It's the classic Paradox math in action. I will round the numbers from the next conflict onwards, I promise.
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Suryavamsavali - An iAAR
- Thread starter KiratRawr
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Gokul the Young - August 1154
The sun was setting over the horizon and Raja Gokul the Young sighed in disappointment as he watched his two vassals, Prabhu Gopi Malla the Wise of Gorkha and Prabhu Sarabha Nagavamsi the Unready, stood facing each other in the center of the courtyard. While the gathered crowd had already picked sides, the raja had no favorites. Gopi was his brother-in-law while Sarabha was a good friend and it pained the Young to see the two men dueling each other.
Gopi and Sarabha stood in silence, sizing each other up. The Wise was the first to break the silence. "Sarabha, you have challenged me to a duel which I accepted. I am a man of great skill and wisdom, and I will not hesitate to take your life."
Sarabha nodded, his face impassive. "Gopi Malla, I know that you are a man of great pride and that pride will be your downfall. I may not be as physically strong as you, but I am just as skilled and I will not back down from this duel."
With that, the two men began their duel, each one fighting with all their might. The clash of their swords rang out through the courtyard, and the crowd watched in awe. Gopi was the first to land a blow, striking Sarabha on the shoulder with his sword. Sarabha stumbled, but he quickly regained his footing and countered with a fierce swing of his own, striking Gopi on the side of the head.
The two men continued to fight, each one trying to gain the upper hand. Gopi's experience and skill gave him the advantage, and he was able to land several more blows on Sarabha. But Sarabha was not easily defeated, and he fought back with all his might; using his quick reflexes and agility to dodge Gopi's attacks.
As the fight went on, it became clear that the outcome was uncertain. Both men were evenly matched, and neither one seemed willing to back down. The crowd grew tense, wondering who would emerge victorious.
"Father, they are going to kill each other.!" Rajkumar Vamadeva of Nepal, the raja's 8 years old son and heir, exclaimed.
The Young finally decided that it was time to step in. He ordered the royal guards to separate the two lords and end the fight.
Gopi and Sarabha stood panting and covered in sweat as their raja looked upon them with a stern expression. "This duel has gone on long enough. You are both vassals of Nepal and you should not be fighting each other. Cease your hostilities and remember that you are both loyal to me and to the kingdom."
"Thank you for saving my uncle's life, your majesty." Prabhu Vidhyadharabhanja of Daksina Kosala expressed his gratitude to Raja Gokul the next day before the council meeting was about to start. The Oriya lord was the current Chancellor of Nepal and the son of Hemantavarman the Bold, Sarabha's younger brother who had passed away on 9 September 1150 at the age of 46.
"There is no need to thank me, Prabhu Vidhyadharabhanja. I lost my friend Ratish to poor health two years ago (on 22 July 1152). I have no wish of losing another good friend." Gokul said as he took his seat. "Any news from China?"
"The Protector General, Han Yuanchao, has accepted our peace deal on behalf of Emperor Zhao Zhenzong." The chancellor answered and the raja breathed a sigh of relief. The tenure of the previous peace deal signed by Gokul's father Vamadeva the Wise with Song Emperor Zhao Shenzong, the current Chinese emperor's great-grandfather, had expired three years ago but the Kingdom of Nepal had felt no rush to sign another peace deal. However, that opinion quickly changed after Han armies invaded the Banjikatid Shahdom and forced its Persian Buddhist ruler, Aram the Liberator, to start paying tributes to the Chinese emperor.
"What about...you know..."
"Damapati Chakra Malla of Lalitpur and commander Chang Shi the Jittery have both sent me reports of successful raids." Vidhyadharabhanja then opened a map. "Your majesty, I have marked all the areas our men raided this year. Our navy should be returning home soon with the men and the loot."
The Great Raid of 1154 was the first of its kind in the history of the Kingdom of Nepal. With over 1,000 men and 100 war elephants in 14 ships of its nascent navy, the Kingdom of Nepal raided four major port cities in the subcontinent that year. Nepali soldiers swiftly disembarked from ships and pillaged their coastal targets, often using the elephants to ferry the loot to the ships and then sailed away before the defenders assembled to fight them. This was the first of the many great raids that the kingdom would be launching in future.
"There is one more thing, your majesty." The chancellor cleared his throat. "Spymaster Amogh Samal passed away this morning."
"Yes, your majesty."
