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TheMcD posted:Crusades target de jure kingdoms, so it would be called for Italy, which both encompasses Latium and Sardinia... I think. In HIP, the Papacy has its own de jure area, but I'm not sure if it doesn't just get counted as part of Italy for the sake of a crusade. That's what I assumed. This mod just kind of looks like the sort that might randomly have put in a de-jure Kingdom of Sardinia title, because of a petty king in the third century or something.
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Apr 22, 2014 05:39
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WhiskeyWhiskers posted:That's what I assumed. This mod just kind of looks like the sort that might randomly have put in a de-jure Kingdom of Sardinia title, because of a petty king in the third century or something. For at least this mod, Sardinia's de-jure kingdom is the Kingdom of Corsica and Sardinia, the Papal states are their own independent land, they just got hit hard by an adventurer who took everything.
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Apr 23, 2014 04:12
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Jimmy4400nav posted:For at least this mod, Sardinia's de-jure kingdom is the Kingdom of Corsica and Sardinia, the Papal states are their own independent land, they just got hit hard by an adventurer who took everything. Oh poo poo, right, I forgot we're using SMWH - I disabled that for my installation of HIP because I eventually want to convert a game, which can't happen with that enabled. Yeah, that has a Kingdom of Corsica, and I'm not sure how that impacts crusades. We'll probably first see a crusade for Rome, then he'll survive in Sardinia because the Pope doesn't prioritize anything that isn't Rome or Greece over Jerusalem, I think.
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Apr 23, 2014 07:21
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Update 7- Delusions of Grandeur The University of Rome, in cooperation with the Academia Museum has been fortunate enough to host a number of artifacts from medieval Amalfi. This particular item is the diary of Doge Meletios the Second, whose reign was immortalized in several late Renaissance literature works and according to rumors, the famous Bernini sculpture of Epimetheus (located today in the Villa Borghese). Fell free to examine the enhanced and blown up print outs of the pages with the translations located in your pamphlets in front of you!    Does one descended from greatness not deserve the best? If one has to ponder that question then obviously they already know that they lack the fortitude to ascended to the peak of magnificence and carve their name into time immortal. That who I am, I Melitos, son of Sebastiano the Conquer, grandson of Meletios the Founder, I come from a stock of greatness and by the time I die I will be remembered for my great deeds, oh yes. . .  I've been entrusted with the education and safekeeping of my half-sister, a little doe eyed thing that my father doted upon in his final days. While more Goonikos are useful, I have different thoughts.  Giuditta was the only product of my father's union with the Duchess of Capua, should some. . .malady befall my beloved sister, and then my wife would become next in line to take control of the Duchy! Through her, then the line would fall to our son. It might not be glorious like the conquests of old, but with enough planning I can seize two more provinces for our land with hardly a life lost.  Of course, for my glorious ascent, I need a proper domicile to live in. Our current palace is too drab for my tastes; it must become more resplendent if I wish to be taken seriously as a ruler in the future. The expenses here are merely an investment for the future!   I wasn't the only one to see my magnanimous nature. Our "beloved" Doge saw fit to proverbially shower me with accolades and honors the second I took over our house. No doubt an infantile attempt to curry favor with the most powerful of the noble families in Amalfi. The nerve of the Castroia, to think they'd just ascended to hold patrician titles less than a generation ago, while out blood runs a lot further back. Still the extra honor and prestige in the republic isn't without its merit.  Even if the Doge attempts to use his other hand to try and pass laws that would bleed us dry in our countryside holdings. . .  My "wonderful" sister is to go on her first rabbiting today. The hedgerows and other impediments can be quite hazardous, a hefty bag of gold has been sent to ensure that a stirrup become . . . loose during her trip. . .  Curses, apparently the hunter claimed that he couldn't strike down a child for fear of burning in the bowels of hell! The petulant fool, I hope he made his peace before I had his throat emptied. No one, not even some god will keep me from what is mine. We'll have to regroup and plan again. . .   The Pope has issued an edict today, calling on all Christians to march on Jerusalem and seize it from the infidel. He promises absolution from time in Purgatory and the blessings of Jesus for this endeavor. Ha! The Al-Abbas are the largest empire in the East; I hope the Pope and his motley crew realize their folly as their ships are smashed by the Muslims. . .  I learned today that my wife had a private library that she brought over after her marriage to me. Imagine, tomes full of potentially valuable knowledge right here at my fingertips and the wench didn't bother to tell me?!? Well I put her in her place and demanded that I be given access. . .  Well, it turns out that the "library" were mostly illuminated manuscripts and other useless religious texts. Aurona kept complaining that I was haphazardly tossing her "precious" books around with little care. Bagh! If she bothered to organize them better then perhaps I wouldn't need to throw them about!  Of course, she took offence to that and "accidentally" got drunk and let slip my plans to remove my half-sister. Ungrateful wench!  In the meantime I've taken to educating my son (named after his grandfather). I hope he'll come away as skilled and cunning as I. . .  . . . Courier arrived today with news that "King" Homlger has declared war on the Republic. Apparently the Northman was egged on by . . . hold on . . . Iceland? Where the hell is that?  Really? Well apparently the trading republic in Iceland has enough pull with his brother in Norway and managed to convince him to try and expel Amalfi merchants from his shores.  Of course our war footing is already in some trouble since the few remaining nobles in our fair Republic have seen fit to agitate for control over their traditional retainers. Insufferable blue bloods, I'd rid us of the lot if I could, but for now I have to play host and break bread to convince them to allow the Republic to use their soldiers for its own defense!  . . . Despite Holmger's destructive reputation, we've found so far that his forces have been remarkably sparse, though most likely this due to his kingdom still being relatively depleted from his fight with the Bishop of Rome. The fight's been remarkably easy.  In fact, it's been so easy; I've found time to enjoy a small measure of luxury on the field. A little boar every now and again hurt no one, and a general such as me is entitled to a fair bit of luxury every now and again!  . . . Salvatore, that insufferable simpleton, had the nerve to ask for one of our holdings for him! Ha, like I'd turn over one of our hard won holdings for him to eventually hand over to that disappointment of a son I'm forced to call my cousin. No if Salvatore wants land for himself, he'll have to take it, like his brother and father had to do. . .  . . . Giuditta continues to progress well in her education, she remains leery of me still after my wife's drunken tirade. She displays a keen cunning and desire for power that reminds me a lot of myself. If she wasn’t such an impediment for me I'd be tempted to keep her alive, she certainly has the potential.  My son also has been slowly mastering the martial arts. While not quite the mental cunning I expect of him, I can’t fault his techniques and study, naturally my tutelage is making him shine quite radiant. . .  . . . Siege has finished today, no sign of the castles lord, though we've managed to haul his wife and their brood off to our dungeons, I expect I'll receive a handsome ransom for their return.  . . Bishops squabbling with their petty complaints, what matter does it have to me, I bow to no god or master save myself. God never gave me land, so why should I bother with him?  . . . With Rocco’s illness taking him, I've been given control of the Republic. The Senate, a bunch of petulant old men in robes wants to convene right away, but I've brushed them off with procedure claiming times of war. I have about ten years to do as I please before I'm forced to call them by convention. Curse my grandfather and his pact with these insufferable fools!  My sister has also come of age, though I've found few prospects for him at this time. I'm content to wait until I can find a more advantageous pairing for her, perhaps when this damned war concludes.  