Scotland cooperative game thread - Page 3

Velociryx · August 29, 2003, 20:05

Update:

Played through to October, 1429, and it has been a period of relative quiet, however....the time has come to bring some additional pressing matters before the council. Scotland is strong....too strong, apparently for the English to attempt to pick a fight with us again, and that is good. It is good that they fear us.

They are wise to fear us.

But, to the particulars.

First and most notable, is the fact that once again, we are a creditor nation, slowly building a cash surplus, and carrying no debt. We have taken and repaid three loans from the Helvetian moneylenders, and they now regard us as an excellent credit risk (our interest rate keeps dropping, which will make the taking of additional loans increasingly more attractive and easier to repay).

National stability has been restored, and has seldome twitched away from tranquility (+3).

We have had peace, and in that peace, we have grown strong.

Events of note:

February 14, 1426 - Provence declares against Savoy, drawing our alliance into a war with Savoy, Genoa and Milan. At this time, we are still promoting tax collectors in our unfortified Irish provinces, and so we post the naval squadron off the coast of Munster with small garrisons in Leinster and Connaught, in the event of an (admittedly unlikely) Italian landing in Ireland.

The war ends with no action on our part, and sees us not even raising war taxes (saving that for a possible war with England)

February 26, 1426 - The truce with England expires....they seem reluctant to test our mettle again, and we likewise make no provacative pronouncements against them. The border is tense, but quiet. It seems that they acknowledge our rightful claims to our new lands.

Our armed forces have been re-allocated to our holdings, and we have divided our army into six regiments, these are:

In Ireland
Leinster Regiment (Connaught Garrison) 1115 Infantry
Leinster Regiment (Leinster Garrison) 1115 Infantry

In Scotland
Lancashire Regiment (in Lancashire) 3925 Infantry
The Army of Douglas (in Lancashire) 4000 Cavalry

Northumberland Regiment (in Northumberland) 2257
Northumberland Cavalry Command (in Northumberland) 1098

Totals: 8412 Infantry/ 5098 Cavalry (Grand total: 13,510, 12k max)

By May of 1426, Province is humbled by the Savoyard alliance (which expands mid-war to include Brittany), and the men of Brittany gain Maine from Province.

January 1427, 153d in our treasury....minting enough coin so that we break even.

Monthly Income: 9.8 --> 7.2 from taxation, 2.6 from goods production

Unit costs:
Warships cost 58d each
Galleys cost 11d each

Infantry cost 7d on the thousand
Cavalry costs 20d on the thousand

June: Trade level increases to 2, trade effie up to 35%

September, Infrastructure increases to level 2, infra effie up to 23% - This increase causes our monthly income statement to jump to 10.8 --> 7.8 + 3.0

Slider adjustment, full effort to Infrastructural improvement (no coin minting)

1429

January 1 - our second slider adjustment (centralize +1) - production effie increases to 25%, and we have 276d in our treasury, with our loan coming due on October 1st (losing 2.9 per month, inflation steady at 6.5%)

France annexes the house of Bourbon, damaging our relations somewhat (+80)

In March, England and their new, strong alliance (Burgundy, Aragon, Navarra, and Granada) declare against Gelre (burgundy is the aggressor)

This angers the men of Brittany, who declare against the Burgundians, sparking a wider conflict.

England briefly posts 5k troops in Meath, frightening our subjects in Ireland, but the pressing concerns of the suddenly broader war against English interests cause them to abandon the position and our garrisons breathe a sigh of relief.

October 1st - Our third loan is paid in full, national stability returns to +3 (dipped to +2 when we further centralized the government), and England stands....empty and unguarded as her troops sail for the continent. If ever there was a time to strike....that time is now.

-=Vel=-
(Screenshots to follow)

Velociryx · August 29, 2003, 20:06

Guarding against the machinations of the Italians....

Velociryx · August 29, 2003, 20:07

A peek under the hood at the economy....

