GrogHeads Forum

** I recently surrendered to KyzBP in our WitP AE game - the main reasons being my laptop is in many bits in a carrier bag under the stairs and my PC is in storage awaiting its new home (the whereabouts of which are still to be negotiated with the GF). In the nail biting gaps between turns i started a CKII game, due to work, home, life and family commitments its been a sporadic project but i managed to write a few notes and piece together an AAR of sorts and will continue to do so when my immediate situation is resolved. I felt it terribly unfair to KyzBP to suspend the game for what will be months and months and chose to surrender the game to a brilliant opponent, it was in no way so that i could play and write about something else! I'm copying and pasting from my saved notes direct into the forum from a tablet so there will be an absence of pics for a while. I hope its as much fun reading as it was playing **

I'm in man. Any Aircraft Carriers in this game?  ;D

Glad to hear it!

Obeko exhaled slowly, closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, it had been a long night. He thought he'd finished with the dramatics of court, served his time and hung up his sword. Munia was still meekly beating her fists against him, sobbing with some occasional wailing, she threw herself into his arms and started a fresh round of tears. The King, Munia's husband, Obeko's son in law, was dead, murdered, his lifeless body found at the bottom of the grey, flinty cliffs of Oviedo amongst the shattered timbers of his carriage and twisted bodies of the horse team. The coachman was nowhere to be found, rumours of his loyalty to Veromondo, the pretender to the throne began to circulate around the castle.

'There, there' soothed Obeko without much feeling as another wave of sobs erupted from Munia.

'You dont care!!' she howled, 'what will become of me? I was meant to be Queen, and what of Adelfonso? Your grandson! The assassins' knives are surely out for him next! I was meant to be QUEEN!!'

There was never any doubting her lineage. Her ruthless ambition had come from him, the beauty and constant craving for gold had come from her mother. Her accusations were not wholly wrong, he'd smiled and nodded at all the right parts of the Royal wedding, but in truth he hadn't really been listening. He was thinking about the prestige the partnership brought him, it gave him access to the King's ear, a bit more kudos with his court, it put his grandson on the throne, a thought that put such a smile on his face he wondered if he might be the first to be questioned by the King's Marshal. And he now had the largest army in Northern Iberia at his back door should the Muslims decide to venture further north.

His closest neighbour and cousin had been the King of Navarre, now the entire region was awash with Muslims and under the control of the Hakamid Emirate. Viscaya and Asturias had absorbed the sea of refugees fleeing the area, the King had promised them the return of their homes but that had been a long time ago and the feeling was that Navarre would never be in Catholic hands again.

A messenger, almost unheard, crept up to his side, wincing and recoiling at every wail that escaped Munia. 'The Lord Chancellor is here with an important message my Lord'

'Manrike! Some good news at last, send him in'.

The long suffering, long serving Chancellor entered the room. 'What news Manrike?' and right then Obeko knew the news was not good. 'What is it?'

'The King's nephew has taken the throne for himself, your grandson is missing'

Great narrative 'Geek. O0

The largest army in Northern Iberia -- NOW HAS A TARGET!!  >:D

Obeko scanned the corners of the grand hall, he even pretended to cough and turned away to clear his throat, so as to furtively glance over his shoulder and check the shadowy corners behind him. Aurelio's master of spies was notorious for making his audience feel as if someone or something was about to step out of the darkness and steal one's soul. Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz struck fear in the heart of everyone. Some said it was the different coloured eyes, some said it was the unsettling scar across his face, rumoured to have been caused when his mother threw him down a well as a small child, herself petrified by his unwavering stare and sinister aura. Only one person had ever asked if the rumours were true, and the Spymaster had had the man tied to a boulder and thrown down a well to make his point. Some said it was the emotionless, expressionless white face encased in a black cowl, not for nothing the people of Asturias named him 'La Parca' – the Grim Reaper, but only when they were sure he was at least two towns away.

