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Author Topic: Scotland the Brave: A Story of Total War  (Read 3842 times)
Paelos
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on: March 25, 2012, 10:48:39 AM


1155 AD: Scotland


My name is King Malcolm IV, the youngest king of Scotland in over four generations. For years, my family have ruled this small patch of land at the northern tip of the Isles, and they were happy to defend it to the death. I, however, have heard the voice of almighty God that we Scotsman are destined for so much more. We are destined to rule the world, not just half an island. I am his instrument in making sure that the lord's will comes to pass, through honorable battles and excellently managed cities. We will be the envy of all Europe when I am done!

But first, I must turn my eye to those Kern rebels in Ireland that have thumbed their noses as us for generations. Their blasphemous rituals and unruly fornication have angered the Lord, and I shall bring down his wrath upon them ! So, my brother and I take to building an army in our Castle at Inbhir Nis. within a few years, I expect to have enough men to make the ground quake, and those Irish heathens shit themselves at the sight of our host!

1156 AD:


The Pope has sent word to my castle up in Inbhir Nis, one of his priests has lamented that during my year-long preparations for war on the Irish rebels, I have neglected to build a proper church within my stronghold. I am humbled by my oversight, and will remedy this shortly. For such as I am doing the will of the Lord, it would be a disastrous mistake to upset his Voice here on Earth.

The English to the South have also taken notice of my army, and their stirrings always make me nervous. I don't want to deal with their kind until I have brought the western isle under our heel. Hugh de Morville, my trusted diplomat, informed me that opportunities exist with the French rulers to form an alliance against the English, should the need come to pass. My father once informed me that to truly deal a potential threat, you must surround it from all sides, showing that threat you can crush it at a moments notice. As such, I will enter into an alliance with these Frenchmen to keep the English in check.


1157 AD:


Within two years, I have a fully formed army at my command. The Scottish soldiers are fierce infantrymen who can slice through these paltry rebels with ease. I march on Dub Lynn in the summer to ease the burden on my men. I want them to be fresh when we arrive. My scouts sent word to me that a rebel commander, Brotar Thorgillsson, has been rallying the troops at Dub Lynn by planning to sacrifice people with ties to Scotland to his unholy gods. Such brutality must be stopped, but my men are too far away to deal with him in time. As much as it pains me, I do have a talented man for just these situations.


Domongart has never failed me. I hope the Lord can forgive him for his grisly work, but he is a master of the blade. Nobody ever suspects a man of his girth to be as agile, or as cunning. Needless to say, the death of Thorgillsson has saved countless Scottish lives.


Winter brings us to the gates of Dub Lynn. I set my forces on the task of building siege towers and rams to take care of their walls. Meanwhile word comes that a deposed noble has been seen in another nearby Irish city. Mac Lochlainn intends to take their forces and march on my position! I simple cannot allow him to whip up these rabble into a frenzy when I am on the doorsteps of my first goal. Domongart will make sure he has an accident on the way to his manor. The Lord is my shepherd, and Domongart is my wolf.


1158 AD:


Summer has come and the engines of war are ready. My men are well fed, well supplied, and eager to take the fight to these rebels. Knowing another city nearby could rise up against us if we dally, I order the attack of Dub Lynn. The rebels are mostly peasants they have given bows and hoisted upon the walls. My plan is simple, divide my towers to the west and east of the gateway to deal with the archers, and smash open the gates for my infantry. Once inside, we will be unstoppable.


No plan is perfect, however, and the rebels set fire to my ram as it nears the walls.


No matter, I order the men to the nearby tower. We can go over the walls to open them as easily as going through. These archers will be no match for heavily armed Scotsman!


My men rush the walls and the archers panic. They fall behind the weight of the onslaught and heads fly from the stroke of claymores cleaving men in twain. They should have known their heathen gods would not protect them from the wrath of the true Lord, and now they will pay in blood.


The gates are ours! All rush forward to hit the center of the city. Like a ripe plum, this town is ready to be plucked. The rebels try to fall back to the middle of the square, hoping that they can stop our infantry.


They hold the line valiantly, but they missed one very important route. It will prove their undoing as I rush all my cavalry at their flank, destroying their lines and turning the streets red with heathen limbs.


When the dust settles, three wounded enemy were found cowering in the nearby well. I turned them loose to go to the next Irish town. I told them to inform those people what happens to those who oppose the will of God, and the Scottish empire!


As if to answer my prayers, my men return to me an old tome found in the city. Truly god is with us! It is the Great Gospel of Saint Colombanus, a tome that has been lost by well over 300 years. This is a gift from the Lord himself! May it light our way and illuminate our path as we strike fear into the Lord's enemies!


