EDIT: Okay, unfortunately the AAR will be discontinued, as my career as an AAR writer seems to be cursed. The campaign got so unstable it's a pain to try play it, let alone taking pictures along the way. I get crashes every second time when I try entering battles, and the game freezes randomly when I click anything, very unusual considering I've never had any feezes on my new PC before...

Chivalry TW v1.0
The Rise of Knighthood H/M
The Siculo-Normans

Author's note: In picture 10, you may notice that my troop numbers don't add up - they're displayed as larger. The reason for this is the fact that, having not played BI for a long time, I didn't remember how bad the religious unrest was, and basically, Boemundo died in Girgenti during a rebellion. Now, normally I don't reload, but I was hell-bent on making him a king later on, so I started anew, having not made any savegames... Well, I didn't take the first couple of screens again since I had them, yet I forgot to recruit the mercenary crossbow unit again... So much of my sneaky cover up for failing.

Chapter I: Deus Vult



Once, they called us Northmen. We came from the sea, took what we wanted and disappeared again... All feared us, be they Franks, Rus or Arabs; none could stand up to us.

And yet, times change. We are still feared, yes; but we are no longer the Northmen. Our peoples have spread far and wide, and, alas, our culture is much gone, except in the old lands.

Yet our tempers were not.



We have carved ourselves new kingdoms where we wanted them. The Pope pleaded us to come and free Sicily from the heathen Muslim dogs... And so we came in number, and forced the pagans into the sea. But that was not enough. So we turned to our neighbours, the Greeks. We came with many swords and spears and horses. And what was once theirs, is now ours.



I am Roberto d’Altavilla, King of Sicily, Norman by birth. And although my age is catching up to me, my job in this world is not yet done... Sicily is not yet Norman.







Should I fail my task, there are those who will carry on my work should I be forced to leave it unfinished. My true brother, Ruggero d’Altavilla, is the current heir to the throne of Sicily; he is whom I place my trust in now, and I believe he will be able to hold the crown in d’Altavilla hands, and keep it out of reach of these two preying wolves, husbands to my sisters and vassals of mine... They may have not made a move yet, but I do not trust them a single bit.



As I have said, Sicily is not yet Norman. Palermo will not be safe until Girgenti and Siracusa, the two other cities on the isle, are not in our hands; no, they’re still ruled over by the heathen Arabs. And although there may be much we can learn from them, I’d prefer if we learned from our subjects, not independent rulers at our doorstep...

And thus, the conquest of Sicily begins. I gather a mighty host to take the two cities, garrisoned heavily; however, before the year is out...



The cur! They’ve guessed my intentions, and now we’ll have to face a host two times as large as I anticipated... Bah! No matter.



As I prepare to leave Palermo, a messenger hands me a letter, informing me of the wish of my brother to send his son, Boemundo, along with our expedition so that his sword may drink the blood of our foes for the first time in his life. I must admit, I’m glad about this turn of events – after all, it is far better the boy be raised on the battlefield, rather than spend his youth locked away in a castle somewhere. And if nothing else, I’d much prefer my flank was held by my own flesh and blood.



As soon as Boemundo joined my army, we marched out, intending to take control of the road between Girgenti and her port, and thus force the Muslims to come at us. My wish was fulfilled faster than I had anticipated, though – the heathen horde is upon us before we can set up suitable defences to counter their much superior numbers. But we cannot flee...



MEN! TO ARMS!



Silence falls over the field of battle, disturbed only by the footsteps of hundreds of Muslim warriors. Their horde seems numberless... But we are the better warriors. And I pray to God that skill prevails over number.



As the Muslim host closes in, Boemundo blows his horn, refusing to wait any longer. With a loud yell ‘DEUS VULT!’, our knights charge forth, covering the distance between us and the heathen line in a matter of moments. Before the poor peasants can make out what’s happening, a storm cloud of flesh and iron descends upon them...



A fierce melee starts on the Muslim flanks, and despite their numerical superiority, the Arabs find themselves on the losing end. Perhaps next time they can stop being so ‘cultured’ and distinguish between mathematics and war... Most my men can’t count, but at least they can hold the spear with the right end forward. This can’t be said of the Muslims, judging by their performance.



That’s right, run you bastards. It’s much more fun to stick our weapons into your backs.



Soon, the battle turns into a massacre as the levied citizens follow the example set by their comrades on the flank and everyone routs. The only troops to remain are the Turcoman tribesmen.



Halting my bodyguard, I decide to dispose of the troublesome horsemen myself. My knights are met with a volley of arrows; however they glance off our armor harmlessly.



