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Bulldog90

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Mar 12, 2014
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The Hedareb Dynasty - The Freaks of the Desert
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Hello! Welcome to my AAR, where I will be starting a new dynasty with an overabundance of flaws.
I will be beginning as the king of Alodia, and using the Ruler Designer, I will make my king.
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My previous AARs have been rather unsuccessful due to a mix of me losing interest in writing and some bad luck and choices. This will not happen this time... I promise....Maybe...

I will do my best to keep bad traits in my dynasty, except in the beginning, when I just have to focus on not dying childless.
While this may not be the most original idea, I couldn't think of any better. . . :(

I will update this when I can, there may be long pauses, but unless I say it's dead, it isn't. Unless I die, then I suppose we have a problem.

This will also be played as an Ironman campaign, that will be fun... (Iroman isn't turned on, but I'll still be playing as if it is.)
I will keep playing until I get a game over screen, survive until the end date or if I decide to end it for reasons.

I will not be using mods, and as for the DLC, I have most of them. (Except for Charlemange, Way of Life and Rajas of India.)

So enjoy! Or don't...I won't judge you!
 
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Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

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This handsome devil is Eionkouda Hedareb, king of Alodia.
What he lacks in looks, he makes up in wit.
Even though having a crown on your head may be considered a great achievement, Eionkouda is just one king in a sea of many... He plans to change that.
Eionkouda has a plan, a genius plan, to conquer all the kingdoms! There shall be only one king, and that is Eionkouda.
None would disagree with the king's plan, as clever as it is, but unfortunatley few know of it. Since Eionkouda rarely speaks due to his stutter, and when he does he also shows his lisp. Most scream when they see him, but Eionkouda is convinced his intelligence makes the common folk fear him, not the horribly disfigured body. For his intelligence is so large that it can be sensed, it may even be radiating from him.

And so Eionkouda began his rule, and set out to conquer the world.

But first, he needed a bride, someone to bear him children and heirs.

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They were not worthy, Eionkouda decided to wait a while, until a worthy bride would appear.
In the mean time he decided to form his council. Only the most skilled in his kingdom would be in it, and skilled they were...

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He set them out to do their duties, the marshal would train his army while the chancellor would fabricate the claims that Eionkouda needed to execute his plan.
First out came Kassala, It was a weak chiefdom just next to the borders of Alodia. They were weak, while he was strong.
The chancellor was given a dromedary and sent off to dig up a claim of some sorts.

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Then he found her, or, his spymaster did. She was supposed to be the cleverest woman in his kingdom, the rumors said as much, and rarely do rumors lie. Within a fortnight they were married.
She screamed when she saw him, screamed and screamed and screamed.
She was a lowborn, it must be one of their customs to scream at nobles. They did it so often.
He was content with his bride. She'll do.

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Good news came from Kassala, the chancellor had found claims for Eiondouka to use! Claims he would use... Eiondouka was not a man for waiting, he was a man of action. The army was raised and the declaration of war sent. Eiondouka equipped himself with his custom made armor for a man of his....build.... He wore a dagger in one hand and a wooden shield in the other, and got into his litter.
Four strong men picked it up and off they went to war.


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Interesting begining...I cannot really imagine how Eionkouda would have looked like...and the -100 malus of his wife is shocking, the least...

Let us see how the war goes!

Yeah, I tried to imagine him, but I found myself unable... What a terrible sight he must be. D:


Chapter 2: Kassala

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As the army of Alodia approached the border, the warriors of Kassala were seen by their scouts. They were heavily outnumbered by Eionkouda's army, and had chosen to flee, leaving their city behind, unprotected.
Eionkouda Hedareb decided that their army would fall first, then their chiefdom. It was time to prove his prowess, so that even the bravest of kings would fear to meet him on the battlefield.
It took a while before they reached the enemy army, but Eionkouda appreciated the ride in his litter. Unfortuantley a few of the men carrying the litter at first had fallen over and never gotten up, they had been replaced and forgotten though.

