Little of importance happens during the remaining months of 1204. Courtiers are appointed as they tickle in from the Latin Empire, and an alliance is formed with the single province Prince of Chaldea. I also switch the ruling law to Salic Promniture to ensure my title will always go to a Komnenid. Since I only have one vassal, the Prince of Cherson, it's the best time to change.
Sadly, Trebizond is dirt poor. Hideously dirt poor. Making 7 gold a month dirt poor. This must be corrected. My two main enemies, Romania and Nicaea require prestige, though, so Trebizond attacks the Bey of Paphelagonia on January 8, 1205, and by them, the Sultan of Rum. Our little buddy in Chaldea decides to attack Koloneia (also part of Rum) a few days later, so we join that too.
David meets the Sultan in battle on Jan 21, but is outnumbered and forced to retreat. Then, on Feb 9, I am accused of cowardice on the battlefield! How dare they! I was merely preparing a flanking maneuver. ... *cough* Fortunately, the accusation doesn't stick.
Unfortunately, I seem to have underestimated the Sultan's military strength and mobilize all my remaining troops and start gathering them together.
Papparappagonia is taken on May 22, but this is overshadowed by the crushing defeat of my army on June 1. We ask for a white peace, and the Sultan refuses. Dammit.
I have to deny getting a bishop because of my stunning lack of gold. I think I've discovered reverse alchemy. This isn't helped much when the Emir of Kappodekia gives us 18g for peace, mostly because Mr. Sultan is charging into Amisos with 3400 men and there's only 1900 there under my brother to stop him. The 1600-strong Trabzon regiment rushes to assist while I attempt to make some seiges in Rum.
The Traps don't get there fast enough, and the Sultan wins. He captures Amisos on Aug 7, cutting the Kingdom in two. It's about here that I remember to get Cherson to mobilize. Durr.
August 17, I decide to take advantage of the campfollowers. Not exactly fiddling while Rome burns... Anyways, I got a bastard out of it, which is good, sicne neither me or my brother have wives yet.
Nov 17, Sinope falls to the Sultan, David is seiging Amisos, and I'm seiging in Rum., a month later, Chaldea province complains about my religion, so I crush them and make them Orthodox. Trabzon does the same the next January.
Amisos is recovered on Christmas 1205 and I now have 3700 men under my command (merging my and David's armies), we charge into battle against the Sultan's army in Paphgoliane and finally pull off a massive victory. At the same time, the Latins and Nicea go to war.
Excellent...
Mar 11, the Pope calls a Crusade to Jerusalem. Most people don't seem to care.
After helping the peasants in Trapzon after they go back to their fields, we recapture Sinope and gain a white peace with Rum. One and a half years of war, most of my soldiers dead, one province and 18g gained in total.
It may be time to rethink my strategy.
In the meantime, Regal Supremacy is instituted so I can give less money to the church. We're about 450 gold in debt.
August 2, we find that Nicaea is seiging Constantinople! NO! GO LATINS! KILL THEM! Good lord, I'm cheering for Latins. This puts me in a bad mood, which I take out on the Paphloggni peasants when they complain about me not being Muslim.
Our provinces begin to recover in September, but the fort in Sinope crumbles in October. I'm getting mixed signals here.
January 1207 is a good months. The Spymaster is rewarded for being faithful, the bastard son is sent to a local noble for raising (damned if I'll pay that much on a bastard) and I finally get married to a hot Athenian chick.
The Frankish Catholic part is kind of offputting, the duty is awesome, and the Lustful Zealous arouses my... interest.
My brother complains about my marrying a schismatic, so I found him a German girl. The complaints have ceased.
In other lovely news, the Nicaeans have failed to take the City. I laugh at them heartily.
By July, the Latins have beat the crap out of Nicaea and occupy (along with their breakaway Duchy of Nikaea) all of our rival kingdom. We finally get out of debt the next onth, so I hatch a plan.
By November, I have enough prestige to claim the title of Count of Herekleia. Stunning, I know.
February 1208, the King of Nicaea finally surrenders to the Duchies of Nikaea and Phillippopolis, yielding his claims on them. Since this opens up some of Nicaea's territory, we attack them in April.
This war goes very well, as we defeat the Nicaeans easily and begin seiging Herekleia. Then Mr. Latin King waltzes in and steal the seige. I mean that literally. Then the Nicaeans attacked, forcing us to fight alongside the Latins. I feel so dirty.
Sept 10, the wife is pregnant and my brother has a baby girl. Well, at least it's something.
Nov 26, the spymaster gets sick. I mention this because it kicks off a whole comedy of errors.
Dec 21, a miracle worker offers to heal the spymaster for some gold. Spymasteer puts his trust in God, and promptly gets pneumonia. I mention that maybe the miracle worker was God's agent, and Spy glares at me before hacking up a lung.
