[M2TW AAR] Who Watches the Watchers?: Papal Apocalypse.

[Cooltosha]

Entrancing read. I haven't head pleasure in reading an AAR for so long. Well done mate, +rep.

[Decimus Milo]

You are too kind, Cooltosha.

New update coming soon. A quick teaser: The Pope goes insane, Spain flexes her muscles and Hungary bites off more than she can chew...

[dezikeizer]

Join the army, they said. See the world, they said. Embark on Pilgrimage, they s-"

Many speculate that the nobility of Milan have completely lost their minds.

Great update as always. It's surprising to see the Mongols actually being pushed back for once.+rep when I can.

[Decimus Milo]

De nada. Time for some more medieval madness:

Chapter IX: Vengeance

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Few Europeans can remember with clarity how Venice gained her current prominence. It is considered a matter for historians, not current policy makers. However, some do not forget, or forgive. She gained her central European empire by betraying her Polish ally, brutally gutting Polish holdings. Poland, herself exhausted from the war effort with Spain, could not mount an effective resistance. In the east she stood as Europe's first line of defence against the Mongolian hordes, but was dismantled - the Venetian dagger in her back and the Mongol horsemen in the east proved too much. In the end she had no choice but to capitulate. Poland now exists as a desperate scattering of cities, under the vassalage of Venice.
One Pole in particular still burns with hatred. This particular Pole is the most powerful man in Europe. Excommunicating the Venetians, he orders his Italian armies to seize Venetian lands and exterminate the populace, so that Venice may feel his pain. The old Imperial citadel of Innsbruck is the first to fall to Papal forces. Nuremburg also falls to the surprise attack. Next, the Pope orders his forces toward the 'Second Venice', Vienna. The population are butchered. With most of his forces committed to the eastern front, the Doge is powerless to defend his people.


In a surprising move, it is the Kingdom of Spain which fulfils the latest crusade. Spanish troops, far from home, capture the westernmost Mongolian outpost and show clemency to the oppressed populace.


Hungary is seeing her fortunes fade. The long duel with the Turks is not so one sided, now that Egypt has waded into the fray. Her northernmost settlement cannot be defended, the Mongols directing most of their strength at Kiev. The city is a warzone.


The death that saves Prague: Venice breathes a collective sigh of relief at the passing of the current pontiff, who has driven further into Venetian land, taking Budapest. Prague would have been next, if not for their reconciliation.


In a contested election, the Sacred College of Cardinals elect a Hungarian Pope.

Knowing the trouble his homeland is having defending her northern border, the new Pope calls a crusade on Kiev in order to send much-needed reinforcements eastward. The city may have held out against Hungarian forces, but can the Mongols hold it against the united forces of Christendom?

In Africa, strange winds blow. The Spanish, having destroyed the Moors, have apparently gotten a taste for desert combat. Marching across trackless sands, they take Tripoli from the Egyptians. Still not content, columns of Spaniards march slowly towards the Nile...


The Mongolian forces are under pressure from all directions. Hungary musters her forces against Sarkel, striking the Mongols from the south. In the west, the forces of the Papal States complete the crusade, leading to a curious patchwork of borders in eastern Europe. From the north, Denmark takes Moscow after a protracted siege. The Mongols, the scourge of Asia, conquerors of distant China and owners of the largest empire the world has known, now find themselves with only two province left in the west.


Egyptian aid once again proves decisive against Hungary. A Jihad wrests control of the Queen of Cities from Hungary, leaving her Asian provinces dangerously exposed.


Having ordered their destruction from the his seat at the magnificence of the Lateran Palace in Rome, the Pope devises a novel solution for the Mongol problem, following the example of Venice.


Khan now bows to Pope. In Italy itself, the Duke of Milan has once again caught a case of the galloping crazies and invades Florence once more.