Velociryx · August 29, 2003, 20:09

1429 Situation shot 1

Velociryx · August 29, 2003, 20:10

1429 situation shot 2

Velociryx · August 29, 2003, 20:10

1429 situation shot 3

Velociryx · August 29, 2003, 20:12

1429, final situation shot

Velociryx · August 29, 2003, 20:14

and finally....a blast from the past....an elusive, missing screenie from the Irish War, detailing the cavalry command of the Army of Douglas, and their ride through the southern Irish provinces, claiming them for Scotland!

Velociryx · August 29, 2003, 20:26

So....questions looming:

Are we ready for a war with England? They are handsomely pre-occupied by concerns in Gelre, and with the alliance of Savoy, principally, a strong, prepared Brittany.

Their territories stand empty, and are ripe for plunder by our veteran armies. Douglas stands ready, as ever, to take the fight to our enemies, and we stand to make further territorial gains against our hated English foes.

Also, a thing that must be considered is: What shall we do with the money gained in the prosecution of this war? We could:

* Save money to construct one or more refineries and/or a fine arts center in Lothian, proving to the world that we are not $haggy barbarians as most believe, but civilized and cultured.

* Fortify our Irish provinces so they are not such easy pickings and require less attention from garrisons on the island.

* Increase our fleet, so that we may one day challenge the supremacy of the English in this regard.

Or, we could simply save the coin to stockpile for years when times may be lean

Our options, at this point, are truly without limits.

If the council seeks a declaration of war with England, then we should go to full mobilization now, so that our troops are ready to fight at the dawning of the new year.

The swiss moneylenders will, no doubt, stand ready to finance our war effort if we need it, but by raising war taxes in August and recieving a boon from pillaging as we raid south, odds are excellent that we will not need such assistance at all, even if we are forced into having to recruit troops in number (not that we'll need to in the beginning, as we are still slightly above our normal support limits).

What is the wish of the council?

-=Vel=-

Velociryx · August 30, 2003, 22:54

Douglas' War

After much weighty deliberation, the council has opted for a war with mighty England, and unlike our previous engagement with that nation, this time, the battle is at a time of our choosing, and a fight we are fully prepared to make.

God save Scotland in our righteous endeavour to grow stronger in the face of our hated fores!

October 1429
In preparation for this looming conflict, 5,000 new infantry recruits are raised--3,000 being raised in Northumberland to augment the infantry already there, and 2,000 raised in Lancashire for the same purpose. This gives us two groups of 5,000+ infantry, which we can use for sieges, while Douglas screens these forces with his mobile cavalry, taking the fight to the enemy and preventing them from dislodging our siege crews. Additionally, we have the 1098 Cavalry command in Northumberland, with specific instructions to serve as a RAP force (recon-and-pillage).

November 1429
Responding to our own troop buildup, the Irish begin rebuilding their Army of Ulster. We keep an eye on it, but do nothing at this time.

OoO

January 1430
Our armies stand ready to press our claims and interests! It begins....

Initial Marching Orders
Northumberland Siege Crew (5257 Infantry) ordered to Yorkshire

Lancashire Siege Crew (5925 Infantry) ordered to Wales

Leinster Garrison (1115) ordered to Meath

Northumberland Cavalry Command (RAPtor Force) (1098 Horse) ordered to Lincoln

Douglas splits his command (2k each group), leading his half into Bristol, and ordering the other half to Midlands

National mint begins working overtime (full minting).

This plan of action will allow us to see the comings and goings of every English province on the Scottish Isles, save for Kent, and we'll get to that one by and by. 78d in our treasury as war is declared and we start this party!

Velociryx · August 30, 2003, 22:56

Marching Orders:

Velociryx · August 30, 2003, 23:06

February
By the first of the month, we have reached all of our initial targets, and the pillage-money-machine kicks into high gear! (treasury nearly doubles, jumping to 135d)

We've also discovered a 2k English garrison guarding Anglia, and recruitment activity begins in Midland.

