• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

The Swert

Yours Swertically
50 Badges
Jan 28, 2007
1.624
52
  • Cities: Skylines - Mass Transit
  • Europa Universalis IV: Common Sense
  • Cities: Skylines - After Dark
  • Cities: Skylines - Snowfall
  • Europa Universalis IV: Mare Nostrum
  • Stellaris
  • Cities: Skylines Industries
  • Europa Universalis IV: Rights of Man
  • Cities: Skylines - Natural Disasters
  • Stellaris - Path to Destruction bundle
  • Europa Universalis IV: Cossacks
  • Europa Universalis IV: Mandate of Heaven
  • Europa Universalis IV: Third Rome
  • Stellaris: Synthetic Dawn
  • Cities: Skylines - Green Cities
  • Europa Universalis IV: Cradle of Civilization
  • Europa Universalis IV: Rule Britannia
  • Stellaris: Distant Stars
  • Europa Universalis IV: Dharma
  • Europa Universalis IV: Conquest of Paradise
  • Victoria 3 Sign Up
  • Crusader Kings II: Legacy of Rome
  • Europa Universalis 4: Emperor
  • Crusader Kings III
  • Stellaris: Federations
  • Cities: Skylines - Campus
  • Europa Universalis IV
  • Europa Universalis IV: Art of War
  • Crusader Kings II: Way of Life
  • Europa Universalis IV: Wealth of Nations
  • Europa Universalis IV: Call to arms event
  • Europa Universalis IV: Res Publica
  • 500k Club
  • Europa Universalis IV: Golden Century
  • Cities: Skylines Deluxe Edition
  • Europa Universalis IV: El Dorado
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Cities: Skylines - Parklife
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet
  • Cities: Skylines
  • For The Glory
  • Europa Universalis III
  • Crusader Kings II: Sword of Islam
  • Crusader Kings II: Sons of Abraham
  • Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Hearts of Iron Anthology

Introducing my new AAR...By the Grace of Athena.

This will be a short AAR following the triumphs and tribulations of 8 main characters during a 6 year crusade by the Duchy of Athens. The AAR will be broken up into 12 half yearly parts each involving 3 selective scenes from the lives of the main characters. Each character's scenes will be colour coded so readers can easily identify which character is which. Not all characters will be in each part and not all characters will have an even share of scenes but thats the way the story is going to be told and if the characters don't like it i'll make sure they get killed at the end :)

Introducing the characters and their colours (if any colours are hard to read please let me know and i will correct them):

The Duke

The Soldier

The Sailor

The Merchant

The Page

The Emissary

The Aristocrat

The Knight

Before you bother asking, there will be no screenshots from this game as the savegame has been deleted and this entire story is generated from memory and the history logs.

Let the crusade begin...
 
Last edited:
Part I - Early 1419
-------------

Athens, Hellas, Jan 1419

The Duke was sitting on his throne addressing his most trusted advisors.
“Well gentlemen, news had just come in from Byzantium, the Emperor has declared war on us so what are going to do about it?” There was a silent echo throughout the chamber. “Come on men you’re supposed to be my advisors so advise me damn it.” The Duke cursed.

Finally one of the advisors spoke up “Well my lord I believe we need to…”
“Silence!” The Duke interrupted. “You don’t believe anything. I’m the Duke around here and I’m the one who makes the decisions not you so shut up!” The advisors seemed baffled.

“All right here’s what we are going to do men” began the Duke. “The Ottomans have declared war on Byzantium as well as this should keep the Emperor preoccupied in Thrace. This will give us the chance to claim Morea and reunite our peninsula.”
The advisors nodded with approval.

“Now I also want to take this opportunity to build a navy. It will be handy for protecting our coast to stop a Byzantine landing, it will give us the option of taking troops to Thrace if indeed the Morean campaign succeeds…and it will allow me to go on summer holiday to my island resort without needing to use a common merchant ship.”

This announcement created a murmur amongst the advisors. The Duke looked over them just waiting for the coming complaint.
The nominated advisor spoke their collected mind.

“But my Lord that will cost about 20% of our total treasury given the funds you’ve already invested in tax collectors. We’re worried that we won’t have enough funds to defend the city if indeed the Morean campaign fails.”

“Well if you organise it correctly it won’t fail will it!” boomed the Duke. It was then that the servant walked in carrying a carved wooden goose.

“Here’s the goose you requested my Lord” said the servant. The Duke was shocked.
“I ordered a goose to eat you fool not a wooden goose”

“But you said you wanted one like the one on your mantel in the grand hall and that’s made of wood.” asked the confused servant.

“I meant I wanted it to be plump and meaty like the one on the mantel. By the grace of Athena why would I want a wooden goose when I’m hungry?” The Duke was obviously very upset.

“I had better get another goose within an hour or else we’ll know who’ll be the one being cooked.” The servant withdrew hurriedly as the Duke turned back to his contingent of advisors.

“What are you lot still doing here?” asked the Duke in a voice that made the advisors jump. “That’s right we were discussing the war weren’t we? Like I was saying I want to invade Morea and build a navy. That is my wish and you had better do what I say or else you’ll be thrown off the edge of the Acropolis quicker than Hades can prepare you a grave. That’s all”
And with that the advisors withdrew.


---------

Nafplion, Morea, April 1419

As the orders came to fall out the Soldier took his helmet off and sat down by the campfire.

“So what exactly are we doing here? Why don’t we just storm the city?” philosophised the Soldier.
A bearded veteran sighed as though he’d heard that question a hundred times before. “You’ve never been in a siege before have you Soldier?”
“Well…no” the soldier responded

“Thought as much” said the veteran “Well you see those fortifications over there,” pointing to the city walls, “each of those walls is 3 feet thick so there’s no way we’re going to be able to break them down. Then if we try to ram the gate down they’ll be waiting for us with thousands of archers, Greek fire and numerous other dirty tricks designed to keep us out that you don’t even want to know about.”

“Well then what are we doing here?” asked the Soldier innocently.

“Since we can’t assault the city what we do is we surround the city and cut off all supplies from entering. Eventually they’ll run out of food and water and will have no choice but surrender.”

“And how long does this normally take?”

“It depends on the city but a city like this I would expect we’ll be done by Easter.”

“Easter! As in next week. Well that’s ok. I was beginning to think we would be here through the summer.” The soldier was reliefed.

“No I mean the next Easter. It takes about a year” corrected the veteran.