The world, 1284:


Two great nations have seen their fortunes fade rapidly. Once the golden boys of Europe, Venice has had the smile firmly wiped off their faces by the Papal States. Hungary is now in rapid decline - whether the Magyars can pull themselves out of this nosedive remains to be see. The Spanish have seized their moment, forging east with one purpose. However, she clashes with the greatest power of the east - Egypt. Will she have her hands full fighting the Hungarians, or will the spoils of Constantinople prove the undoing of the Spaniards?
The Mongolians now lick the Pope's boots. Will this save the nomads from the vulture-like Danes, or offer them a much-needed respite in order to strike out once more?

[dezikeizer]

Great update. I'll be waiting for the next one. Just one thing:

not current policy makes

Shouldn't makes be makers.

[Decimus Milo]

Whoops, typo. Thanks dezikeizer.

[cisse]

Very fun AAR. Nice to see the AI battle it out! Seems like the Papal States are an important player if left alone. The pope can really help/hurt other factions by excommunicating them or calling crusades!

[Decimus Milo]

Thanks cisse, glad you're enjoying it. Time to forge on the the 14th century.

Chapter X: Pax Mongolia

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The world has been quieter since the Pope made the Mongols his vassal. Hungary struggles in Anatolia, losing Yerevan to a rebellion and finding Nicaea under constant attack by Egypt. The weary Spanish marching across the Libyan desert are no match for the Egyptians in their homeland. A mysterious new powder is discovered, as the Pope decides that vassals are for idiots, calls a Crusade on the Mongols and marches his forces to Smolensk.


Three mighty crusading armies descend upon the hapless Mongols...


Venice, her nose bloodied by an invasion by Papal forces, goes on the warpath yet again. Seemingly born with a pathological need to fight, the Venetians take Hamburg. With the English royal family within the walls, the fall of Hamburg signals the end of England. With no ruling family left, Caen rebels.


Having destroyed the Danish vassal, the Venetians forge westwards to attack the Danish possessions in what was France. The Scottish king smiles, seeing the traitorous English destroyed and the western Danish conquered.


Uh-oh. It appears one enemy has been replaced with another.


The Venetians take Denmark proper and invade the Scandinavian peninsula. Meanwhile, the Danes board the failboat.


The Mongols throw themselves against the walls of Moscow, who are repelled by the Danes. The Danes appear to be following the pattern of the Polish - whilst their warriors are distracted in the east, Venetians strike in the west.


A historic moment! A Scot now sits in the Papal seat. The most powerful man in Europe now hails from our sceptred isles. If only he wasn't in his 60s...


The Venetians complete their conquest of Scandinavia, exiling the Danes to Finland and what was Russia. Naturally, they seek to add London to their empire. Despite being outnumbered, the Venetians trust in new-fangled technology to give them victory: their deafening hand-gunners. Battle is met at the River Thames.



The Venetians take up position across a bridge, waiting to the Scots to cross. Then, boom. Fortunately the Scots have brought their trusty trebuchets, and are content to turn the Venetians into fried worm food.


After a deadly artillery barrage, the Scots brace themselves for a crossing. Charging across the bridge, the Venetians make a fatal error and move their hand-gunners on to the bridge. This robs them of vital firing time, the Venetians only able to fire off one barrage at the charging Scots.

One in hand-to-hand combat, the Scots push the Venetians of the bridge, butchering the Venetian missile troops in melee combat. The Venetians are destroyed utterly, and willingly accept a ceasefire.

The world in 1312:

The Scottish Pope calls a crusade on the final settlement of the Mongolians; Ryazan. Egypt gains an upper hand in the fight against Hungary, taking Nicaea whilst the Turks capture Yerevan. Denmark has been exiled to Russia, in direct conflict with the Mongols. Spain still marches across the desert towards Egypt, but with nothing to show for it. The Mongols are most dangerous when a nomadic force in flight - with the united forces of Europe be able to crush the invaders once and for all?

