• 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.
Why is Loup treated in such a way?
Because we learned that, with your favorite err... hobby, you likely wouldn't stay true to any marriage.
 
  • 1
Reactions:
Name one of your children Crusader and please give him a fief.
 
It's strange how so many of your children ended up theologians of some shade. Attalus, again, stands uniquely alone with his education.
 
I look forward to the day the House de Gael sits upon the English throne. It shall take time, I am sure, but Ralf has certainly progressed to this end.
 
Chapter 11 - 1146 to 1149: The Transformation of Loup

Just prior to the declaration of war, two messengers depart from Thetford Castle, each carrying a similar letter to the Duchies to the north. One went to Mercia, one to Northumbria. The letters request assistance from the allies of East Anglia in its war for Bedford. Immediately upon receiving the letters, Duke Eadwin II of Mercia and Duke Mærleswegn of Northumbria send the messengers back answering the call.

tAck1o1.jpg

MKMfo3L.jpg


Meanwhile, East Anglia has raised its nearly 4 thousand troops and is ready for battle. The army sets forth to Bedford, laying siege to its castle, where it is later joined by Mercian and Northumbrian men. By July of 1146, Bedford Castle is surrounded by 10 thousand enemies.

MLKsYFX.jpg


In November, Eadflæd, Ralf's granddaughter, reaches 14. She shows very little skill in any area and is married, matrilineally, to a talented soldier from Hungary in the hopes that she will produce many strong de Gael offspring.

RTwn6f8.jpg

BDPU53L.jpg


The siege of Bedford ends in January of 1147. There has yet to be a battle in the war, as the defender's armies seem keen to avoid the massive attacking armies.

idOCdeI.jpg


The town of Hertford, also in the county of Bedford, is the next target. Within a few months, it falls as well.

mFKryut.jpg


The first combat takes place in Northampton, as the small army of Wessex, only about 5 hundred men, is surrounded and destroyed. The main army of Wessex, this one nearly 2 thousand men, is then chased into Wessex itself and defeated. The victorious armies lay siege to Castle Winchester of Wessex.

0ADPtMW.jpg

vlOrlyh.jpg


In May of 1148, the castle finally falls, yet the stubborn Duke of Wessex fights on.

iLrcauh.jpg


In Norfolk, Loup and his wife have their first child, whom they name Æthelstan. Loup is a changed man since his marriage. Having stopped his filthy association with the whorehouses, he has focused on administrative duties and scholarly reading instead. This has led him to become a talented administrator and a learned man.

TaMPvmD.jpg

e6arUHg.jpg


The Duke of Wessex finally surrenders in October of 1148. In recognition of his miraculous change and new found skill, Loup is made Earl of Bedford. The Duchy of East Anglia now stands at 5 provinces, and Duke Ralf III is now known as the most successful and renown Duke that East Anglia has ever had.

YlAbGwh.jpg

TBbeHRD.jpg


With the now immense income of East Anglia, expansion of the Keep in Thetford Castle is ordered.

Then, with victory still sweet on his tongue, death takes Duke Ralf III. He dies at the age of 56, having been Duke of East Anglia for 50 years, the longest of any Duke of East Anglia. The Duchy passes to his eldest son Attalus, now Duke Attalus of East Anglia.

7IIuRf3.jpg


Long live Duke Attalus!

XDXHLJl.jpg
 
  • 1
Reactions:
Wow, I did not expect Loup to turn himself around and get himself some decent stats. Could please you show the list of claimants received upon death?
 
A mighty army you and your allies managed to assemble in that conquest of Bedford! With such solid allies you are pretty safe and can expand easily.

I knew that Loup had the potential to turn into a great man if you just gave him a chance.
 
Duke Ralf III did a fantastic job building his dynasty's power. He will be remembered fondly. Long live Duke Attalus!

Wow, Loup really did turn himself around. Impressive. Do Ralf III's children get along, or do we have sibling rivalry?
 
Impressive boarders, and congrats to Loup for turning himself round. :)
 
We shall always keep the memory of Duke Ralf the Magnificent in our hearts. We owe it all to him.
 
Surely a title isn't that far off now for DB? :p

Excellent to see Norfolk continues to thrive. How far off being able to take the throne do you reckon you are? Come to that, how do you plan on claiming England in the first place? I'm assuming the future US isn't going to be a former Norfolkian colony.
 
And it just gets better and better as we go. However, I do have a question, is there anything outside of England that your considering for conquest?
 
Wow, I did not expect Loup to turn himself around and get himself some decent stats. Could please you show the list of claimants received upon death?

Sure, next update will contain it.

A mighty army you and your allies managed to assemble in that conquest of Bedford! With such solid allies you are pretty safe and can expand easily.

I knew that Loup had the potential to turn into a great man if you just gave him a chance.

It was a pretty big surprise! I was thinking about whether he or Densley should receive Bedford. After he had his son, I looked at him and couldn't believe my eyes!

Duke Ralf III did a fantastic job building his dynasty's power. He will be remembered fondly. Long live Duke Attalus!

Wow, Loup really did turn himself around. Impressive. Do Ralf III's children get along, or do we have sibling rivalry?

I think they get along fairly well. The boys all have decent traits. I'll have to check individual relations next time.

