Song of Eire :: a Dublin AAR

03.02 The Fields of Death

He loves sandcastles. The one in front of him was almost done – the raised ground held a thick defending wall made with wet sand. The gatehouse overlooked an exposed path winding up from the completed moat. The keep stood in the middle of his castle, walkways connecting to the archer positions. The only thing left was to fill the moat with seawater and maybe a bri-

A shadow covered him and his castle, dispelling the sun and breaking his thought. He looked up to see a silhouette of a larger boy behind him. The sun was to the boy’s back, so all he could really make out was a grin. Mischievous. Malevolent.

There was something familiar about the figure. He felt like a brother, but that didn’t feel right either; he tried talking to the boy, but he didn’t seem to hear him.

He knew what would happen next. He lunged against the boy immediately. The element of surprise gave him the advantage – for a moment, he was able to overwhelm the older boy with his blows.

Why can’t this boy leave him alone? What had he ever done to him?

But rage-fueled strength soon faded, and the older boy recovered from his surprise and soon regained the advantage of his size and strength. There was blood on his mouth but all that did was made him madder.

The blows came strong and heavy. For a while they were evenly matched, but as the fight continued he felt a moment of dread as he realized his strength was waning again, while the older boy’s was not. As weariness softened his punches, his opponent took advantage and sat astride him, palms closing on his windpipe. It was getting harder to breath. He flailed his hands across the sand, searching for something, anything, that could help him.

Frantic fingers caught something; his heart raced. A fist-sized rock, hidden in the sand. With what’s left of his rage he swung it at the boy now sitting astride him.

His desperate strike connected, and sent the boy falling onto the sand. Seeing the bully reeling from the pain, terror filled his heart – he restarted his attack, fearful that if he gave the boy a chance, he would use the stone against him instead.

Stone met flesh, drawing blood, and met bone. Fear gave him renewed strength as he ignored the older boy’s struggles. Again. And again. The boy’s struggles disappeared sometime before his own strength finally gave. Backing off, hands grew unsteady as he slowly realized what he had done – beneath the mangled façade of the boy’s face, no breath drew.

The footprints in the sand betrayed his flight, but he cared not. The rock abandoned to the rising tide. By the beach the blood trailed, pooling at the moat of a magnificent sandcastle.

-​

1121

In the spring of 1121, Loigsech, the grizzled Marshal who had contributed much to the protection of the kingdom during the troubled times of King Donnchad, passed away peacefully in spring. Trian ordered that a monument be built for the general in the town square in Laigin, his birth home.

Cormac’s condition continued to deteriorate. Among his other delusions, the bastard child of Donnchad the Blessed started giving orders to his caretakers and vowed to lead his army of ‘pet’ mice to conquer all of Scotland.

Leaving his brother to his lunacy, Trian devised a plan to cure his kingdom of the impression that it was unstable despite the successes of his reforms. He decided that a spectacle was needed to jolt the kingdom back on track. A Small Castle was built in Dublin, intended to replace the old fort. The usually disciplined High King was said to indulge altogether too much time at the construction site, and personally designed many of the defenses.

On the Continent, France called Eire to help bring rebellious Vannes back into its control. Despite the proximity, Irish levies did would not reach Vannes before the French King reconquered it.

In court, despite Trian’s conciliatory attitude to the Gruffydd-kin, not every child of the traitor would find comfort in Dublin. Gwgon left court, referring the Dublin as a gilded cage and regretting his father’s loss of Gwynedd. He knew that his family would not be granted any worthy title under House Ui Mordha, and chose to venture afield instead.

Abroad, the 5th Crusade was called for Burgos. Barcelona apparently lost the holy province to a Taifa raid. In fact, the duchy of Barcelona was annihilated by the Sheikdom of Badajoz, confirming the High King’s earlier predictions.

French appetite for land never seemed to wane, as the king of France invaded Kent. Frankish interest in Great Britain troubled Trian, but the High King considered his alliance with the kingdom more important for the moment.

