Road of Queens - CKII India AAR

[JabberJock14]

It looks like the Queen won't have a lot of problems expanding the realm. But that could end up causing problems within the realm - she'll need to hand those territories out and eventually, someone will start up a faction in support of her numerous siblings. She probably can't marry them all off to far away places.

But that's a problem for another day. Onward toward glory!

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Twenty-Six : Can You Have Too Many Soldiers?

Siege! Siege! Siege! Spam! Er... Siege!​

We open this chapter in January, of the year 830 AD, with the fall of the city of Pabna. The Queen enjoyed the burning buildings and the crying women. But the Mayor somehow escaped her grasp.

Also the Riders had arrived and, for some reason, Captain Saros had reorganized the Commanders in charge. His hands were slapped by the Queen and she reorganized it the way she wanted it.

Soon after her men set up the next siege around the Temple of Bogra she received news of the siege of Bikrampur by the Great King.

The Queen had to make a decision. She could stop the siege and attack the Great King. Or she could continue the sieges on the enemy's county. She decided to continue - she felt they could take the whole county before the enemy took one of her castles.

As she waited for the priests to be wiped out she received news that the Great King Traillokyachandra had won his war over the title for Thakur of Chunar. It seemed the Great King who had lost his earlier wars was starting to win his latest wars. The Queen wondered if she should keep an eye on him? He was now the oldest of the to Great Kings and it could be he was starting to be a effective ruler.

She was also told that County of Pundravardhana had become Greek! She was very pleased. Not only was she becoming a Warrior Queen but the Kingdom was slowly becoming a Greek Realm in the middle of South East Asia.

She was also notified that the County of Kamarupanagara was getting so many people they could use another temple. While the Queen wanted to build one in the name of her grandmother she did not have the money for such a project at the time. She had money but not THAT much money.

Near the end of March the Temple of Bogra fell to her soldiers. The Priests HAD put up a fight but in the end they were just too outnumbered.

Now there was just the Trade Post left! So the small group of defenders, numbering about 29 men, were attacked by an army of 5,641 soldiers

In April they were finally overwhelmed. The region now belonged to the Queen. She would have decide how to handle the enemy army within her borders.

So we close the chapter with the County of Madhupur totally occupied and the Queen preparing to march on the Great King.

 

[stnylan]

Poor 29 soldiers of the trade post!

 

[Eurasia]

Poor 29 soldiers of the trade post!

I am sure the Great King will send flowers to their families.

 

[volksmarschall]

Poor 29 soldiers of the trade post!

Should've ran when they had the chance.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Twenty-Seven : Death Of A Son

It‘s Only A Flesh Wound!​

We open this chapter in April, of the year 830 AD, with the Queen trying to enforce her demands on the Great King. But he ignored her stating that it was "just a flesh wound".

​

After this reply the Queen ordered her army to march southeast to break the siege in Bikrampur. Of course she was with the army even though she was not in command of any of the flanks.

In May the Great King realized what was happening and broke the siege to flee. The Queen had mixed feelings. They enemy had failed to take the castle but she had failed to engage the Great King. Sieges were nice but in order to win the war she had to defeat the enemy on the battlefield.

As the Queen planned out her next move she received a scroll from the Magistros Isaias. It seemed that the County of Suvarnagram was having problems and she could send the Magistros to deal with either the Castle or the Town. She decided on the Castle.

​

The army's scouts reported that the Great King's army was heading towards the County of Madhupur. The Queen ordered the army to take a long about route so as not to cross any rivers. Attacking across a river would be a huge drawback.

By the 22nd of July the Great King’s target was confirmed and the Queen prayed that the Great King would be so focused on the siege that he would fail to notice her approach.

As the troops marched closer and the Queen rode in the swaying wagon where she slept, ate, and conducted business when on the road she continued to receive messages.

One delivered in August told her that the people of Suvarnagram had taken the Greek culture for themselves. Once again this greatly pleased her.

She was also told that Princess Dionysia could use some guidance. The Queen decided to teach her half-sister about diligence but failed. The girl had her own ideas.

In September the Queen was able to engage the Great King’s army. It seems the Great King failed to put out any scouts this time. The Battle of Pabna had started. The Horse Archers gave the Queen’s army a huge advantage and really added to the volley of arrows and missiles into the enemy’s ranks.

In fact the Great King’s right flank could not handle it and fell back. Then the enemy’s center could not hold. Then the Queen’s army sent in the horse and the Great King’s whole line retreated. In the chaos of the charge, among the thundering hooves and screaming horses, the Queen’s second eldest son was killed in combat. Prince Nikodemos had fallen in battle against Thakur Ganeshwar Singh of Samatata.

