I just caught up, Chris. A night attack by green recruits? Sheesh, if only the rest of the war is that easy to fight...
I await the next installment.
I await the next installment.
-
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Chris, I am reading in the Jan of 1439, in terms of your game years... 
hopefully there will be another installment by the time I arrive to this page
Goes without saying, very nice read... wait, people said that before me...
I like all those touches that bring it to the level of a profy - pdf, characterisation, set up... reader comfort in mind. Thanks for a very well-thought story.
hopefully there will be another installment by the time I arrive to this page Goes without saying, very nice read... wait, people said that before me...
I like all those touches that bring it to the level of a profy - pdf, characterisation, set up... reader comfort in mind. Thanks for a very well-thought story.
Thanks for reading Gaijin.
I am trying to gear myself up to resume writing this again but it's been a very bad handful of weeks between health and work and I haven't had the energy or right frame of mind to continue it recently...a lot of things on my mind that seem to push this out. Fear not, though, I will not abandon it. Considering my schedule for the next week and a half, I doubt that I'll have an instalment much before the end of the month.
I am trying to gear myself up to resume writing this again but it's been a very bad handful of weeks between health and work and I haven't had the energy or right frame of mind to continue it recently...a lot of things on my mind that seem to push this out. Fear not, though, I will not abandon it. Considering my schedule for the next week and a half, I doubt that I'll have an instalment much before the end of the month.
Originally posted by MrT
Thanks for reading Gaijin.
I am trying to gear myself up to resume writing this again but it's been a very bad handful of weeks between health and work and I haven't had the energy or right frame of mind to continue it recently...a lot of things on my mind that seem to push this out. Fear not, though, I will not abandon it. Considering my schedule for the next week and a half, I doubt that I'll have an instalment much before the end of the month.
Don't worry and take your time. When the next chapter is up we will be there to read it and love it. Few good things come from rushing or from lack of focus.
Maybe you could make a Holiday Special when you get around to it?
And here I felt bad about going four days without a chapter update... your tale really put that into perspective... so I say take your time Chris... it will come eventually...
M
M
Just a friendly reminder that I await your next installment with anticipation.
I know you've been busy and not well, just letting you know that I am still here. Oh, and inflating my post count by bumping htis thread back to page one.
I know you've been busy and not well, just letting you know that I am still here. Oh, and inflating my post count by bumping htis thread back to page one.
Thanks SM. The River is still suffering from a temporary freeze but is certainly not abandoned. Hopefully the weather will change shortly and it can begin to flow once more. Good luck on that post count.
I just thought I'd give anyone who's interested a little status update.
As a few people have noticed, I haven't produced a new instalment in this AAR since October. It isn't laziness or writer's block, but rather I've been holding off because of another issue altogether. That has now been resolved, so I will return to the process of writing this almost immediately - a happy day for me since I would have hated to ditch more than 100 pages of this.
Expect a new update with the next couple of days...and a continual flow thereafter.
As a few people have noticed, I haven't produced a new instalment in this AAR since October. It isn't laziness or writer's block, but rather I've been holding off because of another issue altogether. That has now been resolved, so I will return to the process of writing this almost immediately - a happy day for me since I would have hated to ditch more than 100 pages of this.
Expect a new update with the next couple of days...and a continual flow thereafter.
Great
Could you please put the PDF's back in your sig again? I'm not up to speed and I'm sure I'll need the family three as well
V
Could you please put the PDF's back in your sig again? I'm not up to speed and I'm sure I'll need the family three as well
V
Done! I think that Chapter 2 pdf actally needs to have the last instalment or two added, but this will keep you busy for a while anyway.Originally posted by Valdemar
Great
Could you please put the PDF's back in your sig again? I'm not up to speed and I'm sure I'll need the family three as well
V
February 15th, in the year of our Lord 1439 – Heidelberg Castle, the Pfalz
“Learning or death,” Johann said. “Many of you – of us – will face those alternatives in the coming months.” His voice was tinged with a sadness that he rarely allowed, and his gaze traveled briefly around the table before settling back on the soon-to-be Bishop. “Since you ask, Ruprecht, I shall begin with your own situation.”