And here he was, in the grand hall of Viscaya castle. Never quite sure if it was safe to meet his gaze or not Obeko glanced to and fro from the Spymaster to his ward. Stood silent, oblivious of his proximity to the most feared man in Northern Iberia was his grandson, the long tapered, white hand of the Spymaster resting almost paternally on his shoulder.

'He is returned' said Diego Ruiz, and smiled. A smile that suggested it was a close run thing as to whether Adelfonso had been returned on his own two feet, or in small packages. Obeko nodded, understanding everything that the smile was meant to convey.
'His majesty King Aurelio the First regrets the unfortunate set of circumstances that has led to the boy's claim to the throne been usurped, and hopes he can rely on the continued loyalty of the insignificantly small county of Viscaya?'
Obeko bowed slowly, feeling the sting of the put down, hating the man, hating the new King. His grandson was safe, but was his land?

The entire court breathed a sigh of relief when the Spymaster left. Munia burst into the hall and hugged her son tightly, she had been confined to her chambers whilst Diego Ruiz was in the castle lest she start a war that could not hoped to be won by way of her quick temper and foul language.

'What of us now father? What will become of me?'

Obeko nodded to Manrike, "A Karling", he said "fourth son of the King of Bavaria", he added proudly

"My husband is still warm! You cannot pass me around the courts like a cow at the market......what? Fourth? Fourth!! I was the Queen of Asturias, Christ and all His Saints, is he a hunchback? A cripple? How dare you" she threw a plate at Manrike

"My little calabaza" sighed Obeko, "listen to me, shhhhh, listen. I should not have to explain this to you. Your mother has not given me a son, just you my coliflor, love her as much as I do if she cannot give me a son then the bloodline passes to you, and then you must have a son my darling. But a son of our heritage, not some son of Bavaria or Castille or Navarre, a Viscayan son. No King or Prince is going to give up his own bloodline to our family by giving us his first or second born heir is he? We must sow our seeds a little lower down the ladder my angel. But if we find the right one, we can plant the seeds of a great dynasty and your children's children will rule Asturias one day, do you see?'

Munia nodded tearfully for her father, but inside she raged with a fire that only the blood of Kings could extinguish.

Lopez watched the engineers from behind one of the great pillars in the construction yard. He scribbled tiny diagrams and made encrypted notes in his book. Some of the machines were a complete mystery to him but he recognised others and their purpose, the Byzantine siege weapons were far in advance of anything Viscaya could put in the field, and his master would be pleased with his notes and drawings.

'Senor Lopez?', a hand descended on his shoulder, and he snapped his book closed instantly and thrust it in the folds of his cloak. 'Si', he said turning to meet the man, only then realising no one here should know his name.

'My Lord would like a word in private Senor Lopez'

Lopez was about to suggest he was otherwise engaged until two much larger men stepped around the pillar and nodded to him.

'I see my choices are limited on the matter'

'You see correctly Senor, please follow me' the man set off towards the far side of the yard, and the two larger men stepped in behind Lopez. He was escorted to a large wooden door with an iron grille in the centre, the first man opened the door and stood aside.

'After you Senor', Lopez hesitated, squinting into the blackness beyond the door, the two men shoved him hard from behind and he tipped forward and stumbled into the room. The door slammed behind him and he felt his arms pinned to his side by a great strength, he looked behind him to see a huge bearded man who calmly ignored him but held his arms in a vice like grip. Looking around the hot, little room he could now make out a second man who had his back to him and who was busy at something Lopez could not see

'Ahhhhhh Senor Lopez, a pleasure to see you', he said cheerfully without turning around, 'My master tells me you have been stealing our secrets'

Lopez struggled but the grip only became tighter, and the second man finally turned around revealing a burning brazier, the reason for the stifling heat in the room, and in his hands he held a glowing poker. Lopez struggled harder, glancing around the room for a means of escape

'Take it all in Senor Lopez, these are the last things you will ever see'

Lopez is screwed.

