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In the Grim Darkness of MCCXX There is Only War
Volucrisus Aedrius
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
There is one banner which stands alone before the darkness.
Listen! Hear it crackle in the breeze, white for the purity of her people's souls, red for the rivers of blood spilt to ensure her freedom.
It does not stand alone.
No, it does not stand alone.
IT SHALL NOT STAND ALONE.
The year is 1220 AD.
Deep in the heart of Eastern Europe, beyond the perfumed courts of France, beyond the fickle princedoms of the Reich, beyond the mountainous traverse of Transylvania and into the wooded lowlands lies a kingdom beyond memory. Poland. Perennial underdog, champion of Catholicism and yet also tolerance. Founded by men who bent their knees toward the Vicar in Rome for the sake of their people; a mottled, mismatched, and tenacious people. A century has passed since the Church besought the mighty Capetian kings and Flemish Counts to intervene in Palestine. All Christendom knows of their victory over the Mohammadan in the Levant for the Kingdom of Jerusalem endures, yet still Europe itself remains clutched in the talons of religious war.
Poland sits at the very epicenter of one such conflict.
Though the Polish dukes have sworn their souls and swords to Christ, their lands border those of Lithuania, the last bastion of Pagandry in Europe. Teutonic Knights, Germanic nobles with pious guises and plunderous hearts march against these pagans, and many a Polish villager has fallen victim to their "foraging." Many a Polish Jew, granted clemency by the Polish gentry, have been brought to confession and conversion at knifepoint. And this is but one horizon. To the West sits the Holy Roman Empire, benefactor of the Teutonic Order, a mighty state which stands astride Europe with holdings from the Rhineland to the Italian Alps. Even the Pope treads lightly in dealing with the Kaiser, for the German arm is lengthy and her influence longer still. To the East lie the Russian states of Novgarod and Kiev, both boasting brave horsemen and a blatant disregard for the Papacy in Rome. They follow the Patriarch in Constantinople, the most powerful man in the richest city in the known world, and though besieged and weakened the Byzantine Empire is no paper tiger. They may have lost Anatolia to the Seljuk Turks, but who is to say their eyes will not turn Northward? Hungary may stand between Byzantines and more continental ambitions, but existence does not guarantee survival; in the way that the Hungarians stand between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, so do the Byzantines stand between Poland and the terrors of the Jannisary armies of the Turkish Sultans.
And worse yet. Rumors spread from the lips of almond-eyed merchants, whispering tales along Black Sea wharfs of a power growing in the Orient. Before this even the Tartars, the Cumans, and the Turks quake. They hail from the desolate steps beyond the sunrise, from a land called Mongolia and they call their king Great Khan.
The Game is Medieval II: Total War and the mod is Stainless Steel. I will be playing on hard difficulty for both campaign and battle. Do not expect victory to come easily or cheaply. I am no genius of tactics and strategy. It is very possible that I will lose. With Stainless Steel I will have to consider titles, retainers, supplies and politics more thoughtfully, and the enemy AI has been buffed considerably both on and off the battlefield. Units have undergone a total reworking, and the campaign map boasts 199 provinces, the maximum the game engine will allow.
Here is the basic information regarding our faction at the start of the campaign:
The first order of business is to churn out agents who will exercise our powers and influence in ways more subtle than our knights. Merchants, to trade in exotics and bring wealth to the Crown, Diplomats to speak for his highness, the Senior Duke, and most importantly spies to seek out our enemies so that no foe will cross our borders without our knowing. Polish Intelligence will be the finest in the Western World within the decade.
The daughter of the Senior Duke, her charms though somewhat lacking, is immediately dispatched to Hungary. Trade with my immediate Catholic neighbor is important, I must strive for good relations lest they turn to Byzantine embraces.
The family tree.
Honey is one of nature's strangest and most magnificent creations. The Egyptians used it as an antiseptic, and foreign merchants will pay well for honey.
First order on construction, chapels and churches in all regions that do not have them. The word of God must be preached, and men of the cloth must be trained to preach it. The Pope recognizes our fervor, and the Vicar sends his finest regards.
Thorn is the largest and most heavily fortified castle in Poland. It boasts a strong garrison, and is commanded by a fine young general of noble blood. Note the title granted to him in his info page. Thorn is the key to the kingdom, if it should fall to an invading army everything could be lost.
