The Levantine Struggle: A Crusades Hotseat AAR

[phonicsmonkey]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

*This is a story thread for the Kingdoms Crusades Hotseat The Levantine Struggle. Players in the game are invited to post AARs, battle reports or other creative writing inspired by events in the game. At regular intervals I, the game admin, will provide factual updates of events in the game which have been approved by the players and with a suitable delay.*

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In the year 1174 the region known in modern times as the Middle East and in those times variously entitled the Levant, Outremer or the Holy Lands is in a state of delicate equilibrium. Barely a century has passed since the Battle of Manzikert, a seminal disaster for the Byzantine Empire and the trigger for the war of conquest known as the First Crusade in which much of the Levant fell to Catholic forces and the Crusader States of Jerusalem and Antioch were formed.



The events of the Second Crusade, in which Edessa changed hands once more and successes were gained against the Moorish Caliphate in Iberia, are still raw enough in the collective memories of the Rum Turks and the Fatimids of Egypt to create a lasting antipathy towards the men of the West who now seek to put down roots and make their stay in the region permanent.



It is at this uneasy time of partial truce that representatives of the five major powers of the region, the Byzantine Empire, the Principality of Antioch, the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Turkish and Fatimid Sultanates, find themselves in receipt of an Enigmatic Invitation to attend secret talks in the great city of Constantinople.



Will the fragile peace last? Or will the Levant be again plunged into a bloody struggle for supremacy between the warring peoples of the Book?

[phonicsmonkey]

Starting Map and End of Turn One Standings:

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[phonicsmonkey]

Turn One, 1174

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In Anatolia, the Byzantines strike at the Turks...



Who seem to be on the move.



In the Levant, the Principality of Antioch..



and the Kingdom of Jerusalem are expanding...



...while the Fatimids mass their forces.

[phonicsmonkey]

Turn Two, 1176

Map and Standings:

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Update:

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The Kingdom of Jerusalem continues to subjugate the Levant.



While the Fatimids wait menacingly for the handover of Ascalon.



The Eastern Roman Empire reclaims ancestral lands.



While the Turks capture lands anew.

[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 3, 1178

Map and Standings:

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[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 3, 1178

Update:

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The Eastern Roman Empire continues to expand into Anatolia.





While the Turks consolidate their position in the East.




Egypt masses more armies in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 4, 1180

Map and Standings:

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Update:

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Antiochian armies are flung far and wide, into Anatolia, to Cyprus and to the Turkish borders.






Meanwhile, Jerusalem and Egypt descend into outright war, with Ascalon, Kerak and Jerusalem itself besieged.



Sultan Saladin and his armies are driven back from Ascalon and Jerusalem, but the siege of Kerak is unbroken and the fortress falls to the Fatimids.



Meanwhile, Roman armies move on Cilicia and further into Anatolia.




The Turks seize Qarisiya.

[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 5, 1182

Map and Standings:

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Update:

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Antioch and the Rome spread their wings far and wide.







Including into Turkish lands?



The armies of Jerusalem muster and await the next Fatimid onslaught.



Which appears to be forthcoming...



Whither the Turks?

[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 6, 1184


Standings:

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[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 6,1184

Update:

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Antioch beats the Byzantines to Caesarea, which must surely irritate the Basileos...



Small consolation is found in the seizure of Sebastea.



The Turks continue their eastern expansion.



While Jerusalem's holdings remain in grave danger...





Can they ward off this threat?

[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 7, 1186

Map and Standings:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 7, 1186

Update:

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As expected, the Egyptian hordes descend on Ascalon and Damascus....




...and are beaten back by the defenders.




Perhaps in response to its perilous situation, the Kingdom turns to God for comfort.



The Turkish Sultanate grows still further.

[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 8, 1188

Map and Standings:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[phonicsmonkey]

Turn 8, 1188

Update:

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Years of mounting tensions finally explode into outright war between Constantinople and Antioch.







And King Baldwin, massing his forces at Ascalon, receives the welcome news of reinforcements.

[phonicsmonkey]

Is anyone interested in me continuing this? I'm a long way behind but I'll make the effort to catch up if I know it will be appreciated.

[Nightbringer]

I have certainly been enjoying watching it, although that is kind of weird since I am in the game. If you would rather put your time elsewhere that is fine by me though.

[Cecil XIX]

I find it useful, so yes. Sorry that I haven't been commentating.

