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Old 06-22-2005, 08:51 PM   #51
condors
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have to say that i am enjoying the dynasty as well, and now will buy the game in the near future.

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Old 06-23-2005, 03:51 PM   #52
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Quote:
Originally Posted by condors
have to say that i am enjoying the dynasty as well, and now will buy the game in the near future.

I'm really glad to hear it on both counts. Thank you very much!
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Old 06-23-2005, 03:52 PM   #53
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April 1st 1087: County of Agder

"I can no longer be in the service of such a heretical tyrant!" Eldrid's voice carried through the halls of the castle as she carried her belongings and marched towards the door.

"Please reconsider, Eldrid, please!" Cundo rushed after her, clinging on to the older woman's arm, her eyes brimming with tears.

The Stewardess sighed and set her bags down, turning to hug the Chancellor, "It's for the best, Cundo. I know you love your son, but I can't stand it here anymore. I'm leaving and nothing can change my mind. Snofrid is almost as good at money matters as I am. She will keep the treasury in good health."

Cundo nodded, wiping away her tears, "As you wish it... but where are you going?"

"The County of Shetland."

Before the younger of the two could express her shock and dismay, Eldrid was out the door with her bags, heading to the dock to board.

"The County of Shetland?!" wailed Cundo as she leaned against the wall, "That's the most remote, isolated place on earth!"

Only her echoes answered her.

May 17th 1087: Kingdom of Sweden

"Absolutely not! He has been excommunicated by the Holy Father, is a heretic, and is the laughingstock of Europe! I will *not* permit you to marry him, Hafrid!"

King Erik of Sweden's face reddened with anger as he stared at his wife and eldest daughter. Though he loved them both beyond compare, their insistence in this matter preplexed him to no end.

"But Father, if I marry him, maybe I can return him to God and bring him back to goodness! Oh, I do not think he is so cruel and mean a man as everyone says he is. Knut thinks he's a very kind and caring leader. He just needs another chance!" Hagrid resembled very much her mother in appearance, though her face was fuller and stronger in its contours, that taking after her father.

"Really dear, you should accept Torstein's proposal. As Hagrid said, maybe she can redeem him and besides, you owe the of Agder family a debt of honour you know. If it wasn't for Lodin, you wouldn't have ever been able to marry me."

Erik sighed at his wife's words and wiped his brow, "Yes, Lodin I would have done anything for. However the son is a far different animal. My answer is no and that is final."

The women stared unhappily at him, making the King quite uneasy. Still, he resolved to stay true to his stance.

And stay true he did, once more in May and three times more in June. Finally in July, seeing that Torstein would not give up his suit, and pressured even more by his daughter and wife, he at last relented and on July 27, 1087, Tri-Count Torstein of Agder and Princess Hafrid Stenkil were married, much to the elation of everyone save Erik, who still had misgivings.

The bonds between the of Agder family and the Kingdom of Sweden were now stronger than ever, and Torstein and Knut were now brothers in marriage as well as in blood.


70 gold! Only 30 gold away from being able to create the Duchy title! And look, a positive prestige! I think you know what's coming next...


I'd like to report that is the first time I've ever managed to marry the daughter of a king in a CK game.. hooray!
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Old 06-23-2005, 05:03 PM   #54
Wolfpack
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Both of them are 16, so there is a lot of time to turn Torstein around, but God fobid she's wrong about being able to. It'll be a long, ugly marriage otherwise. (Unless he knifes her in the middle of the night or something...) Then again, the Catholic Church may be more amenable to annulment considering he is a heretic and all....
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Old 06-23-2005, 07:45 PM   #55
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Knut and Torstein have a plot afoot!

And nothing beats leaving for, of all places, "Shetland". *stifles giggle*
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Old 06-23-2005, 10:58 PM   #56
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Wolfpack: Yep an annulment would be obscenely easy. As for if she can turn Torstein around or not, that remains to be seen. I'm loving this of Agder-Sweden ties that I've got going here though.

Neon Chaos: Indeed they do. And yeah, I couldn't believe that crap either. Shetland of all places?! The big joke everyone likes to talk about is if you can get the County of Shetland to do a World Conquest.
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Old 06-24-2005, 03:08 PM   #57
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August 12th 1087: County of Agder

"I tell you, His Lordship had my baby! This is his son I'm carrying with me!"

The slovenly, obese peasant woman continued to argue with the guards, fire in her eyes as she stood before the throne room.

"That's quite impossible, m'am. Count Torstein was a virgin when he took Hafrid to wife and he has stayed loyal to her ever since." Annoyed with this woman, the leftside throne guard was not about to allow her scandal any further.

"God knows the truth! God knows it, I tell you!" An angry finger jutted out accusingly at the man who dared oppose her claim, only to be swiftly chopped off with a swing of the guard's axe.

He kicked the digit over to her foot, his eyes calm as he looked upon the commoner's horrified face, "You have three minutes to take your finger and your bastard out of this castle. Do not attempt to disturb Count Torstein with your lies again."

News of the incident soon got out to the town and a few people thought Torstein more pious for his virtue of chastity. This was further confirmed when the peasant woman hanged herself three weeks later.

October 12th 1087: County of Agder

If there was ever a pair of people more in love than Torstein and Hafrid, the Tri-Count and Tri-Countess did not know who they were. Every waking moment they could, they spent in another's company and their nights were replete with the passion normally reserved for extramarital affairs.

After one such evening session, husband and wife lay in bed, snuggled against one another.

"Husband", murmured Hafrid, "You should use the influence you gained from our marriage to try and increase your territory in Ireland. Send out claims that the Bishopiric of Osraige and the County of Laidin belong to you."

"And why those two, my dear?" Torstein laughed as he nuzzled the blonde girl's neck.

"They are both under the domain of the Duke of Leinster. Osraige is vassal to Leinster's Duke and is a wealthy province besides. Laidin is Leinster's last personal domain. Then, after you've made yourself the Duke of Meath, announce to the world that the Duchy of Leinster belongs to you. You will then go to war with Osraige. Leinster will join in, naturally. Once you've captured both counties, all three titles will be yours for the taking and you will be that much closer to the crown."

"I like the way you think." A grin came over Torstein's lips as he listened to the plan.

Hafrid said nothing as she simply smiled and drew closer to her husband. She had her orders and she would carry them out to the fullest.

November 1st 1087: County of Agder

"He fights well but he can not lead men. Those two incompetents from the Galtung family ruined his learning."

Snofrid frowned. Olaf's report of Torstein's final examination was disturbing to hear, "So he is lost as a military commander then?"

The Marshal paused, then shrugged, "Not entirely. He is still an adequate commander as far as nobles go. His individual prowess will do much to inspire the men and make up for his absolute lack of tactical ability."

The Steward sighed, "I only hope you're right."

Though the Mideans rebelled twice in the first half-year of 1088, once in April and again in July, it was Olaf who put down the revolts, and so Torstein went untested.

In August of 1088, discontent Mideans, frustrated with their lack of success in Mide, traveled to Dublin to agitate the peasantry to revolt there, suspecting that larger numbers might lead to victory. They quickly found a receptive audience, for the peasants were furious at the insufficient amounts of manure in the county that had reduced its economy to a struggling one.

Though 257 men answered the call, the combined forces of Midean moneylender-backed troops and Dublin peasantry proved as equally ineffective as their next door neighbours, as Olaf's outstanding forces of 816 men obliterated the revolt with ease. Peace returned to Dublin immediately after.
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Old 06-25-2005, 11:38 PM   #58
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December 8th 1088: County of Agder

"They're demanding seven goldoons, Your Lordship."

Torstein frowned at the news. He nearly had enough funds to declare himself the Duke of Meath and now this calamity had come about. Suffice it to say that he was greatly displeased.

"Husband, you do not have to pay the money outright. Give them the ransom they require and allow Olaf to repay us when he returns home." Hafrid smiled beguilingly as she stroked Torstein's back.

Across the room, Snofrid and Cundo were silent, though both hoped for success on part of the bewitching Spymaster wife.

"No. The people are said to love him after he spared the O'Donnell home in Mide. If they love so much, then let the Dubliners free him now of their own accord. They'll not receive so much as a single coin from me."

This chance at revenge for Olaf's impunity was far too great to pass up. And so the sentence was delivered, the messenger sent off with the reply.

On December 21st, Marshall Olaf Gunn's head was speared on a pike and became the new, grisly banner for the Dubliner rebels. That same day, the Agderese clergy, buoyed by the recent turn of events attacked the royal home with a fresh army.

Now led by faithful Liam, Marshal Gudrod Galtung's former squire, the royalists defeated the Dubliner rebels on December 28, 1088. The Agderese revolters were beaten back on January 23, 1089 by Torstein and his forces, the same day that Pope Anselm I's death was announced.

