Orders and reports thread

[OverKnight]

1268

I have moved a spy closer to Baghdad to gain a clearer picture of the new Mongol threat.

It appears that they have exterminated and abandoned the city, only around 4000 residents remain. Our agent will continue to monitor the horde's progress.

The Master Theologians Guild in Budapest has become the headquarters of all their guilds in the known world. This will ensure our continued domination of the College of Cardinals, we have 10 of the 12 seats, with one vacant.

Walls upgrades are complete in Vienna, Prague and Stettin. A few other walls remain to be completed and then I will be able to diversify our construction program.

The Teutonic Crusade is now south of Riga.

The Empire has recruited as many merchants as it can for the moment. Income from merchant trade has increased from 3182 florins in 1260 to 5448 florins now. Total revenue has increased to 98,579 florins from 87,443 florins in 1260. Several merchants are on the way to contest the lucrative silk trade around Constantinople.

Count Hans attacked Sultan Moussa of Egypt in the deserts of Jedda. The Sultan's men were crushed, but he escaped again.

Not for long however, as Conrad Salier swept in with the cavalry of his army and slew the Sultan.

The French have besieged Paris, but Duke Scherer has moved in with the Swabian HA to relieve the siege. The French have been driven from their former capital with heavy losses.

The Franconian HA, commanded by Fritz von Kastilien, has moved south to attack a large Polish Army that is threatening Breslau. He did well with his first command as the Poles were crushed.


1268 Continued

Our lone assassin has sent a Polish Noble near Thorn to hell.

Count Hans has been attacked by an Egyptian force coming from the west out of the desert. They most likely seek to avenge the death of their Sultan.

Count Sigismund von Mahren and the Austrian Household Army have been attacked by three Hungarian armies between Budapest and Bran.

I await the outcome of both battles and will report on them in the new year.

[OverKnight]

1270

Both Count Hans and Count Sigismund were victorious.

The Danes tried to assassinate our Kaiser! It failed, but such insolence should not be forgotten.

Karl Zirn has a new daughter, Siburg.

Welf von Luxemburg, a newly recruited priest in Milan, was added to the College of Cardinals by Pope Miccele. Imperial Cardinals now hold 11 of the 13 seats.

The Witch Serapia has been hunted down and killed by Imperial troops north of Bologna. Athalwolf von Salza led them and is on his way to Dijon.

Another Polish Noble has met with an accident near Thorn. A pity.

The Mongols have chosen to travel north of the Euphrates.

Now that I know which way they're coming, I will begin to rally our forces in Outremer.

We have four battles this year, I await word on them.


1270 Continued

Kaiser Siegfried is victiorious over Ragnvald of Vestmanna and will move to Magdeburg to link up with reinforcements and disperse rebels in the area.

Fritz von Kastilien has crushed the Poles near Thorn, exchanged some troops with the Castle and taken up position on the bridge to the south.

Sigismund von Mahren has cleared the path to Bran of Hungarians, but will pause for reinforcements. He will continue on next year.

Lothar Steffen has killed the last of the Milanese and seized Cagliari.

I congratulate the Count of finally ridding us of the scum. Unfortunately, Cagliari is not as developed as Ajaccio, as the castle does not even have a mustering hall. I am also leary of the Spanish presence on the isle.

I have sent a diplomat to meet with the Byzantine Princess Theodora. I thought cementing our alliance with them through marriage would appeal to them. I was wrong, they even rejected this offer.

We have given them so much, including Sofia and Iconium, and we have propped up their "Empire" by defending them against the infidel and this is how we are repaid! So be it. I shall remember their high handed treatment of us.

Still, it seems that no power in Europe wishes to treat with us in a constructive fashion. Any peace offers are met with outright refusal, even under generous terms. I did some research, and it seems if we offered Cagliari as a gift to the Sicilians that it would only raise our relations with them to "reasonable". The fools don't seem to realize the dire straits they are in.

I fear the only peace we will have with our enemies is if they share Milan's fate.

Many of our forces in Outremer have begun marching toward Aleppo. The Castle will serve as a rally point for the upcoming conflict with the Mongols. I have sent Count Jan von Hamburg towards Edessa with a contingent of professional soldiers to stiffen the garrison.

[OverKnight]

1272

I am truly sorry to inform the Reich of the loss of one of it's great men.

The liberator of Damascus has gone to his reward. Count Fredericus von Hamburg took leadership of the Reich in its darkest hour and set it back on course. Without his stabilizing rule, I shudder to think where we would be.

Still, even though we grieve we must welcome a new Swabian to the Diet.

