Crusader Kings II Challenge - An Empire Divided

[Monk]

We have a confirmed completion! Ladies and gentlemen I give you the first Orgah to cross the finish line... @The Stranger ! With a final time of 1267 that puts him in the lead with an impressive unification speed of 62 years. Incredibly well done! The Stranger will still be required to complete an AAR to be eligible for the prize, but his time is a good water mark in the mean time. All he has to do is complete the AAR and his is the time to beat.

Good luck everyone

!!!!! EVENT UNLOCKED !!!!!



MAJOR TURKISH VICTORY

After centuries of struggle in the war for Anatolia, the greatest enemy of the Turks was laid low when Constantinople was stolen from them. With the Byzantines fragmented, lacking a central leader and fighting amongst themselves, the war for asia-minor had been sent into an unexpected turn. Waiting on the bounderies of the once formidable Empire was the Sultanate of Rum, and she was by far the greatest military power of the region.. and as she'd soon prove, the greatest military power of her time.

Conquest was your watchword. As your enemies struggled and fought for old legacies, you mercilessly united and built upon your foundations. As they foolishly tried to emulate ancient styles and resurrect a dead empire, you were building a new future. A future free of the limitations and unnecessary pandering to the past and one fully entrenched in moving forward. Your Empire, now fully stretching from Italy to Ascalon, has supplemented the old Roman Empire, even in name. The leaders of Europe quake at the mention of the great Empire of Rum, fearful that your mighty gaze will settle upon them next.

They have reason to be fearful! All the enemies arrayed before you lay broken and nothing but a memory. The Latins and Byzantines both couldn't stop you, neither could your brothers of the faith, whom you seized many powerful counties from. This new empire, this Turkish empire, has built a new legacy that will be handed down for generations to come. Let the future be written by those strong enough to shape it.

May this new empire last a thousand years, and may your dynasty always lead it to glory.

The Empire of Rum: Devlet-i Ebed-müddet!










Congratulations players! You have unlocked the first of the many hidden easter egg events of this challenge! Before this challenge I wrote up a number of Easter Egg AAR epilogues for certain events should the players encounter them. When one player posts proof, either by way of screenshot or save-game submission of one of these deeds, the event will unlock in the thread!

What events can be unlocked?

Sorry! It's a secret to everyone. It's a good bet that completing a full de jure unification with a faction will unlock an event. However, some of the more exotic ones aren't so straight forward(and i've hidden what triggers them away even from the prying eyes of our staff members!) And some require a little bit of luck! It's my way of giving a fun incentive to keep all your competitors updated in what happens in your game

Remember that this isn't the end of the challenge. Keep playing and keep leading your dynasty forward!

[Arjos]

The most unlikely Emperor

Kayqubad II unleashed his vast army into Europe and captured the Balkans. In his brief campaign against the Mongols, he came to hold them in high regard and decided to nominate Badai from Kara-Kum as captain of the Ghilman tumen.

Along with Berka (his successor in the Ghilman), the two warlords conquered the Levant, destroyed the Kingdom of Sicily and finalized Kayqubad II operations in the Danube basin.
In the mean time the Sultan settled in Constantinople and started an extensive building plan, spending all his life overseeing the constructions. His fortifications proved formidable against the crusading Franks. But those forces, coming in great numbers, brought diseases and famine, weakened Kayqubad II died of pneumonia, right before completing his unification of the roman muslims.

And so it came to pass, that his ugly, syphilitic son Mahmud ascended the throne and became the sole emperor in the east.

Here's mine, whole territory conquered by the sword!
Alas only 1 gold coin XD

usurping de jure empires works same as other titles.

Boo, I never got the option to usurp the Basileos title :(
You sure you didn't gain it by marrying?

[Monk]

Confirmed.

@Arjos moves into second place with a final time of 1304, 99 years. Amazing. Here I thought this would be impossible and we have two players crossing the finish line on the same night, and both in under a century. Incredibly well done!

Don't forget to finish recapping your rise to power Arjos. You've been keeping us updated quite well through out, an epilogue would serve just fine

[frogbeastegg]

Wow, some seriously impressive results here! Congratulations, both of you.

