I started with all settings default except I turned off shattered retreat, as I've never particularly liked the rule.
I started as the Petty Kingdom of Kent, with the default ruler, since I'm playing Ironman for achievements. He started with a diplomacy education, third tier, and some decent attributes. I quickly did what I usually do and set about bribing a chancellor from a foreign court, and set him to work on Middlesex, (Surrey and Sussex start dejure a part of the Kingdom of Kent). I also bribed a high intrigue guy over and set him to work stealing tech from the Byzantines. Finally, I bribed a high martial score guy to be my marshal and set him up to recruit troops in Kent. In a bit of an unusual move for me, I set my court chaplain to study cultural tech, rather than improving relationship with the pope.
My Chancellor proved EXTREMELY adept. I started with a theology focus, and by the time I had returned from my pilgrimage, he had already established claims on Middlesex and Essex. After two more years he established claims on Suffolk and it took him TWO DAYS (literally) to establish a claim on Norfolk. in this time, I conquered Sussex, and went to war to claim Surrey. In both cases, thanks to the brilliance of my Marshal, I was able to conquer the counties without needing to hire any mercenaries.
My Marshal roared through Essex (which also included Devon, which they had conquered while I was establishing myself. While he was doing that I took Middlesex and Essex, then Suffolk and Norfolk. After a brief pause to let my troops recover, I turned my attention to Essex, as Ecgberht had hit 50 by this point. Through skillful marriage of low-fertility wives (still with high stewardship) and some luck (and two murders), I'd managed to produce no additional males to endanger the succession of my only son, a Grey Eminence. (This would turn out to be HUGELY fortunate, as I usually aim to make my first son or two Martial leaders, but this time only the diplomacy focus fit.)
I conquered Essex, each county individually (so 5 of them) and at this point, gave one to my son, as I had hit the limit on my personal demesne. I also added Gloucester
Then, the dark times came. My King, contemplating his mortality, launched a campaign to conquer Oxford and Bedford from Mercia who had JUST signed an alliance with the Kings of Pictland. At the same time, the immortality event chain began.
The war with Mercia began well, racing out to a 73% warscore (it would get as high as 90%) but then the Picts intervened. Outnumbered 3-1, my army still inflicted horrific casualties on the Picts and Mercians, and won their fair share of battles, but in the end, it was unsustainable and I white peaced out. At 62, it appeared that Ecgberht would die a Duke.
However, he did manage to lay down a new law of succession, that of Agnatic-Cognatic Primogeniture. The oldest living male would inherit all titles and territories of his father or mother. In the event of no living male children, the oldest female child with sons would inherit. In the event that no female child had sons, then the oldest female child would inherit.
But would Ecgberht die at all? The immortality event chain unfolded, a quest to the tree of life, but in the end, a faithless vassal ate the apple that would grant him immortality instead of Ecgberht. But he was not yet doomed to die. A civil war in Mercia gave Ecgberht one last chance to seize the counties he desired (plus Worcester, which my new Chancellor had seen fit to forge a claim on), as they were part of the rebelling group.
The war was won, (incidentally winning the civil war for Mercia in the process, since 3/5ths of the territory and most of the rebelling army were destroyed to run up the warscore on my side) and at the age of 70 Ecgberht became, through the Grace of Our Most Glorious Lord, His Majesty, King of England. Now at last, it was time for peace. Ecgberht settled in to increase the prosperity of his lands, and three years later, passed away at the age of 73.
I didn't include the diseases. There were some outbreaks, my King god the flu once, but survived; my oldest daughter survived smallpox despite a botched treatment, and my oldest son got the flu. As I mentioned, to keep him the ONLY son, I had two wives murdered as soon as they got pregnant. (Like Henry VIII in reverse.) Turns out it wasn't necessary since I managed primogeniture (Legalism 3) before Ecgberht died. The only son inherited at the age of 53, and his oldest son was a 33 year-old leprous, childless, disfigured wretch. I imprisoned him and forced him to take the vows. Now his virtuous (four holy virtues) 17 year-old son is next in line for the throne of England.
I haven't had this much fun playing a ruler since the days of TOG. Bravo Paradox. Bravo.