Keeping tabs on his bastard brother, Trian received constant updates on Cormac’s antics. This time, the High King received reports that Cormac fell sick while under the impression that he could talk down an incoming storm. It was a miracle the man survived the thunder, lightning, and beating rain that rolled over the monastery. Of course, one could consider catching a cold to be as sure of dying as being struck by lightning…

In court, the ranks of courtiers were bolstered by the arrival of the deposed Cynfyns, once rulers of Gwynedd. One of these courtiers, Seisyll Cynfyn, the leader of his house, proved himself a masterful war leader and was appointed as the new Marshal.

By winter, Cormac’s condition grew significantly worse as he was diagnosed with Pneumonia.

1122

In the initial years of Trian’s reign, the High King ensured good relations with the nobility by exchanging fosterlings. His good treatment of his fosterlings had won praise by the church.

France declared war with Chalons, who is allied to Venice. Trian decided to answer the alliance’s call, and was glad that Venice did not respond by declaring war with Eire in return. Unlike many of the King of France’s recent enemies, Venice was actually able to mount a fleet to land an army on Eire. Trian would prefer not expend the funds to mount an active defense.

While war raged between France and Chalons-Venezia, the King of the French curiously declared war on the eastern realm of Azerbaijan. The land being so far away, Trian opted not to side with the French in their latest venture.

But war would seek the High King whether he preferred it or not. Trian’s plan for his kingdom’s peaceful recovery was disrupted when tidings arrived in Dublin come deep winter. Jealous of Eire’s growth and paranoid of Trian’s ascendency as the High King of Wales, Robert of the Scots declared war once again.

(OOC: Rematch! Ding Ding!)

1123

With an impending war with the Scots looming, Trian hurriedly consulted with his generals for a war plan.

The High King hoped to wear the Scots out long before his own army marched to deliver the killing blow – an extended campaign with troops on full levy would be costly.Taking these concerns at heart, the High King’s generals proposed a ‘cheap’ war plan more agreeable to their liege.

Like the previous war, Carrick was set up to trap the Scots into another war of attrition. To tie down the Scots even further, Marshal Seisyll improved on the previous tactic by leading the Irish resistance personally in Galloway. The Scots would be allowed to take Carrick, and be ambushed when they march for Galloway. In this way, the Scot levies would be worn down marching between the two territories, hampered ever by attrition.

Trian’s plan worked immediately and Martial Seisyll planned elusive attacks on the Scot’s supply lines. (1) Meanwhile the Scots bit the bait and occupied Carrick. The Irish province would soon fall to the Scots.

Seisyll successfully defended Galloway (2)

and again. (3)

and again. (4)

The plan against the Scots was working well. Scottish forces diminished in Carrick, while their repeated attempts to capture Galloway were frustrated by guerilla attacks on their supply lines and ambushes on their reinforcements. In Court, even more unexpected good news as Cormac miraculously recovered from his bout of pneumonia.

On the battlefield, Marshal Seisyll continued to successfully defend Galloway. (5)

In the short time since the war started, resistance in Galloway has caused the Scots to constant defeats. By now the Scots started to call Galloway Raon Bàs,“The Fields of Death”. Marshal Seiysll’s prowess also attracted distinguished nobles to join Trian’s court.

Although in the case of Lord Llyr one would seldom attach the word “distinguished” to his name.

Meanwhile the relentless defense of Galloway continued. (6)

and again. (7)

Even as war persisted, Donnchad finally moved into the new royal residence inside the small castle. Like the old hall, the new royal hall has a view of the sea facing eastwards. While the mood in Dublin was confident and gay, in Atholl the Scots were frustrated by their losses in Galloway.

The high king continued to ‘ignore’ the situation in Scotland and organized a hunting trip just to made sure everyone noticed.

-​

Here's the battle map:

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Sergei Meranov - In Celtic Hibernia, you don't go to war - war comes to you!

hoi2geek - Welcome! Hmm that's an idea... I want to keep to a contiguous domain, so it'll take a while to accomplish...