Not wanting to be caught by surprise with a large English force appearing in our midst, we arrange a loan with the money lenders, and spend 192 of our 200d to hire the Luzern Regiment (mercenaries - 5000/2000) in Lancashire. These march to Midlands and Douglas consolidates his forces there in preparation for battle with the newly trained English recruits.

Our Raptor force makes for Wessex.

February 24
The Raptor group arrives in Wessex with the report of recruitment activity in Kent as well....grim tidings inded....

Meanwhile, Douglass has amassed 5,000 Infantry and 6,000 Cavalry in Midlands for the looming battle there, and the nation of Scotland holds its breath....

March
Raptor group ordered to Cornwall, 156d in our treasury.

April
Raptors return to Wessex to appraise Englands strength in Kent (t = 161d)

April 2nd, Douglas is attacked by 7,000 Infantry and 1,000 Cavalry....fresh recruits, all. Our sturdy general takes no losses whatsoever, and reduces the enemy force to 3467/294 (total losses are 3533/706 = 4239)....an enormous victory!!!

The defeated English force routes toward Lincoln seeking safety, and Douglas rides his 4,000 veteran cavalrymen hard, arriving in Lincoln ahead of the English force. The mercenary band is left in Midland to continue the siege there (three sieges in operation now, Yorkshire, Wales, and Midland).

Velociryx · August 30, 2003, 23:07

The Battle of Midland

Velociryx · August 30, 2003, 23:30

April 11 - The report from the Raptor group in Wessex is that 3k troops from Kent are marching north to Anglia, which will give them 5k guarding the English capitol. These, and the beaten recruits streaming toward Lincoln are the only English units on the Scottish Isles.

April 15 - Douglas arrives in Lincoln and prepares to greet his English foes.

April 20 - The Battle of Lincoln pits Douglas' command (4,000 cavalry) against 3467/294 Englishment, with the 3,000 (cavalry) from Kent arriving via Anglia racing to join them.

April 25 - The English recruits are smashed again. Douglas loses no troops, and the english force is reduced to 2454/91 (total losses are 1013/203 = 1216).

April 29th - Arriving too late to save the shattered recruits, the English Cavalry regiment nonetheless determines to fight our famed general. These too, are routed, fleeing toward Bristol. Douglas loses 720 horse defeating them (3280 remaining under his command), while the enemy regiment is reduced to a scant 441 horse.

Douglas is intent on ending the matter once and for all in Bristol, and orders the Raptor group to rally there and meet him to give battle to the English.

May 22nd, Douglas joins the Raptor group, bringing the total horse under his command up to 4378, and with this force, he faces 2454/532.

By the end of the battle, Douglas is left with 4129 horse (losses of 249), and the enemy force is reduced to 796/139, which again, routes toward Lincoln.

In order to beat the enemy TO Lincoln, Douglas executes a daring rapid crossing of the Thames (takes 41 losses due to attrition for moving at month-end rollover), and arrives in Lincoln with 4088 horse. The enemy force arrives separately, and is defeated independently in battles lasting only one day each, on the 12th and the 17th. The enemy forces are destroyed to a man, and these two battles see Douglas losing only 35 cavalry (has 4053 under his command).

2k Cav recruited in Lancashire to keep the Army of Douglas in fighting shape.

July
The only English troops reported anywhere on the Scottish Isles are the 2k guarding Anglia.

Siege progress report:
Wales (-3/Breeched)
Midlands (3) (no damage)
Yorkshire (-3)

Recruitment activity begins in Kent - we need to conclude our initial sieges quickly so we can move to lock down the rest of the island.

August - Our 2k cavalry recruits are ready and ride to Lincoln to join Douglas, giving him a force of 6053 horse.

September (a total of four sieges operational at this point)

Wales captured on September 1st - Wales siege crew advances to Bristol
Midlands (2)
Lincoln (3)
Yorkshire (-5/breeched)

October, Stability increases to +3 and war taxes are promptly raised (stab drops to +2)

Yorkshire falls on the 7th - a covering force is left in Bristol and 4725 Infantry march to Wessex as we begin to lock down the rest of the island.

