[SS 6.4] The Legend of Thomas, King of the Danes
Hi! You may know me from my other AAR, the Eastern War (link here: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...r-A-Sicily-AAR), which I hope to finish eventually. I've decided to experiment with some new ideas using a character from a recent Denmark campaign I've been playing who has recently become one of the most unlikely kings of Denmark.
Thomas is a French general who I had one of my princesses marry and bring into the Denmark faction, and when I recruited him I noticed he had traits including Vendetta against the Holy Roman Empire and Hates Germans along with other traits suggesting he was a veteran warrior who had been fighting against the HRE (who I was also fighting as Denmark) for a while. He ended up being one of my best generals, as I had him recruit a small force of mercenaries and fight a sort of guerrilla campaign against the HRE as well as Norway. As time went on, I didn't really watch the family tree and when I received the notice that my king had died of old age, I discovered that Thomas was the new king. I realized that his path from French noble to King of Denmark would make a great AAR to write about and I hope to make this a short but memorable series. Unfortunately, I've been playing as Denmark and not really following what's happened in France, who I'd allied with but were often reluctant to give me map information (they were fighting a losing war against both England and the HRE but a recent toggle_fow has revealed that they've recovered nicely and have gained territory from the HRE). It's also been a few turns since he's become king, so there's a lot of events that have happened since he's joined the Danish armies that have yet to be covered. With this in mind, his backstory from before he joined the Danes will be completely made up and a lot of his early exploits will have to be written from memory. With this in mind I may have to recreate scenes using custom battles or screenshots from other games, but I still hope to make this into a short but memorable AAR. With that being said, here's the first few chapters of my new AAR The Legend of Thomas, King of The Danes.
Prologue: King of The Danes
“The King is dead, my lord.”
Thomas took the parchment from the messenger’s hand. The wax seal confirmed that it was from the palace in Arhus. Breaking it, he unrolled the letter and read.
“It says I am to be the regent… But why pick me and not a Dane? What madness consumed King Knud in his age?”
The sound of swords drawing caused him to look up in fear, his hand instinctively reached for his sword hilt. The messenger, the nobles in his war council and the guards all stood with their swords drawn towards him.
No Frenchman could be King of the Danes. I thought I could trust these men, but at least they’ll let me die with a sword in my hand.
Then, to a man, they all knelt before him.
“To the Prince Regent Thomas! Long may he reign!”
He didn’t know who it was that said it, but soon shouts of “Thomas!” rose and within a minute it seemed as if all the Danes in Frankfurt shouted his name. Thus began the reign of Denmark’s first French king.
From the Life of King Thomas
It didn’t take long for the title of Prince Regent to give way to King, and soon King Thomas the Merciless led the Danes to victory over the remnants of the Holy Roman Empire, bringing the walls of Nuremberg down and satisfying the vengeance and bloodlust that had consumed so much of his early life. But before that great moment of victory can be examined, the life of the man who claimed it must be discussed. Thomas was not always meant to be a king or even a warrior, yet he would rule over an empire and spill rivers of blood just the same. Born in the newly conquered city of Metz, he lived at a time when the mighty Kingdom of France was beset from two fronts, facing attacks from the English to the north, and the Germans to the east. This came after a period of civil war which rent the Kingdom asunder. At the time, the Holy Roman Empire was the most powerful force in Europe, only just starting to mobilize against France. Tensions with both the Republic of Genoa to the south and the Kingdom of Hungary to the west were also brewing, though this had not yet escalated into war. Spying opportunity in the never-ending conflict between the Danes and Norwegians, the Emperor sent his legions northward to seize the Danish capital of Arhus. Although the Danes were powerful, even they could not prevent the Fall of Arhus, which prompted the aged King to retreat eastward with his royal court as the city fell to the Germans. Before Prince Knud could reclaim the city and before the mighty empire was brought down to its knees, an age of strife and fear ruled over lands of Europe. Before the fateful marriage between Duke Thomas and Princess Andrea, he had lived a life of privilege within the walls of Metz…
Chapter 1: A Sunny Day in Metz
“Mother, you can’t be serious. I can’t marry a woman from Genoa!”