A global overview of powers:
Venice: An incredibly resilient, aggressive power, Venice has an insatiable thirst for land. She is now surrounded by equally powerful nations - will she risk war with Spain, Hungary and the Papal States, maintain the status quo or throw their considerable military might against the British Isles?
Spain: The Spaniards have only one avenue of attack - across the desert, to Egypt. They have so far been unable to maintain a coherent offensive against the Muslims due to the vast distances, although their military power is considerable. With the Papal States providing a buffer against Venetian aggression, will she be able organise a conclusive attack against Egypt?
Denmark: Once a considerable power, able to go toe-to-toe with Spain at her height, she now lays displaced in Russia. Will she be able to reclaim her Scandinavian homeland, or be content to call the Russian steppe home? Given the patchwork borders of Eastern Europe, if the Danes wish to create new Russian empire, she will have to declare war against powers much stronger than her, including...
The Papal States: Unquestionably the supreme power in Europe. Able to gut Venice at a moment's notice and fulfil crusades at Papal whim, other powers cross His Holiness at their peril. How many battalions does the Pope have? More than any other power in Europe, that's how many.
Hungary: Once the darling of Europe, she holds the tide against Muslim forces in the east. Her power has been in decline in recent years, unable to hold off the united forces of Islam. With her northern border now secured by the Papal States, can she muster her forces and conquer the Middle East once and for all?
Egypt: The greatest Islamic power. Having seen off crusades in ages past, these proud warriors seek to go on the offensive against Christendom. Having once held settlements as far west as Tunis, and able to heed holy calls to take Constantinople, Europe underestimates Egypt at its peril.
The Turks: These beleaguered peoples have shouldered the brunt of Hungarian aggression, and the fight has not gone well. Once the greatest power in the east, her fellow Muslims in Egypt now hold this title. If the combined forces of the Muslim world can turn the tide against the Magyar, she may see her golden age return.
Poland: The sorrowful Kingdom of Poland has seen her fortunes utterly destroyed within a generation. She now exists only as a series of splintered cities, in the heart of the Venetian Empire.
Sicily: The Norman princes of Sicily are considering litigation against Spain, who have stolen their idea of conquering North Africa. Kicked out of the Middle East by the Turks, and North Africa by Egypt, the Sicilians only hold their home island uncontested. The single-province kingdom occasionally forays into Spanish territory, taking Tunis to remind themselves of old glories. They're fooling nobody.
Milan: The heathens of Milan have long contested the rights of Popes. In long ages past, they took Venice and Ragusa, exiling the Venetians to Vienna, which eventually set the stage for the destruction of Poland and Denmark. The Duke of Milan overextended his hand, contesting Florence with the Papal States. The Pope and his Hungarian allies took the infraction rather personally, kicking them off the continent completely, to the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. After generations of inbreeding the Milanese throw themselves mindlessly at the heart of the Papal States, presumably tired of life.
The Byzantine Empire: The Eastern Roman Empire is an irrelevancy in today's Europe. Unable or unwilling to try and reclaim her old territory, like her fellow island nations of Milan and Sicily, she sits and rots in the Eastern Mediterranean. Even the rebel-held, heretical wooden castle of Rhodes stands unchallenged by the pathetic remnants of Rome.
The Mongols: These fierce nomadic conquerors didn't expect much resistance from settled European fops. Initially, they were right. Despite a considerable battle, they destroy the Russians and gut the Polish. Poised to strike into the heart of Europe, a holy call was heeded by the remaining princes of Europe. Pushed back to their final settlement, the Mongolians still plan further conquest, willing to fight to the bitter end if necessary...

[Beer Money]

Venetians seem more like nomads than the Mongols were.

Keep up the great work!

[Julius Barca the Great]

Another interesting update! Hungary, Spain, and the Pope all seem to be doing quite well for themselves. Keep it up!

[dezikeizer]

Meanwhile, the Danes board the failboat.

What the hell?
Great update.

[cisse]

Great update.

Venice, wow. A real come-back. And the Papal States... They're really the strongest power it seems, only further helped by their ability to call crusades on whoever they don't like. Spain seems to be doing well too, but I think it's a little misleading since they seem spread out - if they're attacked by Egypt and Venice at the same time, for instance, they'll lose a lot of territory. Of course, if Venice is attacked by the Pope...

[Decimus Milo]

Thanks all. Our powers forge ahead into the 14th century! Well, most of them anyway...