The write-ups are very educational reading. I never play in this aggressive, expansionist way in CK2 so it's nice to see how the 'other half' play.

[The Stranger]

Boo, I never got the option to usurp the Basileos title :(
You sure you didn't gain it by marrying?

nope. are you playing 1.05c? Perhaps you took out the last lands too early :S and it became lost between all the other titles you could usurp. its not a special event, it just pops up between all the other titles. and looking at your money, i think you never spent any so also didnt usurp titles.

thing is, you have to have more than 50% of the de jure byzantine empire before you take out the byzzies final land. i am not sure if you can create the title once its lost.

GJ tho arjos! I was playing and was wondering if I was going to be faster than you. you had one huge expension in 10 years and while my expansion was fast early but got bogged down later on. but then i got a bit more creative and finished the toughest part in 5 years :P there are some nice tricks, i think if you reload and use those, you might even be faster than ive been. and i do not even want to know what wouldve happened if you used all the money :S

[The Stranger]

Wow, some seriously impressive results here! Congratulations, both of you.

The write-ups are very educational reading. I never play in this aggressive, expansionist way in CK2 so it's nice to see how the 'other half' play.

:P I actually played less agressive than I normally do. I will wait with the write up cuz im a bit busy and I want to try again, i got time for only either one.

I think i might be able to do it faster...

or perhaps ill write a short one :P

[johnhughthom]

Wow, some seriously impressive results here! Congratulations, both of you.

The write-ups are very educational reading. I never play in this aggressive, expansionist way in CK2 so it's nice to see how the 'other half' play.

Very different play styles from mine too. I've had more than one game on the original where my one county family took over 100 years to get another, completing this challenge in under 100 years is very unlikely for me...

Good going guys!

[The Stranger]

The Rum Diaries
Chronicles of a Rise to Power

Sultan Kaykhusraw I of house Seljuk was not a large man, but he was quick and strong. However his natural talents were not that of weilding a sword but that of weilding a quill and gavel. He was a natural leader, a brilliant statesman, one that could have rivaled the Senators of Rome in their days of Glory! Yet he was far from perfect, he had a slight lisp, which he knew caused his enemies to laugh behind his back. He was proud and quick to anger when people insulted his honour or that of his family. But his strength lay in the fact that he could bend these weaknesses into one mighty fist of ambition. And he was ready to strike at all who dared to stand before him.

With him our story begins...





The Council, 1st of January 1205.

It was his name day but there was no time for celebration, it was time for blood and vengeance, it was a time for warriors!

'Your Majesty, please reconsider!' the chancellor cried out: 'We are not ready for war. All around us our enemies are waiting for us to make a mistake, they are numerous like a kettle of vultures and hungry for the taste of our blood... In the West those who call themselves Emperor and dress in the legacy of Rome, in the North and South those who dared to defy those emperors in their time of strife and struggle, and much further into all the directions that the mighty wind can carry sound and voice, the Pope of the False Messiah who crowns himself God on earth, the Sunni Caliphate, the Persian Shahs and the steppe hordes... And there are whispers of a dark, unstoppable storm heading our way.'

Sultan Kaykhusraw remained calm during the entire tirade of his chancellor, betraying no hint of emotion. When he spoke up his voice was strong and decisive, he had made up his mind.

'Then it is up to us to make no mistake,' the Sultan said: 'I hear your council and I shall take it to heart, I promise. But the King of Armenia attacked our pilgrims travelling towards Mecca and no such insult to Allah I shall ever let pass. Not infront divine or mortal eyes I shall ever be called a coward. We shall vanquish them and all who come to their aid!

And thus the sons of Rum went to war. The war was swift, the army of Armenia could not stand against the Army of Rum, not even with the aid of the kings of Trebizond and Georgia. In the west, the Emperor of Nikaea dared not to intervene. In September 1206 the king of Armenia surrendered to Sultan Kaykhusraw and went into exile at the court of the king of Georgia.