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Paelos
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Reply #1 on: March 25, 2012, 10:50:59 AM

I am playing a mod called Bellum Crucis, and playing it through as Scotland, one of the harder kingdoms to win. The goal is to play the story from the POV of the king, and have him be the only one involved in battles. The rest will be auto-resolved. Stories and pics will reflect the characteristics that develop organically to the character. If the kings are cruel, my narrative will be cruel. If holy, the same. If drunk or insane, well you get the picture.

Onwards, to a realm of total war!

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Quinton
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Reply #2 on: March 25, 2012, 04:17:31 PM

I had never looked at the Total War series before.  If I wanted to try my hand at conquest, any suggestions as to which of the games represents the best experience?
Paelos
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Posts: 27075

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Reply #3 on: March 25, 2012, 06:58:08 PM

I had never looked at the Total War series before.  If I wanted to try my hand at conquest, any suggestions as to which of the games represents the best experience?

Medieval 2 or Rome are really the two best.

CPA, CFO, Sports Fan, Game when I have the time
Paelos
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Posts: 27075

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Reply #4 on: March 25, 2012, 07:33:06 PM

1158 AD <continued>:

There's no time to waste. Once the city fell I ordered my men on to the next target. The populace won't have time to react to our onslaught. The prisoners we released will certainly have terrified them by now. Leaving part of my force behind with my cousin to garrison Dub Lynn, I plan to surround and starve out the armies in Corcaigh. Then, the entirety of Ireland will be under rightful Scottish control.


1159 AD:

Thanks the heavens, our chapel in Inbhir Nis was completed in record time. The Pope is most pleased with our efforts. This should give our priests more opportunity to join the college of Cardinals, directly influencing church politics. We need more holy Scottish men on that College so the Lord's vision for Scotland can be fully reconized.

But, oh great treachery! During the winter, a Viking king has sailed onto our shores and captured our castle! He killed my brother and hung his head from my very gates. Such barbarism will NOT GO UNPUNISHED!



Luckily the prisoners I released convinced the populace of Corcaigh to surrender. I plan to march home to avenge my brother's untimely demise!


1160 AD:


My scouts sent me information on the usurper. The fiends name is King Erik, and he has been drinking mead and wine with his men in my very castle all winter long to celebrate his victory over my brother. These Viking scum have no idea what holy fire they have called down upon themselves. I will see to it that no man who helped kill my brother makes it from that city alive. As for King Erik? My wolf, Domongart, burns him alive inside the very hall he took from me.


1161:

I arrive at the gates of my old home. Without King Erik, his men are petrified and want to surrender. I offer them no such quarter. We will anoint this city with their blood.


King Erik spent too much time drinking in my absence, and no time repairing the walls he destroyed. That makes it easy for me to simply charge right through. His soldiers inside will offer no real resistance, and I will give them no mercy.


Those catapults were terrible widow-makers outside the walls. But inside? They are nothing but worthless hunks of wood that are crushed beneath my army. The men manning them begged to be let go before my infantry cut them down. I personally rode through the gates to crush the captain holding the middle of the square. The smell of shit and fear was thick. Horses and men screaming in equal measure. It was the Lord's fury come full to bear on these sodomites from the north. No such people will ever dare cross us again.


When the fog of battle lifts, no Viking is left alive. My brother's ghost can rest easy, and join my Lord in paradise knowing that his dead was avenged.


Ireland and Scotland are now fully under my control. The glory of Scotland is only just beginning!


At 23 years old, I have already doubled the size of Scotland's holdings, united the western isle, and successfully repelled a Viking invasion. I now have to begin the efforts of rebuilding after my 6 year war. I am known far and wide for my righteous chivalry and honor in battle, but it is also whispered that my bravery on the battlefield may not be as bold in the boudoir. I have as of yet no male heir, and my cousin from the far side my family stands to inherit our holdings. I must focus on domestic matters before I turn my eye on England, and put our alliance with the French to the test.


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Paelos
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Reply #5 on: March 27, 2012, 07:17:50 PM

1161 AD Winter:

The cold weather helped give me ample reason to warm the bedsheets with my queen. We have been blessed with a lovely young daughter as a result. It's not the heir I had hoped for, but she is a blessing from the Lord all the same, and I already love her dearly. She makes me want to fight even harder for our Scotsman. Her smile reminds me that it's more than just land I'm fighting for. It's my kin as well.


