Poor William. I've taken to keeping my heir as a courtier, because they always seem to go insane when they get a little power of their own. Still, Bjorn's nice and young, and still pretty good, so maybe it's for the best.
Poor William. I've taken to keeping my heir as a courtier, because they always seem to go insane when they get a little power of their own. Still, Bjorn's nice and young, and still pretty good, so maybe it's for the best.
It's a tough call, because you also want to give them a chance to earn some prestige to ease the transition when they eventually do take the throne. Plus, I've found that when I keep heirs in-house they grow to hate me because they want some land of their own. But yeah, might have been smarter to just make William the marshal and be done with it. Oh well. I'm still very much a beginner at this game...
William is Bjorn's father...but he also has the kinslayer trait. I don't think this bodes well.
As for maps... I've got this one of the Carolingian World of 1235.
(we actually hold lands in Spain, England, Egypt and some other places...which I'm guessing are mostly from random vassal requests)
I attempted to map contiguous holdings (Sweden, Scotland, Norway and Burgundy have nearby claims mapped out in dashed lines). Despite Sweden's size (and claims all over), they're pretty scattered. Byzantium actually has a huge swath of tenuous holdings in Russia. Ireland is split three ways (much like England) and the south of France is a hodge-podge of major kingdoms' satellite states. In Western Europe there are about 6 independent counties. Two in Iberia, two in France and two in southern Italy.
(This is much easier in EU3 where they implemented the 'take a screenshot of your world' ability)
Also when did we switch over to Salic Gravelkind and Church Supremacy. I'm guessing this is either one of the crazy kings or William's doing.
On the plus side, Ile de France has the best knowledge of mining and harnessing the forces of nature in the known world with 4 in the power technology.
Also also: the greyscale 'kingdoms' in my map are heretics (Mecklenburg never got conquered by a Catholic, apparently). Hungary apparently has a kingdom as well, but it's 2 provinces spread over 1000 miles.
Also when did we switch over to Salic Gravelkind and Church Supremacy.
Yeah, I cut out a few screenshots due to the length of my turn - both of those laws were changed by events during the later stages of Alexander's reign.
So Bjorn's got 10 years under his belt. France is in Italy, Bohemia's in Spain, and Norway's in France (along with Scotland and Sweden). Just about the only people who are in the right spot are Sicily and the Teutonic Knights.
[edit]Also, as far as I can tell England is extinct[/edit]
1235-1245
Bjorn ascended to the throne in November of 1235 as the grandson of Alexander de Vermandois. The most immediate concern was the low loyalties of much of the realm - believing him illegitmate as the offspring of an excommunicated nobleman. A hefty treasury allowed Bjorn to lower the scutage taxes levied in his realm.
(Since William was excommunicated, his first-born Bjorn got to be king. William's not very fond of religion (he's ecommunicated now, but it only gets worse later). He also got Kinslayer from somewhere, so he's been murdering relatives somewhere)
Almost immediately, diplomatic envoys from neighboring empires sought an alliance.
Bjorn continued the token war with the kingdom of Zenata, which had taken over Italy. Despite the king's lack of effort towards the war, scribes, engineers and magisters from the realm attempted to develop the realm's military technology.
(We also got level 5 in bows later on)
By January of the next year things were looking up. Bjorn's wife Aleta was with child. The count of Alexandria - driven from the folds of the Carolingian realm by the mad poet king - sought to rejoin the kingdom. The vassals were soon placated and only a few rebellious loners still fought Bjorn's rule. William of Valois, however, was more than fond of the new king.
(He has given me the 'A vassal is pleased with your rule' event about 8 times...dude loves Bjor[strike]k[/strike]n)
By September Aleta gave birth to their daughter Snofrid.
Unfortuantely...
She was found with another lover mere months later. Bjorn - inadequate as he felt - considered forcing her into a convent, but the fear that the Pope may not effectively annul his marriage prompted him to condemn her to death.
Snofrid went without a mother for a few months before Bjorn could find a suitable bride.
In an effort to revive the Europe-spanning empire of his greatest ancestor, Bjorn sought the embodiment of Frankish customs and culture. Since he was incredibly shy he decided to propose to Jeanne de Vermandois - so that they could potentially talk about their shared great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather Henri I.
(I didn't pick her just for incestual debauchery (...of seventh cousins), she was also the only person of Frankish culture who was 16, lustful and decent with money).
Charles of Anjou accepted the propsal and soon the two were bethrothed. Unfortunately they didn't initially get along, only once Bjorn developed a harsher personality from putting down rebellious vassals did she grow to accept him (and stop having negative monthly loyalty).
While underway to aid Sicilian allies at Siracuse, the kingdom's brilliant marshal died. He's replaced with a capable Muslim from the realm's Spanish mark, but the Papacy is in no shape to complain.
(you can get excommunicated or forced to execute them, but he didn't raise a fuss).
However, after being rebuked once, the homeless pope insists that Bjorn appoint a diocese bishop. The pope sends the dubiously religious Olaf de Saint-Denis. He ends up being known for his love of women, his love of fighting and his love of science - not so much his love of religion.
Despite having already fathered a pair of children for Bjorn, Jeanne begins to fool around with other members of the court. Bjorn quickly reminds her what happened to his last unfaithful wife.