Elected to replace Anselm was Pope Stanislaw I, formerly the Archbishop of Krakow.

March 1st 1089: County of Dublin

The streets were filled near to overflowing with people, men in red, white, and gold liverly serving to control the crowd and ensure order. Despite the recent flareups caused by the O'Donnell branch hiding amidst the peasantry in Dublin, all the classes save the clergy in this county loved the young man now marching down the main thoroughfare of the city, flanked by his wife and his newly appointed Marshal and Diocese Bishop.

Torstein of Agder had finally fulfilled the dream of his father. He had become a Duke.

A roar of approval came over the watchers as Torstein ascended the throne and held aloft the crown of the Duchy that had been found tucked away in a dank corner of Dublin Castle.

When the noise had been abated, Torstein addressed the assembly with a solemn look, "My father Lodin would have loved to have seen this day. No longer are the of Agders simple Counts, but we are the Dukes of Meath!"

Another yell rippled through the crowd before Torstein held up his hand for silence and continued, his eyes gleaming now.

"We have accomplished this with the help of the nobles, the peasants, and the burghers. For those of you are a part of those groups, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. But there are also enemies in our midst... Enemies that must be vanquished."

The watchers gasped aloud when Torstein's finger turned and pointed to a high-towered, gleaming cathedral that dominated the centre of the town.

"The clergy wish to control us all! They want not only our souls, but our money and all of our possessions as well! We will not stand for this! The Church must be torn down and the priests and Papacy brought to account! But the bloated Church is not our only enemy... The O'Donnell family had that cathedral built on the backs of the peasantry and emptied out the purses of the nobles and the burghers to pay for it! They are greedy leeches who suck the life out of everyone they encounter! They are guilty of the crime of usury with excess interest that no good Christian would charge another! Death to the O'Donnells!"

"DEATH TO THE O'DONNELLS!" cried the masses, who, seized with the power of Torstein's oratory, broke away and stormed for the three-story O'Donnell residence that had been built shortly after the first Dublin rebellion.

That night, as the former moneylender complex burned and the Dubliner O'Donnells fled across the border back into Mide whence they'd originally come, Torstein stood outside on the larger balcony of his new ducal residence, smiling with savage glee as the high, crackling flames dominated the horizon.

Hafrid stepped outside and moved behind her husband, slipping her arms about his waist, whispering in his ear, "Enjoying the show, my love?"

"More than I've ever enjoyed anything, except for you" Still rapturous, Torstein kept his eyes fixed on the inferno.

"Mmm.. I do have bad news. Because you are Duke now, you will need forty times the influence you had when you were Count to be able to declare yourself the Duke of Leinster. With great power comes great responsibility."

A note of irritation snuck into the new Duke of Meath's mood, but the smell of burning wood came along just then and squashed the words he was about to snap out. Instead, he merely chuckled and leaned into the Duchess.

"No matter. I will make Mother the Countess of Agder. She does not like it here and wishes to stay by my father's grave. Furthermore, I think it would be wise to have my cousin Snofrid marry at last and for her husband, it should be Lodin Hjerne, the new Marshal. He is nearly as adept at finances as she, so they will have much in common to talk about when it comes to money. "

So it was spoken and so it was done.


The new Pope


At long last, an of Agder Duke!


Hmm the new Diocese Bishop looks to be as big a glutton as Trond Galtung is, who now has no position in Court after having been Marshal and Diocese Bishop. Looks like the Galtung influence is no more


Snofrid gets to marry a Lodin after all, just not the one she wanted to


Think she's still young enough to give me a super-Steward kid? I hope so...


I wonder if she'll remarry or if she'll stay faithful to Count Lodin's memory
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Old 06-26-2005, 05:43 PM   #59
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March 25th 1089: Duchy of Leinster

"Aaaaaaaagggggghhh!!!!"

Torstein's scream tore through the air as the arrow from a Leinster archer's bow struck home, piercing through the layers of skin and only narrowly missing his heart.

Doubled over as blood welled forth in profusion from his wound, the Duke of Meath lifted his head and transformed his cry into a savage, bestial roar that inspired the troops and spurred them forward to assault Murchaid's forces with renewed vigour.

A few hours later, Torstein lay resting in his tent while the royal physician tended to his wound. A messenger arrived shortly thereafter, dusty and out of breath.

"Your Grace, Marshal Lodin fights bravely in Osraige but is outnumbered by the bishop's forces. We do not know if we will be able to win the day there."

The Duke grimaced and nodded, fighting the pain searing through his chest and mind.

"Tell him to hold fast. We'll finish here as soon as we can before sending a detachment to reinforce him."

Unfortunately, Lodin's forces fell before the support could arrive.

April 12th 1089: Duchy of Leinster

"Your Grace, the Bishop of Osraige has offered us peace and the sum of 79 goldoons if we will end the war with him."

Night had fallen by the time the emissary arrived and so Torstein was in his tent, having a quiet dinner of venison. The wound sustained earlier in the campaign still bothered him, but he did his best to ignore it. The sudden, unexpected missive did much to aid in this task.

His lips spreading into a feral grin, he nodded his approval, clapping the messenger hard on the back.

"Excellent. Go and tell the Bishop that we accept his terms."

The settlement would return the treasury to solvency and allow him to concentrate his battle on one front. Not to mention, the claim on the Bishoporic was still there, ready to be called upon whenever he should have need of it.

Yes, Torstein reflected, things were improving immensely.

Four days later, the Duke of Leinster also offered peace and 36 goldoons. He was rejected out of hand.

August 4th 1089: County of Agder

"Why must you go, Lodin? You have been an excellent marshal for my son and many speak of your bravery in battle."

Lodin shook his head, his lips tight and resolute against Countess Cundo's words.

"I am afraid I can no longer serve him, Your Ladyship. Torstein is a wicked man whose heart is filled with evil. This I will not bear a moment more. I am sorry."

Cundo frowned, "And what of Snofrid, your wife?"

"Rome has granted me an annullment. His Holiness understands that a good Christian as myself has no place in a heretic's court." Lodin was cool and matter-of-fact with his reply. In truth, he'd found Snofrid to be most disgusting a creature and she in turn had found him sorely lacking compared to the true Lodin in her heart.

Sighing heavily, Cundo accepted the Marshal's determination and stepped forward to embrace him, "I shall miss you, Lodin. Fare you well."

After he had departed, she turned her gaze to the sky. These were disturbing times for Torstein. His military head had just deserted him and he was gravely wounded to the point he had become ill.

Silently the Countess fell to her knees on the green earth of Agder and began to pray once more for her son, a son that never seemed to appreciate what she did...

September 30th 1089: Duchy of Leinster

"Your Grace! King Olaf's armies have arrived and come to aid us!"

Torstein smiled at the good tidings, wiping away the blood from his mouth after he coughed.

"Excellent. We will re-declare war on Osraige. All titles that we have laid claim to will belong to us in the end."

November 4th 1089: Duchy of Leinster

The Meath-Leinster War continued to rage unabated throughout the month of October, 1089. Numerous overtures by Duke Torstein to Murchaid and the Bishop of Osraige to settle the matter peacefully met in failure, for the nobles wished to keep their titles at all costs.

Then, on November 4, 1089, another piece of good fortune fell into the hands of the Duke of Meath.

"Torstein, I have uncovered something while going through the family history. It seems as though your great-grandfather was due to inherit the Duchy of Warwick when he was unjustly robbed of it by the FitzOsbern family. You should be the Duke of Warwick."

Surprised by Snofrid's announcement, Torstein raised his eyebrows as he took a sip of his ale.

"Is this something that you've made up of your own accord Snofrid?"

The Stewardess shook her head, smiling, "No. It is the honest truth and no fabrication on my part. I am as stunned as you are, Your Grace."

A cunning smile cut across Torstein's face as he nodded, "Splendid. Thank you for your hard work, Snofrid. The fortunes of our House have become quite blessed, indeed."

And so it certainly seemed that the sun of Luck was beaming fully down on the of Agders.

May 6th 1090: County of Laigin

The streets of Laigin were overlain with static streams of dried blood and the misshapen forms of bloated bodies seeking burial but denied that blessing because of the war.

These dead were not casualties of battle, but rather were victims of the curse of small pox that had been afflicting the county.

Torstein did not care about the disease and death around him. In fact, he even smiled as he kicked a few corpses while walking down the street.

Victory had been his and decisively so. He was now the Count of Laigin and Osraige in addition to his other titles. Though his reputation in Europe was as sullied as the road on which he walked and many considered him without power because of the barbaric wars against his fellow Catholics, these things did not matter to him. The throne of Ireland was closer than ever to his power-loving grasp.

