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Should anyone be interested in my vassals south of the Caucasus or in the Balkans, feel free to pm me about it. ;D

Pick me! Pick me! Strengthening your neighbors neighbor is always good politics! :D






PM at ederon
 
There will be no gains of this crusade at all, I can assure you that. ;):(:(:(


My research shows you have a claim on the duchy of pommerania?
 
1093-1100 session summary

A very bad session technically, partly due to me not realising that what I thought was an optional graphics mod was actually a version-changer. Very sorry about that! Also, every time someone peaces an AI, they become a vassal of that AI in the display of the clients, although not on the master copy that runs on the host's computer. It's very annoying; you can't tell whether you're at war with someone, or whether it's safe to attack someone. For example, consider this sequence of events:

  • Byz attacks a poxy little independent Duke and rapidly wins, annexing him.
  • In my client, Byz now appears as a vassal of that Duke.
  • When I consider whether or not to attack a Count, who is a vassal of the Duke, the manpower display will use the Byz number, because the Duke "can call on his vassal". So I don't attack until the next rehost, when I realise that the Count's liege is independent.

Nonetheless we persevere. Crashing is fun, rehosts are fun, bugs are fun. And, before anyone asks "Are we having fun yet?": Yes, we are definitely having fun at this time. Thank you for asking.

The Antiochene Intrigue, unfortunately, ran afoul of the Seljuk Inheritance from 1077. Specifically, Rus conquered Georgia, and while my son Zenobios did inherit Giorgi Bagratuni, the estate was reduced to a poxy little Dukedom. Annoyed, I decided to enforce my claims on Tripoli and to create one on Tyrus and enforce that one too, thus extending Byzantine dominion well down the Levantine coast, as Frosty's map shows. The current Emperor is nine years old, and Byz is consequently in its usual state of quasi-meltdown. Arkadios is, of course, utterly loyal to Rome; but it may be time for a powerful man to step in and restore order.

In other parts of the world, we've got the Russian Unification, as shown on the map. We've also had the German Succession Crisis: Young Anselm, son of the Duke of Saxony (played by Fivoin) and heir to the throne of Germany, died in mysterious circumstances, leaving the von Franken dynasty without an heir. Also leaving Fivoin very annoyed.

A brief recap of those events which I thought sufficiently important to give a name:

  • 1077: Seljuk Inheritance. vR and Foelsgaard colluded to inherit the Seljuk throne and become Kings in Russia and Persia respectively.
  • 1080: The Fatimid Revolt: FrozenWall warred on the old dynasty in Egypt and became independent, later on taking their King title as well.
  • 1090: The Antiochene Intrigue, as outlined in my previous AAR, now known to have been a bit of a failure.
  • 1094-96: Fatimid Collapse and Resurgence: Due to an unfortunate brush with Elective inheritance, the Fatimid dynasty are reduced from Kings of Egypt to Dukes of Alexandria. Nothing daunted, they Take Steps to recover their former glory.
  • 1095: German Succession Crisis. Anselm of Saxony, heir to the throne of Germany, dies in mysterious circumstances.
  • 1098: The Russian Unification. vR crushes the last internal resistance to his rule and becomes undisputed Czar of all the Russias.
 
Hurray for Russia!
 
The Fatimid Caliphate: Showdown across the Mediterranean: The Command


islamy.jpg



The Fatimid resurgence under the Younger dynasty could very well have faltered with the passing of its first Calipha, who had been the driving force behind many of the much needed reforms of the derelict governmental practices. Beset on all sides by Romans, illoyal vassals, a never ending stream of crusaders, and with most of the Fatimid court bedridden with sickness in Cairo it would take some of the sharpest minds in Fatimid history to keep the sundering ship afloat.



