Isabella and the Chamber of Secrets

Nad

Known Troublemaker
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With thanks to Jack Merchant and JK Rowling.


Ferdinand stared at the comatose figure of his wife. Though a thousand different questions clashed against a thousand difficult troubles in the labyrinth of his thoughts, at that moment he could only stand and watch his wife's peaceful slumber.

"How beautiful she looks," he whispered, a soliloquy. "How calm and restful. How composed is her posture, how serene her expression. Surely there must be some mistake?"

He turned slowly towards the entrance to her chamber. Standing patiently beside the door was Raul, Isabella's closest advisor, and unbeknown to her, one of her husband's most trusted agents. In a marriage of politics, though Ferdinand admired his enigmatic wife, he never fully trusted her. Recent events were seemingly confirming his suspicions.

As Raul turned to bow to his liege, the expression he bore dispelled any thought Ferdinand may have had that somewhere there had been a mistake. Though Raul ultimately answered to Ferdinand, his service to Isabella had long ceased to be duplicitous. He loved the queen, that was open knowledge. But Raul's love was not one that demanded reciprocity, it was not a love that gave Ferdinand cause for jealousy, nor was it a love to waggle the tongues of royal gossipmongers. Raul's love for Isabella was a gift he gave her daily, expecting nothing in return. He walked at her side, his love for her a torch to guide her footsteps along whatever path she trod. His service was genuine. Though Isabella was not aware that Raul was in Ferdinand's pay, even if she had known that, it would have made little difference to her relationship with Raul. He was a trusted friend more than a royal advisor.

Thus the anguished look of despair on a trusted friend's face dispelled any last argument Ferdinand may have had that there had been a mistake.

"How did she get like this?" he asked Raul slowly, as they quietly departed Isabella's chamber and headed towards one of the study chambers.

"I know not, my Lord. It is near two months since last I saw her. After our business concluded in Rome, she dispatched me to Venice to conclude the trade agreements with the merchants' guild, while she herself set back to Castille with the court."

Ferdinand drew a chair at a desk and bade Raul to sit also, so they could talk face-to-face. "Castille? But she did not come back to Castille! And now she returns with a remnant of an army and we learn we are at war with our ally, Francis! What is happening here?"

Raul shook his head slowly, his despair obvious.

"What is it?" asked Ferdinand, in a tone suggesting he was dreading the answer.

"It appears the reports are true, my Lord. I have questioned the soldiers of her bodyguard. Though it is difficult to piece together the full incident, the bodyguards confirm they fought alongside a mercenary army at Toulouse. They say....they say, the fight was at the express behest of Her Majesty....they....". Raul's voice trailed off. He gulped in an effort to clear his throat and urge his mouth the speak the words his heart could scarcely comprehend.

"What?" intoned Ferdinand in a strangled voice he scarcely recognized as his own.

Raul took a deep breath and looked Ferdinand directly in the eye. "They say that Her Majesty herself took an active role in the fighting, my Lord. That she led the knights' charge at the gates of Toulouse, and that she was engaged in the vanguard of the struggle. They say she slew a hundred Franks with her morningstar, and but for her charge, the battle would have been lost."

Ferdinand could only stare at Raul, his shock too much to comprehend. Yet he saw from Raul's steadfast gaze and determined jaw that there was more. The hammerblows were not over.

"They say, my Lord...." Raul's voice almost failed him. He resolved to get it over with, for his own sake, as well as Ferdinand's. "They say, my Lord, that after the battle, Her Majesty did order that all prisoners should be slain, the wealth of Toulouse be shared among the common soldiers, and the homes and land of Toulouse burned to the ground. The soldiers of her bodyguard swear by the Almighty Lord that Her Majesty did herself start the blaze."

An incoherent croak was all that escaped Ferdinand's lips. He slumped back in his chair, a man seemingly overwhelmed by his burdens. Raul could offer no words to his king, for he knew of none that could soften the news he had announced. Scarcely able to believe this himself, though the men he had questioned he knew to be reliable and he also had another source of confirmation, Raul stared down at his own lap, uttering the most sincere prayer of his life that this should all turn out to be a bad dream.

