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Lords
of the Earth
Deus Vult!
Turn 014
(1165 to 1169)
WESTERN EUROPE
Mercenaries |
|
Troops: |
127mi, 65mc, 23ms, 23mw, 6mt |
AQRs: |
i5, c5, s5, w5 |
Kingdom
of Scotland
( Edinburgh in Strathclyde )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Malcolm V
Warship Quality and Intelligence Capacity improves. Ten light warships, nine cogs, five-hundred infantry and two-thousand cavalry are raised. A gift of gold is transported to Sicily. King Duncan sires three more children, teaching his heir the methods of administration while he steers the government. He then orders an attack into Egypt.
Kingdom
of England
( London in Sussex )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Reginald II
Twenty-one cogs and eight-hundred light cavalry are raised. A Military Alliance is sealed with Sicily through the marriage of Gertrude. The King takes a bride from Mercia, and with Lot's help gains a Friendly alliance. Reginald sires two daughters with his new wife. Lot continues on to negotiate with Dyffed, but does more harm than good and ends up perishing in the region of age. The ally from Dyffed reacts from Gwynned. The English join the journey to the Nile.
County
of Flanders
( Ghent in Flanders )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Count Henry I
Warship quality and assassin capacity improves. Antwerp and Janelle have their walls reinforced. Five hundred cavalry are built for each regional garrison. Ten light warships are added to the navy. Count Henry outfits two-hundred of his infantry with heavier equipment, teaching his son much about the military during the process. Prince Iwain and the navy explore and map the Skaggarak. The Prince grows ill during the last months of the journey and is buried at sea. Prince Griffioen sires three more children before he meets his own end. Jean and Martin's attempt to canonize a monastery in Ghent meet with failure. Olivier s charged with reordering all the local garrisons of the nation.
Duchy
of Normandy
( Rouen in Normandy )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Prince Danyel, Regent For
Duke Isaac II
Norman ascetics found a small church in Ulster. National Bureaucracy improves. Munster is cultivated and a new project immediately started in Connaught. A new regional fortress is built to protect Maine. The Duke sires a few more children as he steers the government before his death in 1169. Prince Danyal accepts the regency for his nephew, then leads a massive diplomatic entourage to Munster. He takes a bride and cements a Friendly alliance with the region.
Kingdom
of France
( Paris in Ile De France )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Louis VI
Limousin abandons its Tenuous ties. The governmental bureaucracy expands. The King steers the government, siring five children during the cycle. His daughter, Eleanor, quickly becomes a favorite at court. Crispin Sordeau negotiates a Tributary alliance from Limousin. Vauderre de Montcontaigne takes command of one-thousand cavalry (five-hundred newly raised). He makes himself available to the Prince's Crusade, gifting the cavalry. In 1157, a man claiming to be the son of Alienor of Aquitaine gathers an army of 10,000 men. He descends with his host upon Orleans, quickly subduing then looting the province. He sends a demand to King Louis for a hefty payoff over the next fifteen years, or else he will continue his rampage.
Grand
Duchy of Burgundy
( Worms in Burgundy )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Grand Duke Rudolf II
A small village in the mountains between Switzerland and Lyonnais, important for its copper mines, becomes the center of diplomatic activity when it declares that it is a free city, owing allegiance to neither Burgundy nor Switzerland. Minor diplomats from both nations attempt to press claims, and the situation quickly escalates. Both sides bring in minor garrisons and a petty battle takes place in which two men are killed. Both sides continue to clamor, and soon rumors spread of full-scale invasions. When the village elder perishes, and his son declares for Burgundy, the problem is solved, though the hard feelings between Burgundy and Swabia remain. The Grand Duke runs the government and sires four daughters. Lord Guy reacts from Burgundy with thirty-seven hundred troops. Jean-Pierre and Tilmok make minor inroads with conquered Aquitaine.
Kingdom
of Aragon
( Zaragoze in Aragon )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Adolpho I
Missionaries are finally successful in converting the people of Navarre back to mainstream Catholicism. Infantry quality and intelligence effectiveness increase. The King oversees the government, adding three boys to his family. Prince Adalberto eases tensions in New Castille. Edmundo reacts from Gascony with just under two-thousand men. He perishes in 1168. Lord Saure travels to Gascony, and works on diplomatically easing tensions there. Elroy travels with one-hundred infantry to Talavera, where he expects to take control of the conquered region. Without enough troops for Elroy to garrison, however, the Reconquista holds off on the transfer.