Luckily the Caliphate had two such men, and the new institutions to support them.

levithan3.jpg

The levithan Master of the Siege and senior field commander


With the complete and utter defeat of the Norweigan crusade at the second great battle of Baalbek, with no more than 200 battle scarred engineers and his own wits, von Wittelsbach had cemented his military legend and seniority among the military commanders. Notably were also his many inventions in the field of siegecraft and fortification.



isayousif.jpg

The loyal Emir, towards the end this man commanded more power than the Calipha himself


With the new Calipha unable to take to the field, military command fell on the shoulders of the young Emir and savior of Damascus. While incapable in the field of economics he proved able to keep the realm together as well as commanding the loyalty of the lesser nobility, who had been hit hard by the young Fatimid insistence on promoting those of sayeedi blood and welcomed the opportunity to prove their worth and securing their commands.



fortma.jpg

The sea fortress of Alexandria, doubling as an academy of war for those of the Prophets blood


But the Emirs alone are not what makes an army. The Arab armies had always fought in a somewhat disorganized fashion, most commanders would have mistaken this for a lack of discipline. But not Werner Murat, who instead lobbied the Calipha for enough gold to create a Academy of War where the junior commanders could be trained to act independently within a larger plan of battle. Convinced this could be a good way of both bringing unity of purpose to his order of battle and circumvent the tribal hierarchy the Calipha agreed, decreeing positions would be given those who where of the Prophets blood as well as those who had shown competence on the field of battle. In the years to come the Academy would not only give the Fatimid Caliphate some of its most celebrated tactical minds, but also expand into every field of military expertise.


----------------------

Next, the forces arrayed
 
Didn't the pure blooded Umayyads already get slaughtered?

It is my understanding that the Umayyads are viewed as traitors and responsible for the murder of Ali (rightful inheritor of the prophet Muhammad) by Shi'ites. The Abbasids are decent enough but betrayed their early principles and converted to sunnism. The Fatimids are the only dynasty accepted as both rightful Imams and Caliphas of the ummah by right of tracing their linage through the descendants of Ali and Fatima.
 
The Knautschlings - part 3

Dark Arts




As Harald orders almost every soldier in his realm to march towards Västergotland the King of Scandinavia
accepts his defeat before any actual battle is done. He agrees to give back unrightfully stolen Halland
to Harald and also offers the lands of Västergotland as an apology for his theft some years ago.
Harald is for the moment quite content with the map of his realm

k0202.jpg


which does not include the Bishopric of Belgorod -still stupidly paying taxes-
and also with his collection of titles.

k0201.jpg


But what else if not being content shall he do when every noble in the area thinks he has expanded enough for now ?

k0204.jpg


Harald knows he must lay low and influence politics in a more subtle way.
He examines the strength of his neighbors to isolate any threats.
There is the King of Scandinavia, recently defeated and now much less powerful than Harald and the King of Norway,
a regional power at best. Both of these are also not very ambitious* and thus not much of a threat.
* AI-controlled
The King of Poland has a vast demesne

k0203.jpg


and is also an enemy to the Pruthenians which makes him a natural ally.
Harald is confident that his own interests and those of Poland do not collide much thus being in a good position
for a friendly relationship. At least for now.

The Duke of Saxony bothers Harald, though.
Geographically there is little reason for tension with the Saxons, maybe even less so than with the Polish.
But Karl von Goldstrand*, the Duke of Saxony, has a grandson called Anselm.

k0206.jpg


And Anselm is not only the Duke´s grandson but also heir to Heinrich von Franken, the Holy Roman Emperor
who controls huge areas of land and fearsome armies.

k0205.jpg


As was already said Harald does not have any quarrels with the von Goldstrand*s per se, but the possibility
of having a neighbor of such power that he can bully Harald around at will is not pleasant.
Harald decides to get rid of the problem.

k0207.jpg


The first attempt in January 1097

k0208.jpg


fails, but the second in April

k0209.jpg


succeeds. Unfortunately the assassin is caught and confesses that his orders came from Harald.
Following Harald´s trail someone else assassinates Georg von Goldstrand*,
Anselm´s father.

k0210.jpg


This leaves Saxony still in a position more powerful than Denmark,

k0211.jpg


especially if one takes into account their more southern holdings which are not visible on this map,
but puts all Goldstrand* ambitions for von Franken´s titles at rest for now.