I fear I must bring further dark tidings, this time of war.

Prince Lorenzo of Sicily has besieged Bologna. The fool only did it with his retainers and was run off by the garrison, but we are now at war with Sicily. I am amazed by their stupidity.

Our only consolation is that England is finally at war with France as they laid siege to Bruges.

The Sicilians south of Ragusa have taken ship and now lie off the coast. No doubt they fear the wrath of Duke Arnold.

I wish I could send Count Lothar to wreak a terrible vengeance on Sicily from Cagliari, but the Spanish army there concerns me. They have not withdrawn, and a Spanish fleet approaches Ajaccio with troops aboard. I fear we will be at war with them by next year.

With this in mind I have decided to strengthen our ties with an ally left to us. I again approached the Byzantine Princess Theodora.

Kaiser Siegfried has gained a wife, and we have gained a secure ally.

I know the price was high, but our relations with the Byzantines had fallen and they have troops around Adana. Normally, I would brush this off and wait for their feeble strike, however, this is far from a normal situation. It would be difficult to defend Outremer from both a Byzanitine and Mongol incursion and we cannot afford to lose one of the few trading partners left to us.

Speaking of the Mongols, they have moved close to Mosul, but have not besieged the city.

Edessa has finished rebuilding its walls, and Jan von Hamburg will supervise the construction of Ballista Towers. We will not face the Mongols unprepared.

Athalwolf Engel has spied on three of the four Mongol leaders. So far, they are all night fighters and fell Generals.

Another of our enemies' Kings lies dead, slain by our lone assassin.

The Polish Prince says he's grateful, but I doubt he will show it.

Count Sigismund has pushed into Hungarian territory, driving the enemy before him. Bran should be within reach in a year.

I await word on four battles.


1272 Continued

Kaiser Siegfried has crushed a band of rebels near Magdeburg.

Fritz von Kastilien was victorious over the Poles. He will move to take command of the Army of the Interior in the absence of the Kaiser. Peter von Kastilien has taken command of the FHA and moved it to the bridge south of Thorn.

Ansehelm von Kastilien has destroyed the Russian army in his path and continues to move east.

Gerhard Steffen has routed a force of Swiss Pikemen near Innsbruck. He is now bringing a force of professional soldiers south to reinforce Rome.

Duke Arnold has left Ragusa with most of the garrison. If the Sicilians land to take advantage of this, he will turn and crush them. If not, he will proceed to meet a small Hungarian army near Zagreb.

I have not had word from Duke Scherer about whether he wishes to assist the English. I have moved the Swabian HA to the north just short of our border so that we are in a position to assist if needed next year.

Our diplomat in Spain has found out that Cordoba has rebelled.

Regarding the Spanish threat, I will not attack them this year. If they wish war, let them strike the first blow and suffer the wrath of the Pope. However, I will not give them Cagliari either. If they are hostile, I will not help them take our conquests.

[OverKnight]

1274

Ajaccio is besieged.

As I expected, the Spaniards landed on Corsica and attacked us. Oddly enough, the forces already on Sardinia have not besieged Cagliari. I do not know what angers me more, the fact that other Kingdoms dare challenge us, or that they do so in such an insipid manner.

Khan Kuo Kan seems intent on avenging his fallen brethren, for the Mongols have bypassed Mosul and seem to be heading for Edessa.

I had hoped they would have bled a bit taking Mosul, but our forces will be in place to meet them when they come.

Contzel von Mahren has married Edmund Becker, the newest Austrian noble.

The French have driven the English from Bruges. Their battered army has retreated to the walls of Paris.

Thorn has been besieged by a small army of mounted Polish Nobles. It is a nuisance and nothing more.

The Council of Nobles has asked us to blockade Toulouse for six years and promised us advanced troops if this task is completed.

The Teutonic Crusade is now north of Novgorod.


1274 Continued

Count Sigismund von Mahren has taken Bran, but lost his life in doing so. Arrows do not care about Chivalry. His death is a blow to the Reich. The AHA is currently leaderless, but remains strong. They will reinforce at the Citadel.

Count Peter von Kastilien has scattered the Poles to his west and taken position on the bridge south of Thorn with the FHA.

Count Wolfgang Hummel has defeated the Spaniards laying siege to Ajaccio. The fleet that had been transporting him drove off the Spanish transports, and Wolfgang is now on his way to Marseille.

Duke Arnold has engaged a force of Hungarians near Zagreb. The garrison of the city came to his assistance.

The prisoners were executed and the fleeing survivors will not trouble the Reich again. Duke Arnold will continue on a long journey to Bran.