They chased the Kassala army for a while, it seemed like they were determined to avoid battle as long as they could. Until they finally found their courage and stood their ground.
The slaughter began.

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Eionkouda had placed his litter upon a hill overlooking the battle, he watched as his men butchered their enemies with little to no effort.
Soon the colorful banners of Kassala were all but gone, not one warrior from Kassala returned from that battle.

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As they started their return to Kassala, drunk on the taste of victory, news came from Alodia, the marshal had trained more men for his army. Men they would need, for this was only one of many victories to come for the Hedareb dynasty.
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I have to say, I love his name.

When they arrived in Kassala they met little ressistance, a group of warriors held their ground outside the safety of the walls surrounding the tribe. They died a quick death, though they deserved the opposite.
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The siege was rather uneventful, little ressistance was met after they witnessed their warriors getting slain right outside their walls.
But it was at this time that Eiondouka recieved news of another king invading Kalassa, a holy war. It seems one of the kings is jewish, and has been planning to steal Eiondouka's prize. He would pay for this!
Luckily other miaphysite chiefs decided to help Kalassa with the holy war, hopefully they wouldn't mind what King Hedareb was doing.
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The few defenders of Kalassa that remained eventually opened their gates and dropped their weapons. The warriors of Adolia had proved their worth, while the entire army of Kassala had fallen, only a hundred of theirs had... They were formidable fighters, and loyal. The chiefdom now belonged to Eiondouka... Victory!

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This was a very short one, in retrospect I should have included this in the first chapter (since that one was short aswell!), but oh well...
 
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Chapter 3: The Fall of the Jew King

Eionkouda felt like a drunkard at home, drunk on the sweet, sweet taste of victory.
He wanted more, he needed more! He had lost few men in the last war, his army still outnumbered many of the other ones around. In the sea of kings, King Eionkouda may be the most powerful, and he wanted his kingdom to grow even more before the end of the year.
He pulled his council into a meeting and a small map was brought forth for them to look at.
His council members agreed that Eionkouda did not own a claim on any chiefdoms around, and that this meeting was uneeded.
But the King objected, and slowly slided his finger across the map until it stopped on the kingdom of Samien. The jewish king.
Eionkouda had not forgotten what the jew had tried to do, stealing Kassala from him before he even owned it. He used the claim of holy war. So would they.
The army of Alodia was raised once more, this time to fight for their faith.

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His marshal informed his king that other jewish rulers might come to join Samien and defend their own faith.
To that, Eionkouda merely asked, "What other rulers?" atleast, thats what he tried to say, but the stutter-lisp mixture messed it up, but after repeating himself many times, the marshal finally understood him, and agreed.

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Eionkouda suited himself with his custom-made armor again, got into his litter (this time with his wife), and off they went to war. To battle. To victory!
They marched a long way, passing through Kassala on the way, where the inhabitants saw the might of King Eionkouda march outside their walls once again.

After Kassala they went into enemy territory, no ressistance was found, but through some interrogating of the locals, they discovered that the army awaited them in the capital.
The first battle of the holy war was approaching. Eionkouda had anticipated to recieve help from the other miaphysite kings around, but no such help came. He thought the other kings also wanted to bleed the jews as he did, after the insult they made by declaring holy war on Kassala. Many kings came to the aid of Kassala when it came to defending it from the jewish the holy war, yet none seemed eager to join in the destruction of the aggressors.

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They spotted the fiends standing put outside the city walls, forming long lines at the front with spears, while horses and dromedaries stood behind.
They were outnumbered, and soon they would be dead, the army of Alodia would be victorious once more!

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Along with his wife, the bearers of his litter and some guards, he sat and watched the chaos. They were far away from the battle so that they would be safe. There they sat, watching the slaughter of the jews.
The battle lasted for a good while, and it was clear that Alodia would win it. When the chaos finally ended, Iôannês Wawissi, one of the generals, rode over on his dromedary and told them the news they already knew.
They won.