Douglas' Cav command invade Anglia, and the Yorkshire siege group advances to Lincoln to take his place at the siege there.

October 11-14: The 6053 Cavalry under Douglas' command attack the 2k garrison in Anglia and destroy them utterly. Douglas is left with 5993 (60 losses).

November: Covering force left in Wesses and the remainder of our infantry there march to Cornwall.

November 26th - Douglas invades Kent, destroying another 2k garrison that was recently trained, and finds himself with 5874 horse remaining (119 losses), and by the first of December, 1430, the island is locked down. No further English recruitment will occur on our island for the remainder of this war.

Velociryx · August 30, 2003, 23:48

Year of our Lord, 1431
Our war continues....

Siege progress:
Midlands (-6/breeched)
Bristol (-2)
Kent (Douglas) (1)

All other provinces covered to prevent recruitment

April 3rd - Bristol falls into Scottish hands and the siege crew advances to Cornwall.

April 20th - Midlands is captured - siege crew advances to Lincoln)

We are interrupted in May by a 7k revolt in Bristol....not an immediate concern, but a thing that will have to be dealth with! Improvement in our siege of Kent (walls at -3).

July - Aragon lands 1980 men in Northumberland...pesky bastards.

August
Kent (-7/breeched) (Douglas commanding)
Cornwall -7
Lincoln -1

on the 18th, Aragon lands 3942 men in Lancashire....we've had about enough interference, and make it more of a priority to deal with these nettlesome interruptions to our quest for domination over the English squatters on our lands!

on the 30th of August, Kent falls, followed promptly (september 1st) by the surrender of Cornwall. Our national stability returns (+3) and war taxes are again raised.

Douglas orders allavailable forces to Wesses, and by the 17th of September, he has assembled 9810 Infantry and 7047 Cavalry under his proud banner.

October 1st - leaving a covering force in Wessex, Douglas marches against the English rebels in Bristol with 9112/6546 (7200 rebels).

By the 20th, the rebels are routed, and Douglas has 8632/6450 remaining (576 losses (480/96).

November 1st - Douglas leads 6,000 Infantry and 5,000 Cavalry to Midlands, sending the rest of his force to Wessex to assist with siege operations there (walls of Lincoln are at -4).

December - Douglas marches to Lancashire to give battle to the men of Aragon (3942), but is handed a stinging defeat on Christmas eve, and retreats to York to recover, having only 2851/4371 of his force remaining (we lost 3778 total, 3149 infantry and 629 cavalry - Aragon lost 1840....a humiliating defeat!) No matter....Douglas vows to return to Lancashire and kill every man of Aragon when he does!

-=Vel=-

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 01:16

1432 - February 15th, Lincoln falls, and the siege group is ordered to advance on Anglia as soon as feasible.

March - Douglas tries again in Lancashire, and finds victory on the 27th! As promised, total destruction of the force from Aragon, and 1706/4142 left in his command (losses totaled 1374, 1145/229)

April 1st, Douglas hits Northumberland with his cavalry, killing all 1980 men of Aragon there, and sustaining no losses. The island is once again clear of enemy troops and rebels.

Sieges:
Anglia (-2)
Wessex (-1)

August - Raise war taxes
Anglia -6
Wessex (-7/breeched)

Warscore is 59% against England

October 18 - Wessex falls
November 16th - Anglia falls
Warscore has increased to 78% and it's time to play "Let's make a deal."

The Peace of 1432 - Signed November 16
Meath, Wales, and Midlands are recognized as being part of the soveriegn nation of Scotland, we gain 100d in indemnities, and our allies in Auvergene gain Normandie. TOTAL victory!!!! - and yet, so much to do!

Bailiff promotions begin immediately in our three new territories

December - Lancashire is besieged by 5447/1632 men of Aragon

1433

February 1st, 1433, Douglas gathers an army of 9702/6920 to him in Midlands and prepares to strike

By the 20th, the invasion force is utterly destroyed and douglas takes NO LOSSES! It's the biggest, most humungous upset victory in our history, and for this, and his stunning perforrmance against our longstanding English foes, General Buchan Douglas is prounounced as a National Hero....truly inspired leadership for our armies.

