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After a dissapointment usually some kind of happiness comes.

Well, sometimes... :rofl:
 
This could actually be a boon- now Brittany may jump in after the English have landed, as opposed to leaping into the fray while Jean is still strong and close. Jean will have much bigger problems to deal with then. I love that the serving girl and the Lord's will come within a paragraph of one another for Jean. I suspect he'll have his vengeance yet- there are other allies to be had within court.
 
I am sure our counsellor will live, and with the Valois so close it is probably actually a better decision.
 
Apologies for missing the last update (I usually try to get two a week) but I've been down with the flu this week. I do however have a question for all. Staring at me now are my notes for 1338... my largely blank notes in which not much happens for months at end. I can carry an update or two with court intrigue but I need to know if people are interested in reading updates where absolutely nothing game related happens? If not say the word and I'll breeze through those dead months.

RGB: Brittany does find new ways to disappoint. Though I expect that much more of that lies down the road for our "hero"...

Kurt_Steiner: Eh... let's see below ;)

JimboIX & stnylan: We'll see how it will work out. Safe to say that waiting a bit will probably benefit the duchy the most. Well more than having to immediately cope with the royal army at any rate.

Olaus Petrus: My inner Jacques did enjoy writing that line :)
 
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September 29th, Year of Our Lord 1337

Rumours abound regarding the war and stories continue to circulate around the realm. What I do know is that the King has entrusted the siege of Anjou to a lieutenant and makes haste for the Aquitaine. No doubt he seeks to seize the English lands there and force a speedy conclusion to the war. I have also heard further rumours of unrest stirring along to the south while Jean has been engaged with the rebellious Anjou. Alas stories and whispers are all that reach my ears. Naturally it is too much to expect the spy master to ply his trade and actually contribute to the safety of the duchy!

Despite the current crisis I was considering taking a tour north to visit the Duke's vassals to gauge their support for war. However I have been informed that Bishop de Donges has taken ill. I am still tempted to visit Countess Jeanne at Penthievre but I cannot run the risk of falling behind the pace of events. Or, as it may be, further behind.

October 2nd, Year of Our Lord 1337

Cannot write now for I travel tonight to Leon with great haste. Alas this is not the Iberian Kingdom of Leon but some backwater port on the Channel coast. I have taken careful precautions to alert de Pontchâteau as to my enigmatic behaviour. There is no reason for secrecy but I'm sure that it infuriates my friend the spy master.

October 3rd, Year of Our Lord 1337

I have returned from Leon where I was able to successfully settle a profitable venture. There I met with one Ralph de Ufford, an agent of the English crown, and agreed measures to facilitate the movement of English soldiers across Brittany. Of course there has been no formal accord, simply an… understanding between friends. In exchange for access to our lands and markets I have received a tidy sum of gold, for my own pocket of course, and the knowledge that this will only increase the difficulties that King Jean must contend with.

As an additional perk de Ufford was most gracious to gift me a small flask of rich Benedictine wine from Burgundy. As I said… it has been a profitable day. I can only pray that it marks another milestone towards ending my exile in this bleak land.

deUfford.jpg

De Ufford: Not bad for an Englishman
October 8th, Year of Our Lord 1337

I did not think that it was possible for a land to be more forsaken in the eyes of the Lord than Brittany. Yet today I have received news from the northern wastes of Scotland. It is with little surprise that I can relate that the bloodthirsty barbarians that inhabit that mountainous kingdom have fulfilled their alliance obligations and rallied to the French cause. Under normal circumstances I would applaud the sight of the inhabitants of that blasted isle murdering each other… but then these not normal circumstances. The march of Scots into northern England does not bode well for Edward and will no doubt delay any campaigning on the mainland.

October 19th, Year of Our Lord 1337

The sorry state of affairs can no longer be denied. Reports and letters trickling in from across the kingdom are uniformly depressing but all equally damning. Despite their grumbles and dislike of Jean de Valois, the French Dukes have decided, almost to a man, to support their king in the war against England. From Flanders to Toulouse armies are being mustered beneath the Valois banner. The advantage is still with Edward, who has begun to mobilise his armies in Aquitaine, but all hopes of a quick war have now been dashed. Furthermore Brittany's position has been badly undermined and the duchy isolated in Frankish politics.

Damn them all.
 
ComradeOm said:
... to gift me a small flask of rich Benedictine wine from Burgundy.

Dunno why, but someone is going to learn soon the evils of drinking...


