Played a modded campaign, skipped the main storyline (just to start with clan companions right away). Mod list:
- Diplomacy
- RTS Camera
- Retinues
- Improved Garrisons
- Governors Handle Issues
- Better Time
- Dismemberment Plus
The logic was simple - maximum army management and customization, keeping the vanilla feel, convenience and time-saving.
The Beginning
After the tragic death of our parents, my siblings and I spent some time in Vostrum making a living through smithing and trading. As our income grew, so did our ambitions, and we eventually launched several caravans across the Southern Empire. On one of those trade runs, we were captured by bandits. Any naive dreams of a peaceful life were shattered for good. First our parents, now prisoners of outlaws.
After roughly two weeks in captivity, Nathanos and I managed to escape back to Vostrum. First order of business: free our younger brother Phasos and our sister Alea. We spent every last coin we had stashed in the city to hire a mercenary band and set out hunting for the bandits. A successful night raid on their camp and the family was whole again.
But something changed in all of us that night. We'd seen death before, but feeling the triumph of victory over two dozen enemies was something new. That same rush pushed us toward the idea of entering service with the Southern Empire as a fighting company. My older brother and I started spending serious time at the arena, competed in tournaments, and occasionally swept the area around Vostrum clean of bandits at the request of local authorities. Meanwhile Phasos and our sister kept running the trading operation.
1084-1091: From Mercenary to the Empress's Son-in-Law
After a string of small successes hunting bandit parties and some tournament wins, in the summer of 1084 we were officially hired by Rhagaea as a fighting unit during the war against the Aserai. But what really accelerated our rise was the outbreak of war with the Northern Empire. Near Saneopa, our unit alongside a few allies helped Pharon - head of the Leoparnides dynasty - survive what could have been a catastrophic defeat against Lucon's army. Pharon became my most important ally, and it was later his advocacy that pushed for land grants to our young clan. In the winter of 1086 Clan Ellianor was founded, and we were ceremoniously granted Rhesos Castle - conveniently protected on all sides by mountain passes. That same year, through a twist of fate and the support of powerful allies, I managed to marry Vasilia, my liege's daughter. I had become the Empress's son-in-law.
1092: First Successful Campaign
During the war against Lucon, several key victories earned me the support of influential noble families - from different imperial splinter factions - by helping allies and releasing defeated opponents. Assembling an army of allied lords and veteran mercenaries, I ran a successful campaign capturing Myzea, Saneopa, and Epicrotea. After the Northern Empire collapsed, Lucon fled to Battania - already battered by wars with its neighbors - and settled in Dunglanys, founding the Principality of Zanclaca. The old bastard refused to give up power even after losing everything, exploiting Battanian internal instability.
1095-1097: First Tensions with My Liege and the Triumph of the Southern Empire
Before she could even recover from the war with Lucon, my mother-in-law - with the backing of half the archons - immediately declared war on the Western Empire. The other half of the families serving the Southern Empire, including my dynasty, considered this reckless. A serious political fracture was forming inside an already weakened imperial fragment. But after assessing my resources and position, I had no choice but to submit to the will of the "future empress." My oath of loyalty was also bound by my marriage to Rhagaea's daughter. Meanwhile Garios suffered crushing defeat after crushing defeat until he finally accepted terms, holding only Zeonica.
Support from the archons of the Southern Empire kept flowing my way. Clan Ellianor's wealth and influence within the Empire continued to grow. Most of my clan's holdings were clustered relatively close together - Saneopa, Amytatis, Epicrotea, Lageta, and several castles - forming a coherent bloc. It was completely obvious this formation gave me a massive strategic advantage against Rhagaea in the event of a rebellion. The major downside: I was sitting in the middle of Calradia, surrounded by non-imperial factions to the north, east, and west.
Forced Army Reforms and Building a Personal Guard
Two drawn-out wars against imperial pretenders - plus shorter campaigns against Battania and the Aserai - gave me a sharp picture of the imperial army's strengths and weaknesses. Using my influence, I decided to reform the imperial troops recruited from my territories (this is where the Retinues mod comes in). The core focus was reforming the imperial legionaries: now equipped with heavy throwing javelins to thin enemy ranks before direct engagement, and medium cavalry armed with falxes capable of rapid repositioning across the battlefield and sustained close-quarters fighting.
