[Britannia Expansion - Custom Submod] The Isles of Chaos (Roleplay Hotseat)

[Turkafinwë]

The rules state that a catapult can take a fort solo - https://gyazo.com/acf4cf3259b633a9bf7920504772ecf8

Edit: I missed 1 part in the rules where it says forts fall into the category I'll replay and have it up shortly.

Very good!

[PeaMan]

New save sent to Wales, same results as before but didn't take the fort.

[Der Böse Wolf]

New save sent to Wales, same results as before but didn't take the fort.

Hey man, can you please bigger pictures?. We can barely see anything.

Maybe try IMGUR to post directly in the thread.

And merry Christmas to all of you.

[PeaMan]

Hey man, can you please bigger pictures?. We can barely see anything.

Maybe try IMGUR to post directly in the thread.

And merry Christmas to all of you.

What do you mean? I just checked the pictures and they show all the relevant info needed odds+victory results with the armies on the field all good.

[zender9]

Scotland up:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16MF...ew?usp=sharing

[joerock22]

Brutal fighting continues around Aberdeen, as both sides continue to send reinforcements to the maelstrom.

Norway:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zZQ...ew?usp=sharing

Aberdeen:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nkM...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-uN...ew?usp=sharing

Naval Battle:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AiE...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E0N...ew?usp=sharing

[Der Böse Wolf]

For the past months, a war of attrition is taking place around Aberdeen.
Incessant waves of Scottish raids have been coming by sea to attack the Norse-held stronghold of Aberdeen.

King Alexander of Scotland is hell bent on retaking what was once a proud trading outpost for the Scottish Crown.
But the Vikings are not keen on surrendering the city just yet. Heavy and brave resistance, albeit with tragic loss of life, have kept the city from falling.

But the Scots, in their own homelands, have more human and logistical resources to win this war of attrition.

Longboats and Dragon ships are not arriving with the desperately needed reinforcements from mainland Norway.
King Magnus sent a call for colonists to come and populate the Norse settlements in Northern Britannia.

While people were not keen on embarking on such a voyage through treacherous seas into a land where Norse rule is being challenged, the recent threats of a Crusade against their fellow pagans across the sea might swing the tide back in Magnus's favour.

Indeed, nothing can unite Norsemen more than the defence of their traditions, faith and way of life.

So far, Norse boats remain in Bergen and other Norwegian ports.
But the gloomy sentiments towards Britannia might just make way to a renewed interest the quest for Greenland.
--------------------------------------------

The Northern Shires are next: https://www.mediafire.com/file/ar3a0ef36prbcm1/TIOC_Barons_38.sav/file

[paladinbob123]

The winter of 1295AD was quite a mid one , as winters go , and the lords and lady's of the northern shires happy in the peace that existed in their lands resolved to celebrate Christmas , in the best manner possible. Even the selfs and peasants of the land, had a respectful harvest , which allowed the surplus , to make there own little celebrations bring some festive cheer. Henry of Lancaster, was well satisfied at some diplomacy , starting the peace , and was looking forward to a mince pie , a new form of celebrational dish made from Ox Tongue, whilst he began to use the pastry , to eat the filling , disregarding the poor pastry afterwards [pastry in the old days, was not shortcrust, and indeed was rather hard, and more for preservation and protection of food or to aid in the cooking].

--------------------------------
Mince Pies
{happy new year all!}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibLeVl9kPIQ&t=175s

A mince pie (also mincemeat pie in New England, and fruit mince pie in Australia and New Zealand) is a sweet pie of British origin, filled with a mixture of dried fruits and spices called "mincemeat", that is traditionally served during the Christmas season in much of the English-speaking world. Its ingredients are traceable to the 13th century, when returning European crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits and spices.

The early mince pie was known by several names, including "mutton pie", "shrid pie" and "Christmas pie". Typically its ingredients were a mixture of minced meat, suet, a range of fruits, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Served around Christmas, the savoury Christmas pie (as it became known) was associated with supposed Catholic "idolatry" and during the English Civil War was frowned on by the Puritan authorities. Nevertheless, the tradition of eating Christmas pie in December continued through to the Victorian era, although by then its recipe had become sweeter and its size markedly reduced from the large oblong shape once observed. Today the mince pie, usually made without meat (but often including suet or other animal fats), remains a popular seasonal treat enjoyed by many across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The ingredients for the modern mince pie can be traced to the return of European crusaders from the Holy Land. Middle Eastern methods of cooking, which sometimes combined meats, fruits and spices, were popular at the time. Pies were created from such mixtures of sweet and savoury foods; in Tudor England, shrid pies (as they were known then) were formed from shredded meat, suet and dried fruit. The addition of spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg was, according to the English antiquary John Timbs, "in token of the offerings of the Eastern Magi."Several authors, including Timbs, viewed the pie as being derived from an old Roman custom practised during Saturnalia, where Roman fathers in the Vatican were presented with sweetmeats.Early pies were much larger than those consumed today, and oblong shaped; the jurist John Selden presumed that "the coffin of our Christmas-Pies, in shape long, is in Imitation of the Cratch [Jesus's crib]", although writer T. F. Thistleton-Dyer thought Selden's explanation unlikely, as "in old English cookery books the crust of a pie is generally called 'the coffin.'"

