Haw Dywedyd “Mynydd” Na Myned Drosto - A Welsh Megacampaign Part 1

[DensleyBlair]

Very good job getting the Scottish alliance secured. That will come in very handy for future excursions against England Hampshire.

A Crusade is always fun. Not the best start, though…

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

Good for you! Crush the... Hampshirians? Hampshirites?

 

[DensleyBlair]

Good for you! Crush the... Hampshirians? Hampshirites?

Wiki suggests the Hampshire demonym is either “Hampshire Hog” or (I shit you not) “Bacon Face”.

I can find no other source for this, and I don’t know anyone from Hampshire so I can’t go that route, but in the absence of a better alternative I say we go with it.

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

I don't know what a 'bacon face' is but I think that's perverse and us proper Welsh Catholics need to sort them out.

 

[DensleyBlair]

I don't know what a 'bacon face' is but I think that's perverse and us proper Welsh Catholics need to sort them out.

Apparently it’s something to do with the fact that Hampshire historically is pig-farming country, although how much that explains exactly I’m not so sure…

That said, I definitely think that it is valid grounds to expand Welsh influence, at least into the West Midlands and down through the West Country. Totally sound basis for a casus belli. No question. 100 per-cent legit.

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

The Welsh would be greeted as liberators, I'm sure.

 

[tubplunger]

I don't know what a 'bacon face' is but I think that's perverse and us proper Welsh Catholics need to sort them out.

Apparently it’s something to do with the fact that Hampshire historically is pig-farming country, although how much that explains exactly I’m not so sure…

That said, I definitely think that it is valid grounds to expand Welsh influence, at least into the West Midlands and down through the West Country. Totally sound basis for a casus belli. No question. 100 per-cent legit.

That's like how there's a town in the USA called Butte, and if you want to get beat up there, tell them they are from Butt.
Definitely want to spread Welsh culture into England. One of my goals is to at least make the Anglo-Saxons into a minority. Prydain for the Celts!

 

[DensleyBlair]

That's like how there's a town in the USA called Butte, and if you want to get beat up there, tell them they are from Butt.

Oh the joys of English-language place names…

Closer to home for this AAR, there’s a charming little village near the Wales–Herefordshire border whose English name is Three Cocks. The Welsh name is Aberllynfi, which is fairly straightforward: “mouth of the River Llynfi”. Obviously the English had a different sense of the place…

Definitely want to spread Welsh culture into England. One of my goals is to at least make the Anglo-Saxons into a minority. Prydain for the Celts!

The cultural conversion mechanic once again showing itself far and away to be the most sinister part of CK3…

I still haven’t played the game and all the sense I have of culture has been thru “conversions”. Does random shift happen at all in the game (as in CK2) or is it entirely by, um, other means?

 

[tubplunger]

Oh the joys of English-language place names…

Closer to home for this AAR, there’s a charming little village near the Wales–Herefordshire border whose English name is Three Cocks. The Welsh name is Aberllynfi, which is fairly straightforward: “mouth of the River Llynfi”. Obviously the English had a different sense of the place…



The cultural conversion mechanic once again showing itself far and away to be the most sinister part of CK3…

I still haven’t played the game and all the sense I have of culture has been thru “conversions”. Does random shift happen at all in the game (as in CK2) or is it entirely by, um, other means?

I haven't seen culture shift randomly. Granted, I have been playing the game for very long so I could just not be seeing it but I haven't seen it yet. All culture conversion now happens through the Steward.

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

I've seen cultural conversion that my ruler wasn't responsible for, but I couldn't say for sure whether it was random or a decision made by an AI vassal.

 

[DensleyBlair]

I haven't seen culture shift randomly. Granted, I have been playing the game for very long so I could just not be seeing it but I haven't seen it yet. All culture conversion now happens through the Steward.

I've seen cultural conversion that my ruler wasn't responsible for, but I couldn't say for sure whether it was random or a decision made by an AI vassal.

One thing I liked about CK2 was the sense of natural cultural progressions over time – imagining languages evolving as part of the alt-history and so on. It’s a shame that they seem to have taken an “all or nothing” approach this time around, not least of course because of the questions it invites about what all these rulers are actually doing…

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

I think I would like random cultural progression, if it doesn't exist already, but I like having more control over it; but then again, I love the CK games primarily to indulge wacky alt-history scenarios.

 

[ardsss]

You had me at mega-campaign. Subbed.

 

[tubplunger]

Chapter Five
Finally United
1097-1109​

Ffransis grieved over his son's death but continue the fight in the holy land. Ffransis and the survivors of his army would join one of the Crusader armies that had just arrived while the army was replenished at home.

While in the Papal army during the Crusade, an injured soldier is brought in to the medical tents. With the army doctor nowhere to be found and only Blegwrd with him, Ffransis is forced to put his medical skills to work to save the man's life.