Stefan’s son made a passing gesture in response, inviting his uncle to proceed.
“In not much more than a week’s time you will be enthroned in the cathedral of Strassburg. Since you are neither stupid nor naive, and you are already aware that Duke Charles has almost his entire army stationed there, you cannot think that your like is anything if not forfeit should you not find a way to balance that situation. The seal of the Holy See will do little – if anything – to protect you, and all will assume, due to your blood, that you have more than a passing sympathy with our cause.”
Ruprecht gave no sign that he disagreed with any of these assertions.
“And so you will be immediately beset with enemies, even if there has been no formal declaration of their hostile intent. Should you displease them in even the slightest, should you show signs of actively siding with us – even by inference – I would not be surprised to hear that you had fallen victim to some sort of mysterious accident. You will have to learn to curb your desire to aid us, or to further the less spiritually oriented aims of the Holy Church in any overt way, if you wish to celebrate even the first anniversary of your elevation. Your position on the Diet is only slightly less dangerous to them than your position on whichever of the Pope’s Councils you are appointed to serve. Tread carefully, Ruprecht. Listen. Watch. Learn. If you act, you - and a horrific number of your new subjects - will die.”
Johann held the priest’s gaze for a moment longer, seeing understanding and acceptance infuse him, and wondered if he would ever see his nephew again. Then he turned his attention to the man sitting opposite, meeting an expression that seemed almost one of challenge. You’d better learn to disguise that, my boy, or you’ll soon be joining him.
“While your situation will be one where the direct threat is, perhaps, less immediate, you too should be wary of how you tread. I was thinking, only a little while ago, of something your mother used to say to me. ‘Entering into Danish politics is like walking into a den…’”
“Of lions. Yes, she used to say that to me as well, father. The lions and the meat. Then she would read the story of Daniel to me.”
“Did she? I don’t remember that, although I was absent quite often at the time. I would not,” said Johann with more than a trace of sarcasm, “rely too heavily upon God for your deliverance, though.”
“Nor shall I.” His son’s eyes blazed for a moment with a haughty dignity befitting a monarch. “Though perhaps it is God’s will to help those who help themselves.”
“That,” said Ruprecht, “is utterly absurd. If anything, it is those who are unable to help themselves who are most likely to be blessed with God’s grace. Did Christ not say ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth?’ To assert otherwise, either of you, is perilously close to blasphemy!”
“I had not noticed,” said Christoph, icily, “that the meek had been doing much inheriting of late.”
“But it is they who will pass into the kingdom of Heaven…”
“Yes. Yes. Although more likely sooner, rather than later. Quite frankly, I would prefer the luxury of time to atone for my sins instead.”
“That is…”
“Enough!” Johann roared. “Stop it! Both of you. We do not need to spend this last evening bickering amongst ourselves. The turmoil of this age will not be solved by a war of words. If you, Ruprecht, are planning to become a martyr then remember that God does not look favourably upon those who throw themselves into death…particularly when the lives of countless thousands of innocents hang in the balance. You and your cousin will be sworn to uphold your lands and to nourish and protect your respective people – both in body and in spirit. What I was suggesting to my son was simply that he be cautious when he comes to sit on his throne. A new king, particularly one who has been brought from a foreign land, is unlikely to win the support of the nobility if he immediately plunges his nation into a war.”
