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 I am going to steal the description for this thread directly from my last thread and there's nothing you can do about it. Clayren posted:
That about sums it up. If you saw my last thread from a year ago the format will be pretty similar. We'll be starting out in Iowa and when that gets boring (that is, when I become very powerful) I'll let the AI take over the current dynasty and hold a vote on where we'll be heading next. I like to keep continuity, but it is possible that a save file might get eaten along the way. Also, besides the mod itself, I have installed just about everything DLC-wise, except for some of the texture packs and music packs that don't really do much to change the gameplay. So if you haven't gotten conclave yet and aren't sure if you want to I hope to show off the add-on some. Updates will be one or two a week, barring any future unforeseen difficulties. Lineage of House Huether and Sheepeater:  Timeline +++++++++++++++ House Huether ----------- A merchant family of Rostmann origins, the Huether's built a moderate merchant business in the Republic of the Four Cities. When internal issues tore the realm apart Jacob Huether sold off his family business to hire an army and reclaim Rock Island from the Norse pagans who had conquered it. He became lord of that county and pledged his fealty to the Catholic Kingdom of Iowa. ----------- Reign of Jacob I  Mighty conqueror of Rock Island, who led the storming of the Red Tower, who refounded the house of Huether in blood rather than gold, who had but one son by an unknown Commanche. Background 2668 ________________ Reign of Josiah I  Scourge of the Badgerlings,victorious in conquest of the Quad Cities and the duchy of Coulee, who was known as the Duke of the Quad Cities, who fathered two sons and two daughters by his faithful wife Evanora of the noble house of Gammton, remembered as Josiah the Fat. Background 2668 2668 - 2678 2678 - 2681 2681 - 2690 2690 - 2700 2700 - 2700 ________________ Reign of Otis I  Conqueror of Iowa, victorious in conquest of Forgottonia, who traveled far and brought the Eagle Crown from Quebec, who was known as the King of Iowa, whose wife was Betsy of the ancient house of Greysnow, whose bastards were many, remembered as Otis I the Usurper. 2700 - 2707 2700 - 2715 2715 - 2720 2720 - 2726 ________________ Reign of Otis I  Wise scholar and enemy of heretics, victorious against rebellious lords, wearer of the Eagle Crown and lord of the Five Golden Domes of Des Moines, who was known as king of Iowa, remembered as Otis II the Scholar. 2727 - 2732 ________________ Reign of Andrew I  Unifier of Missouri,who wore two crowns, bane of pagans, savior of Chicago,wearer of the Eagle Crown and lord of the Five Golden Domes of Des Moines, who was known as King of Iowa and of Missouri, called Andrew I the Bastard, remembered as Andrew I the Great. 2732 - 2740 ///State of the World 2740/// 2740 - 2749 2749 - 2757 2757 - 2763 ________________ Reign of Andrew II  Father of the Empire, who unified the crowns of Iowa, Missouri and Platte and formed the crown of the Ozarks, the lawgiver who formalized the bureaucracy of the Heartlands and was crowned First Emperor. 2763 - 2769 2769 - 2776 +++++++++++++++ ///State of the World 2776/// +++++++++++++++ House Sheepeater ----------- Accepted into the court of Duchess Perpetua Olshey of West Snake after saving her heir's life from Haidan raiders, the half-feral druidess Belva Sheepeater later married Otis I, unacknowledged bastard of King Otis I and an unlanded lady of the minor Coloradan house Glass. Their son, Jim I, led an expedition of mercenaries and adventurers to retake the duchy of Silver Bow from the Mormons and later conquered West Snake after it fell to the Kingdom of Washington. Now the Gaian lands once ruled by Jim I are divided between his two daughters, Jesseca I and Raina II. ----------- _________________________ Clayren fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Aug 6, 2016 |
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Jun 19, 2016 01:34
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Isaiah 40 posted:6The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All mankind is grass, and all the glories thereof is as the flower of the field:  It took four generations of Heuther men to turn a fledgling salt trading business into one of the major merchant families in the Quad-Cities Republic. It took only a few years for all that work to be thrown away. Jacob Heuther at 43 years old should have been tempered by his years, but he had always been the second son and his father had seen no need to discourage his youngest son's rambunctious ways. With Jacob's elder brother Josiah and his two sons ready to inherit leadership of the family, the course of succession appeared as smooth and sure as the Mississippi. But the Mississippi's course was not sure on the day that Josiah and his sons set off on a routine trip down the river to New Orleans. In 2656 a massive hurricane hit the Gulf Coast, causing the Mississippi to reverse course at a great speed. Few ships on the river at that time survived and the Huether family found itself without an heir. Jacob was sent for and he readily returned from Cammancheria, where he had been serving as a mercenary commander against the Atomicists of the southwest.  A brash military man with a weakness for drink and women, Jacob was in no way ready to takeover the family's many business interests, but it was hoped that his father might instruct him for a time and get him ready. These hopes ended in 2659, when the elder Huether passed on, leaving command of the family in Jacob's hands. The Huether family had been a key supporter of the ruling family in the Republic of the Four Cities and the sudden weakness of Huether leadership tempted a number of Quad City vassals to declare independence. The civil war that resulted saw the county of Galena gain independence and in the chaos Rock Island was lost to Northman pagans, who began to use the large island as a base from which to raid the shipping along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. Jacob's family urged him to stay loyal to the Wright family, but Jacob was, as ever, a brash man. He sold the family business empire, every piece of it, and hired his old mercenary company. He led the hardened veterans against the heathens of Rock Island and slaughtered them to a man. Rather than returning the island and the east coastal riverlands it commanded to the Republic he declared himself count of the island and pledged fealty to King Franklin I Greysnow of Iowa, who warmly accepted the count of Rock Island as his vassal.  In April of 2668, only four years into his reign, the count of Rock Island passed away at 55 after coming down with a small fever. His son Josiah, named for his late uncle, took over at 20 years of age shortly thereafter. A stubborn and ambitious man, Josiah had always believed himself destined for greater things. Unfortunately this self-assurance made him rather tactless and lacking in caution. By 20 he was already well-scarred from his numerous duels with the courtiers of Rock Island.  Upon meeting with his father's old council Josiah made it quite clear: his aim is to expand his holdings, and soon.  Most were disinclined towards a blatant grab for land and titles. The council was dominated by cautious pragmatists and pious men unwilling to bring war on a fellow Catholic.  Key support was found from one key councilor, however, Baron Sheldon of Moline. An ambitious and gregarious man, Sheldon was eager to seek glory on the battlefield, although he was really more suited to matters of state than war.  Bishop Holcomb of Silvis, Josiah's other vassal, was less keen on glory. A humble and pious man (though not without a weakness for the flesh), Holcomb had hidden in the woods for a year after the pagans had taken Rock Island. When the county was reclaimed by Josiah he returned to find himself the last survivor and new bishop of Silvis Abbey. His concerns about focusing on pagans, rather than fighting other Christians, was quite personal.  With his councilors gathered Josiah discussed his options. The Upper Midwest in 2668 was a region of many moderately sized kingdoms and some small independent dukedoms.  Most were ruled by Catholic lords in those days, but large populations of heretical Christians (often called "Revelationists" for their focus on personal vision and revelations from God) remained and some powerful states practiced these heretical rites openly. To the north and east, around the Great Lakes, laid the pagan lands of the Northmen and the Rustmen. These savages pose a constant threat to the faithful of the Midwest.  The first kingdom of note is that of Illinois, ruled over by the elderly Queen Amanda Steinbach, a talented Rostmann Catholic whose realm, though small, has endured numerous conflicts with the Rust Cultists.  To the west is the Kingdom of Iowa, which stretches from the Mississippi River to the Missouri. The Greysnow family has ruled Iowa for over 300 years, ever since it and much of the eastern plains were taken back from the Americanists by crusading Rostmann and Texan Catholics. It is a wealthy kingdom, home to some of the most fertile farmlands in the continent, but powerful vassals have begun to undermine the stability of the realm and it is only the diplomatic skills of King Franklin that keep the realm at peace.  Further west is the Kingdom of Platte, where the Catholic Brasge family rules the faithful west of the Missouri. King Ned is threatened to the west by heretical horse lords and from the north by the Lakotah, but his ties to greater Christendom give him some comfort.  South of Platte the Khan of Kickatus rules over the plains and practices a heretical brand of Christianity.  North of Iowa and Platte are the lands of the Lakotah, ruled over by the powerful Ingyang family.  Where the Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi meet sits New Rome and the papal holdings of Pope Blessed-Be. Born with a weakness of body, his holiness channeled his energy into becoming a skilled negotiator. Famous for his charity and kindness, Blessed-Be is well regarded among the faithful.  West of the papal lands lies a state whose purpose is a bit less holy. The Republic of Boonslick has greatly benefited from the weakening of the Quad City Republic and now controls much of the trade along the Missouri and parts of the Mississippi.  Far to the south lies the great Kingdom of Comancheria. King Pahayoko II is one of the most well-regarded leaders in Catholic America. A skilled general, economist and guardian against plotting, the young king may well become an emperor before his reign is over.  All of these kingdoms represent opportunities to exploit in the future, but the most important state for the moment is the independent duchy of Forgottonia. It comes to the attention of Bishop Holcomb that Duke Jeroboam's youngest daughter had recently become a widow after her husband, the elderly Duke Stephan of Bluegrass, passed away in his sleep.   Having not yet born any children for the deceased duke and being the same age as Josiah, she presents a good opportunity to secure an alliance with a neighboring dukedom.  Jeroboam agrees to the marriage proposal and in short order Evanora and Josiah are wed in a splendid ceremony on Rock Island. It is hoped that she will soon bear him a son, but for the time being Josiah's attention must turn away from his own court, as things in the Kingdom of Iowa are getting heated. Next Time: The Fall of the House of Greysnow... Sorry I cut it a bit short, was getting too long. More to come soon. Clayren fucked around with this message at 03:37 on Jun 19, 2016 |
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Jun 19, 2016 01:34
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poo poo yes more AtE. I don't think we got to see any Catholics in action last time either, so that should be interesting.
