The Lands of Lorraine - Fool's Gambit....

[Velociryx]

The Lands of Lorraine – The Fool’s Gambit

Author’s Note
Given the success and the praise that the original Lorraine AAR received, I thought to try my hand at it again. I would dearly love to have picked up with the original game and continue it, but since that time, my computer died, and I have gotten an entirely new one, so the saved game is just so much virtual dust. So….trying again seemed the best course.

I have also determined to finish the AAR in its entirety before posting the first bit of it on the forums. In this way, I will be assured to complete the tale, and not leave the other one dangling till it becomes impossible to finish at all, on account of terminal hardware failure.

I hope that this story captures at least some of the magic and essence of the first. Enjoy.

PS: The game is now complete, so this AAR will *not* be lost!

-=Vel=-

 

[Velociryx]

Prologue

I dreamt.

I dreamt of my future assignment.

And in my mind, I saw a fantasy image of Lorraine, the nation I had been charged with by my Illuminatus Elders to craft and grow into a machine of law, order, and stability for a troubled Europe, and she was in all her glory. Unlimited resources to work with (even in her earliest days), with gold flowing in from money-lenders like an endless river, the armies of Lorraine fighting unwinnable battles and carrying the day despite impossible odds, with larger than life Kings, gallantry, bravery, skill, and cunning, and always in the background….making sure things happened just as they were supposed to….there I was.

Me.

Mastermind of the Empire of Lorraine.

I awoke that cold and fog-laden October morning in Bavaria with a smile on my face.

Icy water on my face for a bracing wake-up, dress quickly by the fire, some dried meat and goat’s milk for a quick breakfast, and I was stable-bound for the fastest steed I could find, and thence, to begin the long journey to Lorraine herself to commence my work.

I found myself wondering then, how close my actual performance with the tiny nation-state would mirror my dreaming.

Could I craft an Empire from such humble beginnings? Would her Kings be truly, staggeringly heroic and larger-than-life? Would her armies bear proud plumes and march fearlessly into battle?

I dared to hope.

OoO

My name is Hansen Verje, of Bavaria, and yes, that is a sigil ring you see on my finger. The pyramid with the all-seeing eye of the Illuminati. Yes yes….as a student of history you may well have heard that the Illuminatus did not spring into being until many centuries later than the one in which my tale opens. To that, I will simply say, one of the first rules of our organization is: Don’t believe everything you read, see, or hear.

On December 3rd, 1491, I presented myself to the Lord of Lorraine, King Rene II, hoping to gain a position in his court, and my credentials were (of course) impeccable. Schooled in the arts of diplomacy at the court in Paris, and a letter of recommendation in hand from the Duke of Lyonnais, King Rene II had little difficulty accepting me into his court.

There was, however, a bit of disbelief on his part, that one of my skill, station, and training would want to serve in the (then) relatively minor Court of Lorraine. I remember the conversation as though it took place just yesterday, though King Rene is long-dead as I sit and pen these words….

OoO

“…but a man of your obvious skill and training could gain a position in any court in Europe….why then, would you seek to ply your trade here. We are a small, nay, insignificant nation with little to recommend us.”

“For now, that is true, My Lord, but I can see the gleam of ambition in your eyes, and if you but allow me into your service, I solemnly pledge to help you turn this tiny nation with little to recommend it into an Empire worthy of your blood’s ambition.”

The King contemplated for a long moment, his eyes straying to my sigil ring and weighing the truth of my words.

“Very well, My Lord Verje. Welcome to the Court of Lorraine. I think you may find that we are not destined for the heights of greatness you aspire to, and therefore feel that you may be wasting both your time and talents, but you are certainly are welcomed to try. I would wager that it stands to be a grand adventure at the very least, and the men of Lorraine are nothing if not filled with adventurous spirit.”

I smiled at him then. “My Lord, you have no idea….”

We sat down at the table the King used when meeting with his War Captains and talked long into the night….

December 4, 1491

Many of my Illuminatus Bretheren enjoy keeping their charges somewhat in the dark as to the ultimate purposes behind all their machinations, but this being my first assignment, I opted for a policy of forthright honesty.

Right away, I learnt why this was not the optimal course.

The King looked at me as though I was stark-raving mad. “You want to do what?!” He asked incredulously.

“Do not trouble yourself too much over the later phases of the plan, My King….true, Spain is the mightiest nation in Europe, and the Turk seems now a distant threat indeed, but trust me when I tell you that these events have already been set in motion. We need but take one quick, decisive action to place Lorraine near their center, and she will grow….best of all, should things turn out differently than I have outlined, we can always plot a new course before any significant damage is done.”

The King shot me a dour, unconvinced look. “On a distant horizon or not, the fact remains that Spain is the First, and we are little more than mongrel dogs in comparison. They will kill us to a man, but even if they don’t….even if we somehow manage to elude them….even if the money works out just as you say, the first part of your plan calls for making an absolutely unprovoked attack! ‘tis madness!”

“Let me try to put at least some of your concerns to rest.” I continued on, relentlessly. “First, to the money issue, as that is the simplest one of all. Trust me, My King, when I tell you that I spent four years in the courts of Helvetia, studying the ways of the money-lenders there. I daresay I know finance better than anyone in your kingdom, and I’m telling you with absolute certainty that this plan will work. It will take time, but it will work, and it will work without our needing to rely on debt of any kind.”

The King said nothing, and I took that as a sign to continue. “And as to Spain….remember that even the greatest of warriors can die from the least scratch if it goes unattended…if it becomes infected.”

