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In Progress Let's Play as 1200s Lithuania in Crusader Kings II: The Hitman Gods, the Teutons and the Mongols

Azira

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,519
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
Excellent. Now onto the reformation business. :thumbsup:
 

Ackermanus

Educated
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Messages
55
Location
Playground
Never really understood the whole title business. Well, some like "the just" usually appear with a reason, but other times it seems the game simply wants to mess with you.

Also, the kingdom of Lithuania has a pretty nice color. While there is some appeal to painting the map pink, the soft green makes my eyes happier. Gods bless you in your next update. :salute:
 

Cassidy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Messages
7,922
Location
Vault City
Unfortunately I have decided to exploit how much money you can make with raiding to improve the capital infrastructure to the max "roleplay" Rymvidas content trait too far, so this and the next update won't feature any attempts to expand or reform the Romuva faith, but on the other hand they will feature a lot of hitman action.

================================

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Early reign of the first king

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There were traitors within that had to be dealt with, but first the crown authority had to become more than symbollic.

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Twice traitor, this old man got what he deserved. But he was not the only one. These traitors held vital lands that would be better ruled directly by the King, or handy to give to a second son to prevent the split of the desmesne.

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To his second son, Rymvidas handed the lands from a traitor and the duchy of Zemaitija, hoping he would be a capable ruler and not fail to defend the ducal title from claimants. Among the many plotters and traitors was the chief of the Yatvyag, planning to claim the Kingdom of Lithuania for himself. His fate was about to happen.

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But he decided to not go out without a fight.

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The war was nothing short of trivial, considering the enemies the Gediminaitis have faced before.

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An outbreak of consumption had a heavy toll in Lithuania, killing another of the children of Rymvidas, but fortunately, his bright son was spared from such a terrible plague, and his bethroted, a genius, would also hopefully be alive once he comes of age.

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The Eastern Roman Empire is dead, and so are their Turkish conquerors at this point, for the French have crushed them like a skull of pig. This was a worrissome display of how much Lithuania would be endangered and doomed should the Catholic Pope shift the focus of those crusades away from the Middle East and into the Baltic. Facing the greatest Catholic powers would be hopeless and futile, but hopefully, a crusade for Lithuania would never happen.

Hopefully.

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With the traitorous Chief of the Yatvyagis defeated, his lands were split between the duchies of Lithuania and Zemaitija, further consolidating the internal unity and strength of Lithuania, which must not fragment because of Gavelkind, even if delicate measures must be taken to ensure that by the hands of the hitmen.

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One of his best daughters is sent to the care of a prosperous individual, and it seemed that such nutjobs were perhaps a bit too common within the courts of Lithuania. There is no way this could go wrong, for Birute had a future of greatness reserved for her.

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It is better to not take any chances of having one's dynasty over, unless absolutely necessary, and in this case, it was not for that prince, having gained Zemaitija, would not have any part of the royal desmesne given to him once Rymvidas meets the gods. It almost seems like everyone is a hitman in Lithuania, from how many plots the King has to pressure others to give up.

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Lithuania was about to start a war against their religious enemies again, but not formally. The King slowly awaited for the levies to become complete and invested in infrastructure to also complement his personal levies with a retinue of cavalry, so that, content to have become king and uninterested in further territorial conquest, he could raid neighboring regions for wealth that would help funding the transformation of Lithuania into a powerful and rich kingdom. Rymvidas would personally lead such raids.

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Having become strong, and realizing all the meddling only served to make Kingcomrade "The Great" for many victories against traitorous vassals induced to rebel by the dissent sown within, Lithuania has long left Poland in peace, other than asking for ransoms to send their priests back, and their chancellor has been busy improving relations with the vassals of the Kingdom of Lithuania instead.

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Rymvidas has chosen to personally educate his first son, and to teach him that cruelty is not the way to behave in times like these, how for pagans surrounded by those who want to convert everyone in their kingdom to their religion instead, it is best to be loved than feared, lest the common people seek kindness in the Catholic Church instead. His son Dausprungas didn't buy it completely, but his father advice served to stop his cruel behavior.

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After some pillaging over Russian territories, they have chosen to go right into the Livonian lands, full of riches and wealth they do not deserve as tyrants and oppressors of the poor Latvian people. Besides, their Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of an needle than for a rich man to go in their heaven, so Lithuania is actually doing them a big favor heh.

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To support the raiding forces, a truly exception leader of men organizes the Lithuanian army. It is a pity this Prussian Mayor and exceptional warrior and general won't live much longer, for Ulliniks is one of the greatest generals ever in the history of Lithuania. Alas, it seems the best generals are Prussians, while the best hitmen are Lithuanian.

