Keeping it in the Family: Let's Play Crusader Kings 2 Update 5

[karma9308]

So..what is this?

Crusader Kings 2 is a "grand strategy" game made by Paradox, it came out back in 2012 to good reviews and deals with a time period following the fall of Rome, up to the Renaissance. Though centering on the Dynasties of Western Europe, with certain expansion packs, you can choose to play as any leader from Iceland to the Middle East. (Sword of Islam is required for Islamic leaders, The republic for republics, Old Gods for Pagans, and Sons of Abraham for Jewish leaders).
No really...what is this?

Essentially, it's about managing a dynasty for several hundred years.

Ok, why are you doing this?

Um, insanity? Also, I really enjoy this game and want to show others who may be somewhat interested in why people love a game that may have a lot of menus. Oh don't worry there won't be that many menus.

Spoiler

There's going to be a shitton of menus

If I can't show you why it's a good game, I'd at least like to entertain anyone interested in staying along for the ride. Even if I go down Hindenburg style.

So how are you planning to play?

It depends on how people vote. The first post will be a selection of countries for people to choose from. Depending on which country is chosen, is how I will play the game. Though I hope to play from a "narrative" POV.

Huh?

Don't worry, I'll explain more in the first update.

OK, sounds good. You're a little creepy, but I'm in! Will I get to participate?

Creepy? I'm nothing of the sort. By the way, you should really go to the doctor. Going to the bathroom 4 times in the past hour would be concerning if you were me.

Yes! I will try and create as many opportunities as possible for there to be votes but I can't promise that a lot will exist. I do plan to let people choose the country, name, and dynasty of our first character. From there will depend on how the game goes.

Will you be showing things around for me? I have no idea how things work.

Depends, I'll try and show off at least the basics but a full on tutorial run will depend

Will you be showing off your mad skillz bro?

Yeah...I'm not so good with the game. I'm not the best person if you want to learn some master tips on how to play and "beat" the game, but I figure that will make things more fun. Or horrific. Not sure yet.

Will you be using mods?

No

Oh..but you should really check out this mo-

No

Oh

Sorry

No you're not

Anyway, I plan to make this a screenshot LP, as I feel this game is better suited to pictures and me providing text commentary rather than talking over it. Thanks to all who decide to read this. I'm planning on getting the first update, which will be just picking our country and leader, out as soon as possible!

[HEADING=2]Table of Contents:[/HEADING]
Update 1oux Valerios Soumenos of Achaia
Update 2: Byzantine politics or Hope you aren't attached to your genitals!
Update 3:War and Peace
Update 4:One Man's Catastrophe, is another Man's Opportunity
Update 5: The Queen and I

 

[karma9308]

[HEADING=2]Update 0: Selecting our Character, Dynasty, and Country[/HEADING]

Spoiler

Welcome to Crusader Kings 2! I have to say, after playing EU3 for so long, this game looks fucking gorgeous after staring at that for 400 hours. Let?s jump in, shall we?

Spoiler

So here we have the country select screen. You may notice on the upper left hand corner is the date selection menu. From here, you can select certain dates from 867 to 1337. Though you can?t select an individual date, Paradox does give you a lot to choose from.

Now to choose our country!

Spoiler: Vikings

First up, the Ostlandet Norse led by King Haraldr Fairhair. Haraldr starts out with godly stats and is one of the easier choices to start playing the pagans as (which of course requires the Old Gods DLC). He starts with control of the richest Norwegian lands, and can easily form the Kingdom of Norway before he even turns 30. Most of Norway is wasteland however, and the Norse religion hasn?t been reformed (I?ll talk about this later, but for now know that is bad) but you can?t go wrong with this choice.

How I?ll play it: The first few updates I will try and show off the game and the Norse in general, since they are quite different from their Christian counterparts, but I will try to switch to a narrative style as time goes on.

Start date: 867
Pros: Great leader, good start location, can form kingdom easily, VIKINGS!!!!!!
Cons: Most of their kingdom is a wasteland, unreformed religion
Default Character: King Haraldr Fairhair, Dynasty: Yngling

Spoiler: Gotland

A couple provinces over and 199 years later, we have Grand Mayor Botstain of Gotland. Botstain here starts with poor starting stats and a small dynasty to mess around with. However, he is a very young Grand Mayor, which is a rarity to see in a merchant republic. Oh yeah, Gotland is a merchant republic, which functions quite differently than most of the other play styles. As you can guess, a game as a merchant republic focuses much more on money than a regular CK2 playthrough. Merchant republics can be incredible fun just because it?s different from the rest.
The problem (or good thing depending on how you look at it) with Gotland, is that they are loyal to the Swedish crown, and thus are not an independent nation. This can create a lot of problems down the road especially if we start to run into some bad luck. Otherwise, this is another good choice.