In the wake of this victory Sultan Kaykhusraw decided to punish the Orthodox kings for their aid to the king of Armenia. He declared a Holy War on Trebizond and would not rest before they were destroyed. This time the Byzantine Emperor could not watch another brother of his faith be defeated without his intervention and he called his banners. It became a long and drawn out war lasting for a decade: The War of the Cross against the Crescent. Sultan Kaykhusraw personally led his men into battle and won some easy victories against the despot of Trebizond. However in Nikaea they were surprised by an overwhelming force composed of the flower of the Byzantine army, the Varangian Guard and a large host of Epirotes sent by their king to aid the Byzantines. Forced to retreat Sultan Kaykhusraw decided to call for the help of the Ghilmans. The Ghilmans turned the tide of the war and in 1216 a truce was signed in favor of the Sultanate of Rum. The kingdom of Trebizond including the Crimea was conquered and Nikaea was annexed.



The Royal Gardens, summer 1206.

As Sultan Kaykhusraw, now styled "The Great" after his impressive victory against the Orthodox lords of Asia Minor, watched the sun set into the pools of his Royal garden he knew that the time of the kings in the West had come. They were in decline and his power, that of the East was rising ever higher. After the humiliating defeat of the Emperor of Nikaea and Byzantium, who had lost both Nikaea and Constantinople, Sultan Kaykhusraw knew that no power in Asia Minor could stop him. He wondered if it had been smart to order a war on two fronts by attacking both the duchy of Crete (which he would use as a base of expedition for his invasion into Greece) and the Latin Empire in Constantinople. He must have been confident the day he gave the order and the setting sun strengthened him!

However, not all had gone well in this past decade, and the burden of grief weighed heavy on his mind. 2 years ago he had lost his second son to the flux and to add to the injury his eldest son was imprisoned by the mother of his younger cousin, regent of Asia Minor. He died in that dank cell. The evidence had been overwhelming, but deep in his heart Sultan Kaykhusraw knew that his son had been framed by his ambitious aunt. However, afraid to lose the support of the Turkish nobles, Sultan Kaykhusraw had not dared to intervene and the law had been upheld, but justice did not prevail.

The bigger was his joy as he felt the tiny hand of his six year old son, Prince Bugra, reach out for his. Kaykhusraw looked down into the caring eyes of his now only remaining son, his only pride and joy left in this world. He knew Bugra had felt his distress as he gazed into the memories that only a setting sun can bring about. He was glad that his son had this human side, he would groom him carefully so that this human side would never be eclipsed by the monster every ruler sometimes has to be.

'Come, my sweet Bugra, it is time for you to go to bed.' Kaykhusraw said suddenly after they had stood in the dark for a while after the sun had set. And together they walked back into the palace, hand in hand, the Great and the small Seljuk. Behind them the four guardsman, who had been ordered never to leave their sight, trailed.

The Rumite Holy War for the Latin Empire started in the spring of 1216 with a major Turkish offensive into Thrace. The surrounding provinces quickly fell and only the splendid defenses of Constantinople defied the might of Rum for 3 long years. But the hunger of Sultan Kaykhusraw had not been satisfied and he allowed the Latins no moment of respite as he pressed his armies relentlessly throughout ancient Greece. In 1223 Krete, which had held out much longer than anticipated due to the aid of the Kingdom of Cyprus, finally surrendered and Sultan Kaykhusraw's plan of invading the Achaiad peninsula from the south could finally be set into motion. At the end of 1225 the once mighty Crusader Empire had been reduced to a shadow of its short but notorious glory, yet their ordeal was still not over...



After the Sultan Kaykhusraw was sure that the Latin Empire had been broken, he ordered to expell the Christians from the Holy Land. Even though he never stopped the war against the Latins his gaze now shifted east, towards the Duchy of Antioch. A few years back his wife had died of natural causes and Sultan Kaykhusraw married to a princess of Egypt. He had married his son, Prince Bugra, to a princess of Africa some years later. Now he felt that it was time to call upon their honour to aid him in his war as they had pledged to do when whine plied words with honey and pledges came easy. It turned out that their words were truly spoken as they accepted his call to arms. Sultan Kaykhusraw's fear of intervention by the kingdom of Jerusalem never came true but the Kingdom of Cyprus again meddled in his affairs, aiding the duchy of Ascalon with blood and steel. Deep in his sixties Sultan Kaykhusraw was still leading his men from the line and he truly lived up to his epithet, the Great. However everything must come to an end and the reign of Sultan Kaykhusraw I 'The Great' Seljuk ended abruptly as an arrow penetrated a slit in his armour around his neck. Too old to recover, the Sultan died on the battlefield, unable to see how his son Bugra rallied the Turkish soldiers and carried the day.