Again, the King made no reply, and again, I continued pressing my case.

“And as to the last bit, and most unpleasant….what can I say but that we must be bold and decisive if we are to put Lorraine on the path to greatness. Increase your lands now, My King, so that your children can rise to even greater heights….yours is not the path that leads to Empire, Rene….yours is to plant the seeds so that a mighty tree will take root and grow….you are the First. The Father of what will become a fine Empire, though you will surely not live to see it.”

“What manner of sorcerer are you, that I am falling under your spell, believing these things you tell me?” The King asked softly.

“There is no sorcery at work here, my King. You have my oath on it.” I smiled a knowing smile and flashed my sigil ring before him, the gold from it reflecting brilliantly in the lamplight. “Only this.”

“Illuminatus at my side or no,” He said in a troubled tone, “I still fail to see the wisdom of attacking a friendly neighbor, honorable Lord Verje….nor later, when we deal harshly with Spain.”

“Ahhh, but that’s just the thing, My King. In the first case, no one will be expecting such audacity, and that works very much to our benefit. In the second case, we will not do it alone….what we are building to is of such magnitude that we will be required to seek strong allies, and in this case, considering their bitter rivalry, I suggest France as our best choice.”

“But you said that eventually we’d need to….”

I held up a hand, and the King fell silent. “Indeed…but let us not get ahead of ourselves. The French need not be made aware of our eventual aims, and for the moment, their long-standing and bitter rivalry with the Spaniards can be made to work to our advantage.

Silence ruled the room.

“And what of our army? We have all of ten thousand soldiers in a ramshackle, volunteer driven army, and while our engineers have heard of such things as siege cannon, we are at least two years from actually being able to make any, and much further than that from being able to afford any! In short, Lord Verje, your plan calls for us to attack vastly superior forces with a green, untested army, and place ourselves and our future in harm’s way at every turn in the name of growing an Empire that none living this day will ever see?!”

“Precisely.” I told him with a smile. “Precisely.”

“And when, pray tell, do you propose that we launch this offensive that will surely doom us?”

“Well, the first step, of course, will be to unleash our surprise attack….I can think of no better time than April first of this very year….after that, using our newfound leverage, we will seek entrance into the French alliance and gain favor there.” My mind was already turning. I was at least somewhat well known in the court of Paris, and determined that once I had the King more-or-less behind my bold (some would say foolhardy and reckless) plan, I would attend to the Paris matter personally.

There was no other way.

“All Fool’s Day….” The King murmured. “This is madness.”

He was right, and it was delightful.

OoO

 

[Velociryx]

January 1st, 1492 – The Fool’s Gambit

On this day, I personally cast the die of Lorraine’s future, and set events in motion that will either result in the spectacular flame-out of tiny Lorraine, or catapult her onto the center of Europe’s stage. As I set this plan in motion, I can honestly say that I have no idea which way it will go, and that, my friends, is all part of the fun.

It’s also precisely the way the Order operates. For all I know, Lorraine’s sudden, unexpected aggression is merely a cover for some other Illuminatus’ deeply hidden plot, in which case, I have signed my own death warrant by sowing these seeds, but so be it.

The cause is a good one. Europe must be saved from herself.

Lorraine’s army is little more than a token force. They are a volunteer army (as has been the way of things in Lorraine as far back as anyone can remember) and nominally weigh in at nine thousand infantry, and one thousand horse, but in practice, we are lucky to count even a twenty percent of that number for regular duty.

I knew it was going to be bad on the first day I stopped by the King’s barracks, and found three sloppily dressed volunteers playing at cards.

Some chickens had taken to nesting in their battle helms, and their weapons were used mostly as spits for the fireplace, and sometimes as makeshift shovels and even less likely tools.

When I approached, one of the chickens clucked warily at me, and I groaned inwardly.

If this was a sign of things to come, we were in dire straits indeed.

Nonetheless, the die was cast, and I was in Lorraine. It was my duty to take this infantile, barely functional “nation” and mold it….and I would do my very best.

The first step then, was attention to the “military.” I begin by relieving the current army commander of his duties (an arrogant sod named Lord Gaines, who would not go quietly, and so I had him poisoned….a thing I felt gritty and dirty for, but also a thing that was absolutely necessary—it was at that moment that I realized that the actual assignment would be nothing like my dreaming of it….there is nothing noble about poisoning a man’s wine, even if he is an insufferable arse), with a much more affable, personable commander chosen from the ranks of the regulars in service. Colonel Jaeger had a cool, keen eye, and was well liked and well respected by his peers, so I tasked him with whipping the Army of Lorraine into fighting shape.

Rene had, in his years of stewardship over his tiny Kingdom, built up a respectable national treasury (75d), and my second goal was to spend the greater bulk of what had taken Rene years to build. In a matter of weeks, I had all but broken the national treasury, ordering the conscription and recruitment of 7,000 additional Infantry to serve as the backbone of the new Army of Lorraine. Gone was the notion of Lorraine’s volunteer army. We needed men, and we needed them now, for a period of no less than five years.

According to Colonel Jaeger, the new recruits will be ready to march by the month of March….still a bit wet behind the ears, but eager to prove themselves (and in truth, that condition described the whole of Lorraine’s army….not just the new recruits….Lorraine had not participated materially in a battle in more than a generation. She had no veterans, but that was about to change.

Well and good.

We wait.

