A Knife of the Keenest Steel - a mini-CK2 Zoroastrian AAR

[garbon]

"A knife of the keenest steel requires the whetstone, and the wisest man needs advice." - Zoroaster

This small AAR is the conclusion of my long running Zoroastrian game. This marks my first ever AAR as well as what will be the first time I've ever finished a CK2 campaign. Current plan is to eventually port this over to EU4*, though early tests show that I will likely need to do a bit of modding on the export to get it up to snuff.

*and maybe ambitiously a spin in Vic2!

Part 1: 1400-1404 "A Vicious Queen"
Part 2: 1404-1410 "Aspiring Star"
Part 3: 1410-1417 "War Interlude"
Part 4: 1417-1424 "Realms Torn Asunder"
Part 5: 1424-1432 "The Fadeout"
Part 6: 1432-1437 "And now for the stunning conclusion in 2 parts"

[garbon]

1400-1404

As the year 1400 opens, Empress Golshan of the Karen Empire sees the start of her 68th year of rule on the Imperial Throne. Inheriting the imperial dignity at the tender age of 1 (her father, a comely youth, had succumbed to consumption), there was little to suggest that her reign would be anything but brutal and short. Ohrmazd looked kindly upon the poor babe providing her with a quick succession of talented regents who oversaw the preservation of the realm until she assumed her majority. Rather than crumbling, under Golshan, the Empire saw a renewed period of vigour and prosperity. Not a bad legacy for the first female head of the Karen dynasty.



Much can be said for the state of the Empire that she inherited. East from her capital, the ancient city of Laodikea, lay the great Persian Empire - the original genesis of Karen might. Several hundred years ago her ancestor had partitioned away the original Persian homeland, leaving the Karen Empire firmly in control of Europe and Arabia.



To the west and north lay a flurry of minor states and kingdoms that also owed their genesis to her Karen ancestors.







Belief in the teachings of Zoroaster had reached new heights. With the exception of the Sunni states of Mauretania and Umayyad in West Africa, the minor polities of the Indian subcontinent, the tiny slavic state of Pinsk and a forgettable Komi state on the edge of the steppes, all of the known world holds faith in the knowledge of the opposing principles of Spenta and Angra Mainyu.



Recognizing that the only credible external danger to the realm stemmed from the ambitions of the neighboring Persian Empire, one of Golshan's regents hatched upon the plan to marry her off to a distant cousin, the great Shahanshah Bahman.



While the marriage served the purpose of keeping the two realms at peace, it was destined to be neither a happy nor a fruitful one, with Golshan giving birth to just one son (who was murdered by a vengeful cousin shortly after his birth) and three daughters. Tongues wagged aggressively in the two imperial courts about the inabilities of the sovereigns to sire a true born male to inherit both realms as well as speculation on what it might mean for the Karen Empire to be headed by yet another female.

Shortly after the birth of their final daughter, Parvin, Golshan was mortified by Bahman's decision to not only draw attention to his dalliance with a scullery maid (not even a proper concubine) but to actually legitimize the terrible product of their union. After lengthy consideration, Golshan announced formally that she had no love for her husband and that she intended to seek a divorce. Rightly recognizing who paid for his lifestyle, the moabadan-moabad granted the divorce. It was at this time that people around Europe and Asia began to speak of the cruel nature of Golshan. What woman would take such an unnatural step as to divorce her husband? Bitter, Golshan latched on to her rumoured persona and would carry out a long streak of cruel acts in her waning years.


Heir to the Karen Empire, Shahdokht Parvin and her husband a claimant to the Khivan & Khazarian thrones

In fact, just as the tengri forces of a mongol named Timur attacked the Persian Empire, Golshan would declare war on her former husband. Nominally, in a bid to free the kingdom of Khazaria, she wanted to hold up the Persian army allowing the mongols to rampage largely unchecked. Though immediately successful in both aims, the Khazarian kingdom would quickly thereafter fall to the Khivan crown (largest vassal of Persia). Meanwhile through her spiteful divergence of Persian forces, Timur would desecrate a Zoroastrian holy site as part of his inevitable conquest of Afghanistan.



The year 1400 opens with a couple developments. Golshan, tired of increasing rebellions in northern Italy, bids farewell to those vassals and grants them independence. May they fare better on their own without the protection of the Empire.



She also moves to send troops to help her beleaguered brothers of the faith, the Zartoshids, who are under attack by the heathens of Mauretania. Upon landing, the troops make haste to relieve Zartoshid forces that are being overwhelmed.



To pass the time while waiting for word of the battle, Golshan calls for a distant Persian-born relative to be brought forth from the dungeon for her amusement.



Despite vigorous torture, her cousin doesn't die and is only moderately wounded.



Making it in time, the Karen forces obliterate the Sunni troops at the decisive battle of Muaskar.