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Jun 19, 2016 03:49
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Update #2: The Fall of the House of Greysnow 2668 - 2676  The Appalachian and Rocky mountain chains tended to isolate the former American Empire into three distinct regions. As such news took a long time to travel from one area to the other and it was not for a few years that tales of the Men in Black began to trickle in from the east.  In June Josiah leads a hunt for a pack of wolves that had recently been troubling the people of Silvis. He makes quite a name for himself when he kills three of the creatures by himself.   Stories of Josiah's valor travel far in the kingdom and when one of King Franklin's commanders dies in battle against the Lakotah Franklin offers the job to Josiah. He readily accepts, hoping for a chance to gain renown for his military skill.  The small wage he earns as a commander for the Kingdom of Iowa is an added bonus, which he uses to expand his own demesne. In 2670, after the war finishes conclusively and Iowa gains the county of Floyd, Josiah returns to Rock Island to oversee the construction of a new training grounds for militiamen.  Tower Keep is the oldest building on the island, parts of dating back to before the cataclysm. Much of the buildings exterior had been replaced with repairs by the time the Heuther family came to own it, and the interior had been repeatedly gutted and replaced by a succession of lords. Nonetheless the red-brick tower remains a symbol of the island and of the Heuther family, which adopted it as part of their crest following its capture by Jacob Heuther. Jacob had repaired the castle wall and many of the fortifications during his brief rule, but few facilities were in place within the castle for the training and housing of troops by the time Josiah came to power.  In April of 2670 the abbot of the monastery of Saint Alan the Miller in nearby Port Byron requests a donation from the count, in order to repair damages still left over from the days when pagans had free reign of the county. Josiah agrees to do so, asking only that the monks pray for him to have many children.  The monks prayers seem to pay off and in September it is announced that his wife, Evanora, is expecting a child.  His liege's congratulations, along with an invitation to a feast to celebrate victory over the Lakotah, arrive in December.    For two weeks the lords of Iowa celebrate the birth of Christ and thank God for delivering them to victory over the pagans. The grand city of Des Moines is a site to behold, the largest urban center in all of Iowa and home to the famous Gold-Domed Palace. When the Greysnow family retook the city from the Americanists the five legendary solid-gold domes that topped the palace were long gone. Over a long period of years the Greysnows replaced them (albeit with gold-coated, rather than solid gold, domes) and the shining palace reminded all of who ruled in the kingdom of Iowa.   The lords returned to their homes shortly into the new year, but they were called back to Des Moines once again not long after. In February King Franklin responded to a call from Zebediah, the Catholic count of Freeborn, Roch and Blue Earth to join him in reclaiming the duchy of Minnesota from the Northmen.   The count had begun his holy war under the assumption that his forces, combined with those of his ally, the independent count of Bluffwoods, would be enough to take on the Northmen. However, his ally was captured in the first battle of the war and the Northmen proved more of a challenge than Zebediah had predicted.  While Josiah is gathering with the other commanders of the realm in Des Moines, his first child is born. Little Evanora is the spitting image of her mother and is named for her grandmother.  Once organized the Iowan force heads north to break the siege of Freeborn. Amidst the chaos of battle Josiah shows himself to be an excellent commander, keeping his men organized and disciplined even amidst the carnage.  The Minnesotans flee from Freeborn and are pursued to the county of Rush, where their diminished forces are encircled and destroyed.  It is a glorious victory and the tide seems to have turned in favor of the Catholics. However, King Franklin falls from his horse leading the cavalry in pursuit of the fleeing Northmen. Young King Franklin II is not required to continue Iowa's involvement in the war and, faced with restless vassals and a council in turmoil, decides to focus on the internal issues of the realm instead.  A lazy, but competent military man without a single duplicitous bone in his body, King Franklin II is a man who approaches life bluntly. He has spent the past few years as marshal for the realm, leading Iowan armies to victory against the Lakotah. But the issues that plague his kingdom and court now are not the type which can be solved by force of arms alone.  His old seat now empty, Franklin II offers the position of marshal to Josiah. The two men had fought together during the recent campaign and Josiah struck Franklin as a loyal man, something that his council was dangerously short of at this time.   Franklin is right to be concerned. No sooner does Josiah accept the position than he is approached by Zerubbabel, the king's malcontent spymaster. Zerubbabel offers Josiah the chance to join him in a scheme to undermine the king, but Josiah turns him down. Shortly thereafter Franklin approaches Josiah with another scheme, this one with a decent bribe attached. This one Josiah accepts.   The war for Minnesota, meanwhile, has reversed course once again and the count of Freeborn is once again besieged by the Northmen hordes. Rather tha come to the count's aid, as his father had done, Franklin II declares war on the Lakotah. A man of a military mind, he hopes to unify the lords of Iowa by taking them on a campaign.  As with his first child, Josiah's son is born while he is away on campaign. The newborn heir is named for his father.    The war goes smoothly enough, but Franklin's council and vassals are not impressed. Much of the blame for this discontent can be blamed on his younger brother, Duke Eustace of Iowa. Almost a complete opposite of his brother and liege, Eustace is an incompetent warrior with a skill for intrigue. He rules the rich eastern half of the kingdom and uses bribery and intimidation to influence the council.  It is widely believed the Eustace has designs on the throne, but without evidence there is little Franklin can do.  In 2676 the war ends in a victory for King Franklin II, who adds the county of Rock to his own duchy.  The victory is short-lived, however. In August the dukes of Chariton and Iowa, along with the count of Dubuque and many of his council members, confront the king. They insist that his rule has been tyrannical and inept and that he must step down and be replaced by a lord of their own choosing. Greatly outnumbered, he agrees on the condition that he retain complete control over the duchy of Moingona. It is the end of hundreds of years of Greysnow rule over Iowa.  In his place the count of Dubuque is chosen by the dukes of Chariton and Iowa. A brilliant diplomat and schemer, King Poynter Adams-Farwell has few holdings of his own, a fact that Duke Eustace likely hopes will keep the new king under his thumb.  It isn't long before Eustace makes his move.  King Poynter also offers to keep Josiah on as his marshal, but the duke declines. With Eustace pulling the strings and the dukes more powerful than ever, it appears to Josiah that the only way he can maintain his independence is by becoming a duke himself.  To do this he will need more land and the opportunity to claim it comes in the last days of 2676, when his chancellor Baron Sheldon of Moline, announces that he has obtained proof that his liege is the rightful ruler of Davenport and the Quad Cities. Next Time: Four Cities and a Betrothal... Clayren fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Jun 28, 2016 |
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Jun 20, 2016 22:16
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Glad to see this back! I've never played in that region, and never as an AtE Catholic, so this should be enlightening.
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Jun 20, 2016 22:32
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I for one wish playable land republics were a thing, so's I could lead the quad cities to greatness in my own game.
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Jun 20, 2016 23:14
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NewMars posted:I for one wish playable land republics were a thing, so's I could lead the quad cities to greatness in my own game. I thought they made the Mississippi into really small ocean zones though?
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Jun 20, 2016 23:18
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Lord Cyrahzax posted:I thought they made the Mississippi into really small ocean zones though? I think so, but the Quad cities are an inland republic still. Also they aren't on the Mississippi. There's a bunch of inland republics actually, just sort of scattered around.
