The Calamitous Year of 1320 is upon you. The Reich is in turmoil and her enemies have united against her as never before. Rome has fallen to the swift Byzantine attack and with it all central authority in the Empire has dissolved. For the first time in generations, there is no Chancellor overseeing the affairs of the Reich. Each Elector must look to his own strengths and resources to see him through the trying times ahead.
Outremer is under serious assault. The loyal spy, Rudolf von Augsburg reports that there are no less than nine major Byzantine armies within a few weeks march of Antioch. Aleppo is already besieged and will fall easily without reinforcements. To make matters worse, the Pope has orders his armies to advance on Outremer from the south. Acre is under siege by a medium-sized Papal army and the garrison will likely be overwhelmed if they do not receive aid. While the armies of Outremer are still amongst the strongest in the Reich, they are but a shadow of their former selves. The Crusaders have taken up stations on the river crossings around Antioch and will likely be able to hold them against any new attacks. However, a defensive position will result in the loss of all Citadels, and with them any hope of training new forces.
Franconia has survived the recent upheavals largely intact. The rebels of Stettin have been brought back into line and all Franconian territories remain under the control of Duke Ansehelm. However, Franconia is a massive, sprawling land and this is her major weakness. There are simply too few armies to defend the borders. Thorn is under siege by a huge Russian army that is equipped with many piece of artillery. It will fall soon if not relieved. Refugees report that two large Polish armies are also advancing on Krakow, which will fall without assistance. In the west, the Danes are making a major offensive and two full armies stand outside the walls of Hamburg. While the city is not yet under siege Peter von Kastilien holds it with a large army, much of his strength is poorly trained militia.
Bavaria is a House under siege. Bologna and Marseille have revolted. A large Byzantine army has worked its way behind the lines and is west of Bologna, from where it could march on nearly any city in Northern Italy. Spies report that at least three more full-sized Byzantine armies are marching north from Rome. They will likely begin a pressing assault on Bavarian provinces, starting with Florence. Lothar Steffen and Dietrich von Dassel can field a strong army if they combine forces, but separately they would be seriously outnumbered. Ajaccio has been saved from destruction for the moment, but it is already under siege by another Sicilian army. More Sicilian fleets have been sighted off the coast and further armies are likely to land in coming years.
Swabia has been torn asunder. The rebellion of Wolfgang Hummel has split the House's strength when a united front is most direly needed. Duke Hans has secured the citadel of Staufen and the city of Bern is returning to an orderly state. However, at the moment he has almost no military strength to speak of and the rebellion of Metz, Dijon, and Paris has split the House in two. Bruges and Rheims remain loyal, but they are cut off from the Duke's safe-haven and can easily be taken by Wolfgang Hummel. Caen is already under the control of Wolfgang Hummel, but its situation is precarious. The French see the Swabian revolt simply as an opportunity to exploit. They are friends to neither side. The rebellious Swabian city of Paris is already under siege by multiple armies and a massive French army is reported to be marching on Caen itself. Further forces are sure to be following behind it. Wolfgang Hummel and Athalwolf von Salza both remain in command of powerful armies.
Austria is in headlong flight. Bucharest and Bran have been abandoned and they will soon be occupied by the Hungarians. Budapest is in revolt and has thrown out its garrison. Lorenz Zirn stands by to retake the city, but most of his army is militia. Karl Zirn and Friedrich Karolinger are marching back towards Budapest, but their armies are heavily depleted. The long distance between Bran and Budapest is a blessing, as the three Electors will have a short time to prepare for the assault before it begins. Duke Arnold holds Austria's remaining citadel, Ragusa, with a strong force. However, the Venetians have returned with a vengeance. Their armies are besieging the former Papal city of Durazzo and Ragusa is obviously their next target. To make matters more complex, Edmund Becker has reappeared, alive and well, in his County of Prague. He has thrown off Duke Arnold's authority and proclaimed Prague a Free City and himself answerable only to the Kaiser. It seems Swabia is not the only House facing a rebellion...