To that end I have commissioned ballista towers to be erected as part of Thorn's defenses. Following the churches I have instituted a series of far-reaching land reforms across Poland. Dark times are ahead of us, now is the time to sow crops and feed hungry mouths so they may be strong when the time comes.
Polish Intelligence has detected a Teutonic spy on our North-Eastern border. The arrogance!
Our beloved if somewhat homely princess has found her way to the Hungarian court, and has negotiated map information and trade rights. Noting her skill and intelligence, men's eyes have begun following her with rapt attention.
True, the Florins could go elsewhere, but Poland must stand above the rest in the Pope's eyes. Think of it as insurance. Excommunication; having one's soul cut off entirely from the sight and love of God, is a terrible weapon but one we must ponder wielding if we are to survive.
The Teutonic pawn has been dealt Polish justice for his spywork. I have illustrated illuminated the event for your pleasure. Not how the Polish guard does not take joy in his action; only the grim face of duty and determination. We Poles are no warmongers.
Years of travel and strife await our diplomat, yet to Rome he must go. We must have an ear at the Pope's side and a boon for his purse should any difficulties with the Papacy arise.
Our Father on Earth, the Vicar of the Savior, the apostolic heir to Saint Peter the martyr, has begged our attention. It seems the Nords have turned their eyes from God, and their souls are in jeopardy of damnation. The Pope has asked us to blockade their port, but the city in question belongs to none of the major European powers. True, we have no navy yet to speak of, but if we should land an army and bring salvation to these Nords we might seize their revenues and lands without angering any of the major powers.
So I ask you, my Noble Councilmen of Entropia, what is a monarch to do? Do we weaken Poland's defenses to cross the sea in the hopes of claiming a cold satellite in the North? Or shall we simply send our fleets to blockade the port and achieve the bare minimum to satisfy our father in Rome?
Help me, Social Entropy.
I...
I do not think I can do this alone.
Listen! Hear it crackle in the breeze, white for the purity of her people's souls, red for the rivers of blood spilt to ensure her freedom.
It does not stand alone.
No, it does not stand alone.
IT SHALL NOT STAND ALONE.
The year is 1220 AD.
Deep in the heart of Eastern Europe, beyond the perfumed courts of France, beyond the fickle princedoms of the Reich, beyond the mountainous traverse of Transylvania and into the wooded lowlands lies a kingdom beyond memory. Poland. Perennial underdog, champion of Catholicism and yet also tolerance. Founded by men who bent their knees toward the Vicar in Rome for the sake of their people; a mottled, mismatched, and tenacious people. A century has passed since the Church besought the mighty Capetian kings and Flemish Counts to intervene in Palestine. All Christendom knows of their victory over the Mohammadan in the Levant for the Kingdom of Jerusalem endures, yet still Europe itself remains clutched in the talons of religious war.
Poland sits at the very epicenter of one such conflict.
Though the Polish dukes have sworn their souls and swords to Christ, their lands border those of Lithuania, the last bastion of Pagandry in Europe. Teutonic Knights, Germanic nobles with pious guises and plunderous hearts march against these pagans, and many a Polish villager has fallen victim to their "foraging." Many a Polish Jew, granted clemency by the Polish gentry, have been brought to confession and conversion at knifepoint. And this is but one horizon. To the West sits the Holy Roman Empire, benefactor of the Teutonic Order, a mighty state which stands astride Europe with holdings from the Rhineland to the Italian Alps. Even the Pope treads lightly in dealing with the Kaiser, for the German arm is lengthy and her influence longer still. To the East lie the Russian states of Novgarod and Kiev, both boasting brave horsemen and a blatant disregard for the Papacy in Rome. They follow the Patriarch in Constantinople, the most powerful man in the richest city in the known world, and though besieged and weakened the Byzantine Empire is no paper tiger. They may have lost Anatolia to the Seljuk Turks, but who is to say their eyes will not turn Northward? Hungary may stand between Byzantines and more continental ambitions, but existence does not guarantee survival; in the way that the Hungarians stand between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, so do the Byzantines stand between Poland and the terrors of the Jannisary armies of the Turkish Sultans.
