Yegorlyk to Georgia - a CK Dynasty!

[Abe Sargent]

Jan 7, 1144 The wealthy Bulgar provinces to my north have gone rogue from the Turks. Too many targets!

Feb 15 – I marry my second-born daughter to the King of Poland.

Mar 1 – In less than a month, my daughter is already pregnant and the Steward of Poland

Apr 1 – I order a Civilian Harbor in Usturt

May 29 – What am I waiting for?

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Tellistto

She's still sleeping with him even though she's technically his rival? On a sidenote, what is your recipe for those rebellions in your provinces ending so soon? They always last forever when I play.

I assemble a huge army that can kick their ass. I move it over and demolish their army. I begin a siege, and then when it is about to fall, I disband my army, and let my vassal retake it.

Sometimes I don;t bother. If a really poor County gets uppity against a wealthy one, then I don;t bother, I'll just let that one take its course.

[Abe Sargent]

What am I waiting for?

Let me show you a map, and explain.

[Abe Sargent]

Okay, here we are. Here’s my current situation:

My vassals get -5.9 monthly loyalty due to my badboy
They get +1 due to my prestige
They also get +4.5 due to my awesome diplomacy
Now, they get +0.5 from Scutage and +1 from my laws.

Thus a vassal of mine right now is getting +1.1 from my laws, scutage, badboy, prestige and diplomacy

However, each vassal gets a little different bonus due to its various traits and how they align with mine. For example, the Prince of Alania gets -1.1 for my traits, so it is sticking at +0.0 at 71 overall loyalty. The Prince of Abghazia is +2.4 for my traits, so +3.5 overall, monthly.

So, I’m right by the line. If I push too hard, we go over. I certainly could increase my badboy a bit, but I don’t have a lot of wiggle room right now. So, if I push, I want it to be for the right provinces.

Let’s look at the map. Focus on the Turk area south of my main provinces and north of Albania. That’s what I want to take – Derbent and Semender. Of all of the Turkish provinces, they are the ones I want the most. They have values of 2+ bas value per provinces – about on the level of Yegorlyk. They are on the Caspian Sea, and taking both would give me a land connection to Albania. However, the two vassals are actually quite loyal, despite everything. I would push my nation for one or both of these easily, but they are not on the radar.


The two blue provinces at the bottom of the Caspian are two that I want to take someday, and they are available now, and have a value of about 2 each. That’s good stuff. However, they would expose me too much, and I don’t want to do that again.

You can just see the beginning of the 6 Bulgar provinces to the north of me, with the red strip. Those have some provinces with a value about equal to Saray and Itil and Tmutarakan. I had never expected to go that far north, since they were Turk provinces, but now that they aren’t, grabbing them before Byzantium does is important. Byzantium is all up in Russia, and is the King of Russia, but currently they are warring with their former vassals, but that will end soon enough, and when it does, I want to beat them to Bulgar. However, if you take those, you are saying “Come Get Me First, Mongols!”

Lower Volga is hard to make out on that map, is the blue wedge, just my color, between Bashkirs on one side and Don Portage on the other. See how beautifully it blends my kingdom together?

While it is nice, I have no desire to take the greenish province on the east of Caspian, it’s too low value vs other targets. Desh-i-something or other when rogue by Crimea, and it fits right in my profile like Lower Volga does but it is a lower profile target right now, despite being about 2in base value because I need to take Turk targets of opportunity.

What am I waiting for? Do you see those Turk provinces just south of Dihistan? Those are my targets next, I think. The Emirate is lowering his loyalty all of the time, and the provinces that will go with him include the three tantalizing ones to the south and east of Dihistan. This is one along the Capsian Sea, and the one below it, and the one east of it. It would lock off the Dark Blue nation from the Turks, making it mine at my leisure. It would give me valuable lands continugous to my own, and it gives me lands that I doubt will be available in one or five or fifteen or twenty years down the road, and that;s what I have to think about. I want:

6 Bulgar provinces
3 Kharzia provinces to my east by Aral Sea
Emba – cheap province
Lower Volga
Desk-i-Ksomething
Prince of Beson’s two provinces, (the white ones by Crimea in previous maps)
Derbent
Semender
The three provinces to the south and east of Dihistan
The rest of the Provinces around the Caspian
The remaining Armenian provinces

And I have to not only prioritize them by value, and by window of opportunity, but by when the window shuts. Lower Volga could be available for a while. Emba the same. Derbent and Semender are not available right now. Bulgar might be around for a few years. Kharzia will be. The Caspian Sea is not my first priority. Etc. Frankly, by value, the next provinces to go after are Kharzia and then Bulgar, but this is the long scheme, and if I don’t jump at opportunities that may shut soon, they may not open back up for a while (or ever).

That’s what I’m waiting on. It’s no sense jumping on a window that opened that may be open a while, when another is creeping.

[Abe Sargent]

July 8 – Well, it just happened. I order my forces assembled in the South Caspian for war.

I DOW them and move in

Aug 17 – Our child was stillborn

Sept 27 – We completely destroy one of their units and begin a siege. I order some units on, under my marshal’s guidance

Nov 13 – Highway robbers formed in kakheti

Nov 20 – We capture Gurgan and I order my 9500 troops to Nishapur

Jan 8, 1145 – We captured Nishapur and I order my forces to their capital – Khorasan

Mar 21 – Khorasan falls. Now, what do we take. How far to push?

I take 500 gold and Gurgan.

Screw it, I take the other two as well. I now have three more provinces. I give away Usturt so that I can control my 15 provinces. Let’s take a look at our awesome bounty.


Gurgan – South of Dihistan, and on the coast of the Caspian, lies this Persian Muslim province. 8 ducats are being made from this prosperous province, with almost everything already built in it. It’s a nice province, and it took us a while to capture because of the medium castle here. I order a Monastery here.

Nishapur – South of Gurgan, this Persian Muslim province features a rich amount of 9 ducats being made for us. It has many things built in it already, but only a hill fort for defense. I order training grounds here.

Khorasan – Ah, the jewel of the area. Despite thieves, smugglers, AND highway robbers, this province is still making us 13 ducats. Although it is missing a lot of things, it has some later game things like Windmills and Grand Palace. I order training grounds constructed. Persian and Muslim as well

[Abe Sargent]

The base value of Khorasan is 4.79, Nishapur 3.19 and Gurgan 1.66. For reference, Khwarizm is a base 5.03, Tmutarakan is 3.77, Kasogs is 3.67, Yegorlyk is 2.51, Saray is 3.77, Itil is 4.24, Kakheti is 3.05, Albania is 2.45 and Sugrov is 2.50. The most valuable provinces we have in Georgia, but not in my Demesne are:

Alania: 4.12
Kuma 3.34
Chaldea 2.81
Napoli 2.49 (under control by rebels right now)
Trapezous 2.45
Abkhazia: 2.31
Imeretia: 2.28

Hmm, it looks like the Byzantines either took or inherited Koloneia.


Our poorest five provinces by BASE value (not current value), are:

Azov – 0.28
Lower Dneiper and Uzens – 0.43
Kuban and Tana – 0.46


Do you see why these three were worth the risk and the wait? Now, there are the base values of the three provinces between Khwarizm and Khorasan (the dark blue ones) – 2.91, 4.5 and 6.75. See why they are an ultimate target?

Here are the valuable ones in Bulgar – 4.95, 2.25, 2.56, 4.21, 2.81 and 2.56.

However, some have gone back to the Turks and some have been conquered by a large pagan nation to the north. That opportunity has passed, (in its current state).

Now, here is Lower Volga – 0.67. Here is Dest-i-kipchak – 2.25. Here are the two Cherson provinces – 2.29, 3.00 (but I have no claims, and to manufacture them takes prestige and badboy). Not the same category, right?

Derbent – 2.15, Semender, 2.25


Just one prince, Alania, is losing loyalty each month – all of the others are gaining still. That means my only vassals losing loyalty on a monthly basis are cheap to keep up counts. Just two counts are losing loyalty – Usturt and Don Portage

If this were one of those games where attacking and taking lands from religious enemies did not give you badboy, then I would be rolling in provinces right now. I would have taken half of the Turks in the last few years.

However, I can DOW them without a claim, and take their land without a claim, so it’s till easier. Still, I can’t imagine Europe getting pissed off at a Georgia or Armenia that took ten or 12 provinces from the Turks in the 12th century. Would mainland Europe think Castille is doing bad things and reaching beyond itself and what is proper if it grabbed 12 provinces in the Reconquista?