The Soldier was dumbfounded.
“Well bugger that.” He said as he got up from the fire and began strutting towards the walls. The veteran’s jaw dropped and eyes opened wide as he watched this lunatic. The Soldier reached the gate and was greeted by a voice from the walls high above.

“What is it you want?” asked the voice.
“Umm…look. I’m told this here siege is going to take about a year and to tell you the truth I don’t think either of us wants to still be doing this at Christmas. So why don’t you just give up now and do us all a favour.”

“What did you say!” the voice thundered. At that moment the veteran grabbed the Soldier by the ear and pulled him away. It was a good thing he did too because an arrow landed right where he was standing. The veteran and the Soldier ran for their lives as a shower of arrows followed their tracks.

Once they were clear, they both stopped to catch their breath.
“By the Grace of Athena, never do anything like that again Soldier.” The veteran prayed.

“I thought I would just ask. It doesn’t hurt to ask now does it?” was the Soldier’s defence
“Yes, yes it does” sighed the veteran as he reached down to pull an arrow out of his thigh.


---------

Piraeus, Hellas, May 1419

The Sailor walked along the dock towards his fishing boat as he had done so for the last five years. Although this time he noticed the unusual amount of activity on the other side of the harbour. Labourmen, shipwrights, men of the military, it was quite a fuss. Upon reaching his vessel he asked his shipmate about the commotion.

“What’s going on over there?”
“They’re building some kind of navy for the Duke” replied the shipmate.

“A Navy! That sounds exciting” exclaimed the Sailor now with eyes fixed on the activity “Imagine the adventures you could have in a navy. Galleys I suppose, now that’s a real ship compared to this tiny raft.” referring to his tiny fishing boat and waving it off in disgust.

“Do you think they need a crew?” the Sailor asked his mate.
“Come on man, you don’t want to join a navy, you could be killed. Besides they probably want experienced men.”

“Experience, I’ve been a fisherman all my life. Nobody knows these waters better than me...”
“Except for that old geezer from Salamis” the mate interrupted before the Sailor got ahead of himself.
“…except for that old geezer from Salamis true but he won’t be signing up that’s for damn sure. Come one lets take a closer look”

Upon crossing the harbour, the Sailor and his mate approached a military-looking man who looked as though he was in command.

“Is this a galley for the Duke?” asked the Sailor.
“It is indeed and by the Grace of Athena, the duchy will have its own navy.” The military-looking man sang.
“How many are being built?”
“Just the one”
“Just one! How’s that supposed to take on the entire Ottoman fleet” cried the mate.
“They only build one at a time ofcourse. Anymore and they would have to actually pay the labourers isn’t that right? I’m sure they’ll build some more after this one is done.”

The military-looking man frowned. “The Duke has commissioned one for the moment but that number could grow in the future” he responded highly sensitive of the politics involved.
“See. I’m sure we’ll be able to match the Ottoman fleet in no time, probably with half the force” the Sailor reassured his mate.
“Where do we sign on?”
“Right here. Do you have any experience as a navy man?”

“Well not exactly as a navy man but we’ve both been fishermen all our lives and have traveled all over the Aegean. You see that boat over there” pointing to the tiny fishing boat “That’s our boat”

“I see” the military man rolled his eyes completely unimpressed. “Well I suppose men of the water are all men of the water no matter the size of his boat. I’ll just need your names and then you can see the purser for further instructions”
“Does this mean we’re in?”
“It does indeed and now that you’re navymen you should address me as ‘sir’”
“Thank you….sir”

-------------
END PART I
 
Last edited:
Cool! Nice start.

Only a couple of things. The aristocrat's color looks like it's going to be hard to read, and I doubt everybody's going to be saying things like "By Athena". They may be Greek, but they're still Christians.
 
How's the Aristocrat's colour now?

As for the 'Athena' remarks, thats a purposeful anachronism. This is some kind of parallel world where the Duchy of Athens somehow seems to worship Athena, patron saint of Athens, and each scene will feature the titular phrase normally as a 'for goodness sake' like curse. A catch phrase throughout the AAR.
 
The Swert said:
How's the Aristocrat's colour now?

As for the 'Athena' remarks, thats a purposeful anachronism. This is some kind of parallel world where the Duchy of Athens somehow seems to worship Athena, patron saint of Athens, and each scene will feature the titular phrase normally as a 'for goodness sake' like curse. A catch phrase throughout the AAR.

Aristocrat's color is much better.

The second part makes sense.
 
Part II - Late 1419
-------------

Sea of Marmara, Aug 1419

The Sailor and his mate leaned on their oar and panted for air.
“You know this isn’t what I had in mind when you got me into this,” whined the mate, “you said we would travel the Mediterranean on all sorts of adventures.”
“What do you mean? We defeated that Byzantine navy last month, wasn’t that exciting?”

“You mean the Ottomans defeated them we just happened to be caught in the middle of it. I mean that when I joined the navy I didn’t picture myself to be stuck to this oar all day long next to you on a crowded ship carrying thousands of drunk soldiers to who knows where whilst having a criminal of a superior whipping me every minute.”
“Get back to work you useless mongrels” cried the whipper as another blow cracked across both their backs.

After they got their oar back into the rhythm of the ship the Sailor responded “It’s not all bad at least we haven’t been killed or injured.” Right as he said that he heard a whistle come through the air and looked up just in time to see a cannonball splash right next to the tip of their oar soaking the Soldier, the mate and the whipper.

“What did you do that for, you fool? Now look I’m all wet” cried the mate as he accused the Sailor of poor oarsmanship.

“By the Grace of Athena that was a cannonball!” announced the whipper before the Sailor could defend himself. “They’re firing at us from the walls!” This created all sorts of panic amongst the already crowded galley. The soldiers tried to run for cover as the sailors tried to do the same. The whippers tried their best to hold them down whilst the officers, who were trying to organize their evasion, seeked out the whippers to execute the orders. The whole ordeal almost caused the vessel to capsize and it would take a few minutes for it to all settle down.

“Alright everybody listen up,” began the captain, “We seem to be within range of their guns, which we never knew they had, so we have to fall back a bit to get out of their range. Instead of landing at that beach over there” pointing to the secluded white beach within a few hundred metres of Constantinople’s walls “we’re going to have to land over there” pointing to a desolate rugged cliff-face about 5 miles from the city.