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Jun 21, 2016 07:58
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Aw yeah, more After the End! Pity we're not playing the Americanists though, I was hoping to bring the wrath of the Sure Man upon more heathens 
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Jun 21, 2016 10:28
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Update #3: Four Cities and a Betrothal 2677 - 2681  With the fall of King Franklin the Second the Kingdom of Iowa in 2677 found itself split in two. In the west, from the old capital of Des Moines, rules Duke Franklin, diminished but still a powerful leader. It is well known that he desires the return of his crown, but his brother, Duke Eustace of Iowa and the duke of Chariton currently support King Poynter. King Poynter rules from his single county of Dubuque, his lack of holdings keeping him reliant on the vassals who installed him on the throne.  Count Josiah was known to have been a stronger supporter of the deposed King Franklin, having repeatedly turned down invitations to the plotting of Duke Eustace when he was on the council. This places Josiah in the dangerous position of being seen as a potential backer of an attempt to reclaim the throne by Poynter and Eustace. In order to shore up his support Josiah seeks to capture an additional title in March of 2677. A document of dubious origins is produced that give Josiah claim to the swampy bit of land known as Credit Island to the south of the Quad Cities. Lord Proprietor Hezekiah of the Four Cities Republic refuses to recognize these claims, as Josiah had hoped he would.  A force of around a thousand men is gathered, mostly infantry but with a respectable number of mounted soldiers, from Josiah's holdings.  The size of Josiah's forces is hardly important, however. The Lord Proprietor is away helping defend the duke of Chicagoland from a Northman invasion and only a token force remains in the cities themselves. This leads some to criticize the count for attacking another Christian while he is away fighting the pagans, but Josiah pays these complaints no mind. By July Davenport has fallen to the Rock Islander forces.  While besieging Bettendorf a traveler from the south visits the siege camp. He claims to be the last member of an old Louisiane nobility, who fled the invasion of the Voodoo practitioners. Of the few family heirlooms he manages to save is the bone of a saint, which he offers to sell Josiah. It is a curious tale, to be sure, but Josiah agrees to purchase the finger bone and declares to his encamped men that it is the finger of John the Baptist himself, here to point them towards victory.  In October the bedraggled remnants of the Quad Citian army return from the north, but find themselves too outnumbered to approach the Rock Islander army. They camp across the river, too under-powered to even attempt to siege any of Josiah's holdings.  The lord proprietor himself leads the army, a man of keen military intellect whose reputation is marred by a history of kinslaying.   In April Bettendorf falls and Josiah sets out to assault the weak Quad Citian force. Outnumbered 8 to 1, it is a complete slaughter for Hezekiah's forces.   The Lord Proprietor's surrender soon follows and Josiah crowns himself "Duke of the Quad Cities" in May of 2678.   Meanwhile, despite Josiah's repeated refusal to serve as marshal for King Poynter the Iowan forces succeed in repelling the Badgerling invasion of Chicagoland.  Josiah spends time at home in Rock Island, resting up after the campaign for the duchy. In December it is discovered that his wife is pregnant with his second son.  Otis is born in July of the next year, securing the dynasty should anything happen to his older brother, Josiah.  In 2680 Duke Franklin II passes away, leaving his duchy to his young son, Franklin III. Franklin is one of only two children born to the former king, the second being his daughter Betsy.  Marrying into the Greysnow family would bring a great deal more legitimacy to the new Heuther dynasty. While Betsy has lost any reasonable claim to the kingdom, she still retains a claim to the duchy of Moingona and nearly half of Iowa. Josiah proposes a betrothal between his eldest son and the young Greysnow and the regency of Franklin III readily agree, hoping to strengthen ties with the newest duke of Iowa.   King Poynter, meanwhile, seeks to break free of Duke Eustace's influence by claiming a dukedom of his own. In May of 2681 he declares a holy war for the Lakotah duchy of Yankton, a wide stretch of grassland extending from the Missouri River to the Sioux River and the land of Minnesota.  Josiah again rebuffs an invitation from the king to serve as marshal and leader of the invasion. His focus is pointed north, to the independent count of Galena. Galena broke away from the Quad Cities Republic many years prior, but by rights should be a vassal of the new duke. Next Time: Kicked in the Head by a Cow...
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Jun 27, 2016 22:34
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Things are happening, we're getting there. I have to say, though, I'm really loving Count Eustace's CoA, so try not to be too harsh with him. Also wondering, would you be open to other After the End lp's in this thread? It's a really big map, you know?
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Jun 27, 2016 23:16
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Lord Cyrahzax posted:Things are happening, we're getting there. I have to say, though, I'm really loving Count Eustace's CoA, so try not to be too harsh with him. Eustace is a Greysnow, which rules over both the Duchy of Iowa (most of the eastern half of the kingdom) and the Duchy of Moingona (ruled now by Eustace's nephew, Franklin III), so I expect the Greysnow's to be around for awhile. The name "Ioway" was used by Europeans for a tribe that lived in parts of modern-day Iowa. However the name itself is what other tribes called them, it means "asleep". The tribe itself used (and still uses) the name Báxoǰe, which can be translated into "Grey Snow", thus the name of the ruling dynasty of Iowa at the start of the game. As for starting your own LP I would be fine with it. You might want to put something at the start of every update to differentiate it from mine, just so people don't get confused. I am planning on sticking to west of the Appalachian mountains since I already did the east coast last year, so if you want to avoid overlap that could be a good place to play (I doubt I'll get into South or Central America much either). But I don't much care, it is indeed a big map. If you want to make a table of contents for your game let me know and I'll link to it in the first post.
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Jun 28, 2016 00:19
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If you ARE planning one, Lord Cyrahzax, could we see something from the Americanists or Consumerists? I really like the feel of the first group, and we didn't see the second in the previous LP IIRC.
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Jun 28, 2016 13:24
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CommissarMega posted:If you ARE planning one, Lord Cyrahzax, could we see something from the Americanists or Consumerists? I really like the feel of the first group, and we didn't see the second in the previous LP IIRC. I don't know, I was planning on doing a count-to-emperor in the Confederacy. It may depend on where the Consumerists show up though.
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Jun 28, 2016 18:35
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Update #4: Kicked in the Head by a Cow 2681 - 2690  In October of 2681 Duke Josiah of the Quad Cities produced a copy of the 2568 pledge of fealty made by the past count of Galena to the Republic of the Quad Cities. The wording of that document promised that "The rightful count of Galena, shall henceforth serve as vassal lord of the leader of the Quad Cities." This vagueness (which the current count argued was not in the original document, but added later by Josiah's scribes) meant that Josiah could put forth a claim on Galena and this he did, demanding that the count swear fealty or face invasion.  The count refused and the war got off to a rough start when the forces of Galena, in the dead of night, successfully crossed the Mississippi and set siege to Davenport. Josiah was busy besieging Galena itself and feared that attacking across the Mississippi would negate his small numerical advantage. By the end of November the city was in the counts hands, in part due to factions within Davenport still angry about the overthrow of the republic. With the bad news came good, however, as Josiah's wife Evanora gave birth to her third child in November, a daughter named Hermione.  Following his capture of Davenport, the count crossed the river once more and set siege to Silvis in Rock Island county. Josiah felt more confident attacking across the narrower Rock River and ended his siege of Galena in December.  Josiah makes a mistake, however. Silvis sits across the neck of the four mile-wide Moline peninsula between the Rock and Mississippi rivers, along the ancient John's Deer Road. The count rushes part of his force along the road and behind Josiah, forcing the duke to fight with forces to his west and east and the Rock River to his south. After a brief skirmish he realizes that he cannot win the fight and retreats north to Rock Island and then south along the Mississippi to the holdings of his father-in-law.  While there he reminds Duke Jeroboam of his promise to come to Josiah's aid, if he needed it. The Duke of Forgottonia musters a force of 2,000 men to aid Josiah.  With the Forgottonian's in tow, Josiah quickly retakes the city of Davenport in March of 2682.  This victory is followed by another in May, outside the city of Moline just south of Rock Island itself. The light Grangelander cowboys chase the fleeing Galenians into the Rock River, where many of them drown trying to cross.  With Galena's army mostly destroyed, Josiah settles into a siege of the count's holdings. In February of 2683 Galena falls, prompting a desperate count to try and relieve the rest of his holdings by launching a lightning raid on the recovering garrison at Davenport.   Josiah arrives before he can take the city, however, and the war ends after a brief clash.   Following his victory Duke Josiah retired to his keep in Rock Island, holding hunts and feasts for his vassals and courtiers. It is a common myth that he saved the mayor of Davenport from a bear on the heavily forested Sylvan Island, but it seems unlikely that a bear would swim across the Mississippi.  The king of Iowa's war for Yankton, meanwhile, continued. Although the official religion of the Lakotah kingdom was not Christianity, a sizable number of nobles and commoners in the eastern Sioux lands were Catholic. This meant that King Poynter had little trouble finding collaborators and spies among the Lakotah.  