..poisoned wines... :rofl:
 
Dukes supporting de Valois was predictable, but hopefully if war lasts long they start to think again their loyalty to de Valois. It would be most pleasant to see dukes revolting in a crucial moment.
 
It'sa dangerous position Brittany is in now- the Dukes may not be in it for the long haul though, if Jean fails to make much progress soon, things can still go against him- particularly if Edward dispatches the scots in time. Ah well, it will give Jacques time to polish off the wine. I'm fine with court updates myself.
 
Almost rooting for the English there. Weird position for me to be in.
 
A terrible moment to be sure, to realise the other Dukes are being cowards. Still, let the war run on, and hope it be long. Then they may not be so enamoured of the twit upon the throne!
 
Drat!

Ah well, DCU... better luck next time. Like when the English deal with the upstart Scots and take it to the Valois in person :cool:

Also, if there really is little happening in 1338, I say just breeze past it. Do any of you others agree?
 
Apologies for the absence of updates, its been a pretty hectic week. Just to let people know that I'm still writing away and should have the next post up on Friday.

Kurt_Steiner: At this point I think Jacques would take the risk of posioned wine. The local stuff really is awful :)

Olaus Petrus & stnylan: Well that is the crux of the matter. What will the Dukes do?

JimboIX: Right now Jean is much too busy to take time to stomp on Brittany. Of course if he manages to win the war then he'll have plenty of time to ask questions of his errant vassal...

RGB: Tell me about it :D

Kapi: I can just imagine Edward and Jean battling it out in single combat on the ramparts of Paris ;)
 
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October 26th, Year of Our Lord 1337

It was surely inevitable. The brave but foolish Bouchard de Vendome has been slain and the castle at Anjou taken by soldiers of the Crown. Our first warning that the fortifications had fallen was the plume of thick smoke rising from the direction of Anjou. Riders were quickly dispatched and they confirmed that the siege had ended with the rebel Duke's head mounted on a pike while soldiers looted his abode.

I cannot but be aware that this is a fate that I may still share. Plotting against the Crown is not a healthy occupation. I would make a jest that this would spare me from further travails in the lands of the Bretons but…

November 16th, Year of Our Lord 1337

I was tempted to undertake a journey to Anjou to witness the devastation visited upon the province with my own eyes. Alas this will not be possible at any point in the near future. In order to pay for the war, and no doubt to keep an eye on Brittany, Jean de Valois has appointed a new local magistrate and officially folded the Anjou lands into the royal demesne. My standing in the lands of the Crown is still... poor.

November 21st, Year of Our Lord 1337

Just as the old Greeks would sacrifice horses to appease their pagan gods of the seas, so I too must make sacrifices in order to further my aims in court. My sacrifice happens to be a fine Benedictine wine offered up in order to appease not an angry god but a drunken Marshal.

The details of the evening are inconsequential but the talk with de Dreux was interesting nonetheless. The wine plied bore a bountiful harvest of rumours regarding the succession, the war and other affairs of state. Admittedly the talk was depressingly boring - the Steward has, yet again, refused funds to build a training ground in Rennes - but building a friendship with the current heir to the duchy cannot but be productive. If only it had not cost me that excellent wine.

November 30th, Year of Our Lord 1337

There are times when I do wonder just what great sin that I have committed for the Lord to punish me so. Or rather which sin in particular has drawn the wrath of the Heavens upon myself. The unceasing rain and hail is bearable, just, and I have learned to mentally adjust to intellectual standards/depths of the imbecile Bretons that populate this land. Yet that is not the worst of my predicament. No, these are mere inconveniences when compared to my true punishment.

From the Scottish Highlands to the Pyrenees armies are on the march and the fates of kingdoms hang in the balance. England and France compete for the mastery of the Frankish lands. Yet here I am stuck in the most isolated backwater west of the German lands! The incompetence of the spy master ensures that I hear only rumours of army movements and communication with acquaintances throughout the realm has become a challenge indeed. If only I were in Paris or near the centre of events… But no, I am confined to this Godforsaken land.

To make my predicament even more frustrating, I am the Chancellor of one of the largest duchies in the kingdom… yet am almost powerless to affect affairs inside or outside of Brittany. It appears that my destiny is to suffer like Tantalus. Despite being achingly close capitalising on the turmoil that wracks the realm I must stand aside as events pass me by.