[Abe Sargent]

June 16 – The emperor of Byzantium is now my friend! (with friends like these…)

July 8 – I order a Monastery in Kara-Kum and a mine dug in Saray

Aug 26 – My son gains forgiving after I punish him for thinking the peasants were like little slaves to be controlled at his beck and call

Nov 9 – A revolter in Dwin, has declared himself free of the Turks, and he’s Orthodox! I offer him vassalization, because way out here, it’s me or death.

Nov 12 – He declines. Not a smart play. You are a really bad provinces (basevalue is 0.31, with nothing built in it at all, except roads and a hill fort. He can have, when full, a few hundred troops total. Ick.)

For the first time, every vassal of the Turks Chief is getting negative value. I don’t think the Turks are coming back from this one. The Egyptians have taken way too many provinces Byzantium came back because no one took their vassals in the intervening years. The Turks ate a few, and others grabbed one or two here and there, but they were able to revassalize them, and conquer some others, post realm duress. But here, the Egyptians have taken a ton of provinces, and other tribes have as well. We chopped off some. They have permanently lost the east Caspian to me, and you’ve seen how valuable some provinces like Khwarizm and Khorasan are. They are out of Iberia completely. They took some of the provinces to my north, but lost several to another tribe. I just don’t see them regaining their power.

Nov 23 – The Emperor died and our friend goes with him.

Dec 22 – I order Monasteries in both Khorasan and Nishapur

I really am seeing myself as Byzantium East. The East Caspian is my Turkey – wealthy provinces that will likely put me over the top in power.

Mar 24, 1146 – My son comes to me and asks why the church is so rich when everyone else is poor. I tell him that is because they are getting heaven. He gains generous. I was hoping for that 50% chance at Zealous, but ah well.

July 1 – I order a Templar House in Sugrov and Saray

Sept 7 – I assembled the Albania army and took out some rebels in Dwin for them

Nov 6 – Derbent goes independence. I have to follow and DOW it and order my Albania troops in

Nov 21 – I order a Templar House in Gurgan

Jan 9, 1147 – We take Derbent:


Derbent – 6 ducats are made in this struggling Turkish Muslim province. Many things are built here, and I order training grounds to be added. This province is north of Albania.


I will go after Semender if I get a chance. For now, I will spend a bit of money to keep people happy. Right now I’m making like 180 gold monthly, so I have plenty of coin for everyone. After this addition to my nation, I still have mostly happy vassals

[Abe Sargent]

Jan 14, - My wife committed suicide. I look for another.


The province of Shemakha has gone rogue. This is the one south of Albania along the coast, but I want to keep myself focused on the Semender prize. I cannot overextend for anything else – eyes on the prize.


Jan 20 – Vaspurakan went rogue as another one province Orthodox nation. Very poor too. Hope it lasts!

I take 1600 gold in duty for my new wife from a county in France. I appoint the 16 year old as my new steward.

I use the coin to build a medium castle in Tmutarakan

Feb 1 – My third daughter has turned 16, and with 12/12/10/14, I want to see how she turns out from her education before deciding to marry her off to a courtier and keeping her here or shipping her off.

Feb 3 – Okay, let me tell you what is going on. The Prince of Trebizond’s grandson and heir has taken over the Principality of Athens. All of his kids have died, and just this one heir remains, and his only grandson. He is 52. When he dies, all of his provinces will go to the Prince of Athens. He has many province s- Napoli, the two in Trebizond, Chaldea. I don’t want to see him go, he has been a loyal subject for many years, and his provinces give me much happiness in my realm. Hover, his grandson is just 7. Who is his heir? His grandfather, the Prince. So, if the grandson dies before the grandfather does, then suddenly my realm inherits the Prince of Athens. Nice huh?

Time to send out an assassin. I want more provinces.

Success! Our Prince gains the following provinces:

Koloneia back!
Atheniai
These Counts – Dorostotum, Hellas, Demetrias

So in one shot, we gained 5 provinces with no badboy, for one of my vassals.

[Abe Sargent]

Mar 9 – I order a Templar House constructed in Kara-Kum

Apr 28 – The Prince of Abghazia is now my friend!

May 12 0 Another Orthodox one stater formed in Karin, a province with a massive 0.11 taxvalue. This stuff is crap. The Armenian provinces are very poor in places.

June 9 – We gain a friend with the Prince of Itil

June 21 – My third daughter matured, and wow, is she ever good:

Maria of Yegorlyk
Age 16

Martial – 12, Diplo – 13, Intrigue – 17, Stewardship – 14

Elusive Shadow, Prodigy, Just, Honest

It is too bad she can’t be my heir.

No way am I giving her up. She would be my best Spy Master, tied for my best Steward, my best Marshal if she wasn’t a chick, and one less than tied for my best Chancellor. They only reason she would not be my best is because I handpicked my Chancellor when I married again.

Males in my court – Diocese Bishop Belor of Kasogs, 3/8/13/7, age of 41; Respendial of Kasogs, age 55, 11/2/4/3; and Aton of Kasogs, with a 0/7/1/6 and 38 years old.

Not a lot of choices. If my bishop were 10 years younger…

I marry them anyway and hope.



July 23 – I order a Spinning Wheel in Khorasan and a Small Castle in Nishapur

Oct 15 – My new wife is expecting

Oct 25 – Thieves Guilds formed in Dihistan

Nov 2 - We start on an extensive road network in Kasogs

Nov 10 –I order a Small Castle constructed in Derbent

Dec 5 _ I crush a religious revolt in Derbent and the province is now Orthodox, Looted an Revolting.

Dec 9 – Smugglers hanged in Kakheti

[Abe Sargent]

Jan 5, 1148 – Derbent is no longer looted

Mar 29 – Today my nobles came to me and asked me to open up my succession laws to benefit them. I get angry and storm out, no concessions, and a few of my vassals loyalty drops. The Count of Sarkel gained Rebellious

May 4 – Distant Trading spreads to Kasogs

July 12 – We have a daughter and name her Irina

July 29 – I give in to demands in Derbent and the rebellion here ends.

Aug 24 – I have another religious tensions event, and I again choose to crush the resistance. Gurgan is Orthodox, looted and revolting

Sept 16 – We are expecting another child

Sept 24 -I order a medium castle in Albania

Nov 15 – Spreading to Kasogs is Letters of Credit

[Abe Sargent]

Jan 11, 1149 – A little one province Orthodox in Turkey DOWd the Prince of Athens, and I join my vassal in war against them.

May 20 – The Prince of Karvuna is now my friend

May 22 – I order a Smithy built in Khorasan

June 1 – I give in to demands in Gurgan and the revolt ends

June 15 – I have another daughter

July 16 – My son gain temperate when he asks why get so fussed about life and I agree with him

Aug 11 – the highway robbers terrorizing Kakheti have been rounded up and slain

Sept 9 – I order a Civilian Harbor in Kara-Kum

Sept 18 – My wife is expecting again

Nov 14 – Gurgan is no longer looted

Nov 23 – I order a Medium Castle in Nishapur

[Abe Sargent]

Apr 26, 1150 – That little one province nation was captured by the Prince of Athens – Herakleia

May 3 – I order a Naval harbor in Itil

May 6 – Get an event saying a rival is now embroiled in a war and now is the perfect time to strike! Yeah, sounds good! I DOW a small principality in Turkey and I get a claim against him. I will let my vassals attack or not as they choose, and only defend if he arrives – the goal was to get the claim.

May 20 – We have a son and name him Kankhusy

July 11 – I order a Forestry built in Derbent


July 26 – We would like to announce the marriage of

Uturku of Yegorlyk, 16, heir to the King of Georgia

And

Eirene Choumnos, 16, daughter of the Prince of Achaea

(6/9/9/10)

If we manage to kill his male heir, then my grandson from this union should inherit the whole thing.

Also, the Count of Manych is currently the heir to the prince of Nicaea who is 61 years old. That may happen soon.


I appoint my son to be my new Marshal, pending the resolution of his military education


Aug 7, Meat Livestocks discovered in Kasogs

Sept 23 – I order a medium castle built in Khorasan

Dec 22 – Our second son is now ill.

Another succession problem – The Prince of Trebizond/Athens/Coloneia successor is his grandson – age 15, with leprosy and stressed. If he dies, his successor is the Prince of Rhodos. So, if the grandson dies while Prince, and before having a son of his own, we lose everything that Prince has – which is a lot. However, the Count of Rhodos has the 15 year old leper as his successor too, so if the leper gains the province from the 52 year old Prince with pneumonia, and I kill the Count of Rhodos, then we will gain that County.

[Abe Sargent]

Feb 11, 1151 – I accept a white peace offer from the Prince we were at war with. Result? A new claim on the Prince title, and that’s it.

