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

[paladinbob123]

I want to thank each and every one you, present and past players and admins for those cool 18 months in this HS. It was my 1st HS experience and I enjoyed every second of it.
I will definitely take part in more HS.

And of course I will keep following the Isles of Chaos to see how things evolve now that England is on its own against the Celtic Alliance!

Firstly let me say kudos to Der Bose Wolf for being both opponent/ally and companion in this hotseat , i have enjoyed having you as foe and ally, and hoped you had fun playing the Norwegians as I enjoyed reading [and listening] to the Role-play you provided , for you certainly brought them to life in this game [winks] ...So for your first hotseat not a bad performance at all! [grins]





The northern shires was still gripped in the hands of the plague , and most of there cities lay quiet , streets deserted , with merchants still stuck outside the city gates , which were still closed, but with the fall of the norwegians pagan foe to the north , it shook and rattled the cage of the regions politics as the norsemen had always been a staunch foe, and with their passing a united celtic nation now stood in the north. Newcastle and Carlisle remembered the pains of scottish highlanders flocking southwards , raping and pillaging there cities and terrorities and neither had any desire to see that happen again and with two irish fleets , filled to the brim with irish troops sitting just off the coastline, the celtic liberators now began to look a little like oppressors and fear of what was their allies started to permeate within the halls of power of the northern shires.

The English protector from the south called for somesort of deal , and the northern shires , offered a full ceasefire and cession of violence , and a diplomate was ordered from York , as a man of the cloth , from Yorkminister was prepared with papers and legal documents to be sent southwards to hash out the final details of a deal , which both sides would concede to .

https://www.dropbox.com/s/l3zbyv66jz...nd_51.sav?dl=0

[Turkafinwë]

I want to thank each and every one you, present and past players and admins for those cool 18 months in this HS. It was my 1st HS experience and I enjoyed every second of it.
I will definitely take part in more HS.

And of course I will keep following the Isles of Chaos to see how things evolve now that England is on its own against the Celtic Alliance!

Thus ends a great friendship and alliance! It was great having you on this hotseat and I am sad to see you go after all the hardships we've been through. You brought great RP and a lovely atmosphere to the hotseat and I hope you keep engaged with this hotseat (I need your support now that I'm all alone in this dark and grim world with not a mighty Norseman out there to console me). May King Magnus look kindly down on the British Isles (one faction in particular if at all possible ) from his honoured seat in Valhalla! You've been a wonderful asset to this hotseat Der Böse Wolf and it was grand to play with you!

Godspeed Magnus, King of the Norwegians!

I would also like to ask for an extension as I won't be able to play until Tuesday the 28th of May. Final days for my thesis have arrived and I can't spare any time to play until it is finished. Apologies for the delay that this causes.

[Turkafinwë]

England

King Magnus is dead and his realm in Britannia is at an end. England's one and only ally through many years of hardships was defeated. The Celtic Alliance had never been stronger before and they pushed ever deeper into the kingdom's territory. The Welsh besieged the castle of Pembroke and Lord Protector Lewes had no way of driving them away from it, being still hold up in the south. Irishmen stood guard near Caernarvon and lurked seemingly everywhere on the sea near Chester. England's enemies were slowly nibbling away their holdings while remaining out of reach for a counterattack. The Lord Protector had to make a choice between dealing with the rebels or with the Irish/Welsh invasion. It was clear to him that he could no longer do both. Deliverance came with a letter bearing the seal of Henry of Lancaster bearing terms and requesting an audience between the two realms. Terms of peace were to be discussed between the two English realms and Lewes sent a message that the Lancastrian diplomat would be welcomed on the crown's soil with open arms.

Battle results

Siege of Winchester Battle of Gloucester

Ireland up: http://www.mediafire.com/file/udf17j...nd_51.sav/file

[Der Böse Wolf]

Thank you JoeRock, PaladinBob and Turkafinwe for your kind words.

I was thinking, if the others agree, to take over Scotland, since it is not player-controlled.

I will of course continue with the faction in the spirit of the RP, as part of the Celtic Alliance, and not use it as Norway v2.

However if the players do not wish so for the sake of gameplay, then I understand.

