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

[Der Böse Wolf]

So did Wales surrender to England only or did it also become a vassal?

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

Full vassalship with the remaining Welsh administration.

[Der Böse Wolf]

The total submission of Wales came as no surprise for the old King Alexander.

In his war council at the siege of Irish-occupied Dumfries, he made his thoughts clear:

"What a misery for the Welsh people. Once led by such figures as the honourable King Llewelyn who saved us Scots from annihilation at the hands of the Norse at the battle of Perth.
Scotland will be forever indebted to Wales for this salvation.
However, King Tegowny managed, in just a few years, to make us Scots forget all about our debt.
Worse, he broke the brotherly ties between our peoples.

First, he gives the Crown back all conquered lands after a hard-fought war to submit them once and for all, then, he blindly and foolishly follows the Irish King Griffin like a good, obedient dog, in his suicidal war against us, leaving his homeland undefended and open for invasion.

All this for what?
Why this stubbornness to invade his brothers?
Now his people are servants of the Crown.

And speaking of England, this young Lord Protector has proved a marvellous leader, despite his young age.
He achieved so swiftly what all previous kings failed to do.

But one must not forget that he took advantage of the splendid work done by Lord Lewes, God bless his soul.

As for Ireland, their new king requests peace and accepted our conditions? Very well, but Dumfries will remain under siege until it is official.
I do not trust anyone anymore...

Look at the Northern Shires who rebel against England again. No is to be trusted!
Not even my own Prince!"

Alexander suddenly shut up.
He realised he said a word too much.

Indeed, he did not want to draw attention at the Prince's insubordination, in order to avoid internal conflicts.
But his mind slipped amidst his long monologue.

Prince Hew, who was against the peace with Ireland, left the council in a fury, followed by a few clansmen.

---

Elsewhere, in Wales, one of the Scottish assassins has gone missing.
His partner, the elite killer, intercepted a Welsh spy and tortured him to death, trying to retrieve, in vain, any information.

He left his body mutilated and, raging with anger, kept searching for the disappeared accomplice.

PS: I have lost one spy and one assassin this turn.
If someone assassinated them, please post screenshots.
The spy was old and probably died of old age, but the assassin was relatively young.

Thanks.

---

Barons next: https://www.mediafire.com/file/qaq4uibytuvlnl5/TIOC_Barons_87.sav/file

[paladinbob123]

The army of Samuel Lewes looked up at the mighty city of Montgomery knowing perhaps most would die in the attack against the welsh forces being the first into battle on this new front, and Samuel coughed giving a deep sigh, knowing that since his father had been displaced by the new protector of england that his position had been viewed by suspicion. Not a handsome person by any means, with his scarred face,from his practice training gone wrong, his delight at finding a attractive wife, from the family of cornwall, was particularly endearing and meant much to him and in these times of difficulty, he turned more and more to his wife for comfort, and for conversation. This conversation , his educated wife, steered him to look to his brother, who now lived in the now open city states of York & Newcastle where his talents could be held high, instead of being used as cannon folder for this new leader, to raise this new "protector" high at those gains, he and his men would bleed for.



Gradually his men, equally came around to this view, and eventually they rebelled from english rule, with deep discussions to the open cities , committing to their cause. This unfortunately was not something Lord Godfrey of the free cities wanted , as another Cornwall brother with a large committed army , might push for newcastle and the return of the cornwall estates that the two daughters of cornwall[both married to lewes sons were pushing for] and bring the duke more problems. To this end , he sent Samuel a letter saying that he would be welcome in their lands to a good position if he could be bring something of value to the dukedom and a tentative agreement was made on this basis,as Samuel and his army was welcomed to bare the flag of this faction.

But the sudden move of this rebellion of this army group was again gazumped by the sudden move of the welsh faction, who bowed to the english crown, making any profitable targets within wales , a unwise move, and his exit to the east, being blocked by the english armies of the crown, forced the men to march west to the sea, to escape their situation....

------

Waylander looked at the peaceful settlement of the welsh, envy and hatred in his heart, remembering the days of betrayal as they had marched on his lord Henry of Lancaster, smashing his armies and destroying Lancaster bringing it to its knees, when it was a declared ally of the man. He had committed many acts of vengeance on the welsh since those days, for this act of betrayal as he acted in his own interests as a free agent, and perhaps there was time for just one more act, ...perhaps this would be the last act, as to his mind, the welsh had paid enough of a debt, for there actions. He rubbed his chin as he walked away from the bakery, where he had lit a small fire , knowing that in a little while the whole bakery would soon be aflame. To a massive city like this, this loss would be a mere pittance perhaps, but this building was next to the barracks in the town, where perhaps it might get some damage from the same blaze, as it often took hours to put out a fire[actually the barracks received 50% damage].