Bjorn's father (and vassal) William is granted some more lands. Despite his hatred for the Catholic church (he's now skeptical and a heretic as well) and his occasional tendency to kill relatives, he's been an active, loyal vassal (he's even helped put down some Muslims in our Spanish holdings).
Bjorn wars with rebellious vassals throughout the years. Yperen falls under his personal demesne, as does Guines - before it can swear allegiance to the displaced king of France. True to his anscestors' troubles, Bjorn is often forced to mobilize his army in Nantes to put down rebellions in Brittany.
France eventually captures much of the lands held by Zenata on the Italian penninsula. Despite repeated sieges by Sicily, Italy and France, the Kingdom of Zenata refuses to relinquish Rome to the Catholics. The pope is granted sovereignty at Avignon while the Holy See remains occupied.
Bjorn makes Jeanne into the Duchess of Luxemburg when the lands rebel and attempt to join the French crown. Initial concerns of the duties hampering their relationship are quelled when she gives birth to her fourth child.
Italians manage to inherit lands in Normandy, which falls out of the Burgundian realm. Despite some tangential losses, Bjorn manages to obtain anscestral lands in Provence as an outlet ot the Mediterranean.
So in 10 years Bjorn has gained a few traits that let him rule 8 provinces instead of 7 (but I still tend to be around 10-12 because I'm saving at least one duke title for the heir, although if William dies first his holdings should fall to Bjorn). Those 10 years have also seen about 3 months of actual peace because Zenata refuses to relinquish Rome and keeps starting wars for provinces in Spain.
We're back to ecclesiastical balance and Bjorn's Frankish son Thomas is first in line for the throne. There's another son and three daughters as well. And somehow my court has dwindled down to 6 people, so the old king's wife is working as the steward. Hey grandma, how're the taxes?
Fucking Brittany. They were always more trouble than they were worth. If I had just left them alone back in 1217 or whenever, I'm pretty sure Alexander wouldn't have gone crazy in the first place.
Fucking Brittany. They were always more trouble than they were worth. If I had just left them alone back in 1217 or whenever, I'm pretty sure Alexander wouldn't have gone crazy in the first place.
The relentless insanity was hilarious. Definitely worth it.
So, thanks to you guys, I've bought and am playing CK now. For my first trick, I've decided to take an Irish Duke and make him the King of Ireland. The first trip out, I failed when I declared war on Sligo without noticing that the countess was an English vassal at the time. My bad.
My second attempt is going much better. So, I had this courtier who was stressed for a long time. No idea why. Anyway, eventually he got sick. Then, a wandering healer offered to heal him for 10 gold, which he spent gladly. It failed to work. Skip ahead several months, and he's still sick, and another healer offers her services for 10 gold. This one, also, fails to work. Then, a few months after that, he went blind. Yet another faith healer showed up - another 10 g, another nill result. A few months after that, he went schizo. Eventually, he died.
The whole time, I'm thinking, "An' that one burned down, fell over, and sank into the swamp."
We get to experience some years of peace, although it doesn't help our stability (the intermittent wars with vassals probably don't help). Bjorn begins massive public works projects (if you count the military as the public) in the years of peace. William pulls a Darth Vader. For being peaceful it sure is violent.
1245-1255
The beginning of 1246 was marked with unfortunate events. In March Cecillia is born with severe mental problems (apparently even 7 generations removed is a bit too close sometimes). As a cruel April Fools joke, one of Bjorn's rivals decided to send him an assassin.
He manages to escape unscathed. It's a good thing he had that door installed in his tent while on campaign, otherwise they may have snuck right in and stabbed him.
After having spent much of 1244 and 1245 disciplining the County of Sens (who dragged Bjorn into a war with France), the Count of distant Memel and the Duke of Flanders grew tired of Bjorn's demands for taxes and duties. Regiments were drawn up from the Ile de France and Yperen to put down the upstarts. Memel was offered a white peace and left to its own devices.
The campaign was relatively straight forward. Troops were summoned from Yperen and Ile de France and Bjorn's marshal Geoffrey was making short work of the rebels.
Unfortunately, corruption, misfortune and apathy filled the court as Bjorn's layabout grandmother refused to attend to her duties and his devoted steward decided he wasn't getting paid enough (...or anything, really). And then the vile Flanderians killed Geoffrey.
With Flanders eventually pacified, trouble seemed to be brewing amidst Normandy and Valois - the duchy of Bjorn's father.
Not content to be the only outcast in the family, William tried to coax his son and friend to follow his heretic ways claiming he had "reformed the Catholic church" that he "no longer answered to the demon from the Holy See".
Bjorn asserted his beliefs were his own concern. Months later William appealed to him once again. After his preaching fell on deaf ears once again, William granted a county to one of his other sons. Unfortunately for William, his other son was more devout than Bjorn, and he used his new position of power in an attempt to overthrow William.
The Duchy of Normandy - the duke William de Joigny being a life long friend of William the Excommunicated Never-King - interceded, claiming the county of Eu for itself in the process. The Duke of Normandy often went against Bjorn's wishes. Falsely claiming lands in the Carolingian Spanish mark and in Flanders.
Events repeated themselves months later when William granted different lands to a different son. And then again... And again.