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Envy is another form of butthurt, and it only leads to ruin. After being taught such a lesson, his son becomes neither envious or kind.

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The morals of the Romuva faith are quite different, but unlike the long dead Norse polytheism, other than mutual hatred ever since the Teutonic knights began to invade the Baltic, the essential morals of their religion, besides emphasizing bravery and honor in fighting the good fight for the Lithuanian clay instead of meekness and submission, has more in common than they wish the did, and Rymvidas really makes his son know well everything that is at stake in these times where Lithuania is the last pagan kingdom of Europe.

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The religious education Rymvidas got about the gods shaped him a lot, lighting the fires of religious fervor within Dausprungas, who have the deepest respect for Dievas and all Baltic gods and an unequal hatred for those who seek to destroy his faith and his people in the name of their god.

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All along these events, naturally, Rymvidas was enforcing the whole thing of Jesus preaching a humble life to his followers, by taking away everything of worth from them. Sometimes the pillagers were a bit too destructive, however, but it happens.

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The genius wife of his son died as soon as she moved to Vilnius. Smallpox... that is a rotten way to die. What a shame. Eventually there could be another genius wife, but that will have to wait for now.

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And someone just converted to Christianity within Lithuania, and was clearly doing a very Christian thing by plotting to seize the kingdom through deceit. Zemaitija has always been trouble.

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She was put in her place, and died there. Someone who converts to Christianity and plots against the Kingdom of Hitmen really must have a "towering intellect".

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HERESY grows strong in Novgorod, the Orthodox religion having its authority long crushed by the collapse of the Eastern Roman Empire. Good.

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The son of that whore that converted to the religion of the Teutonic oppressors brings trouble by defying Rymvidas' second son for the Duchy of Zemaitija. His father, having gathered a lot of wealth from raiding, is planning to help his son the only way he can.

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There were no genius damsels available, but Dausprungas got married with a very STRONG wife. Most of the best possible wives were Altaic, no surprise considering which is the greatest and most powerful pagan Empire of the world. Having some future Lithuanian kings with mongoloid facial features and slanted eyes does not matter if they turn out to be STRONG or geniuses.

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With his second son in deep trouble, Rymvidas sent his master of the Lithuanian hitmen and spies to where the one responsible for this war was, to put an end to this conflict in the most Lithuanian way possible.

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I thought Lithuanian hitmen never failed. But at least they didn't get caught.

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Really? Are you just pretending to be Lithuanian hitmen and running away with the gold without even trying to do the job?

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Meanwhile, Princess Birute is sent to secure an alliance with the most powerful pagans of the world: The Mongol Empire, marrying with nobody else than their Khagan and descendant of Temujin, and thus becoming thus the queen of all Mongols.

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Maybe Lithuanian are not that good hitmen as thought.

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Unless they can kill babies inside the wombs of their mothers without anybody noticing. Another unfortunate event, but live in these times is like that. One day one of the king's sons is cheerfully playing and health, the other is a burial of a newborn one.

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After several failed attempts, Rymvidas gave up, but at least the hitmen severely wounded that bastard and opportunist, who would most likely not survive much longer, hopefully.

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Rymvidas became a grandfather. It is no secret that Asians have a greater concentration of Neanderthal genes, therefore this can only be good.

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The master of spies and Lithuanian hitmen found out some serious evidence of corruption, and was allowed to use it as he see fit.

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But, he only ended having a poetic death, killed by one of the very hitmen he used to command.

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In one of the raids, the Livonian Order reacted, but fortunately reinforcements were on the way.

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Thanks to the reinforcements, they were utterly defeated, but not without a cost. The raiding against their territories would proceed.

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It may be disappointing for Rymvidas to have not been the one that delivered the final blow against the Teutonic Order, but it is alright. Those Catholic Prussian counties formed by successful peasant revolts will be much easier to defeat once a king more interested in conquest than raiding replaces the current one. This was a great day, for it was only thanks to Lithuania that the Teutonic Order was truly defeated, and now their final demise in the Baltics have come at last!

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Even better news, the war for Zemaitija was over, and despite their poor efficiency, the hitmen did their job by mortally wounding their target in the end and none ever got caught. For now the Gediminaitis still directly rule that Duchy.

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Rymvidas great skills have been substantial to reduce cultural and language differences between Baltic peoples, and now in Daugava Latvian was a dialect rather than a completely separate language.

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WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?

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And it seems that in desperation, they are trying to centralize their rule over their Livonia internally. Nothing that the raiders couldn't effectively sabotage by making the victim of such revokation win.