As the non descriptive man, left the city, giving a normal rendition of a welsh accent, as he was confronted at the gate to the city [as he was leaving] the guards turned,alerted to a small trail of smoke from within the city, and they waved him to exit, as they called out alarm , and sent men to see what was going on.


turn to the english
https://www.dropbox.com/s/78ujvbjwsi...nd_88.sav?dl=0

[Turkafinwë]

England

And then there was silence. Everyday life resumed as the lion-banners slowly marched east, back home. It had taken some persuasion to get Jasper Lewes to return, still hellbent on conquering Wales, but direct command from the Lord Protector and help of the loyal Paul Sandy, the army, together with Lewes, started their return.

Lord Protector was happy and when a message from the rebellious Samuel Lewes came, apologizing for his men's behaviour, Anselm gave the young lord the mission to go to his new masters. The Lord gave him permission to cross the border near Montgomery, into England, from which he could go north. Now was the time of healing.

Somewhere in the Irish sea, Admiral Robin lay stranded, unable to move, licking his wounds after the Irish armada had defeated him. They had fallen on them unexpectedly and Robin had lost many good men and ships. Now he only wished he would reach home.

Ireland up: http://www.mediafire.com/file/weders...nd_88.sav/file

[zender9]

Wales up:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...C_wales_88.sav


Having full control in the Irish sea, once again brave Irish sailors spotted English sails. Admiral Conlaed having full confidence in his gun holks and superior number of men wasn't planning to sink all the ships. Perhaps one of them to prove the range and power of his cannons, then accept a surrender from Englishmen to capture their ships.

Although Admiral Robin, who had no intention to surrender, was already knew there is no escape anymore. He would rather die than become prisoner to Irish, same as all his sailors. He knew any admiral would like to capture ships in such a naval battle in which odds are beyond impossible to win for English. So he ordered his men to prepare the gunpowder to suicide their ships instead of using them to attack the enemy.

As Irish navy approached, cannons targeted on a single English ship and Admiral Conlaed ordered ''Fire!''. Cannonballs easily broke through the wood and hit the gunpowder stock English prepared to suicide their ships. The ship sunked with an explosion. A lucky shot they said, hitting right at the spot where they keep their ammunition. All Irish sailors were cheering and claiming themselves victor already. Soon, the English lowered their flags and pulled up white flags. Admiral Conlaed thought that was rather quick. Anyway surrounded the English navy and send some soldiers to get the prisoners and ships. Then an explosion happened, one of the English ships were on fire and sinking. Everyone could guess what is going on, Irish sailors quickly jumped to the sea or tried to get back to their ships while captains were trying to steer their ships away from the English ones. Meanwhile English sailors charged and attacked to kill every Irish sailor they could find. A total chaos was going on yet it didn't last long. Nevertheless, English were heavily outnumbered, and once the chaos was over, Irish navy sunked all the ships in safe distance. Admiral Robin's brave plan didn't work as efficient as he hoped but no ships were captured after all.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...5-59-57-88.jpg




High King Sean was rather upset the peace deal with Scottish wasn't signed still. King Alexander was a real strong character. Perhaps Sean was showing his cards a bit too much. Diplomacy wasn't something he is capable of.
There was a wedding in Dublin palace. High King's sister Brigid O'Neill married with a local and loyal noble Lochlainn Nolan.

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

Old business, firstly. It slipped my mind in the last turn after severely toning back plans for content, and so I must post it now; an assassin of Scotland was stuck in retaliation for his banditry this last turn, and here are the odds.

Secondly, as someone was curious but didn't deign to ask, I will ask for him; what method do you gents use to launch this mod? Steam executable, batch file on steam, or through the CD version?

King Vortipor, neither especially noble (save intent) nor especially kingly in nature, has nonetheless found himself in a most desirable position. Wales has entered a peace it has not known from a single king yet, and ironic be it that it is the King appointed that oversees such an era under English dominion, rather than a King raised by mob rule who is oft absent from home. There will not be tolerance for such behavior again. Though the Crown shall surely receive Welsh arms, the home will never be without a true leader, or a militia for its sanctity. As it is, the economy is greater than it has been in any of the wars, and with the backing down of a Lord Samuel Lewes as well as a general reduction in overall banditry, the people may finally breathe. Such events in such short time may not have been the sole responsibility of his new Highness, but the people will surely remember who presides over such a state. The English, certainly, may consider one old rivalry reconciled, even as there are lingering messes to clean up as the Isles move to a Triumvirate - Ireland, Scotland, and England. Time will tell if one establishes itself over the rest; all have their issues, but they are at least quintessentially themselves, though the Irish have lost all but fragments of an ally across generations. But like always, the Isles often find themselves with unusual men coming to unusual terms.

For all that was looking up, certain affairs needed resolution, foreign and domestic.