'Both eyes?'

'Both eyes' confirmed Manrike.

'Savages. These men are supposed to be advanced, their thinking and skills beyond our own. Where is he now?'

'He is been tended to by one of our tradesmen over there, he found him in the alley and took him in'

'Let me see the list again', Obeko reached out for the list of Viscayan agents ready to send to Constantinople. 'No, no, no, possibly, no. Is this all we have?'

'This is not the court of Asturias my Lord, Viscaya has few skilled spies available'

'Go see the steward, take a purse of coins and go find me a man that would frighten the night itself. We need better than this'

'As you wish. What of Lopez?'

'When he can walk again, send him back out'

'My Lord, he has no eyes'

Obeko brandished the list in Manrike's face, 'and he is STILL our best spy!!'

Quote from: undercovergeek on July 10, 2016, 03:48:29 AM

'As you wish. What of Lopez?'

'When he can walk again, send him back out'

'My Lord, he has no eyes'

Obeko brandished the list in Manrike's face, 'and he is STILL our best spy!!'

;D
Keep it up, UCG.  This thread motivated me to fire up CKII again.

Now Lopez is a man without fear; a man who can frighten the night itself. A Spaniard who would dare the devil.

>:D :smitten:

Lopez the blind spy. I like the ring of that  :).

Lopez gently put his cup back down, swallowed slowly and savoured the wine. He gave a slight nod of his head towards the child that was sat next to him on the ground, a sign to continue. The two of them, blind old man and small child were sat cross legged on the floor disguised as beggars, not by chance outside a small tavern where two engineers from the construction yard were discussing their work. The boy whispered the translated conversation to Lopez who would nod and murmer and move his hands in a rolling motion to hurry the boy along. His bandages itched insufferably and he had to pull his hood so far over his face to hide them the heat inside was stifling, he wanted to be back in the shade of the traders home

The boys voice caught in his throat, but just for a second, Lopez put his head to one side to hear better

'Are you well boy?' he whispered

'Yes, my Lord' the boy replied

Lopez frowned, the conversation amongst the engineers had stopped and it felt to the spy like there was another, unknown presence at hand.

'Que pasa?' whispered Lopez quickly, nervous of the sudden silence

'Nada mi senor' said the boy, but to Lopez it sounded like through clenched teeth, 'here, take a drink, you look hot' and the boy placed the cup into Lopez's hands. Lopez gulped the rest of the wine, thirsty and annoyed

'Where are the builders?'

'They went inside'

'Come, lets go home, our work here is done for the d....', he slurred the last word, his tongue like a heavy weight in his mouth.

'Senor?'

Lopez made to rise but his legs were unresponsive, dead weights beneath him. He tried to move his arms to feel his legs and they too would not move. Instinctively he tried to look down at this legs, forgetting his stolen eyesight, but his head was a heavy, immovable block. Lopez could feel the rush of panic surging through him, he was paralysed, sat in darkness like a Viscayan gargoyle in the dirt of a dusty alley in Constantinople and realised here was where he was going to die. He heard the boy being dragged away, and then in the loneliness of the alley waited for the posion to finish its work, no other sounds but his heartbeat getting slower and slower....................

Great Storytelling 'Geek!

Quote from: Airborne Rifles on July 10, 2016, 08:57:08 AM
Lopez the blind spy. I like the ring of that  :).

Like Blind Pew from Yellowbeard

Quote from: Staggerwing on July 10, 2016, 06:18:21 PM
Great Storytelling 'Geek!

Quote from: Airborne Rifles on July 10, 2016, 08:57:08 AM
Lopez the blind spy. I like the ring of that  :).

Like Blind Pew from Yellowbeard

Or Treasure Island.

Yes, but IIRC, in Yellowbeard Pew is an actual spy.

Some spy. I hope Obeko didn't bet his whole budget on Blind Lopez.