The modern mince pie's precursor was known by several names. The antiquary John Brand claimed that in Elizabethan and Jacobean-era England they were known as minched pies, but other names include mutton pie, and starting in the following century, Christmas pie.Gervase Markham's 1615 recipe recommends taking "a leg of mutton", and cutting "the best of the flesh from the bone", before adding mutton suet, pepper, salt, cloves, mace, currants, raisins, prunes, dates and orange peel. He also suggested that beef or veal might be used in place of mutton. In the north of England, goose was used in the pie's filling, but more generally neat's tongue was also used; a North American filling recipe published in 1854 includes chopped neat's tongue, beef suet, blood raisins, currants, mace, cloves, nutmeg, brown sugar, apples, lemons, brandy and orange peel. During the English Civil War, along with the censure of other Catholic customs, they were banned: "Nay, the poor rosemary and bays, and Christmas pie, is made an abomination."

-----------------------------

Henry's Christmas was soon shocked by the actions of the English monarch , Edmund the Mad, when he first stormed and took the castle on the northern coastline of wales, which had been claimed from a single knight , who still lived and wanted its return. The main issue wasn't perhaps the ownership of the castle, but moreover the loss of the garrison , who were troopers from Lancaster themselves. Some of those soldiers had families and loved ones in the Ancient City, and when the news came, that they had been killed , the celebratory edge grew a little grimmer in Lancaster. But worse news was to come with both a message from the English King and the reports that a large army-group had entered Anglia and was moving towards the Town of Norwich.



Henry started to get very angry a this point , as he had promised the lords that ruled in Norwich [most of those that had come from York] that Norwich was under there protection and had warned the king , he could not give this land up to his person , in lue of the peace, which is why he swore a oath on the bible in front of the archbishop of York. The king of England , had said , that he had no respect for the Holy Book in his new message, and therefore was wanting Henry to go back on his word, and let him have the eastern county , and this was something Henry could not do . Therefore a message would have to be sent to the King of England , to show that Henry was a man of his word,as mere words didn't seem enough, so with the now sufficient threat at the killing of the lancasterian men at Flint , and the troop movements into Anglia, would see his biblical oath , last season made null and void after the English monarchs ill acts.

Volunteers were called in Lancaster itself , and soon a small force , was assembled , containing cousin and fathers of the murdered troops that had garrisoned Castle Flint , and these were sailed down by Lancastrian fleets. A Spy had entered the small castle on the coastline , and sabotaged the gates, and told the newly landed troops of two very scant welsh mercenary forces under English control manned the castle.

Flint Castle was not a particularly large castle [see #509 - page26 for actual details] , and the fight provided quick and rather bloody as the far superior troops of the northern shires stormed in and was met at the gate from the welsh troops who were outnumbered two to one. Luckily enough for the northern shires force, the welsh didn't have any longbow troops or it was more than likely they would be massacred from the castle walls, but the welsh were predominantly spearmen , and a melee at the gate of bill and spear continued for around a half hour. Until after taking some losses, the troops from Lancaster took the gate, and flooded into the courtyard and into the keep , where the destruction of the rest of the mercenaries took place.



With a new flag over Castle Flint appearing , the Lord Protector of the Northern shires, took pen to paper , warning the English Monarch , that his state was willing to restart the war , if the English throne continued on its path to take the city of Norwich and if they refused to withdraw, then a counteraction , would take place at Chester , a town that many within the Northern shires, would have little issue with attacking. Indeed many of the Celtic alliance suggested they should have done so , but Henry had balked at the idea, preferring to listen to his advisors telling him the will of the people , were against prolonged war with the English throne, but with the English Kings reactions , the people In the south {of the northern shires] were willing to make a stand for the defence of there own countrymen .


{Westerdale Village- how it appears in the summer}


{Westerdale Hall}

Far in the north however, a different sight was taking place , as in Newcastle , a Templar Knight had arrived carrying a Banner he had obtained from the Archbishop of York himself who had his own people prepare it , blessed it , in a massive ceremony in York Minister, decrying the old gods as blasphemy and there followers as heretics , to be destroyed in the name of Christ. The Templar had escorted the banner to his estates in Westerdale. In Westerdale village lay a Manor Hall which had been given to order, and the surrounding lands , for the purpose of supporting the order in its duties and many followers seeing the banner followed the knight as he moved toward Newcastle bring a swelling army to those lands in the north. Ships were starting to gather on the northern coastline , and many of the crusaders having the cross added to there own padded jackets moved towards the newly appointed crusader town , to strike a blow for Christianity against the pagan foe's in the north.



The rest of the northern shires peoples were pleasantly relieved however, that the welsh had taken over the island of Mann and followed intently about the welsh and irish forces pursuing the campaign, in the welsh northern regions. For now the Irish had taken to sieging one of the great castle of Wales being Carvenon, and all waited for news, whether this would fall , and provide the welsh a footstep back into there own lands.