Each second was an eon. Time was suspended in the stillness of the study. Sound did not exist. Even the walls of the room stood as if in consternation at the incredible turn of events.

When Ferdinand finally spoke, Raul was not sure if days of silence had passed, or if decades had passed and that he was now simply a ghost wandering the old study, where years ago, he had announced shocking news to his king.

"This can't be right," denied Ferdinand, trying to convince himself. Then, turning to Raul, "Well, you know her as well as I do! She may be calculating and deceiving, but THIS?!? She has never lifted a weapon in her life! She actively dislikes war! She urges ambassadors to treat foreigners like our own citizens. She visits abroad to promote music and learning and whatever other hare-brained idea she has had. Why, you know yourself, she has been entreating me to conclude a free passage naval agreement with King Francis! And THIS?!?"

He stared accusingly at Raul. Raul understood that the king's anger was not directed at him, but that he needed an outlet, and in that argument was his method of seeking the truth. "There is something that you should see, my Lord," Raul replied calmly.

He held towards the king a small brown notebook, the cover made of padded leather, the pages finest paper. It was no larger than a hand, the type of book an ambassador might keep in his pocket to record the names and correct titles of visiting foreign royalty, or that a merchant might have to keep track of exotic items and their values in different parts of his trading empire. Or a book that a queen might have to record her own thoughts.

"It is Her Majesty's possession, my Lord. Luis, the head of Her Majesty's guard retrieved it, my Lord, when Her Majesty's army was ambushed on the way back from France. It was then that Her Majesty received the blow from which she still suffers."

Ferdinand took the book gravely. "He knows," thought Raul. "He knows that what I've told him is true. He knows that I would never lie to him. He is disbelieving because he does not want to believe that this could have happened, and he has to face the consequences. But he also knows he has no choice, for he is a leader, and he has a nation to concern him."

As if in telepathic co-ordination, Ferdinand gave Raul a slight nod. "Thank you Raul. Leave me. I shall call for your assistance."

Raul left silently, closing the door quietly behind him. Outside, he instructed the royal guards, "His Majesty is not to be disturbed by anyone." His duty done, for the time-being at least, Raul headed for his personal study. He too, need some time, just to think, to comprehend. He had read the diary, and the words still flew about in his mind, fleeting, hinting, amazing.


"I think I'm losing my memory. There is blood and chicken feathers all over my travelling robes, and I have no idea how they got there. When I ask Carla, she mumbles at me and says she knows not. How puzzling. Were it not so absurd, I would think she is afraid of me! She has been my waiting girl for 7 years and always I have found her cool and patient, but a change seems to have come over her and she is not so warm when she is in my presence..."

"Something is happening to me, I am sure of it. I have consulted the physicians for I have no appetite, I am weary whenever I am conscious, and sometimes I come to, as if my mind has been drifting elsewhere. I find it difficult to remember the date, and I find myself missing prayers. Time seems elusive, an enemy, and there are gaps in my memory. I do pray to God that I am not suffering an illness, for that is what it seems. I keep faith that I shall be back home soon, and the healthful air of dear Castille will be easeful to my soul."

"I find this morning that we are travelling to France! I know not why on God's Earth this should be so, yet Cardinal informs me that we travel there on my instructions for a meeting with the Holy Swiss Alliance. I truly do not understand that...who are the Holy Swiss Alliance? I looked forward to Castille's blue skies, but it seems that day will be delayed. I am still discussing with Cardinal what we should do."

"What a monster I am becoming! I struck Carla today for no reason that I can imagine. The poor girl was simply attending to her chores when I do not know what possessed me to strike at her! Dear God, I come to you as your child, as a supplicant, please ease my soul and conscience of whatever burden they seem to be carrying....Carla and I cried together, and she accepted my apology to her with such love that I cannot describe..."

