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RedTemplar

Diagnosed Megacampaign Addict
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Mar 10, 2010
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Horsemen of the Light
An Uyghur Khaganate AAR

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Hello forumites! This past week, I completed my rather absurdly long-running CKII - EUIV megacampaign, The Long-Lasting Lombards and The Long(er) Lasting Lombards, covering just over 1,000 years of Lombard history in Italy. Now that it's come to an end, it's time to start thinking about my next project.

I was initially attracted to a playthrough as an Irish Tribal Catholic or a Baltic Tribal Pagan. However, before I go down that route, I want to wait for the release of Conclave and all of the fun council-related antics that will bring. So I decided to go with another group that appealed to me -- the Steppe Nomads. Horse Lords came out while I was still in the middle of my EUIV AAR, so I actually haven't played CKII since it came out. I also really wanted to try out CKII+, as I really like the depth it adds into the game. With that in mind, I've settled on a group for my newest playthrough: the Uyghur Khaganate.

The Uyghur are as far east as the CKII map goes. They're a fairly large (relative to their neighbors, at least) Khaganate of Manicheans, who start the game with sizable territory and a couple of tributaries. As is my usual style with AARs, I will be starting off at the lowest rank possible, playing one of the lesser clans rather than playing the Khagan himself -- I enjoy the process of working up from nothing. After all, the mighty Italian Empire of my last AAR began with a single-county nobody in eastern Italy!

The Basics
Game: CKII v. 2.4.5
DLC: All expansions except Sunset Invasion, all visual DLCs, all Coat of Arms DLCs
Mods: CKII+ v. 4.01.6
Difficulty: Normal
Start Date: 769 AD
Dynasty: Reyhangul (Custom character)

The AAR
Style: I've developed a particular style of history book mixed with a touch of narrative that I've stuck with fairly consistently throughout my previous two AARs. This will likely be more of the same; however, I may decide, at some points, to dip more into narrative if I find something particularly interesting. With so many events and decisions in CKII I inevitably don't document everything, but I'll leave myself freedom to write what intrigues me -- and hopefully it intrigues you, too!

House Rules: I'm primarily concerned with storytelling. I will not savescum or cheat to give myself an advantage... However, I will at times use console hacks and reload saves to avoid buggy/wonky things that would ruin continuity, and I may do some custom event / decision modding in the later game depending on what seems to make sense.

Goals: Live! I'm expecting this to be a challenging AAR, not only because of whatever inherent weaknesses nomads might have against more civilized enemies, but also the fact that I haven't had time to get familiarized with gameplay in the post-Horse Lords game. I may even just end up dying! But we'll have fun along the way. I will keep an open mind about long-term goals and just see where the flow of the AAR takes us.

And, considering that the historical Uyghur Khaganate dissolved around 840 AD, staying alive will already be an improvement!

With that said, I'm in the process of doing my research for history and flavor, as well as testing out the gameplay a little to try and get a feel for the nomad system (and the slightly confusing manpower mechanic). Look for some preliminary updates soon :)
 
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I've been neglecting CK2 AARs for the past several months, so this is a good opportunity to get back into them. I'm excited to see this get going. :)
 
subbed

Good luck. I forgot, is it the Uighurs that people said would be nominally Tang?

Also, your opening post reminded me of something. I really need to finish the CK2 2.3.6 portion of my megacampaign before Conclave comes out. I haven't even gotten to play HL!
 
Subscribed!
 
Good luck working your way up the ladder and staying alive. This'll make a fun intermediate AAR until Conclave comes out (though who knows, you might have such a fun story going you'll want to finish this first).
 
Subscribed for what has the look of a promising AAR. :)
 
Glad to have so many of you on board already! I'm definitely excited about the challenge of this AAR. A single lower-clan nomad on the far eastern edge of the map following a relatively unpopular religion. I don't know if I'll make it until the 1400's, but it will sure be fun to try in the meantime! The Uyghur are actually kind of interesting.. I'll do a little mini "recent history" post before I start the proper gameplay, but this little bunch of horse-riding Mongol Manichees are pretty interesting.

As for the Tang, they did help the Tang Dynasty suppress a rebellion in China shortly before the start date of Charlemagne, so they do have ties there.
 
Prologue, Part 1
627 - 769 AD

A Brief History of the Uyghur Khaganate
While the ancient history and origin of the Uyghur people is contested, they first come to historical prominence in the 7th century. They are reported to have been supporters of the Tang dynasty, following Tang Taizong's defeat of the Western Turks. Around 627-28, the Uyghurs fought alongside the Chinese against the Turks and Tibetans.

