Chapter 6 of Local Boy, A United the Kingdoms Achievement Run
Here follows Chapter 6 of Local Boy Makes Emperor, A United the Kingdoms Steam Achievement playthrough for Crusader Kings 2.
In the previous chapter we followed the first 16 years of King Sieffre’s reign, his furious conquests and gruesome eating habits. Now we return again to see where King Sieffre, known as ‘The Welsh Dragon’, will do next as he pursues his dynasty’s quest to make the United the Kingdoms Steam achievement.
For the first part of Sieffre’s career see Chapter 5 linked to with the other chapters in this series in the index above.
King Sieffre ‘The Welsh Dragon’ of Brythoniaid and Lloegyr – Part Two
August 870 AD – Here Be Dragons
After 16 years of relentless warring I have almost enough territory in Britannia to create the Empire title. But also consequently I loom large as a serious threat in the eyes of all around. My threat levels are at 40%, enough to push all the Christian and Pagans for miles around into a defensive pact against me.
Following the recent wars I also have existing truces with the remnants of Pictland and Eire. Consequent to all this there is not much opportunity for military expansion at this time.
Well I could just disregard the truces and brute force over the defensive pacts. Am I not the Dragon? Should I concern myself with petty pacts and promises of the little folk? Prudence would suggest I should.
Although my position within my realm is quite secure I have to have a care for the good opinion of my electors. Should they be spooked by too much truce breaking, levy raising and tyranny they may well vote for undesirable tanists even if they dare not rebel against me.
As it is, subtle shifts in opinion sometimes make the electors prefer different tanists for each of the two kingdoms which would split the realm up on succession. That is until I can make the empire title. Then there will be just one election for the highest title.
I would still have to care that the electors do not pick a disagreeable successor but at least I need not fear the realm being split.
A few more wars are all it would take to get the needed territory for the empire too…
Then again perhaps I could have a foreign adventure? Just as a recreational diversion. I ask my chancellor for an overview of opportunities on the continent.
It seems Christian France is a fractured mess and the Mohammedans under the Ummayads have taken a great chunk of it. There are opportunities for my talents across the channel I suspect. But I am not so interested just yet, Britannia must come first.
Ah well the dragon will sleep, for a time.
November 876 AD – The Troubles
Six years have past and I have been quiet all the while, lulling my rivals into a false sense of security. Oh I have not been entirely idle, I have seen to many improvements around my castles and barracks. I have appointed
fresh new councilors to replace old councilors who died of old age or boredom.
But nothing much happened that was worthy of note or interest. Until now. The boy king of Eire has not had to endure the tedium of peace much over the last year or so. The poor boy has been beset by the most massive Cathar uprising. And now the Cathars have won, ripping themselves a new kingdom out of Eire.
What a marvellous opportunity?! Not only is the power of Eire pretty well broken by this heretically motivated independence in Northern Ireland. But also because they are heretics I can get a ready made casus belli on them in the form of a holy war!
So it is I will declare a Holy War upon the heretic chiefdom of Uliadh and their heretic chief Cathbad.
This cancels my ambition for the Realm to Prosper which requires five years of continuous peace but I do not care. The new ambition I take is to Strengthen the Catholic Religion which is a lot more fun as it involves waging holy wars rather than just boring bean counting.
The appropriately named High Chief Cathbad, short for “bad catholic” presumably, can only raise 1.7k of troops. Thus I see no need to rouse my vassals out of bed or pay for mercenaries. My retinues and demesne troops together number nearly 6k, more than enough.
We march for Dyfed and the crossing into Ireland there. I will go with my army just for the chance to smell blood again after so long.
December 876 AD – Holy War
We all assembled now in Dyfed awaiting the boats to take us across the straits. Our order of battle is determined here. I will ride with the centre lead by a famous warrior inspired to my cause by my relation to the great Karl Karling. This Arod ‘The Destroyer” is a great butcher of men, big aggressive and furious. Sadly he has the pox so I may not have his service for much longer.
My kinsman, whom I made Duke of Meath, has sent word that the heretic army lays siege to his castle in Meath. So this is where we march to his relief and the heretics ruin.
January 877 AD – Holy Victory
We catch up with Cathbad’s army still laying siege to Meath and prepare to engage. We outnumber them more than three to one so it should be an easy victory. From the banners Cathbad himself leads the centre opposite us. Perhaps we can take him prisoner and end this war very quick.
My flanks are advancing behind a shieldwall while Arod scorns such cautious tactics and orders up his archers to deliver a massive longbow volley. The ruin visited upon Cathbad’s flank destroys their morale and they run. Another volley from Arod’s command and the remaining enemy flank is put to rout with my cavalry on their heels.
