Eternity RPC Board
09-06-2016, 05:59 PM
DEUS VULT
Part of a Crusader Kings II game, Part Two
![[Image: z9toBt1.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/z9toBt1.jpg)
The disputed Duchy of Lancaster in 1250
Treachery at Home
Malise and his men took the months-long voyage home with glad hearts. They had done their part for the good of all Christendom. They had received full absolution as promised by the Pope. They could sleep easy, knowing that the Holy Land was free from heathen oppression. Many had died along the way, and the men were weary from years of war. They were expecting to come home and return to their farms and their families.
Instead, they returned to find war at their very doorstep. The treacherous King of England, Ealdhun, hoping to take advantage of the king’s absence with many of Scotland’s fighting men and reverse years of Scottish supremacy in northern Europe, had invaded Lancaster, laying siege to the castle at Derby. The Duchy of Lancaster had been in the Dunkeld family since Malise’s ancestor Neil had inherited it from his grandmother Ælfgifu of the House of Hwicce in 1133. The Saxons had tried to retake Lancaster into their realm in the 1190s, but only managed to annex the County of Derby in 1198. The county was later retaken by Duke Matad Ironside, the king’s kinsman, in 1236.
The king knew that his army, weary and depleted from years of fighting abroad, would not be enough to win this new war, at least not easily or decisively. So he turned to the ever-present friend of any man short on men but with plenty of coin: mercenaries. Malise knew of one particular band of mercenaries that could be counted on. The aptly named “Scottish Band,” led by Captain Maldred, had been hired by many Dunkelds in the past and saw service throughout Scotland, Ireland, and England.
First Victories
Malise’s army landed in Galloway and, after a short delay while the king communicated with Captain Maldred, marched to Teviotdale where they met up with the mercenary band. Malise’s scouts believed the Saxon army to be around 12,000 strong, while the Scottish army, with its sellsword reinforcements, numbered 16,500. With this numerical advantage and despite his still-lingering injury which so concerned his advisers, the king ordered an attack. The flanks were under the command of Torquil and Mayor Bo of Naestved, a Dane, while Malise took charge of the center. The flanks were the first to engage in hand-to-hand fighting, as the king relied on his tested tactic. The enemy flanks were pushed hard, and eventually were totally broken. Torquil routed his opposing flank, then Mayor Bo did the same. Free to maneuver around the enemy center, the remaining enemy forces were quickly boxed in on three sides. Within minutes, the entire Saxon army was in retreat.
King Ealdhun fled back into his own territory with his host, with the Scots in pursuit. The countryside of England was decimated by an outbreak of consumption. Some of the king’s councilors speculated that Ealdhun had gone to war in part to shift attention away from the disease-ridden countryside and towards glory won in war. Malise cared little for such things, but there was also fear that the king’s weakened body was vulnerable to consumption. These fears were temporarily forgotten when the enemy was finally caught near Tottenham Castle in Middlesex County. A cornered animal fights fiercely, as did the Saxons at Tottenham. They managed to break the flank of Mayor Bo and endanger the Scottish center. However, a good defense by the dreaded Scottish pikes and a flanking action by Torquil won the day.
Uncertainty in the Crown
The war seemed as if it would soon be over as the shattered remnants of the Saxon host again fled the field. Morale was high, but rumors began to spread concerning the behavior of King Malise. He was throwing fits, it was said, and speaking in tongues. He would spit on and assault those nearby. For long periods of time, while the king was “resting” or “feeling unwell,” the brothers Maldred and Torquil, or other councilors, represented the king in public. Every now and then the king would appear before the men as if perfectly healthy, but then disappear again for days at a time. All manner of priests were brought in, but the king’s strange “illness” continued.
The Saxon army was finally defeated in Cornwall in the parish of St. Germans. The king was wholly unable to participate, but his brothers, generals, and councilors had no trouble defeating the broken, shambling rabble. After the battle, Malise had a moment of clarity and ordered that the army besiege the Saxon court at Wilton in Wiltshire. During the siege, Malise was found to have a fever, a totally new symptom. Hopes were not high that the king would survive. The king’s kin and councilors began bickering over who would succeed him. The king’s son was too young to rule, especially in times of war. Torquil was reminding everyone that he had proved himself a capable commander on more than one occasion. Maldred was quick to reassure Captain Maldred that he and his men would receive their pay when Maldred became king.
Peace
The brief potential succession crisis was put to a stop when Malise miraculously recovered. Soon thereafter, with his court still under siege, the Saxon king sued for peace. The subsequent peace’s terms were as follows: King Ealdhun gave up all claims to Lancaster, while paying a hefty sum to Malise’s royal treasury as retribution for the war. Peace was concluded in December 1251. The men of Scotland, Norway, and Denmark were able to leave the king’s service in time for Christmas. As if to commemorate the end of year of continuous warfare, Torquil had a son by his wife, Princess Inga of Sweden, whom he named Dugald.