“Nor shall I, father; but surely I can find some means to…”
“Look to yourself, Christoph, and do not concern yourself any longer with the affairs of the Pfalz. The Kurfürst, your uncles and I will all strive to save our people and protect the weak. You must ensure the same for your new subjects. That, perhaps more than anything else, will help our cause. We do not need the Hansa to suddenly erupt into civil war and strife. Instability in the north would practically guarantee war – a war that would hurt just about every one of the Elector States and could very easily serve to forward the French king’s goals. If Denmark remains strong, then the north will remain safe and our allies, in particular, will not be turning their heads to look back over their shoulders. Consider it, if you like, your father’s last command to his son…and heed it.”
“As you say, father.”
Mouth dry, Johann drained his goblet and reached for the bottle to replenish it. He met his brother’s eyes, but he could see that Otto was disinclined to speak – words not being his strength – and that this burden would remain on his own shoulders. “As for you, my Kurfürst, the demands on you will be the greatest.”
Ludwig inclined his head in acknowledgment. He seemed, to Johann, to have gained a new poise – and set to his shoulders that had been absent only a few weeks earlier. “I am well severed,” he responded, “and have little to fear when my uncles are here to advise me.”
“But that will not always be the case, Ludwig. Otto must depart, soon, to resume his command of the siege of Nancy…”
“I had thought to depart shortly after dawn, unless needs are that I remain?”
“No. Not that I can see…and I don’t mind telling you that I am more than a little nervous that you have left that in Freidrich’s hands while Stefan marches on Hagenau. I don’t wish to criticize our nephew’s abilities, but he is young and untested. What if he were attacked?”
“The scouts are weeping wide enough that Stefan could be recalled in time. I made sure of that.”
“What if the enemy by-passes the scouts a swing down out of the north-west?”
“They will not – and, at any rate, I have deployed scouts there against just such an eventuality.”
“And what if the scouts are captured or slain?”
“We can play that game all night if you wish, brother. But I think you will simply have to trust me that this is as close to impossible as it can be. I think, also, that he may surprise you. He has all the makings of a vary able commander.”
“He’s too impatient…too excitable. You’ve seen it.”
“What do you expect, Johann? He’s young, and he’s never tasted war before. We were all eager for bloodshed when we were his age. He’ll learn.”
“I thought,” said the Kurfürst, pointedly trying to forestall the brewing argument, “that we were discussing my situation.”
Johann nodded slowly. “Indeed we were…indeed we were. Perhaps, though, we should save that for the morning.”
“Why?”
“Because there are some things better left for more…private moments.”
“He means,” said der Schwarze in answer to the Kurfürst’s apparent confusion, “that he would prefer not to discuss it with your brother and I here at the table. Would you like us to leave, cousin?”
Ludwig looked almost startled…as though he had forgotten that the two youths were still seated and listening intently to the conversation. “No, Ludwig. You and Friedrich should hear this as well. You will shortly have a command of your own, and my brother is my heir. If anything happens to me then he should know what has been discussed. Go ahead uncle. We will keep no secrets here.”
Johann pursed his lips. “If that is your command?”
“It is.”
“Very well. Friedrich, Ludwig…you understand that what I will now say must not leave this table? That you must speak of it to no one - no matter how much you might trust him?”
“Of course uncle! I would never betray my brother.”
“Aye. Nor would I.”
“It’s not a matter of betrayal…not would I accuse you of such. You are both so young, though, and I fear that you might speak of it to one of your friends…just to make yourselves seem more…important. But if you do, so too might they…and these things have a way of becoming common gossip in no time.”
“Our lips are sealed.”
“And Charles will almost certainly have spies everywhere..”
“We have given our word, uncle!”
“They will not speak a word, uncle. Now tell me what I must learn, and why you will not always be here to advise me.”
Obviously unhappy about it, Johann held the silence for a few moments more, hoping that this would emphasise the importance of the matter. “There are several reasons, my Kurfürst. First: I am old, as you have surely remarked to one another on many occasions.”
“You are not so old.”
“I am old, Ludwig. It is possible – likely even – that I will not live out this war if it goes on for very long. I am also…ill.”
Had they not been already, all eyes would have turned to the Pfalzgraf at this pronouncement. Anna’s gasp was audible.