Elberhard:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Antioch
Personal Wealth: 5 (One time bonus of +4 for being Kaiser. It’s good to be the King.)
Units Available: Forlorn Hope, Halberd Militia, Spear Militia, Town Militia, Crossbow Militia, Ballista, Turkopoles
Antioch is a safe haven for the time being, but that will not last for long. The Byzantines are approaching from the north and east in vast numbers and your Province of Acre is besieged by the Pope. You need to come up with a strategy very quickly, or you will certainly be overwhelmed. If only you controlled Citadel that was safe from the massed armies in Outremer. A Citadel like the one at Nicosia, perhaps...
*(A) Use all of your wealth to assemble a fleet to transport you to Cyprus. Once there, immediately assault the Citadel with your Cannons. Rumors from merchant fleets indicate that there is almost no garrison to speak of, but a strong Byzantine army is encamped outside the gates and will likely attempt to aid them.
(B) Use your available men to reinforce the armies of Matthias Steffen and Jan von Hamburg. With your help, they could likely hold the river crossings against even the most determined assaults.
(C) March south to relieve Acre.
*(MISC) In addition to the above, put out an open call to all honorable men left in Outremer. Proclaim the need of Christendom and state that the good people stand in dire peril. This will likely produce and instant levy of good Catholic soldiers, especially knights. However, any man who is open to such an approach will make himself known now. Attempting the same thing in future years will likely be futile.
Hans:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Staufen, Bern, Metz (held by rebels), Dijon (held by rebels), Paris (held by rebels and besieged), Rheims (trade route cut off), Bruges (trade route cut off)
Personal Wealth: 3 (You are miserly and a total cheapskate, but that is about to pay off handsomely. One time bonus of +2 and all military recruitment costs 1 less for the duration of the cataclysm, to a minimum of 1. Congratulations, Scrooge.)
Units Available: Zweihanders, DIK, DFK, Armoured Spearmen, Sergeant Spearmen, Pavise Crossbowmen, Peasant Crossbowmen, Peasant Archers, Imperial Knights, Feudal Knights, Mailed Knights, Mounted Sergeants, Mounted Crossbowmen.
Your Duchy has been torn asunder. The rebel settlements of Metz and Dijon split it in two, hindering movement of armies and trade. If you take the time to restore them to proper Swabian rule, Wolfgang Hummel will have a free hand in the north. If you go after Wolfgang immediately, your resources will be minimal and you will be at a significant disadvantage. To make matters worse, you have arrived in great haste, but without an army. The governor of Staufen anticipated your arrival and recruited a small force in the previous year, but it is nowhere near enough to meet your needs. Ehrhart Ruppel will arrive with his small force of infantry at the end of the year, but they will not be available to you immediately. Fortunately, you do have an intact and loyal army under the command of Athalwolf von Salza. Perhaps he can do your bidding while you assemble more men in Staufen. Of course, those men are going to need money…
(Orders have already been submitted.)
Dietrich von Dassel:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: None
Personal Wealth: 3 (Horder of Wealth and the recent sack of Durazzo gives a one time bonus of +3. You have no source of regular income, though.)
Units Available: Town Militia, Merchant Cavalry Militia, Mercenary Spearmen
It’s hundreds of miles to Swabia, you’ve got a fraction of an army left, there are Byzantines to the north and the south, it’s dark, and you’re wearing a helmet.
Hit it.
(Orders have already been submitted.)
Athalwolf von Salza:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Dijon (held by rebels)
Personal Wealth: 0
Units Available: Mercenary Spearmen, Halberd Militia, Spear Militia, Town Militia, Crossbow Militia, Catapults, Ballistae, Bombards, Grand Bombards
Well the so-called Battle of Normandy got you nowhere, but at least you’re still alive and your army is intact. The rebels still hold your County but they have a strong and capable force including large numbers of Swiss Pikemen, Chivalric Knights, and Feudal Knights Recapturing it will require more men than you currently have available. Metz is less well defended and you would likely be able to take it with your current forces. Doing so would reunite the split halves of Swabia, thus allowing for easier movement of armies and for revenue from Rheims and Bruges to make its way to its rightful Duke. Of course, if you do not move back north, Wolfgang Hummel will have a free hand in the region…
*(A) Retreat to Staufen and wait for reinforcements.
