Tusk And Knee- An AAR in scenes

Corrado · 23-08-2001, 21:18

***Nota benes: Playing as Tuscany, GC 1.09. Poland removed as a major and replaced by Tuscany. Very Hard/Agressive level.***

Act I: The Madness
************************************************** *****
"This is insanity."

"Well, yes, sir, it is. For it to work as it should, that is."

"I wish no part of it." Chancellor Pierro de Medici stood up from his throne and strode towards the window. "To do this... this would be a stand against our brothers in arms and our leaders in Christ, even as the Turk pushes into Europe. Betrayal of the worst sort, a knife into the guts of all that we stand for. I cannot do this."

"Then what, sire? Shall we stand where we are, wedged twixt Parma and the Papacy? Allied to one and afraid of the wrath of the other? Venice grows strong on foreign trade, France and Spain build armies to unite Italia under their own banners, and the Moors see our lands as a prize to be captured on the way to seizing Rome. We are small and weak, and such shall we stay by your plans. By mine, we gain the world's attention, and gain the strength we need to become a true power of Europe."

"Bah!" Medici whirled around. "Sometimes being beneath the world's attention is a fine, fine thing. Those roosters which stick out their heads may find them lopped off."

"As you wish, sire. We must only hope that the Boriga family will be kind to our state as they gain control of both Rome and Venice."

Medici had been staring down upon the marketplace below; he suddenly started and looked out at the horizon. "The Borgias?"

"Yes, sire. Surely you know that they control the Council of Cardinals, and even now they vote Cesare into power with bribes gained from their trading companies."

"But to strike the Pope..."

"A false Pope, one elected for worldly possessions, not divine grace. And we can then strike upon Venice and destroy the Borgia family entirely."

The Chancellor stared out of the window for a moment, lost in a thought, or perhaps a dream. Finally, he turned to his advisor and smiled.

"Corrado, you know only too well what words gladden my heart. Tell me what to write, and we shall embark upon this plan. But take note- should we fail, your head shall be on the block afore mine."

******************************************

"Have you seen this letter? Have you any idea of the outrages within?"

"D'Aubusson! Calm yourself!" Sir Villiers stood up from his place at the table and began to move towards where D'Aubusson was pacing at a furious rate.

"Listen to this... this... this slander! 'We know only too well that the Knights of St. John involve themselves in the worship of demons, such to grant them the power they need to fight the Turks and enrich themselves and the Pope from their ill-gotten gains.' Blasphemy!"

"Please, sir, you shall give yourself an attack. Calm yourself." Now Sir Rimald had stood from the table and tried to approach D'Aubusson.

"Never! They have sent this calumny of lies to the world, accusing us of being whores for a mercenary Pope, of invoking the name of Lucifer rather than Christ, of planning to destroy the Church from the inside! By all that is holy, they almost declare me to be the Anti-Christ!"

"Sir, the word from Florence is that Medici has gone mad, that he sits in his room and prays to God and writes such things in fits of hallucination. We are not demons, and the world knows that. This shall pass soon enough, and they shall join us again in our war against the infidels."

"Bah! Perhaps we should turn our attention to more stable friends..."

**********************************************

The guns sounded again, and some of the troops crossed themselves. They could not be blamed- the noise of the guns, their smell, their power... surely such things seemed to be born of Satan itself. Such thoughts were only increased by the target of the blasts- the city of Rome, and the bastion of Pope Alexander.

What insanity had prompted Medici to do what he did? To accuse the Pope of working with the Devil, to declare war upon the Papacy's earthly possessions? Now, the Tuscan army stood here, in Rome, blasting away at the walls of the city while Papal and Savoian troops seiged Luca. Tuscany's allies had spit upon the treaty when asked to join upon the war, and in a rage Medici had declared war upon their old ally Parma for spite.

Could the forts hold? The troops longed to be out of this land, back at home, fighting for the defense of their families and lands, rather than out there, defiling the holy, and standing next to these damned guns.

The cannons fired again, and more of the troops crossed themselves.

***********************************

"Your Majesty, I present to you Baron Giovanni Corrado, emmisary of Tuscany."

"Oh, really? And to what do we owe this pleasure, Corrado?"

"Your majesty, we have come to ask to join Your Highness' most mighty alliance."

The court held still in shock; only King Charles' laughter was heard.

"You must be as mad as Medici, Corrado. You slandered our ally the Pope, violently attacked him, stole his holdings, plundered his treasuries, and even now war against a country that but two years ago was your closest ally." The King's eyes grew cold and stern. "Tell me why we should not have you thrown back into the sewer from which your parents emerged."

A few laughs tittered in the court, but most stayed silent, watching with terrified fascination as the Tuscan drew himself up to meet Charles' withering stare.