----------------

Westerdale

Agricultural land and a hall, situated in the Westerdale area, were given to the Order of Knights Templar at an early period in the 12th century. The property was donated by Guido de Bovingcourt who owned the land, together with other holdings in nearby Baysdale (a.k.a. Basedale/Handale/ Grendale). Bovincourt was a supporter of the Cistercians and donated a number of other lands in the area to them including Battersby, Stokesley, Newby, and Baysdale itself. At Baysdale, he provided a home for a small congregation of Cistercian nuns who lived in a small abbey there, supported by mining and smelting rights near Westerdale village.

The remains of the fortifications of the hall given to the Templars by Bovincourt was situated to the north of the present day Westerdale Hall (formerly a Youth Hostel) and was excavated by the warden's son, Paul Wheater, in 1960. He found evidence of a main chamber together with a kitchen, a brewery, animal quarters and a chapel.
In the book The Story of Danby by the late Dr Bob Robinson (1991), we are told that the Templars of Temple Newsam, Leeds, appointed the then prominent Westerdale Preceptory in 1119 to be the head of the North Yorkshire Templars.

The Preceptory prospered for around two hundred years until 1309 when the Templars were suppressed. William de la Fenne was Westerdale's last preceptor and it is likely that with their impending suppression, he encouraged his Templars to turn much of their valuable goods into cash. A listing of their removable possessions is surprisingly small, particularly in the light of us being told that Westerdale had been declared the 'head Preceptory of North Yorkshire'. The granary contained only 4 bushels (100 kg) of rye.

The revenue from the Preceptory's extensive holdings were handed over to the Knights Hospitallers and included:
1000 acres (4 km²) of wild moorland
60 acres (240,000 m²) of parkland
60 acres (240,000 m²) of oats
40 acres (160,000 m²) of grazing meadow
2 acres (8,000 m²) of rye
the granary at Grange Farm
Livestock handed over included:
16 oxen
14 cows
a single bull
13 geese
3 colts
5 affers (heifers)

--------------------------
Caernarfon



Caernarfon Castle (Welsh: Castell Caernarfon), often anglicized as Carnarvon Castle, is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, north-west Wales cared for by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service. It was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing it with the current stone structure. The Edwardian town and castle acted as the administrative centre of north Wales and as a result the defences were built on a grand scale.

Carnarvon City


{reconstruction of the town and the castle position -note the castle on the coast for easy reinforcement and resupply}

The present city of Caernarfon grew up around and owes its name to its Norman and late Medieval fortifications. The earlier British and Romano-British settlement at Segontium was named for the nearby Afon Seiont. After the end of Roman rule in Britain around 410, the settlement continued to be known as Cair Segeint ("Fort Seiont") and as Cair Custoient ("Fort Constantius or Constantine"), of the History of the Britons, cited by James Ussher in Newman's life of Germanus of Auxerre, both of whose names appear among the 28 civitates of sub-Roman Britain in the Historia Brittonum traditionally ascribed to Nennius. The work states that the inscribed tomb of "Constantius the Emperor" (presumably Constantius Chlorus, father of Constantine the Great) was still present in the 9th century. (Constantius actually died at York; Ford credited the monument to a different Constantine, the supposed son of Saint Elen and Magnus Maximus, who was said to have ruled northern Wales before being removed by the Irish.) The medieval romance about Maximus and Elen, Macsen's Dream, calls her home Caer Aber Sein ("Fort Seiontmouth" or "the caer at the mouth of the Seiont") and other pre-conquest poets such as Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd also used the name Caer Gystennin.

The Norman motte was erected apart from the existing settlement and came to be known as y gaer yn Arfon, "the fortress in Arfon". (The region of Arfon itself derived its name from its position opposite Anglesey, known as Môn in Welsh.) A 1221 charter by Llywelyn the Great to the canons of Penmon priory on Anglesey mentions Kaerinarfon; the Brut mentions both Kaerenarvon and Caerenarvon. In 1283, King Edward I completed his conquest of Wales which he secured by a chain of castles and walled towns. The construction of a new stone Caernarfon Castle seems to have started as soon as the campaign had finished.Edward's architect, James of St. George, may well have modelled the castle on the walls of Constantinople, possibly being aware of the town's legendary associations. Edward's fourth son, Edward of Caernarfon, later Edward II of England, was born at the castle in April 1284 and made Prince of Wales in 1301. A story recorded in the 16th century suggests that the new prince was offered to the native Welsh on the premise "that [he] was borne in Wales and could speake never a word of English", however there is no contemporary evidence to support this.

The medieval town walls, including eight towers and two twin-towered gateways form a complete circuit of 730 metres around the old town and were built between 1283 and 1285. The walls are in the care of Cadw but only a small section is accessible to the public. The town walls and castle at Caernarfon were declared part of a World Heritage Site in 1986.According to UNESCO, the castle and walls together with other royal castles in Gwynedd "are the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe.