(B) Besiege Metz immediately, expecting to assault it next year.
(C) Garrison Rheims and hold it against Wolfgang Hummel.
(D) Garrison Bruges and hold it against Wolfgang Hummel.
Wolfgang Hümmel:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Caen (Rebel Capital)
Personal Wealth: 4 (One time bonus of +2 for being a rebel. I have given you +2 for Caen, assuming it is your “Capital.” Correct me if I am wrong.)
Units Available: Zweihanders, DFK, DIK, Armoured Sergeants, Sergeant Spearmen, Pavise Crossbowmen, Peasant Crossbowmen, Peasant Archers, Imperial Knights, Feudal Knights, Mailed Knights, Mounted Sergeants, Mounted Crossbowmen, Bombards, Grand Bombards, Trebuchets, Catapults, Ballistae, Mercenary Spearmen
Your rebellion is alive and well… for the time being. It will take Hans some time to bring forces against you and Athalwolf has retreated past Rheims. Bruges is easily within your grasp and you could seize it with few problems. However, the French are bearing down on Caen quickly and they will probably lay siege to it next year. If you lose Caen, you will have a very difficult time controlling northern Swabia.
*(A) Plunder Caen for all it is worth, then take the wealth, abandon your army and flee south towards your partner-in-crime, Dietrich von Dassel.
(B) Attack the oncoming French armies, thus eliminating the threat to Caen for the time being. The French will back eventually though…
(C) Take control of Bruges. The French will likely besiege Caen behind you, but you will probably have time to break the siege next year before they can assault the citadel.
Ansehelm von Kastilien:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Thorn (under siege), Breslau, Krakow, Stettin, Magdeburg, Hamburg, Frankfurt
Personal Wealth: 8 (Includes +3 from loyal Counts. No bonus of any kind, but most of Franconia is under your control, giving you a large, steady stream of income… for now. Keep an eye on your Counts.)
Units Available: Mercenary Spearmen
You have a mighty army, but a strong Russian force has besieged Thorn and cut you off from any reinforcements. If you have any hope of holding the eastern border of Franconia, you had better lift the siege immediately. Of course, you could always abandon Thorn and march west. That would be far safer, but such a cowardly act would not soon be forgotten by the people. There’s also the matter of your bickering Electors to deal with.
*(A) Abandon Thorn and march west to the safety of Magdeburg. (This will result in a negative trait.)
(B) Attack the Russian army besieging Thorn.
(C) Attack the Russian army besieging Thorn. When you are victorious, send some reinforcements to your Electors in the west.
Fritz von Kastilien:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Stettin (Refusing to pay taxes)
Personal Wealth: 3 (One time bonus of +3 due to sack of Stettin. For the rest of the cataclysm, Stetting will pay you 2 wealth per turn instead of 1, but only when you end your turn in the province. If you end the turn outside the province, you will get 0 wealth.)
Units Available: All castle units except Gothic Knights, Mounted Crossbowmen, Reiters, Zweihanders, and all non-gunpowder artillery.
You are wealthy and you command a strong army, but the people hate you with a passion that almost defies belief. You have sacked your own County and the people will not soon forget it. The Lutherans will not forget your aid, but your actions have made them pariahs in Stettin. You will receive no aid inside Stettin, not even from them. In addition, the people are refusing to pay the taxes they owe you, thus cutting off your only source of income. To make matters worse, Dieter Bresch is the Lord of the citadel you are sitting in, he has legitimate claim to your army, and he is far more popular than you are.
*(A) Move your army to Stettin and tell them to start paying up.
(B) Attempt to seize control of Magdeburg from Dieter Bresch. Spend all of your wealth to increase your soldiers’ pay, thus minimizing the chance that they will defect to Dieter.