OoO

While Jaeger is building the backbone for what will (God willing) become an Empire’s army, I take what steps I can to bring Lorraine more fully into the mainstream of Europe, making plans to petition for Royal Marriages (as I formulate my list, France, Spain, and Austria are all right high on it, and in fact, after a night spent drinking and planning, our beloved King Rene charges me with the tasks of keeping Lorraine safe, securing a Royal Marriage with Austria, and conquering Champagne…given that we’re trying to gain the French as allies—at least in the near term—I find myself hoping that Rene simply forgets this last bit….the other two, I feel certain I can manage.

In the midst of my own list-making, when word gets out that Lorraine is “on the market” as it were, we receive immediate interest from the mighty Empire of Poland-Lithuania! We graciously accept the proposal, however I find myself wishing that they were a bit closer to us. Too far off to be of practical use, but flattering nonetheless. I allow myself to hope that this may be a sign of things to come.

I also spend quite a lot of time studying the European trade market. Not something I had ever given much thought to, but it occurs to me that a few well placed merchants will have profound effects on a tiny nation’s income, and so, a careful study is needed. For us, in our situation, the markets of Flandres and Venice are two best bets, with Flandres coming in a solid first, despite being a smaller market overall (cheaper entry).

Lastly, even though it is not my first choice, I know that economics will play a vital, pivotal role for us, and that managing the economy of Lorraine well will be the thing, ultimately, that decides our fate. Thus, I set about standardizing our economic reports to chart our growth and progress.

Annual Report – Total Economic Size (Monthly Inflows), 1492
Current Year (CY): 1.4d
Last Year (LY): Data Not Available
Rank (R) = Data Not Available

Not particularly fearsome or impressive.

And speaking of “not particularly fearsome or impressive,” that reminds me of Lorraine’s army!

True to his word, our Colonel Jaeger has the new recruits in the field by March, and the army now stands at 16,000/1,000/0. If they had a shred of experience among them, it might be a force to be taken seriously. As it was, it was….

….not perfect by any means, but hopefully good enough for our purposes.

As the mastermind for this audacious plan, and with the (admittedly somewhat reluctant) blessing of the King, I gave Jaeger one month’s training time, and told him in no uncertain terms to be ready to take the fight to our enemies shortly thereafter.

“What enemies?” Jaeger asked, genuinely perplexed.

Ahhh….what I would not give to be so innocent again….or to see young Jaeger so innocent again.

A cryptic smile served as my only reply.

OoO

All Fool’s Day, 1492

“…and we have reason to believe that raiders from Pfalz, under the flag of The Palitinat did, in fact, burn some seventy acres of our wheat crop before we hunted them down and slaughtered them like the dogs that they were!”

entirely contrived, by the way. I bought the uniforms on the sly from a trader in used goods, and paid three urchins to don them and carry torches into some of our own fields. Obviously it wouldn’t do to have the bodies recognizable, so I had to personally ensure they were never found.

Grim business, but necessary, and once more I was handed evidence that the *reality* of growing this Empire would in no way reflect the gallant idealism I had dreamt of. This was grubby, dirty, sometimes shameful business.

Such warlike proclamations were commonly made in and among the Germanic states….squabbling and infighting were commonplace, but what I had in mind was….definitely not, and I knew it would raise more than a few eyebrows….if it worked, that is.

If it worked.

The one thing I was gratified to see was that for a moment, all of Europe stopped and looked in the direction of the patchwork of minors…no one had expected the flurry of action in the minor leagues in 1492, and none on the outside could possibly imagine that already the winds of change were blowing.

And after the declaration, what of the Army of Lorraine?

It did not move.

I readily admit, I am no tactician, and once Jaeger was informed of our plan, I told him to run the war as he saw fit.

Nonetheless, I was….”surprised” that after our bold declaration of war, the army of Lorraine remained where it was.

“A very peculiar way to go to war.” I remarked a week after our risky proclamation, loosing some of my venom toward our Army’s “commander.” (who at that point, was running dangerously close to a poisoning of his own). “While I admit to being a novice in the ways of war, one generally supposes that the in order to have a successful invasion of another nation, one must actually move the army to the nation in question, yes?”

Colonel Jaeger gave me some of my own medicine, offering up a cryptic smile in response.

I fumed, but the course was set, and killing him would only throw the army into disarray. Besides, in all fairness, I had given him the latitude to do his job as he saw fit, and he was doing it.

I gritted my teeth, and waited, fearing the worst.

OoO

 

[Velociryx]

The Palitinat’s honor was very nearly equal to his ego, in its sheer size. That is to say that both positively *dwarfed* the whole of Europe.

When he heard that our pittance of a nation had dared declare against him—HIM….with twice our holdings and wealth!—he was beside himself with righteous fury, and summoned the whole of his host (fifteen thousand troops, including more than five thousand cavalry…some of the finest steeds to be found in Europe) from Mainz to Pfalz, and thence, into Lorraine itself, intent on tearing the soul out of our untested army.

Jaeger remained calm and collected, and I had a sudden epiphany regarding the thinking behind his decision to remain in Lorraine.

In a word, I was impressed.

If I was reading the current situation correctly, the canny Jaeger was counting on the fact that his men would fight better and more fiercely if it was in defense of hearth and home than they would abroad, and against an enemy who had done them no wrong. The taste of victory here, on their own soil, would serve as a polarizing agent. It would cement the troops together as *defenders* of Lorraine, and not an army bent on conquest. Of course, it was also not without risk. With our singular province under the gun, our troops had nowhere to run. One roll of the proverbial dice. Win or lose…right here, right now.

