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 Mahmud of Ghazni at court With apologies to Hashim (and probably Wiz and others before him) for basically ripping off the OP of his LP to use as a template. Introduction: For a good long while now I’ve wanted to try doing a Paradox mega LP. Now, I finally figured that I should just sit down and get to it rather than just thinking about it. So here it is. I’ve never done an LP before, except for a small pseudo-LP I posted in the general paradox thread years ago when playing Canada in Kaiserreich for Darkest Hour. That said I have converted games from CK2 to EU4 before and am decently familiar with modding both. Until now (hopefully) however all of my mega campaigns like that have ended up being abandoned midway during EU4 or before the conversion process was complete due to the release of patches and DLCs coming out and changing things and me not really having an obligation to anyone but myself to actually complete them. I’ll be starting off in Crusader Kings 2 in 867, playing until around 1450 and then going on to play Europa Universalis 4 until its end point in 1821 (or extending to 1836 to coincide with Victoria 2) and then Victoria 2 and finally Hearts of Iron 4, assuming everything works out (I don’t own March of the Eagles so that one’s probably out). Who am I playing as: I was recently made aware that most of the currently running Paradox LPs have been as European powers of some sort and also that there haven’t really been any LPs playing as nomads, or having substantial interaction with China or India. To that end I will be playing as the Oghuz Yabgu state, starting in the 867 Old Gods start. What will be different? Mostly the location will be kind of different to many LPs past and present, though I think there’s an Afghanistan LP on here that’s currently on hiatus so even that’s not that different. Being a horde is probably the main difference as they play pretty differently from both the feudal and tribal countries that are probably most familiar to people, I’ll go over that in the first update. The location means that in all likelihood we will take no part in colonization come EU4 and possibly even, depending on how we judge our performance and situation at the end of EU4, having to start Victoria 2 as an uncivilized country (though we’ll see how things go). I am also playing with a couple of mods, most notably Historical Immersion Project (or HIP for short) though I am not using their custom map. Although I like many of the changes that does to dynasties, characters and cultures in this part of the world, it kind of gives me a headache when I look at it, especially in Africa, plus it cuts off a lot of the eastern part of the map, including most of India, which is hopefully going to be featured in this LP. That means we are essentially dealing with the EMF mod, which is a general overhaul of lots of small things in the game, from blob control and balance to the addition and adjustment of traits (it also seems really stable which is welcome). In addition to that there’s two mostly graphical mods, ARKO armoires (for dynasties and coats of arms) and CPRPlus (portrait rework). The former adds lots of new coats of arms, including custom ones for a bunch of Islamic dynasties, which is neat, I find their tendency to using nativized names for dynasties somewhat annoying and as much as possible I’ll be using the more common English versions of dynasty names when writing updates. In addition to HIP I’m running two smaller mods, Elegant Warfare, which overhauls battles to make leader martial scores more important and make homogenized armies consisting of the same unit less powerful (which hurts us a bit, but we’ll manage) and another mod which adds Sufi brotherhoods as societies for Muslim characters. I haven’t really thought about what role, if any, audience participation will play but I might do the occasional vote here and there, especially if we eventually end up in a situation where that makes sense to do. Voting and thread participating will also probably be used between CK2 and EU4 to flesh out the rest of the world not covered by the map. What are my goals: Like in many LPs before me I’ll essentially be trying to hold myself back by roleplaying my rulers and not really going on all out conquering sprees or doing conquests in general unless it fits the character (or it’s for securing de jure land or I have a claim, which I’ll also try to not game). Mostly I’ll be taking things slow and seeing where the circumstances of the game has us end up. I do however have one sort of goal in mind, and that is that we will not be staying where we start the game, I intend to move. I want to be moving towards India with the goal of ending the game there. Along the way I will most likely end up abandoning Tengriism for Islam (hence the Sufi brotherhood mod), though if another religion seems to be the “religion of victory” in the east I might end up reconsidering (I am most set on Islam though), and likely settle down and stop being a horde (changing our dynasty name might also be on the table, both because the mod includes a decision to do this and because our starting dynasty is kind of bullshit in terms of historicity, I'll get into it later, so we might as well eventually make up something better), so there should be a transition of sorts in CK2 before we even get to EU4. The pace and timing for this eventual transition will be left up to the circumstances the game throws at me (though Seljuk’s appearance might be a good motivator for the first one, becoming Muslim, if it hasn’t already happened by then). Incidentally this whole relocation operation will help to protect us a bit against a certain menace which should appear around 1220 AD. Historical Background: The Turks first entered the light of history in the mid-6th century AD, when the Gökturks (“gök” meaning “blue” and/or “sky/celestial”) of the Orkhon Valley (which today is located in Mongolia) rose against their Avar overlords (the Rouran Khaganate, the Avars who appear in Europe are thought to be the remains of the tribes ruling this empire) and established the Turkic Khaganate under their leader Bumın Khagan (d. 552). Famed metalworkers (the Gökturks made the weapons and armor of the Avar armies) they were the first people to make and use metal stirrups. Equipped with these as well as superior saddles and high quality weapons and armor they would go on to conquer and rule an Empire that stretched from Manchuria in the east to the Caspian Sea in the West.  The Turkic Khaganate, with its Western/Eastern division indicated with the orange line. Through a succession of two Turkic Khaganate and a successor Uyghur Khanate the Turkic peoples would spread far and wide, and though they lost and left their homeland in the Orkhon Valley in the process they would bring about a rapid ethnic and linguistic transformation of the steppes. Where once the Central and Western steppes, from the Danube in the West to the Altay mountains in the East, were dominated by Scytho-Sarmatian (Northern Iranian) peoples they are now, in 867, when the game starts, almost entirely Turkic. As of 867 however the Turkic Khaganate is no more, driven apart by internal fractures and rebellious subjects but perhaps above all else by the expansionistic and militaristic Tang Empire in China. Utilizing armies consisting of disciplined infantry armed with crossbows, supported by nomadic cavalry and led by brilliant generals, some of whom were of Turkic origin, the Tang would destroy the second Khaganate and go on to establishing varying degrees of direct and indirect rule over almost the entirety of the Eastern and the Western Khanates by 680 AD.  The Tang Empire, despite the chinese text you should get the general idea In the 750s this would come to an end. By this time a new power was emerging from the west, the Islamic Caliphate created after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 following a series of astonishing conquests and ruled by the Prophet's successors, the Caliphs. In 751 the forces of the Caliphate and the Tang Empire met in battle by the river Talas (roughly along the modern Kazakh-Kirghiz border) and though both sides fielded significant number of Turkic cavalry. The Karluks who were allied with the Chinese, switched sides mid-battle and delivered victory to the armies of Islam as the Tang army went down fighting. This wasn't the end of troubles for the Tang, for in 755 a general, incidentally of Turkic descent, known as An Lushan declared himself Emperor and plunged the Tang Empire into a period of civil war, chaos and dissolution. Following the waning of the Tang, part of the Western Khanate went on to be brought under the rule of the Uyghurs who established a third Khaganate, typically just known as the Uyghur Khaganate. This empire however was undone by rebellion and by 867 the steppes and former lands of the Turkic Khaganates are now ruled by a variety of independent rulers, many using the title Yabgu, roughly equivalent to viceroy or “subordinate khan”, rather than Khan or Khagan. One such successor state is the Oghuz Yabgu state and that is where our story begins.  The Oghuz Yabgu state, or Oghuz il ("Oghuz Land/Country"), and its neighbors
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Mar 24, 2019 06:07
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Crusader Kings 2 Chapters 0 - The World of 867 and our place in it 1 - Kiliç Yabgu - 867 to 871 2 - Aksonqor Kiliçoglu - 871 to 880 3 - Aksonqor Kiliçoglu - 880 to 900 4 - Aksonqor Kiliçoglu - 900 to 901 5 - Bozan Kiliçoglu - 901 to 920 State of the World Updates 900 AD Randarkman fucked around with this message at 11:01 on Apr 4, 2019 |
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Mar 24, 2019 06:07
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Nice! Oghuz do have the coolest name on the map, so they're the Most Correct possible choice for this. Are you thinking of this turning into some kind of tribal migration using the abandon province decision? Or just staying put and building Turkistan.
