Stately, plump Earl Murchad came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. He looked into the mirror and stared at his aging, jowled face.
The Earl of Dublin had not slept. He was up all night fretting about his unwed eldest son, Domnall MacMurchad, who seemed to have little interest in the opposite sex. And rather too much interest in inheriting from his father.
The Earl had reason to worry about the future of his dynasty. He held only one County, the County of Dublin. The prettiest, greenest county in all of Ireland to be sure, but a small holding nonetheless. His father held Leinster County, to the south.
Like father, like son: both Honest, both Lustful. And son was growing increasingly like father in one other, more depressing category: age. His father was ancient, 71 years old and still healthy. [And historically, the 71-year-old father actually outlived my character: see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murchad_mac_Diarmata. ]
Earl Murchad understood that he might someday create a Duchy, comprising Dublin and County Kildare, to the west. But this undertaking would cost an unfathomable sum of coin.
And so the Earl made it his Ambition to amass 500 gold. At the same time, he mulled over his realm's unduly liberal succession laws: gavelkind succession. "My three sons," he thought to himself, "might as well be governed by primogeniture, for all the good gavelkind would do the two youngest. I have only one county to give away."
Nor did the Earl have much control over his vassals. The Pope chose his Bishop. The City of Dublin was governed by elective succession, only a step removed from democratic mob rule.
The Earl's eldest son entered the room, and the Earl did not turn around. The Earl addressed him by speaking into his mirror, eyeing the boy as he shaved. "I have decided on a wife for you," the Earl said. "She is the sister of a Spanish King. I am told she is a healthy and vigorous girl." Meaning that she was a Lustful wench, an essential Trait to offset young Domnall's Chastity. "She is a little old, I admit. Twenty. But she is pretty." The King paused and gestured at the far wall. "I have obtained her portrait." He added with a smile: "The artist has taken the liberty of adding your portrait to the frame as well, as husband and wife."
good stuff, I thought it might be a more musical tale
its a matter of taste but you can collect more than one screenshot onto a single post
Domnall bowed solemnly. "Thank you, Father," he said in a flat voice. "I look forward to meeting her."
The Earl nodded and dismissed the boy. He was about to return to his shaving when his wife entered the chamber. She was still dressed in a traveling cloak, and she was a little out of breath. "My liege," she said. "The people of Kildare have progressed beyond our own technological level. I have managed to study their advancements and the documents enclosed here should help us to reach their level. I hope you find this to your satisfaction." He smiled at his wife and opened the documents. Indeed, they seemed to contain valuable information about Cavalry Melee Weapons.
"Thank you very much," he replied. "You have done well. I hope you will forgive me if I ask you to undertake your next mission here in Dublin. I have just arranged for Domnall to marry a foreign Princess, from Spain of all places. I believe we will need your services as Spymaster closer to home, to help us foil plots." Even if, he said to himself, your talents in the bedroom exceed your talent in espionage.
Hehe, you are probably thinking of the various bands called the Dubliners. I'm thinking of the James Joyce stories.
Yes, I know I can post in one post, but I prefer more smaller posts. Easier to edit if something goes wrong. And yes, I'm mindful of the 20-image limit per day, so I'll be pausing after a few more posts. Thanks for reading!
Originally Posted by loki100
good stuff, I thought it might be a more musical tale
its a matter of taste but you can collect more than one screenshot onto a single post
The wedding was a smashing success. Domnall seemed more taken with his new bride than the Earl could have hoped. There were persistent reports that they were moving furniture in their chambers. Ten months later, the Earl had very happy news indeed.
His new granddaughter, it seems, was a Genius. Interesting. He wondered aloud whether this Trait might someday help his Realm learn new techniques. Perhaps if this girl married the right man?
The Earl was delighted to have a granddaughter. But he still had no grandson. In fact, his Cacht was the only member of his Dynasty from the so-called "new generation."
He also was rather short of skilled courtiers. His Council was a mediocre lot. There were more talented diplomats and treasurers in the realm, but alas, they were all women.
His wife, Countess Talltiu, was not Ireland's most talented spy. But she had a certain amount of luck. She came to the Earl one day and said: "Dear husband, your wisdom and mercy are legendary. I have discovered a plot where Maior Jimena seeks to kill you."
Maior Jimena: the new Spanish Princess! She had decided that her husband, the primary heir, should inherit sooner than was God's will.
The Earl debated what to do. Maior's brother, the King of Navarra, was one of the Earl's only two Allies. The Earl wasn't sure how the King would react if the Earl were to lop off Maior's head, even if beheading were legally justified, as it surely was here. Even imprisonment might jeopardize the alliance.
After some deliberation, the Earl had the guards bring Maior to him. She bowed before him nervously as the guards sharpened their blades behind her. "Yes, my liege?"
He regarded her for a moment, just to make her sweat some more. Then he informed her that her plot had been discovered, and that from this point forward her every move would be watched. He warned her that if she did anything like this again, she would lose her head. He hated himself for his mercy. But he hated losing an Ally more. He saw the astonishment on the faces of the guards, the gathered courtiers. Above all, he saw the astonishment in the face of Princess Maior, his daughter-in-law.
"My liege," she said in a shaking voice. "May you live in harmony and contentment. Your demand is just. My scheming was obviously misdirected. I hope you will find it in you to forgive me."
I will not, he said to himself.
The Earl took steps to prevent this from happening again. When his third son came of age, and when he demonstrated aptitude for spying, the Earl appointed him Spymaster. This made the Earl's wife Depressed, but it could not be helped.
The Earl then married off his second son, this time to the sister of the King of France, thereby gaining an even more powerful ally. But this French Princess, like the Spanish Princess before her, decided to improve her new husband's inheritance prospects: she plotted to kill the elder son. Had the Earl's lenience with the Spanish Princess emboldened the French Princess?
Once again, the Earl faced the dilemma: behead the traitor, or appease his Ally? This Ally was even more important, for even now they were joined together in a Holy War against the infidels in Spain. The Earl procrastinated, mulling over his decision.
At almost the same moment, the Earl's father died. The Earl now had title to the County of Leinster as well as the County of Dublin. But the Earl's courtiers whispered in his ear, reminding him that only Dublin would go to the Earl's eldest son, his heir; under gravelkind succession, Leinster would go to his second son.
It was all happening too fast for the Earl. He couldn't follow what people were saying, what they were asking. He was too tired to make any decisions. He just wanted to lay down a little bit.
"Perhaps, father," someone was saying to him. "Perhaps now that you have 300 gold, now would be a good time to create the Duchy."
The Earl murmured, "What did you say?" Then he drifted off into deep sleep.
Gavelkind is almost as bad as elective succession. It inevitably results in someone having to die/be imprisoned forever to hold onto a title.
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Isn't it 20 images per post? I'm unaware that there's a limit per day...
You should perhaps change your succession laws as soon as you can, make friends with all the vassals who hate you in preparation for this.
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Thanks for your replies. As we'll see, my first succession actually went quite well. I'm disinclined to change gavelkind because I rather like role-playing my way through it, but we'll see.
As for the image limit, it is indeed "per post," but the FAQ defines a "single post" as follows:
There will be a maximum of 20 screenshots per post allowed in any AAR post. Two or more AAR posts within an hour of the previous update will be considered a single post for determining the number of images
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