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Yet, some had survived the onslaught, and Iôannês advised that they should chase down the routing troops, Eionkouda agreed to this. So they did, they chased them down and slaughtered them once more.

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Eionkouda heard some rumors about the jew king being greatly injured during the battle, and has fallen into a coma. The king falls, the kingdom follows, Eionkouda smiled to himself.

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Once more they marched towards the capital, more routed troops were found there, once again, Eionkouda placed himself away from the battle, watching closely at the tactics used, those who succeeded and those who failed.
He felt he had begun to understand warfare more, and found himself to be generally skilled at predicting wich tactic would be used, or wich unit would be sent against another. Too bad he was unable to shout orders, and ride into battle together with his troops.
The battle was shortlived, though, and soon the fighting was over, and the siege began.

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As the siege went on, sad news reached Eionkouda, the court chaplain, Dauid Alwa, was dead. he had been one of the commanders, and had fought and lead well, but he had been found in his tent in a neverending sleep. Einkouda was certain that his young wife had been pregnant on their departure, so Dauid's dynasty would not die out, not today.
The second most skilled man in the kingdom replaced Dauid, and he was... Unskilled.

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Eionkouda would have to deal with this later, for now only the siege mattered.
After many weeks of besieging, the gates opened and the guardsmen dropped their weapons and fell onto their knees, praying for some food to fill their bellies.
He had won.

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With this holy war, there came many new titles to give out. The city of Adenna was given to Iôannês Wawissi, for his bravery shown in the field.
The chiefdom of Tigrinya was given to the chancellor, Kollouthos Kollouthosid, for his skill shown when being able to fabricate a claim in less than two months.
The marshal, Theodote Theodote, who had shown himself able to train a formidable army, was given the chiefdom of Semien.

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The king returned to his capital, unhappy over the fact that he had to wait for a new claim to be fabricated before conquering more lands, found himself bored. To deal with this boredom he chose to assist his council members in their duties.
When he did this he learned two things about the new court chaplain; he was not fit for his job, that was certain. The king also learned that he would often go to the steward, Dimetheos, for advise. There they would often discuss matters of coins and taxes and such.
The steward would be skilled as a court chaplain, and the court chaplain would be skilled as a steward. What happened next was a nice little stroke of his superior intellect.
They switched jobs.

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The next thing to happen would make Eionkouda use his ugly lips to grin. His wife's belly was beginning to swell, she was with child.
A few of the courtiers gave her strange looks, they were probably stunned that a lowborn like her could bed a king. That was probably why...

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On the 26th of June, little Ephannê came into the world, she was beautiful.

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The kingdom of Alodia then enjoyed peace, and they enjoyed it well. Some were eager to prove their worth in the field of battle (again), but most wanted a little rest, especially since they didn't get one after the invasion of Kassala.
Then, horrible news reached King Eionkouda. His daugther had been wounded.

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WHO HURT MY BABY!?

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Wow, this one was picture heavy...Sorry 'bout that.
Also, I might be pumping out updates in a relatively short amount of time, but I don't think its something to get used to, my laziness will kick in shortly, if I know myself correctly.
(I suppose it's just the fun of starting an AAR that's making me do it, I can't help it.)
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Chapter 4: A Decade of Peace

The years after the holy war for Semien would be a time for peace. The people of Alodia enjoyed it well, though King Eionkouda thought of it as a plauge. He grew more and more bored as the days went on, and it went of for a long time.
His only child, Ephannê, who had been dropped by a nurse, had healed. All that remained of the incident was a nasty scar, even the sickness she arrived with had gone away. She was strong, and Eionkouda was proud of her.
To alleviate Eionkouda of his boredom the son of Dauid Alwa, the former court chaplain, had been made his ward. His wife seemed unable to grant him the son he wanted, so Eionkouda thought it would be fit for him to take the father role for poor little Michaêl Alwa.
When it came to Ephannê's training, the king gave her up to his chancellor, Count Kollouthos.