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I’m happy to inform readers that this AAR was awarded the Best Character Writer of the Week! The thread can be found at at the AARs and Fanfiction General Discussions. Huzzah!

Many thanks to frogbeastegg for the nomination! And everyone for the continued readership!

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hoi2geek – If you have knowledge on the Irish language, I welcome your corrections on the use in this AAR… I only have the Internet to help me along.

Rest assured that Galicia is part of my plans from day one. It’s just going to take a while because of the contiguous-border-rule I set at the beginning. The direction beyond Galicia would be more of a mystery to me at this moment.

Let’s see… Galicia is not “formerly Celtic”… it is “Celtic Homeland”. Yeah… sounds more… politikal.



Sergei Meranov – Thanks! The Dunkelds need to be crushed but they still have a significantly larger army than Eire (amazing I know... must be due to Robert gobbling up counties to add to his demesne...)

So we’re still on the defensive in this war. We're also without allies this time. France decided to tit-for-tat our refusal to join them gallivanting on the shores of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan (which is good in a way since we don’t want them meddling any more than necessary in the isles).



Zzzzz… - The main obstacle to claiming King of Scotland comes from the lack of prestige. Trian may be rich but to claim that title we’ll need about 2000 prestige (iirc). That’s just far out of our range at this moment. I actually had a “This War has become a Personal Grudge” event but it didn’t trigger the automatic claim (curses!). What we need is a convincing victory to lay the foundations for eventual takeover. Ah well, baby steps…

I’m glad to see others pick up Ireland. It’s such a rich setting for CK...



gabor – Trian keeps Cormac around as a diversion from the dreariness of court politics.

France does have some possessions in the Holy Lands, and the Azerbaijani too, somehow. They must have rubbed each other the wrong way. But still, it is silliness.

Scotland is still pretty strong despite the previous war. We still can't annex them up in one fell swoop, so I’m inclined to nibble at their borders for now. Trian just comes across as a quiet High King more interested with internal matters than war, anyway, so it 'fits' somehow, I think...

03.03 Galloway

The lord marshal of Eire trained his eyes on the road ahead. Obscured by the thick forest growth, he might as well be invisible. Behind him, his men were hidden as he was. Dressed not with the fine livery of a retinue fitting their commander’s station, they were garbed instead in loose leathers covered with mud. Not a piece of metal was exposed, so that no clink of armour would cost them their ambush. Even their swords and spear points were covered by soot and ash to dull the glow from the afternoon sun.

Their vantage point overlooked a bend in the road that would prove fatal to the Scot convoy that will be travelling upon it soon.

“Are you sure about this, Seisyll?” Beside him, Cadell whispered. He did not mean the ambush.

Their father – may God have mercy on his traitorous hide – had the distinction of not only losing the ducal title of Gwynedd once, but twice. And for his actions his house languished from court to court. Those years moving from patron to patron had been far from easy. Sure, landed nobles were quick enough to support his family’s claims in the beginning. But as the Ui Mordha clan gradually showed that they could hold their claims over Gwynedd, the support diminished. The final years were particularly bad.

“You’ve followed me this far, little brother. Trust me, just a bit further.”

Cadell drew a short breath as if to speak, but the moment was past. A brief flash of a signal mirror snapped up the air of tension about the men. Everyone knew the order – utter silence was demanded, and whatever Cadell chose to say would have to wait.

Sure enough, the convoy escorts came into view. The ambushers could all make out the weary lines on their faces and the tired looks from too many night guard duties on these men. Even the few mounted warriors managed to look haggard.

Seisyll smiled. Sometimes reputation was enough to do the work for you. He waited until the supply train was midway around the bend and signaled the onslaught. A rain of arrows would decimate most of the defenders before his own men pounce on the rest. It would be another bloody day on the Fields of Death.