Anyhow, I will keep following this HS!

[joerock22]

I went to review the victory conditions based on Der Bose Wolf's offer to take over Scotland, and in the process realized a major fail on my part:

Note: At minimum, a Treaty to become a vassal must be posed to a faction on the turn that it would be otherwise destroyed. If the faction refuses the treaty, destruction is an option.

I was obviously supposed to offer Norway a chance to become a vassal of Scotland, and utterly failed there. So I apologize for that. I had read the rules fully, but it was a long time ago and I didn't remember about this.

In any case, this serves as a useful reminder that each faction has victory conditions set in stone in the OP. Scotland's are posted below:

Scotland
> Must have all starting territories and ten more.
> Must have England subjugated to a Treaty of Surrender and have Norway forced off the British Isles completely and made as a vassal.

(we'll consider the Norway portion of the second condition as already accomplished)

I'll abide by the opinion of the other players as to whether Der Bose Wolf can take over Scotland. Feel free to contact me confidentially if you'd rather not post here.

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

I can think of no finer fellow to take on Scotland, if my opinion counts still.

[PeaMan]

Wales up - https://www.mediafire.com/file/pp94qjilu5ph7gy/TIOC_Wales_51.sav/file

[zender9]

Scotland up:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...cotland_51.sav


Our men fought bravely today, reconquest of motherland continues. Pembroke has fallen to army under command of Wales' finest Trahaearn of Brycheiniog. Loyal citizens organized a feast for the conquest.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...8-37-21-91.jpg

[joerock22]

Since no one objects, I have sent a CS for Scotland to Der Bose Wolf. I am trusting him to RP legitimately and not automatically ally with England again. Again, your diplomacy is necessarily bound to some extent by your victory conditions.

[Der Böse Wolf]

Since no one objects, I have sent a CS for Scotland to Der Bose Wolf. I am trusting him to RP legitimately and not automatically ally with England again. Again, your diplomacy is necessarily bound to some extent by your victory conditions.

Thanks.

Sure, Like I said, Scotland is not Norway v2, and the faction will be used in the spirit of the RP of the campaign and in the continuity of all events that led to the current situation so far.

One question: in the rules there was no mention of rebel settlements since the mod removed them in the beginning, allocating all settlements to the human factions.
But now there are remnants of Norwegian settlements in the North under rebel control.
Do the siege requirements also apply to rebel settlements or are they to be taken more freely?

[Der Böse Wolf]

Rìoghachd na h-Alba

Flower of Scotland!

The Scottish national anthem was resonating across the liberated lands.
All clans celebrate King Alexander, liberator of the Scots from years of Viking dominance.

Alexander, still only 42, now aims to unite the highland ans lowlands.
Eventhough Norse troops departed the Isles, many remained scattered in the Highlands, offering resistance to Scottish rule.

Thus Alexander and his men kept their march for the unification.

In the meanwhile, diplomatic envoys were sent to the fellow members of the Celtic Alliance.

But in the streets of Perth, the jubilant folk is celebrating.

Today the Flower of Scotland is blossoming.

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

The Northern Shires next: https://www.mediafire.com/file/abpb3eubx87vuzk/TIOC_Barons_51.sav/file

[joerock22]

One question: in the rules there was no mention of rebel settlements since the mod removed them in the beginning, allocating all settlements to the human factions.
But now there are remnants of Norwegian settlements in the North under rebel control.
Do the siege requirements also apply to rebel settlements or are they to be taken more freely?

The OP only includes the following:

Rebel cities only require the siege equipment rules, and not the extended battering ram/ladder requirements.

That's a little confusing to me, since when it says "siege equipment" in the OP it's referring to rams/ladders/towers. As opposed to "siege artillery" which refers to ballista/catapult/etc. I'm not sure if the intention was for rebel cities to only be bound by the siege artillery rules, or if only by a certain subset of the siege equipment rules.

With this uncertainty, to me it makes sense to simply drop the siege equipment/artillery requirements. Rebels are theoretically disorganized rabble, after all, and would not put up the same quality of defense as regular troops of a faction. Keep the spy limit of 720 men in place though. So if there is under 720 men you can open the gates with spies. And if not, or your spies fail to open the gates, then siege the settlement, build some equipment and then assault it next turn.

