Crusader Kings 2
DLC:
The Old Gods
Legacy of Rome
The Republic
Way of Life
Ruler Designer
Large Mod
Game of Thrones mod
Submods
Unavory's Retinues
Race Traits 1.2
More Decisions
More Bookmarks
Bloodlines
Wolflings
Regent: Assume Power
Rainbow Weddings
Lite Buildings Overhaul
Landless Adventurer
Dragonize Castle
Dragon Tamer Laws
House Kostagar of TolosMaerys I "the Lewd" KostagarMaerys "the Lewd" Kostagar was the first member of House Kostagar to attain the position of a lordship, in the year 340 After the Doom (A.D.). It is unclear the exact methods he utilized to achieve the position, but from what could be deduced, he had managed to gain the position of Spymaster for his predecesor, and proceeded to reveal enough plots to have himself be considered trustworthy, while letting through enough untraceable plots to kill off the entire ruling family. It is recorded that he had been removed from the council once, but a large upsurge in deaths brought him back onto it. It is difficult to pin down what percentage of the upsurge was due to his actions, but it ended with the complete death of the ruling family. As a result of the favor built up with the ruler, he was designated as the heir, and, after foiling plots aimed at him that may have been created to fail by himself, the ruler died under suspicious circumstances.
The reign of Maerys is where his nickname "the Lewd" is generally agreed to have originated from. These is some evidence that it truly began circulating after he purchased a brothel in the latter days, but the seduction of eight women to the point of mutual love within less than a five year period likely played a part in the creation of the nickname, especially having been due to having married to his first wife, Benerra Mazemagyar, the sister of his early friend Qavo Mazemagyar, only after getting six concubine lovers. While there are some who idolize his capabilities in these early years, the stress of maintaining the complex relationships is believed to have been the cause of the later breakdown of his mind. As an interesting aside, the end of what is sometimes termed the 'seduction' phase of his life was near concurrent with the usurpation of the Iron Throne from the Targaryens by Raymun "Redbeard" of the Antler Vale.
The instability is evident to have begun soon after an argument with a local priest of the Valyrian Religion, wherein he had been convinced that he should pay greater attention to the Dragon Dreams he oft experienced and his cynical nature frequently cast aside. This advice led to him getting the idea of launching a Slave Raid upon Astapor in 345 A.D. However, due to the near complete lack of ships within Tolos, he was forced to march his near twelve thousand man army along the entire coast of Slaver's Bay. Due to a lack of being able to fully supply the army and the breakneck pace they marched through territory, the army lost near one thousand men in the march through Meereen and Yunkai. Once they managed to make it, however, the army was able to swiftly capture the city of Astapor itself due to their main army having marched off to Ghiscar Point in order to prevent the landing of the Tolos army. After the Tolos army marched north to capture Slaver's Road, the Astapor army marched to recapture the city. A three hundred man detachment of the Tolos army proceeded to capture the city again while the main finished off Slaver's Road and moved on to Dhozai. This army was then found by the Astapor army, when the former was on their way to rejoin the main Tolos force. The army was crushed, and the Astapor army marched after the Tolos army, who by that point had managed to capture Dhozai and move onto Gadhis.
When the two forces managed to stumble across each other in the mountains surrounding Gadhis, the Tolos army had been putting the local castle under siege. As such, they had the advantage in terrain, which the Tolos General Methyso used to his advantage with great ability. By concentrating his forces on the left and having his center and right flanks distract the other two, the center under control of Maerys, Methyso had managed to take each force in pieces, allowing for the lesser force of around nine and a half thousand to defeat the Astapor force of thirteen thousand. In the aftermath of the battle, the treaty was signed, ending the war in 347 A.D., and the Tolos force began the march home, and once again suffering a lack of supplies, resulting in only seven and a half thousand of eight thousand soldiers arriving back home in a condition capable to fight a war.
The stress of the campaign, spread Gonorrhea amongst his wife and concubines while he was still unaware of it, the earlier mentioned stress of maintaining love in eight separate relationships, and possibly news of the unification of the Dothraki Sea led to the phase that took up the latter parts of his life where his mind simply broke down into insanity. Maerys declared war upon the neighboring Mantarys, speaking about seeing a vision that he was to lead a glorious restoration of the province of North Valyria, as his wife and three concubines fell into insanity with him. A red priest heard of his ambitions and attempted to convert him to R'hillor, but the priest was imprisoned and shipped into the Smoking Sea. Following this, he decided to name his horse Justicar of the realm, leaving the position functionally empty. There were some who took effective control of the position in later years, but it was officially in the hands of Glitterhoof for as long as Maerys lived. It is believed he would have continued this conquest onto Elyria, but the limited number of ships and crippling debt he would accumulate would prevent these attempts from going through.
Maerys launched a massive campaign to have the control of all areas in his domain to become under his direct control, removing all vassals. This sparked three civil wars to try to stop him, but each wound up failing completely. After the end of these wars, he additionally changed the succession laws in order for women to be able to inherit as well, but behind the men of the family. As well as sending all prisoners captured to the Smoking Sea, he also attempted to send away the four concubine lovers that had not gone insane with them, two managing to escape Tolos successfully into Little Valyria for a few years. Notably, Maerys and each of the survivors spoke of love for the other until the death of the lover, the former of what she could have been and both of the latter of the man who had been lost to the insanity. In this phase, he also blinded and castrated Qavo Mazemagyar before sending him off to the Smoking Sea. This earned the ire of his wife, leading her to attempt to poison the heir Hageon Kostagar to get back at Maerys, which triggered his paranoia, leading him to have her killed in 355 A.D. He remarried to Rhaelinor, but after a dragon dream showed her face as being behind a plot against the family two years after the marriage started, Maerys had her shipped into the Smoking Sea with other prisoners of the state. It is then that he married the last of the concubines, Syaella, a woman whose husband he had wound up murdering to weaken Mantarys back in his sane days.