Chapter XI: The Cornered Fox

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Mongols aren't going down without a fight. Years after the crusade has been called, the nomadic warriors fend off Venetian and Hungarian crusaders. The Battle of Ryazan is a long and bloody struggle, for both sides.


The crusade is declared a success following the arrival of a substantial Papal force, who carry the siege. The Mongols take flight, riding north to Novgorod.


The Venetians meanwhile can't get enough of war. They just love a good scrap, with anyone who will put up a fight. They're not going to win any popularity contests, though, making a new enemy of the Spanish.


Following the capture of Spain's northernmost province a vengeful witch decides to strike, placing a strange curse across the land...

Er...

Fortunately the vile witch is burned at the stake, releasing the land from the strange curse. Hungary strikes a strange deal with Egypt, making the Muslim power a vassal. After an assault on the Turks, The Papal States now stretch from the Caspian Sea to the Bay of Biscay.


Back in Russia, the Danes are in big trouble. Having exhausted their manpower defending Moscow from hordes of barbaric Mongols, she is dangerously vulnerable to a sneak attack by those Venetian rascals. The Mongols are down to a half-stack of ragged horsemen and a khan with the epithet of "the Mad", having been bounced around the steppes by the Papal States.


In the lonely castle of Ajaccio sits an elderly, inbred Duke. The last of his line, he breathes his last without passing on his noble line. The death of the dribbling fool leads to a rare event - a nation destroyed without any foreign intervention whatsoever.


In the east, Venice sweeps aside the remnants of Danish resistance. The Venetian Empire, seeking to rival her Italian rivals, stretches from Moscow to Paris. Britain is forever safe from invasion by the wily Danes, although the Scottish king ponders whether this might have been a case of 'better the Devil you know' - if the might of Venice invades in force, the Scots will wish they were fighting clueless Danes.


The world in 1333:

Yes, you read that right. The Byzantine Empire, having bided their time for about three centuries, snatch Antioch from the weakened Turks. The Hungarian-Egyptian peace lasts all of five minutes, as a Jihad is again called on Constantinople. Hungary seems to be finally gaining the mastery over the Islamic factions, Anatolia being largely under Magyar domination. The real question is who will those ker-azy Venetians pick on next?
With the greatest threat to Europe reduced to a feeble band of battered horse archers, the princes of Europe sit comfortably on the throne. United, they can conquer any nation, destroy any threat. Surely nothing could upset the peoples of the world now? Nothing seen, at least...

[dezikeizer]

That last line can only mean one thing: the Black Death is next. This should be interesting great update by the way. Not sure what happened with that "curse".

[Beer Money]

Engaging as always! Milan dying on the island is nuts!

Waiting for more!

[cisse]

Seems like Egypt is suffering, Hungary on the rise again and now the Byzantines takning Antioch righ from under their nose! A multi-front war might be too much to handle for them. Of course, the Venetians are also fighting on all fronts but they don't seem to care...

[Decimus Milo]

Gonna have to be a quick one this time. An eventful chapter, unfortunately Fraps crapped out on me - when I came to look in the screenshot folder it was empty. So I've only been able to PrtScr the last turn. Dammit. Anyway, I'll try and describe without pictures.

Chapter XII: World War V

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In the years immediately following the destruction of Denmark, the Mongolian khan wanders aimlessly around the steppe, clashing with Papal forces and losing men all the while. In a bizarre decision, he decides to gallop west, into Venetian lands. The Venetians have no toleration for those who would trespass on their land, and promptly destroy this paltry force. The death of the last khan and the death of all his horsemen destroys the Mongolians once and for all.

Over the next few years the Venetians become restive, anxious for new lands. As the Scottish king suspected, they send a mighty force up the Thames estuary. The Venetians make landfall with two full stacks, consisting of hundreds of Venetian archers, pavise crossmen, hand-gunners, dismounted feudal knights and Broken Lances, all clad in the finest armour. The greatest Scottish general, Prince Raibert, marches to the defence of London. Not only are the Scotsmen outnumbered, but they are also outgunned. They are much more experienced than the Venetians, the only objective Scottish area of superiority.