"We have been in battle! Who the enemy were I am yet unclear on, but with the help of our gallant swiss allies, a great victory was ours, in the name of the Lord. We have suffered casualties, may God accept their sacrifice, but our war was just, as it seems the enemy attacked us quite by surprise. I do not recall the details of the battle, for I am still somewhat lightheaded on this tiresome journey. I did dream, however, that I sat astride a magnificent white horse and rode among our troops, lifting their spirits as they crusaded against the enemy. It is a strange fancy, but I did dream that I carried a shield in my left hand and a strange weapon in my right, consisting of a stick with a heavy ball and chain on the end. When I described this dream to Cardinal, he intoned the Lord's Prayer and told me that the weapon was called a Star of the Morning, though for some reason, he did not seem to hear that I was telling him about a dream. Still, I take this as a heavenly sign, though I expect that such fancies should not recur!"

"I have witnessed a terrible tradegy, that which will haunt me forever, though I pray to the Lord to ease my eyes of the sight that befell them. It seems that the strange enemy that battled us previously were demons on earth. Not content with the unrighteous villainy they did inflict on us, they have exerted their vengeance on the faithful people of Toulouse, killing men in their hundreds, orphaning children and committing heinous deeds on their sweet mothers. Oh Lord, I beg of you to ease their suffering, for surely no being deserves such a fate. The land of France is bloodstained by the slaughter of innocents. Not content with such a crime, the evil creatures then did set fire to the town. I feel so tainted by the carnage that I can almost feel as if I too am covered in fire, that I too was among the ablaze, a part of the fire. I am so upset. I cannot write more."
 
Isabella and the Secret Chamber.

Sorry about the length of that introduction, got a bit carried away in my verbosity.

This succession game was going to be called the "Schizo Spanish" until Jack Merchant suggested the superior title. Our focus will be on the enigmatic and schizophrenic Isabella, Queen of Spain. A peace-loving creature, Isabella is a just ruler, polite to her neighbours, fair in trade, and generous in her dealings. :) But occassionally something happens to her, causing a rather amazing transformation. Isabella does not know what causes this, nor is she aware of what happens in her changed state, except in fevered dreams. But those unfortunate enough to be caught in her path when she enters the "mood" know it is best to run. For Isabella is a bloodthirsty maniac :mwaha: She lives for battle, she glories in slaughter, and she kills for kicks. Her campaigns are often reckless, heedless of loss of life, concerned solely with dispatching her enemies.

In game terms, this is alternate pacifism and always war. To start the game we will play 50 turns of peace. As soon as 50 turns have passed, we declare war on everyone! Irrespective of any deals we may have running or our past record of dealings, it is war with all. The war lasts for 25 turns, before Isabella comes to her senses. After 25 turns we must make immediate peace with everyone, for Isabella is a peace-loving creature and is horrified at the ongoing slaughter. The peace will last for 25 turns, at which point we declare war on everyone once again. And so forth, total war and total peace in 25 turn cycles. Only at the start do we have 50 turns of peace, and that is only so cities can be established and military trained. Then the fun begins.

These are the rules we will be playing by:

In peace:

Isabella is a diplomat and a trader. We are encouraged to engage in trade deals with our neighbours, though it may be tactful to make such deals immediately after peace is declared, so they can run their 20-turn course before the next round of war.

Isabella is also generous. If a neighbour suggests a deal which is fair, Isabella will accept without haggling. This should be used as a guideline, not a hard-backed rule. We are NOT forced to accept any deal an AI offers. However, if we are looking to buy or sell something to an AI, we should ask what they are willing to pay for it (if we're selling) or what they want for it (if we're buying) and accept that rather than haggle to the last gold piece.

We may not issue boot orders unless an incursion is an obvious sneak attack. Isabella does not mind her neighbours travelling across her lands. Indeed, such passage is good for business, so we are encouraged to sign ROPs where possible, though again, signing them soon after peace begins is wise, so they can run 20 turns before the next war.

The peaceful Isabella would never dream of fighting aggressive wars. We may never sign military alliances or mutual protection pacts.