All agents that are not diplomatic or economic in nature will be taken as insurgents; this includes Irish and Scottish figures, and excludes approved English individuals who make themselves known as loyal to the Crown. Two turns will be given to clear the premises; henceforth, those who do not explicitly register with Welsh intelligence will be treated without mercy. The efforts to restore order are ongoing, as are repossessions of land and goods from those who stubbornly cling to failed regimes past. Their assets will contribute to a more glorious Wales under the generous patronage of England and its Lord Protector.

Pembroke has been reclaimed peacefully; a few repossessions and a review of the premises have resulted in good things for the new King.

King Vortipor has given title and leadership to a knight of his retinue, Thomas Teon. For lack of an heir and any qualified subordinates after the collapse of Welsh command, it is necessary to take mildly drastic measures to ensure the sanctity of the people. He will be administering the affairs of Montgomery, as well as personally meeting Samuel Lewes on fair terms, for whom other arrangements have been made aside from the above. I'm happy to discuss whatever that may specifically mean with Pbob, otherwise, well, they meet, and they're on their merry ways.

Onto the Scots,
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...cotland_88.sav

[Der Böse Wolf]

Old business, firstly. It slipped my mind in the last turn after severely toning back plans for content, and so I must post it now; an assassin of Scotland was stuck in retaliation for his banditry this last turn, and here are the odds.

Secondly, as someone was curious but didn't deign to ask, I will ask for him; what method do you gents use to launch this mod? Steam executable, batch file on steam, or through the CD version?

Thanks for the assassination explanation.

As for launching the mod, I had renamed on the 4 Kingdoms Expnasnsions and launch it frpm Steam directly.

[Turkafinwë]

Same as DBW. I run it through the steam executable.

[paladinbob123]

i renamed the old british isles folder[for the original]..and then it run the this version through the "british isles mod" folder using normal steam methods

[Der Böse Wolf]

At the Irish-Occupied Isle of Islay:
--------------------------

"The King said that the Irish will evacuate once the treaty is signed. Now everyone go home!"

The clan leader was trying to calm down the mob which was hell-bent on overthrowing the few remaining Irish garrison.
In fact, with the news that High King Sean agreed to return the city to the Scots, almost all the Irish troops left the city, yet they still collected huge amounts of taxes from the population.

An uprising was brewing.
The clan leader could not however quell the rage and the folks attacked the Irish guards and chased them down to the beach where they butchered them.

The Cross of St Andrews was raised again on the city walls, and the bagpipes celebrated King Alexander.

PS: the city rebelled and was returned to Scotland and expelled the Irish garrison in-game.

PS: forgot to screenshot the results but it was obviously a clear victory

At the siege of Dumfries:
---------------------

King Alexander was still waiting for the official treaty to be signed by King Sean.
He kept Dumfries under siege to appease the blood-lusty clans of Dumfries who wanted revenge from the Irish occupiers.

He was hoping that the Irish return the city soon enough to ease the tension.

He was willing to allow the few remaining Irish soldiers safe passage to Ireland.
Some Irish ships were already docked in the port.

However, Prince Hew did not like the situation.
In the war council, he gathered enough support from the clans to convince, or rather, oblige the king to assault the city.
Alexander, wishing to avoid a internal conflict, agreed.

Dumfries was assaulted and the Irish troops who still had some artillery from the invasion army that was once led by late King Griffin put up a good fight.
But the Scots had Trebuchets and they bombarded the Irish positions mercilessly.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the defenders surrendered.

But before the King's army could secure the city, the local population attacked the few Irish soldiers still alive and killed them to the last man.
They got their revenge.

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

Barons next: https://www.mediafire.com/file/8nk1hh6z82vzzbo/TIOC_Barons_88.sav/file

[paladinbob123]

There was some inquiries of what had happened to Lord Godwine by Scotland, and the answer was that he had been confined to a estate within Yorks grounds, as a important member of the York-Newcastle alliance it was a differicult thing to kill this leader with his connections to the scots and to various factions within Newcastle, and perhaps far easier to hold him as a noble prisoner ,housebound without leave, only to see some members of his family. Such a thing was decided by Lord Geofrey , lord of York, who took the diplomatic approach far to the chagrin of Lord Godwine lewes who asked for his death, pronouncing it was madness to leave such a important enemy alive, when he could still stand as a bannerpoint for his supporters and the scots, but Lord Geofrey had spoken to the other lords who had given their support of Geofrey as they did not wish any more conflict, after over twenty years of fighting, they looked to peace rather than anymore war.



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

The army of Samuel lewes continued to move westwards towards the coast, the letter from the welsh gave them leave to travel within their area, and the English leader gave them permission to travel east, but Samuel did not trust the tone of the letter he received and preferred to make his own arrangements for travel , moving towards the coastline where a ship had been purchased for travel arrangements.



