Empire of the Mediterranean: An Interactive Aragon AAR

[MastahCheef117]

Haven't played an IAAR in years... so let me try my hand at this, shall I?

​

Name: Jorge José Antonio de León y Rojo
Date of birth: 21 May, 1426 (age 28)
Class: Unlanded noble/soldier
Religion: Roman Catholic
Bio: Born the younger brother of a minor vizconde, Jorge de León served in the army as a heavy cavalryman, distinguishing himself in several key battles in the Castilian War. He is a staunch supporter of the new war against Morocco and hopes to glorify his Kingdom, his King, and himself in the war against the Muslims to the South.

He was taught both Spanish and Latin -- and is fluent in both -- though is a rather bad mathematician. He enjoys leisurely activities at his pleasure, but similarly finds a thrill in both the hunt and the ride upon the back of his horse.

 

[Michaelangelo]

Renata

((That narrative was beautiful, but my mind could not let this go. Dear lord, that name will forever haunt me, both as a man and a woman. ))

 

[GameHunter5303]

Don Tomas H. X. Etxeto, c. 1692​

Name: Tomas Hortun Ximon Etxeto
Date of Birth: 20 July 1428
Class: Noble (minor landholder)
Religion: Catholic

Coat of Arms of the Etxeto
​

Bio: Born to the impoverished but proud House of Etxeto, Tomas grew to become a walking stereotype for the Etxeto Family. Proud, Haughty, and Noble to a point, he was forced to watch his father dither away what little lands they held until they were absorbed by the crown to pay of his father's extensive debts. Hungry for land and honour, Tomas became head of the House when his father passed away in late 1455, leaving the relatively young 27 year old in charge of a young and poor house. Something that Tomas seek to change quickly. He has 2 brothers and 1 sister, Pascual Juan Ruy Etxeto, Llorente Bernal Arias Etxeto, and Ysabel Angel Etxeto.

Heresy! Burn this Warlock, you have no way of knowing your father will die! (Just Kidding, but the game hasn't 1455 yet. ))

 

[Michaelangelo]

Heresy! Burn this Warlock, you have no way of knowing your father will die! (Just Kidding, but the game hasn't 1455 yet. ))

((Actually, we made it to July of 1455, although "late 1455" does imply after that. We could use a warlock though. ))

 

[Dadarian]

((Actually, we made it to July of 1455, although "late 1455" does imply after that. We could use a warlock though. ))

((July 1455 is late enough))

 

[wzhang29]

((So... yeah. I joined the narration game. ))

Luca was lost.

After almost getting drafted on a Portuguese army regiment, he was staring back and forth for any signs that he could bypass the Strait of Gibraltar. He didn't. The only way back to Valencia (without losing his merchant ship, of course) was to head through there. But with the heathens controlling them, there was no way through. He would need to fight.

So now that he was here, how could he not sneak in an attack. He drew out a steel groß messer (It's a type of sword.) and steered for the nearest port, Cádiz.

 

[GameHunter5303]

((July 1455 is late enough))

((I thought we were in 1454, ))

 

[GameHunter5303]

((So... yeah. I joined the narration game. ))

Luca was lost.

After almost getting drafted on a Portuguese army regiment, he was staring back and forth for any signs that he could bypass the Strait of Gibraltar. He didn't. The only way back to Valencia (without losing his merchant ship, of course) was to head through there. But with the heathens controlling them, there was no way through. He would need to fight.

So now that he was here, how could he not sneak in an attack. He drew out a steel groß messer (It's a type of sword.) and steered for the nearest port, Cádiz.

My Germanic Friend,
The blockade will be lifted, Luca, will you join me in the battle that could decide the war.