If an AI declares war on us in the peaceful stage, we may only fight defensively, that is, to protect our own cities and lands. We may not enter enemy lands. If any of our cities are captured, we may recapture them, but we are encouraged to make peace ASAP so long as it is reasonable. If a defensive war lasts long enough that we enter an always war phase, then of course, the fighting defensively stance is abandoned and anything goes until the end of the war phase.

In war:

Think bloodthirsty. All cities must be razed, no capturing, even for wonder cities. We may, of course, replace these cities with our own.

All captured workers (slaves) are to be disbanded forthwith. Similarly, we should not buy foreign workers in times of peace, or if we do, we must disband them as soon as we enter war phase.

The transitions:

As soon as we reach the end of a 25-turn cycle, we should enter the next phase without delay. After 25 turns of peace we must declare war on everyone, even if we have ongoing agreements. After 25 turns of war, we must make immediate peace with everyone, irrespective of the cost, for Isabella is horrified at what has happened and will look to make reparation. We MUST accept free peace with everyone - no demanding concessions! If an AI won't accept straight peace, we must give them whatever they want to come to peace. We are therefore encouraged to inflict as much pain as possible in the war years, so that we can actually make "winning" peace.


That may seem like a long list of variant rules, but most of them are straightforward and there shouldn't be any trouble remembering them in-game. Just remeber, that the "bella" in "Isabella" does not mean "beautiful" - it is the Latin for "wars"!!!
 
Civilization: Spain
Difficulty: to be debated, probably emperor
Landmass: standard map, continents, 30% land
Climate/Rainfall/Age: temperate, wet, 4 billion years
Barbarians: sedentary
Opponents: 7 random
No culture-linked starts, no respawn
Victory: any, though the emphasis in this game is to have a good laugh rather than to win. A diplomatic victory would be quite a feather!

Etiquette: I would encourage participants in this game to engage in a bit of story-telling. Reports can be posted in turn-log fashion if desired, but it would be more fun if people can write a short story on their reign or a particular aspect of their reign. Check out the stories and tales forum for some ideas. The first 2 players will play 25 turns each to set us up for the first war. From then on, it is 10 turns per player.

Since the turns later could be quite lengthy, and since writing a short story takes longer than a turn log, I propose 24 hours for a "got it" and a further 72 hours to play. As usual, this can be quite flexible if anyone needs more time or needs to be skipped.

Signed up:

Nad
Aggie
Meli


A maximum of 7 players for this game, so 4 slots remain open. If anyone has any questions or proposed amendments to any of the rules, please say so, and also please state what dificulty level you think this should be played at.
 
Well what can I say Nad?

Brava!

Absolutely stunning idea and a fantastic short story intro...

This game is going to rock big style and promises to be quite a ride.

Would like to second the idea of Emperor, although maybe Monarch as I should imagine our rep will be shot quite early.

Melifluous

PS. I will be away from tomorrow (26th) until the 1st of August, please place me in the ensuing roster accordingly

:goodjob:
 
hehe...the story-telling is only a bit of fun, to let the imagination roam...

Who knows, we may get some master story tellers joining the game? :D
 
Originally posted by Aggie
Nad, for story telling purposes I suggest that you and Meli are up first.

Sheesh, does nobody actually read what I post? :rolleyes:

I will take one of the first two slots, if , and only if, this would mean me playin after the 1st of August.

Also Aggie you looking for the first turns of war huh? ;)

Could think of worse people to give the AI a good kickin :spank:

Melifluous
 
I've been having a read in the stories and tales forum for some ideas and examples of civ 3 storywriting, and there are some beauties. The following are excellent reads to draw inspiration:

Hail Caesar , by Zeeter

Xenocide , by Speaker and Sulla, a work in progress

Deity Always War :eek: by Zwingli, more an account than a story, but fascinating nonetheless

Mongolian Peace Corps , by Charis, one of my favourites

Highlander Tales , by Shaitan

That's just a few of the best stories that I dug up today, so we're following in a fine tradition!
 
No other sign-ups? :(

Surely this is a fun variant....or maybe I'm missing something....

Aggie/Meli: what do you guys think? Should we start this as a 3 player game, leaving it open for others to join, or should we wait in the hope of more people joining shortly?
 