And worse yet. Rumors spread from the lips of almond-eyed merchants, whispering tales along Black Sea wharfs of a power growing in the Orient. Before this even the Tartars, the Cumans, and the Turks quake. They hail from the desolate steps beyond the sunrise, from a land called Mongolia and they call their king Great Khan.
The Game is Medieval II: Total War and the mod is Stainless Steel. I will be playing on hard difficulty for both campaign and battle. Do not expect victory to come easily or cheaply. I am no genius of tactics and strategy. It is very possible that I will lose. With Stainless Steel I will have to consider titles, retainers, supplies and politics more thoughtfully, and the enemy AI has been buffed considerably both on and off the battlefield. Units have undergone a total reworking, and the campaign map boasts 199 provinces, the maximum the game engine will allow.
Here is the basic information regarding our faction at the start of the campaign:
The first order of business is to churn out agents who will exercise our powers and influence in ways more subtle than our knights. Merchants, to trade in exotics and bring wealth to the Crown, Diplomats to speak for his highness, the Senior Duke, and most importantly spies to seek out our enemies so that no foe will cross our borders without our knowing. Polish Intelligence will be the finest in the Western World within the decade.
The daughter of the Senior Duke, her charms though somewhat lacking, is immediately dispatched to Hungary. Trade with my immediate Catholic neighbor is important, I must strive for good relations lest they turn to Byzantine embraces.
The family tree.
Honey is one of nature's strangest and most magnificent creations. The Egyptians used it as an antiseptic, and foreign merchants will pay well for honey.
First order on construction, chapels and churches in all regions that do not have them. The word of God must be preached, and men of the cloth must be trained to preach it. The Pope recognizes our fervor, and the Vicar sends his finest regards.
Thorn is the largest and most heavily fortified castle in Poland. It boasts a strong garrison, and is commanded by a fine young general of noble blood. Note the title granted to him in his info page. Thorn is the key to the kingdom, if it should fall to an invading army everything could be lost.
To that end I have commissioned ballista towers to be erected as part of Thorn's defenses. Following the churches I have instituted a series of far-reaching land reforms across Poland. Dark times are ahead of us, now is the time to sow crops and feed hungry mouths so they may be strong when the time comes.
Polish Intelligence has detected a Teutonic spy on our North-Eastern border. The arrogance!
Our beloved if somewhat homely princess has found her way to the Hungarian court, and has negotiated map information and trade rights. Noting her skill and intelligence, men's eyes have begun following her with rapt attention.
True, the Florins could go elsewhere, but Poland must stand above the rest in the Pope's eyes. Think of it as insurance. Excommunication; having one's soul cut off entirely from the sight and love of God, is a terrible weapon but one we must ponder wielding if we are to survive.
The Teutonic pawn has been dealt Polish justice for his spywork. I have illustrated illuminated the event for your pleasure. Not how the Polish guard does not take joy in his action; only the grim face of duty and determination. We Poles are no warmongers.
Years of travel and strife await our diplomat, yet to Rome he must go. We must have an ear at the Pope's side and a boon for his purse should any difficulties with the Papacy arise.
Our Father on Earth, the Vicar of the Savior, the apostolic heir to Saint Peter the martyr, has begged our attention. It seems the Nords have turned their eyes from God, and their souls are in jeopardy of damnation. The Pope has asked us to blockade their port, but the city in question belongs to none of the major European powers. True, we have no navy yet to speak of, but if we should land an army and bring salvation to these Nords we might seize their revenues and lands without angering any of the major powers.
So I ask you, my Noble Councilmen of Entropia, what is a monarch to do? Do we weaken Poland's defenses to cross the sea in the hopes of claiming a cold satellite in the North? Or shall we simply send our fleets to blockade the port and achieve the bare minimum to satisfy our father in Rome?
Help me, Social Entropy.
I...
I do not think I can do this alone.
Volucrisus Aedrius on
0
Posts
What about manufacturing some sort of candle that runs on the light of the sun?
Secret Satan 2013 Wishlist
Truly Polish intelligence will be discussed for centuries
Seize that sumbitch.
http://deicidecomic.tumblr.com/
READ MY COMIC ^^
I agree that this is the most prudent course of action.
YES.
Welcome back, my liege. I stand ready to follow your banner, into the very depths of hell, should it be required. I shall not falter, short of death. And with my dying breath, I shall rest the banner in the nook of my fallen frame, so that the heathen dogs shall know that even death is not enough to stop the glory of our empire.