(further rebellions not pictured).
By 1250 William ceased granting the titles to his other sons. He then passed away on September 18th, 1251 - returning the ancestral lands to his first-born son, Bjorn. Unlike his ancestors, he would not be beatified.
Bjorn returned to ruling his - now relatively peaceful - realm. On February 4, 1252 Bjorn had accrued enough wealth to begin construction on the Krak des Karlings - a huge fortress in the Ile de France (as per Scribe Bob's proposal). In late 1252, Jeanne became pregnant with their 6th child (7th for Bjorn counting Aleta's). Bjorn spent most of the realms surplus grooming Thomas as an heir, spending the treasury into a small debt on foreign trainers and teachers.
(there were 2 other instances, but I couldn't afford one at all and the other got him nothing)
Thomas' newborn sister Ashild did some of her own learning...
(I'd be impressed too if a newborn learned court etiquette...especially since she ended up inbred)
Bjorn took this time to capture the Duchy of Maine, which he had claimed for many years, but had not had the peace or opportunity to acquire. He subsequently divided the lands of his father and his cousin's former duchy in Maine to his sister and brother (William actually had a child come of age this year and he's still got a few under 16. Dude was prolific).
In 1254 rumors came from the east of waves of invincible horsemen sweeping in from the Byzantine steppe. Bjorn paid no attention to such baseless talk.
In 1255 Bjorn intervened in a war against the pretender Muslim kingdom of Aragon. His vassals subsequently dragged him into war with Lorraine and Norway.
Thankfully, the bishop of Alexandria was elected Pope and the County of Alexandria returned to Bjorn's personal demesne. It's trading wealth would allow Bjorn to more easily finance the Reconquête of Iberia.
(How's that for peacefully reaquiring a province worth nearly 30 gold per month without even trying)
Rome's still in heathen hands - Sicily and Italy apparently refused to negotiate for it. Every time I look over there when I'm at peace it's already sieged. Now we're in a 3-front war that we're managing to afford defensively since we just got Alexandria back (although it's now put me over my demesne limit). The Golden Horde has arrived in the East and conquered a bunch of useless provinces. Byzantium has fractured between Achaea, Rhodes and Crete (and Byzantium), but it still holds a bunch of land in Russia.
Sicily's getting trounced by Zenata and Italy. England was swallowed by Poland and the Danish area of Spain has splintered somewhat.
...Speaking of the Danes: they need a different color. I swear it is the exact same as Burgundy's.
In fact, I'm calling Bjorn "the Overshadowed" in the OP unless he does something awesome.
Also, a century and a half to go!
schuss, did you get the game and want to take a turn? Otherwise it's time to open things up to volunteers again. I know HamHamJ has bought the game because of this thread, so if you want to take over...
I'd like to be the King who takes us into EU3 so I can write a big ole mechanics reign like I did for CK. So I'll be holding off personally for a while.
enlightenedbum on
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
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Suicide SlydeHaunts your dreamsof mountains sunk below the seaRegistered Userregular
edited August 2010
I'm planning on buying this, the question is now, or wait a couple of weeks when I can know I can get it for basically free? I'm leaning towards the now.
In fact, I'm calling Bjorn "the Overshadowed" in the OP unless he does something awesome.
Also, a century and a half to go!
schuss, did you get the game and want to take a turn? Otherwise it's time to open things up to volunteers again. I know HamHamJ has bought the game because of this thread, so if you want to take over...
I'd like to be the King who takes us into EU3 so I can write a big ole mechanics reign like I did for CK. So I'll be holding off personally for a while.
I picked up EU3, so I guess I'll take 2nd turn on that, unless you trust me to try CK... got sucked into 6+ hours of EU3 yesterday playing castille. Stupid monarch not being old enough, now frances vassal (don't ask). Time to stomp frogs.
Why would waiting a couple weeks get it to you for basically free?
I spent $20 on the with-expansion version from GamersGate; totally worth it, so far (although, srsly, fuck the Spanish and their Ulster / Munster lapdogs!).
Yeah, the $20 was totally worth it. I've owned CK for all of 2 1/2 weeks and I've poured as much time into it as I have any other game so far this year.
And I have to admit, I got choked up a little bit when William died.
Lest something terrible happen in the rest of Bjorn's life the kingdom should survive a generation of gross ineptitude. A kingdom may not be the easiest place to start, but (if you've got at least some experience under your belt) it should be pretty difficult to ruin.
Plus EU3 is probably the easiest one of the 4 to go grossly overpowered (although, to be fair, HOI2 via a succession game is basically going to be "8 huge nation-states duking it out for the world...because unless there's player intervention to keep some small guys around that's what it always is). I mean, people have colored the world with EU3 with Prussia and even Byzantium.
[edit]Also, Ashild, the one who learned court etiquette as a newborn? She's not inbred; Homlaug and Cecillia are the inbred sister BFFs. Ashild is probably some Einstein-Newtonian savant prodigy - at age 10 she's 7/8/4/7.[/edit]
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Suicide SlydeHaunts your dreamsof mountains sunk below the seaRegistered Userregular
Why would waiting a couple weeks get it to you for basically free?
I spent $20 on the with-expansion version from GamersGate; totally worth it, so far (although, srsly, fuck the Spanish and their Ulster / Munster lapdogs!).
