Men among Giants: A Neapolis AAR

Jokolytic said:

This is the most amazing game I've seen. I love this! It excites me to see Holy Orders and such changing history like this.

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Thanks for your excitement. I am certainly enjoying this game.

Saltiren said:

O.O Two Knights Hospitaller kingdoms? Dear lord...

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That was just about my reaction when they won the second Crusade.

19 January, 931
I have declared de jure wars on Count of Bari, and the Countess of Apulia. Perhaps, when I have conquered all of the provinces in the Kingdom of Neapolis, I will match my father’s greatness.


5 July, 931
It is just as glorious as I thought it would be to have full control of my country. And just as busy too. So much to do if I want to live up to my father’s name, but first, we must finish uniting the Kingdom of Neapolis.





15 November, 932
My wife, Dorothea, just gave birth to my first child, a daughter named Sibylla. I am very happy, but I need a son in order to keep my father’s dynasty alive.





4 August, 933
My armies just finished the sieging Bari’s last city, and Count Roubaud surrendered to me without further incident. The Kingdom of Neapolis is very nearly united. Only a few counties remain. Unfortunately, they are under the control of the, once great, Byzantine Empire.


30 August, 933
My mystikos discovered a plot by Philotheos, my sakellarios, who I appointed to maintain the duchy of Sicily. Apparently he wasn’t content with just that, because the plot my mystikos uncovered had the purpose of fabricating a claim on the Kingdom of Neapolis. This is unforgivable, as attempting to take this kingdom is the same as spitting on my father’s grave. I will march my armies to his castle and obliterate him.


14 April, 934
My wife gave birth to a girl again. My father would be ashamed of my trouble in having a son.


7 July, 935
Count Roubaud, the man that I very recently took into my kingdom, has demanded independence. He has somehow convinced my mystikos, Count Natronai, to rebel with him. I will just have to put them down, and prove that I am no weakling.





9 March, 937
I have crushed the revolt perpetrated by Count Roubaud and Count Natronai. I have decided to give Natronai a second chance, but if he betrays me again, he will not get off so easily. Roubaud on the other hand, I will revoke his titles and blind him. He will never trouble my kingdom ever again.





28 January, 938
I ended Philotheos’ rebellion and arrested him for treason. I will execute him as a warning to others.





30 January, 938
As a last insult to me, Philotheos made the Emperor of Byzantium his heir, thereby removing two counties from my control. I must reclaim them.


24 February, 940
Things are going so slowly. My magistros is having no luck in turning any of the Byzantine lords against the emperor, and my wife has given me a girl for the fourth time in a row! Ahhh, if Father is watching me right now he must be filled with feelings of shame.


17 August, 941
Today many of Byzantine’s vassals rebelled in an attempt to put Princess Elaiodora on the throne. This is the perfect time for me to swoop in and capture the counties Sicily.


9 March, 942
The war to claim the counties rebelling against the Byzantine Empire is going well. They are too distracted by their fight against their liege to put up any resistance.


18 September, 942
Countess Phyllis, ruler of Brendesion surrendered to me today, and became part of the Kingdom of Neapolis. I only have a handful of counties to conquer left then Father can be proud of me.


27 October, 943
Count Chrysanthos, the man who was sent from the Byzantine Empire to look after their counties in the duchy of Sicily, surrendered to me today, and returned to the Emperor’s court. I am so close to completing the Kingdom of Neapolis!


(I bought the cultural portrait DLCs, so the faces of the rulers will change a bit.)

21 November, 944
Doux Timotheos has surrendered control of Kroton to me, bringing me one step closer to my goal. I must celebrate my victories with a tournament. I must begin collecting the gold needed to fund it.


6 August, 945
Pavlos, my mystikos, came to me today with the news that Count Baudouin of Apulia is working towards independence and has refused to repent of his actions. If he refuses to bend his knee to me, I shall wait for the day that he rebels, and then crush him. It’s the only way to teach him his place.





27 December, 945
Today marks the first day that the Kingdom of Neapolis will have a standing army. It is still small, composed of just a single retinue, but it will grow, and it will eventually be a formidable force in combat.


27 June, 947
Pavlos came to me again today. He has been very driven lately, frequently completing tasks perfectly or going far beyond the call of duty. He has told me that he managed to convince Baudouin to give up on independence and that I should expect a letter of apology within the next couple of days. I must reward Pavlos for his excellent service. Giving him the honor of being Cupbearer should please him.





2 April, 948
I have finally gathered the funds needed to hold a Grand Tournament. I will put invite all the lords of my kingdom immediately.


1 June, 948
My Grand Tournament begins now! Perhaps I can even improve my understanding of combat through participating.


25 July, 948
Nechemiah, the mystikos of Sicily has won the tournament. He is a fine man, and I am glad to have him in my realm.


9 August, 948
Now that the Grand Tournament is over, I don’t know what to do. The three counties that I have yet to claim as my own are no longer rebelling. This means that they are once again under the control of Basileus Himerios, the ruler of what is left of the Byzantine Empire, and my brother-in-law. Is it not wrong to attack family, even to complete such a quest as to unite the Kingdom of Neapolis, and enlighten the worshippers of so-called “Orthodox Christianity”? I will go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and pray to God for an answer to my question.





13 October, 948
Bah! God answering me? What nonsense. Jerusalem was nothing, but one more city in this vast world, ruled by man. I am the only person who will control my fate. I shall begin the war to take Malta immediately.





28 October, 949
The Byzantine Empire has very few troops left after the many rebellions they had to deal with. Because of this, the war to take Malta has turned into a slow siege, as there is no army for them to fight me with.


30 November, 949
I have no idea where they came from, but Byzantine soldiers suddenly appeared at my holding in Panarmos. They number nearly as many as my army and this is troubling. I will be able to win the war, but it just became much more costly.


21 June, 950
It nearly destroyed my army, but after several long battles, I have managed to rout the Byzantine army. Now I need only to take control of a few of his holdings to prove that I am victorious and have him surrender to me.


16 February, 951
Just as I am almost finished with the war for Malta, a mangy infidel declares war on me! Sultan Dunyal they call him. As much as I would like to prove my strength by crushing him with my own armies, they are preoccupied with sieging Himerios’ holdings. I will ask some of my allies to join the wars, and possibly hire some mercenaries, as the Holy Orders are currently preoccupied with other wars.





26 December, 951
None of my allies have come to my aid yet, and I am still hoping that I won’t have to hire mercenaries, as that would devastate my treasury. These two things have left me in a dangerous position, fighting two wars against powerful enemies. The Pope isn’t even doing anything to help me. He is focused on the Crusade he just called.

Saltiren said:

Nice to see you're now the Despot. Let's hope those holy orders give you no trouble.

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Being Despot is nice, but it's annoying that I still have to deal with the Byzantine Empire's Crown laws.

tnick0225 said:

Well that is pretty crazy seeing the KH ruling Greece and Hungary!

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Yes, yes it is. I just hope that they don't win anymore land. I think that two kingdoms is more than enough for one holy order.