1209, March. The Nicaeans are being stubborn and refusing to cede Herekleia or make a white peace. This changes when the Latins finally force them to peace, taking Dorylaion and forcing the Nicaeans to renounce their claims on Constantinople. Bwa. Ha. Ha.
Jun 15, I get a daughter. Meh.
1210. The war continues against Nicaea, as their replenished troops come into play.
Feb 2, the Chancellor is severely wounded. I never figured out why the fool was out here commanding a regiment anyway. Meanwhile, my brother shows courage by charging into a Nicaean brothel alone.
Jun 16, the former spymaster 9the one with pneumonia) finally dies. Poor bastard.
Jun 19, I display ineptitude. Not on purpose, you understand. It's just in the fog and low light of pre-dawn, a horse's tail looks remarkably similar to its head. You can see where confusion comes in about the saddle, then.
But, my ineptitude is nothing compared to the Westerners, as Rome falls to the Muslims on July 6. Maybe this wouldn't have happened to you guys, if say, you had some sort of large army, and you invaded Egypt instead of TURNING ON YOUR FELLOW CHRISTIANS, YOU DICKS! Of course, that's all hypothetical.
Sept 17, the chancellor gets ill from his wounds. We also finally force the Nicaeans to cede Herakleia. I don't like this habit of long expensive wars for one province.
December, we get out of debt by selling a windmill and pressuring Cherson into giving us more money. Then I hand my daughter over to the nannies.
Feb 4, 1211, our ally attacks a neighboring Muslim Emir. We don't join in because the Sultan of Kirkuk would if we do, and they outnumber us.
Jul 13, a miracle worker offers to heal the chancellor. He accepts quickly, remembering the poor ex-spymaster, and is healed! Huzzah!
Aug 7, the Latins attack Rum. Normally, I'd sit back and watch them fight, but Rum is somewhat weakened by a long war with... what's it called? Armenia Minor? Cicilia? Anyways, the Latins might take too much land...
Aug 26, we attack the Bey of Tyana to get back into war with Rum.
Sept 22, the chancellor is sick again. Perhaps that one wasn't God's agent, i say. The chancellor waves his cane at me before stopping for breath.
Oct 25, Ankyra is captured! It is followed by Kaiseria on the 29th, and Tyana on Nov. 30. Meanwhile, the bastard son gets sent to the army.
1212 opens with a great battle in Galatia that ends in a Trebizondite (?) victory. Koloneia is taken on Feb 19, and Rum begs for peace on March 10, which we accept.
Apr 8, the chancellor dies of his illness. He cursed at the priest before he expired, which may have had something to do with the flames that blasted out of his grave.
To cheer everyone up, we all go peasant-crushing in Tyana. Then I "give in to demands" to end the revolt in Chaldea, which started years ago over my not being Muslim. I'm not sure exactly what I gave into, then...
July 7, the wife gets stressed. When I ask, she says nothing's wrong. I therefore will act like nothing's wrong. And what's the best way to do that?
Aug 22, we attack the Emir of Ikonion, bring us into war with Rum again. Galatia falls on Oct 8, prompting the steward to remain me she's been faithful. I hope so, since she's David's wife.
Dec 12, the wife gets depressed. I still don't know what is wrong.
Dec 22, Rum retakes Galatia! See, look at that. Pay too much attention to your wife, and rabid Muslims start invading.
1213, Jan 17, I white peace the original Emire I dowed and race back home to defend it from the Sultan's army.
Feb 1, I'm not fast enough, but the Home Army performs a stellar defense, driving back the Sultan. Nikephoros Konops led the defense. I'll have to reward him.
Feb 28, David shows heroism in a fight. How come I never get to show heroism?!
Mar 6, Rum takes Trapzon! WTF!
Jul 7, Trapzon is retaken, and Rum agrees to a white peace. Back to somewhat-normal...
Aug 13, I promote Nikephoros to Count of Tyana for his protection of the homeland.
The area becomes peaceful for about a year.
1214, Jun 8, our little ally attacks the Bey of Antioch (the Crusader state was crushed by Rum), we join, and Rum joins. Yee haw.
Jul 12, after starting another major war, the Prince of Chaldea has the discourtesy to drop dead. Ass. We renew the alliance with his son and heir.
Aug, I decided to be a hero and attacked the Sultan of Rum's army with only my personal regiment. I did not notice the Sultan's reinforcements and would surely have been killed without the timely arrival of my brother and the majority of the Trebizondite Army. A death in battle might have been better than being saved again...
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Trebizond and its neighbors, September 1, 1214
The areas circled in red belong to our ally, in blue is Cicillia (?), which has the same color as us.
Also, a couple places of interest.
Italy:
Everything south of red line is Muslim
England:
Engladn imploded rather spectacularly under King John the Kinslayer, but it's beginning to pull together again.
