King of Sicily

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The reign of King Aoed I (Hope that is right)

1138 - King Aoed surveyed his lands, evey province was peaceful and only Venice was troubling him. Great numbers of Germans lined the provinces next to the city and the force inside was showing no signs of starving.

The king called his personal messenger over, inform my crusader general to assault the castle this year, as we urgently need to defend Venice from the Gemans.

Later that month the King recieved his reply

My liege,
Followuing your instructions i gave the order to attack the castle, I am glad to report that we have managed to smash throguh their walls and in the end they sustained more casualties thatn us, since I have heard nothing from the HRE about the captives I have been forced to execute all of them.

1139 -
Is this true?
yes my liege, Tyrolia has fallen into rebellion,
Well what are you waiting for, go see how many troops we can spare to attack
Unfortunately all we can do is to split our forces in Vneoice and attack with them.

The King pondered for a while, while the lure of Tyrolia was great as it offered a way into the HRE's heartlands but was the risk of the garrison at Venice losing too great?
Throwing caution to the winds King Aoed sent word to his genrals to spilt as best they can and for one fo them to move on Tyrolia.

The HRE soliders retreated as the ysaw the mgith of the Sicilian and Rebel troops marching towards them and fled in terror. The Sicilian troops easily brushed aside the rebel army with mercenary troops.

1141 - With the Germans also seeing fit to leave Switzerland unguarded the King's troops also moved in to capture the mountainous province.

1144 - After much strengthening of troops from all over the Sicilian empire, the King sendt his troops oput once more, this time into Swabia, the cowardly HRE troops retreated yet again leaving the province in Sicialian hands.

The same occured the next year and Bavaria was also taken into the Siciclian empire.

1145 - Stung after the losses of so much land, the German Emperor finally decided to launch counter attacks in Switzerland and Venice, faced with overwhlming odds in both battles, the Sicilian troops prepared to defend.

In Switzerland the Sicilians deployed on the high ground and never moved as thier enemies marched to and fro in front of them, finally moving up towards the bemused siclian commander who quickly ordered the militia seargents to attack, backed up by sicilian archers the army quickly brok through the German lines and caused a mass rout. End result Germans dead or captured - 543 Sicilians losses - 114.

In Venice the enemy had the advantage of the high ground but the level headed Lord Piccolomini kept his troops in the flatlands, forcing the enemy to do battle on even terms, even though outnumbered 2-1 and with only spears and UM the line held long enough for the cavalry to break through and rout the rest of the army. End result: Gemrans dead+captives - 789, Sicilian losses - 106

These losses caused many provinces to renouce the emperor's name and many of the strongest provinces such as Burgendy turned rebel.

In the same year the treaterous Almohads decided to do away with our supply to Valencia by attakcing our single galley by the province, needless to say they were killed easily. Due to the King's murderous temper he declared that the Almohads should pay for their treacery. Luckily for him he had enough money to launch a crusade against these backstabbing fools and Crusade was sent to corodoba along with troops from all over the Empire to take out their capitol province.

1148 - En route to the province the crusaders heard happy news, half of Almohad territory had renounced the old ruler and had turned rebel, leaving the Almohds stuck in Castille, Corodoba Cyrenecia and Morroco. The crusade won the province without a fight as the terrified loyalists took one look at the massive army and fled.

It was also in this year that the rebels took control of the HRE and declared a new Emperor, who seeing the might of the sicilians, offered peace immediately. The king accepted gracefully, sending gifts of good from the empire as a goodwill present.

1149 - Tunisia over the years ahd been used for buiulding ships and it's military defences were old and creaky, seizing this oppertuninty the almohads invaded with an elite corps of Saharan cav, seeing the massive numbers against them, the leader decided to retreat and ask for help from Sicily. Help was sent in the form of a crusade the next year and Tunisia was regained.

1153 - The King sought to strengthen his hold on the Iberian perninsula, he sent his best emmisary to the rebels who were holding out in Granada and offered them money to change loyalties. This was accepted immediately and more of the Iberian perninsula went into Sicilian hands.

All of this warmongering was having a effect on the treasury and the year of 1153 was the last year of any real military action, with a crusdade arriving at Algeria and poaching it from ther owners.

