you throw everything you can at them to gain a victory. I’ve never seen someone fight a war and then not actually fight! For months I waited in that damn camp. I was just planning to get the hell out of this place when I heard the ‘war’ was over. Apparently there was more fighting in the north, but is the Pope a coward, or is he a pacifist? Of course...we used to consider them the same thing.

The Pope’s prestige took something of a hit from his lack of aggression in the war. However, Clemens was unfazed, and revealed his mean streak when soon after he had the ruler of Milan excommunicated, with the support of Austrian cardinals. This was his revenge, and Milan was soon forced to concentrate on the French to the west, and Austria to the east. Soon Savoy was annexed by the French King, the son of Louis XI.



Even before the war, the Pope had been in tight consultation with the Holy Roman Emperor in Bohemia. However, Bohemia was threatened and finally overthrown by Polish troops, and the next Emperor elected was Albrecht of Austria. In Albrecht the Pope had a man sympathetic to his causes, and who could also profit from the negotiations.
Therefore the Pope asked to join the Holy Roman Empire, effectively subordinating the secular state to that of the Empire. It was a wildly unpopular move among many, but it did help establish security for the Papal States, and all Italy.





The Pope did go to war once more, in support of Sardinia which Aragon had set its sights on once again. A coalition of states including Sicily, Genoa and Ferrara stood in to protect Sardinia. In an indecisive war the Pope once again decided to let the status quo be resumed. The notable feature of the war was a large sea battle involving over forty galleys off the coast of Valencia, in which the Papal alliance was victorious.



xxx

14/3/1425
Talena had been nodding off in her chair when she heard the knock at the door. Getting to her feet she padded over and opened it. It was Augusto, the Italian servant at the Castilian embassy.
“Miss Talena, please come,” he said in badly accented Castilian.
Talena followed him upstairs to the room of Father Sanchez. The man had been sick for some time, huddled in bed. Talena had done what she could for him, often going against the advice of the ‘doctors’ who seemed to think bleeding and leeches was the treatment for everything. However, it hadn’t worked, and she had been subconsciously waiting for this call. She passed the priest from the local church who had come to take final confession.
Sanchez lay in his bed, deathly pale. He looked up as she entered and offered a smile. “Thank you for coming. You may go, Augusto.”
Soon they were alone, and he looked up at her. “The years have been kinder to you than to me,” he said with a small smile. Talena tried to speak, but he held up a hand. “I do not pretend to know what secret you have, but the King told me you were a divine providence. Perhaps you are.”
“Surely there is something I can do?” Talena asked, her eyes filling with tears. For ten years this man had been there when her wanderings took her back to Rome.
“Prey with me, Talena. Not for me, but for you...and what happens next. I do not fear to die, for I know God will greet me, and I can again meet my wife. No, I pray for you, and whatever path you take in the future.”
Talena got down awkwardly on her knees.
“Luke Chapter Twenty-Two, I think. ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done’,” Sanchez said.
Talena looked down at him, knowing the next line. ‘An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.’
Sanchez smiled up at her and closed his eyes. A moment later he was still, and his shallow breathing stopped entirely.
Her own eyes closed and her head bowed. For the first time since she was a child she cried openly, and stayed by the dead priest until the men came to take the body away.

xxx

Pope Clemens did not survive the Spanish consul long. At the age of fifty four he died on the 18th of October 1425 of blood poisoning. The Pope had been a good diplomat and administrator, and a great patron of the arts, as well as reforming the currency. However, he justified his nickname ‘The Peaceable’ by his unwillingness to risk battle for fear of causing too much death. And it is in this vein that he was chiefly remembered.




Soon after the Conclave elected Carlo Rezizi who took Innocentius VII. It was very clear what the message was – the new Pope had been an opponent of Clemens’ peaceful nature, and had been something of a martial cleric in his youth.



However it was not war that was the first act of the new Pope’s rule, but the arrival of a delegation from the Roman Empire....

[Range]

You're doing great without any suggestions...but, since you asked a few posts ago...is there any chance to add a thought to be untrustworthy, all be it misunderstood sword fighting scoundrel sort? Or, maybe you can consider an annoying minstrel that won't go away?

[Dewirix]

Is Talena off to Austria next? After a peace-loving Pope it appears she’s going to get the action she’s been waiting for. She’s starting to rack up the renegade points.

So the papacy’s in the HRE now? Did you have much trouble getting that accepted? I remember when I formed Italy as Milan and started getting penalties with all the electors as my new capital – Rome – wasn’t a member state itself. Took me ages to get the emperor to re-admit it.