“Not direly so, I hope. I have trouble breathing and, as you have undoubtedly noticed, I am frequently taken by fits of coughing…particularly in the early mornings and at night. It makes it…difficult…to sleep which, as you can imagine, doesn’t help matters.”
“Then you must get more rest! You must let yourself heal!”
“Right at the outset of war? You jest! No…I will rest when I may, but my duty is to do whatever I can to ensure your safety and success, and the nation’s, and if that price must be paid with my life then so be it.”
“But if th…”
“No! This is a lesson you must learn…a lesson every man must learn. The needs…the safety, the survival, the mere existence of the Pfalz…they are all worth more than the price of any one man’s life. War demands sacrifice…and all too often the sacrifice it demands is a man’s life. Ask Otto. He not only knows that he may die, but he is fully prepared to do so. As am I. Go ahead, ask him. Ask him.”
Even before the Kurfürst could turn or open his mouth to speak, Otto was nodding. “I swore to defend you with my life, and I will not be foresworn. If it is required, I will willingly give it. So will every man who serves in your army.”
“Then you do not think that Johann should rest?”
“Rest? Certainly he should rest…if - and when - he can. But not at the expense of the realm.”
“But if he were to die because of it…?”
“Then I will. Willingly, as Otto says.”
“I could never live with the knowledge…” Ludwig’s voice tailed off.
“And that is another lesson you must learn. In the coming months, or years, many men may die, and when they will do it will be because they are doing so for you. It is a terrible burden to bear, but bear it you must.”
“But I am not worth their sacrifice!”
“Are you not? Then you had better become worth it, or this is all in vain. In truth, though, their sacrifice is as much for the country that they hold dear, and it’s people, as it is for you. You are the symbol that the nation looks to for strength - the Kurfürst and the Pfalz are inseparable in the people’s minds - and so you must give it to them if we are to hold against the fury of the French. And believe me, the time may come when the difference between victory and defeat will be what they are willing to sacrifice for you.”
Johann’s words were met with silence as each of them cast their minds forward to the likely outcome of the coming months. Finally he broke it once more with a slight cough. “Don’t worry, Ludwig. I am not about to die anytime soon. I mustn’t, for there is much work to do…so much work.” As though he had suddenly made up his mind about something, he continued more brightly but with voice lowered almost to a whisper. “The third reason that I may not always be here to advise you is this: I, too, will be leaving, within a fortnight, on a mission of utmost importance…”
“Learning or death,” Johann said. “Many of you – of us – will face those alternatives in the coming months.” His voice was tinged with a sadness that he rarely allowed, and his gaze traveled briefly around the table before settling back on the soon-to-be Bishop. “Since you ask, Ruprecht, I shall begin with your own situation.”
Stefan’s son made a passing gesture in response, inviting his uncle to proceed.
“In not much more than a week’s time you will be enthroned in the cathedral of Strassburg. Since you are neither stupid nor naive, and you are already aware that Duke Charles has almost his entire army stationed there, you cannot think that your like is anything if not forfeit should you not find a way to balance that situation. The seal of the Holy See will do little – if anything – to protect you, and all will assume, due to your blood, that you have more than a passing sympathy with our cause.”
Ruprecht gave no sign that he disagreed with any of these assertions.
“And so you will be immediately beset with enemies, even if there has been no formal declaration of their hostile intent. Should you displease them in even the slightest, should you show signs of actively siding with us – even by inference – I would not be surprised to hear that you had fallen victim to some sort of mysterious accident. You will have to learn to curb your desire to aid us, or to further the less spiritually oriented aims of the Holy Church in any overt way, if you wish to celebrate even the first anniversary of your elevation. Your position on the Diet is only slightly less dangerous to them than your position on whichever of the Pope’s Councils you are appointed to serve. Tread carefully, Ruprecht. Listen. Watch. Learn. If you act, you - and a horrific number of your new subjects - will die.”