There was uproar amongst the soldiers but that was soon taken care of by the whippers.
“Well if you don’t like it we can drop you off there” pointing to the Asian side of the Bosphorus “and you can swim across yourselves.”
As the following murmur subsided another cannonball landed nearby which once again startled the ship.

“All right men, lets turn this baby around before they score one”
That was the signal for the whippers to get to work. Crack after crack across back after back. The sailor and the mate pulled as hard as their arms would pull but as another cannonball splashed nearby, the whippers took their fear out through their whips and the Sailor and the mate cried out in agony.

“Yeh we’re not getting injured at all” complained the mate. “I wish a never let you talk me into joining.” And so the argument continued…


---------

Firenze, Firenze, Aug 1419

The Emissary followed the footman into the palace grounds past the ever expanding renaissance constructions throughout the city. He was directed into a waiting room and told that he would have to wait for his audience. It was to be the Emissary’s first official meeting after only receiving his commission two months earlier.

To settle his nerves he remembered what his teacher had told him, “When in Rome, do as Romans do.” The Emissary tried to apply that phrase to his current situation. “Well I’m not in Rome, I’m in Florence. But Florence is close to Rome so what does that mean? Should I do as Romans sometimes do?” thought the Emissary as he now found himself confused as well as nervous.

As he pondered this predicament he decided to look around the room. Across from him was another man, equally nervous, sitting down clutching some papers. He decided to walk over and introduce himself, he always felt more comfortable talking to people.

“Are you here for an audience with the Senate too?” began the Emissary.
“Yeh, they’re running late as usual,” muttered the man.
“Well this is my first time here, I wouldn’t know,” responded the Emissary. “I’m from Athens.”

“From Athens?” the man had found life, “I wanted to go to Athens to get some inspiration for my artwork. I hear the Temple of Athena is marvelous.”
“Its true, and By the Grace of Athena most of it is still intact. So you’re an artist?” queried the Emissary.
“Yes, sculptures mainly. The Senate asks me to decorate their new works and I come back a month or two later to show them my plans. Would you like to have a look at some of the plans I have today?”

“Sure!” said the Emissary as the sculptor organised his papers.
“This one here is the main one I’m planning. It’s for the area directly under the new dome in the cathedral. It’s a reconstruction of the birth of Jesus.” The Emissary studied the plan with awe, until he noticed something amiss.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to insult your work or anything, it looks incredible, it’s just that…well…why does Mary have a beard?” asked the Emissary with utmost diplomacy. The sculptor grabbed the papers hurriedly and reviewed his plans.
“Your right! How could I make such a foolish mistake! I have to go back to my workshop and change the whole thing” The sculptor rose to his feet and shook the Emissary’s hand.

“Thank you sir. You prevented me from looking foolish in front of the Senate. Had they seen this they surely would not hire me again. Thank you!” And with that the sculptor hurriedly left the building audibly cursing himself under his breath.

It was straight after he left that the door to the audience chamber opened and a doorman called out “Mr Donatello, the Senate will see you now.” With nobody else left in the room the Emissary realised that the sculptor must have been Donatello and spoke up: “I’m afraid Mr Donatello has just left.”
“Well in that case,” the doorman consulted his list “It’s your turn.”

And with that the Emissary of the Duchy of Athens went in to tell the Senate of Tuscany that his Duke would no longer pay tribute to Florence. The Emissary spoke well gaining confidence from Donatello’s misfortune and held his own despite the anger and disapproval amongst the politicians and, when the meeting was over, headed back to Athens triumphant. The Duke would be pleased.


---------

Constantinople, Thrace, Sept 1419

The Knight was walking around making sure the base camp was being set up correctly. He knew from experience that sieges could last well over a year and he would need to construct a base camp that was durable enough to resist the weather and changing conditions. It was at this time that his scout returned to the camp from his morning wander.

“So what news?” asked the Knight
“Well sir, it seems as though we’re not the only ones besieging Constantinople. There are Tuscans further up the wall and I could see Ottomans over the far side near the river.”

“This is great news. We should organise a meeting…no a feast! Go back along the wall and tell them to meet here tonight at sunset and we’ll start organising” The Knight was now as excited as he had been since the Olympic Ball two years previous for he could once again show off his noble courtliness and splendorous hospitality.

The Knight burst into the main tent with sense of purpose and was followed by his sergeant and squire and other personal staff.
“Alright, Squire I would like you to bring the long table into here, we’ll arrange it lengthways so as to best utilize the space,” began the Knight.

“Umm sir, we don’t have the long table with us” said the Squire.
“Why on earth not? I told you to bring it with us”
“Yes sir but I’m afraid it wouldn’t fit on the boat not with the thousands of men. The captain complained about its weight.”

“It’s weight! It’s made from the finest Red Cedar in the whole Aegean. Did you get him to smell it? It’s lavish. Oh well never mind we’ll just have to make our own. Take some men and cut down some of those trees in that forest we passed on the way here, they weren’t Cedars but they’ll have to do.”

“Sir, may I ask how large you will need it? How many people will be at the feast?”
“Well that’s quite simple really, I imagine it will be the Sergeant and I as well as the interpreter, then the Tuscans will probably bring their leader and sergeant as well and knowing the Ottomans they’ll bring their leader and his whole family. You had better make room for 10.”

And so the planning went on for the next several hours as the Knight tried to make his frugal tent look like a luscious dining room. He would not be content with anything secondary as this dinner would be more a statement of his social skills than a scrumptious meal. In fact it wasn’t until after lunch that he had discussed the food itself. Finally, just as the Knight was supervising the embroidery for the serviettes, the scout arrived back at the camp.

“Sir!” He cried as he struggled to gain the Knight’s attention. “Sir I bring bad news from up the line. It seems neither the Ottomans or the Tuscans will be able to come tonight.”
“You’re kidding!” exclaimed the Knight, “Why not?”

“Well sir, it seems as though the Ottoman leader has gone back to Bursa for the weekend whilst the Tuscan leader is suffering from gastritis at the moment. However as a show of goodwill he will be sending his sergeant along.”
“By the Grace of Athena this is a disaster!” cried the Knight. “I’ve gone to all this trouble to set this thing up and now nobody is coming.”

“Well what about the sergeant sir?” asked the scout
“I don’t give a damn about the sergeant. I’m not going to show off my magnificence to a commoner like him, he’s not worth it.”
“And what about the food sir? It will all be wasted. Should we ration out amongst the army?” asked the sergeant.