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Mar 24, 2019 06:40
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Chapter 0 – The World of 867 and our place in it This is our country, the Oghuz Yabgu state, the Oghuz Confederation, or simply the Oghuz Khaganate as the game calls it (labelling every nomad ruler a Khagan). Situated strategically by the Aral Sea and controlling the lands watered by the Jaxartes river. This is one of the “steppe exit ramps” which provides access between the central steppes and Transoxiana and from there into Iran and India.  Before we take a closer look at our immediate environs, we should take a look at the wider world.    These are the steppes. With the end of Tang overlordship and the breakup of the Uyghur khaganate, their people moving into Karashar in the Tarim Basin following the destruction of their capital, the steppes are now home to a variety of nomadic empires differing widely in size and power. What they have in common is their way of life and warfare and that they are essentially all Turkic peoples of various sorts (NOTE: The “Turkish” culture in our lands could more properly be called “Oghuz”, especially at this time), only the Magyars and Mongols on the extreme edges of the steppe zones of the map fall outside this category and the Mongols are not too distant cousins in either case.  Following the descent of the Tang Empire into chaos in the 750s it has been a while since our people were obliged to deal with the Middle Kingdom. Do not be fooled, the time will yet come again when they will make their presence felt in this part of the world, and we will have to choose how to approach them, cultivating a close relationship might even bring great benefits.  Though China itself is in chaos, the silk road remains open and wealth flows along it, though the wars that will inevitably come will come to disturb it. At select points (especially at junctions) along the trade routes we can build trade posts which will allow us to dramatically increase our revenues, provided that the silk road remains open and trade nodes upstream remain relatively undisturbed.   The Tarim basin, once the frontier of the Tang empire being the crucial trade link that provided China with horses from the Ferghana Valley, known as the heavenly horses that sweat blood. It is still home to independent merchant principalities caravan cities skirting the Taklamakan desert, increasingly know the region is seeing an influx of Uyghurs who might end up displacing the native Tocharians and Saka (the former an ancient Indo-European people) to make this their new homeland following the destruction of their nomadic empire. To the south of this region (marked by the impassable mountain range and ccessed by passes) we find Tibet where local warlords, now in the absence of Chinese overlordship (Tibetan forces also participated in the battle of Talas, on the Abbasid side), practice a curious blend of feudalism and monasticism.   In the rich lands of India to the southeast, Hinduism is making a comeback under the leadership of Rajput warlords, a distinct and privileged class of warriors. The population at large mostly remains devoted to Jainism however, and in Bengal, Buddhism is still going strong under the powerful Pala Empire.   The Near East used to be dominated by the Islamic empire of the Abbasids, the latest in the line of Caliphs, successors, following the death of the Prophet Muhammad. They were the ones who, with the help of the Karluks, defeated the forces of the Tang Empire in the battle of Talas. Their empire however has seen better days, with regional governors operating as independent rulers and the Caliph himself almost unable to rule his own court. Also of note is the Christian empire of Byzantium, the New Rome, which could be rated among the Abbasids' most formidable enemies, especially now that the latter have lost most of their empire and are in a state of disarray.   Far to the west and of little direct concern to us the world of Islam reaches its western endpoint in Al-Andalus, ruled by descendants of earlier deposed Caliphs, and the Maghreb. To the north we have the Latin West, defined most prominently by the fragmented Carolingian Empire. Onto the troubles caused by the expanding Islamic powers this part of the world must also deal with the attacks of ship-borne raiders from the north. We will have little to no direct dealings with this place, but it might be interesting to check back every once in a while.  This brings us back to our immediate vicinity. To our east and north of the Ferghana Valley and the Tarim Basin are the Karluks, the Turks who turned on the Tang during the battle of Talas. They are roughly our equals in power, which could make them a valuable ally or a dangerous foe.  To our north are the Cumans, or the Kipchak Turks. They are currently stronger than us and could defeat us in a war if we are reckless. Allying with them and funneling them west instead of south onto us would be pretty beneficial to our short and long-term prospects.   It is to our west however that we find our most powerful and possibly most dangerous neighbors, the Khazar Khaganate. Once a Yabgu like ourselves, the Khazars have taken to calling themselves Khagans and taken to representing themselves almost in the guise of Chinese emperors, they control the Western end points of the Silk Road and receive tribute from many other states, one of these, the Pechenegs lie on our border and rule over Oghuz lands and people. The Khazar ruling family, the Bulanids, claim descend from the Ashina clan, the clan which established the first Turkic Khaganate hundreds of years ago. To set themselves apart from the Christian Byzantines and the Islamic Caliphate, the Khazar aristocracy has converted to Judaism, though this religion still remains rare outside of that relatively small circle, the majority still worshipping Tengri and practicing shamanism.  To our south we find the settled lands of Dihistan and Trasoxiana. The latter is home to fabulously wealthy caravan cities, plump juicy targets for either plunder or outright conquest. Both of these states are ruled by dynasties descended from the great families of the old Persian Empire, the Samanids have adopted Islam and were once subservient to Baghdad, while the Karen still cling to the Zoroastrian faith of the old Persian empire. At the moment they are both stronger than us, but in the future and especially if they should come apart, this is where we will look for expansion.  Heading back home, here is another look at our core territories and the current ruler of the Oghuz state Kiliç Yabgu, he is completely fictional, as is his subordinate Songul Subashi. In fact the names of the two clans in the Oghuz state, Yabguid and Subashi are taken from the fact that the ruler of the Oghuz State used the title “Yabgu” and that he had a subordinate who was responsible for military business called the a “subashi”, so that’s where those names come from. Kiliç is a world class negotiator and a man who likes spending time with other people, even if he has a marked mean streak, though a military incompetent he tries to make up for it in personal bravery and a great sense of himself. He has two children, a 10-year old daughter and an 8-year old son. Lastly I figured I’d do a quick description on how nomads differ from other government types before I cap off this first semi-update. I figure there might be some readers who do not play paradox games themselves or are just unfamiliar with how nomads work. In general I will try to refrain from talking about the game’s mechanics during updates, which I hope to structure mostly as a narrative, like the majority of current and past Paradox LPs on this forum. Nomads can only hold one holding directly, which is their camp/moving capital, you can upgrade this with various buildings which upgrade your realm and you can move it around as you please (with a much shorter cooldown than for other government types) and keep all the buildings (some of which can only be built and be active on certain types of terrain). You still hold counties however, but these need to have atleast one empty holding for you to make use of it otherwise it will have to be held by a non-nomadic vassal. The number of empty holdings in your demesne then go on to determine your population (specifically your max population and your population growth rate), from your population you collect tax, manpower for your hordes and unlock powerful invasion casus belli when it gets high enough. An important thing to consider for a nomadic realm is the clan tab, this shows an overview over the clans that make up your state and their relationship to each other, sentiment affects the personal relationship between various clan leaders and the likelihood of fragmentation upon succession among other things. Sentiment is affected by a number of factors, not all of which I remember off the top of my head, but most important are the clans’ demand for land and the relative power and prestige between clans as well as such things as whether or not they are feuding with each other (clans may also raid and attack other clans within the same realm).   