The Castle



The first fortifications at Caernarfon were built by the Romans. Their fort, which they named Segontium, is on the outskirts of the modern town. The fort sat near the bank of the River Seiont; it is likely that the fort was positioned here due to the sheltered nature and as traffic up the Seiont would have been able to supply Segontium. Caernarfon derives its name from the Roman fortifications. In Welsh, the place was called "y gaer yn Arfon", meaning "the stronghold in the land over against Môn"; Môn is the Welsh name for Anglesey. Little is known about the fate of Segontium and its associated civilian settlement after the Romans departed from Britain in the early 5th century.

Following the Norman Conquest of England, William the Conqueror turned his attention to Wales. According to the Domesday Survey of 1086, the Norman Robert of Rhuddlan was nominally in command of the whole of northern Wales. He was killed by the Welsh in 1088. His cousin Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester, reasserted Norman control of north Wales by building three castles: one at an unknown location somewhere in Meirionnydd, one at Aberlleiniog on Anglesey, and another at Caernarfon. This early castle was built on a peninsula, bounded by the River Seiont, the Menai Strait; it would have been a motte and bailey, defended by a timber palisade and earthworks. While the motte, or mound, was integrated into the later Edwardian castle, the location of the original bailey is uncertain, although it may have been to the north-east of the motte.Excavations on top of the motte in 1969 revealed no traces of medieval occupation, suggesting any evidence had been removed.It is likely that the motte was surmounted by a wooden tower known as a keep. The Welsh recaptured Gwynedd in 1115, and Caernarfon Castle came into the possession of the Welsh princes. From contemporary documents written at the castle, it is known that Llywelyn the Great and later Llywelyn ap Gruffudd occasionally stayed at Caernarfon.

War broke out again between England and Wales on 22 March 1282. The Welsh leader, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, died later that year on 11 December. His brother Dafydd ap Gruffydd continued to fight against the English, but in 1283 Edward I was victorious. Edward marched through northern Wales, capturing castles such as that at Dolwyddelan, and establishing his own at Conwy. War finally drew to a close in May 1283 when Dolbadarn Castle, Dafydd ap Gruffudd's last castle, was captured. Shortly after, Edward began building castles at Harlech and Caernarfon. The castles of Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech were the most impressive of their time in Wales, and their construction — along with other Edwardian castles in the country — helped establish English rule. The master mason responsible for the design and orchestrating the construction of the castle was probably James of Saint George, an experienced architect and military engineer who played an important role in building the Edwardian castles in Wales. According to the Flores Historiarum, during the construction of the castle and planned town, the body of the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus was discovered at Caernarfon and Edward I ordered his reburial in a local church.

The construction of the new stone castle was part of a programme of building which transformed Caernarfon; town walls were added, connected to the castle, and a new quay was built. The earliest reference to building at Caernarfon dates from 24 June 1283, when a ditch had been dug separating the site of the castle from the town to the north. A bretagium, a type of stockade, was created around the site to protect it while the permanent defences were under construction. Timber was shipped from as far away as Liverpool.Stone was quarried from nearby places, such as from Anglesey and around the town. A force of hundreds worked on the excavation of the moat and digging the foundations for the castle. As the site expanded, it began to encroach on the town; houses were cleared to allow the construction. Residents were not paid compensation until three years later. While the foundations for the stone walls were being created, timber-framed apartments were built for Edward I and Eleanor of Castile, his queen. They arrived at Caernarfon on either 11 or 12 July 1283 and stayed for over a month.



By 1285, Caernarfon's town walls were mostly complete. At the same time work continued on the castle. Spending on construction was negligible from 1289 and accounts end in 1292. Edward I's campaign of castle-building in Wales cost £80,000 between 1277 and 1304, and £95,000 between 1277 and 1329; by 1292 £12,000 had been spent on the construction of Caernarfon's castle — of which the southern facade was furthest along — and town walls. As the southern wall and town walls completed a defensive circuit around Caernarfon, the plan was to build the castle's northern facade last.

In 1294, Wales broke out in rebellion led by Madog ap Llywelyn, Prince of Wales. As Caernarfon was the centre of administration in Gwynedd and a symbol of English power, it was targeted by the Welsh. Madog's forces captured the town in September, and in the process heavily damaged the town walls. The castle was defended by just a ditch and a temporary barricade. It was quickly taken and anything flammable was set alight. Fire raged across Caernarfon, leaving destruction in its wake. In the summer of 1295, the English moved to retake Caernarfon. By November the same year, the English began refortifying the town. Rebuilding the town walls was a high priority, and £1,195 (nearly half the sum initially spent on the walls) was spent on completing the job two months ahead of schedule. Attention then shifted to the castle and on finishing the work that had halted in 1292. Once the rebellion was put down, Edward began building Beaumaris Castle on the Isle of Anglesey. The work was overseen by James of Saint George; as a result, Walter of Hereford took over as master mason for the new phase of construction. By the end of 1301, a further £4,500 had been spent on the work with the focus of work on the northern wall and towers. The accounts between November 1301 and September 1304 are missing, possibly because there was a hiatus in work while labour moved north to help out with England's war against Scotland.Records show that Walter of Hereford had left Caernarfon and was in Carlisle in October 1300; he remained occupied with the Scottish wars until the autumn of 1304 when building at Caernarfon resumed. Walter died in 1309 and his immediate subordinate, Henry of Ellerton, took over the position of master mason. Construction continued at a steady rate until 1330.

