Nobles & Longswords: The Highland Way

[navarro951]

Nobles & Longswords: The Highland Way




AAR Game Rules etc:
MTW 2 fullly updated, no mods.
Faction: Scotland
Campaign Difficulty: VH
Battle Difficulty: M
Note: Anything that is not historically accurate is my own doing for the stories purposes. Also, console may be used for desired events.

Gaelic terms and other terms to know so far:

Gaelic: Considered a type of "Scottish English", where their accent can derive from.

Mirren: Our narrator. Name meaning I am unsure of, but today it has something to do with the patron God of soccer in Scotland.

Bóaire: Gaelic word for cow herder, Mirrens job when he is not off doing the nobles bidding.

Highlander: One who hail from the "highlands" of Scotland. The highlands are the lands north of Stirling.

Nobles: A landowner, not including highland lands, who has declared allegiance to some member of the royal family of Scotland. They will do anything required in there vying for power.

Rí túath: A clan or tribal leader. Usually owns a small stake of land or multiple small stakes of land on which his followers dwell.

Flaith: Another name for a clan or tribal leader, usually one whom oversees a larger than normal clan territory. They also may acquire this title by heroism and grand victory in battle.

Campbells, Murray,Stewart, Macauley, Robertsons, Menzies, Macgregor: Different clans, mostly from the southern most part of the highlands. So far they are the seven clans who have joined the nobles call to arms against the clans in the north. Mirren's clan is the Macgregor.

Mackenzie, Munro, the Gunn, Macleods: Clans from the north who wage constant war with the clans of the south. The Mackenzie is the largest of all the northern clans.

Finlay: Gaelic name meaning white warrior. Mirren's clan Flaith.

[SwissBarbar]

sounds promising

[navarro951]

Chapter One: The Princess Problem

In the year of 1080 AD, it had been long since Scotland's fiery had been shown. The days of the blue faced Celts holding off the Roman invaders had long since passed, and Scotland and her clans were now all that stood; remnants of an older age.

King Malcolm, now the proclaimed leader of the few clans who would follow him, was winding down. He no longer dealt with the constant feuds of the nobles, and spent his time devoted to our Lord and the Church.



King Malcolm' eldest son, Prince Edward, was heading in the opposite direction. He was quickly proving himself to be a cunning politician through murder and bribery; as well as slander and rumoring...politics at it's best. The nobles would bow to Edward upon simply entering a room, hoping for some more coin, or maybe another land deed. Easy pickings for political gain.



The youngest son of King Malcolm, however, was a noble and chivalrous man. He believed in his people and the old way of the highlander. Yes, young Edmond wanted to show us that the Scots could be united; that we should show no fear to the English rats below us, and the rival clans above us.

Edinburgh Castle, King Malcolm's Meeting Hall

Word had been sent, the King of England declared that all Scots were not to set foot in York. The city was rebelling, but he declared it rightfully theirs. The King also demanded a payment be made, because it was apparently Scottish men who led the rebellion.



"Ah, bloody hell. The English been' givin' us this shite for too long! I say we rally the men and burn'em down!" Nobleman Alan shouted. Nobleman Alan was a simpleton. He was so caught up in his Scottish pride, he believed the small people could wipe out the world if they felt like it.

Nobleman Gordan, a much more educated man, butted in, "Yes, and these men you speak of to rally," he clears his throat in a sarcastic manner, "Who would you be speakin' of? We've more sheep and goat who'd rally to fight for us then men!" The hall broke out in laughter, and Alan sunk into his chair. Prince Edward motioned for silence and stood.

"I sit here and listen to these, debates, day after day after day. I start thinking to myself," he drinks from a large vase of wine, "what a bunch'o'damn rubbish you all talk!" Sheer silence fills the room. Each nobleman feeling angered by the statement, but not willing to risk their tongues for their opinion. "You all think that we can fight back, or hold our will against the English, yet we cannot even unify ourselves! England," he sighs, "England will become either our greatest Ally, or our greatest enemy. It is as simple as that." Prince Edward sighed and sat back down rubbing his unshaven chin.

"Well then what's you supposin' we do me lord?" Nobleman Gordan, a small but respected man, broke in.

"There is beautiful young princess, Cecilia, she hails from Nottingham. I plan to marry her, " the room broke out in yelling and shocked gasps, Prince Edward spoke loudly over them, "I will marry her and we will secure peace with England!"

And so he did. Prince Edward, along with his personal guard, rode for Nottingham to propose to the beautiful Cecilia.