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The constant raids against the Livonian Order have weakened them so much that Latvian peasants have gathered the courage to rise against the German oppressors. Catholic peasants, unfortunately, but still good news, even if it has weakened the raider force, that will need a while to return to their usual activity.

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This became also a time with a shortage of truly skilled masters of spies and hitmen, but that man will do, as he is sent to spy upon the superior technology of Holland.

After the formation of the Kingdom of Lithuania, there were no wars, only secret wars of hitmen against those who threaten the glory of the Gediminaitis, and of course, more and more raiding.

TO BE CONTINUED
 

Cassidy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 9, 2007
Messages
7,922
Location
Vault City
This will be the last one in this page.

=======================

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Hitmen of Thrones

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Not wanting to meddle in his son's family, Rimvydas simply convinced his wife to give up on her plot to kill him, but kept a close eye, for it seems everyone wants a hitman these days.

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The barely good master of spies and hitmen of Lithuania got caught. Lately he would be released, but this was a clear display of how much a true master of the craft was missing during these times.

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The peasants have seized the church in Riga, and their leader, a minor priest within, has become a Prince-Bishop. The Church had no choice but to accept their de facto sovereignty against the will of the Livonian Order, fearing that overt hostility towards these victorious Latvians could alienate the population and encourage a return to pagan roots.

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Not all preachers sent to Lithuania could afford their ransoms. Those who couldn't were mercifully released, a mercy they didn't deserve considering what the Teutonic Order has done, but there was no point in keeping them locked up, and no honor in slaughtering them. Dievas is a kind god, above the barbarism of human sacrifice, as are all good gods within the Lithuanian pantheon.

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Marienburg is very wealthy, a ripe target for looting.

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Muslims gonna muslim

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It seems Poland is acquiring a tradition of being ruled by kingcomrades.

Interesting.

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Rimvydas first daughter unfortunately died giving birth, and to a girl. Thus, unfortunately he wouldn't have a Khagan as his grandson.

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After Marienburg was cleaned of its wealth, the fact it was Poland that brought the Teutonic Order to the Baltics could never be forgiven or forgotten, and it was time to show them how effective they have been in stopping the raids, until their reinforcements came, and the raiders embarked towards an easier target.

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Where is your new god now, liberals ? Miss Odin?

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What happened in Anatolia ever since the 4th Crusade... it always reeked of a long Venetian conspiracy for their most ambitious goal, but now that Constantinople was ruled by Venice, that is growing capable to becoming a power that may restore the old Roman Republic to its greatest glory, it became too obvious how devious and crafty the doges of Venice have been all along. JUST AS PLANNED.

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First she wants to kill, then she wants to seduce and have sex with her husband's father? What the?

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Oh great, looks like an incompetent second son just failed to defend his ducal title, and now, as merely a count, threatens to split off the desmesne of Lithuania. Failures should not be rewarded. Let only the strongest survive, even if a little "encouragement" for those who are weak and have failed to die soon may be necessary before their taint the Gediminaitis dynasty with their fail. A great plan,worthy of only the mightiest hitmen, is thus started. First, plots begin to ensure his second son will have no heirs alive.

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Here goes nothing.

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Next time, do it with a Lithuanian hitmaiden, not with a Latvian or Prussian one.

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The L in F.A.T.A.L. stands for Lithuania

:M

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After a failed first attempt, finally, this time with a true Lithuanian, the deed is completed, for the greater good.

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It seems that no matter what, Georgia always survives. The Jihad against the Mongols succeeded, for they captured the Khagan in battle, and a 13-year old ruler of the Arab Caliphate thus took control of all of Persia.

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Lithuania advances rapidly, with the gap between them and West Europe growing ever smaller every year. But it is not enough, with the great wealth acquired from pillaging, a great investment in Lithuania's future is planned by Rimvydas.

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The other child of his failed son also was done with, but hiring a Latvian hitmaiden instead of a Lithuanian one was a bad idea, because she got caught, ratted the King out and...

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Rimvydas however, old as he is, just doesn't care. His enraged son got a very laconic answer when screaming in anger for what was done:

"You lost Zemaitija. Son, I am disappoint."

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Pillaging those once vikings but now pathetic liberals instead, Lithuania gathered a lot of gold, gold that would be very useful to invest in great works in both castles and cities. But there were so businesses to finish that gold was needed for first:

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Really? Hopefully the lethal wound the amateur and unexperienced Lithuanian hitman delivered will be enough. Having more money for a second hitman job, however, the King took no chances.

