In the name of God - Kingdom of Jerusalem AAR

**Tiroth** · January 21, 2008, 08:46 AM

In the name of God
A Kingdom of Jerusalem AAR

After finishing my short Ghorid AAR because I wanted to patch upto 1.05, I thought I might just start a KoJ campaign because of the reports of it being very difficult. No one seems to have made an AAR so far so I thought it would be fun!The difficulty has been set to Hard Campaign/Very hard battles, so I expect somewhat of a brutal onslaught of muslims who want to take back Jerusalem from King Baldwin. This shall not be allowed! Throughout the AAR there will be narration both from Baldwin's personal thoughts and a simple onlooker of battles, hopefully to give it more of a story. I've also cranked up my graphics settings, which for some reason had reset to "No Anti-Antalising" resulting in pictures of well, troops looking like hedgehogs? So, better quality pictures! Without further ado, here is the AAR.

1174 - Concerns

The Crusader states are in peril, and I am the one who must protect the lands which are rightfully those of God. Since I was crowned King of Jerusalem there have been many hardships between the Kingdom and the Muslim Syria. The Ayyubid Sultanate, united by Saladin, surrounds the crusader states and the prospect of an attack against my lands in its current weak form is not one that would likely see a glorious outcome for Christendom. For this reason I ensured that it was top priority for my diplomats to make an attempt to enter an alliance with the Ayyubid, which has been sucessful. Thank the Lord! I must see to it that the Kingdom's strength is renewed!

First and foremost, it is imperative that Jerusalem forwards it's boundaries, and the rebel settlements of Baalbek and Hama seem the perfect opportunity to accomplish this. I have entrusted this mission upon two of my most trusted generals, Raymond de Tripoli and Balian de Ibelin with a sizeable force under each's command. Raymond will march north to Hama, and Balian to Baalbek. Balian had previously been in command of a much larger single force, but I feel under the pressure that we are in due to the Ayyubid threat, a more divided attempt must be made. I only hope that we will be able to reach these settlements before the already powerful and influencial Ayyubids manage to get a grasp over them. I feel it is also inevitable that I must take Antioch from the forces of Bohemund, while I regret having to take action against fellow Christians, better that the city is under my control than that of the Muslims!

1175 - Baalbek falls, the Kingdom beings to strengthen

Balian sat atop his horse, gazing towards the small town that was to become Christian soil soon enough. He had done this before, cut down brave men who would stand against invaders regardless of the cost. They were fools, the pitiful town guard was no match for the trained soldiers of Christendom, this battle would be little more than a clean up job, he was absolutely assured of this. A siege ram was sent to the city gates, and the rebels tried all they could to prevent the ram reaching the walls, but to no avail, they had little missile support. To face the oncoming Christian troops, the rebels desperately gathered behind the gates as if thinking they could slow the onslaught.

As soon as the gates fell the rebels, in a maddened charge, began to spill from the walls to face the valiant Crusader Spearmen, who fought with a determination to break the obstacle that impeded their assualt. The rebel spearmen were effortlessly cut down and, soon enough, the weakened towns people fled to the safety of the town square, hoping to reclaim their nerves and fight on.

Moving into the town, the spearmen triumphed forward, rounding up and trampling any they caught in their way as pitiful and panicing archers tried their hand against the mighty spears. Balian and his knights joined the fray, cutting down townsfolk like animals in a hunt. With a sword in the air, Balian ordered his men to charge for the town square crying, "Slaughter every last one of them!". The Spears of Jerusalem were in for a surprise however, as the town square was not filled with a militia rabble as first assumed by Balian, but infact heavily armoured Muslim swordsmen held steadfast behind the rebel spearmen militia, ready to take and absorb any blows from a spearhead with their unbreakable shields.

The rebels had forgotten something fatal in their plan to fend off the Christian troops however, Balian was no ordinary general, but one of King Baldwin's most trusted, and while the Heavily Armoured Swordsmen had been shouting cheers of demise against the spearmen, they hadn't noticed as Balian had manoevered his knights around the town. With ferocious speed the Knights were upon the swordsmen, who had no time to react. The crushing charge hit the left flank of the regiment and the rebel commander was instantly killed brutally under the hooves of the horses.

It was not long before the rebel city had been conquered. The trained and hardened Christian troops had fought well as the losses were not significant, now was the time to fortify the defenses so that the town may defend itself against the Ayyubids in the event of an attack. The first part of the King's intial plan was complete and it was not long before Raymond of Tripoli and his army would be at Hama.

