Parmesan Cheese - The Rise (or fall) of the di Parma dynasty

[naggy]

Chapter 5 - The Love Story of Oberto and Sancha

On November 6th, 1075, things went from bad to worse for Count Oberto - he fell ill, which made him even more stressed.

In January, his cough worsened, and he caught pneumonia.

In February, his steward decided that the best cure for pneumonia was to talk his ear off about stewardship. (This is one of the nicer events around your higher-skilled council members).

Ironically...this worked! On the bright side, when you get cured of a disease, you don't go back to ill to recover - you just get better. (fine print: this cure may not work in the Byzantine Empire, where a hail of assassinations is rumored to be the cure for what ails you)

In May, Sicily's king passed the Limited Crown Authority law. Whenever I'm asked about these, I approve, since I want lots of authority once I take their kingship.

...unfortunately, increasing Crown Authority led to more illness in July. Being Italian, illness makes Oberto horny.

Having gotten pregnant, Oberto's wife decides to kill him in September...she didn't appreciate getting hit on by a sneezing husband.

Oberto responds in a loving, respectful manner...

In March, 1071, baby Marietta is born in the dungeon. When a baby is born in prison, you have to remember to release them before the -health modifier kills them. On the bright side, you're considered merciful for letting them out (+10 relations for a while to all vassals)!

This is a good sign - my wife is a chaste hedonist!

As Oberto still has a soft spot for his wife, he merely banishes her.

 

[loki100]

families heh, can't live with 'em and can't live without 'em.

must remember the 'imprison pregnant person and get the prestige for letting out the kid' trick

 

[Avindian]

Why didn't you get relations penalties for banishing your wife?

 

[naggy]

families heh, can't live with 'em and can't live without 'em.

must remember the 'imprison pregnant person and get the prestige for letting out the kid' trick

I heard that her first words were "Nobooooody knows....the trouble I've seeeeeen".

Why didn't you get relations penalties for banishing your wife?

My guess is that since she had no title, they didn't care. Either that, or they hate her too.

 

[LordTempest]

Being Italian, illness makes Oberto horny.

:rofl:

Would having a legitimate reason for imprisoning his wife (i.e. the plot) also give Oberto a legitimate reason to banish her?

 

[naggy]

It may be more along the lines that when you imprison a traitor, you can take one title - thus, any action that results in the victim losing more than one title will be considered tyrannical. Banishment lets you keep all of someone's titles and stuff - so banishing a Duke of Aquitaine with 4 ducal and 4 county titles should be seen as much worse than banishing a courtier.

 

[Melrick]

I've recently got this game, and since I never played the first one, I'm learning a lot, so I'm learning from this AAR, and enjoying it too. Learning that's fun! Who'd-a-thought.

 

[TonyJoe]

This is very informative and just what I need. Thanks Naggy.

 

[naggy]

I've recently got this game, and since I never played the first one, I'm learning a lot, so I'm learning from this AAR, and enjoying it too. Learning that's fun! Who'd-a-thought.

This is very informative and just what I need. Thanks Naggy.

Glad to be of help!

 

[naggy]

Chapter 6 - Salermo

May 30, 1077:
Whew. Finally she's gone. I feel better already...

...so my heir takes over the duty of being sick...(as does little Marietta)

In December, Matilda holds a feast. This will start a long tradition of her holding feasts. Feasts area good chance to get relationship bonuses with vassals and lieges, as well as some prestige.

In January, we get a new Kaiser - Adolf. His bedtime is 8, 9 on the weekends.

Here's a shot of my earnings (you can see it by clicking on your coat of arms). City tax and demense income will almost always be your main income. To boost city income, I increase City taxes to Large - it passes easily.

In August, the Byzantines pass Absolute Crown Authority. I accept - not my problem, and it'll keep the caliphates busy having a strong Empire on their border.

In August, 1080, I send my granddaughter Aloisia off to my liege for guardianship. Happy lieges leave you alone, and that's what I want now.

The next few years go by...feasts with Matilda, a summer fair in 1082 (summer fairs have some nifty prestige effects that are pointless later, but useful early on), and some cattle rustlers in 1082 that I let off the hook in exchange for 10 piety.

Everything is nice and quiet, until Salermo falls to Muslims and becomes a single province Sheikhdom. In December 1082, we attack!

While waiting for sieges to finish, I complete my ambition to Amass Wealth. Another +1 stewardship!

In August 1083, the Kaiser takes Napoli from the heathens. I didn't have enough men to do both.

Apparently, my banished wife is giving me advice. And I'm taking it.

After a long siege, Salermo surrenders on September 17, 1083. This makes Oberto the Count of Parma, Corsica, Genoa, Salermo, and Capua.

 

[morningSIDEr]

Brilliant stuff. I think you may be one of the only players cunning enough to have stumbled accross imprisoning pregnant women just so you can gain a bonus from mercifully releasing their newborn children! I do rather love that even if imprisoned whilst pregnant, then banished, your wife is still giving you advice. Oberto is clearly quite the man!