In March, we stop minting coin (inflation at 9.6%), and ply all our efforts to infrastructural improvement.

At this point, England holds sway over ten (10) provinces, and Scotland lays claim to twelve (12)! We have surpassed our rivals!

Force Review - 1433
13,638 Infantry
6920 Cavalry

20,558 total (16k max)

Maintenance slider to 50% for military (even tho we are at war with Aragon still)

Problem: Aragon's ability to hit us reveals our major, glaring weakness, and that is that we are stymied by our inability to project our power beyond the Scotish Isles....With a transport capacity of 5k, we simply cannot launch offensive actions much beyond our island home.

By May 23rd, we have arranged our armies thusly:

Leinster Regiment: 2230 Infantry (posted to Connaught)

Midlands Regiment: 4000 Infantry/ 3000 Cavalry (guarding Wales)

The Army of Douglas: 7408 Infantry/ 3920 Cavalry (in Midlands)

June - Douglas Dispatched 2408 of the infantry under his command to Northumberland to guard our most strategically important province (leaving him with 5000/3920)

July 1st - we buy peace with Aragon for 50d and are no longer a nation at war.

December - Kurdistan discovered (new exploits) and national stability restored (+3)

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 01:17

A snapshot of our mighty nation after besting England for the second time!

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 01:35

The period immediately following the war with England was one of relative quiet, and in truth, we needed that quiet.

We needed the peace to build and recover our strength, and blessedly, we got it.

At the start of 1434, we found ourselves with 478d in our treasury (a healthy amount by any reckoning), and a monthly economic income of 13.9 --> 9.4 coming from taxation, and 4.5 from goods production.

Our monthly expenses amounted to 4.1d per month (2.9 military maintenance and 1.2 interest on our outstanding loan)

Net annual gain per year to our treasury: 28d

We promptly spent some of our wealth, 60d to commission five (5) galleys, which would double our troop transport capacity--a thing we sorely needed if we ever were to be in a position to reliably project our power, and 136d spent to fortify Munster minimally, a year-long project which would greatly boost the defensibility of our Irish posessions.

March 17th: Some of our Irish Nobles feud with our Highland Chiefs over what they percieve to be unfair compensation for Irish nobility. Understandably, we side with our Highlanders, and tensions escalate, resulting in a minor rebellion in Meath, which turns out to be extremely poorly organized and disburses only days after coming to the fore, with no action on our part.

By June, 1434, our new ships are ready and complete their sea trials as the Scotish fleet consolidates at the port of Lancashire.

March 1435: Loan repaid. 119d in our treasury to see us through to the end of the year (3.0 in military expenses per month)

October 6, 1435: A sad day indeed, as General Douglas dies quietly in his bed at his estate in Midlands. A National Hero and Treasure, his cunning and leadership will be sorely missed.

November 19th, We are called upon by France to uphold our alliance commitment and declare a war against Brittany.

Honor demands that we accept this responsibility and we commit Douglas' old unit, now re-christened simply "The Lancashire Regiment" (5000/3920) to the cause of our allies.

This war sees us fighting Genoa, Savoy, Helvetia, and Brittany, although we strongly suspect that the only action we shall personally see will be against the men of Brittany.

Naval and Military sliders are set to maximum and war taxes are raised as the nation mobilizes for war once more.

By April 1st, 1436, our Fleet arrives off the coast of Brittany and our Lancashire Regiment prepares for our first ever amphibious assault!

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 01:41

June, walls of Bretagne are at (2)

July 1st, the Midlands Regiment (4000/3000) is ordered to Armor, keeping our fleet busy.

October 1st - our fleet is driven away from Armor by a Genoese Naval squadron, and we race to the coast of Bretagne to deliver our precious cargo. Sadly, we lost 173/34 during the firefight with the Italians, and so the forces delivered amount to only 3827/2966, but these arrive save in Bretagne, and immediately make for Armor as planned.