This third marriage only lasted a few short months, however. Upon the thirteenth day of the seventh month of 357 A.D., Maerys passed as a result of his Gonorrhea, and the rulership of Tolos passed to his thirteen year old son Haegon, with Syaella as regent.
Crusader Kings 2
Ruler Designer DLC
Game of Thrones mod.zip file containing the submods I am usingHouse Kostagar of the Basilisk Isles
Excerpt from History of House Kostagar
House Kostagar is a descendant house of one of the forty-nine families of Valyrian Freehold. The precise connection to the freehold is entirely uncertain, likely lost to the ages. There is one story that provides insight into the history of the family before it was formally created under Maerys Kostagar. The individual known as Daeron the Survivor had been at sea near the coast of Valyria at the time of the Doom for reasons that are currently unclear. Some who believe the story theorize that this may indicate that the family was a cadet branch rather than one of the major families.
Whatever the situation was, the story continues that the ship had apparently gotten caught in the water rushing in to form the Smoking Sea. The ship was battered by the water to such a degree that it was completely destroyed. According to the House, the wild magic of the Doom had gifted Daeron with dactyl webbing that aided him in surviving just long enough to make it to the shores. It is unclear exactly how he then managed to make it to Mantarys, but there are a few records he had managed to convince the lord of the city to provide him with a ship to go to some destination. It is thought his desired destination was either Voltanis or to meet with the Targaryens, them being the last other remaining family alive.Whichever the destination was, the ship was intercepted by a storm on the way, possibly a side effect of the Doom. It was driven to the Basilisk Isles. Seeing few options, he pledged himself to the Corsair High Lord of the Western Isles. Through some work to gain the trust of the ruling family over the generations and some unfortunate circumstances, Maerys was made heir to the fleet of the ruling Corsair. After the Corsair died, control was gained by Maerys, who created the house of Kostagar rather than taking on the name of the Corsair's family.
Basilisk Isles Council of 112 After the Doom
Excerpt from the Journal of founder Maerys Kostagar
Fifth Day of the First Month, 112 years after the Doom of Valyria
Myself and a courtier from Death Isle by the name of Bulfin have gotten married. While marrying a courtier has severely hit my prestige, her capabilities are far above any individual I know of. In fact, I only have parity with her in Military Strategy and Stewardship, and am lesser than her in any other capability. At least with her as my wife, I can hopefully avoid the plots she may have sent my way if married to another individual. If she actually does decide to plot against me, then the combination of the dreams, my own skill, and her proximity to myself will allow for the discovery of such plots quite easily.
Due to a lack of a dowry due to her position, I have arranged for a fleet to strike out to raid Slaver's Bay to pick up some items of value, both to rebuild my prestige and to aid in building up the island.
On another note, weddings of the followers of the Dark Gods are quite...interesting to say the least.
Excerpt from the Journal of founder Maerys Kostagar
Twenty-Third day of the Fifth month, 112 years after the Doom of Valyria
A courtier by the name of Xhondo came to me with a request to join an adventuring group. While he did hold a moderately favorable opinion of myself, I let him leave. His skills were not of great use to myself, with exception to one. However, as I already hold an individual in the position of Emissary with a higher skill, I did not wish him to plot to gain the position.
Excerpt from The Sacking of the New Pyramid
The Raiders of the Western Isles struck forth at the capital of New Ghis in the 112 year after the Doom. With the forces of New Ghis having been sent to the mainland to participate in an organized Slave Raid upon a nearby nation, the Raiders, numbering around two-hundred eighty, had been able to strike at the city unopposed. After a careful siege organized by the Western Isles Commander Xhelimo that eliminated any calls for help, the raiders managed to break into the city in the night and sack the New Pyramid of New Ghis. An analysis of the actions he had performed will be performed later.
During the raid, the Queen of New Ghis, Qezzara, was captured and taken back to the Western Basilisk Islands. Due to the loss of available gold experienced at the time, she was to be kept as prisoner upon the isles for quite some time.
Excerpt from The Isle of Serpents Rebellion of 112 After the Doom
Soon before the raiding force returned, a vassal Corsair by the name of Oluhuru from the Isle of Serpents fleet sent an ultimatum to House Kostagar, declaring Maerys to be a pretender to control of the isles, utilizing a document that had been lost during the Rebellion. He demanded to have control of the Western Isles and for Maerys to submit to his rightful rule. Maerys sent the messenger back with a single message.
'The chances of me giving you control of the Western Basilisk Isles is less than that of the entirety of the Dothraki both abandoning their nomadic ways and becoming shadowbinders of their own volition. Throw yourself to the venomous serpents that inhabit your island now, and you will avoid the fate I have in store for yourself and your house.'Picked up the Ruler Designer DLC for the reset. How does it sound so far, and any other opinions?
Author
Topic: House Kostagar of Tolos (CKII-GOT) (Read 4854 times)