Finally, the heathens are pinned down and crushed. Half of them manage to evade me while my guards are occupied with their comrades, yet Boemundo swiftly dispatches of them.



One great victory for the Normans...



...And an enormous humiliation to Girgenti and the Sicilian Muslims in general.



As a welcome addition, this show of force convinces the population, enemy and otherwise, of several things about King Roberto.



After a brief respite, and a council with my commanders, we elect to crush the other Muslim field army before moving on to siege Girgenti. In particular Boemundo seems to relish the thought of fighting in the field.



The ‘Army’ of Siracusa is similar to that of Girgenti. It seems this one will pose a similar threat as well... With God’s help, another great victory may be looking right at us.



The Norman knights once again are the first to engage the enemy, led bravely by Boemundo. It reminds me of my young days... Alas, now age has caught up, and I am unable to keep up with the youngest warriors.



Let us not, however, dwell on my rambling about the troubles that come with age, and instead rejoice, for the enemy give in and turn their tails once more.



There was no battle; only a massacre of citizens, and although I do not take great pride from this victory, it is a victory none the less.



Eight Normans seems like a steep price for it though.



As I said – I don’t take great pride in this victory; however, the people seem to intend to be proud of this so much, it’ll be enough for both them and me.



What brings me greater joy than that is the rough estimate of the sizes of garrisons in Siracusa and Girgenti.



Meanwhile, back in Italy, Guido Ventimiglia, worried by reports of the Greeks’ threatening manoeuvres nearby Dyrrachion, recruits a band of Norman mercenaries and settles down in the part of Italy closest to Greece, hoping to stall a possible Greek invasion until the war in Sicily is over. Indeed, it seems we are stuck in a position not unlike the Greeks’, for we cannot wage war on one front while doing so on the other, and the frontier in which relative peace is established turns into the weakest one... I hope to remedy that soon.



For the meantime, though, my main concern is the uniting of Sicily. Girgenti is besieged and stormed as soon as something resembling a battering ram is put together. Seeing as there’s only a single general with his bodyguard holed in inside the city, I pass over command to Boemundo, who successfully leads our force to conquer the city.



And butcher the heathen populace. Unwelcome, but necessary.



News reach me from Palermo – another nephew of mine has come of age. Ruggiero, however, does not seem as bent on wiping out the Muslims as Boemundo; in fact, he seems more intent on befriending them, something about great culture to learn from, so I gift him control of Girgenti. Mostly because I trust he will be able to handle the Muslim populace there, but also so I don’t have to listen to that during the siege of Siracusa.



Thus, with Girgenti taken care of, I and Boemundo move on to our next, and last target in Sicily – the city of Siracusa...

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Not sure i'm familiar with ChivTW but it looks quite interesting. Very nice write up GMaximus! Looking forward to more.

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@Monk: Thank you. ChivTW is new to me, too, and this is an explorational campaign, so I don't exactly know what to expect during the course of this AAR myself; however, so far I can say the AI is far more determined to kill me, and more capable of doing that on the campaign level.



Chapter II: A Shift Eastwards



While the siege of Siracusa is in full swing in south-eastern Sicily, a man of suitable birth and manners is chosen from the court of Palermo to act as the representative of my kingdom before foreigners. Hopefully he can persuade the Greeks to stand down and forget their claims to southern Italy.



Unfortunately, this task is reported unsuccessful. However, Andrea is successful in forming an alliance with the mortal enemies of the Greeks, the Anatolian Turks; in response to this, the Greeks sign a pact of mutual support with the Kievan Grand Duchy. The Normano-Greek war looks to begin in full swing soon as tensions rise...




Before the Greeks can make their strike, however, I and Boemundo manage to capture Siracusa. Finally, Sicily is safe, and the capital of our kingdom is moved to Palermo, as it is no longer threatened by the independent Emirates of Girgenti and Siracusa. Good riddance, that.



I like the map better now. Too much colours before. Now, if we could paint Malta blue too...



We aren’t the first to get this idea, though. Pisans show up at the shores of the isle, intending to claim it as their own most likely. So be it; the island is not enough a prize to put our alliance with Pisa in jeopardy.



Especially when one another alliance is lost. Stinking French expansionists, I’d rather side with Aragon now and support the Normans in England later in the inevitable conflict...




Some boring news from the world of science. They could invent sharper spears instead of wasting time on this nonsense.



Andrea negotiates a ceasefire with the Muslim Fatimids in Egypt, and peace is finally established in my kingdom, for now at least. I can only suspect the Greeks are plotting something...



