So, my last session was all kinds of awesome.
I got my republic vassal sorted, courtesy of a county "offered" by the french king. They have built their first trade post now, how cute.
My king of skotland prepared-invasion frisia, which annoyed me for a few years as it prevented me from usurping the ducal title I needed, but he eventually suceeded. Amongst the vassalised christians was a young boy with dark skin. It intrigued me. Turns out his mother was some muslim princess, and his father the king of lotharingia. I didn't think about it too much since my chancellor FINALLY fabricated a claim on the norway holy site, so I embarqued my retinue and personnal levy on a scandinavian vacation. Much looting was had, such victory.
And then, as I was taking a break on Gotland (which belongs to me through the vassalisation of sudreyjar a couple years prior), my son spymaster started flooding my inbox with news of catholics trying to murderize each other. Annoyed, I had them imprisoned and ransomed to fund my parties. Then, after a while I started to wonder where the hell did they come from, I didn't have that much christian count vassals last time I checked.
Turns out that last time I checked, the little brown-skinned prince wasn't the bloody king of lotharingia yet. And now he was, and still my vassal thanks to the king of skotland. And nobody thought that my realm inheriting a whole thor-damned kingdom is important enough to warrant a single letter informing the empress of it. What the Hel.
Shortly after that, my chancellor managed to frabricate another claim, on the last holy site held by christians. One quick war later and I was a Fylkyr. Fylkir. Filkyr. Whatever. The important part was that I could raise crown authority to medium, tanking the malus in opinion with a +33 long reign bonus, and a bunch of christian gold. Now I only have to wait for the (newly-converted) Little Brown Prince to crush his first revolt, and I can switch to elective.
On a side note, my daughter-in-law, the princess of sweden, died giving birth to her second son. The two have a weak claim on that big kingdom, and the first is Quick. Also, the only son of the 60-years-old kind of sweden, died in suspicious circumstances (*feign innocence*). So when the old man kick the bucket, we'll have a jolly succession war.
Rikissa is best empress.