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Snaake

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I have indeed found some free family tree builder programs, dunno how long it'll take to make something that can be presented here (more a "when will I have time to do it"). Those second cousins breed like bunnies, and i'd like to portray a fairly up-to-date situation, but as the save is now something like 20 years ahead of the AAR, we'll see. The next update will hopefully be forthcoming tonight or tomorrow.

Iain, i'm flattered that you and all the others are reading this. I feel like I tend for more text than you or phargle, for instance, but it just comes naturally, i'm quite chatty in real life too. Not quite as much silliness and humor in the AAR yet either, but i've come to blame it on Cadwgan, he's too awesome yet goody-two-shoes to get much character humour material, despite being excommunicated. It's that William, I tell you!
 

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Chapter 5: Stress, intestinal worms, military coups and friendship

ch5ss1.jpg


My spymaster has apparently had a debate with himself thanks to his two theology degrees.


ch5ss2.jpg


Meanwhile, Rhys' dueling wound gets infected. Get over it, man.


ch5ss3.jpg


Argyll would be ripe for the picking, but i'd go broke sailing there, plus i'm still only a count. Ruling 4 counties would get quite stressful.


ch5ss4.jpg


And so we get to the first item on our little list: military coups. The King of Scotland with the Long but Cool Name has gotten himself in quite a jam.


ch5ss5.jpg


Ah, falconry, my favourite pastime.


ch5ss6.jpg


I am a fair ruler, I do not practice favouritism.


ch5ss7.jpg


I decide to raise my eldest son Cai at home. It costs me some money, respect and nerves, but it's worth it to be able to raise him to be a future Duke or King! I don't intend for our family to stay as mere Counts of Morgannwg!


ch5ss8.jpg


One of Herewalds sons is asking for money, just because i'm excommunicated... I explain to him there is nothing spare in the coffers since we're in debt, and saving up for a duke title.


ch5ss9.jpg


Some of my second cousins once removed befriends his brother... Why is everyone telling me these things all the time? God forbid, when those cousins start having kids, i'll be drowned with notices about their schooling, friendships and rivalries... two down, two to go


ch5ss10.jpg


Yup, Scotland is screwed.


ch5ss11.jpg


What did his dueling opponent stab him with, worms? He remains my Diocese Bishop. And worms make it three.


ch5ss12.jpg


Apparently Rhys keeps doing his job though, even stabbed and with intestinal worms. He helps this Breton woman recover from her formerly heretic ways.


ch5ss13.jpg


It will not do for my heir to be greedy, Cai must play outside so he will become strong and healthy, a strong warrior, fearless leader and father to many sons.


ch5ss14.jpg


That Hereford asked me to be loyal to William. I almost lose my calm, but due to him being my friend, I just explain that I have been brought under the rule of the crown by the sword, so while I do not harbor rebellious thoughts, he will not make a loyalist out of me.


ch5ss15.jpg


This is my second cousins husband. He stole that deer all for himself, the man couldn't wait for the rest of us to arrive. There's no working with some people. This is why I prefer falconry.


ch5ss16.jpg


His sister-in-law becomes stressed, probably due to the 4 kids just their family has running around, and the next day, her husband complains to me about stress as well. And so we complete our list

ch5ss17.jpg




ch5ss18.jpg


Now that she's not a heretic anymore, it seems someone has become willing to hire her.


ch5ss19.jpg


I like to educate a lot of those little cousins at court. God knows why, since the place is full of them as is.
 

Emperor Walter

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Love the AAR :). Keep it coming!
 

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And here I was thinking that spitting a lot of phlegm would have kept the English at bay for a while... ;)
 

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Perhaps you could take the Knud approach to your problems with children :D

Really a shame you're part of England though... the Englisc can't be trusted!

The weird thing is, even after I granted Iestyn land (coming up in... years of game time), all his kids and their kids remained at my court, even if they didn't have jobs as advisors. I thought they should eventually leave, but it's probably because his kids were adults already. Except for one, and even he(she?) didn't move.

And the English absolutely, completely, totally can never be trusted. As will be seen. There is no limit to their sneakyness.

Updates probably tomorrow and on the weekend (work today and friday nights). Hopefully would have at least a first version of a family tree too.
 

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The weird thing is, even after I granted Iestyn land (coming up in... years of game time), all his kids and their kids remained at my court, even if they didn't have jobs as advisors. I thought they should eventually leave, but it's probably because his kids were adults already. Except for one, and even he(she?) didn't move.
Adults (16>) won't leave a court to join their father, nor will any kid leave if his mother is still in your court. And of course there are fosterlings.
 