The army of lewes moved slowly out of the welsh mountains as it headed to the coast, they had been quite disturbed by the welsh mountains , pleasant and green in the days of good weather but dark and forbidding in cloudy or dark weather, the ill dressed natives looked at them with hatred ,and most felt sure these strange , dark haired savage men would have been sure to kill or waylay individual parties or single travelers if not for the safety of the army, Samuel was sure, they would not have made it to the coast. On coastline , things were more civilized, with bigger communities, and eager to boost his numbers , Samuel recruited some of the feared welsh bowmen, and some spearmen, to retain the security of the army whilst in a unknown area.

Turn to England
https://www.dropbox.com/s/90cc0irtda...nd_89.sav?dl=0

[Turkafinwë]

England

"Time to leave boys, say your last goodbye's to your whores and prepare for marching!" Every sergeant of the English army was rallying their men in a similar fashion all around Cardiff. The men had enjoyed their escapades in the Welsh lands, this was how most wars should go, they thought. Easy battles, few casualties and many benefits. That those benefits had been bought by Admiral Robin's prowess and subsequent sacrifice was something the men would rather forget. No matter what happened in war, the returning soldiers would be heralded heroes back home, respected by their wives, if only they knew their husbands were drunkards who went whoring instead of the majestic soldier they all thought they were. England's finest they called them, more like the scum of the Earth. This was how Lord Sandy saw them as they lined up, the scent of their last "conquest" still on them, their backpacks full of loot, unearned in Sandy's opinion. It hadn't been the glorious conquest of Wales but rather the stomping of it, raping and pillaging a weak underbelly. He already dreaded the praise he would gain in London for his wondrous triumphs. What triumphs? Defeating a couple of old and withered garrisons was hardly glorious. The only thing worth celebrating was how fast his army had moved, most certainly driven by lust and greed, like a wild dog that jumps on his prey when it has smelled blood and weakness. He had to thank Jasper Lewes for all of this. He looked at his second in command, who had been smug and very satisfied with himself ever since the defeat of Wales. Some said he'd partaken in the "festivities" with the soldiers and Sandy could believe it. Lewes had been in a good mood ever since the Welsh had bend the knee. During the war, Sandy had learned that Lewes was a man of passion. The angry and driven man he had met in battle, changed in the euphoric and ecstatic man in triumph. In battle or in triumph Lewes basked in every emotion, filling him untill Sandy feared he might burst. Sandy knew Lewes would enjoy every moment in London, where he would be lauded and received as a hero. At least someone would enjoy it, Sandy knew he would definitely not.

With Lord Sandy's army, the last of England's armies left Wales and peace returned to the south of the Isles.

Ireland: http://www.mediafire.com/file/4t4svy...nd_89.sav/file

[zender9]

Wales up:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...C_wales_89.sav


Nothing much is going on for interesting RP and I have some busy days. So, pardon me for this turn guys. I will follow up with RP next turn.

[Dismounted Feudal Knight]

With the peaceful transit of Cardiff, King Vortipor's authority is restored, and for the first time in many years does Wales settle into relative peace. With advice from the late Ionafal's wife and various veteran soldiers, Wales is rebuilding economically and militarily, though its structure of officers and leaders is yet to be properly restored. A peace delegation from the Baronies is on approach, and Samuel Lewes, though a little... all over the country, is relatively unopposed save by small fringes of the old ways. Said old ways have caused minor insurgencies in recent times, but nothing the new Kingdom and its more professional structure cannot handle. Soon, they may be able to handle the insurgencies in southern England, a contained, but quite perilous threat for those who step too far.

Reposessions and quieting of the citizenry has continued. All in all, to ignore the petty words of Scottish lords and angry Irishmen - though not the Irish Crown itself - as well as the two agents who remain in opposition, Wales is entering stability. The peace delegation of the Northern Shires is quite welcome to enter.

Onto the Scots,
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...cotland_89.sav

[Der Böse Wolf]

Sorry for the massive delay guys, I had a trouble with my PC and had to back up it all.
Now I can operate again and will have this up quickly.

Cheers.

[Der Böse Wolf]

With Dumfries and the Isle of islay freed from Irish invaders, with the new Irish king Sean signing a peace treaty and paying war reparations for the aggressions of King Griffin, with the truce with England still holding, with Wales submitting totally to the Crown and with the news that Lord Goldwine of the Shires is held captive in York but treated as the noble man he is, peace was to be felt all cross the British Isles...with different tastes for it.

For the Irish and the Welsh, the last war was a bitter defeat which all but ended the Celtic Alliance.
Ireland lost all conquered territories in Scotland and England. Worse they lost countless men and ships in the process.
Yet they remain strong due to their natural island defence and resources.
They also control the might stronghold of the Isle of Man, the previous Viking beacon of Norse culture in the region.

The Welsh lost everything.
Their armies, their allies, their lands, their reputation and, most importantly, their freedom.
The poor welsh people are even ruled by a puppet king who is happy and proud to be held by the leash of The Crown.

The Barons had it good. They are freed from Scottish rule and remain independent, albeit with much fewer lands and resources.
They are at the mercy of the English and Scottish policies.