Miraculously, Ffransis manages to save the soldier's life with Blegwrd, stopping the bleeding on the man. Ffransis would come out of this more medical experience than he did coming in.

At home, the army is replenished enough that it could be sent back to the holy land. It arrives a few months later, just in time to take part in the siege of Jerusalem itself.

With the arrival of his army, Ffransis is able to partake in the Crusade fully once more. He and his army would become instrumental in the siege of Jerusalem.

Back at home, Duke Cadwgan pushes his claim on the remains of Deheubarth. Cadwgan ends up winning against Deheubarth, taking the duchy along with their recent conquest of Dublin on Ireland while still remaining as a vassal under Ffransis. Wales was now officially united under one ruler.

Back in the holy land, Jerusalem falls to the combined Crusader army under Ffransis. With the fall of Jerusalem the Muslim armies surrender.

Jerusalem and the surrounding area becomes part of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem under the Polish Queen Malgorzata.

In recognition of Ffransis' service in the Papal army and his help in the siege that ended the war, his daughter Mabyn is granted the Duchy of Oultrejourdain to rule within the kingdom.

Returning back to Wales, Ffransis uses some of the money he had gotten from the Crusade to construct a tradeport in Eryri, providing more income and development to the capital.

Rhydderch also comes to age at this time, completing his education in stewardship despite the fact that he was still inexperienced in it. He would often be described as a villain that caused trouble around the kingdom.

In 1101, Ffransis declares war on Hampshire again. This time, for a claim on the Earldom of Herefordshire, once again in a claim that Hereford was once Welsh and therefore should be apart of the kingdom.

Instead of going in immediately, Ffransis waits for the Swedish and Scottish army to come in to reinforce. The swedes arrive without any trouble but the Scots are ambushed while making their way south where Urien, once again, gets captured by the enemy.

As he marches to Hereford with the Swedes, Ffransis uses his clout with the Pope from the Crusade to get some money from him for the war. His request is accepted and the money is used to buy the Wake's Guard to bolster his ranks in the war.

He quickly sieges down Herefordshire when the Anglo-Saxon army arrives. A larger force goes south to battle with part of the Swedish army while the smaller part of it fights Ffransis.

Just as he was about to win the battle the larger part of the Anglo-Saxon army reinforces the battle, but the other half of the Swedish army also joins the battle. With the two combined they beat the Anglo-Saxon army and force it to retreat.

As Ffransis sieges down Worcestershire the Anglo-Saxons attack again with the same strategy, this time with the Castilians attacking the Swedish army at the same time.

This strategy doesn't work the second time either, both of the armies being forced to retreat and allowing Ffransis to continue the siege.

In the battle with the Swedes, the Castilian king is captured. The swedes also send a call to war to Ffransis, getting attacked by a Sami tribe while their armies are busy helping Ffransis.

Getting close to Hampshire itself, King Eadgar surrenders to Ffransis' army in 1103. He is forced to cede Herefordshire to Ffransis and to also release Urien.

Ffransis then sails north to help his Swedish ally. The Sami tribe turns out to be extremely far north in Finnmark where even in June there was snow on the ground.

As he arrives to siege down Finnmark he receives news that his wife, Adelais, had contracted Cancer. With no physician currently in the kingdom he immediately sends for one.

The court soon receives Margrete, a physician from Norway who was willing to become the court physician along as she was paid a hansom sum. Wanting to save his wife, Ffransis agrees to the price.

Her solution to the cancer turns out to be the removal of part of Adelais' face. The treatment does alleviate her symptoms but doesn't cure the cancer completely, also forcing Adelais to wear a facemask.

Spending a few months sieging down Finnmark, well into the winter that kills half of Ffransis' army alone, he finally breaks the walls of the tribe capturing the High Chief's wife and son. This forces the Chief to surrender and allow Ffransis to return home.

He doesn't return home to good news though. Despite the good treatment of the cancer, Adelais ultimately looses the battle to cancer. Her death causes great grief to Ffransis, promising to never marry anyone again in mourning.

To try and take his mind off of his wife's recent death, Ffransis decides to start a project. This project was to translate Aristotle's Physica into Welsh, as there was no Welsh translation of the Physics.

He would spend many sleepless nights working on the translation, often being found asleep on top of his translations, falling asleep in the middle of the night. Still, he forces himself to complete this translation.

Even if it did cause him much unneeded stress.

As he continues his translations with his scribes he would often come into debates on how it should be translated. One notable debate was the translation of 'as we hold two feet and spirit's rising edges of hunter'. His scribes insisted that the translation was correct but Ffransis was convinced that was incorrect, spending time to try and come up with something more fitting.

One night, almost falling asleep on top of his translations again, one of his scribes manages to convince him to go and get some sleep and let the scribes do some of the work while he rests.