Snaake

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Chapter 6: Much ado with courtiers

Hello, as we return to our tale of high adventure and glorious vassalage to English traitor-Kings, let me introduce you to the newest product of my court school (which employs half the people of my court, if the number of kids in there is any indication):


ch6ss1.jpg


Despite being, you know, excommunicated, I still manage to have these children in my court turn out to be something useful, instead of bullies, brats, monsters, and little pint-sized slashers. Unlike some places in Asia Minor, I hear. Or does that only happen later in the story? Who knows, it's Asia Minor, like on the other side of the continent.


ch6ss2.jpg


Meanwhile, the Duke of Gwynedd has apparently decided ruling two counties is too much work (I have 3, and i'm not even a duke), and given the County of Ynys Môn to his brother... Wait, not his brother? His sister-in-law? Oh, Rhiryd, what did you do to make him so mad that he wanted to rid you of the last shreds of your masculinity?


ch6ss3.jpg


Falconry is really fun, you should try it.


ch6ss4.jpg


... Aaaaand my Spymaster (I think he may have been Diocese Bishop at some point too, or maybe i'm getting ahead of myself) goes crazy. Maybe I should have taken those two theology degrees as a sign of a split personality. This is Not Good, so I replace him with the really disloyal horny 42-year-old, remember her? I must be asking for trouble...

ch6ss5.jpg




ch6ss6.jpg


I think he's my second cousin once removed. I don't expect that family tree tapestry to help much with figuring it out, I don't think the weavers can keep up with the amount of children. I also need to stop stopping to explain what education I give to who, or we'll never get anywhere with the Rise to Glory (tm) stuff. The main trends: girls are taught at court, same with boys unless they show some promise for the army, or are my own first-born son (court is good enough for those cousins). Maybe a few boys to church so I have some family members available to serve as Bishops, Diocese or maybe otherwise.


ch6ss7.jpg


I was just about to say I might make Diocese Bishop a hereditary position for the Llancarfans, when the current one decided he's had enough with all those kids, the stress, and his crazy father.


ch6ss8.jpg


I make the wounded, worm-infested Rhys my advisor on spiritual matters. I figure he's pretty close to God already, and besides, has a lot of time to think about things.


ch6ss9.jpg


Hey, because 5 kids clearly aren't enough for second cousin Iestyn here, I get him a new wife.


ch6ss10.jpg


A nice Irish lass, like my wife. There's plenty of woman in those women from Ireland it seems. I'm a bit put off by the name myself, though. Reminds me of wormflesh or something. I've heard there's a dynasty somewhere that call themselves Sexkittens. Much more enticing.


ch6ss11.jpg


The former King of Scotland with Long and Cool Name is officially fired from the CNC, for being lame despite having a cool name. He was ousted by an 8-year-old schoolkid, and is now just the Count of Atholl.

ch6ss12.jpg




ch6ss13.jpg


Seriously, what has this guy been drinking, get me some of that! Drinking binge, here I come! Everyone knows it was my great-great-grandfather who first united these lands under one rule. One day my rule will shine brighter than even his!


ch6ss14.jpg


Herewald goes even more crazy. Still Not Good.


ch6ss15.jpg


The lustful old lady thinks about faith and God and how being sceptical about the teachings of the bible resonates with good and her chances at heaven, and decides it's all good, she doesn't need to change.


ch6ss16.jpg


Which apparently stresses Rhys the Bed-ridden. But not in the good way, or at least that'd be quite unhealthy for him. Knowing his wife she's asking him for some anyway.


ch6ss17.jpg


*Bangs on door* Oh come on, Herewald! You can't stay in there forever you know! I'm making you my new Spymaster!


ch6ss18.jpg


His lunacy has made him so paranoid he's become a better Spy Master than ever before. Until he tries to stab me, but I think we'll be fine. I'm alive to tell you the story, aren't I? And so I now have a crazy man as my Spymaster, a mortally wounded, worm-infested guy as my Diocese Bishop, and I even let my wife handle my money. The Marshal is just a nobody, but that crazyness may be hereditary for all I know, yet the crazys son is my Chancellor. Maybe I ought to get my own head checked.


ch6ss19.jpg


Some happy news for a change: Iestyns oldest son has grown up and gone bald! Well, the happy news is actually that he also got married, to this lovely young lady (and so we conclude this chapter, with hopefully less crazies in the future):

ch6ss20.jpg
 

Snaake

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Chapter 7: More courtiers, splintering kingdoms and new titles

ch7ss1.jpg


I got so confused about that last chapter, with kids growing up and people leaving and all that, I had some people make me a list of everyone living in my court. That Tegaingl dude is some claimant to Perfeddwladd, and the Aberteifis are Neiniads and I think Efes kids. I think everyone else has been mentioned during the course of these stories.


ch7ss2.jpg


Yes, a new title: The hunchback Borsa has grown up and decided he would be King!
And look, the Pope even has a little getaway in Sicily.


ch7ss3.jpg


I decide to send a problematic student to church (apparently he'll just be an architect by nature, not by vocation). I hope I don't have to make it a habit. I start wondering why he wasn't on the list earlier though. And if the rest of his family live at my court too, I seem to recall marrying my other female second cousin to a Bendew living in my court.