The Crown is clearly the biggest winner in this last war.
After it was cornered like a mouse by the then mighty Celtic Alliance, it has now reconquered all lost lands to the Welsh without a loss of a single man.
They then completely vassalised the Welsh in one battle, losing thousands of brave sailors in the process but achieving victory so swiftly, what many kings has failed before.
The reason why war broke out in Britannia many years ago is over. Wales is conquered.
They also have a steady truce with Scotland, the other big winner of this war.

Yes, king Alexander can be proud.
The liberator of Scotland, the last remaining king on the Isles since the first war started, can finally taste peace.

He never imagined that he would live to experience such a feeling.
Scotland was never so strong, so wide, so populated, so financially sane...

Yet, in the last war, they lost the Scottish Shires. But it was not due to lack of leadership from Alexander's part, no.
It was due to the horrible military skills of Lord Goldwine. That man is a great diplomat but he cannot lead armies.

Now Scotland stands as the strongest kingdom in the isles.
Alexander, apart from being a mighty general, proved to be an astute diplomat.
The truce with England is the reason all peoples of the lands can enjoy peace.

But the king is old, tired and weary.
---

Barons next: https://www.mediafire.com/file/qc72o0nn9rxt4f8/TIOC_Barons_89.sav/file

[paladinbob123]

A uneasy peace settled over the isles of chaos and many peoples breathed a sigh of relief at the cessation of combat,for all the war and plague that the fighting had bought out over the last twenty years, serfs toiled in farms , looked over by the landed gentry , and the church,who were both eager to take their cut of the spoils and profit. The musing of the Scottish king was perhaps correct,as he had seen much change in his times, as england have moved from near defeat back a comfortable position whilst the Scottish ruled the north cementing all under the leadership. For the irish ,it was perhaps a defeat of sorts..as the celtic alliance had been destroyed , not perhaps where people had thought it would come from pressure from without,but rather from ill content and differences from within, but equally ireland had its strengths , on having the safety of being on a island, and with their large fleet they patrolled their borders zealously , as the forces of Samuel lewes came to learn for themselfs,with constant warning from the Irish admirals as they sought to deter even the thought of getting near their island.

But the real losers in perhaps this struggle was the old northern shires state who could not retain the numbers of troops in the field against either the northern scottish or the southern english, forcing them to give up lands perhaps won by the military war leader Simon de Montfort forcing them to re-evaluate their worth in this newly shaped kingdom. As for their part in the game of thrones they knew they would be tried to be manipulated by the main three powers of ireland, scotland and england and they hoped to keep themselfs out of the Frey, whilst they banked on their mercantile industry to make them enough money to act as a deterrence to any further incursions.

A embassy was sent to the welsh, hoping to reopen trade with them, hoping to make some good use of the bounty of the mountains,were the welsh were most skilled at making ore and farm sheep, and the people of york needed raw goods to produce better trade goods to sell to the continent . A small remuneration was equally sent to the welsh, one to ease the unpleasantness of a Duchy of Yorks travelling in their lands, and part to butter the negotiations for the much needed trade and if the welsh could see the profit for both factions, the yorkish mused to themselfs that perhaps even a diplomat might be sent across the irish sea to make even trade with the irish.

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

Samuel Lewes look out to sea to sea observing the two large irish fleets which had anchored themselfs off shore and a small rowboat had delivered a message to him from the irish admirals,that they were keeping a close watch on his movement which Samuel found more than a little oppressive. After the exchange of views, Samuel felt he could not risk his force to the whims of clearly hostile irish fleet who looked like they would sink their small group of vessels with just the excuse of even a sailor sneezing on the foredeck being enough of a provocation to destroy the yorkish naval vessels who were dwarfed by the shear number of power of irish vessels.

Such words from the irish was enough to deter him from boarding the navy , and so they started to walk home, taking a northward route[avoiding english army buildups in center england and perhaps avoiding the embarrassing issue of having to meet his brother , Jasper] with the small navy vessels tagging along behind.

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

The merchant was doing some brisk trade in ireland , particularity now the wars had ended and the trade lanes were being opened again and with his deep irish brogue he shouted out to leaving customers wishing the top of the morning to them, when he bumped into a older well dressed man. The man grabbed his hand with both of his and apologized professedly in what was a poor irish accent, before he moved away in a hurry. The merchant was bemused at such a accident was about to shake it from his mind, when two things came to pass. The first was his chest was becoming damp and looking down at his tunic he saw a blossoming red stain that slowly seeped into the fabric in a ever growing flowery shape, and the second was he found he had a piece of paper in his hand which he shook with the stranger, which he looked up and unfurled,it read [being of a merchantile class he could read it]

"This servant of Henry of Lancaster pays his debts for ships sunk and for honour unrepaid.....