Play Style: Same as Norse
Start Date: 15 September 1066
Pros: Merchant republic, island to themselves, power liege to protect them
Cons: Poor default leader, Not independent,
Default Character: Grand Mayor Botstain, Dyntasy:Stenkryka

Spoiler: Hashimid Emirate

And now to move to the other side of the world. Say hello to Emir Muhammad of Hashimid Emirate. Muhammad here starts out with ok stats, though since he?s randomized, you never know what you?re going to get. The Emir starts out with both Mecca and Medina, controlling 2 of the Sunni holy cities directly. His start location is also fantastic. Though normally bordering a superpower, such as the Abbasids, would be suicide, they are currently dealing with an incompetent Caliph who recently came to power. As such, they are bound to go through several succession wars short of a miracle. The kingdom of Arabia is also easily formed by taking several Shia provinces located in the Arabian Peninsula.
A problem with playing as a muslim character usually comes down to succession. As succession laws cannot be changed, you are stuck with ?Most powerful son succeeds?. This can lead to problematic successions that tear a strong nation asunder. However, Muslim characters also have a unique way to play and can be quite entertaining. Another good choice (you may be noticing a pattern here).

Play Style: Same as Norse
Start Date: 867
Pros: Great start selection, Arabian Kingdom easily formed, early expansion possible
Cons: Poor starting leader, succession wars, can be easily surrounded
Default Character: Emir Muhammed, Dynasty: Hashimid

Spoiler: Irish

You may be sitting there asking yourself, "I don't understand anything you're saying? or "I don't know how to play this!" or even "Wow! I can talk to other people using this computer thing! The future is amazing!" Well then, you're in luck! This is the play through meant for you.
Ireland's nickname in CK2 is "tutorial island", it's likely the best place to start playing the game if you don't know how. You can choose from one of several leaders and starting locations. Ireland is an island almost all by itself, requiring either boats to get to and from locations, or by using the path in Ulster to move into Scotland. England and Scotland are suffering from Viking attacks, leaving you to blunder and fall ass backwards into becoming King of Ireland! If you want me to essentially be a tutorial for learning how to play the game and, and having me go into the basics of this game without much narrative, then select this one!

Playstyle:Tutorial
Start Date: 867
Pros: Newb friendly, island to yourself, different leaders (or make your own), no strong competition
Cons: Vikings raids are very likely, starting as a count/earl
Default Character: none. I plan to make my own.

Spoiler: Byzantines

So I?ll be honest, I wasn?t sure I should include this last one. I?ve never done a Byzantine playthrough and I?m not sure how different the mechanics are for them compared to say the Europeans. However, I thought it would be interesting to at least offer a blind play through for those people wanting to see a train wreck unfold in front of them. The leader of the Byzantines during this time period was Basileus Alexios. He has incredible stats and can lead the Eastern Romans back to the glory that Rome is so used to. I?m picking a time that the Byzantines were at their lowest in the game, but not so low that they are doomed to fall to either the Catholics or the Muslims. Why would I not select a period in which the Byzantines were a dominant superpower? No really, I?m asking you.

Playstyle: All narrative
Start Date 1081
Pros: Badass starting leader, Byzantines
Cons: Starts off weakened, Borders the Muslim world, likely to be war intensive
Default Character: Basileus Alexios, Dynasty: Komnenos

Spoiler: Creating your own character

So what if you don?t like any of those starting characters or their dynasty name? Well I have good news! Paradox released DLC called the ruler designer which allows you to create your own custom character, dynasty coat of arms, and select the traits and stats of your character! By clicking the wrench icon next to a leader?s name, you can go through the creator and tinker to your heart?s desire

This section is in here to show you that DLC and to also let you know how I will be changing a character if you choose to not go ahead with the default character.

Here?s the first screen. You can tailor any facial features of your character however you want. Though this doesn?t technically matter, having a badass looking king or queen does make you feel good.

The next screen is where you can design your own coat of arms. I don?t really care about this and will just select a basic design unless someone wants to design a coat of arms.

This final screen is the meat of this product. Here is where you can change the stats of your character, as well as add traits to him/her. Each stat or positive trait added to your character increases their age, while adding a negative stat will decrease it. The younger your character the better, so while the DLC isn?t balanced (as there are a lot of exploits that I?ll show off), Paradox did at least try to prevent people from making OP characters.

