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Hannibal Barca2 said:
I was thinking of Humphrey, who seems to have done something really bad, and whose death leads to rosie war

Glad to know we were thinking on the good old duke... He shouldn't marry in haste, by the way :rofl:
 
Time to start some specific fb-fb:

English Patriot said:
Great update Coz, I look forward to York's return to Normandy, looks like the Beaufort's are up to no good, Henry should keep an eye on his advisors.
Thanks. And I too look forward to some scenes set in Normandy. As for the advisers, Henry should keep an eye on them, but then again it is that he does not that leads directly to the WOTR.

Hannibal Barca2 said:
Just trying to understand where to duke of Gloucester comes into all this...
Let me get back to this since it is mentioned again a bit further down in the feedback...

And thanks for reading! :)

Fulcrumvale said:
More!

Henry seems easily controlable.
And thank you as well. As for Henry - don't he though?

English Patriot said:
He'll be here in a decade or two, hopefully he'll do better than his real life counterpart
Wrong Gloucester. ;) That one isn't born for another 12 years as of 1440. But he will show up in the story, rest assured.

Nil-The-Frogg said:
Great start indeed! I'll try to stick to this one till the end so that I don't need to catch up
Thanks, Nil. I am badly in need of catching up with your own work as well. I'll get there soon, I promise.

Lord Durham said:
That's for sure.

$20,000 pds per annum!!! Wonder if Hank VI can toss a few my way... Another nice update, C.
That does seem a high figure, but it is what my research suggests was offered. Now if and when that money is actually paid is an entirely different kettle of fish. ;)

Judas Maccabeus said:
Ah, looks like we're getting the correct cast of characters for a very interesting Wars of the Roses. We've got York, Somerset, Suffolk, Beaufort, Gloucester (and Gloucester's corpse), and Henry himself already... We should be in for a fun ride.
I certainly hope so and thanks for coming on board. I've tried to get all the right people in there, but quite a few of them don't last very long.

GhostWriter said:
coz1: ...with deep bows, Richard backed from the room.

Richard (no doubt) knows that he is on thin ice ! !

will you be following the historical path for all/most of the participants ? ?

(not that this information will do me any good as i don't know this period of English history ! ! )

awesome AAR ! ! :cool:

oh, and thanks for the invite/reminder that this AAR was underway ! !
Richard certainly has his wits about him, that is true. As for going historical, I will up until 1453 when the game begins. And even there, I do want to play close to history but with enough leeway to go off into fantasy land when it fits and the game demands it. As for the history - it is fascinating. You'd enjoy reading about it, I am sure. And as always, thanks for stopping by with your usual great feedback.

Lord E said:
The intrigues of court…. Well there are several men around up to no good I think. The young Duke will have to watch his back because I feel the cardinal and his friends are not people that would think twice about stabbing someone in the back. But also the young King needs to watch himself, advisors intriguing behind your back is never a good thing to have. And now York is going to Normandy, there is much to gain from a campaign in France but also much to lose and then I am not thinking about the French and their probable lack of enthusiasm for this little endeavour

Wonderful writing Coz, keep it coming
Thank you, sir. And very true. Spot on for Beaufort and Suffolk as well as Henry. But again, it is entirely his failing in this regard that leads to what happens next. As for France, recall that the English still have some healthy possessions in Normandy and Gascony prior to Henry's marriage with Margaret of Anjou...but that's getting ahead of ourselves. We'll touch on it soon.

Kurt_Steiner said:
Time will tell...

It depends on which Gloucester we are thinking... Humphrey or Richard?
Indeed. Of course, we are looking at Humphrey at present.

Hannibal Barca2 said:
I was thinking of Humphrey, who seems to have done something really bad, and whose death leads to rosie war
Precisely. I wanted to set up the death of Humphrey first to suggest the passage of the torch, if you will. While he was alive, he was the prime mover of the anti-court faction. Once he was dead (either murdered or died of perhaps natural causes) Richard of York is then thrust into that position, whether he wanted to or not. That should be the main focus of this first chapter.

And the death of Humphrey is a fascinating case. He was called in front of the King to answer for some plot or another that he may or may not have been involved in. What we do know is that he died four days later after being shut up in his apartments by order of the King. There is some claim that he was murdered, one such tale going so far as to suggest he was killed after a hot poker was shoved up his...well, you get the idea. Another (and this is where I have kind of come down) is that he was already in ill health at the time ( a lifetime of debauchery helped) and the fear or trauma of his sure impending death helped him "out the door." Of course, we have no way of knowing with any certainty.