ch7ss4.jpg


Of course I hold a local trial, me and the Pope are separated, remember.
The evidence is damning though. I impress the peasants with how Just I am.


ch7ss5.jpg


This man has the same name as my great-grandfather, so I ok him as my new marshal.
Rhys is wounded and everyone else is even worse.


ch7ss7.jpg


Young Hywel shows promise! It seems this prodigy thing runs in the family, and now that i've shown these youngsters the way, they don't have to do it in secret anymore.


ch7ss8.jpg


It seems my reputation isn't really stellar due to conquering that place in Ireland, so some rumours spread about my character making a turn for the worse. I guess i'm not honest anymore.


ch7ss9.jpg


I would actually have some gold, but it's reserved for a surprise (well, I think i've already let slip what it's for, but still).
Besides, even if I would keep doling out money, he'd still leave me for being excommunicated.


ch7ss10.jpg


Oh, it seems the Western Isles actually went through with conquering my fellow excommuniqué.


ch7ss11.jpg


In other news, it seems Navarra has been run over, and France has split up into several factions.
Champagne and Brittany are independent of each other, as are Provence and that Muslim Navarra.

ch7ss12.jpg




ch7ss13.jpg


To celebrate Aquitaines on new-found independence (I can only dream...) I arrange a marriage of one of the horde of second cousins once removed to an occitan girl.


ch7ss14.jpg


Hereford, my friend, has heard of my court school, and sends his daughter to me to raise. At the same time, he informs me his father, who was also my friend, has died. Good normans are few and far between.


ch7ss15.jpg




ch7ss16.jpg


Finally! How many of you remembered the gold was to form a duchy, eh?


ch7ss17.jpg


I am now the Duke of Morgannwg, with the new coat of arms and better efficiency that go with it! My status among the nobility of Europe has risen to new heights, although i'm still quite some way behind the mightiest ... sultanate and ... principalities? ... of Europe. This really is quite shameful for us Catholics. I guess it serves old William right though.
 

Snaake

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So, a double update (and would you look at the time, it's almost 5 AM... then again, work starts at 6 PM, so this is normal)!

Got back to being more verbose this time. And besides the writing style fluctuating, I also didn't seem to be able to decide whether to write the narrative as if living things in the present, or with hindsight from the end of the chapter, or as I tried at times, reminiscing from some even more distant time in the future. Who knows, maybe it's Cadwgans ghost telling all of this, and his memory is a bit dislocated in time.

Still over 450 screenshots to sift through and edit. I only filtered out about 25% at most with the last couple of updates, but I think there's more minor occurrences and kids' education and such to come still, that'll possibly end up being ignored. We'll see (this might be becoming my motto), but plenty of updates ready to be edited and written, anyway.

Oh, and last but not least, try this for a drinking game: one shot every time you spot a reference to other AARs (no Poping Haitians in CK, but still)!
 

Murmurandus

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Ah, a full duke now, now you can join the other dukes backstabbing the king... You know as it is common practice and such... :D
 

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Thanks to everyone for all the nice words about the story and AAR.

Eron12: Expansion is definitely on the agenda.

Murmurandus: That's also the plan, but it's not going to be that simple.

Enewald: in the 1090s, where the save is, I have (edit2: just counted) 18 second cousins once removed, 8 of which are male-line descendants of Owain Morgan, the origin of the dynasty in the game. Nearly all of them are at least 16 now, and they have loads of kids of their own altogether: there are at least 12 children of my grandchildrens' generation that count as in my dynasty, plus more than that in the female lines. I'm going to do some finishing touches on the first, basic family tree now, then post it before doing an actual update (work only lasted 1 hour instead of 12 tonight...).



There were times (not happened in the story yet) where I was frustrated by the fact that with the basic map, I would've already controlled enough of Wales to declare myself King, but it's definitely going to be a more interesting romp this way.

edit: Forgot to mention, about the family tree programs. I ended up using myheritage.com's Family Tree Builder, which allows for unlimited generations, you can save the result as an image file (and the borders, for example, fit CK nicely and come with the program - you'll see what I mean soon), but especially the fact that you can set a personal photo for everyone and portray it on the tree. It requires a (free) registration on the website, and occasionally bugged me to publish it on the website (since it's meant for actual genealogy, so you could link your family tree to others'), but it doesn't seem compulsory, can be turned off, and they don't seem to ask for money (well, you can update to a premium version for a fee, but there's no time limit for the free version). There was also a program called Simple Family Tree, which worked well enough, but no pictures, no "additional info" that you could display on the chart itself, and you can only view 4 generations at a time, although you could make the tree much larger. The others I found with a quick google either didn't work easily, or had only a 14-day free evaluation period, or some other issue.
 
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