Here's an example of a character I messed around with. From left to right his traits are: depressed, legitimized bastard, excommunicated, genius, gluttonous, kind, patient, shy, just, cynical, and trusting. Notice with all of those traits (and pretty good stats), he's only 21. I'll explain more about this feature later as this update is incredibly lengthy as is.

Well there you have it people! Those are your possible countries and a short write up on each!

[HEADING=3]PLEASE VOTE FOR THE COUNTRY OF YOUR CHOICE, AS WELL AS THE NAME AND DYNTASY OF THE CHARACTER. PLEASE MAKE YOUR CHOICES BOLD TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR ME.[/HEADING]
Note: If you don't select a name and dynasty, I will assume you want the default character.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

[HEADING=3]King Haraldr Fairhair, VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/HEADING]

never played as them myself as I don't have that DLC, but it'd be interesting to see that POV

Spoiler: I'm a bit of a noob at the game

I've played as Ireland a couple times, still playing in one game where I'm the king of ireland but can't get much further than that so far, so it'd be cool to see any differences or difficulties that other rulers have

 

[SanguiniusMagnificum]

Ok, this is me speaking as a 300 hours veteran of CKII, please, don't play as the Norse, they're faaaaar too easy (e.g. they can invade anyone without reason, they get free troops during invasions, etc...., religion is easily reformed)

Second, Ireland is BOOOOOOORING!!!! Barely any intrigue, not a lot of wars, no risk. Good for newbs, not so much for more experienced players. Pass.

Now the Byzantines.... that's something different, especially if you start out as a count or doux. Lots and lots of plotting while trying to appease the emperor (imperial administration is a *****, he can revoke your duchy for no reason), castrations and blinding (you'll really hate that when the emperor castrates your genius heir, aaah, fun times...), lots of muslims to holy-war and a clear goal (mending the Schism and restoring the Roman Empire)

It's obvious that my vote is on one of the Byzantine dukes. Try the duke of Epirus or Achaea in 1081.

 

[karma9308]

[HEADING=3]King Haraldr Fairhair, VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/HEADING]

never played as them myself as I don't have that DLC, but it'd be interesting to see that POV

Spoiler: I'm a bit of a noob at the game

I've played as Ireland a couple times, still playing in one game where I'm the king of ireland but can't get much further than that so far, so it'd be cool to see any differences or difficulties that other rulers have

The Vikings are incredibly easy. They've been nerfed in several updates, and they are still just so powerful. Especially King Haraldr, who really is powerful. The only real difficulties exist in the unreformed religion, which means they have gavelkind succession, can't conduct holy wars, have no religious figurehead, and can't demand religious conversions. Otherwise though? The Norse can just own everything.

Ok, this is me speaking as a 300 hours veteran of CKII, please, don't play as the Norse, they're faaaaar too easy (e.g. they can invade anyone without reason, they get free troops during invasions, etc...., religion is easily reformed)

Second, Ireland is BOOOOOOORING!!!! Barely any intrigue, not a lot of wars, no risk. Good for newbs, not so much for more experienced players. Pass.

Now the Byzantines.... that's something different, especially if you start out as a count or doux. Lots and lots of plotting while trying to appease the emperor (imperial administration is a *****, he can revoke your duchy for no reason), castrations and blinding (you'll really hate that when the emperor castrates your genius heir, aaah, fun times...), lots of muslims to holy-war and a clear goal (mending the Schism and restoring the Roman Empire)

It's obvious that my vote is on one of the Byzantine dukes. Try the duke of Epirus or Achaea in 1081.

I wanted to at least offer Ireland in case there were people who didn't know how to play. Funny you should mention the doux of Achaea, on Friday I was trying to play as him to see what it was like...he died with no heirs in a month after his wife got pregnant.

Thanks for voting guys! I'd like to see some more people vote though, if for no other reason than to see people are interested in me doing this.

 

[DEAD34345]

Republics are interesting enough to play, but I really doubt they'd be much fun to spectate. It's mostly just about constantly buying and upgrading things until you effectively have infinite piles of money, then roflstomping anyone you want by buying every mercenary in the game.

A viking game would probably just be a constant series of easy conquests, and Ireland is kind of dull, too. The Hashimid Emirate could be fun I suppose, but I'd say a Byzantine Doux as SanguiniusMagnificum suggested would be best. Lots of plotting, upwards and downwards mobility, constant conflict from civil wars within and holy wars without, and it even has a nice dramatic end-goal in the form of re-creating the Roman Empire. What's the worst that could happen? [footnote]Being castrated and having your eyes gouged out, probably. Fun![/footnote]

 

[Muspelheim]

Another one for the Byzantines! With all the delightful plotting and fighting for survival. Are you a bad enough dude to keep Konstantinopel in Christian hands?