Kurt_Steiner said:
Glad to know we were thinking on the good old duke... He shouldn't marry in haste, by the way
And quite true on that score as well, though I'll likely gloss over that fact since he's really out of the picture soon.

J. Passepartout said:
Naive king, allowing someone to be gotten out of the way like that...
Like I said - still easily led, but does have some idea how to play the Kingly role. He depends on his advisers, perhaps far more than he should. ;)

EDIT - I also meant to add a request - I recognize that a lot of these folks have their proper names and then their titles and it can get confusing when using both and trying to be non-repetitious in the writing. Please make sure to let me know when and if I am not making it clear who is who. I hope to do my best to be both accurate as well as clear and I'll depend on you guys to let me know if I've gone too far or not far enough with the names and personages. Given everyone's vast historical knowledge around here, I know I can count on you to both get who I am usually talking about and see where I might need a bit more clarification.

Thanks for reading and thanks to all of you for the great comments. I'll probably have another update some time this week (let's hope.) Until then...
 
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So.. We have NA ... court intrigue ... coz1's writing ... and the MM events to drive it.

I'm in.
 
Coz, as usual my friend, you have set the stage beautifully. I dare say that this is going to be one quite fine entertaining read. Kudos!

Side note. Don't ask my why, but I have always found myself in favor of the Dukes of York. I'm thinking that just has something to do with the title, but for what it's worth, I dearly hope that our current Duke, Richard, actually ends up doing the Kingdom some good one way or the other... or baring that, at least go down in a blaze of glory, eh?
 
Well written tale so far. You have my interest!
 
I so do enjoy a Coz AAR, pity it will run to 10 pages by its 2nd chapter. Such is the curse of brilliance I suppose. :D

Can't wait for the next update!
 
And so the drama begins. It will interesting to see how the plots develop.
 
Fb-fb:

theycallmetight said:
simply entrancing, the anticipation is starting to mount
Thank you sir. I hope I can keep that up with a few time jumps here or there in this first chapter. Setting the stage and all that...

merrick said:
So.. We have NA ... court intrigue ... coz1's writing ... and the MM events to drive it.

I'm in.
Yes...yes...yes...yes

And yes! Thanks for joining in, merrick! :)

Draco Rexus said:
Coz, as usual my friend, you have set the stage beautifully. I dare say that this is going to be one quite fine entertaining read. Kudos!

Side note. Don't ask my why, but I have always found myself in favor of the Dukes of York. I'm thinking that just has something to do with the title, but for what it's worth, I dearly hope that our current Duke, Richard, actually ends up doing the Kingdom some good one way or the other... or baring that, at least go down in a blaze of glory, eh?
I am so glad you think so! And you and I are on the same page as far as Richard goes. Don't want to tip my hand too much, but I can say that Richard of York plays a very, very big role in this AAR.

ubik said:
Enjoying this immensely!
Excellent, sir. Any news on the MM Gold release? I need to get over there and see how close we are.

Nikolai said:
Well written tale so far. You have my interest!
Great Nikolai! And welcome. I hope it remains entertaining.

BBBD316 said:
I so do enjoy a Coz AAR, pity it will run to 10 pages by its 2nd chapter. Such is the curse of brilliance I suppose. :D

Can't wait for the next update!
A wonderful compliment, sir. But are you trying to tell me I am long-winded? ;)

Estonianzulu said:
And so the drama begins. It will interesting to see how the plots develop.
Yes, it will be. And I hope I do it justice. Thanks for stopping by. :)


To all - I have the next scene in mind and have dabbled with it slightly. It should be up at the earliest tonight (but don't bet on that) and at the latest on Thursday. Thanks to all for reading and commenting!
 
The soft glove.

“A pity that your last tenure in Normandy was so short lived. We do hope we have found it in your heart to forgive us our lack of assistance in prior times.”


The iron fist.

“And if he abandons his post again, we shall have all the grounds to permanently bar his entrance.”

So we know Richard is already on thin ice from some earlier ‘misunderstanding’ Will he fall through? ;)

Joe
 
Dear me no Mr coz1, simply that your writing skill means that the list of compliments runs to several pages between updates. :p
 
Some quick fb-fb and an announcement -

Storey - Yes, Henry gets to be the good guy, for now. The Cardinal and Suffolk, however, are really the ones running the show. They'll do their best to thwart Richard, but...well, I get ahead of myself. ;)

BBBD316 - Did you re-register BBBD? Thus the added #s? Too confusing. But that's a lovely compliment. The trouble with getting many comments is that it does make the AAR grow rapidly. I wonder how many people realize I only have two updates in this so far?