It was a hot day in Metz, the sun glistening off the Moselle river. With the conquest by the French and the coming of the war with the Germans, Metz had been built into an imposing castle, yet by the riverside it seemed barely a pebble on the land. The streets were lined with market stalls, with merchants and soldiers walking through the streets. The arming sword Thomas himself wore at his side marked him as a son of the newly appointed Duke.
“Besides, the Genoese are still part of the Empire, how can we trust them to join the fight?”
His mother’s jewelry shined in the sun, the fine gown she wore marked her as the Duchess, and as the pair walked through the streets, all moved aside and offered respects.
“Thomas, the Genoese are on the verge of declaring independence and lending their swords to our cause. Besides, it will be a fine marriage, she’s the daughter of the Doge himself.”
“And if they do so, they’ll end up like the Danes and I can marry into a republic of ruins. It is a fitting marriage I suppose, the third daughter for a second son. None of us are likely to inherit anything.”
“The Genoese elect leaders from among their nobles, perhaps you may become the Doge of Genoa.”
At this, Thomas had to laugh.
“I find it hard to believe the Genoese would elect a Frenchman.”
“In these times, stranger things have happened…”
His mother stopped to pass a coin to a street urchin, one of the ever-increasing number of war orphans that were beginning to choke up the streets. As they continued down the street towards the gates to the castle.
“Father and Simon should have returned from the hunt by now.”
“You know how it is with these things…” As she trailed off, the captain of the guard approached flanked by two spearmen. “How have you been, Sir Gregor?”
“Busy, my Lady. These new recruits aren’t fit to fight sheep, let alone the German hordes.”
Thomas frowned at this.
“How large is the garrison, anyway?” he asked, with just a hint of nervousness.
“We have roughly three hundred spearmen, half of them new recruits. We have a company of just over a hundred archers and maybe fifty horsemen. Your father and brother each have thirty sworn knights under their direct command.” A bit under strength for a border fortress but we could hold off a German attack long enough for reinforcements from Paris.
“How many can we spare should the king call his levy?”
“We’d probably have to send all the horsemen and maybe half the spearmen. We’d need the archers to defend the city if we come under attack. So long as we held the walls and gates, we could survive an assault.”
“And are we likely to come under attack?”
“For now they seem preoccupied with the Danes, the King may want to take advantage of this preoccupation and launch an invasion. Still, I’ve heard they have endless legions of troops and we are at a border castle…. Come to the next council meeting, you have much more to learn, and war is a good opportunity for a young noble.”
“Perhaps I can get some experience on the battlefield before Mother has me shipped off to Genoa.”
Sir Gregor smiled at this.
“Between the English to the north and the Germans to the east, you’ll have plenty of time for that.”
Before his mother could note her disapproval, the guard atop the watchtower blew his horn. The gates opened and the sound of hooves pounding against the paved road filled the air. With his guards and son accompanying him, the Duke of Metz galloped in with a deer draped over his shoulder, the wound on its flank clearly marking where the arrow hit. He handed it off to one of his men.
“Get this to the butcher. Tonight we’ll have a fine meal.”
The man and two others rode off, carrying bags of what looked like hares in addition to the deer that was caught. The Duke dismounted from his horse and handed the reigns to one of his other men, bringing it with the company as the rode off to the stables. Simon waved his family as he rode by.
“See you at dinner!” Simon briefly yelled out, before joining the rest of the men.
After watching his son ride away, the Duke turned to address Sir Gregor.
“Have my wife and son been keeping you good company?”
“Of course, my Lord. I’ve been telling Thomas here about our garrison and entreating him to come to the council meetings.”
“I see. This one’s nose is always too buried in books, and if I the rumors I hear are correct, handmaidens from Paris.” With that, he laughed and clapped Thomas on the back.
“Father please.” The parts of his face not covered by his beard turned bright red. “It’s tavern gossip, nothing more.”
“Never mind. I’m going to wash up, I’m going to address the council before supper and I expect you to be there.”
As the Duke returned to the castle with his mother and Sir Gregor returned to the troops, Thomas made his way to the kitchens to get a taste of the night’s supper, then he went off to get a taste of Margaux before the meeting as of course, the rumors were true.
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“I fear treachery more than assault. Metz stood with the rebels during the civil war. I also hear whispers of German agents trying to bribe officers to turn their cloaks.” The Duke sipped from the goblet of wine in his hand as he stared at the map laid out on the table. 