This is more than I can say for Anuepert, who continues to bring disappointment to this family. Instead of waiting for us to find him a suitable bride, he chose to elope with the daughter of a small fishing company! I told Salvatore to denounce the fool, but instead he gave his blessing! I suspect he's still smarting over the snubbing I gave him and this is his small way of getting back at me. . .  . . . I had to apportion titles today to keep our more volatile lords content. The Musco are beyond such reproach, but the Mauro, who've usually remained more neutral have expressed discomfort at my ascension! How quick those mongrels forget their place. Still niceties need to be made I suppose. . .  . . . Giuditta continues to take well to her lessons, honestly a teacher couldn't ask for a better pupil. She's quick witted, cunning and well spoken. She's also nearing adulthood, where she'll be beyond my grasp. In truth, I'm almost becoming reluctant to act upon my machinations; such a fine woman of our family might prove useful. If I can I might betroth her to my son instead, let his children inherit the land.  Speaking of betrothals, the King of Hungary has asked that Zoe wed one of his sons. So my sister is now a princess, while Anuepert is still married to a fishmonger’s daughter.  Their son is all the more proof that Salvatore's whole line is nothing more than a pathetic mess that pollutes the glorious Goonikos name. Perhaps once all my schemes have settled I might have to "prune" our family tree. . .  . . Well if there's one good thing in Salvatore's line, it’s that wife of his; my father did right by having him marry her. Dionysia has been a quite capable spymaster, her cunning nearly rivalling my own. She managed to use her wiles to persuade another hunter to take care of Giuditta on another rabbiting. If this one fails, I suppose I'll be forced to let her live to maturity. . .  . . . Success, the hunter managed to put an arrow through the brat's neck. Sadly it appears he had not the fortitude for this task as he took his coin and drank deep at a tavern, bawling like a child as I'm told, before rushing to a priest to confess his crime! Dionysia should have tidied that loose end, like I said; she has not the skill of me.  The peasants also continue to bother me, asking for time to allow for processions of priests travel and bless the lands! Ha, I won't waste time or coin on superstitious drivel.  This week has been a headache, between the praying simpletons, and the burghers and merchants who whisper the name of kinslayer in hushed tones when discussing me. They say only a damned man would slay his own kin. Ignoramuses, each one of them, a little death is good, sometimes suffering must be done to achieve the greater good. As is my destiny, I shall expand this realm, and if a child or two must die, so be it!  With her only heir out of the way, my stepmother's new heir happens to be my wife. So in addition to maneuvering myself into a position to see my son inherit a new title, I can also remove the main person who'd want to do me in for slaying a child. Like I said, I have a cunning that few possess!  . . . Finally concluded this pointless war. One might say that I could have ended it earlier, and I suppose that’s true, if I didn't want any indemnities for prosecuting this conflict. Wages are expensive and I knew for a fact this upstart Northman was sitting on a pile of gold. So not only did we get to retain our trade posts, but we received a nice bit of coin as well!  . . . Decided to finally finish what my father started. A few coins here and there and suddenly the administration of the greater region of Napoli was “discovered” to have been under the dominion of Amalfi in the past. Naturally I asked the count to bend the knee, but the child refused!  Well it was no matter; I personally lead our army in and smashed his pitiful force. Once all his guards were slain, the boy knew his place and now Amalfi is one republic stronger. . .  . . . News from the North. Apparently a large Christian host from Lombardy has been laying waste to Holmger's pitiful levies. King Hugues though made the error of declaring it a war for Christ, so Holmger quickly deflated the campaign by converting. Now Lombardy has no more claim to the lands for the moment, but Holmger's now a pariah among his own people, or at least even more so than the mutilated freak was before.  . . . Son continues to develop well. Though he's developed a nasty habit of holding to a system of fairness and rules. While I suppose it's useful for being an administrator, a masterful plotter needs to learn to be morally flexible. Though I suppose he can grow out of it as he gets older.   . . . Learned that my stepmother took a nasty fall today. I'll be sure to shed tears at some point. For now though my wife moves to begin her rule, while preparing our son to eventually take over. A toast to more success in our future. . .  More shocking news today, "King" Holmger decided to return the city of Rome to the Papacy. While he continues to hold the rest of Latium, the Bishop of Rome has returned to his seat. A shame, I was hoping he'd stay in Germany and leave his former Patrimony to be picked off bit by bit.  Now that my wife has consolidated her hold, I've moved to make my son my official heir. While technically only a formality, due to some laws, Salvatore was listed as my heir. Ha! As though I'd leave that old fool to take my lands! Though, perhaps I shouldn’t be so rash. After all, Salvatore can still be useful. He is a Goonikos after all. His wife though, is not. Dionysia is past her child bearing age, and while she’s served me well, my uncle, useless as he may be is still fertile. To our north the County of Molise is the only independent actor left in our area of the peninsula that's not an ally or vassal of one of the larger holdings, and to whit, is ruled by a small child and a girl no less. It's ripe for the taking! But first I need a claimant married to a Goonikos.  Everyone knows of Dionysia's involvement in my plot to kill my half-sister, there was enough word and evidence. But obviously, no one has made move or had cause to arrest her. It is with a "heavy heart" that I’m forced to arrest my aunt and charge her with the crime of murder, and of a child no less!  For that there is only one possible recourse. . .  Salvatore was furious. Apparently he was quite fond of the wench! Ingrate, and even after I marry him to younger woman, let her pump our more children for him, maybe he'll end up with something half way decent. . .  Useless bitch! I offer her dominion over her miserable county and she refuses! Apparent Ansa has no desire to rule! No desire to rule! Does she have only air in-between her ears! All this planning and for what? Ridiculous! Ansa has the slothful trait, so no matter how much I can't press her claim to Molsie.   . . . News from the east, apparently I underestimated the Pope and the zeal of the pilgrims. Now only did they take Jerusalem, but they beat back the Muslim armies defending the land. Apparently some lordling from an island to the North is now the king of the Holy Land.  Apparently the loss of one of their sacred sites has galvanized religious thought among the heathens. New groups are springing up all around the place to try and "combat the infidels".  . . . Taken to educating my daughter today. She's quite strong for her age, if she were a man, she might be a Condottieri or a Knight. As is though, I should try and direct her to more womanly thoughts and ideals.  . . . WRECHES! After all I've done for Amalfi, winning its war, securing new territories and crushing our foes, the smallfolk seem to only listen to the salacious rumors that I had something to do with the death of my half-0sister and claim that I'm entranced by some sort of spell placed on me by Satan, claiming my lax church attendance as further proof! As if I had time to waste to set foot in a temple when I have matters of state to attend to!  I had to discipline Argentina today as well, she might have a warrior’s fire, but she needs to temper that still with the calm demeanor expected of a lady. I won't have my girl growing up thinking she can be a warrior, I need to think of possible matches for her. Can one imagine the scandal?  My son on the other hand though possesses a man's virtue!  . . . Received the call to war from King Hugues. Apparently Lotharingia is making trouble for our ally. I'll gladly answer the call; it gives me a chance to once again prove Amalfi's might to the world. Like my father and grandfather I shall lead our armies into the Apennines and grind our enemies to dust before taking their lands.  . . . Our skirmishers have made contact; I prepare to ride off to victory. I'll finish this entry when I see our foes backs as they flee back to their holes!       Green Circle=Land We Took This Update
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Apr 24, 2014 05:22