I feel great disappointment.  >:(

But hey, the history of the game is the history of the game.  O:-)

Thanks for the encouragement chaps  O0

Manrike stood with his back to the great fire, slightly bent and lifting the lower part of his jacket to let the heat at his back. He sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction, it was good to be home. The kitchen hands were busy laying out a quick evening meal for him, cold cuts of meat, hunks of bread and a jug of wine.

'Will there be anything else my Lord?' asked the chamberlain

'A meal for my friend here' Manrike gestured towards his travelling companion. The chamberlain eyed the stranger suspiciously, then nodded his approval. He clapped his hands sharply,

'Another setting, quick, quick', kitchen hands scuried through doors and returned with more food and set another place at the table.

Manrike caught the chamberlain's arm as he passed, 'Is he up?'

'I'm up, of course i'm up. You make more noise than a travelling band of hedge knights. Dear God man, where have you been?'

Manrike was busy chewing his way through a slice of meat, he put his hand up to hold off further inquiries until he'd finished. He swallowed and washed the food down with a large gulp of wine, and for a while there was no sound in the room except the crackling and popping of the fire. A huge smile broke out on his face, and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand,

'Bremen!'

'Bremen?'

'What a wonderful place, huge stone buildings, high beamed houses, you'd like it there. Beer! Not wine, oh the beer, big foaming mugs of beer'

'You went to Bremen to get drunk? There is beer and wine here my friend', Obeko chuckled at his old friend, 'Come, what were you doing so far from home, and for so long?'

Manrike held out an arm and Obeko squinted down its path into the shadows of the room, beyond the glow of the big fire.

'There is nothing there you old foo.....', a man stepped out of the blackness, eating a chicken leg.

'Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus!' Obeko had been unaware of the mans presence. The stranger slowly placed the food down on the table, and bowed crisply,

'Stefan Guttier at your service' he said in perfect Spanish. He took one step backwards and try as it might the fire could not illuminate his face or cast light on his profile. Obeko let out a snort of laughter,

'Oh thats marvellous, that is absolutely splendid. Well done Manrike, well done.' Obeko shouted for the chamberlain who appeared in seconds, 'Show Senor Guttier to his room, there will be plenty of work to do on the morrow'

Obeko and Manrike watched the two men leave in silence.

'I have work for him on the morrow'

'You sound like you've been busy whilst I've been away'

'Indeed, some of it reliant on you finding a man like that', Obeko tipped his head towards the door

'An improvement on Lopez?'

'Piss on Lopez' barked Obeko

Manrike spluttered on his wine, 'What in God's name has happened in my absence?'

'Do you recall Gartzio?'

'Short fellow? Good with numbers, isn't he the steward in Asturias?'

'Thats him, guess who his father is...... was?'

'Lopez? He kept that very quiet, well, well'

'I know. Guess who his mother is?' said Obeko, sipping his wine and watching Manrike closely

'Some strumpet from court? Go on'

'My wife'

Manrike swallowed his wine slowly and deliberately

'But he is younger than your daughter'

Obeko nodded slowly

'Does anyone else know?'

'I do not know' sighed Obeko, 'the information was passed to me by a stranger, before i knew what it was he was gone'

'My Lord, if anything happens to you and then Munia this man will inherit Viscaya and your line will end'

'How long have I paid you to tell me what I already know my friend? I need a son'

'You have no time for such a plan. Surely there are already things in motion to have you killed and then Munia..... its what i would do'

'Our friend from Bremens first task is to recruit some allies and build a network of intelligence to prevent that'

'And then?'