Count Lothar Steffen has defeated the Spanish on Sardinia. Without naval transport to retreat to, the survivors will not trouble us again. The Bavarian Household Army is worn down, it will take time to bring it up to strength.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has led the Army of the Interior to victory over the second band of Rebels near Magdeburg. How the Danes move over the new year will determine his next destination.

Prinz Elberhard felt some Egyptian siege equipment was getting to close to Jerusalem. Summoning Karl Zirn from Damascus and taking some Teutonic Knights from Acre, he crushed the Saracen army on the Jerusalem-Jedda border.

Jonas von Mahren has built a fort on the north side of the bridge over the Elbe near Hamburg. I hope this will curtail the small Danish incursions south of the River and disrupt the land link between Antwerp and Arhus.

The end of the year has brought news of another battle. Two Polish Generals are trying to attack Peter von Kastilien across the bridge over the Vistula.

I await the result of this battle, and will report on it in the new year.

[OverKnight]

1276

Peter von Kastilien was successful in his defense of the bridge.

The Danes have laid siege to Frankfurt with a small army. I hope the new Fort on the Elbe will prevent any further incursions like this.

The Pope is pleased that we have refrained from attacking the Danes outside our territory, but he now wishes us to do the same with the Hungarians. Since Bran is now ours, I will comply.

Jonas von Mahren's youngest daughter, Niesenn, has married an Austrian noble named Wilhelm.

The Monogls have entered Outremer.

The Mongol General Kitbuqa has marched his army ahead of the rest. I will not let this opportunity to strike an isolated army pass. I have ordered King Salier to engage them. Jan von Hamburg will lead the garrison of Edessa to assist him.


1276 Continued

Disaster! King Salier is dead and his army destroyed! This is an unexpected blow. Jan von Hamburg fought valiantly in the battle and was able to extract much of his army and retreat back to Edessa.

I will take vengeance for this defeat as Count Hans's army is still assembling near Aleppo. If the worst shall happen, again, he will be responsible for holding the bridge there.

Despite this tragedy, matters of state continue.

I contacted the English near Bruges, and in return for a great deal of Florins, they have agreed to a royal marriage.

Recent events have taught us we must strengthen the alliances we have.

Kaiser Siegfried has broken the siege of Frankfurt. The Danish survivors have fled to Antwerp.

Duke Arnold has broken some rebels on his way to Bran.

Wolfgang Hummel has made landfall in Marseille and is headed north.

The Reich now controls the silk trade around Constantinople.

I have destroyed the army of Kitbuqa and executed him. So will be the fate of all the Mongols.

[OverKnight]

1278

Sad news from Hamburg.

I hope he and his sons are together now.

The Mongols did not attack Edessa or any of our forces. However a large Turkish army has moved near Adana.

Denmark and England are now at war, I hope this will help stabilize our northwestern front.

Thorn has again been besieged by a very small Polish army. I do not know what they wish to accomplish with such futile gestures.


1278 Continued

The garrison of Thorn has thrown off the Polish siege with few losses. Count Peter von Kastilien could have taken care of this, but his army is needed to the west to keep an eye on the small Polish raids into eastern Magdeburg. He is currently on the Krakow-Magdeburg border. I expect him to see battle next year.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has turned back a Danish Invasion northeast of Hamburg. He has now moving to Magdeburg to reinforce and to contain any Polish movement in that direction.

Duke Gerhard Steffen has crushed a Sicilian incursion near Rome and is now making his way to Naples.

Count Hans has decimated a Turk army east of Adana. Having dealt with that threat he will be able to return to the fight against the Mongols in the new year. Sir Dieter Bresch holds the bridge between Aleppo and Edessa with a mid-sized army. I will stay near Edessa to constrict the Mongols movement, block the fords to the north and prevent them from swarming the bridge. This has left me open to attack from two of the three Mongol armies, but it is a risk I'm willing to take.

Duke Arnold is now southeast of Budapest on the road to Bran. As there are several Hungarian armies in the vicinity, I have reinforced his army with militia from Budapest.

Hans the Killer has removed the last Orthodox Priest near Thorn. We have made gains restoring Catholicism to the area, and I hope this will aid our efforts.

On the diplomatic front, I offered Cagliari to the Spanish in return for a ceasefire. Though the offer appeared balanced, it was firmly rejected. I am loathe to offer more, since we have beaten them in two land battles and at sea. Peace offers to France and the Danes were also rejected out of hand.

[OverKnight]

1280

Rheims has been besieged by the French, Stettin is besieged by a small Polish army and Damascus has been besieged by three Egyptian units.