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Update 8-Screw Iceland  What measure can one man have forgiveness for another? This question I ponder night after night as I adjust to my role as regent for our family. My nephew saw fit to make his son the future ruler of our families holdings, I'm to simply be the humble executor of the will and supervision until Sebastiano comes of age, a mere child to rule over everything we've worked so hard to build while I'm left with nothing. I know what my nephew would have done in this situation. . . But I shall not stoop to such a level.  Once I may have wanted land and titles for my own, a boon for my service to my family. Cruelly my own nephew denied my request, and instead murdered my beloved for her titles. The day he forced me to marry was the day I vowed, I'd never go to such lows to achieve what I want, I won't dishonor our family with anymore slayings. There may not be a god but I swear to any that will hear an oath, I'll make sure my grandnephew becomes a better man than his father was!  Of course the temptation was there, it would have been so easy to have an "accident" while teaching the boy, one errant swipe of a blade, one misstep and suddenly I would have had control over all Goonikos holdings. But I found contentment in training him up, watching him progress to a fairly proficient fighter in his own right.  He might have to use such skills sooner than later, discontent among some of our vassals and courtiers has seen a resurgence of popularity with the Catholic faith. It also helps the greatest threat to the faith had to convert to hold onto his conquests.  Along with our discontented rebels, we also have to deal with a new wave of slow fever tearing across the countryside. Some claim it's divine punishment for my nephews sins, but I say that a bunch of dirty soldiers marching across the countryside probably has more to do with this than any sort of sky god.  Even "King" Holmger wasn't immune to this sickness, though like many of his injuries, the Blinded Man shrugged it off and is still kicking.  I will say this about my nephew, for all his delusions, for all his shortsighted betrayals, he had a knack for designing things for splendor and functionality. The new palace that was started nearly four years ago finally was completed. Magnificent tapestries covering the new dinning rooms while dozens of offices now dot the outskirts of the grounds. Thanks to these expansions, our trade enterprise can grow strong.  Despite the opulence of the place, I can say with pride my nephew is able to enjoy it without it going to his head. Despite the grand kitchens and the multitude of cooks, he still only eats until his is full, he refuses to indulge anymore than that!  Once the sickness finished sweeping over the land, I made the decision to relocate ourselves to Salerno, it's larger and much more closer to the heart of Amalfi politics when we're not in possession of the Republic.  Of course the move has its own share of difficulties, with the move of our offices and some of our port facilities, hundreds are without jobs in Amalfi, so we've had to contend with angry sailors and wharf dwellers.  Fortunately, the new tax base we have access to has managed to offset the losses we took during the riots.  We've started construction on a new set of trade ports in Sicily, specifically in the city of Messina, as per the Senate's instructions to try and gain a stronger foothold on the island. Though admittedly the Senate hasn't had much to do this past couple decades. Last I heard most are still doing well in their mercantile endeavors while they wait for us to return to the Dogeship.  . . . Received the news today, the Roman's have declared war on us. They've cited "unfavorable trade conditions" and "restoring a equitable balance of trade" as their cause. We all know the real reason though, they've been egged on by the damned Icelanders and are trying to nakedly grab at our hard earned money.  I've been preparing to muster out with our warriors, as I leave I instruct my nephew to continue his Italian studies. I hope he sticks with it while I'm away.  News out of the south is grim though, Palermo has fallen to the Romans, and our trade post there is also under seige. All we can hope is that they can hold until our army can relive them.  Luckily, the Roman sailors and privateers are underwhelming compared to our professional seamen. The prize money we've taken form seized ships has been funneled to our coffers.  . . .Pleasant news from home, my son write to m that I am now a grandfather.  We've began to skirmish with the Romans outside of Mataere, reports indicate we might be able to hold the higher ground to size the initiative. . .  . . .The left flank fell, we've been pushed back into the mountains, thousands of our men are dead and the Romans keep pushing us deeper into our territory.  What's left of our army was scattered in a desperate holding action today, whose left have dispersed into the hills around our lands, there’s no point in ordering these men to their deaths, we're outnumbered nearly five to one.  With no opposition, the Romans began to lay siege to Marisco. The men held out for three months before a peace agreement finally was hammered out. The terms were harsh, all our trade holdings in Roman territory were to be dissolved and the funds given to the empire. Our profitable Palermo trade post and our new post in Messina were both dismantled and our assets liquidated.  In addition, so long as the Romans hold these lands, for the next ten years we're forbidden from reestablishing a trade presence, though we're allowed to continue to hold the city of Palermo.  My nephew is growing fast. Already he's making plans for the future, though I am a bit at unease when I hear of grandiose plans to restore our old holdings. Still a little ambition is harmless I suppose, though too much and well. . .as I said I'll be making sure he avoids the path of his father.  Today. . .Today was interesting. The news from Sicily is that the various counts of the island have managed to declare their independence from Constantinople. While the Doux of Messina is currently the most powerful of the group, all are currently independent. Yeah, I have no clue how this happened, my best guess is an independence faction made a demand and the Emperor folded like a lawn chair.  This of course means our agreement with the Romans is null and void. I've ordered the immediate reconstruction of our old trade post in Palermo.  To defend our posts, I've ordered the construction of three regiments of heavy swordsmen to stand guard of our lands at all times.  As if I needed more reason to shy away from the religious babblings of others. According to our sources in the East, a new schism between the Moslems has erupted.   Sebastiano continues to work hard to improve himself, though I finally put my foot down and told him to go out and play with the other children. Soon he'll be expected to take over our business, but for now he should be enjoying his youth, not scheming.  The Doux of Messina has declared war on us today, citing an old claim to the county of Marsico. Luckily, we have the resources and the means to put a clamp on this upstart.  We've managed to intercept a smaller army the other day, a thousand men routed, though we've lost sight of the larger army. Our intelligence believes that they put out to sea and are preparing to land someone in one of our holdings.   In the meanwhile, I've organized some reforms in our bureaucratic and military structures to allow for better administration.  All the better since my nephew has just come of age. Our fortunes and opportunities are now in his hands.  We're in the middle of a War, but I fully expect to win it soon assuming we don't drop the ball bad
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May 1, 2014 06:44
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Can I just say I love the effort you're putting into the narrative? This is a fantastic read.
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May 1, 2014 23:43
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Ahaha, Iceland causing financial woes, eh. Bit further south than reality but still mighty amusing. Does that usually happen? Do they get special norse names for a doge?
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May 2, 2014 02:50
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pwnyXpress posted:Can I just say I love the effort you're putting into the narrative? This is a fantastic read. Aw thanks, I really appreciate that, I was worried my narrative might be clunky and too fanfictiony and not fun to read. I'm glad to hear people are enjoying it! Deceitful Penguin posted:Ahaha, Iceland causing financial woes, eh. Bit further south than reality but still mighty amusing. I'm honestly not sure if this happens often, I usually don't play merchant republics and this is my first time playing one with the HIP. Sadly no real cool special name for their Doge equivalent, he's just called a Paramount Chief instead of Doge.
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May 2, 2014 04:59
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Just wanted let you all know I haven't forgotten about this, I've been really busy with moving and job searching., but hopefully I'll have the next update up soon. Sorry about the wait.