Battle is met on the Essex coast. The Venetian invasion force is led by a noble family member, while another stack is under the care of a captain. The Prince decides to attack at night, nullifying the second Venetian army.

Over 2000 Venetians take up position on the field, placing their masses of missile troops in double-line formation in front of their massed infantry, with cavalry (including Hospitallers) in the rear. The Scottish open with an artillery barrage aimed at the Venetian centre. Although the damage to the infantry is superficial, the Venetian cavalry take a great deal of punishment. Once the barrage has finished, the Scots move up their entire army, hoping to entice the Venetians into advancing. The Venetians take the bait, marching over cow carcasses to face the Scots. The Scottish archers open up, raining arrows on the massed infantry. The Venetians are quick to react, rushing their superior missiles to the front. Realising that he we definitely lose a prologued missile exchange, the Scottish Prince orders his infantry to charge the Venetian left, while directing his noble archers to fire at the missiles on the Venetian right.

Despite being in loose formation and heavily armoured, the Scottish swordsmen take heavy casualties sprinting for a melee. Once battle proper is met, the Scottish Prince sweeps his cavalry around the Venetian left, destroying exposed crossbowmen. In the centre, the battle does not go well. Venetian archers, capable in melee, backed up by dismounted knights put up a hard fight. The Scottish general directs his cavalry at the Venetian rear, as the Venetian cavalry is brought to bear on the Scottish infantry, charging headlong into the fray. Caught in the rear, many units on the Venetian left crack, and rout. The Venetian noble, the last of his bodyguard, falls, breaking the rest of his army. The victory is clear, but at a terrible cost - the Scottish infantry have taken serious casualties.

Undeterred, the Prince marches south to face the second Venetian army across the same Thames bridge they have fought at before. Fortunately, pikemen and spear militia from the London garrison join the battle. After the usual barrage, the Prince sends the reinforcements across the bridge. They manage to push the Venetian hand-gunners off the bridge, but with heavy casualties. Knowing the spearmen will not last long against Venetian dismounted knights, the Prince commits his ragged infantry through the gap created by pushing the Venetian missiles off the bridge. Scottish archers move onto the bridge to once again fire at the uncommitted Venetian right. The Venetians still stand strong. The London garrison, having never seen combat before, routs. Fearing a general panic, the Scottish Prince orders his archers to charge into melee and thunders across the bridge with his cavalry. The sheer weight of numbers buckles and breaks the Venetian line, winning the battle for the Scots. Their army is in tatters though, and marches to Nottingham to restock.

In the Middle East, Egypt boots the Byzantines out of Antioch. The Byzantines have apparently (finally) gotten the taste for blood, and take Rhodes instead. Hungary's fortunes are on the rise again, for the Egyptian presence in western Anatolia is swept away. Constantinople is also recaptured. The Hungarians launch their favoured two-pronged assault, on The Turks in Yerevan and the Egyptians in Antioch and Aleppo. Meanwhile, Spain and Sicily squabble over Tunis.

The Hungarian Pope has had enough of Venice's shenanigans, simultaneously excommunicating them and calling a crusade on Riga. Spain, Hungary, and the Papal States themselves join the crusade, declaring war on Venice. Has their luck finally run out in the face of the might of The Papal States, Hungary and Spain?

Not initially. Venice revels in the opportunity for more chaos, immediately snatching back Nuremberg and Vienna back from the Papal States. The Pope decides on a full scale counter-offensive, capturing Riga and marching to take Krakow and recapture Nuremberg.

While Europe tears itself apart, a great and terrible sickness emerges. Is this a divine punishment for the endless wars of Europe? Will this global disaster impact on the current conflict?


The world in 1346:

[Julius Barca the Great]

That's a crazy map. I can't wait to see how the large wars turn out.

[dezikeizer]

Great update. It seems as though the Papacy will eventually control the bulk of Europe.
Just one thing:

The Venetians have not toleration

I think you meant:The Venetians haave no toleration.

[cisse]

If the AI doesn't send Venetian troops on more suicide missions against Scotland (or Spain, or...) but concentrated on fighting the Papal States, I can see a mighty conflict coming. Nice!