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The last years of the king's reign was spent upgrading income from all of the provinces. Farms were build all over europe and the empire as the king tried to secure a income that would replace trade. This earnt him the title of steward in 1164, 4 years before his death, he was still ordering the completion of farms right up his last weeks as King.
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With his death the kingdom passed to his children, a little larger and a little less dependant on trade, however theree were lots to do if Sicily was to rule the world.


i would also like to take this chance to called Risingsun : the merchant

Sorry, Chimpyang, but I've downloaded the file two times and each time when I try to extract from it with winrar, I get error messages that there is an unexpected end to the file and that the file is corrupt. Please can you try to upload it again? Cheers, Simon.

Err try it once more as I have recently put another version up..

If not pm me again, i'll upload it again.

OK, version 2 works for me. Thanks, Chimpyang http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/bigthumb.gif

Interesting situation - from the earlier warning about Spain and Byzantium I feared the worse. But we have them and others as allies, and are waging a war with the Almohads.

The warnings thankfully didnt become true, the war with the Alom's was their fault, they attacked one of my ships and lost. So i had a few crusades in production and quickly took thier main provinces out.

Well, it was a quite a few turns ahead. And the Spanish and Byz were my allies when they attacked, so don't count them out. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wink.gif

How did the fights against the Hun go? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/confused.gif

Well, thats t ocome when I have more time to type up more.

Is this PBEM VI 2.1?

If so, I'll play a reign if you need me to.

Llywelyn

OK, my King is dead. The savegame is uploaded as Sicily1202.zip and a PM will be sent to Ellesthyan. The current line up of Kings is:

Demon of Light
King Adam I, 1087-1112

RisingSun
King Adam II, The Merchant,1113-1137

Chimpyang
King Aoed I, The Bold, 1138-1167

SimonAppleton
King Adam III, 1168-1201

Ellesthyan
King Allan I, current ruler of Sicily

TrickyLady

Llywelyn ap Gruffydd

We have now reached a position of dominance in Europe, so the rules suggested by Katank become more binding. Unfortunately, I realise that this is a conquest game, not the GA one Katank intended. I propose that we leave it to future kings to decide how far to take Katank's rule of no unjustified aggression. If we are to conquer the world, we might need to be agressive http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/rolleyes.gif Perhaps the guiding light should be role-playing - act in character for your king of an expansionist kingdom destined for greatness.

Edit: Chimpyang - thanks for the write-up King Aoed I should be known as The Bold for his audacious acquisitions in Germany and Africa http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...evalcheers.gif

Llywelyn - yes, it is VI 2.01, nice to have you on board I suspect you may be needed - there is a lot of conquering still to be done and while it could conceivably be completed in two reigns, this probably would not be consistent with plausible role-playing.

Ok i;ve finished it, it may seemed a little rushed as I've had coursework to do and needed to do that first. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/flat.gif

uhm, out of curiosity, what if one of the players manages to lose the game ? or get into such a crappy situation that the game is as good as lost anyway...
are there any unwritten rules about this, i.e. the poor sod has to buy a beverage of their choice to all the other players, or what ? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ons/tongue.gif

btw, how often does it happen ? :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Blodrast @ June 14 2004,19:19)]uhm, out of curiosity, what if one of the players manages to lose the game ? or get into such a crappy situation that the game is as good as lost anyway...
are there any unwritten rules about this, i.e. the poor sod has to buy a beverage of their choice to all the other players, or what ? http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ons/tongue.gif

btw, how often does it happen ? :)

---

It happened in the Saxon campaign, when a position become pretty hopeless and in another one (Spain?) where a king died heirless. The consensus is that we accept that them's the breaks and let the thread die.

More common is where players drop out due to other commitments or just disappear, then we go back to the last available savegame and keep going.

The Coronation, Sicily, 1168

“They say I am strange, Orsini, that I talk to imaginary friends.”

King Adam scrutinised his new herald, Diego Orsini, with a penetrating stare. The young man tried not to look alarmed and spluttered:

“Your majesty, people say many things and not all are to be believed. And anyway, possession of an imagination is not a vice nor are genuine friends something a King can find in abundance.”