“That grade of meat and wine? I think not, it would only raise their expectations. We’ll keep the meat between ourselves and I’ll have the wine sent in to my tent, I’ll need it after today.” And with that the Knight retired to his tent.


-------------
END PART II
 
Last edited:
Lordling - I figured it's easier without naming them. The drawback of this however is that i can't have another person say their name to call them over etc. I seem to be coping with it so far.
 
The Swert said:
Lordling - I figured it's easier without naming them. The drawback of this however is that i can't have another person say their name to call them over etc. I seem to be coping with it so far.

Yes, I haven't really noticed it. You've made it sound very natural.

Very good writing!
 
Part III - Early 1420
-------------

Athens, Hellas, Feb 1420

The Duke summoned forth his two eldest daughters and had them stand to one side as he debated their fate.
“Ok advisors. My daughters have both come of age and I believe it is time that I married them off.” began the Duke
“I was thinking that we should marry one of them to the Prince of France, you know that really pale one? Is he second in line or third in line? I can never keep up with the French monarchy.”

“He is the third in line sir” answered an advisor.
“That will do. We need to reinforce our relationship with France, I believe some of us are beginning to forget that we most of the population in Athens is French.”

“Umm sir, most of Athens is Greek.”
“Oh well then most of rest of the Duchy”
“Umm, the Duchy is Greek too sir.”
“Well is it my heritage that’s French?”
“Ah no sir. You are descended from the Tuscans.”
“Then by the Grace of Athena how are we French?’
“It’s our culture sir.”
“And what’s that?”
“It means we like our daughters to marry them sir.”

“Ah right. I knew we had to marry them for some reason.” Concluded the Duke. “Now what to do with the other one…”
“Sir, if I may. I believe we should increase our ties with Tuscany. They don’t seem to be too happy that we cancelled their vassalage” responded an advisor.

“Bloody Tuscans! Why do we need them?”
“They are the leader of our alliance sir. We wouldn’t want them pulling out of the war sir.” answered the advisor

“Hmmm yes you might be right, besides my family did come from Tuscany. I suppose we should keep in touch.” Conceded the Duke. “Alright so it’s a done deal, these two daughters of mine shall be the Princess of France and the wife of a De Medici.”
The Duke opened his hands indicating the advisors to leave when one spoke up.

“Umm sir. Which one would you like to marry France and which one would you like to marry Tuscany?”
“Ah well lets see. Daughters come closer and turn around.” The Duke had not seen much of his daughters and needed a closer inspection before he could make a decision. “Yes this one here is much more beautiful; she can go to the French. And, because I don’t like Tuscans very much they can have the ugly one.”


---------

Nafplion, Morea, Apr 1420

The siege had obviously taken its toll. Nafplion lay in ruins. Burnt houses, collapsed buildings, ransacked shops and in the middle of it all was the Soldier.
He had been given the afternoon off after what had been a very sapping week.

The Soldier was relieved the siege was finally over and was now roaming the town in search of some loot. Unfortunately, only the fastest winners take the spoils and the Soldier was not a fast runner. He roamed his way through the remains of what looked like a wealthy villa when he came across the owner.

“Please. I have nothing. They…they already took it all.” Pleaded the owner
“Then you won’t mind if a take a look around then will you” said the Soldier as he continued his way through the house.
The owner followed him grabbing at his feet. “Please go. Haven’t you done enough.”

The Soldier was weary had no patience for the owner.
“Out of my way!” he growled reaching for his sword. The owner stayed in pursuit and the Soldier noticed he seemed to get more and more desperate as he approached what looked like a dressing room. The Soldier searched through the dresser and discovered a small box hidden up the back. The owner’s face went from desperation to despair.

“What’s this?” asked the Soldier as he opened the box to find a silver pendant with a silver heart and a pearl in the centre.
“Nothing. It’s just a bit of tin with a rock in it.” Dismissed the owner
“Well in that case you won’t be missing it, will you?” The Soldier continued his reverse psychology.

The owner knew he had no leg to stand on, his most valuable asset remaining was now also being taken away and there was nothing he could do. He retreated into the corner and collapsed into tears. The Soldier was not usually as cruel a man as this but the army’s pay was rotten and he needed something to tell himself that the last year was worthwhile.

The Soldier stormed out of the house not looking back and heading back to his unit. The men there were showing off their loot in the most jocular of fashions. The Soldier wanted nothing to do with it; he wanted some quiet time to himself as he fought his remorse.

“Hey. What did you pick up?” The Soldier realized that voice was speaking to him and that the whole group was gazing upon him.
“I just picked up this little trinket” replied the Soldier as he brought out the pendant.

“By the Grace of Athena you struck it rich! Is that a real pearl?” said one of the group
“What?” said the Soldier overwhelmed by the sudden intrigue.
“Yes it is.” said another “That must be worth a fortune. Where’d you find that?”

And with that the Soldier’s remorse was gone. He was back to usual self again and began joking with his fellow soldiers seeking comfort from the fact that both the months of fighting and the misery of looting was not a waste. Indeed he did have something special and something which he would savour forever.


---------

Athens, Hellas, Jun 1420

It was a typically warm summer’s day in the marketplace and the Merchant and his partner were slouching idly awaiting their next customer.
“Why can’t I ever do any selling? You’ve been doing the selling for months now. I want a shot at it” complained the partner.

“We’ve been through this before. We each bring our own skills into this partnership. I do the selling and you do the buying. It’s the way it should be, after all I can’t match your buying skills and I seem to have a better way with customers,” responded the Merchant.

“You’re not better with customers than me” claimed the buyer.
“Sure I am, watch this, you see this man coming towards us, this is how you get a sale.”

The man coming towards the stall was wearing unmistakably official regalia. If this sale could stick, the merchant knew he wouldn’t have to worry about the buyer’s complaints for the rest of the day as this official man could pay for their whole day’s salary.

“You there! You look like man in need of a feed. Come feast your eyes on the most succulent herring, the tenderest of sardines and mackerel and the freshest blennies” spruiked the Merchant.
“Shut it would you. I’m not here for your fish.” Replied the official. The Merchant turned to the buyer and was met by a grinning face.

“I’m here on behalf of the Duke. How’s business?” asked the official
“Well now that you mention it, not very well,” began the Merchant, “the prices have all gone up terribly since some of the fishermen stopped fishing.”
“They’ve joined the navy” said the buyer

“I understand what you’re going through but I come with good news” said the official “The Duke has decided that he wants to send some merchants over to the Alexandria marketplace. The marketplace is much bigger there you realize. Ten times as many customers atleast.”