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Player Character Updates - August 1154
@HistoryDude , Damapati Amogh Samal of Kamalamai died on 27 August 1154 at the age of 61. Do you wish to continue as Atmanand? Do note that he wishes to get married. I have attached the save file for you to pick a character who can join my court. Or will you let the AI choose his wife? Also, House Update for the Samals and Amogh's biography coming soon. Before I forget, Atmanand is friends with his younger brother Bhrigu.
@Warlord Skorr , Chakra Malla wishes to be a member of the council. What position would you like? Also, he loves his wife Gangambika and has had two sons with her. Here's your portraits -
List of Selectable Player Characters on August 1154
Note: If you do not like any of the above characters (who are already at my court), you can select a character who can join my court. For this, download the save file I have shared and in Find Character, go to Search All and toggle Join Court to 'Yes'.
If your Player Character is someone who can join my court, you should post the following and I will give you their character portrait -
Name:
Dynasty: if they have one
Culture:
Realm:
Age:
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House Update - Samal 1154
The line of Amogh Samal, Damapati of Kamalamai and Spymaster of Nepal, is as follows -
- Atmanand (20), Damapati of Kamalamai. Mothered by the deceased Bageshri.
- Amogh (18), heir to the Dama Kamalamai. Mothered by the deceased Bageshri.
- Bhrigu (17), mothered by the deceased Bageshri.
The sons of Amogh reside in Kamalamai with their aunt Udita (49).
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Crusade for Thrace looks a bit small, Asia Minor has bigger possible gains from Rum. Jitters has went from proud to humble. He must feel the sands of time falling to the bottom of his hourglass. Thank you for your efforts
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Biography of Amogh of Kamalamai
Born: 16 May 1093
Died: 27 August 1154
Title: Damapati of Kamalamai
Wives: Rachita, Bageshri and Shama
Parents: Parakram the Ill-tempered and Adrika
Sons: Atmanand, Amogh and Bhrigu
Siblings: Udita and Parakram
Amogh Samal was born on 16 May 1093 as the eldest son of Parakram the Ill-tempered and his wife Adrika. After the Ill-tempered died on 12 March 1128, 34 years old Amogh became the Damapati of Kamalamai. Seven years later, he gained a seat at the council of Raja Gokul the Young by becoming the Spymaster of Nepal. As the spymaster, Amogh rooted out several plots within the Kingdom of Nepal and placed a well-connected network of spies to monitor the activity of neighboring rulers and their armies. On 27 August 1154, the Lord of Kamalamai passed away at the age of 61. He is survived by his three sons: Atmanand (20), Amogh (18) and Bhrigu (17).
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Apologies. While I am still reading, I am struggling to keep up on a regular basis, and thus will not be participating for now.
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I'll continue with Atmanand. I have one more post in mind for Parakram, though - it'll arrive soon.
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No worries. Glad to know you are still with us and reading
Aye, aye. Would love to see your post, friend. However, do you mean Parakram the Ill-tempered or his son Amogh?
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Damapati Chakra Malla of Lalitpur - August 1154
If the Raja would permit the rise of a mere Commander to the Council, I ask that my father's responsibilities be left to me in my own turn.
Regardless, I propose that the Rajkumar be betrothed to the Thakurani Shrimitradevi Deo of Sarangpur. It would be good to have the future Raja gain experience governing over his wife's inheritance, and her fortifications would serve as a superb base would we ever wish to recreate the Great Raid upon Paramara.
(OOC: I would like to be Chancellor.)
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A/N: A brief post about Amogh's last days
Amogh knew something was wrong as soon as he received the letter. It didn’t say much, but its briefness was its horror - “you need to return to your lands for familial matters”. What did “familial matters" mean? What was wrong with his family?
These questions haunted Amogh on his march back from the capital. He was needed there to keep the nobles and the courtiers loyal with his spy network. He had tried to convince his family to follow him to the capital, but only his wife had agreed to come. His mother had reminded him that someone had to watch over Kamalamai lest their subjects ignore their authority. Reluctantly, he had agreed to move away from her, but he was regretting his decision now.
That regret only intensified when he reached his lands. He found his mother in her bed, and he rushed to her. “What’s wrong?”
Her eyes were open. “I’m so glad you could make it, my son. I’m sorry that I must leave you, but you will do well. You have done well. Do not mourn me - I hope that I may finally see my husband and son again… hopefully they have not reincarnated yet…”
She reached a hand out to him. Trembling, Amogh took it. He felt it grow cold, and he knew that his mother was dead.
That was only the beginning of the tragedy. Amogh had turned to his second wife, Bageshiri, for comfort, but he quickly learned that she was feeling unwell. He hired a physician, but the man was of no help. He told Amogh that his wife was beyond saving.