From 1284 to 1330, when accounts end, between £20,000 and £25,000 was spent on Caernarfon's castle and town walls. Such a sum was enormous and dwarfed the spending on castles such as Dover and Château Gaillard, which were amongst the most expensive and impressive fortifications of the later 12th and early 13th centuries. Subsequent additions to Caernarfon were not major, and what remains of the castle is substantially from the Edwardian period. Despite the expense, much of what was planned for the castle was never carried out. The rears of the King's Gate (the entrance from the town) and the Queen's Gate (the entrance from the south-east) were left unfinished, and foundations in the castle's interior mark where buildings would have stood had work continued.



For around two centuries after the conquest of Wales, the arrangements established by Edward I for the governance of the country remained in place. During this time the castle was constantly garrisoned, and Caernarfon was effectively the capital of north Wales. There was a degree of discrimination, with the most important administrative jobs in Wales usually closed to Welsh people. Tension between the Welsh and their English conquerors spilled over at the start of the 15th century with the outbreak of the Glyndŵr Rising (1400–1415). During the revolt, Caernarfon was one of the targets of Owain Glyndŵr's army. The town and castle were besieged in 1401, and in November that year the Battle of Tuthill took place nearby between Caernarfon's defenders and the besieging force. In 1403 and 1404, Caernarfon was besieged by Welsh troops with support from French forces; the garrison at the time was around thirty. The ascension of the Tudor dynasty to the English throne in 1485 heralded a change in the way Wales was administered. The Tudors were Welsh in origin, and their rule eased hostilities between the Welsh and English. As a result, castles such as Caernarfon, which provided secure centres from which the country could be administered, became less important. They were neglected, and in 1538 it was reported that many castles in Wales were "moche ruynous and ferre in decaye for lakke of tymely reparations".

In Caernarfon's case the walls of the town and castle remained in good condition, while features which required maintenance — such as roofs — were in a state of decay and much timber was rotten. Conditions were so poor that of the castles seven towers and two gatehouses, only the Eagle Tower and the King's Gate had roofs by 1620. The domestic buildings inside the castle had been stripped of anything valuable, such as glass and iron. Despite the disrepair of the domestic buildings, the castle's defences were in a good enough state that during the English Civil War in the mid-17th century it was garrisoned by Royalists. Caernarfon Castle was besieged three times during the war. The constable was John Byron, 1st Baron Byron, who surrendered Caernarfon to Parliamentarian forces in 1646. It was the last time Caernarfon Castle saw fighting. Although it was ordered in 1660 that the castle and town walls should be dismantled, the work was aborted early on and may never have started.

Despite avoiding slighting, the castle was neglected until the late 19th century. From the 1870s onwards, the government funded repairs to Caernarfon Castle. The deputy-constable, Llewellyn Turner oversaw the work, in many cases controversially restoring and rebuilding the castle, rather than simply conserving the existing stonework. Steps, battlements, and roofs were repaired, and the moat to the north of the castle was cleared of post-medieval buildings that were considered to spoil the view, despite the protest of locals. Under the auspices of the Office of Works and its successors since 1908, the castle was preserved due to its historic significance. In 1911, Caernarfon was used for the investiture of the Prince of Wales for the first time when Prince Edward (later Edward VIII), eldest son of the newly crowned King George V; the ceremony was held there at the insistence of then-Chancellor of the Exchequer David Lloyd George, a Welshman raised in Caernarfonshire. In 1969, the precedent was repeated with the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales. Although Caernarfon Castle has been the property of the Crown since it was built, it is currently cared for by Cadw (English: to keep), the Welsh Government's historic environment division, responsible for the maintenance and care of Wales' historic buildings.

On 1 July 1969 the investiture ceremony for Charles, Prince of Wales was again held at Caernarfon Castle. The ceremony itself went ahead without incident despite terrorist threats and protests, which culminated in the death of two members of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (Welsh Defence Movement), Alwyn Jones and George Taylor, who were killed when their bomb – intended for the railway line at Abergele in order to stop the British Royal Train – exploded prematurely. The bomb campaign (one in Abergele, two in Caernarfon and finally one on Llandudno Pier) was organised by the leader of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru, John Jenkins. He was later arrested after a tip-off and was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment

Modern defences for its time


{Plan of Caernarfon Castle: A – Site of Water Gate; B – Eagle Tower; C – Queen's Tower; D – Well Tower; E – Lower Ward; F – Great Hall; G – Kitchens; H – Chamberlain Tower; I – King's Gate; J – Upper Ward; K – Black Tower; L – Granary Tower; M – North-East Tower; N – Cistern Tower; O – Queen's Gate. Blue shows the area built between 1283–92, red that between 1295–1323}

