This is an AAR (After Action Report) of a playthrough of Crusader Kings II. I will be playing as a created character in the 769 start. Updates will be mostly written from an in-character perspective. I won't go into detail about the game mechanics, but instead I shall focus on roleplaying the characters I play. There might be viewer participation later on, but things will likely start off simple. I won't be using any mods for this playthrough for the sake of simplicity.
#001 - Lothar I, count of Lyon and Forez
Anno domini DCCLXIX. It has been scarcely a year since the king Pepin passed. His realm, once mighty and united, has been divided between his two sons, Karl of Neustria, king of the western Franks, and Karloman, king of Austrasia. The tensions between brothers are mounting and it seems that peace shall not last in the land of Christendom. In the south the feeble Visigothic kingdom of Asturias struggles for survival against the mighty Caliphs of Andalusia. It is clear that without aid from the Franks Christianity shall perish in Hispania. Meanwhile, in the east the Lombard kings dominate Italia. They have long been foes of the Franks, but the wise king Karloman brokered peace between his peoples and the Lombards and secured it by marrying a Lombard princess.
The younger Karloman is well known throughout the land as a wise and just king, much like his father. His peace loving nature has earned him the love of both the Romans and the Germans living in his realm. In his domain diligent peasants till the fertile lands, safe from the raids of the eastern pagans. He is a learned man, knowledgeable in matters of law both canonical and secular. The sun shines with the blessings of God upon his bountiful land, as his vigilant vassals secure the land from any threats. Most importantly, his marriage has proved fruitful as his blessed wife had borne him a healthy son. Karloman is a fit successor to king Pepin, and possibly the only man fit to wipe the stain of his usurper grandfather, Karl Martel.
The elder, Karl, is a man utterly dissimilar to his brother. He has a cruel, warlike nature that can only lead to suffering of his hopeless subjects. He rules with an iron hand and crushes all dissent with his rampaging hordes of savage raiders. Every man who dares oppose his will is swiftly put to the sword. The teachings of the Holy Mother Church are perverted with his tacit consent, and heresy flourishes. He is, aptly, named after his abhorrent grandfather who wrested the crown from the rightul king and gave it to his son, Pepin. His darkened loins have already brought upon this world two abominations of adultery, said to look like animals rather than like children. It is said that in the dark, unlit chambers of his castle plots and intrigues are common. It is obvious that he plans to wage war upon his own people, the fiend! What have the Franks done to deserve such a tormentor? How long must the servants of Christ wait 'til a rightful king returns and brings law to the lawless and peace to the warmongers?
Near the banks of the river Rhone lies the city of Lugdunum, once centre of Gallia. It's days of glory had long since passed, and after the Burgundians fled from the Hunnic hordes the city was no more than a ruin. This was to change when the Franks had come to settle the land after subjugating the Visigoths and the Burgundians. Soon, germanic settlers arrived from the north and mingled with the Romans of the south. The land, once barren, gave fruit once more under the watchful eyes of Frankish kings. The realm was large, however, too large to be administered by one man only, and so the wise kings had bestowed land upon their loyal warriors. Sadly, after Karl Martel perverted the laws of the realm, many of the vassals had become indulgent and lazy, but nowhere as much as on the bountiful banks of the Rhone. The lords of that land had grown fond of drink and dice and the land had fallen once more into lawlessnes and despair. But he who sows wind reaps the whirlwind, for from sin rose the most awful of fiends, evil to the core. When the corrupt family feasted, one of their own had poisoned them all and seated himself upon the throne he seized from his family. This kinslayer was Lothar, count of Lyon and Forez. He reigns there now still, his heart blackened with sin, for he is an abomination prone to all kinds of vice. A bastard son of the old Count of Lyon, he outdoes the father he killed in depravity. He does not only commit each and every one of the Seven Deadly sins, but also adds several ones of his own. When he grabbed the title, he was but sixteen years of age, a child still! It was then that he acquired his infamous title, the bastard of Lyon.
Under the indulgent reign of his now dead family the land had grown poor. Their manor of Pusignan was but a tower among lonely trees surrounded by their thugs, ready to serve their fiend lord any was he pleased.
The county was ruled by Lothar alone. It adhered to salic law, splitting inheritance among the sons as is tradition among the Franks. Lothar was bereft of an heir, however. This meant that upon his death the land would revert to his liege, king Carloman of Middle Francia. Oh, if only the beast had died then! Perhaps the king would have reclaimed the land for Christendom and led his people towards a bright future? Alas, that was not to be.
Lothar was not contented by absolute rule, his greedy nature always guiding his actions. Nothing could ever satisfy his ambition and he soon proclaimed that not even his own servants would be exempt from his greed. The barons and bishops and burghers would curse this day for generations to come...
Lothar would not be satisfied with mere whores, sadly. He turned his attention to archbishop Odoacer of Valais, a most wicked priest. The two had quickly come to an understanding as the unbelieving priest sold his own daughter, Lantsuinda, to Lothar and promised to wed the two himself. The mother of the girl was a true saint, but not even her begging could have saved her daughter from the defiling touch of Lothar.
Soon, Lothar surrounded himself with a coterie of claqueurs. First of them was Henry of the Eggplant, supposedly called so because of his darkened and oversized manhood. It is said that he had met Lothar in one of the brothels in Lyon and impressed him by spitting out profane vulgarities for as long as the bells of the city church tolled. His fast talking gob had gotten him the position of chancellor. The second was Guaifer, a dull thug whose only quality was his undying loyalty to the count. He took the dual duties of marshal and gardener. The third was Berengario, a greedy pig of a merchant, who earned his fortune by scamming the poor folk and stealing the coin of men killed by the Moors. Worst of all, he was a Visigoth! The fourth was the pious bishop Gozhelm. He was the only noble man in this congregation of filth, and his position of chaplain was likely given to him only because of the wit he displayed while giving out sermons. Lothar had also found himself a confidante in the form of Ricchar, a man not notable in any way. He became chief among servants and soon began to sniff out all those who would harm his master.
Lothar's greed was unsatiable and he turned toward extortion to fill his coffers with gold. Marshal Guaifer had led his thugs into the countryside of Forez and Lyon and took everything of value from the poor folk in the region. When they dared speak up and elected a man to speak on their behalf, the heretic count had enthralled him with a spell. Worst of all, when the Bastard of Lyon was done robbing his own land, he elected to rob the land of his noble neighbours and proclaimed that in his demesne no man will have to pay tax for the next five years. Soon, destitute peasants flocked to Lyon and Forez, abandoning their former masters and making a new life under a lord they could not know was evil.
The tyrant wasn't done yet, however. He had used his visigothic minion to strike a deal with peddlers in the city of Lyon. In exchange for an exorbitant sum, the merchants had bought several large plots of land in the city and established industry there. Thus Lothar sold his birthright for gold, while foreign merchants lured honest tradesmen into what could only be bondage in workshops.
Soon, Lothar had found his wealth growing ever larger. Wise men of the realm whispered that this prosperity could only have been brought by the aid of Satan and later events have proven them right.
As peasants flocked to Forez from all over the kingdom, the old customs of Romans were abandoned. The newcomers soon became more numerous than the locals.
The pope was shocked by the depravity instituted by Lothar and demanded he cease his sinful ways. There was no response to the letter he sent to Pusignan. Lothar would bow neither to man nor to God. Lothar cared not for tradition not did he care for law when they stood in his way. Sadly, no amount of gold could ever sate that despicable thirst. No, that thirst coud only be sated by one thing.
Blood.
And he would have his fill.
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Topic: Bastard of Lyon - a Crusader Kings II AAR (Read 4350 times)