Prince of Antioch
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Congratulations, bk ! And thanks for the updates. A pity the war for independence had to end the way it did, but Bey Bohemond has all my support.
Wow.... I'm completely honoured honestly. I guess...... thanks!
Sorry about up and disappearing for a while (more like two months), but I'm back!
I'll be trying to put up the next chapters as soon as I can.
And thanks for all the congratulations.
And again, I'm really sorry for just disappearing.
from,
Riz
Last edited:
Chapter 4: A new generation
Note: I'm using the dual format that Sirrichard is using in his own AAR. You can look at it here. I'd like to thank him for letting me use his format. Basically the format uses two essentially different formats that are put side by side that can both be read, or read individually. One of the entries is detailed and has a bit of character, the other is just a summary.
When I talk in BOLD, it is me summarizing. When I'm talking in italics, I'm doing detail.
All right, finally on to the chapter!
Chapter 4: A new generation
"Woooohoooooooo! I'm a dad!"
Bohemond the third, second Bey of Antioch, was silently celebrating the birth of his new children. He had a peculiar face, and by peculiar, I mean it was just downright ugly, and he was rather shy about it. As a result, when celebrating the birth of his twin children, he preferred not to hold a grand feast, but instead to happily stay in his quarters and think about how great a father he would be.
It had been over a year since the death of his father, and in that year, the new Bohemond of Antioch had become more reclusive than ever, staying in his library more often than not. He still had the burning desire to see Antioch restored, but without his father to prod him to go out and see the courtiers and the people, he'd barely seen the sun!
He sighed to himself, relieved that he'd managed to convince his wife to not hold a banquet for the birth of the twins.
Of course, he'd have liked two sons instead of a son and a daughter, but at the very least the succession was secure.
Basically, Bohemond now has children. That's it really. The girl's named Agnes, the boy's named Peter (after Saint Peter).
27th of May, 1158
Bohemond looked up from the letter that his Chancellor had brought back.
"Chancellor, you are dismissed."
His chancellor bowed and started to shuffle out of the library.
"Oh, and arrange for a banquet. With news like this, even I have a slight need to celebrate." He smiled, before remembering that everybody but his father had said it was the most horrifying thing that they'd ever seen.
"Yes, my Lord."
Once his chancellor was out the door, Bohemond let out a whoop of joy and fell back in his chair with a satisfied sigh.
He'd been expecting news of war, not news of their independence!
Antioch was now free once again! And without a war that would have devastated the land. The thing that his father had spent the last decade of his life on had been handed to him on a silver platter.
Bohemond gave a rueful smile. All his preparations had been for naught. He'd be sending the message out to his spies to relax a little bit. Despite having a spymaster, Bohemond loved directing spies and contacts personally.
He frowned a little. Maybe he'd have to actually tell them to keep their eyes open. He didn't know if this was a ploy by the Emir to trick him, or if this was indeed genuine. It did seem a little too easy after all.
I asked for my independence (again), but this time, it was accepted! I was actually expecting a fight, but Antioch's free once again! Huzzah!
..........................................................................
Thanks for the patience!
Note: I'm using the dual format that Sirrichard is using in his own AAR. You can look at it here. I'd like to thank him for letting me use his format. Basically the format uses two essentially different formats that are put side by side that can both be read, or read individually. One of the entries is detailed and has a bit of character, the other is just a summary.
When I talk in BOLD, it is me summarizing. When I'm talking in italics, I'm doing detail.
All right, finally on to the chapter!
Chapter 4: A new generation
"Woooohoooooooo! I'm a dad!"
Bohemond the third, second Bey of Antioch, was silently celebrating the birth of his new children. He had a peculiar face, and by peculiar, I mean it was just downright ugly, and he was rather shy about it. As a result, when celebrating the birth of his twin children, he preferred not to hold a grand feast, but instead to happily stay in his quarters and think about how great a father he would be.
It had been over a year since the death of his father, and in that year, the new Bohemond of Antioch had become more reclusive than ever, staying in his library more often than not. He still had the burning desire to see Antioch restored, but without his father to prod him to go out and see the courtiers and the people, he'd barely seen the sun!
He sighed to himself, relieved that he'd managed to convince his wife to not hold a banquet for the birth of the twins.
Of course, he'd have liked two sons instead of a son and a daughter, but at the very least the succession was secure.