The more I thought about the sheer audacity of it, the more I grew to like this Colonel Jaeger. If any of us lived, I vowed to see the man promoted to General of the Armies of Lorraine (such as they were).

In the year of our Lord 1492, on the twenty-sixth day of April, the army of The Palitinat attacked the army of Lorraine not far from the palace of King Rene.

The battle raged for nine solid days, and there were points during the fight when it appeared that our untested lines would fold in the face of a better equipped, better trained, and only slightly smaller enemy force, but on the ninth day, the battle ended with the shattering of The Palitinat’s army, reducing their number by some fifty percent (15k down to 7), while our army suffered less than 3,000 casualties (which sadly included some 800 of our own cavalry).

In a panic, The Palitanat fled back to Pfalz, and Colonel Jaeger once again impressed me.

Rather than outright pursuing, he split his force into even halves, keeping half with him, and setting out to give chase, and leaving half under the command of a young commander name Christiansen.

Christiansen’s orders were to shadow Jaeger, but remain behind him and not engage the army of the Palitinat. Rather, Jaeger would do that, theoretically hitting the army of Pfalz before they recovered from their initial defeat, and driving them from Pfalz to Mainz, where he would follow. After driving the enemy from Pfalz, Christiansen was to move in and set up siege there. With both of the Palitinat’s provinces under Lorraine’s guard, he would be paralyzed, and unable to recruit additional troops (which, if we allowed to happen, would surely be the end of us). After that, time was all we needed to force him to capitulate.

Also, if it worked, it would effectively pin the ever shrinking army of the Palitinate between two armies of Lorraine until they could be crushed entirely, or until we could force a surrender, which would bring the remnants of his army under our banner.

If it didn’t work, it would likely be seen as a colorful blunder by an army trying to act bigger and better than it was.

Fortunately, it worked….sorta.

 

[unmerged(10894)]

That's a good style to easily read. No wonder everyone was raving about your Lands of Lorraine AAR.

 

[Velociryx]

Thanks Boca! Now, the *real* trick is going to be attempting to interpret my...erm...Hansen's chicken scratch hand writing so I can take these raw notes and make 'em somewhat entertaining to read....

-=Vel=-

 

[Velociryx]

Somewhere in the north, near the border between Lorraine and Pfalz

Jaeger’s eyes narrowed in contemplation as he led fully half of Lorraine’s army forward into Pfalz…the first time the army of Lorraine had been on foreign soil in more than a generation.

He paused there at the border…an auspicious occasion indeed. At a crossroads, indeed, with the winds of change blowing hard, and apparently, in his favor.

This time last year, he would never have imagined himself at the head of a Lorrainian Battle Group, bound for foreign lands to take the fight to the enemy. It was an important change, and called for a certain reverence and remembrance….Lorraine was about to lose a generation’s worth of innocence….so he tried his best to memorize every detail, soaking it up in his mind’s eye.

The day was dreary…overcast, although the sun was trying to poke through in places.

It had the effect of making those drab colors seem….vibrant in some way…larger and bolder than life.

The sounds too, seemed significantly louder and more pronounced.

Everything about the day seemed….edgy, in some indescribable way.

He decided that he liked it very much. It suited him, and their mission.

The army of the Palintinat had been handed a surprise defeat, and he had played a part in that, tirelessly drilling and training the men….the *veterans* he now led.

One of his scouts returned from across the border, rode up, and gave a snappy salute.

Not that they particularly needed scouts to hunt this quarry…the army they pursued was mostly cavalry, and it had torn up a wide swath of ground leading away from them, and clearly marking which way they’d gone.

Nonetheless, it didn’t seem prudent to simply crest rises and hills uninformed, so he had organized pickets and scouts to feel the way forward.

“What news, DeLint?” He asked the scout before him.

“Just over the next rise and starting back down. Apparently some of their wagons got mired in last night’s rains, and it slowed them….they do not know how close we are.”

Jaeger smiled. “Well then, shall we inform them of our presence?”

The scout winked and nodded. “Aye! Let’s send them packing to Mainz!”

Jaeger nodded and with minimal fanfare and fuss, gave the order to advance into Pfalz.
The armies of Lorraine were coming.

OoO

Oops!

The initial attack went as planned….The Palitinat, shocked and enraged by his army’s lackluster performance against our raw recruits, retreated back to Pfalz to reorganize themselves, only to find Colonel Jaeger scant days behind him! Before the enemy could even begin to recover their morale, Jaeger hit them again in a fierce, pitched battle which cost Jaeger his right eye and some five hundred men, while the army of the Palitinat lost another 1500-odd souls, and was pressed back to Mainz.

On schedule, Christiansen arrived and surrounded the fortified manor house in Pfalz, while Jaeger was once more on the march, this time to Mainz.

In early July, Jaeger and the Palitinat clashed again, with Jaeger losing another 600 or so, and the Palitinat being reduced to a shade above three thousand horse, who flee back toward Pfalz in a panic.

It was then that it hit me.

What if the remnants of the Palitinat’s army did *not* flee back to Mainz? What if they instead made for Lorraine herself? True, the army was small, and certainly in no shape to test our own fortified defenses, but they were of sufficient number to disrupt trade and taxation, and we were dreadfully low on money….

I was loathe to even consider taking out a bank loan, and in truth, I did not feel that we could secure one in any case. For such a tiny nation as ours, a 200d loan (which was the smallest denomination the Helvetian money-lenders dealt in, in those days) would have been an unfathomable sum, and we could never hope to repay that amount when the loan came due. As it was, with interest on a conjectural loan of that amount at 1.2d per month, we would have a scant 0.2d in monthly usable taxes for the life of the loan, and salaries for our army (even in its current small size) ran more than twice that, each month.