Studded along the curtain wall are several polygonal towers from which flanking fire could be deployed. There were battlements on the tops of walls and towers, and along the southern face were firing galleries; it was intended to include galleries along the northern face but they were never built. In the opinion of military historian Allen Brown, this combined to make Caernarfon Castle "one of the most formidable concentrations of fire-power to be found in the Middle Ages".Most of the northern towers stand had four-storeys including a basements. The Eagle Tower at the western corner of the castle was the grandest. It has three turrets which were once surmounted by statues of eagles. The tower contained grand lodgings, and was probably built for Sir Otton de Grandson, the first justiciar of Wales. A basement level contained a water gate, through which visitors travelling up the River Seiont could enter the castle. Water was drawn from a well in the eponymous Well Tower.

Caernarfon's appearance differs from that of other Edwardian castles through the use of banded coloured stone in the walls and in its polygonal, rather than round, towers. There has been extensive academic debate over the interpretation of these features. Historian Arnold Taylor argued that the design of the castle was a representation of the Walls of Constantinople. The conscious use of imagery from the Byzantine Roman Empire was therefore an assertion of authority by Edward I, and influenced by the legendary dream of Magnus Maximus, a Roman emperor. In his dream Maximus had seen a fort, "the fairest that man ever saw", within a city at the mouth of a river in a mountainous country and opposite an island. Edward interpreted this to mean Segontium was the city of Maximus' dream and drew on the imperial link when building Caernarfon Castle. Recent work by historian Abigail Wheatley suggests that the design of Caernarfon was indeed an assertion of Edward's authority, but that it drew on imagery from Roman sites in Britain with the intent of creating an allusion of Arthurian legitimacy for the king.

There were two main entrances, one leading from the town (the King's Gate) and one allowing direct access to the castle without having to proceed through the town (the Queen's Gate). Their form was typical of the time — a passage between two flanking towers. If the King's Gate had been completed, a visitor would have crossed two drawbridges, passed through five doors, under six portcullises, and negotiated a right-angle turn before emerging into the lower enclosure. The route was overlooked by numerous arrow loops and murder holes. A statue of Edward II was erected in a niche overlooking the town, above the entrance to the King's Gate. In the opinion of architectural historian Arnold Taylor, "No building in Britain demonstrates more strikingly the immense strength of medieval fortifications than the great twin-towered gateway to Caernarfon Castle."

Turn to England,
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4mvls3cyrt...nd_39.sav?dl=0

[Der Böse Wolf]

Mind blowing RP turn and a wealth of information to read.
Just wow.

[Turkafinwë]

Apologies for the delay, I've been a bit snowed under in RL stuff lately.

England

Walter Giffard walked the walls of Caernarvon, inspecting the men stationed there. The Irish had laid siege to the fortress only a couple of weeks ago after English forces had been defeated outside its mighty walls. Giffard had tried to save the men under Charles Bourchier. A tactical mistake, he knew now. He had lost many a good man to get the retreating Englishmen into Caernarvon. Morale was low among the men and that's why Giffard walked the walls every day to inspire his troops and moreover make sure they didn't desert or hand over the fortress to the enemy. With no prospect of reinforcements the situation looked very grim indeed. A couple of more weeks and someone would mutiny. The guardmen on the tower he was inspecting looked very dour and not a single joke was made to lighten the mood.

"Corporal Roger!" Giffard called

"Any new developments to report?"

"No sir, the Irish are content to just sit there and get drunk." Roger spat.

One of the newer recruits stepped forward, he couldn't have been older than 14 years old, his clothes too large for him.

"Th- the men are saying that the Irish are already feasting because they believe they think their victory is near? Is this true?" he asked with his large boyish eyes.

Giffard looked at the boy and straightened his jacket before looking him in the eye and saying.

"As long as we English breathe, they shall not get past us. Our walls are mighty and they are feeble. Look how tiny they are compared to our castle." he said pointing down from the parapet.

The boy put on a feeble grin and repeated the words "they are tiny we are mighty" before returning to his unit.

Giffard sighed as he moved on to the next tower. This was daily business and not only with new recruits who were still gullible enough to believe castle walls and bravery alone would keep them alive.

It was quite hopeless.


Horns, horns and drums on the eastern wind. Giffard furrowed his brow. More enemies? No not coming from the east. It must mean. England had come!

And England had come. Philip Stratford with a strong force of Englishmen and Welsh Mercenaries had crossed the wild hills of Wales to come to Caernarvon's rescue. If Giffard had been surprised to see reinforcements, the King of Ireland more so. As both forces advanced towards one another, Giffard prepared to sally forth. Crushed between two English armies, the Irish army broke and fled back to their ships.

England had been saved once again.

Giffard an Stratford did not sit idly in Caernarvon but took the initative with Giffard leading a small party to intercept a small contingent of the Irish forces while Stratford immediatly marched towards the re-recaptured Castle Flint. Again he took the castle with ease from the ever increasing annoying Northern Rebels.