[The Stranger]

The Rum Diaries
Chronicles of a Rise to Power

Reserved for King II

[The Stranger]

The Rum Diaries
Chronicles of a Rise to Power

Reserved for king 3&4

[Monk]

Wow, some seriously impressive results here! Congratulations, both of you.

The write-ups are very educational reading. I never play in this aggressive, expansionist way in CK2 so it's nice to see how the 'other half' play.

Speaking purely as a spectator in all of this I can say that this challenge has been highly entertaining for this very reason. I love to go conquering in CKII but I never go so fast, nor did I realize a number of game mechanics existed before now (usurping emperor titles, for instance). Players like me can learn a lot about the game even after having played so long from watching how others play.

Add to that the fun of watching this thread evolve as people complete their games and it's been a great contest so far. And I'm not even participating

Very different play styles from mine too. I've had more than one game on the original where my one county family took over 100 years to get another, completing this challenge in under 100 years is very unlikely for me...

Good going guys!

Don't let that stop you. There's still plenty of time left to go in the challenge and a vacant prize spot still up for grabs.

Can someone usurp the top time? Stranger has started his AAR so it looks like your bar is officially set. Good luck in the remaining weeks players.

[Arjos]

you have to have more than 50% of the de jure byzantine empire before you take out the byzzies final land.

Weird it never came up for creation though, all the other christian kingdoms did...

Usurping was actually the only thing I spent money on, to keep my vassals happy :P
But no I did kill them way before 50%, thanks for the info!

It took me a bit, because I waited for the peace treaties most of the time, always thought it made other rulers more prone to attack you or join in defense of your enemies...

[The Stranger]

well ye it does, but that drawback is so minor that i never really bothered. since no christian or orthodox nation is near strong enough to stop you. the breaking of truces didnt kick in untill i got to sicily and hungary and suddenly all the christian nations dogpiled on me in religious defense :P so... i abandoned that route and took a different approach.



hmm i was wrong, the Byzantines might even be faster...!

[The Stranger]

yup the Byzantines are definitely faster... (I changed my primary title, hence the latin empire in the pic but I started as the Byzantines)



35 years almost flat. AAR will follow later

[Monk]

Okay explain yourself.

How did you get the Latin Empire title. Since its a titular title I would assume you married into the line and then pressed a claim?

[Beskar]

Why are you spreading so deep into Eygpt?

[Monk]

Why are you spreading so deep into Eygpt?

If he manages to get kingdom claims on Egypt and has his main character with an emperor title, he can press the king level claim on the Egyptian throne and incorporate the entire faction into his empire. Egypt usually has quite a bit of that territory in this scenario. So that's probably why.

[rickinator9]

yup the Byzantines are definitely faster... (I changed my primary title, hence the latin empire in the pic but I started as the Byzantines)



35 years almost flat. AAR will follow later

You demotivate!

The latin empire, apparently, wasn't enough for the crusaders
'

[Monk]

Very well done rickinator9!

Taking southern italy is a greatstep forward, as is obliterating the Latin empire.

Is that the Kingdom of Byzantium independent from you in Anatolia? How in the world did that form? I was under the impression it was non-formable.

[The Stranger]

You demotivate!

The latin empire, apparently, wasn't enough for the crusaders
'

lol that is interesting, im with monk here, how did that form? i never got the option to create it :S

it does seem like you understood the trick ive been using haha good for you! you know you can also use it on muslim nations if you have some creativity! it took me 1 hour to figure out and i was about to give up but then i found a way!

[The Stranger]

Okay explain yourself.

How did you get the Latin Empire title. Since its a titular title I would assume you married into the line and then pressed a claim?

almost right, i married myself to the daughter of an emperor then assisinated her brother and father, i thought it was enough but her cousin inherited -_- so then she pressed the claim on her own and asked me to join the war, which i did. then i killed her off and commited suicide to let my heir inherit and what happened you can see in the screenshot.

[rickinator9]

Very well done rickinator9!