Chapter One Part II: Before Love, There Must Be Blood

But before Edward could make it even as far as the area surrounding York, King Malcolm had him brought back. The council of nobles had made a wise decision. While they supported their Prince, they were dubious in the ways of politics as well, and had ordered that before an alliance with England be made, the castle at Inverness be taken so that Scotland and her clans could be unified. A wise and cunning plan indeed, the cat momentarily had become the mouse in this game.



However, we are not a strong people, our armies are composed of peasant highlanders who herd sheep and the men whom hunt the forests for deer. It would take some many years to forge an army that would be capable of taking the castle at Inverness.




And so we were quick to get to our training, the Nobles through lump sum payments and reputation, for those who had one, made a call to arms demanding volunteers from all the allied clans.

Current World Overview 1080

[navarro951]

if anyone cant tell already this is being told from the point of view of a currently anonymous highlander, rather a simple farmer who will become a soldier in our story.

[navarro951]

Sorry bout' the anonymous storytelling friend, names Mirren. I hail from the Macgregor clan, our lands are some miles north of the town of Stirling. I'm a simple Bóaire, which is Gaelic to say, I herd cattle. Now back to the story shall we?

Chapter Two: Where Our Loyalties Lie

Now any true highlander, one whom worked the land tended the cattle, and fended for his own; they would have the good mind to tell ye they would never be bought off by nobles to do their bidding.



Unfortunately, every man had his price. The nobles paid so well that seven, which was more than usual, different Rí túaths and Flaiths from the clans came marching out of the highland. The clans: We the Macgregors, the Campbells, the Murray, the Stewart, the Macauley, the Robertsons, and the Menzies. All of us were willing to answer the call of...greed.




For meself it was not the money, my clan Flaith, a giant of man we call Finlay, or "white warrior". I would gladly follow that man anywhere, into any battle, under any noble commander.

The first order of business was to get our spies into Inverness, which we did...



It was revealed that we would face four clans, whom had a history of bad blood with us southern tribes. They were: The Mackenzie was the largest of them, then there was the Munro, the Gunn, and the Macleods. All of them as fierce a fight as we.



We setup camp, along with the bloody nobles, and awaited all the clans to gather their forces and rendezvous with us.

The King's Noble Son

On a late winter evening, young Edmond brought an issue to his father...

: Father, is it true you've sent Edward to claim Inverness?

: Yes tis' true boy, problem?

: Well I don' believe in warring with me own kind.

: You're own kind? Highland rubbish ain' your own kind boy. You and your philosophy's of unity...its all rubbish. You...you are royalty friend.

: Father is not just the war. You don't see what my brother has planned? He will sell us to the English for a castle in Nottingham. He simply wants more land to bargain with, and the nobles think there buying time? Is everyone here just blind?

: Perhaps...but then so what? Maybe we need the English to settle our disputes. If we can keep our own half of this island unified, maybe the English would do a better job at it ey?

: I cant believe my ears. My father, a man of chivalry, has been plagued by my brothers words as well...I cant stay here.

With that, young Edmund stormed out and prepared himself to leave Edinburgh. He would not return for some time.

[SwissBarbar]

I already sense a civil war ;-)

[navarro951]

I already sense a civil war ;-)

you sense correctly..hehe!

[navarro951]

Chapter Three: Under One Flag of Failure

I caught wind that young Edmond had been taken in with the Macdougall clan. Nobody heard words for him for some time now.



During the spring after his leaving, our army had surrounded Inverness after minor skirmishes. The main army, the four clans, had compiled was now trapped in their own castle. And so Prince Edward ordered us to lay siege. The bastards would hold out for six months before we were finally given the order to charge. Meanwhile, England was reestablishing its own unity, they had retaken York and slaughtered every man, woman, and child of Scottish descent.



But the siege was once more delayed, a series of unforeseen events had taken place in Edinburgh. The young and beautiful Princess came to our King Malcolm with an offer of economic partnership with England.

And during what should have been a diplomatic meeting, King Malcolm turned into Prince Edwards dream come true. He solidified the marriage between the two, and it was so. The Prince even left our camp to wed her.

And the alliance Prince Edward had so much hoped for, was made so.

Chapter Three Part II: Their War, Our Blood

The utter failure that was the First Battle at Inverness, was just another showing of the incompetence of our noble leaders. While they sat back and watched us bleed the white snow red, things turned from bad to worse. Even with numerical superiority the idiotic Prince Edward could not direct us properly.

He and his nobles simply sat back and wasted us like fodder...

The first two signs of defeat was that they had countless numbers of Archers lining the walls and they lit our ram afire within the first half hour of the battle...

And so we charged with the ladders we'd made during the siege. And their walls filled with blood from both sides...