Adam smiled appreciatively at the wit and sympathy of his new young companion, before changing the subject:

“I am concerned at the state of our kingdom, Orsini. She hangs precariously to the underbelly of Europe. Her fingers strain to hold on to scattered possessions in Spain, North Africa, Provence and the central Mediterranean. Our rich vein of territory running from Venice to Swabia is exposed and vulnerable to any number of European powers.”

“The war you have inherited with the Almohads gives you a first opportunity to change that, my Lord. By crushing them you can unite your possessions in North Africa with those in Iberia.”

“Indeed … send word to Lords Machiavelli and Infanti to begin the invasions of Morocco and Cyrenacia. We will end this war so unjustly thrust upon my father.”

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_01.jpg

A youthful but troubled King Adam III at the beginning of his long reign



The Battle of Portugal, 1170

Adam was being dragged in chains by the victorious Almohads, the bodies of his soldiers littering the field of battle.

“Sire… Sire … are you alright?” Adam heard Orsini’s voice through the fog of his surrounds.

Slowly Adam emerged from his reverie: “Orsini, I had a nightmare … or a premonition, I am unsure. Our crusade was advancing on the enemy, when their warriors charged down to meet us. Although we outnumbered them greatly, their prowess far exceeded our own and we were defeated.”

Orsini reflected on this and then said slowly: “Sire, even in sleep the mind can work and discover truths that endure under the harsh light of day. We have the Almohad Kalipha cornered; he has no where to retreat to. But it is true, our soldiers report he has several superb companies of veteran infantry as well as one hundred mailed Ghulam cavalry. We have him trapped, Sire, but when a hunter traps a tiger, he does not seek to match it in its ferocity. Rather he seeks to bring it down through guile and superior tools. You must fight this battle with caution and skill.”

Chastened by his dream and the wise advice of his herald, Adam fought a patient battle against Kalipha Ismail I. The Kalipha rashly allowed his superb infantry to be destroyed piecemeal and then found his many Ghulams held at bay by lines of Order foot backed by archers. In frustration, the Kalipha launched his many heavy cavalry at the Sicilian ranks. Adam ordered up his own escort onto the left flank, preparing to strike back at the Kalipha’s own escort, mired in a sea of Sicilian spears.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_02.jpg

Kalipha Ismail I leads his heavy cavalry in a valiant assault on the Sicilian infantry as King Adam III prepares to launch his bodyguard into a counter-charge

Adam felt the exhilaration of battle as his horse thundered into the rear of the enemy lines. However, the charge did not have the immediate effect he had intended and soon his bodyguard were bogged down trading sword blows with skillful ghulam cavalry. Then Adam heard Orsini’s voice call:

“Sire This is folly Only one leader is destined to fall this day and it is not you We should fall back.”

Something in Adam snapped – Orsini was right, this was not a duel, a matter of honour – it was a kill, the putting down of a dangerous animal.

“Fall back Fall back” Adam shouted, as he quickly extricated his bodyguard from the bitter melee.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_03.jpg

An unnerved King Adam III withdraws from the melee, to his shame.

Although Adam later returned to the combat, the memory of his earlier dishonour was to haunt him. Kalipha Ismail I, on the other hand, found a warrior’s end – ultimately left alone and surrounded by hundreds of Sicilian infantry, he was brought down like a lion overwhelmed by a large pack of hyena.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_04.jpg

The Battle for Portugal at its height. King Adam III has returned to the fray – he can be seen on the left of the picture, but his standard does not carry the royal crown. A presumptuous general from the Knights Templar usurped authority from the King during the battle.

The battle was brutal, with both sides suffering similar heavy casualties but the larger Sicilian army ultimately prevailed. That night, an exhausted King Adam returned to his tent and sunk into a chair. The death of Ismail had brought to an end the Almohad line and the leaderless troops holding out in Lisbon castle would soon succumb to a Sicilian assault.

“I have failed my test, Orsini. I had a chance to prove my valour, but I was shown to be wanting. What am I to do now?”

“Sire, the crusade was a noble one and under you leadership it has succeeded. You have gathered together many fine warriors for this cause. You need to retain their fealty. Surely it is not hard to see what must be done? Go once more to his Holiness and this time request permission to crusade to the Holy Land itself.”

Adam flared: “Supplicate myself to that man? He is insufferable. He thinks he can act against me with impunity. His inquisitors burn my generals and his agents eye greedily our possessions in Italy.”