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Even little Michaêl couldn't suppress Eionkouda's boredom, and he soon found himself buying a book from a travelling merchant. It was said to hold the secrets of powerful potions, able to bend people's will andto make someone love you unconditionally to name some examples. The book was even said to hold the secret to constructing gold.

When his court chaplain heard this, he advised not to delve into this book, he feared it might consume him. The king was convinced of otherwise, saying it was a fun way to spend his time.
Rumors started spreading throughout the kingdom, of their king doing mysterious things, of witchery and spells. In truth he did no such thing however, he tried making the potions but failed miserably. King Eionkouda was no quitter though, and kept trying

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Then, in 878, after 10 years of ruling, Count Theodote Theodote was found dead in his bed. He had been an excellent marshal for the kingdom, and trained an undefeated army. Now his 8 year old daughter inherited his chiefdom, Theodote had only married once, and that wife died of an illness shortly after giving birth to his daughter. The future of house Theodote did not seem bright.
To replace Theodote as marshal, another skilled warrior was chosen. His name was Iêousinkouda Iêousinkoudid, Eionkouda could only hope that he would be able to train the army of Alodia as well as his predecessor.

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To help brighten his mood, Eionkouda was given fantastic news from his court chaplain, Semien had been converted! The court chaplain had already begun to work on Tigrinya.

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After 12 years of peace, Eionkouda finally got the message he had prayed for for so long. Chancellor Kollouthos had made a claim on a nearby kingdom. It wasn't much, but it meant war.

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As the army assembled around his kingdom, Eionkouda went to the stables. Inside stood a custom made chariot.
It was one of the things he had made during the plauge of peace, and it was a mighty war machine. It would be pulled by two strong dromedaries, Dauid and Theodote they were called, they were going to honor the council members that have died so far. The other council members approved, probably eager to get a dromedary named after themselves one day.
To the right of the chariot there was a seat, with a big, red cushion ontop of it, Eionkouda planned to sit there, and join his men in the battle.
In the middle of the chariot a warrior would hold the reins and control the dromedaries, of course.
To the left, Maththias would stand with a bow in hand. Maththias had been another project of the king, together they had developed a sign language. The king could finally show his martial excellence to his men.
On the two wheels on the chariot, sharp and long spikes had been added, to cut through the enemy they charged into.

Eionkouda was excited, he had long awaited the chance to feel the taste of victory once more. Now he would.

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Older Eionkouda.

They marched into the kingdom of Damot, and found their enemy awaiting them in the capital.

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The chariot worked. They drove through the enemy lines, cutting them apart, Eionkouda signaled to Maththias the orders he wanted him to shout. Maththias had a powerful voice, and the men had no problem following him.
They cut down their enemy, and the battle was theirs.

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Unfortuantely as they chased down the routing cravens, Eionkouda recieved a wound during the battle, even though they were simply cutting through routing enemies, one archer managed to get an arrow off, that arrow went through his armor and into his shoulder.
The arrow cut deep, and the king thought it would be nice to turn the chariot around and leave the battle while he still breathed.
They won the battle nonetheless, though the taste of victory wasn't as sweet as before.

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The siege of Damot began, but Eionkouda did not wish to stay, he marched home to rest and heal.
He had never been the healthiest man to begin with, and the wound did him no favors.

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When he returned, he recieved an unsettling letter from Iôannês Wawissi, the court chaplain had accused him of heresy. Eionkouda couldn't have cared less if he truly was, and told his court chaplain to let it go.
It seemed like that was the right thing to do, as now his people had begun calling him 'the Wise'. Finally his intellect was being appreciated!

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Then came more good news, the king of Damot had yielded, the war was won!

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King Eionkouda was still plagued by his wound, however, and thought the last of his days might be approaching.
Michaêl Alwa had grown to become a fine warrior, and Eionkouda could think of no better man to have as his son-in-law.
Michaêl and Ephannê were promised to eachother, matrilineally of course, and they would marry when they both came of age.
This would mean the end of the Alwa dynasty, but the continuation of his own.