[phonicsmonkey]

Sorry guys I'm finding I just don't have the time to keep up with this. It's taking and uploading all the screenshots that takes up the time.

It's fun! But I can't continue....unless you guys want to send me your shots and then I can put them together for you into a narrative.

[Myth]

How far off is this game from finishing? Are you interested in a second Crusades game? This is the last of the big three in Kingdoms I haven't played, but the Western factions seem very nice.

[Nightbringer]

The western ones have a lot of nice custom units with some really beautiful skins, although with AR you don't get to see those. Of course, most of them also have twice the stats of the Middle Eastern ones so it is still nice.

I can't say the units for Egypt or the Turks are great, they are pretty weak and use the vanilla skins for everything.

[Thanatos Eclipse]

Burning Seas
Admiral Loys stood on the deck of his flag ship, surveying his fleet. Burning husks littered the sea, as men scurried about desperately trying to douse the fires of any ship that still floated. Admiral Loys grabbed his cracked ribs and groaned, ‘Nicosia was safe for now, but at what cost. Those Greek fire ships spat out flames like the dragons of old, tearing through Latin ships like they where made of parchment. It was only through overwhelming numbers that we were even barely able to push them back. What am I going to do when they return, and even more important, what am I going to tell Grandmaster Reynolds? ...Maybe it’d be better if I just throw myself in the fire…could it be much worse then reporting such losses?’ Loys groans as he turns to look at the aft of his own ship, where smoke still curled up from below deck, ‘Maybe I’ll just go warm up by the fire while the men put it out…’

The Forsaken Lands
Pouring sand out of his shoe for the tenth time this day, Guy sighed and sat down. He who had sacked the great city of Baghdad was now set on the run in this God-forsaken desert that the Saracens called home. 'No wonder these people had gone savage, any lesser man would in the Devils own lands,' but Guy was no lesser man and he did not lead lesser men, they would push on. 'At least now we're heading in the direction of the coast, only a few more years…’ Guy frowned at this thought, then forced a smile, ‘Got to hold on to the victories, at least our fort has held and detoured the Sultans forces, he won’t be catching us anytime soon. And word is that the Eastern Crusading Hordes are swarming down to wipe out the Turkish resistance. Now all we have to do is live long enough to reach the coast, and take care of that Turkish force that’s in our way…” Guy frowned again, took a sip of water, then got back to his feet to continue their long arduous march towards the coast, ‘Towards home’ Guy thought, ‘…well, our new home; the new god forsaken hell-hole of a home, that holy-men called the holy lands.’ And they march on…

[Thanatos Eclipse]

Standing alone in the desert under the warm morning sun...

"God forgive me, for I know not what to do," Grandmaster Reynolds falls to his knees in the hot desert sand. "Why Lord do you try me so. Have I not proven myself to you and done as you asked? The heathen kings of Egypt have fallen, the nomad armies of the Saracens are on the run, your holy cities returned to Christian hands, and the great state of Jerusalem resurrected from the ashes; but still you try me. With the hunt for the Saracens still fresh, your stray sheep of Greece have fallen in with wolves and the Devils black hand caresses the hearts of the Jerusalem people; and you allowed it? Even now you come to me asking more, but I know not if I can deliver. Please God give me a sign..." Reynolds falls backwards into the warm sand and lies there staring up into the rising sun.

After a few minutes a mighty silhouette blocks out the sun. "God?" Reynolds questions.

"Sir, are you alright?" the stranger tries to offer Reynolds his water, but Reynolds pushes it away.

"What do you want?" Reynolds responds harshly realizing it was not God that had disturbed him.

"Um, I come from Antioch with great news. A mighty force has assembled outside of the city, my Lord. Many are claiming they felt a calling to that spot; from stable boy to the mighty Cannons, they gather, awaiting your orders. The priest are calling this God's will. They say that Jerusalem was corrupted by the Egyptian's occupation and when the Jerusalem King returned, he was not strong enough to break its hold..."

At this point Reynolds was no longer listening to the messenger, even though his theories on Jerusalem's many governmental swings being linked to the Devils corruption where quite interesting; Reynolds's determination had returned.