~Leonardo de Abruzzi, Grand Admiral of the Realm

 

[Revan529]

​

After arriving in Venecia, the Bastard’s party was quickly outfitted; however, for the first few years, the Venetians contented themselves with naval forays and expeditions rather than committing to a ground war; whilst Don Ferran would often join these expeditions, intrigued by the peculiar Venetian skill for seamanship, he was one of the few who would; the rest of his companions had to content themselves in Venecia itself. Indeed, it was not until 1454 that they would be fully committed to the war, arriving in Albania in late June and attacking an Ottoman force there some days later; Don Ferran led several of the scouting and raiding parties for the Venetian force throughout the campaign. Near Berat, at a major engagement, he held a defensive line long enough for Venetian cavalry to outflank the Ottoman counterattack that had been forming. Following that defeat, the Turks were compelled to cede Albania. The next few months were dedicated to besieging the cities and forts of the region; in this regard, Don Ferran’s experience with the Castellano showed to great effect. Many of the forts fell with little difficulty. However, following the victorious battle of Corfu, in which Don Ferran coordinated the marine landings on the western side of the island, and with the support of the Bastard would outflank the Ottomans at the decisive battle of Ipsos (17 May 1455), terms were reached between the Turks and Venice. Thus the war ended for the Bastard and Don Ferran, who both returned to Italy with a feeling of disillusionment in early June. Whilst the Bastard planned their next move, Don Ferran finalised two wedding arrangements, the first between himself and Renata Dodora, an attractive Milanes noblewoman, and the second between his sister and Don Lino Adrià María de Agramunt, amongst the most prominent generals and officials within the Corona d'Aragó. He wed his bride at the Catedral de Milà on the first of July, 1455, and shortly thereafter travelled to Valencia to help plan his sister’s wedding.

Renata Dodora, c. 1455​

 

[SirAlucard]

A letter to Fernando de Vascona

Cardinal de Vascona. I must write to you about this urgently, for it has worried me for years now. As you might remember, our former King's son, Ferran "The Bastard" de Trastámara, joined the Venetian fleet during the Crusade against the Turks. And as rumors tell us, he did a good job in that war as a mercenary (albeit it angers me that he did too join a war against my home soil, but let's keep this aside for now).

I'm sure you can remember how the common people in our court viewed upon him. I wanted to ask you if there was any possibillity of the Pope accepting a legitimisation of Ferran in regards of his grand efforts against the Turks. I wouldn't ask for myself, for I have no gain out of this. But it's a shame that he has to suffer so hard for something he cannot be blamed for. Blame it on the diplomat in me to ask such a thing, but he deserves a better life than this.

Friendly regards
Joseph von Thun​

 

[Andre Massena]

((So... yeah. I joined the narration game. ))

Luca was lost.

After almost getting drafted on a Portuguese army regiment, he was staring back and forth for any signs that he could bypass the Strait of Gibraltar. He didn't. The only way back to Valencia (without losing his merchant ship, of course) was to head through there. But with the heathens controlling them, there was no way through. He would need to fight.

So now that he was here, how could he not sneak in an attack. He drew out a steel groß messer (It's a type of sword.) and steered for the nearest port, Cádiz.

Cardinal de Vascona leads a prayer in the Vatican. He knew the high born cardinals snickered at him but the rank-and-file and lower-born cardinals appreciated his piety. He would not be snickered at if he gained Saint Peter's throne.

A Prayer for Merchants
​

Oh Lord,
Please watch over our merchants
The men who move our money and goods
Without them we would have no spice or tea
Protect them from treacherous storms
And the schemes of the vile Turk
Show them the way to the nearest Center of Trade
And guide them back home
May our merchants preserve the flow of trade
Without engaging in sinful usury
God bless the merchants
Who trade for Christendom

A letter to Fernando de Vascona

Cardinal de Vascona. I must write to you about this urgently, for it has worried me for years now. As you might remember, our former King's son, Ferran "The Bastard" de Trastámara, joined the Venetian fleet during the Crusade against the Turks. And as rumors tell us, he did a good job in that war as a mercenary (albeit it angers me that he did too join a war against my home soil, but let's keep this aside for now).

I'm sure you can remember how the common people in our court viewed upon him. I wanted to ask you if there was any possibillity of the Pope accepting a legitimisation of Ferran in regards of his grand efforts against the Turks. I wouldn't ask for myself, for I have no gain out of this. But it's a shame that he has to suffer so hard for something he cannot be blamed for. Blame it on the diplomat in me to ask such a thing, but he deserves a better life than this.