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Sorry if you notice some bad writing and/or bad grammar (atleast more than usual), I was interrupted many times while writing this (which annoyed me), and this just caused me to want to get it out as soon as possible. :sad:

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Good going with the war on Asosa! I see you are expanding into de jure Abyssynia, perhaps Eiokounda will become the new King one day?

I liked the scene with the chariot, very inventive! Given the size of Eiokounda, he could always evade an arrow or two, although he did get hurt in the end!
 
Chapter 5: A Clash of Two Great Kings

Before the marshal could manage to fill the shoes of the men who died during the battle for Asosa, the kingdom was thrown into war once more. As Eionkouda laid in his bed, regaining his strength, a great number of angered peasents had chosen to rise up against him. Lead by a former soldier, they wanted to depose Eionkouda, stating they would not follow a monster.
They had begun besieging Semien, the halfwit child of Theodote Theodote would send letters demanding assistance every day. The army was raised, though for the first time Eionkouda could not join them. He was left in his bed, the warriors could only pray that he would still be alive when they returned.

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Eionkouda would recieve letters from time to time, updating him on the events of the war. There was a battle at Semien and the siege had been lifted, the ones who fled had been cut down, and the war had been won.

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It was a short war with few casualties on their side, atleast compared to the rebels. The leader of the rebellion, Assefa, would rot in the prison cells for the rest of his miserable years.
Then something incredible happened, during his time in bed, his wife had 'comforted' him. This comfort resulted in a pregnancy.

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It had been far too long since the last time that belly had swelled, just upon hearing the news Eionkouda gained some strength. It could be a son, an heir. The king had come to love Michaêl Alwa as if he was his own son, but to get another, with his blood in his veins. He wouldn't be disappointed if it was a daughter, he lied to himself, as long as he got another child, he would be happy until the day he died.

Nine months passed, Eionkouda had been unable to heal completely, still resting in his bed, but when he heard the birth was beginning, he collected enough strength to go and witness it. Then a small child came out of his wife, a boy... He was perfect!

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He was named Stephanou, a good and strong name. A name fit for a king.
Eionkouda had accepted that he would not become a king, atleast not the king he wanted to become. This was a wound that would not heal. His son would however, he would become the only king in the now sea of kings.
Then came the letter that would shatter Eionkouda's happiness into a thousand shards.
Only after a few weeks after Stephanou was born, war was declared. The king of Abyssinia wanted Semien.

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During the decade of peace that Alodia experienced, the kingdom of Abyssinia had grown larger, and had become stronger than Alodia. The king of Abyssinia, Dil Na'od, had usurped the kingdom from his brother, Anbasa Wedem 'the Careless'. Under his rule, the kingdom had spent the last decade fighting wars of conquest. The army of Abyssinia had grown large and experienced, Alodia was outnumbered.
Eionkouda was forced to send out a plea for help. He asked every man able to wield a weapon to fight for their kingdom. An incredible number of warriors arrived, and the odds were once again in their favor.

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Michaêl had come of age, and had become quite the skilled commander. He was eager to prove himself in battle, and was sent off as one of the commanders. The marshal also left with the army, leaving Alodia without a recruiter.

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A few minor battles were fought and Alodia won none of them. But as the major bulk of the Alodian army arrived, the Abyssinian army would experience the quality of the Alodian army.

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The warriors of Abyssinia were heavily outnumbered, and easily defeated.

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During all this fighting and dying, Eionkouda's battle wound had finally healed! The little disfigured king was eager to join his men in the defence of his kingdom. His wife, along with some council members attempted to convince him, stating what happened before could happen again. His wife even had the nerve to say that; "The battlefield is no place for a man of your build."
He ignored them, he might not be built as a warrior, but he was a great tactician, his warriors needed him.

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The king quickly rode off in his chariot to join his men in the war, by the time he reached them he was informed that they killed off the last of the besiegers of Semien. They still had warriors running about though, but the war was in their favor.

