The Brutes of Hereford County

The sun dawned over the castle of Hereford.

It was the day after Christmas, the year 1070. It had been 4 years since William the Conqueror was crowned King of England. William de Crepon, 1st Count of Hereford, was enjoying a quiet day of rest. The servants were all with their families, having the day off since they'd all had to wait William's household the previous day. He'd sent them small gifts, and food leftover from the previous night's feast as a token of appreciation. As a man who never fully believed in the Catholic faith, Christmas was less of a religious holiday to William, and more of a day of feasting. Ever since the great invasion, it seemed as if feasts were becoming less common. Those days, every great battle fought had a feast waiting at the end, and some new foe to be vanquished the next day. William let out a sigh. While he was content with the two two castles he'd been given to lord over by King William, he almost wished sometimes that there were more battles to be fought. While never on the same level of martial skill as his liege, William always proved a reliable commander, a man adept at leading his knights, and a man adept at personal combat as well. Perhaps The Conqueror could be convinced to fight another war? Of course, that would require influence in the court, something Count William was lacking at the moment. Perhaps his Marshall would be able to convince him - or perhaps William could cut out the middleman and become the Marshall of England himself? That was an idea worth pursuing. A smile on his face, and a newly found desire in his heart, William looked out the window of his castle at the sunrise. There was planning to be done, and there'd probably be some scheming too, before this all was over.

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The next day, a messenger from the King's court arrived at the gates of Castle Hereford. According to the message, it seemed that after a Christmastime rest, the King was back to work administering the realm, and apparently up to quite a bit. William had the messenger read out the news of the realm in his hall. Having this done without previewing the message was a sign of confidence, but could also be harmful. Good news in front of the court made William look better; a leader worth serving. Bad news, however, was best read in private.

The first item of news was Duke Eadwin I of Lancaster, a charismatic Saxon who'd somehow retained power following the invasion, had been named England's Seneschal. William, of course, having fought the Saxons less than a decade ago, was slightly opposed to their being given power and titles over their Norman lords, but, on the other hand, he was not one to openly question the decisions of his liege. 3 new counts were created, likely to ease the burden of direct administration on the King. The last bit of news though, was what William was most surprised at; apparently, he'd been chosen by the King himself to be given the castle of Gloucester, and the lands surrounding it to govern. This would extend his Demesne's southern border to the sea, and would come with it's own port, allowing William increased trade, as well as the ability to sail his army to distant shores should the need arise. William was now on the level of a Duke in power, and only lacking an actual title to be one.

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The next few weeks were rather uneventful. The year became 1071, and what little snows dotted the landscape became less. The King made himself Duke of Oxford in January, and life went on as usual. The news bringing the most joy to Count William, however, was that his liege made it publicly known that he wished to win another war at some point in the future. This meant first fighting a war, and William was not quite to old to taste battle again. The fact that his eldest son was almost of age meant that he could do so without fear of damage to his legacy. The time was coming when being Marshall would mean a lot more than it did in the current peace, and William intended to hold the baton when that time came.



Notes:
This is my first attempt at an AAR after months of lurking forums and playing the game, so any and all feedback is appreciated, especially tips from other AAR writers. Perhaps this is my first step at becoming a regular poster?

As for notes on the actual AAR, first off I'm playing CK2+ since I'm absolutely in love with the mod. I picked William on a bit of a whim, since I enjoy playing a Count. The year was also a rather arbitrary choice, since I fast-forwarded 4 years from the William the Conqueror bookmark to a period in time at which the selection of counts to play as was better. From where I left off, a little over a month into the game, I plan on working towards becoming Marshall, and saving the gold needed to create that Duke title that's waiting at the top of the screen. My plans for future characters are as the AAR's title implies: focus on the Martial aspects when making decisions and educating. Probably not the best for keeping a realm from shattering, but it likely helps in putting it back together.

As for updates, I'm probably gonna try to put out 2 per week, although the days aren't decided yet, but will probably establish themselves as time goes on. Expect Screenshots with the next update.