Any objections?

[paladinbob123]

It was the summer of 1308AD and the northern shires was still under plague , with the usual restrictions applying , house boarded up and communication links were limited. A diplomat had been schooled at the Yorkminster , had unfortunately died from the plague before he set out in his task to the south. Two new diplomat's were prepared in the hope that the Lord might spare one, to act as a liason with the South , for the peace , that both factions , so desperately sought. Actions perhaps spoke louder with words perhaps , with the protector of england , allowing the army group at Arundel to leave the area, without contention and in response the northern shires troops left the settlement without damage travelling east of london ,as they sought to travel back to Norwich.



News at this from abroad [mainland europe] was certainly limited in this time of plague , but word slowly filtered in , that the King of France , in conjunction with the pope had arrested all of the orders lodgings and holdings in France, in one dark night. Some from the northern shires began to blame the Pope and France for this misfortune of Plague calling that this was a punishment of God , for having a french pope , who was doing the French king's Will , and bringing the punishment of the Lord upon them .

Calls from Pope Clement then issued the papal bull "Pastoralis praeeminentiae" on 22 November 1307, which instructed all Christian monarchs in Europe to arrest all Templars and seize their assets and hold the templars for the Inquisition of the Church to seek out heresy. The northern shires were ambivalent to the Pope's decision , as the English Church , always took the Pope's political manipulations with a eyebrow raised, and looked to the King to seek his judgement. But in this , there was a leaning out to , seek out the English crown [even if was a minor] and wait for his decision of whether the Templar holdings [which tookup some of the northern lands] should be confiscated .



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

Presecution of the Knights Templar

In 1305, the new Pope Clement V, based in Avignon, France, sent letters to both the Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay and the Hospitaller Grand Master Fulk de Villaret to discuss the possibility of merging the two orders. Neither was amenable to the idea, but Pope Clement persisted, and in 1306 he invited both Grand Masters to France to discuss the matter. De Molay arrived first in early 1307, but de Villaret was delayed for several months. While waiting, De Molay and Clement discussed criminal charges that had been made two years earlier by an ousted Templar and were being discussed by King Philip IV of France and his ministers. It was generally agreed that the charges were false, but Clement sent the king a written request for assistance in the investigation. According to some historians, King Philip, who was already deeply in debt to the Templars from his war with the English, decided to seize upon the rumours for his own purposes. He began pressuring the church to take action against the order, as a way of freeing himself from his debts.



Jacques de Molay - Grandmaster of the Templars



At dawn on Friday, 13 October 1307 (a date sometimes linked with the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition),King Philip IV ordered de Molay and scores of other French Templars to be simultaneously arrested. The arrest warrant started with the phrase: "Dieu n'est pas content, nous avons des ennemis de la foi dans le Royaume" ["God is not pleased. We have enemies of the faith in the kingdom"]. Claims were made that during Templar admissions ceremonies, recruits were forced to spit on the Cross, deny Christ, and engage in indecent kissing; brethren were also accused of worshipping idols, and the order was said to have encouraged homosexual practices. The Templars were charged with numerous other offences such as financial corruption, fraud, and secrecy. Many of the accused confessed to these charges under torture (even though the Templars denied being tortured in their written confessions), and their confessions, even though obtained under duress, caused a scandal in Paris. The prisoners were coerced to confess that they had spat on the Cross: "Moi, Raymond de La Fère, 21 ans, reconnais que [j'ai] craché trois fois sur la Croix, mais de bouche et pas de cœur" ("I, Raymond de La Fère, 21 years old, admit that I have spat three times on the Cross, but only from my mouth and not from my heart"). The Templars were accused of idolatry and were suspected of worshiping either a figure known as Baphomet or a mummified severed head they recovered, amongst other artifacts, at their original headquarters on the Temple Mount that many scholars theorize might have been that of John the Baptist, among other things.