We have forces ready to relieve each siege, the only serious one is the French.

The walls of Genoa will have to be upgraded soon.

The Mongols, despite their fierce reputation, have done nothing but spread themselves out in Edessa.

Their armies cannot support one another. They are vulnerable to attack.

Pope Miccele has ordered us to cease hostilities with Spain (7 turns) and Denmark (6 turns). It seems these were his last living wishes.

It is unfortunate, but I am glad to see him move on to his eternal reward. He had taken a dim view of our actions, and our standing with him had to fallen to poor.

The outcome of the election in the College of Cardinals was never in doubt.

Our dominance of the College has paid dividends.

Our rightful standing in the Church has been restored and those who would war with us are close to excommunication. We should keep this in mind when we consider our actions for the next Diet Session.

A General has entered Bavarian service in Rome.

My term is coming to a close and the State of the Reich is strong.

I have fulfilled most of the Edicts entrusted to me. The Third Crusade liberated Jerusalem, and it has been returned to the Church. The Teutonic Crusade is now deep in Russian territory. Bran and Cagliari have been taken, and the Milanese destroyed. I have strengthened the garrisons of our cities.

With apologies to Duke Arnold, I have been unable to find him a wife. The Spanish attack against us has delayed our retribution against Sicily and the reunification of Italy. Still, we defeated the Spaniards, and Naples will soon be within our grasp.

The second wave of Mongols was finished at the start of my term. They have come again, however, and caused us great harm with the death of King Salier. Still, they have lost a quarter of their forces in doing so. We can reinforce, they cannot. As my term ends, they are contained around Edessa, their armies isolated and ripe for destruction. It will not be easy, but we will end them.

Besides the Mongols, there have been no major invasions into our territories during my term. There have been pin pricks along the Frontier, but they have been beaten back. Sieges have been relieved immediately and invaders scattered.

I have made the finances of the Reich one of the focuses of my term.

Merchant trade has tripled during my term. We have seized control of all the Silk trade in the known world. Revenue has risen by 15,000 florins a year, while I have managed to reduce expenditures by 1500 florins. Despite many external pressures, I have maintained military spending at the level I found it in 1260. Further savings will have to be realized if we wish to build in every settlement in every year, but the current military situation might not allow this.

On the diplomatic front, I have cemented our alliances with England and the Byzantine Empire by marriages to the Prinz and Kaiser, respectively. They were costly, but of all the actions I have taken during my term, these may be the most enduring. We must keep the allies we have when faced with so many intransigent enemies.

So ends this term. I am proud of what we have accomplished, but there is much left to be done. I have no doubt we will triumph.

http://www.totalwar.org/patrons/pbm/kotr1280.zip

[FactionHeir]

Orders for Swabia:

Staufen:
Armoury
Master Armourer

Bern:
Blacksmith
Printing Press
Merchant's Bank

Dijon:
Finish Inn
Armourer
Mayor's Palace

SHA Orders:
To be led by Duke Scherer and supported by Athalwolf von Salza.
Priority to take Caen within 8 years and then move to defend southern Swabia. Command is to be given to Wolfgang Hümmel after the taking of Caen during Duke Scherer's absence.

SHA2 Orders:
To be led by Athalwolf von Salza after his knighting and tasked to defend Caen and Paris. Apply pressure on the Danes at Antwerp by raids if no imminent French attack.

[TinCow]

Build Queue for Florence:

Inn (Currently Under Construction)
Coaching House
Pleasure Palace

Taxes as high as possible without a revolt.

[FactionHeir]

-ARGH wrong topic-

[GeneralHankerchief]

Jens Hummel:

Build orders for Metz:

General money-making buildings. I want the place to be a cash cow.

[Privateerkev]

Build queues for Outremer:

Antioch:
City Hall cont.
City Hall cont.
City Hall cont.
Mayor Palace
Mayor Palace cont.
Mayor Palace cont.
Mayor Palace cont.
Mayor Palace cont.
Leather Tanner
Leather Tanner cont.

Edessa:
Leather Tanner cont.
Council Chambers
Council Chambers cont.
Council Chambers cont.
City Hall
City Hall cont.
City Hall cont.
City Hall cont.
Mayor Palace
Mayor Palace cont.

Acre:
Marksman Range cont.
Jousting List
Jousting List cont.
Tourney Field
Tourney Field cont.
Tourney Field cont.
Tourney Field cont.
Armourer
Armourer cont.
Armourer cont.

Keep taxes as high as you can without making the places revolt.