He stopped before a fountain whose waters had been dirtied by the offal of people who had no other place to deposit their bodily wastes. Smiling macabrely at the ruined water, he tapped his gauntled hand on its pewter edge.

"There are those who call me the Scourge of Europe and a heathen. They say I am the pieces of shit that ruin the continent's purity. I pissed on the Pope when I was a boy and I piss on Europe now. The others mean nothing to me. Everything is as my wishes and will demand it!"

Chuckling, he dropped his hand and turned to look reflectively at a decayed building not far off where once a church had stood. It seemed only appropriate that the God he hated should be destroyed here.

Of primary importance now though was not the destruction of Rome and the Papacy, nor the pressing of claim on Warwick. First he must pick and choose which counties he wanted to retain control over. The rest could come later.

After much thought over the next few days, his choice was clear.

Ashild Galle, a hanger-on at his court ever since he became the Tri-Count, was made Countess of worthless Laigin.

Troublesome Mide was given to Trond Galtung, who had gone from Diocese Bishop to Marshal back to Diocese Bishop and was now Count. It was not out of love for the fat glutton that Torstein gave him the title, but out of need to keep Snofrid at his side, running the finances of the demense. Too, it was the Duke's way of honouring his old friend and tutor Gudrod Galtung's memory, by giving his cousin so important a position.

To think that only a few years before Torstein's reign had been in serious jeopardy. Now the of Agder family was in a greater position than they'd ever been before.

Whether he was above or below, somewhere Lodin of Agder was smiling.


Torstein after the Meath-Leinster War. That wound is still hurting him/


The new enemy. Poor Great-grandfather of Agder getting robbed like that. Makes you wonder what direction Torstein will strike in next, doesn't it?


Having extra courtiers around is very nice as this shows


More well-traveled than a diplomat, old Trond is. I swear he must live this long because of how much he eats


Ireland before the Meath-Leinster War


Ireland after the Meath-Leinster War. As you can tell, I'm no great graphic artist by any stretch of the imagination
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Old 06-26-2005, 07:35 PM   #60
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Is there any chance you could explain the character profiles a bit more(i might have missed it)...what are the 2nd set of numbers to the right of the originals on some like torstein? And what do the circles/squares below influence/religion mean? Like, where does it say torstein is sick or what not? Still great by the way, keep it up!
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Old 06-26-2005, 07:37 PM   #61
Wolfpack
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All this Norwegian meddling in Ireland's going to seriously alter the Irish (Norse-Irish?) influence in America in about 800 years....
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Old 06-27-2005, 12:33 AM   #62
Izulde
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Blade6119: Thank you! I most certainly will keep it up. Sure thing on the character profiles. I'll break down your questions into a couple sections.

The numbers to the right of the originals are the combined stats of the original person, plus the relevant stat of any assigned court officials. Marshal affects Marital stat, Chancellor affects Diplomacy stat, Spymaster affects Intrigue stat, and Steward affects Stewardship stat.

For example: in one of the pictures above, Torstein has a base marital stat of 5. Lodin is made Marshal. His marital stat is 3. 5 + 3 = 8 leading to an effective marital stat of 8, hence the 5 (8). Only rulers are allowed combined statistics, though. Otherwise you don't have a court so it's only base stats for you.

Secondly, the icons beneath the prestige (small gold crown), piety (small gold cross), and gold (small coins) are what's called character traits.

They're further broken down into categories.

Red heart = Physical trait. An example of this is that little red heart in Torstein's picture where it's got the squiggly line kind of like a heartbeat monitor? That shows that he's got the Illness trait.

Green circle = Personality trait. An example is the little haloed person icon far to the left in the most recent pic. That means he's Chaste.

Square = Education trait. After a minor finishes their education, they're given a trait that shows how well they did in their schooling. It's on a scale of 1 to 4. 1 is bad, 4 is fantastic. 2 is okay and 3 is pretty good, so you want to hope you get lucky with education. Blue square is Clerical, Purple square is Diplomacy, Red square is Military, Yellow square is Stewardship, and and Light Blue Scroll is Intrigue.

A further note on education: You have three choices when picking a kid's education: Military, which will affect your marital stat, Monastic, which will affect I *think* your diplomacy score, but is actually most important for creating Bishops and Archbishops. You can't appoint someone as Diocese Bishop or grant them a Bishophoric or Archbishophoric unless they have a Monastic education. Last is Court Education, which will affect either Diplomacy, Intrigue, or Stewardship.

The blue shields are bad things, I think, because all those traits have a really negative effect on Torstein. The upside down cross is Heretic, the arrow pointing out from the church is Excommunicated, and the bed means Severely Wounded.

I know that's a real basic, rough outline sketch of what stuff means and does, but I hope it helps. You can also run your mouse over the icons in game to see exactly what they are.

Wolfpack: Indeed! If they can hold the territories *and* I can get events that convert the province culture to Norwegian.
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Old 06-27-2005, 10:02 AM   #63
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Originally Posted by Izulde

The new Pope

Interesting. I'm sure it's a startling coincidence he comes from JPII's hometown. (Does the game go to that detail or did you make it up?)

Oddly enough, there was a Pope who died in 1088, named Victor III, followed by Urban II who apparently couldn't enter Rome for some months, due to the presence of an antipope (Clement III). Apparently, there were multiple people running around claiming they were Pope during this stretch of Cathlic history and this was one of those instances. Kinda weird.

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Old 06-27-2005, 03:46 PM   #64
Izulde
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfpack
Interesting. I'm sure it's a startling coincidence he comes from JPII's hometown. (Does the game go to that detail or did you make it up?)

Oddly enough, there was a Pope who died in 1088, named Victor III, followed by Urban II who apparently couldn't enter Rome for some months, due to the presence of an antipope (Clement III). Apparently, there were multiple people running around claiming they were Pope during this stretch of Cathlic history and this was one of those instances. Kinda weird.

Stanislaw is the name of the Pope, actually. As for his being Polish, yep he's from Poland. I'm not entirely sure how the game elects a new Pope, but I know a high piety score is important, and I think being an Archbishop is criticial to chances of Papal election as well.

And yep, what you're referring to would be the Great Schism, where the Roman popes squared off against the Avignon antipopes.

It got even worse in June of 1409 when the Council of Pisa tried to resolve the Schism by declaring the two papal challengers at the time, Gregory XII and Benedict XIII, null and void and elected their own pope, Alexander V. So now there were three popes.

Originally Alexander V had a lot of support and people thought he was going to end the Schism, but then Cardinal Cossa, who'd gotten Alexander elected in the first place, held him prisoner in Barcelona until Alexander died, whereupon Cossa was elected the new Pisan pope and took the name of John XXIII. (Not to be confused with the John XXIII of relatively modern times).

To make a long story short, they had to hold another Council, the Council of Constance. All three of the Popes were cleared off the board, either through resignation or being deposed and Martin V was elected as the one true Pope, ending both the Great Schism and the situation I've just told you about in brief detail, what I called in a paper I wrote on it once The Three Popes Period.
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Old 06-27-2005, 03:52 PM   #65
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May 22nd 1090: County of Isle of Man

"Listen to me, my son. You must do whatever you can to ensure that the bastard Norwegian is driven out of Ireland. We are the rightful Dukes of Leinster and we must root the heretic out before he usurps our title."

Murchaid's face was fierce and ruddy with passion as he grasped his son Donnchad's shoulders, "Promise you will do everything you can to rid us of this menace."

Donnchad smiled and embraced his father tightly, "Come now, Father. Have I not ruled this County well? Am I not brilliant in the ways of stealth and secrecy? I will see to it that Torstein of Agder is evicted from this green land and that we will be restored to our rightful places... and go beyond, to become Kings of Ireland."

The Duke of Leinster nodded his solemn approval, releasing his vassal-son and looking out toward the window at the cold and grey Irish Sea.

"That is the way it should be, my son. The future of the Ui Mordha clan lies in your hands. Do not fail me."

May 22nd 1090: Kingdom of Norway

At the same precise moment that the Ui Mordhas were discussing their future, there was a debate going on in the splendid halls of King Olaf's castle.

"Your Majesty, I fail to see why you insist on continuing to support that devil Duke Torstein of Agder. He only seeks to use you to get the throne of Ireland for himself and then he will be free from your grasp." Gjertrud Bjekle, the royal chancellor, was greatly displeased with her regent's course of action.

"Come now my dear Chancellor. Everything that pompous young goat and his father have accomplished, they achieved only through my aid. When he is crowned King of Ireland, yes that fool may break free, but if he is wise, he will ally himself to me."