Friendly regards
Joseph von Thun​

((Private))

Dear Signore von Thun,

Thank you for relaying your concerns to my person.

As you know, the Church frowns upon bastardry and adultery, though we do not blame the products of such sinful unions for the crimes of the father. After all, we all share in the Original Sin of Adam and Eve. However, the Church does not believe that a bastard should inherit before a legitimate heir. Nevertheless, I shall forward your petition to the Holy Father, though I do not believe he shall change the Church's longstanding doctrines for this particular case.

Sincrely,

Cardinal Fernando de Vascona
Bishop of Pirineo

 

[wzhang29]

My Germanic Friend,
The blockade will be lifted, Luca, will you join me in the battle that could decide the war.

~Leonardo de Abruzzi, Grand Admiral of the Realm

((Had you put a questionmark at the end of that sentence...))

Indeed I shall. I will meet you at the port of Cádiz.

Cardinal de Vascona leads a prayer in the Vatican. He knew the high born cardinals snickered at him but the rank-and-file and lower-born cardinals appreciated his piety. He would not be snickered at if he gained Saint Peter's throne.

A Prayer for Merchants
​

Oh Lord,
Please watch over our merchants
The men who move our money and goods
Without them we would have no spice or tea
Protect them from treacherous storms
And the schemes of the vile Turk
Show them the way to the nearest Center of Trade
And guide them back home
May our merchants preserve the flow of trade
Without engaging in sinful usury
God bless the merchants
Who trade for Christendom

((Lost was actually rather misleading, I was off the coast of Iberia the whole time, albeit on the west side. ))

 

[EmperorBasilius]

Haven't played an IAAR in years... so let me try my hand at this, shall I?

​

Name: Jorge José Antonio de León y Rojo
Date of birth: 21 May, 1426 (age 28)
Class: Unlanded noble/soldier
Religion: Roman Catholic
Bio: Born the younger brother of a minor vizconde, Jorge de León served in the army as a heavy cavalryman, distinguishing himself in several key battles in the Castilian War. He is a staunch supporter of the new war against Morocco and hopes to glorify his Kingdom, his King, and himself in the war against the Muslims to the South.

He was taught both Spanish and Latin -- and is fluent in both -- though is a rather bad mathematician. He enjoys leisurely activities at his pleasure, but similarly finds a thrill in both the hunt and the ride upon the back of his horse.

I am already using this picture for my character:

Flag of house de Loarre

Name: Sebastián de Loarre
Date of Birth: The third day of the month of Julio, Year of our Lord 1420. ((3/7/1420)).
Class: Nobleman
Religion: Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church
Bio:
Under the sunny, cloudless skies of Aragonia; dried by its hot, irritating sun; and washed more by the blood of soldier than by the rain, lies the Castillo de Loarre. This magnificent piece of fortification, whose name predates the name of this noble house, is a complex containing not only trustworthy tall walls for protection, but also large dining rooms for the leisure of its residents, and a church for a direct access to God Almighty. This complex might seem fairly impressive, but it was not like this at the beginning. The castle was built by King Sancho III 'the Great' of Navarre, as part of the reconquista wars against the infidels. Back then it was only a military fort, built to secure the lands from the heathens, and as such contained only towers and walls for the soldiers to guard on, a small main keep for the soldiers to sleep in, storage buildings for the supplies of food needed to withstand a siege, and a small chapel.

Castello de Loarre, today

After Huesca has been conquered, and the heathens have been pushed far south, the new king who owned the castle, King Peter I of Aragon and Navarre, got into some financial problems, and couldn't afford to maintain the castle. To fixed that, he gave the castle to one of his knights Juan, who later established house de Loarre and took it as his surname. Although the king gave the castle to Juan, he kept almost all of the land around it to himself: that way the king is both exempt from maintaining the castle, and received profit from the land surrounding it. This, of course, transferred the financial problems from the king to the lucky-unlucky Juan, who now had high expenses and a very small income. To overcome this problem he married Lucrezia Hernandez, a daughter of a very wealthy merchant. Lucrezia was as fat and ugly as a woman can be, and turned down all of her suitors who were of course interested only in her father's gold. Only Juan was able to be convincing enough to make her think he truly loved her. She was her father's only child and when the father died all the money went to Lucrezia and as a result - to Juan de Loarre.

