Without Honor - A Khitan Image Heavy Megacampaign
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Chapter 35: Constant Gardener
Chapter 35: Constant Gardener
Constance would very much be a continuation of her Mother and her policies. The Julian Renaissance would remain in full swing throughout the second Empress' Reign. The Forty years of peace would continue and what was one of many brief spells of prosperity and reconstruction would rapidly turn into the the greatest period of peace in Medieval Cathayan History.
Unwilling to act against Bavaria directly Constance investigated the matter further, finding Blanche to be of false birth, disqualifying her and her gains in the eyes of the law. This would be the first recorded case of the Emperor directly intervening in the affairs of it's territories and enforcing Imperial law on the upper classes.
In Blanche's place the Young Katarina Anniona would be returned to the Bavarian Throne, Thus reversing the decline of house Anniona and establishing precedent for even further Imperial encroachment upon the previously autonomous Kingdoms of the Empire.
Beyond her interference in internal Politics, Constance was reputed for her vast investments into all fields of the Empire. On matters of military, Constance ordered the construction and establishment of the Empire's first military school and regimental training ground outside the Capital. For the first time in the History of the Empire, a General could learn of the exploits of the great generals of the past, while preparing to wage war on the field of the future.
In a more humanitarian field Constance poured vast sums of Gold into Medicinal research and facilities. The Great Plagues of Idris II's day had been the original catalyst for such a program, but with Imperial Wealth piling higher than the treasury could hold the Empress decided to put such wealth to a greater task. During the Julian Renaissance medical technologies would finally reach levels on par with China and the Middle East and in some areas, surpass them.
First and perhaps most notable was the Official banning of Dynastic Marriages between siblings, mostly due to discoveries brought on by Constance's medical investments. Divine Marriages were found to produce often more erratic, deformed and unstable children, especially over multiple generations as had been the case in House Caetye's history. Exceptions would be made on later occasions, and fundamentalist groups would continue the practice indefinitely, but as far as Mainstream Western Zunism was concerned, the Practice fell out of favor rapidly.
Eventually Constance herself would quietly pass, after a quiet and prosperous reign. In her place would be her Eldest Son Robert. A Man who would ultimately continue the Peace of Julianna another two decades over his reign despite not quite being of the Caliber of his Mother or Grandmother.
Robert, first and foremost was a Military Man, Clever and exceedingly well trained. Often said a great Tragedy of the Time was that Robert simply had no enemies to fight as his ability was considered to be on par with his Ancestors on the field.
However Robert was also notorious for several other quirks, He shy'd away from personal conflict and was considered a blunt man by all accounts. He also had become an Alcoholic from years of serving alongside men in the field and general boredom in ruling the Empire, and was widely considered a Mean drunk.
The Main source of information of Robert is from the chronicles of the Polo Family. Exiled from Venice the Polo Family took up residence in the Republic of Genoa. Marco the most famous of the lot notably traveled east and recorded his travels in the Yuan Khaganate. His Uncle however stayed in Cathay and was a consistent sight in the Court of Cathay. While more accurate sources on Robert exist, the Polo Chronicles are where most modern perceptions of Late Julian Renaissance Cathay come from.
Robert was also a renowned womanizer, who when not spending his time in lavish feasts or on great tournaments would be found with the ladies of his court, or with his Imperial Harem. In his twenty year reign he would sire five legitimate children and a suspected twenty bastards. For his common appearance of a Portly Red Faced Emperor with a bear of flame Robert was commonly referred to as 'The Red'.
Like all good things however the Julian Renaissance would eventually come to an end. From the Period of Idris to Robert a procession of competent rulers had kept the ship righted. Robert's firstborn heir however was a sickly Briton boy, paranoid of afraid of his own shadow.
The Julian Renaissance was about to come crashing down.
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I imagine at the time it'd be relevant, but in practice Cathay ceased to be Roman the Second Kiran the Fat chose to abandon much of the Roman Regalia for his own Path.
Let's hope we don't get a King Dandolo.
Well.. No Dandalo's for the moment... There might be one in the 20th Century.
Almost a Century. Turns out when you stop marrying your siblings your kids start turning out normal.
Peace? Humanitarian projects? Reform? What happened to the Caetye I knew and loved to watch. I pray that Adam can make Caetye great again, short and violently may he reign.
Calls for violence aside, why hasn`t Ferrara turned into the Kingdom of Italy yet? Do you have the title and they can`t usurp it or did the AI make a custom kingdom?
Calls for violence aside, why hasn`t Ferrara turned into the Kingdom of Italy yet? Do you have the title and they can`t usurp it or did the AI make a custom kingdom?
Its the Kingdom of Ferrara, The AI wont form Kingdoms if they already are one. They used the Charlemagne Decision.