It is all over like that, too quick! The enemy losses were catastrophic nearly all lost though Cathbad himself slunk away.
February 877 AD – War Score
That battle alone brought us to a 76% warscore. For the rest we will march north into Ulaidh and begin occupying the Cathar holdings. It seems Cathbad’s heretic flock have lost faith in him for we find a peasant revolt against him in Airgialla. We destroy that army too.
March 877 AD – Dispossession of the Heretics
After storming a number of tribal holds the heretics concede defeat. So I gain direct control over all the holdings in the four counties I gained. We can not really leave heretics in charge now can we?
This allows me to usurp the title to Duchy of Ulster so I do that. I am well over my demesne limit from these eight holding, four of which are bishophrics.
I find a landless son of Morgannwg to take over them as the new High Chief of Ulster. He is strong and zealous so hopefully will have no difficulty keeping order among all his heretic tribal subjects. I send over my court chaplain to bring help bring the heretics back to the true faith.
Two of the heretic provinces outside of the de jure Ulster were spun off as independent counties. The ruler of one of them joined Cathbad’s defense and so gains the protection of the truce. The other did not and so I declare another holy war on him now.
My retinue are already in the area though my demesne levies have gone back to their lands. I will raise the levies of my nearby vassal the Duke of Meath to bolster my retinues. No doubt he will not mind as the gift of his duchy that I made to him is not forgotten.
June 877 AD – The Madness of Brilliance
The county is taken. I find someone to take over the bishophric but I keep the tribal holding as I fancy upgrading it to a castle as a pet project. My threat levels are all the way up again, past 40%, so I suppose I will have to cool down on the warring for a bit.
The new Duke of Northumbria, the late Helga’s son, has just begun a border dispute war with for Dunbar held by Eire. I can not help him but I wish him luck.
While I was a away in Ireland my genius daughter has become insane. Sigh.
Another of my vassals, the Duke of Gwynedd, is declaring a war of his own. He has declared a holy war for the last remaining Cathar county. A county now ruled by Cathbad formerly of Ulster since I chased him out of there. This is very helpful of him since I am truce bound from taking it. Perhaps my vassals will get for me all of the remaining few percent of land I need for the empire title?
July 877 AD – The Wars of the Three Dukes
Another of my dukes has declared a war of her own, that now makes three. The Duchess Cerys of Seisyllwg has declared a claim war on the county of Laigin across the strait in Ireland.
Well it looks like I can just sit back and relax. I shall just let my threat levels subside while my vassals do my work for me. It is good to be king, no?
September 877 AD – The War Rumbles On
The Duke of Gwynedd’s war on the Cathar has just ended inconclusively. The other two wars continue with my dukes on the initiative laying siege to the disputed holdings.
December 877 AD – Dread Progeny
My eldest living child has come of age. Silly Cicely as she is known for her eccentric behaviour has graduated as an Elusive Shadow. I can not help the feeling that Cicely is going to be a source of tremendous mayhem. A lunatic genius with apex intrigue skills? Oh dear, I can almost hear the bodies dropping already.
For her cleverness I would like to think of her as having something of her blessed great grand mother Rhiannon about her. But when I look into the bottomless wells of her eyes, it is the pitiless void staring back at me, vast and utterly mad. She may be the anti Rhiannon.
I have married her off to a Raedwulf Iceling, a son of the deceased and dispossessed last King of Mercia. The same king dubbed the Impaler whom I defeated in the wars of my youth.
January 878 AD – Love and Marriage
Cicely refuses to marry Raedwulf, apparently she “does not love him”. She really is crazy then; when has love ever had anything to do with marriage? But I will take no lip from her, marry him she will.
Cicely acquiesced to the marriage but now refuses to consummate it. She has taken a vow of celibacy. Raedwulf is chaste himself so the odds are this will be a barren marriage. Oh well.
March 878 AD – Failing to Impale Her.
It just gets better. Cicely has stabbed her husband to death, the son of impaler, after he made a long overdue attempt to bed her. Well I wonder what kind of man would want her now so perhaps I will just let her remain unmarried.
In other news the Duchess of Seisyllwg’s war for Laigin is all but over as her army was broken by an Irish army twice her size. The Duke of Northumberland is still at his border dispute for Dunbar.
April 878 AD – The Hounds of Hell
Cicely has left my kingdom to lead a gang of mercenaries. I doubt she will keep her precious virginity hanging around with that sort. Hopefully that will be the last of the trouble she gives me whatever happens to her.