Nomads don’t really make a lot of money by themselves simply off the tax they get from population, thus trade posts, rich tributaries (nomads have more powerful tributaries, they have to give 50% of income IIRC to the suzerain) and plundering your neighbors are important sources of income. They also don’t have levies like feudal realms do instead using retinues called hordes, these are trained and replenished from your manpower (which is a portion of your population) and they are all cavalry. They cost either prestige, money or piety to raise and the costlier they are the higher the proportion of heavy cavalry/horse archers to light cavalry generally. Nomad armies are therefore often more powerful than their numbers alone would tell you and you can often defeat enemies that are significantly more numerous than you, especially if they are tribal light infantry caught out in the open, you’ll ride them down like grass. That said we are pretty vulnerable, for in every bookmark nomads start off with just a very small horde (the 525 in the east are event troops that I think the EMF guys added to give this country some initial survivability) and have to spend time and resources to build them up, also it is possible to end up in a death spiral if you are so unfortunate as to get your horde stack-wiped. Finally some words on succession. Nomads are locked into the Agnatic Nomad succession type, this is essentially based on the lateral succession that was typical of steppe nomads throughout much of history. Whenever a ruler dies the son or brother with the highest prestige inherits his title, what this means is that generally a title tends to pass between brothers before proceeding to the next generation and repeating the same pattern there (I’m pretty sure nephews are also eligible), it is of course possible to game this system, for instance by assuring that only your favorite really gets prestige. You have access to a number of honorary titles that give prestige (most notably “yabgu”, yes it’s a little confusing) and you can also get prestige for relatives by granting them council positions and sending them away as mercenaries. Children can inherit your clan but not the Khaganate title, when this happens the leaders of your clans stand to inherit instead. Furthermore upon succession clans have a choice to declare independence and go off and do their own thing, this chance increases if their sentiment is low. So nomadic realms, while potentially very powerful are somewhat fragile, especially early on, and unstable, frequently breaking up upon succession. So then, I hope this first semi-update was to people’s liking. I will hopefully manage to have the first proper update up later today (CET) or sometime tomorrow, provided nothing gets in the way. And if anyone has some feedback or suggestions now or going forward I would be happy to hear them, this being my first LP and all there has to be room for improvement and doing stuff differently if necessary. Randarkman fucked around with this message at 07:13 on Mar 24, 2019 |
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Mar 24, 2019 07:09
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forkis posted:Nice! Oghuz do have the coolest name on the map, so they're the Most Correct possible choice for this. Are you thinking of this turning into some kind of tribal migration using the abandon province decision? Or just staying put and building Turkistan. Oh, my goal is to eventually get moving. I'm thinking my goal is going to be India, as I haven't really done to much playing around there really in all my time playing CK2 (and I haven't read many LPs on here either that have done that). I might use the abandon province function or occasionally just releasing vassal clans as I move southeast towards Afghanistan, that's going to be up to the situations that present themselves. That said I probably won't get moving straight away, I'll be trying to roleplay my guys a little and not everyone is going to be a pack up and move kind of guy. Yes, Oghuz is a cool name. For some reason the country is named after the Yabguid (or Yabgular as the mod I'm using likes to put it) dynasty ruling it in the 867 start, rather than the more appopriate Oghuz, so I changed that. That said Yabguid is kind of a made up fantasy dynasty (the dynasty is called that because the ruler's title was yabgu and we don't really know much about these guys), so I'll probably end up shedding that at some point when it makes sense. We might just change the dynasty name right now as well actually, since we are essentially playing a fantasy dynasty anyway. I might just do that for both my own dynasty and the dynasty of my subordinate clan (see the above update, "subashi" kind of comes from the same place as "yabguid"), I'll either just decide on something or I might take suggestions. Here's a list of Oghuz tribes, so I'll probably pick some of these. Randarkman fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Mar 24, 2019 |
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Mar 24, 2019 07:25
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Wow, a Paradox mega-LP is very ambitious! and I'm sure it's going to be awesome! I've never played CK2 myself, though I watched and read LP about it, and honestly your first update is very well made: despite not knowing a thing about the Nomads in the game now I know what's going on and what your starting situation is.
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Mar 24, 2019 08:37
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So what does EMF actually add? It's really vague on features.
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Mar 24, 2019 12:15
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Good Luck!
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Mar 24, 2019 16:27
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NewMars posted:So what does EMF actually add? It's really vague on features. It's quite similar to CK2+ really and actually shares a whole bunch of features with it if I'm not mistaken. Having played around a bit with it I enjoy it well enough, though I actually have always preferred CK2+ butthat one's not available for Holy Fury yet, and they're being quite "when it's done" about it, and looking at it (and having tried it out a bit) if you're looking for a decent overhaul EMF should the job well enough. As for an actual list of features, yeah they are a bit vague on that in forum post which is annoying, the CK2 wiki seems to to have an older changelog though so there's that https://ck2.paradoxwikis.com/Extended_Mechanics_%26_Flavor_(EMF) Randarkman fucked around with this message at 16:38 on Mar 24, 2019 |
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Mar 24, 2019 16:28
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Good luck! I look forward to seeing where this goes.
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Mar 24, 2019 21:33
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While we might not do much, if anything, in the New World, hitting Terra Australis in EU 4 would be amusing
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Mar 24, 2019 22:16
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Have fun! If somehow Tengri were to get reformed, would you jump on the train?
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Mar 24, 2019 22:34
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I'm always a fan of megacampaigns, and it's nice to see one purposefully in a different place.
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Mar 24, 2019 22:43
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Thanks for the comments everybody! I just got done writing the first update (it took way longer than I first figured, I'll probably get into the habit of how best to do them and learning to edit myself down a bit in the future), and I just have to host the pictures and I'll post it now before I go to bed. Xelkelvos posted:While we might not do much, if anything, in the New World, hitting Terra Australis in EU 4 would be amusing It might, yes. In any case it will all depend on how things turn out for us both in this game and in EU4. Top Hats Monthly posted:Have fun! If somehow Tengri were to get reformed, would you jump on the train? Yeah, especially if I had a zealous Tengri ruler. We, almost definitely, will not be the ones to reform it though unless I get a child of destiny or some other such type of ruler where I can allow myself to stop holding back (and then I would probably be more inclined to go for India in either case).
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Mar 24, 2019 23:16
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This looks pretty interesting, looking forward to the updates! Also Mongol Australia would be awesome. What DLC are you rolling with, by the way? Can we expect the Aztecs to stomp western Europe as seems standard for most CK2 LP's or is that turned off?
