[CK2+] A de Namur AAR - la vie au Luxembourg

[.Raistlin.]

This is my first AAR and first piece of "writing" for that matter, so I don't expect much. I may edit this, but another chapter will be added (hopefully tomorrow) with some interesting happenings, depending on what happens in the game.

Criticism (constructive please?) and comments are welcome.

Prelude: Save the Date

Henri de Namur, second of his name and Duke of Luxembourg

A candle lit the desk where Henri was scratching words on a piece of parchment in his study when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come," he called. His chancellor, Heinrich of Arlon shuffled in and closed the door behind him. Heinrich was a thin, lithe man of middling age and had a thin brown mustache. He had been Henri's chancellor since he was granted the Duchy by the Kaiser four years past.

"My lord, Duke Matthias has given consent for you to wed his sister Berthe," he said eagerly. Henri had been far too long without a wife, him being eight-and-twenty. He was a very shy man, primarily due to the fact that when he was a child, his aunt had mocked his weight during a feast. He had run to his room whimpering like the boy of six that he was.

Something about Berthe completely changed Henri. He strove to be a better man from the moment he laid eyes upon her. She had quite a way with words, no doubt she convinced her brother to consent without trouble.

She was plain of face and did not stand out in a crowd, but she carried herself with great pride and dignity, which was something that counterbalanced Henri's shyness and made them an ideal couple.

"Excellent," replied the Duke. "Begin making preparations for the wedding, for it will be one that not a soul in this land has ever seen.

"Yes, my lord. Your sister Adelaide awaits entry outside. It seems she intercepted the messenger 'ere he reached me. Shall I send her in?"

"Please do, Heinrich," he responded.

Adelaide and Henri had been as close as siblings can be from the day Henri was born, not a full moon after her. They were near inseparable and did everything together. She was a comely lady, brown of hair and blue of eyes. Having been married near a decade, she fancied herself an expert on all marital things.

Moments later she burst through the door with a smile as bright as day.

"Henri, I am so happy for you!" she exclaimed. "I was beginning to think you'd given up on marriage altogether, brother."

"You know me better than that," he said dryly.

"Do I?" she chuckled. "Heinrich told me you plan on spending lavishly for this delightful occasion."

"He spoke the truth, though I was hoping you would take it upon yourself to plan the wedding, as you know I'm no good with things like this."

"Of course! I shall gather my ladies and begin preparation immediately!" she said, sweeping out the door, almost too giddy to speak.

Adelaide had not disappointed Henri in her preparations. The hall was decorated with streamers of all colors. The banners of houses Chatenois and de Namur flanked the dais at the end of the hall. The tables were laden with extravagant wares of silver placed atop of an orange cloth of trimmed gold.

Berthe had been itching for the wedding to end and eager for the bedding. Throughout the ceremony she stared lustfully into Henri's eyes. When the time came in the bedchamber, Henri had begun to unbutton his vibrant blue coat when his new wife tapped him on the shoulder and pounced on him immediately upon his turning around.

"Mon Chéri!" he said after they hit the bed. The serving girls giggled to themselves outside the door, wondering what it was like, as most of them were maidens.

Thus began the legend of Duke de Namur.

[.Raistlin.]

Part 1: Insurgo Insurgi Insurrectum

"Henri! Henri!" Heinrich shouted, running through the corridors towards his lord's room with a strong sense of urgency.

"What is it, Heinrich?" the Duke said as he put down his book.

"Revolution, my lord. Doge Serafino has rallied several of the Empire's vassals in a revolt to end the Kaiser's so-called tyranny. I must warn you that Duke Godfried, our northern neighbor, has joined forces with the Doge. What are your orders?"

"Assemble the army. We stood by Kaiser Heinrich's side to take the throne, now we damn well must help him keep it."

Not shortly after, a council was called among Henri's advisors. Among them was his marshal, Arnoul de Saint-Omer, a warrior unparalleled with the sword.