Kingdom
of Leon
( Cuidad Leon in Leon )
Casildan Christian, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Claudio I
Fifteen hundred cavalry and six-hundred infantry are raised. King Saul arranges a few surprising marriages. The first is with the Emir of Tunisia, in which Leon declares the Almoravid Sultanate as their mutual enemy. Apulia is then joined with two marriages, a defensive alliance, and a similar press for war against the Almoravids. King Saul and Princes Velmiro and Sal march to the South. Prince Aaron rules from the capital, his young bride dying during her first pregnancy. Marco defends the region of Leon with the local garrison. Francis runs about collecting wayward troops, perishing soon after. Wifredo remains in Lisbon with command of three light warships. The Ally from Salamanca reacts from his region. With news of Saul's death in Seville, Aaron takes the throne without issue. It is a surprise when he dies the very next year, leaving his younger brother, Claudio, as King.
Almoravid
Sultanate
( Cartegena in Granada )
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Sultan Baqi ibn Ali
Infantry
Quality, Religious effectiveness and Intelligence effectiveness all improve.
Missionaries continue to make progress with the Casildan populace of Estramadura.
Agents are able to clog and damage some of the sewage channels coming out
of the city of Tunis. One thousand infantry are raised. Some of the national
agro is stored and shipped to the Kingdom of Aragon. Abdul Haziz returns
from Africa, collecting one-thousand infantry and rushing north to Talavera.
He attacks the Reconquista forces of Diego Rodriguez and his seventeen-hundred
cavalry and one-hundred engineers. Diego is quick to gain the advantage,
and crushes the attacking force, losing only the engineers in the process.
Abdul is wounded in the fighting, and falls back to Andalusia.
CENTRAL EUROPE
Mercenaries |
|
Troops: |
22mi, 6mc, 5ms, 48mw |
AQRs: |
i4, c5, s5, w5 |
Kingdom
of Norway
( Christiana in Norway )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Hrafn Youngblood
King Hrafn orders the construction of a massive Nidaros Shrine, dedicated to St. Olaf, in Trondheim. He then delivers his daughter, Hildebrand, to Sweden, arranging a Military Alliance and marriage. He then steers the government. Torsson gains a Friendly alliance from the city of Jarlshof. Snorri perishes of age while spreading the word of Christ in the Faeroes. Ulfar reacts from Farsund with twenty-seven warships. He, too, grows ill and perishes during the cycle. Bishop Teodor secures a Friendly alliance from Trondheim.
Kingdom
of Sweden
( Stockholm in Uppsala )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Rolf Tegner
Governmental Bureaucracy and Infrastructure both expand. Intelligence effectiveness increases. Kopparberg is cultivated. Two-hundred cavalry, one-hundred infantry and eight field forts are raised across the realm. The King travels to Kopparberg and arranges a Full alliance. Eric Sorenson reacts from the capital with four warships. Gustaf and the ally from Saarema gain a Full Alliance from Musa. Gustaf perishes after negotiations conclude.
Kingdom
of Denmark
( Skjern in Denmark )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Erik II Sverker
Agents investigate and reveal a minor infiltration in the Danish military by Saxon meddling. A purge quickly follows, many suspected troops being rounded up and executed. In retaliation, attacks against the Saxon intel services are able to inflict damage. Missionaries to the Faeroes are successful in converting the region. Religious effectiveness increases. Eleven Cogs are constructed and pressed into Internal Trade. King Erik continues to defend the homeland with the army of eighty-two hundred men. His son and heir rules from Sjkern. Wilhelm reacts out of Skjern with four warships. Sven administers from Skjern until his death.
Duchy
of Saxony
( Leipzig in Saxony )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Duchess Hildegard I
Pomerania abandons its Tenuous ties. The appointed Heir, Rhainer, takes ill and perishes, leaving the Duchy once again without an Imperial Candidate. The Western Wall edict is ignored.