Apr 1 – The Count of Sinope declared independence from Byzantium, and then asked to join us, so I said yes. They are next to Herakleia.

May 12 - I order a Monastery in Derbent.

May 19 – I have positioned 7500 of my troop sunder my personal command in Bashkir, and I DOW the Tribe of Sames. My goal in this war is to take Bulgar and Kama. Both have a solid value, and that would sort of give me protection for the two province pagan nation to my north with two great provinces.

June 19 – We have defeated the army and captured Bulgar. Now I move onward and northward

July 20 – We captured kama and scattered the defenders

Sept 111 – After a rejected peace proposal, they accept.


Bulgar – This province, north and west of Bashkir is Russian and Muslim. We are currently making 7 ducats here. It has thieves, smugglers, and robbers. I order a Court of Justice here.

Kama – The Muslim Russians here make us 7 ducats and it’s not that developed. I order a Tile Factory here. North of Bulgar.

[Abe Sargent]

How about a map of the lower area?

[Abe Sargent]

Because so much of the land near me ins in my color, but not mine, I drew the borders of my nation. You can see where Lower Volga is at top, and where the borders are in Turkey and Caspian.

The purple is Byzantium, the green is Egypt, and the orange, in the few places you can see it, are the Turks. There is a white emirate, a dark blue emirate, a forest green Chief, and the blue my color is Sheik, so they are all united. I just don’t see the Turks coming back from this. They are hacked.

The blue provinces in south Turkey are not mine, hence no outline. I put yellow stars by provinces that are in the queue and I want to take, and are currently held by non-Christians.


My son has had a son, but still has not had his military training reveal itself.

[Abe Sargent]

Apr 19 – Letters of Indulgence discovered in Kasogs

May 19 – My son became a Knowledged Tactician.

May 22 – A province just west of Desht, a pagan, just went independent after being captured by rebels. Add it to the queue.

June 1 – I order a War Academy in Tmutarakan

June 4 – The Theives Guild is disbanded in Semender

June 11 – Byzantium DOWs Sames, which is who I just two the two Bulgar provinces from.

Sept 2 – You know how the Count of Manych was supposed to inherit several provinces from Byzantium when that guy died? Well, the 31 year old Count died today before the 64 year old noble did from Byzantium, and I get nothing. His son, who inherits the county, is not the next heir.

Dec 14 – I order a small castle built in Bulgar

Dec 23 – Naval harbor in Albania

Jan 12, 1153 – Small castle ordered for Kama

Mar 30 – I get an event. My friend (Prince of Karvuna) is in war. Should I go to his aid? I choose not to go to war with Byzantium. That’s just silly. I failed to gain any traits though.

June11 – I order a small castle in Semender

Aug 15 – The Prince of Karvuna is no more.

Aug 30 – Bulgar’s highway robbers are killed

Sept 3 – I order a glass-works built in Itil.

Sept 19 – My steward died. I have to appoint a 10 stewardship person, and my money monthly drops to 125 from 165.

Oct 24 – I order a smithy built in Nishapur

[Abe Sargent]

Apr 4, 1154 – My second son died today from his illnesses.

May 19 – The Turks are down to 4 vassals.

May 24, I’m going to do something I shouldn’t, but I just can’t help myself. I order an army assembled under the guise of myself, and sent to Turkey.

June 17 – Small Pox arrives in Gurgan

July 1 – Windmills ordered in Tmutarakan

Sept 8 – Our stability increases to +2

Oct 16 – I sailed 6000 troops under my command to Byzantium and DOW the Turks.

Nov 10 – We defeat a small forces and initiate a siege.

Dec 24 – I order a mine in Nishapur

Feb 22, 1155 – We no longer are experiencing Small Pox in Gurgan

Mar 1 – We capture Byzantion

Mar 12 – The Turks decline a peace offer for Byzantium

Mar 16 – I order the Napoli army to assemble and head to the Turkish province of Palermo and take it.

Apr 20 – My half brother lost his prince-ship and rejoins us in Georgia

May 2 – Iron Ploughs in Kasogs

June 15 – I order a Monastery in Bulgar

July 8 – We have another daughter

July 13 – I order another Monastery in Kama

Aug 29 – The Turks take peace:


Byzantion – Smugglers, Robbers, Rebelling, and Poor – despite this, it makes us 7 ducats annually. Greek Orthodox. I order a smithy here.


There were many other provinces worth taking right now, but I felt this was simply too good of an opportunity to pass up. I give up Derbent to a nice courtier that we got when we got many of those from my half-brothers ex principality.

[Abe Sargent]

Sept 2 – I successfully assassinated, but was discovered, the Prince of Achaea’s only son. Now my grandson is his direct heir

Sept 25 – I order a War Academy in Nishapur

Oct 1 – I order a Grand Shipyard constructed in Tutmarakan

Nov 11 – We gain a thieves guild in Kasogs. Yuck.

Nov 14 – Byzantium just took a ton of provinces from Sames.

Dec 16 – I order a library built in Semender

Apr 20, 1156 – A rebellion in Byzantion is put down by Byzantium as they cross with several armies.

July 1 – The Count of Khopyor was inherited or pledged to the Prince of Athens/Trebizond/Coloneia, and another province is added to my nation.

Aug 24 – Bulgar smugglers defeated

Nov 28 – Small Pox in Tmutarakan

Nov 29 – I order a Monastery in Byzantion

Dec 4 – I order a War Academy in Saray

[Abe Sargent]

Jan 17, 1157 – Small Pox is in retreat

Feb 15 – I order a training grounds in Bulgar

Mar 14 – Another ordered in Kama

Mar 17 – We are expecting a child

Mar 23 – I order a smithy in Sugrov

Apr 21 – Highway robbers in Byzantion killed

July 18 – After a peasant uprising, I crush the people in Bulgar. It becomes Orthodox, looted and rebelling

Aug 1 – I order a Monastery in Itil

Aug 13 – Now I order a medium castle in Semender

Nov 25 – We have a son, who we apparently name Lois

Dec 5 – Today, at the age of 50, our King has died of old age. He had a Piety of 621 and a prestige of 3651.

Our new King:

Uturku, age 23

16/8/10/8

Knowledged Tactician
Temperate, Forgiving, Generous, Deceitful, Modest, Wise, Loyalist, Stubborn


I have a lot different skills than my father. I cannot have nearly this large of a demense, and I am making less money in provinces, and my diplomacy is not as high, so my vassals aren’t as loyal. I start spending some money.

I claim the Princes of Sarkel and Derbent. This increases my prestige by 200, and helps with vassal loyalty

I give out about 1200 gold to various courtiers to get their loyalty up. My most important vassal - the Prince of Athens/Coloneia/Trebizond is my friend, so that’s a nice plus. My wife is infertile due to depression, and I have just one child – a son.

I give away Sugrov to a courtier, and the Prince of Sarkel to the Count of Sarkel. Don Portage and Sugrov report to him.

I grant Turkmen and Dihistan and the Prince of Merv title to one of my best, young, courtiers.

Kara-Kum goes to a minor courtier, with amazing stewardship, but weak elsewhere.

I give Kakheti to a great courtier. It’s no longer on the edge of the kingdom, and I was only keeping it for the money.

Finally, I give Gurgan to my Diocese Bishop, who is quite good. It’s time to promote him after good service.

Because of all of the provinces and titles I gave away, my badboy dropped massively. I have a very small badboy, which means I can go shopping. My badboy is -1.5 for my vassals. That’s nothing.

[Abe Sargent]

Dec 6 – I DOW Bilyar. I want two of their provinces before Byzantium takes them

Dec 22 – Bulgar is no longer looted

Feb 11, 1158 – We have won battles against both of their provinces I am aiming against, and I order a library built in Kama

Feb 14 –We capture one of the provinces

Apr 2 – We take the second province, but we don’t have a high enough warscore to take them both, so I move to their third province.

May 25 – We took their third province and I try something a little different. I take the two provinces I want and I force vassalize the Turkish Muslim to be a count of mine in the third. Let’s see how that goes. Our BB is now -3.1 – still not bad at all:


Bilyar - 17 ducats are made for us in this rich Russian Muslim province to the east of Bulgar and Kama, and north of S. Ural and Bashkirs. It has a ton of stuff, and there is nothing more I can build here save a church.

Votyaki – Makes 12 ducats, prosperous, Russian Muslims, north of Bilya and east of Kama, tons of stuff here too.


Then I vassalized Zyriane

[Abe Sargent]

June 22 – I send the Prince title and Semender to the Count of Derbent.