In the middle of the battle they brought the Queen her son’s body. The Queen was in mourning before the battle had even come to an end. But a part of her was also somewhat relieved. This was one less member of the family trying to claim the throne. Also, while a good warrior he had been a tad stupid. It was better this way for everyone in the end. He would now go down in history as a Hero and not a foolish idiot.

By October the Commanders had abandoned their soldiers to their fate. Without any leaders the army could not hold out and was finally defeated on 9th of October. The Queen had lost 122 men while the Great King lost 752 men - about a third of his army. Frankly, the fact that the Great King’s army had survived such odds was amazing.

So we close this chapter with the Queen and her army giving chase to the enemy.

 

[stnylan]

Ah well, best gift she could give Prince Nikodemus - a glorious memory

 

[Bullfilter]

Having now caught up again, I can’t let the Despot’s death pass without comment: first, he had a great career and finished far more substantial than it appeared he might at first . He ended up as so much more than just a pothole on the Road of Queens!

Second, and on a more darkly humorous note, I couldn’t help but notice he succumbed to his short but final illness not five days after his court doctor achieved preeminent professional status ! Irony, thy name is CK2!

Otherwise, the second Arminestra is off to a flying start from an already good position. How long before it’s the Great Queendom of Kamarupa! But then, past a certain size, I suppose stability becomes a problem. Of course, Pala’s decline started after just such a messy succession.

PS: I posted just as the latest update came up (on my laggardly phone anyway). Poor Prince Nikodemos... although I found myself thinking exactly what you then wrote about the Queen’s mixed feelings. It’s a harsh old world and Queens must be strong.

 

[JabberJock14]

The Queen's reaction to her son's death strikes a bit like her grandmother would have reacted. A bit harsh, even if, yes, long term, it's likely better for the kingdom. (I suppose that's one way to thin the herd)

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Twenty-Eight : The War Comes To An End

The Final Countdown...er...Battle!​

We open this chapter in October, of the year 830 AD, with the Queen riding in her campaign wagon reading messages and responding to them as it rocked and shook. The thousands of wagons, horses, and infantry who shared the road with her wagon made the sound of a soft thunderstorm as they all marched along.

She had received a letter stating Princess Dioysia of Kamarupa needed her guidance. It seems the girl was refusing to listen to her elders and was always thinking for herself. Not the best thing for a girl who would become a powerless wife whose sole reason to exist would be to pump out babies. The Queen tired to teach her patience. And failed again.

​

In November the Queen and her army finally caught up with the Great King and his retreating men. And so the Battle of Bishnupur started. First came the exchange of missiles. The right flank, with the Great King, turned out to be the weakest link.

Soon the enemy army was in total retreat. As the flanks melted away Commander Jhau of the House of Malla tried to keep the center in order. But defeat came on the 13th of December.

The Queen lost 41 soldiers while the Great King lost 580 men. He also lost Commander Jhau Malla who was captured during his fight to protect the fleeing army.

The Queen sent a rider to the Great King with a message demanding he give up the County of Madhupur in return for peace. The poor King agreed and the war came to an end. Due to the end of the war the Queen released Commander Jhau Malla, without asking for a ransom, who was happy to be going home. The Queen was more than happy to let the Commander go home. It seemed he had many claims within the Kingdom of Pala itself. Who knows how much trouble he might cause the Great King!

After the signing of the peace treaty the Queen and her army started the long march back home.

Reviewing the war showed that during the six battles and four sieges the Queen lost 1,373 soldiers while the Great King lost 4,517 soldiers. Some historians jokingly point out that this meant the Great King had slightly improved over his father - the joke being he lost slightly less soldiers while causing slightly more deaths among the enemy's ranks.

On the way back home the Queen started working on getting her Court and Kingdom in order. First she sent a proposal of a matrilineal marriage between Prince Andronikos, her oldest son, and Amritakala of the House of Ramnaid.

Then, knowing her Vassals would STILL be complaining about her having three duchies, she made her Stepmother Yajinavati first the Countess of Suvarnagram and then the Duchess of Narikellid (Varendra).

Her Stepmother had no living offspring and was too old to have any more. She was also loyal and somewhat skilled. Perfect pick.

The new year opened with a reply to her marriage proposal and Prince Andronikos went to join his loony wife. Now he would be somebody else’s vassal and problem.

A few days later Raja Shurapala "The Cruel" of Shantideva Raj died of cancer and his son, Dev Singh, took the title. The new son was a 36 year old man, married, and pretty much hated the new Queen. He had a few claims to lands he wanted to return to his family but with less then four hundred men it was doubtful he would be getting any of those lands back.