Then the King calmed: “But maybe you are right. If I am to redeem myself what better way than by claiming back the Holy Land? And we will not stop at Palestine, we will drive the Mohammedans out of all the lands they have seized and back into the desert. This will be the noble aim I dedicate my reign to – the reconquest of all the lands of Christendom”

Tyrolia, 1174

Don Cormac Lanfranci knelt in prayer on the Tyrolian mountainside. A little known commander of a depleted company of Knights Templar, it was his fate to have been present both at the Battle of Portugal and now at the second decisive encounter of King Adam’s reign. With the end of the war in Iberia, Lanfranci had been disappointed to be assigned to the garrisons in Germany rather than included in the great crusades launched against the Holy Land.. Whereas King Adam III had seen to it that all armies in war zones had a good balance of arms, the Kingdom’s European territories and re-organisation of their defences proceeded at a slower pace. There was a particular dearth of cavalry and competent commanders so Lanfranci and his 18 surviving brother Templars were sent from Venice to the Tyrol as part of the low-key efforts to deal with those deficiencies.

Lanfranci had arrived in Tyrolia not a moment too soon. A German army of 1500 men was marching into the province, marking the opening of an unprovoked war against the Sicilian kingdom. Europe held its breath, the rich vein of Sicilian territories that ran from Venice to Swabia appeared exposed and vulnerable to the German attack. England, a fair weather ally, turned her back on Sicily and instead chose to retain their alliance with the Holy Roman Empire. But fortunately the Papacy remained true, wishing to support the Sicilian efforts in Palestine, while the Kingdom gained a welcome new ally through the marriage of the French Princess Adela to the King’s brother, Alexander.

Lanfranci rose from his prayers and surveyed his army. He had a strong position, nestled on a mountain slope overlooking a valley. His army was a makeshift force with several units at far below operational strength. Fortunately, he had a full complement of three companies of archers – a requirement of the king’s army reforms that had thankfully been implemented early. His greatest hope lay with three companies of men-at-arms on foot. Recruited in Germany, these were hardy mailed warriors who could give a good account of themselves against the more numerous but less well equipped and well trained masses who made up the HRE army. If he lacked anything, it was numbers – his army totalled little over 600 – and there was a notable shortage of spearmen. Fortunately, the German army approaching appeared to be entirely on foot.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_05.jpg

Don Lanfranci prepares to face a surprise invasion by the formerly peaceful Holy Roman Empire

A pious man, Lanfranci made a second, this time silent and private, prayer as his archers began to fire on the advancing Germans. This battle would be a simple affair. His archers would fire and then his men-at-arms would charge. Whether they would prevail was up to God.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_06.jpg

The battle of Tyrolia at its height. As the Germans waiver, Lanfranci prepares to charge with his troop of Knights Templar.


Egypt, 1179

The fierce desert sun beat down on King Adam III and his mailed crusader army. It was ironic, the King mused, that when they had finally come upon an oasis, there was no time to rest. Over a thousand rebel Egyptian warriors waited to meet them - the last remnants of the Sultan’s forces in the west. The initial Sicilian crusade against Palestine had shattered the Egyptian kingdom. The Sultan himself was holed up in Antioch, but the elsewhere his provinces had fallen into rebellion. Already the Sicilians had taken Arabia and the Sinai – now the King was accompanying an army to bring down the largest concentration of rebel forces in Egypt.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_07.jpg

The Sicilians approach the rebel Egyptian army.

There was little to distract the King from the struggle at hand. The war with Germany had sunk into stalemate as the Pope had warned the Sicilians against any further retaliation after they had pushed north from Swabia into Franconia. The Kingdom was thriving - Sicilian trade ships had reached the Baltic and her armies were widely acknowledged to be the mightiest in Europe. The only irritant was the continued activities of the Papal inquisitors, who were now burning fine Sicilian generals at the rate of sometimes more than one a year. Adam had secretly ordered the governor of Malta to recruit assassins to strike down Papal agents wherever they could be found on Sicilian territory. But so far the only heads the assassins had gathered were of relatively harmless Papal emissaries found spying. Adam tried to put these ungodly thoughts to one side – he was supposed to be leading a holy crusade with the blessing of his ally, the Papacy.