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Mar 24, 2019 23:34
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Chapter 1 – The Reign of Kiliç Yabgu - 867 to 871 Before we begin properly there is the matter of some changes I wanted to make, I found a listing of Oghuz tribes on Wikipedia and their tribal stamps, Tamga. One of the mods I am using actually use these as the basis for their Tengriist counts of arms, so I went ahead and changed my own dynasty to be the Afshari (Nader Shah a much later ruler of Persia was from this tribe), and my vassal clan, the Subashi to be the Chepni. We have always been the Afshari and our vassals have always been the Chepni. Any future clans I add, I will also rename to correspond with one of these I think.   Now that that’s out of the world let’s get on with the business at hand. As stated in my overview update, our position is rather precarious. Surrounded by other powers that might decide to attack us, and which are certainly capable of defeating us.  Kiliç, recently elected Yabgu of the Oghuz tribal confederacy. Representing the Afshari tribe, Kiliç was a man who wielded words and influence far better than mace and bow, but a man whose personal courage and sense of self-worth would not permit him to recognize this.  Ruling as Yabgu he was assisted as others before and after him by a court of notables with special responsibilities. The man at the head of this court was Songul head of the Chepni clan (I had forgotten to rename the actual title at the time of taking the screenshot), a thoroughly competent and dutiful man, though one who had recently grown increasingly concerned with his personal security.   There’s a couple of people at this court who bear special mention. There were the exiled nobles Torogoljin Bayan, a Mongolian of the Borjigin clan, and Istor, an Alan Christian from the Caucasus, these men had spent most of their adult life so far in the city of Yangikent and looked unlikely ever to return home (they spawned in my court so I figured that story made sense for them). Lastly the position of spymaster was held by a woman of low birth and little significance who was also Kiliç’s concubine.    The situation of the Oghuz confederacy was precarious not only because it was surrounded by potential enemies, but also because the new Yabgu’s son, Aksonqor was still only 8 years old and still unfit to succeed to his father’s title should the unthinkable happen. If Kiliç was to die before Aksonqor reached adulthood the tribes would be forced to give the title of Yabgu to Songul of the Chepni clan. Intending his son to succeed him, Kiliç Yabgu focused on instilling a sense of pride into the willful child.   To cement his position, the new Yabgu moved his tribe’s camp from the northern shores of the Aral Sea to the outskirts of the city of Yangikent, the only one of its kind within the Oghuz confederacy.   In the process of doing this he granted the Chepni clan grazing rights along the northern shores of the Aral as a sign of good will towards the clan. Although his relationship with Songul, the clan head, was excellent, the clan as a whole had bitter feelings towards the up-jumped Afsharis. The Yabgu hoped that this measure would be enough to placate them, if only for as long as he and Songul remained close. NOTE: I had still forgotten to rename the actual clan tittles at this point.  When he arrived at Yengikent the Yabgu wasted little time, he took residence within the city along with his family, while his warriors camped outside, still feeling unsure about his country’s position he also began efforts to train and equip more of his followers as warriors and ordered the establishment of a permanent market in Yangikent and tasked some of his warriors to ensure the safety of traders plying the caravan routes that run through his realm.   Next Kiliç Yabgu turned his attention to matter outside his own realm. Though he had no real head for military matters he recognized that without any real friends amongst its neighbors that the Oghuz tribes were in a dangerous position unless something could be done. Luckily, the Yabgu thought, he knew what he could do. Though he kept a concubine, the Yabgu was not a married man, and securing a marriage with one of the neighboring rulers would be an excellent way to secure a frontier and perhaps even gain an ally. Sadly though none of the other Turkic rulers were willing to accept a marriage between himself and their relatives. Neither Cuman, Karluk or Khazar would hear his envoys out, even when they offered a betrothal with his son or daughter to their children instead of marriage to the Yabgu. They always denied in the end, citing “political concerns”, this was not encouraging.     Rejected by his Turkic brethren, the Yabgu turned to the Persians to his south. The Samanid Shah wouldn’t hear of his daughter marrying an infidel so that prospect was abandoned quickly, however Vandad of Dihistan proved much more amenable and after a bit of buttering up by the Oghuz envoy he agreed to his daughter, Shahzadeh Vandaddohkt, marrying Kiliç Yabgu.   Not long after, Shahzadeh arrived in Yangikent for the wedding, unused to the colder climate and complaining to her retainers. At the same time news reached the capital that war had broken out to the east as the Kharakhanids faced rebellion from their vassal tribes who refused to have their lands and herds absorbed into the ruler’s own tribe. A more rash ruler might have taken this as an opportunity to go on the offensive but Kiliç Yabgu knew that this was still too risky of a move as his position both internally and externally was not yet truly secure.   Though he let opportunity in the east pass by him, Kiliç did grab another one as news broke out over following weeks that the Karen and the Samanids were now at war with each other, with Vandad of the Karen declaring a war of faith to recover Khiva.  Though the marriage between Shahzadeh and Kiliç had not produced an alliance with the Karen, Kiliç Yabgu saw that this represented an opportunity for him either way. By raiding into the lands of the Samanids he would both placate his own followers, who were prone to disrespecting any ruler as being too weak if they did not fight and raid their neighbors and distribute the spoils amongs them. Who knows it might also end up pleasing Vandad and turning marriage ties into a proper alliance. With this in mind Kiliç Yabgu led his tribesmen around the Kyzul-Kum desert, crossing into Chach, looting and burning as they went.  The lands of Chach were poor, but Kiliç and his commanders believed that greater riches were to be had if they managed to seize the local stronghold, perhaps they could capture and ransom off some local nobles. However this had to be abandoned when news of an approaching Samanid host, over 5000 men strong, reached the Oghuz warriors. Not wanting to do battle against such odds the warriors abandoned the siege and returned to Otrar. The bounty had been disappointing to say the least, but Kiliç had demonstrated to his followers that he was not a weakling he would shy away from battle and deny his men the promise of conquest and plunder.   Riding back towards Yangikent, Kiliç received some much welcome news, his new wife, Shahzadeh was pregnant with his child. Upon hearing the news, Kiliç, ordered a halt and gave offerings to the ancestors, asking them to bless him with a son.   Arriving back in Yangikent in February of 868, Kiliç Yabgu received more welcome news when his tax collectors informed him that his efforts to encourage trade in the city had resulted in an almost threefold increase in revenues.  Settling in back home, the Yabgu was soon to find out that in addition to still not having grown used to the winters of Yangikent, his young foreign wife was not handling her pregnancy very well. With this in mind he elected not to share news with her that her father’s war in the south was not going particularly well and that he himself had done nothing to stop Chepni raiders from ravaging the lands of Vandad Karen, the woman was wearing his patience thin as it was, though he still hoped she would give him a son.   And so she would. Not long after, Shahzadeh gave birth to Bozan, a sickly boy, who immeditately required the medical attention to keep alive. Though it seemed unlikely, if the boy did survive infancy he might grow up to be a strong warrior, one that could claim the lands of the south by virtue of his birth.   The boy’s mother was faring worse, she had taken a chill during the winter and suffered from a persistent cough and since giving birth lacked the energy to do much of anything. It did not come as a surprise then that she passed away on March 19 868, merely 20 years old. Thus the hopes of securing an alliance with Vandad Karen faded away, though his fortunes in the war against the Samanids might mean that such an alliance would have been of little use in either case.   Having spent a respectable amount of time in mourning for his dead wife, at the turning of the next year, Kiliç acquired a Slavic woman from a passing Khazar merchant. The woman, Yelizaveta, turned out to have a quick wit and was an excellent conversationalist. Kiliç soon took her as his new concubine and by November had given birth to a new son, who was named Kara.   Whilst the Yabgu was focused on his family life and matters of trade and gold, his tribesmen were growing restless. Seeking an outlet for them, Kiliç Yabgu was informed by his councilors that the Pechenegs, a wayward Oghuz tribe, had lost the formal protection of the mighty Khazar Khagan as they were in conflict with him. Now would be a good time to strike, it would placate the tribes and allow the Oghuz to seize land to consolidate their position and distribute to the tribes for grazing. Thus war was declared as the year 869 drew to a close.   The Oghuz warriors streamed into the lands of the Pechenegs and scattered the disorganized forces of the Kuertsitsur clan, seizing their camp at Akbulak and taking the son of the clan leader captive.   Kiliç Yabgu gave chase and engaged the main forces of the Pechenegs to the north in Utva, as the fighting spilled over into Cuman lands. The Yabgu had never been much of a warrior or military leader, though his pride did not allow him to shirk his duties as a leader and when the battle was over he thought that perhaps fighting was something he could acquire a talent for.   So far the fighting had not been terribly decisive and casualties on both sides relatively light, however the victories won so far allowed the Oghuz army to continue their advance and soon they had capture the Pecheneg capital of Sary Su by the Lower Volga, seizing the Khan’s family, a decisive blow for the Oghuz war effort.   Now it was only a matter of time before victory was won. Specifically Khan Sol himself had not been present at Sary Su, having reorganized his forces in the north. After a bit of maneuvering, the two forces clashed outside the burned out tents of Sary Su, the Oghuz holding the advantage of numbers and trusting in victory.  However, even the militarily inexperienced Kiliç Yabgu soon realized that something wasn’t going quite according to plan. He witnessed his forces being repeatedly repulsed by the forces of Khan Sol, commanded by the able Mugel Baskatir.   Before he knew quite where everything had gone wrong his center was in complete disarray as men and horses clamored to escape the onslaught of the enraged Pechenegs. Among those who didn’t escape was the Yabgu himself who lay dead by the shores of the Volga.   As none of his sons had yet reached adulthood, the title of Yabgu passed not to Aksonqor, but to Songul of the Chepni clan, though the formalities of his election would have to wait until the war, which he now took command of, was concluded. Meanwhile Aksonqor, a boy of 12, was informed of his father’s demise and prepared to take over leadership of the Afshari clan, guided by advisors from his late father’s court and growing up in a household with two younger half-brothers and the former concubines of Kiliç Yabgu. 
