[RFC] - Subida de los Conquistadores: The Story of Spain

Rodrigo, in all senses of the word, was a very lucky man. He was lucky to be 6’ 2”, tan, and muscular (quite handsome by the day’s standard). He was lucky to have a beautiful wife, and two beautiful children. He was lucky to be a wealthy as he was. He was lucky to be Count of Madrid. In fact, Rodrigo was lucky to even be alive. Through sheer chance, he had managed to survive the firstborn purges commissioned by Caliph Abd al-Rahman I, three pneumonia outbreaks, a near fatal snakebite, and a stab from a sword that was only several centimeters away from piercing his heart. Indeed, Rodrigo was very lucky. God must have willed that he would live. But to what end? Was he to become a Duke? Or maybe even a king? Rodrigo pondered. He quickly snapped out of his momentary reverie.

“My liege, we still have to review this year’s census results,” his advisor, Mayor Domingo, reminded him. “My liege?”

“What was that? Oh yes, you are right. Let us review this in my study. Send a messenger to fetch Chaplain Jimenez. Tell him to bring the necessary charts.” Rodrigo responded.

This was no time to be daydreaming! There were important matters to be attended to. He dropped his thoughts, focusing on this year’s census. But what he did not realize was that his thoughts did not nearly encompass the whole of what he would become. They were only acorns compared to the oak tree he would be known as years from now. But before that would happen, this young man would have to see the present unfold before his eyes. The present would not be easy. In order to reach heights only thought of in dreams, Rodrigo would be forced to make sacrifices only thought of in nightmares. Hurdles would have to be jumped over, and obstacles would have to be cleared. In the end, it would all be worth it, as the King of Spain, Vanquisher of the Moors, and Savior of all Christendom would take his rightful seat among the likes of Solomon, Alexander, and Caesar.

First Arc: Rodrigo of Castile

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Reserved.

You may now post

So does this mean "Rise of the Reichstag" has been put on hiatus?

Not necessarily. ROTR will still likely take priority over this story, as this will be more of slow-paced narrative type of story. I'll might wait around several weeks before I start this (as I want to accumulate enough updates to stay ahead of my lazy impulses).

Not enough AAR stories around here, glad for another

Yep, things have been getting quieter storywise after RT's story started to wind down.

Many IAARs around, we need more AARs

CaterpillarKing said:

Many IAARs around, we need more AARs

Click to expand...

*coughcough*mystory*coughcough*

Yeah that's one example and so is my Babylon, but there are not as many around as their used to be. Consty hasn't started his yet either.

CaterpillarKing said:

Yeah that's one example and so is my Babylon, but there are not as many around as their used to be. Consty hasn't started his yet either.

Click to expand...

I wish there was an AAR going on that could transform based on Government type. Right now, we get a temporary change then it quickly transforms back into an IAAR or AAR depending on which it was originally.

CaterpillarKing said:

Many IAARs around, we need more AARs

Click to expand...

I did just beat the 7th gym without any deaths. It was very difficult and I got very lucky, though.

First post updated with Chapter 1. Just to inform you, updates will be few and far between.

Nice

Rodrigo was not the only member of his family to be graced by incredible luck. His uncle Garcia had quite a bit of it. When the former Count of Valladolid became embroiled in a bitter spat with his only son, he proclaimed to his entire court during a Christmas feast, “The next person to walk through these doors will be my successor.” Sure enough, that person was Garcia. When the count passed on in the following weeks, Garcia was chosen to be the next count. Eventually, Garcia passed on as well, but not before conquering nearly half of the Duchy of Castile. Having died without any children, Rodrigo’s father, Fernando, inherited the title, eventually finishing off the job to become Duke of Castile. The ensuing plan was that, upon Fernando’s death, the lands would be divided amongst his three sons. The eldest, Diego, would receive the rich, fertile lands around Toledo. This was undoubtedly among the best tracts of land in all of Hispania, let alone Castile. Valladolid, one of the metropolitan centers of Castile, would be the center of the land given to the middle son, Carlos. Rodrigo would be given the central plains, which, although untapped at the moment, was arguably the area with the most potential. This arrangement was agreed to be the best course of action.

Indeed, this was the best option, but it would not suffice for what was to come. Diego would not settle for Toledo alone. He became increasingly power-hungry. Although it was agreed that each son would be given part of the designated land as they came of age, Diego demanded the land up front. An intense argument would ensue, forever changing the course of events.

“It would only be of a benefit to me that I became acquainted with the powers I will eventually have anyway, so there is no point in withholding the land,” Diego told Fernando, his silver tongue, ever deceitful, showing

“Hold on!” Rodrigo interjected. “Why should he have his land up front? It wouldn’t be fair to either of us,” he motioned towards himself and Carlos. His naïve, headstrong personality began to show itself.

“Additionally,” Carlos added, “if Father were to grant all of us our land ahead of time, then he would have none left for himself.” Carlos was nearly always the mediator between Rodrigo and Diego, playing himself as a gentle balance between the two conflicting personalities. Whatever he said (though usually favoring Rodrigo) was generally accepted by both brothers as a fair resolution. But Diego would have none of it this time.

“You two just don’t understand,” he sneered. “I’m the firstborn. It’s the always the firstborn who inherits the father’s land. That’s how the world works. Be a man and realize that you can’t do anything. But you’re too naïve to know that. And if you two are too naïve to see it, then you don’t deserve to inherit anything.”