Part of a Crusader Kings II game, Part Two
The disputed Duchy of Lancaster in 1250
Treachery at Home
Malise and his men took the months-long voyage home with glad hearts. They had done their part for the good of all Christendom. They had received full absolution as promised by the Pope. They could sleep easy, knowing that the Holy Land was free from heathen oppression. Many had died along the way, and the men were weary from years of war. They were expecting to come home and return to their farms and their families.
Instead, they returned to find war at their very doorstep. The treacherous King of England, Ealdhun, hoping to take advantage of the king’s absence with many of Scotland’s fighting men and reverse years of Scottish supremacy in northern Europe, had invaded Lancaster, laying siege to the castle at Derby. The Duchy of Lancaster had been in the Dunkeld family since Malise’s ancestor Neil had inherited it from his grandmother Ælfgifu of the House of Hwicce in 1133. The Saxons had tried to retake Lancaster into their realm in the 1190s, but only managed to annex the County of Derby in 1198. The county was later retaken by Duke Matad Ironside, the king’s kinsman, in 1236.
The king knew that his army, weary and depleted from years of fighting abroad, would not be enough to win this new war, at least not easily or decisively. So he turned to the ever-present friend of any man short on men but with plenty of coin: mercenaries. Malise knew of one particular band of mercenaries that could be counted on. The aptly named “Scottish Band,” led by Captain Maldred, had been hired by many Dunkelds in the past and saw service throughout Scotland, Ireland, and England.
First Victories
Malise’s army landed in Galloway and, after a short delay while the king communicated with Captain Maldred, marched to Teviotdale where they met up with the mercenary band. Malise’s scouts believed the Saxon army to be around 12,000 strong, while the Scottish army, with its sellsword reinforcements, numbered 16,500. With this numerical advantage and despite his still-lingering injury which so concerned his advisers, the king ordered an attack. The flanks were under the command of Torquil and Mayor Bo of Naestved, a Dane, while Malise took charge of the center. The flanks were the first to engage in hand-to-hand fighting, as the king relied on his tested tactic. The enemy flanks were pushed hard, and eventually were totally broken. Torquil routed his opposing flank, then Mayor Bo did the same. Free to maneuver around the enemy center, the remaining enemy forces were quickly boxed in on three sides. Within minutes, the entire Saxon army was in retreat.
King Ealdhun fled back into his own territory with his host, with the Scots in pursuit. The countryside of England was decimated by an outbreak of consumption. Some of the king’s councilors speculated that Ealdhun had gone to war in part to shift attention away from the disease-ridden countryside and towards glory won in war. Malise cared little for such things, but there was also fear that the king’s weakened body was vulnerable to consumption. These fears were temporarily forgotten when the enemy was finally caught near Tottenham Castle in Middlesex County. A cornered animal fights fiercely, as did the Saxons at Tottenham. They managed to break the flank of Mayor Bo and endanger the Scottish center. However, a good defense by the dreaded Scottish pikes and a flanking action by Torquil won the day.
Uncertainty in the Crown
The war seemed as if it would soon be over as the shattered remnants of the Saxon host again fled the field. Morale was high, but rumors began to spread concerning the behavior of King Malise. He was throwing fits, it was said, and speaking in tongues. He would spit on and assault those nearby. For long periods of time, while the king was “resting” or “feeling unwell,” the brothers Maldred and Torquil, or other councilors, represented the king in public. Every now and then the king would appear before the men as if perfectly healthy, but then disappear again for days at a time. All manner of priests were brought in, but the king’s strange “illness” continued.
The Saxon army was finally defeated in Cornwall in the parish of St. Germans. The king was wholly unable to participate, but his brothers, generals, and councilors had no trouble defeating the broken, shambling rabble. After the battle, Malise had a moment of clarity and ordered that the army besiege the Saxon court at Wilton in Wiltshire. During the siege, Malise was found to have a fever, a totally new symptom. Hopes were not high that the king would survive. The king’s kin and councilors began bickering over who would succeed him. The king’s son was too young to rule, especially in times of war. Torquil was reminding everyone that he had proved himself a capable commander on more than one occasion. Maldred was quick to reassure Captain Maldred that he and his men would receive their pay when Maldred became king.
Peace
The brief potential succession crisis was put to a stop when Malise miraculously recovered. Soon thereafter, with his court still under siege, the Saxon king sued for peace. The subsequent peace’s terms were as follows: King Ealdhun gave up all claims to Lancaster, while paying a hefty sum to Malise’s royal treasury as retribution for the war. Peace was concluded in December 1251. The men of Scotland, Norway, and Denmark were able to leave the king’s service in time for Christmas. As if to commemorate the end of year of continuous warfare, Torquil had a son by his wife, Princess Inga of Sweden, whom he named Dugald.