Let us hope that the Commonwealth enterprise outlasts its founder. It would be a shameful thing indeed (though not unprecedented, certainly) for such an ambitious undertaking to be torn asunder by short-sighted and fratricidal inheritors.
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King Hrodbehrt II, the Haunted King
PART VIII: King Hrodbehrt II, the Haunted King
King Hrodbehrt II 920-932
With the passing of Peppin III, the Cearlings came to be viewed with a reluctant admiration by their subjects. The family held titles to the Commonwealth, the Three Grand Duchies, and countless lesser Duchies and Counties. They were, at least on some level, lucky or even blessed. Yet for all this, they were unlucky as well. Many children succumbed to death, Cancer was rampant among their ranks, and military geniuses were constantly falling in battle. Such is the Cearling Paradox.
On 17 March, 922 King Hrodbehrt II was crowned King of the English Commonwealth, he was 23. However, the paradox weighed down what should have been a lavish coronation. Records at the Vatican recount that not even the Pope was immune to this nagging sense of dread. In his journal, Stephanus IV wrote, "As I placed the Crown of the Commonwealth upon [Hrodbehrt's] head I felt a chill run down my spine as if I were condemning this man to his death." However in the first half of his reign, everything was normal for King Hrodbehrt, having defeated the Welsh Kingdom of Powys he spent the next six years ruling in peace. That was until the Sixth Swedish War.
The war against Bohemia was not long by any account. By 932, the English had complete control over all of Sweden. As further relief, Hrodbehrt had survived the war despite being on the frontlines. However, he could not escape his memories of the battlefield. He barely slept at all in the spring of 932, he would sit on the floor of the throne room reading a bible. This upset his court chaplain, fearing that another Cearling believed that they could bypass the Church and talk directly with God. However, this was far from the truth, as the Chaplain would find out when he confiscated the bible at the end of April. Hrodbehrt had been reading exclusively on King David, a man of vice who defied God time after time yet never drove God away, despite his own guilt. The Chaplain met with fellow priests and organized a plan to help the King find atonement. Though the Bible was only gone a week, this was all it took to push Hrodbehrt over the edge. On 3 May, 922 the Chaplain found the King hunched over his desk in the study, next to a glass of mead laced with hemlock. The Chaplain had his worst fears come to light, not only had he lost his King, but he lost his King to eternal damnation.
King Hrodbehrt II 920-932
With the passing of Peppin III, the Cearlings came to be viewed with a reluctant admiration by their subjects. The family held titles to the Commonwealth, the Three Grand Duchies, and countless lesser Duchies and Counties. They were, at least on some level, lucky or even blessed. Yet for all this, they were unlucky as well. Many children succumbed to death, Cancer was rampant among their ranks, and military geniuses were constantly falling in battle. Such is the Cearling Paradox.
Another unfortunate loss to the rigors of war -- all the more tragic because his wounds, both in body and in mind, were self-inflicted.
Again an untimely death, this one could be viewed as being in another sort of battle - one even more perilous than the more mundane battlefields of sword and spear
I'm going to take a break from this save, I'll do up entries as I can. However, I've run into a problem where the world is no longer interesting, as it's dominated by the Byzantines and myself.
I started a new game from the same idea - depending on how the world shapes up I may attempt to redo the AAR with that game. We've at least avoided the Holy Roman Blob.
Either way, do keep us in the loop as to your future plans. Eagerly awaiting the next update, rebooted or no 