Relenting to Phillip's demands, Pope Clement then issued the papal bull Pastoralis praeeminentiae on 22 November 1307, which instructed all Christian monarchs in Europe to arrest all Templars and seize their assets. Pope Clement called for papal hearings to determine the Templars' guilt or innocence, and once freed of the Inquisitors' torture, many Templars recanted their confessions. Some had sufficient legal experience to defend themselves in the trials, but in 1310, having appointed the archbishop of Sens, Philippe de Marigny, to lead the investigation, Philip blocked this attempt, using the previously forced confessions to have dozens of Templars burned at the stake in Paris.

With Philip threatening military action unless the pope complied with his wishes, Pope Clement finally agreed to disband the order, citing the public scandal that had been generated by the confessions. At the Council of Vienne in 1312, he issued a series of papal bulls, including Vox in excelso, which officially dissolved the order, and Ad providam, which turned over most Templar assets to the Hospitallers.

In September 2001, a document known as the Chinon Parchment dated 17–20 August 1308 was discovered in the Vatican Secret Archives by Barbara Frale, apparently after having been filed in the wrong place in 1628. It is a record of the trial of the Templars and shows that Clement absolved the Templars of all heresies in 1308 before formally disbanding the order in 1312, as did another Chinon Parchment dated 20 August 1308 addressed to Philip IV of France, also mentioning that all Templars that had confessed to heresy were "restored to the Sacraments and to the unity of the Church". This other Chinon Parchment has been well known to historians, having been published by Étienne Baluze in 1693 and by Pierre Dupuy in 1751.{So we can guess from this that the Pope hoped to make the templars confess , absovle them and then continue on.....but the French King had others matters he was planning........ ]

The current position of the Roman Catholic Church is that the medieval persecution of the Knights Templar was unjust, that nothing was inherently wrong with the order or its rule, and that Pope Clement was pressed into his actions by the magnitude of the public scandal and by the dominating influence of King Philip IV, who was Clement's relative



Templars being burned at the stake.


As for the leaders of the order, the elderly Grand Master Jacques de Molay, who had confessed under torture, retracted his confession. Geoffroi de Charney, Preceptor of Normandy, also retracted his confession and insisted on his innocence. Both men were declared guilty of being relapsed heretics, and they were sentenced to burn alive at the stake in Paris on 18 March 1314. De Molay reportedly remained defiant to the end, asking to be tied in such a way that he could face the Notre Dame Cathedral and hold his hands together in prayer. According to legend, he called out from the flames that both Pope Clement and King Philip would soon meet him before God. His actual words were recorded on the parchment as follows : "Dieu sait qui a tort et a péché. Il va bientot arriver malheur à ceux qui nous ont condamnés à mort" ("God knows who is wrong and has sinned. Soon a calamity will occur to those who have condemned us to death"). Pope Clement died only a month later, and King Philip died in a hunting accident before the end of the year.

The remaining Templars around Europe were either arrested and tried under the Papal investigation (with virtually none convicted), absorbed into other Catholic military orders, or pensioned off and allowed to live out their days peacefully. By papal decree, the property of the Templars was transferred to the Knights Hospitaller except in the Kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal. Portugal was the first country in Europe where they had settled, occurring only two or three years after the order's foundation in Jerusalem and even having presence during Portugal's conception.

With the protection of the Portuguese king, Denis I, who refused to pursue and persecute the former knights as had occurred in all other sovereign states under the influence of the Catholic Church, in effect, causing the dissolution of the Templars. Templar organizations simply changed their name, from Knights Templar to the renown Order of Christ and also a parallel Supreme Order of Christ of the Holy See in which both are considered the successors.




Turn to England

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vv0yubgopv...nd_52.sav?dl=0

[Turkafinwë]

England

It was raining, like it always did on this bloody island, especially this far north. Down south another kind of storm was raging, one that spoke Gaelic not unlike this place. I was send here by my now deceased king, to avenge another dead monarch. I did not question any of it for that would be detrimental in my line of work. When you get a mission, you carrry it out and get paid and that's the end of it, that was what my master taught me. Don't get yourself any more involved than is good for you, he had said. There are no morals in our work, no right or wrong, only a victor and a loser and you best see that you're the former for if you're the latter your life will be forfeit. Thus I walked through the streets of Stirling, a fortress strong where an army would break upon its stones but where one man could slither in unnoticed. Now I am riding fast to find myself an obscure tavern after I left my victim drowning in a pool of his own blood, up in this mighty castle where man would feel safe. I am one of the best and will not rest until my work is done or when I'm dead. My name is Aelfgar and I will carve a bloody path across Scotland ere the end.