"And if he doesn't? You know that he is quite fond of Knut Stenkil, King Erik of Sweden's eldest son and second-in-line to the throne of Sweden. If Knut ascends to the Kingship, then Sweden and Ireland will ally and you will be put in a precarious position, Your Majesty. I would like to remind you that the Duke of Meath still has claims on the territory of two of your vassals and if he becomes allied with Sweden, then war for those countys is very likely."

King Olaf only laughed and waved his large hand, dismissing his Chancellor's dire words of warning.

"Really, Gjertrud, you worry far too much. We are superior in every way to Torstein's forces and he is a horrible incompetent. Why, I don't doubt that his own mother will declare herself independant of his heathen ways soon."

October 13th 1090: Duchy of Meath

Black banners flew throughout the demense of the Duchy of Meath and in the three vassal counties.

The funeral was not an elaborate one. He was not buried in a coffin of glass or gold. No sunlight shone on his grave.

There was only the plain wood box, his wife, his few friends, his courtiers, and the people of Dublin and Osraige who were not of the clergy in attendance. For in those two newest Irish counties, he was loved by all save the Church. Unlike his father Lodin, he had not upset the balance of power when he acquired new domains.

It was the only truly merciful act Duke Torstein of Agder had ever done that the world knew of.

As Knut Stenkil shoveled dirt onto the cold, unblessed grave of his best friend, he found tears streaming down his cheeks. The pain was unbearable. He'd hoped to save Torstein's soul and now his blood brother was damned to the fiery pits of Hell, unrepentant even to his last breath when his insides were tearing him apart, the war wound at las having killed him.

"I have given no quarter when I lived and I will not beg God for clemency now!" Those were the Duke of Meath's words when Knut had rushed a priest to his side, hoping that his friend would repent and gain absolution in his last hours.

Instead, his brother by blood and marriage had turned his back once more to the Church, whispered, "Tell Hafrid that you and she were the only two people I ever loved", and then died, as defiant and unrelenting in death as he had been in life.

Across the grave, Queen Thora crouched down to drop in another handful. It was beneath their station for she and Knut to do this, but it was important to them, a kind of self-penance for the failure they'd made in trying to bring Torstein to redemption.

"He was such a sweet boy", she whispered to the icy, uncaring North Wind as it brazenly scraped her cheeks.

A little back from the hole in ground being filled was Hafrid, standing next to Skofte, a distant cousin of Torstein's and his successor.

"My husband wanted to become King of Ireland, you know. It was his biggest dream in life, to be called King and to ride out over Europe with my brother. They were going to be Kings together."

Skofte, twenty years old, the same as the body in the casket, nodded gravely, his prematurely grey hair ruffled by the wind, "I will do my best to live up to my cousin's ambition. You may count on me for that."

Christian Ingebrigsten was the member of the Ingebrigsten family to write the summary of Torstein's reign.

Torstein the Unholy: Duke of Meath b. May 8th, 1070 d. October 13th, 108. r. 1073-1080

Born on May 8th in the Year of Lord 1070 to Lodin of Agder, Count of Agder, and Cundo of Eu, daughter of Robert Hastings, Count of Eu, Torstein's destiny was star-crossed from a very early age.

His father Lodin died when he was just three years old, plunging in Agder into a long period of official regency that was anything but controlled by the members of the court.

Quickly seizing power from the courtiers who thought to guide him on a gentler path, the boy Count was quick to expand the family territory into Dublin, annexing it in March of 1078.

Torstein's childhood was also marked by numerous acts of savage cruelty, including the infamous Massacre of Agder on January 13th, 1077, when citizens demanding greater freedoms than the feudal contract allowed were mercilessly slaughtered on the his orders, not a single man, woman, or child left alive.

He also was vehement in his outbursts against the Church, involving such acts as the murder in April of 1080 of Father Flannery, a priest who opposed Torstein's heretical practices of bloodshed. These criminal offenses led to his excommunication in midsummer 1082 and he was later declared a heretic as well, in 1086. Both denounciations occurred during the Papacy of Pope Anselm I.

As one might expect from such a cruel ruler, Torstein's reign was troubled by numerous revolts, both in Agder and in the Irish possessions, leading to financial troubles for the Tri-Counties, as his demense came to be called after the annexation of Dublin.

Still, it is to his credit that he was able to persevere through these adversities and on July 27th, 1087, his fortunes began to change with his marriage to Princess Hafrid Stenkil of Sweden, daughter of King Erik of Sweden and sister to Knut Stenkil, Duke of Smaland and Torstein's closest, some say only, friend.

Almost two years later, on March 1, 1089, the reversal of circumstances was complete, as with Hafrid by his side, he declared himself the Duke of Meath, thusly fulfilling the family ducal ambitions first entertained by his father.

Shortly thereafter, Torstein claimed the Bishophoric of Osraige and the County of Laigin for his own and declared war on both the Bishop and the Duke of Leinster. This conflict came to be known as the Meath-Leinster War.

Aided by King Olaf of Norway's armies, Torstein successfully overwhelmed his adversaries and on May 4th, 1090, four days before his twentieth birthday, he was aceded the territories of Osraige and Laigin.

Just as he was beginning to enjoy the fruits of his labour, however, an arrow-wound the Duke of Meath received during the Meath-Leinster War became infected beyond all help and he passed away on October 13th, 1090. Skofte of Agder, a cousin of Torstein's, was chosen to succeed him.

His reign was both brilliant and savage and he will no doubt go down as one of the greatest of Agders in history.


The sworn enemy of the of Agders


I'm really sad to see that he's died...


One branch of the family tree dies; another one is born
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Old 06-27-2005, 03:57 PM   #66
gi
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Aye...sad to see Torstein go....

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Old 06-27-2005, 10:20 PM   #67
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Man. Sad to see Torstein go.

But hey, this allows the of Agders a fresh start, right?
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Old 06-28-2005, 02:58 AM   #68
korme
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Compared to M:TW, favorably or not? Give me some info, I kind of want to fire up MTW again, kind of just want to buy this...

Damn you Izulde.
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Old 06-28-2005, 03:20 AM   #69
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gi: Me too, me too.

Neon Chaos: A fresh start, yeah... but I warn you and everyone else ahead of time, Skofte will probably be a letdown personality wise after Torstein. That's the curse of following a great act.

Shorty3281: Mmm it depends on what type of game you like. I'll do a quick comparison, though.

M: TW: Control your troops in battle and have traits be assigned more or less randomly, though there's a few you can directly cause. Building upgrades can enhance troop types and allow training of new ones and/or expand the economy.

CK: Don't control your troops in battle, it's all automatic. Traits will sometimes randomly happen here too, but they instantly work (I won't even touch the bugginess of M:TW's traits even with the last patches), and furthermore, you have a lot more say in the traits of your rulers and their statuses within the game by the various choices you make. Building upgrades in here will usually increase your financial situation or help with loyalty boosts in the four classes. Really the only military province improvement is the training grounds. Also, you never build new troop types.

Instead, you research advances in military, economy, and philosophy (well it's more detailed than that - I'm just including those three broad categories). Those advances, when you discover them or when they're spread to your lands, are what upgrade your troops and they're upgraded automatically for the region that it spreads to. It does *not* spread instantly to your entire domain and that's the case with any advance.

For example, say Crossbows get discovered in a province you have in Italy and you have another province in England. The English province's troops don't get the benefit of the Crossbow advance; only the Italian province that discovered it does.

On the marriage and kids note, CK is also vastly improved over M:TW. Whereas in M:TW, marriages and kids are important for continuing your dynasty, they take a background to warmongering.

Marriage and kids is one of the most important things in CK. Marry badly and you'll end up with crappy kids. Marry well and you could end up with good kids or new land, or maybe even both.

That's because inheritance laws determine in this game who gets the land after a ruler dies. Marry a girl whose the daughter of a nobleman with semi-salic law and if she's the eldest daughter and Papa has no sons, the kid you and she have will inherit not only your territory but Papa's too! So it becomes a vital tool to use.

I could go on with more info, but that's just the basics. To me, it boils down to this: If you want to control your troops when fighting wars, then fire up M:TW again. But if you're looking for something that more accurately models the medieval experience, is much more in depth, and allows you to really strategize and get attached to the people you play on a whole new level, then go with CK.

I will say this much. Before the new beta patches came out with CK, M:TW was my favourite PC game of all time. After I d/l'ed the latest beta patches and started playing CK again, M:TW forever after collected dust.
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Old 06-28-2005, 03:30 AM   #70
korme
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OK. It's 4:30 and I am about to download and play this game right now.