Cathay is a monster now. Absorbing lands from Latvia to Morocco (where were Knights of Santiago, weren't they?), it's even greater than Idris I's Roman Empire.
pshht, clearly you're doing something wrong if you've gone this long without a civil war or lunatic on the throne. Not inbreeding will do that to you.
No more inbreeding? My my, that should cut civil wars down a bit. We'll still have mad rulers and bastard pretenders, but those are the norm.
Speaking of mad rulers who have many suspected bastard siblings, Adam II being commonly known as Adam the Cruel tells me that Cathay is in for an interesting transition from a century of peace. Who knows, it could work out for the best. I've had monstrous, terrible rulers accomplish great things.
Speaking of mad rulers who have many suspected bastard siblings, Adam II being commonly known as Adam the Cruel tells me that Cathay is in for an interesting transition from a century of peace. Who knows, it could work out for the best. I've had monstrous, terrible rulers accomplish great things.
Doesn't the new Emperor look a bit like Commodus from the film Gladiator, or is that just me?
If Cathay has had so many years of peace and development, the troop numbers for the next civil war should be impressive!
Have Cathay's neighbours been peaceful between themselves?
Have Cathay's neighbours been peaceful between themselves?
Chapter 36: Cracks in the Wall
Chapter 36: Cracks in the Wall
Adam II ascended the Throne very much with an intent not to relive his namesake. Adam the Unready had nearly brought Ruin to house Cathay and by the end of his life found himself overthrown, and alone, the Line only being saved through Geoffrey the restorer. For the few years of Adam's reign things remained quiet. The Julian renaissance however was ending swiftly from Robert's drinking, feasting and other expenses.
Adam, not wanting to repeated the flaws of his namesake married Blanche, a Debutant from Germany that quickly impressed the Emperor. The Ban on Close Kin Marriages under Adam would hold, and with now three generations having enforced the law would finally become legitimate.
Blanch ultimately would give birth to Three Children, Roger, Aveline and Elizabeth, All of them possessing her quick intellect and would eventually grow to become highly competent if competitive potential heirs to the Throne. Though ultimately they would prove to be insignificant as Adam's reign shifted out of the succession and into actually ruling the Empire.
A Major first move would be Adam's reclamation of the Lost artifacts. Lost to Beatrice's line over a century ago the Magnus Opus of Morgan, as well as the crown Jewels and relics of Xiao the Eastern Wind all had remained in the Possession of Beatrice's line of the house. Adam would reclaim the artifacts by imperial decree, and when the holders refused they would be arrested or otherwise put down and put to death.
Not long after his glory campaign Adam fell ill with Syphilis. The Emperor Paranoid as he was immediately blamed the Empress for being unfaithful despite it being common knowledge Adam like his father before him kept a Harem of Concubines from across the Empire.
Unwilling to be driven mad by his illness Adam resorted to drastic measures, eventually undergoing a treatment that would remove his own hand. While the technique is lost to time it was recorded as being successful as Adam's symptoms quickly subsided. However Adam in his Paranoia saw fit to disinherit his three Eldest Children, naming his fourth, Isabella a girl born of one of his concubines the rightful heir to the Empire. Naturally this did not go over well.
Adam found resistance to this namely with the Empress' allies in Germany, Britannia and Aquitaine. When the Governors of these provinces refused to acknowledge Isabella as the rightful heir Adam ordered thier arrest. The respond was a calling of banners, and within less than a decade the Empire's Century long peace was broken. Civil War had returned.
Unlike previous civil wars the Marcher revolt was far smaller in scale and size. Britannia once again had shown it's colors as a disloyal and untrustworthy member of the Empire. The Loyal House Anniona however also stood with the Traitors citing that Adam no longer had the right to throw away succession law without proof. Adam responded by declaring King Herman Anniona an adulterer and lover of the Empress, and thus a traitor, officially drawing Bavaria into the Rebel faction.
The First move of the royalists was to secure the North, namely Denmark which was isolated from the Rebels gathering strength in Southern France. The Danes had a mere Eight Thousand to their name and found themselves quickly overrun by German Royalists. Meanwhile the Imperial army prepared to march south.
On the border of Aquitaine and the recently subdued Avalon the main royalist and rebel armies met for the first time. With over a century of peace the scale of forces had reached levels matching that of Lyra the Black's day, though warfare had changed dramatically since then.
In the first major battle Royalist forces managed to scrape a victory with the arrival of the Varingian Guard. Still as well trained as in their heyday the primarily heavy infantry of the Varingian Guard remained a centerpiece of the Army, especially when the Royal Cavalry detachments were not available.
Cavalry and Heavy Infantry however would remain the main means of gaining an advantage in combat. At Haldensleben the Bavarian army managed to defeat Royalist German forces at great cost. The Victory was mainly achieved through the Bavarian adoption of Khitan Cavalry techniques, which had previously remained a royalist secret.