Of course they are! But I expected something more impressive than besieging Bari. Pfft, try harder next time.



Of course, I was about to attack Napoli and conquer the lands of Campania for myself, but killing Greeks? Too good to pass up.



Let’s see what the ‘Romans’ have to show against Norman valour. Err, Normano-Siculo-Saracen valour.



Not much, besides hiding in some forest. I’m still not impressed.



Guido Ventimiglia, my oh-so-loyal vassal shows up to join the fray as well. Let’s see what he’s made of.



The Greeks dash around my flank, apparently intending to attack Guido’s troops... Or are they?



No, they’re instead employing a revolutionary Greek tactic ‘saving our pitiful skins’, which involves their nobility running off the field before someone can catch them, and leaving the peasants to fend for themselves.



Nice going, Greeks! Now we can slaughter your foot troops with even more ease.



Their Hoplitai decide to meet the Norman knights in a dense pike formation. Good luck with that, idiots. Our Saracen archers and Italian crossbowmen unleash volley after volley on their ranks...



Until there are no ranks left. The Hoplitai break and run, however all of the routers are shot down as well.



The Greeks once again display their cowardice. This is what our forebears called a bloodless victory, not some fancy negotiations.



Boemundo urges me to take advantage of this victory and attack Dyrrachion; however, the Greeks are sneaky devils; that much I know and this may well be a trap. No, any incursion into Greek lands must be carried out with enough planning beforehand. Thus, I decide to carry on with the plan to attack Campania.



The Campanians, however, are not so fond of this turn of events. We’re attacked in the narrow mountain path that leads to Napoli as the citizens attempt to stop our advance.



This may be a much tougher battle than any we fought before. Thankfully, we have an advantage in our position, ranged troops and cavalry. I trust this will be enough to bring us victory...



Saracens open the battle by firing upon the Campanians’ archers, who can’t respond with the same.



As the Campanians hurry their advance in order to do away with our advantage at range, a gap opens in their line. Blowing the horns, I personally lead my knights to a charge like so many times before. Will this prove to be the decisive point of the battle?



We descend upon the Italians, however the stubborn, disciplined militia does not rout, unlike the levied Muslim soldiery we faced in Sicily.



Meanwhile, the Lombardian knights charge our mercenary crossbowmen. Boemundo meets them with a counter-charge.



The Lombardians try to avoid him; however a melee ensues despite their efforts.



Meanwhile, my position gets less and less comfortable. I could well be surrounded by the Campanians soon; however this can lead to our victory – the more troops they throw at me, the less they have to meet our main line.



A melee ensues on the main line between the Campanians and our soldiers. Outnumbered, and with the Lombardian knights’ inevitable destruction and the subsequent opening of their flank to Boemundo’s knights, they’re putting themselves in a dangerous position.



As am I, for that matter.



Finally, the Lombardians break, and Boemundo instructs his knights to charge the opened flank of the Campanians’ spearmen, while engaging in a duel with their general as his bodyguard flees...



The young, fierce Norman prevails over his Campanian opponent and, after trading many blows, Guido falls. Bards will sing later that Boemundo’s last blow cracked his helmet open, driving through his skull and going all the way down to his neck. I wonder how our Guido will take to this. ‘Hey Guido, Boemundo killed Guido yesterday...’



With the loss of their general, the Campanians lose heart, and their force starts crumbling... Another victory draws near.



Soon, the whole Campanian force routs, and my mixed forces give chase, hunting every one of them down relentlessly.



The chroniclers call it a ‘heroic victory of our noble king’.



All I care about is that there is still a sizeable force holed in within Napoli. It’s too risky to storm the city now, thus a long siege begins...



Meanwhile, back in Bari, Guido (the one on our side, not a ghost) spots a small party of Greeks wandering about. Eager to display his prowess as a general, he rides out to meet them.



And falls into a trap.



Things don’t look very well for him on paper.



And they’re certainly not looking any better when you look up from the paper.




The battle sees Guido almost killed, although he chooses to save his skin and run instead of fighting to the death. In the end, though, his leaderless force manages to pull through and rout the Greeks.



Yeah, right.


The siege of Napoli continues. Before the year is out, though...

The Greeks besiege Bari again. This puts me in a tricky situation – if I abandon the siege of Napoli to help Guido, then the Campanians may gather more food and prepare for a longer siege. However, if I don’t, Napoli will almost certainly fall, but we’ll give the Greeks a foothold in Italy, which may make defeating them harder...

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