Failing that, go Gotland. It's a lovely place.

 

[The Madman]

Go for the Byzantines I'd say. Playing a minor count in the Byzantine empire makes for a lot of backstabbing fun and always with the looming threat of Jihad, Crusades, and rampaging hordes to watch out for. If you haven't played them either it could be interesting since you wont be as confident as you might otherwise be with familiar religions and locations.

Plus I'm playing Vikings right now so I think I've had enough of them while Ireland is a bit boring as are some of the others.

 

[Sandernista]

I'd vote for a 1066 start, otherwise you get serious Norse ridiculousness, and a minor in the HRE.

 

[karma9308]

Ok, just wanted to update people: The week got hectic for me, but I'm planning to get things up and running with an update Friday. With the way the vote is going, it shall be as the Duke of Achaea. If anyone would like to change that, you got until Friday around noon CST.

 

[Fat Hippo]

I personally would be interested in the Hashimids, since I've little experience with the islamic nations. So that's my vote.

Also, my game as the Byzantines ended just terribly, all my vassals were huge bags of dicks, even for CK 2. Still bitter. *sniff*

 

[BeeGeenie]

I like to play as a Welsh petty king... so Ireland would probably be too familiar.

I've never seen an Islamic faction let's play, so I'll vote for the Emirate!

 

[karma9308]

[HEADING=2]Update 1: Doux Valerios Soumenos of Achaia[/HEADING]
With a vote of 4-2, people wanted a Byzantine Doux. I went ahead and created one, though I didn't make him overpowered.

Spoiler: Part 1

My name is Valerios Soumenos. Though some here in the imperial capital feel I spawned from the devil himself, I worked hard to get where I am. After supporting Alexios in his bid for the throne, he allowed me to rule the duchy of Achaia.

Though, he has since discovered my feelings on god. He was such a zealot he couldn't understand how anyone would dare to have doubts.

My territory and those of my vassals' are in the southernmost part of Greece, and Greece is about all that's left of the Byzantines after our war with the Muslims. Alexios promises to fix the wrongs caused by the "heathen scum". However, my first order of business was getting a handle on my country, as well I needed a wife. Firstly, I began my organization of my council. I grabbed the most able man for the position and didn't care what his standing in life was.

Next, I asked my advisors to get some of the best women from the courts of Europe for me to see. They showed me several choices, each offering a unique advantage.

The first woman, was a courtier from Chernigov. She was an absolute genius! The amount of knowledge she had was just incredible, it complemented her excellent education in the art of diplomacy. But personally, I've never met a human being - before or since- that was as mean and cruel as this woman. She enjoyed the pain others received, as she was so quick to anger and so proud of it too! That she was always in the kitchen didn't help matters...

The next woman was Yvon. As they brought her in, I was entranced by her. Though not the most beautiful woman, she was smart and very kind. Though she did show a temper once or twice, she usually had the right to be angry. Her paranoia was suspect though, as she wasn't a woman of power. Even with such poor education, she was a better diplomat than my Magistros!

Augh. Just thinking of her just makes me sick. An Italian zealot. Just what I wanted, right? She was very clearly one of the smartest women I've ever met, but the divide between the Catholic and Orthodox Church was so great in her eyes, that I may as well be following the religion of Mohammad! Though she was well educated, and a very social woman, I outright refused to ever see her in my presence again.

Constance. She was charitable, patient, honest, social butterfly. Though she was not highly educated, her beauty made her a fantastic diplomat. (Better than me even!) She would also secure an alliance with England, should I be in a position to become Emperor, it would be nice to have such a powerful ally.

Finally, Zsofia. Though one of the most educated women, she had been educated in Theology. I saw no need for her and wanted to send her away...but she was sister of the king of Hungary. An alliance with the Hungarians could be very beneficial in the future, though that would mean dealing with a near zealot for a wife.

I debated with myself for a while. The names came down to Constance and Yvon. I envied the Muslims, they wouldn't have to choose between them, they could have both! In the end, I wanted Yvon, but my advisers pressed on until I relented and agreed to marry Constance. My realm should come before my happiness, though that's what it always was, wasn't it? Everyone else before me. With the request to the King of England sent, I now began looking at my realm and vassals to see if there would be any troublemakers.

I didn't have to go far.