The backbone of the cavalry my army needed came from Battanians - renowned for their mastery of the falx - who had refused to serve Lucon and fled south to the regions around Lageta and Epicrotea. Many entered service with my clan and allies, receiving better equipment and horses, forming a new cavalry type: the Falcarius Eques. The infantry remained largely composed of imperial recruits and legionaries, now trained in javelin throwing rather than the pilum.
Gaining influence through victories, I also slowly trained my personal guard (retinues). And yes - even during campaigns I kept smithing alongside my companions, crafting prototype weapons that would eventually form the basis of my reformed units.
1098: The Rebellion Begins
My disagreements with Rhagaea's internal and foreign policy decisions had been building for years. The success and wealth of Clan Ellianor had become a direct threat to Clan Pethros. Seeing how many nobles were behind me, I began plotting against Rhagaea. The ultimate goal was forming an independent state - breaking from outdated imperial law, fully reforming the military, overhauling foreign and tax policy for both lords and peasants. Simply put, many could see the Empire was stagnating in endless war. People needed a new idea. Not every clan of the former Empire agreed with this, especially the oldest dynasties - and that worked against me.
The conspiracy didn't last long. My liege - and mother-in-law - made it absolutely clear: there would be no new imperial split. This wasn't just about holding power and preserving Clan Pethros prestige. It was personal for Rhagaea, because my children were her grandchildren - who effectively became traitors the moment my rebellion began.
1099-1100: The New Kingdom
Using my clan's accumulated wealth and influence, in the first phase of the rebellion I managed to bring several powerful Southern Empire clans over to my side, and even some families from the other imperial fragments - former subjects of Lucon and Garios. The situation was clearly turning against Rhagaea. The reformed troops combined with Battanian mercenary archers were showing reasonable success against imperial legions on the field. Every new engagement taught me more about how to counter them and what my army needed most.
Mid-campaign, a surprise: in the summer of 1098, the Khuzait khans saw the opportunity in yet another imperial split and began raiding both my territory and Rhagaea's. Both of us were now fighting on two fronts simultaneously. Myzea fell first. Within a single year we lost almost all of the northern imperial territories - cities and castles alike - because the primary fight was still with the imperials.
In early 1100, Rhagaea conceded defeat and paid tribute to my new Kingdom of Illiada. The Southern Empire retained Onira, Lycaron, and Vostrum, while I - through successful diplomacy and campaigns - managed to hold the western and central territories of the former Empire and secure the backing of more than half a dozen powerful imperial clans.
1100-1105: Outsmarting the Khuzait
By the time the southern imperials fell, the Khuzait hordes had already swallowed most of Sturgia and half of the Aserai desert. The eastern half of Calradia was at the steppe riders' feet, and they now had their eyes on the central territories where the young Kingdom of Illiada sat. I knew we didn't have the resources for a straight war - but my nobles were demanding we push on and reclaim lost territory.
In spring of 1100 we retook Myzea, though the city was already completely looted. Fighting the Khuzait inside the walls wasn't particularly difficult. But when the battles moved to the open steppe and plains, our only real asset turned out to be the already battle-tested Falcarius Eques. Meanwhile our infantry legions and archers were melting under thousands of horse archer arrows. Unconventional solutions were needed.
Despite the Khuzait's sweeping territorial gains, there were rumors that the Khan was dealing with serious internal disputes over how to divide and govern such an enormous state. I'd heard about a specific situation - a woman named Mesui leading a clan of steppe riders who were deeply unhappy with how the Khan was running things. I decided to exploit it and sent an envoy to her Khergit clan. Negotiations were brief. Mesui agreed to swear fealty to Illiada in exchange for gold and the territories her clan had already taken.
I had no idea this would trigger the collapse of the Khuzait Khanate itself - with roughly ten clans gradually abandoning the Khan over the following years. Some served us as mercenaries guarding Illiada's borders. Others became full members of the royal council. Not every former imperial family was thrilled with my approach, but it was the only viable tactic against such a powerful enemy. Divide and conquer.
Within a couple of years we had not only reclaimed the northern former imperial territories, but also ran a successful campaign into eastern lands previously held by the Aserai, and even pushed into eastern Sturgia with the support of several northern clans that had turned on the Khan.
In 1105, at the Battle of Makeb, my 5,000-strong army - including rebel steppe riders and Sturgians - crushed Monchug Khan's horde that outnumbered us nearly two to one. The Khan's authority was shattered, and the remaining clans kept defecting - either entering our service or retreating into Aserai territory.