I have a couple of giftcards waiting in the aether somewhere out there, but they take a couple weeks to post.
Why would waiting a couple weeks get it to you for basically free?
I spent $20 on the with-expansion version from GamersGate; totally worth it, so far (although, srsly, fuck the Spanish and their Ulster / Munster lapdogs!).
I have a couple of giftcards waiting in the aether somewhere out there, but they take a couple weeks to post.
Ah - okay. I thought you had foreknowledge of a sale coming up or something.
And, as far as I can tell, yes, they're the same. If you zoom in on the Amazon picture, you can see that it says it comes with Crusader Kings and Deus Vult, which is what the GG download comes with.
Why would waiting a couple weeks get it to you for basically free?
I spent $20 on the with-expansion version from GamersGate; totally worth it, so far (although, srsly, fuck the Spanish and their Ulster / Munster lapdogs!).
I have a couple of giftcards waiting in the aether somewhere out there, but they take a couple weeks to post.
Bjorn's sons both mature. Mischeviously, they're friends with eachother and their 'beloved' Uncle Henry (one of William's sons). France has essentially abandoned all of the lands of France and has stuck with its lands in Iberia and Italy. Sicily and Italy have warred with eachother and Zenata constantly. The Mongols have decided to go North instead of West. And Byzantium has fractured quite a bit more.
Bohemia and Hungary - small as they are - share the combined titles for kingdoms of England, Bohemia, Hungary, and Germany.
Also, keep in mind that Thomas is the first-born (I know Torbjorn's sheet says he's a year older, but the screenshots were taken at different dates).
1255-1265
Despite multiple wars and internal strife, by the beginning of 1256 love was in the air.
Bjorn deeply loved Jeanne. Despite her initial tendency to cavort with bachelors of the court, her love for Bjorn soon blossomed. Although despite his increased advances and affection, at her age she was only able to bore one child: Aste.
(other instances Medieval viagra not pictured)
Bjorn successfully besieged the Duchy of Lorraine and claimed the county of La March, adding it to the Duchy of Orleans. Bjorn came to an agreement with the Norwegian king that they would both renounce their claims on some of eachother's land and peace was declared.
Only the war against the King of Zenata and his Iberian allies continued unabated. With his military genius of a marshal often engaged in battle, Bjorn was often relegated to utilize his own abilities in battle. Occasionally he had strokes of good fortune.
It was in these years that Bjorn's male heirs came of age. The two boys ended up being excellent friends. Both of them developed well and complemented eachother superbly as dutiful intellectual plotter and powerful warrior.
Thomas, taking after his mother, followed the thread of his Frankish ancestry and melded it with the intrigue of his time to become an intricate webweaver. Almost immediately he was befriended by his uncle Henry.
Torbjorn closely followed the ideal of his Viking, Norman and Norwegian ancestors while combining it with the best strategies of his day to become a brilliant strategist. Vegetius' De Re Militari was never far out of his reach.
(time to play "guess who had the court education and who had the martial education")
Henry, as it were, was a half-brother of Bjorn. One of William's late night escapades (perhaps preaching his heretical version of the faith) had borne him a bastard son. With the friendship of Bjorn's first-born son well in-hand, he soon claimed that his right to inherit descended from his father - his mother (...whoever she may be) was of no consequence.
(It remains to be seen what sort of long-term plot Henry could have, since he'd have quite a few assassinations to make to be king)
Despite Henry's claims the business went on as usual throughout the realm. Bjorn gifted Thomas the customary title Count of Vermandois in addition to the Duchy of Anjou.
By 1258, Bjorn was willing to compromise with the high-ranking nobles of his realm and some economic and political reforms increased the stability across the land.
In 1260, the Krak des Karlings was completed in the Ile de France. The towering behemoth of a fortress could be seen for miles, a long-standing symbol of Bjorn and the Carolingian's dominance over the realm.
In an expertly penned peace treaty with the Kingdom of Zenata, Bjorn reclaimed Rome for Christiandom in 1260.
Assorted lands on the Iberian coast were also handed over to Bjorn in exchange for his promise to relinquish claims on in-land provinces. Torbjorn was granted the Duchy of Valencia from the reclaimed lands, while Jeanne also claimed some lands for herself from providing substantial military aid.
It would take the pope 5 years to recognize Bjorn's accomplishment in fulfilling God's will. Although Bjorn expected that the pope would request the return of the Holy See, the call never came. For the time being, the pope remains at his residence in Avignon.
After nearly 15 years of relative peace and a hardy treasury, Bjorn set about reclaiming the crown of Aragon from a pretender Muslim realm. The Muslim's disparate realm was split between Iberia and the Caucasus.
Bjorn's dysfunction (i.e. inbred) daughters occasionally got themselves into trouble wrangling with powerful nobles of the realm, but eventually he managed to marry them off. Meanwhile, Bjorn's bastard brother Henry formed a friendship with Bjorn's other son, Torbjorn, as well.
His wife Jeanne - not content with her ample holdings in Luxembourg - gathered allies to solidify her claims on some of the Norwegian king's provinces adjacent to her duchy. Bjorn obliged the interuption to his plans, but soon the Pope demanded that the war cease.