And on that note - the announcement. It comes in two parts. Part the first is that I realized I had already made a mistake and have gone back to change it. The Somerset referred to in the second post is not Cardinal Beaufort's brother but his nephew. Damn those Beauforts and their rabbit ways. Anything to get the throne. :rolleyes: However, the nephew Beaufort is rather important in the grand scheme of things so it was a rather big gaffe. I'll try not to let it happen again.

Part the second is...look for an update this evening. It is mostly written and simply requires another pass or two to smooth out the edges.

Thanks for all your great comments!
 


Pontoise.jpg


* * *

Rouen, 1441

Richard of York sat at a small table surrounded by men of his affinity, some who were men of old Bedford’s time and some whom were York’s own. He was late in crossing the channel, some said due to his feelings that his previous chance at commanding in France had been less than exemplar and some surely realized that the Duke was still in some financial difficulty. But had they the nerve to ask, Richard would have quickly pointed out that he and his beautiful bride Cecily had lost their first male child just month’s prior. Young Henry was born in February of 1441 and lived only weeks.

Now Richard was immediately thrust into the military campaign, mostly headed by the great John, Lord Talbot. The two knew each other, having met in Richard’s previous tenure in France. And Talbot had done his utmost to extend his legacy of fearless fighter of the French such that his name alone could frighten his opponent and few wished to meet him directly in battle.

At present, Talbot was still away at Pontoise where the English forces had been a constant in keeping the French so-called King away from taking that stronghold with his expert siege artists, the Bureaus. York quickly traveled to greet his stalwart and once secure in the knowledge that the fortress was safe, returned home to Rouen to ensure his wife had settled in and to meet with his men to plan further excursions.

“My Lord Duke,” Sir William Oldhall, the Duke’s chamberlain spoke up, “It is great fortune that your arrival has made such an impression upon the peoples of Normandy.”

“Indeed,” Henry, Lord Bourchier chimed in, both men attempting to placate their Lord, “They look upon you as their very King.”

“Would that the men in Ile de France did much the same,” the Earl of Salisbury, Richard Neville reminded them.

Richard pushed a map away from him with frustration as he looked to the Earl, “So true, my brother…so very true.”

Oldhall was quick to cross and point to the map, “They run from Talbot as always, my Lord. Surely they will find even more fear in your person.”

“Do not be so quick to discount the French success of late, good sir. Look you to Harfleur…and Conflans…and Creil. They move unlike the French we know.” Richard stood and crossed to a table at the side of the room to pick up a goblet of wine and quaff it down quickly.

“True, my Lord, but Charles has had his setbacks of late…the Praguerie as they call it…his own magnates do not trust him.” Oldhall stood firm in his security.

“Yes, my Lord Duke…and it seems as though the release of the Duc d’Orleans has meant little. He has been nullified and Charles may well be alone,” Bourchier kept up the softening words.

“While I might find some comfort in that, my Lords, I do not in their tenacity at Pontoise. It is a nearly impregnable fortress, yes, but if they persist in their endeavors there, we shall be forced to retreat even further. And we’ve not the men to press the issue even if we have the brilliant leadership that you good men give us…”

“And surely Lord Talbot, milord…” Oldhall attempted to counsel.

“He does strike fear into their hearts, ‘tis true.” Richard crossed the room again and looked to Salisbury, “How many men would it take to strike upon Paris once more?”

“I could not give you a total, sir. They are not as likely to accept our entrance as they might have been in yesteryear. It would certainly take more than we have at present and I see none forthcoming from our good King.”

Oldhall stepped forward and nearly spit on the ground, “It is this that keeps us from pressing our issue, my Lords…the King will not give us the means to effect such an end.”

A fierce look from the Duke made the man blanche ever so slightly and he retraced his words, “I speak too much, my Lord…”

“Indeed you do, Sir William. But I’ll not hold it to you. We are in dire times and we must find some method to attack and bring these dogs down.” Richard looked back to his maps and was long in thought trying to find the right move when the words of another, a much prettier voice, interrupted them.

“We must have a war council…is that it, my Lords?”