June 25- I DOW Syrt

July 17 – I accept a fosterling from Alania

July 23 – Syrt falls and we take it:


Syrt – North of the Lower Volga, the rich Russian Muslims make us 10 ducats here. This province was previously Egyptian but had rebelled, and I wanted to take it while I had a window. I order a small castle here.


I give Albania to the Prince of Derbent. I give Syrt away to our old Marshal Respendial.

I have one more battle to wage, and then I’ll be good for a while.

July 20 – I order a Civilian Harbor built in Byzantion

Sept 4 – I DOW Sharukan

Nov 9 – It falls


Sharukan – This Pagan Cuman province is the new border out here, and connects Sugrov with Chortitza. It also fully encloses the pagan Dest-i-kipchak. 8 ducats are being made here. I order a small castle built.


I give it away to a lovely courtier. We now are at -3.6. We started with -1.5, and after taking four provinces and vassalizing a fifth, we didn’t change that much.

I mean, sure, we need a little cool down time, but we are still looking good for more expansion as the need is seen. I have encapsulating Lower Volga and Dest-ikipchak, so I can take them at my leisure.

All five of these additions are in Khazaria. I now have 32 of 52 Khazarian provinces. I need 25 to take the King title. Dest and Lower Volga are both in. I would just need one more to be in.

[Abe Sargent]

Jan 7, 1159 -I order the construction of a War Academy in Khorasan

Apr 10 – I gain the Prince of Nicaea as a rival

Apr 18 – I give in to demands in Bulgar and the rebellion there ends.

May 7 – My wife committed suicide, and since I have just one child, I go searching for another.

May 16 – I marry a 16 year old with 11/14/10/14 stats from Finland.

May 20 – Mint is discovered in Kasogs.

June 16 – Rebellion in Byzantion

June 27 – Destroyed!

July 2 -=Lois died today, so I am the only son of my father that lived. He had 10 children, 7 were girls. Of the three boys, two died very young.

Nov 23 – Vodyaki is now orthodox, looted and rebelling after I crush revolting nobles.

Dec 13 – The peasants in Vodyaki are starving, and I open my coffers to help them. It costs me a few hundred gold, but the province is no longer looted, no longer rebelling, and I gain some piety

Dec 21 – Theives are rounded up and executed in Bulgar

Jan 15, 1160 – I decline an alliance offer from Poland

Mar 7 – I give in to demands in Byzantion and the rebelling ends

Mar 13 – Mass Scale Conversions in Bilyar – it’s now Orthodox

Apr 1 – I order a Naval Harbor built in Byzantion

May 1 – I order Templar Houses in Kama and Bulgar

May 22 – Poland just DOWd a province I need to take, so I order my Tmutarakan regiment assembled and moving.

July 7 – I DOW Desht-i-Kipchak

July 28 – Khorasan becomes Orthodox after I crush the nobles who would defy me. Also looted

Aug 14 –


Desht-i-Kipchak – This internal province has Cuman Pagans. The struggling people here are making 7 ducats. It is missing most things, so I ordered a Tile Factory here. I have no long term desire for it, so I give it away to a courtier.

[Abe Sargent]

Sept 15 – The County of Dorostrum DOWs the Prince of Athens et all. I agree to help bring this wayward county back to our line. I order the Byzantion regiment assembled and moving. I will destroy the army, and maybe start a siege, and then let the prince finish.

Oct 1 -0 I order a Monastery in Tmutarakan

Oct 27 – Dorostrum is recaptured by the Prince and retaken.

Nov 3 – Thieves killed in Kasogs

Dec 15 – I inherited Bashkirs today. I order a Medium Castle here, and then give it away again.

Jan 8, 1161 – I accept an alliance offer from Byzantium

Mar 20 – Khorasan is no longer looted

Apr 1 – I order a War Academy in Kasogs

Apr 27 – Ballads spread to Kasogs

July 26 – Smugglers in Khorasan defeated

Aug 18 – The County of Lukomorie is DOWing the Prince of Crimea – another of ours going wayward. Again I join the war.

Dec 13 – One of my vassals has stupidly DOW’d Egypt, and now we are all in.

I don’t want any Egyptian provinces. I was hoping to stay out of this war. I make an offer to Egypt. Peace for 500 ducats. A nice sum

Jan 2, 1162 – They reject my offer. IU order troops to Melitine.

Feb 20 – Lukomorie is brought back into the fold

Feb 25 – After Mass Scale Conversions, Nishapur is now Orthodox

Mar 6 – We capture Melitene

Mar 18 – They reject a peace offer for Melitene and gold

Apr 15 – Two provinces south of my Caspian holdings have fallen to my large armies.


Melitene – This province was once ours, but fell to the Turks. It is Orthodox and Armenian, looted and poor. I give it back to the Prince of Coloneia. It makes 6 ducats for us

[Abe Sargent]

June 1 – I order a Grand Palace ordered in Tmutarakan

Aug 11 – Emba has gone independent but they reject vassalization

Mar 1, 1163 – I order a Grand Palace in Nishapur

Apr 4 – I got a nasty event today. The Chief o the Seljuk Turks is now my rival. Ick. This is a new guy, and they are now out of Realm Duress

Jun 22 – Malaria arrives in Nishapur

Aug 1 – I think Training Grounds make sense as the next construction project in Byzantion

Dec 12 – I order the construction of a Grand Shipyard in Itil

Feb 23, 1164 – Smuggler’s Ring broken up in Byzantion

Mar 7 – Medium Crossbows spread in Kasogs

Apr 1 – I gained a claim on my rival – King of Turks

Apr 8 – I fall in love with my wife

June 1 – I order a War Academy constructed in Byzantion

July 14 – At some point in time, the Count of Zyraine converted to Orthodox. The Bey of Qom is this guy’s heir, and vice-versa. This guy is 35, and the Bey is 56, so hopefully the Bye will die first, and our Count will gain Qom and add it to our nation. Qom is two provinces south of Nishapur.

[Abe Sargent]

Feb 1, 1165 – I have all of this money and nothing to spend it on. I’m making, literally, 195 ducats a month. I have thousands. So I am giving a few hundred here and there to counts in underdeveloped territories, so they can use it to build them up.

I order a War Academy in Bulgar

Aug 1 – One of my Princes inherits a small province in Turkey from Byznatium. Yay!

Aug 18 – Our stability increases to +3!!!

Jan 30, 1166 – Tmutarakan is now Alan after a culture change

Mar 13 – I get an event – Assassins sent by rival. They fail. The Turks sent them.

July 1 – I order a Grand Shipyard built in Byzantion

[Abe Sargent]

100 Year Review


Dec 1, 1166

Here is our Demesne, and how much gold we are making a month from it:

Byzantion – 36
Tmutarakan – 15
Kasogs – 13
Bulgar – 14
Kama – 8
Bulyar – 17
Votyaki - 11
Saray – 14
Itil – 14
Khwarizm – 21
Nishapur – 9*
Khorasan – 24

Nishapur is currently under a Malaria epidemic, and it’s taxes are cut down significantly as a result.

Of these, all are Orthodox except for Kama.



Our Prince Vassals –

Prince of Abghazia
Prince of Alania
Prince of Athens, Coloneia and Trebizond
Prince of Azov
Prince of Crimea
Prince of Derbent
Prince of Itil
Prince of Merv
Prince of Sarkel

How many provinces are in my kingdom? 63


My son is still in line to succeed the Prince of Achaea, and when he does, we will get that Princedom after it comes to us, giving us the four out most provinces of Greece. It means we would have most of Greece between the Prince of Athens and that of Achaea.

We have the Count still in line to inherit Qom if that guy dies first.

[Abe Sargent]

How about some maps? Let’s start with the Black Sea and Turkey.





I circled all of the things that are mine, and in the case of Lower Volga, what is not mine. You have a nice, clear map there. Byzantium really used the Turk dissolving event to respread out across Turkey. They have taken tons of provinces from the former Turk provinces from Egypt, and other Muslim nations.

As you will see in a bit, Byzantium and me won a bit from the Turk dissolution (sorta, they are still there) but the real winners are Egypt. I brought up the province of Byzantion so you can see it to the left.

[Abe Sargent]

Here is the north:





Oh, note the gold, piety and prestige and stability on the screenies. As you can see, Russia is basically under Byzantine control exclusively, and I have the back end. The Brown provinces are the Tribe of Sames. I’m as far north as I want to go in this direction. I may try and grab the two blue provinces that are not me before Byzantium does. I brought up the province of Bilyar, so you can see it to the left.