Bjorn continued his war against the Aragonese pretender kingdom. All that remains is a small enclave of Aragonese pretenders near Armenia. Although Bjorn's land grab against Zenata had caused some concern in the kingdom, the greater worry on vassal minds were the claims that Bjorn had made for the Balearic Islands under the auspices of defending the realm of Aragon. The tenuously loyal Duke of Pest was - quite fittingly - a pest with his constant revolts and demand for autonomy away from the 'belligerent king.'
So, William: still a pain in the ass after being dead for nearly 10 years.
I have the save ready if you've got someone lined up (perhaps one of these new people). I'll get a write-up (and potentially a map) tomorrow. Suffice it to say that Bjorn implemented a solution to the Gavelkind problem in the nick of time.
I can throw up a picture of the successor if someone wants it...although it may be spoilery if you're that invested in the intrigue and such.
If you want to send me a save sometime before the beginning of the EU3 timeframe (since maps are infinitely easier to make in-game for all the games except CK), I can potentially make another map of the wanning days of the Middle Ages. Like the beginning of last king's reign before the switch over (or the one before that if it's like 1398 or something). I could make one or two for previous reigns if someone wants.
I mean, seriously, whoever picked the color schemes for the 'countries' should be shot. And then given a color-blindness test. Vicky and HOI never have this problem (EU3 has a few overlaps, sometimes).
HOI2 really does it the best. USSR is red, Germany is Grey, UK is an easily discernable shade of different red, USA is blue and Italy is Green. It's incredibly easy to tell the major players. It wouldn't even be so bad if they could pick different shades. Everything in CK is generic blue. Zenata? blue. France? Blue! Muratibids? BLUE. Lorraine? BLUE!
It's really obnoxious when you're Scotland and one of the Scotland colored Muslims takes fucking Fife. I figured one of my vassals owned it for the longest time. But yeah, when I hijack things in 139x I'll send you a copy of the save file.
enlightenedbum on
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
Well, if any of the people we've forced to purchase the game want to step up (or anybody else) we'll give them a day or two. Otherwise we go to repeats.
Kayne might be best to give a second shot since his dude died within a couple years, starkiller's within seven. But otherwise just go back in the same order unless people are busy (obviously school is starting for lots of people this week or next, for example).
enlightenedbum on
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Kane Red RobeMaster of MagicArcanusRegistered Userregular
edited September 2010
I am up for another round, but yeah, class started this week, so it might take a bit longer for me to get through it. (Hopefully it will be a bit longer of a reign as well of course).
Posts
What, you don't feel like hand-coding every single province in Britain to a different owner? :P
It's a tough call, because you also want to give them a chance to earn some prestige to ease the transition when they eventually do take the throne. Plus, I've found that when I keep heirs in-house they grow to hate me because they want some land of their own. But yeah, might have been smarter to just make William the marshal and be done with it. Oh well. I'm still very much a beginner at this game...
As for maps... I've got this one of the Carolingian World of 1235.
(we actually hold lands in Spain, England, Egypt and some other places...which I'm guessing are mostly from random vassal requests)
I attempted to map contiguous holdings (Sweden, Scotland, Norway and Burgundy have nearby claims mapped out in dashed lines). Despite Sweden's size (and claims all over), they're pretty scattered. Byzantium actually has a huge swath of tenuous holdings in Russia. Ireland is split three ways (much like England) and the south of France is a hodge-podge of major kingdoms' satellite states. In Western Europe there are about 6 independent counties. Two in Iberia, two in France and two in southern Italy.
(This is much easier in EU3 where they implemented the 'take a screenshot of your world' ability)
On the plus side, Ile de France has the best knowledge of mining and harnessing the forces of nature in the known world with 4 in the power technology.
Also also: the greyscale 'kingdoms' in my map are heretics (Mecklenburg never got conquered by a Catholic, apparently). Hungary apparently has a kingdom as well, but it's 2 provinces spread over 1000 miles.
Yeah, I cut out a few screenshots due to the length of my turn - both of those laws were changed by events during the later stages of Alexander's reign.
EDIT: Nice job on the map, by the way.
[edit]Also, as far as I can tell England is extinct[/edit]
1235-1245
(Since William was excommunicated, his first-born Bjorn got to be king. William's not very fond of religion (he's ecommunicated now, but it only gets worse later). He also got Kinslayer from somewhere, so he's been murdering relatives somewhere)
Almost immediately, diplomatic envoys from neighboring empires sought an alliance.
Bjorn continued the token war with the kingdom of Zenata, which had taken over Italy. Despite the king's lack of effort towards the war, scribes, engineers and magisters from the realm attempted to develop the realm's military technology.
(We also got level 5 in bows later on)
By January of the next year things were looking up. Bjorn's wife Aleta was with child. The count of Alexandria - driven from the folds of the Carolingian realm by the mad poet king - sought to rejoin the kingdom. The vassals were soon placated and only a few rebellious loners still fought Bjorn's rule. William of Valois, however, was more than fond of the new king.
(He has given me the 'A vassal is pleased with your rule' event about 8 times...dude loves Bjor[strike]k[/strike]n)
By September Aleta gave birth to their daughter Snofrid.
Unfortuantely...