"Very well, then, Your Highness. I had come here to point out to you that Tuscany has always been a good friend of the French, even despite this recent lapse. And now, we can be an even better friend. The Pope could not stand against us- how could he then stand against Naples or Spain? But we have shown ourselves stronger than he. Our lands border the Spanish allies of Naples, Milan, and Genoa; our armies are strong and have shown themselves quite capable. In addition, you now have leverage so as to cause Venice pain should it become Your Majesty's desire. Besides, if the defense of your ally the Pope was of such great importance to you, why then did no French troops arrive in his defense."

King Charles leaned back in his chair, his eyes still angry but his mouth showing the hint of a smile- or was that a smirk?

"And what, then, dear Tuscan, shall you do if we say no?"

Corrado matched smirk for smirk.

"We have not yet burned our bridges with the Spanish, Your Highness. We still have some of the Papacy treasures yet to dispose of; perhaps the Spaniards would wish to hold on to such things as guardians in exchange for our entry into their alliance. I humbly sumbit that we would not prefer that, but if we must unite all of Italy into the Spanish alliance, that is what we must do."

Charles' smile disappeared instantly, replaced with an angry frown, which slowly worked its way back into a smile, then a grin, then a hearty laugh.

"Corrado, I am sorely tempted to tell you to go ally with the Spaniards, hoping that you destroy their alliance from the inside much as you did yours with the Genoans and the Knights. Still- if there is to be a snake in Italy, I would much rather have it pointed at my enemies rather than at me. Stay here in Paris for a few days, and we shall draw up the papers we need. Tuscany shall be part of the grand alliance with France, Savoy, Helvetia, and the Papacy, no matter how much the new Pope might squawk."

"Oh, I doubt that he shall squawk much, Your Highness, for he owes his ascencion to our ousting of Borgia. But in any case- we are pleased and gratified by the French offer of alliance, and it fills us with gladness to accept."

"Flattery does not suit you, Corrado- your fangs are too hard to hide. Tell me, where shall the Tuscan venom next strike?"

"Your Highness, I apologize if I was unctuous. As for us- we are not yet finished with the Borgias, but we feel we can go that one alone. It shall be short and quick, and when Spain comes to fight you, we shall be ready to defend France."

"In exchange for your own gains, of course."

"Would I ask for any less, Your Majesty?"

************************************************** **

"Mantua is lovely this time of year, isn't it, Giovanni?"

"Yes, sire. What about that one?"

"Hmm. Too ostentatious."

"You've said that about the last three estates."

"Yes, well, it's a common flaw of the Borgia- showing off their wealth in glorifying their names. I prefer to invest in the arts and the sciences."

"A noble cause, sire. There should be another one over this hill."

"Very good. What about you, Giovanni? Now that your plans have shown themselves so well, what is your next design?"

"Sit and rest for a time, sire. There are other lands we need to expand into to ensure our safety and prosperity, but perhaps our neck is still a bit too extended." Giovanni Corrado stared out the carriage window at the farms on the hill. "Though action may end up forced upon us with this French alliance."

"Which is what you wanted, correct?" Medici leaned out of the carriage window. "Driver, take a left up at the crossroads there."

The two passengers sat in silence as the carriage rounded the turn and slowly made it to the top of the hill. Medici stepped out of the cab and looked at the estate below.

"Finally. Something nice, of moderate size, without all the gilding of the lily so common to Cesare. Yes, I believe that shall be the one I seize for myself. Now that I've chosen, what for you, Corrado?"

"I liked the first one, the one with the large stable house and the view of the forest. Certainly a nice perk of the treaty with Venice, eh?"

"Mantua for Tuscany, and cottages for ourselves. Not much of a rallying cry to the populace, but it warms my heart."

Medici smiled and walked down the hill, looking forward to the first visit to a new summer home.

Storey · 23-08-2001, 22:06

A pleasure to read. I hope there will be more!

Joe

Sir Andrew · 23-08-2001, 22:07

Very nice indeed. More!

mosquitodriver · 23-08-2001, 22:50

He posted this just to grab the oscar for coolest AAR title

i like it man. Keep it coming

Sharur · 03-09-2001, 06:20

Corrado, ressurect this aar, I want to see it's conclusion! Great writing!

ShrineGuard · 03-09-2001, 07:04

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharur
Corrado, ressurect this aar, I want to see it's conclusion! Great writing!

I'd agree with you there

The Danish King · 03-09-2001, 16:55

Great AAR! Please, contunie!