-

The Field of Death continued to live up to its name. (8)

and again… (9)

1124

and again… (10) It should be noted that the Irish were losing more troops than the Scots on every attack, but it is Scotland that is hemorrhaging morale and money, since the insurgents unerringly spring up after the first of the month, overwhelmed the invaders, and melded into the shadows before the month’s end.

and again… (11)

and again… (12)

and again… (13)

As the Second Gaelic War continued on a low burn, France called for Eire to attack Nevers. There was concern that Feradach’s wife was a child of the de Nevers family – but on inquiry into the matter it was found that the de Nevers were already deposed in their home county many years ago. War was declared without drama in the family. As always the enemy is so far from home that Irish levies wouldn’t reach the battlefield until long after the French had won the war, and so none were sent.

an again… (14)

With the end of war still nowhere in sight, Trian turned down the chance to improve his realm. The merchants saw this move as selfish of the High King. Trian in turn considered the merchants’ proposal to spend money when the kingdom is at war on a major front to be just plain stupid.

and again… (15)

and again… (16)

Trian considered the war a personal grudge although it wasn’t even to justify seizing the king of Scot’s title. Something must be done to stop all these disruptive Scottish attacks once and for all. For now, though, the he must bring the scots to peace, as Eire lacks the political influence to seize any major title from Scotland.

and again… considering the size of the forces the King of Scots was bringing to bear in Galloway, the results are pretty amazing. Seisyll’s tactics will become required reading by commanders of the modern era… (17)

Trian even arranged to hunt with lords not from his dominion, just to ‘ignore’ the situation in Galloway further.

Having the Scots occupying Carrick had the curious benefit of uprooting thieves that plagued the province. The Scots thought to uproot the dissidents that were sapping their troops of supplies, when all they did was catch some of the thieves in the province.

and again… (18)

1125

and again… (19)

1125 was a bad year for the fishery in Gwynedd. Trian immediately committed funds from the treasury to aid the common folk.

and again… (20).

Cormac seemed to have awoken to the actuality of his condition and is now depressed. Trian decided to pay him a visit and shared a meal with his brother. He always had a soft spot for him. And after all these years, a comparison of their states was always humbling to the High King.

and again… (21)

and again… Seisyll’s troops were depleted by now… (22)

and again… they still have some fight left in them! (23)

After two years of resisting the Scottish in Galloway, the High King finally decided to escalate the war. A call was made to muster Eire’s troops in Ulaid and Perfeddwlad.

The news of the muster of Eire’s army soon reached the battlefront and Robert King of Scots awoke to the dire situation he had caught himself in. His sorry attempt to sue for white peace was flatly rejected.

With the men availed to him, Trian intended to strike the Scots at multiple points and bring a quick resolution to the war. This meant at attack from the south, as well as opening a front in the north. As part of that plan, the Gwynedd regiment sailed northwards to Ross in northern Scotland.

Meanwhile, the High King’s main force gathered in Ulaid 13,000 strong, and sailed straight for Carrick.

A smaller force led by the Duke of Ulster sailed for Strathclyde, mainly intended to cut off King Robert’s retreat path to the Highlands.

Encourage by news that their High king has finally come to their rescue, Cadell’s (Seisyll’s brother, for the Marshal was summoned back to lead the reinforcements) men mustered once more to defeat the invaders at Galloway.

Cadell proved to be less able than his brother to defend Carrick, but no blame was ascribed to the general as he was badly outnumbered anyway. The men of Galloway melted into the forests as the Scots finally began the task to take the fort.

Even as the Scots taken Galloway, the tide of the war had already turned…

-​

And here’s the map of the war thus far:

Qorten said:

32 pictures in your update, the allowed maximum is 20 per update! Please remember when updating again. Linky to rule in question (#4).

Click to expand...

Hi Moderator, apologies. Will split my updates if there are too many pictures in the future...

Zzzzz... - Ah, so this is ping-ponging on CK. Well I'm glad to say I don't see it that often in my game. This example at Galloway is probably one of the most extreme cases I've encountered. The first war had Donnchad running up and down the entire duchy of Galloway, so I think it's fair to let the King od Scots do his bit this time, anyway...

