I think the Normans are going to need to get their act together right quick, or else the Bretons will end up picking up a lot of those remains. An insane Duke, the son of an excommunicated King. Not a good combination.
Kerne Theory
- Thread starter IamWhoa
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Mettermrck: I hope so, these are fairly small updates after all. 
General_BT: For character traits sake, they go somewhere, though it's kind of difficult making it plausible right now.
Enewald: Roberts is a rebel as well, heh.
stynlan: He was originally going to be more comical but I thought it cheapened schizophrenia somewhat. Although some remnants of that idea are still in the earlier updates.
Estonianzulu: Poor Robert has more than Bretons to worry about.
General_BT: For character traits sake, they go somewhere, though it's kind of difficult making it plausible right now.
Enewald: Roberts is a rebel as well, heh.
stynlan: He was originally going to be more comical but I thought it cheapened schizophrenia somewhat. Although some remnants of that idea are still in the earlier updates.
Estonianzulu: Poor Robert has more than Bretons to worry about.
Part IV: The Border Wars
Anne Morena's The Bretons
Anne Morena's The Bretons
In late 1184, the moment Hoel had often seen in the haze of his future finally arrived. The Duke of Normandy was drawn into conflict with his vassals and like a vulture stalking dying animal, Hoel summoned at least 5,500 men to the border with Normandy. Though the two Duchies were both nearly equal in strength of arms, Robert had insisted on leading and commanding pitched battles during the civil war. The result was a dramatic weakening of the Duchy through his confused tactics and ventures. Even if his strategies were sound, Roberts’ inability to communicate in any comprehensible manner left the leadership of the Norman armies treading the fog of war blindfolded.
Duke Robert de Normandy
The civil wars came to a close before long, with Robert’s Duchy being saved by a thread through the relative sanity of his own Marshals. It was during this moment of peace that the Duke Hoel invaded, in February of 1085. Count Geoffroy of Rennes invaded Maine with the bulk of the Breton forces. There, he pursued several pitched battles against the unprepared Norman lords, largely defeating and scattering them.
Count Geoffroy engages the Normans in Maine.
Meanwhile, Hoel attacked the northern county of Avranches. Its unyielding administrator, Countess Maud d’Averanches, refused all advances by Hoel’s envoys – all of whom demanded absolute surrender. A few months into the siege, Hoel received word that William was sending forces to invade Normandy. At least 2,000 under Marshal William Bruce were preparing to cross the channel. Soon after, word came that King Philippe was making preparations for an invasion as well. The situation was clear to the Breton leadership; Normandy was through as a Free Duchy and the Bretons themselves were mere days from becoming engulfed by the armies of France and England.
Though Count Geoffroy had largely secured Maine and had spent his leisure fraternizing with the locals, Hoel was stuck in a drawn out siege against a Countess who showed more fight than most men. Her persistence would not pay off in the end, as she would eventually be captured. Even then, she would not surrender to the Duke. When a particular Breton soldier threatened more dire means of persuasion, the Countess spat in his face – to the amusement of the others. Duke Hoel, always having a knack for diplomacy, noted her religious fanaticism and proceeded to meet with her in private. It’s unknown what exactly went on between the two but it is assumed that the excommunication of Duke Roberts helped sway Maud. After only two days of talks, the Countess agreed to pledge herself to the Duchy of Brittany.
The Countess Maud d'Averanches
Before the celebrations began, Hoel received a short missive bearing the seal of Normandy. The letter still survives to this day–
Thus, the border regions of Normandy were acquired. Hoel had narrowly avoided a major conflict with both Philippe and William.
Duke Robert would see no peace however – as the massive French army was set loose, tearing the weary Duchy asunder. William Bruce soon landed on the shores of Normandy, only to find that Philippe had already seized the entire Duchy. While negotiating the surrender of his titles, Robert reportedly refused to address Philippe as anything but King Attila.
After being dragged back to England by William Bruce, poor Robert would spend the rest of his days penned up in the town of Northampton. William removed him unceremoniously from the succession, placing Robert’s perfectly sane son Drogo in line for the throne. Needless to say, there was little protest.
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ahh... more land the better.
King of World, Gof of Men?
Btw, can kingdom of Bretons be edited into the game`?
King of World, Gof of Men?
Btw, can kingdom of Bretons be edited into the game`?
Nice victory, securing Maine...really like how you set up that map, how do you have the changing pics like that?
Stnylan: Thank you.
Enewald: Yes, but I probably wont.
Mettermrck: I made each picture in Photoshop, flattened them and made each into a layer in a new PS document, clicked "Jump to ImageReady", clicked "Make Frames from Layers", and then I adjusted the time for each frame.
Enewald: Yes, but I probably wont.
Mettermrck: I made each picture in Photoshop, flattened them and made each into a layer in a new PS document, clicked "Jump to ImageReady", clicked "Make Frames from Layers", and then I adjusted the time for each frame.
Nice victory, even prettier animation! Considering Aquitaine has apparently left France, might it be time for the Kerne's to start plotting for the French throne?
General_BT: Both are extremely powerful in comparison to Brittany. Aquitaine actually has claims in Brittany, which is worrisome. I lack the prestige as well, but perhaps in the future.
Estonianzulu: Thanks!
Estonianzulu: Thanks!
