[RELEASED SUBMOD] The Age of Kingdoms [Version 2.1 released! ]]
The Age of Kingdoms
A KORAH Sub-Campaign
By Badger-dude
Download Version 2.1 Here!
http://www.filedropper.com/ageofkingdomsv21
Install:
1) Extract the contents of the archive to your "....Medieval II Total War\mods\KingofRiverandHills\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign" folder.
2) This creates a folder called 'alternatives'.
3) To activate the mod, copy and paste the contents of 'Age of Kingdoms/v2.1' into the 'imperial campaign' folder
4) Extract the contents of the custom portraits folder to the portrait folder. (...Medieval II Total War\mods\KingofRiverandHills\data\ui\custom_portraits)
5) ... Pick a faction and play!
6) Note... If you want to play a hotseat, switch over the campaign script as usual!
This is only a beta
This is a little project I have been working on single handedly. It is a 'replacement' or 'sub' campaign for KORAH.
I am working on this alone on and off, but it is mostly finished. I am mostly portrait-hunting, tidying up a few things, and then I need to test it gameplay wise for balance.
It's a fun little submod. The rough backstory is below. I apologise if it is poorly written - it is much better in my head.
You really need to see the character profiles before some of the backstory makes sense.
Also, a few things need fleshing out.
Or, you know, you can just play it and see if it makes any sense :-D
Summary:
The events of this campaign take place roughly three centuries after the original ‘KORAH’ submod, and features a new plotline, new characters, and new challenges for every faction. The game has been streamlined for fast, brutal, and competitive play - Houses Bolton, House Yronwood, and House Mudd no longer exist, and instead mighty Kingdoms are now on the brink of war. This was designed as somewhat an experiment, as the campaign only modifies two of the original KORAH files. This was to keep the download small, and to prove how much could be done with simple text editing.
Map:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Background:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
The campaign begins several centuries after the Andal Invasion of Westeros and perhaps three centuries after the the final war which destroyed the Kingdom of Rivers and Hills. In a series of bloody wars and battles, the ancient Kingdom was torn apart by her Andal neighbours and the last of the Mudd Kings were slain by the combined forces of the Andal Powers.
With the Mudd line almost vanquished, over the two hundred years, the Stormkings conquered almost the entire Riverlands - including the areas held by House Lannister, House Gardener, and House Arryn, and imposed their will upon the First-Men inhabitants. War between the Stormkings and her neighbours was frequent, but her neighbours could not ally with one another for long and eventually the Stormking's triumphed, and now rule vast swathes of central and Eastern Westeros.
In the current era, the current King of the Stormlands and the RIverlands is Matthos Durranion, a king more suited to soldiering than high politics. Early in his reign, border clashes with the Arryns of the Eyrie were commonplace, although very rarely was major blood spilt or territory changed hands.
The Duel:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
In one of these border Skirmishes, a young Prince Barristan Durranion clashed swords with Prince Artys Arryn. The Arryn prince, one of the finest tourney knights in Westeros, defeated and captured Prince Barristan and held him to hostage at Saltpans - although his imprisonment was a comfortable one. Unlike his father - who was a lewd drunkard who would rather spend his days whoring and drinking in Gulltown, Prince Arryn was a noble and chivalrous man, and he treated the clashes with the Stormlands as harmless sport. Prince Barristan was held in comfortable quarters, while a raven was dispatched to Prince Rickard asking for a random for his younger brother's return.
When the ransom demand arrived at Riverrun, Prince Rickard road to treat with Prince Artys. Intially hostile to the Arryn prince, the pair soon warmed to one another. When they realised that there was infact little hostility nor cause for the constant border skirmishes, Prince Arty's offered to release Prince Barristan - on two conditions: Firstly that the Stormlords would not violate the Arryn's borders by crossing the Greenfork any longer, and secondly that Prince Rickard could beat him in a duel.
When the two Princes met on the field, a great crowd assembled. The two Prince's began with a joust with tourney lances, and after several passes Prince Rickard was unseated. Leaping from his horse to finish the job, the two Prince's crossed blunted swords. After almost an hour, the pair were exhausted - and it was only when neither man could lift their sword that the duel was concluded.