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The professionalism of the Lithuanian in the trade of death is impressive. Specially when one gains the favor of the obscure cults to Giltine, the goddess of death, and by extension, matron of all hitmen.

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Zemaitija was given to the one who deserves it for competence rather than bloodline, and the desmesne of the kingdom would not be splitted, being labelled a kinslayer was a worthy sacrifice for this.

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Rimvydas' son is truly a formidable military leader, good.

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Not good, damn, not him, he will be like one of the best Lithuanian rulers ever, don't die Dausprungas...

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Consumption is a rotten way to die, and now Rimvydas' grandson will have to assume the reign.

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He is STRONG, somewhat skilled in hitmen affairs but lacks the above average intelligence of his father.

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Lacking any good spymaster, Rimvydas does what seems insane, but he was simply fulfilling the wish of his grandson and heir, for he wanted to be a master of hitmen and spies, and his skills at intrigue improve shortly after beginning his shady work.

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This smells like a forgery. Nothing will be done about this bullshit.

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Losing her husband to consumption made her even more insistent in trying to kill Rimvydas. Having one's son die first is terrible, and even more when his wife plots to kill his father. She is given mercy and only demanded to stop.

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Yet, Rimvydas have lived long, so long he outlasted his own son, and he couldn't fight against decay forever. He has grown old, and eventually lady death would come to bring him to the lands of the dead.

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Rimvydas would not be remembered only for creating the Kingdom of Lithuania and for his infamous raids, but also for creating the very first University of Lithuania, the University of Kaunas, which construction began in May of 1283, and which would help a lot to bring advancement to the country.

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His grandson and heir has proven himself a capable, if not masterful spy, whose deeds were helping the kingdom even before his ascent to the throne. Thanks to Rimvydas' schemes, he would inherit a whole kingdom rather than one splitted among many heirs.

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Yet, in spite of frail health, that was not yet his hour of death

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What a huge and shameless liar. He is naturally dismissed.

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Islam may have seized Persia back, but the mongols have put them in the very situation of Zoroastrianism when their false faith rose, and they may yet fall, for the Pope is well aware of the Mongol Menace, and expecting that the Mongols could eventually reach Jerusalem, proclaims crusade after another for their holy city. Good, for this means they won't be paying attention to Lithuania.

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Rimvydas has grown too old, and wouldn't live much longer, but his legacy certainly shall live much, much longer.

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Despite infirm, the king still led raids, but the Russians proved to be far more numberful than usual, and the raiders lost, and retreated. Other targets were chosen, and thus Rimvydas would probably die fighting in raids against the enemies of the Lithuanian gods.

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Jerusalem was taken by them, but hopefully they would lose it another time, as it happened before.

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Very funny. Will help a lot with an infirm old man about to meet death too.

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As Rimvydas' life was clearly coming to an end, the results of dedicating most of his life to raiding could be seen. An university in Kaunas and one of the mightiest castles in Europe were funded thanks to the loot, and now Lithuania was much stronger than before, even if they haven't expanded their territory for many decades. Yet there was one more investment Rimvydas would be remembered for:

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The construction of the first university ever in Prussia.

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Rimvydas died leading a raid, his frail health finally defeating his strong will to live. He will be forever remembered for creating the Kingdom of Lithuania, seeds of a future nation, and for his infamous raids that were not wasted in luxury or debauchery, but in securing the unity of the Kingdom in spite of the issues with Gavelkind succession and in improving the infrastructure of the capital, and also construction two universities in the two largest cities of the kingdom. He truly were a great man for someone called "The Unready", who will yet return, but now his grandson, also named Rimvydas, has left his spymaster seat to become the new king.

Rimvydas II is far more ambitious than his grandfather. Altaic blood running strong in his veins, he dreams himself as a conqueror, and is not afraid of the consequences. He is decided to go further than his predecessor, and has chosen as a personal goal to follow the steps of the legendary Genghis Khan and reform the Romuva faith by reconquering all its holiest grounds, no matter the cost.

LONG LIVE RIMVYDAS II!
 

hostergaard

Educated
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
71
You should try inviting talented people so they can sit on your council. I have found that while its not very effective at first after a few decades you will have plenty of well trained but disgruntled seconds sons or ousted lords who are all to willing to join you in the hopes that you will fought for their cause. Others may dislike their ruler enough that a small gift is enough to bring them around.

Given that you have built a few universities this can easily be RP as you Lithuania attracting talented people as a emerging center of learning. :obviously:

Of course, I am not sure just how big a pool of potential recruits you have, given you are pagan, it may be to few to be worthwhile.

Anyway, to third page! I want another update.
 

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