(C) Attempt to seize control of Magdeburg from Dieter Bresch. Rely on your fearsome reputation alone to keep your men in line. The mercenaries like your tactics of plunder and will be reluctant to leave you, but other men might not be.
Péter von Kastilien:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Breslau
Personal Wealth: 1
Units Available: Forlorn Hope, Spear Militia, Town Militia, Merchant Cavalry Militia
You control the garrison of Hamburg. It is composed of a large amount of militia, but backed by a strong contingent of professional and mercenary soldiers. Life will not be easy, though, as Hamburg lays directly in the path of the Danish invasion armies. Two are outside the walls of the city at this very moment and you do not have much time to act before they begin the siege. It is time to decide where your loyalties truly lie and come up with a strategy.
(A) Hold the walls of Hamburg against the coming armies. It would be foolish to face their combined might in the field with your current forces, but perhaps they will shatter on the huge walls of the city.
(B) Plunder Hamburg for all it is worth and retreat with your army towards the more easily defensible Magdeburg. The militia, who live there, will certainly desert you, but the professional soldiers will remain with you. Furthermore, you will gain a large sum of money and Magdeburg has a surplus of high quality soldiers...
(C) Abandon Hamburg and move to Frankfurt. There you will be entirely safe from attack for at least a short while. In addition, it is within striking distance of the great citadel of Staufen and the Bavarian city of Nuremburg. Both could be raided or conquered for your own personal benefit.
*(D) Abandon Hamburg and move to Breslau. Your County is safe for the time being, but it is directly in the Polish line of march, once they finish with Krakow. If you want to retain control of your County, someone will have to defend it.
Dieter Bresch:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Magdeburg
Personal Wealth: 0 (Magdeburg produces nothing and you have no financial skills. Good thing your Duke is loaded.)
Units Available: All castle units except Gothic Knights, Mounted Crossbowmen, Reiters, Zweihanders, and all non-gunpowder artillery.
You are Furst of Saxony, but you have no army to your name. Ansehelm has stated that the army is to be led jointly by you and Fritz von Kastilien. This is impossible, and you know it. If you share command, one of you will inevitably take a back seat to the other. It seems unlikely that Fritz will share command with you, and he sits inside your Citadel acting like he owns the place. You are useless without an army, so you had better find one if you want to do more than sit inside a castle and count the rats for several years. Perhaps you can assemble one in Franconia or perhaps you can find friends elsewhere...
(A) 'Share' joint command with Fritz von Kastilien. In reality, he will lead the army and you will count rats. Though perhaps he could be lured into a sense of complacency and you could seize command later on via other means...
(B) You still hold the title of Furst of Saxony as well as Count of Magdeburg. In addition, you are slightly popular amongst the people. Fritz von Kastilien, on the other hand, is immensely unpopular, though his men respect him greatly as a general. Should you assert your authority and appeal to the men directly, you could likely convert a large portion of the army to your control. Of course, some men are bound to stay with Fritz, but if you could convince the majority of them you may even be able to evict him the citadel.
(C) Exploit your position as Furst of Saxony and Count of Magdeburg to plunder Magdeburg and defect to join Edmund Becker's revolt. You have easy access to Magdeburg's treasury, where Fritz stores the loot he plundered from Stettin. The large mercenary force under Fritz's command would easily join you if you gave them this horde, and perhaps even some of the regular troops would join you. You will then plunder a few of the profitable buildings in Magdeburg and ride south with your army and your wealth to join up with Edmund Becker.
Jan von Hamburg:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Antioch, Aleppo (besieged), Acre (besieged)
Personal Wealth: 2 (+1 From loyal Count/Kaiser. It’s a shame that hoarding wealth and sacking towns is not part of the Chivalric Code.)
Units Available: Forlorn Hope, Halberd Militia, Spear Militia, Town Militia, Crossbow Militia, Ballista, Turkopoles
Outremer is in tatters. As its King, its salvation lies in your hands. If you are able to cooperate with Kaiser Elberhard and Matthias Steffen, you could assemble a military force able to achieve almost any objective. Almost any... there are many places that need to be defended, but you cannot hold them all at once. Will you risk it all and attempt to save Outremer, or will you retreat and rebuild your strength? You are considered a living saint amongst those who still respect the chivalric code. Perhaps an open call to those who believe as you do will yield much-needed strength.