That night, the Princes agreed on the terms that had been proposed - and Prince Arty's offered the hand of his own daughter to the Rickard's eldest son Davos Durranion. The match was accepted, and the news sent around Westeros.
The Wedding:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Castle Darry was originally chosen as the site for the marriage, but Prince Arty's instead proposed Oldstones - the site of the only defeat of King Tristifer IV, s a more dramatic setting. In reality, Prince Arty's suggestion was influenced by the fact that tensions with House Stark were on the rise, and the Mountain Clans had been gathering strength. Holding the Wedding far from the Vale would ensure his daughter's safety. The Lords of the Stormlands and the Vale were all in attendance. Notably absent was the King of the Vale, King Harrold Arryn - a bitter man who spent his days in his cups and his nights in the beds of the Slatterns of Gulltown. His absence was seen as a gift from the Seven, and not a slight.
When the celebrations were over and the bedding concluded, the Lords and Ladies departed and the married couple were left at Oldstones with a handful of retainers. King Matthos returned home to Storm's End, where he was tutoring his youngest son Luceon in the ways of war. Prince Barristan escorted Prince Artys and his retinue from the Riverlands, parting ways at Saltpans - this time as friends.
While at the Wedding, Prince Rickard heard that The King of the Reach had organised a tournament at Cider Hall. Believing this was in fact an excuse for them to gather their force, Prince Rickard gathered his own forces and began the march to the border.
The Ironborn Invasion of the Riverlands:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
But not all was well in Westeros, and the Stormking’s neighbours would not rest idle while King Matthos and his Sons dominated half of Westeros. In recent decades the Ironborn had lost their Northernmost and Southern most holdings to a resurgent House Stark and the Militant King of the Reach. With these prizes lost to his house, the current King of the Isles, Urrigon Hoare, faced the prospect of his treasury emptying and dissent amongst his bannermen, decided to take action before the zealous Stormking’s turned their eyes to the West.
Assembling a mighty host at Orkmont, King Urrigon made his intentions clear to make the Riverlands run red with Durranion blood. A great armada sailed from the Islands, with almost the entire Strength of the Ironborn aboard. In their absence, House Greyjoy were appointed as Defenders of the Isles, a slight to Urrigon’s son and heir Prince Greydon, who was left behind at Orkmont.
The Ironborn invasion came as a surprise to the Stormlords, whose forces were concentrated in the South with Prince Rickard. The Northern Riverlands were mostly left undefended. The Vanguard of the invasion force, led by Urrigon's brother, Rodrik Hoare - a famed and brutal commander known as the Butcher– landed at Seaguard. The Mallister guards threw down their spears and fled South, but the Ironborn Raiders pursuit left a stream of bodies lying in the bogs of the Riverlands, and no word reached Oldstones, where the Princeling Davos and his wife Anya now resided.
With no warning, Rodrik Hoare and several thousand Ironborn descended upon Oldstones, expecting to find the Crown Princes Rickard in residence there. Instead, the Butcher found just the Princeling, the Princess, and a few dozen retainers. Furious, Rodrik scaled the walls himself and with his own bodyguard beside him, he carved a bloody swathe through the couple's retainers.
Fighting and winning a duel with the Princess’ sworn shield, Ser Osgood Redfort, Rodrik approached the Prince and demanded that he surrender himself to the Ironborn – Rodrik intended to use him as a bargaining chip. If he refused, Rodrik swore by the Drowned God to rape Anya.
The Princelng took up Ser Osgood's sword and charged the Butcher, bellowing the warcry of his house. With a single stroke, Rodrik carved off the Princeling’s sword arm, and a second swipe of his axe hamstrung the young boy. Bleeding profusely Davos drew his dagger. Prince Rodrik made a sport of the young Princeling, duelling him for several minutes until the limping boy –weak with bloodloss, collapsed. Rodrik made the young Princeling’s Maesters give him the best care possible, cauterising his wounds.