 

[loki100]

one has to wonder where Oberto junior got his moustache from - fortunate that Adolph isn't allowed one yet.

your family are rather forgiving ... or maybe they just like nagging you?

 

[naggy]

Brilliant stuff. I think you may be one of the only players cunning enough to have stumbled accross imprisoning pregnant women just so you can gain a bonus from mercifully releasing their newborn children! I do rather love that even if imprisoned whilst pregnant, then banished, your wife is still giving you advice. Oberto is clearly quite the man!

It says something about how my mind works...As we shall see, wives in CK2 get imprisoned quite often.

one has to wonder where Oberto junior got his moustache from - fortunate that Adolph isn't allowed one yet.

your family are rather forgiving ... or maybe they just like nagging you?

They're forgiving...for now. But yes, they LOVE nagging me. After about 50 years in any game, you will find yourself using the End Plot diplomatic option several times a year to get your family to stop their shenanigans.

 

[Omen]

They're forgiving...for now. But yes, they LOVE nagging me. After about 50 years in any game, you will find yourself using the End Plot diplomatic option several times a year to get your family to stop their shenanigans.

Man, that's for sure. It's strange when all of your vassals love you but hate each other. Plots against half-siblings abound while big brother or daddy has to intervene and make the kids play nice.

 

[aldriq]

Very instructive and Machiavellian. Surprised your crazy nephews haven't plotted anything yet, I imagine you keep a constant eye on them...

How come you have a say on crown authority laws for Sicily and the Byzantine empire? Are some of your possessions part of those kingdoms? (If so, can we have a map of Italy?)

 

[naggy]

Yes. Capua and Salermo are part of Sicily. I'll have to look for a save game around then for a map...

 

[naggy]

As requested - a map!

This is using the Direct Vassals view - it shows a liege's direct vassals, so I appear under my liege (Toscana). I'm in the top northwest corner (Parma, Genoa, Corsica) and southeastern corner (Capua and Salermo).

The Kingdom of Sicily has formed, as you can see - all the small counties and duchies in the southern tip are part of Sicily.

 

[naggy]

07 - Plots and Counterplots

With the capture of Salermo from heathen hands, I again gain all the barony level titles, which puts me at 8 titles but a demense limit of 6. I need to divest myself of titles.

First off - I offload a bishopric. Make sure that when you give away a bishopric that you get the 25 piety church grant bonus. Not all characters give it (and I haven't bothered to figure out why some characters don't). If you are keeping the county for yourself, then this is a great opportunity at the duke/king/emperor level to poach great characters from your realm's court so you can stock your council - you can grant titles to anyone in your realm, and then they come into your court.

I offload the city to someone else, and immediately declare war on the Shiekh of Girgenti in Sicily. Again, a one-province shiekhdom.

The Sheikh lands at Salermo, where I crush his army. Getting 25.2 war score from one battle is nice..

Crap. Who needs reinforcements, anyway?

I can finally pick a new plot...occasionally, you'll get plots to off people just because you hate each other's guts. Zealous infidels in the realm are an obvious target...

Zealous Heretics and heathens happen to be really easy to find co-conspirators to kill...

I had 100% plot power by myself - I'm fuzzy on how plot power works, but I suspect it's a combination of comparative power and access. You can't execute a plot alone, however. You must have at least one plot backer.

Once I get my plot backer, it's time to execute it. Even at 100+% power, you can still fail. In this case, however, I succeed.

Crap. My wife wants me dead, and has a base plot power of 57.5% - enough to kick if off with just one backer. However, I can ask any plotters to discontinue, and since they are in my court, they'll have no choice. In the mean time, I can explore my options...

Assassination is expensive, and I only have a 25% chance (48% chance of being caught). Instead, I'll plot to kill her. Unfortunately, no one hates her enough to join in.

My chancellor intervenes and gets us to talk. Not sure how this works...she's still cowering in Aragon trying to kill me. (It surely didn't end the plot...)

I send my chancellor and spymaster to Aragon, in hopes that I can manipulate opinion to get my plot to work. In September 1084, a Prince is swayed a little, but not enough.

Oh yeah, there was a war on! Back in Sicily, the heathens attempt to sally and break the siege. The attempt fails, and the subsequent 10% morale lost leads to an instant surrender.

Oberto isn't being very patient with this war...maybe the fact he recently had to tell a bishop to stop plotting with his wife to kill him is getting to

In January 1085, the Kaiser creates the Duchy of Capua before I can manage it.

On April 5th, 1085, the Sheikh of Girgenti surrenders his land.

 

[loki100]

I can only assume that Agate's desire to be married has left her so frustrated that a bit of casual murder seems a good way to spend her spare time?

and your wife really is not giving up on you (ie is not giving up trying to kill you that is)

 

[naggy]

and your wife really is not giving up on you (ie is not giving up trying to kill you that is)

She's sitting in Aragon, singing along with Rick Astley.