*(A) (If Elberhard moves on Nicosia) Use all of your wealth to assemble a fleet to transport you to Cyprus. Once there, immediately assault the Citadel with Elberhard. Rumors from merchant fleets indicate that there is almost no garrison to speak of, but a strong Byzantine army is encamped outside the gates and will likely attempt to aid them.
(B) Remain where you are and hold the eastern river crossing.
(C) Attack Nikolaos of Athos, whose army is near the eastern river crossing, then advance on Aleppo and attempt to lift the siege.
(D) March south to break the Papal siege of Acre.
Tancred von Tyrolia:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Constantinople
Personal Wealth: 12 (You’re rich! Too bad you have nothing decent to spend it on and you’re on the run for your life.)
Units Available: Balkan Archers, Halberd Militia, Crossbow Militia, Spear Militia, Town Militia
What in the world have you gotten yourself into? Your attack on Constantinople was successful and you recovered an immense amount of wealth from the sack of the Byzantine capital. However, your army is weak and you are a long, long way from any friendly forces. You may be able to reach Austria with a determined march, but the area is swarming with Hungarian and Byzantine armies. Returning to Franconia itself will be very, very difficult. Of course, the smaller and faster your force, the easier it will be for you to escape detection...
(A) Return to Constantinople and attempt to hold the walls.
*(B) Abandon your entire army, except for Teutonic Knights, and ride west at all haste to Ragusa. You will likely make it without being detected.
(C) March west to Ragusa with your army. There is a moderate chance that you will be intercepted by a Hungarian or Byzantine army.
(D) March north toward Franconia. You can likely make it to the mountains north of Bran this year. You will almost certainly be attacked by the Hungarians that are swarming over the area.
(E) Abandon your entire army, including the Teutonic Knights, and ride north with all haste to Franconia. You can likely make it to the mountains north of Bran this year. There is a small chance that the Hungarians will find you and attack.
Arnold:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Ragusa, Zagreb, Vienna, Venice, Budapest (Held by rebels)
Personal Wealth: 6 (Includes +2 from loyal Counts. Enjoys a Wager gives you a 50% chance of losing 1 wealth per turn and 50% chance of winning 1 wealth per turn. You were lucky this year.)
Units Available: All castle units except Gothic Knights, Reiters, and Trebuchets. Balkan Archers
Ragusa is the only province left in Austria that can produce military units. If it falls, Austria will be in dire straits, indeed. You have a short amount of time before the Venetians push on from Durazzo and assault the citadel itself. You receive constant messages from Budapest saying that Lorenz Zirn, Karl Zirn, and Friedrich Karolinger are all desperately in need of reinforcements. In short, you had best assemble as much military power as you can, very quickly.
*(A) You are a popular figure. Attempt to recruit volunteer regiments by making passionate speeches about Austria's need.
(B) You are feared like the Grim Reaper himself. Order you soldiers to press any able bodied man you can find into military service. (Will produce more men than A, but may have negative consequences)
(C) March on Durazzo.
Karl Zirn:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Zagreb (Trade route cut off to your current location)
Personal Wealth: 0
Units Available: Balkan Archers
You are far from Budapest with a very small army. You had best get yourself to Budapest, where you can rendezvous with the Lorenz Zirn and Karl Zirn.
(A) March your remaining men to Budapest. The long distance and slow speed of your mercenary crossbowmen and spear militia will put you at a small risk of being attacked along the way.
*(B) Abandon the men on foot and ride for Budapest with only the Feudal Knights and Reiters. You can be certain of arriving safely without being attacked.
(C) Spread out your men and plunder everything you can find between your location and Budapest. The peasants will certainly attempt to stop you, but if you survive you will have accumulated a modest amount of wealth.