“Well good for him, but what’s that got to do with us?” asked the buyer
“You two have been chosen as the lucky merchants who get to go and represent Athens. The Duke will arrange the transport and pay for all your set up costs and in return he’ll be wanting a share of the profits.” Explained the official

“By the Grace of Athena!” the Merchant exalted. “Did you hear that? We’re going to Egypt!” The Merchant and the buyer sprung to their feet and danced around the stall together before slipping over the wet floor.
“Yes…Well get yourselves prepared and whatever and I’ll be back the day after tomorrow with all the arrangements.” Continued the official.

“Oh thank you! Thank you! Here have some fish, on the house.” The Merchant frantically plunged an assortment of fish into the official’s hands before he could object.
“I’ll see you the day after tomorrow” said the conceding official before walking away trying to balance the fish.

The Merchant turned around to the buyer.
“Why did you give him all that fish for you fool? You were supposed sell him fish not give him fish.” Growled the buyer

“Ahhh…shaddap.” Snapped the Merchant “Didn’t you hear, we’re going to Egypt and we’re going to be funded by the Duke. We don’t need any of this fish anymore we’re going to be rich! I’ve always wanted to go to Egypt.”


-------------
END PART III
 
Last edited:
Nice update. The Duke's was kinda funny. :D
 
Very cool idea, nicely done. I'll keep up with this. :)
 
Thanks for your support guys, it must be lucky because you know how i said i didn't have any screenshots of the game because i had deleted the save file, well i've happened to find some i accidently took whilst playing. It's a good thing F11 (take screenshot) is next to F10 (menu). They're not the most telling of screenshots but i'll post them up anyway when the time comes.

Part IV - Late 1420
-------------

Alexandria, Alexandria, July 1420

The Merchant and the buyer were exploring their new base of Alexandria before setting up shop. Having left the first of the supplies on board the ship the Merchant was in a good mood as they surveyed the streets looking for a position not too close to the competing merchants but still close enough to get good customer flow.

“Wow I can’t believe we’re in Alexandria.”
“Yeh. It’s wonderful.” The buyer painfully spurted out.
“Are you still seasick?”
“This is why I chose to be a merchant. Because I couldn’t actually get the fish myself.”

“Oh well. Lets just try to focus on the land, that might help. You see that island over there? That’s where the Pharos was. They should really clean that up. It’s been a century since it collapsed. It would be a nice spot for a fort”
“Since when did you become such a history expert?”
“I was in business with an Egyptian before I met you. He taught me all about the history. That’s why I’m so thrilled to finally be here.”
“Well I’m not so thrilled myself” grumbled the buyer as he struggled to keep down his lunch. “Let’s just find a spot for the stall so I can sit down.”

“Alright then lets have a look down here.” The Merchant pressed on as they rounded another corner of the marketplace.
“What about here. This looks good. No other fish merchants near by but still plenty of people.” Said the buyer
“Yes. We’ll set up here. You go back to dock and starting bringing the equipment up and I’ll find the landowner here.”

As the buyer retreated down the street, the Merchant approached the neighbouring stall trying to remember the little Egyptian his former colleague had taught him.
“Hello there. Are you the landowner of this space?”
The landowner nodded.

“How much would it cost me to buy it from you?”
“$5” he replied
“By the Grace of Athena! You’re dreaming” Cried the Merchant, more to himself than to the landowner.
“What?” queried the landowner.
“I said I’ll give you $2 for it.” Bargained the Merchant
“$4”
“$3” The landowner accepted and the Merchant handed over the money; it was a good thing the Duke was paying.

The Merchant was still talking with the man when the buyer returned with both their trunks.
“Alright here’s our personally stuff, the ship’s men are bringing the rest up now” said the buyer as he put down the trunks. The leaning action must have been the last straw for the buyer as he faced turned purple and he was sick all over the Merchant’s trunk.

“That’s great. That’s just great” applauded the Merchant
“I’m never going to complain about the price of fish ever again. The fishermen deserve every cent.” evaluated the buyer as he collapsed on the ground beside the trunks.
The landowner could only laugh.



---------

Constantinople, Thrace, Sept 1420

A lone horseman waited by the gate of Constantinople anxiously. His lateness could have been critical for he knew that negotiations could take the most sudden of turns very quickly. He regretted now the fact that his ship was terribly ill suited for the journey and resented the guards for not letting him in even though he was an hour late. Nevertheless he waited all day by the gate for the convoy to reappear.

Finally the gate opened and out came the emissaries; Tuscan, Ottoman and Athenian. They certainly didn’t look cheerful; in fact they were avoiding one another which was strange since they were all meant to be negotiating on the same side. The Emissary came closer to the horseman wielding a pale face.

“Who are you?” asked the Emissary as they met.
“I’m with the Duke’s Ministry. They’ve sent me hear to oversee the negotiations. How are they progressing?”
“It’s all over. We finished today.” Replied the Emissary without a hint of expression
“Damn,” the minister cursed his delay once more. “I was wanting to reinforce the Duke’s wishes in these negotiations. Did you manage to get Morea? That was the top priority.”

“Well no. It’s kind of complicated. Let me explain” said the Emissary, sweat across his forehead.
“We went in there today and the Byzantines and Tuscans got talking. I wasn’t a part of the conversation but before I knew it they were talking about peace and were bargaining in terms of gold.”
“They didn’t, did they?” the minister was in disbelief.

“Yes they did they signed peace with the Byzantines on our behalf for $99.”
“No Morea! The Duke will not pleased. Where’s our portion of the gold?” asked the minister.
“That’s not all though. I knew that the Duke would be mad at me for failing in the negotiations and that dwelled on me as the meeting went on. I decided, for the sake of my career, that I had to get something out of the conference.”

“What do you mean?” The minister was fearful because the Emissary was now visibly shaking as it came time to spit it out.
“I declared war on the Ottomans.”
“By the Grace of Athena you did what!” screamed the minister
“I know. I know. It was very wrong of me. But the Byzantines were exalted as the news and the Tuscan diplomat pulled me aside but I was able to talk him into joining the war.”