Rodrik Hoare then made good his threat, and when he was done with the Princess he passed her to his men for their sport. Her body was never recovered. With the deed done and the princeling stabilised, the butcher set to work on Prince Davos, removing each of his remaining limbs at the joint. The mutilated Princeling was loaded on a barge and floated down the River. The Maesters who had kept the Princeling alive were instructed to row him to his father in Riverun.
The remainder of the invasion was mostly bloodless. Leading a small party of men to Fairmarket, the Luceon Harlaw achieved their surrender and promised no blood would be shed – none was.
The Blackwoods of Raventree fled south as Rodrik Hoare approached. They reached Riverun a little before the Princeling’s barge did. By that time, the Princeling expired, yet the Maesters made good their promise and brought the young Prince’s corpse to Riverrun, where Prince Rickard had returned.
When the Crown Prince was shown the mutilated body of his eldest son, the normally placid and friendly Prince is said to have launched into a violent rage. For several hours he remained alone with his chambers, his roars of anguish echoing across the walls of the keep. When he finally emerged fro mhis chambers, his rage had been replaced by a coldness none of his retainers had seen in the prince. He gave the order to call the banners and to send word to his Brothers and fathers to join their own banners to his. His Raven to Barristan also contained a message to be delivered in person to Artys Arryn to inform him of this daughter's fate.
Receiving his brother's summons and request, Prince Barristan called his bannermen, before he personally rode to the Bloody Gate to deliver the message to Prince Artys. However, Osgood Redfort's squire - who had lept from the battlements during the assault on Oldstones, and had survived the plunge into the Trident, had reached the Bloody Gate before Prince Barristan, and the Knight of the Gate had taken the young squires tale to King Harold, who resided in Gulltown.
Civil War in the Vale and the Uprising of the Mountain Clans
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:The Arryn king, a man who had no honour no respect, merely sent a Raven to King Urrigon, offering him peaceful terms and requesting that the Ironborn return the wedding gifts that the Lords of the Vale had bestowed upon his granddaughter.
Thus when Prince Barritan finally reached the Eyrie, Prince Arys had already heard of both the rape and murder of his daughter and the inaction of his own father. Prince Artys had sent out summons to every lord in the land, ordering them to raise forces for an invasion of the Iron Islands. Riders and ravens had both been despatched to every Stroghold in the Vale of Arryn and gathered as many horsemen to his banner as he could.
When Prince Barristan reached him, Prince Arys had gathered two thousand horsemen to his back, and together the two princes road through the Bloody Gate. The Prince left orders for the Lords of the Vale to Gather their foot and march in his wake.
Yet while the lords closest to the Eyrie - The Corbary's, the Hunter's, the Belmore's, and the Coldwater's had all obbeyed the Prince's command, when word reached Lord Royce and Lord Redfort of the Prince's demand, the two lords thought it best to ride to GUlltown to consult the King. There, King Harrold issued a Royal Decree that no man of the Vale was to take up arms against the Ironborn, and he ordered Vardis Templeton, the King's hand and Castellan of the Eyrie, to seize Prince Artys and Prince Barristan.
Thus, the vale was split. The King's Raven reached the Eyrie long after the Princes had departed, and Lord Templeton - having welcomed the armies loyal to the Prince to the Eyrie, now faced a difficult decision. On the one hand, he was sworn to obey his King's command, yet he knew that the Prince's decision - albeit rash - was the right one to make. Lord Varis eventually chose to take no action, allowing the Prince to pass through the Bloody Gate unheeded, but nor did he allow his army to march in the Prince's wake.
In this climate of dissension between father and son, it appeared that a civil war was brewing. And the Mountain Clans took this as an opportunity. Uniting the forces of the clans together under one banner, the chieftains led their forces down from the mountains and in a surprise assault they seized the mountain fastness of Strongsong from House Belmore. Lord Belmore rode to the Eyrie post haste. With the news of the invasion, Lord Templeton was given a way out of following either course. Emptying the Eyrie, he marched to Strongsong with a host of ten thousand veteran warriors at his back.
While Lord Templeton was a noble and capable commander, he was in a rush to complete his mission, and did not send forth the proper scouts. More-so, fearing dissension between the Prince’s men and the King’s men in the ranks of the hastily gathered army, he sent many of his fellow Lords back to their keeps, including the veteran Lord Hunter.