[Abe Sargent]

Here you can see our Caspian holdings clearly. I put a yellow star on Qom so you can see where we may inherit a province in a bit. The green is Egypt, and they got a lot of good lands, the Lebanese area, the Azeri area, the area to my south and such. The ones they lost to Byzantium in Armenia are crap, and are no major loss. There was no Egyptian province I wanted, really, and still not with a major exception, to be seen in a bit.

The Turks are there, and losing a war with the greenish-blue tinged tribe. This Blue tribe you see I want tons of their lands. I want their two up north – Lower Volga and that other one, and then I want to move east from Nishapur and take all three of those provinces on the South side of the Caspian. I eventually want their ones between Khwarizm and Ryn Desert. Then I want to take all of the Egyptian and their provinces between Albania and that area – it includes some nice ones, and some enhh ones, but no crappy ones. I have no desire right now to expand inward from the coasts. Most of the provinces start getting bad as you go inland to the deserts. That’s not the case everywhere, but it is in many areas.


My badboy drop for my vassals is down to just -2.8, and it definitely time to take that out for a spin. My options are – a mega war with the Sultenante of Zenata (The blue guys that are my color), a smaller war to absorb the three provinces in this area to my east, or grab the two white provinces to the west of my land in the north-western area of the Black Sea.

Ultimately, I want all of the coastal provinces in the Black and Caspian seas. If I can do that, I’ll be happy.

We are getting closer and closer to the invasion from the east. My manpower right now is…209007.

Here are my goals in a war with Zenata – Lower Volga, Mountain Cheremisa (the two up north by me); Azerbaijan (to give me an outpost in an area I want to take), Tabiristan, Manzandaran, and Gilan, along the Caspian.

Most of those are not rocking a super high value, but are just solid.

[Abe Sargent]

Dec 17 – I go hunting with the Prince of Azov and we are now friends

Dec 19 – I accept a fosterling from Guria

July 5, 1167 – malaria recedes from Nishapur

July 27 – We get a Culture Change in Votyaki, and it is now Alan

Apr 4 – My wife has announced her pregnancy

Sept 15 – I marry my son to the Countess of the province next to Byzantion – Kaliopolis. It’s not that valuable, but it was the only one exposed. She;s not a bad wife, but a tad older than I’d want (23) but very feasible. Now, their son, my grandson, will inherit Kaliopolis, and when the Prince of Achaea dies, my son will take that over, and when I die, we get a lot of stuff.

Sept 19 – The Principality of Nicaea has gone rogue against Byzantium and I join them in their war

Sept 30 – For some stupid reason, Nicaewa landed troops in Byzantium, and I arrange the 20000 to defeat them

Oct 2 – We win, and I order my troops to pursue.

Oct 9 – Dysentery arrives in Byzantion

Oct 29 – We capture Prusa

Nov 7 – And now the Dysentary it is leaving. That was fast.

Nov 20 – We defeat an army in Nikomedeia

Dec 10 – We capture it, and vassalize the wayward prince for myself:

Prince of Nicaea has Nikomedia, to the east of my holdings in North Turkey, Prusa just south of those, and then two vassals – Vasapurakan in Armenia, and another in Russia. Both minor. We now have the corners of Turkey by Byzantion.

[Abe Sargent]

Apr 14, 1168 – We have a daughter and name her Maria

June 8 – Okay, Byzantium captured the Principality and took their lands. We lost the Prince, but, we gained a claim on the prince title and two of the counties, and we lost no badboy doing so. I am at -2.4 badboy for my vassals right now.


July 27 – My son had a son – Aspar. Strategy successful, and this dynasty should continue.

Dec 16 – I give away Kama to a nice courtier

Jan 7, 1169 – I get ready for a big war. I order my Kasogs army to move to position.

Apr 18 – I order a Medium Castle in Khwarizm

June 3 – I order a Grand Palace in Bulgar

July 18 – I have 12500 troops in Nishapur, ready to attack east, 6500 troops in Vaspurakan ready to attack Azerbaijan, and a few troops in Kakheti assembled to attack Kartli, a group of 5000 men from Saray ready to hit Lower Volga, and finally, an army of 8400in Bulgar. Here’s my plan.

DOW the enemy. DOW Azerbaijan, Mountain Cheremusa, Lower Volga and Tabiristan and move my armies in. Then move on, and keep attacking. That’s the goal.

Here we go. I send the declarations of war out.

July 29 – The siege of Kartli has begun

Aug 5 – We win in Lower Volga and begin a siege

Aug 7 – We win in Mountain C. and begin a siege

Aug 15 – We captured Kartli

Aug 17 – We capture Lower Volga.

I disband the Saray and Kartli armies.

Aug 20 – The siege of Azerbaijan begins

Sept 1 – After a long battle, we defeat 4500 troops in Mountain C

Sept 8 – The Siege of Tabaristan begins

Sept 10 – Mountain C falls and I disband the Bulgar army

Sept 29 – Tabaristan falls. We move east

Oct 14 – Azerbaijan falls. I disband the army

I take Mountain C and Lower Volga in peace.

Nov 20 – The siege of Mazandaran began today

Dec 10 – It fell. On to Gilan

Jan 11, 1170 – We begin the siege of Gilan

Feb 15 – I became friends with the Sheik of Jaffa

Feb 20 – Revolt in Lower Volga.

Mar 2 – Put down

Mar 6 – Gilan fell

I take Azerbaijan, Tabaristan and Gilan and Mazandaran

I offer peace for Kartli

Mar 20 – Peace offer rejected.

[Abe Sargent]

Well let’s look at the provinces right now. We have a major demesne modifier, so the values for ducats will be lower than you’d expect. But here we go:


Lower Volga – Finally! It took forever to take this thing. It needs a lot of help. I ordered a Hill Fort built here, it makes three ducats, and I am handing it off to the Prince of Itil right now. Muslim and Pagan.

Mountain Cheremisa – Finnish and Muslim. 6 ducats made here. I ordered a Medium Castle here. I hand this to a courtier.

Actually, let me give away some stuff right now, to make this a bit more fair. I hand away Votyaki. All of the four other provinces I’ve ordered a Monastery in. I give Bulgar away to a great courtier. I will keep Bilyar so I have a nation up top to use in war and such. Plus it’s worth the most money of those up here.


Azerbaijan – 9 ducats, rich Muslim Persian, in the middle of the territory I want to expand into. Just two provinces away from Gilan and three from Albania.

Gilan – The most valuable of the three Caspian provinces I took, making 12 ducats, the rich Muslim Persians here give me a valuable province – strategically and its solid financially.

Mazandaran – The poor Persian Muslim people here make us 7 ducats a month. This was the poorest province in the south I took, but it was important to grab it now.

Tabaristan – Right next to Gurgan, this Persian Muslim province is making us 7 ducats as well, despite being rich.


I claim the Prince of Mazandaran title. I give Mazandaran to my best courtier, and then give him the Prince title.


My son has taken over the Prince of Achaea.

After giving away all of those counties, my folks are now at -4.6 badboy – which is still very manageable. For the next few years, if I come across a great window, I can open it up and take it. I could still get Kartli in peace with Zenata.

I can take the title King of Khazaria any time, but I’m not interested.

[Abe Sargent]

Apr 12 – The Count of Usturt is now a rival. Blast!

June 24 – Kasogs is now learned in clothsmaking. I order a Spinning Mill here

Aug 15 – I order a War Academy constructed in Itil

Oct 1 – I order another spinning mill, this time in Tmutarakan

Apr 24, 1171 – That window just hit. The Sheikdom of Edessa declared themselves free of Byzantine rule. I move the Azeri army over.

Apr 27 – We are expecting another child

June 1 – I DOW Edessa

July 24 – Edessa falls. This worked before, so…I make them my vassal. No badboy.

July 30 - We order a Grand Palace in Byzantion.

Aug 27 – Mangyshyk keeps sending armies into Khwarizm and attacking me, only to get rebuffed by me. If they don’t stop it, I’m going to DOW and take them.

Sept 12 – We gained Qom after the Bey there died.

Sept 25 – I order a Dye Works in Kasogs

Nov 10 – I order smithy in Azerbaijan and Tabaristan and a Spinning Mill in Gilan

Jan 2, 1172 – We have a girl

Jan 8 – I order a Dye Works in Tmutarakan

Feb 1 – Kartli is offered for peace by Zenata and I take it.

Kartli – Muslim Georgians make 4 ducats here. There’s not a lot of value here, and not a lot of stuff built. I order a small castle constructed, and then I give it away. This was the final province in Georgia.


I create the prince of Kartli title. I gave Kartli and then the Prince title to the 12 year old Count of Kakheti. He is looking pretty good already. I took this province in order to: Expand my domains by one, stop the Byzantine expansion in Armenia, create another Prince title, and round out my Georgian provinces.