She was found with another lover mere months later. Bjorn - inadequate as he felt - considered forcing her into a convent, but the fear that the Pope may not effectively annul his marriage prompted him to condemn her to death.
Snofrid went without a mother for a few months before Bjorn could find a suitable bride.
In an effort to revive the Europe-spanning empire of his greatest ancestor, Bjorn sought the embodiment of Frankish customs and culture. Since he was incredibly shy he decided to propose to Jeanne de Vermandois - so that they could potentially talk about their shared great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather Henri I.
(I didn't pick her just for incestual debauchery (...of seventh cousins), she was also the only person of Frankish culture who was 16, lustful and decent with money).
Charles of Anjou accepted the propsal and soon the two were bethrothed. Unfortunately they didn't initially get along, only once Bjorn developed a harsher personality from putting down rebellious vassals did she grow to accept him (and stop having negative monthly loyalty).
While underway to aid Sicilian allies at Siracuse, the kingdom's brilliant marshal died. He's replaced with a capable Muslim from the realm's Spanish mark, but the Papacy is in no shape to complain.
(you can get excommunicated or forced to execute them, but he didn't raise a fuss).
However, after being rebuked once, the homeless pope insists that Bjorn appoint a diocese bishop. The pope sends the dubiously religious Olaf de Saint-Denis. He ends up being known for his love of women, his love of fighting and his love of science - not so much his love of religion.
Despite having already fathered a pair of children for Bjorn, Jeanne begins to fool around with other members of the court. Bjorn quickly reminds her what happened to his last unfaithful wife.
Bjorn's father (and vassal) William is granted some more lands. Despite his hatred for the Catholic church (he's now skeptical and a heretic as well) and his occasional tendency to kill relatives, he's been an active, loyal vassal (he's even helped put down some Muslims in our Spanish holdings).
Bjorn wars with rebellious vassals throughout the years. Yperen falls under his personal demesne, as does Guines - before it can swear allegiance to the displaced king of France. True to his anscestors' troubles, Bjorn is often forced to mobilize his army in Nantes to put down rebellions in Brittany.
France eventually captures much of the lands held by Zenata on the Italian penninsula. Despite repeated sieges by Sicily, Italy and France, the Kingdom of Zenata refuses to relinquish Rome to the Catholics. The pope is granted sovereignty at Avignon while the Holy See remains occupied.
Bjorn makes Jeanne into the Duchess of Luxemburg when the lands rebel and attempt to join the French crown. Initial concerns of the duties hampering their relationship are quelled when she gives birth to her fourth child.
Italians manage to inherit lands in Normandy, which falls out of the Burgundian realm. Despite some tangential losses, Bjorn manages to obtain anscestral lands in Provence as an outlet ot the Mediterranean.
So in 10 years Bjorn has gained a few traits that let him rule 8 provinces instead of 7 (but I still tend to be around 10-12 because I'm saving at least one duke title for the heir, although if William dies first his holdings should fall to Bjorn). Those 10 years have also seen about 3 months of actual peace because Zenata refuses to relinquish Rome and keeps starting wars for provinces in Spain.
We're back to ecclesiastical balance and Bjorn's Frankish son Thomas is first in line for the throne. There's another son and three daughters as well. And somehow my court has dwindled down to 6 people, so the old king's wife is working as the steward. Hey grandma, how're the taxes?
The relentless insanity was hilarious. Definitely worth it.
My second attempt is going much better. So, I had this courtier who was stressed for a long time. No idea why. Anyway, eventually he got sick. Then, a wandering healer offered to heal him for 10 gold, which he spent gladly. It failed to work. Skip ahead several months, and he's still sick, and another healer offers her services for 10 gold. This one, also, fails to work. Then, a few months after that, he went blind. Yet another faith healer showed up - another 10 g, another nill result. A few months after that, he went schizo. Eventually, he died.
The whole time, I'm thinking, "An' that one burned down, fell over, and sank into the swamp."
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
They really owe them to Wiz from SA then.
1245-1255
He manages to escape unscathed. It's a good thing he had that door installed in his tent while on campaign, otherwise they may have snuck right in and stabbed him.
After having spent much of 1244 and 1245 disciplining the County of Sens (who dragged Bjorn into a war with France), the Count of distant Memel and the Duke of Flanders grew tired of Bjorn's demands for taxes and duties. Regiments were drawn up from the Ile de France and Yperen to put down the upstarts. Memel was offered a white peace and left to its own devices.
The campaign was relatively straight forward. Troops were summoned from Yperen and Ile de France and Bjorn's marshal Geoffrey was making short work of the rebels.
Unfortunately, corruption, misfortune and apathy filled the court as Bjorn's layabout grandmother refused to attend to her duties and his devoted steward decided he wasn't getting paid enough (...or anything, really). And then the vile Flanderians killed Geoffrey.
With Flanders eventually pacified, trouble seemed to be brewing amidst Normandy and Valois - the duchy of Bjorn's father.
Not content to be the only outcast in the family, William tried to coax his son and friend to follow his heretic ways claiming he had "reformed the Catholic church" that he "no longer answered to the demon from the Holy See".
Bjorn asserted his beliefs were his own concern. Months later William appealed to him once again. After his preaching fell on deaf ears once again, William granted a county to one of his other sons. Unfortunately for William, his other son was more devout than Bjorn, and he used his new position of power in an attempt to overthrow William.