In answer to an audacious letter from Henry, who threatened war on his rightful sovereign once more, Edmund prepared another letter for his rebellious vassal.

"I AM KING OF ENGLAND!"

Other screenshots

Ireland: http://www.mediafire.com/file/9466yn...nd_39.sav/file

[PeaMan]

High King Brian orders a halt to the welsh campaign so they he may return home to retrain his warriors and reinforce their numbers vowing that he will soon return with a vengeance and with whispers that the young prince of Ireland will soon be coming of age and will join his grandfather in the campaign..

Wales up - https://www.mediafire.com/file/62fk8dkkwzdaj3v/TIOC_Wales_39.sav/file

[zender9]

Tegonwy finally came to age, took the crown and his rightful throne. Despite the bitter defeats our allies got, there was a festival in Castletown for the new King. Young king made promises to his people. Wales will take what is his, and English bastards will be slaughtered.

Meanwhile at the coastline, a group of men including Phillip Stratford spotted camping. Maelgwn quickly disembarked with his best men and had attempted to capture him yet Phillip successfully managed to flee to the fort.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oXu...ew?usp=sharing


Scotland up:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dOH...ew?usp=sharing


Game tells that the King is Maelgwn but my means of RP, Tegonwy is the guy.

[Der Böse Wolf]

Hey Zender, have you sent the admin a notification that Scotland is up?

[zender9]

Yes, I notified him.

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

Ah, Tegonwy. Long may he reign.

[joerock22]

More bitter clashes around Aberdeen, which finally falls to direct assault made possible by Scottish spies.

Norway:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14Oi...ew?usp=sharing

Battle 1:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17YC...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/163L...ew?usp=sharing

Battle 2:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tDv...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vYk...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jsU...ew?usp=sharing

Naval Battle:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Xc...ew?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yM7...ew?usp=sharing

[Der Böse Wolf]

For many months now, the trade city of Aberdeen had been under constant assault from the Scottish royal army, led by King Alexander himself.
The Scots sent wave after wave of fresh troops, shipped by sea, unopposed, to the shores of Aberdeen.

The vikings, usual masters of the sea, had all their ships in mainland Norway and could not stop the constant flow of reinforcements sent from the south by the Scots.

Yet, the Norsemen fought valiantly to defend the city.

The heroic defence was led by Prince Inge, who had captured the city from the Scots some years ago.
He was not keen on surrendering what he deemed his.

He was assisted by Grim Hunmark, a loyal Noregveldi noblemen who came from Bergen to colonise the British Isles.

The battles were bloody and unmerciful.

Casualties were high on both sides, yet the Scots seem to have an endless supply of men.

The situation was dire, yet the Scots could not breach the walls, even after many attempts.

In the city of Aberdeen...
---------------------------

"Lord, they are in! They are in! The Scots ar flooding the city! Already half the guards are slain in their sleep, we must evacuate immediately"
Prince Inge was startled in his sleep by his guard.

"What? How? What happened??"
The Norse Prince was not sure if he was in the midth of a nightmare or if this was reality.

"I don't know Lord, but they just suddenly entered the barracks and before we even had the chance to open our eyes. It is a massacre, you must flee now, we need you to fight another day!"
Inge stood there, still not sure what to do, as his guard grew restless, begging him to depart.

Then Grim Hunmark, in full armour and a bloodied axe, entered the room with two of his bodyguards.

"We were betrayed my Prince. Someone opened the gates for those barbarians and they entered the city like thieves in the night.
Half the garrison is dead in their sleep.
My men are trying to hold them back, but we are overrun.
Leave now, I'll stay and cover your retreat!"
Hunmark was clam as he explained the situation to Inge.

"I will not leave the city and go. Get me my..." Inge was finally realising what is happening, but Hunmark stopped him in the middle of his words.

"Leave now, it is foolish to die here, the Noregveldi need you alive. You are the best commander and staying here to die like a rat will not aid our cause. Go!!"
Hunmark was growing impatient.

Inge stood there for a second, then he put his arm on Grim's shoulder, nodded and left the room.
With a few men, he cut his way through Scottish looters and escaped the city.

He hid in the woods with the few warriors who survived the retreat. They had many wounded among them and had to stop and hide, hoping the Scots would not pursue them.
They were waiting to get some horses from local villages who were sympathetic to Norse rule in Aberdeen.

While negotiating with one of the villagers, Inge learnt that it was some of his own men who let the Scots in.
Those were Christian Vikings, unhappy with the Pagan rule of King Magnus.
When they heard of the preparations of a Northern Crusade, they decided to let the Scots take the city and save themselves.

Grim Hunmark and his valiant men fell defending the city and allowing the Prince to retreat.
He leaves a 1-year old son behind, who will grow hating Scots and Christians and vowing for revenge.

It was treason to the gods, kin and honour.

Somewhere near Shetland Islands
------------------------------------------

"Scottish banners sir!"
The watchman informed his admiral.