Duchy
of Thuringia
( Wurzburg in Nordgau )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Duke Elias I
Six-hundred cavalry are raised for the Heir. The Emperor spends his time lavishing gifts to his twin sons. This leaves him without sufficient time to run the government as he had hoped. Elias marries a noble girl from Wurzburg and quickly sires two daughters. Siegfried and Sieghard take turns reacting from the capital at the head of seventy-five hundred cavalry. Gottfried defends Erfurt. Heinrich, in his fifties, succumbs to age and illness. Elias is able to replace him without issue. He immediately refuses to adhere to the Western Wall edict.
Duchy
of Bohemia
( Prague in Bohemia )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Duke Spytihnev III
Four-hundred infantry and two-hundred engineers are raised. Money continues to be sent to the Popular Crusade and Saxony. Prince Miklaus is finally able to convince the Kauyavians to fully join the Duchy. He finds the young Duke a bride at the same time. Vaclav finishes his time out on earth as an Administrator in Prague. Jan Kinsky defends the capital with three-thousand men. The Duke himself steers the government and sires a son.
Duchy
of Bavaria
( Regensburg in Bavaria )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Duke Conrad I
Austria abandons its Tenuous ties. Defense funds are sent to Swabia and Lorraine. Fabian and Reto collect an army of six-thousand troops and march against Moldavia. They quickly crush the eleven-hundred defenders and pacify the region. Manfred arranges marriages to the Duke and Heir, gaining a Full Alliance from Austria, and a Tributary agreement from Slovakia. Duke Conrad runs the government, siring four children. Late in the cycle, both Fabian and the Ally from Austria perish. The latter bequeaths his realm entirely to the Duke.
Duchy
of Swabia and Lorraine
( Augsberg in Swabia )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Duke Gerhardt I
Warship quality improves. The Schloss Adler fortress is built in Switzerland, using Imperial funds. Augsburg is expanded and walled. Two marriages are arranged, the first to the Duke himself. He weds the young daughter of the Doge of Venice, granting the region of Lombardy to the Republic as the dowry. The second marriage is between the Duke's sister, Ekaterina, and Lord Rudolph, one of the national Lieutenants. Regent Wilhelm intervenes in merchant affairs, then reacts from the capital with five-thousand men. He steps aside as the Duke comes of age, just before age catches up to the Prince. Ulrich moves to defend and react from Lorraine with command of forty-eight hundred men. Albrecht sends a minor appeasement of funds and monies to Flanders, gaining some success in easing tensions between the nations.
Margravate
of Tuscany
( Pisa in Tuscany )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Margrave Godfrey IV
Ten cogs, two light warships and sixteen-hundred infantry are conscripted. The Margrave rules from Pisa, while his men in El-Jezair press forward into Algeria with four-thousand infantry. Agro is shipped to Sicily and money invested into Saxony.
Serene
Republic of Venice
( Venice in Verona )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Doge Adrianno Grazi
Infrastructure expands while Intelligence Capabilities improve. Eighteen light warships are added to the navy, three-hundred infantry are built for the ally of Forli. The Doge patrols the Bay of Tunis with his one-hundred twenty odd ships. Garibaldi leads investigations into Venice, Verona, Romagna and Forli. Cagliostoro searches Slovenia and Trieste. Captain Santrusco reacts from Venice with twenty-seven hundred men. Consigliori Torrenzi continues to call for war against Tunis, but with the recent turn, the nobles are even less enthusiastic than before.
Duchy
of Apulia
( Naples in Campania )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Duke Francois I
Warship Quality improves. Thirty-six new ships are built to take advantage of it. Alphonso reacts from Naples with seven-hundred troops. Vincenzo defends the Baelerics with four-hundred cavalry. Bruno and Bruce join in Roger's War. Angelo and Marcus are sent to join the Vatican.
Norman
County of Sicily
( Palermo in Sicily )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Prince Hector, Regent For
Count Simon II
Infantry quality improves. The regent
overtaxes the realm once again to support the war, and manages to avoid a
depression. Count Simon comes of age and takes the throne. He immediately
downgrades the cities of Cagliari and Valetta to allies, handpicking their
new leaders from veterans of the war. Salvatore defends the homeland, while
Maniakes patrols the Tyrhennian with almost one-hundred warships. When he
returns to port in Palermo, he is wounded by Tunisian assassins.
