Freya II

  • Female
  • Thief
  • Street Urchin
  • Game Poacher
  • Lust for Money and Power

Lusty Lords

Lords who profess their ardent admiration when they meet me:

  • Harish
  • Reichsin
  • Matheas
  • Tribidan
  • Uqais
  • Hugu
  • Falsevor
  • Surdun
  • Klargus
  • Dundush
  • Rudin
  • Alagur
  • Montewar
  • Logarson
  • Despin

Some of these are married!

Year 1257

March to August

Running around looking for companions, armor, horses, and weapons. Introducing myself to the various lords, before I get into any battles with them to see which ones profess that they are smitten with me. Buying businesses in all twenty-two towns.

September

Joining up as a mercenary for Swadia. I have only 77 renown, 16 honor and 25k in funds. My troops consist of sixteen companions and fifty-five mercenaries, including sixteen sword sisters.

So begins the long road to 1000 renown before I join a faction.

November

I have about 150k in the purse and 500 renown. Swadia is currently at war with both Nords and Vaegir. I am not going to renew my contract at the start of December.

December

Joined Vaegirs as a mercenary on the 4th.

Year 1258

January

Purse now contains 280k and renown is up to 600.

Working for the Rhodoks as of the 8th of January.

I’ll be switching back to Swadia again in February as they are struggling.

February

Up to about 750 renown and 400k in the purse.

March

Up to about 800 renown and 575k in the purse. Nothing much happened during March and I’m still working for Swadia.

April

Swadia is at war with Vaegirs. I’m doing various tasks for the lords to earn their trust.

June

Going to go work for Sarranids, who are down to just a town and two castles. They’re at peace now and not yet looking for mercenaries, but one of their truces ends in about a week.

July

Goals before finding a claimant to tackle a kingdom:

  • 50+ relation with as many upstanding / good-natured lords as possible. This will make it far easier to be queen later. I should also try to get 50+ with martial lords, as they can be useful for marshal duties.
  • 40+ right-to-rule (RtR). This maxes out at 99. If you use all sixteen companions to spread the word you can get 48 RtR, but it causes problems above 30 if you still want to be a vassal. Above 30 and most / all kings will refuse you as vassal. (Claimants don’t care and will still let you take up their cause.)
  • 200+ honor. Actually, I’m not sure what a good level of honor is. You might be okay with as little as +10 or +50 or +100.
  • 800+ renown, maybe 1000+. The more the merrier here because it gives you a larger capacity for troops. In the process of grinding up relations and raising funds, I’m already at 800+.
  • 400-500k in funds (denars). It will take 10-50k just to outfit the claimant in decent armor / weapons. Plus you’re going to spend a lot money recruiting and training up troops to shore-up garrisons. You could get by with 200-300k if you’re going to rebel against a small faction, but I’d still push for 500-800k in the purse before starting.
  • 10+ relations with as many villages as possible. The three quests I’m willing to do are: bandits, cattle and grain. This makes it easier to raise troops in a hurry later because you’ll get more troops (and possibly better quality then raw recruits) when you visit the village.

July

Sarranid finally go to war, I join as a mercenary company, and we take Ahmerrad from Khergits.

War with Rhodoks vs Sarranids. Rhodoks only had 90 troops in Shariz, so my band of 110 were able to swoop in and snatch it.

August

Back to working for Swadia. About 900+ renown and 900k in the purse.

September

Working for Sarranid again who are down to just two towns and two castles. Doing a lot of running around, taking any castle that I can from Khergit/Rhodoks and leaving just 10-20 troops behind.

November

27 right to rule (RtR), 1075 renown, 267 honor, 1.1 million denars.

Year 1259

January

27 RtR, 1134 renown, 284 honor, 1.3 million denars

King Ragnar of the Nords will not give me a fief. So I’m going to have to take things myself by enlisting the aid of the claimant, Lethwin Far-Seeker. Nords are starting with 34 centers and 15 lords.

Agreed to help Lethwin Far-Seeker; found him in Yalen. He will be a an useful patsy for when I go after becoming queen of the Nords.

Banner chosen: Black bear on a yellow field

Looking at the map, the Nords have the five castles (Curin, Chalbek, Hrus, Jelbegi, Tehlrog) around Tihr/Sargoth. Then also have the towns of Wercheg and Rivacheg. I was hoping that the Nords would take Knudarr Castle from Swadia (it has a large throne room and good location), but Swadia fought them off.