1105-1106: Dismantling the Empire and My Fall from Grace
After the Khanate's collapse, Illiada's nobles demanded we take the remaining imperial cities still held by the pretenders. Over a year and a half of campaigning, we deposed Garios and liberated Zeonica, then seized every city still belonging to the Southern Empire's vassals.
The final battle with the southerners was a brutal siege of Onira - its defending legionaries thinned by our heavy infantry and fire ballista strikes. After the victory, entering the throne room, I came face to face with my mother-in-law and the would-be Empress, Rhagaea. Her first words were that she no longer recognized the ambitious young man who once believed in the sacred ideals I used to stand for. She saw a tyrant willing to conquer Calradia at any cost, sacrificing everything for his goal.
The next day she was executed. The day I had once so desperately anticipated - the day any hope of the Empire surviving finally went dark. But from that day forward I never saw my wife in my chambers again. My children were ashamed to speak my name, even though I was a king. Across the kingdom and beyond, people started calling me the Mad King. Instead of the glory of a conqueror and founder of a new world, I became synonymous with cruelty and betrayal. Rhagaea had her revenge from beyond the grave.
1106-1108: The Fall of the Sultanate
The war had no end in sight anymore. I stopped lying to myself. The crack of shields splintering under falx strikes, the whistle of arrows overhead, the rumble of marching legions - this had become daily life. Sultan Unqid Banu Hulyan of the Aserai had been a decent friend of mine since my days in imperial service. But he made the mistake of trying to stab me in the back - he and his vassals decided to reclaim territories that had once belonged to their people, lands they had lost to the steppe riders, who now served my crown. My warriors had bled for that desert. The trade routes there were rivers of gold. I couldn't let the Sultan finish what he started.
I assembled 8,000 veterans and elite mercenaries and marched. Nobody sang on that campaign. Nobody chanted my name or the name of our kingdom. We were going to war for the sake of war.
The Aserai turned out to be the most brutal and cunning opponent we'd ever faced. We lost thousands in that war. Our tactics stopped working the way they used to. The core of Illiada's elite units was ground down under heavy javelins, arrows that blotted out the sun, the draining heat, and endless sand. On that campaign, hunger and thirst turned us into raiders. Savages. Every settlement met us with resistance we eventually broke.
Some clans betrayed the Sultan out of fear of what we represented. Others sold out for gold. Others wanted to hold their lands under a new ruler. The Sultan met the same fate as the would-be Empress. The south fell.
1108-1110: Oblivion
By 1107 Illiada's borders pressed against Vlandia. Derthert had been waiting for our armies since we crushed Lucon's uprising in Battania. After the Khanate fell, nearly all the northern territories the steppe riders had taken came under our control, and the surviving Sturgian princes were fighting each other over whatever scraps of independence remained. The south answered entirely to my crown. And I could no longer stop.
The voices in my head demanded a unified Calradia under a single banner. I stopped asking "why?" and started thinking "how?" The war with Vlandia began.
By then the Illiada army contained horse archers from the conquered steppe, desert mamluk cavalry, imperial cataphracts, Sturgian spearmen, Battanian falx fighters, and every variety of mercenary. We were ready to crush Derthert's knights in open battle - but I fell back on the same tried and true methods.
Gold. I was buying noble lords. Traitors, just like all the ones before them, breaking their oaths to their liege in exchange for coin and land. In my 47th year, I had learned that everything can be bought - even honor. Some eventually betrayed me and were executed or disappeared. Some still believed in the old ideals we'd built Illiada on - ideals that were spoken of less and less openly.
At the battle for Ostican, Derthert's forces outnumbered us two to one. But while the Vlandians were counting the butter in their storehouses, we had been at war for decades. We had become the embodiment of war itself. Not friends - former enemies standing in the same line to take the Vlandian west. No prisoners were taken in that battle, and the city was looted by the Khuzait mercenaries despite my orders to leave the civilians alone.
I let Derthert walk away with his life. No one ever saw him again.
A few months later we marched on Revyl - the last independent city. It looked like a blemish to me now. A dirty stain on the map of a unified Calradia. It was over quickly.
Final Entry:
The damn voices are getting louder. I need war. I've heard there's still an independent seafaring people somewhere to the north...