Edmund Becker:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Prague (Rebel Capital)
Personal Wealth: 3 (One time bonus of +1 for being a rebel. I have assumed that Prague has been declared as your ‘Capital’ and have given you 2 wealth for it accordingly. Correct me if I am wrong.)
Units Available: Town Militia, Spear Militia
You have declared Prague a Free City, independent of Austria. For the moment, you exist in the most peaceful area of the Reich. Duke Arnold and those loyal to him are far away and have their own problems to deal with. In addition, Prague is deep inside the Reich and Polish and Hungarian armies will likely take a few years to penetrate that far, depending on how Franconians and Austrians choose to defend their lands. However, Prague is not a military powerhouse. Your foresight in previous years has seen to it that Prague is already upgrading its facilities and you expect it to be able to produce Crossbow Militia in 1326, but that is not likely to be enough. However, both Breslau and Nuremburg lie close by and are undefended by their Lords. You could easily recruit men from those provinces, or raid them for vast amounts of wealth. The Franconian citadel of Magdeburg is also nearby, though heavily defended. Perhaps a diplomatic approach could aid you...
(A) Raid Breslau, destroying some buildings to accumulate a large sum of wealth.
(B) Raid Nuremburg, destroying some buildings to accumulate a large sum of wealth.
*(C) Travel to Nuremburg to hire a regiment of Forlorn Hope and make a public speech in the city square, in the hopes that some men will volunteer to aid Prague.
Lorenz Zirn:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Budapest (Held by rebels)
Personal Wealth: 0 (You are a Budding Bureaucrat and Good with Taxes. Any province you control will generate +1 wealth, but only if you end your turn inside its borders.)
Units Available: Balkan Archers
Your County, Budapest, is held by rebels. You are outside its gates with the expelled garrison and a few units of professional soldiers. It is a large army, but most are militia and will not fare well in an assault. You also have a unit of Cannon available. Karl Zirn and Friedrich Karolinger are moving towards you with additional professional soldiers.
(A) Immediately assault Budapest, using your Cannon to breach the walls.
*(B) Besiege Budapest and begin building siege engines. You will not assault this year.
(C) Abandon Budapest and fall back to Vienna.
Lothar Steffen:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Ajaccio (besieged), Florence, Genoa, Milan, Innsbruck, Bologna (Held by rebels), Marsailles (Held by rebels)
Personal Wealth: 5 (Includes +1 from loyal Count. Deep Pockets means that any province you end your turn in generates +1 wealth, including castles, so long as other requirements are met.)
Units Available: Town Militia, Merchant Cavalry Militia, Mercenary Spearmen
Fredericus Erlach:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Ajaccio (besieged, with you inside)
Personal Wealth: 0
Units Available: DFK, DIK, Armoured Sergeants, Sergeant Spearmen, Pavise Crossbowmen, Peasant Crossbowmen, Peasant Archers, Ballistae, Imperial Knights, Feudal Knights, Mailed Knights, Mounted Sergeants, Catapults, Bombards
You have made it to Ajaccio by the skin of your teeth. Only hours after you arrived, another Sicilian army landed and besieged the Citadel. You can slip out a secret tunnel and escape to the mainland disguised as a woman, but you will be able to transport nothing but yourself. Of course, the Sicilian army, while well-trained, does not seriously outnumber you. You would likely be able to defeat them if they assaulted the walls, but you would have to wait for them to come to you. Victory with a sally is less certain, but it will immediately free the Citadel of Ajaccio to begin producing troops.
*(A) Disguise yourself as a woman and take a fishing boat to Genoa. The disgrace of this act will follow you for the rest of your life. (Traits will be altered).
(B) Hold the walls of Ajaccio and wait for the Sicilians to come to you. (May recruit maximum of 1 unit)
(C) Sally out and attack the Sicilians. If you are victorious, you will likely find a small amount of wealth in their camp and on their corpses. This would also free Ajaccio from all recruitment limits.