By December 1st, the survivors of our near-naval-disaster are in Armor, locking down fully half of Brittany.

Everything looks good....everything looks solid as we roll into 1437...national stability is at +2, a healthy 326d in our treasury, the fleet returns safely home, docking in Meath (having taken no losses in our brief skirmish with the Italians). Naval maint. slider set to 50%.

Siege progress:
Bretagne (-3)
Armor (1)

Yes indeed, everything is looking good....

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 01:47

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 09:43

So...aside from having our stability tank (remember, we're still feeling the effects of our Purge of the Highland chiefs, and we NEED high stability to offset those effects), being mired in our first war which sees troops on the continent, having almost no troops to guard the homefront, having our beloved King assassinated (the one we ransomed from the English....'twas them that financed and plotted the assassination, no doubt! I smell another war on the horizon!), and despite the fact that our nation is now ruled by a six-year-old boy....yes, everything's just peachy, thanks!

All efforts are put toward re-stabalizing the nation...we do NOT need these events to result in the disintegration of Scotland as we know it!

June 20th - Bretagne falls to our forces

July 1st - Lancashire regiment advances to Morbihan, the capitol of Brittany (one nice thing about conquering places is that we get to learn their names!)

July 26th - Armor falls

August 1st - The Midlands regiment is ordered to Maine, the last province of Brittany (recruitment occuring there). The army of Brittany, some four thousand souls, is marching from Maine to attempt to relieve their capitol.

August 2nd - The battle of Morbihan, pits our Lancashire Regiment (5000/3920) against the Army of Maine (1665/2302). We're nervous about this fight because it is the first time we've had to engage the enemy seriously without the aid of Douglas.

Nonetheless, our troops make a good accounting of themselves, and by the fifth, we have utterly destroyed the enemy force, and our own regiment stands at 3444/3609 (losses for the battle: 1867 (1556 Infantry, 311 Cavalry)

August 17th - unhappy merchants (-600 trade investment) (REALLY p*ssed merchants, it seems)

September 12 - The Maine siege group is attacked by 2k Infantry recruits. No losses for us, and we destroy them entire.

The French take control of our siege shortly thereafter (a snobbish general named Dunois, or somesuch), so we let them at it, consolidating our efforts in Morbihan. (Mil maintt slider set to 50%....looks like it's all over but the waiting).

1438

February - 7k revolt in Wales

Feb 16 - We need a speedy exit from this war...having no troops of note on the home front, and now faced with a rebellion....not good. So, although we are clearly the side with the upper hand, we accept peace for Bretagne and 50d so we can get HOME! (bailiff promotion begins immediately)

June: Leaving 4000/3000 behind in Bretagne (dubbing these the "Bretagne Regiment"), the fleet picks up the rest of our forces and ships them home to deal with the rebellious Welsh.

September - Our forces return safely to Lancashire, and we have ordered the Northumberland garrison there as well. All told then, we have 5679/3575, marching on Wales!

Alas, 'twas not meant to be....the terrain was too favorable to our enemies, and we lack the strong leadership of Douglas, so are handed a bitter defeat. The army returns to Lancashire disspirited.

And....sadly, that was a story that would repeat itself in January 1439, and again in May. It would not be until June, when those rebels finally captured Wales and attempted to invade Lancashire that we were able to finally defeat them, and we promptly counter-invade and put Wales under the siege (1k cavalry raised to counter the losses we sustained fighting the rebels--yes, we actually dipped below our max support limit!

Also in 1429 (January) we took another step toward centralization, and in April, we're called on to do battle with the forces of Lorraine, the Palitinat, and Bavaria. Given these three are landlocked powers, we gladly support the war effort, but keep our troops at home.

May - The Leinster garrison is recalled from Ireland and rolled into our Scotish army (to help deal with the rebel threat), reducing us to two regiments, total.

December - Fortification construction begun in Leinster

1440

January - fortification of Connaught

March 28th, 1440: An important day in the history of Scotland....for this was the day that we said our goodbyes to the French alliance.