23-08-2001, 21:18	#1
Corrado Second Lieutenant Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Mary's Land Posts: 120	Tusk And Knee- An AAR in scenes *Nota benes: Playing as Tuscany, GC 1.09. Poland removed as a major and replaced by Tuscany. Very Hard/Agressive level.* Act I: The Madness ************************************************ * "This is insanity." "Well, yes, sir, it is. For it to work as it should, that is." "I wish no part of it." Chancellor Pierro de Medici stood up from his throne and strode towards the window. "To do this... this would be a stand against our brothers in arms and our leaders in Christ, even as the Turk pushes into Europe. Betrayal of the worst sort, a knife into the guts of all that we stand for. I cannot do this." "Then what, sire? Shall we stand where we are, wedged twixt Parma and the Papacy? Allied to one and afraid of the wrath of the other? Venice grows strong on foreign trade, France and Spain build armies to unite Italia under their own banners, and the Moors see our lands as a prize to be captured on the way to seizing Rome. We are small and weak, and such shall we stay by your plans. By mine, we gain the world's attention, and gain the strength we need to become a true power of Europe." "Bah!" Medici whirled around. "Sometimes being beneath the world's attention is a fine, fine thing. Those roosters which stick out their heads may find them lopped off." "As you wish, sire. We must only hope that the Boriga family will be kind to our state as they gain control of both Rome and Venice." Medici had been staring down upon the marketplace below; he suddenly started and looked out at the horizon. "The Borgias?" "Yes, sire. Surely you know that they control the Council of Cardinals, and even now they vote Cesare into power with bribes gained from their trading companies." "But to strike the Pope..." "A false Pope, one elected for worldly possessions, not divine grace. And we can then strike upon Venice and destroy the Borgia family entirely." The Chancellor stared out of the window for a moment, lost in a thought, or perhaps a dream. Finally, he turned to his advisor and smiled. "Corrado, you know only too well what words gladden my heart. Tell me what to write, and we shall embark upon this plan. But take note- should we fail, your head shall be on the block afore mine." **************************************** "Have you seen this letter? Have you any idea of the outrages within?" "D'Aubusson! Calm yourself!" Sir Villiers stood up from his place at the table and began to move towards where D'Aubusson was pacing at a furious rate. "Listen to this... this... this slander! 'We know only too well that the Knights of St. John involve themselves in the worship of demons, such to grant them the power they need to fight the Turks and enrich themselves and the Pope from their ill-gotten gains.' Blasphemy!" "Please, sir, you shall give yourself an attack. Calm yourself." Now Sir Rimald had stood from the table and tried to approach D'Aubusson. "Never! They have sent this calumny of lies to the world, accusing us of being whores for a mercenary Pope, of invoking the name of Lucifer rather than Christ, of planning to destroy the Church from the inside! By all that is holy, they almost declare me to be the Anti-Christ!" "Sir, the word from Florence is that Medici has gone mad, that he sits in his room and prays to God and writes such things in fits of hallucination. We are not demons, and the world knows that. This shall pass soon enough, and they shall join us again in our war against the infidels." "Bah! Perhaps we should turn our attention to more stable friends..." ********************************************** The guns sounded again, and some of the troops crossed themselves. They could not be blamed- the noise of the guns, their smell, their power... surely such things seemed to be born of Satan itself. Such thoughts were only increased by the target of the blasts- the city of Rome, and the bastion of Pope Alexander. What insanity had prompted Medici to do what he did? To accuse the Pope of working with the Devil, to declare war upon the Papacy's earthly possessions? Now, the Tuscan army stood here, in Rome, blasting away at the walls of the city while Papal and Savoian troops seiged Luca. Tuscany's allies had spit upon the treaty when asked to join upon the war, and in a rage Medici had declared war upon their old ally Parma for spite. Could the forts hold? The troops longed to be out of this land, back at home, fighting for the defense of their families and lands, rather than out there, defiling the holy, and standing next to these damned guns. The cannons fired again, and more of the troops crossed themselves. *********************************** "Your Majesty, I present to you Baron Giovanni Corrado, emmisary of Tuscany." "Oh, really? And to what do we owe this pleasure, Corrado?" "Your majesty, we have come to ask to join Your Highness' most mighty alliance." The court held still in shock; only King Charles' laughter was heard. "You must be as mad as Medici, Corrado. You slandered our ally the Pope, violently attacked him, stole his holdings, plundered his treasuries, and even now war against a country that but two years ago was your closest ally." The King's eyes grew cold and stern. "Tell me why we should not have you thrown back into the sewer from which your parents emerged." A few laughs tittered in the court, but most stayed silent, watching with terrified fascination as the Tuscan drew himself up to meet Charles' withering stare. "Very well, then, Your Highness. I had come here to point out to you that Tuscany has always been a good friend of the French, even despite this recent lapse. And now, we can be an even better friend. The Pope could not stand against us- how could he then stand against Naples or Spain? But we have shown ourselves stronger than he. Our lands border the Spanish allies of Naples, Milan, and Genoa; our armies are strong and have shown themselves quite capable. In addition, you now have leverage so as to cause Venice pain should it become Your Majesty's desire. Besides, if the defense of your ally the Pope was of such great importance to you, why then did no French troops arrive in his defense." King Charles leaned back in his chair, his eyes still angry but his mouth showing the hint of a smile- or was that a smirk? "And what, then, dear Tuscan, shall you do if we say no?" Corrado matched smirk for smirk. "We have not yet burned our bridges with the Spanish, Your Highness. We still have some of the Papacy treasures yet to dispose of; perhaps the Spaniards would wish to hold on to such things as guardians in exchange for our entry into their alliance. I humbly sumbit that we would not prefer that, but if we must unite all of Italy into the Spanish alliance, that is what we must do." Charles' smile disappeared instantly, replaced with an angry frown, which slowly worked its way back into a smile, then a grin, then a hearty laugh. "Corrado, I am sorely tempted to tell you to go ally with the Spaniards, hoping that you destroy their alliance from the inside much as you did yours with the Genoans and the Knights. Still- if there is to be a snake in Italy, I would much rather have it pointed at my enemies rather than at me. Stay here in Paris for a few days, and we shall draw up the papers we need. Tuscany shall be part of the grand alliance with France, Savoy, Helvetia, and the Papacy, no matter how much the new Pope might squawk." "Oh, I doubt that he shall squawk much, Your Highness, for he owes his ascencion to our ousting of Borgia. But in any case- we are pleased and gratified by the French offer of alliance, and it fills us with gladness to accept." "Flattery does not suit you, Corrado- your fangs are too hard to hide. Tell me, where shall the Tuscan venom next strike?" "Your Highness, I apologize if I was unctuous. As for us- we are not yet finished with the Borgias, but we feel we can go that one alone. It shall be short and quick, and when Spain comes to fight you, we shall be ready to defend France." "In exchange for your own gains, of course." "Would I ask for any less, Your Majesty?" ************************************************ "Mantua is lovely this time of year, isn't it, Giovanni?" "Yes, sire. What about that one?" "Hmm. Too ostentatious." "You've said that about the last three estates." "Yes, well, it's a common flaw of the Borgia- showing off their wealth in glorifying their names. I prefer to invest in the arts and the sciences." "A noble cause, sire. There should be another one over this hill." "Very good. What about you, Giovanni? Now that your plans have shown themselves so well, what is your next design?" "Sit and rest for a time, sire. There are other lands we need to expand into to ensure our safety and prosperity, but perhaps our neck is still a bit too extended." Giovanni Corrado stared out the carriage window at the farms on the hill. "Though action may end up forced upon us with this French alliance." "Which is what you wanted, correct?" Medici leaned out of the carriage window. "Driver, take a left up at the crossroads there." The two passengers sat in silence as the carriage rounded the turn and slowly made it to the top of the hill. Medici stepped out of the cab and looked at the estate below. "Finally. Something nice, of moderate size, without all the gilding of the lily so common to Cesare. Yes, I believe that shall be the one I seize for myself. Now that I've chosen, what for you, Corrado?" "I liked the first one, the one with the large stable house and the view of the forest. Certainly a nice perk of the treaty with Venice, eh?" "Mantua for Tuscany, and cottages for ourselves. Not much of a rallying cry to the populace, but it warms my heart." Medici smiled and walked down the hill, looking forward to the first visit to a new summer home.