1162 Summer:

The Pope sent me a message, wrapped in a black piece of cloth, delivered by a man claiming to be from his eminence's "holy army." I did not understand what he was speaking of until I opened the message being their Holy Father's seal. There is a heretic among us! He sends message that this man must be dealt with less he sully our lands with his filthy lies. I send my wolf after him post-haste.


1162 Winter:

I shouldn't have bothered unleashing my wolf after all. It seems God has struck down this man of his own accord. It is a humbling reminder that we are but small pieces in a larger battle for men's souls.


The Pope also sends word from his holy army that he wishes to start a crusade. We are all called to strike down Urfa with fire and sword. Unfortunately I cannot ride to the holy lands myself, nor can my only other 2 family members. We will have to decline joining in the glory of battle for God, and I need to focus on building God's churches here my own lands.


But, before I can address my peaceful ambitions, those English bastards strike! They've killed my assassin, and attacked me openly! This means war!


1163:

My armies are prepped to ride, but the Pope reminds me of my promises. War doesn't mean I can deny God his due. Construction begins immediately on the newest church in my lands.


1164: The Battle for York

The Pope has recognized England for what they truly are. Cowardly devils who have fallen from God's good graces. He requests that we smash them for the glory of God. I am more than willing to oblige as I accompany my army to York!


My queen has been pregnant again for some time, and word is sent that she has given birth again. Another daughter. I will love her just as much, but I silently wonder if God is testing me. Likewise my cousin and his wife have birthed a daughter. Does this bode ill for the clans? Only time will tell. In the meantime, I have English to punish!


York is surrounded with several small forces in order to appear strong, but my scouts have already told me that they are mostly weak archers with very few actual infantry. My strong swordsman and pikeman should be able to make quick work of any Longbowman once we get to the walls.


I await the foggiest day to attack. That should blind their archers from seeing my approach and the wet weather should keep their fires from setting my engines ablaze. I assign my heavy infantry to the towers and my urban militia to the ram. I can afford a few losses to the militia if the archers decide to target my ram on their gates.


The archers never saw us coming, and when they finally caught site of my towers it was far too late. Everything reaches the walls intact. The English begin to quail knowing they are minutes from their doom.


My rams smash the gates, my troops stream over the walls into the hapless archers, and I send my men forward at full rush. We take the gates in a mad dash to the kill. We are like holy avengers descending from the heavens themselves!


As we reach the center where their general tries to hide, my archers rain fire down upon them. All who attempt to raise a hand against our holy empire will suffer a similar fate.


Eight men remain from hundreds. I had them all sent to a monastery to serve the monks there for the rest of their days. Maybe in time they will earn their forgiveness for their arrogance.


And lo, in the summer of 1164, we took the city of York. And it was good.

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Reply #6 on: March 29, 2012, 08:18:04 AM

I had never looked at the Total War series before.  If I wanted to try my hand at conquest, any suggestions as to which of the games represents the best experience?

Medieval 2 or Rome are really the two best.

Actually, if you have the machine to run it, I think Napoleon and Shogun 2 are pretty close to Medieval 2.

Paelos
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Posts: 27075

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Reply #7 on: April 01, 2012, 05:43:46 PM

1165:

The church in Corcaigh is finally complete. My plans to continue building will have to take a small delay until this war with the English concludes. My current plan is to completely secure our northern strongholds and then drive south to cut off their western holdings from the Capital.


When I informed the council of nobles of my plans, they agreed that the rebel castle to the West of York would provide an ample staging point for our invasion.



1166:

Glorious day! My son is born! My legacy is secure, my armies formidable, and my treasury swelling. God's hand is upon our country, and it is directing us to victory.


1167: The Battle of Bangor

Bangor Castle, at wintertime, is a depressing site. The weather has taken it's toll on both forces as we prepared our siege, and the icy storms raining down upon us have cost many limbs and lives. General Gywnedd is an old English outcast who left England's army after the King was excommunicated by the Pope. He thought that we would leave him to consolidate his power in Bangor, but unfortunately for him, my spies infiltrated his ranks and learned of his plans.

This will truly be a clash of two leaders at their best.


Dawn breaks on the day of battle. I can't help but feel both pride and trepidation at the coming melee. This is the first time I've ever tried to assault a castle, and Bangor has been in English hands for over 150 years. We are about to make history!


As the towers approach the walls, the ram catches fire. I suspected that would happen, so the troops have been ordered to siege the Eastern wall in the even the ram was broken. They quickly spread into a loose formation to avoid arrow fire and rush to the tower.