Randarkman fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Mar 25, 2019 |
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Mar 24, 2019 23:51
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PurpleXVI posted:What DLC are you rolling with, by the way? Can we expect the Aztecs to stomp western Europe as seems standard for most CK2 LP's or is that turned off? I am a sucker and I own all the DLCs except the music ones (I generally listen to audio books and such while I play, so I turn the soundtrack off). I'm pretty sure I've turned the Aztec invasion off though, as I had it off in my game options the last time I played. As for other game rules, most is standard except I have enclave independence set to harsh and I've set diplomatic range to be restricted, I've also disabled supernatural events, I generally play with them on, but I figured that it might bring up a bit of a clash when we later move into EU4 and Victoria 2 when nothing supernatural really happens. Satanists are still on though, I don't know if that's a contradiction, but there it is.
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Mar 24, 2019 23:58
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Well that's a rough start, to be sure.
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Mar 25, 2019 00:16
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Being in central Asia without being islamic is generally an extremely rough start that only gets worse. Even if you are a nomad, you're just likely to be surrounded by even bigger nomads.
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Mar 25, 2019 00:50
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Ouch. Tough luck, Randarkman.
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Mar 25, 2019 01:43
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Disband all horse archers, replace with light cavalry or camels.
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Mar 25, 2019 04:18
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idhrendur posted:Well that's a rough start, to be sure. Really, it could have been a lot worse NewMars posted:Being in central Asia without being islamic is generally an extremely rough start that only gets worse. Even if you are a nomad, you're just likely to be surrounded by even bigger nomads. Yup it's a pretty difficult place to start and things can spiral out of control quite quickly if you aren't careful. I'm kind of used to it by now though, one of my all time favorite games to play in CK2, since nomads were added fully, has been to start as a small time ruler in the Oghuz khaganate, disable the event that spawns Seljuk and essentially aim at doing that whole thing myself. That's not what I'm doing this time around though, all the Turkic conquerors are enabled and I'll not be going westwards towards Persia and Anatolia. Also I'm trying to actively roleplay my rulers instead of playing optimally so that should set me back a bit.
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Mar 25, 2019 06:53
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Let's hope this gets the bad luck out early with a rough start like this.
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Mar 25, 2019 14:35
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Rubix Squid posted:Let's hope this gets the bad luck out early with a rough start like this. It honestly almost feels like a tradition for CK2 LP's that the very first character dies in the very first post.
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Mar 25, 2019 17:20
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Just think of it as an opportunity to have the people generated during the actual LP get to ruling faster. More emotional investment that way!
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Mar 25, 2019 18:12
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PurpleXVI posted:It honestly almost feels like a tradition for CK2 LP's that the very first character dies in the very first post. Yeah. To be honest though, the guy wasn't long for the world with how I was playing him, a guy with 3 martial and no real personal fighting skill really has no business leading an army, then again I figured it made sense for him as he was brave and proud and he is a nomadic ruler, to not be fighting would be kind of unthinkable especially when he has no traits which really would make him inclined to go against that expectation. I've just finished playing through the next update, might get the time to write and put it together tomorrow. Something else happened which reminds me of something that happened early on in another LP, though it's not identical to that. Randarkman fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Mar 25, 2019 |
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Mar 25, 2019 21:13
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RIP Kiliç Yabgu, we hardly knew ye. I hope the regency will not gently caress things up too much before his son get on the throne, usually in the Paradox games regencies seemed to have been coded specifically as ''annoy the player as much as possible''.
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Mar 25, 2019 22:34
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DarkParchment posted:RIP Kiliç Yabgu, we hardly knew ye. It's all good as long as you avoid that infuriating event where your regent decides to frame you as insane and lock you up. Had to tough through decades of that in one ironman game, you bet I tortured the guy and revoked his titles once I finally got out.
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Mar 26, 2019 09:53
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Zohar posted:It's all good as long as you avoid that infuriating event where your regent decides to frame you as insane and lock you up. Had to tough through decades of that in one ironman game, you bet I tortured the guy and revoked his titles once I finally got out. Really? what a prick! then again, it's realistic, as politics aren't the safest place, especially for children. Yeah, I can imagine. If you character wasn't insane when he entered the jail, he probably was mad with one hell of a thirst for revenge when he got out. Were you a Byzantine? they have all sorts of fun stuff to do to people with less power than you have...