Henri stood at the head of the table, flanked on his right by Arnoul and Heinrich on his left. His cousin and steward, Frédéric de Namur, and his spymaster André of Saint-Vith were also in attendance.

Henri was no military genius. He had originally suggested moving immediately towards Pisa to quell the rebellion firsthand. Arnoul had been in many battles and was well known in the western parts of the Empire for being a brilliant strategist.

"My lord, I suggest we strike hard and fast at Godfried's land to the north," he said. "If we can cut off his main force, we will significantly lower the resistance for the Kaiser's main army."

The others nodded in agreement, half of them having never seen a battle themselves.

After the council had adjourned, Henri's wife, Bertha, entered the room with the grace of an angel.

"Henri, my sweet, I have fantastic news."

"What is it, mon cœur?" he asked excitedly.

"I am with child!" she nearly shouted.

"Dieu!" he exclaimed. "Words cannot describe my happiness, chérie! Though I must leave to defend our lands against the rebels on the morrow. I shall return as soon as possible, Berthe."

"I know, mon amour. I promise I shall bear you a son."
And with that, she kissed him on the cheek and left him to his work.

When the Duke's forces had gathered, they marched north into Liege, meeting no resistance. They made camp for what ended up being an uneventful night. At dawn, a pair of his scouts rode into camp with the utmost of haste, heading straight for the Duke's tent, where Henri was speaking to Arnoul.

"Lord, Godfried's host is on the march. They will be upon us by nightfall," the scout reported.

"How many?"

"Perhaps equal in number to our host, sir."

"Arnoul, ready the men. Prepare all defenses you deem necessary. The Liege river runs between our forces, use it to our advantage," Henri ordered.

"Right away, lord" he replied.

The Battle of Namur, summer 1141

After a short, albeit bloody battle for both sides, Henri's forces emerged victorious.

"Arnoul, report" he called over the sounds of the dying.

"Perhaps 500 men are lost, sir, and more wounded. The traitor's host took more than twice our casualties though."

"Good. We haven't the time to bury the dead, build a funeral pyre and burn the corpses. Leave those of the traitor for the carrion" Henri said, showing a disturbing lack of emotion.

The following day, the Namurian host sieged the castle of Leuven. During the siege, however, Henri fell ill and was restricted to his bed while Arnoul led the forces in the assault of the stronghold.

Not a full week later, Arnoul entered Henri's tent to find him pacing back and forth, as if by some act of God he recovered to hear the news.

"Leuven is ours."

As if the news wasn't good enough, a messenger arrived in the evening, reporting that the Kaiser had captured Pisa and is advancing north to crush the remaining rebels. He had also come with orders for Henri to lead his host in reclaiming the capitol of the Empire, Bamberg.

Upon his host arriving at Bamberg, a larger rebel army of almost a thousand men attacked during the night. Little did they know, Arnoul had set preparations for this exact encounter, and a very bloody battle ensued.

The rebel host had been shattered by the Namurian one, though not without cost. A fraction of the original army remained, and Henri was forced to retreat to Nassau to rearm and regroup with his cousin Frédéric's host.

Upon meeting his cousin, he was told that his wife had delivered a son, named Godefroy after his noble father.

Henri retired to his tent that night a very happy man, knowing that should anything ill befall him, he finally had an heir to continue his dynasty.


to be continued...

[Aardvark Bellay]

Frankish and in the HRE, thats an AAR one doesnt read too often. Subscribed.

Will the emperor show reluctance to depose you ? Will your effort be in vain ? Oh oh, interesting times ahead...

[ThePinkPanzer]

Hey are you continuing this? I really enjoy it.

[cyrileom]

I would suggest switching to offline mode if you use steam. I've been bit in the ass too many times by the auto-update trying to make a CK2+ AAR to hope no ninja-patch comes along. Otherwise, great read.
EDIT: Looking at the timeline, (s)he may already have been hit by the ninja-patch and had the savegame become corrupted.