My name is Halfdan, called the Whiteshirt. I am a warrior born. I will slay any in my way, or simply if I am bored. I will raid, pillage, and conquer, as my ancestors before me, and as I hope my sons shall do one day.
These lands are my hunting ground.
I have not been long in this realm. I arrived with my brothers and sons two years ago, to wreak havoc upon these lands and bring them under my dominion. The fat priests accumulate wealth to no gain and defy the gods in Valhalla. They encourage only weakness in their followers; they are a blight upon land and must be culled, permanently, and the old ways restored. Woe betide any foolish monk seeking to approach me or mine; they shall find all ears closed to them and their own shorn from their bodies, if they are fortunate. I am also here to wreak vengeance upon the so-called King of Northumberland; he shall regret putting my father to death, without a proper trial by combat. I shall seize his lands and make his daughters my concubines; that will do for a start.
As with any wise general, I surround myself with capable lieutenants, whom I can trust absolutely.
The best way to ensure that loyalty is obvious; to ensure that only your kinfolk hold positions of importance. The one exception in my court is Kol af Skipton. He is wise indeed, able to read not only the runes but that confounded Latin beloved by the priests. No proper Viking can raid if he does not know where to raid or where the valuables are kept. He is, on occasion, overly concerned about his death, but any good warrior should look to his blindside. I approve of such caution, if it be not excessive.
My son and heir to my lands of Jorvik is Sigfrid. He is adept with a blade and cunning, but will need his own Kol af Skipton when he becomes king. He works long hours at swordplay and to learn the basics of governance. I am well pleased, and I am certain in the coming campaigns he shall be an asset.
My second son, Gudfrid, has taken to the book while still keeping his wits and sword sharp. He will be an excellent administrator, I think, if he can learn to measure his words. He ensures these peasants pay their tribute on time.
Rikulfr of Richmond may not be my blood, but we have fought many a campaign together. I would be proud to call him brother; he is among the smartest and most capable men I have ever met. I did not hesitate to name him Baron when I conquered this castle of Richmond, and if my own blood cannot succeed me, I think of no better person to do so.
My youngest son, Ragnarr is a seer, wise in the ways of the All-Father. He may not have the blade of Sigfrid or the gift for gold of Gudfrid, but he is strong in many areas and has no weaknesses.
All of these cross worshippers hate and fear us, as they rightly should, and we give battle to all south of Scotland.
Although my army is well trained, more soliders are always welcome, and I have sent a dispatch to the King of Jylland. With his aid, we cannot fail!
I normally don't start with a cold open in my AARs, but I think it's appropriate for the beginning of what could be (and I hope will be) an epic adventure through CKII, EUIV, and either Vicky 2 or, perhaps by then, Vicky 3? I don't promise to go all the way into HOI IV, but it's also possible.
For this AAR, my latest, we have Sakura_F to thank. In my last AAR, an EUIV gameplay AAR about Uesugi->Japan, I had a contest to see who could guess how high Japan would reach in the pantheon of nations. He guessed correctly, and was able to name my next AAR. Thus, we have the beginning of this megacampaign (one might say that was cheating, as it would be naming three AARs and not one, but I'm inclined to let it slide). As you are no doubt aware, I am playing as Halfdan "Whiteshirt" of Jorvik in the 867 start. I have the latest beta for CKII and all DLC except Rajahs of India and Sunset Invasion.
House rules
1. No save scumming.
2. No cheating.
3. Nothing "gamey."
4. At no point will we convert to Christianity, or any other faith, apart from reforming the Norse faith. This applies to the entire megacampaign.
Goals
1. Conquer the kingdom of Northumbria.
2. Conquer England.
3. Expand to the entirety of the British Isles, including all of Ireland.
4. If time permits, I may expand farther, but the maximum extent of my Empire in CKII will be the North Sea Empire, plus Ireland and Scotland, plus whatever is needed to reform the Norse faith. I don't want to expand farther than that for fear of having nothing to do in EUIV. (Maybe Iceland too.)
I am hoping to have updates relatively frequently -- once a week, possibly twice. I'm not completely convinced I'll stick to the first person format, but it will be mostly narrative with a splash of gameplay here and there. Each update will cover the reign of one monarch, or if necessary, multiple updates for one monarch. I am hoping that the first proper update will be out Thursday or Friday.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll join us for more adventures!