Once again an impudent Crusader general had assumed command of the battle, but as before, Adam had to admit the man was fighting with consummate professionalism. Behind a solid wall of mailed Order foot soldiers, Sicilian archers rained down arrows on the unarmoured Nubian foot.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_08.jpg

With their foot outmatched by the Sicilians, the Egyptian cavalry approaches to attack.

In desperation, the Egyptians launched their ghulam cavalry against the Sicilian lines. But although the ghulams fought valiantly, it was a hopeless battle. At the climax of the battle, Adam brought his escort – the only heavy Sicilian cavalry on the field – round the left flank and launched a decisive charge into the rear of the Egyptian line.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_09.jpg

King Adam III launches the climatic charge of the battle.



Lesser Armenia, 1183

“Grandfather always predicted that they would do it, you know.” King Adam said to his herald, Don Orsini.

They were riding to battle through the scrub in Lesser Armenia, but Adam’s mind was far away in Valencia – the scene of his kingdom’s only defeat in what was to be a long reign. The previous year, an army of 1700 Spaniards had surprised the garrison of 800 in Valencia. The Sicilians under Don Fieschi had fought well – initially driving off the Spaniards and killing over a thousand of them. But numbers had prevailed and the castle was now under siege.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_10.jpg

Faced with a surprise invasion by Spain, the Sicilian garrison of Valencia is defeated but at a bloody cost to the attackers.

This year, King Adam had ordered a vigorous counter-attack – raising scratch forces to strike simultaneously at Spanish possessions in Leon, Castille and Valencia.

“And the Byzantines too. Grandfather insisted he had been warned in a premonition that both Spain and Byzantium would betray us. My father thought he was raving, but may he is being proved right? Byzantium has already chosen to stand by Spain, not us, as have Novogorod and Denmark. Only the French and that odious Pope remains true and he kills more of our generals than our enemies”

“Sire, it is not the Spaniards we should be concerned about. They are a small insignificant faction, already badly wounded by the late Don Fieschi. Their odious general, Don Sanchez, was driven in flight and dishonour from the battle. They will be over-run by your forces soon enough. It is our erstwhile allies the French you should look too. They are rumoured to have the most advanced technology in Europe and already have spread into Ireland and Scotland. Perhaps we should strike against them, while they are still locked in their conflict with the English?”

“Hah We have no allies bar the French and that master inquisitor in Rome, and you wish me to turn on them? Orsini, I think it is you, not I, who should be regarded as the strange one. Anyway, now we should focus on the matter at hand. The Egypt Sultan lies before us with his last army. We must win this battle and end our war for the Holy Land”

For once, King Adam III had secured overall command of the battle – the impudent general who sort to claim the responsibility was relegated to reserve duty, leaving the King in undisputed control of the battle plan. The battle was a dispersed, messy affair with the Sicilians driving the Egyptians down into a wooded valley and then having to launch an uphill offensive.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_11.jpg

The last stand of the Egyptians, as the Sicilians launch a bloody uphill attack in Lesser Armenia

Shielded by lines of spearmen, the Sicilian archers again saw off the Islamic troops – the Sultan himself fleeing from the battle after losing his escort in a desperate last charge.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_12.jpg

Sultan Ali I flees Lesser Armenia, ending all Moslem claim to the Holy Land.

Later that year, King Adam III received word that his three-pronged assault on Spain had succeeded in encircling the bulk of the Spanish army which surrendered, along with their King Fernando II. No ransom was forthcoming and in a fit of pique, Sicilian forces overran the Kingdom of Aragon as well as the last remaining Spanish province of Navarre. Thus fell three great houses, Egypt, Spain and Aragon within a spell of only two years.

Trebizond, 1189

“Are you not weary of this, Orsini? I am about to enter my fiftieth year and this ceaseless campaigning in foreign lands wearies me.”

Orsini turned in the saddle to look at his tired King. The old crusader had not stopped with the elimination of the Egyptians. Instead, he had offered an alliance with Byzantium – eternally locked in a life or death struggle with the Turks. The Byzantines at first had refused to answer and in 1187, their great citadel in Constantinople had fallen to the Turks. Consequently, King Adam III of Sicily had decided to come to the aid of his fellow Christians and launched overwhelming attacks on the Turkish provinces of Syria, Edessa and Rum.