**Tiroth** · January 21, 2008, 08:47 AM

1175 - Raymond's Turn

I have been recieving reports that Balian de Ibelin is believed to be, in fact, a woman! Such claims are of course entirely ridiculous as the man is an incredibly intelligent commander, one who I could never believe a woman! However, I cannot help but wonder. His intellect certainly seems to surpass that of mere men, and his slender figure, fair voice and long dark hair prove evidence for these outrageous claims... Enough of such thought, it is absurd to think this true! Along with these strange reports I have also recieved those that he has captured Baalbek! And now I can see the coffers filling and the ability to construct greater defenses and armies. I now have my vision set on Cyprus, as surely setting up a stronghold on the island will act as a great base in which mighty armies of Jerusalem can be constructed. But first, I wish to hear of Raymond's siege results.

Raymond of Tripoli's mission would not be a simple clean up as with Balian's. Hama was well defended by toughened Turkish archers both on foot and on horse. Due to the haste at which the King had ordered Raymond to capture Hama, few siege engines had been able to be constructed and so while numberous ladders or siege towers would have been preferred, a cunning tactic would have to be devised. The Christian forces had two rams, and so the forces were split. One force, the main army, would strike from the West, and a smaller team would attack from the north in the hopes that the rebels would split their defending force between both. This would surely lessen the casualities as focussed archer fire from the enemy would strike down the Christian troops.

The rebels were too hasty, and their madness led to the western town gates openning and a frantic charge of rebel spearmen around the ram, cutting down those who had been manning it in an instant. The light spearmen, shocked by the courage of the enemy, wavered, struggling to regain formation, and uneasy cries rose with the thought of fleeing back to the main force. Aid had arrived however, and the lightly armoured troops were bolstered by hardy, experienced armoured spearmen who cut a path straight into the town. Rebellious nobles, well armoured on horse, held firm against the oncoming christian spearmen, but the veterans cut through the bodies of men and horse alike, their sharpened tips piercing all flesh. The battle on the walls went well as more armoured spearmen eagerly climbed ladders and fought against turkish archers, who, without a bow, were little against a trained spearman.

All awhile, the secondary force had managed to crash through the northern gate, they found no rebels whatsoever, and while the arrows of the archers on the western walls had caused significant casualties, the secondary force was able to use the battle at the Western gates as a distraction and take control of the town square.

Those rebels who thought they could escape the Christian assualt to the safety of their town square were horribly wrong, as instead they met with crossbow bolts to the limbs and spears to the heart. As rebel spearmen fought what they thought was the best of their problems, they would be struck with a great lance to the spine, thrown into the air and their bodies crushed to become one with the pavement, as Raymond's knights made a final charge against the weak rebels.

The battle was over, but not without some loss. None the less, Raymond had conquered Hama, his men thrilled with the victory they had won that day.

Hope you like it so far, i'll do more tomorrow I think!

**Tiberious** · January 21, 2008, 09:01 AM

nice job!! i liked it

KOJ FTW!!

**Imperator of Rome** · January 21, 2008, 09:01 AM

Good AAR...but wtf?Balian a woman lol?

**Tiroth** · January 21, 2008, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by Imperator of rome

Good AAR...but wtf?Balian a woman lol?

Aye, I was randomly checking the traits on Balian and one of them was "Intelligent", it talks about him being a woman and adds +1 charm to Balian

. Check the screenshot if you didn't notice.

**Imperator of Rome** · January 21, 2008, 09:04 AM

What in the world?hahaahh

**Manco** · January 21, 2008, 10:10 AM

Nice beginning and I like it when there's lots of screens

**~~Miraj~~** · January 21, 2008, 11:19 AM

I cease to forget whether giving Orlando Bloom womanly traits was intentional or not.

But awsome AAR! Was wondering when the first KoJ AAR was gonna be posted.

**McCain** · January 21, 2008, 04:25 PM

Great AAR, looking forward to more.

**Tiroth** · January 22, 2008, 09:03 AM

1776 - 1184 - A hopeful young King

The past few years have seen the Kingdom of Jerusalem grow in strength and influence. Though I have seen very little actual combat, I have felt myself become a more able King and Commander as well, even with my illness holding me back. It is a pity that I should not be able to live as long as the grand Kings of old, as I believe that every day I make a difference as the Kingdom grows substantially. Over the many years farms, ports and trade lines have been setup. I had made it a priority to enter alliances with all Christian powers, as the Pope would most certainly frown upon a decision to raise swords against my own people.

I received excellent news that the rebel settlement of Famagusta on Cyprus had been captured by none other than Balian's son, John de Ibelin. The young general follows in his father's footsteps, he used the same tone of voice in his letter of success, as if the battle had been an easy one. The defenders had attempted to stand against John's troops with surprisingly well trained Greek lancers, most likely rebels who had cut off from the legendary Eastern Roman Empire. Ultimately though, I heard that they were no match for the righteous knights of Jerusalem. We did the Romans a favour that day! Clearing up their mess at our loss. Nonetheless, it warms my heart to see the once weak Crusader states expanding and one day, there might be hope to stand up against the Muslim threat in Syria. One day the Christian army shall reclaim lands that are rightfully our own!