Waylander"

In panic, the man , recognized the name of the famous assassin, but the pain which had been hidden by the swiftness of the strike shock his body , and he clenched his fist holding the note tight, as his body lost all power, and with his other hand controlling his fall against a timber beam of the stall, he slumped to the ground , unsee, unobserved in the maelstrom of the marketplace. It was some time before his fellow-traders noticed he was gone, approached his stands and shook the merchant from his kneeling position with head down he had slowly fallen too, only to see him roll over at the push, before seeing his dark sightless eyes and calling for the local authorities for help.



------------------
Montgomery



Montgomery (Welsh: Trefaldwyn; translates to the town of Baldwin) is a town and community in the Welsh Marches, administratively in the Welsh county of Powys. It is the traditional county town of the historic county of Montgomeryshire to which it gives its name. The large Iron Age hill fort of Ffridd Faldwyn is sited northwest of the town and west of the Castle.

The town was established around a Norman stone castle on a crag. The castle had been built in the early 13th century to control an important ford over the nearby River Severn and replaced an earlier motte and bailey fortification at Hen Domen, one mile away. An important supporter of King William I (the Conqueror), Roger de Montgomery, originally from Montgomery in the Pays d'Auge in Normandy, was given this part of the Welsh Marches by William and his name was given to the town surrounding the castle.

The Treaty of Montgomery was signed 29 September 1267 in Montgomeryshire. By this treaty King Henry III of England acknowledged Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as Prince of Wales. Montgomery was sacked at the beginning of the 15th century by the Welsh Prince Owain Glyndŵr. At that time, the castle and surrounding estates were held by the Mortimer family (the hereditary Earls of March) but they came into royal hands when the last Earl of March died in 1425. In 1485, King Richard III was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth and the Royal Estates, including Montgomery and its castle, passed into the hands of the new King, Henry VII, the first Tudor king, and a Welshman. The castle was then given to another powerful Welsh family, the Herberts.

Montgomery Castle



Montgomery Castle is a stone masonry castle looking over the town of Montgomery in Powys, Mid Wales. It is one of many Norman castles on the border between Wales and England.
The original motte and bailey is now known as Hen Domen and was built at the order of Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, sometime between 1071 and 1074. On the rebellion of his son Robert of Belleme in 1102, the castle was given to Baldwin de Boulers. It is from Baldwin that Montgomery gets its Welsh name, Trefaldwyn (Baldwin's town). The de Boulers (later known as Bowdler) family held the castle until 1215, when the fortress was destroyed by Prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth. The motte and bailey was subsequently refortified as an outpost for the new stone castle and probably survived until around 1300.

The rebuilding of Montgomery Castle in stone was commenced in the late summer of 1223 on the 16th birthday of Henry III of England, a mile to the south-east of the original site. The architect of the new castle was Hubert de Burgh, who also rebuilt Skenfrith Castle, Grosmont Castle and White Castle in the Welsh Marches. From 1223 until 1228 masons worked solidly building the entire inner ward, or donjon as it was then known, on a great rock above the later town of Montgomery. This work consisted of the gatehouse, two D-shaped towers and the apartments which crowded around the curtain wall of the inner ward. After an unsuccessful attack by Prince Llywelyn ab Iorwerth in 1228, the middle and outer wards were added to the castle. The castle was again attacked in 1233, which resulted in damage to the well tower, which had to be subsequently repaired and re-roofed.

Montgomery was granted a Royal Charter by the king in 1227, making it the oldest borough in Wales.

In 1267 Montgomery was the meeting place for treaty negotiations, where King Henry III granted Llywelyn ap Gruffudd the title of Prince of Wales. Fifteen years later, in December 1282, the army of Montgomery marched from here to Builth Wells to surprise and kill Llywelyn. After 1295 and the final Welsh War of the thirteenth century, the castle became more of a military backwater and prison than a front-line fortress.

more details&pictures of castle - http://www.castlewales.com/montgom.html
battle nearby in 1644 [english civil war] - http://www.battlefieldsofbritain.co....mery_1644.html


Ffridd Faldwyn





Ffridd Faldwyn is an Iron Age Hillfort in northern Powys, in the former county of Montgomeryshire, It is sited on a prominent hill west of Montgomery, close to Montgomery Castle, overlooking the River Severn. It is one of the largest hill-forts in Wales.When Thomas Pennant visited Montgomery in 1776, he noted "On a hill, not far from the castle, is a stupendous British post. The approach is guarded by four great ditches, with two or three entrances towards the main work, with two or three fosses run across the hill, the end of which is sufficiently guarded by its steepness"


O’Neill was able to define the earliest phase of the hillfort as smaller enclosure measuring 170 m by 80 m (1.2 hectares), with a gateway to the south, and defended with two rows of timber palisading. This enclosure stands on the highest area of the hill and contains a small mound which may have been a Bronze Age round barrow. Under the southern gate of this enclosure evidence for earlier Neolithic occupation was found. This enclosure was then modified by a box framed timber rampart, with an extension to the north-west and a barbican added to the south gateway. The inner area of the enclosure contained a number of rectangular "four-poster" structures, which are now interpreted as the supports for wooden framed granaries.