Shortly after the defeated Sultan begs for peace. Victory for the Zoroastrians!



At once, Golshan orders preparations to commence for a celebration not only of the victory but of her upcoming 70th birthday.



The day comes and not one vassal has dared to disobey her summons.



Unfortunately, while everyone attends, the only notable things are said by absolute nobodies. While a few praise the food, many others give Golshan the insult of refusing to heartily partake of the refreshments provided.



Yet, all in all, the feast is deemed a smashing success. So much so that no celebrating is to be held for her upcoming Platinum Jubilee.



Casting about for some adventure to mark her 70th year of life, Golshan decides to meddle in the neighboring region of Tartaria. Her agents locate a minor noble in Gallipoli with a respectable claim to the Satrapy of Crimea. To war, the Empire goes again.



As expected Tartarian forces crumble quickly and in short order, the war concludes.



Concerned for the safety of his new lands, the satrap graciously accepts Golshan's offer to join the Empire. For his faithfulness, Golshan magnanimously grants him the Shadom of Taurica.



Meanwhile, emboldened by Golshan's grants of independence to northern Italy, a greek upstart raises the banner of revolt in Amalfi.



Like a hand swatting a fly, Karen forces move in and quickly neutralize the peasant rabble.



Not at all satied from the minor skirmishes in Crimea, Golshan casts her mischevious eye north to the Fathid Shahdom. Currently under the rule of a young shah, Golshan moves to foist a middle-aged woman on the thone in hopes of destabilizing the shahdom.



Her steward notes that a special war tax prepared for the campaign was diligently collected and he proudly presents the sum to Golshan.


Her coffers already teeming with nearly 80,000 ducats, Golshan orders him to take the sum to the treasury without even taking note of the sum. Counting money is for little people, she muses.

Alas, that spiteful pronouncement is to be her last. In the morning, Golshan is found to have passed away in her sleep. The Karen Empire will now be headed by the Empress Parvin. Long live the Empress!

[garbon]

1404-1410

Though Golshan had insisted in taking a direct part in some aspects of her heir's education, Parvin is of a different stripe from her mother. Lacking as much to prove, as the second Karen Empress, she is of a content spirit, happy to defer to the counsel of her husband. From her mother, she did inherit a wicked streak of pride and an undying hatred of the lands of her unfaithful father. Some at court whisper of her unhappiness that had it not been for her sex, she would have inherited realms from both parents.





Still disgusted at the prospect of yet another female ruler, Golshan's entire council resigns. Parvin is unfazed by the resignations as it allows her to stack her council with loyal men of her own choosing. [I think this was actually a bug as ledger showed that there were no holdings in Parvin's realm - so I duly saved and reloaded game. ]



Still the changeover in monarchs is a peaceful one with only a few nobles openly voicing discontent.



Pregnant at the time of her accession, Parvin names her infant daughter after her departed mother.



Upon her husband's advice, Parvin decides to continue the prosecution of war against the Fathids. Shortly after the battle of Liptovsky Mikulas, the young shah concedes defeat.





Apparently terrified of what would happen to him, the deposed shah flees to a distant court.



At home, Parvin follows the Karen custom of betrothing her son and heir to her eldest daughter. Following court ceremonial set down by Golshan, the betrothal specifies her daughter Nazilla as the party accorded precedence in the marriage. Legally it has no real impact as Mashad stands to inherit the realm.  Parvin also takes the step of giving her husband free reign in how Mashad is to be educated.



A few short years later, Mashad comes of age. A tough soldier, he also shows some skill in diplomacy. Regrettably, this brave young man is too kind for his own good and shows no head for balancing a budget. It is a good thing the Empire is so wealthy.

In hopes of him gaining experience, Parvin alienates a few lands from her personal holdings and designates her son as Satrap of Cairo.


Golshan's aim for the Fathid Shahdom comes to fruition with a young soldier claiming said throne for the Mushids. Predictably widespread disorder takes place.



Meanwhile, Italy sees the rise of a more serious rebellion that hopes to unite the Italian peninsula. 



Said rebellion fares no better than previous attempts and is quickly subdued.



At about this time, Parvin's husband, Gholam asks Parvin to undertake efforts to gain him at least one the kingdoms that he has claim on. Parvin is delighted about the idea of attacking Persia but freely notes that Gholam lacks sufficient support and his claim is regrettably scoffed at in the Persian lands. Quick to mollify him, Parvin suggests that perhaps she could get license from the moabadan-moabad to declare an invasion for the Persian Empire. With control of the Empire she could then grant her husband any lands he desires. Satisfied with the plan, Gholam pushes her to request sanction for their scheme.



As overawed of Parvin as he was of her mother, the head priest of the Zoroastrian religion readily grants license to move against the Persian monarch.