Is that a bad thing? LOL

FWIW, I never could handle playing out the wars in MTW, always got my ass kicked. The stuff you outlined in this game intrigues me more..
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Old 06-28-2005, 03:43 AM   #71
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It's official. I am 5% complete - I am not going to bed tonight
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Old 06-28-2005, 10:27 AM   #72
Wolfpack
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Originally Posted by Izulde

I'm really sad to see that he's died...

Is this an honest feeling or one of slight sarcasm?

Reminds me of "City Slickers" when the cook is asked to give Curly's eulogy:
"Lord, we give you Curly. Try not to piss him off too much."

What happens to the Queen Mum and related family members like Snofrid now? They still figure into things or do they quietly exit the stage?
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Old 06-28-2005, 01:42 PM   #73
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Originally Posted by Shorty3281
It's official. I am 5% complete - I am not going to bed tonight

When you are done with the official downloads, go to forums.paradoxplaza.com and make your way to the beta forums, and download the latest beta - the game is MUCH better.

Who gave you a credit card?
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Old 06-28-2005, 02:02 PM   #74
korme
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Ok. I have a credit card, I'm an old man now (19 d00d).


I started out as King of Sudan/Nubia three times and didn't make it past 3 years any of the times before I was attacked and killed out. Hard game.

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Old 06-28-2005, 04:18 PM   #75
korme
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Stupid question - when I mobilize a unit, how do I move them from my own territory? I want to take over a piece of land but I don't know how to attack. I can't drag, I don't see any option to move them.. a little help?
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Old 06-28-2005, 05:37 PM   #76
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Wolfpack: Honest feeling, actually. I was really attached to the evil, Church-hating bugger. He wasn't one-dimensional, either because he could care about people.

As for Snofrid and the others, they stay around in the court, just like Cundo did when Lodin died. Changing branches of the family tree doesn't affect the court, except for when a husband dies, sometimes the wife and any kid will return to her father's court. Other times they'll stay at the court they married into.

Samdari: Absolutely correct on the beta patches thing. Thanks for adding in the reminder.

Shorty3281: Yeah, Nubia can be tough to play. You're stuck as the only Christian territory for miles around, but you also have golden opportunity with all the Muslims hanging about. You just have to pick and choose your battles carefully.

As for moving troops, you have to left click on the unit icon after you mobilize, then right click on the territory that you want to move them to.

There's also two ways of getting to a territory. One is automatic path; you just right click on your final destination and the AI selects what it thinks is the best route, or manual path, where you click on a territory, then click on another territory when they arrive at the first one, etc, until they reach your intended destination.

I always go the automatic route, though. Because you can make manual routes that may seem shorter, but you might end up crossing through rough terrain that makes it a longer hike than an automatically set path.
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Old 06-28-2005, 05:49 PM   #77
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October 19th 1090: County of Agder

"Ridiculous!"

"Presposterous!"

"Quite absurd!"

Countess Cundo sighed as she listened to the three Norman women who held positions in her court. They were unanimous in their rejection of the emissary's message and though she herself had misgivings about the request, it went against her sense of fairness to decline to do as asked.

"And why should I refuse Skofte's wish that I give up the County, my dear countrywomen? He means to make me Chancellor again and to repair the rift that exists between the of Agder house and the rest of the world. Is that not a noble cause? Besides, he has also reduced the scutage required of his vassals to nothing and restored the Church donations that my son rescinded."

Medania Finne, the chancellor, sniffed her disapproval and retorted with a tart tongue, "Fie on the whole of Agder family! Don't you see, Cundo? He only wants you to give your title so that your brother Guillaume doesn't inherit it and pledge the county to the Duke of Normandy, who in turn serves King William of England! There's nothing noble about that; it's just pure and simple greed! Besides, he isn't your husband or your son... He's just some hayseed country cousin who speaks atrocious Latin and wastes his money!"

"That's right! Agder should be in Norman hands anyway and brought to the Norman way of life! It's better for them to be cultured like us and not like those hairy-backed Viking barbarians your husband and son wanted to emulate so much!" Fressenda Kamp, the Spymaster, was equally emphatic in her argument.

"Besides, Cundo dear, King William is a far greater man than that ill-bred Skofte will ever be. Why, did you hear that he doesn't even intend to keep the ties with Sweden that your husband and son so cherished? He's asked for the hand of one of King Olaf's daughters! He is nothing, darling Cundo, and he isn't of the same fiber that Lodin and Torstein were." Elise Talgje, the Steward, was the last of the three to add her persuasion in and with it, the Countess found herself sighing and nodding again.

"I suppose you are right, girls. We will tell Skofte that I refuse to give up the County. If he really wants the title, he will come and fight for it."

"That's the way of it, my lady! Good for you!" cried Elise.

November 4th 1090: Duchy of Meath

"I will go first! I am from King Olaf of Norway!"

"But *I* bring more important tidings! It should be me who has the first say!"

The messengers glared at one another as they stood outside the throne room, each of them clutching a paper with a nobleman's seal on it.

Just before it broke out into a fisticuffs, the amused guard intervened, "Kings precede Dukes. The Norwegian envoy may go first."

Smiling triumphantly at his rival, the royal emissary of King Olaf bowed before the guard, murmured his thanks, and went in, making his annoucement shortly after he passed beyond the door.

"His Royal Majesty, King Olaf the Illustrious of Norway, has hereby granted permission for Skofte of Agder, the Duke of Meath, to marry his daughter, Princess Eldrid."

Skofte smiled and was about to reply when the other messenger rushed in, hipchecking the first envoy.

"Your Grace, Duke Svein of Orkney hereby requests that our two duchies join together in alliance!"

Enraged, the King's stand-in got up and dusted himself off, shouting, "Your liege is a disloyal ingrate who will be brought down if he dares oppose the King any further!"

Duke Svein's emissary ignored the furious royal diplomat and kept his eyes on Skofte, "Well, Your Grace? What say you?"

The Duke of Meath chuckled and stood from his seat, "Tell the Duke that I accept his offer of alliance, but that if he moves against our mutual lord, then I will not answer his call for aid. I will not go against my father-in-law."

Both messengers were appeased by Skofte's reply and bowed to the Duke before slipping out of the room. Once outside the castle, they retired to the town where they promptly got into a fight in a local tavern, much to the amusement of the Dubliners. King Olaf's man won inside of a half hour, knocking out Duke Svein's chosen with a vicious uppercut and winning Baronet Greystein 500 silver pieces, who had the largest bet in the pool and was the lone gambler to side with Olaf's emissary.

Inside the castle, Skofte smiled to himself as he returned to his seat. Though the move to regain Agder had failed, things were proceeding nicely otherwise. He might yet be able to consolidate his power after all.

There was the problem of prestige still to be reckoned with, however. Even after the glory from marrying a princess, he was still less highly regarded than Torstein had been at the time of his death.


Rhymes with Witch #1


Rhymes with Witch #2


Rhymes with Witch #3


I'm really liking the whole marrying princesses thing. Love her diplomacy score, too.


My very first alliance offer. I'm so happy!


Now if he just can get up to 50 prestige...
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Old 06-28-2005, 06:26 PM   #78
korme
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Originally Posted by Izulde
Shorty3281: Yeah, Nubia can be tough to play. You're stuck as the only Christian territory for miles around, but you also have golden opportunity with all the Muslims hanging about. You just have to pick and choose your battles carefully.

See, I don't even know how to take advantage of the Muslims. Do I somehow try to convince them that because we are all arabs they could convert to Orthodox religion..? I'm without a paddle right now.. is there a good FAQ site where it tells you how to do everything? The one on that forum just has basic stuff, I need to indepthly learn how to win here!

Keep up the great work, it's what got me interested in the first place.
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Old 06-28-2005, 06:42 PM   #79
condors
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I am in the same boat as you shorty just downloaded and haven't got a clue on what to do
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Old 06-28-2005, 07:07 PM   #80
Izulde
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You guys can check Paradox's forums (hxxp://forum.paradoxplaza.com) for information there. I can't remember any specific FAQs offhand, though. A lot of the stuff will be trial and error. My first few games, I got toasted really badly myself. Oh and feel free to keep asking questions!

As for your Muslims question, Shorty, Muslims have two big advantages:

1) You don't have to have a claim on their territory to go to war with them like you do Christian rulers.

2) Attacking them and taking over their territory increases your piety, especially if you do it after the Pope calls a Crusade.

Edit: Whoops, didn't see that you'd already been to the forums! Okay, let me make another post where I discuss strategy more in depth.
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Old 06-28-2005, 07:22 PM   #81
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Okay, here's some basic tips as to what to do if you want to look at winning in CK.

1) If your ruler isn't married, find someplace that has semisalic laws where the ruler has only daughters and no sons. Marry the daughter and hope the ruler doesn't have any sons and that you do. Keep in mind, the daughter has to be 16 before you can marry her. If said father-in-law does have sons, send in an assassin to kill the little buggers so they can't inherit.