It is with the sharpest of pains that I retell this fine story. That battle was our good Finlay's last. He found himself a fine opponent, both of them so fierce in battle they took each others lives.

As Prince Edward and his nobles rode off in defeat, acting as if nothing had happened, we broke rank and fled the walls. At least what was left of us.

Those madmen drove us to our deaths for a cause they only politically cared for. A sad day for our clans. We returned home, ashamed, drained...and defeated.

[SwissBarbar]

pretty girl there

[navarro951]

Chapter Four: King of the Highlander

A year after our hideous defeat at Inverness, young Edmond came out of hiding and took the matter of Scottish unification into his own hands. The meeting took place in Hamish, the leader of the Macdougalls, own home.

"That damned brother of mine as turned nearly every northern clan against the idea of unification under a Scottish king. Bloody fool he is. He believes that because he has title and money, men will pave the way to victory for him simply because he says charge."

Hamish laughed, he sat drinking fine Scottish whiskey by a fire pit. "Your plan of action has to change now friend. The northern clans are indeed in a frenzy. No telling if they may come and burn Edinburgh itself to the ground," Hamish laughed once more, "In time the clans may learn peace and harmony under a monarch, but for not the path to unification will certainly require blood, and a fine leader such as yourself."

Edmond sighed deeply. "Perhaps I must face your truth. Because of Edwards actions there must be bloodshed. Do you believe that it can be done?"

Young Edmond had doubted his reputation. Word of a man of royal blood coming to live alongside the clans like brethren had spread even to some of the northern clans.

"Rally my friend...rally and they will follow you!" Hamish said sharply.

And he rallied so. He was astonished to find that word had indeed spread. Nearly twice the army Prince Edward assembled gathered to fight with Edmond and asked no pay, only for a Scotland under one banner, and an end to the bloodshed. It seems young Edmond would be proclaimed...King of the Highlander.

[Monk]

Good stuff so far navarro951! Looks like the nobles' arrogance led to a bit more than the army bargained for, now the English have York and Scotland is still not united.

Though it looks like your fourth chapter got cut off, or maybe you just posted the title as a teaser! Either way, looking forward to more.

[navarro951]

^^^youll be seeing that chapter later today, indeed i hoped the title would give a bit of a tease.

edit: and thanx for reading! im not sure how many ppl are viewing it

[vartan]

I've never played MTW2 and I find this very interesting an AAR. Keep it up!

[navarro951]

I've never played MTW2 and I find this very interesting an AAR. Keep it up!

a masterpiece of a game, even better with the right mods, and thank you. The new chapter will be up in an hour er so finishing up...

[Theodotos I]

Some nice work. Have a balloon.

[navarro951]

The Second Battle at Inverness

[Olaf Blackeyes]

a masterpiece of a game, even better with the right mods, and thank you. The new chapter will be up in an hour er so finishing up...

Eh i personally liked RTW better. M2TW was ok but it was rather too...unfinished and unfocused for my tastes. Now with SS & Kingdoms this became a truly ****ing EPIC game.

[navarro951]

Eh i personally liked RTW better. M2TW was ok but it was rather too...unfinished and unfocused for my tastes. Now with SS & Kingdoms this became a truly ****ing EPIC game.

well ya that goes without saying, like i said with the right mods its great fun. I just had to reinstall my vanillla and got to this AAR as a sort of a practice for my following one; so didnt use SS. But i look forward to cooking up something with it.

[SwissBarbar]

hey, I see nothing but the title of "The Second Battle at Inverness", where is the chapter?

[navarro951]

hey, I see nothing but the title of "The Second Battle at Inverness", where is the chapter?

its on going, trying to figure out how i wanna put the screenies together

[Roka]

i hate to seem nit picky but gaelic is a completely different language from english

scot's would be the language that is similar to english

anyway, looks good and i will follow this closely

[navarro951]

i hate to seem nit picky but gaelic is a completely different language from english

scot's would be the language that is similar to english

anyway, looks good and i will follow this closely

well of course but i cant speak gaelic, but i know many of the clans did so. And hey where have you been we missed you in BtSH you just disappeared from us.

[Roka]

well of course but i cant speak gaelic, but i know many of the clans did so. And hey where have you been we missed you in BtSH you just disappeared from us.

my computer was playing up and then my R:TW disk was broken, then i had exams and stuff

i'm not expecting you to write in gaelic, as to be quite frank with you that would make it impossible for me to read

just in the top post you describe gaelic as a language similar to english, it's not really, scot's is the language you are describing in post 1

[Quirl]

Great stuff navarro! Very detailed and great screenies.

[Seleucid King]

Nice AAR. Is this still Ongoing?