Magmaniac - I don't have enough prestige... I was still farming that when the Scots attacked. There's also another dimension to this - Robert Dunkeld has so many lands under his demesne that if I just grab his king title he would become a very powerful and unloyal liegeman. We need to cut him down to size first.

03.04 Uneasy Peace (1)

The next stage of the war began at the turn of the tide, as Trian’s main force made landfall in Carrick and quickly dispatched the defenders there.

Commander Congalach, so of the famous Marshal Loigsech, was injured at the beach head. Truly sons do not live up to their father’s greatness. Undeterred by the loss of a commander, Trian’s army marched onwards upon the fort at Carrick.

In the Hebrides, Duke Donnchad of Ulster landed and faced immediate opposition in Strathclyde.

Faced with fresh Irish troops on his borders, King Robert mobilized his liegemen to join the war. The desperate call for reinforcements would seem a mere distraction of things to come.

The rival kings met in battle as Robert attempted to lift the siege at Carrick. The Scottish king probably intended to punch through the Irish stranglehold on the west coast before it could be formed properly... But his tired troops were no match for the fresh levies from Eire. Robert suffered a major loss as the result.

Duke Donnchad's defeated the Scottish defenders but was soon engaged against the reinforcements.

At home, Cormac was convinced that he had the skills of a merchant genius and decided to invest his time squandering the pension Trian set aside for him.

But in the thick of the war - a significant milestone was reached as Trian liberated Carrick. Just north of Trian's forces, Duke Donnchad succeeded in pushing off the tenacious defenders in Strathclyde and a siege was finally started.

Cadell, recently escaped from the loss of Galloway, was assigned to lead the newly freed regiment from Carrick’s garrison to Strathclyde.

Encouraged by his victory in Carrick, Trian marched for Galloway.

At the Highlands, Daire Duke of Gwynedd, leading his Welsh levies, finally landed in Ross. His arrival forced the Scots to expand their war front to the north.
In the Lowlands, the Duke of Lothian-Berwick faced an Irish army of 12,000, led personally by the High King. Unnerved, he tried to sue for peace. Trian ignored the entreaty.

Strathclyde was captured and the way was open for the Duke of Ulster to venture deeper into Scotland, raising havoc behind enemy lines.

He also beat off a Scottish attempt to retake Strathclyde, and formally entered the Scot capitol Atholl.

The Scottish front was falling apart. Atholl was put to seige. To the South, Trian started his siege at Galloway. And to the North Ross fell to the Irish.

Duke Daire continued to scour the north, towards Sutherland.

While the tidings at the battlefront were of constant victories, the realities of the war were that it had started to hurt the kingdom’s finances.

Thankfully, a good prospect to the outcome of the war helped the people of the kingdom gain confidence in their king, despite the gradually growing debt.

With duly Galloway liberated, Berwick was next on the High King’s target list. Elsewhere, the Duke of Ulster engaged the enemy at Atholl.

03.04 Uneasy Peace (2)


1126

In the north, Sutherland fell and Duke Daire marched onwards for Buchan.

Duke Donnchad of Ulster scored another victory in Atholl. The capital of Scotland is now under threat of occupation...

Seeing that the cause was lost, Robert of Scotland sued for peace in exchange for ceding Cumberland to Eire, and denouncing all claims over Eire’s domains acrrued during Donnchad's time. The High King, on the other hand, was ever conscious of the health of his weakning treasury - for the war was costly for his still-unstable kingdom.

Weighing that there was little to be gain in pursuing the conflict, Trian accepted the arrangement and both Gaelic kingdoms settled into an uneasy peace again.

(OOC: We don’t have the prestige to fight for kingship of the realm, so extending the conflict is pointless)

By March, the final victim of the war died.

-​

And here's the concluding phase of the 2nd Gaelic War

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Cornelius Rex - Trian doesn't have the prestige... I'm content to grab Cumberland and forcing him to drop all his claims on Irish territory for now. At the very least maybe they won't spring another war on us until we're ready to take them.