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May 14, 2014 22:50
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  Update 9-A Time of Peace and War Sebastino the Second of house Goonikos was a notable scholar in the Middle Ages, his position as steward and high admiral of the Republic of Amalfi afforded him access to a wide swath of records and other accounts that few in this time had access to. A studious man, he made numerous transcriptions of the goings on in the Republic, on top of his numerous small treatises on theology and philosophy. While most have sadly been lost over time, we've been fortunate in recovering several journals and almanacs, which we believe were either written or ordered written by Sebastino. Spread out over several decades, these first sampling and compilations deal primarily with a two decade era of stability* in the Republic. *Stability meaning actual threats to the realm, as we'll see in the records, Amalfi went to war numerous times, but even invasions posed little threat at this juncture. When I consider my time as a young man, I often wonder if I could have done thing differently, there were many opportunities, to be sure, that I could have used to enhance my own position, yet it would seem that I failed to capitalize on some of them. After all, my past predecessors had all ascended to the position of Doge in their lives and here I am, more than twenty years past my ascent to manhood and still in service to the Republic. I never knew my father well enough, but from what my uncle said, he’d have not the patience for this kind of wait, and their father’s zealous drive made others cow to him. I too have many dreams for the future, yet still unfulfilled. But all I must remember are the cardinal virtue Plato laid out for the character of another. A fascinating read, I poured over it for hours in time as a student. A man must be just, courageous and temperate and above all, prudent. The first three I feel I learned quickly growing up, while the later, like all wisdom can only come with age.  I was thrown into the crucible at an early age. The Republic’s war against the Doux of Messina was slowly moving in our favor. Palermo, as it often has, suffered during this conflict as it was once again besieged by our foes and sacked, but we’d beaten back the main army of the Doux, and while he busied himself trying to siege Marsico, we were ravaging the country side of his lands.   The Doge, using his wartime powers appointed me to a dual position, the Steward of the Republic as well as High Admiral of the Navy. The former I could do quite well, I can tame books and numbers, but the waves and the sailors, those were whole different beasts. My military experience came from duels and small land maneuvers, but I decided to try and improve my form as best as I could. By day I wrote, by night I read old stories of naval warfare, from Themistocles of Athens to the Punic Wars.  One of our family’s agents in Britannia sent word to me of a woman quite killed in the courtly arts of diplomacy. I knew I had to marry to continue the family line and someone well versed in the arts of th court would be useful. Beorhtflaed was a fairly pretty girl, who had a knack for languages, though it took her several years to dispense with the Gaelic tone and speak a more proper Italian, though we made due with Latin for some time.  She also converted to the true church for the sake of conciliation within the family.  While the new married life put me in a festive mood, the state of affairs in the realm quashed much of that joy. My grandfathers ill-advised religious move to exile all Jews from Amalfi once again reared its ugly head when several of our smaller banks went under due to outstanding debts. These banks had been backed by several Jewish families, but with the exile and the confiscation of funds, the lenders had no collateral. So on top of the war, we now had a minor recession to contend with!  With our financial situation looking less stable, the Doge opted to end the war in a more expedient fashion. Clashing in the mountains of Marsico, our army crushed the Doux’s. With no force to speak of, the Doux ended the war, though not without paying heavy reparations. Weary from almost a year of fighting, we returned home.  My uncle sent me a letter several weeks later telling me about the birth of his new daughter, my cousin, Ansa. I supposes there is something poetic about returning home from so much death to find new life.  Doge Adalgisio also wasted no time in propping up the stability. The war, combine with the recession left many homeless and workless people in the city. Whereas in the past our Doge’s were less concerned with the small folks, Adalgisio spend a small fortune in building several bunkhouses near the pier and supplying the veterans with food. While it cost the Republic money, I can understand why he did it.  In addition, some of the money went to funding a new guild of watchmen for the city. While it had a good effect on reducing crime, some could be quiet. . .zealous in their pursuit of thieves. Still I can’t complain about the new found order Amalfi found.  Not all crime was stamped out though. . .  About a year or two passed with relatively little happening apart from the rebuilding. Marsico needed help due to the sieges and Palermo was still recovering from its numerous sieges, on top of one of the many outbreaks of slow fever on the island.* However, the count of Palermo died of poor health and his underage daughter took the throne. Seeing an opportunity, I decided to extend our zone of control from the City of Palermo to the whole county. If we could secure the fortresses of the land, then the city would have a better buffer should conflict break out again. *Due to the constant state of warfare Sicily had been under during the period of time, Typhus was extremely endemic in the area. Various historical accounts talk about the diseases appearing in waves and crests, usually after conflicts that tore across the island.  As I prepared to depart, I spent one last night with my wife before setting sail. . .  Unfortunately, the military arm of our family left something to be desired at this time. Apart from my beloved uncle, we struggled to find much military competence in our ranks. I opted to spend coin to recruit several wandering Condottieri to serve as advisers and generals.  The actual “War” could hardly be called that, it was in all honesty more of an occupation, the Countesses forces were pitiful and could hardly muster to the field, in all honesty they were more suited for defense behind the walls of the castles and monasteries, which is where almost all of them stayed.  I was initially concerned when I received word that the Countess had married and were bringing in her husband’s forces, but I had little to fear, as his lands were quite far away and sparse.* *Contrary to Sebastino’s opinion, the Doux Gregorios actually controlled several other holdings apart from his seat of power on the Aegean islands; one of these holdings was on the Italian peninsula itself. He had access to around three thousand men at arms, but chose not to deploy them. This, according to Professor Williams over in the department of Byzantine History, was due to the Doux having access to few ships. Without a large enough fleet, he couldn’t deploy a strong enough concentration of men to help his wife without risking his army being destroyed piecemeal.  After several months of long, but uneventful sieges, and no reinforcements, the Countess had no choice but to capitulate. She still had another holding deeper on the island. Eventually we’d make plans to try and take that as well, but not for many, many years. I returned home to find a new, but quite welcoming sight. I know my cousin’s name is that as well, but Ansa is such a beautiful name.  My sister Argentina also came of age, I began to look for potential suitors for her.  As we settled down once more to consolidate, troubling news from the north began to filter in. It would seem that King Hugues had been taken by a spark of madness, while nowhere as severe as my great grandfather’s, he nevertheless had retreated from court life out of a paranoid fear of his courtiers, though he took little action against him.  Taking advantage of this, the Duke of Spoleto pressed a claim on a border province, while further north, the Carolingien armies poured in, to press King Karlmann’s claim for Lombardia’s throne. In a vicious battle outside Turin, Hugues’s army was completely shattered and the mad king was taken prisoner. He was forced to surrender his crown to his cousin.   Marching to Rome, Karlmann took the title of Emperor for himself as the Pope laid a crown upon his head.  Ruling a land that stretches from the Baltic to the Adriatic Sea, the Holy Roman Empire is the largest realm in Europe since Charlamange’s grand imperium, though Karlmann would eventually have great difficulties maintaining this monolithic empire.  Though around this time, our concerns were more local, we’d routed the last bastion of resistance in Sicily and consolidated our forces around Palermo.  In addition to the city, we found ourselves in charge of the fortress of Musulumeli in the eastern frontier of Palermo. While we’re always looking for more holding to enhance the wealth and prestige of our branch of the family, I instead opted to reward this large estate to my uncle Salvatore. I wouldn’t have reached my position without his guidance and it was the least I could do in the name of conciliation for the crimes my father committed against him.  With our foothold on Sicily strengthened (recalling the old senatorial decrees), I opted to embark on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After years of study and reading of Jesus’s exploits and messages, I had to see the land where he spoke the Gospel for myself.  The journey started out incredibly rough, days of torrential rain fell on my ship as we made our way across the sea. While the storms posed no danger to our ship, the cold conditions made it a trial for my men and I.  