A catholic zealot hating me? You don't say?

I asked him to please convert to Orthodoxy if he was going to be a Byzantine count. To best reflect the views of his subjects. He politely told me where I could address any concerns about his God. It was not a nice place.

I found my other vassals to be much nicer people though! Didn't even spit in my face this time!

He agreed with my plan to try and replace Count Raoul. He was the best vassal a liege could ask for.

My other vassal was one of the Byzantine princes. I thought this was interesting and decided I wanted to help the boy on his path.

I sent a request asking to educate him, I was hoping to improve his life, while at the same time improving mine.

The king accepted, and gave his daughter's hand in marriage. Though the dowry he offered was insulting. I politely rejected but privately I grew angry about how little it was. Though I put it aside on my wedding night for at least a moment of happiness.

Now that I was married, I began improving my body in hopes of becoming a better soldier and have better knowledge of military tactics.

The little kid agreed to me being his mentor! Might have something to do with me being his liege though...

Spoiler: Part 2

Barely a month later, Alexios decided to head in the opposite direction as everyone expected. We had been promised a quick end to the Muslim ownership of Anatolia, so dissent was on the rise for the new emperor.

The Catholics were busy, and decided to form several military groups with the intent on organizing Europe in defense of "the Muslim menace". Though I'm sure they won't come to our aid...

Oh. Huh.

While I was leading our troops to Rashka, a messenger from Constance arrived letting me know that her illness was actually pregnancy! I was going to be a father! It was the first time I smiled in a long time. Maybe things would start improving, right? You, of course ,know the irony of that statement.

While we were at war, it seems the Sejuks were having problems of their own.

Leon told me that he could do anything, even become King or Emperor! I told him to mind his place for his betters. Though I felt bad for being so blunt to the child, I knew he would make trouble for me if he wanted more power.

As soon as I got home from this war, I planned to let Count Raoul know where he could address his concerns over losing his county.

Spoiler

Not a nice place

My Sakellarios managed to dig up extra taxes out of the peasants. Though I knew they were suffering as it was, if I wanted any kind of power, I needed all the money I could get.

Thanks to the war, I missed my son's birth. It's ok Aleixos, not like you got to speed home and see your child be born. Bastard.

The Duke of Kartli called Alexios into his war over the throne of Georgia. He seeks to replace the king with his sister. If I was his wife, I would be wondering why he's so intent on this.

Though I usually try to listen to my advisers, I decided against it. Not sure why I decided to fight these no-names, but hey what the hell?

I'm honestly not sure why or how I won. But I did feel a bit more confident in my abilities now.

After having a son, it would be nice to have a daughter too.

The Emperor of course won, especially when he decided to call up all of his vassal's armies and his and march on some serbians with a 15k man army. Not that I'm bitter.

That's when it happened. The dissent had risen to such a high level that the other douxs had enough. Though Prince Andronikos has been causing trouble for Alexios since his family was kicked off the throne, the other douxs were willing to join him. I didn't know whether I should or not, but decided to wait and see how it goes. After all, there's no harm in waiting.

My magistros was able to secure more troops from the count.

Leon was proving to be a troublemaking child. I was glad that I was his mentor to try and set him straight. Though my lesson didn't take, he did try and take my advice to heart.

Now the doux of Cyprus. 6,000 men were willing to stand against Alexios complete domination of the empire. I decided to wait a bit longer.

I figured this would happen, but there was nothing to be done now besides beefing up our guards and their regular patrols.

When Doux Eumathios offered me the challenge, I felt like he did it out of spite. Didn't he know my adverse fear of crowds? How much even getting out of bed took out of me? Why would he do this? It felt like more proof that god had forsaken me. I knew rejecting would make me look bad, but I just couldn't convince myself to go. Some part of me did want to go, but the fear in my heart and my exhausted body was too drained to agree.

With the doux of Krete now on board the faction, they numbered 8,000. My troops numbered 1,500 with half of that under my personal control. I decided now was the time to make the gamble. After all, I had to try right? I knew it would go badly, but any chance of showing Alexios how angry I was at him, how much I envied him yet hated him at the same time, was too much to pass over.

And with the war winding down, his troops were tired, feeble, and exhausted of war. We had this!

Though I tried to not have faith, some part of me felt giddy. That things would finally go my way! Not even a week passed before I received the news:

Spoiler: Part 3

I rallied all of my forces together with the hopes of grouping up with the other rebels in the hopes of creating a giant force that which Alexios could not crush. The other doux...had other plans. With Cyprus and Krete landing troops whereever they felt like, our troops were scatted as Alexios quickly tried to divide and conquer. Though my troops were unready, I led them against Alexios himself.