Chapter 2: Duke Alan IV "The Younger"
Part I: Desperate for Bardic Memorial
Duke Alan "Fergant" Kerne
Part I: Desperate for Bardic Memorial
Duke Alan "Fergant" Kerne
“It was difficult to obtain that,” the Bishop Stefen said. His old, welcoming face was given a demonic tinge as he stooped over Alan’s modest reading table.
“The Eastern Church has since become consumed by chaos – serves them right don’t you think?” With a wheezing chortle, the Bishop turned and lumbered deeper into the darkness of his personal library. Alan remained, still coming to grips with what he’d read.
With a blank stare, he examined the elegant writing of Charles of Faux. The world was in desperate need of champions, he thought. Someone like the King of Hungary, who so valiantly fought against the Turks – but perhaps more Breton. But there was so little he could do. Alan contemptuously looked over his ragged garments – simply not enough money. Jerusalem and Constantinople were too far away, the unity of their heathen rulers unbreakable.
I must do something, he thought. As his eyes explored the few, dimly lit shelves in the library, distant echos of Stefen’s Gregorian humming reached his ears. Alan’s eyes wandered towards the tops of the shelves – where one book caught his attention. Its simple, dark brown spine was particularly uninteresting. It was the fiery glow of the golden writing upon it that kept his eye – Hispania and the Moors.
***
As the sun slowly rose that morning, Alan lurched out the large doors of the library; the cold air struck him like a wall. His desire to become a Warrior-King, one worthy of at least one obscure minstrel’s song, seemed like a possibility once more. The excitement of it all– the unknowing, fought off the morning cold.
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This bodes well for a champion...I liked the writing with the Sultan in Byzantium...I could almost picture that scene.
uhhu... poor moors. I guess.... why does Michael always become the emperor???
he sucks allways!
But maybe first crown yourself as some king...
he sucks allways!
But maybe first crown yourself as some king...
To be a champion of course one needs a cause, and this is pretty good as far as causes go
Mettermrck: Thanks, I wanted to make that one dramatic. What can I do to get you to actually picture it though?
Enewald: I'm not sure but he handed over the entire Empire. I don't see any King titles in the near future.
Stnylan: I had to assume, since he's a romantic, that he'd want to have a song about him or something. I'm glad it seems to be plausible.
Enewald: I'm not sure but he handed over the entire Empire. I don't see any King titles in the near future.
Stnylan: I had to assume, since he's a romantic, that he'd want to have a song about him or something. I'm glad it seems to be plausible.
Part II: Drifting
As the leading ship of an armada of Cogs inched through the soft blue sea of Gibralter, Duke Alan and his comrades met at a small table within the ship’s dank innards. With him, the old Marshal Brient Penteur -- too old to even ride a horse but amongst the wisest in Alan’s court. The Counts of Rennes and Vannes, both formidable commanders, were the chief patrons of Alan’s idea in Spain – but their enthusiasm had begun to ware off.It was early in the morning when the brigands arrived. The ragged Christians stormed the outer fringes of Lisbon, wreaking havoc throughout. For at least an hour, I watched from the walls as their band of soldiers marched from village to village, across the perimeter of the horizon. It was when they attacked the third village, that I put aside discretion and summoned the town guard. As it turns out, and somewhat to my embarrassment, the thieves were sorely outnumbered. With some intelligence, they retreated back to their ships. I have heard that these are the Vikings of old, but they are not. Nor are they kin of the Christians in the near north. They showed less desire for treasures or tactical victory than for simple food. Indeed, the granaries were completely emptied. Those that were too weighed down by grain and bread were easily shot down by my archers. Having retreated to their ships, their fair sized fleet continued south, sure to leave more towns burning in their wake.
Yahya ibn Muhammad al-Mansur
“This was a foolish venture, Alan,” Count Jerman clamored. “Not only must we constantly feed this army of 6,600 but we must also face the Moors in all their numbers just to acquire food. The last effort was simply too costly and yet we continue south! Absolutely foolish!”
Alan was unfazed by the criticism and simply moved the subject forward, with a confidence that insulted Jerman-
“We may still find a need for our swords in Barcelona, or so King Gomez told me. They have suffered terrible setba-”
“Gomez is an ignorant boy!” Jerman roared. “These Spaniards want nothing to do with these rag-tag Breton warriors!”
Then, as if one of his soldiers was present, Jerman quickly added, “...however fine they may be.”
A long silence followed, accompanied by the gluttonous devouring of Iberian bread by an unaware Count Louis de Rennes, as well as the rhythmic croaks of the Cog. Alan looked towards Brient with a look that begged for advice, only to see the slouching old man had dozed off – exhausted from the fighting that morning. Alan finally responded-
“Calm yourself, Jerman, glory awaits us – somewhere in this sunbaked land. We need only to find it.”
“Huh!” Jerman grunted with contempt – desperate to fight the reassurance Alan had just given him.
Their conversation would slowly die to the gentle creaking of the wooden ship.
Short but sweet, and you use enough adjectives to bring the scene to life. As for picturing the other scene, any shortcomings are due to my lack of imagination, not your skill. Good stuff!
Good stuff!
Mettermrck: Thanks
stnylan: Yes indeed.
Enewald: Maybe a few troops every time they try it...
stnylan: Yes indeed.
Enewald: Maybe a few troops every time they try it...