However, along with this I also received grim news, something that I wished could have had a different outcome. I had sent Balian out with a sizable force to take Antioch, as the rich city would have no doubt provided a great financial boost the Kingdom needed for the coffers. I received word soon after however that the damned Ayyubids had laid seige to the city and were soon to take it! Balian could have only sat and watch as Muslims slaughtered Bohemund and his troops, once again claiming Christian soil as their own! Our alliance with the Ayyubids is most definitely an unsteady one, but I cannot act against them yet, it is too early, the Kingdom just is not ready for such a war. Moreover, Ayyubid military activity in the area only increases as my scouts report their borders pushing out further and further, they now even have control of Aleppo!

My last entry for the moment is a positive one; many merchants have been recruited and brought in from Europe and reports are that they have managed to secure promising incomes! This only serves to bolster Jerusalem's wealth further, and I am pleased that the Kingdom has such fine merchants.

Outrageous! No sooner that I heard of the success of my merchants have I now received signed letters of resignations from the very same men! At least 4 merchants this week have had their assets seized! I shall recruit more! We shall meet the opposition with an equal number of merchants! That ivory SHALL be MINE again!

In fact, that was the final entry.

Ridiculous.

More very soon! More action next time I assure you, I realise it was only infrastructure this time!

**McCain** · January 22, 2008, 10:58 AM

Good stuff.

**Tiroth** · January 22, 2008, 01:25 PM

1190 - Choosing friends

Over the last 4 years little has occurred, the infrastructure of the Kingdom has been continuously improved, and castles have been adequately fortified with Chapels, Barracks and Archery ranges so that when the time comes i shall be able to call upon trusty infantry and invaluable Knights upon horses who will truly decide the outcome of battles against Ayyubids. I received note a year ago that the dynasty of the Chauhan rajputs had been destroyed entirely. I am glad that we are not in such a position ourselves, and never will I allow Jerusalem or any Christian soil under my command to be lost to Muslim forces. Not while I live.

However, I have now to face a choice. The outcome of this choice will no doubt have great consequences in the future. I was recently sent this urgent message:

I have already made my choice. It was inevitable. The Armenians are fellow Christians and I have no right to effectively allow the thousands of deaths of Christian people to occur while I simply sit and wait. No, my alliance with Armenia stands firm.

1191 - Suspicions

In retaining my alliance with the Armenians and canceling the alliance with the Syria Muslims, I have appeared to have aroused the suspicions of the Ayyubids surrounding the Kingdom, they have been stationing armies throughout the desert the south over the past year. No doubt they use the opportunity I have given them as an excuse to mobilise forces with which they can take Jerusalem from me. It is now my utmost responsibility to ready my trusted generals for war.

Alas, one of my most favoured generals, Raynald de Chatillon, a great Knight, who was in command of an incredibly well trained force of Templar Knights, has passed away. I only hope his death will not cost us dearly, as there is no doubt his prowess on the battlefield with mounted knights will be missed.

1192 - The Brave Ibelin Family Strike

The last year has been a time of mobilisation. A mighty Christian force has been recruited under the command of Balian de Ibelin. I will not wait for the Ayyubids to grow in power and attack Jerusalem first. No, instead, Balian is the spearhead of the assualt against the Muslim heathens! Spies had reported that the Ayyubid castle of Gaza was undermanned and so I saw this as the perfect opportunity for war. Balian moved his men swiftly and they siege the walls of Gaza. I hope that the incredible commander will be victorious in his mission, with so many Ayyubid armies nearby it will not be an easy feat.

Balian was fighting on tough terrain this time. His knights were used to the European soils of France and England, and so a burning hot desert created complications. A plan was devised; the Ayyubids were assaulting the Christians, and so the infantry were to stand ground and wait for the Ayyubid troops to reach them instead. The Ayyubids had reinforcements from the West of the Christian force, but they moved slowly, and so Balian would take advantage of this by softening up the main force with mounted knights until both enemy forces had reached the Christian infantry. Balian was in luck, besides small numbers of light cavalry in the main force and the Ayyubid General Ayyub in the reinforcements, the enemy had no other cavalry, and so his knights could be used to their greatest extent.

Balian ordered his Mounted Sergeants to make a charge against lightly armoured foes, and the Ayyubid heavy axemen were a perfect target. In close combat between infantry, the heavy axemen would easily cut through Mail and Shield alike, however, they held no shields to their arms themselves and so their bodies were entirely open. The mounted sergeants moved swiftly through the sand, and charged at full speed towards the axemen, who rose their axes and furiously charged forwards themselves.