Out of the question.

Frantically, I ordered a halt on all state funded trade research (which was where our scant monies were going), and began hoarding the cash, hoping I could raise enough coin to begin recruitment of a thousand new infantry to guard Lorraine herself. If not, we might well be doomed. If we called off either of our siege forces, the Palitinat would recruit enough troops to grind us to dust.

With a heavy heart, and a sick feeling in my gut, I went to inform the King.

OoO

 

[Velociryx]

His reaction surprised me, to say the least.

There was no flying-off-the-handle, spittle-foaming-at-the-mouth rage. There was no “I told you so” condemnation of my efforts…nothing of the sort.

Instead, Rene seemed to age before me, and to grow smaller. His shoulders drooped, and he sighed a weary sigh. “The dream ends.” He whispered softly. “It was a good dream….to imagine that we could somehow rise above our station and become more than we are.”

He was defeated, and it stung me. That look on my friend’s face (and I must confess, he really *was* becoming my friend…how could he not? I do not understand my Illuminatus Bretheren who keep their charges at arm’s length. If you spend the kind of time we spend with our charges, it seems only a natural outgrowth that you will develop deep, lasting friendships….but I digress.

When I saw that look on his face, it wounded me more deeply than any amount of rage could have.

And, it made me all the more determined to *find* a way to make it work.

“No, my friend.” I told him with all the confidence I could muster. “I did not come to tell you of our impending doom…merely to keep you informed…I’ll think of a way out of it…it’s my job, after all.”

I tried on a reassuring smile, and was almost certain that it didn’t fit well.

The King seemed as unconvinced as I was, deep down.

And maybe he was right.

Angry at myself beyond words and reason, I skulked off to my study to plan.

OoO

There is a leak in the Household Staff of the King, and likely as not, several. It would not do to kill them all, because their replacements would, no doubt, have lips as loose as the current staff (it seems a Universal constant that the Household staff *will* talk).

It pained me to watch the news of our precarious financial position spread like wildfire through the Kingdom, but there was nothing I could do to stop it, and for the latter half of 1492 through the first half of 1493, it seemed that the whole population of Lorraine held her breath, waiting for word that the treasury had run completely dry.

It was, much to my shame, something of a national pastime.

OoO

In September of 1492, Christiansen hands the remnants of the Palitinat’s force another stinging defeat, reducing them to some 1100 souls, and my worst fears are realized….rather than marching back to Mainz, they turn south, heading for Lorraine.

With all of 6d in our treasury, I rattle off an emergency message to our field commanders and tell them that Lorraine herself is under siege, and beg whatever assistance they can provide without ending either siege.

In response, Jaeger leaves a covering force in Mainz, and marches to Pfalz with some 2000 troops, while Christiansen does likewise, and marches for home.

In a battle that raged for more than a week, Christiansen loses half his force, and is forced to withdraw (retreating to Pfalz), but in doing so, he kills off all but 400 of the Palitinat’s horse, and they too, withdraw toward Pfalz.

The following month, Jaeger (currently commanding the siege of Pfalz) ends the matter decisively, taking scant losses while maintaining the siege *and* destroying the remnants of the Palitinat’s army to a man.

Finally.

I breathe a sigh of relief as our forces consolidate in Pfalz (minus the covering force in Mainz) to continue our siege there.

Sadly, the after-effects of the Palitinat’s raid into Lorraine extend into 1493, and in January, we receive no tax monies whatsoever from our peasantry. This leaves our treasury in a pitiful state, and worse, we lack the manpower to properly maintain sieges on both Pfalz and Mainz, so I continue to hoard our scant monthly inflows, with an eye toward recruiting additional infantry as I am able, to send them to reinforce the siege at Mainz.

With no cannon, our siege of Pfalz progresses quite slowly, and by October, when I am at last able to recruit a thousand new infantry, only nominal progress has been made on the siege (walls at -1).

By January 1494, when the new recruits are ready, the tide seems to be turning in Pfalz (walls have dropped to -3), and by February, when the troops are actually somewhat battle-ready, the walls of the manor house have been breeched.

I give the troops their marching orders to Pfalz instead, hoping to help conclude that siege quickly, and mass our forces in Mainz.

In April, Pfalz folds, Jaeger regroups the army, and marches on Mainz.

Upon his arrival, the walls immediately go to -1, and two months later, they are at -4 with a breech. A short, brutal assault, and Mainz is ours…more than two years later, but a stunning victory for Lorraine!

I give the Palitinat the choice of a quick death or a quiet life in the country, and he opts for the former, so I oblige him, without informing King Rene of the details, and we annex his lands, making them our own.

As for the Army of Lorraine…she’s in sad and sorry condition, weighing in at an anemic 10,156/124/0, but victory is ours, and it tastes sweet indeed.

Lorraine has arrived, tripling her holdings on her very first bid for greatness!

OoO

 

[Morpheus506]

Very nice! Similar to the original, but different enough to keep us on the edge of our seats! Can't wait for more !

 

[Velociryx]

Thank ya! And that was the real balancing act for me....how to write a compelling *new* story, while borrowing elements from the old.

The first way that came to mind was to reference the original as the "dream" of Lorraine as an Empire (since, thanks to the vast sums of money I had available thanks to all those loans, it certainly made for a great deal of flexibility!), and of course, thanks to the random events and general flow of alliances and such, this game took on a very different character (with some shocks and surprises, I can tell you!)