Fidelis usque ad mortem
Now I can avoid arguing incessantly about background
http://i.imgur.com/tAcFo.png
http://witnesstheabsurd.tumblr.com/
http://i.imgur.com/OPLlE.png
Commission me at http://tinyurl.com/cv3h2pl
!
Because if that's a goal, you have my sword.
Secret Satan 2013 Wishlist
Now I want to play Mount and Blade with this quality of a hud and diplomacy options.
https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
It worked a lot better if you made alliances along historical lines. So a medieval alliance between Britain and France, or Sicily and the Moors, probably are only going to end in bitter tears.
https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
I think that is deffo Stainless Steel, which looks great and awesome but doesn't work with the steam version of M2, which sux
The French
Muslims
Heathens
Christians who are not Catholics
Muslims
Brown people
Witches
Muslim Witches
Any potential native people we find on some random continent we discover
Secret Satan 2013 Wishlist
3DS: 1289-8447-4695
I am actually playing it on Steam right now. Some people smarter than me figured out some wonderful solutions to the problem of Medieval II, Steam, and mods being poor bedfellows.
Step 1, follow this guy's guide right here.
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2187107
Here's the short version so you can follow my guide to the letter (it gets a bit ambiguous toward the end). I installed Stainless Steel 6.4 into a custom directory I named "SS64" (rather than, say, "stainless_steel") because I am a pedant. Note that any spaces must be underscores, but you can literally name it whatever you want. Also note that this is within the *steam/steamapps/common/medieval ii total war/mods* file. I know the Stainless Steel launcher says you can install it wherever you want, but I think it would be silly to put the mod of a game somewhere other than the file the game already contains that is labeled "mods."
Next you are going to want the program he links in that post for the "Kingdoms Launcher Application." (second link down) This will enable you to add the mod to the game's launcher. Previously, in order to install a mod you had to delete a Kingdoms campaign and rename your mod to that campaign. (Example, you delete "americas" campaign in the mod, install, say, Third Age: Total War, and rename it to "americas." This did not guarantee success and actually fucked my installation and resulted in me not touching the game for like six months out of frustration.) Load up the KLA and click your directory (ex: "SS64") and add that mod! Now, if you launch with the game's launcher it should allow you to select your mod of choice from the available options.
However, that may not be enough. It wasn't for me, either.
Download this amazing program right here:
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2500705
This is an .exe that replaces the actual launcher within the game. Make a backup of the original and just drop this file directly into your directory. It is simple, graceful, consumes very little resources, and Steam can't tell the difference. Thats right, if you load the game via steam, it will go through this launcher without breaking a sweat. It will also load up any mods you have "installed" via the Kingdoms Launcher Application and offer them as checkboxes.
Voila!
In the meantime, recruit and deliver an army onto their shores. It will be a bloody battle. The Northmen are fierce.
The only solution
An offer is made for the hand of our princess, but I decline on the grounds of him being older than Lord Druhim. The maid is but one-and-twenty, no husband thrice her age is long for this world.
News ripples through Europe of this disastrous undertaking. What madness possessed these innocents?
Polish Intelligence has marked a treasonous merchant for elimination. With naught but an empty barrel, a blowgun and a drop of deadly poison the work is seen through.
While Poland's standing with the Holy See remains high, news of this stirs trepidation, even among the local clergy.
Fresh levies march across Poland to the staging ground outside Thorn.
Polish Intelligence, probing our Southwestern borders discover the city of Prague to be held by a rebel count. Though the Reich will likely crush this rebellion, and their vanguard army nearby indicates their intentions, if their armies are repulsed perhaps a Polish army could crush the beleaguered defenders and claim her? If fate allows such a rich target to fall before our eyes, we shall not hesitate if we possess the means.
With five years remaining on our mission, and our armies finally mustered and ready to board vessels to take them across the North Sea, the Pope sends word that the Norsemen have reconciled, and our efforts are no longer needed. Several thousand florins spent and several thousand men with nowhere to go but home.
News of the disappointment among the Polish gentry is soon displaced by grief. Lo, the Lord's favor has fallen far from Christendom, it seems.