EASTERN EUROPE
Mercenaries |
|
Troops: |
43mi, 6mc, 5ms, 5mw |
AQRs: |
i4, c5, s4, w4 |
Kingdom
of Poland
( Warsaw in Poland )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Lord Kurgan, Regent For
King Miloslaw IV
Cavalry quality improves. A new port city is constructed in the forests of Danzi, allowing greater trade opportunities along the Baltic. A marriage and trade agreement is forged with Kiev, along with the granting of the Pinsk and Goryn regions to Poland. The King steers the government, siring two children. His brother, Pawel, sires five. Wladyslaus negotiates a Friendly alliance from the city of Poznan before his death in 1168. Lord Kurgan takes command of five-thousand men and goes on Reaction in Poland. He sends word to the Teutonic barbarians that Poland will no longer pay the demands. This causes an immediate reaction by the pagans who march across the river to assault Kurgan's forces. The battle goes very well for Poland, and at the end of the conflict, only five-hundred Polish soldiers have perished. The pagans are completely decimated. Jacek oversees the transfer of the two regions from Kiev, then negotiates with both regions, gaining a Tributary agreement from Goryn and an Economic Alliance from Pinsk. The King, his wife, and two royal scions (Zygmunt and Eliasz) all die within a few months of each other. Lord Kurgan, recently victorious against the brigands, claims the regency for Miloslaw.
Feudal
Republic of Novgorod
( Novgorod City in Novgorod )
Eastern Orthodox, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Boyar Arseniy Zoya
Novgorod City is expanded. The Boyar rules and defends the capital. Three national leaders react out of the homeland with seventy-six hundred men. Taras, in overall command, perishes in 1169.
Principality
of Kiev
( Kiev City in Kiev )
Eastern Orthodox, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Grand Prince Borislav II
Infrastructure expands and Cavalry Quality improves. The walls are improved around every city in the realm, with a field fort added to the defenses of Chernigov. The rutters for the Mare Negri are mapped and traded to Apulia. Royal roads are extended to Polotsk City. The Grand Prince steers the government, while Prince Govorich marries. His wife does not survive her first pregnancy. Bohuslav arranges a marriage to the king's brother and heir, gaining a Tributary agreement from Pechneg. Vasyl perishes in Kiev of illness.
Kingdom
of Hungary
( Budapest in Alfold )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Istvan
Budapest and Szorenyvar are both expanded, the capital seeing its walls rebuilt. Kolos steers the government, meeting his end in 1166. His son, Istvan, takes the throne. Three leaders work on the conversion of Ialomita, bringing nearly a third of the pagan inhabitants toward salvation. The Feudal allies react from Ialomita and Wallachia. A poor harvest results in a minor famine during the cycle.
Kingdom
of Croatia
( Osijek in Croatia )
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Prince Dmitar, Regent For
King Domotor I
Assassin effectiveness improves. King Petar is alarmed by reports of hundreds of Teutonic Barbarians descending into his lands from the north. Instead of attacking, however, the defeated brigands begin to settle outside the cities of Kladavo, Solin and Zara. Within two years, all three cities have expanded to take in the refugees. A large sum of gold is sent to Sicily to help with the war against Tunisia. Petar runs the government, perishing in 1166. His brother, Dmitar, takes the regency for the young King, immediately moving to Administer in Zara. Prince Baldo commemorates a new church in Solin. Vladimir is sent to negotiate in Epirus, but the mountainous people are unable to commit to anything beyond a Feudal Alliance. Count Vilmon is successful in founding a church in Bosnia, though Lord Densk is unable to make progress in Orthodox Ludgorie. The Feudal Allies defend their regions.
Byzantine
Empire
( Constantinople in Thrace )
Eastern Orthodox, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Emperor Hilarion I
Volga-Kama
Bolghar
( Iske Qazan in Suvar )
Sunni Islam, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Karaca, Regent For
Tigor Khan
Three-hundred
cavalry are raised in the capital. The regent Administers from Suvar. The
Khan's younger brother perishes from illness.
MIDDLE EAST AND PERSIA
| Mercenaries |
|
| Troops:
|
10mi, 5mc, 5ms, 20mw |
| AQRs: |
i4, c5, s5, w4 |
Leader:
|
Zafir ad
Balak [M678] -- Minimum Bid is 14 GP Seemaab [M752] -- Minimum Bid is 9 GP |
Khwarezmid
Empire
( Khiveh in Khwazim )
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Shah Qutb ad-Din Muhammad I
The government bureaucracy expands. Four light warships are constructed in Azad Bahr. The Shah meddles in merchant affairs, starting a new route with the Volga and pressing new ships onto the route with Kiev. The Shah steers the government, siring four children and educating young Hamid in Administration. Masoud organizes garrisons, then administers from Qyzylorda. Bilal gains a Feudal Alliance from Chorasima by arranging another marriage to the Shah. Qamar is brought along to learn Diplomacy.