Marching blindly towards Strongsong, Vardis has played right into the Clansmen’s trap. Unbeknownst to Lord Templeton, the clansmen vastly outnumber the Valemen, and have surrounded Templeton’s host. With little hope of escape or relief, the Hand of the King faces annihilation.
There is still hope, however. Jasper Arryn, the King’s brother, has returned from his voyage east and he is both an excellent soldier and a politician. It is hoped that his intervention into the current crisis will bring resolution – one way or the other – to the current troubles.
The War in the Stormlands:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Back in the Stormlands, King Matthos answered his Son’s call for aid and marched from the Stormlands with the majority of his strength. He ordered his Hand, Orys Darklyn, to raise further forces in the Shorelands. With their hosts combined, King Matthos hoped to smash the Ironborn and drive them back into the sea.
Yet the King of Dorne, Trystane Martell, was not one to miss an opportunity. An experienced soldier, Trystane Martell has recently risen to the Throne after years of fighting against House Yronwood. With House Yronwood and all their bannermen now sworn to his side, Trystane’s ambitions have grown. Seizing the opportunity, he has invaded the Southern Stormlands, taking the castles of Mistwood and Stonehelm.
The surprise invasion meant that the initial landings were uncontested, but soon Eldon Estermont, the master of ships, gathered the strength of the Southern Stormfleet to his banner and he sailed to meet the foe. Just off the Isle of Estermont, the Stormland fleet met with the much larger Martell fleet.One the one hand The Martells had the advantage in numbers - with about 200 ships mustered. In contrast, the Stormfleet numbered 120 ships, but in the oppening engagement the great Dromonds of the Stormfleet carved their way through the smaller Martell ships, inflicting great damage on the Martell fleet.
Yet as the day wore on, the Stormlord casualties began to mount up, and it appeared defeat was almost certain. Eldon Estermont’s own flagship was heavily damaged and h was forced to transfer his flag as battle raged both above and below deck.
All of a sudden, the sky darkened and one of the most furious storms ever witnessed in the sea of Dorne brewed. A lightening bolt struck the Martell Flagship and in the confusion the Martell ships scattered, many of the over-burdened transports sinking. While his fleet sustained heavy casualties, the more experienced Stormlords limped away in good order, and returned to port at Storms’ End. The Martell fleet, by comparison, was scattered to the high seas.
The engagement was thus inconclusive. While the Stormlords had destroyed much of the Martell strength at sea, the Storm had forced them to retreat and had allowed he Martell transports to land reinforcements – led by Trystane Martell himself – at the port of Stonehelm. The Martell fleet – while now a fraction of its former size – was not defeated entirely and Eldon Estermont had also lost over half his fleet. The destruction of the majority of the Martell fleet will have slowed down the process of reinforcements, and this has allowed Lord Connington, Luceon Durranion, and Lord Dondarrion to gather their own forces for a counter attack.
King Matthos now needs to make the decision whether to turn his armies back to defend hi homeland, or to march to aid his sons in the RIverlands. Either way, the Stormking’s are outnumbered and with House Arryn paralysed- they are friendless-
The North:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
To the North, the Stark’s of Winterfell have been consolidating their power. The current King of Winter, King Edderion Stark, - known as Ice Eyes – is a cold and brutal man. While his own bannermen and subjects have little love for their king, he is widely feared and his authority is certain. Even the Boltons of the Dreadfort obey his every command.
King Edderion has recently recovered the town of White Harbour and the castle of the Wolf’s Den from raiders from the Sisters, who have had free reign to act ever since the Vale was plunged into dissention.
The recapture of White Harbour is the final step in Ice Eye’s consolidation of power – the Ironborn were expelled from Flint’s Finger a decade ago and the Bolton’s have knelt before him. The Stark’s have seized ships from White Harbour, and likely as not Edderion is planning an invasion of the fractured vale.
On his Father’s orders, Prince Jonnel has ridden South with a large Northern army to occupy to fortress of Moat Cailin. With the Ironborn invasion, perhaps the Northmen intend to retake the land of their First Men brethren and drive out the Andals.