I started as the Petty Kingdom of Kent, with the default ruler, since I'm playing Ironman for achievements. He started with a diplomacy education, third tier, and some decent attributes. I quickly did what I usually do and set about bribing a chancellor from a foreign court, and set him to work on Middlesex, (Surrey and Sussex start dejure a part of the Kingdom of Kent). I also bribed a high intrigue guy over and set him to work stealing tech from the Byzantines. Finally, I bribed a high martial score guy to be my marshal and set him up to recruit troops in Kent. In a bit of an unusual move for me, I set my court chaplain to study cultural tech, rather than improving relationship with the pope.
My Chancellor proved EXTREMELY adept. I started with a theology focus, and by the time I had returned from my pilgrimage, he had already established claims on Middlesex and Essex. After two more years he established claims on Suffolk and it took him TWO DAYS (literally) to establish a claim on Norfolk. in this time, I conquered Sussex, and went to war to claim Surrey. In both cases, thanks to the brilliance of my Marshal, I was able to conquer the counties without needing to hire any mercenaries.
My Marshal roared through Essex (which also included Devon, which they had conquered while I was establishing myself. While he was doing that I took Middlesex and Essex, then Suffolk and Norfolk. After a brief pause to let my troops recover, I turned my attention to Essex, as Ecgberht had hit 50 by this point. Through skillful marriage of low-fertility wives (still with high stewardship) and some luck (and two murders), I'd managed to produce no additional males to endanger the succession of my only son, a Grey Eminence. (This would turn out to be HUGELY fortunate, as I usually aim to make my first son or two Martial leaders, but this time only the diplomacy focus fit.)
I conquered Essex, each county individually (so 5 of them) and at this point, gave one to my son, as I had hit the limit on my personal demesne. I also added Gloucester
Then, the dark times came. My King, contemplating his mortality, launched a campaign to conquer Oxford and Bedford from Mercia who had JUST signed an alliance with the Kings of Pictland. At the same time, the immortality event chain began.
The war with Mercia began well, racing out to a 73% warscore (it would get as high as 90%) but then the Picts intervened. Outnumbered 3-1, my army still inflicted horrific casualties on the Picts and Mercians, and won their fair share of battles, but in the end, it was unsustainable and I white peaced out. At 62, it appeared that Ecgberht would die a Duke.
However, he did manage to lay down a new law of succession, that of Agnatic-Cognatic Primogeniture. The oldest living male would inherit all titles and territories of his father or mother. In the event of no living male children, the oldest female child with sons would inherit. In the event that no female child had sons, then the oldest female child would inherit.
But would Ecgberht die at all? The immortality event chain unfolded, a quest to the tree of life, but in the end, a faithless vassal ate the apple that would grant him immortality instead of Ecgberht. But he was not yet doomed to die. A civil war in Mercia gave Ecgberht one last chance to seize the counties he desired (plus Worcester, which my new Chancellor had seen fit to forge a claim on), as they were part of the rebelling group.
The war was won, (incidentally winning the civil war for Mercia in the process, since 3/5ths of the territory and most of the rebelling army were destroyed to run up the warscore on my side) and at the age of 70 Ecgberht became, through the Grace of Our Most Glorious Lord, His Majesty, King of England. Now at last, it was time for peace. Ecgberht settled in to increase the prosperity of his lands, and three years later, passed away at the age of 73.
I didn't include the diseases. There were some outbreaks, my King god the flu once, but survived; my oldest daughter survived smallpox despite a botched treatment, and my oldest son got the flu. As I mentioned, to keep him the ONLY son, I had two wives murdered as soon as they got pregnant. (Like Henry VIII in reverse.) Turns out it wasn't necessary since I managed primogeniture (Legalism 3) before Ecgberht died. The only son inherited at the age of 53, and his oldest son was a 33 year-old leprous, childless, disfigured wretch. I imprisoned him and forced him to take the vows. Now his virtuous (four holy virtues) 17 year-old son is next in line for the throne of England.
I haven't had this much fun playing a ruler since the days of TOG. Bravo Paradox. Bravo.
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