I'd like to see at least one more sign up for this Nad...

EDIT: Melifluous is away for a few days. I'll ask him about it in a couple of hours. He's in Amsterdam :)

EDIT2: During yesterdays CIV-reunion I heard rumours that we will have a 4th player in our midst!
 
Civ reunion, heh!? Sounds like a laugh....hope you all had a good time!

That's great news, if we have a 4th player we can start (Warmonger's Delight was played with only 4 players, and we all had a good laugh then!).

In fact, I'll generate a start now on emperor level and post the pic. We'll need to have a discussion about what our strategy is going to be. Especially with regard to the first 50 turns. Essentially, we have 2 options....should we treat it like a normal game, explore heavily, try to get early contacts and tech trades? Or should we treat it like always war, ie, turtle and explore nearby but try to avoid contacts? I deliberately chose continents so we likely won't have to fight everybody 50 turns in. But building early military at the expense of expansion is going to be important to survive the first war. Maybe we should research bronze and iron first rather than pottery?
 
Nad: We had a great time. It was a lot of fun to meet Melifluous, Skyfish, Matrix, Jack Merchant, ERIKK, Stapel and Propain.

Regarding the game: I think it would be in the spirit of the game to explore and happily make contact. Isabella likes people, doesn't she? :) I know that for our on sake it would be better to stay at home first.
I agree with researching or buying bronze and iron ASAP.
 



flood-plains, a luxury, a river, and a goody hut...looking good

I agree, Aggie, from a role-playing point of view, exploration it should be, fits with the Spanish theme as well.

Maybe the start will also encourage more people to join...after the masochism of NMT, this should be a lot more fun!

4000BC save
 
Greetings!

Aggie invited me over as our HOT6 game has concluded in a magnificent space launch.

I love the concept of this game but I'm very interested in our strategy.

I agree that a diplomatic win would be amazing. I just don't see how it's possible if we're declaring war numerous times (each adding a point to our "dislikability") and razing cities (each adding 2, I think, points). The only way it might be possible is to eliminate any civ we've razed cities from and pay for peace of the others.

Militaristic wins seem more plausible because this can essentially become Oscillating War with 25 turns of peace between. However, that would me we are constantly preparing for war rather than only thinking about war for 25turn then not for 25turns. (I'm trying to resolve the roleplaying aspect of this.)

I guess we can use the point of view of Isabella's general, who knows she is a loose cannon and must always be prepared for her inopportune declarations of war.

I love the start but I wish we didn't have to move the settler. (Don't settle on our FP!) That extra turn of peace would be really nice.

50 peace,25 war,25 peace means a min science gambit is still valid as both the first and second attempts would complete during peace.

With continents, I can almost guarentee the other continent will be ahead of us in tech when we meet them. We will only be declaring against our continent through most of the first age, while they build.

What do we do if we meet someone during our war phase? Is it like AW rules where we can trade with them first, then declare. (The explorer was escorted by a diplomat capable of trading. Isabella declares as soon as the diplomat returns with knowledge of the civ.) Or does she maintain instructions to her diplomats to attack any foreigners without regard for making contact? Or is the diplomat smart enough to hide the contact from her magesty until she is "in a better mood" allowing us to remain at peace (and even bring in a MA)?

Excuse my prolific questions. I'm still debating whether or not to stick to 1SG at a time or if I have room for another. You responces may sway the vote one way or another.;)

BTW, I would tell you my storytelling is not that good but I've never written any so who knows.:lol:
 
ControlFreak Welcome! I hope you do decide to join this game, your unique brand of scientific analysis will add an extra dimension to our team!

With regard to your questions:

Firstly, victory isn't *that* important. We'll just take whatever comes....dilpo and culture unlikely, military very possible, ditto space race. In terms of the roleplaying, I think the easiest way to resolve this is to be "short-sighted", ie, the peaceful Isabella thinks only in terms of trade and diplomacy, the angry Isabella thinks of slaughter. However, as you say, Raul or any of her other advisors may take a more long-term view and initiate military preparations when at peace. So Isabella may give instructions for a lavish set of temple decorations to be introduced through the Spanish lands in praise of God's munificence, when her military advisor points out to her, "Your Majesty, might it be wise for the citizens of Salamanca to complete their city wall? Thrice the treacherous barbarians of the Franks have seen fit to invade our lands, should we not call on God's succour to bless the walls of the city and provide protection for our citizens?"