In February the Queen and her army crossed the border and she dismissed the levies and gave the hired swords their last bag of coins.

She then tried to build a Trade Post in Madhupur and hit a wall. FIRST, the County was still controlled by Thakur Shanibhangar of the House of Chikore. She could still build in a Vassals' holdings. But if she did make a Trade Post there HE would get the money. He was a honest and content man. Who just happened to dislike the Queen. Very, very much.

SECOND, he was the Vassal of the new Duchess. In winning the war she had gained the County which had been linked to her Duchess title. When she gave up the title of the Duchy the County went with it! So she could not remove the man because he was now under the Duchess Yajinavati.

THIRD, on top of that she COULD NOT build a Trade Post there even if she controlled the County. It was explained to the Queen that the Kingdom had the infrastructure to handle three Trade Posts. It now held, by luck or accident, FIVE Trade Posts. She could not order a new Trade Post to be built anymore than she could order the moon removed from the sky.

She thought on this. And she thought. Then she smiled.

As the Duchess the Queen had been able to build a Trade Post for her Capital-County. So the new Duchess might build a Trade Post in the County of Madhupur if she wanted to. She would not be stopped by the Kingdom’s limits anymore then the Queen had been when she had been a Duchess. The Kingdom might get a Sixth Trade Post after all!

In February she sent Upadhyaya Serapion to the County of Bikrampur. It seemed that the county was a mixture of Buddhism and Hinduism. That would not do!

Near the end of February she sent her Spy Master to the County of Dimapur to uncover some dirt. She needed to deal with the Meddling Monk Isidoros of Para-Lauhitya. She needed him to drop his idea of replacing her with her brother.

So we close this chapter with the end of the war and the start of the Queen’s education on ruling a Kingdom.

 

[stnylan]

Wars are easy, peace is hard. Sometimes very hard.

 

[JabberJock14]

First war a success. Another pretender shipped out. The Queen potentially games the system as well. She continues to do well.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Twenty-Nine : Putting Things Into Order

Letter For You, Sir!​

The Queen settled into her Palace and her private chambers and her throne room. It was time to make the Kingdom stable. Well, as stable as she could make it.

But before we go over her actions when she settled in let us review, Queen Arminestra II "The Wise" of Kamarupa, herself.

At the age of 38 years she had already been a Countess and Duchess before becoming a Queen. She had been focusing on business and trade before her father's death. She was shrewd, cruel, zealous, and deceitful. She was also lusty but was working hard to overcome that sin. But she had some merits including being patient and just. She had four surviving boys and two girls. She also had nine siblings.

With more then three thousand soldiers under her command and almost seven hundred gold coins in her coffers she was in a very powerful and secure position.

At this point she now had thirteen Vassals. Most of them held her in a good light. Five were not so kind in their view of their Queen. Bhikkhu Isidoros seemed to dislike her the most.

Her income was nice and steady. By the time the next war happened she would be comfortably wealthy.

She also decided it was time to fulfill her Grandmother's promise to build a temple to Buddha. She looked around and selected the County of Goalpara. It would cost less there than in other counties.

The Spy Master and the Upadhyaya were already working on their projects. The rest of the Council were assigned their own projects. Magistros worked on improving relations with those in the Capital-County while the Protostrator was sent to train the soldiers in Pundravardhana. The Queen also assigned the Sakellarios to Goalpara to help build the temple.

She noticed that her brother's eldest child, Dionysia Dysnomia, was old enough for marriage. The Queen selected a husband she felt was good enough for her niece. Begluk of the House of Zhetysu was a relative of a Khagan and was also pretty far away.

She also found Mah Parvizzk was single and sent a proposal to Cehandar kure Naz'aktar. A man with many claims to his name and many voices in his head.

​

She also found out that Ranisa Satazk's husband, the Dead Beat Dad, had finally died with that stupid cage hat on his head. The Queen decided the woman should taste something of the wealth and power her ex-husband had no doubt promised her. So she sent a proposal to Shah Vaisranvane "The Tormentor" of Kroran whose first wife had died from illness.

The Queen found that the twins Silamata and Varshasb had been neglected during the war by her father and herself. So she selected the second stage of their education. Both would learn about acting in the shadows.

After going through her Royal Court she cast her eyes outside the border and focused on the Raja Dev Signh of Shantideva Raj. The 36 year old ruler hated the Queen and she knew the only way to bring him into the Kingdom would be to stomp him flat.

But his son...

The poor man and his wife had no children yet. Why not give him a concubine? And she had the perfect choice! Nikoltte was a lowborn 18 year old single woman who was cruel, stupid, zealous, depressed, and a hunchback. It is likely her and the man's wife would try to kill each other. And so the Queen sent the offer.