Lucrezia de Loarre at the height of her beauty her late ages

Juan and his successors used the large sums of money to renew and enlarge the castle, making it as impressive as it is today. Of course, all the money was spent from the treasury while there still wasn't a large steady income, and after hundreds of years of spending uncontrollably, the de Loarres found themselves short on money.
Enter Sebastián de Loarre.
This ambitious lad has decided to largely increase his family's involvement in politics, to gain more influence and glory, and potentially to find opportunities to get more land, and the most important of all: gold.

Sebastián de Loarre, confident of success​

 

[Andre Massena]

((Maybe they are twins separated at birth ))

 

[alscon]

((Looks like I have to join into the narrative trend ))


Luigi Castelozzi sat close to the window, a glass of wine in the hand, looking out of it. Yes – it was time to leave again. Florence called. More precisely, its florins called. He knew what they wanted, knew them very well. What they want, what they do, how they think. He had grown accustomed to his life in North Italy, and this had let him survive for so long. He would survive longer there. But he had to leave his father again first.


'Father, you look in a good enough shape. While it was nice to return to Palermo, my duties call again, and I will take my leave.'

Felice sighed. Befallen by some sudden illness his medicus did not know, his son, free of contract, had come to visit him, also in case he would not recover, but the illness wasn't as severe as they first thought. Yet he had been able to spend some time with his son, something he wouldn't have liked to do in retrospective. Where had it gone wrong? Luigi differed from his father in so many ways, a cynical condottiere, the contrary of Aragon's Steward.

This reminded him of his duty. He had to prepare the kingdom for war, once again. Against the Moors, certainly a noble goal, but also an expensive one which will not return much to Aragon save for a good reputation. Treasurer John Kendall surely dreaded the thought of the expenses as much as he did. Though Felice dreaded the effects on the stability, not the economical effects. The prestige accumulated will surely be of use for the diplomats, but he knew of subversive elements who would not care. Especially the new Epirote subjects. He had already devised a plan to prevent them from rebelling, one that emphasized the much better treatment they would experience under Christian Aragon than under the Turk. More autonomy for the province. Yet he also thought of the court, and why he left it to treat himself in Palermo. The constant confusions, some misuderstandings, and then the irritations caused as he did not recognize the others. He needed to leave the court for now and treat his illness before insulting someone.

'I could have sworn the man I have met was General de Loarre.'

Luigi stopped in his tracks. 'Are you still insisting it was him? Your servant says it was de León y Rojo you met. Maybe the illness doesn't affect your body, but your brain.'

Felice shuddered at the thought. He also shuddered at how Luigi said it. Marked by the nearly ten years as condottiere. 'Well, I will recover a bit longer. It pains me that you have to leave again, but I wish you the best. I have also looked into possible marriages for you – '

'Don't worry about me, father. I have numerous candidates awaiting me in the North.'


Before Felice could say any more, Luigi had already left. Leaving his family's domain behind, he was not too worried about his father. He probably just didn't sleep enough, too busy with the problems of the realm. Well, Luigi had his own problems, but also his own solutions. He yearned for the excitement of North Italy again. Aragon fought the Muslims for their honour, their alliance. Palermo will be left untouched. Nothing compared to the intrigue and game of power and rivalries of North Italy. Politics can be dull, but also very interesting. And he would play in the interesting part. He had plenty of time to take a role in the dull part later.


'How wrong he is. How can his next contract be more important than his family, his future? May the Lord guide him on the right path again.' Felice took his glass of water, and started working on his tasks again. Ill or not, he was perfectly able to do it and he had to. He wrote a letter to His Majesty Joan II.

