This is my first AAR. Consider yourself warned.
A dusty fat book lies on the table. The front of the book looked ancient, simple, and weathered, but the back seems an almost modern design. An intricate lock hides its secrets. The key had been found long ago, but the book was hidden in a castle wall, and only found after an unfortunate accident. Finally the book would be read for the first time in decades.
I am king Into the Finn, the ruler of Lietuva, and the ruling descendant of Kolli Tharapitan. I am a patient and calm man. Some call me a coward, but I do not see the value in charging into battle and getting killed like my father and many other followers of our faith. Others think I am kind and charitable. Most say I am both.
The rest of the world is divided into tons of kingdoms the approximate size of Rus.
I rule the largest and most powerful kingdom in the world. It is not an ancient kingdom that has stood for thousands of years, nor is it an alliance between friendly lands. It is held together only by force and by a single powerful ruler. Should the king die, half the kingdom would attempt to fight for independance. That is not a prediction, but what has already happened five times in the last 60 years, and I fear it may happen again soon.
The grandson of the dynasty founder wasnt actually the main heir, but managed to cobble together a duchy after the realm was turned into a kingdom.
You see, my father died a maimed cripple at the age of 27, and left me to inherit at the age of 8. My father inherited the kingdom as only a newborn. My grandfather inherited the kingdom from his older brother, who died of measles at the age of 13, and he later died from stress at the age of 18, and my great-grandfather died at the age of 29, leaving the kingdom to his 2 year old son(the older brother of my grandfather). And after every death, a rebellion followed. I am nearing the age where I will most likely die.
There is only one member of the ruling Tharapitans who has lived past 30. And that is my great-great-great-great-grandfather, who lived to the age of 95, and forged most of the kingdom. The kingdom never truly recovered from his death, which happened 61 years ago.
Note that he has 27 martial while infirm and without the bonus from religion(+4 martial). He became infirm at the age of 90 and still personally fought and won a holy war while wounded(he healed by the time he died).
Kolli was a great leader, an excellent soldier, practical, efficient, and hardworking, but what he lacked was sanity. He was a possessed lunatic. He believed he was an ancestor of his, a wolf, or any number of things depending on what day it was. What most people dont know is that he used to be quite sane in his youth. He didn't conquer his duchy by himself, but there were three others, with whom he made an alliance and ruled the duchy of Estonia and the county of Tartu. But at some point he wanted more power, which led to a series of bloody wars between him and the three that lasted for many years. The wars left him scarred in more ways than one.
He was called "the Just", but even when he was alive, there was no one who remembered why he got the nickname, nor who gave it to him. He outlived his own son by eight years and appointed his great-grandson as his heir. Many peasants still refuse to believe he is dead and think this is some ruse created by his twisted mind. Others believe that he actually was inhabited by the spirits of his ancestors, and will simply inhabit his "true" heir when such an heir is born. And some say that he bought his long age with the lives of his successors. I reserve my judgement.
His death was a serious matter. Kolli conquered the kingdom with his own two hands. He stood on the frontlines, and caused armies to retreat simply by his presence. He started from a small duchy and conquered two kingdoms worth of land. Without his presence the kingdom is like a chicken without a head. The vassals are restless, our armies lie in their homes, and Scandinavia lies unconquered. I have no delusions of recreating Kolli's insanity fueled spree of conquest, but the land is there and ripe for the taking if I do not die in the next couple of years and if my vassals don't give me too much trouble.
I simply have some matters to attend to first. As I said, the vassals are restless.
The Path to Glory (Lies in Madness)
A dusty fat book lies on the table. The front of the book looked ancient, simple, and weathered, but the back seems an almost modern design. An intricate lock hides its secrets. The key had been found long ago, but the book was hidden in a castle wall, and only found after an unfortunate accident. Finally the book would be read for the first time in decades.
Entry 1
I am king Into the Finn, the ruler of Lietuva, and the ruling descendant of Kolli Tharapitan. I am a patient and calm man. Some call me a coward, but I do not see the value in charging into battle and getting killed like my father and many other followers of our faith. Others think I am kind and charitable. Most say I am both.
The rest of the world is divided into tons of kingdoms the approximate size of Rus.
I rule the largest and most powerful kingdom in the world. It is not an ancient kingdom that has stood for thousands of years, nor is it an alliance between friendly lands. It is held together only by force and by a single powerful ruler. Should the king die, half the kingdom would attempt to fight for independance. That is not a prediction, but what has already happened five times in the last 60 years, and I fear it may happen again soon.
The grandson of the dynasty founder wasnt actually the main heir, but managed to cobble together a duchy after the realm was turned into a kingdom.
You see, my father died a maimed cripple at the age of 27, and left me to inherit at the age of 8. My father inherited the kingdom as only a newborn. My grandfather inherited the kingdom from his older brother, who died of measles at the age of 13, and he later died from stress at the age of 18, and my great-grandfather died at the age of 29, leaving the kingdom to his 2 year old son(the older brother of my grandfather). And after every death, a rebellion followed. I am nearing the age where I will most likely die.
There is only one member of the ruling Tharapitans who has lived past 30. And that is my great-great-great-great-grandfather, who lived to the age of 95, and forged most of the kingdom. The kingdom never truly recovered from his death, which happened 61 years ago.
Note that he has 27 martial while infirm and without the bonus from religion(+4 martial). He became infirm at the age of 90 and still personally fought and won a holy war while wounded(he healed by the time he died).
Kolli was a great leader, an excellent soldier, practical, efficient, and hardworking, but what he lacked was sanity. He was a possessed lunatic. He believed he was an ancestor of his, a wolf, or any number of things depending on what day it was. What most people dont know is that he used to be quite sane in his youth. He didn't conquer his duchy by himself, but there were three others, with whom he made an alliance and ruled the duchy of Estonia and the county of Tartu. But at some point he wanted more power, which led to a series of bloody wars between him and the three that lasted for many years. The wars left him scarred in more ways than one.
He was called "the Just", but even when he was alive, there was no one who remembered why he got the nickname, nor who gave it to him. He outlived his own son by eight years and appointed his great-grandson as his heir. Many peasants still refuse to believe he is dead and think this is some ruse created by his twisted mind. Others believe that he actually was inhabited by the spirits of his ancestors, and will simply inhabit his "true" heir when such an heir is born. And some say that he bought his long age with the lives of his successors. I reserve my judgement.
His death was a serious matter. Kolli conquered the kingdom with his own two hands. He stood on the frontlines, and caused armies to retreat simply by his presence. He started from a small duchy and conquered two kingdoms worth of land. Without his presence the kingdom is like a chicken without a head. The vassals are restless, our armies lie in their homes, and Scandinavia lies unconquered. I have no delusions of recreating Kolli's insanity fueled spree of conquest, but the land is there and ripe for the taking if I do not die in the next couple of years and if my vassals don't give me too much trouble.
I simply have some matters to attend to first. As I said, the vassals are restless.
