[M2TW AAR] Former glory... Campaign with the Danes.

**k_Apollo** · July 30, 2009, 06:19 AM

A new day, a new chance, time to shine.
King Knud and his eldest son, Charles laughed,
their cosy sunday was a success, they shot apples of some servants their heads and hunted deers.

But after dinner everything changed. Knud wanted to talk about state business. He and his son were troubled. The ancient and huge empire of the Norsch was reduced to only one city, Arhus.
He and his son planned out. Their first concern was to manage to get Scandinavia back and some more southern cities, such as Hamburg and Magdeburg.
Charles was a politician and he ought reputations worth al lot. His father didn't do that as much as he did. Knud used deceiving and assassination as his way of 'politics'.
As Charles was a politician, he suggested to take over Stettin, while they would convert it, the pope would really start to feel good will for their people. Knud agreed.

A second goal was to re-achieve the English conquests.
Normandy and York would be their first goals, as the inhabitants of York didn't really like the English.
To get to Normandy, Knud and Charles agreed to occupy Flanders, the rich cities were worth the while, they said.

Other goals were to re-achieve Antioch and Palermo + Napels.
But Knud feared that he would never experience that.

Charles wanted to know what they should do with the diplomacy...
He said an alliance with the French would be beneficial. He also suggested to his father to send over a diplomat over to his holiness, the Pope, so they would be able to call a crusade later on, on Antioch of course.

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Another smart idea of Charles... To hire a team of exquisit diplomats to train his sisters. They should become excelent diplomats, and charming ladies. His eldest sister was to marry the Prince of Poland. It would help to seal a strong alliance.

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They smiled, a constructive dinner, Charles thought.
They didn't just plan, the next morning they sent all their force to Hamburg, their first Castle, a powerhouse for troops.
It was a succes. Their Charles split his forces. He took a troop to Magdeburg and a captain with a very difficult name took the other to Stettin.
In just a few months they quadripled their empire. But it wasn't enough, the captain with a very difficult name was taken into the family and a new adopted son to Knud was sent with him to Oslo. The goal of taking Scandinavia grew stronger.
Charles stayed in Hamburg a few months, fielding a new army, to take Flanders, Normandy and Bretagne (Rennes).
He sent another captain short after his departure to Metz, but he returned of a bold journey, the Germans (HRE) took it. He ordered them to come to Bruges, so they would be on time for the siege.
He also sent a letter to his dad:

"Dear father,
I already took Antwerp and I am preparing to siege Bruges.
Please send a diplomat to Russia for trade rights, sell them map information.
Please also send a diplomat to the Holy Roman Empire, buy of Metz, it is needed.
How is mother? Give her my regards.
To you, and my siblins, good luck and also my regards,
Charles"

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Confident in the power of diplomacy and politics he marched upon Bruges. The crossbows were ferocious, they slaughtered a lot of his skilled infantery-men. But he was changing this. He sent 2 rams to take the gates, and sent his cavelry with an additional ram around the back, which no one expected.
The Flemish peasants (they're still from Bruges) were surprised, and defeated rather easily then.

The responce of his dad:

"Good of hearing of you, son!
I heard you took Bruges, congratualations! A truly skilled commander have you become!
I have sent diplomats to both the Russians and the Germans.
Good luck son,
Dad

P.S.: Your mother's fine, she says hi.

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After reading this letter Charles was thrilled. New lust of battle strook him. He wanted to achieve the goals. He took his army and asked for reinforcements out of Metz. They arrived a few months later.
He prepared a boat with an assassin and a diplomat. Supported by some soldiers.

In meanwhile, Oslo was taken, the former captain, now prince with a very difficult name sieged Stockholm at the moment.

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The Danes are to achieve 2 goals at the same time.

The army travelled to Caen. The capital of Normandy, the city that was of his ancestors. HE was going to retake it. But before sieging it, his father insisted on taking care of the general first.

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After a bloody siege, with lots of losses on both sides. His holiness immediately suggested a ceasefire. The politician in Charles agreed, he sent over the boat he prepared to London. The assassin took care of the English Cardinal. Aston.
The diplomat suggested the ceasefire to the English, they happily accepted.

It has been more than 10 years he had seen his dad. He only revieced some letters.
The last thing to do in this ''goal'' was to get control over Rennes, Bretagne.
After that he would return home for a few months.

Right after that, there was called a crusade, a crusade on Antioch. This was a great opportunity!

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Then it happened, the Germans attacked Metz, we had luck an army big enough to defeat the Germans. However, they shouldn't forget what they did, they did get their own doom upon them. Charles said: ''I will not rest before every traitor to our empire is dead!''
A new war was born, and lots of lifes were about to be ended.

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One year later, after a small battle, in which the other unit died, a new prince rose, he was competent in command, and chivalrous in behaviour.

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It has been more than 10 years he had seen his dad. He only revieced some letters.
The last thing to do in this ''goal'' was to get control over Rennes, Bretagne.
After that he would return home for a few months.

At home, Knud achieved great things with his assassins, they had killed and sabotaged a lot lately, the Germans would suffer for attacking his people.

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Not only Knud managed to annoy the Germans, even Charles did without using his army. He sent over his little sister, Cecile, only 19 years old, to steal a general, the general managing the German capital.

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UPDATE #1:
Goals achieved:
-Normandy
-Antioch
-Flanders
-Northern-Germany

To be achieved:
-Sicily, Naples
-Eastern Germany

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Due to the war with the Germans, Charles didn't have a chance to see his father again before he died, which made him bitter. His dislike of the Germans had grown that much, he wouldn't rest before they were not killed, but slaughtered. His reputation of Chivalry didn't demise, but he got himself a reputation as a Dreaded Mauler also. Charles wasn't a young man anymore, he was an aged veteran.