Basically, Bohemond now has children. That's it really. The girl's named Agnes, the boy's named Peter (after Saint Peter).
27th of May, 1158
Bohemond looked up from the letter that his Chancellor had brought back.
"Chancellor, you are dismissed."
His chancellor bowed and started to shuffle out of the library.
"Oh, and arrange for a banquet. With news like this, even I have a slight need to celebrate." He smiled, before remembering that everybody but his father had said it was the most horrifying thing that they'd ever seen.
"Yes, my Lord."
Once his chancellor was out the door, Bohemond let out a whoop of joy and fell back in his chair with a satisfied sigh.
He'd been expecting news of war, not news of their independence!
Antioch was now free once again! And without a war that would have devastated the land. The thing that his father had spent the last decade of his life on had been handed to him on a silver platter.
Bohemond gave a rueful smile. All his preparations had been for naught. He'd be sending the message out to his spies to relax a little bit. Despite having a spymaster, Bohemond loved directing spies and contacts personally.
He frowned a little. Maybe he'd have to actually tell them to keep their eyes open. He didn't know if this was a ploy by the Emir to trick him, or if this was indeed genuine. It did seem a little too easy after all.
I asked for my independence (again), but this time, it was accepted! I was actually expecting a fight, but Antioch's free once again! Huzzah!
..........................................................................
Thanks for the patience!
Huh, that never happens to me. Is the Emir of Antioch now only 1 province and do you have any cassus belli to annex him?
Yeah, I was really surprised myself when I got my independence for free. I don't have a causi belli on his territories. It's kind of anti climatic, but.... eh. Oh well.
Okay, skipping today's update... and last week's just slipped my mind.
Sorry, I should have the next update by next week.
cheers,
Sorry, I should have the next update by next week.
cheers,
Okay guys, to be completely honest, I really loved this AAR.
But I'm kind of losing interest (as can be seen by the lack of posts......)
Look, sorry guys, but I just can't keep writing this. I've just lost interest.
I just end up not writing it, even when I do have spare time (I've been pretty busy), so yeah, I guess I'm going to end the AAR here, even though I do have time to continue it now
Just lost interest
Hey, it's been a great ride, and thanks to everybody who supported this AAR, and sorry that I can't flesh out more detail from it and everything. But this is it.
Yup, with just an epilogue, and a general overview of what happened.
Epilogue: Antioch's Death
The lost chapters of Prince of Antioch:
(Using deep booming story voice)
After becoming Prince of Antioch and restoring the principality, Bohemond learned that his most favoured uncle: Godfrey, was trying to steal his throne.
His response was to attempt to kill him. He failed at first, but later succeeded.
The rest of Bohemond's reign was peaceful and prosperous (and rather boring), but disaster loomed when Bohemond started popping up more children.
Three sons is already too many!
And Antioch was doomed to a bloody civil war.
The friendly brothers!
With Bohemond gone,Some hoped that the war would be averted by Peter.
And the realm was plunged into war. (PS, the other brother is duke of some place in France)
The Muslims decided that having a bunch of squabbling idiots on front of their doorstep was a great target for conquest, and so they took over Tancred's lands before Antioch could be reunited.
So, by 1204, less than 50 years since Antioch had been restored, Antioch was once again on the brink of destruction.
Would it be saved this time?
Peter was great after all. He was a crusader, a genius at poisons, and great with a sword. Sure, he could maybe be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but if there was a guy who could save Antioch, he could.
But Antioch died, and it would not rise again.
................................................................
Epilogue: The departure of Peter
Peter looked back at the city, with all it's glorious churches and all it's grand mosques.
Once the city had been his, but no longer.
He stood at the stern of a ship, preparing to make to France to meet with his half brother, a duke in some faraway place, with strange customs and strange people.
Sure, he spoke the language. Well, kind of. He spoke Norman, but it was close enough.
But Antioch was his home.
Ever since his grandfather had come back from that fateful pilgrimage, Antioch had been walking on a knife's edge, with Infidels on all sides, and internal chaos threatening to blow up constantly. In fact, it was almost a miracle that it had survived so long. Almost seventy years of chaos, upheaval and treachery.
Four generations after Bohemond the first, a member of the First Crusade and father of Bohemond the second, had founded the principality, Antioch had finally died. It had died because of misunderstandings and treachery, not the Infidels at the gates. No. They had only scavenged what was left of it. The war was what had killed it. Peter and Tancred de Hauteville had lost thousands of troops against each other, ignoring the Infidels to their north, east and south.