Qarakhanid
Khanate
( Samarqand in Kara Khitai )
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Nadeem Khan
The cultivation of Uzebek is completed, a new royal road snaking to its border from the capital. Ten field forts are raised across four regions. The young Khan runs the government, taking time to sire three daughters. Abu Mansur Al-Maturidi defends the capital with one-thousand infantry. Sammi and Afrasiab negotiate a Full Alliance from the region of Kuldja.
Great
Seljuk Empire
( Esfahan in Persia )
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Sultan Zeeshan
A royal road is extended into Media, with the city of Susa founded at its end. The Sultan steers the government. Shaud and Tughril negotiate a Non-Paying Tributary agreement with Fars. The allied leaders react from Fars, Khvor and Persia.
Rum
Seljuk Sultanate
( Trebizond in Pontus )
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Sultan Oz ad'Din Mas'ud
Tensions over regional disputes of the past are put aside with the Great Seljuks. The Sultan sires an illegitimate daughter with one of his slave girls. Malik perishes from age in Shirvan.
Atabeg
Sultanate
( Mosul City in Mosul )
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Sultan Hadi II
The Sultan orders that many of the localized religious customs be brought into line with the orthodoxy, some incorporated, some discarded. The region of Arbiliq is fully cultivated. The city of Al-Zuzanna is rebuilt in Edessa. The Sultan sires seven more children with his wives. Mamnoon reacts from Aleppo with five-thousand cavalry. Prince Abir investigates Mosul. The Heir, also Hadi, is given a position at court as he comes of age. Mohamad investigates the capital. Tepir reacts from Cilicia with thirty-six hundred cavalry. The Feudal Allies defend Circis and Palmyra. Old age ends up claiming the Sultan, Mamnoon and Abir all in 1168.
Abbasid
Caliphate
( Baghdad in Mesopotamia )
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Caliph Bakkar
Clerics finally complete the long task of the conversion of Dharan. The royal road is expanded, now all the way from Diyala to Abadan. The city of Gondeshapur is founded in Ahvaz. The young Caliph, hoping that Allah will bless his reign, draws upon one of the 99 names of God: abd ar-Rasheed, "Servant of the Guide, Infallible Teacher and Knower." The very next month he goes into seizures and dies at the age of twenty. His brother, Bakkar, takes control of the realm. Prince Al-Muqtafi investigates the regions of Abadan and Hahmar. Prince Hahmid reacts from Hahmar with one-thousand cavalry before his death in 1168. Sawwar spends his time investigating the homeland. Tamman reacts from Mesopotamia with fourteen hundred men. Hassan is charged with the investigation of Diyala and Ahvaz. The ally reacts from his region.
Sultanate
of Damascus
( Damascus in Petra )
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Prince Rafat, Regent For
Sultan Rafidh
Selucia abandons its Tenuous ties. The Sultan rules from the capital, rounding out the cycle on defense. He sires three children. Prince Fatim moves to As-Sur, going on reaction with command of twenty-three hundred men. Zahid reacts from Petra with thirty-three hundred, but perishes during the long patrols. Qasi is charged with the defense of Jerusalem, leading fifteen hundred. Fahad negotiates with Bostra, but the steppe region is incapable of agreeing to anything beyond a Feudal Alliance.
Emirate
of Yemen
( Sana in Yemen )
Shi'a Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Emir Rabi ibn Zahid
Religious capacity improves. Settlers are moved into the region around Mecca, increasing the importance of Medina. After overseeing the settlement, the Emir returns to the capital to Administer. At the same time, his son rules directly. Hakim and Omar defend Yemen with forty-six hundred cavalry. The allies react from their regions. The Ally from Zeila perishes, his replacement declaring a breaking of ties from the Emirate.