At the same time, he had re-ignited the hitherto cold war with Germany. Wishing to contain the French in Western Europe and to take a Northern port, the Sicilians had seized Saxony. They had also launched a joint invasion of German held Milan with their French allies, but ultimately had failed to secure the province, despite killing Emperor Heinrich V in battle. The Pope had approved Adam's crusades against the Turks but once again admonished the Sicilians for their attacks on the Germans. Once more, Adam acquiesced to the Pope’s wishes although a Maltese blade brought to an end the reign of terror of a renown Papal inquisitor.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_13.jpg

As Sicilian crusades begin the destruction of Turkey with Papal backing, in secret a private war continues between Sicily and the Papacy. Here a Maltese assassin has finally claimed the life of the Papal inquisitor who has sent more than half a dozen fine Sicilian generals to agonising deaths.

Orsini spoke to the King: “Take heart, your majesty – the campaign is nearly over. Sultan Selim II approaches because he seeks to relieve his garrison in Trebizond. It is an act of desperation. The Byzantine Emperor has finally accepted your offer of alliance and already our aid has allowed him to lay siege to our enemy in Constantinople.”

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_14.jpg

King Adam III watches from a fine vantage point as the Turkish Sultan’s army assaults his hill top position.

The Sicilians had chosen a strong hillside position to receive the attack of the Turkish relief force but the battle was surprisingly equal. The Turkish Sultan led his bodyguard into the fray and at a critical point, King Adam III ordered his escort down the hill to charge his enemy.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_15.jpg

Seeking to atone for his timidity nineteen years earlier in Portugal King Adam III charges into combat …

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_16.jpg

… And trades blows with the Turkish Sultan Selim II


Nicea, 1190

“Orsini, what did he do to her? This should have been a time of rejoicing. We have taken the last provinces of the Turks and the Byzantine Emperor offers the hand of his daughter in marriage to my first-born. But this… What did he do to her?”

Orsini shook his head. Prince Allan had inherited his father’s strange disposition, but unfortunately the condition had degenerated further with him than with his father. Already he was earning a reputation for being crack-brained and the failure of his marriage to the delightful Princess Irene of Byzantium would soon lead him to being regarded as an unhinged loon.

“Sire, we do not know that Prince Allan did anything to Princess Irene. Or even that their marriage this year was a cause of the Emperor’s invasion of our province of Trebizond. Perhaps the failure of the match was just a cover for Byzantium’s aggression?”

“No, it does not make any sense. Byzantium cannot hope to prevail against us. This war is an act of passion, not calculation. Constantine XI is acting like an enraged father – not a treacherous ally.”

“Enraged or treacherous, it makes little difference, Sire. Either way, we cannot deal with them – they must be crushed.”

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_17.jpg

Emperor Constantine IX of Byzantium leads a small, but formidable, invasion force in a surprise attack on his supposed Sicilian allies.

“Yes, we are fortunate that Lord Machiavelli was able to drive off the Byzantines when they attacked Trebizond. Getting his archers to target their kataphracts was a very wise tactic. Now, I must organise an army at once to wrest Constantinople from these people.”

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_18.jpg

Mercenary Mameluke archers hound the retreating Emperor Constantine IX after his failed invasion of Trebizond.


Sicily, 1201

“It is good to be back in my home country at last, old friend” the sick King Adam III muttered.

Orsini smiled ruefully at his bed-ridden master. “You have deserved this rest, Sire. Your defeat of the Byzantines was your most masterful victory yet.”

Following the surprise Byzantine attack on Trebizond ten years earlier, the Sicilians had quickly overpowered their enemy. Constantinople was seized without a fight and mastery of the seas swiftly attained. An overwhelming three pronged assault into Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia had led to the encirclement and surrender of all the Byzantine armies on continental Europe, including Emperor Constantine XI himself.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_19.jpg

The Sicilians capture almost all the Byzantine army in an almost bloodless seizure of the Empire’s continental possessions.

“You flatter me, as always, Orsini. That victory was a lost opportunity. I should have seized the islands of Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus before attacking the main Byzantine army on the mainland – as it was, the Byzantine army was allowed to escape to fight another day.”

“Let them stay on Crete – they can go nowhere. Supporting their ransomed army has bankrupted their kingdom. They will never be able to afford a navy to get them off that island. You were right to leave them to your successors to deal with.”

