In an abbey in western Mercia, a lone candle illuminated the abbot's house. In it, a man with a bald head and graying beard wrote an entry in a large chronicle.
Unum Ianuarius Anno Domini DCCLXIX
The mighty King Offa of Mercia has this day promulgated that Almighty God sent him a vision in which his great Kingdom extended to the ends of the land, from tall snow-capped mountains to lush fields and valleys. To glorify God and thank Him for this divine blessing, the King presented this abbey with a silver chalice. New taxes have also been announced, for the King wishes to raise a greater retinue in order to bring about God's will.
The man, named Credan, was the abbot of Eveshomme Abbey. It was his duty to record for posterity all events of note during his lifetime, and he approached his duty with the seriousness which was expected of a man of God. Although he had aged considerably since first becoming abbot, his health was as good as ever, and he still retained the energy of his youth. When he was young, he had traveled to Rome, and he had been awed by its beauty. Although the centuries had diminished the glory of the once formidable city, it was still far more magnificent than even the grandest of Mercian castles. Rome was a city of stone and marble; Mercia was a land of wood and earth. No matter how extravagant Mercian kings made their halls, those halls would not last; they would not endure. Abbot Credan didn't let this melancholic thought dampen his mood, though. He could sense that something was going to happen, something that may very well change Mercia as he knew it. King Offa of Mercia was an ambitious king, and, though he had already extended his power beyond the River Temes, there was still land to be conquered. The King of Cent, Ecgberht, had thrown off Mercian suzerainity four years ago in 765, and Offa had been intent on reasserting his authority over Cent ever since. To the southwest, the small Kingdom of Hwicce was a constant thorn in Offa's side. Too small to openly oppose him, the Kingdom aligned itself with Wessex, a kingdom to the south of Mercia. Mercia and Wessex did not always have a particularly amicable relationship in the past, but King Offa was reported to be seeking an alliance with King Cynewulf of Wessex. As Abbot Credan blew out his candle and prepared to sleep for the night, he thought of all these political maneuverings and wondered what they foretold.
So here it is, my very first AAR! This will be a combination of history book and narrative, with narrative being predominant and history book reserved for covering rather uneventful chapters. Whether I will only play as King Offa or continue playing as his descendants depends on how the first few chapters turn out, both in game and in real life. Also, since I will be focusing on narrative and story (and because I am an incompetent noob) there will be no screenshots, at least initially. Please, feel free to comment on this, for if demand is high, I may actually put in the effort of uploading and editing, but I do want to keep this AAR as historically accurate and immersive as possible. The first chapter will hopefully be up either tomorrow or next Saturday, for I have yet to actually play and take notes on the game -- I figured that a prologue would set the stage and force me to commit.
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