Will continue my efforts to translate those half-legible notes into story material tomorrow though! Next segment will be coming soon!

-=Vel=-

 

[saskganesh]

this is good Vel.

first the and i woke up and it was all a dream beginning, then the deja vu (for me) bit with Rene...and then a whole new war with the Palatinians. Good twist; this will be good reading.

 

[Lord E]

This is great I can't wait to read more of it and I hope that you will countiue this just as long as the other one

 

[Velociryx]

Thanks guys! Even longer, actually, cos this time, I've got a completed game to work with....brought my notes in to the office today, and as soon as I get stuff under control and working smoothly, I'll be back to writing....

-=Vel=-

 

[Lord E]

Originally posted by Velociryx
Thanks guys! Even longer, actually, cos this time, I've got a completed game to work with....brought my notes in to the office today, and as soon as I get stuff under control and working smoothly, I'll be back to writing....

-=Vel=-

Great a even longer one. The you know the end, but we don't We might get some huge chliffhangers here

 

[Velociryx]

Nahhh....I wouldn't do anything like that....

-=Vel=-

 

[Lord E]

Originally posted by Velociryx
Nahhh....I wouldn't do anything like that....

-=Vel=-

SURE If you say so.

But any way I am looking forward to read more any way, with chliffhangers or not

 

[Velociryx]

Lots to do after....

Despite the King’s initial doubts, and despite the fact that the people of Lorraine saw this war as an unprovoked one, and thus acted accordingly (stability hit), it was a joyous day indeed, when I was able to step into the Throne Room of King Rene and proclaim a total victory over The Palintinat. (and given our smallish size, national stability was easily restored…in fact, back to normal before the war had even ended!)

In an instant, the aged, stoop-shouldered, humbled and defeated King of a minor nation was gone, and in his place, a regal, proud, good King snapped into being.

“We…won?” He asked me in a child’s voice…not quite believing.

“We did, My King….we bested a nation with twice our resources. Lorraine is now one of the most powerful of the minor states.

Two short years, and we went from obscurity (and being oft regarded as an offshoot of France that the Frenchmen had not gotten ‘round to formally incorporating into their Empire), to being the topic of conversation in many courts, all across Europe.

There were four bright, shining moments in King Rene’s rule of Lorraine. The birth of his son, Antoine was the first, and the conquest of The Palitinat was the second (and in truth, the one he is most often remembered for because it was this singular event that set the wheels in motion….this one bold move by a somewhat reluctant King, planted the seed that became the mighty tree that is Lorraine today), and the other two….well, we’ll get to those by and by….

Of course, in the process of engineering the upset victory for Lorraine, I had all but shattered the country, and to say that there were problems would have been the sorest form of understatement.

There were problems almost beyond counting, but I kept as much of it from the King as I could, and let him enjoy his newfound celebrity status (cast as a wily hero by some, and a vile conqueror by others….mostly it depended on who you talked to).

The sorry truth of it was that Lorraine herself was not in terribly better shape than her army that represented her. Because of the unexpected move of the Palitinat’s army, I was forced to horde cash, which has sent our inflation rate up slightly. Not debilitating by any means, at a quite manageable 2%, but nonetheless it is a thing which stifles our long-term growth to some degree, and after the successful conclusion of the war, there is much to be done!

A cadre of Diplomats I had been carefully grooming in-between war reports (I dared not let them venture forth till our business with the Palitinat had been concluded, lest his organized supporters slit their diplomatic throats), were sent to Austria, Spain, and France, securing Royal Marriages with all three of these giants, and by mid-year, 1494, I rode to Paris to personally make the case for Lorraine’s entry into the French Alliance with Savoy, Brittany, and the Papal States (I never told the King this, but while he was busily pouring over the battle maps of Pfalz and Mainz, I actually turned away a Spanish ambassador, bearing an invitation into *their* alliance….my instinct was for France….after all, they could make war on us at will, as our capitol sat inside part of what was regarded by the French as being the “natural boundaries of France.” Like it or not, we *needed* an alliance with France to keep them from attacking us until we grew strong enough to stand against them and deny them their claims. (Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer is another much cherished axiom of the Order).

And so, I rode for Paris.

My words and my passion….my belief that Lorraine could serve the interests of France well, and Lorraine’s demonstrated abilities on the field of battle combined to impress the French King favorably, and we were granted a place at the French table! The French thought us strong and sturdy, and that was good….I saw absolutely no reason to mention the fact that just before my departure for Paris, our “army” (currently stationed in Mainz) only avoided defeat by angry rebels in that province by the slimmest of margins—and the last of our scant cavalry force killed in battle--nor that we lacked the funds to train replacements for our lost troops, and were therefore holding onto our newly gotten gains by the skin of our proverbial teeth….these were details I did not trouble the French King with.

Looking northward, I’m sorry to say that our sudden, aggressive, and totally uncalled for attack on a German minor damaged our relations with the rest of those high-strung Principalities, all of whom looked nervously south at Lorraine, in both anger and suspicion. There was not a friendly face among them, and none could be counted as anything close to a friend, although, before our war, we had been on amicable terms with a goodish number. But, there was nothing to be done about it. The course was set, and Lorraine was on the path to greatness.