Now it was the minister who was shaking, he paced his horse up and down the road.
“This is bad, very bad. What am I going to tell the Duke? He’s going to erupt. How could you do this to me?”
“Well I don’t know maybe you could turn it around on him, pretty it up a bit. He’s a descendant of the crusaders yeh? You could proclaim it as another crusade against the infidel Mohammads or something.”

“Yes, yes that might work” said the minister deep in thought before riding off towards to coast.
“Where you going? The camp’s this way” queried the Emissary.
“To dig myself a grave” joked the minister.


---------

Salona, Hellas, Dec 1420

The Aristocrat led the group of noblemen into the hall of his abode. The group took their seats elegantly and began their discussions.

“Well gentlemen, first of all I would like to welcome you all and thank you for coming. I understand your presence here is most dangerous so I will try to keep things short.”

“As you would all know, I am a cousin of the Duke however my first loyalty is to our lords in Tuscany. In recent times the Duke has gone beyond his right in some of actions to make the Duchy more autonomous and we are here today because we believe that this must stop.”

“It is a sentiment that is felt by many ever since the Duke cancelled his vassalage with Tuscany but has been amplified in the past few months by his preposterous decision to declare war on the Ottomans and drag our lords into the war as well. Furthermore the Duke is actually publicising this suicidal attempt as a crusade! Well gentlemen I believe it is time that we undertook a bit of crusade of our own, to bring down the insubordinate Duke and return the Duchy to it’s rightful Tuscan lords.”

“Of course talk like this is highly sensitive so we must keep this strictly between ourselves. The fewer who know about it, the less chance it will come back to the Duke. In this spirit, it is importantly that our actions remain covertly anonymous; this means any plans that we have, have to look natural so that no suspicion is raised. Does anyone have any plans that we could consider?”

The room was silent. It was obvious that the Aristocrat was the man running the show and that the other nobles were merely supporters.

“You sir. You’re the Prefect of Ergastiri correct?” asked the Aristocrat mostly insistently of one of the nobles
“Yes that’s right” answered the lord
“Your son is the suitor to” pointing to another of the lords “your daughter, yes?”
“That right…” responded the second lord

“Well what would happen if each of your families got into a feud over the union. Something like this would unsettle the strained Duke. With war already on his hands, an internal feud could cause some significant damage to his reputation and the duchy’s stability. It would not be long that the other nobles would realise his incompetence and side with us. Within months the Duke could be overthrown and the Duchy returned to Tuscan loyalty. What do you think?”

“That sounds like a plan.” Replied a lord
“I’m for it” said another
“Well then let’s make it happen.” cried the Aristocrat before reaching for the goblet of wine infront of him.
“By the Grace of Athena let the Duchy be returned to it’s rightful owners. For Tuscany!”
“For Tuscany!”


-------------
END PART IV
 
Hey, this is good! I like your writing style.

*actually reads it*

Uh-oh, a little spot of bother I see. I've a good feeling you'll sort it all out though.
 
SirruShan said:
Uh-oh, a little spot of bother I see. I've a good feeling you'll sort it all out though.

Every good story needs an antagonist. Somebody responsible for all evil in the world.

I have a 'good' feeling that 'good' will win as well. But then again, this AAR already has a fixed ending date, there must be a reason for that. ;)
 
The Swert said:
I have a 'good' feeling that 'good' will win as well. But then again, this AAR already has a fixed ending date, there must be a reason for that.
That's where my good feeling came from... ;)
 
Part V - Early 1421
-------------

Alexandria, Alexandria, April 1421

The Merchant strolled down the road towards his stall.
“Well I’m back”
‘That’s great man,” replied the buyer, “how was the trip to Giza”

“Oh man you should’ve seen it. Those Pyramids are huge I tell you. Makes the Acropolis look like a mole hill. Oh and then there was this carving they call the Sphinx. It looked like a lion but with a human head.”
“A human and a lion? Bestiality!”

“No not bestiality, mythology. Anyway it was pretty huge except someone had knocked its nose off.”
“That’s great but what about the conference? You did go to the merchants’ conference didn’t you?”

“Yeh…didn’t learn much though. This Venitian kept talking about something called mercantilism but I don’t think many people listened to him. Sounded like science fiction to me. Anyway how did things go back here. I left you in charge of the buying and the selling. I trust you survived.”
“Yeh thanks, Selling was fine. I told you a could sell you just never believed me. However…there is one small problem.”

“I knew it. What happened, let me guess…you focused on selling and forgot about buying and now we’re out of fish.”
“No. It’s worse than that. We’re out of money.”
“We’re out of money! By the Grace of Athena I knew I should not have left you in charge. You’re useless, how did you ever possess me to think I could trust you with selling, you a buyer!”

“Settle down it had nothing to do with me. I was selling just as much as before you left but then look what happened.”
The buyer pointed behind the Merchant across the road. The Merchant turned to see a massive new stall. It was atleast twice the size of the Merchant’s stall and was using flags, banners and bright colours to draw a endless stream of customers.

“Wh..Who are they?” asked the Merchant
“They’re Ottomans, I can tell from their flag. They’re selling fish too, from Dobrudja. They’ve taken all our customers.”
“How long have they been there?”

“Only a couple of weeks but it’s enough to force us out of business.”
“Don’t say that. We can fight them all we need is to brighten this place up a little bit. Something to draw the crowd this way, some music perhaps. I know, we could…”
“It’s too late. We don’t have any money left to brighten the place up.”
The Merchant sighed “Well, what do we do know?”

“We got no choice; we have to head back to Athens, back to our old stomping ground”
“It’s a shame but I think you’re right. Just as I was starting to like this place. Let’s start packing up.”


---------

Thessaloniki, Macedonia, June 1421

It was another hot summer’s day and the Soldier was with his unit sitting beneath some crowded trees. It was the Soldier second long siege but this time he was prepared for the months of anxious waiting. Ottoman Thessaloniki was the target this time and after eight months it was clear that the city was suffering as fires could be seen burning through the night from behind the walls however there was no sign of them surrendering anytime soon.

The Soldier was in the middle of a game of chess when his sergeant approached.
“I take your bishop with my horse.” Said the Soldier as the sergeant cleared his throat to gain his attention.
“It’s called a knight not a horse” corrected the chess opponent
“Whatever man. Either way you’ve just lost your bishop.” Replied the Soldier and once again the sergeant cleared his throat. Both the soldier and his opponent rose to their feet after finally realizing his presence.