Taking southern italy is a greatstep forward, as is obliterating the Latin empire.

Is that the Kingdom of Byzantium independent from you in Anatolia? How in the world did that form? I was under the impression it was non-formable.

There was a crusade for Byzantium. I, the greedy one, expected it to go to me, but alas, it didn't.

[Monk]

There was a crusade for Byzantium. I, the greedy one, expected it to go to me, but alas, it didn't.

That.. haha, wow. That's crazy man. The silly (in a good way!) things the game will throw at you sometimes. Just awesome

[The Stranger]

There was a crusade for Byzantium. I, the greedy one, expected it to go to me, but alas, it didn't.

course it wont go to you haha you are not catholic :P

[The Stranger]

ok i replayed from a certain point and managed to knock of 4 more years. i think it can be done perhaps 1-2 years faster if you time certain wars faster but i cba to do it :P

so this is my final time and i will play the challenge with this savegame and make an AAR for this one.

this is a short AAR


The Reincarnation of Belisarius

The Emperor had a vision, he had a plan, he had ambition and he had an army. And he knew that within his lifetime he would unite the squabling states under the glorious banner of the Byzantine Empire.

He married himself to the heir of Bulgaria, he married his brothers to the claimants to the thrones of Serbia, Hungary and Sicily. He pressed a courtier claim for the duchy of Epirus. When leading his men into the Epirote mountains he was introduced to the Iconoclast heresy and he converted. He went to war with Genoa for the Crimea and with helped an Epirote count revolt against the Venetians. After this all went succesfull he offered vassalisation to the counts which had split off. After this he pressed the claim of his brothers wife for the kingdom of Serbia, because the kingdom was a dejure vassal of the Byzantine Empire she became his vassal after he succesfully supported her claim while she was in his court.

The second part of his plan was set into motion, using the casus belli the iconoclast heresy provided he invaded the Kingdom of Armenia Minor in a Holy War. At the same time he pressed courtier claims for the Duchy of Antioch and he also invaded Krete. Within 15 years he had doubled his holdings and seen his wife ascend to the throne of Bulgaria. She also bore him 2 healthy sons within a few years. After the butchering he reverted back to the Orthodox faith.

He was not satisfied and continued his unstoppable march! He pressed the claim of his other brother's wife for Sicily. At the same time he pressed courtier claims for the Duchy of Tripoli and expelled the cretan christians from Krete. Without pause he continued his relentless wars and he drove his armies onwards. After Sicily surrendered and was added to the Empire he pressed the claim of his last brothers wife for Croatia, which luckily bore him a son before he got maimed in battle and died of his wounds not much later. Now, with his dynasty set to inherit the Kingdoms of Bulgaria, Serbia, Sicily and Croatia, the Emperor shifted his gaze east to the kingdom of Jerusalem and Cyprus which had just reached its full dejure greatness after a succesfull crusade. Pressing courtier claims for both dejure parts of the Empire. At the same time he pressed a courtier claim for the kingdom of Trebizond. Within 25 years almost all of the Christian controlled part of the Byzantine Empire had been reconquered. At one point in these years of war he married his heir to the heir of the Latin Empire, securing both empires for his grandson in the process. After this he pressed the claim for Hungary for the Queen of Croatia, adding it to the Empire.

This was the easy part, the emperor contemplated, when watched the map to see his empire stretch out for miles. He now faced a bigger problem, the might of Rum and Egypt. He could no longer press courtier claims because Rum was titular and Egypt was never dejure part of the Empire. Besides even if they were, the claimants would never join because the thought he had a false religion. Holy Wars were too slow and too dangerous because all the sunni lords would join against his agression. But then he had a moment of genius, Matrilinial Marriage it was called! Marrying female claimants to muslim titles would not work because women never inherited. But matrilinial marriage meant that the claimant would join his court. He married such a claimant from Rum matrilinially to his daughter (and thus securing also the kingdom of rum to his Dynasty in the future). The emperor gave the claimant a county to ensure he was his vassal and then he pressed his claim adding the kingdom of Rum to the empire. Prior to this he had done something similar to egypt but even more spectacular! There was no claimant that wanted to marry matrilinially to someone in his court. Despair almost struck but the divine intervened again. He saw the opening and seized it, he married a courtier to a princess of Egypt, then killed the courtier to widow the princess and matrilinially married a male egyptian claimant to the egyptian princess. He gave this claimant the Duchy of Krete and pressed his claim for Egypt, thus adding Egypt to the empire.

