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Part 10
More Than a Maharaja

Last time, Rayan declared a subjugation war on the Solankis for Rajputana. Let's tune in and see how it goes.



Rayan stood facing the castle of Godwad. "How much longer?" he asked.
"Not much, sir, we think they've run out of half their supplies."
"Good. Prepare the troops. We're going in."
"On it, sir."

It seems like the Solankis have had their numbers depleted from a previous war. I destroyed their initial army, but the Solankis are far from finished.

It's been mentioned in the thread that you shouldn't assault unless you outnumber the defenders 10 to 1. That's true for a standard army attacking a castle. For temples and cities, you can assault with less. But my retinues are usually archer and heavy infantry intensive, so I can assault at 3 to 1 odds. However, since I'm using my normal levies here, there will be some light infantry and other types mixed in.

Also, if you're impatient and the defenders have lost a lot of morale, you can rush in early. Bear in mind that the defenders get a small morale boost when you do this.



"Why did you give that peasant boy the same amount of sweets as the others? You are a noble, are you not? Above him in every way?" asks Rayan.
"But dad, you said that we're all human and that the king's duty is treat everyone fairly, right?" replies Vigra.
Rayan cracks a wide smile.
"Of course. To treat all with respect and dignity, that is the Dharma of the king. Good job, son."

You know the deal. Just is good, Arbitrary is bad.



"Can we even call this a war?" shouted one of Rayan's commanders. "It's more like a slaughter."
"War is war, regardless of the odds" replied Rayan.

We're wrapping up the war here now. We're in the pursuit phase, where most of the casualties occur. I like to mix in some cavalry in my retinues just for this phase of the fight. Heavy infantry are good at winning fights, but not at finishing them off.



Throughout every province in Rajputana the old flags are torn down and the new flags are put up. The lords of Rajputana swear their allegiance to their new Maharaja. Pala is now the mightiest power in India and one of the most powerful nations in the world.

We've come a long way from "oh no, he's hired the holy order". Now most of our fights are curbstomps. But as Genghis Khan said "It is easy to conquer the world on horseback. What is hard is to get off your horse and rule." Being a Jain makes ruling easier, but we can't be Jains forever.



With these new lands, the kingdom of Pala now stretches from one side of India to the other.

Some of the more eagle eyed of you might have noticed that the Kalinga Raj, our favorite punching bags, are gone. What happened was that one of my vassals launched a subjugation war on them. Because he was my vassal, all of his territory belongs to me. While he's a megaduke now, both of his duchies have gavelkind and he has two sons, meaning that his duchies will be divided up on his death.

I believe (though I am not 100% sure) that if you are a king and your vassal (who's a duke) subjugates a kingdom, you will get that kingdom. But I believe that your duke will get the duchies and the subjugated peoples will be his vassals.



But the cruelties of war have changed something in Rayan. The kind monarch with a smile for everyone is gone. In his place is a man wielding cold justice. It is hard to be merciful when you have sent so many men to their deaths.

Losing Kind is not the end of the world (though losing Just would be pretty bad). While we lose the +2 diplomacy and the +10 vassal opinion, we also get +2 intrigue. Being a Jain means that our vassals love us and now we're better at having people murdered.



Vigra is growing up to be a fine young man, but like any child he has his temper tantrums.

"Why did you did punch the cook's son, Vigra?"
"Because he pissed me off."
"A king who cannot restrain himself is a weak king. How can you expect to control an entire kingdom when you cannot control yourself?"
Vigra looks down in shame.
"If you lash out every time someone provokes you, you will fall into a pit and be snared. It is better to wait and think about things clearly before you act."
"Yes father."
Vigra looks up into his father's face for that look of approval Rayan always gave Vigra when he finished a lesson. But he sees only an unemotional interest.

Here we see one of the problems of being a Jain. Jains lose piety when they take violent actions during pop ups. But it's only a small amount and we can make up for it easily.



"My lord, your steward Kannama is tried to have the peasants beat up again."
"Didn't I discuss this with him already?"
"Apparently it didn't stick."
Rayan sighs. "I'll be heading over there."

Speaking of events that either get you money and piss people off or not get your money and piss people off, there is an event where you'll find out that one of your councilors has been siphoning money from the realm's treasury. I once had a guy who managed to get 3000 gold from the treasury before he was caught.



Sidhawa is pregnant again.



Rayan catches Vigra playing "Tap Dance on the Elephant" with the other kids. The elephant in question is a very easy going elephant (and very short, for an elephant) and the grass is very soft, so Vigra's life isn't in danger. Rayan decides to let the boy have fun with his friends.

This isn't a bad event. The best choice for the ruler is obviously the first one, as Brave (+2 martial, +10 vassal opinion) is very good. Humble and Honest aren't that bad either, though Humble would be better. The last is awful, Slothful and Shy. Slothful is probably one of the worst traits in the game, giving -1 to all stats as well as -10 vassal opinion.



Vigra soon proves himself to be a very daring young man and Rayan hopes that his courage will be tinged with a little bit of wisdom.

Brave!



Seeking to increase the size of the realm, Rayan declares war on the Satrubhanjid Raj. The war is over in a year.