AFRICA
Mercenaries |
|
Troops: |
34mi, 57mc, 7ms, 48mw |
AQRs: |
i4, c5, s4, w6 |
| Leader: |
Murtaza [M77A] -- Minimum Bid is 17 GP Yehuye [M694] -- Minimum Bid is 13 GP |
Fatimid
Caliphate
( Al-Qahirah in Mansura )
Shi'a Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Caliph Al-Mutakabbir
Socotra abandons its Tenuous ties. Twenty-two light warships and three light transports are raised in Al-Iskandria. Agro shipped to Tunisia. The Caliph again tries to rally support for a full-scale war against Sicily, but his nobles refuse. Helping defend Africa is one thing, but attacking into Europe is another. The Sultan rules and sires six children with his wives. Al-Jaliq defends Egypt with one-thousand engineers and two-thousand mercenary cavalry. Muhamad al'faruk gains a Tributary agreement from Socotra. Jalil L'Farek takes thirty-five warships on a raid against Sicily, but is met by Sicily's navy. Jalil manages to evade combat and slink back to Al-Iskandria. The allies from Sinai and Suakin defend the former region, while the ally of Ad'Diffah looks after his own. Two thousand mercenary cavalry are hired in Al-Iskandria.
Nubian
Kingdom of Makuria
( Soba in Funj )
Coptic Christian, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
King Moise
Gezira abandons its Tenuous ties. A new city is founded in Shoa, built along the great lake in the north. Two hundred cavalry and three light warships are commissioned. Moise sees to the government, three children added to his family. Prince Kudanbes spearheads diplomacy in conquered Shoa, easing tensions with the region. Te' Yehuye reacts from Kassala with twelve-hundred cavalry. Karanbas explores and maps the Agean Sea. He perishes on the voyage home. The allies react from Kassala and Gezira.
Emirate
of Tunisia
( Tunis in Tunisia )
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Emir Faysal
Eighteen hundred cavalry are raised for the war. The marriage with Leon results in two children for the Emir.
Roger's
War of 1150
Norman County of Sicily and Almoravid Sultanate
vs.
Emirate of Tunisia, Duchy of Apulia, and Kingdom of Leon
Iberian Campaign:
King Saul of Leon marches at the head of eighty-six hundred infantry, thirty-seven
hundred cavalry, twenty-five hundred engineers and twenty-five hundred mercenaries.
Princes Velmiro and Sal support him. They cross the border into Estramadura,
where they set upon the three-hundred infantry in the region. Leon loses one-hundred
infantry, but Prince Velmiro is killed during the quick battle.
Saul and Sal move now into the Almoravid homeland. Sultan Baqi rallies from the capital at the head of one-thousand cavalry. Four field forts defend the region. King Saul loses seven hundred infantry while destroying the field forts. He is pressed from the region once winter settles. Both sides regroup, and King Saul attacks again. This clash sees the loss of nine-hundred men for Leon and six-hundred cavalry for the Almoravids. Both armies fall back in disorder, Leon regrouping in Estramadura, while the Sultan reforms his men in Seville. He discovers one of his prisoners is the Leonese Prince Sal. King Saul presses in a third time, now destroying the remaining defenders at the cost of another four-hundred men.
The King now turns his attention to the walls of Seville. Attacking quickly, Saul presses into the city losing very few troops. Prince Sal is freed from captivity, only to have King Saul perish within days of conquering the city. The Sultan relocates the pieces of his government to Cartegena. He learns that five of his children were captured by the Leonese when they tried to flee the city. More bad news, Idjil and Merrekesh, distant from the new center of government, slip from control.
Elsewhere, the Duchy of Apulia sets out with thirty-six warships and descends upon the ferry arrow linking Andalusia to Morocco. The arrow is completely pillaged, the fleet then running Piracy against the Almoravid city of Cartegena, scooping up some 40 merchant shipping points. Satisfied with the plunder, two-hundred infantry, twenty-one hundred cavalry and eighteen-hundred engineers disgorge into Valencia under the command of Bruno and Bruce, the latter a general second in quality only perhaps to Roger of Sicily. They lose two-hundred men overcoming the five defending field forts. Bruce engages a passive siege of the fortress, and after eight long months, it capitulates. He spends another hundred men and many months in the military conversion of the region.
African Campaign:
Tuscan assassins are able to wound the Fatimid general Hassen al'Ali in Tunisia,
putting his troops at an even greater disadvantage. In Kabilya, two uprisings
occur. One by the populace itself, but the second is within the Almoravid
troops. Hearing of the loss of the capital, they agitate to return. The Almoravid
leader refuses, and the men turn on him. He is hacked to pieces and the three-thousand
Almoravid troops march back to Fez and out of the direct conflict.