Cecily Neville, wife to Duke Richard and a beauty unlike any other walked into the room and balanced between complete authority and sure respect, “While I would not wish to disturb such a high gathering, I must steal away with my husband for we have some great issues to discuss. Pray pardon. I’ll not keep him long.”

All of the men quickly bowed, some more deeply than others, and they made their way from the room. Her own brother, Richard Neville, stayed not a moment longer than to kiss her hand and wish her well before he too was away leaving Richard to talk with his wife.

“What could it be that causes this disruption, my greatest love?” Richard asked with just a hint of irritation but a great deal of kindness.

Cecily went to her husband and dipped slightly to offer him her own form of honor but was quickly up and into his face with a kiss, “Only that I wish to see you. Is that not enough? It has been weeks and only now have we a moment to ourselves.”

Taking his seat, Richard poured over his maps once more, not ignoring his wife but too engrossed in his planning, “It has not been so long.”

“My Lord!” Cecily stood to her full height and placed her hands upon her hips. Her cheeks flushed in anger and as Richard looked up to greet her displeasure he could easily recall why she was called ‘the Rose of Raby’ the beauty in her ever present.

“Oh dear…” was all he could think to respond, such was her instant fury. But as he looked into her dark brown eyes, he saw a woman he deeply loved and behind it, not only the anger she currently felt but so too the great sorrow still evident. He then softened himself and stood to hold her.

Cecily took him in with stiffness at first but was quick to melt in his arms as he kept up the embrace and he thought he heard just a slight whimper escape.

Richard attempted an apology, “My great love…you who have been by my side all these years…how can I be so uncaring as to ignore you in this time of great sadness?”

“You do not make light of my sadness, my Lord, especially as it is also your own. I only mean to be with you at this time while we have returned to Rouen and I thought that we might…” she looked into his face and smiled with the grace and beauty she was known for, “…perhaps attempt once more?”

Richard was nearly putty in her hands and glad of it, “If you have such an inkling then I shall have little choice but to do my husbandly duty, my love.”

“And I my womanly duty," she smiled even wider.

She took his hand and began to lead him from the hall into their private chamber. As they walked, she began to speak of more mundane things pointing out a few tapestries recently hung and other bare walls in need, “While I have your ear, good husband, I should mention that the household accounts have been too low while you have been away. I am sorely in need of a new dress or two.”

Richard started to pull away but Cecily pulled him closer and tightened her arm around his own, “We must keep up the proper appearances, do you not think? It would not be fitting for the lady of the country to be found poorer off than the peasants she rules.”

“I dare say, lady wife, that your own wardrobe is finer than any hundred peasants placed together…” Richard attempted to counsel.

“Good sir, do not jest with me. After all, I know of which I speak. It is only by our presence of wealth and power that will keep us in the same. Surely you understand.”

Cecily was both clever and correct and Richard could not argue even though he lacked funds to do her request justice. “I shall endeavor to assist, my love. But is it possible we might watch carefully the expenditures? It is quite a burden just now and the King…”

She turned to her husband and ran a dainty finger across his rugged chin; “Let us not speak of others just now, my love. Let us go forth and enjoy each other while we have the moment. Our history depends upon it and all else will come after.”

“You are too wise to be my wife,” Richard stopped and kissed her with great passion.

As they parted gently, she looked upon his face and gave over a quiet smile, “Perhaps, my Lord, but I am wise enough to know where it might lead.”

He laughed and was almost tempted to lift her into his arms but thought better of it given her still possible frailness. Instead, he kissed her quickly and responded, “Then lead on, my love.”

And so she did.
 
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Ahh the Earl of Salisbury! The Kingmaker I presume? Unless my history is off :wacko: I look forward to seeing him play out his part.

On a side note, I hope you are going to do your best to hold on to France :p
 
very excellent, I don't know what it is but this sounds like Shakespeare, minus the old English.
 
Hmmm... If my memory serves, this should be just around when a certain fellow named Edward is supposed to be born. Somehow I have a feeling that this last post gains some considerable significance in that light.

You appear to be putting together a very intricate and involving tale here.
 
Ah yes. Cecily Neville, grand-daughter to John of Gaunt, and thereby distantly related to another (albeit illegitimate) son of the Duke of Lancaster, Sir Robert of Brandon, a man whom history knows better as Captain. :)

As JM implied, a certain Edward should be screaming at the top of his little lungs around 1442. :wacko:

Good stuff, C. Your writing improves with each post as you settle into the 'era'. And I think using the name & title to set the characters at the top of the post helps with any potential confusion. Looking forward to more.