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A messenger from Semien arrived, informing them that the city was under siege once again, the Abyssinian force was five hundred men strong.
The army began their march back to Semien, the Abyssinian besiegers answered by retreating into their own territory. The Alodian army followed them, they chased them for a long time, but finally they caught them.

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The Abyssinian army consisted mostly of archers, with a good number of heavily armored swordsmen aswell. They had little to no cavalry, but Eionkouda spotted a few ballistas standing ontop of a hill behind the line of archers.
Michaêl would command the middle force of the army, meeting the line of infantry head on.
The marshal, Iêousinkouda, would command the left flank, they were ordered to flank the infantry, and assist Michaêl.
Eionkouda took the right flank with the majority of the army. His mission was twofold, his infantry would do the same as Iêousinkouda's infantry. His archers would rain arrows upon the infantry in the back.
His cavalry would join Eionkouda himself, they were going to flank the archers, cutting through them and breaking their morale. He would have to set off a few dromedaries to dispose of the ballistas aswell.

As he sat down onto his cushion on the chariot, he wished he had made it larger. He sat awkwardly close to the man holding the reins, and he would move around so violently when he was controlling. If he was going to move to the right, his whole body would jump to the right, same if he went to the left. He would often bump into Eionkouda, almost pushing him out of his seat. Maththias was almost pushed out of the chariot sometimes himself.
It's too small, they both agreed.

Then the attack began, the infantry clashed together, and it was already clear that the Abyssinians were breaking, the flanking troops under the command of Iêousinkouda didn't help them
Eionkouda raced ahead with the rest of the cavalry, when they reached the archers they cut right through them. In one second they were looking at the chariot with fear in their eyes, and in the next they had one of Maththias' arrows stuck in their eyeball.

A few of the ballistas had fallen, but most were still operational and were firing out into the crowd of infantry. They seemed to be unskilled at aiming, as they mostly missed, and when they hit they managed to kill more of their own than of the warriors of Alodia.

Maththias was busy firing his arrows so he didn't really focus on what Eionkouda signaled to him, it was one of his biggest faults, but it didn't matter now. The strategy didn't need to be changed, the archers gave them little ressistance.
Eionkouda only sat and watched as the bloodbath continued. No arrow would stop him from enjoying the great taste of victory this time.

Then the ballistas began firing down into the crowd of archers, some dromedaries were hit but the majority of the casualties caused by them were their own archers.
He looked up at the ballistas, he should've dispatched more dromedaries to join them in the disposing of them.
Then he saw that one of the ballistas was aiming for them. The man with the reins was holding a straight path through the archers, making it easy to presume where they would go.
The ballista shot out the enourmous projectile.
It got closer and closer, and the chariot was heading straight into its path.
Maththias was unaware of this and was looking the opposite way, the driver seemed unaware aswell. Eionkouda grabbed the man by his arm and started shaking it in panic, attempting to gain his attention.
The man looked back, confused and irritated. When Eionkouda turned around to point at the giant arrow, it was too late.
The projectile crashed into the chariot, completely wrecking it.
Eionkouda found himself no longer sitting comfortably on his big, red cushion, but instead he was flying high up in the air. In and indescribable amount of pain.
He landed on his back onto the hard ground.
His back hurt like hell and it felt as though the projectile had taken a piece of him with the chariot.
He looked around and saw no sign of the chariot nor anyone else that had been in it.
He started to feel lightheaded, and it was getting harder to breathe.
He coughed up some blood and sobbed as he felt his life drain out of his body.

I'm not ready, he thought, I don't want to go!
And then he died.





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Chapter 6: The Death of a King

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The letter had arrived in the morning, the king was dead. The entire council were shocked as they recieved the news. I warned him, Petronia thought, "The battlefield is no place for a man of your build." she had told him.
Her husband had taken it as an insult, he never listened to the truth, not if he didn't want it to be true.