Aragon declares against the French, drawing them into a war with Aragon and England, and although the desire for revenge against the English for the assassination of our King (which they, no doubt, had a hand in), we simply cannot....with a garrison in Bretagne, and the rest of our army mired in Wales....we are simply unprepared to accept this fight.

For the first time in her history, Scotland stands alone.

May: Wales at (-2)

Cities demand old right....denied (stability plunges to -1). We have worked too hard to see our government decentralized further.

September - Wales recaptured

1441

Treasury = 260d
Stability at -1

Army size is 15,394 (9271 Infantry, 6123 Cavalry) (16k max), and is composed of two regiments:

The Lancashire Regiment (Wales) 5271/3123
The Bretagne Regiment (4000/3000)

Fleet: 5 Warships and 5 Galleys (43 max)

February, Stability increases to zero (0)

September, a Foriegn Drill Instructor presents himself to the Court of Scotland! 200d to hire him, for two slider moves....Quality +1, and Offensive Doctrine +1...we float a loan and accept him!

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 09:56

And finally, the last installment in this busy segment, to bring us up to date!

1442 passes in relative quietude, which is a blessed thing. We begin the year gaining 78d from census taxes, less 36d per year in expenses, for a net gain of 42d a year. Stability increases to +1 in the early part of the year, and July sees our boy-King exert his first real influence for the Kingdom....an admirer of the Iberians, he proposes that we arrange royal marriages with both Castile and Portugal with an eye toward entering into the Portugese alliance (Portugal/Castile). In August, stability increases further (+2), and in October, we approach the Portugese about formally entering their alliance...an offer which is accepted! A new chapter begins in Scotland's history!

1443 is another year of relative calm and quiet, with a mix of good and disheartening news.

On the good side, our maximum number of supportable troops increases to 18k and we find ourselves with 369d in our treasury....the King promptly orders an increase in the Lancashire Regiment of 1,000 infantry and 1,000 Cavalry.

On the downside, a meteor is sighted, revealing the superstitious nature of our people (stabilty back to +1). By October, we institude a military reorganization, which sees us cull out the lesser, weaker elements from our armies, with additional troops added:

Lancashire Regiment is now 6000/4000
Bretagne Regiment is now 5000/3000

Giving us 11,000 infantry and 7000 Cavalry (18k total)

1444 dawns, seeing us at +3 stability again, with 367d in our treasury. All efforts are applied to increasing infrastructural development, and with England occupied abroad (on-going war with France), the timing may well be perfect for another strike at our weakening neighbor....

Size-wise, we now stand at 13 Provinces, while our English foes have been reduced to 10....we are now the dominant force!

-=Vel=-

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 13:27

Our young King fronts a bold, long-range plan that is as terrifying to contemplate as it is cunning and audacious. How can such thoughts stem from so young a mind?

The initial plan calls for a war against the English while they are pre-occupied, follwed by a second war with Brittany to extend our presence on the European continent and bring more of our Gaelic bretheren together under our banner, and finally, the total subjugation of Ireland.

To that end, the fleet is dispatched to gather intelligences about the disposition of English troops on our island. They appear weak, but advanced scouting has proved useful to us in the past, and we hope it shall be so again.

While we are about the business of gathering information on English troop strengths, Castile declares a war against Granada, and we whole-heartedly support their efforts and wish them well.

As the year progresses, we recieve the following report from our fleet, regarding English troop strengths on the Scotish Islands:

3k in Cornwall
5k in Bristol (Salisbury)
4k in Kent
11k in Anglia (Northumberland)

Not so weak after all, but only feigning so to lure us into an ill-advised attack.

Sadly, the King's bold plan is put on hold until a better opportunity presents itself. The army our fleet revealed is far too strong to want to tangle with, in the absence of significant leadership for the army on our part.

We must wait.

In October, thanks in part to our Foriegn Drill Instructor, we gain better understanding of tactical maneuverings and organization (Mil Land Tech 2), and raise war taxes, putting the burden of our "war effort" against Granada onto the sturdy shoulders of our Scotish peasantry.

