Rome AARisen - a Byzantine AAR

[Siind]

Man it sucks to be Albrecht, even his own son is out to get him! Still Albrecht's always been one step ahead of anyone plotting against him, so maybe Gottfried's underestimated the old man? I know I for one would be sad to see Albrecht fail after holding things together for so long.
Oh well, if that happens I'll just have to comfort myself with the thought that little Thomas is about commit suicide by Emperor, now if only his old man would go have a fatal "accident" on some buildingsite everything would be just perfect.
Personally Im partial to big rocks falling from very big hights, squishing mad Emperors.

 

[unmerged(169228)]

Well, looks like Nicky and Albrecht might have a bit of a problem if Sortmark, Persia and Tarraconensis move at the same time. Even the Empire will have problems when attacked from three sides, especially with all those 'loyal' vassals in the Empire.

Looks like Gottfried's ambition can cause problems too in the future. Hows Albrechts other son, the assasin BTW?

 

[unmerged(59077)]

Poor Gabriel. All for a mere woman.

Nikephoros of Persia is going to be one of those fantastic emperors that nobody remembers after they die.

Will Altani attack, in truth? Doesn't she have enough to deal with with the Great Khan as her enemy?

I also don't think there WILL be a Western Empire any time soon. He'd need to beat the Arapads first, and if Asbjorn's (lordly bear? ironic) plan works, the Empire will not have the strength. The manpower might still be there but the logistical situation will be awful. But in a decade or so after the current troubles, provided this generation can hold it together? Who knows.

EDIT: Also, a random and inappropriate thought. Thomas III wouldn't be mooning the Spymaster if it was Mehtar, would he? Cause that is fodder for period picaresque for sure.

 

[unmerged(87106)]

Can't wait to see little teenage Thomas get his ass whooped.

 

[unmerged(59737)]

It's funny...after a decade, wouldn't Gabriel realize that prison provides plenty of free time to work out? At any rate, he seems to have some of his old edge back. This won't be the last we see of him.

Will we start to see the next generation of the Gabrieline line soon?

 

[Basileus444]

Wow, a reasonable Komnenid. I did not see that one coming. Nikephoros of Persia actually seems like he would be the best choice for the throne of the Caesars. Many of the Komnenids have proven to be great warriors, but he apparently is a great administrator.

And I'm hoping Thomas IV's little grab for power ends in an appropriately unflattering and amusing squish. I'll also second the request for an update on what has been going on in Transoxiana and beyond.

And doesn't Gottfried von Franken realize that no Roman emperor is going to let him claim the title King of Italy?

 

[unmerged(59077)]

One more random thought re: Danes and Azov.

They really remind me of nothing so much as 17th c. Russia, with the Romans playing the Ottomans, in this respect. And since we know what happened in the long run, trading away Azov may not be a good idea at all.

 

[Deamon]

Aw poor Gabriel.......NOT

So the persians can muster 100k man? Jeez it will be hell for Romanion if Gabriel gets in shape again.

oh and The Persian Niko is cool.

 

[armonistan]

very nice update as usual BT

1)Will the Persian Komnenos become Persianized?
2)Who could possibly be working with Asbjorn with that is strong enough the face a united empire?
3)More chaos soon? Full steam ahead

oh how i like forward to the black death too...

 

[Nikolai]

He'd need to beat the Arapads first, and if Asbjorn's (lordly bear? ironic) plan works, the Empire will not have the strength.

Lordly? "As" means god, so it's really God/Divine Bear.

 

[Qorten]

Excellent updates again BT. Finally some real action is coming again to the Empire now that most of the scheming is done. I do wonder what that ship is carrying!

 

[unmerged(59077)]

Lordly? "As" means god, so it's really God/Divine Bear.

As far as I understand the word has both the related meanings, but yes, Divine Bear is a much better translation. And equally ironic.

 

[Nikolai]

It hasn't, but in the end it doesn't matter, does it.

I wonder if Altani has something to do with Asbjørn's proposals...

 

[unmerged(59077)]

I wonder if Altani has something to do with Asbjørn's proposals...

Too long has he watched her from the shadows! Too long has he haunted her steps!

Except of course Toqtamysh isn't Eomer and would probably just strangle him with a bowstring

 

[Vesimir]

I like Gabriel again. What he needs to do is get rid of Frederica. Hashishins are a good way for that.

Then? Very simple. Demand Nikky the Pers to host a tourney. Gabriel will be attending. Gabriel will get on that Arena, whoop some ass and bring back the legend of old. Hell yeah.

------

As for Gottfried, he will bite more than he can chew.

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And what about the descendants of Bard from the house of Asketil?

 

[Klavo Hunter]

Can't be Syphilis, that came from the New World. Shame that Frederica is one jewel that's lost its luster - but at least their daughter makes Gabriel smile!

Wouldn't it be cool if we got to see a Rocky montage of Gabriel getting in sword-swinging shape again? Or at least, something enough resembling it that his soldiers recognize and cheer him again?

It's not like the mind that fought the Eternal War to a victory has atrophied, has it? That's the far more important part, rather than how many men Gabriel can kill with his own blade.

Much like the Megas, he is a force to be reckoned with simply by dint of still being alive. Though many have actively tried to neutralize him. We will see!

 

[TC Pilot]

I quite like this dour Nikephoros. He seems like he won't need too much of a push to go all psychotic like Thomas I under the right circumstances. Might do some good to clear house a tad, given how many "rightful" claimants to the throne there seem to be now.

It'll be a strange day when Albrecht either dies or gets ousted. Seems like he's been around forever.

 

[Kirsch27]

It'll be a strange day when Albrecht either dies or gets ousted. Seems like he's been around forever.

Kind of like when Mehtar went, or when Manuel died, only without the clear succession of someone with the same or nearly the same goals and capabilities. Manuel handed the spies to Sophie and the Empire to Basil, Mehtar gave his power to Albrecht, who wasn't nearly as hands-on or ruthless, but has proven quite capable of using his own methods of spy-mastering. Now we've got GOTTFRIED as the only person who would take the reins, and he seems to have no intention of keeping the empire healthy, only keeping himself in power long enough to gain his "rightful kingdom". Hopefully the young heir stays healthy and develops a talent for intrigue or we're gonna have an empire which doesn't have any spy-master, which hasn't happened since before Manuel really. Manuel-Sophie-Rodrigo-Mehtar-Albrecht with only a few years of a gap if any between them.

 

[humancalculator]

Kind of like when Mehtar went, or when Manuel died, only without the clear succession of someone with the same or nearly the same goals and capabilities. Manuel handed the spies to Sophie and the Empire to Basil, Mehtar gave his power to Albrecht, who wasn't nearly as hands-on or ruthless, but has proven quite capable of using his own methods of spy-mastering. Now we've got GOTTFRIED as the only person who would take the reins, and he seems to have no intention of keeping the empire healthy, only keeping himself in power long enough to gain his "rightful kingdom". Hopefully the young heir stays healthy and develops a talent for intrigue or we're gonna have an empire which doesn't have any spy-master, which hasn't happened since before Manuel really. Manuel-Sophie-Rodrigo-Mehtar-Albrecht with only a few years of a gap if any between them.

For all we know a new character that hasn't even been foreshadowed about yet will appear to fill the void.

 

[Sergei Meranov]

I just wanted to quickly comment how fantastic this AAR is, and how much I can't wait for the next installment. I was actually re-reading some of the chapters on Manuel and it made me like him all the more. This AAR along with Homelands finally inspired me to create an account and start posting around instead of just lurking. Keep up the good work!