[AussieGiant]

AHA Orders:

To be lead by Duke Arnold and reinforced from Bran when required. It is to be stationed in an agressive posture inside Hungarian borders. Hunting down Hungarian Armies is its primary tasking.

AHA2 Orders:

To be lead by Becker once he is knighted through actions with Duke Arnold. It is to be created from Ragusa primarily and then reinforced from Bran when ever possible. Region of operation should be the eastern border of Zagreb. Offensive posture inside the Hungarian border is perferred.

Consultation with the Chancellor as the situation demands will be greatly appreciate throught the term of office.

Build Queue's:

Given Chancellor Matthias's handling of Austrian Affairs I will provide theme's only.

Ragusa: Military

Vienna: Military gunpowder

Budapest and Venice: Economic

Taxes. Set to Yellow face or better

[econ21]

Elberhard:

Build queue for Rheims - Chancellor's discretion

Orders for Prinz's army:

- The Prinz will relieve the Egyptian siege of Damascus, but then return as soon as possible to the homelands of the Reich by whatever means the Chancellor sees fit. The Prinz's army proper will be formed when the Prinz is back in the homelands. It will then be deployed at the Chancellor's discretion.

[Kagemusha]

Helmut Von Hamburg:

Build queue for Hamburg: Chancellors discretion.

[Cecil XIX]

Build queue for Prague

1. Crop Rotation
2. Irrigation

Taxes set to low.

[Ituralde]

This might be received too late by the Chancellor to be official, but nonetheless it represents the wishes of the Emperor.

The build queues for Imperial territories are to be set by the Kaiser's discretion. This excludes those territories that lie in Outremere for which the build queues issued by King Jan are to be followed.

The Kaiser's Army shall move south towards Rome, where the Kaiser will hopefully be able to rejoin his forces.

[Stig]

(OOC: same here, due to the fact I was watching Sharpe, bloody good)

Frankfurt and Magdeburg: chancellors discretion
Thorn: best barracks so we can get Zweihanders for the FHA

All happiness should stay above 100%

The current FHA will be commanded as normal by Peter von Kastillien and act to his orders.
The second FHA will be commanded by Fritz von Kastillien and is to be build to protect Hamburg and Frankfurt.

[gibsonsg91921]

Breslau - general money buildings.

Orders for the Current FHA, or the Prussian Sectional Army:

Hold Thorn Bridge and attack any enemies. The Prussian Sectional Army is to be maintained at 3/4ths to full strength and prepared to attack missile cavalry.

[Northnovas]

Building queues

Zagreb

1. Crops 1. Irrigation
2. Fairground 2. Mines

Taxes to normal for a few turns.

Damascus
1. Land clearing
2. Balista Towers after land clearing
3. Huge Cathedral (that's what were there for)

Should be do for upgrade can increase taxes if it will stay green.

Updated 22 Aug 07

[Tamur]

Build queue for Stettin

1. Merchants Wharf
2. Gunsmith
3. Leather Tanner

[OverKnight]

A List of Battles in Chancellor Matthias Steffen's Second Term
This will be kept up to date


FA=field battle (attacker)
FD=field battle (defender)
SA=siege assault (attacker)
SD=siege assault (defender)
YA=sally (attacker)
YD=sally (defender)
AA=ambush (attacker)
AD=ambush (defender)

[OverKnight]

1280 continued

I have eliminated Khan Kuo Kan with the help of King Jan. There are now only two Mongol armies left. The noose tightens.

Count Karl Zirn has driven the Egyptians from the walls of Damascus.

Duke Friedrich Scherer has completely destroyed the French army that had besieged Rheims.

Duke Arnold has routed a Hungarian army to his north and is on his way to meet with the leaderless AHA in the northern pass between Bran and Budapest.

Count Fritz von Kastilien captured and ransomed a Danish force east of Hamburg and then broke and eliminated the Polish siege of Stettin.

Count Peter von Kastilien has defeated two Polish armies on the border of Magdeburg and Krakow in separate night actions. He then swung east to crush some rebels near Thorn.

Duke Gerhard Steffen has pursued and defeated the Sicilians who had the temerity to march on Rome. The garrison of Naples sallied out to assist and were crushed as well. The Duke then took and sacked the defenseless city. The loot has flooded our coffers, allowing me to build in all settlements this turn.

I have sent out diplomatic feelers concerning Cagliari. I could sell the castle to one of our allies for about 3000 florins. Offered to Spain, it doesn't make a dent in the their resolve to war with us, no doubt because of our alliance with Portugal. For now, I will hold onto it and see if its value as a bargaining chip increases.