2) Look at your realm laws. Your inheritance laws are important. Most people go with Salic Consigulaity (sp) because it ensures a family member of your dynasty name will inherit and it also picks the strongest son to inherit. Under no circumstances should you select Gavelkind unless you're masochistic. Your territory will just get divided amongst your sons every time you die then. (Though I'm tempted to try this once, just to see what happens).

As for your ruling laws or whatever the group below inheritance laws is called, that's your call as to what you want there. The ruling laws affect how much crown duty you can tax your nobles with, how much tolls you can tax your burghers with, etc, and most importantly, it determines what kind of troop makeup will be in your army. I always go with Feudal Contract because I really, really like having lots of knights. To me they're the most superior fighting unit there is, though others have made arguments for the other law types. Also, some events will only trigger if you have a certain kind of ruling law in place.

Lastly, there's church laws. This will determine your minimum/maximum amount you donate to the Church and it also determines whether you or the Pope gets to pick the bishops of any bishophorics under your rule (I think anyway. I've never had a Church-friendly ruler yet, though Skofte may change that). I usually go with Royal Supremacy or whatever the one where the ruler has the most power is here. I don't want the Pope picking my bishops, and besides, then it allows me to get moneylenders which = more money. However, the clergy doesn't like moneylenders, so it's a dual edged sword.

3) Advances. You should research your miltary advances so that you'll get the maximum benefit for whatever your most concentrated troop type is. So say you have knights more than anything else. Research the techs that will give your knights a boost. You can mouse over each tech to see what advantages they give you.

When it comes to Power advances, well you pretty much can't go wrong there, though I personally like to research the stuff that gives me money.

With Education advances, I'd go with the ones that shore up the loyalty of whatever group it is that isn't happy with you. Because eventually there's going to be some segment of the population that hates you (In my case it's usually the clergy).

4) Pay attention to the messages that show up on the bottom of your screen. You can keep track of wars and such throughout Europe that way and say there's some Pagans or Muslims embroiled in a multi-front war. Guess what? You can take advantage by declaring war on them, too! Then you hurry in and grab what you can and try to make peace before they have a chance to get back at you. I think this would be particularly useful for your Kingdom of Nubia game, Shorty.

There's four areas of pointers that I've gained from my experience playing. Hopefully they'll help.
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Old 06-28-2005, 10:01 PM   #82
korme
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Well, that is a good idea about the marriage thing. I had my first wife, popped out two girls. Since there are no other Arab Orthodox people out there, I had to branch out and marry a Greek Orthodox, which was fine and I had 2 more frickin daughters. Now I am 45 and desperate to find another wife so I can have a boy so I keep the family name alive- lol!'

Good stuff, Izulde.
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Old 06-29-2005, 06:09 AM   #83
Izulde
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shorty3281
Well, that is a good idea about the marriage thing. I had my first wife, popped out two girls. Since there are no other Arab Orthodox people out there, I had to branch out and marry a Greek Orthodox, which was fine and I had 2 more frickin daughters. Now I am 45 and desperate to find another wife so I can have a boy so I keep the family name alive- lol!'

Good stuff, Izulde.

Thanks.

Check your successors too. If you have none listed, like was the case with Torstein, a country cousin will show up with your dynasty name when you die. So your game will still go on... you'll just have another branch of the family tree to play with then.
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Old 06-29-2005, 06:09 AM   #84
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December 18th 1090: Duchy of Meath

Blood gushed forth as a treacherous Dubliner rebel's sword sliced across Skofte's stomach.

The Duke of Meath hissed in pain but lunged forward to finish off his assailant before fainting in the field.

When he awoke in his command tent a few hours later, the royal doctor was standing there, inspecting the large gash in the Duke's abdomen.

"I'm afraid it's quite serious, Your Grace. You must take care with it or else it will become infected and you will likely die of it."

Skofte was about to answer when a courier burst in.

"Your Lordship! Moors have been spotted off the coastline! They appear to be headed to Scotland!"


Can you say Scotland's screwed? Oh yeah, I think you can. There's me fighting the damned rebels in Dublin

March 20th 1091: Duchy of Meath

"His Lordship Count Hakon of Oppland, Count of Varmland hereby asks Duke Skofte of Agder, Duke of Meath and Count of Dublin and Osraige for the hand in marriage of Princess Hafrid Stenkil, daughter of King Olaf Haraldsson Yngling and Steward of the Duchy of Meath on behalf of his son and successor, Torfinn of Oppland, Steward of the County of Varmland."

Skofte stroked his beard and nodded once, "We accept."

Hafrid stood up, her face ablaze with rage as she stormed over to the Duke, "What sort of man are you that you do this to me?! Torstein was my one true love and I will not wed another man! I would rather go back to my father's castle than be forced to marry again!"

"You'll marry again. Besides, he's another Norwegian and they're vassals to your father. It will be the best of both worlds for you. Go now and be on your way." The Duke of Meath waved his hand dismissively, already bored with her outburst.

The Steward glowered and whirled on a heel, stalking out of the throne room without another word.

Duchess Eldrid, now large with child, chuckled as she watched the indignant young woman go, "Those Swedish girls... always so tempermental. Ah well, what can you do?"


Hafrid's new husband. I hate him and his good stats


Marrying off courtiers is good for your prestige.


Gotta love that Master Theologian trait. Mommy's diplo rating=great
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Old 06-29-2005, 05:14 PM   #85
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Izulde-My wife died trying to give birth and worse so did our child and when i try the marriage thing the only choices are 50+ year old hags i have in my court. I have no heir not even cousins, i can't seem to figure out how to try to marry someone outside my county. What do i do?
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Old 06-29-2005, 05:45 PM   #86
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condors: Click on the shields of other provinces. You'll see on the left hand side of the screen the picture of the ruler and a list of options below that. One of these is Offer Marriage. Click on that and if your ruler is able to be married to someone, he'll be there. Click on him, then look through the available females to marry.

You'll then have to wait until you get a reply. To increase your chances of success, have as high a diplomacy rating as possible. Hope that helps.
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Old 06-30-2005, 03:00 AM   #87
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July 29th 1091: Duchy of Meath

The month of May saw a miracle, when 69 year old Trond Galtung, the Count of Mide, became a father for the first time, he and his 18 year old wife giving birth to a daughter.

This amazing occurrence was followed in the summer by a stunning declaration.

"Your Grace, Countess Cundo of the County of Agder has declared war upon us! We must ready the troops!"

Duke Skofte simply chuckled and shooed the messenger away with a hand, "This need not concern us. I am certain that King Olaf will declare war on Agder for us and no doubt the Duchy of Orkney will as well."

And so it came to pass, with the Kingdom of Denmark likewise initiating hostilities against Agder on behalf of the Kingdom of Norway, still their ally.

The brief reign of the Normans in Agder seemed certain to end.

April 18th 1092: Duchy of Meath

On November 4th, 1091, a daughter was born to Skofte and Eldrid. Named Thorborg, she looked to be an immensely strong and healthy baby, and Skofte privately cursed his luck that she was not a boy.

In December, Osraige recovered from the royal rape delivered to it by the Norwegian king's forces during Torstein's time and so the Duchy was now making in excess of 2 goldoons each month.

The war in Agder continued until the spring of the next year, however.

"Agder has fallen to the Danish king, Your Grace!"

The news was met with murmurs of disapproval from Skofte's growing court. Faithful Norwegians all, they did not care to hear that Denmark had been the one to take control of the county.

The Duke smiled and nodded at the report, "Good. Now send an offer to my cousin-in-law. We will recognize her claims on Agder if she will give us a goldoon."

"What?! This is an outrage!" cried Snofrid from the corner, "You surely can not mean to just let her go like that! That's my homeland and the home of many of your court members!"

Skofte sniffed and stared down the Stewardess, "Do pipe down, Snofrid. The reknown I will get for showing mercy means far more than some stupid backwater county. Go and do as I say, boy."

The messenger sighed quietly, but nodded, bowed, and exited.

As he left the throne room, the envoy couldn't help but think to himself that no matter what the branch or the bud, the of Agder family tree was filled with self-centred people.

The proposal was immediately accepted and, contrary to Skofte's expectations, he was mocked and ridiculed throughout Europe, for his diplomacy was considered the height of stupidity.

This moronic behaviour was further proven when the Duke of Meath refused a miracle worker's help in May of 1092, saying that he would put his faith in God.

God immediately ruptured Skofte's abdomen and he died on the spot.

The funeral was attended by only a handful of people and no one cared that he had passed on.

