The Downfall of the Rhodok Empire

Possibly the most interesting scenario that has occurred throughout my save. The Kingdom of Swadia was on its knees as their lands fell to the power of the Rhodoks. Under Count Reland as our marshal, we won victory after victory until the Swadians were reduced to a single castle, Tilbaut Castle. One more siege and they would finally be extinct. However, King Graveth made a fatal decision by deciding to let Harlaus and his remaining goons rot there until the end of their days. We did as he commanded, and left the Swadians alone. https://imgur.com/oBzD62H

We decided to grow our empire by conquering fiefs from the Nords and Sarranids until our empire stretched from the deserts of Shariz to the coast of Tihr. There was no Nordic or Sarranid foe that could match the common man with a crossbow. Afterward, our Empire experienced a golden age of peace and prosperity as no kingdom dared to face our wrath. Bored of the long peace, Graveth greedily feasted in Jelkala every month, becoming the man he swore to defeat. We were all blinded by the golden age that we didn't realize that the Swadians were secretly preparing to reclaim their lost lands.

Tired of hunting down looters and harassing Count Tansugai, I sought a task from King Yarolek to collect taxes from one of his fiefs not far from my current location. A simple duty I presumed; I wouldn't have to worry about simple bandits with my retinue of knights, sharpshooters, and armored sergeants. As I fulfilled his task, a messenger rode to me with haste. He handed me not one, but four declarations of war against the Rhodok Empire. https://imgur.com/uJQMFI4

The Swadians orchestrated all of this. They made trade agreements with the Sarranids and a truce with the Vaegirs and Nords while conquering the last Khergit lands.
https://imgur.com/1a5K9HG

I had to return to Almerra Castle to raise an army, but a Vaegir ambush caught all of us off-guard. Hundreds of Vaegirs slaughtered my small retinue in their own woods. Men that had fought with me since the Swadian Conquests and before, butchered like animals. My courser, with whom I developed a close bond with, was killed by a volley of arrows. Instead of dying alongside them in battle, I was given the humiliation as their prisoner. https://imgur.com/kz3HKvx

The gods gave me mercy and I escaped from captivity alongside my companions. When I returned home, everything took a turn for the worse. The Empire lost Dhirim, Shariz, Tihr, and many castles in the span of a week. The marshal called all the lords for a campaign, who were all slaughtered by the combined strength of the Sarranid-Swadian-Nord-Vaegir Alliance. Many of my enterprises were shut down, our armies were destroyed quicker than they can be built, and our economy plummeted. https://imgur.com/Z1m5wkU

Hundreds of my men were captured in the siege of Knudarr Castle. Knights, Sergeants, and Sharpshooters all gone in the blink of an eye. I resorted to recruiting cutthroats, bastards, and deserters, in exchange for my personal honor. Of course, they all were buried in the ground like anyone else. https://imgur.com/osPDPLn

The Swadians conquered their lost territory and were welcomed by the people on their return. Morale was low as every attempt we try to launch results in Swadian victory. When Harlaus returned to Praven, all hope was lost. An empire lost because of a simple, stupid mistake to not destroy the Swadians at Tilbaut Castle. A long era of peace resulting in a bloody war that ruined the lives of lords and serfs alike. Now a new dominance had returned to Calradia.

Submitted December 26, 2019 at 01:03AM by Jonat818 https://ift.tt/34Q2Mxi