My badboy is -3.9 with my vassals – still really strong.

[Abe Sargent]

Mar 1 – After an illness, my son has died today! My grandson is now Prince of Achaea. My son was a very solid – 9/11/12/6. Not amazing, but pretty good. My grandson is just 3, and could easily die before 16. We’ll just have to hope and see.

July 17 – Chainmail spreads to Kasogs

Sept 11 – Grand Palace ordered up in Itil

Dec 26 – Grand Palace ordered in Kasogs

Jan 30, 1173 – Templar House in Azerbaijan, Grand Shipyard in Gilan

Feb 27 – Medium Castle ordered in Tabaristan

Mar 2 – I get an event I haven’t seen in a while – Distance makes it hard ot control – Saray gets a Thieves Guild, Smugglers Band and Highway Robber Ring.

Nov 18 – The Turks and Egypt have gone to war, which is good, because if I can hit Egypt at just the right time, I can take a bunch of her provinces

Jan 12 – Here is my anti Egypt plan.

Assemble armies in Edessa, Azerbaijan, Nishapur, Sinope, Gilan and Albania. DOW Egypt and several vassals. Move:

Sinope into Paphlagonia, a lousy province in Turkey, but one of the few left that is not Byzantine or me in the area. Allows me to claim a Prince title.

Gilan into Tabriz, one of my high profile targets. Take Tabriz out of the equation and get it into my win pile. Then move on.

Nishapur into Lut. Not to win, not to take land, just to annoy and harass and keep the Egyptian armies to my south bottled up.

Albania into Shemakha, a Caspian province and another high priority target. Take it and move on

Edessa to play defense from many Egyptians south. If they are not coming, go take Bira, a high profile target.

Azeri to play defense initially, as it is virtually surrounded by Egypt. Then go where neede.d

Targets, in order of priority:

Shemakha
Tabriz
Shirvan
Bira
Nisibin
Suenik
Paphlagonia

If I can take the first six, I will be all along the Caspian, and have the entire area around Azerbaijan. I will connect Gilan and all points east with Azerbaijan and Edessa and Albania. We will also ring the Byzantium Armenian provinces, leaving them without the ability to move in any obvious directions.

That’s my goal.

[Abe Sargent]

Mar 4 – I get the Emperor of Byzantium as my rival. Damn

July 1 – I go to war a bit early after Egypt attacks Byzantium, and I go to out ally’s defense. A defensive war I was about to start! I have armies on the way already. I order up armies in Azerbaijan, Sinope, and Gilan and Nishapur to begin their tasks, while armies are en route to Edessa and Albania as we speak.


Aug 9 – We start a siege in Paphlagonia, Tabriz and Shirvan.

Aug 19 – We begin a siege in Suenik

Aug 21 – I defeated them in Lut

Aug 27 – We lose in Shirvan

Aug 30- We capture Lut and move on

Sept 1 – Paph. Falls to us

Sept 2 – We arrive in Bira and begin a siege

Sept 4 – Suenik fell to Byzantium, and not me. I order our army on.

Sept 6 – We win a battle in Qwivir and begin a siege of an Egyptian possession.

Sept 18 – We take Bira, and since the Bey is a 73 year old man who’s son is a Bey of the Turks, I don’t want him to die and it goes over and we lose it, so I take it now in peace. I order our army on.

Sept 13 -Tabriz falls. I order the army on

Sept 26 - We capture Qwivir in the south.

Oct 12 – The siege of Shemakha begins

Oct 22 – We win in Shirvan and begin a siege

Oct 24 - -While fighting, a bit of problems in GIlan. I crush the rebels and the province is Orthodox, looted and rebelling

Nov 12 – Smugglers rounded up in Saray

Nov 17 – We win a battle against Esfahan in the south and begin a siege

Nov 27 – Shemakha falls

Dec 10 – Nishiban falls

Dec 12 – Shirvan falls. Time for some negotiations. Wait, Byzantium went to peace, so I order troops back to Suenik.

Dec 27 – They recapture Lut

Jan 24, 1176 – Suenik falls. Now let’s to peace

After taking Nishbin, Shemakha, and Shirvan, I don’t feel we’ll be able to grab paph in this run though, so I order a peace with Tabriz and Suenik as the prizes.

Feb 4 – They reject peace so I push on. Obviously I need to prove a point

Feb 17 – We capture Esfahan. Maybe now they’ll shut up and take peace.

Mar4 – We are at peace.

[Abe Sargent]

Our new provinces:

Nishiban – Muslim, Arab, 4 ducats, ordering a sawmill, west of Azerbaijan

Bira – Muslim, Arab, between Nishiban and Edessa, 3 ducats, working on medium castle

Suenik – Just north of Azerbaijan, and inland. Muslim, Armenian, working on hill fort, thieves, smugglers, highway robbers

Shemakha – south of Armenia, along Caspian Sea. Persian, Muslim, Rich, 6 ducats, working on medium castle

Shirvan - South of Shemakha along coast, next to Azerbaijan and Gilan. Poor, Persian, Muslim, 4 ducats, working on Monastery

Tabriz – Inland province between Gilan and Azerbaijan. Rich< Persian, 5 ducats, thieves, smugglers, Muslims, working on sawmill


I look to unload some of these. I make the title Prince of Tabriz

I give away provinces – Suenik, Bira, Shemakha, and Nishiban. I keep Tabriz and Shirvan for now.

I give Saray to the Prince of Itil right after ordering Windmills there. I make money from it, but it’s not anywhere near the front anymore.

There are only two Caspian provinces left. Emba and Mangyshlak

After all of that, I am at -4.5 badboy from my vassals. I probably should have pushed for Paph. Ah well.

[Abe Sargent]

Maps?





I drew lines around my provinces. As you can see, I have connected most of the parts of my kingdom. This war was more about strategy than economic value. Remove easy options for Byzantine expansion, connect my lands, remove Egypt from the area, and so forth. Now my eyes will turn east. If everything stays as it is now, I suspect my next war is against the three dark blue provinces to my east. This war was for strategy, the next is for gold.

[Abe Sargent]

June 12 – Typhoid Fever arrives in Nishapur

June 16 – malaria arrives in Khorasan

Aug 15 – I give in to demands in Gilan and the revolting here ends

Sept 21 – The rash of Typhoid Fever cases in Nishapur has diminished and we proclaim an end to the epidemic

Dec 17 – My Marshal dies and I have no men left in my court to even be a Marshal

Mar 7, 1177 - I get a religious tensions event in Shirvan and I crush the clergy. Orthodox, looted, rebelling

Apr 1 – I got the Warrior Fleeing from a Distant land event and a warrior enters my realm and becomes my new Marshal.

May 24 – I order the construction of a Library in Tabaristan

Jun 6….and a windmill in Tabriz

Jun 8 – I refuse to go to my ally’s help when they DOW France. I want to fight non-Christians.

July 11 – I give in to demands in Shirvan and the rebellion ends

July 18 – Bilyar is now Alan

Aug 23 – Smugglers killed in Tabriz and their scourge on the people there ends.

Oct 6 – Tabaristan is now looted, rebelling and Orthodox after the clergy were crushed.

Nov 1 – A templar house is being built in Gilan

Nov 5 – I decide to build one in Shirvan as well

Jan 18, 1178 – Knowledge of ironworks spreads to Kasogs

Feb 19 – Tabaristan is no longer looted

Apr 8 The Prince of Cherson declared independence and I join Byzantium in war against them. I order the Tmutarakan unit assembled.

June 6 – I give in to demands and the rebelling ends in Tabaristan

June 16 – We arrive in Cherson and begin a siege while they are besieging the Byzantine province in the area.

June 22 – Malaria in retreat in Khorasan

July 7 – Cherson falls and I order them to Theodosia

Aug 7 – I submit orders for the construction of a Monastery in Tabriz

Aug 10 – Thieves now in Shirvan

Sept 21 – We capture Theodosia. I order vassalization, expecting that Byzantium will come in again and retake them, but it gives me claims on lands I absolutely want for later.

Sept 27 – Long swords spread to Kasogs

Oct 24 – We are asked to place a Bishop in my court, I agree, and I now have a Diocese Bishop

Nov 16 – Shirvan is no longer looted

Nov 17 – The thieves are rounded up in Shirvan the very next day

[Abe Sargent]

Feb 1, 1179 – I order the building of new training grounds in Tabaristan. They should be completed in about 10 months.

Aug 1 – Byzantium has captured both of Cherson;s provinces, and I’m just waiting to see what happens next.

Nov 2- Mace spreads to Kasogs

Dec 1 _ True to their word, the builders are done in Tabaristan in ten months, and I order a civilian harbor next.