Atleast he had the wit to name her the designated regent. Some of the council members objected to it, but Dimetheos the court chaplain, calmed them down. "The king wanted it, he wished to see his wife rule if he was unable." he had said, pausing for a while as he gave the rest of the council a friendly smile, "It might be unorthodox to let a woman rule, but it was ordered by a man, and that man was a king."
Now the crown had fallen onto little Stephanou, he would soon be one year old. The council members even objected to this, stating that a child does not have the capability to rule a kingdom.
"You let a freak lead you, why not a child?" she had asked them, and to that they had no good reply.

Before the corpse of Eionkouda was returned to the capital to be laid to rest, the council had already insisted on naming an heir to the kingdom.
They chose the steward, the incompetent Kollouthos. Some confusion arose when the spymaster yelled out Kollouthos, as the chancellor and steward share name.
She had no idea why the spymaster wanted to have the steward as heir, he was good at counting coins and reading books, but not much else. The chancellor Kollouthos voted for himself, stating that him being the only landed man in the council shoud be of some importance, the court chaplain abstained, and the steward voted for himself. When Petronia asked if they wanted her opinion on the matter, they only gave her a stare before closing the case.

She mumbled a few curses as she left the room. The marshal seemed to be a clever man, if he had not been out fighting that stupid war he might have talked some sense into them. Though the letter informing them of Eionkouda's death also mention the marshal recieving a wound during the battle. He might not ever return.

Then Michaêl Alwa came to mind, her ex-husband's ward, he had become a trained tactician and had taken complete command over the fighting army while the marshal healed his wounds.
He was betrothed to Ephannê, a waste to marry a girl of her nobility to some warrior. She had little love for Michaêl, her husband loved him too much, more than Ephannê.
The first thing she did as regent, was to break the betrothal.
She had another husband in mind for her daughter.

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The Byzantine Empire was a powerful ally, one they could use.
Her daughter would become queen, not some mere warrior's wife, but the spouse of a Baseilus.
Michaêl could find another wife, someone more fitting.

The war raged on and the council got letters from time to time from the different commanders, each telling of another victory, of more foes slain and more heroes made.
They had even begun besieging the capital of Abynissia, the war was almost certainly going to be a victory.

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Ephannê was now of age, she had grown to become a talented diplomat, though she had inherited some of her father's flaws. Petroina had little to say about her daughter, chancellor Kollouthos had been her guardian, and she rarely left him to come on a visit home. She was almost a stranger, only seen on rare occasions. Atleast she was ready to marry.

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More letters arrived, some more important than others, the kingdom of Abynissia had been thrown into two different revolts. One was caused by some lord that had risen up against his betters, while the other was a religious rebellion. Petronia had no love for the heathens, but as long as they slew abynissians, she would turn the other cheek.
The third interesting letter was from the Baseilus, his daughter was now a princess. Though that was not all that stood, the Baseilus wanted them to prove their worth and honor. The Baseilus called Alodia into a holy war. Petriona had no trouble answering with a yes, though the only help they would recieve from them in this holy war were those three letters. They were busy slaughtering their neighbors, the abyssinians. She sent the letter back to Byzantine together with Ephannê, she would probably never see her again. The worst part was that she didn't care about it. She was only a stranger, a stranger with Petriona's blood in her, but also with Eionkouda's blood. It only took a look to understand that she inherited more from him than of her mother.

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As the days went on, Petronia realised being a regent was tougher than she anticipated. She hired some more servants to do some of the less important work for her, it would make her days alot easier. She had no doubt her son wouldn't mind her taking a look in treasury, if he would ever know about it.

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Three days later and a group of armed warriors arrived with a captive. It was the young prince of Abyssinia, taken during the siege of Adwa.
An eye for an eye, Petriona smiled cruely. The king of abyssinia took their king, and now they would take his heir.
None of the men seemed eager to do the task, but after a visit in the treasury again, she found the means to convince them.
The child was not the only thing they came home with, lying inside his old litter was King Eionkouda. He had been disfigured before, but now he was broken. As they opened the litter and showed her the old king, she found herself throwing up her breakfast. She asked them to take 'it' away from her sight and advised them to give it to the court chaplain.