A Novgorodian princess and her entourage cross our borders, and with the power of her father's seal she requests and is granted trade rights. Though any Pole will distrust these Russians more than the disparate Rus distrust each other, that is not to say that we may grow rich together.
Our diplomat has at long last made the journey through the Alps and has arrived outside of Rome to treat with the Holy See. Almost as an afterthought the man has developed a distaste for all foreign religions, a trait not much treasured in a diplomat, but perhaps the Pope will heartily approve!
Another season passes, and word comes to us of the machinations of our neighbor states. The Reich has allied itself with the Teutons, a predictable course. The two powers now sit to either of our flanks. If it comes to war with either it shall likely be war with both. Perhaps now is the time to pursue an alliance with one of the Italian states or even Lithuania. Pagan they may be, but far more amiable than the Germanic warmongers on either side of us.
As mistress of my household, my significant other has agreed that this man was a suitable candidate for adoption to the noble family. I hope you, my Council, agree with her decision. Though unproven in war, he is young, and shows promise.
The gentry of Poland have sent word; it seems they have found an outlet for all the unruly soldiers we've raised. The town of Visby, held by Vikings and other unwashed brigands, is ripe for the taking.
But where, you ask, is Visby? I could give you many answers as to its location, but I think it would better suffice to merely call it "convenient."
Another prince has shambled into the Court and begged the hand of our princess. Though less gouty than the last suitor, it is not his legs' ability to stand we doubt, but the wrinkled nub between them! Grandchildren, damn you! We must have them!
A season passes, and two nations have entered the negotiations table. Trade with the Reich came cheaply and easily. Trade with those damnable upstart merchants in Venice required a bit more haggling.
With three seasons of supply remaining, and Visby's stocks guaranteeing them provision for 6, the army is given word to assault. No time is given over to building rams or ladders, hopefully our siege engines will make quick work of the gates.
Polish infantry mass behind the siege engines. Catapults on the left, Mangonels on the right.
Norse defenders crowd the walls for a better look at our machinery, all except one who has unsuccessfully tried to disguise his flatulence by asking those comrades around him if they smell something rotten.
The order is given to commence fire, and the assault begins in earnest.
After several barrages, the head Enginer is given instructions to make sure the men aiming the catapults weren't drinking wine with their morning's rations.
Several further barrages have only confirmed the gross intemperance of our men, and the order to bring the catapults closer is given. The catapults are now within bow range, and the vikings launch fire arrows in an attempt to burn our hopes to ashes. They succeed on a more individual basis.
With such an idiot range, even the drunkards manning the catapults secure several direct hits, but ammunition is running low. If their inaccuracy continues, we will have to call off the entire siege!
The losses at the catapults are mounting, the bowmen in the towers are having a field day. A unit of militia is directed to box in the catapults, protecting the engineers with their wide shields and their cheaply levied bodies. Tensions are mounting. If they botch this I swear I will drown them all in wine.
At last! The gate has crashed open!
Not to be outdone by a gaggle of drunken peasants, Piast Nobles charge into the breach. After a collision with the viking troops inside the gate they veer off down a side street while the wait for the infantry to catch up.
Rank upon rank, led by dismounted Piasts and Men-at-Arms, march into the yawning gate.
While the Piasts engage the vikings axe-to-axe at the gate, their mounted comrades charge from the flank with lances lowered.
The effect is devastating.
The vikings, though bravely holding the gate and slaying three quarters of the mounted Piasts, begin to wear thin. By now the levied spearmen begin to emerge from the darkness under the wall. The mounted Piasts retreat via the yellow arrow to prevent themselves from being completely annihilated.
Near 800 spearmen reinforce the Men-at-Arms and begin pushing the vikings back over the tumble of corpses.
The remaining Piasts charge again at the Viking flank, riding down their commander in the process.
The remaining vikings break and flee. Visby is ours!
After bringing the sword to the town, mercy is shown to the populace afterward.
Our kingdom is expanding.
Now, we need an ally.
That's what assassins are for.
Well that and keeping Templars away from pieces of eden.
Secret Satan 2013 Wishlist
That's because this game reminds you of when you were alive during the medieval period.
Secret Satan 2013 Wishlist
Like you and something about being old!!!
Well, Dru was there for all the initial attempts to transition from aquatic to terrestrial life, so he's speaking from experience here, too.