Speaking of Cagliari. A Moorish fleet with an embarked army is near the Castle. Count Lothar Steffen's army will remain there to guard the island while catapults and reinforcements are brought from Ajaccio. The Count will not attack Palermo until thorough preparations are made. The Sicilians also have a strong navy which also must be taken into account.

In accordance with Edict 12.4 I have contacted the Scottish King to broker an alliance.

The offer was firmly rejected. These are not the heady days of the early Empire, we cannot pluck alliances off trees like fruit.

Implementation of CA 12.6 will take some time. HAs leaders have to be moved to their new troops, many of the HAs are already neck deep in enemies, and many of the Duchies have their premier Castles far from the front lines. I will continue to work on reorganizing and manning the new armies.

[OverKnight]

1282

The Sicilians have defeated us in a naval battle. Our fleet has retreated to Genoa. This will delay our move on Palermo. But I have recruited four flotillas of Gun Holks to counter their Lanternas.

The Hungarians have attacked Duke Arnold as he moved to meet up with the AHA. The odds looked grim.

But it is a great victory!

The Hungarians, forced to march up a mountain to face the Dread Duke, broke quickly despite their advantage in numbers.

Paris is besieged by the French. Pope Ugolinus has excommunicated King Henry for this. However this was the Pontiff's last act. Another Imperial Cardinal is now Pope.

As you can see, only the Empire and its friends are in good standing with the Church. Though France was reconciled, they teeter on the edge of excommunication along with all our enemies. As before, however, due to the age of the Pope, any excommunication will not last long.

A new Franconian General has been recruited in Vienna.

I wish him to leave the city, as his presence, in part, has caused rioting. It seems that the very high taxes already present combined with his poor administration skills, unexpectedly caused a flare up. The rioters have been put down, but I do apologize to Duke Arnold.

The Mongols seem trapped.

The bad news is, that they have brought their armies closer together. They can now support each other.

Our successful blockade of Toulouse has caused the Council of Nobles to recruit three units of Gothic Knights for us in Rome.

The Teutonic Crusade is just short of Moscow.

The Moors have landed on Cagliari.

[AussieGiant]

Apologies Chancellor.

Bran has only just been allocated.

Build Queue Bran:

Military policy focusing on heavy infantry.

[OverKnight]

1282

Count Hans has eliminated the Mongols, but this victory is made bitter by the news that Jens Hummel was killed in the battle. The loss of one so young is a terrible waste, though he died defending the Reich. For that he should be hailed as a hero.

The forces used against the Mongols will be redeployed around the Levant, forming the armies of Outremer and the Prinz's army.

Duke Arnold has met the AHA coming from Bran on the site of his victory against the Hungarians. Edmund Becker has joined him. Where they will go in the next year will depend on the movement of the Poles and Hungarians.

I have dispatched Dietrich von Dassel from Bern to Marseille. He will not arrive until next year, but he is the closest noble. I have also sent three units of professional troops to the city to stiffen the garrison against the imminent French siege.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has moved to Magdeburg to begin forming the second Franconian Household Army. This will take a few years as Count Peter will need most of the current troops for a push on Vilnius. He is now on the the bridge south of Thorn. Peter will not be dispatched to Vilnius until the second army is ready. I will not leave Franconia undefended.

Duke Friedrich Scherer broke the siege of Paris and is now on the way to Caen. I have moved Wolfgang Hummel into his army. Besieging the Castle will be dangerous as there are many French armies in the area.

Duke Gerhard Steffen will winter in Naples after receiving the Gothic Knight donated by the Council of Nobles. He is waiting for militia troops from Rome to arrive to garrison the city before he resumes offensive action against Sicily.

Count Lothar Steffen will stay in Cagliari for now. The Sicilian naval victory has forced me to concentrate our fleets off Ajaccio, and there are none in range to move the Count.

Kaiser Siegfried has begun moving south, as requested. It will take some time before he arrives in Rome with his army.

[OverKnight]

1284

A Pope has finally lived long enough to act against our enemies.

Given the age of the Pope I doubt this will last long. Still this does remove his previous injunctions against attacking them. We have also added an Imperial Cardinal to the College

The Pope has a new mission for us.

His Holiness seems to be in a belligerent mood this year.

The Egyptians have defeated a Papal army south of Jerusalem and now besiege the city. This will not stand.

I am pleased to say both the Kaiser and Prinz have been blessed with daughters.

Oh, Wilkerus passed away, a shame.

Spain has besieged Ajaccio with a small force, this was most likely the cause of their excommunication.