Karl von Goldstrand* does not immediately declare war, which is good.
It is unclear though, how von Goldstrand*´s stance towards Harald is now.
Harald obviously only wishes for peace.

Changing the subject I also have to tell you that in 1100 Harald decides to crusade the Baltic for a gain in prestige
and on a totally unrelated note I will tell you how Harald once more spectacularly fails in a military campaign
in the next chapter of this tale.​
 
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[*] 1095: German Succession Crisis. Anselm of Saxony, heir to the throne of Germany, dies in mysterious circumstances.
Mysterious circumstances indeed. Will we ever know what truly happened ? :eek:

My research shows you have a claim on the duchy of pommerania?
Yeah well, there is no land attached to that claim.
 
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Hah! I was right! Fear the might of Toulousian forensics! (Though what I find is that Kolibri used some Saxon screenshots there...)

fasquardon
 
Well, I forgot to make a screenshot of Anselm during the session and made that one later when writing the AAR.
It is from Persia (host) as I just selected start and not my realm first, hence why you see the Persian shield in the top-left corner of that screenshot.
But all other screenshots were made during the session and are most authentically Danish.
 
Well, I forgot to make a screenshot of Anselm during the session and made that one later when writing the AAR.
It is from Persia (host) as I just selected start and not my realm first, hence why you see the Persian shield in the top-left corner of that screenshot.
But all other screenshots were made during the session and are most authentically Danish.

Oh yes, I got confused by the shields on the assassination screens. Thought they were Fivoin's.

fasquardon
 
Goals and roleplay

Since there were not many great events in the last session, this week's AAR (note that we're having a one-week hiatus due to the Midsummer festivities in Scandinavia) will focus on my plans for the game.

First, as you may have noticed, the Komnenoi are loyal to the Empire in spite of personal differences with the Emperor. I've lost track of the number of times I've got the "Seriously at odds with my liege" event, and chosen to reconcile. And since I have, at the moment, a claim on the main title of the Emperor, and he's beset on all sides by rebellious vassals (being nine years old; the Dukas AI has an absolute talent for putting Byz in its usual state of quasi-meltdown), it's quite a temptation to join the civil war, put a strong man on the throne, end the internal strife, and present a united face to the barbarians. However, Arkadios refuses to do that, because of the issue of legitimacy. If a Komnenos can do it when a weak Dukas sits the throne, what's to prevent a different Strategos from doing it when, in some future year, a weak Komnenos sits there? The Empire has never lost a war except when it was riven by internal disputes, usually over who should be Emperor. The Komnenoi in their Theme of Antioch are the eastmost line of defense, marcher lords who glare across the crumbling frontier at the hordes of the infidel; nobody is more aware than they of the danger in thinking internal enemies more important than external ones. Thus, I will try for the allegiance of Counts disloyal to the Emperor; I may march on rebellious Dukes and, if I win, take their lands for Antioch and not Byzantium; and certainly there is no objection to marrying the Emperor's eldest daughter, if he gets around to having one. But the Two Lions will not be raised in rebellion against Rome.

Thus my internal goals; what of external ones? Obviously I will strive to extend the power and glory of Rome, although the full project of Justinian is likely out of reach for Crusader Kings. Indeed, in Crusader Kings playing a blob is rather annoying even though it's by no means impossible; I'll try, therefore, to play historically by creating allied Kingdoms on my borders, rather than expanding directly. Thus, if I win big against Russia, I may annex the Crimean peninsula, but expansion into the steppe proper will be done by creating a Kingdom there and putting a Komnenos kinsman on the throne. Similarly, in the Balkans I'll expand as far as the Danube, but if I need a buffer against Poland it'll be done by creating a Hungarian kingdom. In the Levant, my goal is a vassal-ally Kingdom of Jerusalem.