The Duchy of Normandy - the duke William de Joigny being a life long friend of William the Excommunicated Never-King - interceded, claiming the county of Eu for itself in the process. The Duke of Normandy often went against Bjorn's wishes. Falsely claiming lands in the Carolingian Spanish mark and in Flanders.
Events repeated themselves months later when William granted different lands to a different son. And then again... And again.
(further rebellions not pictured).
By 1250 William ceased granting the titles to his other sons. He then passed away on September 18th, 1251 - returning the ancestral lands to his first-born son, Bjorn. Unlike his ancestors, he would not be beatified.
Bjorn returned to ruling his - now relatively peaceful - realm. On February 4, 1252 Bjorn had accrued enough wealth to begin construction on the Krak des Karlings - a huge fortress in the Ile de France (as per Scribe Bob's proposal). In late 1252, Jeanne became pregnant with their 6th child (7th for Bjorn counting Aleta's). Bjorn spent most of the realms surplus grooming Thomas as an heir, spending the treasury into a small debt on foreign trainers and teachers.
(there were 2 other instances, but I couldn't afford one at all and the other got him nothing)
Thomas' newborn sister Ashild did some of her own learning...
(I'd be impressed too if a newborn learned court etiquette...especially since she ended up inbred)
Bjorn took this time to capture the Duchy of Maine, which he had claimed for many years, but had not had the peace or opportunity to acquire. He subsequently divided the lands of his father and his cousin's former duchy in Maine to his sister and brother (William actually had a child come of age this year and he's still got a few under 16. Dude was prolific).
In 1254 rumors came from the east of waves of invincible horsemen sweeping in from the Byzantine steppe. Bjorn paid no attention to such baseless talk.
In 1255 Bjorn intervened in a war against the pretender Muslim kingdom of Aragon. His vassals subsequently dragged him into war with Lorraine and Norway.
Thankfully, the bishop of Alexandria was elected Pope and the County of Alexandria returned to Bjorn's personal demesne. It's trading wealth would allow Bjorn to more easily finance the Reconquête of Iberia.
(How's that for peacefully reaquiring a province worth nearly 30 gold per month without even trying)
Rome's still in heathen hands - Sicily and Italy apparently refused to negotiate for it. Every time I look over there when I'm at peace it's already sieged. Now we're in a 3-front war that we're managing to afford defensively since we just got Alexandria back (although it's now put me over my demesne limit). The Golden Horde has arrived in the East and conquered a bunch of useless provinces. Byzantium has fractured between Achaea, Rhodes and Crete (and Byzantium), but it still holds a bunch of land in Russia.
Sicily's getting trounced by Zenata and Italy. England was swallowed by Poland and the Danish area of Spain has splintered somewhat.
...Speaking of the Danes: they need a different color. I swear it is the exact same as Burgundy's.
In fact, I'm calling Bjorn "the Overshadowed" in the OP unless he does something awesome.
Also, a century and a half to go!
schuss, did you get the game and want to take a turn? Otherwise it's time to open things up to volunteers again. I know HamHamJ has bought the game because of this thread, so if you want to take over...
I'd like to be the King who takes us into EU3 so I can write a big ole mechanics reign like I did for CK. So I'll be holding off personally for a while.
I picked up EU3, so I guess I'll take 2nd turn on that, unless you trust me to try CK... got sucked into 6+ hours of EU3 yesterday playing castille. Stupid monarch not being old enough, now frances vassal (don't ask). Time to stomp frogs.
I spent $20 on the with-expansion version from GamersGate; totally worth it, so far (although, srsly, fuck the Spanish and their Ulster / Munster lapdogs!).
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
And I have to admit, I got choked up a little bit when William died.
Plus EU3 is probably the easiest one of the 4 to go grossly overpowered (although, to be fair, HOI2 via a succession game is basically going to be "8 huge nation-states duking it out for the world...because unless there's player intervention to keep some small guys around that's what it always is). I mean, people have colored the world with EU3 with Prussia and even Byzantium.
[edit]Also, Ashild, the one who learned court etiquette as a newborn? She's not inbred; Homlaug and Cecillia are the inbred sister BFFs. Ashild is probably some Einstein-Newtonian savant prodigy - at age 10 she's 7/8/4/7.[/edit]
I have a couple of giftcards waiting in the aether somewhere out there, but they take a couple weeks to post.
Also, just be sure, this from gamersgate is the same as this from amazon correct? Besides the fact that the gamersgate copy is download.
Ah - okay. I thought you had foreknowledge of a sale coming up or something.
And, as far as I can tell, yes, they're the same. If you zoom in on the Amazon picture, you can see that it says it comes with Crusader Kings and Deus Vult, which is what the GG download comes with.
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Yeah, that's the version I got.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Bohemia and Hungary - small as they are - share the combined titles for kingdoms of England, Bohemia, Hungary, and Germany.
Also, keep in mind that Thomas is the first-born (I know Torbjorn's sheet says he's a year older, but the screenshots were taken at different dates).
1255-1265
Bjorn deeply loved Jeanne. Despite her initial tendency to cavort with bachelors of the court, her love for Bjorn soon blossomed. Although despite his increased advances and affection, at her age she was only able to bore one child: Aste.