Although, the crusade was succesful, nobody really cared a lot about it, a minor prince was sent over there, and besides Adana, Aleppo and Antioch there were no cities to conquer.
His Holiness was thrilled, though, without having an alliance, we had perfect relations.

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Another part of the empire was taken care of, by the way:

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The anti-small-rebel-army has a new prince, it was again a very small fight, a half unit of peaseant archers. For some reason, he was the man of the hour anyway.

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Charles was shocked. Two of his close friends were killed by rebel pirates. "May God take care of them! Both my friends as my enemies, because I will not care what my or someone else's troops do to them!" Charles shouted.

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**k_Apollo** · July 30, 2009, 09:35 AM

UPDATE #2

A new prince: Dietrich, who fell for Cecile, accepted Sigurd in his family, and thus in the family of Charles.

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We were able to recover this from a diary. Which probably belonged to King Charles himself!

"After 2 years of intense battle, siegings on both sides, the French were tired of fighting. They offered us a ceasefire, my lust for battle was to big for just 'piece' so I offered them to become vasals, secretly hoping they would decline, so I could lead my empire to bigger glory. Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam, the monks would say. (For the Greater Glory of God) But they did accept, like peasant girls they dropped their arms and gave us their money in form of taxes every year from then on. However, I now could bring full attention upon the Germans... They are still alive as a living faction. This must be changed! I myself will lead one of our armies east, to Vienna, where I will end a legacy of conquest by my own hand. Their legacy ends there, ours just begins."

It is an understatement to say Charles was very intelligent, but over the years and due to war with more than 3 factions he had become bitter. He had vision, and that would become more clear later on.

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Another part out of that diary:
Nowadays there are a lot of scumbags, people that say A and do B, liars, cheaters, frauds, French & Venetians, but I am not like that, because of being honest, chivalrous and loyal we have become a faction with reputation, not very untrustworthy (cf. France, Venice later on) but very reliable (and now trustworhy) The Spanish noticed that, and were in need of an ally, they asked me. We were honoured, as Spain is (well, was) an empire multiple times our size. Spain was at war with Portugal and with the Moors, they were winning when the alliance was sealed, but they lost a region to the Portuguese later on. It's sad how 3 factions need to fight for the Iberian Peninsula, it's not small at all, but the Moors could easily expand south or east, and then there would be a fair war going on. One versus one, Spain versus Portugal. Well it's not going like that, and I must say, I wish them best of luck.

Here it looks a lot like Charles was not as bitter as he used to be all the time, he was talking about virtue and valour, he was talking about his friends, allies and brothers. He felt compasion, but for the same reason he couldn't help, he would be in trouble in Germany and France, where there are enough factions that ease on his terretories.

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Charles changed that day... we follow his diary once again, after this, it stops.

Today the Pope died, but more important MY FATHER died, and I didn't even had the chance to be at his funeral. What of a son am I? I have always done everything he wanted of me, I was his only biological son, his favourite, his prince, his heir... his everything. But while I was achieving things he was to old for, I distanced of him, I betrayed him... Yes I betrayed him, he was my father, but I wasn't there when he needed me the most, at the end.
I am the new king, I should be happy, but I am not, if my father still were alive, I would immediatley give him back the throne, which I haven't seen for about 20 years.
I am now going back to war, war and once again war. I am going to achieve everything we spoke of that sunday. Everything."

Here the diary ends, but in history books we read it was ...
wait I'm not gonna spoil everything

.

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It is not forbidden to post, people!

**k_Apollo** · July 30, 2009, 02:55 PM

New update, again post reserved.

**Nazgûl Killer** · July 30, 2009, 04:36 PM

Nice AAR Apollo, if you could, however, make it a bit more informative

(The 2nd update...)

**k_Apollo** · July 30, 2009, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by Nazgûl Killer

Nice AAR Apollo, if you could, however, make it a bit more informative

(The 2nd update...)

Thank you, well I'm not really in the mood, my PC deleted 10+ screenshots, and that's kind of, annoying.
+ Knud is dead, I need to find a new person of intrest for Charles, who is 55 himself, I'm afraid he'll die soon.

Btw, how can someone edit names of cities?

Edit: I had an idea :p.

BTW; Pics I lost:

Factions Destroyed: Milan, HRE
Assassinations: Some HRE generals, Turkish Sultan (was mission) and the heir that ordered me to kill that sultan.
Some new generals
new cities
updates on map

**k_Apollo** · July 31, 2009, 02:52 PM

UPDATE #3

Only a few years after the loss of his father, Charles suffered again. He lost yet another friend, and now to one of their closest allies... The Papacy:

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Charles didn't become angry aloud, he was to scared of the inquisition, evenhow he was pious himself, the Inquisition wouldn't mind if he would rebel their disicion.
But at home, yet again his servants suffered a lord again affected by hate. A lord capable of doing things no other mortal man could do. A man hardened by age, battle and loss. His battles became bloodier, he was happy when factions declined the ransom offers, and he was happy when he saw the prisoners excecuted. If it were possible, he would begin all over, and go to the Holy Land, where he would be able to butcher 100 000's of Muslims, the infidels no pope would mind.
Well, this was a fantasy, he realised... So he sent an assassin to that lowlife piece of inquisitor, to avenge his friend.

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The world did not stand still, it went on, as went the war with the Germans... They were pushed to only one region, Bologna in Italy. Charles was rather lucky, there was just been a crusade on Genoa, so there was an army present.
One war was ended. But then it hapenned, the Venetians betrayed us. Denmark faced yet another foe. A mightier foe than the Germans, with better troops and better leaders.

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