The next phase was to greatly enlarge the hillfort, with timber laced ramparts, which took in much of the slope of the hill to the north-west, towards the river Severn. The hillfort now measured 300 m by 200 m, and covered 4.4 hectares. The existing banks of this enclosure still in places stand to between 3 m and 8 m in height. A large "annexe" area was added to the south-west gateway of this enclosure which may have acted as a barbican. The defences of the larger hillfort appear to have fallen into decay, and at some point, possibly at the time of the Roman conquest of Britain, were refurbished with a simple earthen bank.



Offa's Dyke



Offa's Dyke (Welsh: Clawdd Offa) is a large linear earthwork that roughly follows the current border between England and Wales. The structure is named after Offa, the Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from AD 757 until 796, who is traditionally believed to have ordered its construction. Although its precise original purpose is debated, it delineated the border between Anglian Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys. 'Ofer' means 'border' or 'edge' in Old English, giving rise to the possibility of alternative derivations for some border features associated with Offa.


The earthwork, which was up to 65 feet (20 m) wide (including its flanking ditch) and 8 feet (2.4 m) high, traversed low ground, hills and rivers. Today it is protected as a scheduled monument. Some of its route is followed by the Offa's Dyke Path; a 176-mile (283 km) long-distance footpath that runs between Liverpool Bay in the north and the Severn Estuary in the south.

Although the Dyke has conventionally been dated to the Early Middle Ages of Anglo-Saxon England, research in recent decades – using techniques such as radioactive carbon dating – has challenged the conventional historiography and theories about the earthwork, and show that it was started in the early fifth century, during the sub-Roman period.




The generally accepted theory about much of the earthwork attributes its construction to Offa, King of Mercia from 757 to 796. The structure did not represent a mutually agreed boundary between the Mercians and the Kingdom of Powys. It had a ditch on the Welsh (western) side, with the displaced soil piled into a bank on the Mercian (eastern) side. This suggests that Mercians constructed it as a defensive earthwork, or to demonstrate the power and intent of their kingdom.

Throughout its entire length, the Dyke provides an uninterrupted view from Mercia into Wales. Where the earthwork encounters hills or high ground, it passes to the west of them.

Although historians often overlook Offa's reign due to limitations in source material, he ranks as one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon rulers – as evidenced in his ability to raise the workforce and resources required to construct Offa's Dyke. The construction of the earthwork probably involved a corvée system requiring vassals to build certain lengths of the earthwork for Offa in addition to the normal services that they provided to their king. The Tribal Hidage, a primary document, shows the distribution of land within 8th-century Britain; it shows that peoples were located within specified territories for administration.

Roger De Montgomery

Roger de Montgomery (died 1094), also known as Roger the Great de Montgomery, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury, and Earl of Arundel, Sussex. His father was Roger de Montgomery, seigneur of Montgomery, and was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy. The elder Roger had large holdings in central Normandy, chiefly in the valley of the Dives, which the younger Roger inherited.

Roger was one of William the Conqueror's principal counsellors, playing a major role in the Council of Lillebonne. He may not have fought in the initial invasion of England in 1066, instead staying behind to help govern Normandy. According to Wace's Roman de Rou, however, he commanded the Norman right flank at Hastings, returning to Normandy with King William in 1067. Afterwards he was entrusted with land in two places critical for the defence of England, receiving the Rape of Arundel at the end of 1067 (or in early 1068), and in November 1071 he was created Earl of Shrewsbury; a few historians believe that while he received the Shropshire territories in 1071 he was not created Earl until a few years later. In 1083, he founded Shrewsbury Abbey.

Roger was thus one of the half dozen greatest magnates in England during William the Conqueror's reign. William gave Earl Roger nearly all of what is now the county of West Sussex, which at the time of the Domesday Survey was the Rape [traditional sub-divisions] of Arundel.The Rape of Arundel was eventually split into two rapes, one continuing with the name Rape of Arundel and the other became the Rape of Chichester. Besides the 83 manors in Sussex, his possessions also included seven-eighths of Shropshire which was associated with the earldom of Shrewsbury, he had estates in Surrey (4 manors), Hampshire (9 manors), Wiltshire (3 manors), Middlesex (8 manors), Gloucestershire (1 manor), Worcestershire (2 manors), Cambridgeshire (8 manors), Warwickshire (11 manors), and Staffordshire (30 manors). The income from Roger's estates would amount to about £2,000 per year, in 1086 the landed wealth for England was around £72,000, so it would have represented almost 3% of the nation's GDP.