We made port in Acre, we had to make our way to Jerusalem by foot, I didn’t mind too much, if Christ had to walk around these lands, then so could I. I was pleasantly surprised though when a contingent of Hospitalar knights met our small group and gave us escort to the city. While normally the Templars are the guards of the road, I had little to complain about with their company.  Jerusalem, oh how can I describe it? Thousands of people move from one end to another, a massive throng one has to work at to move past. Yet, here lies the focal point of Christianity. I journeyed to many a place while I stayed here, the Church of the Nativity, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the Mount of Olives, I could go on. Here marked the land where Jesus and his Gospel was given to sinful man, here is where our savior met his end at the hands of man. . .  Yet for the aw and presence of the land, I felt more drawn to the old libraries of the temples and churches around the cities, tomes as old as the Roman Empire lined their walls and before I knew it, I lost my self in the priceless works. Theological discourses, debates, matters of philosophy and work, I was truly at home and even felt more close to the lord then before, using the gifts given to me.  My time in the holy city came to an all to rapid end, and while I was reluctant to depart, I did receive some wonderful news when I returned home. . . Yes those were good times.  There were problems however. The Roman decided that they wanted to eventually reassert their authority over the south of Italy. The Emperor, sending g over one of his “Counts” worked to fabricate a claim on Palermo. When the “ambassador” made mention of this “ancient” claim, I “politely” showed him the door.  If that wasn’t enough though, I learned to my horror that my own mother had her own machinations towards our land. While she hasn’t acted on them I did grow concerned. My mother became a touch strange in her elder years and while I was fairly certain she wouldn’t raise a sword against her own child, I couldn’t be sure.  Around this time my son was born, I opted to name him after his uncle, the finest man I knew.  I had made arraignments for my sister to marry the King of Bosnia. While his lands were small, he was also a neighbor of the Holy Roman Empire. Should the worse ever come to pass, Bosnia, along with our allies in Spoleto would serve as useful buffers against the Germans.  We were also shocked to learn about the death of Prince Holmger, apparently his old wounds never quite healed and one day his servant awoke to him screaming in pain as a boiling yellow puss filled his empty eye sockets. A fortnight later he died in agony. And so ended the tale of the Blinded Man, though mothers and wet nurses still speak of him to wide eyed and impressionable children. *Forgot to get a screen shot of the declaration of war*  . . .The Aghlab made another push into Sicily to try and reclaim the island for their faith. They launched a surprise assault on Palermo while we marshalled our forces in Amalfi. True we weren’t in charge of the Republic, but I wasn’t going to let Goonikos holdings burn under the heel of invaders.  I was at the command of our galleys that made the landing in Palermo. Near seventy ships, filled with thousands of warriors made landfall in the dead of night. A small contingent of our soldiers had snuck into the province while the Muslims returned to their province to resupply. As these brave men held out on the walls, our reinforcements came. As our men landed on the beaches, I watched through my spyglass as the defenders held with spear and crossbow.  The resulting rout forced the Aghlab to end their bloody war. Sitting on that ship though, not leading my men. . .it left me feeling impotent. I may have been able to swing a blade, but I was honest enough to know that on the field I’d be fairly useless. After our latest defense, I vowed to improve my martial skills. I heard talk of a warrior of some renown visiting Amalfi. . .       . . .Suffice to say the man was. . .unorthodox, but I couldn’t fault what he’d taught me, it just took time to really settle in. I still wonder where he’s gone sometimes though.  Though my mentor was odd, the strangest thing to ever happen to me happened later on, shortly after his departure. My son Salvatore was three, and people had noticed strange tidings in our estate. My son was always a quiet baby, he made no fuss, or much noise for that matter, yet harm to others seemed to make him laugh, but I passed it up to a child enjoying a sense of slapstick. But when the horses in the stable backed away from him, vicious whispers in our halls claimed that my boy was a spawn of Satan! While slanderous to be sure, I knew that I was still wholly unqualified from a theological perspective to assess this, I went to our spiritual advisor for help.  My relief when he assured me that the boy wasn’t the spawn of the devil filled my heart with an immeasurable amount of joy. *  Though I’m still not sure where that nun came from.  But I couldn’t fault her intelligence and skills and I wasn’t one to push away talented individuals from my family. ** * While scholars continue to debate this, the general consensus is that Salvatore may have simply suffered from some sort of unknown developmental disability, which could account for his strange behavior. ** No record of this nun exists apart from a couple passing mentions in journals recovered from Amalfi  My steward proved that readily, gold flowed into our coffers like water over a fall.  We put those funds to good use as well. . .  The icon ended up being re purposed though, my uncle passed away from one of the slow fever outbreaks shortly before the artist began to work on it. As we entombed Salvatore in our family chapel, I had the young man paint the icon of Saint George above Salvatore’s tomb. I could never undo the stain of dishonor my father, but I did all I could do for the man who raised me as one of his own.  A week later, my son passed into the lords embrace as well. . .I still find it hard to write about.  My wife though gave me news though that our family would still grow. Imagine my relief when I learned I would be a father once more. . .  Only to have that cruelly taken from me. I withdrew from the world, a man can only do so much. . . so much before it weighs heavily on him. Children pass often, for this is a cruel world, and not all of us have the resilience of Job when everyone you care for is torn from your embrace.  I hardly even recall hearing about the Muslim’s renewed jihad for Jerusalem, I had retreated to my study, for god knows how long.  Even in dream I could find no relief from the crushing perils of this mortal coil. A pious man would resist, but for a man who’d been beaten down, how could one resist when deep down you know it only to be in your mind?  Evidently my mind is less resilient than I believed. . .  The jihad was going well according the scrolls, letters and missives I received. My dual duties left me with much to do, and kept me occupied. As the crusaders were pushed back, they desperately tried to curry favor with the Holy Orders in order to bring more soldiers to the fight.  Corsairs prying the Levantine Sea made supplying the Crusaders difficult, but we continued about this as best we could, for their gold was still good.  In the end though, their numbers were too great, and our trade fleet occupied its self for several months with evacuating survivors from the ordeal.  While I organized new trade missions and upgrades to our outposts, I learned that our theological efforts in Palermo bore fruit.  The Doge preoccupied himself with a war against our erstwhile Spoletan ally. I sent no Goonikos men to this fight between Papists.  I was briefly roused from my office when some of peasants began to cry foul about a dragon in the wilderness near our palace. Mustering a contingent of four hundred men, we scoured the woods to discover their “dragon” was nothing more than a curious bear.  Returning to me familiar quarters though, I found a swell of missives and other notes. Apparently the Doux of Messina had passed and his young daughter had taken over. Our trade post in Messina was quite profitable, but I recalled the wars and instability that plagued the area, and I knew I had to act. A short term imbalance was more preferable to long term uncertainty, plus this would give us a foothold to controlling the nearby straights. Mustering our men, I declared war.  Unfortunately we ran into problems, our mercenaries, retainers, guards, sailors and others needed time to assemble; this left a lot of men with coin in their pocket, and a hunger for wine, women and excitement. A few. . .overzealous employees got into a brawl with several Musco retainers in a tavern, when the fight spilled out into the streets, triggering a chain reaction. It took the guard nearly a week to end the insanity.  But once our forces were assembled, the actual fight was trivial, the Douxess had little force to spare, so our army mostly spent the war camped outside Taourmenion.  As began to consolidate our hold on the city, the countryside had problems with instability. My Marshall and my cousin investigated reports of poaching.  It turned out that the poachers were a group of young ones who lost their families in the siege, starvation is. . .rather unpleasant and I could sympathise to a degree. I brought them into our employee for a fixed time until they repay the cost of the animals they stole.  Workers in the city worked on rebuilding, again damage had been relatively minimal during the siege, but my men’s looting was. . .rather regretful. Still it allowed us to employ a fair number of skilled workers.  The Doge though, had his one of his bishops wandering around Amalfi trying to sway as many as he could from the true church back to the embrace of the Bishop of Rome.  Not all the Papist bishops were bad though.  Doge Adalgisio wasn’t one to rest on his laurels though. He knew about my plans and designs for Messina, but I didn’t expect what he did next. Citing our ownership of Taourmenion, he launched an invasion of the rest of Messina in the name of the Republic, though we all knew he was really doing this to try and claim some land for his own family. Still since this was technically a war for the republic, I couldn’t refuse the call to deploy Goonikos soldiers to assist.   Once again, the combat was less of a fight and more of a sweep.  