(other instances Medieval viagra not pictured)
Bjorn successfully besieged the Duchy of Lorraine and claimed the county of La March, adding it to the Duchy of Orleans. Bjorn came to an agreement with the Norwegian king that they would both renounce their claims on some of eachother's land and peace was declared.
Only the war against the King of Zenata and his Iberian allies continued unabated. With his military genius of a marshal often engaged in battle, Bjorn was often relegated to utilize his own abilities in battle. Occasionally he had strokes of good fortune.
It was in these years that Bjorn's male heirs came of age. The two boys ended up being excellent friends. Both of them developed well and complemented eachother superbly as dutiful intellectual plotter and powerful warrior.
Thomas, taking after his mother, followed the thread of his Frankish ancestry and melded it with the intrigue of his time to become an intricate webweaver. Almost immediately he was befriended by his uncle Henry.
Torbjorn closely followed the ideal of his Viking, Norman and Norwegian ancestors while combining it with the best strategies of his day to become a brilliant strategist. Vegetius' De Re Militari was never far out of his reach.
(time to play "guess who had the court education and who had the martial education")
Henry, as it were, was a half-brother of Bjorn. One of William's late night escapades (perhaps preaching his heretical version of the faith) had borne him a bastard son. With the friendship of Bjorn's first-born son well in-hand, he soon claimed that his right to inherit descended from his father - his mother (...whoever she may be) was of no consequence.
(It remains to be seen what sort of long-term plot Henry could have, since he'd have quite a few assassinations to make to be king)
Despite Henry's claims the business went on as usual throughout the realm. Bjorn gifted Thomas the customary title Count of Vermandois in addition to the Duchy of Anjou.
By 1258, Bjorn was willing to compromise with the high-ranking nobles of his realm and some economic and political reforms increased the stability across the land.
In 1260, the Krak des Karlings was completed in the Ile de France. The towering behemoth of a fortress could be seen for miles, a long-standing symbol of Bjorn and the Carolingian's dominance over the realm.
In an expertly penned peace treaty with the Kingdom of Zenata, Bjorn reclaimed Rome for Christiandom in 1260.
Assorted lands on the Iberian coast were also handed over to Bjorn in exchange for his promise to relinquish claims on in-land provinces. Torbjorn was granted the Duchy of Valencia from the reclaimed lands, while Jeanne also claimed some lands for herself from providing substantial military aid.
It would take the pope 5 years to recognize Bjorn's accomplishment in fulfilling God's will. Although Bjorn expected that the pope would request the return of the Holy See, the call never came. For the time being, the pope remains at his residence in Avignon.
After nearly 15 years of relative peace and a hardy treasury, Bjorn set about reclaiming the crown of Aragon from a pretender Muslim realm. The Muslim's disparate realm was split between Iberia and the Caucasus.
Bjorn's dysfunction (i.e. inbred) daughters occasionally got themselves into trouble wrangling with powerful nobles of the realm, but eventually he managed to marry them off. Meanwhile, Bjorn's bastard brother Henry formed a friendship with Bjorn's other son, Torbjorn, as well.
His wife Jeanne - not content with her ample holdings in Luxembourg - gathered allies to solidify her claims on some of the Norwegian king's provinces adjacent to her duchy. Bjorn obliged the interuption to his plans, but soon the Pope demanded that the war cease.
Bjorn continued his war against the Aragonese pretender kingdom. All that remains is a small enclave of Aragonese pretenders near Armenia. Although Bjorn's land grab against Zenata had caused some concern in the kingdom, the greater worry on vassal minds were the claims that Bjorn had made for the Balearic Islands under the auspices of defending the realm of Aragon. The tenuously loyal Duke of Pest was - quite fittingly - a pest with his constant revolts and demand for autonomy away from the 'belligerent king.'
So, William: still a pain in the ass after being dead for nearly 10 years.
We were due. You've got to go back about 90 years to find our last ruler who wasn't sickly, wounded or insane.
I can throw up a picture of the successor if someone wants it...although it may be spoilery if you're that invested in the intrigue and such.
If you want to send me a save sometime before the beginning of the EU3 timeframe (since maps are infinitely easier to make in-game for all the games except CK), I can potentially make another map of the wanning days of the Middle Ages. Like the beginning of last king's reign before the switch over (or the one before that if it's like 1398 or something). I could make one or two for previous reigns if someone wants.
I mean, seriously, whoever picked the color schemes for the 'countries' should be shot. And then given a color-blindness test. Vicky and HOI never have this problem (EU3 has a few overlaps, sometimes).
HOI2 really does it the best. USSR is red, Germany is Grey, UK is an easily discernable shade of different red, USA is blue and Italy is Green. It's incredibly easy to tell the major players. It wouldn't even be so bad if they could pick different shades. Everything in CK is generic blue. Zenata? blue. France? Blue! Muratibids? BLUE. Lorraine? BLUE!
For the rotation, I'll hop back in wherever there's a spot if we've worked our way to repeats.
Kayne might be best to give a second shot since his dude died within a couple years, starkiller's within seven. But otherwise just go back in the same order unless people are busy (obviously school is starting for lots of people this week or next, for example).