As he continued to get closer to completing the translation, he got more and more drained with his work. Eventually secluding himself to finish the translation until it was done.

This seems to have done the trick as he returned from seclusion with a completed translation of the Physica. The translated copy turned out to be well done, so much so that Ffransis' translation of the Physica continues to be used by the Welsh to this day.

With his project done, he orders the upgrading of the walls and towers around Eryri, adding bastions and curtain walls to the structure of the castle.

He also increases the authority of the crown, giving more powers to himself much to his vassal's displeasure as it came with an increase to levies and taxes to the king.

He then decides to go on a pilgrimage, choosing the recently conquered Jerusalem as his destination.

While traveling on his pilgrimage, in Bavaria he and his party are ambushed by bandits. Even in his old age, he doesn't hesitate to draw his sword and fight the bandits away with his party.

And in Anatolia, his party finds themselves in an area with no nearby churches, having to settle with giving mass out in the open. As the mass is given a storm ends up rolling in. The priest continues to give mass but many in the congregation return to their tents. Ffransis doesn't and continues to listen to the priest in the rain, even if it did end up giving him a cold.

He does eventually reach Jerusalem, traveling around the city to see all the holy sites, even getting to see his daughter who was still ruling the duchy in the kingdom.

He would soon return to Wales. In his writings on the trip he would remark: "The priests and bishops have changed in their treatment of me upon my return, but it feels like nothing about me has changed."

With his return, he declares war on the small Irish Count of Athlone, looking to expand his holdings in Ireland.

He lands in Dublin, or Dulyn as it was being called now, where the Athlone army was trying to siege down the city. He quickly lands and slaughters the army to only five survivors.

He marches to Athlone and proceeds to quickly siege down the county. Instead of giving it to a Welsh, he instead gives it to an Irish noble as long as he renounced his heresy and promised to be loyal to Wales.

After the war he would stumble upon a book about early Christian traditions, describe how early monasteries would use trances and visions to commune with Heaven and the Heavenly Father. He would become curious enough to try one of these methods out.

He would get some of the required powders and lock himself in a room. When returning from the room he would claim to have seen a strange light and hear a pulsating sound.

This would become a strange habit of his, trying again and again to repeat the first vision he saw but never being able to get the same results as the first time.

Meanwhile, the Pope founds the first Christian holy order in the city of Ostia, christened as The Knights Templar.

The exiled Kingdom of England continues it's slow decline, getting split into two by France and the Normans being overthrown by the Capet family.

France experiences a collapse of their own. The rulers are still Orthodox but many of the Catholic rulers have broken off from the Kingdom and away from the Orthodox rulers.

 

[tubplunger]

That war with Hampshire was a lot closer than this makes it out to be. Just as I got peace with them they had managed to get another army that was larger than both my army and the Swedish army combined. If I didn't peace out at that point the war would probably still be continuing.

 

[DensleyBlair]

He lands in Dublin, or Dulyn as it was being called now, where the Athlone army was trying to siege down the city.

Dulyn means “black lake”, which I think is near enough what Dublin means in Irish. Nice that the game has Welsh localisation. Don’t suppose it changed the names for Shropshire and Herefordshire?

Meanwhile, that was a well fought contest with Hampshire. A couple more counties rescued from the fate of being daubed in that hideous aquamarine colour. Is there no option to usurp titles in CK3? I would’ve thought Eadgar would have been able to claim the English crown if so.

 

[tubplunger]

Dulyn means “black lake”, which I think is near enough what Dublin means in Irish. Nice that the game has Welsh localisation. Don’t suppose it changed the names for Shropshire and Herefordshire?

Meanwhile, that was a well fought contest with Hampshire. A couple more counties rescued from the fate of being daubed in that hideous aquamarine colour. Is there no option to usurp titles in CK3? I would’ve thought Eadgar would have been able to claim the English crown if so.

Shropshire and Herefordshire do actually have Welsh names which is nice. I'm pretty sure Dublin is the only place in Ireland with a localized Welsh name.
There is an option to usurp titles in CK3, got one for Deheubarth that I ended up never taking. The AI on Hampshire isn't doing it for whatever reason.

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

There is definitely title usurpation, but perhaps the custom kingdom-level title of Hampshire is discouraging the AI.

 

[DensleyBlair]

I'm pretty sure Dublin is the only place in Ireland with a localized Welsh name.

yeah, thinking about it there probably aren't that many others that change so much. Cool that the English counties have changed.

There is definitely title usurpation, but perhaps the custom kingdom-level title of Hampshire is discouraging the AI.

Maybe it really likes the sickly blue…

 

[Cora Giantkiller]

Then the Bacon Faces are truly perverse.

If there is an unspoken 'same color' CB, there should also be another for unsightly colors of all kinds.