An exception is the Mediterranean islands, in order of priority Rhodes, Crete, Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and the Baleares. If at all possible these will be added to the Empire, ideally as demesne of the Emperor. This is because they will be important naval bases for EU3; with a good navy and enough bases, you can spend 400 years projecting power against anyone with a Med coastline who annoys you, while being relatively safe from retaliation. Conversely, you don't want anyone else owning islands close to your own coastline.

Overall, then, the plan is to maintain Byzantium at its pre-Manzikert borders; put the Komnenoi on the throne without a civil war; create buffer kingdoms to protect the civilised core from barbarian armies; and gain naval control over the Med by acquiring island bases. We shall see how it goes.
 
I will be working to output a couple more comics this week to try to hurry along my backstory and get into comics tangentially relevent to the actual session :)
 
Choices of Gwydion Dôn


Gwydion had never been in France.
He had never even visited in Essex, at the court of the Wilhelm the Conquer, in Londinium, old city of the Romans that used to rule this part of the world... Long time ago.
Gwydion recalled himself governing this very part of his own world for long, long time now. 34 years...
And by overtaking with the thought of it, Gwydion still reckoned a faint recollection of even older rulers, something buried into his legacy, reigning still in his blood.
Many ages had passed since the fair folk ruled this middle part of the world... But still, Gwydion felt his royalty coming not from his little hillside duchy, but from His mother title... Queen Dôn of the fair side.
Gwydion sighted. It was a title that wouldn’t pass onto him once his mother died as unless the very elements of the worlds wouldn’t crumble, his mother would outlive not only himself, but his children as well.
Gwydion had never wanted to be one of that kin, but leaving something behind to his own children, to Cynan and little Foulgues. Something better than this ramshackle barren realm...something nobler...something to stand out in the world. In his heart Gwydion knew that if he would ask. Really ask from the bottom of his heart, Dôn might take him with her into her side, and live a life of an immortal. But it was the road that would leave everything else behind. His loved ones, his fortunes and misery in this world. And by heaven’s sake it tempted Gwydion’s mind!
Leaving everything, middle-earth and Christianity behind. ...His dear Constance who still didn’t speak proper language to understand his husband. ...Outside the language of his body and lust, the only one that mattered.
Little Foulgues who was probably still staring at the moonlight that reflected from their castle’s little bond and waiting the silver catfish to rise to steal away all the maidens who weren’t cautious enough with old woman’s tips to prevent such a faith.
Well pass his bedtime and next time Cynan would visit their court Gwydion would take better cautions in what he was babbling to his little brother.

Would there be another time? Only when the time would come for Cynan to make his last trip to aside him and take the titles he would inherit?

Would it be same when ...if ...he would just be told that his father had gone ...beyond the sea and living land and not to be seen again? But not dead?
Gwydion knew that this fate was only option for him, but not for his own living children. Dôn would be something more distant, something stranger to them, if she would ever even visit this side of the world after his death. Did it really even matter? After the life, came death, heaven or hell, and despite what the church said, Gwydion believed that it was mere matter of choice each could make.
And there was the third choise...


don't you see yon narrow, narrow road
so thick beset with thorns and briars?
that is the road to righteousness
though after it but few enquire.'

`don't you see yon broad, broad road
that lies across the lily leaven?
that is the road to wickedness
though some call it the road to heaven.'

`don't you see yon bonnie, bonnie road
that lies across the ferny brae?
that is the road to fair elfland
where you and i this night must go.'


Gwydion did not make his choice yet. 50 years was not yet time for it. No time for dying. He felt years still ahead of him...Still so much to do to make Cynan’s accession to be worth the ever penny they would be wasting when the time would come. His grand hope to leave this land, with crown of a king in his head instead that of a duke.



For reward, Piety