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Mar 26, 2019 09:59
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DarkParchment posted:Really? what a prick! then again, it's realistic, as politics aren't the safest place, especially for children. I was Catholic ruler of Hungary so no fun Byzantine stuff, iirc I used the "Mutilate" option 
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Mar 26, 2019 16:01
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Chapter 2 - The Favor of the Ancestors - 871 to 880 The death of Kiliç Yabgu in the battle of Sary Su was certainly a heavy blow to the Oghuz confederacy. Khan Sol and his Pechenegs stood in possession of the field and seized back control of the their camp. That said, actual casualties during the battle had been light, with most occurring in the center battle commanded by Kiliç Yabgu himself. The rest of the Oghuz force, now under the command of Songul of the Chepni managed to retreat in some semblance of order and retained possession of Khan Sol’s family members, taken prisoners when the Oghuz had sacked Sary Su prior to the arrival of the Pecheneg Khan and his men.   Retaining control of the Oghuz forces, Songul of the Chepni was now, with the passing of Kiliç, Songul Yabgu. Songul was of the same age as Kiliç, but had not yet produced any children with either his wife or his concubines, his clan’s potential hold on leadership in the Oghuz confederacy was far from certain, and even the future of the Chepni as a coherent tribal unit was at stake. That said he was a capable general, a thing that could not be said of Kiliç, and his dutiful and unassuming nature drove him to continue the war, taking less risks than his more prideful predecessor.    Songul’s strategy for conducting the war consisted of securing control over the border regions, cementing the seizure of Emba. This strategy proved successful and though two more years would pass, the war saw no more battles. Likely Khan Sol was unwilling to risk his forces in engaging the Oghuz and offered peace. He was anxious to see his family members, still held as hostages by the Afshari forces, returned to him rather than risk their lives to hold onto land far from the Volga. Thus Kiliç Yabgu was vindicated in death, Emba passed to the Oghuz confederacy, coming into possession of the now dominant Chepni tribe.   While Songul Yabgu was prosecuting the war left unfinished by the departed Kiliç, it fell to others to maintain order in Yangikent and over the Afshari clan, now ostensibly ruled by a child. This responsibility fell to Torgoljin Bayan, the Mongol exile, almost by default. He was a man much alike in character to the old Yabgu, but lacking his cruel streak. Bayan was well-liked at court and it was felt that his diplomatic ability would help maintain control over the Afsharis and allow them to remain on the good side of the Chepni, who, while their leader Songul was an honorable man, mostly saw the Afsharis as upstarts who were not truly fit to head up the tribal confederation. Bayan confirmed the former members of Kiliç Yabgu’s court in their positions, with the addition of the master of Yangikent and a local holy man. This collection of individuals would guide the Afharis in the challenging years to come until the boy Aksonqor was ready to rule in his own right as Bey, lord and chief of the Afshari.   The most important matter that Bayan had to address was the education of the 12-year old Bey, his nominal lord, Aksonqor Kiliçoglu. Groomed for rulership by his proud father. He had had little interaction with other children his age, the other prominent children of the court all being much younger than him and his father having disapproved of letting the boy play with common children. The boy did have a will of his own, once he had made up his mind about something he wanted it was difficult for others to steer him onto other pursuits. Lacking playmates and friends his own age, Aksonqor often clung to councilors and other persons at court instead, demanding stories and other forms of entertainment. It was especially the stories he enjoyed, and it soon seemed as though tales of mighty heroes, demons and dragons were more important to him than any lessons his tutors tried to impart on him, as when they did so the boy was prone to silently brooding, thinking of other things rather than participate or listen. Not quite knowing what to do with him, Bayan tasked the marshal, Artuk, who was currently mostly in charge of the household guard, the majority of the clan warriors being away waging war against the Pechenegs. If the boy was so interested in tales of heroes and monsters, maybe he would have some interest in further martial training, being a warrior was after all expected of the Bey of a mighty clan such as the Afshari. Artuk was also a member of the Eagle Warriors, a loose society of steppe warriors and hunters, who feasted, fought and hunted together, most prominently doing the latter with the aid of birds of prey. Other members of this society included several other lords and warriors across the steppes, including Songul Yabgu himself. Hopefully these were the types of men that could serve as an example to this willful dreamer of a boy.    As the war was winding down and the funds were welcome, Torgoljin Bayan, began approaching Pecheneg notables about ransoming their relatives, who by now had been living as hostages for months in Yangikent. He also approached the Khan of the Bulgars about marrying off Irge, Aksonqor’s somewhat estranged older sister, to Batir, the presumptive heir of the Bulgar state. This was accepted later that year. The union did not produce an immediate alliance with the distant Khanate, but perhaps in the future some good would come of this match.   Meanwhile, to the south, the war between the Persian lords ended in a hard fought victory for the Samanids in May 872, the Karen were humiliated and forced to pay a large indemnity. Shah Nasr didn’t rest on his laurels, capitalizing on his defensive victory to centralize power within his realm and declaring war on the Buddhist principality to his south.    Things weren’t quiet to the north either, with the Cumans succesfully conquering land north of Lake Balkhas from the Kimek confederation and subjugating the neighboring Bashkirs, forcing them to pay tribute. Thankfully the Oghuz were so far escaping their notice.   Meanwhile, closer to home, news reached Yangikent that Songul Yabgu’s wife had finally given birth to a son, possibly securing a future for his clan. Being an infant, the question of the Chepni retaining the position of Yabgu was still completely up in the air, especially as Aksonqor Kiliçoglu was nearing adulthood. The Yabgu also faced a scandal of sorts as his wife had given birth to a daughter while Songul was away fighting the Pechenegs. The fact that the girl was said to be a prodigy did not change the fact that she was illegitimate, though rumor had it that Songul still treated her as part of his household, even showing visible affection for the girl.   Whether it was the result of marshal Artuk’s lessons or Aksonqor’s wilful nature was the cause, the boy was developing his own set of principles. He had come to place great emphasis on justice and acting in accordance with the will of Tengri and the ancestors. It seemed as though to him the two were inseparable, and if one praised the boy for his keen sense of justice or his dutiful reverence for the ancestors and enthusiasm in carrying out sacrifices, he nearly always gave the answer that the great heroes of his tales had always championed justice and revered the gods. They accomplished their great tasks, toppling demons and tyrants, accomplishing great deeds, because they were righteous.   Later that year, the Yabgu joined in to defend the Oghuz’ former enemies, the Pechenegs, against naked aggresison by the Bulgar Ezgil clan, who were claiming their lands along the eastern shore of the Volga. The Chepni would pursue this war on their own, the Afshari were not involved and their warriors remained camped outside Yangikent rather than head west with Songul Yabgu’s Chepni warriors. The Ezgil were formidable opponents, mounting more than 2000 warriors while the Ezgil lord, Yavantey the Hunter, was a prominent member of the Eagle Warriors, a skilled general and fierce warrior. Squared off against the combined forces of the Pechenegs, the Bulanids (the ruling clan in the Khazar Khaganate), and now the Chepni, he faced long odds.   In Yangikent, Aksonqor, newly turned 15, was spending more and more time with his clan’s warriors, training to be a warrior and actually showing some notable progress. Meanwhile all was not well with the regent. With Songul and the Chepni abroad, Torgoljin Bayan became increasingly distressed as he thought that this left the Afshari lands along the Jaxartes vulnerable, he was especially worried about the northern frontier, there were disturbing reports coming out of the north of that the Turgay clan of Cumania was on the warpath, apparently their Bey was accusing Songul Yabgu of being responsible for his wife’s death and was swearing vengeance. The fact that this vengeance would be carried out against the Afshari and not the Chepni seemed to not bother him greatly. The increasingly stressed Bayan therefore found it difficult to focus on the tutoring of Aksonqor’s younger half-brother Bozan, the son of Kiliç Yabgu’s wife Shahzadeh. As a consequence the boy was very loosely tutored, even playing and roughhousing with children of low birth in the Afshari encampments outside Yangikent.    