It was a different pagan group that concerned Duke Josiah in 2685, however. Having soured his relations with the church some by invading the Republic of the Quad Cities while it's lord was away fighting to defend Chicago from the Northmen, Josiah sought forgiveness by visiting Pope God-Is-Gracious in June. Among the rich mosaics of the Cathedral of New Rome Josiah presents gifts to the holy father and brings up his concerns for the souls of the people of the independent county of La Crosse.  The father's forgiveness and blessing in hand, Josiah returns to Rock Island and readies his forces to save the souls of the pagans.  His own army of nearly 1300 men is joined by his father-in-law's 2200.     The lord of La Crosse is not without allies as well, however. The counts of Winnebago and Peshtigo, along with the duke of Minnesota come to the aid of their coreligionist.   These pagans fail to coordinate their efforts, however, and at Davenport and Galena they are outnumbered and crushed by the combined Catholic forces.  There are always more pagans, however. Rumors of new cults and heresies trickle in from all sides.   In June of 2687 the Badgerling tribe joins the war, providing a sizable force that could well turn things back around for the Norse. But it is too late, while the Badgerlings gather outside of Galena to begin a siege the Catholic army has succeeded in taking the castle of La Crosse and the war ends before the Badgerlings can contribute much.   Josiah is not alone in acquiring more territory at the expense of the pagans. By 2687 the entire duchy of Yankton is added to the Kingdom of Iowa as King Poynter declares himself Duke of Yankton in addition to his titles of King of Iowa and Count of Dubuque. The dominance of the Greysnow dynasty in Iowa is beginning to weaken as the kingdom spreads east and west.    In October the elderly Duke Jeroboam of Forgottonia passes away, leaving the realm to Evanora's younger brother, Holcomb. Holcomb happily renews his father's old alliance with his brother-in-law shortly thereafter.  Because of his constant campaigning Duke Josiah was rarely at home during most of his earlier years. When he was at home the duke was more often than not hunting or drilling his soldiers. This left little time for his children, including his heir, Josiah the Second. Young Josiah might well have made a fair commander, the boy certainly took after his father. But at age 11, while playing in one of the barns, the boy had taken a kick to the head from an annoyed dairy cow. The court physician found nothing wrong with Josiah, but as the years went by there were hints that the boy might not have been completely unaffected by the blow to the head. By the time he came of age in 2689, Josiah II was an ill-tempered young man with a taste for women and extravagant purchases. His great many vices were only matched by his utter lack of skill in anything whatsoever. Between his lack of parental guidance and (possibly) stunted mental development the heir to the Duchy of the Quad Cities was utterly unprepared to lead. One of the additions of the Conclave DLC are non-congenital traits. These are traits that cannot be inherited, but just come up due to education. Dull gives a character -2 to every stat, which, combined with being an indulgent wastrel, is really bad.   Further complicating matters was that a number of counts in the Duchy of Moingona began a rebellion in that same year to place Betsy, Josiah II's betrothed, on the throne of of the duchy. If she became duchess it was highly unlikely that she would agree to the pre-planned patrilineal marriage to the dunderheaded Josiah II.  It was perhaps some small comfort to Josiah that his neighbor, Duke Eustace of Iowa, was not blessed with any sons at all. Next Time: Shoddy Workmanship and the Second Son...
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Jun 29, 2016 21:36
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Wouldn't be a grand strategy adventure without some randomness completely screwing up one's plans. Maybe the lineage will be lucky enough to at least dodge bubonic plague 2.0 or whatever the equivalent is.
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Jun 30, 2016 23:11
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Shady Amish Terror posted:Wouldn't be a grand strategy adventure without some randomness completely screwing up one's plans. Maybe the lineage will be lucky enough to at least dodge bubonic plague 2.0 or whatever the equivalent is. It's Polio, those drat anti-vaccine folks left their mark on America.
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Jul 1, 2016 00:10
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Could someone post a mirror for this mod? the Paradox forum won't allow me to create a account, says "taking too long, something must be broken"
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Jul 1, 2016 06:56
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Siegkrow posted:Could someone post a mirror for this mod? the Paradox forum won't allow me to create a account, says "taking too long, something must be broken" Link is in the OP, actually. Just go to https://github.com/Ofaloaf/postapoc and click the green button and then choose download as ZIP.
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Jul 1, 2016 14:12
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Clayren posted:Link is in the OP, actually. Just go to https://github.com/Ofaloaf/postapoc and click the green button and then choose download as ZIP. Do we have a smiley for the typical "D'oh" facepalm?
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Jul 1, 2016 16:17
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Siegkrow posted:Do we have a smiley for the typical "D'oh" facepalm? You mean this  ?
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Jul 1, 2016 16:59
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Yes, thank you, I was loking for it.
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Jul 1, 2016 17:03
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Update #5: Shoddy Workmanship and the Second Son 2690 - 2700   In 2690 Duke Josiah of the Quad Cities arranged the betrothal of his firstborn daughter, Evanora, to the young king of Platte. As the second largest Catholic realm in the north, this greatly strengthened Josiah's standing outside of the realm while inter-realm turmoil continued within Iowa. For the young king, Evanora was an intelligent young woman with a talent for diplomacy of both the martial and non-martial.  As for his other grown child, Josiah appointed the boy a commander in the army, in hopes that some experience leading men might make a proper heir out of young Josiah.  King Poynter, meanwhile, continued to stand powerless in the face of an ever-more powerful council. To Josiah this signaled that seeking influence within the kingdom was pointless, his fortunes would have to be found elsewhere.  In 2691 the High Chief of the Badgerlings finished a long and costly war for the county of Des Plaines against the Catholic King of Illinois. Unlike previous wars the Badgerlings were not a weak independent count, but a large realm equal in size to the Quad Cities. But Josiah had two things going for him: firstly, that the Northman's forces were mostly exhausted following his conquest of Des Plaines.  And secondly, his new alliance with his future son-in-law, the king of Platte.   A split emerged in his council about the wisdom of declaring a holy war against the Badgerlings, given that such an act was likely to draw many other Norse lords to the side of the defender. Even the duke's own wife opposed the act, but Josiah pushed for the war and in the end got his way. On the 13th of July Josiah formally declared his intention to free the remaining lands of Coulee from pagan subjugation. Letters pledging support soon arrived from Forgottonia and Platte.   At first the Catholic forces appeared to be unopposed in the region, but in September the main Badgerling army appeared with over a thousand more men than Josiah had fielded. The forces of Platte at this time were still making their long trip across the prairie and were not expected for some months.   Rather than face the larger Badgerling force, Josiah crossed the Mississippi and traveled north, to surprise a smaller force besieging La Crosse. The combined Quad Citian and Forgottonian forces succeeded in routing this force, but the main Northman army arrived soon from the south and Josiah was forced to flee across the river to avoid his force being destroyed entirely.    In order to even the odds Duke Josiah took out a loan in July of 2692 in order to help finance the hiring of the Pinkerton mercenary company. Reinforced by these hardened warriors, Josiah took his forces north to retake the county of Galena. But when he arrived he found only a small force of an allied count.   The Badgerlings, it seems, were distracted at this time by a far larger threat: the Tycoon of Indianapolis. Sensing weakness in the Norse leader, Tycoon Ralston the Old began a holy war to take Des Plaines in 2692. This greatly relieved the pressure on Duke Josiah in prosecuting his war for Coulee.  Unlike a good number of lords in those days, Josiah was able to read and learned as much about strategy from reading as he did from experience. His heir Josiah Josiahson, however, was famously illiterate and did not learn much from his experience as a commander leading alongside his father.   Following the capture of the county of the Dells in 2693 a sizeable Northman force at last appeared to challenge Josiah along the Wisconsin River. Although the Norse had a cavalry advantage the skilled Rostmann pikemen of the Pinkerton company prevented them from taking advantage of it. In the end the numerical advantage of Josiah's forces won the day and the pagans retreated northwards.   Josiah pursued and caught up to a portion of the force before it could reach Green Bay and resupply. It was a great, but costly victory, for the Duke.  Amidst the chaos of battle a force of Northman cavalry managed to sneak around the lines and charge Josiah's own bodyguard force from the rear. The Duke himself received a deep cut along the side of his torso which could very well have killed him had his knights not quickly driven the foes off and into the awaiting pikes of the Pinkertons. Josiah's doctor was quickly able to staunch the bleeding, but his efforts towards the other Josiah were not as successful.  Of all the armor pieces found throughout the former lands of the American Empire, none is more common than the "ball helmet". A thick, round helmet made of several layers of single steel or iron sheets, the ball helmet was very common throughout the continent. Rather than covering the face and leaving the wearer partially blind, these helmets usually had a series of interwoven iron bars which protected the face from slashing attacks, while leaving vision mostly intact. The layering of metal sheets made the helmet very strong, but also left it's manufacture open to fraud. Clever blacksmiths found that only the first few sheets on the inside and outside of the helmet were really visible, which meant that the middle layers of the helmet could easily be replaced with inferior metal or even wood. The helmet could then be sold and the stolen metal used for other things.  