The Ingebrigsten notes on Skofte as are included below:

Skofte the Stupid b. 1070 d. 1092 r. 1090-1092

His reign lasted just two short years, yet managed to be significant even in spite of its brevity.

During the course of his rule, Skofte shifted the of Agder family ties away from the House of Stenkil, the monarchs of Sweden, and instead aligned himself with his liege lord, King Olaf of Norway.

This change in international politics was most clearly signaled by Skofte's marriage to Princess Eldrid Yngling of Norway in November of 1090, the union producing a single offspring, a daughter on the one-year anniversary of the Duke and Duchess's wedding.

He also managed to restore the trust of the Church in the of Agder demense by reprising donations to the Holy See and began rebuilding the loyalty of his vassals by cutting their required scutage to nothing and installing Eldrid, an extremely skilled diplomat, as the ducal Chancellor.

The other accomplishment of Skofte's time as the Duke of Meath was to rebuild the treasury made bankrupt during his predecessor Torstein's time on the ducal seat.

Unfortunately, his successes were countered by failures that set him back considerably. His ceding of Agder to the rebellious Countess Cundo of Eu was the most egregious error and earned him widespread ridicule, particularly since he and allies had the rebellion handily crushed at the time of the handover.

He died on May 3rd, 1092, after refusing the services of a famous miracle worker who offered to heal his wounds, and was succeeded by an obscure cousin of the of Agder family, Torfinn.


69 years old and Trond has a kid... He's 70 now and still kicking. Gluttony pays


Why the hell can't she be a man?!


New Duke, new country cousin, new branch.
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Old 06-30-2005, 04:05 AM   #88
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Well. These cousins seem to be popping up from out of nowhere.
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Old 06-30-2005, 07:18 AM   #89
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Great dynasty!

Got me to dig through all my CD's and reinstall the game to give it another go. Then while grabbing the latest patches and goodies I ran across this http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/...1&page=1&pp=25

Yet to install it (going to setup another CK instance to play it safe.), but drooling over the thought of playing a CK game based in Westeros.
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Old 06-30-2005, 11:43 AM   #90
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Amazing dynasty, Izulde! I read it for the first time today beginning to now, all in the last hour. This has got me hankering to try the game out, and with the mod Eilim found, I am outright drooling!

Have you tried it out yet, Eilim? How does it look?

Again, great read, Izulde, and I look forward to reading more!
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Old 06-30-2005, 09:49 PM   #91
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Neon Chaos: You ain't kidding! I just hope Torfinn lasts longer than the others have.

Eilim: Thank you very much. I'm glad you like it. And yeah, CK is tons improved with the latest beta patches. Though I'm playing with the May 13th beta because that's what I started the game on, I hear the June 3rd beta is even better. I've also seen a few events in other peoples' dynasties with the June 3rd beta that I'd never seen pop up before.

Making another copy of your CK for the mod is definitely a good idea. I did the same thing with a guy's super mod for M:TW that let you play everybody.

Blade: It's definitely an awesome game, though like most Paradox games, and as you can probably tell from some of the questions I've fielded in this thread, the learning curve can be pretty steep. Still, I'm happy to help out if needed and I'm glad that you're enjoying it and that you're wanting to try CK because of it.
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Old 06-30-2005, 11:24 PM   #92
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May 4th 1092: Duchy of Meath

"So what was it that my cousins did right in their reigns? I want to be even better than them, if I can."

Snofrid chuckled to herself and shook her head as she looked around the small room. At least Torfinn was willing to learn from history's examples, which might in time come to make up for his poor abilities.

"Well, Lodin, the first Count of Agder from our family, allowed Thora to go off and be married when King Erik of Sweden asked for her hand in marriage. The glory for our house and the closeness to the Stenkils, rulers of Sweden, from that union paid off well."

Torfinn nodded, stroking his thick beard, "So always marry off your courtiers when the opportunity arises. I understand."

"Not if they are your officials!" sharply countered Snofrid with flushed cheeks. The last thing she needed was to have another marriage that ended in the embarassment of annullment. Calming herself, she added, "You have admitted yourself that you are not a very exceptional man and so you must be sure to keep your best advisors close to you."

After the new Duke voiced his understanding, the Steward continued in a lecturer's tone, "Torstein, though still hated by many in Europe even to this day, did several things right. He was quick and decisive in everything that he did and was always very prompt to remove any opposition in his way. He also strengthened our bonds with the Stenkils by marrying Erik and Thora's oldest daughter, Hafrid."

"So always be fast-thinking and don't let anyone stand in my way. What about the Stenkils?"

"I'm getting to that. Lastly, Skofte, even in spite of his stupidity, did one thing intelligent. He respected the Church. You must do that too, or you will be another Torstein."

"Hmmm" puzzled out Torfinn, scratching at his hairy chin, "What about the Stenkils? What did Skofte do about them?"

Snofrid bitterly smiled, staring down at the floor, "He married Eldrid, the daughter of King Olaf of Norway instead."

"Oh. Well, two out of three say I should try and get back to the Stenkils, so I'm going to try and do that."

And so Torfinn of Agder began his fledging rule by trying to return to the best elements of the past.

On May 12th, 1092, he became successful in his first step in that direction. Much to the joy of the people of the Duchy of the Meath and the Kingdom of Sweden, he married Alfhild Stenkil, younger daughter of King Erik and Queen Thora.

At the wedding feast, as she threw her arms about her new son-in-law's neck and hugged him tight, Queen Thora wept tears of happiness, whispering into his ear, "This is how it should be. Thank you. Thank you bringing our familes back together, my son."

In addition, Knut Stenkil and Torfinn of Agder met that night.

"So, you were my cousin Torstein's best friend."

A flicker of pain cut across Knut's face as he nodded affirmation, clutching on to his goblet of wine to have something else to concentrate on, "Yes, I was. He was a good man in spite of what people say about him."

Torfinn stepped forward and clasped the suffering Stenkil on the shoulder.

"I can't promise to be as dear to you as Torstein was, but I would like to be your friend if I can. Oh, and don't blame yourself for what happened with him. Snofrid told me about it. You can't take responsibility for what my cousin did. You tried the best you could and that's what's important."

For the second time that evening, a tearful Stenkil embraced Torfinn tightly. As she looked on, Snofrid smiled. Perhaps it would be under this duitful young man of no talent that the of Agders would at last become Kings. Somehow it seemed only fitting if this were to come to pass.

August 25th 1092: Duchy of Meath

"I sure would like to be able to learn more about history and literature and a lot of other things, too. But there's no place in the castle that's big enough to hold all the books and things that I would like to have."

Torfinn sighed as he looked over his prized possessions, three thick tomes that he had read incessantly in hopes of gleaning knowledge to be used. A history of the Church, a history of Europe, and a book on William the Conqueror's invasion of England. Yet, they were not enough for his unquenchable thirst.

"Then why not have a library built?" inquired Alfhild as she looked up from her embroidery, "People will think Dublin a greater city for it and you will have lots of room for more books then. We have enough money in the treasury for it, if I remember right."

Remember right she did and the next morning, construction began on Dublin's library. Though it would take two years to complete, it was a truly historical moment. Not only was it to be the first truly significant library in the county's history, but it would be the first outlay towards provincial improvement ever by an of Agder.

More good news came in November, when it was discovered that Alfhild was with child.


Maybe this guy won't be so bad after all


I finally got a Stenkil girl pregnant. Hooray! I'm having an Abbots moment here for some reason.
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Old 07-01-2005, 10:34 AM   #93
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An interesting progression of rulers, from semi-bloodthirsty, to really bloodthirsty, to an incomplete grade, to someone who is shaping up as not bloodthirsty at all. The pendulum seems to be swinging a different way. Wonder what Torstein's thinking from his perch in Hell right now?
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Old 07-01-2005, 12:16 PM   #94
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfpack
An interesting progression of rulers, from semi-bloodthirsty, to really bloodthirsty, to an incomplete grade, to someone who is shaping up as not bloodthirsty at all. The pendulum seems to be swinging a different way. Wonder what Torstein's thinking from his perch in Hell right now?

I like the way you put the shift in ruler tendencies. Very apt.

As for Torstein, I imagine he greatly disapproves of Torfinn's lack of a bloody mouth, as the Sicilians would put it, but on the other hand, he'd very much applaud the marrying of a Stenkil and being a comfort to Knut.

Skofte, in contrast, earns nothing but Torstein's utmost hatred and scorn.
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Old 07-01-2005, 12:18 PM   #95
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March 10th 1093: Duchy of Meath

In late February of 1093, word was received that Queen Thora of Sweden had died some weeks before of an intestinal worm. The news greatly saddened the Duchy of Meath and Duke Torfinn ordered black flags to be flown throughout the domain in a show of mourning and respect for his beloved mother-in-law.