Taking Chalbek or Hrus would put me out on the peninsula and possibly allow them to bottle me. I could go and take Sargoth, but I’m not ready. Jelbegi Castle is possibly a good choice due to location (I can easily escape into Swadian lands), with Tehlrog a possible second. Or I could go take Rivacheg, which is isolated and vulnerable while not as limiting as Wercheg would be.

Step one is going to be the destruction of the Nord armies in the field. Although Vaegirs and Swadia may accomplish that for me.

Step two will be to take Rivacheg.

Bulba joins us on the 27th.

Took Rivacheg on the last day of January.

Note: Do not assign the town/castle that you take right away. Always say that you will pick later. If you assign the town/castle to a vassal (or yourself), all associated villages will also get assigned to that vassal. In order to spread the wealth around and prevent the -4 weekly penalty with vassals that hold no fiefs, you want to assign the villages first to your least trustworthy vassals.

February

Nords lost Wercheg to Vaegirs, but gained Nelag Castle in the mountains between Vaegir/Khergit territory.

My goal is to keep destroying Nord parties until other factions take the Nord territories.

March

The other factions did not step up like I wanted, so we’re taking territory ourselves. Sarranids have declared war on us, but Nords are down to just one castle left.

Nords have no fiefs left and only a handful of lords.

I’m taking Halmar from Sarranid. It’s centrally located and a good starting point for my eventual rebellion. I’ll either grab Kelredan/Knudarr or Weyyah Castle as a place to stack huge numbers of troops.

Peace with Sarranid on the 24th. Nords still have five lords, somewhere. We have 23, so they’ll probably track them down.

Two Nord lords defect to us on the 25th.

April

Nord faction vanished on the 9th. We have won and are at peace. I’m busy putting away veteran troops in Halmar against a rainy day.

I have 57 RtR, 1395 renown, 352 honor. 1 million denars in the treasury and 350k in my purse.

12th: War with Swadia. Now is my chance to grab Dhirim. Changed my mind, Reindi Castle is nearby and I need a castle (or two).

22nd: I was granted Reindi Castle. Now for Dhirim.

30th: I have Reindi and Halmar, stocking Dhirim with troops. If I get Dhirim, that will be good, otherwise I will revolt and keep it.

May

Revolt! Lethwin refused me Dhirim!

Artimenner will be my chancellor / minster. Firentis will be soon be promoted to a fief-holding lord. Possibly Sargoth or Tihr.

One of the big decisions to make that has long-term effects is the initial domestic policy of the kingdom. If you screw up the initial choices, it takes a long time to nudge it to where you want it. Most of the policies have ranges of -3 to +3 and you can only move it one step every 35 days.

  • Centralization: ranges from -3 relation to +3 relation with all lords in the kingdom per month
  • Aristocracy: Also has a +3/-3 range of impact on lord relations per month.

The other settings don’t have impact on lord relations.

To start with, I’m going with:

  • quite decentralized (+2/month, +10% tax inefficiency for me, -20% party size for me but +6% for my vassals)
  • quite aristocratic (+2/month, -10% trade, +6% vassal army size)
  • serfs: balanced (no penalties or bonuses)
  • great bravery: vassal armies decrease by 8%, but have stronger troops
  • mercantilism: a little laissez-faire

Khergit immediately declare on us. And the Nords offer up peace a few days later.

Dhirim is now my court. Halmar was too crowded and small. Reindi Castle was a close second with its huge interior (like Veluca) but it had no decorations. I will eventually take Veluca and hold it as my primary court.

Firentis has been granted the town of Halmar, Ehlredah and Peshmi. Giving him one town and two villages that are all near each other. He’s also the marshal. I buffed up his path-finding skills, leadership and charisma before giving him a fief. He can field 170 troops with a speed of 7.0+ on the map.

Jelbegi Castle will not stay ours for long. Laruqen defected to us and he’s a quarrelsome lord. Azadun is also quarrelsome, so I’ve given Jelbegi village to him. Keeping both of my troublemakers in the same corner.

Fraichin is also a problem; a debauched lord.

Harish is the only decent one out of the lot so far, a martial person.

Marayirr is also trouble. Quarrelsome.

June

Period of peace. I’m going to move my court back to Reindi Castle, the location of the chest in Dhirim is annoying and the room is a bit on the small side.

11th: Nords declare war. They hold no useful territory (Rivacheg and Tihr) for me at the moment, but we can go rumble them.

14th: Swadia declares war. This holds more possibility. Senuzgda Castle (and Emerin) could be taken and given to Harish. I could also grab Uxkhal for myself.

15th: Took Senuzgda Castle and Emerin for Harish. Rhodoks are trying to take Uxkhal, I’m hoping that they don’t succeed.