“Soldier,” Began the Sergeant, “Our records say that you come from Marathon. Is this correct?”
“Yes sir” answered the Soldier.
“Very good. The Knight has requested a new runner since the previous one ran into a target practice session. Report to the Command tent when you’re finished with that…game” said the Sergeant struggling to find the correct word for the pastime that had fallen into great fashion throughout the siege.

“Hang on sir. What do you mean report to the Command tent. What do I have to do with running?”
“You are from Marathon yes? Everyone from Marathon is a skilled runner and since the Knight needs a new runner…”

“That’s just a legend sir. Not everyone from Marathon is a great long distance runner. Sir, I can’t run more than 100 metres before getting tired. I would make a terrible runner.” Interrupted the Soldier desperate not to be prejudiced.
“Hmm well I’m not sure about that. I’ll have to confer with the Knight about this but if he still wants you, you will become his runner. Understand?” Said the Knight

“Yes sir.” replied the Soldier. He let out a sigh of anxiety as the Knight rode off back towards the Command tent. The Soldier sat down once more and returned to his game of chess.
“What happened to my horse?” asked the Soldier disinterested in the correct term for the piece.

“I took it with my rook” replied the opponent. “You’re now under check as well.”
“Ah This is a stupid game anyway.” Cried the Soldier as he pondered his next move.

It was then that a cry came down the lines. The city had surrendered and the army was rushing towards the gate. The Soldier and the rest of his unit instantly forgot about chess and their shady trees and ran for the gate as well. Every man knew that the loot was first in best dressed so the race was on. The Soldier, apart from being one of the last to realize the breakthrough was also one of the slowest. Some of the fastest runners had already made it to the gate when the Sergeant now on horseback came galloping alongside of the Soldier.

“By the Grace of Athena you’re slow. Yes well I see now that the legend is false.” He chuckled before speeding off ahead.


---------

Aegean Sea, June 1421

Word had been received that the Ottomans were in the Aegean Sea and were preparing to land on Hellas. With the fall of Thessaloniki the Ottomans were getting on the offensive. The Duke was fearful of an impending invasion and so sent his magnificent navy out into the Aegean to defend the waters around Athens.

“There’s got to be atleast 20 of them!” panicked the Sailor
“We’re doomed! Doomed!” cried the mate who had already conceded his fate.
“Steady men.” Calmed the whipper and the men could tell it was an order because it was followed by the cat of nine tails across their backs.

“Alright men listen up. They’re coming at us in a line abreast formation so to break the line we’ll need full power and by the Grace of Athena hope that we’ve got the stronger hull. Prepare the ram.” Announced the captain

“You heard the man. Full steam ahead.” Followed up the whipper.
“Steam?” queried the mate
“Full oars ahead then. Whatever.” Replied the whipper and to reassert authority he gave them each another whip across the back.

As the dwarfed Athenian vessel approached the Ottoman line the galley was speeding along at over 20 knots. With a sudden crash that sent several rowers flying over their oars the Athenian galley collided with an Ottoman galley. The captain plan had failed as the ram had glided along the side of the enemy ship rather then hitting it front on. Since the Ottomans had strung their ships together with rope the Athenian galley slowed down as it squeezed between two of them. Everybody now knew it was going to be hand to hand.

“Cutlasses men! Prepare to fend off boarders” yelled the captain as he paraded his sword through the air.

The Sailor and mate dropped the oar and grasped their swords. They wished they had focused more during the hours of blockaded training sessions because it was now do or die. They didn’t have to move very far before Ottomans started leaping over the railings. It was a brutal few minutes that followed as the Athenian crew struggled to fend off boarders from both sides. The rest of the Ottoman vessels were coming now too trying to wrap the Athenian ship up like a spider using its web. As the fierce hand to hand continued the Sailor felt another tremendous shock. A third enemy ship had rammed into the stern of the ship and a third group of boarders were starting to jump aboard.

Just as the Sailor and his mate were getting desperately overwhelmed the captain made the announcement to retreat. That was easier said than done as most of the oarsmen were no longer at their oars. It would take everybody’s cooperation to fight off the boarders and at the same time break free from the grappling hooks and some get some propulsion. The Athenian ship broke free just in time as two more enemy vessels were approaching to cut off the only escape route.

The Sailor and his mate forced the now limited boarders back who were realizing they were on board the wrong ship and starting jumping into the ocean to avoid capture. The Ottomans put forth a chase only temporarily as they realized that turning around would take too long and the Athenian ship would soon be back in port. Nonetheless the Ottomans were pleased with what was an overwhelming victory. The blockade would stand and the Athenians now knew who was in command of the Aegean.

Meanwhile back on board the Sailor and his mate regrouped. As they rowed frantically for port they noticed something amiss. There was no longer a cat of nine tails and a screaming voice behind them. They soon realized that the whipper was one of the casualties but there would be many more to be counted and many more to be buried.

-------------
END PART V
 
Last edited:
Part VI - Late 1421
-------------

Athens, Hellas, July 1421

The Merchant and the buyer were back in Athens pondering there missed opportunity whilst awaiting their next customer.

“I hate this place” cursed the Merchant
“What do you mean you hate it? You lived here for years and never had any problem with it.” Replied the buyer
“Well yes but now I’ve been to Alexandria. Man I wish I was still over there. We sold a lot more fish there as well; heaps more customers. There’s barely anybody around here today.” said the Merchant

The buyer had noticed this as well. It was unusually quite for market day even by Athens’ standards.
Suddenly a thunderous roar made itself heard. Faintly at first but it was slowly getting louder. The sky was as blue as ever so the two merchants were at a loss.

“Do you hear that?” asked the buyer
“Yeh…” answered the Merchant bluntly so as to continue listening carefully. “It’s coming from down there, towards the port.”
They both waited as the roar got louder and louder and finally the source revealed itself as a rowdy Ottoman army turned the corner and began marching through the marketplace.

“By the Grace of Athena! Ottomans!” exclaimed the merchant.
“What do we do! What do we do!” panicked the buyer “Should we tell the authorities?”
“I think they would have heard them by now” the merchant stayed calm as he thought. “You know they’ve probably just come off the ships and are starving for a good feed…Pass me that crate.” said the Merchant.
“What are you doing? Are you mad!” cried the buyer as the Merchant grapped a crate full of fish and ran towards the army.