“Now you just wait a moment!” Rodrigo retorted. “You can’t say that you little-“ He was interrupted by Fernando.

“I’m sure any comments about Diego’s mother can wait, Rodrigo.” Fernando intervened, stepping down from his throne. Diego grinned. “On the other hand,” he continued, turning toward Diego, “Rodrigo and Carlos have a point.” The eldest son’s smile instantly faded, mutating into a surly frown. “Just because you are the eldest son does not mean that you can have all you desire. As the father of all three of you, I must be as fair as I can between you three.”

“But it isn’t fair for me!” Diego protested. “In any other family in any other country, I would inherit the entire duchy! But because I ended up here, I have to cope with your absurd traditions,” he ended in a rather disdainful manner.

“But you must appreciate our customs,” Fernando continued, combating the spontaneous frustration of Diego with his own calmness. “It’s really wonderful, because no son is considered greater than any other. They are all equal.”

“Listen here old man,” Diego started toward Fernando, pulling a knife from his waist. “I don’t give a rat’s behind about your customs.”

Fernando drew his own sword. “Diego, be rational here. Don’t do anything you might regret.”

“I’m not going to regret this,” Diego responded, pulling back his own knife, face full of hatred, ready to strike. Out of the blue, Carlos leaped, just as Diego lunged toward Fernando. But Diego’s knife did not hit its intended target. It instead landed somewhere on Carlos’s upper chest. Diego’s expression faltered, momentarily, from hatred to horror, before he turned and ran out of the palace. Carlos fell to the ground, his body limp and lifeless.

“Carlos!” Rodrigo exclaimed, running toward his body, desperately shaking him.

“It’s no use,” Fernando said with a sigh, grabbing his son by the shoulders and facing him opposite the body. “He’s dead.”

I want to ask you guys your opinion:

Should I change the story to the Dawn of Civilization mod? I'm at about 1400 so far with RFC, but I think DoC would provide for some more interesting opportunities and gameplay. What do you guys think?

I think you should go for it

The aftermath of Carlos’s death had not been a good one for Castile. Although the real cause of death was unknown outside the royal family, it was clear that a rift was forming between father and child. In the meantime, Fernando had come down with severe depression. He did not leave the royal palace for any occasion other than Carlos’s funeral. He became stricken with Typhus, and his body could do nothing to stop it. Rodrigo stood by his father’s side during the entire ordeal, staying with his father to his deathbed. In his effort to curb Diego, Fernando tried to give Carlos’s land (as Carlos died without children) to his illegitimate daughter, Maria. The nobles would have none of it. To give some of the most lucrative land in Hispania to a woman? And an illegitimate minor at that? Impossible. Surely having been bought out, they overruled Fernando’s wishes and awarded Diego not only the land around Valladolid, but suzerainty over the entire Duchy. He was now unstoppable. Diego, Duke of Castile, would not settle for just that. He demanded more. Carving a path of destruction through Northern Iberia, he rallied ten thousand men for war. Rodrigo was forced to provide nearly 800, as he was technically now under the rule of Diego. Leon fell first. Once the strongest Christian power in Hispania, it was reduced to rubble. He took thousands captive, forcing them to either march as part of the army or have their families killed. Diego became infamous for his cruelty. When he traveled west, to Aragon, the King was said to have fainted upon hearing the news. The Kingdom’s entire army was decimated, with only minor casualties on the Castilian side at the Battle of Valencia. The biggest indignation, however, was still to come.

For years, the Basque nation of Navarra had been the largest opponent of Diego’s. They knew Diego would need time to muster up enough troops to defeat them. So they bided their time, lying in wait, hoping that the hills of Basque country would give them the decisive advantage. When the time came, they were proven so very wrong. Diego’s sheer strength in numbers allowed him to rout the Navarran force. With some forces reporting up to 30,000 men in the Castilian army, the Basque levy only amounted to some 7,500 troops. It was not without cost for Diego, though. The initial charge up the hills of Pamplona cost some five thousand Castilian troops, with barely hundreds lost of the Navarrans. The defenders staved off three more charges, killing another 9,000 with 3,000 losses of their own, before they eventually could not survive another charge. The fifth charge broke through the defensive line, with the famed “Toledo Calvary” leading the way. King Eneko, recognizing his army’s defeat, ordered a full retreat back to the city of Santander. Diego’s army followed, where they besieged the city for a long nine months. Eventually, Diego, tired of the continuing siege, ordered a full-scale assault on the city. Again, through sheer numbers, his army managed to massacre nearly all of the defenders, and Diego claimed to have personally slain King Eneko. The Castilian soldiers ransacked the city, going on a spree of looting, raping, and pillaging. Before the sun rose the next day, the city was no more. Over 25,000 Navarran soldiers and civilians had been killed in that timespan. Another 4,000 had been taken captive, mostly women and serfs. Diego, now controlling almost all of northern Hispania, sent emissaries to the remaining independent states. Most willingly surrendered, but the Duchy of Asturias resisted. Diego, with seemingly the flick of a wrist, had Asturias conquered. He rode to Asturias, where he had himself crowned, with over forty-five thousand spectators observing, King of Castile.

Definitely DoC.

Would the next update feature the first few screenshots for the story?