Amogh resolved to make the most of his remaining time with his wife, but it wasn’t enough. One night in February, he felt her body grow cold by his side.
He remarried for political reasons. It would not do to have a damapati unmarried, after all.
It was all for appearances, though. He was growing tired of life, and even his spy network no longer gave him the thrill that it once had. He withdrew from public life, only sending cryptic orders to his spy network on occasion.
Finally, he stopped doing even that. He told his son of his informants' identities and instructed him to take over his operations. Then, one night in August, he went to sleep, and he did not wake up.
Perhaps it is ironic that he died for the same reason that his mother had, and, perhaps, it is merely tragic.
(I might switch to this format in the future)
Amogh knew something was wrong as soon as he received the letter. It didn’t say much, but its briefness was its horror - “you need to return to your lands for familial matters”. What did “familial matters" mean? What was wrong with his family?
These questions haunted Amogh on his march back from the capital. He was needed there to keep the nobles and the courtiers loyal with his spy network. He had tried to convince his family to follow him to the capital, but only his wife had agreed to come. His mother had reminded him that someone had to watch over Kamalamai lest their subjects ignore their authority. Reluctantly, he had agreed to move away from her, but he was regretting his decision now.
That regret only intensified when he reached his lands. He found his mother in her bed, and he rushed to her. “What’s wrong?”
Her eyes were open. “I’m so glad you could make it, my son. I’m sorry that I must leave you, but you will do well. You have done well. Do not mourn me - I hope that I may finally see my husband and son again… hopefully they have not reincarnated yet…”
She reached a hand out to him. Trembling, Amogh took it. He felt it grow cold, and he knew that his mother was dead.
That was only the beginning of the tragedy. Amogh had turned to his second wife, Bageshiri, for comfort, but he quickly learned that she was feeling unwell. He hired a physician, but the man was of no help. He told Amogh that his wife was beyond saving.
Amogh resolved to make the most of his remaining time with his wife, but it wasn’t enough. One night in February, he felt her body grow cold by his side.
He remarried for political reasons. It would not do to have a damapati unmarried, after all.
It was all for appearances, though. He was growing tired of life, and even his spy network no longer gave him the thrill that it once had. He withdrew from public life, only sending cryptic orders to his spy network on occasion.
Finally, he stopped doing even that. He told his son of his informants' identities and instructed him to take over his operations. Then, one night in August, he went to sleep, and he did not wake up.
Perhaps it is ironic that he died for the same reason that his mother had, and, perhaps, it is merely tragic.
(I might switch to this format in the future)
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OOC: I absolutely loved this post. Yes, it's up to you and you should switch to this format if you like it.
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Gokul the Young - June 1162
Raja Gokul the Young of Nepal woke up from his nightmare, sweat dripping down his forehead and his heart pounding in his chest. He groaned and covered his disfigured face with his hands, trying to shake off the remnants of the nightmare. He could feel the scars all over his face, a constant reminder of that terrible day.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder. He turned to see his beloved wife, Rani Damayanti, as she whispered softly to him. "My love, it is okay. You are safe right now and next to me, in our bedchamber, at the Surya Durbar."
Gokul looked at her, his eyes filled with gratitude. Ever since the incident, she was the only person whom he spoke face to face without his mask. "I know, Damayanti. It just felt so real. The pain...the fear...it was all there. I saw what happened to me and Lord Samal happen to our son as well."
"I know, my love. I know it was hard for you but you are not alone. I am here for you, always." The rani said, her voice soothing and steady. She smiled at her husband and kissed him on his deeply scarred forehead.
"Thank you, Damayanti." Raja Gokul nodded, taking a deep breath.
Three years ago, in 1159, the Raja of Nepal had decided to personally join the Great Raid that year with his then 13 years old son Vamadeva. Neither of them had ever been in a ship before and things started rocky right from the start for this 'father-son adventure'.
On 18 September 1159, the Nepali navy had dropped 1200 raiders and over 100 elephants on the coast of Goa. Unknown to the raiders, the Telugu Thakur Viravarmadeva of Goa was already involved in three different wars and had raised his army of 1500 local Marathi men to defend against potential upcoming invasions of his territory. The raiders, who had expected this to be like every other previous Great Raid where they launched amphibious assaults on coastal settlements and use elephants to swiftly carry the loot back to their ships without any resistance, were surprised when they came in contact with a well-prepared defense force.
The Battle of Gheria had began with the Nepali raiders launching a barrage of arrows at the thakur's army. After that, Nepali war elephants had charged towards the thakur's army, causing chaos and destruction, but the defenders had eventually managed to drive them back using their arrows and spears.