At the Battle of Winnebago Josiah Josiahson leaned to the side on his horse to avoid an oncoming blow from a charging Northman. The strike likely would have only nicked his arm, according to the account of one of his bodyguards, but the act of leaning away caused him to fall from his horse. His head hit the ground first and the boulder on which he fell broke through the thin iron sheets of his helmet and sent a splinter of wood, which had been used to replace the middle layers of his helmet, into his eye socket from the side. The heir of the Duchy of the Quad Cities never woke up from his fall. Honesty time here: I did not kill him. I swear to god I did not kill this lovely heir. I mean, I tried to :appointing him commander despite his abysmal skill level was because I hoped he'd die, but that's rarely a sure bet and when I discovered that a devil-possessed courier was plotting to kill him I left her alone, but she was a powerless courier so it was unlikely she'd succeed. Sometimes you just get lucky.  The news of his son's death was tough on Josiah, who blamed himself for taking the boy on campaign with him. But the realm required managing and the war winning, so his deceased son's betrothal was re-negotiated with his new heir, Otis.    The war continued on while the duke stayed at home in Rock Island, recovering from his wounds. The Northmen were unable to cobble together a force large enough to oppose Josiah's own during this period and, without any change in the war of note, Josiah's recovery ended in 2694 and he returned to the battlefield.   But with the Badgerlings and their allies mostly gone from the field Josiah took many breaks from campaigning to return home. In 2695 he visited the new duchess of Iowa, to give his condolences following her father's death. He also visited the monks at Silvis, who shared with him their finest wines. Chronicles of the duke seem to indicate that he often visited this monastery to "pray for his departed son". At the same time, however, he appears to have developed a reputation as quite a drinker.  On another break from the war Josiah took part in a grand tournament thrown by King Poynter in Des Moines.   Although the war was well in hand for Josiah, there were still whisperings among the courtiers in Des Moines that he had left the field of battle to take part in the tournament because he was a weakling and a coward. These rumors spread far, despite the duke proving himself to be quite the able warrior in the melee's, taking second prize.  In September of 2695 Prince Otis came of age. An envious and lustful man with little care for learning, Otis was nonetheless an ambitious and diligent worker with a talent for scheming and his father's skill at arms. Upon turning 16 he immediately requests rights to one of the counties Josiah hopes to take from the Badgerlings. He makes no promises, but appreciates his son's interest in ruling.    Following more than four years of fighting the forces available to Josiah were greatly diminished by the end of 2695. The Pinkerton's had proved too expensive to keep employed and a smaller, cheaper group of light cavalry from Commancheria were brought in instead. The Badgerlings, despite numerous wars with other realms, continue to hold out. The war is not without its pluses, however. Rumors of the duke's weaknesses quickly die off in the face of victory after victory. What time is not spent leading warfare is spent reading warfare, as well.    A defeat of the chief's last few hundred men near Lake Winnebago at last convinces him that the war is lost. In 2696 Josiah adds "Duke of Coulee" to his titles.   His longtime marshal, Quinlan, is made count of the Dells. His son Otis, is given the county of Kickapoo, following his marriage to Betsy Greysnow.  Josiah further cements his alliance with Platte by arranging a betrothal between the duke of Nebraska and his young daughter, Hermoine.  With the war at last over Josiah returns to Rock Island for good, to see about managing the aftermath of the conflict. The mercenaries that bolstered his forces during the conflict have left Josiah deeply in debt and for now his focus must be set on domestic issues.  His ambitious son repeatedly requests that he be made marshal, but Josiah is loyal to his old friend Quinlan. It is Quinlan himself who proposes that Otis be made a commander, despite it being common knowledge that the young count wants his job.  In 2699 when King Poynter again asks for Josiah to serve as his marshal he finally agrees, in part because he could use the salary.  But also because Josiah has begun to slow down in his older age. After losing his firstborn son, whom he loved despite being something of an idiot, Josiah seems to have lost the desire for conquest. He exhibited signs of severe stress, which he medicated with alcohol. By the final year of the 27th century Josiah is 52 years old and preparing to hang up his sword. Next Time: Married, with Bastards... Clayren fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Jul 10, 2016 |
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Jul 2, 2016 00:20
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Lord Cyrahzax posted:I don't know, I was planning on doing a count-to-emperor in the Confederacy. It may depend on where the Consumerists show up though. Do a nomadic horde, march through Georgia. 
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Jul 2, 2016 00:39
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The Sandman posted:Do a nomadic horde, march through Georgia. I'm not sure if there are any nomads in North America. There are certainly a few in South America.
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Jul 2, 2016 02:53
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Clayren posted:I'm not sure if there are any nomads in North America. There are certainly a few in South America. The problem is that they are kinda hosed; they haven't been buffed after the Conclave patch nerfed Nomads a whole lot and most of them are gonna get wiped out right quick, even with liberations being blocked until a bit after game start. Less of a problem for the player; them being effectively emperor level means that you can marry well usually (as the Norse dude) and then it's just a matter of using mercs to take over fellow horse nomads with holy wars, tributing tribals for more numbers and building up your cap asap. The Norse dude can also marry one of the local norse tribals which gets you a pretty solid alliance; with that you can dismantle some of the folks next to you. I had a game where I went almost solely into feudal lands and it was loving savage; your tribal allies give you huge numbers that siege poo poo down while you focus on using your pure cav to gently caress up the enemy stacks. The Hross nomads were down to Louisiana and I was thinking of letting some of them go independent to see how the more distant relatives would fare by their lonesome. You can also ally with the other nomads if you want I guess and have the kids to spare, but it's likely to be futile as they die super quickly usually. You can also subjugate a bunch of tribals if you want, not a lot of use because the lands are meh; it's usually just worth it to try and plop down more ally fodder or landing boring dynasty members for the heck of it. They really need to buff the nomads, tbh. Just give them some more starting poo poo in the capital would fix it, maybe.
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Jul 2, 2016 14:59
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Always nice when a useless heir gets himself killed before he fucks everything up.
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Jul 2, 2016 22:22
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Deceitful Penguin posted:There's the Revelationists, the Natives (though they're the dull kind, not the semi-Norse ones) and one isolated norse one. I guess it's been awhile since I've played a Native American so I wasn't aware they were nomadic.
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Jul 3, 2016 05:15
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Update #6: Married, with Bastards... 2700 - 2707  His years of conquest behind him, Duke Josiah settled into a life of grand hunts and feasts following the capture of Coulee.    The period of Josiah's reign between the conquest of Coulee and his death is remembered by few military or social historians. Sports historians, however, have noted that the duke was largely responsible for bringing strikeball west of the Mississippi. Prior to him building strikeball arenas in Rock Island, Davenport and La Crosse, the sport had been restricted mostly to the east coast, except for a few outposts in Chicago, Detroit and Columbus.  The only other event of note during this period is the Funeral Party. In mid-Summer of 2700 Duke Josiah invited all of the lords of Iowa to a grand feast to be held in Rock Island in October of that same year. No expense was spared for the affair and the feast was reportedly quite lavish, but the festivities were somewhat dampened by events prior to the arrival of the lords of Iowa. The duke had been suffering from severe stress for some time following the death of his first son. This, combined with his heavy drinking, has led many historians to believe that Josiah suffered from cirrhosis of the liver.  Two days before the lords of Iowa arrived at Rock Island Josiah collapsed on his way to bed and died shortly thereafter. It was so sudden that there was no time to get a message to the arriving dukes, counts and the king. With the feast already prepared, Josiah's son Otis instead informed the lords and ladies of the passing of his father and invited them to drink and feast in his honor.  It was a clever move that endeared Otis to the lords of Iowa. At age 21 Otis I Huether was a brilliant schemer with his father's skill at arms. Ambitious to a fault, Otis was known to get on the nerves of those around him, but his diligent and humble attitude did much to sooth those around him. Raised for most of his life as a second son, Otis carried an envious streak most of his life, although his ascension to dukedom did help with that some. Otis' biggest failing, however, was his love life. In three years Otis managed to accumulate three daughters, one of which was a bastard from one of his numerous lovers. The girl would not be the last of his illegitimate offspring.  The beautiful and charming Betsy Greysnow, described by chroniclers as a "diplomatic woman who kept her lusty husbands indiscretions from turning the whole of Iowa against the man", was not amused by her spouses escapades. A proud woman from the most ancient house in Iowa, Betsy did not suffer these indignities gracefully and the fact that two of the duke's lovers died in rather mysterious fashions is sometimes blamed on her.  However rocky their relationship, however, Otis had good reason to maintain his marriage. The Greysnow dynastic tie brought a good deal of legitimacy and prestige to the very young house of Huether. Otis himself added the Greysnow's saltire cross to the family coat of arms in recognition of this tie.   