"Thank you Lord," Reynolds jumps to his feet and shouts to the sky, "for you have not abandoned me even when I had all but given up." Turning to the messenger who was still talking about the crazy Jerusalem politics, Reynolds orders, "Send message to our armies in Anatolia, they are to return to Antioch immediately. God calls us to Crusade once more, but not against Jerusalem, no they are still yet our brothers, it is the dark curruption that must be stripped from these lands once and for all."

[Thanatos Eclipse]

Roberto looks disdainfully at the lone silver chalice sitting on a table in the Order's treasury. In anger he swings at the chalice, sending it flying off the table and skidding across the empty room. Roberto turns to the man in the back of the room sitting at a small wooden desk counting a bowl of olives, "Stephen, how can the Grandmaster expect me to repair structures damaged in all the recent outbreak of fires when the only thing this treasury is gathering anymore is cobwebs?"

"Repairs? Ha, the only thing the 'Grandmaster' cares about building up is his army," Stephen replies as he throws another olive into his mouth and marks it down on his parchment.

"Ya," Roberto grumbles, "any gold he finds these days is already spent before the caravans even make it back here." Roberto watches Stephen for a few minutes as he eats olives and marks tallies till he just can't take it any more and blurts out, "How can you be so calm, and what is up with this?" Roberto grabs Stephen's parchment from the desk.

Stephen plucks two olives out of the bowl and pops them in his mouth, "It is important to keep one's skills sharp. Could you mark me down for two?"

Roberto throws the parchment back down on the desk, "Keep your skills sharp? As long Reynolds runs the Order, there's nothing to use your skills for. On top of that, 'God' just launched the third simultaneous Crusade for the Order."

"Yes," Stephen replies with a grin, "God does work in mysterious ways, although...he's not the only one that can organize a crusade..."

Roberto looks shocked, "What? No you didn't, did you? But how?"

Stephen pops another olive in his mouth and marks it down, "A few wealthy men back in Italy who owe me and cash in the right hands can accomplish anything. We all know how good things where around here after the first capture of Jerusalem, now imagine how much better things will be this time around when we storm all of the Levant and there's no one left for the Order to foolishly give it away too."

Roberto smiles, "You're one brilliant and devious man Stephen. I'd like to see Reynolds spend all of that on his army in one season."

Roberto starts to laugh, but Stephen freezes. Dropping the olive he had in his hand, he un-assuredly states, "Surely he wouldn't--he couldn't possibly spend it all on his army that quickly...could he?"

[Thanatos Eclipse]

Commander Gaspard Arnaad sat around a campfire, just south of Antioch, with some of his new friends. These men had been very eager to share their fine ale with Arnaad, once they had become properly acquainted, of course. 'They say that money can't buy friends, than again, 'they' probably never had money.' Commander Arnaad laughed at the thought as his comrades sloshed their drinks around and sang.

Interrupting the merry making, Arnaad raises his glass and shouts above the noise, "Well boys, drink up. Tomorrow we hunt the demons!"

.........

From his horse, Commander Arnaad watches as the mercenaries pick over the carnage. A few finished off the wounded, but most were more interested in scavenging the fallen royal guards for whatever riches they might be carrying. Arnaad turns to the mercenary captain, saying, "Send some men to occupy the fort, no one will be returning there. The rest of the demons retreated towards the city, but they'll find no haven there. Let's go, the devil Asemopoulor Ducas yet lives."

.........

As Arnaad approached the siege of Antioch, soldiers rode up from the Order's camp to greet him. The leader of the group spoke up, "Sir, the retreating Greek forces circle outside camp looking for an opening in the siege. Should I make the men ready to finish them off?"

"What of the forces inside the city?" Arnaad questions.

"They seem eager to rescue their general, but they're not making it through our blockade."

"What if they could?" Commander Arnaad grins, "Lift the siege, when the fools rush out of the wall to save their general, we'll crush them all."

.........

As Arnaad entered the burning city, the defenders being either scattered or dead, he grimaces. What horror had befallen the great city, but there was no time for grieving now. Turning to his captains and pointing to one, "Get your men and search the enemy camp. Find everything worth selling and send it to the new order headquarters; we need every coin we can get. The rest of you, put out the major fires in the city and set up defenses. Pay no heed of the civilians for now, as long as they stay orderly, we have bigger concerns then their troubles and wounded." As the men carry out their orders, Arnaad turns to his guard, "Find me the most promising of the knights among the ranks, I think I shall promote some commanders to commemorate this victory and reinforce our position in Antioch."