Civil War in the Westerlands:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
In the Westerlands proper, the venerable King Andros Lannister resides at Casterly rock. A respected leader and a first among firsts, his reign has been a peaceful one. However, with his old age and his death looming, his second son Lancel Lannister decided to rebel.
Tricking his own brother - Tywin Lannister - to march from Casterly rock on the pretext that the King Urrigon had invaded, Lancel ambushed Tywin while making the crossing to Fair Isle. As the Prince’s boats made the crossing, Lancel ordered his archers and the scorpions and the spitfires of Fair Isle to fire upon the Lannister ships. Caught in the crossfire, thousands of good men were slain - including Prince Tywin.
Prince Lancel - who now had dyed his banner blue and called himself the Blue Lion -, now seeking to further his claim, marched on Casterly Rock – which was undefended. Seizing his own father as a hostage, the Prince demanded the King name him his heir, over the Princeling Cedric Lannister. King Andros refused, but the Prince could not hurt his own father. Instead, he marched his army on Lannisport to capture the second Princeling. Damion, however, refused to give up the city, and despite his inexperience on the battlefield he prepared for a siege.
The siege of Lannisport, however, proved a disaster for the rebels. In his absence, the garrison he left behind reverted to their King and when Lord Tarbeck ,the hand of the King, marched on the Rock they opened the gates and joined their banners to the King’s cause.
Now, the tide was turning for the Blue Lion.. His forces were stretched around Lannisport., and when Prince Cedric arrived from the reach with ten thousands Swords at his back, many of the Blue Lion’s men deserted and fled to the rock to beg the King’s pardon.
With just a few thousand loyal retainers now at his side, the Blue Lion attempted to flee through the mountains, only to be cut off by Lord Tarbeck. With Cedric’s host behind him and Tarbeck’ to his front, the Blue Loin surrendered.
While Cedric seethed with anger for his father’s murder, Andros Lannister offered his son the chance to redeem himself as a man of the Night’s Watch. Over a thousand men took the black that day, marking the largest Lannister contribution to the Night’s watch in a millennia. While the Blue Lion had arrived at Casterly Rock in chains adorned in blue aad gold, he left the Rock bound only with the solemn vows he had taken, his cloak now one of black.
Thus ended his rebellion, and in the uneasy years since the Princeling, now the sole heir, has been consolidating his own power in the west. House Lannister was almost extinguished in the civil war.
The Tourney at Cider Hall:
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
King Lyonel Gardener, while a capable soldier and a veteran of wars against the Dornish, the Ironborn, and the Stormkings, currently his realm is at peace. With wars erupting all around him, the King of the Reach can enjoy a period of plenty and peace – unless he so chooses to get involved.
Recently, the King held a mighty tournament at Cider Hall. Most of the Lords of the Reach attended, as did Cedric Lannister, the Tarbeck heir, and several of the Stormlords. Rickard Durranion considered this Tourney a pretext for gathering forces, and it was for this reason that he was in the South while the Ironborn invaded.
The tourney, while actually innocent, has proved an opportunity for the King to sound out his bannermen.. With the civil war in the Westerlands concluded, King Lyonel is less uneasy about the possibility of a militant Lannister. Prince Cedric’s attendance of the Tourney has meant that calls for an invasion of the Westerlands have fallen mostly on dead ears. Instead, King Lyonel is now watching the situation in the Storm and Riverlands very closely. It is likely that eventually he will be forced to choose one side or the other, but for now the King of the Reach is able to sit back and let his former enemies squabble amongst themself.
The only dissention with this plan can be found in the Order of The Warrior’s Sons. Their Lord commander wishes to join the fight against the Ironborn, and has marshalled the forces of his order.
Thus, Westeros has been plunged into a war where the central and Eastern factions are at war while the Western Powerrs of Gardener and Lannister can choose their side carefully. The Northmen and Dornish have made their ambitions clear, and with the Stormking's ancient position of dominence under threat, this can only lead to one thing in Westeros: Total War!
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Originally Posted by complete noob:(
. I would've repped you if I could, but seems like I reppped you recently? Weird, I really don't remember.