“My successors… I fear for my kingdom under my son, Allan. Perhaps I should have had him removed…”

“You could no more do that than cut off your own arm, your majesty. You have done all you can do – increasing garrisons in all provinces so that there are no rebellions when he comes to power.”

“Orsini, you are wise and kind as always. I could not have achieved what I have without you. Promise me that you will stay with me until the end.”

“I will never leave your side, my Lord”

The King smiled one last time at his faithful servant and then closed his eyes. A physician entered the room:

“Your majesty? Your majesty? I thought I heard you talking to someone?”

The physician looked around the small bedchamber, empty except for the old King on his bed.

“Your majesty” the physician scolded gently. “Talking to your imaginary friends are you again? You know it unnerves the court Now let me take a look at you….”

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/simon.a.../Sicily_20.jpg

All hail the new King of Sicily, Allan I The great southern kingdom he inherits appears to be grasping Europe in its talons.

Heh heh, so Orsini was imaginary all along. That's classic. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/bigthumb.gif

Anyway, looks like the successor may have a little trouble maintaining loyalty, what with that -30 happiness vice. Good luck

Who called it? That's right, RisingSun called it

http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

Excellent write-up, by the way.

Holy crap What an empire http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ns/biggrin.gif

Anyway, I've picked up my reign as the new king of Sicily.

After doing a little survey I must say that the Sicilian empire is doing quite well. It's economy is HUGE and money is flowing in.

But before I continue, I'd like to lay down my plans for my reign before actually starting them.

As the king is an unhinged lunatic, and one of the rules is to roleplay your monarch, I've decided on a crazy plan. I'll gather about 2 stacks with the best army I can gather, and with that his majesty will start a dangerous invasion from Finland, with the goal to reach without naval support, the save bounderies of Sicily, http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ons/smokin.gif and battling every year. The king, born to a pink elephant, is obviously destined by God to war for eternity http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/gc-freak.gif

Now there is the possibility that I won't succeed. If anyone objects against this madness please stop me before it's too late... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/wacko.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...-bucktooth.gif http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...c-disguise.gif

Sounds like a plan One constraint I would suggest is that the rest of the kingdom be run by level-headed advisors in the King's absence. With the -30% to loyalty, there is a big risk of mass rebellions if the King gets isolated and if the Empire collapses as result, leaving that to a successor player to sort out is not really fair.

I may be pushing it, but I wonder about setting up new territories in the land your King marches for (& allowing these to be reinforced)? Since the game was not set up to be a GA game, I suppose we should conquer the world, so this might be one contribution to that. If you can take Kiev on your way back from Finland, that would be a very useful bequest to whoever has to face the Mongols in due course. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wink.gif

I'll appoint a man to look after the kingdom http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wave.gif
That's a good plan. I'll try to hold on whatever I get in my hands. That'll make a nice border for my successors to defend http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...icons/wink.gif

But that -30% won't matter if he excutes enough prisoners along to way to get some good loyalty vices. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg.../gc-gossip.gif

?????????? UPDATE?

Well fine then, let the mighty kingdom die. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...cons/angry.gif

It's a bit soon to pronounce this campaign dead (check out the length of the Byzantine campaign) but I agree it is time we had an update. I've sent a PM to Ellesthyan asking for one. I understand people have other commitments but just a note saying whether we should move on to the next player (TrickyLady) would be sufficient.

Hi,
I've waited for 1 week but I couldn't resist playing the next turn... So I played... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/gc-grin2.gif

It's okay for me if you decide to wait for Ellesthyans write-up.
But if you want, I'll give you a short summary of what happened during this king's reign, and then perhaps Ellesthyan can play the next reign?

Just a proposal...

BTW, due loads of luck, the kingdom looks quite healthy + the next king has killer stats + is very young (19) + has some 7*+ brothers/generals.

OK, fair enough, TrickyLady - it's been around 3 weeks since I ended my reign, so I think it is only fair that to move on.

If you could post a write-up of your reign and upload the savegame, that would be great.

All we'd need then is ... another player. Any volunteers?

Okay, thanks Simon.

This'll be my write-up placeholder. Will have to upload the savegame too. I'll do that tomorrow then.