It was there on the battlefield where I could see him fighting, he had been mixed into the crowds of men as bellowing of war crys and the moans of dying men were all around me. My army had come around and flanked the Imperial army, though they did not flee. Alexios commanded the men to fight to the last, though that wouldn't happen. My men around me, we pushed through to Alexios, my anger increasing, everything I ever felt was nothing in comparison to the intensity I felt towards him. I blamed him for every one of my problems, though I knew that most of it wasn't true, I didn't care! I needed something- someone to take the blame, and Alexios would be it. As we reached him, he saw me, but before he could react, a spear went through him. As his eyes fixated on me, the life left from his body. Alexios was dead.

His son would now lead the empire as a newborn, I had to win the war now, not sure the kid would be alright with knowing I was responsible for his father's death. Though I knew this war was folly, it was worth it to feel as good as I did that day. So few times I could ever smile, every one of them was precious to me.

Though the battle was bloody, it was felt that the war had reached a turning point...looking back it kinda did.

As I led more men into battle, I became a coward. My reason for warring was gone, I only wanted to see Alexios suffer, and now I wonder why? Because I couldn't see my child's birth? Because he acted aloof? Because he was better than me? That I had to submit to him? While they may be reasons to not like a man, were they enough to cause war with a man?

Leon however had made a turnaround, after giving me so much trouble as a child, he was slowly becoming a kind man. I did feel some satisfaction with this.

Satisfaction that I would soon lose as the war turned sour quickly. The doux had no central plan as the Imperial army had it's way with whatever scraps we would throw at it, I hired some mercenaries, but they were wiped to a man. Of course, I should have expected the cheapest mercenaries would be full of "quality men".

My Mystikos perished during the war. Though not related to the war, illness had spread to the lands. I'm unsure why.

The war had quickly become a nightmare as the rebel doux could maybe muster 2000 men. I tried to encourage more men to join up, but there was simply no men left. Most had already perished in some battle over the past 5 years. During this time, the bishop I had captured a year ago begged for better quarters, I gave mercy if only in the hope that kindness would be repaid when I would be in his position.

Little Leon was becoming quite the kid. He became the one thing I tried to point to as I went over my failures, I at least had one success.

It felt like the universe was just having fun at my expense at this point. What had I done to anger it? It felt like no matter what I did, failure would always follow. My feelings of melancholy seemed to intensify, and most days, just getting out of bed became my goal.

During this time, it appears the Catholics were successful. Too successful in fact, now the Muslims no longer bordered us, but Imperial territory were in the hands of another.

Nothing could go right, each doux started pointing fingers at the other. Believing they did everything they could. How could we have blundered such an opportunity? We had everything. And now, we will have nothing.

I put all my faith and hope into the new armies Cyprus and Krete had rasied, though they were outnumbered, I planned to raise another army to match it, if they could at least do significant damage to the Imperials, we might have a chance of at least a white peace.

Sadly, few men were lost. It would have to be up to my men and the mercenaries I rasied. I almost didn't care about the deaths any more. If the war ends, they wouldn't be my responsibility any more, would they?

Though the other douxs had thrown in the towel, I refused to give up. Just one more chance, I knew it wouldn't work and I cried for days on end, but I had to try. I prayed for the first time in years, to just please let us win this. If only to save myself and my family.

Our last ditch offensive did nothing. We lost so much, for so few. No matter what we did, we just couldn't win. I began preparations for a long absence and began appointing a regent for my son, for I knew what was ahead.

So that's why I'm here. I'm a traitor to the state, and a murderer. I'm sure I will be getting out of here with nothing bad happening to me. Though I get lonely talking to myself, at least I'm a good listener.

Sorry for this taking so long. Please let me know how you liked the first update, and tell me if anything needs improving. If you want to get notified when this thread gets updated, just send me a friend request or a PM and I'll send you a PM whenever I do update. Or just bookmark the thread, I will try to update the title when I do update.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

that was quite interesting, and shame about the war :-/ I like the filler between the events though, nice touch!

 

[Movitz]

I hunger for more!

 

[endtherapture]

This is sweet, I'll be following it if you keep it up!

 

[Joseph Harrison]

I hope you keep updating this, I'm certainly interested

 

[Fraught]

I'm interested in following this, but I do think it should be re-located to the role-playing sub-forum, as a 'true let's play'. Not sure how this applies to video game LPs, so don't hit me if I'm mistaken.