In hopes of ensuring victory, Parvin dispatches a diplomat to suggest Timur lead a simultaneous invasion. Their combined forces of 300,000 would dwarf the 120,000 that the Persian Shahanshah can muster.

On the eve of the declaration, Parvin receives less than stellar news that the Mushid prince has managed to unite the former Fathid Shahdom. All that work for naught. She hopes her Persian invasion will fare far better.


Mushid Shahdom in 1410

[Jacob]

I love CK2 AARs

[Norgy]

 

I've only just started reading, but will definitely finish.
Well done, garbon.

[garbon]

I can see why we have so many abandoned AARs. This shit be tiring/time-consuming!

I will press on though!

[Valmy]

I can see why we have so many abandoned AARs. This shit be tiring/time-consuming!

I will press on though!

I HAVE NOT ABANDONED!!

Just I got busy.

[garbon]

I can see why we have so many abandoned AARs. This shit be tiring/time-consuming!

I will press on though!

I HAVE NOT ABANDONED!!

Just I got busy.

I was not calling you out.

I meant over the life of languish.

[Caliga]

Alot of them probably stem from RAGE QUITS that the poster would rather not disclose.

[garbon]

1410-1417 - War Interlude

To start off the war, Parvin's hastily assembled war council has messengers sent around the realm to announce that every shah and satrap is to ready an army fit for battle. The last grand mobilization order had been made back in the halcyon days of the Karen Shahdom, when a Shah had mobilized a great host to destroy the Abbasid Caliphate. At that time the army had been raised to destroy an existential foe. Despite claims that Persia is such a foe, most nobles unhappily lament that they are being asked to fund the unnecessarily grandiose schemes of the Empress.



Not willing to take any chances, Parvin also hires as many mercenaries willing to fight for her cause. It'll be expensive but well worth if it if they turn the tide of battle towards victory.



As a strategy for war, the council has decided to overextend the Persians by drawing up along 3 major fronts - an invasion into the heart of the Khazarian lands, a feint into Georgia, and a large concentration of forces along the Armenia-Iraq border.





Stated war aims are to snatch the imperial crown of Persia from Kavadh IV, as well as conquer enough direct territories to grant a sizable demesne to Gholam.


The enemy, the elderly Kavadh IV, half-brother of Empress Parvin

Facing no resistance in Khazaria, holdings quickly fall to the Karen forces.



A different picture is painted in Georgia where about 18000 Persian troops meet the mercenary forces shipped over from Constantinople. While the mercenaries outnumber the Persian forces, it will be tricky to draw them into the perfect trap with the mountains making it difficult to keep Karen forces supplied.



The first major engagement of the war takes place just outside the village of Dzegh. Karen mercenary forces just barely outnumber Persian forces; the latter with a distinct terrain advantage.



Thankfully the 2nd set of mercenaries finish off their minor skirmish in time to support their flagging brethren.




After a few more battles, a Persian emissary arrives in the Karen capital with an offer of surrender. Parvin is uninterested in peace as her forces have not taken direct control of enough territory and she isn't interested in acquiring the Persian vassals en masse.

At about this time, with the Persian forces somewhat broken, Timur decides to declare war, hoping to conquer the shahdom of Persia. Parvin's war council is split between those who want to push for more spoils and those who counter that they should be united with their Persian co-religionists against this foreign conqueror. The former carry the day and war continues unchecked.


[I didn't notice it, but sometime before this 1400 AAR start, Timur gave up being mongol and adopted Persian customs]

After Karen mercenaries trounce the Persian army at the Battle of Barda, the Persian Shahanshah belatedly requests the Empire of Tartaria and Shahdom of Abyssinia to support him against Karen aggression.





Abyssinian forces sneak upwards into Egypt while Karen troops lay a smackdown on a combined Tartaria-Persia venture.





At about this time, Gholam reaches out to remind his wife about how she promised to grant him a title. Parvin cannot believe what she is hearing; does he really not recognize that all of this is for him? Gholam counters that if the intention was just to acquire him some land, well that goal was met along time ago. Fuming Parvin takes the uncharacteristically bold act of ordering her guards to escort Gholam out of her sight.



Hoping to save Persia, a modest Zoroastrian host rises against Timurid forces. Predictably their nascent rebellion is quickly crushed.




Vassals of the Persian Empire - featuring mega Khiva

Taking advantage of the fact that her Empire is bordered by the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean, Parvin orders an expeditionary force to harass Persian lands along the mouth of the Indus River.



With Persia distracted in her core lands by the Timurids (and forces in the area destroyed earlier at the battle of Arslanbek), Karen troops march forward unopposed and by the start of 1413 have taken most of the Khazarian holdings. An occupying force of 12,000 strong are left behind to finish conquering the region while the main troops rush headlong into the heart of Khiva.  All councillors agree that the massive shahdom would prove quite a hassle if not crippled prior to the war's end.