These lands are my hunting ground.
I have not been long in this realm. I arrived with my brothers and sons two years ago, to wreak havoc upon these lands and bring them under my dominion. The fat priests accumulate wealth to no gain and defy the gods in Valhalla. They encourage only weakness in their followers; they are a blight upon land and must be culled, permanently, and the old ways restored. Woe betide any foolish monk seeking to approach me or mine; they shall find all ears closed to them and their own shorn from their bodies, if they are fortunate. I am also here to wreak vengeance upon the so-called King of Northumberland; he shall regret putting my father to death, without a proper trial by combat. I shall seize his lands and make his daughters my concubines; that will do for a start.
As with any wise general, I surround myself with capable lieutenants, whom I can trust absolutely.
The best way to ensure that loyalty is obvious; to ensure that only your kinfolk hold positions of importance. The one exception in my court is Kol af Skipton. He is wise indeed, able to read not only the runes but that confounded Latin beloved by the priests. No proper Viking can raid if he does not know where to raid or where the valuables are kept. He is, on occasion, overly concerned about his death, but any good warrior should look to his blindside. I approve of such caution, if it be not excessive.
My son and heir to my lands of Jorvik is Sigfrid. He is adept with a blade and cunning, but will need his own Kol af Skipton when he becomes king. He works long hours at swordplay and to learn the basics of governance. I am well pleased, and I am certain in the coming campaigns he shall be an asset.
My second son, Gudfrid, has taken to the book while still keeping his wits and sword sharp. He will be an excellent administrator, I think, if he can learn to measure his words. He ensures these peasants pay their tribute on time.
Rikulfr of Richmond may not be my blood, but we have fought many a campaign together. I would be proud to call him brother; he is among the smartest and most capable men I have ever met. I did not hesitate to name him Baron when I conquered this castle of Richmond, and if my own blood cannot succeed me, I think of no better person to do so.
My youngest son, Ragnarr is a seer, wise in the ways of the All-Father. He may not have the blade of Sigfrid or the gift for gold of Gudfrid, but he is strong in many areas and has no weaknesses.
All of these cross worshippers hate and fear us, as they rightly should, and we give battle to all south of Scotland.
Although my army is well trained, more soliders are always welcome, and I have sent a dispatch to the King of Jylland. With his aid, we cannot fail!
I normally don't start with a cold open in my AARs, but I think it's appropriate for the beginning of what could be (and I hope will be) an epic adventure through CKII, EUIV, and either Vicky 2 or, perhaps by then, Vicky 3? I don't promise to go all the way into HOI IV, but it's also possible.
For this AAR, my latest, we have Sakura_F to thank. In my last AAR, an EUIV gameplay AAR about Uesugi->Japan, I had a contest to see who could guess how high Japan would reach in the pantheon of nations. He guessed correctly, and was able to name my next AAR. Thus, we have the beginning of this megacampaign (one might say that was cheating, as it would be naming three AARs and not one, but I'm inclined to let it slide). As you are no doubt aware, I am playing as Halfdan "Whiteshirt" of Jorvik in the 867 start. I have the latest beta for CKII and all DLC except Rajahs of India and Sunset Invasion.
House rules
1. No save scumming.
2. No cheating.
3. Nothing "gamey."
4. At no point will we convert to Christianity, or any other faith, apart from reforming the Norse faith. This applies to the entire megacampaign.
Goals
1. Conquer the kingdom of Northumbria.
2. Conquer England.
3. Expand to the entirety of the British Isles, including all of Ireland.
4. If time permits, I may expand farther, but the maximum extent of my Empire in CKII will be the North Sea Empire, plus Ireland and Scotland, plus whatever is needed to reform the Norse faith. I don't want to expand farther than that for fear of having nothing to do in EUIV. (Maybe Iceland too.)
I am hoping to have updates relatively frequently -- once a week, possibly twice. I'm not completely convinced I'll stick to the first person format, but it will be mostly narrative with a splash of gameplay here and there. Each update will cover the reign of one monarch, or if necessary, multiple updates for one monarch. I am hoping that the first proper update will be out Thursday or Friday.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll join us for more adventures!
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