"What? Scottish ships so up North? The situation is indeed far worse than I though. Engage them!"
The admiral gave the order and the dragon ships moved in on the enemy cogs, sinking them in a haste.

"I can't believe those cogs reign supreme on our shores...It's time to reinstate our naval supremacy!"
The admiral set sail towards land, discovering Britannia for the first time, after a long voyage from Bergen...

The Northen Shires next: https://www.mediafire.com/file/0ewi3b209fb4z14/TIOC_Barons_39.sav/file

[paladinbob123]

It was the summer of 1296AD and the English throne continued with its vassals march into the province of east Anglia , with its target of Norwich. The only message in return from Henrys warning to Edmund , was that the mad English king proclaimed himself king of all "England" , and Henry was now clear of what his intensions where. Sending the rumour around to all the provinces that the English king was planning a new campaign to take back all the northern lords lands from there current independence from the throne , and the news didn't go down well.

There were calls to Henry to re-establish relations with the irish and welsh troops , to teach this new king , a lession in civility, to perhaps restart the war at Chester or on the eastern coastline, and most lords were in agreement with this policy, which Henry planned to talk with the irish representatives about, if the English king didn't call back his vassal from advancing on Norwich.

The Lord at Norwich seeing the mighty battlegroup , and weighing up the reinforcements sent by York , knew he had neither the force or strength to face them in the field , and fell back into guerrilla operations , sending his infantry away, leaving himself with the much more maneuverable cavalry , as they awaited the English kings , force's move.

------------------



In the north however, the Templars began to organise the steady drip , drip of soldiers who began to drift towards Newcastle , as the Templars crusade force began to assemble. Mostly the troops where billman and longbowmen , eager to repeat from their sins, for a short campaign in the north. The nobles having both money , and time on there hands, could afford to delay there department to the last possible minute. Representatives of the Templar order, spoke with the armourers at York asking for artillery , as ever the knights Templar , loved there knowledge within the bounds of advancement of technology and ordered a bombard, giving the strike force to be , much needed punchpower , if they were ever to raid , the eastern coastline. Likewise ships , were being build , and sailed towards the port of Newcastle, as ever to provide a naval support and coastal landing if the need was there.

Turn to England
https://www.dropbox.com/s/22t00xmk5t...nd_40.sav?dl=0

[Turkafinwë]

England

Wales had again become a quiet place, with the Welsh forces retreating back to the Isle of Man and the Irish licking their wounds after their defeat at Caernarvon. Quiet but not calm, it was just an intermezzo before the next storm would hit. The Celtic Alliance was many things and persistent was definitely one of them. It would not take long before the next invasion force was sent across the Irish Sea. Giffard wondered how many lives the Irish King was willing to give in the name of his ally Wales. A strange notion, he thought, wasn't the Irish populace tired of wasting their lives for another nation? He shook his head, he had no time for philosophy or for world politics for that matter, he had defences to shore up, supplies to gather, troops to muster for the inevitable storm that would come.

***

No answer had come from Henry of Lancaster to the brief but strong message the King had sent him. Edmund didn't mind, it was not something that required an answer only perhaps one with an apology or beg for forgiveness. These unruly Barons had been rebellious for long enough and since diplomacy had failed long ago other measures had to be taken. A policy of aggression would have to be employed since it was obvious there was no way of reasoning with Henry of Lancaster, this much was clear to Edmund. Before they had been seen as rebellious vassals demanding more autonomy but it was clear that Henry had other plans. Henry treated with him as if from King to King while he was nothing more than an upstart Duke and still owed allegiance to the King of England. These northerners proclaimed to be English yet they had no respect for the English monarchy or its authority. Edmund had decided this had to end once and for all. Whether they liked it or not they were a part of England and England was he. Would he be the one achieving his brother's dream of a united England? Great way of achieving that goal was going to Ireland and getting himself killed on that godforsaken island, Edmund thought sneeringly. He wouldn't think of going to that wretched place. I'm not insane, he thought to himself.

The capture of Norwich was the first action in this policy of aggression against the Northern Shires. Because the cowards had all but abandoned the town to save their own hides, it fell fairly easely. But that was not all, the troops that fled to the ships lying at the coast of East Anglia, leaving the town to its fate, were intercepted by a small English patrol. Evenly matched the English captain sailed into the battle and sent the rebels' navy fleeing, sinking two of their ships. A great victory despite the fact the rebellion's troops escaped death. The east of England had been secured once more and Lewes marches his force back west, back to war.

Author's note - IGNORE ME

Concerning the naval battle, I was only able to get a heroic victory after trying for nearly 2 hours of reloading to get a normal one. It was either a defeat or a heroic victory. It's strange since the balance bar indicates it's not that much in the enemies' favour. If it is required that I give the save to the Admin, so he can test it, then I will of course do so. IGNORE ME!

Battle results

Ireland: http://www.mediafire.com/file/x9cxo2...nd_40.sav/file

[zender9]

I guess Heroic Battles aren't allowed if you can get a defeat. There are some crazy cases that you can't get a defeat or any kind of victory except Heroic. Thats the point of it anyway.