23-08-2001, 22:06	#2
Storey StoreytellAAR Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: West Coast Posts: 5,770	A pleasure to read. I hope there will be more! Joe __________________ "What, Me Worry?" Alfred E. Neuman Desert Tides or how I learned to swim in quicksand Adventure A Tall Tale Told on a Cold Night Fantasy

23-08-2001, 22:07	#3
Sir Andrew Voortrekker Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 339	Very nice indeed. More! __________________ We few...we happy few...we band of brothers. - Shakespeare, Henry V 1 Student Nationality: Dixie Religion: Protestant Ideology: Moderate Issues: Interventionism, Moralism Militancy: 2 Consciousness: 9

03-09-2001, 16:55	#7
The Danish King Defender of Denmark Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: The Kingdom of Denmark Posts: 625	Great AAR! Please, contunie! __________________ Give us Skåne, Norway, Holstein, Iceland, Normandy, England, Estonia, Gotland, Eireland, Finland, the Scottish Isles, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Helgoland, Rockall, Newfoundland, Labrador and the U.S. Virgin Islands back!

23-08-2001, 22:50	#4
mosquitodriver First Lieutenant Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Senator Chevy Driver of florence born 1515/son Astorio born 1550 Posts: 275	He posted this just to grab the oscar for coolest AAR title i like it man. Keep it coming

03-09-2001, 06:20	#5
Sharur Back from a long hiatus Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 3,290	Corrado, ressurect this aar, I want to see it's conclusion! Great writing!