Jan 19, 1180 – Gilan no longer looted

Jan 23 – Cherson is absorbed into the Byznatine Empire, and I gain claims on all of their provinces and the Prince title.

Mar 8 – Spinning Mill ordered in Tabriz

Apr 1 – I order the construction of a Huge Castle in Byzantion at the cost of 5000 ducats

May 6 – Windmills are requested in Shirvan

Jun 8 – Thieves caught and killed in Tabriz

Aug 1 – I order a Smithy in Gilan

Sept 6- Knowledge of how to use a wind wheel arrives in Kasogs

[Abe Sargent]

Jan 8, 1181 – It’s time. I organize armies in Azerbaijan and Gilan. My targets are not what you expect but two other provinces adjacent to mine of value – Kurdistan and Dailam.

I DOW the Kingdom of al-Murabitids. They are in control of Jerusalem and constantly in war. They have all of their troops rallied and near Jerusalem to fight against the 20ish European powers they are at war with, and the Turks, so I intend to grab a few of their provinces near my Caspian holdings.

I was expecting my next war to grab the three eastern provinces I’ve wanted for a while, but this a good opportunity to grab two provinces I want.

Jan 21 – Ryn Desert goes rogue and I DOW him. He became a Heretic and is using that against me. I hope my vassals will clean him out.

Feb 6 – My Itil army arrives in Ryn Desert. I want to blast their army to make this easy.

Feb 8 – My armies arrive in their targets and the sieges begin.

Feb 15 – We crush the heretic army of Ryn Desert and it is destroyed. I disband my Itil army. No one has DOW’ed him yet, but my guess is that someone will

Feb 26 – We fend off an assault in Kurdistan

Mar 21 – Dailam falls

Apr 25 – I order Windmills built here in Kasogs

Apr 30 – We drive off another assault in Kurdistan

May 8 –

Kurdistan – Next to Azerbaijan, Nisibin and Tabriz – this Muslim Persian province was just ordered by us to build a sawmill. Prosperous, 6 ducats, thieves and highway robbers

Dailam – 7 ducats, Muslim, Persian, thieves, already working on a medium castle when I took it, next to Gilan and Mazandaran.


Both fit into my profile very well and are among the few valuable interior provinces in the area.

Somehow, the Count of Mesopotamia defected to us – the Prince of Athens et all.

This throne has been mega successful for us

[Abe Sargent]

June 4 – I re-vassalize Ryn Desert after no one else attacks it

I give Tabaristan to the Prince of Mazandaran

Aug 7 – I build a mine in Shirvan, and then give it away to a nice little countess

After that, I am at -3.6 because of reputation, so I can still grab in a window of opportunity. I will wait a few years to do the war I’ve been waiting and preparing for.

I now have over 7000 prestige

Aug 19 – Thieves in Kurdistan now defeated

Jan 9, 1182 – After refusing to accept peace with al-Murabatids several times, I lands troops in Kirkuk and begin a siege.

Jan 12 – And then three days later I take a Heathens Splintered event and white peace

Mar 1 – I order Templar Houses in Tmutarakan, Nishapur, Khorasan, Itil and Khwarizm

Mar 27 – Critical Bible Interpretations spread to Kasogs

June 27 – A smithy is ordered for Kasogs

Aug 9 - Windmills seem appropriate for Kurdistan’s hills, let’s build some.

Aug 25 – I order Dye Works in Tabriz


Jan 8, 1183 – Smugglers killed in Kurdistan

Feb 17 – Medium Castle ordered in Bilyar

June 13 – I DOW Lut after they go rogue from Egypt

July 4 –

Lut – Muslim, Persian, 2 ducats, poor, thieves, south of Nishapur. I give it away immediately after spending some money on a small castle.

I create the Prince of Khorasan title. I give it to the Count of Gurgan who now oversees the Countess of Lut.

[Abe Sargent]

Oct 10 – Monastery ordered in Kurdistan

Oct 27 – War Academy ordered in Tabriz

May 24, 1184 – I order a Large Castle in Dailam

I marry my first daughter to a courtier. Since I have just one male heir, I don’t want to risk the dynasty. Plus, I need more courtiers, and I may need her as an advisor in a bit.

May 29 – A small county in Turkey DOWs Byzantium in rebellion, and I Join them. It’s right between Meletine and Tyana and Koloneia. I expect that, again, Byzantium will retake after I vassalize it, but I want the claim, so I order armies in Koloneia and Tyana to invade.

May 30 – Zealous Firebrand in Gilan and we now have a rebellion there even after I kill him.

June 28 – After defeating the local army, we begin a siege in the County of Kalisereia

June 30 _ The Prince of Mesopotamia goes rogue and Byzantium asks for our help, but nope. I would love to get them, but they are way too big to vassalize. Or are they? Let me take another look before I say no.

In fact, I say yes, and order armies in Bira and Edessa into their capital of Taron.

July 24 – We defeat the Prince of Taron and begin a siege

Aug 11 – We capture Kaisereia and vassalize them

Oct 10 – We vassalize the Principality of Mesopotamia after their one province, Taron, falls

Now, I expect all of these lands to go back, but it’s great to get a ton of claims on valuable land


Nov 1- You are about to see me do something I almost never do. A Bishopric west of our holdings in Crimea and above has gone rogue and no one is doing anything about it. Pereyslavl is a valuable province, and our Orthodox brethren are in the hands of a Catholic Bishopric. I grab a claim against it.

I DOW it, and order troops from Sharukan and Chortitza to invade.

Nov 11 – The siege of it begins

Jan 22, 1185 – It falls

Pereyaslavl – 17 ducats made here, Orthodox, prosperous, I ordered a monastery here. This is a perfect outpost on the west edge of my empire to have in my control for all purposes west.

Since I am getting old (50), I usurp two Prince titles from Byzantium. This gives me claims at no badboy, and costs half the normal cost. My prestige drops from 7600 to 1500. I might as well do so now while I can

Oh, my grandson is a brilliant strategist and he married just for a chick, not for a dynastic gain. Ah well.

[Abe Sargent]

Mar 5 – Taran is captured by Byzantium

Mar 7 – Rhodos declares independence from the prince of Mesopotamia and I join them in DOWing them. I order an army there to take it and vassalize it myself instead of letting Byzantium take it back.

Mar 16 – Byzantium re-absorbs Mesopotamia and I gain a ton of claims. I am now the only power at war with Rhodos, the independent province.

Apr 15 – Windmills ordered built in Itil

Sept 12 – 21000 troops form Byznation arrive at Rhodos

Oct 16 – Rhodos is now our vassal

Oct 26 – There are several provinces next to us in the Black Sea that are very vulnerable. I have my sights set on a better target right now though

Nov 24 – White peace between Byzantium and Kaisereia, so it is now permanently ours, for no badboy cost. Nice.

Jan 16, 1186 – Yet another Byzantine province has joined the Prince of Athens et all. That dynasty is amazing.

Feb 26 – I grant Gilan and the Prince of Tabriz title to one of my courtiers

Mar 3 – We get a culture change in Byzantion – it is now Alan

May 22 – Small Pox arrives in Khorasan which huts because in a few months I was going to use its army. I order it assembled now and just bounces my plans forward.

I order the Khwarizm army organized as well.

I DOW the Sultanate of Qarakhind. I order my armies in from both sides

June 1 – We arrive in Maverannahr and attack the assembled troops here

June 9 – As the general of the army, I personally defeated an army much bigger in Maverannahr. I order my troops on because their army is retreating to their middle province, where the Prince of Merv is besieging with just a couple thousand, and 13000 retreating troops are about to hit him, so I am moving in to help.

June 20 – We win in Bukhara and I begin a siege here.

June 30 – Double Entry Bookkeeping arrived in Kasogs

July 10 – The Khorasan army arrives in Merv and initiates a siege

July 14 – We drove back an attack to remove us from Bukhara

July 16 – I order a spinning mill built for the people of Itil

Aug 1 – Merv falls and I disband the Khorasan army.

Aug 12 – Bukhara falls and I order my troops back north

Sept 14 – We win a major battle in Maverannahr

Sept 22 – I order windmills in Pereyaslavl

Nov 3 – It falls.

[Abe Sargent]

These are all Muslim and Turkish

Merv – 8 ducats, I order a Monastery here. I hand it to the Prince of Merv. It’s valuable but not too much so. It’s not the gold of the area.

Bukhara – 16 ducats, Rich, I ordered a Monastery here. This is much better, but it’s not the magic of the area either.