Also, the fact that you said you weren't sure about including the Byzantines and that you had never played with them was probably exactly what made everyone choose them.

 

[karma9308]

[HEADING=2]Update 2: Byzantine politics or Hope you aren't attached to your genitals![/HEADING]

Spoiler: Part 1

My Mystikos would lead my doux while I was...incapacitated. My hope was for my family to find enough money for me to pay off the emperor to let me go. Though the longer I stayed the more I realized how laughable this was.

Though a young child, the Basileus was a cruel man. I tried to imagine how much of a cruel person a 4 year old could be...how naive I was.

The Ecunmenical Patriarch was his regent though, I had hoped the man would ask the child to give mercy to those who had fought against his father, and not against him.

Not a month later, I was told the Doux of Cyprus was given his freedom! I thought the cruelty of the child would seek him to be more aggressive, but I gained hope! I had a chance of making it out without anything happening!

Though the guards did tell me the Catholics were fighting amongst themselves. Apparently they couldn't agree upon who the Pope was. Their infighting will be their downfall.

My Magistros came to visit me, telling me that he had garnered more support among my vassals to petition the Basileus for my release. Since my Masistros was already in Constantinople, I asked him to petition the Basileus personally.

A couple nights later, I heard the guards coming down to my cell. I had hoped my support back home had managed to convince the Basileus, or even the Patriarch. I prayed that my Magistros had been successful in his appeal. As they reached my cell, they unlocked it and out stepped forward an elderly man in a cloak. An ugly man with a weird shaped nose and a crooked smile began to cough out words "Our Basileus has seen the mercy of God and ordered for your release"
Release! Sweet release! I couldn't have been happier! I nearly lept forward to kiss this strange man as I could barely contain the enthusiasm I had!
"But.." he croaked with a cackle. Our Basileus...has a condition.

I shall spare the details of the rest of the night. As I returned home, my wife knew what had happened and could just look at me with a saddened look. I could barely muster the words "Hello dear." As I knew our marriage would have an obstacle to overcome. As my son ran up to see me, excited as he could be, I could only cry. He asked why I cried, and I lied and said I was just happy to see him is all. In truth, I could never look at him without a cascade of feelings overwhelming me. He would have to be my world now.

Needless to say, my hopes of having a daughter were gone forever.

With my release, I had found out the Doux of Cyprus had suffered the same fate. Now I knew why the guards told me with a laugh.

I planned to focus all my efforts now into improving my martial skill. I would need to build a realm for my son capable of giving him a strong power base, that he would never have to worry about his lack of support.

The Basileus apparently liked me now. The spoiled brat.

The other rebels received similar punishments. The only one who got off was the doux of Adrianopolis. I wondered what he had to do to get away with it, but I imagined it was because of how much power he held. Didn't make me hate him any less.

A traveling troubador had managed to make me laugh with their jokes. The laughs were well needed, and they were worth every gold I spent on them. They considered me a charitable person for this, but I just considered it payment for a service.

The doux of Cherson apparently felt like taking a tour of the dungeon of the Basileus. The emperor still had troops numbering over 10,000 and the doux had maybe 2k troops to his cause. This cause was doomed, though I did sympathize with putting Prince Leon on the throne.

Leon had turned into a kind, just, and diplomatic man. Such a polar opposite to the current brat.

The doux called me in to his aid, trying to appeal to my want of vengeance. Though I wanted to see the Basileus in the gutter as much as anyone, a simple glance at the numbers of troops gave me the answer I needed.

In return for my loyalty, I was given an honorary title of court. This totally makes up for losing the use of my testicles!

In anger for my refusal to join their war, my holdings were sieged by the rebels. The emperor, of course, did not answer my call for help and there were no troops to my name. I was forced to watch my holdings come under fire.

My southern county had converted to Catholicism, thanks to the thorn-in-my-side count. I sent my Chaplin to take care of this.

In a complete show of absolute cruelty, the Basilius captured the granddaughter of the rebelling doux of Cherson and blinded the child before sending her back to her grandfather. This created an outcry throughout the courts of Greece, but ultimately we had no power to do anything.

My son was finally old enough to be educated. I wanted to take a personal interest in his education, and asked him if he wanted to learn from his father. His excitement was so contagious I couldn't help but to break a smile.

Spoiler: Part 2

Another family member of the Doux of Cherson had been captured, another blinding.

After several months, Corinth fell to the rebels. They still had too large an army for us to anything.

I turned my attention to my Southern count. It seems he gained a contentedness to life. Contentedness I planned to take advantage of. I demanded his conversion to orthodoxy, he responded he would though he did have a glare in his eye when he agreed.