The battle did not go as planned at all. My western tower was crushed by the enemy throwing rocks from the turrets and setting them ablaze. However, my men were able to briefly secure the gateway from the East and press the attack, causing the men on the walls to fall back. My archers continue to put down suppressing fire on the walls to keep them off my men as they charge.


The battle takes a turn when the heavy rebel infantry charged the staircase in the gateway. They beat back my spearmen to the wall, closing the gate. We are left with only one bloody option. Everyone must go to the Eastern tower or this battle is lost.


We've knocked the enemy off the walls, but it's slow going, I'm worried that by straggling into the fray we will get cut off by Gywnedd's cavalry.


The cavalry hits us hard, but my spearmen hold the line. They are battle-tested veterans holding off a full charge. Once they have the cavalry in tight quarters, the battle turns to our favor.


Gywnedd's horse went down in a heap. From what the men tell me, he cursed the King of England for his crimes at the end. In different circumstances, I wish he could have been one of my servants rather than an enemy.


Once Gywnedd fell, his men gave up quickly. At least those that could surrender. At the end of the battle, I can't help but feel sick. It was a bloody affair that put over 1,000 men into the ground, and not one of them were sworn to the English crown. I fear we've made a mistake, but only time will tell if the English will pounce on us while I rebuild my army.


At the very least, 5000 bezants will go a long way to help ease my pain.


In that case, let us crack open the good ale in the castle's cellar, disperse it amongst the men and drink to the fallen. We shall remember them with song! And soon, we will strike southward to show the English who God has favored!

« Last Edit: April 01, 2012, 08:10:33 PM by Paelos »

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Paelos
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Reply #8 on: April 04, 2012, 06:13:10 PM

1167:

With the war against England reaching new levels, I felt that we should send our emissary to the Pope to discuss an alliance. I had my doubts that the church would want to follow our vision of a Holy Scottish Empire, but he was surprisingly receptive. With promises of gold and maps, we managed to cement what I hope will be a lasting relationship between the Scottish people and God's Church.


1168:

One my favored captains, Broc of Berwickshire, passed away from his wounds he received at the battle of Bangor. I had hoped he would make it through to the summer, but alas God called him home. He left behind one son, Broccin, who shadowed his every move in my army. I like the boy and consider him almost a kind of younger brother to myself. Knowing this, as Broc was passing, his final wish was that I take care of his son. I made sure to promise him one better, and adopted the lad as part of the royal family. He will never have our blood, but he will command Bangor castle for years to come.


I've sent the wounded half of my army to our castle in the north for replenishment and supplies. In the meantime my assassin has informed me that Nottingham's armies suddenly marched out from the castle, leaving it quite vulnerable. He has no idea where the army left for, but the time is ripe for a quick strike with a lighter force.


1169:

The cowards show themselves! They split off to try and steal Bangor from under my nose. Not likely!


I double back and support Broccin's armies from the East. We've managed to position this hapless English force between us with no escape. I will be the hammer to Bangor's anvil. The victory comes quick and easy. No man is left standing on the English side. It was less of a battle and more of a slaughter. That frees up my forces to hit an unprotected Nottingham in the winter.


Our alliance with the church has also brought us some unexpected titles. The Pope has recognized Cardinal Cwnyngame as the Supreme Priest of Scotland, and I have appointed him as part of my council of nobles. Together we can bring order and piety to the people of these lands.


1170:

Slimy dogs! The English weren't just sending men to Bangor, they've hidden a force and attacked York while I marched with the majority of York's army towards Nottingham. I'm left with a terrible decision. Do I trust the militia stationed there to hold the city against a force of professional English soldiers? Or do I roll the dice and attack a completely undermanned castle while the chance exists?


I send word to the leader of the militia. No help will be coming. Hold the city against the English, and it will be yours to lead. Lose, and the English dogs will kill you all.


Word comes back from the city after an intense battle. The brave militia have utterly crushed the attackers! Their leader, Makdowall, has earned his rank as general, and a place in my family.

With the English destroyed on my walls at York, that leaves me opportunity to crush their pitiful force holding Nottingham.


The battle goes our way easily except for the fact that THEY STILL MANAGED TO SET MY RAMS ON FIRE!!! I'm going to find the nearest ram builder in my army and personally punch him in the face next time I see him.


Still, York falls to my forces, and another city enjoys liberation from the English to join the Holy Scottish Empire.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2012, 06:18:12 PM by Paelos »

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Reply #9 on: April 04, 2012, 06:53:49 PM

nice

A nation consists of its laws. A nation does not consist of its situation at a given time. If an individual's morals are situational, then that individual is without morals. If a nation's laws are situational, that nation has no laws, and soon isn't a nation.
-William Gibson
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