Maverannahr – 22 ducats, prosperous, I order a Monastery here too. This is just as valuable as Khorasan and Khwarizm.


I order a Templar House in Tabriz and then hand it to the Prince of Tabriz

I am at -4.5 now, with my vassals, and that’s not too shabby.

I still have no clue why the Turks never bothered to take these three provinces. They are highly valuable.

Base Values:

Merv – 2.81
Bukhara – 4.05
Maverannahr – 6.07

My other highest before now:

Byzantion – 13.72
Khorasan - 5.4
Alania – 5.47
Khwarizm (which is struggling to be fair) – 4.96

Others in the 4’s are Kasogs (barely at 4.05), Trapezous, Itil, Saray, Pereyaslavl, and Bulgar

[Abe Sargent]

Dec 26 – The Count of Bashkirs is now a rival.

Aug 15, 1187 – Small pox is receding from Khorasan

Sept 14 – A rebellion in Suenik spills over into Azerbaijan, and now they are rebelling as well

Nov 1- Dye Works ordered for Itil

Nov 11 – The County of Khopyor has gone crazy and DOWs its boss, the uber-Prince. I join the war with them and order my Kasogs regiment up and moving

Dec 17 – We defeated the army and begin the siege

Dec 22 – I think a War Academy would suit Pereyaslavl very nicely

Jan 8, 1188 – Khopyor falls and it is retaken by the Princedom.

Mar 13 – The revolt spreads to Kurdistan

June 9 – I give in to local demands the revolt ends in Azerbaijan

July 3 – Windmill ordered for Bukhara

Aug 1 – We just finished that huge castle in Byzantion

Sep 10 – Two more provinces under one count have joined with my Uber-Prince. These guys are a machine

Feb 1, 1189 – Smithy ordered in Itil

June 8 – I order a Monastery in Bilyar.

July 7 – I want to avoid a major war right now, so there are a couple of minor provinces in Turkey under the auspices of a smaller Muslim nation. Taking them before Byzantium or a major Muslim nation does would be great.

Aug 10 – The Byzantine emperor died and the new one is not interested in an alliance.

[Abe Sargent]

I DOW the Kingdom of Hammadid. I order the Byzantion army into Dorylaion and the three adjacent armies into Lykandos

Sept 19 – I give in to demands and the revolt in Kurdistan ends.

Oct 2 – We finally won in Lykanos

Oct 23 – Dorylaion falls and I disband the army

Oct 29 – Lykanos falls.

Jan 23 , 1190 –I order a library in pereyaslavl. They haven’t been interested in peace

Feb 27 – I activate the Rhodes army and send them to the enemy capital in the Lebanon area.

Mar 25 – I order a sawmill in Dailam

May 7 – The revolt spreads again into Azerbaijan from Suenik.

June 7 – After winning in Tyrus, the Rhodos army begins a siege

July 20 – Now they accept my peace proposal


Lykanos – Next to three of my provinces in Meletine, Tyana and Kaisereia. I order a Sawmill here. Struggling, Armenian, Muslim, 4 ducats.

Dorylaion – Poor, 5 ducats, I ordered a Monastery here. Adjacent to Sozopolis. Orthodox and Greek.


These were strategic land grabs, not super valuable ones. I hand Dorylaion to my marshal and promote a new one. Despite the badboy hit, I will retain Lykanos for now, in order to invest well in it. I think it will look good afterwards.

[Abe Sargent]

Map?







Note the HUGE amount of gold I can’t find a use for. I’m getting 260 a month until I decided to keep Dorylaion (now its 240 a month with the demesne hit)

You can see some of our gains in the Greece/Macedonia area through our awesome Prince. I expect one of my targets for the next war to be with the blue tribe that has my color – Zenata, again. Then I’ll just take a bunch of the provinces to my south in Armenia Minor and Turkey.

Some of those gains went to the Prince of Itil. The one next to Byzantion that I was going to inherit anyway, Sozopolis, Lykia and a few counties in the Russian area. I am about to inherit two more Russians after this guy dies and leaves them to the Prince of Azov.

You know what? I should try and assassinate him, because the Prince of Azov is 58, and could die anytime.

I send in an assassin.

And I crashed the game, hold on.

[Abe Sargent]

Luckily I saved it here.

Success and I kill him. But, I am discovered and my badboy is now at -5.1 and needs some cooling down time. However, we gained two new provinces. Two for one badboy.

Let me show you Russia and the northern part of my realm





As you can see, we’ve collected the occasional province here and there by my vassals. The two with yellow stars the ones I just got from the inheritance via assassination.

My desire to spread into this area is a strong zero. Russia can rot for all I care. I am focused on Persia, Turkey, Armenia Minor, and the Black Sea. Not Russia.


My eldest daughter is killed in retribution.

[Abe Sargent]

Sept 17 – My chancellor, with a diplomacy of 18, dies of old age. I appoint my second daughter, with one of 17, to be my new one.

Dec 25 – Very quietly, one of the counties in the Byzantine circle went rogue, peacefully.

Dec 27 – Guils spread to Kasogs

Feb 3, 1191 – The King Uturku has died. Long Live the King! He has been Beatified. He had a piety of 1093, prestige of 2474.


His Heir and grandson:

Aspar II of Yegorlyk
22 years old

11/3/8/7

Cruel, Modest, Coward, Brilliant Strategist

Prestige 359, Piety 5


He had three children. One was stillborn, one was a boy who died at age 2, and the last a girl who died at age 1. He is still young enough to have children, but he’s had just three in 6 years.

The combined courts result in these courtiers:

Marshal Kuluk Triakontaphyllis – Martial 12
Steward Georgia of Alania – Steward 16
Chancellor Budurukan of Yegorlyk – Diplomacy 17
Spy Master Maria of Yegorlyk – Intrigue 17
Diocese Bishop – Buriberdi of Kasogs

My Steward and Spy Master are in their 60s and were courtiers for my grandfather and his father before him.

My first order of business:

I order castle upgrades in the three southern Greece provinces I was supervising. I then give away them to some nice courtiers. I hand the Prince title away as well.

I claim the King of Khazaria and Prince of Bukhara. I give the Prince title to the Count of Kara-Kum

I hand Lykanos away. I have no desire for it, and I have courtiers to give it to, unlike my grandfather.

Our badboy is now just -1.8.

The next thing I do is hand some gold to various vassals to ensure loyalty. I give over 5000 gold away. My hope is that most of that gets spent in infrastructure development in various places.

Due to my low diplomacy, I will not be able to go anywhere near the badboy levels of my predecessors. Many of my vassals are in the +2 overall mark, and that’s with a -1.8 badboy. If I were to jump to -5.1 like my grandfather did once, that would be a big problem for a while. I gotta keep in on the low. These major wars with a ton of provinces gained may not apply much to me. I may try one out just to see.

My concern is that, with stressed, I could fail to get my wife pregnant, since Stress gives you -3 fertility. Or, my stress could turn into something worse – like madness or depression. Remember the king who committed suicide after having stress turn into depression? I was named after him. That cannot be a fortelling of the future.

[Abe Sargent]

Apr 10 – I order Spinning Mill in Khwarizm

Apr 28 – Time for one of those small wars. The County of Emba was captured by Muslim rebels, and then they declared themselves independent.

I DOW them and order the Khwarizm regiment in.

June 12 – We have taken Emba. It’s a lousy province, struggling, Muslim, no ducats made, thieves, highway robbers, smugglers – nasty. But taking it shows I am willing to continue the expansion policies of Kings past.

I give it away after I order a Hill Fort here

My badboy is now -2.4


June 20 – I order Templar Houses in – Maverannahr, Bukhara, Bilyar and Byzantion. I order a Large Church in Itil and Tmutarakan.

I need to get my piety up from -10

June 30 – I order a Monastery in Dailam

July 13 – I gained the count of Ryn Desert as a rival. So in addition to him being a heretic, and rebellious, he is now my rival. Great. That’s not going to be a problem at all.

Aug 17 – I gain Romantic after choosing that my rivalry is just personal to prevent me from being rivals with more of my vassals.

Aug 24 – I order a Templar House in Pereyaslavl

Feb 17, 1192 – Very worried about my ability to have a kid, I do something I probably shouldn’t have done. I assassinate my wife. It worked, no one knows.

Time to look for a breeder. Many other Yegorlyks have great abilities, but I do not. Ideally I can find one with Lustful or Indulgent, which makes her a lot more likely to have kids.

Unfortunately, I can’t find anyone with the right abilities, so I’ll have to stick with stats for now.

Feb 27 – Our new wife:

Hildegaard, age 17

11/13/13/17 stats

Energetic, Charismatic Negotiator, Pragmatic