Soon Amalfi had more control of Sicily.  With our expanded holdings and our need for more soldiers, I’ve taken to upgrading our palace to have a proper archive room to keep up with the massive influx of paperwork and organization we need to keep our forces sharp.  Some of my business dealing ran into unexpected problems as we expanded the palace. I ordered our servants to avoid the areas where the construction was going on while they carried food.  As I began to work less from my office and more with the Republic again, I had to deal with a harsh reality. I was nearing forty, and still had no male heir. While my uncle’s line survived with my cousin Anupert and his children, I knew dynasties greater than ours had been felled by calamities when they had more members than ours. It broke my heart to do so, in almost twenty years of marriage, I had gotten quite close with Beorhtflaed, she was a good woman to me and as I said earlier, quite sharp. Alas though, shed turned forty and knew that she’d likely bear me no more children. For the good of the family. . .for the good of the future republic, I needed to take action. I filed for divorce.  My new wife wasn’t as skilled as her, but still she had a good head for diplomacy, she was quite happy to help where I asked her and she worked hard at whatever task I gave her. She also had a voracious appetite, but not for food. . .  As we celebrated our wedding, we received news from the South, Aghlab was on the march one more!  Luckily we had more men than last time and were able to land a sizable before much of the countryside was ravaged by the invaders.  Casualties were high, but in the cold arithmetic of war, we could absorbed them better than the Muslim.  A red comet marked a grim portent of this war, while many took it as a sign of our victory (indeed the Muslim would capitulate three weeks later), I took it as a symbol of all the soul’s that this damned island has claimed so far.  Though I did receive comforting news from home. Thing began to look up once more. . .  My daughter was married to the Duke of Venice.  My wife gave birth to a fine son, whom I named after his granduncle and his older brother.  Our mercantile endeavors and our holdings are working with optimal efficiency.  Justice continues to prevail.   The Papists are preparing yet another invasion of the Holy Land. I wish them luck, but won't hold my breath. Our dear Doge passed away. . .  And his replacement is a drunken fool whose likely not long for this world. There is only one problem, his next successor would be a Musco. I began to work at rectifying that problem. . .     . . .Though I will admit that it’s taking more an effort than I though it would.   Even my dreams calm me now. As I finish compiling more records and almanacs for the republic, I can only ponder what more may come in the future.  ******************************************************************************** /Included also is the Encyclopedia Mondo, a work done by Sebastino during his tenure as Admiral and Steward of the Republic. While he preferred to stay in his office in Amalfi to compile records from his captains, on occasion he would venture out to see the sights of the world for himself. This Encyclopedia is a brief snapshot of the world, compiled as a report for the office of the Doge.  My Doge, to the west lies Iberia. While the land has been torn apart by constant warfare these past forty years, it would appear that for the moment it remains at peace. The title of Asturias appears to have fallen by the wayside as the title of King of Castile has become the preeminent title for the Spanish nobles. However, a small rump kingdom centered around the city of Porto has been established to the south of Castile, carved out of territory taken from the Muslims. In addition, Navarre has reclaimed land it lost to Gascony and has even expanded slightly to the east, though only time will tell of such lands will stay put. The Umayyad Caliphate continues to reign Supreme over half the peninsula however, with a small Aquitaine dependency filling a small space to the north.  Francia is still divided in three parts. Aquitaine has reabsorbed Gascony, but not before Navarre reclaimed most of its land and then some. However, Aquitaine has also managed to capture the southern portions of Lotharingia and most of what was once Burgundy, while West Francia has absorbed most of northern Lotharingia. The Kingdom of Britanny continues to stubbornly hold out despite pressures from both sides.  The "Holy Roman Empire" has managed to recover from its civil wars* and is more or less in the same condition when it was first founded, sans its territories south of the Alps. The current emperor has set his sights to the pagan tribes to the east, though so far has had little luck in converting or conquering them, the tribes centered around Bohemia in particular have been offering stiff resistance.  My captains report that the Isles of Britannia are in the middle of a power struggle that pulls several different directions. Geographically, Alba and Erie are the largest entities there, but the lack the population of the central portions of the island, and both kingdoms have relatively weak laws of succession. The Dukes of Wessex, Eastangle and Doubnia all vie for influence and power, while the Jarl of Jorvik continues to lose ground against Alba and Doubnia. The pagan Kingdom of Isles and Man continues to hold out against Alban invasion though.  Further north, my captain say, lies Iceland, the other major trading power of the world. Isolated from Mediterranean trade, the chiefs of the island have been making large quantities of coin trading with the Britannia and Scandinavia, their trade unmolested by other competitors.  Scandinavia has been divided roughly in two, the Kingdom of Norway falling to Sweden. The Pagan Swedes have been pushing to the East, fighting other pagan groups to secure more bitter cold wasteland. The Danes meanwhile have been consolidating their own power, though transfers from the south indicate that Christ's message is making its way through the place.  Pushing as far as he could with the Baltic trade routes, one of my more adventurous ships managed to make contact with the elusive Permian Kingdom. While still the preeminent power in the region, they have suffered the dual setback of losing a war to Sweden, and losing their old king, who was responsible for much of Perm's conquests. With his death, the Kingdom hemorrhaged several provinces and only time will tell if they regain those lands. Novgorod continues to stagnate in the face of Permian pressure.  In the steppes a three way struggle, similar to Britannia, is also taking place. The Crimean Khanate has been rapidly expanding in all directions, with some gains being made against the kingdom Volga-Bulgaria, who had the misfortune of being placed between the Permian and the Crimeans. The Kingdom of Ruthenia (successor to the Kingdom of Kiev), continues to try and consolidate its own power, but has had a string of internal problems which has prevented it from growing significantly from the borders laid out by its original Norse Conquerors.  Hungary continues to dominate the Balkans, though our allies in Bosnia still serve as a useful bulwark and counterbalance in the region. The independent duchy of Dalmatia continues to face invasion from the Serbian and Bosnian kingdoms though, and marriage alliances along with war has kept the borders between Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Wallachia fluid.  The Roman Empire reigned supreme in the region though, none of the other kingdoms can hold a candle to the might and glory of Constantinople. A surprisingly powerful Kingdom of Georgia has managed to keep the steppe tribes at bay, while both Rome and Georgia continue to chip away at heretical Armenia.  Wandering merchants have managed to help us fill in some of the gaps in our maps of the East. According to the travelers, the to predominant powers are the Caliphates of Al-Abbas and Saffar. The Al-Abbas they claim rule an empire that stretches from Anatolia past the Red Sea, and includes the holy and and Egypt in its domain as well. The only thing stopping them is an almost equally large Saffar Caliphate. the to it is said, are always competing with each other for power and influence. I hope this is not the case, because were it to be true, that would mean the crusading armies haven't been facing the full might of the A;-Abbas during the wars for the Holy Land. . .  To our south lies our familiar enemies of El Aghlab. They've been reduced somewhat since the early years, but that doesn't mean they're any less dangerous, we've just had good fortune in our wars, and one should never count on luck alone. While they may be heathens, it may behoove ourselves to look to the Banu of Rustam for help when the Aghlab attack again.  I do apologize for this map in advance, there are so many small powers and division to our north that it is difficult to keep track of them all. The teal colored areas are controlled by the Duke of Venice, our now ally. The Duke also happens to control the largest area of Italia, followed shortly behind by the Duke of Milan (the purple areas), with the Tuscan duke close behind (in yellow). Of note though is the independent city-state of Pisa, which has recently established its self as a merchant republic. While still small, they might try and interfere with our trade, though at this point, we control so much trade in the area we might be able to strangle their profits before they even begin.  To our west lies Corsica (which has recently gained independence) and Sardinia. Sardinia is still not yet united by the descendants of Holmger, but they've only one more province until they've united the island under their rule.  Finally of course, is our realms and Southern Italia. The Aghlab continue to hold southern Sicily, while the Roman Empire still has a tenuous grip on a handful of provinces. The duchy of Messina has recently split and to our east lies the rump of the once mighty kingdom of Lotharingia. Finally to our north lies my mother's provinces, she is still our nominal ally even if her mind has been going as of late.  Here is a map of the wold I've had commissioned for you as well!