My studying of Alexander yielded some gains, I gained some basic understanding of strategy. Though I wasn't going to be the next Alexander, at least I could figure out how to gain more troops in my holdings.

It seemed the count took to his new religion.

The rebels still ran roughshod over our lands.

Then the news hit that Constantinople fell. It was a shock to hear this, though the imperial army marched with 6,000 troops to liberate it almost immediately. From so far south, it was unclear who would win this war.

Then we heard that the imperial army scattered the rebels and liberated Constantinople not 2 weeks later. Because that brat of an emperor needed more things to go his way.

Then, shocking news hit. The Ecumerical Patriarch stepped down as regent and proclaimed that he felt that Anna of the Komennos would be a better fit for the throne than the current Basilius. Though shocking, it was ultimately pointless when no doux jumped to his claim.

With the Patriarch stepping down, the leader of the Varangian Guard claimed the mantle of regent. A wrathful and gluttonous man, he planned to make sure the already powerful Imperial army would crush any army on the field.

After the rebels left a small garrison behind, I gathered the small amount of troops I had and marched to liberate our holdings.

It was a quick battle that was ultimately pointless. As the rebels surrendered a day later.

Any doux or count involved got to enjoy the hospitality of our wonderful Basilius. AKA that fucking brat.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you why he was allowed to be released.

As Leon came back from his imprisonment, I ran out to greet him. As I hugged him I asked why he was allowed to go. He smiled and said "Don't worry uncle, I had enough gold saved up that I was able to bribe the emperor, and he let me go." I was glad to hear that nothing had happened to him. He was one of few. Especially once we heard about the doux of Krete.

Already castrated in the last rebellion, he was blinded as well. He was an infirm man who had trouble remember where he was some days, who was blinded and castrated by our glorious Basilius. Needless to say, he was not a well loved tyke.
The doux of Cherson was granted "mercy" and was blinded like his son and grandaughter. Oh does his majesty's mercy rain from the heavens!

As the rumors of these..."Hashshahins" spread, I could only hope they come to Greece to help eliminate a problem or two.

After 3 months of silence, the count of Chios supported the Patriarch in his bid to put Anna on the throne. Good luck I say, you'll truly need god against 10,000 troops of the devil.

After several years with no activity, my plans to revoke the county of Methone away from my "content" vassal were put back in motion. I should have done this instead of joining a rebellion 3 years ago.

With the count of Corinth on my side, I called all troops in my realm to meet the Count of Methone.

As we arrived outside his castle, I told him that I would be taking his county into my possession. His retort of "You and what army?" did make me and my 1200 troops chuckle. Even if it was childish.

Spoiler: Part 3

I could sympathize with the group, even if I wouldn't join it barring some world changing event.

Seriously, why was he not punished for being a traitor? Not that I'm bitter about it...

Nikephoros invited me to play tzykanion with him and a few of his courtiers. I considered it for a moment, but I just lacked the energy or want to join him and planned to let him know that I was just too busy dealing with my holdings to join him. But Constance came into my study and asked if I was going. I told her I wasn't, these things were just too tiring. She said it would be a lot of fun to go, but I was against it. She was upset at first, but she looked into my eyes and told me "It would be nice to go and see you smile again." A smile slowly etched it's way onto my face as I said that we shall go after all.

It was good to smile again.

Though the sport was nice as a distraction, I arrived back at the siege of the bishopic where the Count had been hiding from my troops. After trying to break the siege, the defenders were finally forced to surrender after months of holding out against me.

Again I reiterate, I should have done this instead of rebelling years ago.

With how much hate in my heart I had for the Basilius, I could no longer be as patient as I once was. Sadly, this anger extended to others in my life.

It seems the Greeks are in a bit of a civil war, were I the Basilius, I'd be taking advantage of this.

...I still hate him.

As our armies attacked the Greeks, I was almost unsure who I was rooting for to win. Sure, I wanted the empire to extend over more territory, but anything that helps that brat is not something I want to happen.

As I awake on April 1st, 1091, I slowly realize that it's been 10 years since Alexios gave me the doux of Achaia. How many things have changed since then? How many regrets I have, how many things I wish I could change. Sadly, the only thing I can change is how much better I can make my son's life. Who is now everything to me. And though I'm not a praying man, I said a prayer to please let my son have a better life than me. All I could do was pray...

 

[karma9308]

Spoiler

That priest was captured during the war with Greece. He was released almost a week later after BEING CASTRATED. Seriously, fuck that kid.