Johann held the priest’s gaze for a moment longer, seeing understanding and acceptance infuse him, and wondered if he would ever see his nephew again. Then he turned his attention to the man sitting opposite, meeting an expression that seemed almost one of challenge. You’d better learn to disguise that, my boy, or you’ll soon be joining him.
“While your situation will be one where the direct threat is, perhaps, less immediate, you too should be wary of how you tread. I was thinking, only a little while ago, of something your mother used to say to me. ‘Entering into Danish politics is like walking into a den…’”
“Of lions. Yes, she used to say that to me as well, father. The lions and the meat. Then she would read the story of Daniel to me.”
“Did she? I don’t remember that, although I was absent quite often at the time. I would not,” said Johann with more than a trace of sarcasm, “rely too heavily upon God for your deliverance, though.”
“Nor shall I.” His son’s eyes blazed for a moment with a haughty dignity befitting a monarch. “Though perhaps it is God’s will to help those who help themselves.”
“That,” said Ruprecht, “is utterly absurd. If anything, it is those who are unable to help themselves who are most likely to be blessed with God’s grace. Did Christ not say ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth?’ To assert otherwise, either of you, is perilously close to blasphemy!”
“I had not noticed,” said Christoph, icily, “that the meek had been doing much inheriting of late.”
“But it is they who will pass into the kingdom of Heaven…”
“Yes. Yes. Although more likely sooner, rather than later. Quite frankly, I would prefer the luxury of time to atone for my sins instead.”
“That is…”
“Enough!” Johann roared. “Stop it! Both of you. We do not need to spend this last evening bickering amongst ourselves. The turmoil of this age will not be solved by a war of words. If you, Ruprecht, are planning to become a martyr then remember that God does not look favourably upon those who throw themselves into death…particularly when the lives of countless thousands of innocents hang in the balance. You and your cousin will be sworn to uphold your lands and to nourish and protect your respective people – both in body and in spirit. What I was suggesting to my son was simply that he be cautious when he comes to sit on his throne. A new king, particularly one who has been brought from a foreign land, is unlikely to win the support of the nobility if he immediately plunges his nation into a war.”
“Nor shall I, father; but surely I can find some means to…”
“Look to yourself, Christoph, and do not concern yourself any longer with the affairs of the Pfalz. The Kurfürst, your uncles and I will all strive to save our people and protect the weak. You must ensure the same for your new subjects. That, perhaps more than anything else, will help our cause. We do not need the Hansa to suddenly erupt into civil war and strife. Instability in the north would practically guarantee war – a war that would hurt just about every one of the Elector States and could very easily serve to forward the French king’s goals. If Denmark remains strong, then the north will remain safe and our allies, in particular, will not be turning their heads to look back over their shoulders. Consider it, if you like, your father’s last command to his son…and heed it.”
“As you say, father.”
Mouth dry, Johann drained his goblet and reached for the bottle to replenish it. He met his brother’s eyes, but he could see that Otto was disinclined to speak – words not being his strength – and that this burden would remain on his own shoulders. “As for you, my Kurfürst, the demands on you will be the greatest.”
Ludwig inclined his head in acknowledgment. He seemed, to Johann, to have gained a new poise – and set to his shoulders that had been absent only a few weeks earlier. “I am well severed,” he responded, “and have little to fear when my uncles are here to advise me.”
“But that will not always be the case, Ludwig. Otto must depart, soon, to resume his command of the siege of Nancy…”
“I had thought to depart shortly after dawn, unless needs are that I remain?”
“No. Not that I can see…and I don’t mind telling you that I am more than a little nervous that you have left that in Freidrich’s hands while Stefan marches on Hagenau. I don’t wish to criticize our nephew’s abilities, but he is young and untested. What if he were attacked?”
“The scouts are weeping wide enough that Stefan could be recalled in time. I made sure of that.”