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May 22, 2014 21:10
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Well, that was something different. Can't say I've ever had the demonspawn die of poo poo luck while still a child.
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May 22, 2014 21:19
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TheMcD posted:Well, that was something different. Can't say I've ever had the demonspawn die of poo poo luck while still a child. Thing is, I'm not sure if he was the demonspawn or not. From what I understand, this when this event chain fires and you take your kid to the priest (like I did), they'll usually say "yep, he's a demon", but in this case, he didn't, so maybe the kid wasn't a span of Satan. Either way though I was so disappointed that I didn't get a demon baby with witches, that would have taken this lp in different directions for sure 
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May 22, 2014 21:31
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Jimmy4400nav posted:Thing is, I'm not sure if he was the demonspawn or not. From what I understand, this when this event chain fires and you take your kid to the priest (like I did), they'll usually say "yep, he's a demon", but in this case, he didn't, so maybe the kid wasn't a span of Satan. Once the first event triggers, the child is definitely a demon spawn. The Chaplain's response only depends on his traits and doesn't really change anything.
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May 22, 2014 21:39
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TheMcD posted:Once the first event triggers, the child is definitely a demon spawn. The Chaplain's response only depends on his traits and doesn't really change anything. Really? Aw man now I'm really sad, a demon infested Amalfi would have been interesting, I'm just imagining the senate hall now.  SENATORS! If you support my Invade All of Europe proposal, I'll make you all grand princes in the sixth or seventh level of Hell!
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May 22, 2014 21:50
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I've never seen the bishop not just go "Nah everything's fine" and then have the kid turn out to be the spawn of satan anyway, especially if the creepy nanny appears.
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May 23, 2014 10:44
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So is this totally dead? It was such a good read. 
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Jul 8, 2014 21:09
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pwnyXpress posted:So is this totally dead? It was such a good read. Actually, I have an almost complete update sitting on my computer, between work and other things in real life I've had a bit of a hard time actually sitting down and editing things, I was actually hoping to get to it and get an update out in the next day or two.
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Jul 9, 2014 05:20
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UPDATE 10-Consolidation Contained here in the library of the University of Rome is a piece of the original manuscript of one Alfonso Petna, an Italian playwright whom in the mid 900's wrote the poetic epic Percorsi di Olympia, or the Paths of Olympus. Hailing from the Greek portions of Southern Italy, Alfonso was inspired by the tales of his youth and of the myths of old to write small plays for patrons of the various patricians whom inhabited the region. By happenstance he arrived in Amalfi in 947 AD where he found patronage among the members of the Musco patrician family. On their pay for several years, he crafted several plays and poems detailing the political situation of Amalfi, casting the Musco in a favorable light, while painting their rivals more negatively. It is believed that while this time was firmly set in the Middle Ages, the Musco were playing a long game of trying to influence opinion among the educated elites of the Republic. In one particular passage, near the opening of the poem, Alfonso creates a scene which is a very thin parody of Sebastiano Goonikos, the head of the Musco's rival family, the Goonikos, and later the next Doge of the Republic. Readers will no doubt note the similarities between the Percorsi di Olympia and the Divina Commedia written by Dante Alighieri nearly 400 years later. While most copies of the Olympia were destroyed on orders of Doge Sebastiano, and Alfonso himself was exiled to Dalmatia, a few manuscripts survived. One of which made its way to the Merchant Republic of Pisa where it sat in the library of one of the patricians of the city. The actual influence of the Olympia on Dante is unknown, but given the similar structures and political styles of both poems, many scholars at least suspect some inspiration. For your pleasure, a portion of the manuscript, it's lettering enlarged for the viewing of the general public... Astride in the distance, beyond the haze of the Leth Beheld I did the great gate and its guardian of three heads Exasperated, I bespoke How thou shall we seek entrance? Was answer’d “though the will of Zeus and his power  Yet Zeus had already given his will to this soul From the styix he had been liberated from in times prior Yet here we were in the land of the dead in pursuit.   Worry not” the spirit spoketh For the passage has been already paid, two lives anew afford us passage Their innocence bulwarks us neith their aegis. Indeed, the beast unmolested us as we passed the river The great portal opened to reveal the kingdom of the dead Below, stood three gnarled trees Their wood bleached a putrid white The faces carved within frozen in their stern expressions The branches above whipping around in a maelstrom of activity Flinging souls into the darkness beyond in silent judgment. Beckoning me forward, my guide played his lyre and parted the dead Climbing upon a small mesa, we looked over the proceedings, A lone figure stood before the three judges Their task momentarily paused, in recognition of the soul before them. Minos spoketh first Presented here is one of unbefitting moral fortitude.  A blackmailer, one who deals in half-truths and false secrets!  A schemer whose avarice for more knew no bounds       And a thief as well One whom let the dishonor of their ill begotten task be blamed One whom confessed not his sin to the lord Or indeed repented in the sight of his misbegotten ways. For thou, I pronounce thee guilty! Rhadamanthus spoke next.       Not just a thief For I pronounce thou a murderer Not once but twice, and dare I suspect even thrice dammed! One whom betrayed the confidence of his own lord and superior To become one who sits upon the empty throne of bones and lies Whose lifeblood flows that of the innocents! For thou I pronounce thee guilty! Finally Aeacus spoke last. Does thou wish to speaketh to thy defense? To protest thy innocence in the face of judgment Could one even dare to do so, before the final sentence? At once the figure raised his head and extended his bare arms His voice carrying the pleas of a desperate man, Yet still he spoke with such eloquence and conviction that one could believe almost in his innocence. Kind judges, I interseech Judge me not by the harsh actions taken to secure peace For I did what was done as a loving father would do to protect a family Or a farmer his land Or a lord his kingdom. Judge me instead by my qualities   I loved my children and reared them with such tender care To my son I taught him the value of work and diligence to please the lord To my daughter I left a sharp mind who’d not accept idle babble and chat or mere utterances for truth!  To my wife, I left an everlasting love that’ll long outlive even my faint mortal coil For one whom was so devoted, I could give but sadly one eternity for.  To my allies I was staunch When the banner was raised I followed When the drums of war sounded I marched  When the fields beckoned I went willingly I lead from the front as a lord should To fight as all men should   When the clash of swords faded, I stood victorious. When it ended, I brought peace to my ally!     While yes my methods were crude I was not idle upon my time as ruler I brought forward the word of god to the heathens so cruelly denied his loving word I brought forward the word of god to the heretics, so callously lead astray by false shepherds. Aeacus spoke once more His voice trembling with the fury of a thousand winds The cavern whose reach knew no bounds shook at his voice It carried a thunder to rival Zeus You dare! You dare to stand and proclaim piety?!? In the face of your last known scheme It dwelt in your mind, yet you thought it Look not surprised at our knowledge, for our sight is limitless And your conniving mind isn't immune to the gods and their servants. For your crimes, I name thee guilty! With that a tendril of pure shadow Whose form couldn't be discerned Sprung forth from the cavern ground And encircled the man Dragging him below To the foul pits of Tartarus… One can't help but ponder what was going through the mind of Doge Sebastiano when the poem was discovered by him, though again, the burnings of the copies and Alfonso's exile suggest that he was at least somewhat displeased...  