“You want fish? Plenty of fish here. I make cheap price especially for you.” Bartered the Merchant as the army rolled passed. He doubted they could actually understand him but he hoped his gestures were getting the message across. When one of the officers took notice of the Merchant and his crate of fish the Merchant was sure a sale was coming. The officer scrimmaged through the crate unsatisfactorily so the Merchant motioned to the officer that he had more at his stall. Suddenly the officer sent out an order and the army turned and started stampeding towards the stall. The Merchant was lucky to get out of the way whilst the buyer wet himself as the group swooped upon the stall.

Two minutes later the Ottomans left the stall and returned on the previous path. The stall was a mess, they army had cleared out everything all the fish was gone all the money was gone there was nothing left except the buyer. The Merchant slowly walked back to the stall as the buyer recovered his senses.

“So did you sell any?” asked the Merchant with utter sarcasm. The scowl on the buyer’s face gave him his answer.
“I’ve always said that you couldn’t sell.” Joked the Merchant and he knew it would probably be his last joke by the judge of the buyer’s face.


---------

Athens, Hellas, July 1421

The Duke, his advisors and his generals were gathered on a balcony in the Palace on top of the Acropolis overlooking the Ottoman Army that was rampaging through Athens.

“How did they get right into the city?” cried the Duke. “How did they get past our walls?”
“Umm…sir” began an advisor “You decided not to extend the walls around the entire city. You decided to spend the funds on your 40th birthday festival instead.”

“Ah that’s right, and well worth it I must say” The Duke reminisced.
“Well what are we going to do sir?” asked the general “I mean we can only stay protected on the Acropolis for so long.”
“Don’t you start,” growled the Duke. “You’re the one who’s supposed to let me know when the enemy is storming towards my territory, my city, my palace!”

“Well sir, I did send a runner from Marathon to warn you several weeks ago.”
“Well then what happened? Why wasn’t I told?”
“Sir, it seems that not everyone from Marathon is a good long distance runner” admitted the general, “It seems he collapsed just 4 miles in.”
“By the Grace of Athena! You mean the legend about Marathon people isn’t true? Well I would never have thought,” replied the Duke, obviously surprised by the revelation.

“Just goes to show that you can’t trust anyone but yourself, as I have always believed,” judged the Duke, “having said that, I’ll be taking charge of this situation. General, how many men have we got up here on the Acropolis?”
“120 royal guard, 65 palace staff and 48 clergymen, sir”

“Alright then give the clergymen weapons and send them to protect the gate.”
“But sir, the clergymen don’t…”
“Silence! The way I see it is that the last thing the clergymen want to see happen is the Temple to fall into hands of the infidel. And, with any luck, their devotion will turn into fury and they’ll be the best fighters we’ve got.”
“What shall I do with the guards sir?”
“Line them up in the court, I want to give them a speech.”

A few minutes later the guards and palace staff were assembled in the court as the Duke stood on a chair ready to address them.
“Men of Athens,” he began, “I stand before you standing on a chair that is standing on the Acropolis that stands in the middle of our fair city of Athens.”
The guards looked at one another.
“This is our chair! This is our Acropolis! And this is our fair city of Athens!” Roared the Duke as the advisors cheered submissively.
“And by the Grace of Athena we cannot, will not and shall not let this chair, this Acropolis or this fair city of Athens fall into the hands of the Infidels” After this statement and its following obedient cheer one of the young soldiers raised his hand.

The Duke pointed to the soldier most invitingly “What is it boy, go ahead”
“Forgive me if I’m wrong sir, but are we not Catholics?” asked the soldier.
“Yes. Of course we are. That’s why we must defeat these Muslims” answered the Duke most politically.
“Then why do you refer to Athena and not Christ?” followed up the soldier.
“Ermm…” This one had the Duke searching the crowd as if one of his advisors face would show him the answer.
“That’s very good question.” He replied eventually, then aside to an advisor “You research that and get back to me. I would like to know as well.”

It was then that one of the clergymen came running forth to interrupt the awkwardness.
“Sir!” he panted, “Sir, the Ottomans are retreating, they’re retreating back to their ships!”

Everyone cheered and when the cheering subsided the Duke addressed the general:
“If you have want to get anything done you have to do it yourself” The Duke was pleased with himself. He was of the opinion it was his actions that had made the Ottomans retreat. Unbeknownst to him, the Ottomans were just leaving because they had all gotten sick from some fish they had looted from a local merchant.


---------

Macedonia-Thrace Border, Sept 1421

The Knight led the Athenian Army towards to Constantinople. As they approached the border into Thrace he was met by two dirty-looking border guards, one wielding a sword, the other a bow.

The Knight turned on his noblest of voices.
“I have here the Athenian Army. We have come to liberate Constantinople from the Ottomans.”

The sword-wielding guard came forth.
“I’m sorry but we have orders not to let anybody in who’s not on our list” and, checking his list again he concluded “No Athenians on the list”

“By the Grace of Athena” cursed the Knight. “You do realize that we’re both fighting the same enemy. Those Turks are as much our enemy as they are yours and we’re trying to help you by liberating your city.”

“Indeed I do sir. But whilst we might be fighting the same crusade we’re not fighting the same war and no men from Athens are allowed through Byzantine lands and we’re here to ensure that stays the case.”

Turning to his sergeant, the fury bursting from within: “Can you believe the nerve of this guy. Well I’m not going to be stopped by this excuse for a guard…”

“Wait a moment, did you say the Athenian Army” the second guard interjected “The same Athenian Army that burned, raped and pillaged Morea two years ago”
“Yes that’s right” the Knight proudly replied assuming that they were finally coming to their senses and realizing that this army was in fact a mighty force with not to be reckoned.

The guard erupted. “You bastards burnt down my sisters house and took away two of her children” “Oh it’s a good job you barbarians showed up, I’ve been wanting some vengeance on you pigs for a long time” The guard reached for his bow.

“I think its time we left” The Knight conceded to his sergeant with a level of fear and urgency that was most ignoble “About face! Forward March!” and then as he felt the wind of an arrow come flying past his head “At the double!”


-------------
END PART VI
 
Argh i was planning on updating this tonite but i got distracted by the new game announcement (watching numbers count down is so addictive). I will get around to finishing the next chapter, sometime this week. Man i can't wait till uni is over, only 5 more weeks.
 
The Swert said:
Argh i was planning on updating this tonite but i got distracted by the new game announcement (watching numbers count down is so addictive). I will get around to finishing the next chapter, sometime this week. Man i can't wait till uni is over, only 5 more weeks.

Looking forward to it! :)