I despise these lands, I despise the inhabitants and I despise the isolation enforced on me. If I could engineer the downfall of the Valois then I could escape exile… but I must escape exile in order to contribute meaningfully to the struggle against the Crown! Cursed I say.
 
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I think Jacques is at a low point, which is a shame, he really ought to be more upbeat. War, chaos! I know he's not in the thick of it, but war spreads- it will come.
 
Well, alcohol IS a depressant. Mayhaps he should drink less.
 
JimboIX: Well there's no sign that the French Dukes are going to take action soon and if Edward doesn't get a move on Jacques will be stuck in Brittany for the winter. So he has every right to be depressed :)

Olaus Petrus: It was a rather pointed lesson served to de Vendome and I suspect that it has not gone unnoticed in Brittany. The King will be keeping a close eye on the region.

RGB: I'm sure that drinking, even the local wine, is the only thing keeping Jacques sane in the wilderness of Brittany ;)
 
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December 3rd, Year of Our Lord 1337

I do not make a point of returning to my past journal entries, largely because life in Brittany is so painfully boring, but I must confess to being somewhat ashamed by my behaviour and language in recent days. It is unbecoming for a Christian of noble birth to display such an ill temperament and open despair. I must cast aside my shameful lamentations and take action to relieve my position.

While there is little that I can do to trouble Jean de Valois I am not completely impotent in altering my immediate situation. In particular there is one local affair that I can seek to settle with haste. It is obvious that I have erred most grievously in my reliance on that clod Hélie de Pontchâteau for information of events outside of the duchy. While I am not responsible for the staggering incompetence of the spy master, it is true that I am to blame for my own continued dependence on his knowledge.

The remedy is so simple as to be brilliant, much unlike our dearest de Pontchâteau who is merely simple. I shall establish my own personal network of informants throughout the kingdom. Already I am in contact with past acquaintances who have not suffered such an ignominious fate as I. It should be a small matter to build a more formal network capable of providing constant updates as to events and occurrences.

I only worry that the cost of greasing tongues throughout the realm may be prohibitive. The gift of gold provided by the Englishman de Ufford is still largely intact… but I may have to rely on the generosity of the Duke. Regardless, these are minor issues that cannot hope to trouble a man of my conviction and intellect.

December 7th, Year of Our Lord 1337

I have successfully convinced Steward Jeanne to sponsor my efforts of obtaining information outside of the duchy. Despite being an eminently practical woman she was hesitant to assign the necessary funds until I reminded her that the loyalties of de Pontchâteau lean towards the Marshal. Having a counterbalance to the spy master would provide an obvious asset to the Duke who, lest we forget, still hopes to be succeeded by the Countess of Penthievre.

The nature of my new dealings also allowed me to convince the Steward to maintain a shroud of secrecy over the funds and my efforts. This permits me to avoid the eyes and attention of de Pontchâteau while ensuring that I do not alienate the Marshal's camp in court. Jacque, you are a genius

December 9th, Year of Our Lord 1337

It is best to start any new initiative close to home. As such I shall endeavour to build closer contacts amongst Brittany's vassals. Besides, as Chancellor that is, in a technical sense, my foremost duty. I have not seen either Bishop de Donges or Countess Jeanne in some time… too long in some cases. Written correspondence as its limitations, I shall invite both vassals to Nantes for the Nativity celebrations, with the permission of the Duke of course.

Ye gods… did I refer to Brittany as "home"? Obviously I was speaking figuratively.

December 16th, Year of Our Lord 1337

There are times, rare times, when I can emphasise with the plight of the Frankish King. Vassals really can be more trouble than they are worth. One would think that both vassals of Brittany would leap at the opportunity to attend the Duke's seasonal festivities. Is he not their lord, to whom they have sworn fealty? Both the Bishop of Cornouaille and Countess of Penthievre have rebuffed my invitations and will not travel south in the foreseeable future. While I can understand that my dear Countess would not wish to spend time with Marshal Jean, her uncle and rival, I am disappointed that the opportunity to meet with myself was not enough of a lure. As for the Bishop, he claims that he is about to embark on a pilgrimage to Rome or some sort. Balderdash.
 
ComradeOm said:
Ye gods… did I refer to Brittany as "home"? Obviously I was speaking figuratively.

Oh my God, Jacques is starting to feel that Brittany is his home, soon he forgets the Paris and is happy to live in the rainy peninsula. :eek:

Poor Jacques it must be feel uncomfortable that countess didn't want to see him.