Hmmmm, a particular read, the structure is odd, but the decision to cast modern structures in the context of old mythology was a rather genius stroke, I just wish I didn't get it so bad in the begining. Make sure to add this to my collection. Still, I can't encourage this kind of insubordination, I'll have to remeber to ask my guards to send this man far away, though make sure to give him some coin, it'd be a shame to lose a scribe such as this. Oh yes, back to business...SENATORS! I welcome you back to this hallowed hall, I know its been a while, and many of your families have likely moved on from this, but those that remain, I do thank you for your patience and loyalty. With this reconvening, a new era for Amalfi has emerged, one I hope will be long lasting and glorious. In a spirit of reconciliation, I would like to announce that ALL PREVIOUS PARTY BANS ARE HEREBY REVOKED! Let all whom wish to debate and legislate have the floor. Onto business though. Currently, we're assisting the Venetians in a war against the Northern Invaders, its of little note to be true, we're routed their armies and their provinces are falling, however once this war ends we need to proceed to our next matter. We have a claim on the province of Kroton as well, the Duchy of Messina is weak so we'll likely be launching a strike there as soon as we are able, though if you oppose this action, please speak. My mother passed away some time ago, and my son was named Heir to the Dutchy of Capua. While normally this would be a joyous announcement, there comes problems with this, namely my son is now disqualified from any inheritance in the Republic. If that wasn't bad enough, a drunkard is in charge of educating and ruling in his stead...for the next eleven years.   Finally, since my son cannot inherit the Republic, my heir now is my sole remaining male relative, my uncle Aunepert, who in turn only has one son, who in turn only has one son and a bad habit of losing wives to illness. On top of that, Aunepert and his family aren't the most capable bunch, a far cry from his father to be sure. Should I perish, Aunepert will inherit the Republic (he's been a figure in prominence for years now and all the other patrician lords are still young). While my wife and I are still relatively young and could potentially have more heirs, it will take them time to mature to become worthy successors. However, there is an option, we could go to war with my own son. I myself have a weak claim to Capua by virtue of my mother, I could press this claim and take the duchy and add it to the Republic. However I will have a...reputation of betraying allies as a result (fighting one's own kin is never a good sign to anyone).  In addition, with the territory we control, we could potentially craft a whole new title for our control of this region. While it technically is called kingdom, it would be a Republic. Still with a titular title, it would take longer for people to see it as legitimate, but on the other hand, we'd officially become a Most Serene Republic, even if it is in name only for the begining. So senators, should we make the title? I also have an up to date almanac on hand if you require any new information about the world, the last version is still relatively up to date so if you wish to use that state of the world, it'll be fine, since it's still relatively similar. As is tradition, I will be giving members 24 HOURS TO ORGANIZE AND REGISTER PARTIES AND FACTIONS. Votes will be held after. Good luck senators, and welcome back. 
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Jul 10, 2014 21:10
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Once more the Nova Roma party forms. Ready to lead Amalfi into imperium. For newcomers, here's a summary of the Nova Roma party. We like 1. Togas 2. Latin Names 3. Greek Orthodoxy 4. Expansion 5. Military Supremacy 6. Acquiring all the Romes 7. Mare Nostrum We dislike 1. In order from greatest to least, Muslims, Pagans, and Catholics 2. The Byzantine Empire (We are the true heirs of rome!) Motto: Amalfi is the true successor of Rome unwantedplatypus fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Jul 10, 2014 |
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Jul 10, 2014 21:47
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Mercantilist Faction, back in action.
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Jul 10, 2014 21:49
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Partito Afrika is here to take action. We seek to recreate the Republic of Carthage and expand forthwith into Africa. Blackunknown fucked around with this message at 02:10 on Jul 11, 2014 |
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Jul 10, 2014 23:15
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unwantedplatypus posted:Once more the Nova Roma party forms. Ready to lead Amalfi into imperium. Sounds good to me. I'm in.
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Jul 11, 2014 02:06
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Partito Ombreggiato back in action. My liege, you've been up to some impressive work. 
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Jul 11, 2014 06:16
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Partito Imperialista reforms to serve.
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Jul 11, 2014 08:16
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Just a friendly reminder that there are  4 hours left to either register your party or sign onto another!
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Jul 11, 2014 19:25
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AJ_Impy posted:Partito Imperialista reforms to serve. I and return to serve the Partito Imperialista.
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Jul 12, 2014 00:01
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With such low membership do we still have COR? If so, I propose a temporary joinder between the Nova Roma party and Partito Imperialista so we may gain majority party status. This joinder would be called The Roma-Imperialista Party. What do you say AJ_Impy?
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Jul 12, 2014 00:39
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unwantedplatypus posted:With such low membership do we still have COR? Voting is closed, but in light of this alliance proposal, I'll hold off on the next part of legislation until AJ responds!
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Jul 12, 2014 05:26
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I accept the offer, our interests coincide sufficiently that we can draw up mutually beneficial legislation.
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Jul 13, 2014 16:04
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And with that we are moving into the legislative session. The The Roma-Imperialista Party is the sole full party this session while all other parties fall into COR representation this session. Gentlemen, have at it, remember, we need decisions on what to do with my son as well as the title, along with any other legislation you all see fit to introduce and possibly pass.
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Jul 13, 2014 17:11
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I'm in favour of claiming the title, it gives us better options. Likewise, war with our son to put him in line for the inheritance once more. He can have the title when he's older. Thoughts, gentlemen?
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Jul 13, 2014 22:52
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AJ_Impy posted:I'm in favour of claiming the title, it gives us better options. Likewise, war with our son to put him in line for the inheritance once more. He can have the title when he's older. Thoughts, gentlemen? I support this course of action. Our son will understand, eventually.
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Jul 13, 2014 22:56
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Claim the title, stab the son.
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Jul 14, 2014 19:01
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War the son, but don't make the title. Making a higher level title means that vassals start getting uppity about decentralization, and that's no fun.
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Jul 14, 2014 19:05
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The views of the Mercantilist faction are duly noted, but the Roma-Imperialista caucus appears to have a majority in favour.
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Jul 14, 2014 19:31
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AJ_Impy posted:The views of the Mercantilist faction are duly noted, but the Roma-Imperialista caucus appears to have a majority in favour. Indeed so far it looks like the general consensus seems to be in favor of forming the title as soon as feasible, as well as waring with my son. I'll leave matters open for another day before finalizing everything, so if you all have any other proposals feel free to submit them for discussion.
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Jul 14, 2014 22:39
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I just wanted to let you all know this is NOT dead, real life has been super busy so I've sadly had little time for my internet commitments, but I promise the next chapter will be coming soon!
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Aug 15, 2014 19:48
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Heh. Ahh, life, the bane of LPS.
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Aug 24, 2014 02:36
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Deceitful Penguin posted:Heh. Yep, unfortunately that free time failed to materialize and its hard to keep up internet commitments so I think I'm going to have to put this on pause, sorry guys, I'll try and get back to this as soon as I can and keep a consistent rate.
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Aug 27, 2014 19:22
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