Your Majesty,


My unfortunate illness has mostly passed, even though I am still affected by it. Still, the matters of the realm need to be tended to, and I shall present my plan for the war. In fact, I think as it will be fought mostly on foreign soil, that no change to the previous plan has to be made. Though You might want to keep the war-weariness of the population in mind. Right now, there is no pressing concern, but if it rises to a dangerous level, we might need to take counter-measures to alleviate them. Even if I don't think it is necessary, one has to be prepared for every eventuality in war. ((keep the war exhaustion constantly under 4.00))


Your humble servant,

Felice Castelozzi, Count of Palermo and Steward of Aragon

 

[Italianajt]

​

Name: Edward Torarella
Date of birth: January 1434 (21 years old)
Class: Noble (unlanded)
Religion: Catholic

Bio: The third-born son of an English baroness and Italian baron, Edward has been searching to make his mark in this world. He knows he'll inherit nothing, maybe a small country manor in Northumberland if all goes well but most likely will inherit a small olive orchard plot near Pisa. Seeing very little prospect of either staying in England or Lucca, Torarella decided to join up with a mercenary company. Being an unlanded noble did not help his situation with the mercenaries but his martial upbringing and his carousing attitude eventually propelled him to the higher ranks with the company. However, after the last round of wars, many of the men he called 'brothers' were slaughtered and Edward left the company, seeking to ply his talents further abroad. He has arrived at the Aragonese court with coin purses weighing down his accouterments and looking for martial service.

((Hello all! I took Michelangelo's advice and joined now instead of waiting for page 50 or so when we reached colonization.))

 

[MastahCheef117]

I am already using this picture for my character:

((Oops, my bad. I'll edit it right now.))

 

[Andre Massena]

Cardinal de Vascona prays to God that more young, enterprising Aragonese men will join the clergy.

 

[Paintato34343]

First time doing something like this, but here it goes.

Name: Juan Corojes Lone 'el italiano'
Date of birth: 12th of June 1420
Class: Clergy
Religion: Catholic
Bio: Juan Corojes Lone was a young priest born and raised in Napoli in Italy. When he was 15 his father (a military man) moved to Valencia in Aragon to make better money and sent his troublesome son to a church to get rid of him. In 1442 his father was sent with the army as a knight in the war with Naples, his home country. Naturally he was seen as a traitor by the people of the city and an angry mob forcibly ended his role as judge of Napoli high court (and his life). Now fatherless, the young Juan was determined to protest against violence wherever he saw it and soon left Valencia to seek a more peaceful life further inland. He set up a parish church in Teruel in 1448 and became priest of the 'Iglesia de San Juan de la gente' or People's church of Saint John. He was seen to be an important spiritual advisor and became a sought after man in the sleepy town, gaining a good reputation with the town's mayor. He however wants to become of more importance, to further spread his nonviolent agenda...
((I would like to be granted the Province of Teruel))

 

[Michaelangelo]

First time doing something like this, but here it goes.

Name: Juan Corojes Lone 'el italiano'
Date of birth: 12th of June 1420
Class: Clergy
Religion: Catholic
Bio: Juan Corojes Lone was a young priest born and raised in Napoli in Italy. When he was 15 his father (a military man) moved to Valencia in Aragon to make better money and sent his troublesome son to a church to get rid of him. In 1442 his father was sent with the army as a knight in the war with Naples, his home country. Naturally he was seen as a traitor by the people of the city and an angry mob forcibly ended his role as judge of Napoli high court (and his life). Now fatherless, the young Juan was determined to protest against violence wherever he saw it and soon left Valencia to seek a more peaceful life further inland. He set up a parish church in Teruel in 1448 and became priest of the 'Iglesia de San Juan de la gente' or People's church of Saint John. He was seen to be an important spiritual advisor and became a sought after man in the sleepy town, gaining a good reputation with the town's mayor. He however wants to become of more importance, to further spread his nonviolent agenda...
((I would like to be granted the Province of Teruel))

((Unfortunately, there is no bishopric in Teruel, so it can't be claimed. Once we conquer a province that should have a bishopric, you can claim that one though. ))