**Edit: Here's a first part of the write-up. It doesn't go so well today. I don't have so much inspiration http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...ons/gc-sad.gif I'll try to do better this weekend. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cg...s/gc-shame.gif

Sicily, 1201

Colin Fieschi was a renowned physician in medieval Sicily, with connections on high society levels. Many diseases he had cured, and he practised his theories by exhuming dead bodies on the cemetaries of Messina, the town where he grew up. He knew all too well that this was a very risky job, as the Papal inquisition had their spies everywhere. But as long as no-one betrayed him, he could go on with his research. He knew that money could keep many mouths shut. In late 1201, he had been contacted by a courtier, who urged him to examine King Adam, who's health was rapidly declining.
After one visit already, Fieschi knew that the Sicilian King could not be helped. The old man saw ghosts everywhere, and talked to imaginary friends. The King was to die soon, that was for sure...
Even though it was clear that the King was mad, Fieschi suspected that Adam spoke with a creepily firm voice every now and then. It could not be a coincidence that he always cursed his oldest son, Allan, on these rare moments. Fieschi decided that, when King Adam would be succeded by Allan, it was in Sicily's interest not to let Allan rule. He would try to speak to one of his fellow members of the club he visited every Wednesday evening, a Sicilian general, and convince him that Allan is not capable of ruling a country.


1202

The King is dead Long live the King Long live King Allan
Say it again.
The King is dead Long live the King Long live King Allan
Again, insisted Allan.
General Colonna looked uncertainly around. The main hall was still filled with the 500 guests that were invited to celebrate the accesion of King Allan, but many of them were desperately trying not to fall asleep. They sat there for 5 hours already, and yet the new king kept on asking to shout his name. There was no trace of fatigue or boredom on his face.
The King is dead Long live the King Long live King Allan, the crowd shouted indifferently.
Allan made a small gesture to indicate that they should go on.
At the 675th shout, general Colonna abruptly stood up and walked out of the main hall.
The King didn't even look up. The only thing he cared about was the crowd loving and praising him.


Colonna realised that Colin Fieschi had told the truth. This king was a lunatic. If Allan would rule the mighty Sicilian kingdom, as built up by his predecessors, it would soon degrade to a tiny Mediterannean two-island. Just like it was over 100 years ago. Hell. We didn't fight a 100 years' war for nothing. We are mighty and Europe will fear us as they did before. Allan will be King in name, but I'll be the true ruler. The future of Sicily is more important than the ego of a nutcase.

Ah, Colonna, old chap Glad you made it. How are you?
I'm fine, your Majesty, thank you.
Allan showed the general an old map of Europe. It must have been more than 600 years old, as the Iberian peninsular was dominated by Visigoths and the Byzantine Empire stretched much further than its actual borders.
I have drawn up a great plan. It is really really great. We'll conquer the world in less than 2 years, watch my words. This means that I will be Emperor of the World in the Year of our Lord 1000. Aaah, such a magical year. I must be crowned in 1000, yes yes.
The general nodded.
Please tell me all about your plan, sire. I am sure your skills will lead our Sicilian armies from victory to victory.
My God, Colonna, you hypocrite. I hate you
Ha You'll see Colonna, my plan is perfect As our capital is on an island of great strategic value (he pointed his finger to the Baleares) I insist that we first attack the province of Valencia. I heard that this is a rich province, and its strategical position is just perfect for the next move, as we'll attack the small kingdom of Aragon afterwards, and march up north to defeat the French.
Should I tell him we already conquered Valencia and Aragon?
Then, as all Europe keeps its eye on our battles in Spain, we cunningly attack Rome to liberate the city from the heathens and return the Holy City to my dear friend the Pope.
[......]
Um yes Sire. This truely is a perfect plan.

Cheers, TrickyLady - please post the savegame name when it is uploaded.

Afrit just reminded me that Llywelyn ap Gruffydd is next in line - I've sent him a PM wake-up call.

We could still use some volunteers after Llywelyn though. If there are none, then I will see if RisingSun would still like to be reincarnated

Edit: Just heard form Llywelyn that he will be out of town until next Thursday. If anyone would like to pick up the savegame before then, they should post here to that effect and Llywelyn can take the reign after. Otherwise this campaign can rest for a week.