The major alliances of the day, were these:
The Spanish Alliance – (Spain, Milan, Naples, Cologne, and the Mameluks)

The French Alliance – (France, Savoy, The Papal States, Brittany, Lorraine, and the Hafsid Empire)

The Austrian Alliance (Austria, Bohemia, Baden, Wurtemburg, and Hungary)

The English Alliance (England, Hansa, Pomerania, Holstein, Brandenburg, and Portugal)

The minor alliances in our neighborhood are:

Saxony and Hannover

Thurigen and Hessen

(these two, formed as a direct response to Lorraine’s aggression)

You could almost feel the tension building in Europe. Sooner or later, a string somewhere would snap, and when it did….

But more about that in its turn.

OoO

 

[Velociryx]

During the course of our war with our northern neighbor, our engineers did, in fact, gain plans for siege guns (Military Tech 3), but those mighty engines of destruction seemed absolutely unobtainable for Lorraine. *Fifty* ducats each! A princely sum, and one that would take us two years (assuming no riots in either Pfalz or Mainz) to save! I was aghast. Indeed, it would be Infantry only for us and for our army, and I would be glad to have them. Given our sorry finances, it would not do to have rebels take out even one of our cannon. Too expensive to risk in such ways.

So it was determined that any time we were forced to deal with provinces that had a rebellion risk, the army stationed to deal with them would be comprised of all Infantry. In those early days, it was simply a matter of necessity. Infantry were cost-effective ground-takers and ground-holders, and that’s precisely what we needed.

Research-wise, all our state-funded efforts went into teaching our Merchants to be better at their trade, and we sent them regularly over the next few years. In fact, fully half of our annual tax roll money was spent on mercantilism (beginning in December, 1494, when we were able to afford to send two (2) merchants to Flandres), while half was used to shore up the flagging Army of Lorraine, and to pay the upkeep and salary *for* that army.

Rene’s Golden Years
Blessedly, after our initial defeat of the rebel army in Mainz that rose up in anger not long after I ended the life of The Palintat, they were quiet for all of 1495…it seems the death of their dearly loved leader, followed swiftly by their own defeat took some of the fire out of their anger, and we saw a year of glorious peace.

It was a peace that would not last, but thankfully, the troubles that followed barely touched our tiny, recovering Kingdom.

Early in 1496, France declared a crusade against England to reclaim Calais from them, and I urged Rene to support the war in spirit, if not materially, which we did. As we had no port, and it was unlikely in the extreme that a squadron of England’s warships would take to the Rhine in pursuit of us, it was a safe play. We even spared 5d to loan to the Frenchmen to assist their efforts, and when Calais fell to the mighty French armies in early 1497, I like to think that we were a small part of that victory.

The war otherwise did not effect us in the least, and we continued to grow, increasing our mercantile presence in every major market in Europe, and slowly grooming and growing our army to a more respectable level.

Economic Summary 1495 – 1505
When, I began my tenure here, our monthly tax inflows were 1.4d

1495: 4.1
1496: 4.7
1497: 4.7
1498: 5.6
1499: 5.6
1500: 6.0
1501: 5.4
1502: 6.2
1503: 6.5
1504: 7.1
1505: 7.1

As you can see simply by looking at the numbers, that was a splendid decade for us, marred only by a rebel attack in 1497, a more serious one in 1501 (when our army reached it’s low point, losing a battle to rebels in Pfalz, and being reduced to a scant 7000 souls), and a third in 1505, but the numbers themselves, though informative, do not tell the entire tale.

The period was one of constant growth for our nation, yes, and it was also one of laughter and growing friendship with my King. Oh how I wished he would live long enough to see the fruits of what was born in 1492! I found myself aching at the thought that he would slowly age and die before me, and that I would have to continue my work with his children…and their children….we had done so well thus far, our economy more than quadrupling in its size and power, and yet, we were still so far from the Empire I was trying to create.

It was also a period of innovation and invention. Our engineers, though we had no port of our own, were able to work out the functionings of an advanced rudder (Naval tech 1…don’t laugh!), and in 1500, our army gets a boost with the advent of artillery support (which didn’t help *our* army in the least, since we could not yet afford any artillery, and probably explains our defeat at the hands of rebels in 1501)

Perhaps the achievement I was most proud of, however, was to increase the efficiency and skills of the traders and merchants I was busily helping get established (trade level 3). The additional revenues they brought in for our Kingdom were a godsend indeed!

In 1504, young Prince Antoine, our strapping, daring future leader returned from his studies abroad, and his father made him the master of the Armies of Lorraine! Well…the *Army* of Lorraine, anyway….it was all we could do to keep one afield, and we lacked the resources to even think about forming a second, but by the time Antoine took charge of our forces, the army was a healthy 12,955/0/0. Certainly not a force to be greatly feared, and many in Europe would regard it as little more than a child’s plaything, but we were quite proud of our boys! They had served us well, stamped out rebellions in our northern provinces, and guarded Lorraine against the machinations of any foreign power….and more importantly, they were *ours!* A living, breathing machine of flesh and blood and bone that spoke volumes about Lorraine’s independence and her ability to defend herself.

We were a small nation then, it is true, but we were a proud, small nation, and in my opinion, rightly so! We had not simply survived in the land of Europe’s Titans, we had thrived! Right before my eyes, the Kingdom was blossoming, and it was my hope that young Antoine, when he replaced his father as Master of Lorraine, he would continue the good work done thus far.

He certainly seemed well suited to the task, let me tell you! A bit rougher ‘round the edges than his calm, often wise father…lively and boisterous…almost larger than life.