His coronation as duke of the Quad Cities and Coulee slowed down the new duke's romantic adventures some, but they did not stop completely for a number of years. Otis is remembered for having slept with two of the three daughters of the deceased duke of Iowa, Eustace Greysnow. Both bore bastards with him, which was to have major consequences following the War of Two Iowas.  The Greysnow woman Otis was actually married to bore him his first son in January of 2701.   In February a second son was born, this time to Daisy, a maid working for the Greysnow countess Otis was also bedding at the time. Young Ezekiel was acknowledged as a son of Otis, but never legitimized.  Otis I is infamous for his many bastards, but such behavior was not too uncommon in his day. The most famous example being the King's Lover Affair, as it is often called, where King Poynter of Iowa slept with the wife of Count Ansom of Ottumwa. The count, a very suspicious man, became concerned with the king's repeated visits to the area. When the truth was discovered his wife met with an "accident".  King Poynter arrived two weeks later, having not heard of his lover's death. The count had the king imprisoned beneath the squat Wapello keep and demanded a ransom of 245 golden eagles in payment for the disgrace of his wife and himself.  The King's council claimed that they did not have the money and refused to borrow it, likely because they had near complete control of the kingdom while Poynter was imprisoned. His son Pentecost put pressure on Duchess Muriel of Iowa (the other Greysnow lover of Otis I) to force her vassal to release his father, but she refused. Pentecost himself was rumored to be secretly bribing Ansom to extend the imprisonment, in the hopes that the elderly king would pass away in the dungeon and pass his title on to Pentecost. The count, meanwhile, stayed in hiding and communicated only through trusted councilors. It is perhaps one of the strangest events in Iowa history.  With the king in prison and nearing the end of his days, Duke Otis sought to cement his relationship with his lover Duchess Muriel, in the hopes that she would support him as the next king. The gifts lavished upon the duchess during this time were many, much to the disgust of duchess Betsy.   More distressing to the duchess was the birth of yet another bastard son. A heated argument ensued and Betsy threatened to seek a divorce if Otis did not disown the child. He did so and also stopped seeing the common maid lover he had in the duchy of Iowa.    Further concessions were made to Betsy: the duke began spending more time at home in Rock Island and designated his wife regent. He also spent less time drinking, perhaps out of fear of dying like his father.  Perhaps emboldened by news of King Poynter's imprisonment, large hordes of Northmen began looting northern and central Iowa near the end of 2701. Numbering in the thousands, these warriors ravaged the holdings of many lords whose discontent with the state of the realm only increased.  In 2702, long depressed and withdrawn after the death of her husband, Evanora passed away. Along with her small personal wealth, duke Otis received his mother's claim to the duchy of Forgottonia.    In June of 2703 Pope Babylon declared that, in the face of advancing pagan hordes, a new age of crusade was needed. This was not without precedent, Pope Gloria II in 2429 through 2451 had called upon the Catholics of Illinois, Missouri and Texas to reclaim Iowa and Platte from the Americanists. Although a further press into the lands of Colorado by his successor failed, the success of those crusaders led to the retreat of the Americanists eastward and the establishment of Catholicism throughout the region.  In 2703 the target of Pope Babylon is the kingdom of Rio Bravo. The newly formed Knights of Columbus and Commancheria are quick to pledge their swords.  The lords of Iowa, however, were distracted at this time by pagan hordes closer to home.  Spared the ravages of the Northerners, Duke Otis began to scheme of a way to press his inherited claim to Forgottonia in 2704. A weak claim inherited from the sister of a former duke, nobody would take Otis' claim seriously if pressed against a stable government. But if the duke were to die and the duchy be left to his 8 year old son, then Otis would have the right to press his claim.    The scheming would later prove unnecessary, but the time away from the bedchambers of the women of Iowa did much to improve the duke's relationship with his wife. It even gave him time to study warfare in preparation of his upcoming war for Forgottonia.  In 2705, dissatisfied with his position, Count Ashton of Quincy declared a war on the duke of Forgottonia for the duchy.  Capitalizing on this chaotic inter-dynasty squabble, Otis cancelled his planned assassination and declared that he would restore order to Forgottonia.  At Rock Island a force of 2,700, primarily light and heavy infantry and cowboys, were gathered under the command of Otis.   This force found the holdings in the county of La Moine badly damaged from recent Northmen raids. The men manning these fortifications were greatly disheartened from the raiding and the sieges did not last long. By April 2706 the capital of Macomb was in Quad Citian hands.   With no real resistance to speak of the duke soon took enough holdings to force Gideon to surrender Forgottonia to his cousin.    At Mount Sterling the rebellious count Ashton was defeated and forced to acknowledge Otis as his rightful lord in exchange for clemency, drawing the conflict to a close and awarding Otis his third dukedom.  By 2707, after only 6 years as duke, Otis the First was the most powerful duke in the realm of Iowa. But his ambitions were without limit and a conflict with his king was staved off only by the fact that the man was in prison. This state of events could not last forever. Next Time: The Burning of the Archbishop of Dubuque... Clayren fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Jul 8, 2016 |
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Jul 7, 2016 05:59
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Has this Crusade got a prayer of succeeding, or are they largely interesting world events?
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Jul 7, 2016 15:03
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Glazius posted:Has this Crusade got a prayer of succeeding, or are they largely interesting world events? From what I've seen the AI tends to not succeed if you don't contribute to the crusade, but that might be because the Pope will target Rio Bravo over and over again (I think Louisiane would make more sense as a target, given the large number of Catholics living under Voodoo rulership and the location being closer to the Catholic heartland). The Ursulines also tend not to do too well either, but there's not a lot of them at the start of the game and that situation rarely improves. I think that the diversity of religions on the map tends to work against crusades, there are really only three real Catholic kingdoms at the start (Iowa, Platte and Commancheria) and only Commancheria is particularly large. So if two or more of those kingdoms are busy (rebellions, etc...) the crusade probably wont take off.
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Jul 7, 2016 17:04
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The thing is, there's lots of smaller catholic realms around the area that don't join up for some reason. There really needs to be an event to force Catholics to either join the crusade or suffer for it, because it's kinda dumb. Rio Grande being pretty far away doesn't help, though Louisiana isn't successful even when you do console into the Christians and force them to join. If Clayren grabs the knights before they join and goes for it himself there's a chance, but otherwise it's very, very slim.
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Jul 7, 2016 18:39
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Update #7: The Burning of the Archbishop of Dubuque 2707 - 2715  King Poynter of Iowa was imprisoned in late June of 2705 and passed away at age 67 in a prison cell. Sometimes called "The Year without a King", the inability of the realm to respond to increasingly frequent raids and tension between the lords of the king's council meant that the election of king was a contentious one. In the end it was a split vote, with Prince Pentecost Adams-Farwell receiving one vote from the duke of Moingona, along with the king's vote, and Duke Otis receiving support from himself and the duchess of Iowa.  By the law of the realm the split was decided in Pentecost's favor and the 30 year old veteran inherited both the crown and his father's duchy of Freeborn. His first act was to offer the defeated Otis a spot on the king's council, but Otis rebuffed the offer.   The duke excused himself from serving the new king by stating that he wished to spend time at home in Rock Island with his wife and growing family.  In truth, however, Otis spent the next four years traveling around the realm, trying to drum up support for a rebellion against the Adams-Farwell family. What the duke found was that some lords were willing to support a replacement for the king, but hadn't the funds or troops to lend any real support, following the raids of the Northmen. This apathy went both ways, however, and in the event of a civil war King Pentecost was unlikely to receive more than the bare minimum of reinforcement.   In April of 2709 Duke Otis I of the Quad Cities, Coulee and Forgottonia sent a decree to all the lords of the realm. It accused King Pentecost of conspiring with the count of Ottumwa to imprison and murder his father in order to gain his lands and crown. It furthermore accused the Adams-Farwell dynasty of leading Iowa into disaster after disaster through mismanagement, incompetence and unchristian behavior. King Poynter was raised up to replace the rightful ruler, King Franklin II Greysnow, amidst accusations of misrule and Duke Otis registered these same complaints against King Pentecost, arguing that, as the strongest and most capable of the dukes of Iowa, he should be given the crown. Pentecost, unlike Franklin before him, refused to step down.  The war itself was mostly contained within eastern Iowa. King Pentecost drew on his own forces from his duchy of Freeborn, along with the Adams-Farwell homeland of Dubuque. These forces, along with those of the duchess of Iowa, were quickly raised and marched to Cedar Rapids, while Otis was still gathering his forces from across his long realm. To supplement these men and prevent Pentecost from sieging Rock Island before he could defend it, Otis quickly hired a mercenary band from Ohio, the Buckeyes.  Further bolstering Otis' forces were bands of volunteers who had not done well under the rule of the Adams-Farwell's.   