She hoped that if they raised a statue of him, they would be kind, and lie about his looks.
The warriors were then ordered to return to the new siege, Michaêl Alwa seemed determined to tear down every single building in the capital before coming home again. The warriors described him as ruthless, they theorized that it was the death of the king that had changed him. "He wasn't like this before", they had claimed, "but when he saw the wreckage of King Eionkouda's chariot and his mangled corpse, something changed in him."
The poor child loved him, she realised, how sad.


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And so the war went on. The abynissian king refused to surrender after recieving the news of his dead heir, and ignored the suffering of his people. His kingdom is falling apart, the council agreed, the war would be ending soon.

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Little King Stephanou would have won a war at the age of one. He would be a great king, when he was of age she would become his guardian. She would teach him how to rule and command.
When she went to her little son, as she did every night. She found a maid sitting next to his crib. Her cheeks wet from tears, but she stared at the floor with cold, angry eyes.
"What in God's name is the matter?!" Petriona asked the servant. The maid slowly moved her stare from the floor into Petriona's eyes. "I'm so sorry." she said and looked down into the crib.
Petriona rushed over and looked down herself.
Her little son laid calmly in the crib, a pillow resting over his face. He was too calm, he didn't breath nor move.
When Petriona turned her gaze over to the maid again, the servant burst into tears.
As Petriona left the room, the maid was laying on the floor as lifeless as the little king, with a pillow resting on her face. "Kollouthos!" the maid cried as she fought for her life. "The steward made me do it! Please, not me!" she had begged and cried, but nothing helped, The wench died.



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She burst into the royal library. A medium sized room with few books, but the steward spent most of his days there anyway. He had probably read all books ten times each.
She wasn't surprised when she found him there, sitting in a chair. For once he wasn't reading, a bottle of wine stood on the desk, almost empty. He sat on a stool behind it, and gave her a sad look.
The craven, the imbecile. The bloody incompetent camel did it, the anger was building up inside of her.
He muttered something, but none of it made sense, he was probably asking for forgiveness, just like the maid. It didn't help her, and it wouldn't help him.
He was a kingslayer, and a babymurderer, and now he would die.

Before she managed to leap over his desk and rip out his eyes, someone grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back.
The blade of a knife was pressed up against her throat.

"Sweet dreams." she recognized the spymaster's slimy voice.
Then the knife cut through her throat, and a red liquid poured out.


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And so ends this AAR, to think that someone as unimportant as the steward would end it. Oh well.

I can't really think of anything more to say about that, so... Yup. Babykillers!


Also, a big thanks to Crimson Drakon for his continued commenting, seeing new comments are great, and you sure made me feel great a couple of times. :D

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Well. Can't say I expected things to end like THAT. Rotten luck, really. This was a great AAR while it lasted, though. I hope you're planning to do another soon.
 
Ah what a shame.. I was much looking forward to your dynasty one day going as far as forming the Empire of Abyssynia itself...who knows, another day!

It was a well written AAR, I liked the descriptions of the battlefield and the demise of King Eionkouda, and until the last moment I kind of hoped somehow that the Steward would be punished, before the sneaky treachery of the spymaster..

Let us hope next time luck is more on your side :)
 
Ah what a shame.. I was much looking forward to your dynasty one day going as far as forming the Empire of Abyssynia itself...who knows, another day!

It was a well written AAR, I liked the descriptions of the battlefield and the demise of King Eionkouda, and until the last moment I kind of hoped somehow that the Steward would be punished, before the sneaky treachery of the spymaster..

Let us hope next time luck is more on your side :)

Thank you for your kind words. :)

I hoped I would manage to make the empire, but then I would have been in a dangerous position. I think I would have been consumed by muslim holy wars. :/
Another day, yes.
Let us just hope the realm imploded under Kollouthos' rule. Babykillers shouldn't be kings! ;_;