Matthias Steffen:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Milan (trade route blocked)
Personal Wealth: 0
Units Available: Forlorn Hope, Halberd Militia, Spear Militia, Town Militia, Crossbow Militia, Ballista, Turkopoles
You hold the northern crossing of the river outside Antioch. Your force is strong and well-supplied with Pavise Crossbowmen, but you are short on spearmen. You could likely hold the bridge for a short time, but attrition will be your undoing unless you are reinforced by next year. Whether you like it or not, you are stuck in Outremer, at least for the short term. You would likely be able to smuggle yourself out on a merchant ship, but you would have to leave your army behind. If you remain in Outremer, you will need to come up with a strategy very quickly, or you will certainly be overwhelmed. Antioch is nearby and perhaps you can find some 'recruits' there willing to help you. You are an exceedingly unpopular man, but your piety is well known. In addition, you hold two Holy Relics. Displaying them to the pious would likely induce large number of pilgrims and fanatics to take up your call. Of course, selling them is also an option and one that could lead to enough wealth to hire some truly formidable regiments.
*(A) (If Elberhard moves on Nicosia) Use all of your wealth to assemble a fleet to transport you to Cyprus. Once there, immediately assault the Citadel with Elberhard. Rumors from merchant fleets indicate that there is almost no garrison to speak of, but a strong Byzantine army is encamped outside the gates and will likely attempt to aid them.
(B) Remain where you are and hold the northern bridge. Put your relics on public display in Antioch in the hopes that religious fervor will induce some pilgrims and fanatics to aid you.
(C) Remain where you are and hold the northern bridge. Sell your relics and use the funds to hire some of the soldiers or former Crusaders who have lost their passion for religion.
(D) Abandon your army and smuggle yourself back to Bavaria onboard a merchant vessel. This will cost all of your wealth.
Friedrich Karolinger:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Innsbruck (trade route not accessible from your current location)
Personal Wealth: 0
Units Available: Balkan Archers
HA Otto is heavily depleted, but you still have a strong core of experienced infantry. Your greatest concern is to simply decide where to lend your strength. Both Austria and Bavaria are in need of your strength. There is also an extremely highly experienced group of Feudal Knights journeying with you. They are Duke Hans' men and bound for Swabia.
*(A) Continue on to Budapest, as planned.
(B) Divert south to Ragusa to unite with Duke Arnold. The mountains are known to harbor brigand camps and you may be forced to skirmish with them.
(C) March back to Bavaria. The journey is long, but the roads are safe.
*(MISC) In addition to the above, attempt to bribe Duke Hans' knights to your service. Perhaps telling them tales of the glory that will await them in your service will lower the price.
Dieter von Kassel
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Controlled Provinces: Acre (besieged, with you inside)
Personal Wealth: 1 (You’ve saved your allowance for a long time)
Units Available: DFK, DIK, Armoured Sergeants, Sergeant Spearmen, Pavise Crossbowmen, Peasant Crossbowmen, Peasant Archers, Teutonic Knights, Imperial Knights, Feudal Knights, Mailed Knights, Mounted Sergeants, Ballistae, Catapults, Trebuchets, Bombards, Grand Bombards
You have finally come of age. A young Elector in the noble service of the Imperial Reich. You are a Franconian by blood, but your father dishonored the family name when he deserted the Reich, many years ago. You journeyed to Outremer a few years ago to seek service with the noble Elberhard and the chivalrous Jan von Hamburg. These older, more experienced men have gone off to fight the Byzantines in the north, leaving you in the safety of the great citadel at Acre. Unfortunately, the Pope has decided to take revenge on the Reich for the attack at Durazzo. His armies have laid siege to the Citadel. You are significantly outnumbered, but your men are far better fighters than the Papacy's levied spearmen. You may be young and inexperienced, but you are a noble Elector of the Reich. Your men look to you for guidance and safety.
*(A) Use a secret tunnel to escape from the Citadel and ride north to the Antioch region, where you will find protection amongst the remaining armies of Outremer.
(B) Sally forth against the Papal army and break the siege.
(C) Hold the walls against the Papal army in the hopes that one of the other Crusaders will bring reinforcements to aid you.
Turn 1 - 1320 AD
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