After William I's death in 1087, Roger joined with other rebels to overthrow the newly crowned king, William II, in the Rebellion of 1088. However, William was able to convince Roger to abandon the rebellion and side with him. This worked out favourably for Roger, as the rebels were beaten and lost their land holdings in England.

Baldwin de Boulers

Baldwin de Boulers came to England in 1105 when he was granted the Lordship of Montgomery, Powys in marriage with Sybil de Falaise. Sybil was referred to as the niece of Henry I of England but is commonly believed, probably incorrectly, to be one of his illegitimate children.Baldwin was of a Flemish family from Boelare and his father was Stephen, Baron de Boelare. Boelare is now known as NederBoelare and is part of the town of Geraardsbergen, East Flanders, Belgium.

The de Boulers were based at Hen Domen, the original site for Montgomery Castle and it is from Baldwin that Montgomery gets its Welsh name, Trefaldwyn "The Town of Baldwin".
The de Boulers continued as a prominent Shropshire family, becoming the Bowdlers.

Sybil de Falaise
Sibyl of Falaise was an Anglo-Norman noblewoman and kinswoman of King Henry I of England.Sibyl was called the "nepta" (either "niece" or "kinswoman") of King Henry. The term "niece" was often used to mean that the person was an illegitimate child rather than a niece, so it is possible that she was really Henry's bastard daughter. The historian Frank Barlow also implies that she could have been Henry's daughter rather than his niece. Against this, Kathleen Thompson argues that Henry was not shy about recognizing his bastards, and that it is more likely that Sibyl was the daughter of Henry's elder brother Robert Curthose[sighs-this bloke again!]. Robert was Duke of Normandy from 1086 (although he pawned it in 1096 to another brother, William Rufus, to finance going on the First Crusade), and Falaise was where Robert's legitimate son, William Clito, was being raised. Katharine Keats-Rohan [nice name-winks ] argues instead that Sibyl was the younger daughter of William de Falaise and Geva de Burcy. William de Falaise was the lord of Stogursey in Somerset. Keats-Rohan says that Sibyl was just a "kinswoman" of Henry's and not a bastard of either Henry or Robert so thats makes everything unclear...but thats what happens in history [winks]

If Sibyl was a bastard, nothing is known of her mother. Thompson speculates that if Sibyl was the daughter of Robert, Sibyl's mother may have been someone employed in raising William Clito and that Sibyl was named for Robert's deceased wife, Sibyl of Conversano.



Turn to England
https://www.dropbox.com/s/b1cvorier9...nd_90.sav?dl=0

[Turkafinwë]

England

"More cases, you say". Anselm rubbed his temples, he had the beginning of a headache, you know when you start feeling the presure mount but it hasn't reached pain levels yet. A new plague had entered England, probably spread by merchants from the Continent. Cases were being reported in the south and midlands of the kingdom, the border regions near Wales and the region Dorset and Cornwall were unaffected, for as far as Anselms agents knew. The Lord Protector had planned to return to London, to celebrate his victory but news of an epidemic had cancelled such plans. Anselm took residence in Chester, the place where many a leader of England had spent time. It had remained its strong administrative capability from those days. Reports of ill subjects kept coming in by the day and the disease had not given any sign of stopping anytime soon. Anselm took a sip of his ale, the drink the physicians told him would be the most safe. Anselm didn't like ale but if it would keep him safe then he'll manage. As the day progressed his head began to throb. When he could take it no more he went for a walk on the fortress' walls, to enjoy the cold winter breeze. Perhaps the wind would blow the evil spirits from his head and the worry from his heart.

fought some rebels

Ireland up:http://www.mediafire.com/file/7i2k3h...nd_90.sav/file

[zender9]

Spies informed High King Sean that there are still Griffin loyalists roaming in Ireland, hoping to gather support and start a rebellion, yet unaware High King Sean has a strong spy network and watches all. Ireland is just getting stronger than ever with the peace made now. So, he ordered his garrison commander of Trim Castle, Noah of Offlay to crush the rebels. Young man who actually grew up under Sean's roof as he was son of Sean's sword skill trainer.
Captain Noah didn't take many men with him, he trusted the intelligence and surprise factor. And it was a short skirmish after all. Simple rebels were no match to his trained elite soldiers. After the battle, he decided to rode to Dublin himself to inform High King Sean, also hoping to see his first love from childhood years Sean's daughter Siobhan.
Sean greeted the young man with great hospitality, having full trust on him, he decided to promote him to general and lord of Trim.

As the celebrations were going on, Noah could find some time and proper chance to spend time with Princess Siobhan. She was really enchanted how her playmate in childhood grow into such a fine man, as well as getting lord title. Not getting much opportunity to hang out with other men, she quickly fell for him and he was already hoping and trying to get her love.
After the talks of the princess and the queen, the queen talked to Sean and convinced him to arrange a marriage. Sean was already looking for a husband for his daughter so he accepted.


Wales up:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachmen...C_wales_90.sav