1414 rolls in with war still raging. Rushing to conquer territory as quickly as they can, a portion of the Karen forces in Khiva find that they have rushed headlong into a Persian ambush. Unfortunately other Karen forces are too far away and after the dust has settled, the Karen troops limp away from Ugrench with only a few thousand men still alive.



In the morning, Parvin receives news that Gholam has failed to rise out of bed. The court physician explains that while he is still alive, it is as if he has entered a very deep slumber.  If only I had granted him the lands he wanted, she thinks. Distraught her spirits only raise slightly when she receives word of a military victory in Iraq.





Meanwhile, Parvin's second son, Ghobad, comes of age. Prone to gluttony, cruelty, deceit and pride, Parvin thanks Ohrmazd that Ghobad is not her primary heir. Nevertheless he is a crown prince and she makes arrangements for his betrothal to her youngest daughter.





To Parvin's dismay, additional foes join up against her invasion of Persia. Astabadh Zartosht notes that while the various allies know that the war will end with a Karen victory, they have joined up as a call for an end to this long running war. Quietly, Parvin suggests that perhaps it would be best if her astabadh were to take a tour of the provinces for a time.



In a further downturn, Gholam is found dead in his bed having never woken for his comatose state. A heartbroken Parvin states her intentions to refrain from remarriage out of respect for her husband's memory.
[The game is really harsh on "older" women. There's no one listed in marriage screen apart from two lowborn Jewish characters!]



Her half-brother has also passed away leaving Persia in the hands of his diplomatic son, Jahangir. A nephew of Parvin, he tries to make a plea for peace but depressed by the recent loss of her husband, she sends his envoys away without even hearing the proposal.



The close of 1415 sees most of western Persia under Karen occupation.



By 1417, all sides are tired of war. Having received word that Karen forces are near mutiny, Parvin's council reaches out to Shahanshah Jahangir to see if he would be amenable to peace. His replies in the affirmative, offering to hand over all lands in Persia and all currently occupied.





Seeing the wisdom in making sure she can keep onto her throne, Parvin accedes to her council's demands and a peace treaty is signed. It has been a long 7 years but now there is finally peace.





As her council begins to plan how to split up the spoils of the war, Parvin announces that she would like them to factor into the plans, how best to carry out the dissolution of the Persian Empire. Having seen, the detested realm cause strife in both her marriage and her mother's, she now desires nothing more than to see the Persian imperial regalia destroyed. A new day is dawning.

[grumbler]

Thanks for posting this.  Very interesting.  How did you arrange/find/whatever that alt-hist startup?

[garbon]

Thanks for posting this.  Very interesting.  How did you arrange/find/whatever that alt-hist startup?

Thanks.

So I started this game in the Old Gods start in 867 (some screenshots from it are in the main CK2 thread). Once I'd got large enough to take over Persia, Arabia and Asia Minor, it then started being rather easy to snipe out the various other states around the map. I've always found with CK2 though that I get more mileage out of games if I start partitioning up my territory (stop being such a crazy large blob), so I struck upon the goal of wiping out Christianity and replacing various states/kingdoms with Zoroastrian counterparts.

Was only in 14th century that I had partitioned enough away that I could start writing an AAR that wouldn't consist of bits like "and then we released all of Iberia for no particular reason."   As I noted, I'm interested in taking this into a EU4 conversion*, so I figured giving myself the task of writing an AAR for just a period of 45 years would be good practice on that.

Now I need to get myself writing again. Bit of a backlog as I've already all the screenshots for the next two parts!

*on that front, I read this mega-campaign AAR by Wiz that I found really fascinating.
http://lparchive.org/Paradox-Hohenzollern/

[Queequeg]

[grumbler]

Thanks.

So I started this game in the Old Gods start in 867 (some screenshots from it are in the main CK2 thread). Once I'd got large enough to take over Persia, Arabia and Asia Minor, it then started being rather easy to snipe out the various other states around the map. I've always found with CK2 though that I get more mileage out of games if I start partitioning up my territory (stop being such a crazy large blob), so I struck upon the goal of wiping out Christianity and replacing various states/kingdoms with Zoroastrian counterparts.

Was only in 14th century that I had partitioned enough away that I could start writing an AAR that wouldn't consist of bits like "and then we released all of Iberia for no particular reason."   As I noted, I'm interested in taking this into a EU4 conversion*, so I figured giving myself the task of writing an AAR for just a period of 45 years would be good practice on that.

Now I need to get myself writing again. Bit of a backlog as I've already all the screenshots for the next two parts!

Ah, that's why it starts out so unfamiliar - its in progress at the start.  I like that approach.  Its fresh (for me, at least).  I may do that in my WitP AE AAR.

[11B4V]

Very well done.