These concerns turned out to be well founded, as the Turgay declared war not long after, claiming the entirety of the Oghuz territory along the Jaxartes river. These were dire news indeed, because if the Turgay were successful the Afshari clan would be rendered without grazing lands, a situation which would surely lead to the tribesmen scattering and abandoning the leaders - the demise of the clan as a coherent entity. Bayan used funds that he had earmarked for buidling projects to raise and equip new forces to supplement the Afshari horde. Marshal Artuk and the other commanders insisted that the best course of action was to advance quickly on the Turgay before they could descend on Yangikent, which, he insisted was not defensible. Fortunately the ancestors smiled on the Afshari as, the neighboring Bakshirs joined in to help defend the Oghuz against this blatant agression by the Turgan, whom it was rumored they did not care greatly for. The Afshari and Bashkirs then attacked the Turgay in Irgiz, and with superior numbers and leadership scattered the Turgay forces and sacked their camp. The scare had been real but decisive action had brought the crisis to a swift and fortuitous conclusion.   To the west, the war against the Ezgil was turning into a brutal and exhausting stalemate, with the Pecheneg camp having been sacked by the Ezgil whilst the allied forces had plundered the Ezgil capital at Qazan, taking many of his family members prisoner. Songul Yabgu himself had actually been captured by the Ezgil whilst fighting along the Volga. He was now languishing in a dungeon hole somewhere in the Bulgar country.    In January 875, Aksonqor Kiliçoglu turned 16 and was finally reckoned to be a man grown, fit to lead the clan as Bey in his own right. He had never actually paid much attention to the lessons given to him by his tutor Artuk, and his knowledge of military tactics was questionable to say the least, Aksonqor insisted that being brave and righteous was the path to victory. Somehow, despite the misgivings his tutors and elders had about him, through sheer force of will and the strength of his convictions, Aksonqor had forged himself into being an energetic and irrepressible leader of men, one who understood how to speak and act in formal settings and whose convictions and drive inspired others to follow him.    In keeping with his veneration of Tengri and the ancestors, the first thing Aksonqor Bey set out to do was to beseech them to aid him in becoming a great warrior. To gain their favor he ordered the exection of Ildey, a long time Pecheneg prisoner for whom no ransom had been found, as a sacrificial offering.   Next Aksonqor Bey went out into the Afshari encampment and informed everyone that he wished to inspect the herds for a suitable steed. What legendary warrior was complete without a legendary steed? Eventually finding a mount that suited him, the Bey gave it the name “Dragon” and ordered that the horse be outfitted in a manner befitting a lord of the Afshari.  The proper respect having been given to the ancestors and the Bey now equipped as a proper warrior, with a proper steed, Aksonqor was ready to do what he had wanted to do for years, he was ready to become one of the Eagle Warriors. It was decided that he had to prove himself by fighting Artuk, his old mentor, whose formal lessons Aksonqor had largely ignored. The Bey, energetic as always, fought furiously. But the largely self-taught warrior had much left to learn, Artuk bested him, leaving him battered and beaten. Artuk could only hope that the boy would actually learn to finally reflect on some of the lessons he had attempted to teach him. If he did not, he knew his former ward well enough to know that the sting of failure would only make him even more driven. Whether that was a good or bad thing he could not say.    Not much time passed when the young Bey received another opportunity to prove himself. To the east the Karakhanids were once more facing internal rebellion as well as assault by the Turgay Cumans. The Karakhanid Khan was a member of the Eagle Warriors, so he asked Aksonqor and his clan for help to defend his lands against his enemies. Aksonqor jumped at this opportunity, equipping more warrors for his horde before riding out east, towards glory.   Aksonqor and his men spent the remainder of the year 875 campaigning in Karluk lands. Twice great battles were fought, against the rebels and against the Turgay. Both ending in victory for Aksonqor. He was now beginning to make a name for himself as man who could not only inspire men to follow him, but one who could lead them to victory. The experience from the battles seemed to be having a positive effect on his development and he was showing clear improvement in his fighting skills, having fought hard against both the Turgay and the Karluk rebels. In keeping with his zealous nature he was prone to offer up prisoners taken in the heat of battle as sacrifices to grant him strength and favor.      Having helped the Karakhanid Khan achieve victory in his war, Aksonqor reckoned that he would be within his rights to suggest forging a closer bond between the two clans. A marriage contract was thus worked out, Aksonqor pledging to marry the Khan’s eldest daughter once she came of age. With business in the east concluded, Aksonqor and his men rode back west along the Jaxartes.   Back at court, Aksonqor learned that the war in the west had ended while he was away, with an allied victory. Songul Yabgu had been freed, but the Yabgu was a changed man, something has happened to him in the Ezgils’ dungeon. dark rumors were afloat that the man had become downright unhinged, prone to explosive fits of anger and fright, deprived of sleep by night terrors.   In 876 news reached the court at Yangikent that the Persians to the south were once again at war. Shah Nasr of Transoxiana had declared war on Vandad of Dihistan demanding his realm subordinate itself to his by paying regular tribute.   In May a foreigner was brought before the Bey, his guards thinking he was thief. Aksonqor soon found out they had acted rashly and foolishly, the man had come before the Bey wishing to serve him. He claimed to be a master engineer from the Tang Empire, his architectural and mechinical expertise would prove a great boon to Aksonqor and his people, he insisted. Deciding to trust the man and eager to hear tidings out of the east, Aksonqor welcomed the man, named Chu Shuji, to his court by naming him his new steward and tasking him with overseeing building projects in Yangikent.   Just days later, grave news arrived, Songul Yabgu was dead. No one said it aloud but everyone got the underlying message, Songul had died by his own hand. As Mengucek was still only a boy of 3, this meant one thing, the leadership of the Oghuz confederation would pass to Aksonqor Kiliçoglu, who was now Aksonqor Yabgu.    Whatever rumors surrounded the death of Songul, he had dutifully performed his duties to the Oghuz tribes. Aksonqor was not one to overlook this and he made arrangements to give his predecessor a sky burial. His body would be taken to the mountains where it would be offered up to the birds so they would consume the dead flesh and release the man’s spirit into the skies. The Yabgu would do this himself, accompanied by a small party of Chepni and Afshari warriors. This business concluded he sent envoys east to Khan Bilge of the Karluks, suggesting the formation of an alliance on the basis of the marriage contract they had negotiated the previous year. To Aksonqor’s delight the Karluk Khan agreed to the terms presented.    Aksonqor Yabgu had not sought out this alliance for nothing, for his mind was set on conquest and glory. The Samanids of Transoxiana were pre-occupied with the war against the Karen of Dihistan, the time to strike was now. Chach made for a poor raiding target, but it offered plentiful grazing lands and would put the Oghuz on the border with much richer targets that could subsequently be raided to garner wealth and glory. Thus war was declared and soon the almost 2000-strong horde of the Afshari were in position, laying siege to the local fortress, soon to be joined by 1000 Chepni warriors and 1500 Karluks, a force that should prove strong enough to defeat the Samanids if their war with the Karen to their west did not serve to distract them sufficiently.   With the Chepni and Karluk reinforcments arriving, Chach had soon fallen and was occupied and sacked by the steppe horsemen. The combined army moved south to Oshrusana which soon suffered the same fate, with no sign yet of Samanid forces. Some said that Aksonqor seemed downright disappointed at this turn of events.   While his forces were plundering the countryside of Oshrusana, reports reached Aksonqor that rather than leading his forces in Dihistan, the Samanid Shah was at court in his capital at Khiva. As his forces were in striking distance of the city, Aksonqor gathered his forces and set course for Khiva, intending to capture the Shah and bring a swift end to the war of conquest. Bypassing Dashowuz, the Oghuz had soon invested the fortress of Darvaza which sheltered Shah Nasr and his family, but something was wrong. The Karluks were nowhere to be seen. As it happened Khan Bilge had been seized by supporters of Kotyan of the Chigil clan while leading his army. Brought in chains back to Kotyan, the latter had ordered Bilge executed and declared himself the new Khan. The Karakhanids were now hurrying home, abandoning the war with the Samanids and their alliance with Aksonqor Yabgu. In any case they arrived too late to do anything about what had happened, in the process they had dishonored the alliance and promises exchanged with the Oghuz. Aksonqor was furious, but with victory in his grasp he could not turn back.   