Surely a title isn't that far off now for DB? :p

Excellent to see Norfolk continues to thrive. How far off being able to take the throne do you reckon you are? Come to that, how do you plan on claiming England in the first place? I'm assuming the future US isn't going to be a former Norfolkian colony.

Densley was on track to get Bedford, but Loup shaped up and got it first. It depends now on whether Attalus would rather give his son or his brother a county:p

At the moment, England is has electoral inheritance. At one point, I was the top of the list, but it only lasted a few short months. Since then, I'm usually third. If not by that way, force may be needed :)

And it just gets better and better as we go. However, I do have a question, is there anything outside of England that your considering for conquest?

I wanted to expand into Normandy, but it seems a distant dream now! My main priority, when I am king of England, will be Scotland, Wales (they are already being eaten by England), and Ireland. It would be great the unite the Islands in CK2, then I can focus on colonization in EU4.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support and comments!
 
I wanted to expand into Normandy, but it seems a distant dream now! My main priority, when I am king of England, will be Scotland, Wales (they are already being eaten by England), and Ireland. It would be great the unite the Islands in CK2, then I can focus on colonization in EU4.

Uniting the British Isles before conversion would be fantastic, but Normandy is a good stretch goal assuming you have enough time. Why Normandy though?
 
Chapter 11.5 - 1149: A Quick Update on the Situation

Attalus has long been a renowned diplomat throughout England. Now, he is known as Duke Attalus of East Anglia, after the passing of his father Duke Ralf III. Unlike his father, he is ascending to the throne at the much later age of 37, rather than at 6. Although he has a silver tongue, he is also celibate, so it is unlikely that he will sire any more children.

jLccLrQ.jpg


However, he already has two sons, the first of which is named Ralf. Ralf is not the ideal candidate for ruler of East Anglia, as he is rather short tempered and lazy. But he does share some of Attalus' skill in diplomacy and he is a competent soldier.

Tlz5IN7.jpg


If Attalus decides that Ralf should not inherit the Duchy, he could, of course, elect his youngest son, Breselueu. Although it would be looked down on to deny his eldest the place as heir, and it could possibly incite pretender wars, it may be prudent should Breselueu turn out as well as Attalus did himself. At the moment, Breselueu is an average boy who shows no signs of either brilliance or inability. But, with some guidance from his father, this could change.

kEpup94.jpg


Then there are his brothers. The brother he is closest to is Loup, and he is by far the most eligible in the family after Attalus. Loup is an excellent choice due to his administrative skill and his vast scholarly knowledge. Apart from that, he already has a son, ready to continue the line of de Gael. However, there is his age to take into account. It is unlikely that Attalus will pass away for another 20 to 30 years. By that time, Loup would be in his later years.

373CYtz.jpg


Attalus' youngest brother is Densley Blair. He is usually forgotten about, especially since Loup came out of his dark years of brothels and filth. Although he is very intelligent, he knows nothing about administration, and only has a basic knowledge of war or diplomacy. What he knows best is food, eating at all hours of the day. It seems unlikely he will inherit the Duchy at any time in the future.

WRxP3yy.jpg


The rest of East Anglia is running smoothly. The laws of inheritance remain as electoral, allowing the higher ranking vassals and the Duke to elect the heir.

Q9QEZ9V.jpg


England is also electoral. At the moment, the Duke of Northumbria is set to be the next king, followed closely by the Duke of Mercia.

UVCCDnx.jpg


The Council is in fine shape, although it is likely to be rearranged in the months following Attalus' ascension to Duke; There are plenty of candidates for each job.

lfpi4ra.jpg


The military is stronger than it has ever been, making up nearly 4 thousand total.

2HTJ1Uh.jpg


The economy is strong, although the last war did take a chunk out of the stores, and it will be a while before Bedford's addition to the duchy will yield actual economic results.

HJhpvsl.jpg


In the wider world, France and Iberia are in shambles, with Castille controlling several French counties and Brittany controlling the entirety of the Duchy of Leon.

eGx486z.jpg


The Islamic world is dominated by the enormous Seljuk Sultanate, which spans from Jerusalem and Anatolia to West India and Central Asia.

4gP9hfX.jpg


Eastern Europe holds the expansive Cumanian Khaganate, which, in the past few decades, converted to Catholicism.

CUKZvlA.jpg


In East Anglia, there is no telling what the rule of Duke Attalus will bring.

Fortune or poverty, victory of defeat?

NOTE:
-This is a short update because I was busy all day. This was only supposed to take about half an hour, but it ended up over an hour because the screenshots kept breaking (steam screenshot loader thing literally said many could not be loaded and I had to load up the game and retake them), and the hosting site was taking ages for upload my images.
-The laws of East Anglia list no pretenders, but Attalus' siblings of course all have claims on it, so we could have some pretender wars.
-Unlike in the past when I was pretty darn sure who was going to be the next Duke of East Anglia, it is pretty unclear right now! And I like it!
-Although Cumania rarely ever seems to retain power in the area, it would be cool if it passed on some Catholicism to the next countries to come. Who knows, maybe Russia will be Catholic!
 
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1Love
Reactions:
Considering both the simulacrum Densley and I have reached the same point in our lives, it's really quite interesting to see just how much we've deviated. He really is quite forgettable, isn't he? Bless. :p