On March 10th, a messenger arrived from the Kingdom of Sweden.

"Your Grace, King Erik is once again calling upon your House. Your family once gave him a wife and he humbly asks that you do so once more."

"Who is it that he wants to marry?" inquired Torfinn.

"Eldrid Yngling, daughter of King Olaf and former Duchess of Meath" came the reply.

The Duke frowned, skimming his fingers through his beard. Snofrid had warned him never to marry off his most capable advisors and here was King Erik asking for the hand of one of them. All the others that had come for Eldrid had been refused, but this presented a preplexing problem.

"Accept King Erik's offer. The Stenkils are our most valued and trusted friends. Twice they have given us their daughters in marriage. It would only be fair to return the favour now and give Erik his second Queen by us."

Thus advised Snofrid as she looked at Torfinn from her seat. The bearded noble nodded and turned back to the messenger with a smile, "Tell King Erik that we happily accept and will send Eldrid to him right away."

And so it came to be that the Kingdoms of Scandinavia became more closely intertwined as a result of this union, the affirmation of tight bonds between the of Agders and Stenkils also strengthened.

May 28th 1093: Duchy of Meath

"You must now lay claim to the Duchy of Ulster, Your Grace. Though your reputation will suffer a little for it, it will be necessary to expand your holdings in Ireland and move closer to the throne."

Torfinn nodded, frowning over the map of Ireland that he kept on his council table, "All right, Snofrid. Should I go to war with him right away then as well?"

The Steward shook her head, dark curls playing about her ears, "No. We do not want to go to war until we are able to also lay claim to his other domain as well. We must also be able to say that his vassal's county belongs to us. Besides, we need to continue to build up our treasury, so that we can afford to go to war when the time comes."

Snofrid's advice was taken and by the next morning, word was spreading that the Duchy of Ulster was also rightful province of the of Agders.

In July, Pope Stanislaw I died and was replaced by Pope Olderic I.

August 14th 1093: Duchy of Meath

On August 13th, a daughter was born to Alfhild and Torfinn, named Ragna.

The next morning, after the celebration dinner, the Duke of Meath paced in his room, hands clasped together behind his back and his head bowed.

"No, I won't wait I've decided. Why if I'm given the Duchy of Ulster in the war, his vassal will just have to pledge himself to me then. Sure, the old Duke will still have his other territory, but he'll only be a count then. Yes, we'll go to war today, the morning after my daughter's birth."

War was immediately declared and the troops summoned in every province under the of Agder banner. Ulster countered by calling up the troops from their own personal demense. Both sides' vassals refused to be called up directly and so it was left to the two masters to wage war for control of the northeast corner of Ireland.

The Kingdoms of Norway and Denmark announced their intentions to join in on the of Agder side as they had always done so before. The combined might of two Scandinavian kingdoms against a defiant Irish Duke. History foretold that the Norwegians would win out.

A little over a year later, on August 24th, 1094, history was proven right once again. After taking Ulaid entirely by himself, without any aid from King Olaf's armies, Torfinn watched as the Norwegian king swept into the neighbouring county of Tir Eoghain and took control of it. The victory was of such a crushing defeat to the Duke of Ulster that even when he surrendered his title and paid 11 goldoons in tribute, Torfinn was seen as merciful in being so generous with his terms and as a result, his prestige throughout Europe increased considerably.

Sadly, tragedy also struck in the midst of the war. In December of 1093, the Duke's infant daughter passed away. But Torfinn and Alfhild did not mourn overly long, for the Duchess was already pregnant again.

With a new child on the way, a new title and a new vassal gained, Torfinn of Agder looked poised to become the greatest of Agder since Torstein the Unholy. Many felt that the throne of Ireland was not far from his grasp and would be taken within his lifetime.


The of Agder court: Supplying Queens of Sweden since 1066


This is starting to creep me out.. first a Polish pope, now a German one? It's like CK knows the modern history. I wonder if it'll predict the nationality of the next Pope after Ratzinger, too.


Not one ducal titles, but two! I've never managed that before either in CK.
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Old 07-01-2005, 12:22 PM   #96
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Seems this dynasty is really about Snofrid. She is the main character.
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Old 07-01-2005, 10:30 PM   #97
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Seems this dynasty is really about Snofrid. She is the main character.

Mmm.. I wouldn't say the main character. Just a key supporting role. Remember, she didn't do much during Torstein's reign and Skofte didn't listen to her either.

It was only under Lodin and now Torfinn that she had/has any real influence.
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Old 07-01-2005, 11:18 PM   #98
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Best Dynasty in years.
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Old 07-02-2005, 01:48 AM   #99
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Best Dynasty in years.

Wow. You really think so? I mean, I'm glad for the extremely high praise; I just don't know that I deserve it. There are some really amazing and unique dynasties on here.

Thank you very much!
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Old 07-02-2005, 07:26 AM   #100
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February 9th 1095: Duchy of Meath

It was with great ceremony that the Grand Library of Dublin was completed on August 25th, 1094. It was hailed as an accomplishment of culture and learning by the of Agders and the county of Dublin quickly became known as the new learning centre of Ireland thanks to the library.

On October 12th of that year, a son was born to Torfinn and Alfhild, named Inge after the Ingebrigstens' whose histories of his predecessors Torfinn read voraciously after they found their way in to the Grand Library.

All was quiet in the land until just after February of the next year arrived.

"Torfinn, you remember reading from the histories about your great-granduncle who Torstein discovered had been robbed of the Duchy of Warwick, yes?"

The Duke nodded as he looked up from the treatisie on Aristotle that he was currently reading, "Yes, I do. What of Snofrid?"

Sighing heavily, the Stewardess clucked and tapped the parchment Torfinn held in his hands, "I don't know why you bother with it. The reading's too difficult for you and I have to explain to you fifteen times before you understand it. In any case, it appears that your great-granduncle was also supposed to inherit the County of Lancaster as a consolation for having the Duchy of Warwick unjustly taken from him. Unfortunately, outsiders conspired to rob him of even that territory and those bastard Leofricsons stole it from him."

Torfinn sat there for a moment, digesting the information before arriving at the obvious conclusion, "So I have a legitimate claim on Lancaster then?"

"Yes. Though I would not go and press it now. Your vassals are already becoming less loyal to you because of your reputation after seizing Ulster. Let it be for now. You did the right thing in raising the Church donations as high as you could. Let things rest for a while before you make any moves again."

"All right, I will. Thank you, Snofrid. Now will you please explain this section on logic to me again? I don't quite get it yet."

Snofrid sighed again, but sat down beside the Duke to once more attempt to explain Aristotelean logic to him.

September 5th 1096: Duchy of Meath

Sadness struck the of Agders when Inge died in infancy on May 25th, 1095. Yet this sorrow did not last overly long, followed as it was a few months later by the Count of Tir Connail remarking in a visit to the King of England that fall on how Torfinn was a fair and just man to be vassal to, who faithfully gave to the Church and who did not seek to opress any group in his population, even though he was a Norwegian lord in Ireland.

Word of this casual exchange soon got out and before long, Torfinn became the most prestigious and most pious of Agder ruler ever known.

A year to the day after Inge's death, Alfhild discovered she was once more pregnant. The ducal couple prayed that the third time would be the charm and that they would have a child who would live past her infant years. It was a little sad in the court to see only Alfhild's son and no of Agder children, for Thorborg was being raised King Erik of Sweden's court where she went to live with her mother.

Peace settled throughout the Meath territory until the fall, when Torfinn became restless after once more reading of Torstein's aggressive exploits leading up to his being named the Duke of Meath, ever after the rightful inheritance of the of Agder line.

Going to his private council chambers, where he met with visiting dignitaries in one-on-one sessions, he looked over the map of Europe with Snofrid's latest troop information marked on each province. Trailing his fingers along the borders, he suddenly smiled and stabbed a particular county.

There, the Shiekdom of Silves. Just 716 troops and ruled by an independant Shiek who was quite inept according to Snofrid's notes.

Yes, to Portugal he would go. It was time to fight the infidel.


Bastard Leofricsons! And poor Great-grandfather of senior of Agder line again...


Okay so not that bad a ruler, but he's old and he's got crappy health, so hopefully his heir will take over.


His deceased wife and the reason why heir is teh suk. I've never seen a wife this bad! She makes Torfinn look like a genius.


The current Sheik's heir. I love that 1 marital stat. Mmm, Kinslayer trait. Wonder where he got that from.


Good Lord! That's just amazing. I'm having trouble believing it and I'm seeing it. If there was ever a wife worthy of getting the Kinslayer trait for, this absolute zero fits the bill.


More of my masterful computer art, showing the location of Silves
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