1445
National Stability +2
Treasury is 564d (loan due next year)

All things look bright...but as we have learned before, appearances can be...quite decieving.

In his continuing efforts to make a name for himself, our King accepts a commoner's petition for redress against a Highland chief, plunging the nation into uncertainty as the Nobles clamor loudly against the King's continued encroachment on their powers (stability plunges to -2, Centralization +1) - note that this puts us back to where we were, prior to the assassination of James I, so in that regard, our young King has certainly proved his mettle in the face of his adversaries inside the Kingdom!

All efforts poured into increasing national stability as our King announces festivals for the common folk, which include watching spectacular jousting contests.

Little public talk is made of the fact that the King's sharpest and most vocal opponents are the ones ordered to participate, nor the fact that a healthy percentage of those selfsame opponents die on the field....our King may be young, but he certainly seems to know his business!

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 13:28

OUCH!

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 13:39

1445 - Continued

In February, we gain better understanding of basic navigation techniques...a thing becoming more important as our influence continues to expand (Nav 2), and in May, having fulfilled our alliance obligations in support of Castile's war with Granada, we sign a white peace when approached regarding such matters by an emmisary from that far-off land. Once more, at peace, and under the circumstances, a very good thing!

September sees some improvement in Stability (-1), but it's not enough, and not quickly enough to prevent a 6k revolt in Bretagne. That revolt is put down in a matter of days by the authority of our Bretagne Regiment, but that unit suffers 504 combat losses (420inf and 84cav) and is left at a strength of 4580/2916.

The rest of the year passes quietly.

Not so, for 1446, however. We began the year with stability at -1, and 608d in our treasury.

In April, we make our first real attempt to ply our craft as Merchants, sending four (4) merchants to the vast market of Ile De France, only to have 3 fail to even establish themselves...nonetheless, we have the beginnings of a market presence there, and this is a skill we will need to get better at....important to our long term growth!

May, stabilty increases to zero, and in June, we renew our RM with the French to keep an eye on the comings and goings on the continent.

October sees us pay our loan in full, and we are once more, debt-free. Only days later, several members of the Clergy approach us regarding their unhappiness with several of our King's governmental positions regarding tolerance for those of the Orthodox faith. The King coldly dismisses them, and they stir up quite some trouble with the commoners (stab back to -1)

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 13:40

#%@$#%# Clergy...

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 13:44

1447
Thankfully, this really is a quiet year, with no rumblings and grumblings from any group about this or that policy....

The year opens with our national stability at -1, and 433d in our treasury, and the only events of note occur in February (stability to zero), and June (RM arranged with Austria, as we slowly extend our web of arranged marriages)

1448
Stability is at +1 as this new year dawns, and it seems that we, as a nation, are finally on the mend! We ended 1447 with 416d in our treasury, and saw tax reciepts swell our coffers to 497d as of Jan, 1448 (81d gain, less 18d in annual expenses gives us a 63d per year increase to our treasury as things are now!)

March sees another wise move by our King, as he convinces many of our nobles to pay for reforms to the army, greatly boosting our supply efficiency, and in July, stability sees further improvement (+2)

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 13:47

1449
We start the year off by further centralizing government power in the hands of our young King (production effie increases to 27%). Stability +2, dropping to +1 after the slider adjustment.
571d in our treasury

May - 4 merchants sent to Ile De France (all fail)

Otherwise, 1449 is a quiet year, until the King learns of corruption among his advisors, and must spend time, money, and effort in rooting it out!

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 13:48

ARGH! Will our national stability EVER be restored!?

Velociryx · August 31, 2003, 13:51

1450
Stability at +2
Treasury 554d

Another blessedly quiet year, but with our strength and stability returning, 'tis time to scout out the military strength of our English neighbors to see if an opportunity might be in the making....the screen shot below shows the only troop placement we can't normally see (all other provinces we sailed past have no troops in them)