As Vigra gets older, he gets his own allowance. While careful with his money, Rayan wonders if he is a little too careful.



"Vigra, it is the Dharma of the king to give to all those in need. For it is in charity that the king gains the love of his people."

Charitable and Greedy are both decent traits. We've gone over both of them but since Vigra will need to keep control over an entire kingdom, I give him Charitable.



Rayan finds the old man in a bar, so full of alcohol that if he walked by a candle he'd burst into flame. Rayan has the strangest feeling this is the man who trained his father, but it can't be, right?



While impressed by the show, Rayan wonders why a bunch of monks devoted to liberating themselves from worldly desires would need to combat techniques. Perhaps they have some very persistent salesman.

After, Rayan asks if they could teach him some of those techniques.



Vigra isn't the only one with temper tantrums. Dasha also has a hot temper. Rayan must give him a lecture as well.



A few months of training with the strangely familiar old man has sharpened Rayan's combat skills. As the old man returns to his wanderings, Rayan wonders how many other men he has taught.



Rayan is dealing with the day to day tasks of ruling a realm when a messenger bursts into his office.
"My lord, Pope Marcellus II has called a Crusade on Pomerania!"
There is an awkward silence.
"And where is Pomerania exactly?" asks Rayan.
"I dunno, just thought I'd, um, let you know." The messenger slinks off, embarrassed.

Pomerania is boned. Seriously. Pomerania is near Denmark and right on the border of the HRE. The only way they could survive would be to convert to Catholicism.



Rayan looks over his deeds and his kingdom and congratulates himself. Shouldn't he have the right to be proud of what he has done?

Proud is a decent trait, but since we rule several kingdoms, we get prestige out the wazoo. Piety is much more important to us.



But now he has no idea what to strive for. He's taken the throne, defeated his enemies, and expanded his kingdom. What's a maharaja to do? Come to think of it, he shouldn't be called a Maharaja anymore. Maharaja is for the peasants who dare to call themselves rulers. He needs something more. He'll need to head to the library.

Rayan! We've just lost -2 to all stats. Good thing Rayan's secured his power already.



While in the library, Rayan finds several books on alchemy. As Rayan is already studying how to protect himself from poison (as well as finding a new title), the books are a great find.

This is part of the "Improve Intrigue" ambition



Vigra's fibbing is starting to become a problem. Rayan calls for his son so that he can give him a lecture.

"Vigra, a king's word is absolute. When he makes a promise, he keeps it. When he speaks, he keeps lies from his lips. When he says he will destroy his enemies, he shall. Do you understand?"
"Yes dad."



Vigra seems to have taken the lesson to heart.

Choosing between Honest and Deceitful is as simple as "Do I want Diplomacy or Intrigue?"



"Um, sir? Dasha's been punching the other kids again."
"I'll be right over."



Vigrahapala finally comes of age. He is a fine young man, inheriting his father's fine physique. Hardworking, brave, and just, Vigra is well-loved by the people. Vigra also possesses a silver tongue and a keen grasp of finances. He is a competent warrior as well and justly proud of it.

Unfortunately, his honest nature has made him unskilled in the ways of secrets and spycraft. Not every battle is fought in the daylight. Some fights must be kept quiet, some evils done in the name of the realm.

I'd say Vigra's turned out pretty well. He has phenomenal diplomacy and his stewardship is pretty good. Strong, Brave, Just, and Diligent combine to give him a whopping +40 vassal opinion bonus. Combined with his Jain bonuses, he'll come on the throne with +70 vassal opinion boost. If he were Kind, he'd have +80. An Attractive Jain queen with Brave, Just, Diligent, and Kind would have +100 with her male Buddhist vassals.

His intrigue is horrible (I probably should have gone with Deceitful, since he already gets a crapton of bonuses to opinion anyways), but we can fix that with ambitions.



Rayan finds a nice girl with good bookkeeping skills to be Vigra's wife. Money flows in from all of Pala to pay for the wedding.



During the celebration, a messenger runs up to Rayan. "My lord, the Crusade for Pomerania has ended and the glory has gone to Duke Alar of Brittany!"
Rayan stares at him.
"I mean, not that he conquered Pomerania or anything, the king just converted to Catholicism, and Alar had done the most fighting so..."
Silence.
"I'll, um, be going now."





Between this and the beating up of random children, Rayan is starting to think that there is something deeply wrong with Dasha.



However, Dasha's behavior improved after the lecture.

In other news, Rayan's long studies in the library have paid off. It's been months of research into old maps and records of ancient rulers.

A message moves throughout Pala, saying that the Maharaja is about to make a special announcement. People trickle into Laksmanavati, curious as to what the king will say.



"My subjects, I have come to tell that I am no longer your Maharaja."
There are gasps and weeping from the crowd. The guards hush the crowds and silence fills the air. Rayan clears his throat.
"For I am now-"



"-your Samrat!"
Wild cheering erupts from the crowd. Samrat. Emperor. A title that has not been used for centuries. They were citizens of an empire, the mightiest India had seen in centuries.



And all of east India was theirs by right. By Rayan's right. By the Emperor's right.

Next Time: The Benefits of Being an Emperor