I think I have a chance to wipe out the Nords (who also at war with Vaegirs) so that some of their upstanding / good-natured lords land in my court.

Swadia offers peace on the 21st and I accept. Now to wipe out the Nords.

24th: Khergit declare war.

25th: Nords lose their last castle. The faction should now implode and lords will scatter to the other factions.

25th: Nord faction eliminated.

26th: Ended up with Kurnias and Rimusk. Both are pitiless and not my favorites, but I’ll give them villages. I’ve taken Tihr and Sargoth for myself, for now.

30th: Vaegir declare war.

July

At war with Khergit and Vaegir and I could take castles and towns, but I have no upstanding / good-natured lords to grant them to. Maybe I’ll grab a castle and a few more villages for Firentis and Harish.

9th: Gave Uhhun Castle and village to Firentis.

12th: Khergit ask for peace. Vaegir are sieging Sargoth.

Took Reyvadin for myself, but I’d like to give up Tihr and maybe Sargoth. Ended up with pitiless Tirida, even though I rejected him from my court.

19th: Sarranid declare war. They’re also at war with Rhodok and Khergit. With only two towns and one castle left.

25th: Sarranid asks for peace already.

Going to take Tilbaut Castle and Tadsamesh village for Lord Harish.

26th: Vaegirs sue for peace before I could do so. I now have 99 right-to-rule.

Since I’m at war with Swadia, Harish will have to be content with my taking of Derchios Castle and Tosdhar village.

Hiwan has joined, I’ve given him two castles and two villages out on the Tihr peninsula.

August

Running around taking Swadian towns and castles and leaving a few defenders behind.

10th: Khergit declare war.

Captured Unuzdaq Castle for Lord Harish.

22nd: Swadia holds zero fiefs now. The lords should now scatter to other factions and possibly I will pickup a handful of upstanding/good-natured lords out of this.

23rd: Khanate sue for peace.

Lords:

  • Upstanding/Good: Firentis, Stamar
  • Martial: Harish, Hiwan
  • Trouble: the rest

Firentis has Halmar, plus Uhhun Castle and the villages nearby. Stamar gets Praven/Suno plus Tevarin Castle and a handful of villages. I’m going to give Tihr to Hiwan (martial) who has the castles down there.

September

1st: Rhodok declare war. Now is my chance to take Veluca.

Major defeat at Haringoth Castle. Three hundred of us against nine hundred of them and we got overwhelmed trying to hold the stairs. We killed about 550, but they still had 100 left on the field when the last of us fell.

6th: Vaegir declare war on us.

Of the fourteen companions that I had with me, I’ve only found six of them so far.

8th: Rhodoks take Vyincourd Castle too and make a play for Ergellon Castle.

17th: Sarranid declare war.

18th: Swadia is finally eliminated as a faction.

19th: Khergit declare war.

Took Veluca and two upstanding/good-natured lords have joined. I have granted them fiefs:

  • Grainwad: Sargoth, plus the villages of Ambean and Fenada
  • Despin: Kelredan Castle and Chide

22nd: Ryis joins (another good/upstanding lord). I do not have a town to give him at the moment. And Despin needs a town, or maybe another castle and village.

28th: Rhodoks sue for peace. I kept Veluca.

October

5th: Vaegir sue for peace.

13th: Left Sultan Hakim to rot in Reindi Castle’s dungeon.

25th: Dhashwal has joined, I want to give him Yruma Castle.

26th: Dhiyul joins (another good/upstanding lord). I’ll take Knudarr Castle for him.

31st: Knudarr shows up to my court too late to get Knudarr Castle. I’ll give him something else.

November

Taking castles back from Vaegirs and giving them to my favorites.

6th: Sarranid vanishes as a faction. Vaegirs sue for peace.

18th: Found Tulug (upstanding/good) wandering around by himself and accepted his fealty. I’ve nothing to grant him at the moment, but war should break out soonish.

23rd: Declared war on Rhodoks. Now working on breaking up their army with my 200+ Swadian Knights.

December

At war with Khergit too.

21st: Plans… Weyyah Castle for Ryis, Samarra Castle for Rhocabarth, Khudan for Dhashwal. Peace with Rhodoks, which will put Weyyah Castle on hold for a bit.

Year 1260

January

8th: Peace with Khergit.

February

Almost a month of peace. I’ve been doing mass recruitments at my three towns and a castle. I could marry Despin, if I were inclined to.

It might be possible to peel Gasta away from the Vaegirs. I have a good relationship with him, and he doesn’t like his current king. That would bring me two castles.

Katrin failed to convince Gasta to change lords.