His grandfather had lost Antioch, and his father had restored it. Now he had lost it.
Under Bohemond the third, Antioch had been the greatest state of Outremer, but no longer.
Antioch was beautiful, and Antioch was home.
And it was no longer his.
....................................................
And so ended the story of Antioch, a long story, but a grand one.
Thanks for all the support! This has been a lot of fun, and its been that way because of the viewers. Thanks for all the comments, suggestions, and all of it.
Have a nice day.
BKJ
But I'm kind of losing interest (as can be seen by the lack of posts......)
Look, sorry guys, but I just can't keep writing this. I've just lost interest.
I just end up not writing it, even when I do have spare time (I've been pretty busy), so yeah, I guess I'm going to end the AAR here, even though I do have time to continue it now
Just lost interest
Hey, it's been a great ride, and thanks to everybody who supported this AAR, and sorry that I can't flesh out more detail from it and everything. But this is it.
Yup, with just an epilogue, and a general overview of what happened.
Epilogue: Antioch's Death
The lost chapters of Prince of Antioch:
(Using deep booming story voice)
After becoming Prince of Antioch and restoring the principality, Bohemond learned that his most favoured uncle: Godfrey, was trying to steal his throne.
His response was to attempt to kill him. He failed at first, but later succeeded.
The rest of Bohemond's reign was peaceful and prosperous (and rather boring), but disaster loomed when Bohemond started popping up more children.
And Antioch was doomed to a bloody civil war.
With Bohemond gone,Some hoped that the war would be averted by Peter.
The Muslims decided that having a bunch of squabbling idiots on front of their doorstep was a great target for conquest, and so they took over Tancred's lands before Antioch could be reunited.
Would it be saved this time?
Peter was great after all. He was a crusader, a genius at poisons, and great with a sword. Sure, he could maybe be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but if there was a guy who could save Antioch, he could.
But Antioch died, and it would not rise again.
................................................................
Epilogue: The departure of Peter
Peter looked back at the city, with all it's glorious churches and all it's grand mosques.
Once the city had been his, but no longer.
He stood at the stern of a ship, preparing to make to France to meet with his half brother, a duke in some faraway place, with strange customs and strange people.
Sure, he spoke the language. Well, kind of. He spoke Norman, but it was close enough.
But Antioch was his home.
Ever since his grandfather had come back from that fateful pilgrimage, Antioch had been walking on a knife's edge, with Infidels on all sides, and internal chaos threatening to blow up constantly. In fact, it was almost a miracle that it had survived so long. Almost seventy years of chaos, upheaval and treachery.
Four generations after Bohemond the first, a member of the First Crusade and father of Bohemond the second, had founded the principality, Antioch had finally died. It had died because of misunderstandings and treachery, not the Infidels at the gates. No. They had only scavenged what was left of it. The war was what had killed it. Peter and Tancred de Hauteville had lost thousands of troops against each other, ignoring the Infidels to their north, east and south.
His grandfather had lost Antioch, and his father had restored it. Now he had lost it.
Under Bohemond the third, Antioch had been the greatest state of Outremer, but no longer.
Antioch was beautiful, and Antioch was home.
And it was no longer his.
....................................................
And so ended the story of Antioch, a long story, but a grand one.
Thanks for all the support! This has been a lot of fun, and its been that way because of the viewers. Thanks for all the comments, suggestions, and all of it.
Have a nice day.
BKJ
It's too bad this died. Considering you mentioned losing interest, did you give up on that war or was there really no chance of winning?
I actually played it all out as well.
It really was completely hopeless, and there was a civil war and everything. Tancred went off and lost all his holdings after getting his army crushed by me, and then I was left with one province against Damascus and the Seljuks.
So it was hopeless, and Antioch died legit.
And glad you enjoyed, DKM! Thanks for all your support!
It really was completely hopeless, and there was a civil war and everything. Tancred went off and lost all his holdings after getting his army crushed by me, and then I was left with one province against Damascus and the Seljuks.
So it was hopeless, and Antioch died legit.
And glad you enjoyed, DKM! Thanks for all your support!
Sorry to see this go as it was an enjoyable read but well done for finishing it in your own fashion