As she waited for the responses to all her proposals she also glanced over to the ruins of the once WHOLE Kingdom of Pala.

The young Great King Mahendra of Pala Kingdom was still a great warrior - on paper. With less then two thousand warriors and fifteen vassals who were likely plotting his death he was in a very dangerous position. It would take some time and energy to recover his power and wealth. At least he only had one son to take over the throne.

His uncle Great King Traillokyachandra of Bihar had over five thousand soldiers but was trapped in two wars and a deep depression. In some ways his position was just as dangerous and unstable as his nephew's.

So we close this chapter with the Queen firmly sitting on the throne, already weaving her web of plots and schemes and plans.

 

[stnylan]

And what webs shall she weave, in her forays to deceive?

How are the Greek freeloaders?

 

[Eurasia]

And what webs shall she weave, in her forays to deceive?

How are the Greek freeloaders?

Well, she has all this kids in the family so right now she is trying to make non-aggression pacts. That is her webs.

As for the Greek Freeloaders - they are happily eating and breeding.

 

[Bullfilter]

You could see Arminestra’s cruel and shrewd streaks come out in that matchmaking with Nikoletta - it’s like her grandmother is back in town!

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

Arminestra is sharp and staying in charge.

 

[Eurasia]

Crusader Kings 2 - The Road of Queens
Chapter One Hundred-Thirty : The Queen's First Tiger Hunt

Here Kitty Kitty... Kitty?​

We open this chapter in February, of the year 831 AD, with the Queen announcing her first tiger hunt after ascending to the throne. As the riders spread out over the countryside to deliver the letters the court started to pack up the tents and food and weapons needed for the hunt.

​

Mayor Birapala of Habiganj, a man who felt he should be on the Council, refused. His excuse was that he had business to attend to.

​

In March she got the replies to her marriage proposals. All were accepted. Dionysia Dysnomia was sent to join her husband Begluk.

​

Mah went to marry kure Naz'aktar of the House of Nandin.

And Ranisa went to marry Shah Vaisravane of Kroran.

Later, on the 6th of March, Nikolettea went to become a Concubine.

All the replies were polite and also friendly. Either the senders liked the Queen or they respected her power and skill.

Shortly after that the Hunting party left and arrived at the camp. Tents were set up, guards placed to secure the approaches, and the fires starts so the cooking could begin.

As the Queen and her hunting guides, soldiers, attendants, and elephants searched and searched for tigers she received news that Rajkumor Rajasinha of the Lambakanna Kingdom had died. There was a suggestion that his death was NOT natural. Either way Theodosia Dysnomia was now a widow in a foreign court.

She also received a note from the Palace that Silamata Sangamazk of the House of Vijaya needed her guidance. She sent a reply that the girl should keep on her course and embrace order. The girl developed patience because of this suggestion.

She also was given a letter sent to her by the Duchess Yajnavati. Seems the woman had evidence that Bhikkhu Anatolios of Madan Kamdev was planning treason. The problem was the evidence was spotty at best and the Queen’s own sources could detect nothing to suggest that he was plotting anything against anybody. So she kept the information to herself. Why go looking for trouble? She was sure trouble would be coming for her soon enough.

In April her also was alerted to the fact that Ramtish Anantazk of the House of Vijaya had come of age and was a Master of War. Which would prove useful if he ever wanted to go claim his homeland as his.

Prince Valerios, her half-brother, needed the second stage of his education selected. In the end he was sent on the road to learn philosophy and religion. But she also reminded herself that the boy wanted the throne. When he became an adult she would have to decide what to do with him.

By the 8th of April the hunting party had returned to the Palace. The hunt was a failure. No tigers had been found. But the Queen didn’t mind. Many felt it was bad luck but she had learned from her parents that you make your own luck. Bad luck was just a excuse that losers made to cover their lack of skill and planning.

So we end this chapter with a few pacts made but no tigers skinned.

 

[Nuada Airgetlám]

Theodosia might marry matrilineally...

Overall, it looks like a stable situation despite the failed hunt. The Queen's attitude is very positive.

 

[Bullfilter]

It’s easy to see how, by modern times, the tiger is an endangered species in many parts of India ! I’m not sure if I should be pleased they didn’t find one on this occasion, or worried they were unable to!

But, like her predecessors, the new queen is very assiduous in looking after her domestic responsibilities. Let us hope all this hard work keeps the House of Dysnomia clean of serious pretenders, troublesome freeloaders and rebellious vassals! Things have been quite stable for many years now - but chaos is always just one “series of unfortunate events” around the corner!