'Kill my beloved wife'

Sebastien watched from the shadows of the watchtower. It was sunrise, the sky turning a lighter shade of purple, the new day uninterrupted by the clamour and chaos of castle life. He could hear the waves crashing against the cliffs, horses whickering in the stables, and somewhere below him hurried footsteps as the kitchen prepared for the castle's many breakfasts. The supports of the rope bridge groaned as a morning breeze caught its planks, this is what he had come to see. The bridge spanned a long drop to the rocks below, it was built as a short cut from the main keep to the curtain wall to save having to walk all around the wall. Ever the light sleeper he had been woken every morning since he had arrived four days ago, invited to court by Stefan Guttier. It wasnt that the singing was particularly bad, or loud, it just seemed so out of place in these surroundings and that is what had stirred him from his sleep. So here he was for the fourth morning watching Isabella, the Countess of Viscaya, singing her songs to the morning sun on a rickety rope bridge above the sharp rocks of the castle cliffs. He eyed the ropes bound to the support posts of the keep wall, and flicked his thumb across the blade of his knife, then slowly stepped back into the depths of the watchtower until he disappeared into the shadowy dark

He's up to no good.  :coolsmiley:

Obeko stroked the muzzle of Manrike's horse, 'Ride well my old friend. May God watch over you and our task'

'I don't know how long it will take, but I will make all haste to deliver the claim. I have men there now in the grand library searching the scrolls. A Viscayan claim on Santiago will be yours my Lord.'

'We need this. With an unfriendly King in Asturias we must have more land, more men behind us. If we can take Santiago and then Coruna we can press for the Duchy of Galicia, and then with a little luck and a little patience we can nudge the usurper off his high throne'

'As long as the damn Muslims stay out of the way, more than one Emir fancies himself the western coast and its trading rights'

Obeko nodded, aware of the constant threat to the south, 'I know' he sighed

'Will your...... Family 'business' be concluded when I return?' Manrike asked, always the diplomat

'When I see you again you will be uncle to a new Viscayan heir and you can bounce him on your knee and sing songs to my new wife'

Manrike frowned, he was torn between the future of Viscaya and the violence that must secure it

'Do not be troubled, everything will go to plan, what could go wrong? Now ride to Santiago and make me a Duke'

Isabella woke, struggled with stroking her husbands face as he slept, he'd been distant lately, she thought better of it and got out of the bed. She looked at Obeko once again, they both knew there was something wrong but neither of them had the courage or motivation to bring it up, after all these years could he know about Lopez? That had been the worst year of her life, her husband away campaigning against the Muslims with the King of Navarre, the court to administer as Manrike and the other members of the council were assisting Obeko, and then Lopez returned from Constantinople with intelligence and stolen plans from the Byzantines . Tall, handsome Lopez there at exactly wrong the time, and Gartzio had been conceived, she had run to her sisters in Burgos as soon as her condition began to show, and she had left the crying baby with her to return to Viscaya as her husband returned, bloody and defeated from the wars.

She had not slept well since hearing of Lopez's death alone in the streets of a distant land. It troubled her more than she thought and she had taken to walking the castle walls and singing songs from her childhood as she walked. Stopping occasionally to take in the views of the Viscayan landscape, her favourite spot the rope bridge where she could feel the wind on her face and a sense of freedom from the rituals of court. She dressed now and set off on her morning walk. She nodded to the kitchen staff as she passed, always busy, always running around the place, and raised a friendly hand to the stable hands tending the Count's horses, and made her way to the bridge.

The sun was coming up over the mountains to the east, and a gentle breeze stirred her skirts as it came up through the slats of the rope bridge. She was humming a song her mother had sung to her years ago and she closed her eyes to conjure up memories of her. Suddenly the bridge lurched under her feet and she grasped the top rope to steady herself, but it flapped uselessly in her hands, she quickly adjusted her footing to counter her balance but she could feel herself tipping forward. If she could only reach the ropes on the other side of the bridge, as she struggled to turn without falling over the side the top rope of the other side gave way, and she was left slowly losing her balance on a wooden walkway with no hand supports two hundred feet above the rocks below. She straightened and ran, ran as fast as she could toward the castle but with a loud snapping noise the slatted foot section tilted forty-five degrees as another support rope gave way and her whole footing subsided, planks began to slide off the bridge and fall towards the rocks and she screamed with the realisation that she wasn't going to make the safety of the castle wall. With one final snap, the last rope gave way and she felt herself start to fall........