The Moors have left Sardinia, but the Sicilians have landed a large force next to Cagliari.

Paris is again besieged by a small French force. The French have also, as expected, besieged Marseille.


1284 continued

Duke Friedrich Scherer has gutted a few French Armies and seized the Citadel of Caen. This fulfills Edict 12.3. Unfortunately, the Duke's army is quite battered and it will take all the resources of Caen a few years to replenish it.

Dietrich von Dassel has broken the siege of Marseille and been knighted for his efforts. The professional troops in the city and units recruited from Staufen will form the second Swabian HA. I was thinking of havng them meet near Dijon.

Duke Ansehelm has taken Moscow, the Teutonic Crusade is completed. I offered the city back to the Russian in exchange for a ceasefire, but they refused. The Crusade has left the city and entered Polish territory to the south. I have increased tax levels to very high to ensure that the city will revolt. I would rather rebels hold the city than have the Russians retake it.

Count Dieter Bresch has destroyed some brigands south of Edessa. The men with Dieter will form the core of one of the Armies of Outremer, and I am taking the other to Adana in response to a large Turkish force that has been spotted to the northeast.

Prinz Elberhard has broken the Saracen siege of Jerusalem. Reinforcements are on the way south to Acre, to fully form the Prinz's army. Count Hans has departed Outremer after taking ship in Antioch.

The siege of Paris has been broken.

The siege of Ajaccio has been broken. The Spanish transport ships had been run off, so their troops had no choice but to disperse. A large fleet is moving south with reinforcements for Count Lothar, including the artillery he requested. I have also ordered the recruitment of two units of peasant archers, and one unit of dismounted Imperial Knights at Cagliari. Duke Gerhard Steffen has left Naples, now fully garrisoned by militia, and is taking the nascent 2nd BHA down the toe of Italy to cross the straits to Sicily. Due to the lack of roads this will take a few years.

Duke Arnold is in pursuit of the Hungarian army that is threatening Bran, he should catch up with them in the new year.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has taken a few units closer to Hamburg, while the rest of the 2nd Franconian HA is being formed at Magdeburg. Count Peter von Kastilien is holding on the bridge south of Thorn. He is wating for reinforcements from the Castle, as the move on Vilnius looks difficult, and for the 2nd FHA to become operational. A middling Russian army is within a year's march of Thorn, another reason to keep him in the area.

Kaiser Siegfried continues to move south.

[OverKnight]

1286

The Explorer's Guild in Antioch has been upgraded to a Headquarters.

Moscow, to my surprise, did not revolt, but the city is rioting.

There is a Russian force to the southeast that is withing marching distance of the city.

A large French army has besieged Caen. Fortunately the walls have been repaired. Paris is besieged as well, but by a much smaller force. While the seizure of Caen was a master stroke, it has left the northwestern Swabian front vulnerable.

Thorn is besieged by a small Russian force, but Peter von Kastilien has run them off. Hamburg is besieged by the Danes.

Cagliari, not to my surprise, has been besieged by the Sicilians.

England has reached a truce with the Danes and has declared war on the French by besieging Bruges.

The Turks have laid siege to Baghdad. The Byzantines have been repulsed from Caesaria.


1286 continued

Prinz Elberhard has defeated the Egyptian General al Muazzam north of Jerusalem. The General has escaped east into the desert. Count Zirn, seeking revenge for the siege of Damascus, has marched south with a small force to pursue him. The Prinz has moved to Acre to rearm and await the rest of his reinforcements.

Count Lothar Steffen has destroyed the Sicilians who besieged Cagliari. Our fleet in the area has driven off the Sicilian Lanternas, and the way to Palermo appears open. The Count and his army will depart the Citadel next year.

Count Peter von Kastilien has pursued the Russians and destroyed them. Tancred von Tyrolia and the garrison of Breslau marched north and drove off a Polish force. The young Franconian has joined Peter on the bridge south of Thorn.

Count Fritz von Kastilien has broken the siege of Hamburg and routed the Danes. He will make his way back to Magdeburg to witness the completion of the second Franconian Household Army. This means the attack on Vilnius will depart soon.

The siege of Paris has been broken. I offered the French Cagliari, some money, trade rights and map information in return for a ceasefire. Though the offer seemed balanced, it was firmly rejected.

Finally, Duke Arnold engaged the Hungarians west of Bran with Edmund Becker commanding his cavalry.

The Duke seized the high ground and when the Huns tried to bring their numerous bowmen to bear, Becker's calvary ran them down. An infantry charge decided the issue and the Hungarian noble and his men ran for their lives.