"Oh really!" replies Isabella. "The Franks are our allies! Their heathen leaders have been dispatched for God's judgement and a new era of Christian belief now pervades their land. We have nothing to fear."

"As you wish, your Majesty".

Seeing the concerned expression on her advisor's face, Isabella relents. "Very well, then, complete the walls, I shall accept your advice. But I do say that once that project coimpletes, the citizens of Salamance should erect an outstanding monument in praise of the Lord, that their belief may be clear to all."

"Certainly, your Majesty, " breathes the advisor, relieved beyond measure...


And so forth....we can strike the balance between military builds in times of peace and cultural/trade buildings as we ourselves see fit.

With regards to the settlement....we have 3 flood-plains in total, one of which we are standing on...by founding there, we sacrifice some food for an extra shield...not ideal, but it does look a good spot to settle...alternatively we could move onto the incense hill for the defensive benefit as well as securing the luxury...I'd be tempted to found where we are, we're not going to be doing 4-turn settlers (which we could do with a granary and 3FPs) since we'll need a lot of military, so the loss of the extra flood-plain may not be so great....that is something we can debate on as a team.

If we meet someone while we are in war phase, we declare on them immediately, without any trading. Their envoys are dispatched and cut into tiny shreds to be sent back as a lesson to their masters. Trading can wait until peace. (BTW, alliances are off the table anyway).

Oh and don't worry too much about the storytelling....it's just meant for a bit of fun ;) By all means do a normal report if you wish.
 
OK, if you're going to start anyway with three, put me at the end of the rotation and I'll let you know before my turn if I'm in or not.;)

Settling on the start gives us a hut with no barbs and the potential settler. Popping it with the settler or worker gives us no barbs but no settler either (settler still active).

Founding at start will risk disease every turn, but we'd probably be working FP most of the time anyway.

Moving to the hill will be a nice defensive bonus and in the long run will get an irrigated hill in a very hilly area. Plus we have the luxury connected immediately without having to work a hill that wouldn't normally get attention until republic (monarchy). There are also two river forests that way which are useful in MM from food to sheilds. The more I talk, the more I think we should move here. That lets the worker start irrigating immediately. With four turns to irriagate and 1 turn for the setter to move, the irrigation will be done with 6 food in the basket meaning it shaves 1 turn of growth and lets us use the forest for a turn for better shields. (Or something like that, I'm no T-hawk.)

I favor exploration since the peaceful turns can be fairly profitable. Everyone will hate us but they will also be slower in tech because of having to shift to war. If we meet the other continent first, I would horde contact at all costs though to slow them down even further. Plus, why let our rep get out that early.:lol:

This will be really interesting once we get the conquistador since we go from peace to bloodthristy and our UU is basically an ROP rape (treat all terrain as roads gets us five tiles deep plus pillage.)

Good luck on the first rounds.
 
Since HOT6 just ended, I'll sign up for this one to keep my balance of 3 up.
For works of storytelling, see my freakish ending of HOT6.
Also, I dont seem to be getting the (physical) start picture.. Its not comming up on my comp.
This looks like a bumpy ride. A question, though. Its 50P, 25W, 25P, 25W, ect, right?
What happens if someone pokes Isabella during her peaceful times? Must she respond as a tyrant?
And does anyone have a problem with me working in some HP FanFic I've been writing into this? (SugarQuill) The title is kinda beging for it.
 
SAAM, Nad had the rules posted for war during peace above. Only a defensive war. You should be a pro at that coming from HOT6.;) Even if I don't play, I look forward to your tales.

Aggie, I guess you have a big following.:lol:
 
If you have room for one more I'd like to play.
Nice idea.
 
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