....she opened her mouth to scream but the shout caught in her throat as she felt a vice like grip around her wrist. It was like a band of steel, unwavering and solid and she looked up to see the castle blacksmith staring down at her. She hung limply, dangling freely from his outstretched arm,

'I have you my lady' he rumbled, and started to pull her up.

There was a commotion in the tower as Obeko came rushing to the bridge, followed by a number of staff and the Spymaster. Isabella sank to her knees, gasping for air

'The bridge, it just gave way, I was going to die' she whimpered. Obeko bundled her up in his arms and stroked her face as the tears started and shock took over her system. She started to shake and he held her tightly

'You're safe, it's alright' he reassured her, but the withering glare he gave Stefan over her shoulder suggested otherwise

'Tell me one more time' demanded Obeko, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, 'Manrike explains these things much clearer'

'Right...' Stefan steeled himself, ignoring the insult, 'Your wife has a brother, Veremondo, currently the Count of Asturias de Santilla, to our West, and the heir to the throne of Asturias'

Obeko nodded, 'Go on, go on'

'The King, Aurelio, currently has no son, he has no children at all actually. Were the King to meet with a nasty accident, and also his brother Veremondo, then Isabella is Queen and you are King of Asturias my Lord.'

'Would this be the same kind of accident my wife came across?' Obeko was still furious with the Spymaster for the failed attempt on Isabella's life.

'My Lord, my agents are working on that as we speak'

'Forget it, it's too late, the moment has passed. She is constantly shadowed by her guards, has food tasters, and a footman who walks across any suspicious parts of the castle before she does, it's over. We need to plan in other directions'

'As you wish my Lord'

There was a knock at the door and a messenger entered carrying a very small, folded parchment. It was sealed with the symbol of an owl, Manrike's own seal. Obeko missed the old man dearly and was desperate for news from abroad, he took the parchment and hurriedly opened it whilst Stefan nodded to the messenger to dismiss him. He read for a few seconds, the message was very brief, but contained everything Obeko was looking for

'Good news my friend, Manrike has secured us a claim on Santiago, and rides to Coruna to further our claims and gain us rights for the Duchy of Galicia'

'Do we gather the army my Lord?'

'Not yet....... not yet, let us see what can be gained in Coruna first, better to march for a Dukedom than a county', Obeko sat back in his chair and pondered for a while, 'Find me a number of people willing to support a plot against Veremondo and Aurelio and there may be some land and a title in this for you'

Stefan smiled, and rose to leave, 'Leave it with me my Lord'.

Obeko nodded, and dismissed the Spymaster. Once the door closed behind him he winced and clutched his left arm, he hadnt known how long he would have to disguise the shooting pains down his arm from Stefan. He rubbed at his shoulder and arm and the tightness in his chest

Manrike sat patiently in the inn. He was waiting for two riders to escort him to the library and from there to the archives where his staff had found old parchments linking ancient Viscayan claims on Coruna. Two men entered the inn and stood silently in the door way, nodded to Manrike and waited for him to rise. The three of them left and rode to the library.

After dismounting, Manrike made for the large wooden door and was stopped by a huge hand on his shoulder

'This way Senor, the entrance to the archives is at the side of the building'

'Very well' replied Manrike as he was shown the side entrance

He stepped forward and opened the door ready to greet his colleagues and congratulate them on their find. As he entered the archive chamber he frowned, he had expected a vast hall of bookcases and parchment cases, long tables and busy librarians buzzing amongst them. This was a small antechamber of stone, no furniture, no books, no parchment or tables and none of his staff

'Oh no' he muttered to himself, just as the first dagger plunged into his neck from the men behind

Obeko's plans appear to have gone George RR Martin-shaped...

Ha, yeah - I've never had a chancellor intercepted before, I know I do it and always opt for the assassinate choice if I catch the AI doing it to me