In May, with his forces nearly double those of the king's, Otis led his men in an attack across the Rock Island-Davenport bridge. Despite his numbers advantage, however, Otis found that the king's defenses were too well prepared and was forced to retreat north to Kickapoo after receiving a wounding in battle. The timely retreat preserved most of the Quad Citian forces, but some 600 men died in the assault.    Rather than attempt another assault across the Mississippi, Duke Otis waited for his wound to heal and crossed further north, to attack from Dubuque. Without the bridge to bottleneck the larger army the king of Iowa found himself greatly outnumbered by the heavy infantry of his rebellious vassal. Otis proved himself a brilliant general and nearly halved the Iowan army, which retreated across the very same bridge it had held so gallantly a few months prior.   In short order the city of Davenport was retaken and in September of 2710 Dubuque, the ancestral homeland of the Adams-Farwells, was captured by Otis. During the siege the Cathedral of Saint Patrick, the first built in Iowa according to legend and seat of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, was hit by a flaming sack of rocks and pitch. The load was intended to hit the living quarters of the garrison, but overshot it and crashed through the roof of the structure. The ancient stones of the cathedral's walls survived, but the roof and interior were destroyed. The archbishop himself, having not evacuated for unknown reasons, was caught in the blaze and found dead after the siege. A later investigation by the church found no fault on the part of Otis, but this, combined with his famed adultery and rumored alcoholism did little to endear him to the church.  In October the remnants of King Pentecost's army attempted to cross back into Iowa proper to join up with reinforcements in Cedar Falls. At the Rock Island-Davenport bridge the forces of Otis and Pentecost once more fought and the results were no better for the king than the last time. Of the 1700 men Pentecost led across the Mississippi, only 700 were able to escape and retreat, through mud and river reeds, west to Cedar Rapids.  With Pentecost defeated Otis turned north, to intercept the reinforcements on their way to Cedar Falls. If the two Iowan forces had been able to meet they might have provided a challenge, but isolated each fell quickly.   To the common peasantry it likely seemed that God was on Otis' side. He was even blessed with another true-born son during this time.  But Otis likely owed his victory as much to the Buckeyes as God. The heavy foot soldiers provided by the company provided a clear edge to Otis, but the price they demanded forced the king-to-be to take out many loans.   2711 saw a lull in the fighting, as the duke settled down to besiege the king's holdings in Freeborn and Pentecost headed into western Iowa to scrape together a force that might stand a chance against Otis. While the lords of Iowa battled over earthly concerns, the first crusade ended in a dismal failure for Christendom.  The last battle of note during the war occurs in 2712 outside of La Crosse. King Pentecost led a force of some 2000 men east to retake Dubuque and hopefully slow down Otis long enough for him to run out of money to pay his mercenaries. Otis learned of this and chased Pentecost across the Mississippi to La Crosse, where he defeated the smaller force.   Tales of the drunkenness of King Otis I begin to pop up around this time, as the war was winding down. There is little evidence of this from what records remain of Otis' rule, although it was not impossible given his father's own weakness for drink.   The last actual battle of the war did not, surprisingly enough, occur in the east. At Sisseton Otis found that last remnants of the Iowan army being led by Pentecost against a Lakotah invasion of Crow Creek. In March of 2715 King Pentecost received his last defeat at the hands of Otis I.   On July the 8th, in a ceremony at the Red Tower of Rock Island, Otis was crowned King Otis Huether the First of Iowa. Next Time: War of the Two Iowas Clayren fucked around with this message at 05:56 on Jul 8, 2016 |
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Jul 8, 2016 05:50
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 Is this enough to have Otis, our drunken lecher of a king, be deemed 'the Great'?
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Jul 8, 2016 05:56
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Are the Knights of Columbus based out of Ohio?
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Jul 8, 2016 06:07
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CommissarMega posted:
He does end up getting a title before his reign is up, but it's not necessarily a positive nickname. Given what he gets up to between now and his death he kind of disqualifies himself for Greatness. Although to be fair he's not REALLY an alcoholic, that event occurred because the Bishop of Silvis (who got shitcanned right after it), HATED Otis' guts and viewed him as a rival. Given that the event has a chance to NOT give you the drunkard trait, I view it as more an issue of rumors of drunkenness.
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Jul 9, 2016 00:15
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Great job so far, Clayren. Really excited to see where this goes.
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Jul 10, 2016 02:01
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Update #8: The War of Two Iowas 2715 - 2720  After six long years of civil war the realm of Iowa is exhausted. King Tasinagi of the Lakotah had taken advantage of the chaos to declare a war for Crow Creek (Khangi Wakpa in the Lakotah language) and by 2715 had occupied most of the duchy of Yankton. Rather than extend the conflict further (which would have likely taken many years given the extensive Lakotah occupation), King Otis I chose to negotiate with the Lakotah, giving them back Crow Creek in return for an immediate withdrawal from the rest of Iowa.  That this move brought peace to the realm was apparently of little consolation to Duke Mishach of Yankton, who demanded and was granted a place on his new liege's council as steward. Otis I also made the duke of Chariton spymaster and granted Franklin Greysnow of Moingona a position as advisor to the king. Notably absent was the duchess of Iowa, whose contributions to the deposed King Pentecost's war efforts had been the final nail in the coffin for the relationship of the two ex-lovers.  Another issue between the two was the bastard Andrew Otison. Firstborn son of the duchess, the un-legitimized Andrew was a threat Otis I kept over Henrietta's head. So long as the child remained illegitimate Henrietta could have other children who might inherit her holdings, but if Otis chose to he could legitimize the son and the duchy of Iowa would eventually pass into the Huether dynasty. Needless to say, this made it very hard for Henrietta to find a suitable husband. These issues combined turned the duchess against Otis almost from the very start of his reign as king.   In 2715 the focus of Otis the First's attention was not his bastard son Andrew, however, but his firstborn son Otis. With his heir near to adulthood, Otis I chose late summer of 2715 to introduce Otis II to the lords and ladies of Iowa to shore up the legitimacy of the new ruling dynasty of the realm.   The courtiers and vassals arrived in late August and Otis II (often called Otis the Younger during the reign of Otis I) was the immediate center of attention. Although young the lad showed himself to be quite knowledgeable on topics of philosophy and religion. Following the party the noted biblical scholar Bishop Micah of Wyalusing began to tutor Otis the Younger, having been impressed by the boy's talent.   Outside of the still imprisoned Prince Pentecost, all of Otis' vassals were in attendance. This includes the Gammton's who, despite having lost the duchy of Forgotonia, retained most of the county titles. Relations between the Gammton's and Huether's would remain strained for some time following the conquest of Forgottonia.  Famously known for his frailty, Otis the Younger was not unskilled in combat or tactics. Count Marion Kitchen of the Dells, as a favor to Otis I, tutored the boy in both and this act likely saved the man's life later on.   To the surprise of all the chronicles indicate that Otis the Younger showed few signs of inheriting his father's vices. Although skilled in military matters and ambitious to a fault like his father before him, Otis II was an introspective religious man, more at home in the library than the arms of another man's wife.  The lords of Iowa were generally impressed with the boy.  For three months Prince Pentecost was held in the Rock Island dungeons. Following the conclusion of Otis' introduction of his son to the realm the deposed king was released and returned to his duchy of Freeborn. With the duke of Yankton now firmly on Otis' side and the lords of Chariton, Iowa and Moingona agreeable to Huether rule, the former king posed little threat to Otis.   Otis I began to roll back council power in 2716, seeking to re-centralize power in Iowa and undo the years of Adams-Farwell mismanagement. Notably, the power to revoke titles without council approval was restored that year.  In order to get the necessary votes for this change, however, Otis I had to agree to press the duke of Yankton's claim on Crow Creek.   Although Otis had refused to extend the conflict over the county a year earlier, he readily agreed to this condition in 2716. By this time the Iowan army had recovered and he was able to call on 4,400 men, mostly infantry and cowboys. The Lakotah, on the other hand, had far fewer men and following the Battle of Yankton the war looked to be a short one.    Back in Rock Island, Prince Otis came of age in January of 2717. Weak of body, but strong of mind, Otis II was a devout religious scholar with a strong dedication to justice and his father's ambition. His betrothal to the daughter of the king of Platte was arranged shortly thereafter.  In February, with Otis far to the west sieging the Lakotah, Duchess Henrietta, along with a number of counts, sent a letter to the king demanding he cease his reforms of council law. Otis refused and Henrietta, his ex-lover, declared war. This is how the war between the Kingdom of Iowa and the Duchy of Iowa began, often called the "War of Two Iowas".  Outside of Henrietta herself, only a few other lords joined the rebellion. The lord mayor of Scott and Count Marion of the Dells, most notably. Despite his own loathing for Otis, Pentecost did not join and the dukes of western Iowa also refused invitations from the duchess.   The Talons, led by the Americanist Commander Filibuster, were hired in Rock Island to reinforce Otis' army after returning from the west. Together these force smashed the rebels in Dubuque in September of the war's first year.  The remnants of Henrietta's army were pursued south and again stricken in November outside Burlington.   