“What if the enemy by-passes the scouts a swing down out of the north-west?”
“They will not – and, at any rate, I have deployed scouts there against just such an eventuality.”
“And what if the scouts are captured or slain?”
“We can play that game all night if you wish, brother. But I think you will simply have to trust me that this is as close to impossible as it can be. I think, also, that he may surprise you. He has all the makings of a vary able commander.”
“He’s too impatient…too excitable. You’ve seen it.”
“What do you expect, Johann? He’s young, and he’s never tasted war before. We were all eager for bloodshed when we were his age. He’ll learn.”
“I thought,” said the Kurfürst, pointedly trying to forestall the brewing argument, “that we were discussing my situation.”
Johann nodded slowly. “Indeed we were…indeed we were. Perhaps, though, we should save that for the morning.”
“Why?”
“Because there are some things better left for more…private moments.”
“He means,” said der Schwarze in answer to the Kurfürst’s apparent confusion, “that he would prefer not to discuss it with your brother and I here at the table. Would you like us to leave, cousin?”
Ludwig looked almost startled…as though he had forgotten that the two youths were still seated and listening intently to the conversation. “No, Ludwig. You and Friedrich should hear this as well. You will shortly have a command of your own, and my brother is my heir. If anything happens to me then he should know what has been discussed. Go ahead uncle. We will keep no secrets here.”
Johann pursed his lips. “If that is your command?”
“It is.”
“Very well. Friedrich, Ludwig…you understand that what I will now say must not leave this table? That you must speak of it to no one - no matter how much you might trust him?”
“Of course uncle! I would never betray my brother.”
“Aye. Nor would I.”
“It’s not a matter of betrayal…not would I accuse you of such. You are both so young, though, and I fear that you might speak of it to one of your friends…just to make yourselves seem more…important. But if you do, so too might they…and these things have a way of becoming common gossip in no time.”
“Our lips are sealed.”
“And Charles will almost certainly have spies everywhere..”
“We have given our word, uncle!”
“They will not speak a word, uncle. Now tell me what I must learn, and why you will not always be here to advise me.”
Obviously unhappy about it, Johann held the silence for a few moments more, hoping that this would emphasise the importance of the matter. “There are several reasons, my Kurfürst. First: I am old, as you have surely remarked to one another on many occasions.”
“You are not so old.”
“I am old, Ludwig. It is possible – likely even – that I will not live out this war if it goes on for very long. I am also…ill.”
Had they not been already, all eyes would have turned to the Pfalzgraf at this pronouncement. Anna’s gasp was audible.
“Not direly so, I hope. I have trouble breathing and, as you have undoubtedly noticed, I am frequently taken by fits of coughing…particularly in the early mornings and at night. It makes it…difficult…to sleep which, as you can imagine, doesn’t help matters.”
“Then you must get more rest! You must let yourself heal!”
“Right at the outset of war? You jest! No…I will rest when I may, but my duty is to do whatever I can to ensure your safety and success, and the nation’s, and if that price must be paid with my life then so be it.”
“But if th…”
“No! This is a lesson you must learn…a lesson every man must learn. The needs…the safety, the survival, the mere existence of the Pfalz…they are all worth more than the price of any one man’s life. War demands sacrifice…and all too often the sacrifice it demands is a man’s life. Ask Otto. He not only knows that he may die, but he is fully prepared to do so. As am I. Go ahead, ask him. Ask him.”
Even before the Kurfürst could turn or open his mouth to speak, Otto was nodding. “I swore to defend you with my life, and I will not be foresworn. If it is required, I will willingly give it. So will every man who serves in your army.”
“Then you do not think that Johann should rest?”
“Rest? Certainly he should rest…if - and when - he can. But not at the expense of the realm.”
“But if he were to die because of it…?”
“Then I will. Willingly, as Otto says.”
“I could never live with the knowledge…” Ludwig’s voice tailed off.