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The first recorded leader of the proper Uyghur Khaganate is Qutlugh Yaghlakar, who led the Uyghurs in a rapid ascent to dominance in their region in only a few years. In 742, Qutlugh led his people in a rebellion against the ruling Gokturks, with the assistance of the Basmyls and the Karluks. The alliance overtook the Gokturks and captured their leader, Ozmish Khan, bringing them into control of the region by 744. That alliance was not to be a long-lasting one, however. In that same year, the Uyghurs and Karluks turned against the Basmyls and beheaded their king, annihilating the tribe. Those who survived were either absorbed into the victorious clans, or sold off as slaves to the Chinese. Less than a year after that, the Uyghurs and Karluks became hostile toward each other, ending their alliance.

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Qutlugh died in 747, and was inherited by his youngest son, Bayanchur. The young Khagan gained wealth by maintaining trade relationships with the Han Chinese, and led a series of military campaigns in an effort to subdue the other Steppe Peoples and bring them under a united Uyghur banner. His rule saw the Khaganate expand in size and influence, particularly when the Tang Chinese sought their aid in war.

An Lushan, a Chinese general, staged a large rebellion against the Tang in 755. Emperor Suzong sent his eldest son to fight with the Tang, and together they subdued the rebellion and defeated an invading force from the Tibetan Empire. In gratitude, Emperor Suzong granted 20,000 rolls of silk as a tribute to Bayanchur, and the two exchanged daughters to one another in marriage.

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Tragically, Bayanchur died in 759, after a night of heavy drinking at a feast. His successor was his son Tengri Bogu, who was responsible for the Uyghurs' conversion to Manichaeism. He himself was converted to the religion after meeting several Iranian Manichee priests during a military campaign, and instituted it as the official faith of the Khaganate in 762.

Historically, Tengri Bogu was killed by his uncle after he tried to orchestrate an invasion of China. His uncle murdered Tengri Bogu and many of his supporters, and following his own death, the power and influence of the Khaganate began to wane. The Kirghiz invaded the Uyghurs in 840, and the last Uyghur Khagan was assassinated in in 847.

The 769 bookmark starts with Tengri Bogu in power and commanding a relatively large realm compared to his neighbors -- this AAR will begin with a custom-created fictional Khan who leads one of the Uyghur clans under Tengri Bogu, and time will tell if they outlast their historical lifespan and extend the golden age of Uyghur power.
 
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Nice history lesson. What traits did you give your custom character?
 
Nice history lesson. What traits did you give your custom character?

Thanks! I will apologize in advance, though, if anyone following this AAR is actually familiar with the history of the region. China, Mongolia, and the Steppes are something I know very little about, so I'm doing a lot of Wikipedia-digging as I write these, and I'm not intimately acquainted with the geography of the region, either... I believe the mountain range in the heart of Uyghur territory is the Altaic Mountains, but I'm not entirely certain since CKII doesn't label its mountain ranges.

As for traits -- his education is Tough Soldier, and his traits are Cynical, Wroth, Diligent, Temperate, Trained Fighter, Perceptive, Ambidextrous, and Agile. 7-12-10-10-8 for an overall statline. I envision him as a very practical, rather unreligious type who has a very level-headed focus on the arts of warfare. But in part 2 of the prologue, I'll be introducing him alongside an overview of the political map :)
 
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Prologue, Part 2
769 AD

The Uyghur Khaganate of the Mid-8th Century
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In 769 AD, the Uyghur Khaganate is ruled by Tengri Boku Yaghlakar, who has recently converted his people to the Manichean faith. The Khaganate occupies a total of 11 counties, making it the largest faction in the far east. In addition, Tengri Bogu has three tribes serving under him as tributaries -- the Otuken directly to the north, and the Kimak and Kirghiz to the northwest and west, respectively. The Uyghur territory is bordered to the west by several other smaller nomadic groups of Karluk, Pecheneg, and Cuman descent, as well as the High Chiefdom of Yugra, inhabited by the Khanty. To the south, the Uyghurs border up against several small Feudal Buddhist states inhabited by a mixture of Iranian and Altaic peoples. Most of these are small, single-county Marzpanates, but the Petty Shahdom of Kroran presents a larger and more organized realm, which directly borders the Uyghur lands.

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The Khaganate itself is divided among three tribes. The north is ruled by Khagan Tengri Bogu himself, head of the Yaghlakar clan and the descendant of the previous Khagans. In the west, the Akhun clan rules the border provinces of the realm, and the east is under the control of the young Reyhangul clan.

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This AAR will begin with Kutan Reyhangul, the Khan of the easternmost edge Khaganate. His capital is in at Balikun in Aj Bogd, a cold desert region in the Altai Mountains. He is a skilled fighter, adept in personal combat and possessed of a sharp mind. He is a poised commander with a serious personality, known for a hot temper and a cruel streak. Although he accepted Tengri Boku's decree that the Uyghurs should follow Manichaeism, he holds little love or devotion to his religion beyond what is necessary to stay in the Khagan's good graces. From here, Kutan will begin his dynasty and, with any luck, become the patriarch of a great line of Uyghur warlords.

That's it for the prologue material... Time to start playing the game and working toward the first true post!
 
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Looking good! Time to settle in, learn the new mechanics, and plot against your liege! You shall kneel to no one...