Assassination of general

I thought I'd post the assassination chance even though it is not obligatory. I think for the assassination of generals it is best to not let any time get wasted in checking if someone followed the rules reagarding this and keep the hotseat going as smoothly as possible.

Ireland up: http://www.mediafire.com/file/3voy9b...nd_52.sav/file

[Der Böse Wolf]

I agree that all assassinations should be automatically posted just like battles. This makes everything clearer and transparent and avoids delays for verification and asking for proof.

[PeaMan]

Wales up - https://www.mediafire.com/file/hk37qtcfyfflwjf/TIOC_Wales_52.sav/file

[zender9]

Scotland up:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...cotland_52.sav

[Der Böse Wolf]

Rìoghachd na h-Alba

Though Scotland was liberated from Norse occupation, the countryside in the Highlands is swarming with brigands and renegades, trying to make a living by terrorising the scattered villages.

As the Vikings evacuated their settlements, those who chose to stay were left to their own.
Thus many remote and isolated areas in the North, especially in the Shetland and the Orkney islands, remain lawless.

Moreover the Scottish royal army, having bravely fought off the Vikings, is in dire need of fresh recruits.

But King Alexander decided to march on to the far flung corners of his kingdom to restore order and authority.

Appeals from the Irish and the Welsh to assist them in their quest in England was received with open ears.
But the King cannot drag his people into a new war, mere weeks after liberating them.

He needs time.
He also needs to assess the situation on the southern border.
Indeed, his allies, the Barons of the Northern Shires, not only carry pestilence, but they are rumoured to be in peace talks with the English.

Blood is thicker than water, thinks the King.
If the Barons turn their coats and join the English then the whole situation changes.

However, it seems the Lord Protector of the Crown is hellbent on dragging the Scots into the conflict:

An English cutthroat made his way up North and left a trail of blood in Stirling, cowardly taking the life of a trusted Clan leader.

But the Highlands are a hostile territory for those who wander deep into unknown glens (deeps valleys in the Highlands), especially in winter.

Alexander summons his Master of Assassins.

The predator is now the prey.

Barons next: http://www.mediafire.com/file/k684l6...ns_52.sav/file

[paladinbob123]

The time was the winter of 1309AD and Henry of Lancaster had visited a nearby Abby , where he completed his recovery from the recent pestilence which permeated the rest of the northern kingdom. To bring his health back to a good level , he had spent the remainder of the summer months helping the monks with bringing in the crops and reading the nearby lands for the crops of the next year . The silence and prayers within the abbey gave his soul some peace and comfort from the almost constant warfare and nightmare the kingdom was over . Messages had been light in the summer , and the relief from command , help him build his spirit .



It was cold outside , when messengers finally found him , as the months turned to winter, and cold chill winds began to blow westwards , bringing the usual rain , and sleet , but as yet no snow . Holding the axe, with now firm hands, he broke several large logs , down to manageable size , as the messengers gave out the news that Norwich had finally shook off the plague , and things had returned to normal . The news cheered him somewhat , knowing that the plague had finished at one province to the south , and hoped that the northern estates would surely improve , as well in the days to come.

The news from the north and west , however was less welcoming , as the irish had promised of a army of scotsmen descending from the extreme north , and the scottish note , had a tone of disapproval at there talks with the english crown to the south. Henry dictated a note , which one of the more skilled monks took down , warning the scottish not to enter the lands of the northern shires , for it was not even ten years back that the scottish under King Alexander had descended into the north, sacking and burning Carlisle and Newcastle , and the ill feeling of the Scottish was still prevalent , in the far north, as they remembered slain and butchered kin at the hands of scots.

Diplomat's had departed York heading southwards approaching the english lands eager to ask for peace, and to resume the lack of trade , since the plague had started and agents on the road, had reported the news of scottish agents traveling into the northern kingdom with some alarm , with some lords, panicking that the Scottish were coming for war again. Henry sent out messengers to those that had panicked, asking for calm as he did'nt think that was so, but sought reassurance from the scottish king that was so.