What was left were some stray holdings occupied by the Cumans, the Kievan Rus, the Ilkhanate and some of the muslim lords. Within 5 years he conquered what was left.

His plan had unraveled and was executed with near perfection, all that was left was to tie up the loose ends. Thus he got down to the dirtiest part of the job. He killed his wife, son and daughter in law to ensure his grandson would inherit it all when the Emperor would die. He commited suicide the next morning and his grandson inherited the greatest power the world would ever come to see!

[Monk]

ok i replayed from a certain point and managed to knock of 4 more years. i think it can be done perhaps 1-2 years faster if you time certain wars faster but i cba to do it :P

so this is my final time and i will play the challenge with this savegame and make an AAR for this one.

@The Stranger

Good lord you're getting this down to a science

Submit a savegame to me via email or upload and I'll verify it for you. I'll also update the rankings to reflect which save you want to use.

For everyone else: We're nearing the second weekend of the challenge. How are your games shaping up? I'd love to see the progress (or the setbacks ) you've experienced! :nod:

[rickinator9]

@The Stranger
For everyone else: We're nearing the second weekend of the challenge. How are your games shaping up? I'd love to see the progress (or the setbacks ) you've experienced! :nod:

I have played some games as the byzantines. I am pretty fast, but not as fast as the stranger. I think I will try to play a lot in one sitting tomorrow. I've got the next week off, so I will have plenty of time.

[Monk]

Confirmed @The Stranger new time of 31 years. Absolutely amazing. Of course his empire would very likely fly apart within the next two generations and would be an absolute headache to maintain as a player. But then that wasn't part of the rules, maybe nex ttime i'll include something like that For now its a valid entry and an impressive showing.

~~ EVENT UNLOCKED ~~

MAJOR BYZANTINE VICTORY

After the terrible sack of the great, eternal city, the Empire finally fragmented. With its successors striving not only against one another but at odds with foreigners, the Byzantine Empire could not have been in more dire straights. An army reduced to a fraction of what it had been. Nobles bickering and threatening civil war even as the Rumites massed in Anatolia for another war of aggression against the true heirs of Rome.. and from these humble beginnings started the greatest Byzantine resurgence since Saint Justinian the Great himself.

It was your right alone to see the old glories restored, but that never meant it would be easy. Even though you were surrounded on all sides by your enemies, you held true, and in the end over came them one by one. With each victory, each turn of the tide you brought back counties and wayward vassals into the fold of Byzantium protection. Roman protection. No longer an Empire of Nicea, your lawful claim to the legacy of old can no longer be denied. From Italty to Ascalon you rule a restored empire in the name of Rome.

From Constantinople the world of the emperor is law. His judgements swift, his armies powerful and his enemies broken and defeated. You have restored the old glories of Rome and even now, great monuments in the old style can be seen across the land, constructed in the honor of your dynasty.

May this restored empire reign for a thousand years, and may your dynasty always lead it to glory.

Hail to the Basileus!

[The Stranger]

Confirmed @The Stranger new time of 31 years. Absolutely amazing. Of course his empire would very likely fly apart within the next two generations and would be an absolute headache to maintain as a player. But then that wasn't part of the rules, maybe nex ttime i'll include something like that For now its a valid entry and an impressive showing.

actually, i dont know :P it will be now because I killed my son and went immediatly to my grandson, but if i hadnt done that, the transition would be alot smoother. because all the muslim vassals are controlled by the muslim kings i only have to deal with 2 discontent vassals, which will not be very hard. being an emperor with kings as a vassal is quite easy because kings are not that hard to control, lot less harder than dukes because they have less desires.


anyway thanks Monk for the challenge, i actually learned quite alot by playing it! and it was great fun.

perhaps next one will be the Habsburgers? :P or Spain or Italy :O so many choices ahah

[rickinator9]

How about the varangians post-patch? Should we mod the numbers of the varangians or not?