The Fatimid and Tunisian forces time their attack of Kabilya with that of the local uprising. Thirty-eight hundred Tunisian and four-thousand Fatimid troops cross the border into the defending ten-thousand Sicilians. Despite an overall advantage, the Sicilians are pushed back. Over six-thousand troops are slain. The Tunisians and Fatimids fare better, but the death of the Fatimid commander causes his men to quit the battle and start a march back to controlled territory in Tripolotania. From the city of Bone, the Sicilian commanders Hector and Rollo figure their odds against the remaining Tunisian forces. With the numbers of troops now even again, and knowing that Palermo would be able to reinforce the area before Egypt, the Sicilian Regent risks a counter-attack. Thirteen hundred Sicilians are lost in the attempt, and the regent is driven back. Tunisia loses eight-hundred more men, and general Zafir is taken captive, but the region is held.
Four thousand Tuscan infantry emerge from El-Jezair, and take over the undefended region. They do not press into Kabilya. Abdul Azim of Tunis travels to distant Damascus, where he accepts gifts of troops from both Khwarezmid and the Qarakhanids. He returns to Tunisia with twenty-seven hundred cavalry and two-hundred engineers.
SECRET ORDERS
The
Popular Crusade
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Grandmaster Oleg Iverson
Fredrick Samuleson administers. Victor Romavof increases the order's status in the Duchy of Swabia and Lorraine. Oleg Iverson does the same in the Serene Republic of Venice. Age catches up to the Grandmaster, and he is replaced by Oleg. Both Victor and Frederick abandon the realm, and two cells and a lodge degrade. After that chaos settles, Oleg learns that six more sites have degraded because of lack of action against the Atabegs.
The
Prince's Crusade
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Primas Richard
Monks found one cell. Bureaucracy expands. Eleven cogs, four-hundred infantry, eight-hundred cavalry and one-thousand engineers are raised. Prince Henri raises two-hundred religious engineers from the Duchy of Burgundy.
The combined fleets of the Crusade, England and Scotland sail for the Gulf of Cyprus. They stop briefly in Bone to take on supplies and pick up Matthew of Northumbria (who narrowly avoids a Fatimid assassin). The group then travels to Sinai, where they attempt an amphibious landing into the desert. The Crusader troops hold back while the English and Scottish fight for a foothold. Fifty allied warships and forty-five hundred allied troops make the landing. They run smack into the directed defense of two Fatimid allied leaders in command of two-thousand men of their own. Without any sort of Casus Belli against Egypt, the Catholics walk right into the killing fields. David Southam of England is brought down almost instantly upon the landing. Robert of Scotland is killed as the men flee back to the fleet. Only two hundred defenders are slain in the conflict. The allies lose seventy warships and half their land-based troops. The Crusaders had hoped to utilize the English fleet for another landing elsewhere, but instead are carried all the way back to England as the fleets regroup. To add injury to insult, an infantryman in the pay of Damascus wounds the Primas on their return voyage.
The
Reconquista
Roman Catholic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Diego Rodriguez
After the battle in Talavera, Diego and Ramiro join forces to found a Lodge. Ramiro goes on to attempt a tithe on the Kingdom of Aragon. It doesn't take. Thibault does much to increase Religious fervor in the Kingdom of Aragon.
The
Hashshashins
Sunni Islamic, Tech Level 004 - Civilized
Old Man Qadir
Assassin blades find their mark in Lydia against a Byzantine Lieutenant, though a plot to kidnap the allied leader of Morea fails right out of the gate. Old Man Jarakel places a small tithe on the Atabegs, while Qadir and Sa'di increase Order Status within the Abbasid Caliphate. Nagib runs a quick raid into Phrygia with his six-thousand cavalry, stealing the wealth of the region before the Byzantines arrive. He then fails to place a tithe on the Rum Sultanate. Jarakel perishes in 1168, and Qadir is chosen to replace him. This incenses Sa'id, who attempts to murder Qadir in his sleep. He is discovered, and rushes for the stronghold hoping to gain supporters there. While four sites support him (and subsequently degrade from control), he is eventually captured and executed.