In a direct, face-on collision with both parties moving towards each other at high speed, the mounted charge was absolutely devastating, and the entire axemen regiment was flattened and killed in a matter of seconds. Balian had only begun, and with the success of the initial cavalry charge came repeated charges, as the knights completely out-maneuvered the footsoldiers, staying out of close combat at all costs. The Ayyubid cavalry, confused by the continuous strikes from the Christian Knights, had thus far done little to intercept the attacks. But in the confusion, Balian had ordered knights around a small building out in the desert, and more knights came hurtling from behind the Ayyubids, cutting down the only Ayyubid cavalry. The momentum was carried on as the knights proceeded to harass and destroy any Ayyubid missile support, who had been left completely vulnerable while the infantry charged towards the Christian spearmen, most likely because of a lack of a proper General to lead the forces.

By now the enemy reinforcement army had reached Balian's army, it was too late to save the main army however, as all that was left of it was wavering heavy infantry and small groups of archers who were soon to be trampled over. In somewhat of a desperate attempt to reclaim control of the battle the enemy General Ayyub made a blind charge up the hill towards the Ayyubid main force as if to save it, but his bodyguard was intercepted by spearmen, who surrounded him. It was not long before the sun set forever for him and his men.

Balian saw the rest of the battle as little more than a round up, and though the enemy infantry did attempt to fight till the last, the Christian mounted knights made short work of any survivors, cutting down the last few brave Ayyubids. None were allowed to escape. Every last Ayyubid soldier was run down or captured by the mighty Christian horde.

Gaza had been captured, and the city was sacked, providing a great source of income for the Kingdom's now empty coffers. Such a victory was one to be celebrated, but many more armies of the Ayyubid were bound to come, and so while his men cheered and shouted through the streets of Gaza as they systematically plundered each corner for wealth for the Kingdom, Balian did not, he simply prepared himself for the next inevitable conflict.

While Balian fought, I received very relieving news as it told that the Armenians had marched to our aid and began a siege at Antioch. The large Amenian force would certainly provide both a distraction and a source of aid in the north while Balian dealt with the Ayyubid armies in the south. However, I believed that without support the forces of Armenia would not be able to withstand if the Ayyubids were to bring any reinforcements, namely a small Ayyubid force stationed directly south of Antioch. I mustered all the men I could from various cities in the north of the crusader states and sent them under the command of the youngest son of Balian, Hugh de Ibelin. I had great expectations for the young and eager general, as there was no doubt that he would be able to do the Kingdom proud like his brother and father before him, and rout the enemy Ayyubids to allow Armenia to weaken or capture Antioch.

Hugh de Ibelin was a trained nightfighter, and so what better plan than to catch the enemy off-guard and attack during the night. His men moved quietly and invisible except for the small torches carried by footsoldiers, and so it was only when Hugh's knight's lances were a foot away from an enemy soldier were they seen, by this time of course, it was too late for the terrified victims of the knights.

These were heavily armoured and equipped infantry the Christian forces were facing however, and to make matters worse, they were supported by Light ghulam horse archers, who were capable in both close range and with a bow. Some Christian spearmen did retreat when overwhelmed by significantly stronger infantry, but ultimately the combined casualties caused by the charges of Balian's own bodyguard, Mounted Sergeants and crossbow men were enough for the enemy to begin to turn tale and run.

Hugh, with a renewed feeling of courage instilled by the enemy's weakened and wavering state, eagerly ordered his bodyguard to crush and destroy the few remaining heavy infantry. But perhaps Hugh was too eager, and in his blind sense of victory, during his last charge against the remaining Ayyubid heavy infantry, his horse crashed into the group of infantry's shields and fell. At such a speed he was simply crushed under his horse, instantly killed.

With righteous fury his men fought on, and through cries of grief for their now dead leader, their hatred was directed upon the enemy, and they slaughtered every last Ayyubid they could find in the dark, running down those who tried to flee.

It was victory, but at a great price, Balian's youngest son had died, his eager attitude to fight had betrayed him.

Terribly grim news reached me of the death of Hugh de Ibelin, perhaps I placed too great a mission on his shoulders... it was an awful mistake for me to make to allow him to fight at such an age, I will send word to Balian himself, but right now I cannot as he has been sieged at Gaza and I must ready the defenses of Jerusalem itself! The Muslims march on the Holy City as I write! Jerusalem shall not fall to the heathens, not will I still live and command the grand Templar guard. The next few days will no doubt decide the fate of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, so I must be ready to command all its armies to victory.

In a daring move, the Christian forces who were stationed at Kerak have laid siege to Ayyubid village of Aqaba! And so while the King Baldwin defends Jerusalem it self, and Balian de Ibelin defends newly conquered Gaza, the Christians will take Aqaba to not only create a distraction but further push back the Ayyubids.

Thats all for today

. I'll continue with the battles themselves tomorrow once i've played them!