Oremus Samuel managed to flee, but few of his men survived and he now fears conflict. Duke Arnold is triumphant and a swordbearer has joined his retinue.

The Prisoners, worth over four thousand florins in ransom, were executed. Edmund Becker served with distinction, I suggest the Duke knight him.

[OverKnight]

1288

The French siege of Caen continues, they tried besieging Marseille, but the garrison sallied out and drove them off.

The Russians have retaken Moscow and put an end to the rioting in the city.

I had hoped the city would rebel, but Moscow is a shadow of it's former self. Between Duke Ansehelm and rioting, the city is a ghost town with many damaged buildings. The Duke is on the road to Smolensk in the area of Ryazan.

Jerusalem was besieged by the Egyptians, but the Papacy was able to repulse them without our assistance. Also, another of our priests has joined the College of Cardinals.

Portugal and Egypt along with England and France have reached ceasefires.

Count Lothar Steffen has departed Cagliari with the first Bavarian HA. His ships are weighted down with catapults, so he will arrive at Palermo next year.

Count Edmund Becker has taken command of the second Austrian HA. He will head west as small Polish and Hungarian armies have been spotted north and east of Budapest. A large rebel army is also near the city. Duke Arnold, while the first AHA reinforces, has begun building a series of forts and watchtowers in the mountain passes around Bran.

Dietrich von Dassel and elements of the second Swabian HA are making their way to meet near Paris.

Despite a clumsy assassination attempt by the Danes, Count Fritz von Kastilien will be making his way east as the military threat by Denmark has subsided. This is needed to cover his brother's eventual move on Vilnius.


1288 continued

Count Peter von Kastilien has routed a small force of Poles north of Thorn. He has moved east to begin his drive on Vilnius.

Count Zirn has brought justice to the the Egyptian al Muazzam in the desert south of Damascus. He was an irritant and I am glad he is dead.

Duke Gerhard Steffen has destroyed a small Sicilian force blocking his way to Palermo. The pincer is closing on the Castle.

I took the northern Army of Outremer to the mountain pass northeast of Adana to expell a large Turk army from our territory. I fear the Turks are using our lands to transport troops to Caesarea in their efforts against the Byzantines. This must stop. I faced Kasim of Kabul, his army was destroyed but the coward escaped. I set up a watchtower and will block any further incursions into our frontiers.

The French finally summoned up the courage to assault Caen, but Duke Scherer has repulsed them in a Heroic victory. A smaller French army has moved to besiege the Castle however.

[OverKnight]

1290

Caen remains under a second siege.

The Egyptians have besieged Jerusalem again, but were repulsed by the city's garrison.

A Sicilian fleet has unexpectedly attacked the Imperial fleet carrying Count Hans.

Our ships were put to flight, with one flotilla being sunk. The Count will continue his journey.

Pope Gualandus is dead. The College of Cardinals gathered to select a replacement, but by now it is a mere formality. We can never directly control the Church, but we do control who becomes Pope.

Though Denmark and Spain were reconciled, our Catholic enemies are all in danger of excommunication. As Pope Abbate is only 53, this will last. On the other hand, we must watch our own actions as well.

The Kaiser has been blessed with another daughter, while another son is born to Count Zirn.

1290 continued

Count Peter von Kastilien has defeated a large Polish army blocking his path and has crossed into their territory. He should reach Vilnius by next year. I have not heard from the Count if Tancred von Tyrolia was deemed worthy of knighting.

Count Edmund Becker has crushed two armies outside Budapest. Duke Arnold has constructed a fort and watchtower north of Bran. The fortifications in the Carpathian mountains are now complete.

Count Lothar Steffen has taken Palermo, the last Sicilian possesion in Europe. Edict 12.1 is fulfilled. A diplomat has been dispatched via a large fleet to land in Africa next year. I plan to offer them Cagliari for peace. Due to extra funds provided by Lothar's sacking of the Castle, I have decided to convert Cagliari into a city in preperation for the offer. The forces in the Citadel will rest and rearm, and the two HAs will exchange troops to come to a more consistent configuration.

Kaiser Siegfried has routed some rebels near Innsbruck.

His army will rest and rearm in the Castle.

I have defeated a small army of Turks in the pass northeast of Adana.

I have established a fort at the battle site to contain further Turkish incursions.

Prinz Elberhard has moved south of Jerusalem to face the Egyptian armies that have been brazenly crossing the Pope's land. Count Dieter Bresch is moving the second Army of Outremer south as well, as Egyptian forces have been spotted gathering in the desert near Damascus. He is now east of the city.