One by One the messengers departed and Henry finished off , the last of the logpile , and grabbed a bundle of firewood in both hands carrying them into the great hall of the abbey , and setting them nearby to thaw out from the heat of the great fire that lighted the massive room. The other monks were already at dinner eating a meager fare, and Henry took a seat to join them , until he saw the poor fare of fish , bread , and pea's that were bought to his table , from a initiate of the abby and sighed at the lack of good food they had prepared.



He grabbed the mug though and was pleasantly surprised at the warm malty taste of the beer thou , that the monks drank , quietly satisfied that taste would wash away , the lack of flavors from the rest of the meals , as his thoughts turned to the kingdom and the actions of his nearby neighbors.

Turn to England
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xfn9iicag4...nd_53.sav?dl=0

[Turkafinwë]

England

As Lewes was marching his army west to reinforce the Welsh front, a number of messengers arrived from the north. Henry of Lancaster reassured that the diplomats had been sent south to treat with the English Crown, saying they would arrive next season. The other was from farther north, from the King of Scotland no less. Alexander, King of the Scots was not very pleased by the death of his clanchief at the hands of an English assassin. Lewes knew nothing of this matter and saw this as another piece of legacy giving to him by King Edmund, God rest his soul. Lewes wrote a message to apologise for the death of the Chief but that he, Lewes, had never given any order of the likes. Lewes was a man of honour and would not stoop to a knife in the dark to solve his problems. That didn't matter to the Scottish King no doubt, and now Lewes' name was slandered in the Highlands of the north. So be it, Lewes thought, their was no way to contact this rogue so far from home and even if he could, why would Aelfgar obey the command. Lewes wondered if he could be stopped before his reputation was tarnished to a point of no return.

***

I knew I was being followed, being shadowed ever since I entered the city. I had heard news from my many contacts that another target resided in Perth and so I went there to investigate and start planning for my next victim's demise. It was then that I noticed a shadow following me. It were very subtle hints as my adversary moved with extreme caution. It's not that he was bad, I was just better. The family member of the Scottish King would have to wait until I dealt with this threat. Ever it was that an assassin would meet his demise at the end of someone else's blade. Aelfgar was ready to die, he had been ready ever since he joined the underground network from which he and his comrades operated. The Master had pressed onto me from the very first day that we, gentlemen of the dark, could die any given moment, day or any night, vanishing without a trace. This did not deter me from the danger, only strengthened my resolve. I have no family to miss me, no friends to mourn my loss, I was then and am still alone in this world. I locked my eyes on my target for a split second before continuing my journey without hesitation nor any sign of suspicion. I led my quarry into a dark alley, one of those where even the sunlight rarely came, and hid myself in the shadows. Now I only need wait. Patience was a virtue, the Master had often said, saying that the Church was at least right about that part. Patience tempered with ruthlessness when the time came; To hesitate was to lose. One of the tenents taught by the Master. The old man had had ten and then ten more after that and ten after that. As I waited I contemplated how many he had given me to follow and wondered if he had had even more up his sleeve. He never seemed to lack any when an occasion occurred of the likes we had never seen. They hadn't called him the Master for nothing. An interesting man who... I was interrupted in my thoughts by the sound of soft leather on the cobblestones. I held my breath, my heartbeat not rising in the slightest for the struggle to come. I closed my eyes and put on my mask to entirely cover my pale complexion. That way not even the slightest bit of light would betray my position. tap tap tap... tap.... tap... and then I struck. I silently slit the throat of my opponentand eased him onto the stones. When he stopped struggling and I knew the life was out him I looked into his empty eyes, surprise was still written within them. I lowered my head towards his now deaf ears and whispered: "Death comes for us all brother.". I felt no remorse nor any pleasure, it was strictly professional, strictly business. I wiped my blade clean on my victim's clothes and hid it back in its concealed scabbard. Now I make my way out of Perth saying farewell to my real target, for awhile.

Assassination chance

Ireland: http://www.mediafire.com/file/1jaa6l...nd_53.sav/file