The battle ended with the capture of two of the rebellion's top commanders, Prince-Bishop Solomon and Lord-Mayor Myatt of Scott. This leads to one of the myths about Otis the Elder and Otis the Younger, wherein Otis the Younger famously told his father that he could not "Imprison a man of God", to which the stern King Otis responded "I'm only waiting until God sends the ransom." There is very little evidence that this exchange ever actually happened.   Not much of Otis the Younger is actually known during these years. The chronicles mention that his marriage to the princess of Platte occurred and a recovered fragment of a letter from him to his old tutor, the Bishop Micah, speaks of Otis investigating rumors from Icelandic merchants of the Old Rome and the anti-Pope who rules there.   In 2718 the war with the duchess ended following a series of sieges and a defeat outside Clinton. At the Battle of Eagle Point the smaller rebel force was sent scrambling down the steep limestone cliffs of Clinton and into the Mississippi river.  At the ancient squat tower of Eagle Point, built in an age lost to time by the knights of the WPA, the duchess Henrietta surrendered to Otis.   In punishment for her actions Henrietta was imprisoned in Rock Island, never to see the light of day again. Her bastard son Andrew was legitimized and became warden of the dukedom until his mother was released. This release would never come, however.  Although the story of Otis the Younger's pleading for the freedom of Prince-Bishop Solomon is likely myth, it is true that the younger Huether convinced his father to release his old tutor Count Marion without punishment.   This did much to improve Otis I's reputation among his vassals, as did his granting of the duchy of Coulee to a loyal courtier. In Des Moines the duke of Yankton oversaw the completion of a monument dedicated to Otis' victory over the rebellious Henrietta.    No longer distracted, Otis turned back west and finished the war with the Lakotah. Duke Mishach of Yankton received the county in May of 2719. Originally granted Yankton by the Adams-Farwell family who, under King Poynter, had conquered the region from the Lakotah, Mishach became an important supporter of Otis following the fall of the Adams-Farwells.    With the conflicts ended Otis I turned to the issue of the realms finances in 2719. The realm had not been at peace for more than a year since the start of Otis' civil war and the coffers by this point were growing empty.   In April of 2720, in a scheme to increase trade and make a tidy profit for the king, Mishach proposed a trade mission to the north, to a rumored realm rich in gold and diamonds. It is a long trip however, requiring the party to travel east and then north along the coast to arrive in the Hudson Bay during the Summer months when it is relatively free of ice. This requires a significant investment from King Otis.  Otis the Younger, in September as the expedition is being planned, introduced Bishop Jeconiah to his father, who offered to help fund the trip if he and some other men of faith could come along to preach to the pagans of the frozen north. The offer was rejected by Otis I, who likely feared that the holy men would jeopardize his profits.  In June, with the Hudson Bay thawed, Otis and Mishach arrived at the court of High Chief Cadwallader of Northern Quebec. After presenting a gift of a dozen fine Platte horses the chief warmly greets the visitors through an interpreter.  After several days of feasting and discussion Otis I hammered out a trade deal with the chief. Although separated by language and religion, the two men are recorded as having been quite fond of one another. Before leaving the high chief presented Otis with a fine gold crown, topped with an eagle and a laurel wreath and studded with large diamonds and sapphires.  In July the expedition set off back to Iowa, leaving before the ice could return to Hudson Bay. When they returned to Iowa the gold and diamonds purchased in Northern Quebec brought a hefty profit to both Otis and Mishach and for many years afterwards the yearly thaw of the Hudson brought shiploads of gold and diamonds to be traded in Davenport. Next Time: DETHKLOK...
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Jul 10, 2016 17:35
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Update #9: The Cursed Clock of Otis I 2721 - 2726   Following his return from Northern Quebec, King Oits I focused mostly on reforming the laws of the realm. His primary focus was on reigning in council power and doing away with the electoral power of the dukes, to ensure that his heirs and their heirs would not lose the throne to a Greysnow or Adams-Farwell. He was helped in these efforts by Franklin III, son of the deposed King Franklin II and a rather inept ruler.  With the support of Franklin and Duke Mishach of Yankton, Otis was able to pass a law returning the power of execution back to the crown. From her prison cell the duchess of Iowa, likely fearing for her life, sent letters to her son commanding him to fight against the passage of the law, but it was no use. The law passed, but Otis never had Henrietta executed under the law.  To drum up for support among the nobles for further reform, Otis I declared war in October of 2722 against the last Revelationist lord in the Grangelands, Penetecost the Firearmed, chief of Independence.  It was expected to be a short and easy conflict, there were no other Revelationists in the Grangelands to come to the chief's aid and the forces of Iowa easily outnumbered those of Independence. However, issues back at court weighed heavily on Otis I. In November Duke Franklin was called to the capital following the discovery of evidence that he had planned to have Prince Andrew assassinated to prevent the young man from inheriting the duchy of Iowa and taking it out of Greysnow hands. After a talk with his liege the duke ended his plotting.  But the stress of the issues over Andrew continued to cause a great deal of stress for Otis, who suffered from aches and pains likely associated with stress. Later chroniclers claimed that around this time the king began to suffer from stigmata, a warning from God to steer clear of dealings with heathens, but most historians put little stock in these accounts.  Regardless of these pains, the duties of king and commander kept Otis busy. On Christmas day 2722 he held mass with the assembled forces of Iowa, before heading out the next day to Independence.  Outside the castle of Independence the Iowan army met the Revelationists, outnumbering them four to one and easily winning the day.  The battle was not without cost for Iowa, however. On the 22nd of February the duke of Freeborn, formerly King Pentecost of Iowa, died of wounds received in the battle. His daughter Matilda inherited the duchy and adopted the title "Duchess of Driftless". This meant an end to one of Otis' most unhappy vassals and a minor threat to control of Iowa.  In March of 2723 the castle at Independence fell and the county came into the hands of King Otis.  There is little evidence that Otis much enjoyed the victory. He continued to have to combat intrigue within Iowa, with the husband of the new duchess of Driftless and son of Duke Franklin III being discovered plotting to kill Otis' son and heir.   The stress and pain afflicting Otis only grew worse as the years went by, only briefly being dispelled by the birth of his first granddaughter, Evanora.  In 2726 Otis, under pressure from the Pope, removed Free Investiture from the laws of Iowa. This was not a move that was very popular with the nobles of the realm, who had enjoyed free investiture ever since King Poynter had overthrown the Greysnows.  Trade in Davenport flourished under Otis I. Besides the gold from Quebec, one could also find cattle and buffalo from the plains, rice and spices from Louisane, timber and fish from New England, cotton cloth, tobacco and indigo from the Confederate Empire and wine, fruit and silks from California. During this period, following the collapse and division of the old California Empire, the kingdom of Socal had begun to expand east and south following the conversion of the kingdom to Consumerism. Socal sent both traders and teachers of the faith throughout the continent to spread the word of Consumerism. One of these men, a eunuch known only as Max, was welcomed into the court of King Otis in October of 2726, despite the protests of some priests about bringing a heathen to Rock Island.  Silks, rarer even than cotton, did not often make their way east of the Rockies. Max hammered out a deal with Otis shortly after his arrival giving the merchant the right to buy much more corn and pork than foreign merchants were usually allowed and lowering tariffs on Socal goods. The lord mayor of Davenport complained that this would make it harder for Iowan traders to compete, but Max replied that the "Invisible Hand would balance everything out in the end".  Friction between the newcomer and the merchants and priests of Iowa continued for a few months. In December Max offered Otis I a special deal, an exceedingly rare hand-wound pocket clock, able to accurately measure time not just in hours, but also minutes and seconds. The price he demanded was high, but Otis paid it nonetheless and Max immediately left for Socal after handing over the artifact.  For 20 days the king gloated over his acquisition, showing it off to all of his courtiers and friends. Otis I wound the clock often, it became something of a nervous habit of his and the clock never ceased ticking for those three weeks. It was later reported that the ticking of the clock echoed down every hallway in the Red Tower of Rock Island.  And then, on the night of the 22nd of December, the watch stopped abruptly. Otis I is rare in that he, unlike most other kings, has left us a fairly accurate time of death. According to legend a guard posted outside of his lord's bedchambers heard the ticking stop and, knowing how incessantly Otis kept the clock wound, checked in to see how the king was doing. He found Otis dead and the watch fully unwound, God's punishment for dabbling with heathens from the other side of the Rockies.  The Eagle Crown, along with the watch, passed on to Otis II on the 28th day of December, 2726. A learned man, Otis II was religious, but no zealot. He refused to listen to the bishop of Silvis when he implored his lord to "cast the accursed thing into the Mississippi, for it's case is made of Judas silver and it's ticking is your own heart's and whence it stops so shall yours!" Historians have generally sided with Otis II on this one, the pocket watch was not cursed and 47 years was not an unusual age for a man to die, especially a man with a history of severe stress like Otis I. But given what happened to Otis II, however, it is not surprising that people continue to believe the artifact was cursed. Next Time: The Five Golden Domes of Des Moines
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Jul 11, 2016 22:09
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| # ? May 7, 2024 17:15 |
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Foreign assassins!
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Jul 11, 2016 23:20
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