“And that is another lesson you must learn. In the coming months, or years, many men may die, and when they will do it will be because they are doing so for you. It is a terrible burden to bear, but bear it you must.”
“But I am not worth their sacrifice!”
“Are you not? Then you had better become worth it, or this is all in vain. In truth, though, their sacrifice is as much for the country that they hold dear, and it’s people, as it is for you. You are the symbol that the nation looks to for strength - the Kurfürst and the Pfalz are inseparable in the people’s minds - and so you must give it to them if we are to hold against the fury of the French. And believe me, the time may come when the difference between victory and defeat will be what they are willing to sacrifice for you.”
Johann’s words were met with silence as each of them cast their minds forward to the likely outcome of the coming months. Finally he broke it once more with a slight cough. “Don’t worry, Ludwig. I am not about to die anytime soon. I mustn’t, for there is much work to do…so much work.” As though he had suddenly made up his mind about something, he continued more brightly but with voice lowered almost to a whisper. “The third reason that I may not always be here to advise you is this: I, too, will be leaving, within a fortnight, on a mission of utmost importance…”
Incidentally, the downloadable chapter 2 pdf (link in my sig.) is now updated to include all installments up to and including this one.
A great read MrT, but now you have to hurry on with the next one, you've left us with quite a cliffhanger
V
V
Thanks Joe. Most appreciated.
Valdemar: Fear not...another instalment coming within the next day or so. I hate to tell you, but that cliff is going to be left hanging for quite a while or I'd be giving away a little surprise.
Valdemar: Fear not...another instalment coming within the next day or so. I hate to tell you, but that cliff is going to be left hanging for quite a while or I'd be giving away a little surprise.
*sighs with relief*
I am so glad this tale is still alive.
Oh, and when's the next update?
I am so glad this tale is still alive.
Oh, and when's the next update?
I'm just editting out the graphic sex scene so probably tomorrow afternoon...oops...make that this afternoon, it's after midnight now.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to elaborate a bit on the reason for the delay over the past couple of months.
First off, of course, there has been the health issue...but that isn't the principal reason. I happened to notice a post that appeared in the "announcements" forum from Patric that related to copyright issues. If you go and read it, I think you'll see why I suddenly stopped posting this story until I could get clarification.
Before you get too excited and start PMing him, though, please be advised that Paradox will in no way intrude on our AAR copyrights. The notice is there to protect Paradox from having someone try to sue them for "Stealling" their idea if someone posts something (idea, event, etc.) on the forum that is later incorporated into a game.
Considering where I hope to eventually take this AAR (to a publisher after a heavy rewrite or ten), I wanted specific confirmation, though, before I continued. I have that now, so off we go....except that I'm a little rusty and have to gather up all my various notes and plot points and let them roll around in my mind so I don't suddenly introduce a bunch of stupid inconsistencies into the story. I really felt like I was "fighting" myself through that last instalment, and it was already half written three months ago.
I guess it wouldn't hurt to elaborate a bit on the reason for the delay over the past couple of months.
First off, of course, there has been the health issue...but that isn't the principal reason. I happened to notice a post that appeared in the "announcements" forum from Patric that related to copyright issues. If you go and read it, I think you'll see why I suddenly stopped posting this story until I could get clarification.
Before you get too excited and start PMing him, though, please be advised that Paradox will in no way intrude on our AAR copyrights. The notice is there to protect Paradox from having someone try to sue them for "Stealling" their idea if someone posts something (idea, event, etc.) on the forum that is later incorporated into a game.
Considering where I hope to eventually take this AAR (to a publisher after a heavy rewrite or ten), I wanted specific confirmation, though, before I continued. I have that now, so off we go....except that I'm a little rusty and have to gather up all my various notes and plot points and let them roll around in my mind so I don't suddenly introduce a bunch of stupid inconsistencies into the story. I really felt like I was "fighting" myself through that last instalment, and it was already half written three months ago.