As it turns out the Karluk defection had come at the worst possible time, a Samanid host, larger than the Oghuz horde and bolstered with Turkic mercenaries, was approaching. They were sure to attempt to relieve the siege of Khiva and prevent the capture of Shah Nasr and his family.  Aksonqor refused to withdraw, he was now in a race against time. A race the Oghuz won. Mere days before the Samanid host arrived Aksonqor Yabgu’s warriors stormed over the walls of Darvaza, burning and plundering. As the inner keep was seized the Shah and his family were clasped in irons. With these hostages, the Oghuz managed to hold off the Samanid host from attacking and at swordpoint the Shah agreed to the surrender of Chach and allowed the safe passage of the Oghuz back to their lands. Several women from the Shah’s harem were seized as hostages to secure the acquiescence of the Persians, with Aksonqor gradually releasing them against ransoms as his forces made the trek back home, exalting in their victory.    On their way back home the Aksonqor allowed the Afshari to subject Chach to a terrible sack, with his warriors seizing lifestock, destroying crops, and enslaving the local peasants as they marched up alongside the Jaxartes, the intention being to drive the locals out and turn the area over to grazing lands for the Oghuz and their herds.   The acquisition of Chach meant that the Oghuz clans were now demanding that more land be distributed to the clans, the complaint being that the Afshari were growing too powerful within the confderation. Aksonqor acknowledged their demands as legitimate and arranged to turn over the grazing lands of Otrar to the Salur, up until now a relatively minor clan in the Oghuz confederacy.   Along the way Aksonqor Yabgu dispatched riders to the Karakhanids, now merely a vassal clan of the Chigil clan in the Karluk Khanate. They were to inform the Karakhanids that their abandonment of him during his war in the south had put the entire campaign at risk. As he saw it, any promises he had made to the Karakhanids were void and he was no longer bound by the marriage pact he had made with Khan Bilge.  Back in Yangikent by April 878, Aksonqor Yabgu was greeted by his steward the master engineer Chu Shuji who claimed that he had received momentous news from his informants in the Tang Empire. The civil war, which had plagued the country for close to 100 years was finally over as the Emperor Li Yizung had defeated the rebel armies and restored order to the Empire, heralding a return to stability. Whatever else could be gleamed from these news, it meant that the trade post in Yangikent could expect to see increased revenues as the end of civil war should bring about increased trade between the Chinese Empire and the lands to its west. Additional news made their way to the Oghuz capital over the next couple of weeks, apparently remnant rebel forces had merged with people known as Khitans, they were now ravaging the outlying regions of the Empire and were headed westwards.    His coffers full of gold, booty from the war against the Samanids, Aksonqor set about spending it to strengthen his clan, acquiring additional cattle herds and constructing a grand hall in which to house dignitaries from the other clans of the confederation. This should help in maintaining good relations with the clans.    In November of 878, large numbers of Sogdian peasants, many of whom had lost crops, herds and family members to the ravages of the Oghuz conquerors gathered in Chach. Organized by their religious leaders and fired on by faith and fear, they formed into an army of sorts that soon seized contral of both Chach and Otrar. It would count for little though, when Oghuz horsemen arrived they dealt swiftly with the Sogdians, riding the peasants down like grass. Their leader was seized and Aksonqor Yabgu ordered the public execution of him and the other captives in order to crush their futile resistance.     Peace settled over Oghuz lands, with 879 proving to be a quiet year. Aksonqor Yabgu was not a man given to inaction though. He had shown his displeasure with the Karakhanids over them abandoning him in Transoxiana by breaking the marriage agreement he had negotiated with them. However this still left the Chigil clan, now ruling over all the Karluks, unpunished. He knew it was was their seizure and execution of Khan Bilge which had prompted the Karakhanid betrayal to begin with. His honor demanded he chastize them, an action which would enhance his prestige and standing among his vassals and his peers on the steppe. War would be waged on the Karluks, not for land, but to humiliate them and to take their people and bring them back to Yengikent in servitude. Vengeance was righteous and thus had to be pursued.   The Karluks were not prepared for the fury of the Oghuz. The two armies clashed at the Karluk capital at Balasgun. The Oghuz drove the Karluks from the field in disarray and began laying waste to their tents and scattering their herds. By now Aksonqor’s leadership and grasp of battlefield tactics were beginning to show clear improvement, apparent both to himself and his followers.    The Karluks were on the run but not yet broken. Aksonqor was confident that his forces would prevail, even if the Karluks returned with a newly raised force. Rather than chasing the fleeing Karluks, his forces set about ravaging the lands around the Karluk capital, securing strategic locations while doing so. While his troops were securing the Ili Valley, Aksonqor and a small force of picked men would encounter something truly portentous.   Aksonqor Yabgu had no doubts about what this was. It was a sign, from Tengri himself. He was meant to find this child. The ancestors had led him here to this place, on this day. The hero is always rewarded for his righteousness. 
Randarkman fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Mar 26, 2019 |
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Mar 26, 2019 16:12
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Oh wow. I've never actually seen this event, since I haven't played nomads since they introduced wolf children. I'm very much looking forward to how this plays out! The China news by the way were hilarious.
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Mar 26, 2019 16:18
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When you get down into India you should absolutely go Buddhist. They tend to get hosed over way too often, and the world needs to follow the dharma.
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Mar 26, 2019 19:26
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Vinny Possum posted:When you get down into India you should absolutely go Buddhist. They tend to get hosed over way too often, and the world needs to follow the dharma. That would be interesting actually. I've never really played as Buddhist in either CK2 or EU4. And I feel like I would have to find some way to justify it happening, so it's kind of organic. I'll most likely be Muslim by the time I reach India I think, when Sabuktigin and Seljuk show up in a ~150 it's quite possible I'll have to become Muslim simply to survive for instance. Also it really opens up marriage prospects, (provided the Islamic world doesn't suffer a full on collapse) and if you are a horde you actually get to keep a number of the good Tengri features anyway, for instance the Warrior Society. I also realized I got a bit sick of the titles I use in my update and the titles the game uses being different while writing this update, so I went ahead and changed a bunch of nomad title names to be dependent on culture (I mostly just pasted over stuff from that map/history mod that I'm not using), so we aren't all Khagans anymore, and in Oghuz the ruler title is now actually Yabgu.
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Mar 26, 2019 19:43
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Wolf child? Neato. Also I have to admit that for a bit there I had some trouble following the flow of events. But maybe that's just me. Probably the names and titles that are unfamiliar and thus hard to keep track of.
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Mar 26, 2019 20:19
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I, for one, like our crazy egotist khan and his new wolf son.
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Mar 26, 2019 21:00
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Yabgu Mowgli has a nice ring to it
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Mar 26, 2019 23:22
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In China: ''The rebels have finally been defeated, the war is over!" "Hurray! let's celeb..." "A rebellion has started, war has begun!" "Oh for gently caress'S sake!" The new leader seems promising, and I admt I kinda like the buddhist idea too, it sounds fun.
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Mar 26, 2019 23:54
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I'd say convert if it seems like a natural way to go. Like if you pick up an advisor or wife that's of that religion and the ruler seems like the type to convert.
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Mar 27, 2019 03:14
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We can also falsely convert and form a secret society that still holds to the old gods behind closed doors or whatever too, right?
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Mar 27, 2019 03:17
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