I liked him immensely, and had high hopes for our future under his leadership (much as it pained me to think in those terms, I had, by this time, resigned myself to the knowledge that Rene would pass away before my eyes, and that there was no altering it).

So….as much as I could, I simply enjoyed the moment, and took a measure of pride in my own accomplishments thus far. Lorraine was growing stronger, and I had played a part in that.

The one thing that was troubling to me was that, for all our efforts in trade and in keeping the army at a respectable level, we had yet to be able to duplicate the move that The Palintat had done when he appointed a Bailiff in Pfalz before we relieved him of that province. I knew that such officials promoted in Lorraine and Mainz would further strengthen our economy, but up to this point, it was all we could do to continue funding our mercantile ventures and keep the army at strength….we simply lacked the additional resources needed to find the right men for the job….so we waited.

The years 1506 and 1507 are, and always will be special to me….the first, because it was another of those crowning, wonderful moments in Rene’s stewardship of the Kingdom (and in looking back on it, I must confess that of all her leaders, Rene is still probably my favorite, and the person I would count as the very best friend I have ever had).

The Alliance Treaty of France expired in 1506, and on the day I prepared to ride to Paris to ask if we would be allowed back into their fold when they re-formed it, Rene handed me a scroll to deliver to the Kings of France, Savoy, and the Papal States (by this time, France had absorbed their vassals in Brittany, and so they were included by default).

I read it, dumb-founded.

It was so shockingly simple that I scolded myself for not thinking of it.

Why not create our *own* alliance, with us at the head of the table?

And that was exactly what my dear friend and King proposed to do.

The treaty was greeted with raised eyebrows and surprise, but to a man, the representatives of our allies signed the Treaty of Lorraine, and the alliance was re-created with us at the head!

Even though it is not often talked up in history classes today, it remains in my mind, the single greatest achievement King Rene made, and I was *bursting* with pride as I brought the signed treaty back to my friend and King.

 

[Velociryx]

Interlude/Character Sketch

I could not breathe.

Each year, representatives from the Germanic States get together in a vast hall in Anhalt. If there ever was some higher, politically minded purpose behind the gathering of Elecktors, no one living today remembers what it might have been.

Mostly, the “meetings” are excuses to drink, brag, and pick next year’s fights in the endless squabbling of the German Minors.

Weapons are not allowed (thankfully, else most of the Germanic states would be without leaders were it any other way), and no honor guard is permitted.

One would suppose then, that these meetings would be….at least somewhat safe.

And yet….I could not breathe.

I looked at the impossibly large, strong, calloused hand gripping my throat, and followed with my eyes up the arm, to the shoulder, and then to the face of Phillip, the Hessen King.

He was as impossibly drunk as he was strong, and he made it quite clear that I *would* hear him out, even though what I really wanted to do was to get away and skulk in a corner of the unfriendly place till I could think of an excuse to leave early.

“Il…..I…..’lummitatus.” He said with some difficulty. “Tell your King that the Palitinat was a fool, but we are not!”

“I….I think he knows that.” I said in the clearest voice I could manage, while wondering what shade of purple my lips might be turning at this point.

“We have scant need of our allies, because we could rip that plaything you call an army to pieces on our own, but with allies…I’d dearly love to meet your forces on the field of battle.”

“But….noble King Phillip….” I sputtered while trying to catch enough breath to continue speaking. “L…Lorraine has no designs on Hessen.” (yet, you blustering buffoon I added in my mind but your day will come….I can promise you that).

It is positively amazing the things you think about saying sometimes, but do not.

Indeed, to say that we were on less-than-friendly terms with our Germanic neighbors after eating one of our own was….putting a good spin on it.

 

[Velociryx]

More to celebrate....

The year of 1506 was also remarkable for another little something which I made a mental note of, but did not bring to the attention of the King.

For as long as I can remember, the Illuminatus has been keeping records of all kinds, and one of the records they keep is a general ranking of all nations in relation to each other. Through some Byzantine formulae that I do not pretend to understand, they derive a system of ranking for all the nations so tracked, and according to their rankings, tiny Lorraine was the 6th most successful nation on the planet! I kept that little notion to myself, and gave myself a pat on the back for it. Not bad….not bad at all.

And winds of change were blowing on the diplomatic front as well, in 1506, as a new Germanic Alliance emerged, with Bohemia breaking free from the Austrian alliance, and forming it’s own coalition, drawing in Thurigen, Baden, Hannover, and Wurtemburg….a mighty blow to the Austrians, who signed on with Spain (Spain, Austria, Hessen, Cologne, Milan, Naples). Kleves had signed on late to the Hessen-Thurigen alliance, but was shut out of the Bohemian one, and apparently, the Spanish one as well, and of all the German minors, they were the kindliest disposed to us. A bit of letter writing and diplomatic attention in 1506, brought them into our fold in 1507…further testament to Lorraine’s growing diplomatic prowess and clout! A whirlwind of progress indeed.

Ahhh, but I mentioned earlier that 1507 was a special year to me as well, and it surely was! In that year, *tremendous* strides were made with regards to our infrastructural development (Infrastructure 3), and more efficient means of production were put into place! Lorraine is really on the map now! (and, it should be noted that this was the year I realized that in more than a decade, I hadn’t been forced to kill anyone and quietly dispose of the bodies! This might turn out to be an okay job after all!)

We *did* take a slight economic dip in 1506 (down to 7.0), but by 1507, we came roaring back, weighing in at 7.4d monthly inflows.

Good stuff. Good stuff indeed.

I should have known it wouldn’t last.

(to be continued)

-=Vel=-