Despite their victories in Germany the French front soon found that the Imperial Cavalry like the Varangian Guard had not softened much in times of peace. The Rebels were once again utterly shattered and run down which would become a common occurrence on the front until the Armies of Britannia and Hispania ran dry of Manpower and morale.
Rather than simply rushing for the Capital adam decided to make an example of the rebel forces. With a crushing advantage in manpower Adam set about burning the entire Kingdom to the ground. In a Six month march into Guyenne the lush Occitan countryside would be plundered looted and devastated. With such an example set it did not take long after the Fall of Aquitaine for the Rebels to sue for peace.
Expecting mercy the rebels surrendered themselves to Adam II only to find their sentencing to be anything but. Man or Woman, Adult or Child Adam ordered the execution of each and ever rebel noble and their titles stripped away.
Those that stood with Adam soon found their own loyalty waning in the face of such wanton brutality, but those that were discovered suffered a far more grisly fate. Whenever rumors of reason were here by Adam, he ordered an arrest and mock trial for the accused, often ending in various creative means of Execution or Mutilation. Famously Aveline 'The Great' of Avalon despite being well liked across the empire soon found that Fire ultimately defeats an epitaph rather efficiently.
Unopposed Adam II had managed to secure himself as an unopposed if violently oppressive monarch. The Nobility of Cathay was utterly devastated and those that remained quietly snickered about Adam The Cruel, A Man who had single handedly destroyed the peace of Julianna in order to satisfy his own Paranoia and insecurities.
Resistant to the Tyrant Emperor of course never would materialize again during his lifetime, and so the Various Children of Blanche went into hiding leaving Isabella the Sole Heir to the Empire. Isabella while being very much her father's daughter had a very unhappy upbringing herself.
Adam, in his zeal to keep the Empire secure from collapse had pushed Isabella to the point where the Future Empress grew past apathy for the Empire into actively resenting it, and her future lot in life. As she reached adulthood on multiple occasions she would openly speak out against her father who now with only a single trusted heir could do nothing against her despite his reputation.
At the Age of 40 Adam ultimately died, the causes of his death attributed to a likely return of Syphilis becuase amputation usually doesn't cure the disease. Of course theories that Isabella had her father poisoned were also popular at the time.
Of course it also could have been the absolute madwoman Adam had appointed as Spymaster and High Priestess of the Faith. Adela of Ventralis was a complete lunatic and was widely reported to have prisoners taken from the dungeons to be drugged and eaten alive in her private chambers. Not helping matters was her loyalty to Adam, which enabled her to be named High priestess of the Zunist Faithful a position she would abuse for the entirety of her life.
Isabella of course had no love for her father either. Upon Adam's death Isabella ordered his corpse chopped apart and scattered across the Empire with the skull remaining as a trophy in the Empress' Solar.
Unfortunately for the Empire Isabella would not have long to actually consolidate herself on the Throne. Her Exiled Siblings as well as the disgruntled nobility of the Empire rose up enmasse prepared to retake the Throne. All three of Isabella's half siblings, Roger, Elizabeth and Aveline would declare their claims against the throne, but also against each other. The Final and Fourth Rebel camp would be the Hispanians who instead were formally declaring Independence from the Empire in a continuation of their revolt against Adam a decade earlier. Thus making it the largest Civil War in Cathayan History.
The Great Western War was about to begin.
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Did you expect happy fun and peace time to truly last that long, Mwuhahahaha. Let the Blood of Rebels once more fertilize the Fields of France.
I vassalized the Knights of Santiago to keep my Vassals from just eating them like the Empire Company did in Scandinavia.
Well if by great things you mean setting the stage for Eu4, Then Adam and his successors are great rulers indeed.
A bit, though the Beard of Evil I apparently gave him five minutes into his reign killed that comparison pretty quick I suppose.
The Ai likes to switch their culture back and Forth. Poland and Bohemia have united so much only to break apart this campaign I sort of consider them a defacto Bohemian Empire no matter who is currently on top.
They are, quite large.
The Neighbors haven't been very quiet, Egypt is in constant civil war, Sicily and Ferrara fight over southern Italy and the Poland-Bohemia tends to constantly fight with my vassals or themselves.
Oh Adam will certainly be remember as one of the greats. If we are judging great by how entertained we the readers are.
So while the Caetye are certainly back into form, how is the rest of the world. It feels like we just got a world update but we also just had some farily boring Caetyes. Anyone strong enough to take advantage of this squabble and take some land from the empire?
So while the Caetye are certainly back into form, how is the rest of the world. It feels like we just got a world update but we also just had some farily boring Caetyes. Anyone strong enough to take advantage of this squabble and take some land from the empire?
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This is basically a reverse Blackfyre Rebellion, with the Aegon IV analogue actually going through with making Daemon his heir instead of just hinting at it.
So Adam turned out to be the destroyer of the Empire, can his daughter be the renewer - the odds look pretty stacked.