Crusader Kings Chronicle, part 2: 1076 - 1086 A.D.

True colors are revealed

October 24, 1085: King Erik of Denmark declines to send aid to the Munsterian war against Breifne.

What a dick! My father lost his mental faculties fighting like a beast to help Erik win some backwater province on the other side of Europe. And he can't spare, maybe a couple hundred of his 4000 freaking soldiers to help put down a rebellion really quick? Some friend he turned out to be.

December 9, 1085: The Munsterians defeat the Breifneans at the Battle of Bunratty, slaying some two-thirds of the traitors while losing only 65 loyal men. On New Year's Eve, 44 more rebels are cut down in their camps, though joined by 62 fresh men led by Amalgaid, bringing their numbers back over 150.

January 10, 1086: The main Breifnean host is killed or captured down to a man at the Battle of Gowran. The Munsterians move north to besiege Der-Lugdach in her seat at Castle Dromahair.

March 7, 1086: Munster's former marshal, Tadg macDiarmait, is married to Princess Constance, a daughter of the late King William the Conqueror. This brings the first Norman blood into a lesser branch of House ua Brian. Constance is the mother of the current Duke Robert of Cornwall, one of the Seven Pretenders to the throne of England.

I'll be honest, I did this to get back at Erik. He supports King Magnus II of Norway for King of England, but after the massive middle finger the Danes just gave me, I sure as hell no longer do. This marriage will put me in league with England's Norman claimants, which will hopefully send a message to Denmark about what happens when they don't reciprocate Munster's friendship.

March 20, 1086: Rebellion! Lord Mayor Skofte of Ormond declares independence from Munster, and raises his armies to oppose Duke Brian. Upon hearing this, Brian's armies abandon the siege of Dromahair and rush away south to meet the Ormondian traitors.

Well, that wasn't entirely unexpected. Skofte has never liked me, and he's Norwegian. Apparently throwing my lot in with a Norman pretender to the kingdom he still believes rightfully belongs to Norway was the last straw. Now I'm embroiled in two wars: one with Der-Lugdach in the North, and one with Skofte in the South. Can the House of ua Brian withstand such strife and arise as the High Kings of Ireland?

You'll just have to come back next week to find out!

Contributor

Len Hafer is a freelancer and lifelong PC gamer with a specialty in strategy, RPGs, horror, and survival games. A chance encounter with Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness changed her life forever. Today, her favorites include the grand strategy games from Paradox Interactive like Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis, and thought-provoking, story-rich RPGs like Persona 5 and Disco Elysium. She also loves history, hiking in the mountains of Colorado, and heavy metal music.

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