Titled war, this was caused by the stalemate of the talks of Bohemon and Alexios. Bohemmon wants a command of Asia Minor, the equivalent of ~1 million households. An economy, when fully realized that can forces reminiscent of the age of Empire. A stalemate that forces Bohemon to sieze these provinces himself and negotiate when he has them in possession because of the informal truce with the Sultanate of Rum under Abu’l Qasim.
The game is also available in audio which I use to make these notes. I use VLC media player and play it at x2 speed to get through it quickly enough. its 4.5 hours long.
Summary
Cato is a diplomat in a war party. He is Bohemon’s diplomat but he realizes how alien he is among these Northern warriors. The army has begun plotting how they will divi up the land while Bohemmond is away. The Factions become more pronounced. Already men are making claims and calling dibs.
- He plans to reminds Bohemmon that with Constantine Doukas, son of the former emperor Michael VII and Maria Alania he has a claim to the throne. The way his father did more than 14 years ago.
- Cato decides to focus on a far away town and maybe have the coast as holdings for his party. He tries to salvage a space for the party when everyone is calling dibs, their aggressive nature pushes him to be defensive and it is an uphill challenge to control these warriors.
- Cato is managing the crisis of leadership Tancred vs Mauger. Olek and Konrad are helping organizing.
- He works with Cedric, “Capitane” (actually Count level) of the harrier Battalion to get Tancred to act appropriately. Still there is a huge gap to bridge.
Olek has begun a lot of his machinations. He has begun recruitment of the city’s population, and applying what he had learned of these Northmen and their gods. He takes the Germanic Christianity (where there are parallels of Woden and Christ) and uses it to gain the respect of the Northmen and Balkan warriors. He re-examines the old gods and with his mastery of theology, and adapts it to his listener.
- His recruitment is for able bodies. He focuses in having enough squad leaders mix and discipline his men.
- His mastery improves as he takes the shamans of these warriors and manipulates them into his theology.
- Olek takes a lot of logistical roles and along with his ability to spread important skills to his followers raises their abilities painstakingly.
- He uses Opiates and his very good physician to create a corps of men dependent on his skills.
- He aids Cato in managing the Crisis of Leadership: Tancred vs Mauger (The Colonels or Marquis rank). He was “Machiavelanating”.
- He goes with Mauger and continues to win their confidence and their psyche as their Chaplain.
Konrad becomes the Baggage Train Quartermaster. Ken now controls Konrad. (many technical problems with the connection)
- He meets Cedric, Capitaine of the Harriers. Cedric wonders what a fellow german speaker is doing here.
- He observe the looting is not efficient and organized.
- He also notices the baggage train is not as efficient as it could be. He manage the baggage train.
- He manages to help Cato to get Tancred to move faster. He points out how important initiative. He cleverly developed a formula how to talk to Tancred, thinking through more of the details and planting the suggestion of the necessary course of action.
Xenophon. We were recapping a bit. there were many threads that had unsatisfying and dubious ends. There was the confession of Doux Theodore Garbas, his claim that the Taronites were involved in the sneak attack. A claim and the word of a man who may not have all the facts
- Who betrayed him to have him captured and enslaved by the Turks in 1081? This is the same year Alexios came to power. (see timeline)
- former Kapetano Marten Bucari tells Xeno this was during this time 5 Doux served to deal with the Norman threat by the sea. He knows only of Garbas, and the lord he serves which he did not mention.
- Upon speaking to Garbas, he learns that Milessenos and Taronites were assigned in the task group. (Update) Taronites for the logistical base, and Milessenos for the ground forces.
- Who killed Count Constantine Umbertopolus, the former commander of the Frankon Tagma and former lord of the party? Currently suspect is Nikephoros Milessenos, by way of his Hekatonarch Ardos. Berthold is a suspect.
- What is the relationship of Tancred Doux Milesenos? Bohemon used Tancred to deal with Milesenos to help him in his negotiations with the emperor. When the negotations had a stalemate instead of helping Bohemmon Milesenos used the negotiations to publicly shame Alexios (his brother in law) and Bohemon “the barbarian”.
- He has gotten tired of Maria Alania, and has offered her to Konrad.
Rjugot wife scene. Vito helps Rjugot connect with his wife. Rjugot leaves a note for his wife, and she tries to kill herself when she realizes who the note comes from. He hears about it and goes to her. He sees healers and around the house, where she lives, vicious rumors of all kinds that assumes the worse of her and the family.
He goes to Vito, and Vito helps him to bring Miro (Miroclones) in return help some poor out of luck men get work under Xenophon. So Vito introduces Miro to the Pater de Familia of Rjugots wife (Ayna). Miro finds a very loving household, as though the social status gap fails to exist there. Miro discovers she tried to kill herself out of shame, and the greatness of the shame was what saved her as the poison, so bitter, caused her to gag and vomit it before it was digested well. He discovers the master’s wife caring for this servant who obviously is sleeping with her husband.
Miro discovers a small island of love and acceptance in this household, a rare sight which is offset by how tragic the people are in this group and how fleeting their presence in their world. He discovers the child is that of the Masters. He prescribes cannabis for the chronic disease.
Battle.
Much of the party decided to throw their lot at Tancred, Who still saw them as shit. Mauger who has the same opinion but was not very vocal about it went of to the western path while Tancred went to the southern path. The party wanted to play the two commanders against each other only that it went so well as to divded them.
The end of the sessions is punctuated by a steppe horse archer ambush. With both forces reacted predictably against and boxes up. Discipline prevailed as they were not drawn to engage, but morale suffered at the failure to display “Courage”.
Tertion acts to deal with the harrying force and brings his force to forward. When their flanks were about to be attacked, their attention was diverted enough for Tancred to launch a charge. The blow smashing into the enemy’s looping action. Tancred gained glory for the engagement and Tertion was used as a decoy.
Maugers force is warned in of an ambushing force by Olek. They manage to switch their facing and formation to adapt. What was a flank and poorly manned gap, was actually squads of formed up to let cavalry through and their archers and shock troops to throw javelins at the cavalry.
Character Highlights
Mauger – is based on the undocumented infantry commanders that followed Robert Guiscard and threw their lot with bohemmond. A barrel chested warrior, he is the Warmaster training and drilling troops and teaching them formations and array. He is called “the Jarl” as assembles the battalions of Raiders, Archers, and Heavy Infantry fighters under him.
Cedric – The Harrier Capitaine. A man at arms who is surrounded by cavalry scouts who is more senior and experienced than Tancred. Dependable and is the caution Bohemon wants out of Tancred’s experience. Without Bohemmon, Tancred reinforces his statuss over the much older Cedric.
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