June 879 AD – Flu
Although my threat levels are still fairly high my years of laying low have persuaded some to leave the defensive pacts against me. One such is the Petty King of Leinster in Ireland. I declare on him now to force his vassalisation. The command will be delegated for I am in my sick bed with the flu. Only my personal troops and levies will handle this job as Leinster is a tiny realm.
September 879 AD – Submission
Leinster submits. I follow that little victory up with another force vassalisation war upon the Chief of Deasmhumhain, a single country realm. Again only my demesne and retinue troops are deployed. Many of my vassals are still busy with their own wars, I will leave them to it.
My vassals are fighting the remnant power of Eire which is still strong enough to give my vassals trouble. My truce with Eire expires soon so then I will be free to help them out.
January 880 AD – The Britannia Empire
Deasmhumhain submits to be my vassal and then submits to being renamed as Desmond to be more pleasing to my Welsh ears.
These recent conquests have once again put the fright into all around. Threat levels at 47%. I want to help my vassals with their war with Eire but doing so will put me at war with most the western world. Of course most of those powers in the defensive pact, and all of the strong ones, are over the sea… It might be that the overseas powers would not have the inclination or the boats to come to Eire’s defence…
Nevermind all that, I have just found out I have enough territory now to form the Empire of Britannia. With this title I might be able to get some peaceful vassalisations. I might also be able to usurp the two outstanding kingdom titles.
So is it done this day, I declare myself Emperor Sieffre of Prydain (Britannia).
On the basis of my new status the last remaining single county realm in Ireland and all of Britannia willingly takes up my offer of vassalisation.
Pictland declines and I do not yet have enough territory to usurp. While Eire is too busy fighting two of my vassal dukes to respond to my letters.
Nevermind I am very close to my goal now. I will bide my time.
Oh and my Empire’s heraldry is that of a red dragon.. A very nice fit for a Welshman dubbed ‘the Dragon’.
November 882 AD – Claim for Eire
My duke of Northumberland still grinds away on his border dispute with Eire. His warscore is fairly high but not high enough for the win and likely to drop soon. His forces are depleted and Eire has just raised another 3k to fling at him. However the threat levels holding me back from pitching in has just dropped enough now that I can pitch in to help. Still at 40% though.
The defensive pact arranged against me has shed most of its stronger members on the drop in threat. Luckily I have the sister of the old King Flann of Eire in court pleading for me to depose her Nephew and make her Queen in his stead. As I am Emperor of Britannia now she should become my vassal should I win.
When I have Eire then Eire’s territories in Scotland will enable me to usurp the title to the Kingdom of Pictland. All I need do then is revoke the new Queen of Eire’s title to have all the kingdom titles of Britannia for the steam achievement.
The war for Mor’s claim on Eire is declared. Pictland and Lower Lorraine join the side of Eire through the remains of the defensive pact. Neither are any worry to me. Both are weak and Lorraine is land-locked and over the Channel.
I call to war my demesne troops and retinues and the levies of two of my welsh dukes. That should be more than enough.
June 883 AD – Ingratitude
The war is won easily. Neither of Eire’s allies put in an appearance so it was a very lop-sided fight. The new queen of Eire is ungrateful enough to refuse to be my vassal so the exercise did not achieve my aims.
However the new queen of Eire will likely be less popular with her vassals than her predecessor so there is that. Perhaps I can sow some dissent and split the realm up with rebellions.
December 884 AD – War for Eire Again
My threat levels have dropped off enough that I can declare a war on either Pictland or Eire. I am going to do over Eire with a Force Vassalisation. It is the stronger of the two but with its territories Scotland I will be able to usurp the kingdom title to Scotland too, nailing two titles with one war. War is declared on the newly installed Queen of Eire.
August 885 AD – Serbia Threatens
The war to vassalise Eire is going pretty well. There has been no serious opposition so it has mostly just been a matter of grinding territory occupations.
Then out of nowhere Queen Dragna of mighty Serbia declares war on me for tribute. She does not have many coastal provinces so I wonder how she will get enough ships to come for me, so I tell her take her begging bowl elsewhere.
October 885 AD – Capitulation
Eire capitulates and so becoming my vassal. I have to wait a bit before usurping Pictland because they are at war with rebels. I would war on them myself but my threat levels are at 80% from gaining Eire.
Eire is my vassal but I do not have the title itself which I will need for the steam achievement. To usurp it I will need a strong claim on the title. I could try revoking it but I will have to wait until the truce expires. I’ll set my chancellor on to fabricating a claim and wait for the truce to expire.
[Editor: Unfortunately I managed to lose the save file to this game when moving my installation to new hardware. So ends this tale, so close yet so far to completion.]