Gokul and Vamadeva, meanwhile, had been observing the ongoing battle from the deck of the largest vessel among the 14 ships of the Nepali navy. Damapati Chang Shi the Jittery of Athgarh had advised the raja and his son to stay behind at the ship for their own safety. A few other men, such as Damapati Atmanand Samal of Kamalamai, had also stayed behind with the royals and their guards.
In midst of the battle, a unit of enemy soldiers led by Thakur Viravarmadeva himself had somehow managed to climb aboard the ship without anyone noticing them. Weapons were drawn by both sides but nobody moved a muscle until Viravarmadeva ordered one of his soldiers to "cut down the Nepali raja and his son". Like a mad dog, this random Marathi warior had ran past several Nepali royal guards and ran his sword across Gokul's face multiple times before anyone could react. He had then leaped towards Vamadeva but Atmanand swiftly placed himself before the rajkumar and the Marathi man's sword struck the damapati's face instead. In the melee fighting that ensued, the Nepali royals guards eventually managed to send the thakur and his men running away but permanent damages had been done to the raja and the Lord of Kamalamai.
On land, the Battle of Gheria had raged on for hours with both sides suffering around 200 casualties. Orders were sent to the raiders to return back to the ships. The local Marathi people were seen cheering their victory as the Nepali navy sailed away with defeated raiders and a deeply scarred raja.
The Great Raid of 1159 was cancelled after the disaster at Gheria. Gokul and Atmanand both started wearing masks to hide their disfigured faces from the public. The Raja of Nepal was ever grateful to the damapati for saving his son and rewarded him with the position on the council as the steward.
"The Nagavamsi boy is outside waiting for you, dear." Rani Damayanti said to her husband, referring to the eight years old Prabhu Kalahastambha of Daksina Koasala. Four years ago, on 25 March 1158, the boy's father Vidhyadharabhanja had passed away from cancer and Raja Gokul had decided to take Kalahastambha as his ward. "Should I send him away? Shall I tell him you are not feeling well today?"
"No, I am fine now." Gokul said as he stood up and put on his mask. "The boy will be helping me in the observatory. I also need be there at Damapati Chang Shi's funeral today."
Just few days ago on 25 June 1162, Damapati Chang Shi the Jittery of Athgarh had died of stress at the age of 67. The Chinese man had served the Kingdom of Nepal well as a commander but began overworking himself once he was rewarded with the town of Athgarh for his service.
"Can we discuss our son later tonight, dear?" The rani asked just as her husband was about to leave their bedchamber. "Do you not think that it is time he got married?"
"Do you have any suggestions?" The raja stopped and asked.
"We could task the court with finding a bride for our son."
"The girl suggested by Marshal Chakra Malla was already married to someone else when we went to ask for her hand. I do not want such a fiasco to be repeated again."
"Our marriage was based on the decision of your court." Damayanti said bluntly. "It worked for us."
"That is true but we were married in a time when this kingdom did not have many powerful vassals running around with their own agendas." Gokul sighed. "I think Gopi's daughter Luniva is 13 now, just three years younger than our son. If Vamadeva does not object..."
The Raja of Nepal had a great relationship with his deceased brother-in-law Gopi Malla the Wise of Gorkha. The Wise died had passed way on 9 March 1162 at the age of 67 and been succeeded by his son Gopi II and Gokul found it difficult to trust his nephew for various reasons. It always seemed like the new head of House Malla was always scheming something and there were rumors that he was forming one faction or another against his uncle.
"We will discuss this tonight." Damayanti nodded. "You have kept the Nagavamsi boy waiting for you, dear."
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Voting session. There are two options this time -
A. Marry Vamadeva to Luniva Malla
B. Marry Vamadeva to someone else (I will be giving the save file)
Things to remember before you vote -
1. Newcomers must select a Player Character. I will now be providing a list of them in the next post.
2. Make sure to have "Player Character Name - June 1162" before voting In Character. You should also include your Player Character portrait which will be provided below.
3. @Warlord Skorr and @HistoryDude , you both get +2 votes (damapati and councilor).
A. Marry Vamadeva to Luniva Malla
B. Marry Vamadeva to someone else (I will be giving the save file)
Things to remember before you vote -
1. Newcomers must select a Player Character. I will now be providing a list of them in the next post.
2. Make sure to have "Player Character Name - June 1162" before voting In Character. You should also include your Player Character portrait which will be provided below.
3. @Warlord Skorr and @HistoryDude , you both get +2 votes (damapati and councilor).
Voting session ends on Thursday April 20, 2023.
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